Acts part 4

when before I put my print the pretzels in my beard, I'll do this I will

I Will stop the camera okay, so sometime after I come back on I'll have the

I'll I'll be I'll pick a pretzel out of my beard and Thought I think you just gave it away

Welcome to the laborers podcast 25 seconds in and you you got a sneak peek of a inside conversation

Welcome to the laborers podcast again. We appreciate you being here appreciate you watching who we apologize for that miss out there at the beginning

But stay tuned tonight. We're going to talk about the book of Acts part number four welcome to the laborers podcast

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Welcome again to the laborers podcast club. My deepest apologies. I Had already hit the button

So This has to be live if you're watching live between now and 20 minutes in look for the

Easter egg Claude is going to be giving away his designed shirt Calvinist before it was popular be looking for this

Easter egg Claude is going to be eating tonight and you have to tell us what he is eating and where he is getting that food from If you can post that in the comments anywhere anywhere between now and 20 minutes in Claude said that he is going to give away one of his

Calvinist before it was Cool t -shirt.

Oh cool t -shirts Reform Berean Glad to have you on brother.

How's it going? We're gonna be talking about acts. We are on part number four We're gonna be starting in chapter 12, but I didn't want to go back to a question that that big

John Had asked me earlier and we were in Acts chapter 10 and was about Cornelius and The angel you want to re -ask that question and maybe some others have some insights as well.

Sure. So question was Why? did

Cornelius Why was Cornelius instructed to go sin for Simon Peter by the angel granted,

I can't tell you that this is that what I believe to be true is a is I Can't point to scripture and say this is why it says that this is where it says it but more the principle behind it consider the fact that Cornelius is confronted by an angel and Given clear instructions on whom to sin for and where that person would be at and you have to ask yourself

Why anger? Well, I read through that chapter again looking looking for the answer and I Found myself

Putting up my guards because I didn't want to I didn't want to imply something that wasn't in the text I didn't want to color my interpretation on Continuation versus cessation

Roles the Apostles based on those viewpoints. I was trying to find from the text and Answer and that makes me curious where your conclusions are but So what's what's the angels job?

What hit the job was to to send a message to Cornelius to go? Look for Peter and I know

At the same time Peter was also receiving a vision and those visions

Correlated they were they happened around the same time and You had a

Gentile Who was supposed to send for a Jew and then you had a Jew who was being told or being taught the lesson.

Hey Well Peter's conclusion was God doesn't show partiality that was his conclusion at the end

Where there was, you know animosity between the the Jew and the Gentile It does seem like that passage is pointing to God bringing or revealing that he is

Bringing the two together and making them one. Okay Anybody's yes, where's why

Peter? I'm not sure. Well, it had to be Peter, but go ahead So I miss

Because I was acting stupid. I missed out on you phrasing the question Here's where I'm phrasing the question

We have an Italian man named Cornelius who undoubtedly fears God and prays often, right?

Okay, and it during it appears to me during one of his prayers. He's visited by an angel

Who tells him to go seek Simon Peter at Simon the Tanner's house?

Right what chapter Okay, I was in 12, that's why okay, so this is a question from the other week and I've I've got an inclination as to why

I think this is the case and it's not like it's a doctrinal matter except for the fact That it appears that there's roles and and Parts being played and I don't like saying it that way because it makes it sound like theater, but for a moment

Yeah Peter is to come tell him the gospel, right? There's an angel standing right there

Why didn't the angel tell him the gospel and I don't want to drag this thing out I'll give you my point and you tell me whether or not it's completely unfounded unless somebody wants to speak up Hearing none.

I Believe that angels roles are laid out for us We see later on like in the book of Hebrews where they're all ministerings

Servants sent for help to those who are receiving salvation But the Apostles job and the church's job is to share the gospel.

So we see that in in First Chronicles chapter 17,

I believe it is. Oh, man it's been a minute since I read it, but I want to say something to the to the case of Jehoiachin and and A has

I think are going to go into battle and then there was 400 line prophets and then there was one prophet that told the truth, right and Who was the prophet that told the truth was it?

Hosanna Yeah, is that right? And that may be in Jose Actually, it may be in Jose in the book of Hosea.

But in any case the point I'm getting at is is that They give a glimpse in heaven

They said you seen God sending at the center and the heavenly host was it is right and it is left and then he's seen a deceiving spirit

To allow people to to allow these false prophets to deceive any case you see order in heaven

There's the whole point I see from first or first Chronicles chapter 17. I think it's 17 and I can see where there's

Roles and responsibilities that every person is required in order to be

Obedient to God and the angels job doesn't appear to ever be one with a gospel message spreaders gospel messages to be spread by the children of God by way of the

Great Commission and The angels are there to help in these endeavors, but they're not there as messengers of the gospel

I Don't know why Except for that. It appears to be that's not their job and it might be because they know nothing of grace

It might be that as a being that was perfected or made Unredeemable on this the word

I'm going to use we see no record whatsoever of angels ever having an opportunity of being born again

If they drop the ball or they sin their fallen angels forever to be damned, right correct, so to me

I Think they would have a difficult time Explaining grace and repentance when they can't walk that out

But I can't point to scripture and tell you that that's so but I've always wanted to know

If somebody had a better reason as to why the angel that shows up to Cornelius's house couldn't just say

Jesus is Lord Surrender and repent And be born again, but there's a lot of hoops going through to get

Peter there now I'm not going to discredit the things that God is working through Peter and working through that entire scenario at the at both

Tanner's house and At Cornelius's house, but you do got to admit from a sheer logistical standpoint

It looked like it would have been easier So I agree. I agree and and all

I would add to that would be you know That is one of those things that we can very easily speculate on there

But where the scripture is silent, I think what you would have to just talk through though makes perfect sense the angels the angels role and responsibility are ministering spirits

Right and they do not they do not do as humans do and Accentuate and make emphasis on syllables and vowels

Right. They just simply say what God said and that's what we see there in the text, right?

Cornelius he called his button. He got his attention called his name and then he told him in verse 4

Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God Now and he gave him some direction sin for men to Joppa, right?

So that was the That was all that the Lord told him to say the angel

So or the angel right so we can we can I think we can rest content in just knowing that That God did send the word through through an angel got

Cornelius Cornelius's attention and then Boom Simon, yeah broke out the gospel on him

But in in like manner in Matthew 28 the angel came down Descended rolled away the stone sat on it waited for the women.

He said he said he's not here He's risen like he said he would now go give word to the disciples.

That's right. Yeah Everybody's got their job to play. Everybody's got their role to play stay in your lane as they say, right?

There is there isn't a significant shift in this chapter though, nothing is very important to know because this is the chapter right before this we see

Saul's conversion and Then we see the initiation to the mission to the

Gentiles even though there were some Gentiles converted prior to this You've got Philip in the Ethiopian eunuch.

Hopefully the Ethiopian eunuch would be considered a Gentile But the other thing to keep in mind we're getting a glimpse into Jewish proselytes as well.

This would been a guy who is Still praying to the one true God Practicing the one true known religion to him and the unknown faith in Christ, you know

But he's doing everything according to according to the scriptures and so This this pretty neat how

Peter So some people call this a mini Pentecost, you know you because you had big

Pentecost the next two Here's a mini Pentecost to the Gentiles like this is this is like the Pentecost and now and then after this there's a whole transition in the book of Acts from the life of Peter and the story of Peter from Pentecost here, then then we move into Paul's conversion you see this is like segue and then of course, we know

Paul is an apostle to the Gentiles And so I just think it's important that we see that but there's still without sounding

Roman Catholic There's still an apostolic secession here But Peter was the one who preached in Acts 2 and now here

Peter is the one preaching in Acts 10 And Peter is the one that Jesus says you're gonna have the keys

Peter that unlocks the door man You're gonna be the one so it's it's showing some of those beautiful secessions from From Jesus's prophet prophetic word over Peter of what

Peters roles want to be in ushering in the kingdom of God to feed his sheep And so so I think there's some historical importance to that Cornelius Regenerate you think during his time of prayer?

You're asking a Calvus or Calvus are you asking? I'm asking I'm joking.

No, I don't think more regenerate than anybody else. But what I say is I think I think we're we're

I Know I love to debate apostolic age, but this is a proof text

For some of the apostolic age that there is a transitioning period going on here where there is where God Is slow in kind and so I think there it's obvious that God so no

I don't think he was regenerate your generation only comes to Christ in Christ alone So what I'm saying is Cornelius do you you don't think

Cornelius was a believer? That he was that he was born again all the times he's praying to God and that When Peter shows up is whenever he's truly born again in that moment when he hears the gospel

Yes, but I mean we'd have to say that but what I'm trying to say is there's all obviously a devoutness that God honored to And so so again, this is something that is as the gospel is unheard unknown

There's something here that that he is That that he's honored the Lord in every way and so he's honored the

Lord as in Noah as in Noah's day, you know as in Noah did and and as Abraham did and he found favor with God because of his faithfulness and sincerity in that but that's

But that's not necessarily what motivated the hand of God, but I don't think he was regenerate The only way of true regeneration is through the washing and the regeneration of the

Holy Spirit And that's what we have in this story happening, you know It seems like that what y 'all are talking about is another part of that transition

Mm -hmm I mean you guys were talking about if he would have lived in a different time period Like those men of old that you were talking about Maybe he would have been considered a man of faith like in Hebrews 11 but part of that transition here in Acts between The Old Covenant ending in the

New Covenant Starting and taking completely taking over. Yeah, it's going to Peter and hearing the gospel message

Yeah, I don't And I didn't mean for this to turn into something but that's good.

He's good conversation. So we're saved by faith, right? so if if If Abraham is an example in the book of Romans as someone who is

Regenerate or someone who is in right standing with God It's not because of his actions, but it's because of his faith in God is the way

I understand Paul to argue from the book of Romans and so I'm thinking that It's faith that saves whether it's 2000

BC or 2000 AD I don't see is where the avenue of salvation is ever different Does that make sense?

Yes, and and so here's what I would add here's my input so concerning Regeneration has to be looked at from two perspectives

Okay, so we have and I'm gonna use I don't know if it's I'm gonna be using the words correctly

But I'm gonna use them finitude and infinitude So from God's perspective and for man's perspective, okay, right?

So Regeneration Regeneration In the reformed in the reformed view

Precedes comes before faith faith doesn't come out of nothing but faith comes from regeneration

So what we see as time and space like here

We see the the logical the linear time line going down, right? From God's perspective the work of Regeneration is when the dead is brought to life

The dead the dead are brought to life by the work of the Holy Spirit In the heart in the mind of the individual, right?

So to say to I think to say that salvation is a moment in time is both true and and False in the sense that we must make the distinction right?

So God begins the work of What I'm gonna call in this region Regeneration in him right so we can think of it in our day and time all of us here

Understand and know what the word conviction is when you begin to be convicted of your sin

Okay, it hurts it stings it aches Dead men feel no pain.

They feel no sting. They feel no hurt. They feel no ache. So What when when

God brings to life? That man dead in trespasses and sins.

That's when we become able to Understand and to know our sinful nature and begin to seek for God because outside of regeneration

Nobody seeks for God Right, so that's that's gonna be the angle that that I that I would be coming from there that it's not

After Peter came to him, but the really the work of regeneration Was already taking place.

We see that because why because this man was referred to as a man who feared

God He prayed to God always Right now he didn't have the

Holy Spirit before this moment, but the Holy Spirit had him Right, and then later.

So later when Peter comes Peter preaches the gospel He believes and just like all of the other folks who said in the other in another place there, right?

We not even heard that there be such a thing as the Holy Spirit right and and he was given to them because Like just like John said there too so this was an example of the

Gentiles Being given the Holy Spirit now God had to work on more than just Cornelius He had to he he worked on Peter.

He had to teach Peter a lesson Right that not all things are common.

Don't call anything common or unclean in that right So that's that's where I would be coming from and this

I found this in my beard Y 'all see that Yeah That's an original design now your shirt whoever gets the shirt you're not getting a camouflaged shirt, this is this is mine

You'll get a black t -shirt with that Embossed on it.

Yeah, but on it That's medium I Guess the only question

I'd have John is You're using the word regeneration Okay, and I personally this is just me.

I shot I shot a link in our group chat and it might be something worth discussing But But I didn't put it on the public chat here because I don't

I don't want to send heresy out on public You know, but just something I think worth discussing. I would

I would argue Probably again that the word regeneration to be regenerate

Yes, just change that word. Take a word is what I'm just saying is a New Testament distinctive So let's let's let's consider an

Old Testament word and call it righteous then what is righteousness. There you go Okay, so if we're gonna look at a word like what is what does it mean to be righteous?

Right In right standing with God, right, so if you're in right standing with God You would be referred to in the

Old Testament Similarly or dissimilarly to what we refer to as being born again in the New Testament Would it be similar or dissimilar and if in if dissimilar how so and if similar how so?

Because when I read Romans and I see where Paul likens The the faith of Abraham making him right with God or making him righteous before God It's similar, but it's what you can so in the

Old Testament is is a foreshadowing Not the manifestation of So when he's equal to say, let's take out a heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh

There's nobody in the Old Testament that we see that happen with specific And I won't argue with that Back to that Distinctive but so there is a foreshadowing even

Abraham by faith You know in God Righteousness, he believed

God and God credited to him as righteousness so if there's an accreditation to Abraham because of the faith and We say again,

I'm not Calvinist But if I understood what mother Claude was saying a while ago Calvinists would say that faith is a work of the

Holy Spirit that is done after regeneration then how can that be a

Term that is unilaterally applied to both Testaments without using different words or different meanings behind the same words it doesn't because Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 or by grace are you saved? Mm -hmm through faith?

That's right. I'm a It is the gift of God Faith is the gift of God not a works

Who called the God first God called Abraham or Abraham called God Abraham was called by God's according to Scripture, right?

So God called out to him. All right, I'm not arguing that what is the work of grace? So the response is if is a faith, that's right, you know, so that's so that's all we're saying

It's not it's it's just that God initiated and because of God's initiation That that sparked faith within the human mind and heart it was

Abraham filled with the Holy Spirit No, the

Holy Spirit wasn't given in full Not in the same measure until Pentecost The regenerating work of the

Holy Spirit was the same what you are saying earlier that like that article sure, right?

Abraham pre -law, right? Mm -hmm pre -law called by God By Someone who was in right standing with God as according to Paul Done because he believed right?

Mm -hmm And then I see Cornelius a man who fears God and prays and undoubtedly believes in God Enough to where he's willing to listen to an angel and God's willing to send an angel to him, right?

Which I would consider anytime an angel was to be visited by you unless he was a fallen angel

I would consider that God knocking on your door. You're right. I mean because who who allowed for that to happen?

Mm -hmm. So did God speak to Cornelius directly the way that he apparently spoke to Abraham?

I would say no He didn't however, I would say that God has calling Cornelius in this moment

To find somebody to give him the gospel So if I were going to say that Abraham was in right standing with God and so much as that we would consider paradise the bosom of Abraham before the resurrection

Then I can't see where Cornelius is in any different scenario than Abraham unless I'm looking at it wrong

He's not he would have the faith of Abraham No, it is Cornelius is a Gentile Well, I mean then that that's very true, right?

He's so so in the Old Testament Faith was true saving.

There's a difference between Works faith and Saving faith just as in the yeah, so works faith is

Faith based upon what you do or the individual does right?

So in the Old Testament that would have been circumcision But what does what does the

Lord say repeatedly throughout the Old Testament, even though Even though the circumcision was the physical sign of being quote -unquote in the covenant at that time

Repeatedly throughout the Old Testament. The Lord says look it's not about the physical sign

It's about the circumcision of the heart. Oh Tyler must be gonna put pretzels in his beard

It's about the circumcision of the heart right which is like in what is it

Colossians I love how the King James puts it through faith in the operation of God in Colossians.

That's what it says, right? That's the internal work of the Holy Spirit Causing someone there's a difference between being in the outward physical church and being a part of the

Invisible Church, right because the natural the physical church is something made up of human beings

It's wheat with sweet and tares mixed together. We know that right? We've we've all got sadly

There's there's lost people in every church up and down every road, right? But the invisible church the ones that we can't see into their hearts and into their minds the

Lord has You know has saved them and they they would testify to that but Again, the the saving faith is the work of God in the heart of the individual circumcising the heart of man, whoever they may be and That to us is invisible but the works faith is

Again, what Paul repeatedly and Peter all of them James all of them talk about throughout the

New Testament Because we have to look at the both to understand we have to Know the

New Testament to understand the Old Testament because if all we had was the Old Testament We would still be confused

But the New Testament is the commentary and the exposition of the

Old Testament So that's how we that's how we can make that distinguish that distinction.

I don't know that I followed all that if I'm being honest And It's a big big thing

I don't want to sell it short By no means so what

Abraham passes away Isaac and Ishmael put him in the ground with Sarah's bones, right?

Okay At this point heaven and hell are not as we understand them in the

New Testament, right Because Jesus hasn't yet ascended to go prepare a place

So there's Shale just the general place of the dead. Sure. Okay, so if we use

Jesus's Determination from Luke as any indication as to what's going on in the place of the dead

There appears to be an upper and the lower separated by a gulf or am I misunderstanding?

Jesus's dissertation about hell whenever he's talking about the rich man and Lazarus And right now he's always talking about he's talking about heaven and hell

He's not talking about when he says the bosom of Abraham and then the place of eternal or in place of torment

He's talking about heaven and hell not upper and lower. She'll correct because if you make if you draw that line then it moves into The Roman Catholic teaching of a purgatory of an in -between place.

There was no in -between place Absent from the body was to be present with the Lord Sure resurrection

There'd be another conversation because you got John you got well, I'm just saying you got John 3 13

It says no man has ever ascended to heaven save the Son of Man ascending from heaven So I think it'd be another conversation on that because you got free resurrection crucifixion resurrection

So we see we see Jesus talk up to the man on the cross today. You'd be with me in paradise

Right, and then we see Jesus Ascension and he says I go to prepare a place now I'm not going to sit here and say that I fully understand everything

Jesus says so I don't right nor am I going to try to Establish a timeline to things that are supernatural because time is something that is governed by the nature

Right Jesus exceeds time. So to His explanation may be far better understood then

I'm Doing right now, so I'm not trying to take away from it. I'm just I'm limited right on what

I can understand so whenever I read the Old Testament, I see that Abraham and David are in right standing with God when they die.

They go to be with the Lord And I look at Cornelius's state and I think he's not the only

I Won't say Gentile believer though I think that's actually an oxymoron because Gentile means unbeliever or heathen

But he is undoubtedly a believer in God because to know the Lord is to fear the Lord to some degree

Now, I don't think he knew him in a way like obviously Peter knew him or any

Frankly any of the guys who were well read in the Old Testament But I believe he knew God as much as he could know

God if we were to look at Romans chapter 1 as an example He has creation, which is a general revelation applied this way.

He has enough to know God Enough in my opinion for salvation based off of creation, right

Everybody's without excuse because the divine power of God and God's Godhead is clearly seen by those things that were made 17 verses 17 18 19 somewhere in that range and let's again

I make unless I'm making a mistake So I Can you make an argument?

Are you making the argument that Cornelius was saved before Pete your got there? Yes And that's what

I was saying. I'm just trying That's that's what I'm trying to say. So if if Cornelius is what?

They go back the regional question. What was the point of Peter going there then? so Peter goes and he shares the gospel with Cornelius just like Paul shared the gospel with the guys in This is an axe, where was they at when they said they'd only been baptized in John's baptism and he showed them a better ones

Sir, the disciples of Ephesus the disciples of Ephesus. Okay, and then they were filled with the

Holy Spirit Whenever Peter returned or Peter shows up to Cornelius his house and he preaches the gospel

It says that Cornelius and his whole house were saved And they were filled with the

Holy Spirit So I actually believe that Cornelius was saved prior to Peter getting there.

I don't know that his whole house was right But whenever Peter and them show up and preach the gospel

Cornelius and the rest of those that are now believers are filled with the Holy Spirit The same way that they were in the upper room, which was in which was for the work of the ministry

The only danger in that John is you're saying That in a New Testament New Covenant text that someone can be saved apart from Christ.

No I'm not saying I know you're not but that I'm just saying that's that is the logical like Transition there because if he is saved in a

New Testament sense Then we're saying that he's never heard the gospel. He's never believed on Christ.

So therefore he is born again Apart from Christ and so the whole point that that to me to this text makes a

Calvinistic argument That God was determined to save Cornelius.

He would not leave him. So therefore to ensure Cornelius's salvation he does drastic measures to make sure that he is

Introduced to the council of the gospel from Peter himself To believe and in my story would line up with that because I would say that God didn't send an angel

But God went through drastic measures to get my attention to hear the gospel to ensure that I believe you know

I mean, that's that's the thing that he's doing in his pursuit of us and so so I I just think that the logical deduction we have to be very careful of there because but it is as as Robert was saying earlier there is a unique season right here where there is this major transition happening

And God is saving the Jew first He's going there first and then when you read in Romans 11, he hardens the hearts of them and he's going to the

Gentile You know what? I mean? And Paul says later in this I go to the Gentiles the heck with you Jews I'm sick of this, you know,

I go to the Gentiles and God sends them so So all I'm trying to say is I understand where you're at because there's this tension of a righteous dude with Old Testament righteous

Righteousness and then and then now he's coming into Christ and there's this tension But I just think the deduction have to be very careful because if that's the case of being born again

Apart from Christ, then we're doing a great flaw in preaching Jesus along and I know you're not in that No, what

I'm saying is Nobody can be saved apart from Christ Period he's the he's the only way to father

The Old Testament Saints were saved because they put faith in Christ's coming

They knew that Jesus was coming. They were looking to him. They were looking to him. So I don't know if Cornelius's Confession was that I'm waiting on the

Messiah to come and that's what I'm praying the way that the rest of the Jews have prayed my whole life Or if he was under the understanding of what has already happened in Jerusalem, I don't know when

Cornelius got there. I'm assuming Cornelius was there During the during the crucifixion of Christ.

I'm assuming it's an assumption, but I'm making an assumption But my point is that The exact same way that people were saved in the

Old Testament would have been the same way that Cornelius was saved Which had been put in faith in God's Messiah to save him from a sin

And that would have put him in a right relationship with God the Old Testament And I don't know how we've used Proverbs when it says that God doesn't hear those who harbor iniquity in their heart but if God's listening to his prayers and so much so that he would send an angel to tell him how to hear the gospel and it's you know, it's really

It's not really an argument at all because his state prior to Peter showing up doesn't really matter

We know his state after Peter gets there, but so much as from a Pentecostal point of view

You know, I understand that there's a moment of salvation Where a man can be saved but not being do with power from the

Holy Spirit He can he can be filled with the Holy Spirit in the way of salvation But you don't see him working the way that you would see say one of the

Apostles or or I got distracted my wife is fixing to hand me a cup of tea

So Real real quick John read read what Elias said here Which one?

Yeah, I've got it on the screen Okay I think John might be saying he that he being speaking of Cornelius was regenerated by the

Holy Spirit Before meeting Peter and hearing the gospel and receiving it in faith So I that's that's was my that was what

I was saying Yes, he was he was he was made new because of his faith in God faith faith in Christ though I don't know that he

Would know I know he wouldn't know the things that Peter knows was how could he unless somebody has sent unless a preacher sent him

How could he know the things that we would know in the New Testament with the exact same? thing

I believe that when Peter left that Cornelius his house know we have no record of anything ever happening with Cornelius his family after this moment.

It is my conviction that he would have went out and become a proclaimer of the gospel the same way that Peter and then were proclaiming of a gospel because Everybody that we see who's filled with the

Holy Spirit is it becomes a messenger of the gospel? so all of church history and Then in church a church history and biblical history

That's exactly what we've been what what what John's saying pastor

John saying is not that Well, yeah, it would be that but there it's the recognition of the process

That's taking place the regeneration the belief Stemmed from the work of God in his heart.

Like I said earlier the Holy Spirit had him But he didn't he didn't have the

Holy Spirit right and God like what John was saying was God makes certain the salvation of his elect

Would that be an accurate statement John you're talking to that John or me pastor John Sure It's actually this way.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, wait. Yeah, it's hard to do. I Heard you answering your own question in your response big

John when you when you were talking I mean I had an answer to it. I was curious as to what your answer was

Well, well you were basically in your response. You were asking the question Did he believe and what did he believe and then we get the answer to that based on his response to Peter?

The evidence revealed itself what he believed and did he believe

So from From I guess I'm an Armenian since I'm not a Calvinist I don't know that there's another option out there because I don't really know

What's that Options there's a bunch of us that are just we're just striving to be

Bible son I can only go by what I see right and I can't say that Cornelius did not have a relationship with God At least in some significant way, maybe not to the degree that Abraham had with God But there's a difference between Cornelius is relationship with God and the jailers that we read about in Acts 16.

I think it is or 17 There's a huge difference Right for starters the jailers come down there after Paul and Silas are

Freed but they stay in jail and then they believe Cornelius had to have had a measure of faith before he sent for Peter Think about what think about the things that had to be going on But I hear from the

Calvinist point of view that the faith that saves is after you've received the Holy Spirit Not that you've received the

Holy Spirit But that's the work of the Holy Spirit that God the Holy Spirit regenerates your heart causes you to be alive

So that you can respond Use the word regenerate

Well, I know John said that I'm trying to get to the bottom.

Yeah what you're asking Before Peter showed up He's a believer in an

Old Testament way the same Abraham was Yeah, so to me the same faith that saved Abraham is the same faith that saves us, but you believe in God And that's and that's it, right?

You don't have to have him figured out You just believe him, right? And that's how we different because you can have people with Down syndrome who believe in God you could have astrophysicists who believe in God and Astrophysicists aren't going to be any more saved just because they understand more about God than someone with Down syndrome

It's understanding God to the degree that he allows you to understand him and Believing on God and the degree that you're able to I suppose is way up thinking about it again

I might be using the wrong words here well, however, there is one difference between Abraham and Cornelius here and that About this point in Cornelius's life the work of Christ has been accomplished

Perhaps one of the work of Christ have been accomplished It hadn't been accomplished had in time

Hebrews chapter 4 he says for I've read you talk about the Sabbath rest. He said on the seventh day

God rested from all his works Right after I've heard it writ the work.

That's why I've always read that and I might be a weirdo But on the seventh day, it says that God rested from all his works the greatest work

Christ ever did was save a soul Now I don't understand time the way that God understands time

But I believe that from the seventh day that all the necessary arrangements for for salvation had already been accomplished in In Christ, like I said, you have theophanies all throughout the

Old Testament where we see what is undoubtedly Christ standing before the Old Testament Saints So again,

I don't know how it works because I don't know how God thinks I don't know how God does things But it's my personal belief that somehow or another the work

Necessary for salvation had been accomplished by the seventh day well

We'll chase that rabbit Would it be too radical to say that in the

Old Testament Righteousness was credited in the New Testament Righteousness is confirmed.

I Suppose you could say that I mean, I think that from a from our standpoint. It's difficult to To put it into terms.

This is some of the things mean you were talking about one night Rob whenever I said that We're limited on how we can perceive time the same way that we're limited on how we can perceive depth

We don't have the faculties to see depth. We have to measure depth in a different way, right?

We have to touch to measure depth. You can't see that you can perceive depth, but you can't see it

And I think to some degree that's the that's the problem with trying to understand the things especially we see

Jesus teaching about that There are clearly spiritual disciplines that we're trying to understand them in the foot in the physical because that's all we got to understand them and That's why so many of these things in my opinion still remain mysterious to me is because I don't know how to understand them

I Don't have I don't have the the tools to unpack them I just believe them, but I don't know that I could defend them very easily, right?

Well, we're definitely gonna have to come back to axe part for again Good conversation

Let's at least tackle the first question So let's bring the axe chapter 12

Peter didn't know that Angel was real in the verse 15

Those praying thought that the girl was out of her mind when she reported that Peter was at the gate and so this is more of a application question for us

How do we determine today? What is the work of the Holy Spirit and what is not is there such a thing as a healthy skepticism?

So, I mean, how do we know we got a lot of people giving credit to the Holy Spirit for a work being done

If test sniff test sniff test give it to us Does it exalt

God above everything? Does it edify the church? Does it draw the lost?

If it don't at least do these three things I don't consider the work of the Holy Spirit because it doesn't line with anything we see in Scripture But I mean even just to get out of the book of Acts in that When Eliphaz goes to Job very early in the book

To provide his quote -unquote counsel for why Job is suffering

He in more ancient terms resorts to God told me this this and this

That much of what Eliphaz has to say is God told me to dream This is what your problem is

I'm sorry hairball, but We have we see this um this challenge

Persists itself sometimes. It's not just a book of Acts. It's not just a New Testament even that this idea of discernment of questions you put healthy skepticism on the sheet

And that often gets us in in trouble these days, doesn't it when we are cautious?

When we when we weigh things and I think sometimes we can be overly critical But I think there's a balance there with identifying that God is free to be

God. Amen but let's let's maybe pull the brakes a little bit and think about What is

God's goal? What is his what is his purpose? All right, and how does this fit into that if at all?

Yeah, maybe some caveats there some these are the guardrails here, we know that this is where we have to stay within So if God told you that these things are true about Job and they're not true about Job then

We need to reevaluate whether or not it was God who told you those things In our modern context and please don't take this the wrong way

I They're not do not want to offend anybody it's just it's just question so that we can be

Rob just start So, I mean I've seen you know evidence personally observing some

Christians and I've been sitting here trying to think of the term but Jonathan Edwards used to come on TV a lot and what do they call themselves?

readers they would read the crowd but spiritual readers or whatever But you see some

Christians Looking a lot like those folks who you know read it read across it there's somebody in the room with a letter

M and You have someone that's died in your past you have some

Kind of They don't mean I don't think they mimic that intentionally, but that's what they look like and they call it that you know discern

Is there any biblical spectrum for that type of discernment or what is a biblical definition of discernment?

Are they are they way off base? So I would say discernment is the ability

Testing the spirits is the example that John gives in his epistles Try the spirits to see whether they be of God or not.

So discernment is knowing the difference That's what discerning is right or deviate dividing right discerning dividing knowing

Understanding and being able to mark out now what you're talking what you're talking about is what a large portion of mainstream

Stuff that goes on they're calling prophecy. They're saying that's prophecy when that's not

The scripture tells us in Revelation what what what the Lord told John He said

Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy all prophecy should

Biblical prophecy will point to Christ Jesus and him alone Right, and what is the role of the

Holy Spirit Jesus said if I go away the comforter will not come But if I go away

He will come and when he comes Right Me that's right.

He'll testify of me. This is how we can avoid extremes because You listen to anybody for any period of time and I love

John's story golly I guess he was a year or two ago, but right nothing gets under big

John. I'm talking about big John right now I'll have to delineate big John But John said nothing one of the things that gets under his skin most is and he said he

I think he said you had to Walk out because the preacher was up and all he did was talked about himself what he had done.

Yeah Yeah, I know this and that me me me. I Right, that's how you can know because the

Holy Spirit does not point us to one another He points to Jesus Christ and him alone

And if he points to Christ, he'll draw all men Under Christ.

Yes, and it wasn't empowered by the Holy Spirit He should be edifying the church by what he says what he says should be drawing all people to a closer relationship with God Lifting up Christ as supreme above everything

Amen, so preachers out there you're watching Check yourself before you wreck yourself

If what you're saying on Sunday from the pulpit ain't aimed at Jesus Christ and nobody else get your heart, right?

And if you and if you continually say God told me something, yes, no good. Well, he didn't stop immediately

Stop just stop. Just say I don't know. It's all right not to know his past up. I don't know

That's exactly right Stop or big John will come to your house and hold you and Tyler will tickle you to you pee in your pants

We need to we need to reinstitute that remember that guy the gospel guy that used to tackle everybody for not sharing the gospel

You come out like 10 15 years ago. It was some kind of as a bunch of guys There's a big guy in a football outfit and anytime a

Christian Chose an easy way instead of sharing the gospel. He got tackled by the by the evangelistic

Greg who was that? Are you talking about something serious or something funny? It there was a funny.

Yes. Yeah, we need to we need to start a God told me linebacker, right? It's anytime somebody gets up Somebody shows up.

I'm just a big guy, you know, just levels them right right behind the pulpit You know what? I mean? God told me that I need to get a

Maserat. Boom We'll let him do 185, right

And when I reference Jonathan Edwards a while ago I wasn't speaking of the Post -millennial last

Puritan One of the greatest preachers in America Historical pre -millennial, that's the one that everybody calls the

Prince of preachers So discerning the voice of the

Holy Spirit Using the word discernment in this day and time. I think we got to remember 1st

Corinthians Talking about the discernment of spirits That it's a qualifier.

There's there if we're just going with that gift of discerning It's sure starting of spirits.

It gives a qualifier there. So, you know, I think that's important if that's the specific work of the

Holy Spirit We're talking about Pastor John Amen We need more of it because that's that's exactly what we're all whether you're whichever side you're on of cessation and continuing

Whatever. We all need the gift of discerning of the spirits because there's false spirits

There's false preachers as false prophets and and and it's it's bothersome in the church That that people don't have any of that because they're falling they're just blown to and fro with every wind of doctrine and so But here's important that that if we're believers,

I Really? I really do think that That the balance that we're looking for is is in John 10

It says my sheep verse 27 my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me

Yeah, so so if you work that backwards From the from the end of that verse

First of all, if someone says, you know The Lord's leading me in something or the Lord's told me to do something

Well, number one the healthy skepticism is I'm gonna see if they're really following the directives of Jesus in their life

I'm gonna see if they're if they're if there is like clear you love me You're gonna keep my commands and so the guys on TV, you know

I don't see them keeping a whole lot of commands running around in their jail at Lear jets and everything else Anyway, it's not a box but you know, they're gonna follow me number two

It's not important how much I know him as much as it is that it that Jesus says

I know them That we're known by God and and I think that's really important If you if you are known by God Then the deduction is you're going to hear his voice and you're going to know it indeed

And so there's not some kind of mysticism or mystical thing that's going on here Because there's times in in deep prayer and and not in a mystical sense again of meditation

But thinking and pondering not emptying my mind but filling my mind with the Word of God the things of God.

I know When God is speaking to me speaking to my heart he's lifting me up today

You know calls really been encouraging and I told him thank you earlier and I'll say it publicly now like there's been seasons of struggle and You brothers have been a wonderful part of my journey and like Encouragement and it caused been sending me psalms and then

I found this app that that just plays some music with and plays the psalms Continuously and I've just played it like carrying around my phone in my pocket with it as loud as it can be like just playing

That over and over and over and there's times that in the midst of those psalms It's it's it's all beautiful But there's times that there'll be some kind of verse that all of a sudden it catches my ears

Like it's like pay attention here, you know And and your heart is elevated and your spirit is lifted and you know, you know

The Lord is doing something speaking in that moment to you through his word

And I think it can be emotion. I think it can be impression. I think it can be conviction

I think the skepticism has to be is if we're leaning into our emotion feeling too much

But at the same time we can't go so far as to say ignore that Because because we the

Lord gives us emotion and feeling and he does speak through that But that also has the propensity to lie to me so therefore how do

I measure that it's still always going back to scripture it's always going back to the word because there's times that That that I'm I'm believing lies because my feelings are telling me something that's not true

But there are other times that and it's the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It is a it is a guilt

It is a it is a pause. It's like a woe and and you know, we should listen to that But it also just pulls back

Are his sheep? There is a guarantee here my sheep Hear my voice

Like there is a direct connection and in Romans chapter 5 is the last thing

I'll share Romans chapter 5 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible and it says that by faith we're given direct access

To the throne. I mean direct access to our father So if we have direct access to the father, that's not just talking to him, but that's also what

I'm talking to us right to the throne room of God where Christ is seated at the right hand of the father and the

Promise is he says my sheep who have direct access to me I means I also have direct access to them.

They know my voice And so so I don't think it's something that's like weird or strange

To know the voice of God it should not be strange to say man,

God told me But the problem is we have so many

Weirdos out there that are making money or doing whatever Prostituting the name of God or or lifting up themselves.

Yeah, I don't think it should be Should be a weird phrase to be like man the other day. I was a scripture man

God just spoke to my heart and this is what he said, you know Standing up and making a night.

That's right and Wrote a broadcast, you know PSA God told me and then you can't validate any claim that he says from Scripture Yeah, right.

So like Like there was a guy when I was in high school that came out to me and said

God told me in a dream Uh a vision about you. I saw a horse Me supposed to quit your job.

I was like, oh and do what be a cowboy?

I Mean Spin as a teenager Yeah, you see what

I usually like to do when people tell me stuff like that and I've heard it before It sounds like that's awesome as soon as God tells me then what we'll do is we'll have out of the mouth of two or three and we'll

Establish this truth out of the mouth of two or three and then they don't talk to me no more whatsoever, they don't even look at me anymore the rest of service and you know,

I I'm not saying that obviously I'm Pentecostal, right? So I'm not saying that God can't do anything.

He wants to do whenever he wants to do it but but He can't validate or invalidate the

Word of God by doing whatever it is. He's doing so if a guy gets up and says some And if you can't point to Scripture and validate it then if you choose to believe him that's on you

That's on you at this point big John There was a great mutual friend that you and I both have and I won't drop his name on here but he was very excited some years back and He shared out a video that was a prophetic word

Like like you listen to it in and some of it was extremely encouraging. Okay, and He got excited about the first 30 seconds of it and didn't listen to the rest of it

And so then he like blasted out on Facebook and everything else well, I listened to it and after you got past the third first 30 seconds, dude, there's like I noted them down like anti -scriptural things that was like direct contradiction description and And so then

I immediately as soon as I did that Send it to him And he goes, oh my gosh, dude

I'm so sorry and he like takes it down and like makes an apology and those kind of thing you know what I mean, but like but he got excited because this guy says

I got a word from the Lord and Here's some encouragement to everyone and and but then it gets all into Left field.

It's man -made ology and not theology And so so the whole key the last thing

I'll say to discerning Appropriately and the discernment of spirits is you have to know the

Word of God? Amen, man know the Word of God If you don't know the Word of God that you will not fully understand the voice of God But that's how we have great advantage that we don't have to Somehow mystically from the fog come up with an epiphany of how

God talks, right? We know his voice Why do we know his voice because we have his words

Amen, that's just very important and and it's not that I always got just speaks in my mind chapter and verse

But I know when it's Jonathan's thoughts and I know when it's God's thoughts and I know it's my flesh

Or I know when it's the voice of an enemy that's looking to kill steal and destroy I know the difference and why do

I know the difference because We grapple and we want to spend time with our father with our

Savior and when you spend time with him Just like my wife could be anywhere in the world

Anywhere in the world and pick up the phone and I hear her voice I know that is my wife and why because I've spent time with her and I know the voice of my children

It's this distinctive written on my heart and my ears in my mind one So spent time with my children and it's no different with God like we know his voice he knows us

We will follow him. And so so I think that's the practical side of it guys. I just want to encourage us in that so Would I be correct in saying this as we wrap things up?

Instead of saying we know God's voice and then we're not necessarily speaking of an audible voice

But to be more definitional we know his voice Means There's a consistency

With his word and what we're hearing it matches up with his word So that's what we're meaning when we say

We hear his voice It matches up with God his character his nature his word

Okay Well, I really I really hate for us to end here

I wish we could keep going because we've got we've got a great number with us tonight But we do have to wrap things up.

So those of you who are watching we really appreciate it Would you share the program? If you found this to be edifying you would think would be edifying to others

Also, if you're watching, please go to labors conference .com Be with us in Knoxville, Tennessee at the end of April 2024 at Reformed Baptist Church for the laborers conference

It's gonna be empowered by the Holy Spirit This coming year power by the

Holy Spirit labors conference calm seating is limited So please go register today and you can do that on the website.

How much does that cost brother Rob? It is a free what? And also anybody is still watching send your

Send the time stamp of the mark where you saw me eating a pretzel

Pulling a pretzel from my beard and eating it Send that to Rob and the first one that sends the correct time stamp to Rob to Big John.

That's that's Rob at the truth and love network on Facebook. That's Big John real talk with Big John on YouTube It's Tyler and read of the word podcast send send it to Pastor Jonathan's on Facebook to send it to send it to all five of us in the first one when we

Get together and discern who it was. That was the first one to send the correct time stamps and we agree on it we will get in touch with you and then we will get your address and Send you a

Calvinist before it was cool t -shirt. I got a reformed Berean thing at 848 p .m

Well, we can't we're not gonna talk about it right now. You just gave it. You just gave a secret away How many jelly beans was in the jar?

Well before we end up before we end up Pastor Jonathan, I know you love to do it and I'm privileged to hear it from you

Would you share with us the gospel and and brother Claude? Would you close us in prayer when he finishes? Yes, sir.

Absolutely Tonight you've you've heard us go back and forth over a lot of things and what we call chasing rabbits sometimes and we we enjoy that but in amidst differences there's one thing for sure that we all a hundred percent agree on it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and What that means is the grace of God?

Sees us in our pitiful sinful state and Scripture that's really meant a lot to me lately is in revisiting it is

Romans 5 8 that even while we were yet sinners God commended his love toward us and so That God really so loved the world that he gave his only

Son and so that is it's an incredible thought to think about that. We are lawbreakers and In times of our life then and we have rebelled against God but even in the midst of our sin

God still loved us And so tonight I feel led to tell that to somebody that that you may feel like you're so deeply in your sin that That you can't be loved but but God does he loves you right where you're at and the evidence of his love

This work of grace is when we could not save ourselves and when we could not do anything for ourselves He sent his son to do that To pay for our sin and and so Christ who knew no sin became our sin that we might have his righteousness and That's something that was also fresh on my mind this week in the gospel.

Is that Christ never knew any sin except Except our sin and we've never known any righteousness except the righteousness of Christ and it's a miracle

It's a work of grace. And so God has said you have sinned against me I sent my son to pay for all your sin and the penalty of sin.

And what do we do with that? Then what is what is the required response and it is faith.

It is to believe him We you heard us going back and forth about Abraham What we were talking about in that tonight was

God gave Abraham promises and Abraham believed him That was it and God has given us a promise that whoever believes on his son will not perish

But have everlasting life and the question is do you believe that tonight? Will you believe him at his word and the

Bible says that whosoever believes him believes upon Christ and believes God at his word

Shall be saved Shall have everlasting life that whoever would call upon him tonight and say

Lord. I have sinned against you I turn from sin. I turn to you Christ. I turn from self -dependency that I'm good enough to be saved

I know I'm can't ever be good enough and we'll call upon the Lord tonight and the Bible says whoever calls upon him

He will not turn you away It's a wonderful text to to hold fast to and so we would plead with each of you tonight

Regardless of theological stances and the things that we love to debate through Tonight, let us all draw closer to Christ and especially if you're out there tonight and you've never believed

Know that salvation is near so call upon him and be saved and we hope that you would do that tonight

And and my prayer will just simply be reading Psalm 42 As a deer pants for flowing stream

So pants my soul for you. Oh God My soul thirst for God for the living

God When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night while they say to me all the day long.

Where is your God? These things I remember as I pour out my soul how

I would go with the throng and lead them in the procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise a multitude keeping festival

Why are you cast down? Oh my soul and why are you in turmoil within me?

Oh In God For I shall again praise him my salvation and my

God My soul is cast down within me Therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and Herman from Mount Mizar Deep calls too deep at the roar of your waterfalls all your breakers and your waves have gone over me

By day, the Lord commands his steadfast love and at night his song is within me

It is a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my rock

Why have you forgotten me? And why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy as with a deadly wound in my bones?

My adversaries taunt me while they say to me all day long. Where is your God? Why are you cast down?

Oh my soul. Why are you in turmoil within me? Oh in God Praise him

Salvation and my God Amen Praise God praise the

Lord. Thank you for watching labors podcast again labors conference calm go check it out Please join us in November.

We have two special podcasts coming up The first one is eternal security once saved always say perseverance of the

Saints. That'll be number one number two Calvinism we hope to see you in a

November Thank you for joining the laborers podcast remember