Responding To God’s Love Lesson Six Introduction: This Is A Continuation Of Our Previous Lesson Where We Asked The Question: “How Would God Have You Respond To His Great Love?” God Has Revealed His Will For You Through The Inspired Writings Of The New Testament

Seek To Understand & Obey Each Person Must Seek To Understand And Obey These Truths For Him Or Herself. By So Doing, God Will Consider You A Disciple Of Jesus And A Part Of His Eternal Kingdom. When You, By Faith, Surrender Your Life To Jesus - God Does What He Promised.

First Century Responses Notice The Response Of First Century Hearers Of The Gospel And What They Were Promised. In Acts 2 We Read An Historical Account Of What Happened In Jerusalem On A Jewish Holiday Called Pentecost. Thousands Of People From All Over The Roman Empire Were Gathered To Celebrate The Occasion. Jesus Had Already Ascended Back Into Heaven About Ten Days Earlier. He Sent The Holy Spirit Just As He Promised His Apostles The Night Before His Crucifixion (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-15).

Apostles Empowered By The Holy Spirit Jesus Also Reminded Them Of This Promise Just Before He Ascended Into Heaven (Acts 1:4-5). The Holy Spirit Empowered The Apostles, Giving Them Miraculous Abilities. They Spoke Languages They Had Not Studied And Were Given An Inspired Message They Had Not Previously Understood.

Peter’s Message To The Crowd Acts 2:22-24, 32 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him . . . God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

The People Were Witnesses Peter Addressed The People As Witnesses Of The Miraculous Works God Had Done Through Jesus.

Jesus Was Put To Death Peter Stated Clearly That Jesus Was Put To Death By Their Deeds And That God Raised Him From The Dead. This Was According To God’s Eternal Purpose.

Jesus Was Raised By God 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” Paul Repeats The Fact That Jesus Was Raised By God And The Apostles Had Seen Him Alive.

Final Proof Remember That The Resurrection Of Jesus Was The Final Proof Of His Claim To Be The Son Of God. This Fact Is A Major Pillar Of Christianity. Without His Resurrection, We Have No Hope For Life Beyond The Grave (1 Cor. 15:12-21) These Facts Were Put Before These People So That They Could Base Their Decisions On The Truth. Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Peter Continues Peter Restated Who Jesus Was And Reminded His Listeners That They Were Responsible For His Crucifixion. Jesus Died For Their Sins. Notice Their Reaction When They Believed What They Heard. Acts 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

The Facts Touched Their Hearts They Had Put To Death The Son Of God. Your Sins Put Him On That Cross, Too. We Are As Guilty As They Were. He Died For Your Sins. The Message Should Cut Your Heart Just As It Did Theirs. They Asked, “What Shall We Do?” This Indicates They Believed The Gospel Message But Realized The Need For Further Response On Their Part.

Peter’s Reply So Peter’s Reply Should Be As Important To You As It Was To Them. Acts 2:38-40 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.“ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."

Repentance And Baptism Are Necessary Peter States That Repentance And Baptism By The Authority Of Jesus Are Necessary For The Forgiveness Of Sins. The Crowd Was Also Promised That God’s Spirit Would Take Up Residence In Them When Their Sins Were Removed (Acts 5:32 Says God Gives His Spirit To Those Who Obey Him). Notice How The People Responded And What They Were Promised. Could He Be Looking To You For The Same Response ?

The Lord Added The Baptized Acts 2:41, 47 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day . . . . And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. When They Were Baptized, The Lord Added Them To The Number Of Disciples (His Church). The Lord Also Added Them To The Number Of Saved People. They Were Saved From Sin And The Separation Caused By Sin. They Were Saved From The Wrath Of God At Judgment And An Eternal Destiny In A Godless Hell. Baptism Is Necessary !

Now Look At The Illustration Actions Facts Promises Believe John 3:16 “Jesus is God’s Son” John 11:25-26 “He who believes in me will live” Mark 5:7 (Demons know Jesus is God’s Son) James 2:19 (Demons believe and shudder) Eternal Life Confess Rom 10:9-10 “Jesus is Lord”, Master, Ruler, Authority Matt 7:21 Not all who say Lord, Lord, will enter heaven Matt 10:32-33 Christ will acknowledge those who acknowledge Him 2 Cor 3:17-18 Freedom is in Him Saved Repent Mark 16:16 Matt 28:18-20 Jesus has all authority” Baptized Acts 2:38-41, 47 Sins Forgiven Received the gift of the H.S. Added to the # of the saved.

Repentance There Are Two Important Parts To Biblical Repentance. The First Part Is Change. Repentance Means To Change One’s Mind And Actions. It Is A Heartfelt Decision To Turn From Sinfulness To God - And To Stop Doing Those Things That Grieve Him.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, Acts 3:19 When God’s Spirit Is In Us, We Are Refreshed By Having A Renewed Relationship With Him. Changed Living Takes A Decided Effort On Our Part, But The Power To Do So Successfully Comes From The Lord (2 Cor 3:17-18) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Repentance Sorrow is the second part of Repentance. 2 Cor. 7:9-10 . . . . . your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

There Are Two Kinds Of Sorrow Two Kinds Of Sorrow Are Mentioned in 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Worldly Sorrow And Godly Sorrow. Example: Two Bank Robbers Are In Prison At The Same Time, And Both Of Them Are Sorry. One Is Grieved That His Life Has Become Such A Mess And That He Has Hurt God With His Sinful Ways. The Other Is Just Sorry He Got Caught And Grieves Over The Fact That He Didn’t Have A Good Enough Getaway Plan And Now Has To Serve Time. One Has Godly Sorrow That Leads To Repentance; The Other Has Worldly Sorrow.

The Road To Destruction Another Illustration While Traveling Down A Road Called Sin, You Look Ahead And See The End Result, It Is An Eternal Destiny You Do Not Want, Torment In A Godless Hell. You Are Sorry That You Have Come This Way And Decide To Turn To A Different Road. God Gives You That Opportunity Through His Forgiveness, Made Available In Jesus Christ. The Road To Destruction

Repentant Believers The People Being Baptized In Acts 2 Were Repentant Believers. Each Person Had To Decide Whether He Or She Believed The facts About Jesus As Stated By The Apostles. Each Person Had To Repent Of His Or Her Own Sin And Be Baptized.

God’s Purpose For Baptism Let’s Look At Some More Passages Of Scripture That Will Deepen Our Understanding Of God’s Purpose For Baptism. John 3:1-5 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.“ In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.“ "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!“ Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

Jesus Taught Nicodemus Nicodemus Knew Jesus Was From God, So Jesus Taught Him About Spiritual Rebirth. Nicodemus Thought Jesus Was Talking About Being Physically Reborn. But Jesus Said Spiritual Rebirth Consists Of Water And Spirit. Notice How Acts 2:38 Makes The Same Connection Between Water Baptism And Receiving God’s Spirit. You Will Be Spiritually Starting Over When Your Sins Are Removed And God Gives You His Spirit.

Romans 6:1-4 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (2)By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (3)Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4)We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. The Christians In Rome Were Reminded Of How They Had Been Separated From Their Sins In Baptism. They Were Baptized Into The Death Of Jesus (6:3). That Is When His Blood Washed Away Their Sins. Paul Describes Baptism As A Burial And Resurrection (6:4) The Old Man Of Sin Is Dead And Buried With Christ. He Is Then Raised With Him To Live A New Life.

Three Spiritual States This Simple Illustration May Help. The Same Person Is In Three Spiritual States: Death, Burial, And Resurrection. SIN New Life Holy Spirit Death Burial Resurrection

The Gospel Defined 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. Paul Defines The Gospel For The Corinthian Christians. He Says It Is The Death, Burial, And Resurrection Of Jesus.

Baptism, Our Response To Obedient Faith Scripture Tells Us That We Are Saved Through Faith In The Gospel Of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Baptism Is Our Personal Participation In The Gospel (The Death, Burial, And The Resurrection Of Jesus). Baptism Is A Person’s Response Of Obedient Faith.

Baptism Is A Burial And Resurrection Colossians 2:12-13 “. . . . having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins . . . ” Paul Describes Baptism As A Burial And Resurrection. These People Put Their Faith In God’s Power To Take Away Their Sins. It Is God Who Made Them Spiritually Alive Again When He Forgave Their Sins.

A New Start In A New Relationship Galatians 3:26-29 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Becoming A Child Of God Is Through Faith In Christ Jesus. Baptism Is The Point When You Put On Christ Or Are Clothed With Him. You Begin Wearing His Characteristics And Become An Heir Of God’s Eternal Promises This Is A New Start In A New Relationship With God.

Cleansed By The Blood Of Jesus 1 Peter 3:21-22 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. Peter Compares The Water That Saved Noah (Genesis 6) From A Sinful World To God’s Purpose For Water Baptism. We Aren’t Baptized To Have Our Dirty Skin Washed With Water. Our Sins Are To Be Washed Away By The Blood Of Jesus And Our Consciences Made Clean Again.

Conclusion Now How About You? Do You Believe That Jesus Is The Risen Son Of God? Are You Ready To Surrender Your Life To Him, Letting Him Become Your Lord? Are You Sorry For Your Sinful Life And Ready To Turn From Sin To God? Are You Ready To Be Baptized As God’s Word Says So That Your Sins Will Be Forgiven? May The Lord Bless You With Wisdom And Courage As You Prayerfully Consider This Most Important Decision.

End Of Lesson Six In Our Next Lesson We Will Continue To Investigate The Response Of First Century Hearers Of The Gospel And What They Were Promised.