I see in the book of Acts not only a prescription and description for how we, as the church, are to live and examine ourselves, but also a vision for the kind of culture we should seek the Lord to create—one in which He works through us to change the world.
Many are asking today, “Are we in the last days?” That is a question we will seek to answer in our series, entitled 'The Last Days.' Some may be surprised to learn that we have been in the last days for over 2,000 years, since the day of Pentecost, as recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 2. However, the days just before the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will truly be the last days, and we can say this for sure, we are 2000 years closer than we have ever been before to that moment
In his Gospel, John tells us how to be saved, but in this epistle, he tells us how to be sure we are saved. The letter is a series of “tests” that Christians may use to examine their fellowship (chaps. 1–2) and their sonship (chaps. 3–5). Note that the emphasis in chapters 3–5 is on being born of God.
The sermon showed how a person who is in right relationship with God should conduct his life. While the passage must be understood in the light of the offer of the messianic kingdom, the sermon applies to Jesus’ followers today for it demonstrates the standard of righteousness God demands of His people.
You need to know that God will always raise up someone to speak the truth when things are dark. The Bible says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against Him.” That man was going to be Elijah.
John’s prophecy is primarily the revelation of Jesus Christ, not the revelation of future events. You must not divorce the Person from the prophecy, for without the Person there could be no fulfillment of the prophecy.
It is a story where we see God at work. The hand of God is in every scene ruling and overruling the decisions that people make. And in the end, God builds a hero, saves a family, and creates a nation that will in turn be a blessing to the whole world.
