Grace Means…Salvation (Guest Blogger - Jonathan Eash)

1 Peter 1:3-12

Currently, we are in a series going through 1 Peter. Last week, Pastor Joe talked about how we are a people that were once separated from God and alone in the world. However, by the grace of God, we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and made a people set apart for God and alien to this world. This week we will be in 1 Peter 1:3-12, which says…

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. ¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

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The series that we are in is called "Grace Means…" and this week, we are talking about how grace means our Salvation. 

First, let's review. What is grace? I have always had a hard time differentiating grace and mercy. The difference is that mercy is from a ruling standpoint. If someone is deserving of punishment under the law, whether that be God's law or our nation's law, but is forgiven and let go, that is mercy.

On the other hand, grace is goodwill that is freely given even to those who do not deserve it. Being forgiven of our sin is the mercy of God, but his grace is the fact that he loves us and sent his Son to die in our pace. With God, grace and mercy do go hand in hand but are still unique and separate. 

In 1 Peter 1:3-5, it says: 

1 Peter 1:3-5 ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.           

Verse 3 references a living hope. Our living hope is through Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 

Falling short of the glory of God means we do not have access to Him since he is a Holy God, which also means we cannot be near Him and His dwelling place, Heaven. This means the only destination we can have is one separated from God or Hell. That is how beautiful John 3:16 really is! This verse reassures us by saying,

 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 

Through God's grace, He sent his one and only Son to die for our sins. However, the power of what God has done through Christ was Jesus dying on the cross. While it was a necessity, and we call that Friday Good Friday. The fact remains we still celebrate Easter. In the Old Testament, many animal sacrifices were made to pay for people's sins. The main requirement was that the animal was pure of any blemishes, usually a lamb. That is why we call Jesus the Lamb of God. However, these animal sacrifices had to be done over and over. What makes Jesus's sacrifice permanent and why we focus on Easter is the fact that Jesus rose again by his own power. Jesus conquered death. Without Jesus conquering death, His death on the cross would be meaningless, and we would have no hope.

 Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, 

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 ¹²But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

If Christ had not risen from the dead, then we are the biggest fools. So, our hope is in a God who came to the earth as a man, who lived as one of us, died on the cross blameless and pure, rose from the dead, and is alive today. He is our living hope, and through Him, we have been saved from death. 

Our Salvation is permanent. I am reminded of the song we sang last week, "It Is Well with My Soul," which happens to be one of my favorite hymns. In the third verse, it says:

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought 

My sin, not in part, but the whole 

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more 

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

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This process of being saved and sanctified has brought us into an inheritance. Peter says this inheritance is an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. 

Our inheritance is eternal. But what is this inheritance? The Bible says that we are to inherit the Kingdom of God, which includes eternal life and the treasures of heaven. 

According to Peter, our salvation and our inheritance are preserved by God. Some believe that we can lose our Salvation. However, if we are genuinely saved, God shields us with His power and preserves our salvation. Peter says, "that is ready to be revealed in the last time." By this, Peter is most likely referring to either the rapture. Or possibly the final judgments when the goats are separated from the sheep. However, to the end of time, our inheritance and, most importantly, our Salvation are assured. 

The next couple of verses 6 -9 say, 

1 Peter 1:6-9 ⁶In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

This passage focuses on our faith. 1 Peter agrees with James 1:2-4, which says:

James 1:2-4 ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

Peter and James both confirm that to suffer is to gain. James says to rejoice in all suffering. Jesus also said that we are going to suffer for following him.

But why is it necessary for us to suffer? 

First, we have a spiritual enemy who is out to get us. But still, why must we be persecuted? Why must we deal with the hard issues of life when we have an all-powerful God on our side? 

Some would like to believe that if we follow God, then life should be an easy road because we have God or our side. They seem to treat God like a genie who looks out for us and lays down the path, protecting us like bubble-wrapped children. But this is not how God works. While God does not want us to suffer, He does allow us to suffer. He also punishes us when we sin, and he will allow us to be broken. But it is as Peter says, to refine our soul and our faith. 

Peter says that our faith is worth more than gold jewels. And gold is refined through fire. Any metal must be refined through fire to become precious, and our faith is worth so much more than any refined metal, even gold the most precious of metals. 

Our soul and our faith are refined so that they can be proved genuine.

This reminds me of a story I heard a while ago. I do not remember who the speaker was or where I listened to this story. So, if that was here, I apologize for repeating. This story takes place in Russia during the communist regime. Communist Russia was an atheist country and looked down on and persecuted Christians. During this time, many Christians formed house churches and worshipped in secret. The government would crackdown using the KGB to invade their homes during the services. Well, in one house church, two KGB agents barged in while they were worshiping and demanded that any Christian remain. Anyone willing to renounce God was free to leave. So, many of the members got up and walked out. 

Once again, the KGB agents said, If you are a Christian, stay. However, we will give you this last chance to leave. Once again, some members got up and left. The remaining congregants stood there looking at the ground, knowing that they faced death or imprisonment. Or, so they thought. When the last person left, the KGB agents said, "Now let's get down and pray and worship our God." These two men were, in fact, Christians. At this time, those Christians got to keep their lives and worship together, knowing that all present were true believers. While this was a rare occurrence, it proved the strength of these Saints who believed that they were about to be either martyred or persecuted. 

I always wonder if I was in that situation, would my faith be proved absolutely genuine. If it was life or death, what would I choose? Would I prefer my God over my life? In our times of comfort, it's hard to know. But that is why we must go through hard times. 

We go through hard times to refine our faith so that it is proved genuine.  Because if it is true faith, then we are genuinely saved. 

As I said before, no one can take us out of God's hand. 

When Jesus is revealed to the world, and we can see him face to face, what joy would it be for him to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! 

Peter says we will receive praise, glory, and honor. These are what many people search for, but it is useless unless it comes from our Lord. What higher Lord is there than the maker of the universe?

It is interesting that in verse 8, Peter talks about "having not seen him you love him and not seeing him you believe in him." 

I think back to when Jesus was with the Apostles, and Thomas wanted reassurance by seeing the holes in His hands. Jesus said in John 20:19,

"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

I think Peter may be reflecting back on that conversation with Christ. But when we see Jesus and see that our faith is true and that our suffering and our anguish were not in vain, and get to see the Lord and lover of our hearts, oh what joy, what inexpressible and glorious joy, because we will be receiving the goal of our faith, which is the Salvation of our souls. 

Now in 1 Peter 1:10-12, it says,

1 Peter 1:10-12 ¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. ¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

The prophets that are mentioned here are the same ones that are in our Old Testaments. I have had many professors talk about how in prophecy, there seems to be two to three different meanings. 

Prophecies will often have a contemporary meaning that tells about a present situation. Then the same prophecy will have a future meaning predicting something in the near future. Then that same prophecy might have yet another sense predicting events in the distant future. 

There are many references in the Old Testament that point to Christ even though at the time the prophet spoke, they referred to current events. Many Messianic prophecies in the Psalms were, at the time they were written, were thought of as poetry and descriptions of God. 

The prophets that wrote the books in the Bible are only a few compared to how many there were. However, the prophets we know of were known for their drive to follow God, to learn more, and to obey the Spirit of God. 

Of course, we know the Spirit of God now as the Holy Spirit. We do not usually talk about the Holy Spirit. Just earlier this week, my mom was talking about what she has been learning with the women's Bible study. How the Holy Spirit is the nonphysical form of Jesus. 

The Spirit of God is mentioned throughout the Old Testament, usually referencing the Spirit of God coming on someone or possibly leaving them. Many of the prophets were blessed with a continuous relationship with that Spirit of God. That is the same Spirit that dwells within us now. Who, if we listen, will guide us.

Peter writes that the prophets did not preach for their own time. Many of the prophets gave warnings to the people of Israel, and all ministered to the people of their time. However, their prophecies were not written down for their generation but for future generations. They wrote much about the Messiah. Isaiah, in particular, wrote much about the Messiah. For example, Isaiah 50-53 is one of the most famous prophecies about the coming Messiah. 

Many of the prophets also wrote about the coming Kingdom of God. These writings are for future generations, which now include us. The Bible is not a dead book that was written, and then it was over. It is not something you read once and understand everything that it has to say and then are finished. It is the living testament of God. God's word. The Bible is God-breathed and is still relevant. It is just as relevant today as it was 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, 2000 years ago. If you want to consider the Old Testaments, which is still relevant, it has been over 3000 years since it was first written. Why is a book that was started 3000 years ago and written by 40 different men from different times and places still relevant, accurate, and carrying the same message? Because the Holy Spirit revealed it to them. He revealed Christ and the glories of heaven. They have made the gospel clear and provided us a written record. 

We also have direct access to the same Holy Spirit that helped them and guided them. Can you imagine if God had not given us the Bible? We would not have the same access to the gospel. I mean, we could still know that God exists. The heathens know that God exists. Except for atheists. Atheists are the saddest life form on earth, who believe that nothing supernatural exists and believe that there is nothing beyond physical life. They live for the moment, try to be as happy as possible, try to live their best life and for nothing. Just death awaits them. 

But back to the point. We would still know that God exists because we can look around us, but we would not be able to know him or live with him. It is by the grace of God that we have scriptures that provide us a way forward, that say, "Yes, there is a God, this is who He is, and this is what he has done to reconcile you to him. Without the Bible, there would still be Salvation. Jesus could still come down to the earth, die, and rise from the grave, but without it being recorded, we would not know that salvation exists. Peter says even the angels long to look into these things, and we have direct access. This is the grace of God! 

In the end, Peter shows us that God has provided us three graces in our Salvation. He has provided a living hope that will never let us go, a grounded, tempered, refined and blessed faith that will not fail. A faith that has roots in truth and is the most concrete thing we have. And finally, God has provided us the scriptures and the gospel in the form of the Bible. Written by the prophets and the apostles who spoke the truth through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses the scriptures to bring the good news of the gospel to many. 

God is a God of mercy and grace, of salvation and of judgment. He is the God of many things and all of them equally. Even though we were separated from Him by our sins and could not live with him because of those same sins, He still sent his Son to die and save us from our sins. This Salvation is the greatest grace of all.

 

Grace Means

1 Peter 1:1-2

This short book is a letter written by the Apostle Peter to the Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. I want to start by giving some of Peter’s personal history. When I began to do this, I liked what Jamieson-Fausset-Brown had already done. So, I want to clarify that I am indebted to their commentary for the outline of Peter’s life.

Peter’s given name was Simon. The name Peter was a nickname given to Him by Jesus, and we will cover the meaning of that name as we go. 

Peter was born and raised in a town called Bethsaida on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. His father’s name was “Jonas,” “Jonah,” or “John.” Jonas was a fisherman, and Peter and his brother Andrew helped their father in the family fishing business. The business seems to have been in Capernaum.

Peter was married and lived in Capernaum. Tradition says that his wife’s name was “Concordia” or “Perpetua.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that Peter’s wife’s mother, his mother-in-law, was healed of a fever by Jesus when Jesus and His disciples went to Peter’s house.

Peter met Jesus because of his brother Andrew. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and started following Jesus when John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God. (John 1:35) Andrew went and brought Peter to Jesus, saying, “We have found the Messiah!” (John 1:41) When Jesus looked at Peter, He said, You are Simon, the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas.” Peter is the English version of the Greek for “Cephas,” which was the Aramaic. Once again, Cephas is the Aramaic word for Peter. Both words mean “stone.” 

For many centuries, a misunderstanding of this name that Jesus gave Peter has plagued the Church. This misunderstanding divides the Church between Catholic and Protestant. The misconception is this. “Petros,” the name given to Peter, means stone, a stone that you can throw or use in a slingshot. In Matthew 16, when Peter said to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded, 

Matthew 16:17–18 (NKJV) ¹⁷Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 

The misunderstanding occurs in what Jesus said to Peter. When Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my Church,” He used a different word than Peter’s name. He said, “You are ‘Petros,’ and upon this ‘petra,’ I will build my Church. “Petros” is a small stone, but “petra” is a huge boulder or cliff. The massive boulder that the Church is built on is the thing that was revealed to Peter, i.e., the confession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. Nobody builds anything on a small stone.

Peter was a remarkable man. He made his confession of Christ and was the only one who got out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus. However, Peter was overconfident in His own commitment to Jesus, showing this when He said, “Even though all the rest should desert You, I never will.” He drew his sword in the garden and was ready to fight. But, in the face of a servant girl, he denied he knew Jesus. Peter showed a tendency to worry about what others thought of Him so that in Galatians, Paul mentions Peter acting like a hypocrite and separating himself from the Gentiles for the sake of visiting Jews. (Galatians 2:11-14)

Whatever his faults, Peter was a solid and courageous leader. The power of the Holy Spirit transformed him, and God used him in the establishing of the Church. 

His love and zeal for the Lord showed itself in a willingness to suffer for the Lord. (Acts 5:40) When he was arrested for preaching the gospel, he expressed his readiness to suffer if necessary. King Herod Agrippa had him arrested. The king planned on executing Peter, but an angel came and led Peter out of jail. (Acts 12)

Although Paul is called the Apostle to the Gentiles, Peter was the first to preach the gospel to the pagan world when he was sent to the house of the Roman centurion, Cornelius.  (Acts 10)

As prominent as Peter was, he never claimed to be the chief of the Apostles. In Acts 15, when the Church leaders met in Jerusalem to determine the issue of Gentile circumcision, James was the president of the council, not Peter. Jesus had an inner circle made up of Peter, James, and John. Paul recognizes these three as pillars of the Church, and having been closest to the Lord; these three were a foundation from which the Church grew. 

In 1 Peter 5:12-13, Peter gives greetings from “Babylon” and names some companions, all of which tell us that he was in Rome when he wrote the letter. And, tradition has it that Peter died in Rome under the persecution of Christians carried out under Nero.

Because Peter denied Him on the night He was betrayed, Jesus restored Peter when He met with the disciples after the resurrection. This was why Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:15-19)

The Peter we meet in the gospels is a man like us. He was a working man and had strengths and weaknesses, failures and successes. Because of this, his letter to the Church is practical and helpful. Grace is the core of Peter’s letter. He explains how grace affects our lives and what it means to us as Christians. Peter’s life is an example of what grace does, and because of this, he is the right person to tell us what grace means. He is eminently qualified to tell us about grace because he experienced it in full measure in his life.

In his opening, the NKJV translates Peter as saying he is writing to the “pilgrims of the Dispersion.” I prefer the interpretation given to his words by the Amplified Bible.

1 Peter 1:1 (AMP) Peter, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, to those [elect—both Jewish and Gentile believers] who live as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia [Minor], and Bithynia, who are chosen…

Peter uses two identifiers to describe us Christians: 1) sojourners or pilgrims and 2) chosen or elect

Sojourners means travelers or temporary residents, and elect designates us as the chosen people of God.

Many, and at one time I, have taught that Peter wrote to the Jewish Dispersion. However, several passages in the letter make it clear that he is writing to all believers. For example, in 1 Peter 2:10, he says:

1 Peter 2:10 (NKJV) who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Saying that we were once not a people echoes Paul’s words:

Ephesians 2:12 (NKJV) that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

The New Testament calls Christians by several names, i.e., saints, believers, disciples, and elect (chosen).  In 1 Peter, believers are called chosen in the introduction and in chapter 2 verse 9.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Jesus said:

John 3:16 (NKJV)  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Eternal life comes by believing in the One and only Son of God, and attached to eternal life are many blessings. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

One of the blessings we enjoy is our election or being chosen. The blessings of being God’s chosen people are more than we can tell or count. So, we will limit ourselves to just a couple that Peter points out in 1 Peter 1:2.

1 Peter 1:2 (ESV) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

We are talking about the blessings of being God’s chosen people, blessings that accompany the eternal life that is ours by believing in Jesus. However, we cannot ignore that Peter tells us that we are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. The word “according” is a translation of the Greek word “kata.” The root meaning of the word “kata” is “down from.” God’s choice comes down from His foreknowledge.

Think about this. Did God get it wrong when He chose David to be king of Israel? After all, David was an adulterer and a murderer. Did God make a mistake when He chose Peter? After all, three times Peter denied he knew Jesus.

No, God was not wrong, and He knew all these things would happen. This is what grace means. Grace means giving us kindness and blessings that we do not deserve. God loves us despite our failures.

Peter says that in addition to the foreknowledge of God, the Holy Spirit is sanctifying us. Sanctifying means that He is conforming us to the image of Jesus. (Romans 8:29) He is setting us apart for Himself. God’s choice does not depend on our goodness, and if it did, no one would be saved.

Peter says we are chosen for two blessings: 1) obedience to Christ and 2) sprinkling with His blood.

The first blessing is obedience. Until we learn obedience to Christ, we are slaves to sin. We Americans think we are free, but we are one of the most enslaved generations ever. We are working ourselves to death, addicted, and overrun with vices of every kind. Even many in the Church are slaves of sin. This week I read of yet another very famous Christian leader who was enslaved to sexual sin. If our leaders are so sick, how can we sheep be healthy? The only way to be free is to be obedient to Jesus. We are all familiar with the phrase, “the Truth will set you free,” but here is the whole of what Jesus said:

John 8:31–32 (NKJV) ³¹Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³²And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Abiding in His words is the condition set for knowing the truth. Abiding means obedience. We were chosen for obedience so that we can be free. Obedience is the way of blessing. The obedience that brings blessing is obedience to Jesus Christ, not to men or the principles of men.

However, we all were slaves to sin before we met Jesus. This is why Peter says we were chosen “for sprinkling with His blood.” Without the shedding of Jesus' blood, there would be no forgiveness of sin. But since Jesus died on the cross, we know that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). We all need this cleansing. We all need to be sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Peter experienced both the blessings of obedience to Christ and of sprinkling with His blood and could speak firsthand of this grace. He ends his greeting with the words:

1 Peter 1:2 (ESV) May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

The letter that follows these words is about God's grace, how it is multiplied to us and what that means in practical terms.

Ascended to Heaven

Mark 16:19-20

Mark 16:19 starts out with the words “So then.” Some translations say “Then” or “Therefore.” The term used in Greek is “men,” which is an untranslatable particle. In other words, it is a part of speech that the Greeks used that we do not have a word for. The significance of this word is that it indicates that two things are going to be contrasted. Usually, it is accompanied by the word “de,” which is often translated “and” or “but.” In Mark 16, verse 19 begins with “men,” and verse 20 begins with “de.” This means that these two verses are intended to be contrasted with each other.

Verse 19 tells us what Jesus did (and is doing) after the resurrection. Verse 20 tells us what His disciples did (and are doing) after the resurrection. These two verses define the Church age, which started on that day and continues to this.

First, verse 19 tells us what Jesus did after the resurrection.

Mark 16:19 says, “After the Lord had spoken to them.” The Lord Jesus gave them instructions following His resurrection. 

First, He taught them about faith.

Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, and she went and told those who had been with Him. They were mourning and weeping because of His death. They did not believe her. After all, they had watched Him die.

Next, He appeared to two of them as they walked through the countryside. They returned to Jerusalem and told the others. However, the others would not believe. Finally, He appeared to the eleven. At this point, He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart. John gives us some insight into this unbelief when He tells the story of Thomas.

John 20:27–29 (NKJV) ²⁷Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

²⁸And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The eleven saw Jesus die and would not believe until they saw the resurrected Lord. Thomas heard the testimony as more eyewitnesses spoke, but he was no different than the rest. Even when they saw Him, Jesus needed to demonstrate to them He was not a ghost by eating in their presence and by letting them touch Him. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Earlier in His ministry, Jesus expressed frustration with their unbelief when He said:

Mark 9:19 (NKJV) O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?

We all believe based on the testimony of eyewitnesses. Around 500 people saw the Lord Jesus after the resurrection. Since that time, the world relies on the testimony of those eyewitnesses. As Hebrews tells us, without faith, it is impossible to please God. Before and after the resurrection, Jesus taught faith.

The next thing Jesus spoke about after the resurrection was what we are to be doing. 

He did not leave instructions for buildings. This was a change from the Old Testament when God gave detailed instructions on how and what to build. He did not leave instructions for religious practice. This also was a change from the Old Testament, where God gave detailed instructions on how He was to be approached.

After the resurrection, Jesus told the disciples, in several locations and different ways:

Mark 16:15 (NKJV) Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

He made it abundantly clear that this is what He wants.

Having spoken concerning these things, the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

That is where He is today. He will return. The angels announced it, and Jesus promised it. Although we disagree on the details, every Christian denomination teaches that Jesus will return. This is essential to our faith, so much so that if a sect or group does not believe that Jesus will return, we do not call them Christian.

While He is seated at the right hand of the Father, Jesus is interceding for us. Romans 8:34 tells us:

Romans 8:34 (NKJV) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Jesus prays for us. He pleads our case before God. He is uniquely qualified to do this in that He has been tempted in all ways that we are. He is the only one who can do this, as 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us.

1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV) For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.

Mark 16:19 tells us that having spoken to His disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven. This is set in contrast to His disciples who remained on the earth. They watched Him leave, and then Mark 16:20 tells us:

Mark 16:20 (NKJV) And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

They went out and preached everywhere. 

Most scholars agree that Mark wrote his gospel in Roman under Peter’s direction somewhere around 65 A.D. By that time, 35 years after the resurrection, the gospel was being preached all over the Roman empire, in Africa and (if tradition is correct) in Asia. 

The spread of the gospel followed the pattern Jesus gave in Acts 1:8.

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

The gospel started in Jerusalem with the resurrection and then quickly spread throughout Judea and Samaria. By the time Mark wrote, it had spread to the end of the earth as far as Mark knew.

However, the gospel did not spread by human ingenuity or cleverness. Mark 16:20 tells us that the Lord worked with them.

We can refer back to Acts 1:8 again as we consider the words of Jesus to His disciples. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

The Holy Spirit empowers the Christian for holy living and for witness. The Holy Spirit works within us to form Christ in us. Here is the tricky part. We can grieve the Spirit by not yielding to Him. Many of us choose this path, as can be seen in the disfunction and sin within the Church. But God has promised that if we walk by the Spirit, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

In the book of Genesis, we read about the people of the earth soon after the flood. Everybody on the planet was descended from Noah, and they all spoke the same language. So they got together and decided that they would build a tower to keep themselves from being scattered over the entire earth. At that point, God came down and divided them up by giving them different languages. The critical point here was that God had commanded them to spread throughout the whole earth.

Jesus gave His disciples the command to go to the far corners of the world. But they all liked Jerusalem, spoke the same language, and grew up in the same culture. They naturally stayed in Jerusalem. Therefore, God spread them by letting persecution drive them from Jerusalem.

God working with them did not always mean smooth sailing. James must have learned this lesson well because he wrote:

James 1:2 (NKJV) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

There is a saying that goes:

What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.

Except for bears...bears will kill you!

Pardon my levity, but Jesus told us that in this world, we will suffer. Suffering does not mean that God is not working with us. If God had not allowed persecution in Jerusalem, the infant Church might have died right there in the cradle.

The book of Acts tells the incredible story of God’s working through the Apostles to establish the Church. The account starts in Jerusalem and recounts events up to the founding of the Church in Rome. However, the book does not end. The last two verses of the book of Acts say:

Acts 28:30–31 (NKJV) ³⁰Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, ³¹preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Some may consider this the end, but the story continues to this day. 

Have you heard of Hudson Taylor, the English man who took the gospel to China? Have you read the account of Jim Elliot and the men who gave their lives to get the gospel to the Huaorani people of Ecuador?

What about the story of Tom and Marcy Dorsch, who spent many years telling people in Africa about the Lord Jesus?

What about Kirk and Becca Tjaden’s story, who are working to spread the gospel in Africa, or Johnny and Sarah Reeves, who are working to help get the gospel to the people of Papua New Guinea?

The story of Acts will continue until Jesus comes.

Mark 16:20 mentions the accompanying signs.

Some of the signs are listed in Mark 16:17-18. These signs include casting out demons, speaking in new languages, and taking up serpents. We know the account of the snake that bit Paul, but we are not aware of how many have been preserved as they’ve served the Lord in the wilds. We know a number that have spoken new languages, including Kirk and Becca, Johnny and Sarah, Tom & Marcy, and Joe and Jeretta.

Many signs accompany the work of the Lord.

When Jeretta and I were raising support to go to the mission field, we were still considerably short as the time for our departure drew near. We had no idea where the funds would come from. Then we received a call from our home church. The board had decided to give toward our ministry in Japan. If you want to know how much, it was enough. We bought our tickets and started packing. 

Jesus is alive. He ascended to heaven. In contrast to this, we are on earth. But He has not deserted us. He is active. He works with us and confirms the work in many ways. 

His instructions have not changed. We are to preach the gospel to every creature. And we are to believe. The one rebuke that He had for His disciples was because they would not believe He was alive. The one judgment He has against the world is their unbelief. John 3 explains it like this:

John 3:18–19 (NKJV) ¹⁸“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Make sure that you are numbered among those who believe!