Watchman Radio Hour

Peter preaching at Pentecost had not only his immediate audience in mind but generations yet to come not only among the Jews but among peoples all over the world. Not only were the Jews of that day given a promise but their children and not only their children but all who were far off in distance as well as time and their children. This promise had a far reaching vision that carried forward even to the end of the age. This promise would effect peoples from every nation and people group all over the world. Today, we need to recapture this vision of Peter's at Pentecost.

The cross was not God's Plan B. It was a part of his master plan, the plan He had from the beginning. God has His plan for history and it is being carried out. There are no surprises to God. He knows what He is doing. There is no Plan B with God. He has a master plan and He will see it through to the end.

A new king had come and He was commissioning His disciples to go and make disciples all over the world and to issue in a New Kingdom - the Kingdom of God. Satan's Kingdom would come under judgement and a new kingdom would take its place. Therefore, Pentecose was an inauguration of the Kingdom of God. Jesus gave the Great Commission and it was inaugurated at Pentecost. The worldwide conquest of the Kingdom of God began at Pentecost and the great judgment on Satan's rule began.

We are living in the days of the dispensation of the Spirit. We could also say that we are living in the days of the fulfillment of Pentecost and that fulfillment is not over yet. Some think the end is very near. Armageddon is upon us. I prefer to think that this is not true. There is more yet to come. Pentecost is not over yet. We know that Jesus will return but is it now time for Him to return. Have we accomplished our task? Is this all there is? Is there not more yet to come? Today, there are billions who know not Christ. There are nations that yet need to be converted and nations that need to be reclaimed for the kingdom of God. How can we say that the end is at hand when there is so much yet to be done.

At Pentecost the power was given for the worldwide proclamation of the gospel. Without that power, Christ's Kingdom could not spread. Without that power, Satan's Kingdom would remain and not be destroyed. Today, that same Pentecostal power is needed to finish the task the Lord has given the church in this world.

Pentecost was a very historic event in the history of the church. Not only was it historic, but it had great significance. It was an event that had already been prophesied and promised by the Lord Jesus Himself. The Old Testament pointed to it. The New Testament records it and shows what happened after it. Not only was it the fulfillment of a promise but it was also the beginning of a new age - the age of the Spirit. It was a great revival for the people - it effected both believers and non-believers. Believers were set on fire for the gospel - nonbelievers were converted to Christ in great numbers. It was a great start for the church. Church history has shown that at particular times - the Holy Spirit has again been poured out with great results. Should we expect further Pentecosts even greater than the ones that have happened in the past?

The crowds were amazed at Jesus' teaching because He was no ordinary man. He was God in the flesh. We should listen to Jesus today because He is God. He has given us His Word and we need to take heed to what it says. Jesus' teaching is unique. The people there on the mountain side heard Jesus directly. They could see him with their eyes and they could hear him with their ears. How do we hear Him today? We hear him through the Bible as it is taught and proclaimed to us or as we read and meditate upon it. The Bible is the Word of God. It is God's message to us. We need to take heed to what it says. Jesus is still speaking. We need to open our ears and listen to what He has to say.

Good works are the product of a good heart. You can't be a true Christian without good works. If obeying the Sermon on the Mount turns you off, then what kind of faith do you have? Saving faith says, "I want to obey Christ's commands  - the Sermon on the Mount and all His commands." If you have that kind of faith, then you have a solid foundation.

A Judgement Day is coming and we need to live in the light of that fact. Today's world lives as if there is no judgement but they are wrong. In the light of the Great Judgement Day, we need to be careful how we live and what we profess. We must beware of having a false profession. Jesus says that on the Judgement Day, false professors will be exposed. Their masks will be ripped off and He will declare, "I never knew you."

Many Christians today are being deceived by false teachers. Cults are full of former Christians who could not recognize their false teaching. Christians today are very vulnerable to being led astray because of their ignorance of scripture and the teachings of the Christian faith. Then, there are prophets whose lives don't live up to what they teach. We need to know how to recognize false prophets and false teachings. If we cannot recognize them, then we are very subject to being led astray.