Acts 11:4-18

When Jesus sets you free you are F.R.E.E. indeed! 

God through His Son gave an open invitation for all to come to the supper of the Lamb. The great IAM loves you. Come just as you are and prepare to be changed forever by the power of the Holy Spirit who will teach you everything you need to know about Jesus and God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

Because of the importance of the issue of personal prejudice, Luke repeats the account of the vision of the sheet and the unclean animals that God used to free Peter from his racial bigotry. Finally the Jewish Christians that made up the early church understood Jesus’ commission to them: they were to bring the gospel message to the Gentile too. 

Christ places believers in the care and safekeeping of the Holy Spirit until the day He returns.

Acts 11:4-18

⁴ But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. ⁶ When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ ¹⁰ Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, ¹⁴ who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

¹⁸ When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 

John 16:13

⁸ So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 

Acts 15:8

⁹ and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 

Acts 15:9

42 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 

Isaiah 42:1

⁶ Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 

Isaiah 49:6

¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 

Romans 10:12

¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

Romans 10:13

Mark 3:7-12

There is nothing that life can throw at us that He cannot handle. There is healing… mentally, physically and most importantly spiritually in the hands of our Savior and it all starts with believing. He makes a level playing field, where heaven and earth meet, for all who place their trust in Him. Blessed be His name, Jesus. 

ALL things rest securely in His hands.

In the measure that we believe in His power is the measure that we can receive from His bounty.

This Gospel is a record of Jesus’ actions and achievements. It presents Jesus as a Savior-King, who conquers demons, disease, and death.

Mark leaves no doubt that he is documenting a unique account of a unique man. He’s spotlighting the Son of Man who came from heaven to serve, not to be served, and to give His life as a ransom. So in Mark we see Jesus the obedient Servant of God actively and compassionately coming alongside hurting people. But it’s not just the physical hurts that haunt Him. Jesus is moved by the spiritual disease He sees all around Him.

Mark 3:7-12

⁷ But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea ⁸ and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. ⁹ So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. ¹⁰ For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. ¹¹ And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” ¹² But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 

Luke 6:17

²¹ And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. 

Luke 7:21

²¹ For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 

Matthew 9:21

⁵⁶ Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well. 

Mark 6:56

³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 

Mark 1:34

Matthew 18:32-35

Withholding forgiveness is not an option! 

When we have been forgiven our sins our love for other sinners should abound more and more. No one sin is greater than another and we have all sinned except one…Jesus Christ.

This verse is a warning about the penalty for not forgiving others. All of a Christian’s sins are forgiven and forgotten forever. But this parable illustrates the Christian duty to forgive others. If our forgiveness should be in direct proportion to the incredible amount that we have been forgiven, then we must always be willing to forgive.

Matthew 18:32-35

³² Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! ³ I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ ⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

³⁵ “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 

Matthew 6:12

^26 4But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” 

Mark 11:26

¹³ For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 

James 2:13

Matthew 25:41-43

We are judged by the mercy and compassion that we show to others. It is our privilege, as Christians. to show the love of Christ to the poor, the sick, the incarcerated and the foreigner. 

The way to the Father is love for Him above all and for all of humanity. When we deny their existence we deny God. It is all about Jesus and His creation…not ours.

Matthew 25:41-43

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

⁸ Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. 

Psalm 6:8

²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 

Luke 13:27

³¹He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. 

Proverbs 14:31

²⁹ and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 

John 5:29

John 10:17-18

Christ in us, the very heart of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit resides in those who believe in the salvation that Jesus provides. We marvel that we are entrusted with the direction and guidance of Him who abides in us and through us works out God’s plan for mankind. Christ in us the hope of glory.

Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

As the good shepherd, Jesus had the power—that is, the authority—not only to voluntarily lay down His life for the sheep, but also to take it up again. No one but God can do that.

John 10:17-18

¹⁷ “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

²⁰ For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 

John 5:20

¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. 

Isaiah 53:12

⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 

Hebrews 2:9

²⁶ For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 

John 5:26

⁴ I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 

John 17:4

²⁴ whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 

Acts 2:24

Matthew 24:4-13

Keep the faith! The simplicity of the Gospel saves.It is all about Jesus!

These commandments He gave us “Love God above all and care for others as you do yourself”.

The final evidence of the end times will be the universal proclamation of the gospel.

Matthew 24:4-13

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

⁸ Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 

Colossians 2:8

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 

1 John 4:1–3

⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 

John 5:43

² They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 

John 16:2

¹³ And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

Mark 13:13

¹⁰ Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 

Revelation 2:10

Luke 11:27-28

The Word of God was made flesh to die for all who would choose to accept Him. His birth, death and resurrection, taking the sins of believers, overcame the world allowing us to live eternally with Him in His heavenly abode. By seeing the righteousness of Christ in us and not our unrighteousness, the Holy One can be with the unholy ones.

We are blessed by being doers and not only hearers of Jesus.

In order to have eternal life, a person must place his or her faith in Jesus, who is the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world to bring eternal life to those who believe.

Luke 11:27-28

²⁷ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

²⁸ But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

¹ Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments. 

Psalm 112:1

² Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 

Psalm 119:2

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 

Matthew 7:21

²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 

James 1:25

Daniel 8:23-27

God is in control and He has the final say! 

He knows that man, given free will and without Him, would thirst for power and control. He also knows that fleshly power corrupts and total power corrupts everything in its wake.

When the sinful actions of man have reached the point where God cannot permit them to go any further without bringing punishment the end as we know it will come. 

A king refers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the king of Syria who made his capital at Antioch. Antiochus would be energized by Satan, as will the Antichrist. He died without human intervention. According to the apocryphal Book of 2 Maccabees, Antiochus died of a painful disease.

Daniel 8:23-27

²³ “And in the latter time of their kingdom,

When the transgressors have reached their fullness,

A king shall arise,

Having fierce features,

Who understands sinister schemes.

²⁴ His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;

He shall destroy fearfully,

And shall prosper and thrive;

He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

²⁵ “Through his cunning

He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;

And he shall exalt himself in his heart.

He shall destroy many in their prosperity.

He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;

But he shall be broken without human means.

²⁶ “And the vision of the evenings and mornings

Which was told is true;

Therefore seal up the vision,

For it refers to many days in the future.”

²⁰ In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand. 

Job 34:20

⁶ The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown in a moment, With no hand to help her! 

Lamentations 4:6

¹⁰ And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 

Revelation 22:10

Luke 8:46-48

Only say the word and my servant will be healed…there is healing mentally, physically and most importantly spiritually for those who by faith call on His holy name.

Just B.E.L.I.E.V.E.

It took great courage for her to seek out Jesus. Note that her action was not criticized, but commended.

Luke 8:46-48

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” ⁴⁷ Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

⁴⁸ And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” 

Mark 5:34

¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. 

Matthew 8:13

²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 

Matthew 9:29

Daniel 9:25

The Messiah came and they knew Him not.

Daniel wrote his book with two purposes in mind. First, he wanted to assert that the God of Israel was sovereign, even over the powerful nations that surrounded His people. God’s chosen nation had been conquered and dispersed by a mighty empire that did not acknowledge God. What would happen now? Would Babylon’s yoke remain forever on Israel’s shoulders? Would God’s people never see their homeland again? Had God forgotten His promises? Daniel’s answer was that Babylon would fall to another empire, which in turn would fall to yet another great kingdom. History would continue in this pattern until God judged all Gentile nations and established His everlasting rule. Daniel’s message was obviously meant to uplift and encourage the weary hearts of the exiled Jews.

The Book of Daniel is a testimony to how God works out His purposes through His servants even in the courts of pagan rulers.

Daniel 9:25

²⁵   “Know therefore and understand,

That from the going forth of the command

To restore and build Jerusalem

Until Messiah the Prince,

There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;

The street shall be built again, and the wall,

Even in troublesome times.

2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 

Luke 2:1

⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 

John 1:41

⁴ Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. 

Isaiah 55:4