Speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (Quality: Very Good)

[0:00] As the Lord should be pleased to help this afternoon, we would direct your prayerful attention to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1 and verses 3 and 4.

[0:15] The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1 and verses 3 and 4. To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

[0:34] And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, Ye have heard of me.

[0:48] This morning we were thinking of the wonderful way in which the Lord showed himself alive, first of all to Mary Magdalene, and to the other women, and then to the Apostles, and how he gave those many infallible proofs of his resurrection, as he was seen of them forty days.

[1:11] This afternoon we want to come to the latter part of verse 3 and the fourth verse. Speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

[1:26] Jesus not only showed himself alive after his passion to these disciples, but he spoke to them. As we saw this morning, he spoke those words of peace.

[1:39] He said, peace be unto you. And we have felt this day that he only has to speak one word. We said that to our aged friend in the interval, and he said, yes, he only has to speak one word, and we feel the power of it when he speaks.

[1:56] And so we see this word in our text, he spoke to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

[2:07] They heard his voice. And where the word of a king is, there is power. All the words of Christ, friends, were powerful. Whenever he spoke, what a wonderful thing it is to feel the power of the words of Christ when he speaks in the gospel according to Mark.

[2:29] And the 13th chapter we read in the 31st verse what he said. As he was speaking to the people of the last times and those signs that he gave them that the coming of the Lord was drawing near.

[2:48] And he said in the course of those things, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

[2:59] It shows how abiding the words of Christ are. When he speaks, it's something that abides. We often hear many words of other people, but they don't remain with us because they're empty and vain.

[3:15] By the words of Christ, they abide with us. Because they're full of meaning. And they will not pass away. Heaven and earth shall pass away, he says, but my words shall not pass away.

[3:31] The words of the Lord Jesus Christ abide. It shows surely that the word of God itself is something that abides. We think of what Peter says about the word of God.

[3:45] And we feel how sweet that word is that he writes in his first epistle concerning the word of God. He says in the end of the first chapter of his first epistle, But the word of the Lord endureth forever.

[4:03] And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. The word of the Lord endureth forever. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.

[4:14] Christ's words are so enduring. Christ's words are so enduring. So wonderful. So full of meaning. And you remember when he went to Nazareth on that occasion.

[4:28] When he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. And sat down to read. And they gave him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he read from that portion of Isaiah where it says, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.

[4:46] Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. And when Christ preached the gospel to the poor, it was with power. That gospel went home to the heart.

[4:56] And as he preached the gospel, so his words were full of meaning. And we read in that chapter these words. As he said this day, is this scripture fulfilled in your ears?

[5:11] And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. The Lord Jesus, whenever he spoke, there were gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth.

[5:24] He was full of these wonderful things. And as they came forth from his lips, they were with power. And so these disciples, as they heard him speak, after his resurrection, what he spoke was with power.

[5:42] Being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, he spoke to them. We want to hear his voice this afternoon.

[5:54] Now let thy voice engage our ear, and faith be mixed with what we hear. Thus, Lord, thy waiting servants bless, and crown thy gospel with success. That's what we come together for, to hear his voice.

[6:07] And now we see in the words of the text, that he was speaking to these disciples. Speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

[6:18] How wonderful it is to hear the voice of Christ then. And we read in that fourth of Luke, these words too, they were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was with power.

[6:33] They were astonished at his doctrine. When he spoke in that synagogue at Capernaum, it was with power.

[6:45] They were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was with power. And don't we read, after his sermon on the mount, that he spoke with authority, and not as the scribes.

[6:58] There was power whenever he spoke. And how wonderful it is to feel that power when he speaks through his word to us, personally, and we need him.

[7:09] As we said this morning, Peter heard him speak to him personally, and we need him to speak to us, personally. In the sixth of John, there is a wonderful word concerning the power of Christ's words.

[7:26] He says, to them, as they were gathered around him, it is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profited nothing.

[7:38] The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. They are spirit, and they are life. Whenever the Lord Jesus spoke, then his words were spirit and life.

[7:52] They felt the power of them when he spoke to them. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. And so, when he said, in the end of that chapter, to his disciples, will you also go away?

[8:09] Because many went back and walked no more with him. He said, will you also go away? Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and assure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

[8:29] You see, Peter realized the power of Christ's words. Thou hast the words of eternal life. Have we felt the power of Christ's words as he has spoken to us?

[8:43] He is speaking to these disciples after his resurrection, speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And as he speaks, so they hear that it is the voice of the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

[9:02] You remember when the Pharisees sent officers to take him, and they came back to the Pharisees, and they said to them, why have you not brought him?

[9:14] What did the officers say? Never man spake like this man. Never man spake like this man. You see, because they'd never heard anything like it before.

[9:26] They'd never heard words spoken as he spoke them. They were with power. Never man spake like this man. Always true it is.

[9:37] Whenever he spoke to his disciples, it was with power. When he spoke those words we were looking at this morning, peace be unto you, it was with power. They received the peace.

[9:49] And so it is when he speaks to us in our day. His word is with power. In the 12th of John, we find him saying this, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him.

[10:06] The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day. His word, you see, is a word of judgment. And whatever the Lord says will be done.

[10:20] I have not spoken to myself, he says, but the Father which sent me, he gave me the commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. So the words really come from the Father.

[10:32] Oh, what a wonderful thing it is to hear Christ speaking to us, as he spoke often to his disciples. Again in the 14th of John, he says, He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

[10:50] The words of the Lord Jesus Christ were given to him by the Father to speak. And these things that he's speaking here in the text were relating to the kingdom of God.

[11:06] Speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Now what a wonderful kingdom this is, the kingdom of God. Are we part of it?

[11:17] Are we within it? We're either within it or outside of it. It's the kingdom of God he's speaking about. And we need to realise that we have been brought into that kingdom.

[11:34] There is a wonderful word in the Sermon on the Mount which speaks of this kingdom of God. And it is this, when he opened his mouth and taught them saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

[11:54] All these things that he spoke in the Sermon on the Mount are known by those who are brought into this kingdom. They are made poor in spirit.

[12:05] They are made to mourn over their sins. They are brought to realise they are guilty before God. They know what it is to repent and confess their sins.

[12:18] All these beatitudes that the Lord Jesus speaks are spoken to certain characters. And these are the characters within this kingdom. I believe the disciples, the apostles, were among these characters.

[12:33] They were meek. They were brought to hunger and thirst after righteousness. They were merciful. They were pure in heart.

[12:45] They were peacemakers. They knew what it is what to be persecuted. Yes, and so it will be with us if we are brought into this kingdom.

[12:56] And if we are in the kingdom of God, we shall be called the salt of the earth or the light of the world. What a mercy to be among these that are brought into this kingdom.

[13:11] He spoke to them the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Wonderful thing it is to be brought into the kingdom of God. You know, when the Lord Jesus spoke of the last great day, the judgment day, he speaks of those who are brought into this kingdom.

[13:31] and he says concerning them in the 25th of Matthew, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

[13:50] They are the ones who are brought into this kingdom, those who have been chosen in eternity past, those who were given to Christ to redeem. And they are prepared.

[14:03] Their aged friend stressed that while I was with him today. Oh, to be prepared. Oh, I believe he longs to be prepared for the prepared place.

[14:14] And I believe he will be prepared eventually for that place. That's what the Lord is doing at the present time, preparing him. All God's people are being prepared for the prepared place.

[14:27] But it is these who are brought into the kingdom at last. What a wonderful thing it would be for him to hear the Lord saying to him, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

[14:43] But you see again here, friends, what we saw this morning. When Peter was asked if he loved the Lord, the Lord told him to feed his lambs and to feed his sheep, to show by his service that he loved his Lord.

[15:00] Now you can see here the same thing. For I was hungered and ye gave me meat. Love will manifest itself in what we do to others and for others.

[15:12] I was a hunger and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger and ye took me in. Naked and ye clothed me. I was sick and ye visited me.

[15:24] I was in prison and ye came unto me. You see, those who are brought into this kingdom, they will be those who have served the Lord.

[15:35] They've not only loved him but they've shown it in their service and in what they do. as we mentioned that word this morning, let us not love in word only but in deed and in truth.

[15:50] These are the ones that are brought into the kingdom of God. He spoke to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Oh, what a wonderful thing it is to be found in this kingdom of God.

[16:06] In the gospel by Luke we find it recorded in chapter 9 verse 62 and Jesus said unto a certain man, no man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.

[16:28] Those who look back they're like lots white. They're not fit for the kingdom of God. Oh, the Lord keep us from looking back or from going back.

[16:40] May we be enabled to look right on to keep in the narrow way to press on not to look back. There's no armour for the back.

[16:52] No, we have to continue to go forward. No man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. We need to continue to press on forgetting those things which are before and reaching forth unto those things which are before and we press toward the mark for the prize of the highly calling of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[17:19] Now, in John 3 we have another way in which we enter into this kingdom and it is by being born again.

[17:32] Jesus said to Nicodemus except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God in the first place. He can't even see it. He's blind.

[17:45] Unless we're born again friends we cannot see these things. We have that natural blindness as we're born into this world. And so when he says it the second time he says except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

[18:03] There's no entering into this kingdom without the new birth. That's why Whitefield the great preacher kept preaching from this word he must be born again because this is the only way we can enter into the kingdom of God.

[18:19] That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you he must be born again. Oh this is the way into the kingdom of God by being born again of the spirit.

[18:37] Oh how the apostle too when he went from place to place preaching the gospel how he speaks concerning this wonderful kingdom we read he confirmed the souls of the disciples and exhorted them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

[19:01] It is through much tribulation we shall enter into this kingdom. He spoke to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Oh what a wonderful thing then to be within it.

[19:17] James will give us a word on this wonderful kingdom that the Lord Jesus speaks to his disciples about. What does he say? Hearken my beloved brethren hath not God chosen the poor of this world written faith and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him.

[19:38] They are poor in this world very often but they are rich in faith. I like that in the revelation where it says in one place thou art poor but rich poor but rich poor in this world but rich in faith heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him.

[20:01] Jesus spoke to these disciples then things pertaining to the kingdom of God. No doubt he showed them the way into this kingdom and that they were within it and he is the king over this kingdom speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

[20:24] And then as we come to this fourth verse we read being assembled together with them he commanded them not only did he speak to them these things concerning the kingdom of God but he commands them not to depart out of Jerusalem but wait oh hell we do need patience friends to wait for these things wait for the promise of the father and what was this promise that they were to wait for it was the promise of the Holy Ghost it was the promise that the day of Pentecost would come which we read of wait for the promise of the father didn't the Lord Jesus speak about this promise this Holy Spirit that would come oh in many places in the gospel according to John does he speak of this Holy Spirit that would come in the fourteenth chapter he says the comforter which is the

[21:26] Holy Ghost whom the father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you and then again in the sixteenth chapter we find him saying the comforter will come unto you and when he is come he will reprove the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment of sin because they believe not on me of righteousness because I go to my father of judgment because the prince of this world is judged he promised that the spirit would come and he says when the comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the father even the spirit of truth which is proceeding from the father he shall testify of me so he tells these disciples after he has made himself known to them he speaks about the kingdom of God and then he he commands them not to depart from

[22:30] Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the father wait for the gift of the holy spirit which saith he have heard of me and he goes on to speak of this wonderful gift he says John truly baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with the holy ghost not many days hence what a wonderful gift this is the gift of the holy spirit this promised spirit the promise of the father they were to be baptized with it not many days hence and again he says in verse 8 ye shall receive power after the holy ghost has come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me they had witnessed the resurrection they had known this wonderful blessing of him showing himself alive to them after his passion by these infallible proofs and they were to be witnesses unto him both in

[23:32] Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth the lord jesus gave them this wonderful promise then of the father that the spirit would come down upon them but i believe they they prayed for this in the upper room they prayed for the outpouring of the spirit now we need to pray for it today that we might again feel the power of that spirit coming upon us and eventually see that promise was fulfilled as we read and it was at god's time it was on the very day of pentecost that that spirit was poured out and when was it poured out friends when they were all with one accord in one place when they knew what it was to be in union with one another when they knew what it was to be one in the things of god they were in one accord and in one place and as they were in that place they heard this sound of the rushing mighty wind filling the house where they were sitting and the cloven tongues of fire came and sat upon each of them and they were filled with the holy ghost what wonderful things they spoke as this promise was fulfilled being assembled together with them he commanded them that they should not depart from

[25:08] Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the father which saith he have heard of me they were to tarry here in this place so that when that spirit came upon them in Jerusalem they could preach to all those assembled together in Jerusalem didn't we read of the many that were gathered together on that day of Pentecost from all different parts of the earth oh the lord permitted this to happen that all these Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those of Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia and Phrygia Pamphylia and Egypt all these different parts of the world they all came from those parts for that day of Pentecost the feast of Pentecost they were all in Jerusalem at the right time the lord ordered it that they should be there so that as they were filled with the spirit they could preach to this multitude and

[26:09] Peter is singled out as one of these preachers he who we mentioned this morning heard the lord saying feed my lambs and feed my sheep is the one singled out to preach the gospel to these people and he begins by showing them that this is the fulfillment of prophecy this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel it shall come to pass in the last days saith God I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams and upon my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit and they shall prophesy and this was the day of Pentecost and as Peter went on to preach he preached Jesus Christ he was like the apostle Paul who determined not to know anything among the people save

[27:11] Jesus Christ and him crucified and he preached Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you as you yourselves know him being delivered I like this verse because it shows that all the sufferings of Christ were determined beforehand we mentioned that word this morning in the 24th of Luke ought not Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory and it was because these things were determined beforehand by the foreknowledge of God Peter preaches this person him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God he have taken he brings home to them their own sin in it they had taken this glorious person and by their wicked hands they crucified and slain him they had been the ones who had crucified the Lord

[28:19] Jesus he brought home to them their sin in this matter but he says God has raised him up the way Peter preaches the resurrection how he shows to these people that God raised up the Lord Jesus the third day having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it and he reminds them of the words of David in the psalm I foresaw the Lord always before my face for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption and these words of David were concerning Christ he did not see corruption he was in the grave in the sepulchre but he did not see corruption he was raised again the third day and so Peter brings it home to them that this that David wrote in his psalm was all concerning the

[29:34] Lord Jesus Christ let me freely speak unto you he says of the patriarch David he is dead and buried his sepulchre is with us to this day but he was a prophet and he was speaking of Jesus Christ God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne and so David seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ he speaks of this wonderful resurrection we have been thinking of that his soul was not left in hell neither his flesh did see corruption and Peter goes on to speak of how this glorious person as we read of him this afternoon ascended up on high while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up they heard the two men that stood by them speaking to them why stand he gazing up into heaven this same

[30:37] Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner he speaks Peter does of how Christ has ascended up on high therefore being by the right hand of God exhorted and having received with the father the promise of the Holy Ghost he has shed forth this which he now see and hear and so as Peter preached the word preached Christ to them these people on the day of Pentecost they were pricked in their hearts the word went right home to them and they were brought to say what should we do what should we do and dear Peter is given the words to speak when they ask the question what should we do he says repent and be baptized every one of you there must be repentance if we are to be brought into this kingdom that is in our text we must be brought to repent we must also be brought to believe that was the answer given to the

[31:48] Philippian jailer you know when he was brought to the same kind of question when he said to those two Paul and Silas what must I do to be saved what is the answer that they gave him believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and they should be saved and the two things go together faith and repentance we must know what it is to believe we must know what it is to repent we must know what it is to obey the Lord's command yes repent and be baptized every one of you and we read this then they that gladly received his word were baptized oh they were brought to obey they were brought to walk in Lord's commands they gladly received his word and they wanted to follow him and we read that there were added unto them about three thousand souls and what a wonderful time it was in the church of God they were one in the things of

[33:00] God this is the outcome of the spirit as the spirit came upon them they were together and had all things common they believed and they sold their possessions the things of earth were nothing to them they were only material things they could sell those things and parted them to all men as every man had need there's another place you know where we find that recorded and surely it is wonderful to see it as we find it recorded later on in the same chapter that those who had houses or lands sold them and brought them and laid them down at the apostles feet and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need they were willing to give up their material things because material things were nothing to them

[34:03] Christ was everything to them and they were enabled to continue daily with one accord in the temple and break bread from house to house and to eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favour with all the people what a time it was in the church when the spirit descended upon them and this is the promise we have in the text and we plead that promise that we might have another pouring of the spirit those words came back to us during the interval until the spirit be poured upon us from on high and we need it being assembled depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise wait for the fulfilment of the promise wait for this outpouring of the spirit the promise of the father which saith he ye have heard of me it was promised and that promise was fulfilled the lord fulfilled it on the day of pentecost oh that you and i then may thank him for this wonderful word that he showed himself alive after his passion by these many infallible proofs and that he was seen of them for these forty days his own people not the outsiders but his own people saw him for forty days and he spoke to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of god and spoke of this wonderful promise and that they should wait for it wait for the promise of the father which saith he have heard of me oh that we might be waiting upon the lord for another pouring of the spirit so that we might feel his leading and guiding and directing in our services the lord bless his word to each one of us for his name sake amen