The Tabernacle Today

In the Name of Jesus Acts 2:21-42

The sermon in verses 22-36 is Peter’s exposition of verse 21.

The prophet Joel had written, “Whoever calls on the name of YHWH will be saved.”

Two implications from verse 21 V. 21

1. If you call on the name of the Lord you will be saved!

2. You better get the name of the Lord ________________ or you won’t be saved!

Three proofs that Jesus is the Messiah and Lord:

1. Jesus’ _______________ life, atoning death, and resurrection     V. 22-24

Isaiah 53:5-6, 10-12

Romans 3:23-26

2. Jesus is the Son of David, _______________ David’s prophecy    V. 25-32

Psalm 16

3.  Jesus is alive in Heaven and has __________________ out the Holy Spirit today    V. 32-36

The Holy Spirit ___________________ the crowd V. 37

John 16:8

What all sinners need to do in the name of the Lord V. 38-42

Peter calls for an inward response to be followed by an outward response; the inward response before God, the outward response before _________________.

To repent is to ________________________ your mind.

John 1:12

John 3:16

The first outward act called for after salvation is to be _____________ in His name.

In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said new disciples are to baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

That day 3,000 were saved and baptized!

Think of it: in one day the church went from 120 people to 3,120 people!

The Creator is Praised in Heaven!  

Ironically, Facebook is promising their false vision for “abundant life” in virtual reality under the name “Meta.” Our Jewish friends have pointed out that in Hebrew meta means “dead.” Today we will see in Greek it often means “after.”

Revelation chapter four begins the third section of Revelation. 

“Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what must take place after this.” -Revelation 1:19 

Read Revelation 4:1-11 The Creator is Praised in Heaven Let’ Pray!  

Introduction to the rest of Revelation, after the church age! V. 1

Chapters four and five are a look into Heaven, and then when we return to earth in chapter six we enter a very different time on earth, the seven years of tribulation. From here until all but the very end of Revelation there is no more mention of churches during the tribulation, millennium, or coming New Earth. 

Occurrences of the word for church/ churches (ekklesia) in the New Testament:

Section: Occurrences of ekklesia: Chapters: Ratio:

Gospels: 2 89 1 to 45

Acts: 0 28 0.7 to 1

Paul’s Letters: 61 87 0.7 to 1

General Letters: 6 34 1 to 5.6

Revelation 1-3 19 3 6 to 1

Revelation 4-22:5 0 19 0 to 19

For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (raptured) together with then in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. -1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

And they heard a loud voice from Heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to Heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.”   -Rev. 11:12

As we go from here until the end of Revelation we will have a full portrait of Heaven painted for us. Don’t form your full impression about Heaven from just one of these chapters; put them together to get the full picture!

As we begin to learn about Heaven, chapter four takes us to a specific place: the Throne Room of Heaven!  

What did John experience in the throne room of Heaven?

First and foremost, John saw God on His special throne! Verses 2-3

“I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord.” -King David in Psalm 27:4

When you think of that rainbow around God’s throne, remember that God keeps His promises!  

Second, John saw lots of people in Heaven! Verse 4

Over and over again we are told the saints in Heaven will be dressed in white and will receive crowns based on their deeds for Jesus down here! 

Third, John was reminded of the greatness of God! Verse 5

You’ve got the Trinity in action here! Jesus called John up to Heaven, the Father is on the throne, and the Spirit is active there too!  

Fourth, John sees four angels of praise around the throne Verses 6-8

We can’t overlook that these heavenly creatures correspond to aspects of angels called seraphim and cherubim the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel saw around God’s throne (See Isaiah 6:1-7; Ezekiel 1:1-10).   

Fifth, John experiences part of Heaven’s unending praise service Verses 8-11

Sixth, John understood what Heaven was praising God for Verses 9-12

Heaven constantly praises God for being the Creator of all, the source of all blessings!  

Every Christian Testifies Now                     Acts 2:1-21

Acts chapter 2 is one of the key chapters in the Bible. It records the fulfillment of the words of the Jesus and the Old Testament prophets about the beginning of the _________   ________________, when God the Holy Spirit will indwell believers!

The Appointed Day ___________________                                            V. 1

And then _________ came!                                                                        V. 2-4

The Difference between the baptism of the Spirit and the Filling of the Spirit:

Baptism of the Spirit happens ______________ when a person is born again: God the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside them!

See John 7:38-39               See I Corinthians 12:13                    See Eph. 1:13-14

The Filling of the Spirit is something that can take place more than once as a believer lives out their faith. A Christian can grieve the Holy Spirit as they make _____________ decisions and not live in the power He came to provide.

See Luke 11:13                  See Ephesians 5:18

The key to being filled with the Holy Spirit is to __________________ yourself of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

A person filled with the Holy Spirit will bear the fruit of the Spirit. -Gal. 5:22-25

And then THEY ______________!                                                          V. 5-13

Every Christian Testifies Now V. 14-21

A person filled with the Holy Spirit will ____________________ about Jesus!

The Day of the Lord’s Judgment is still coming, but EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!

The Preferred Temperature of the Redeemed

What sins are the most repugnant in God’s eyes?  

Read Rev. 3:14-22     The Preferred Temperature of the Redeemed Let’s Pray!

Things we know about Laodicea:

In his letter to the Colossians Paul described himself as struggling so that the Christians in those places would understand the treasure they had in Christ, never taking Him for granted!   See Colossians 2:1-3

Jesus appears throughout the Bible, but when we get to Revelation, we have an amazing portrait painted of our Lord Jesus Christ!  

Here in the first three chapters of Revelation, a name for Jesus occurs an average of one out of every 3 verses, with over 25 names of Jesus given!  

Jesus is our Faithful and True Creator! V. 14

“By Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the Head of the body, the church.”  Col. 1:16-18a

Do you take time each week to thank Jesus for creating this world, and creating you? He is the source of everything that really matters in your life, and should be thanked often for creating and sustaining you and the world.  

The sin that make Jesus want to throw up: Lukewarmness V. 15-17

“Lukewarmness is not weakness, it is wickedness. It is not a small sin; it is a great sin. If the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, then the greatest sin is not to do so.”    -Adrian Rogers

“Lukewarmness is the greatest form of blasphemy.” -G. Campbell Morgan

A believer who is “hot” is on fire for Jesus! 

“Take away everything I have, but do not take away the sweetness of walking and talking with the King of glory.” -John Stam

A person who is cold is dead spiritually. 

So who are the lukewarm? 

The lukewarm are church goers but not Christ lovers. 

Verse 17 shows us the big problem with the lukewarm: self-deception. 

The antidote for Lukewarmness V. 18-19

What’s the antidote for being lukewarm?   

Acknowledge your sinfulness and utter lack of righteousness before God. 

Repent of having a faith that makes true dependence on Christ optional.

Seek God as a deer pants for water (See Psalm 42:1).

“My hope as a desperate sinner who lives in a desert of unrighteousness hangs on this biblical truth: that God is the kind of God who will be pleased with the one thing I have to offer- my thirst…God is delighted not by the resourcefulness of bucket brigades, but by the bending down of broken sinners to drink at the fountain of grace.” -John Piper

V. 20 Jesus Christ’s Great invitation!  

Here are the two enduring images I want to leave with you from chapters 1-3:

1. The strong Christ of chapter 1, Almighty God in all His splendor! 

2. That same awesome God coming to your “door” to meet you!

“As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the Living God!” -Ps. 42:1-2

As you seek Christ, don’t forget the 3 main commands given to the churches:

Remember… The good news of grace you received and heard!

Repent… Do the things you did when your faith was new!

Listen… To what the Spirit is saying to you now, and act on it!

Here is our sermon recording from our November 28, 2021 Sunday Service. Turn in your Bibles as we join Rev. Ray Lawton from Sharon Baptist Church! The full service livestream can be found on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV1fQj7SnxgJO3VrNJqpJMQ) and our Facebook page (@thetabernaclefamily).

The Open Doors before the Redeemed!

By open doors I mean divine opportunities that can be lost to us, or become a closed door, if we don’t act on them in time.

Read Revelation 3:7-13 The Open Doors before the Redeemed! Let’s Pray!

Things we know about Philadelphia:

The Holy & True God who opens and closes doors V. 7

A Holy person reflects Heaven’s values even when they are on earth!

Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” -John 14:6

Jesus is saying the same thing He said to us at the Great Commission: “All authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to Me!”

When God calls you to do something and opens the doors for you to do it, and you say, “not now,” most of those doors are closed by the time you feel ready.

The Open Doors before the Redeemed! V. 8

“Despite the fact that you aren’t much in and of yourselves, because you love Me and do what it says in the Bible, you are the kind of people I can use!”

Seven indicators God is opening a door for you:

There is a real opportunity to spread the gospel; Your heart is drawn to the opportunity; circumstances begin lining up to reinforce the opportunity; You feel the Holy Spirit pounding on your heart about it, not letting it go; Your Bible reading and prayer time reinforces pursuing the opportunity; As you take steps of obedience, you have God’s peace even when obstacles emerge; Your most spiritual advisors don’t see any serious red flags you are missing.

“I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, because a wide door for effective ministry has opened for me.” -I Cor. 16:8-9 See also Col. 4:2-3; 2 Cor. 2:12

What doors are open to you?

Open Doors do NOT mean there won’t be opposition V. 9

In every generation there are those who bitterly oppose the gospel, and lash out against believers. Here we are told they will one day acknowledge that Jesus is real and loves His disciples.

The Great Open Door Coming for ALL the Redeemed! V. 10-11

What is the hour of trial?

I believe it is the Tribulation described in Revelation chapters 6-19.

The Three Purposes of the Tribulation:

1. The beginning of God’s Judgment on the Satanic World System

2. The revival of spiritual Israel to ready it for Christ’s 1,000 year reign

3. An evangelistic harvest as the lost get their last chances to turn to Jesus

The word “church” does not occur in Revelation 6-19. “Earth-dwellers” occurs throughout the tribulation and refers to those who need to repent and turn to Christ. Earth-dwellers appears here and in 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 12:12; 13:8, 12, 14.

Overcomers get two more things in the New Jerusalem: V. 12

First, they get the kind of security they didn’t have in Philadelphia!

Second, they will get the recognition they didn’t have in Philadelphia!

God is saying: When you overcome by your faith and make the most of open doors that I put before you, one day in the New Jerusalem people will be reading about you!

United Prayer Brings Clarity              Acts 1:12-26

Unity in Prayer                                                                       V. 12-14

Praying out loud with other believers is __________________!

Praying out loud with other believers is ___________________!

John 15:5

The L________________ of the Twelve                                V. 15-20

The L________________ of the Twelve                                V. 21-26

United Prayer Brings Clarity!

For these first believers, church business was saturated with prayer and scriptural reflection throughout the whole process – they even let God have the _______________________ say!

The Overriding Concern of the Redeemed!  

The reason I shared that story was that Aesop (620-560 B.C.) of the famed Aesop’s Fables was one of the most famous citizens of the city named Sardis. 

Read Rev. 3:1-6 The Overriding Concern of the Redeemed Let’s Pray!  

Things we know about Sardis:

Sardis had a huge necropolis (city of the dead). 

Jesus is the One who gives the energizing Holy Spirit V. 1a

The Sevenfold character of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 11:2-5:

Spirit of the Lord

Spirit of wisdom and understanding

Spirit of counsel and might

Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord

“In Him also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation- in Him when you believed- were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.” -Ephesians 1:13-14

In each of the first three chapters the word for “stars” occurs in a context where it probably refers to the pastors of the churches.     

The danger of deception in our lives V. 1b

I heard recently that for every 1 person in America that thinks they are going to Hell after death, there are 120 people who think they are going to Heaven. 

I wonder how many of us have a good reputation before others but not God?

The overriding concern of the redeemed is to impress God whether or not men are impressed!   

What does NOT impress God V. 2

Right deeds done from wrong motives do not impress God! 

“All our righteous acts are like a polluted garment.” -Isaiah 64:6

What DOES impress God V. 3

Right internal motivation impresses God, and then overflows into right deeds.

Levels of Motivation to serve God:

Higher: Love “Want to” Father, Friend

Hope Rewarder

Faith Teacher

Hinge: Gratitude Redeemer, Savior

Lower: Guilt “Have to” Lord

Obligation Lawgiver

Fear Creator 

Two great promises to the overcomer: V. 5

1. White clothes!

Now after 6 days Jesus took Peter, James and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured (metamorphoo) before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. -Mark 9:2-3 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (metamorphoo) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. -Romans 12:2 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed (metamorphoo) into the same image from glory to glory, just as the by the Spirit of the Lord. -2 Corinthians 3:18

2. A guaranteed place in the Book of Life!

The End of the Beginning                  Acts 1:1-11

The Book of Acts is the __________________ to the Gospel of Luke                                                                                             V.1-3

Luke 1:1-4       Acts 16:10       Colossians 4:14           Luke 24:36-53

The Power behind Jesus’ earthly mission is the power behind ours                                                                                              V. 4-6

John 7:38-39      Eph. 1:13-14    1 Cor. 12:13         Zechariah 4:6

of one Spirit. –I Cor. 12:13

Our earthly mission is to advance Christ’s spiritual kingdom ________________                                                             V. 6-8

Acts 1:8 is an outline of the Book of Acts, and is a _______________ for us as well!

Jerusalem:                               1:1 – 8:3

Judea and Samaria:                 8:4 – 12:24

Ends of the Earth:                   12:25-28:31

The end of Jesus’ earthly mission marked the beginning of _________________                                                             V. 9-11

John 14:1-3     Daniel 7:13      Revelation 1:7

The Progress of the Redeemed!

Things we know about Thyatira:

Jesus is the all-powerful God who sees all!  V. 18

Jesus commends the church at Thyatira for love and progress!  V. 19

Jesus’ words to the church at Thyatira are a lot like what He said to the church in Ephesus, except it appears that they had the reverse situation. Ephesus excelled at correct Bible teaching but had lost its first love; Thyatira excelled at loving God but tolerated false teaching.

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” -John 4:24

Jesus says in verse 19, “Your last works are greater than the first.”

Wouldn’t you like to hear that from Jesus?  I would!

What can mess up a church known for love and progress? V. 20-21

We read here that false teaching that leads to immorality and idolatry can mess up an otherwise wonderful church!

Jezebel is a reference from the Old Testament to Queen Jezebel of Israel, who not only led her husband King Ahab to worship Baal, but through Ahab had promulgated her teachings of idolatry and immorality throughout Israel.

Jezebel had twisted I Corinthians and was teaching people what they wanted to hear: “To keep your job you have to do what you have to do. If that means compromises with idol worship and immorality, God will forgive you.”

Jesus will deal with false teachers and their followers V. 22-23a

The Great Tribulation will be a time of difficulty unlike the world has ever seen. In Mark 13:19 Jesus told us those days of tribulation will be the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of the world until now and never will be again!

“Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come over the whole earth to test those who live on the earth. I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.” -Revelation 3:10-11

Jesus will reward true believers for their progress when He comes V. 23b-25

What is Jesus trying to impress on the rest of us?

As His return nears, He wants us to get serious about first love, faithfulness until death, having a good testimony and continuing to make progress!

In verse 24 Jesus commends true believers for not being duped by the “deep things of Satan” argument. He commends them for holding on to their purity rather than committing spiritual and physical adultery. Jesus makes clear: His true followers don’t need to experience sin to appreciate salvation!

Overcomers will rule the nations with Jesus  V. 26-28

Note the reversal of fortunes for the redeemed: Now we are oppressed, persecuted, and suffering, but the reversal of our present experiences is coming! That’s what I call progress!