The Church on the Move
Notes
Transcript
The Church on the Move
The Church on the Move
35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Acts… Exciting times for the NT believers...
There was growth
There was persecution
There was growth
There was greater persecution
Then… there was greater growth...
In Acts 7 we read the message that Stephen preached just prior to his becoming a martyr for the Lord Jesus Christ...
He was willing not only to live for the Lord
He was willing to die for the Lord
In his dissertation (the longest in the book of acts) he lays out the spiritual saga - history of the nation of Israel and it’s continual rejection of God and His plans for deliverance.
He keys in on Moses and Israels rejection of him...
but what I want to see here - in the realm of the NT church, we find references back to the OT church in the wilderness and I want make some correlations that I believe will be a help to us...
The Church on the Move
The Church on the Move
Don’t Forget the Past
Stephen recognized where he came from
Our heritage is a goodly heritage
Everything isn’t perfect
Everything isn’t as pretty as we would have wanted it to be...
38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
There was disobedience
The people refused to follow God’s leading
The people refused to follow Moses’ leadership
There was disappointment
40 years of wandering...
They had extra obstacles - Jordan
See Map of Jericho / Jordan
Notice the great purpose in the plan…
2 Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.
we see further instructions on who was where later in the passage… but the map shows it well.
See Map - Tabernacle tents
situation of the tabernacle… central point
Moses - tent was before the opening on east end...
Levites - surrounded on 3 sides by
Kohath
Gershon
Merari
East 3 tribes - Judah
South 3 tribes - Reuben
West 3 tribes - Ephraim
North 3 tribes - Dan
God and His meeting house was the center focal point of the Nation...
every tribe
every family
every tent - opened and faced the tabernacle… the church / meeting house in the wilderness - The presence of God
Don’t Miss the Present
1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
The present was not a time of waiting it was a time of warning...
persecution scattered the church - the believers went everywhere… but the warning was not just of persecution…
The warning was for people’s spiritual condition
It’s not good enough to be of a great people
The Hebrew people - the Jews - God’s chosen people - but they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ...
they - as a whole did not accept him as the Messiah...
It’s not good enough to be from a good Christian home - You have to chose Christ....
The present was an opportunity to:
Show not shun
Share not Shy
The present was an opportunity to:
Go
Grow
Give
Our faith not only affects our eternal destiny, it gives us:
Guidance
Purpose
Fulfillment
Joy
Strength
Comfort
Don’t Fail to Prepare for the Future
In Acts 9 we see the salvation of one who was persecuting the church - even present at Stephen’s stoning...
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
What a glorious event - Saul was saved...
There is no one too hard to get saved...
Nebuchadnezzar was saved
Jailer was saved
Nicodemus was saved
Mary Magdalene was saved
Mel Trotter
son of a bartender...
he and his 3 brothers followed in their fathers drukenness
he married a good christian girl - (Girls - never get involved with someone who is lost and undone- never get involved with those who are not following the Lord Jesus - it will bring heartache and misery into your life…
If the Gospel has not transformed them, then you never will
They had a little girl - he pledged at her birth that he would never drink again -
Yet alcohol and gambling went hand in hand - he soon was broke and w/o the ability to buy a drink - so he went home and stole the shoes off his little girls feet so he could sell them for 1 drink...
The baby girl later died - and vowed never to drink again - yet got drunk right after the funeral...
He was in Chicago - went towards lake michigan - desiring to end it all - he was called into a building - by a kindly man -
Pacific Garden Mission - He was gloriously saved -
Later Mel Trotter went to Grand Rapids and started the City Mission
Later he went back to Chicago and ran the great - Pacific Garden Rescue Mission - and became a great evangelist...
The future is in our hands, here, in the present
Investment
Sacrifice
Dedication
Commitment
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
This persecutor of the Church became the great promoter of the church...
But the believers didn’t just hunker down when persecution came
They didn’t just - Hold Fast
They didn’t Forget the Past
They didn’t Miss the Present
They didn’t fail to Prepare for the Future...
We have what we have because of previous generations faith and commitment...
They could have said...
What’s the use… The Lord must be coming back soon - we will just Hold fast...
No - The Church on the Move...
Back in the Wilderness
Back in the NT 1st century
Today… The Church is to be on the move until we are called home...