Here Peter is continuing his sermon (at Pentecost) in which he has explained the phenomenon of speaking in tongues. Peter had quoted the prophet Joel first in his explanation. The Holy Spirit was being poured out as Joel had proclaimed. The ability to speak in foreign languages was from the power of God. Those speaking in tongues declared the “mighty works of God (verse 11).”

We are familiar with the Scripture passages in the gospels about the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. These texts teach us how God accomplished redemption through the Lord Jesus for sinners. They are wondrous and were prophesied in the Old Testament.

In Acts 1, Luke is giving us a glimpse of the church before she begins the ministry of the gospel to Jerusalem and then to the world. The church is in stark contrast to the rest of the world, which is estranged from God. 

In this passage we read of the ascension of the Lord Jesus into heaven. The Lord had appeared to his disciples at various times after his resurrection. Now he will leave for good until his return in glory. That is one of the points of his visible ascension.

The context of our passage is the resurrected Lord Jesus speaking to his disciples before he ascends into heaven. He has been speaking to them with respect to the kingdom of God, and the gracious nature of it. In Luke 24 we read that he explained to them how the prophets wrote about his suffering and death.

This week we will begin a study through the book of Acts. Acts is a historical narrative of the beginning and spread of the church. It is written by Luke, who also wrote the 3rd gospel. It is easy to see why the Lord chose Luke to write this account of his church. Luke is called the “beloved physician” by the Apostle Paul, and was a traveling companion of Paul’s for many years.

Our feelings are poor judges of facts. We know this from experience in our own lives and in viewing the world of men. This is true in spiritual things as well. There have been many confident of heaven that didn’t make it and others that had almost lost hope about their own state nevertheless were welcomed. It is good to consider our life and souls.

The fundamental question for men is “How shall I live?” It isn’t simply a matter of existence, but the essence of life. The Bible teaches us that life that is truly life is knowing God (John 17). It also teaches us that we can only truly know God through Christ. The words here are for those who know Christ or who would like to know him.

The Lord gives us remedies to doubts that creep in about his ability to help or his care to help when we are in a great crisis. These words are addressed to his people; those who have been redeemed by his grace. He points us away from the crisis (and doubts about him) to facts about him.

When we are in a personal crisis we often cry out to the Lord. When you are needy, and have no one to help, what else can you do? Needy people, who call upon him, are precisely those whom God helps. The Lord can help you with temporal concerns and supply the spiritual necessities you require to sustain you in difficulty. Your cry is not unheard.

This passage exhorts us to compare the living, true God to the idols we form in our hearts. All men are idolaters; it is the root of all sin to form God in our own image. And all men are inescapably religious; they worship the true God, (as he has revealed himself), or elevate themselves to that position, choosing for themselves what is good to worship in their own eyes.

In these verses, Isaiah is addressing the propensity in men to look everywhere but God to sustain and bless their lives. In verse 15, we saw that though the nations in all their wealth and power are impressive to us, they are not even as a drop in the bucket or a speck of dust on the scales to Almighty God.

Isaiah 40 is designed to take your focus away from everything else and consider the Sovereign Lord, the one true, living God. The chapter begins with a message of comfort and redemption from the Lord (verses 1-2). It points to the coming of Christ and good news (9-11). Isaiah then directs you to consider the immensity and wisdom of the Lord to do all he promised (12-14).

In these verses we have rhetorical questions to help us understand the Lord’s attributes. Sadly, we aren’t inclined to dwell on the awesome attributes of God. We are nudged this way by the previous verses, which spoke of good news being spread widely and loudly (verse 9).

In verses 6-8, the Lord directed us to focus on men, their power and righteousness. He wants us to see that there is a reality beyond what we can see in external appearances. He compares men to the …

Isaiah 40 is a chapter to become very familiar with. You should become so acquainted with it that you can see how it connects to other parts of the Bible. Let the words dwell with you day by day. If …

The context of these words is the prophet speaking comfort to a people who have been displaced from their homes and exiled from the temple of the Lord. Isaiah had prophesied in Chapter 39 the future …

Isaiah 40 is a chapter every Christian should become familiar with. Handel's majestic musical composition, "The Messiah," begins with the first two verses of this chapter, which we are looking at …

God made man body and soul. We were made to be spiritual creatures. God breathed life into man (Genesis 2), not just air into his lungs, but life into his soul. He made man to glorify him in body and …

Recently, an ad popped up on my computer with scenes of calamity and terrible disasters. There were scenes of flooding, storms, and plagues; warnings of insect populations being depleted, famine, and …