THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE MUST HEAR

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

We know that the most important thing is to re-establish the communion with God that Adam lost and we cannot be born again while we are sinners. That process of re-establishing cannot happen without before having a previous knowledge of some very important things.

Last week we were saying that one of the most important things we need to know to be able to re-establish the communion with God or to have eternal life is named JESUS. We were talking a little bit about some of the most important event in his life.

This week we will base ourselves in a story of a man that was very good and was a great example and today he could be compared to any great pastor or man that helps people and is extremely generous. But in this story we find that in spite of how good this man was or how good of a Christian he was, he still needed to be saved from the condemnation of hell because he was not a son of God. So God sent one of Jesus' disciples, Peter, to tell this man a series of things that are necessary for anyone to be born again or saved.

We have to understand that the Bible shows this as a general summary of what Peter said to this man, but looking down deeper and having in mind that Peter had to explain each one of these things, we find the teaching could have actually taken several hours. I will share with you each one of these themes that I found and a short explanation of each one of the themes in this teaching. But still, don't forget that if I explain each of these themes how they should be explained and beyond (like Peter did) each one would be a sermon of about 30 minutes!

So I hope that it is clear and I recommend that you have your Bibles in hand so that you can see where the verse is found and that you can go further and investigate more about each step.

Again, this is something basic ... it is simply more organized, but it is necessary to go further, which you can do on your own, or I can help you just let me know vargasfoucher@gmail.com

Okay, this story is found in Acts 10:34-46. And here are the main points:

1. Verse 34: God doesn't pick favorites

2. Verse 35: God accepts (is pleased with) all who fear him and do what is right

3. Verse 36: God sent Jesus Christ to announce the Gospel of peace and now he is Lord over all

4. Verse 37-38 

       a) God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit to do miracles

       b) Jesus was doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil

       c) God was with Jesus

5. Verse 39: The Jews killed Jesus by hanging him on a cross

6. Verse 40-41: God raised Jesus from the dead and cause him to be seen

7. Verse 42: He (Jesus) is who God has places as Judge of the living and dead

8. Verse 43:

        a) All the prophets testify about him

        b) All who believe in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name

Explication

1. When Peter says that God doesn't show favoritism, it is necessary that he explains that God loves Jews and Gentiles in the same way and that he wants all to be saved (all races, ages, cultures).

2. Saying that God accepts those who fear him and do what is right means that Peter was explaining that God is a Holy God that accepts all people who do good and "seek" him. He also means that God is a good God and merciful and he accepts those people that do what is right and help others (even though that does not make someone a child of God). Furthermore, he helps us to understand that it is necessary for people to leave sin in order to please God and do what is right.

3. Naming Jesus Christ meant also naming the Word, and Jesus as man, which means that it had to speak of Christ and Jesus as man. Furthermore, he spoke of his ministry and what the Gospel of peace was all about. Naming the Gospel of peace helps us understand that between man and God there was a separation and division because of sin and that it was necessary to be reconciled with him. The Gospel of good news that talk about there being a saviour that one can reach NOW (being saved), and that God wants peace and was looking for peace and reconciliation and for that reason he sent Jesus. It also speaks of Jesus. Peter was talking about how Jesus died and God raised him from the dead and because of that he is now Lord and God

4. Saying that Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit means that Jesus didn't have any supernatural powers and everything that he did was because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was a man and could sin, but he decided not to and he lived in holiness for the whole 33 years of his life and was always doing his Father's will and pleasing him. When Peter talks about Jesus being holy and how he always did good and that people and God were with him, he is referring to Jesus being a son of God like Adam. And actually he was conceive by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary without the intervention of any man. When it says that he came to heal those under the power of the devil, it's referring to how Jesus was the Saviour, and he came to bring freedom. Because of this Peter also had to talk about the redemption and Jesus as the Redeemer. By mentioning John and saying that Jesus announced the Gospel of peace, it became necessary to talk about a true repentance and a true conversion.

5. When it says that the Jews hung him on a cross, it means that he was innocent and the prophesy was completed that the Saviour would be hung on a cross and it also refers to the analogy of the serpent in the desert. When he talks about Jesus' death, he's referring that is was to pay for our sins, and logically for a better comprehension he also had to talk about the three deaths and that someone innocent (Jesus) paid for the guilty ones (us).

6. When it says that God raised Jesus from the dead, it is referring to how Jesus went to Hades and because he was a man he could not leave, but God (because he is just) took him out of hades and let him be shown to the disciples for the fulfillment of what he said just before he died.

7. Now Jesus is God and Judge, because it was him who paid and carried the sin, and it is he who can judge. When it talks about judgement it's talking about hell and that the wages of sin are death (it was necessary that he spoke about the book of works to the men) because God is a just God and he gives to each one what they deserve.

8. It talks about the prophesies from the old testament and how all were fulfilled through Jesus, and by talking about the prophecies he had to mention Isaiah and Psalms where it shows how Jesus paid in the flesh for our sins and what he gained with that. Furthermore, it was also professing that there would be death and he would be thrown into Hades.

Finally it says that is necessary that we believe in Jesus as man and that he saved us from the deaths (spiritual, physical and eternal), and that he lived in holiness and was condemned without being guilty and paid everything and now he is Lord and Christ. Speaking of forgiveness of sin, he had to also talk about being born of the water.

Okay, I hope that we have been able to get something out of this story and that we have learnt something. Remember that it is necessary to go further than these things and always search for truth. If you have any questions or doubts or comments, please let me know.

God bless you
By Andrés Vargas
Translation by Jessica Foucher


 

Visit the other teachings if you haven't already:
God's Dream and the History of Man
Sight
Free of Charge
What's Hell Like?
Do You Want To Live Forever?
The Most Important Thing That We Must Hear