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Bro. Otis Fisher
We're in Acts 2 .32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Peter speaking. He tells the group that the same Jesus. Joy, why didn't they say that God had raised Christ? All right.
Can you add anything to that, David? The same Jesus that you tried to kill, that you put in the grave, the same Jesus God raised up, and we're all witnesses to it. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this which you now see and hear, so he was at the right hand exalted.
What's that mean, David? All right. Who's that, Russell? What does the right hand of God tell us? First place, the very best, the most powerful. Then we get to the Holy Spirit. Greg, who had promised to send the Holy Spirit?
Who? Well, he promised that it would come, and that he would send it, but it was from whom? God the Father. It was God the Father, the promise of the Holy Ghost. He has shed forth this which you now see.
What's he talking about, Greg? All right, you could see it in the fire, you could see it in the people, the Holy Spirit is here. Jesus the Christ has received from the Father that which you are now experiencing.
For David is not ascended into heavens, but saith himself, the Lord God, saith unto my Lord the Christ, sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. David, who is going to make the world this footstool of Jesus?
The Father. Therefore let all of the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now, this was prophesied numerous times. Go to Isaiah 53, 9, if you will, please.
And Greg, I'd like you to start reading that verse 9, continue through 10, I guess that's all. No, wait a minute, read it again. Yes, no, and with the rich in his death. All right, go ahead. All right, in this scripture we have the soul of Jesus sin, offering for sin.
His soul, what is soul, Russell? David, what is soul? It is life itself. So he took his life and made it an offering for sin. How could he do that, Joy? I mean, why could he do that? Yes. Why could he do it?
But there, why didn't he do it with Paul? Well, what made it able for him to pay? What made it able that he could pay? All right, he was without sin. His soul was without sin. His life was without sin.
That's why he could be. And he's the only one that's been that. Now, these people to whom he's speaking, or this part of the people to whom he's speaking, they did crucify Jesus. Is that true or false?
True. But they didn't kill him. Is that true or false? They did crucify him, but they did not take his life. What happened to his life, Joy? That's right. 37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts.
David, what does pricked mean? All right, all right. They were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, men and brethren in Christ, what shall we do? Pricked, as David said, means to be put, means in the mind sharply, especially of the emotion of sorrow.
Now, the important question. Here is a room full of people, many, many people, and he says they were pricked in their hearts, in their bodies, in their mind. Can, let me get this straight now, without telling you the answer.
Do you suppose they were all pricked in their minds, but you said no after a long time? What? No, I didn't hear that. Russell, can an unsaved person be pricked in their heart as these people were? All right.
They could not. They asked the same question of Jesus, John 628, you remember. Then said they unto him, what shall we do that we might work the works of God? And what was his answer, Greg? John 629. All right.
So they, they were looking to do something physical. They could not do anything physical. They could only believe. Now comes verse 28. What? 38. Acts 2, 28. Then Peter said unto them, repent, be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
David, what does the little word I-C-E mean? I-C-E. If you saw a poster, Greg, saying Jesse James wanted for robbery, what would the for mean? How do you know that? Well, it could mean he was wanted to commit a robbery, but you take it the other way because we know Jesse James.
He was not wanted to commit a robbery. He was wanted because he had committed. That's the same for that's here. To repent, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
So, in this passage, the word for signifies an action in the past. Is that right, David? Right. I want to take this very slow because there is a belief that is very prevalent in this town and every town that you need to repent and be baptized to be saved.
Again, Russell, can an unsaved person repent? To repent. To be baptized rather than bring a sacrifice. For the Jew to be baptized in the name of Jesus was the same as being dead. Why? All right. For a Jew of that time, well today also, for him to be baptized in the name of Jesus, he was considered dead.
What does dead mean? All right. They would have nothing to do with him. He would lose his family. He would lose his business. He would lose his property. He would lose everything. It meant much more in that day and time to be baptized in the name of Jesus than it does now.
As far as the unbelieving Jew was concerned, he was dead. So, it's not possible for a sinner to repent. Is that right, David? Well, does a lost person even know he's lost, David? That's right. Until after he's saved.
Now, he was saved in the beginning. We know that. He doesn't know that, but until he knows that, until he realizes that he died for me, until he can put him personally in his place, he doesn't know it.
From man's view, repent means to change one's mind. Can this truly happen and not be saved, Greg? All right. Does not salvation come before repentance, David? Yes, absolutely. You are saved and it is from that that you repent, that that you know that you repent.
So, how could Peter tell them to repent in 38? He could not tell them to repent unless they had already been saved. Salvation comes first. Yes, yes, yes. So, does repentance prove your salvation? But, that's right.
Where in the Bible can you go and read to repent in order to be saved? Does the Bible ever say repent in order to be saved? You'll have to speak because I can't see your head. One, no. Then can we say, in order for man to be saved, he must do a great lot of nothing.
In order for a man to be saved, he must do a great lot of nothing. John 10 27, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Now, Greg, what does it mean in 29, My Father which gave them me?
What does that mean? What did he do with them? That's not what it says. Which gave them me. That's right, it's both. The Father gave me to them and gave them to me, and it's all in that gave them me. All right, do you have this down enough now that you can carry on a conversation?
Maybe not with the Church of Christ, but in order to be saved, in order to be saved, you first have to repent. Is that right, Russell? All right, let's move on. 40, And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation, crooked, perverse, wicked, unfair, to save yourself.
This tells us something. David, how can you save yourself? All right, all right, he says, here's to save yourself. Since we cannot save ourselves spiritually, this must mean physically, the earthly body with all its mental faculties.
Always use all wisdom when picking your friends and associates. Second Corinthians 617,. Wherefore, come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.
Come out from among them. Now, Greg, we have to work among them. What does it mean to come out from among them? All right, it doesn't mean to seal yourself away and be isolated. Then they that gladly receive his word were baptized, and the same day were added unto them about 3 ,000 souls.
Now, this is not as the preachers would count. It was added unto them. Who did the adding? Bill, who did the adding here? That's right, that's right, they didn't. This is, the adding was the work of the Holy Spirit, not man's work.
It appears that the baptism was necessary for them to be counted on earth. It's simply a tool to be used as belonging to the church, for the scripture says there were added unto them the earthly church.
God did the adding. Forty-two, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers. Now, we have here four fingerprints of the church. What are they, Greg?
All right, they continued steadfast in the doctrine. Forty-three, and fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles, and all that bleed would get together and had all things common.
All things are ordinarily belonged to, belonged collectively, going to get into to owning things, and so and all that bleed were together and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need.
They sold as was needed. They did not sell everything all at once, and Oseas, who by the way, the apostles were surnamed Barnabas, which is being interpreted the son of consolation, a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land and sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet.
This doesn't say that he sold everything, he sold the land. They sold as was needed. In other words, when it was needed, someone sold something. So no one had any lack of necessities, necessities. No place does it say that they sold everything they had.
This does not say he sold everything he had as, as I've heard some preachers claim, trying to raise more money and get you to give more to the church. You're supposed to go sell everything you have and give it to the church.
That's not what it says. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with a gladness and singleness of heart. They'd have Bible studies in different houses with refreshments each time.
Their topic was always the discussion of the gospel, God's holy word. Praising God and having favor with all of the church people, and the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. Again, it was the Lord that did the adding, those that were predestinated to be sold.
That finishes chapter two. We'll go into three next time, but let me see if you have some words now you would like to discuss. All right. Yes, that's right. How is it, how is it that he could preach to all?
He would have just talked to the ones being saved if he knew, but he didn't know. That's right. Anything else? You better have, well, be well informed because people will come at you already having their minds set, and most of them are not looking for the truth.
They're looking to prove their point. So I would advise you not to even discuss it. If they really, really are wanting to know, you can lead them to the truth. Well, if there's nothing else, Russell, will you dismiss us, please?