Sixth Sunday Of Easter
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IV
These verses constitute the conclusion of a Roman centurion's
request to hear the gospel, Peter's converting vision and a
gospel sermon. The result was the reception of the Spirit
manifested by glossalalia in praising God and baptism. It marked
a new dimension for the church, from Jew to Gentile, from
sectarianism to universalism. Through this experience the kingdom
was opened to all humans and for the first time Gentiles received
the Spirit and were baptized into Christ.
Lesson 2: 1 John 5:1-6 (C); 1 John 4:1-11 (L); 1 John 4:7-21 (E);
1 John 4:7-10 (RC)
The persons who believe that Jesus is the Christ become
children of God. Children of God love their Father and their
brothers and sisters in Christ. Proof of the love of God is in
obedience to his commandments. By faith in Christ one is born of
God and by this faith one overcomes the world of sin and death.
By faith in Christ the believer participates in Christ's victory
over sin and death obtained by the cross and resurrection. John
wants to make sure that we understand that the Christ in whom we
believe is the Jesus who shed his blood on the cross.
Gospel: John 15:9-17 (C, E, L, RC)
This is a continuation of Jesus' last discourse with his
disciples. It is appropriate that one of his last messages was
one of love. His disciples are to love as the Father loved Jesus
and as he loved his disciples. This love is expressed in keeping
the commandments and in the sacrifice of self for a friend.
Because we are his friends, Jesus shares all. By his choice we
are his friends. One privilege of this friendship is having
prayers answered. If we are disciples and true friends of Jesus,
we will love as he loved us.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 98 (C, L) -- "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the
earth." (v. 4)
Psalm 33 (E)
Prayer Of The Day
"O God, from whom all good things come: Lead us by the
inspiration of your Spirit to think those things which are right,
and by your goodness help us to do them."
Hymn Of The Day
"Son Of God, Eternal Savior"
Theme Of The Day: The Test Of Obedience
Gospel -- Obedience is the test of friendship.
Lesson 1 -- Obedience is the test of having the Holy Spirit.
Lesson 2 -- Obedience is the test of love of God.
In today's pericope we find an emphasis upon commandments. In
the three passages, the word "commandment" occurs nine times. In
the gospel love and friendship are proved by obedience to Jesus'
commandments, Jesus commands us to love one another. When the
Gentiles received the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded them to be
baptized. This followed
Peter's sermon which the people were eager "to hear all that you
have been commanded by the Lord." (Acts 10:33) In Lesson 2 John
writes that we know we love God when we obey his commandments.
According to the Psalm, we rejoice when we are obedient to God's
laws. The Prayer asks for the Spirit who will enable us to think
and do right. The Hymn points to Christ who did all things well.
With these passages there is a temptation to preach the law
rather than the gospel. A preacher today needs to guard against
legalism and works righteousness. The antidote to this tendency
is to see that obedience to the law is a response to the love of
God expressed, personified and experienced in Jesus.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: John 15:9-17
1. If you keep my commandments (v. 10). Again, Jesus says,
"You are friends if you do what I command you." (v. 14) Does this
mean that Christ will love us only when we are good and obedient?
If so, do we have to earn Christ's love by good behavior? Other
passages say otherwise. God loves us before we love him. While we
are yet sinners, Christ died for us. Though we are unlovable and
disobedient, Christ loves us as we are. However, love will not
allow us to be disobedient; and if love disappears, it is evident
by our rebellious behavior.
2. My Father's commandments (v. 10). As Jesus expects us to
obey his commandments, he obeyed his Father's will. Do we know
what commandments the Father gave Jesus? We gather from Jesus'
statements that God ordered him to seek and save the lost, to
serve and not to be served and to give his life as a ransom.
3. Joy (v. 11). The word is not happiness, fun, entertainment
or amusement. There is a difference between "blessed" and
"happy." The world wants happiness. The Christian has joy. It is
a deep, inner condition of the soul. It is a joy of being one
with Christ, the joy of true life. Thus, Paul shouts, "Rejoice in
the Lord always."
4. Command (v. 17). Twice Jesus commands us to love one
another as he loved us. Can love be commanded? Can love be placed
on order? Can you make yourself love when you do not want to or
feel like loving? If love is only an emotion or a sentiment, it
cannot be manufactured at will. But, since Christian love is a
matter of will, love can be given to others as commanded by God.
Lesson 1: Acts 10:44-48
1. Heard (v. 44). While Peter preached, the Holy Spirit fell
upon the listeners. Usually we associate the coming of the Spirit
with baptism. Rather we should identify the Spirit with the Word.
Whether the Word comes to us in act (baptism, Lord's supper), or
in word, the Spirit is identified with the Word. This experience
of receiving the Spirit through the preached Word should assure
us of the importance of the preached Word. Since the Word saves
and the Spirit's coming with it assures us of salvation,
preaching is a sacramental act; it is a means of grace.
2. Amazed (v. 45).The Jews, attending the meeting where Peter
preached, were amazed that the Spirit came upon Gentiles.
Heretofore, salvation was for the Jews only as God's chosen
people. As Jews they refused social contact with Gentiles. They
would not eat with Gentiles. They had their own food; Gentile
food was considered polluted. The Jews were amazed that God could
accept, forgive and save Gentiles. The kingdom's door was opened
to all the world. How amazing of God to want all people to have
life! So thought the Jews of Peter's day.
3. Commanded (v. 48). Having seen the Holy Spirit coming to
the Gentiles, Peter commanded that they be baptized. Why would he
command baptism? Should it not be requested? Probably some
Christian Jews would have objected to letting Gentiles become
Christians. By commanding, Peter overcame the opposition. But,
Peter's command harmonized with Jesus' command to baptize: "Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing ..."
160
The command also reminds us of the importance of baptism. Though
we may have faith and may have received the Spirit, we may think
baptism is unnecessary. Since Peter's day, baptism is considered
necessary for salvation.
Lesson 2: 1 John 5:1-6
1. Child (v. 1). Are all people the children of God? Or, are
they creatures of God? According to this text, only those who
believe in Jesus as the Christ are the children of God. A popular
notion is that all people are God's children. By virtue of
creation, being born physically, people are God's creatures. To
be God's children we must, as Jesus taught, be born again
spiritually. This second birth comes when we believe Jesus is
Lord. The time and place of this birth as children of God is
baptism when God in grace accepts and adopts us as his children.
Love (vv. 1-3). A child of God loves the Father. If we love
the Father, John says we will also love his children. Christians
then are brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the way it
should be, but many Christians show a lack of brotherly love even
though they claim to love the Father. The reason we do not love
God's children is our lack of love of God. Proof of our love of
God is our obedience to the Father. How then can we learn to love
God? The answer: "We love him because he first loved us."
3. Overcomes (vv. 4, 5). The Christian is placed in a hostile
world. The "world" represents sin and death. In the world dark
and sinister forces are deadly enemies to the Christian. Here we
are in this kind of world and Jesus ascends to heaven. How can we
cope with these evil forces? John says that faith overcomes the
world. How does faith do this? Faith opens up the believer to the
guidance and power of the Spirit. By faith God fights our battles
for us and gives us the victory.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
What About The Ascension?
Today most Protestant churches confine worship services and
the observances of the church year, except Christmas, to Sundays.
When festivals (Epiphany, Ascension) fall on a weekday, a service
on that day is omitted, primarily because the attendance does not
justify the work of getting up an additional sermon. If the
festival is observed, it is usually mentioned on the preceding or
following Sunday.
Ascension falls on Holy Thursday, 40 days after Easter. It is
a major festival of the church because it celebrates the return
of Christ to heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God.
It marks the epitome of Jesus' exaltation. Without it, Jesus is
left stranded indefinitely on earth. If we emphasize the
parousia, how did Jesus get to heaven from whence he comes back
to earth at the end of time? The ascension is doctrinally
important. It says that Christ the victor is received by the
Father and angels in glory and honor. It tells us Christ is
universal and for all people without the limits of time and
space. He is at the throne of God, interceding for us and sharing
in the rule of the universe.
How can the church ignore this great festival with its truth
and how can preachers avoid the subject by not preaching on it?
It is time for us to consider this question because Easter VI is
the Sunday preceding the ascension and Easter VII follows it. A
number of options is presented to a preacher:
1. Hold a service on Ascension Day and preach on or from the
lessons -- Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:16-23; Luke 24:44-53 --
regardless of the number in attendance.
2. Ignore the day completely by preaching only on Easter VI
and VII.
3. Integrate the ascension on Easter VI or Easter VII. Perhaps
an ascension lection can be the text for the sermon. To preach on
the ascension on the Sunday prior to the festival is
psychologically better by anticipating the event rather than to
consider the ascension on the following Sunday, Easter VII.
THREE LESSONS
Is That What You Call Love?
Need: Our world is full of all kinds of love. We love certain
foods or drinks. We have romantic love. We make love. Christians
have their own brand of love. It is the love of God in Christ.
Christian love is different from the world's love. In the three
lessons we see certain characteristics of Christian love.
Outline: This what you call real love --
a. A love that includes all -- Lesson 1.
b. A love that obeys -- Lesson 2.
c. A love that sacrifices -- Gospel.
Gospel: John 15:9-17
1. Can love be commanded? 15:12, 17
Need: In this Gospel lesson the word "commandment" occurs five
times. Twice Jesus commands us to love one another. Since Israel
taught for centuries, the commandments to love God and neighbor,
this is nothing new, except that in this case we are to love as
Jesus loved. The average person asks, "Can love be commanded?"
Can you love by deciding to love? Can you make yourself love
someone you find offensive? Can a father order a child to love
its mother? This sermon tries to answer these questions.
Outline: Why love can be commanded --
a. Because Christian love is not a feeling but an act of the
will.
b. Because Christian love does not depend on liking people.
Love is agape -- loving the unlovable.
c. Because Christian love flows from God's prior love.
2. How to have friends. 15:12-17
Need: Christ and his followers are friends. The Quakers call
themselves a Society of Friends -- friends of Christ. In this
text Jesus speaks of this friendship and explains its nature.
Friendship is a relationship which transcends all other
relationships. A parent is not necessarily a friend of a child.
Spouses are not always friends with each other. An employer may
not be an employee's friend. Friendship is not an accident.
Friends are won and made.
Outline: To have friends is to be a friend.
a. Choose your friends -- v. 16.
b. Love your friends -- v. 13.
c. Please your friends -- v. 14.
d. Confide in your friends -- v. 15.
3. We know something you don't know! 15:15
Need: Do you know something I do not know? If so, I'd like to
know it! Christians, according to Jesus in this text, know
something the world does not know. Jesus shared his innermost
thoughts and feelings with the disciples as with bosom friends.
It is this secret, personal, precious knowledge that we proclaim
for the good of all who would like to know.
Outline: Confidence Jesus shares with us --
a. The true nature of God: love.
b. The truth about Jesus: God's only Son.
c. The real meaning of life: lose life for Jesus' sake.
d. The final outcome of the world: a new heaven and a new
earth.
Lesson 1: Acts 10:44-48
1. To baptize or to be baptized? 10:44-48.
Need: A majority of Christians are baptized when children and
therefore they do not fully understand what baptism is or what
happened when they were baptized. Peter together with his fellow-
disciples were commanded to baptize. Here Peter commands people
to be baptized. Is it right for people to be forced, to be
commanded, to be baptized? Peter gave
162
the order because the people met the conditions for baptism.
Wasn't it enough that they believed and received the Spirit? For
Peter and for the church today baptism is necessary for
salvation.
Outline: People who should be baptized --
a. People who hear the Word -- v. 44.
b. People who receive the Spirit through the Word -- v. 45.
c. People who through the Spirit praise God -- v. 46.
2. Little known facts about the Holy Spirit. 10:44-48
Need: This pericope anticipates Pentecost which will be
observed in two Sundays. Since so much is to be taught and so
little about the Spirit is known, this sermon on the Spirit may
prove to be preparation for Pentecost. For many the Spirit is a
mystery. The passage will help to clarify the person and the work
of the Spirit.
Outline: What the text tells us about the Spirit --
a. The Spirit comes by hearing the Word -- v. 44.
b. The Spirit possesses all believers, Jew and Gentile -- v.
45.
c. The Spirit is a gift from God -- v. 45.
d. The Spirit causes a response -- v. 46.
Lesson 2: 1 John 5:1-6
1. A winning faith! 5:4-5
Need: Faith is often considered as something intellectual --
static, inert, impractical. But faith is an active, alive and
winning factor in a Christian's life. But not any faith, not a
faith in faith itself. Because faith overcomes its enemies, it is
easy to believe for the sake of believing. Faith brings victory
to the believer. How so? What faith can do this?
Outline: Consider a faith that conquers --
a. What faith conquers -- the world -- v. 4.
b. What faith is -- faith in Christ -- v. 5.
c. What faith does -- overcomes -- vv. 4, 5.
2. Are all God's children? 5:1
Need: In the interests of pluralism and universalism, the
popular view is that all human beings are children of God. We
loosely call for the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of
man. If God is father, we must be his children. This sounds good
and generous and tolerant. It is the "right thing" to maintain in
a pluralistic society. This is not the biblical view as expressed
in the above text. Because all are not children, the church
through evangelism and missions attempts to bring all to the
place where they are the children of God.
Outline: What the Bible teaches --
a. By creation we are creatures of God -- once-born.
b. By adoption we are children of God -- the twice-born --
v. 1.
request to hear the gospel, Peter's converting vision and a
gospel sermon. The result was the reception of the Spirit
manifested by glossalalia in praising God and baptism. It marked
a new dimension for the church, from Jew to Gentile, from
sectarianism to universalism. Through this experience the kingdom
was opened to all humans and for the first time Gentiles received
the Spirit and were baptized into Christ.
Lesson 2: 1 John 5:1-6 (C); 1 John 4:1-11 (L); 1 John 4:7-21 (E);
1 John 4:7-10 (RC)
The persons who believe that Jesus is the Christ become
children of God. Children of God love their Father and their
brothers and sisters in Christ. Proof of the love of God is in
obedience to his commandments. By faith in Christ one is born of
God and by this faith one overcomes the world of sin and death.
By faith in Christ the believer participates in Christ's victory
over sin and death obtained by the cross and resurrection. John
wants to make sure that we understand that the Christ in whom we
believe is the Jesus who shed his blood on the cross.
Gospel: John 15:9-17 (C, E, L, RC)
This is a continuation of Jesus' last discourse with his
disciples. It is appropriate that one of his last messages was
one of love. His disciples are to love as the Father loved Jesus
and as he loved his disciples. This love is expressed in keeping
the commandments and in the sacrifice of self for a friend.
Because we are his friends, Jesus shares all. By his choice we
are his friends. One privilege of this friendship is having
prayers answered. If we are disciples and true friends of Jesus,
we will love as he loved us.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 98 (C, L) -- "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the
earth." (v. 4)
Psalm 33 (E)
Prayer Of The Day
"O God, from whom all good things come: Lead us by the
inspiration of your Spirit to think those things which are right,
and by your goodness help us to do them."
Hymn Of The Day
"Son Of God, Eternal Savior"
Theme Of The Day: The Test Of Obedience
Gospel -- Obedience is the test of friendship.
Lesson 1 -- Obedience is the test of having the Holy Spirit.
Lesson 2 -- Obedience is the test of love of God.
In today's pericope we find an emphasis upon commandments. In
the three passages, the word "commandment" occurs nine times. In
the gospel love and friendship are proved by obedience to Jesus'
commandments, Jesus commands us to love one another. When the
Gentiles received the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded them to be
baptized. This followed
Peter's sermon which the people were eager "to hear all that you
have been commanded by the Lord." (Acts 10:33) In Lesson 2 John
writes that we know we love God when we obey his commandments.
According to the Psalm, we rejoice when we are obedient to God's
laws. The Prayer asks for the Spirit who will enable us to think
and do right. The Hymn points to Christ who did all things well.
With these passages there is a temptation to preach the law
rather than the gospel. A preacher today needs to guard against
legalism and works righteousness. The antidote to this tendency
is to see that obedience to the law is a response to the love of
God expressed, personified and experienced in Jesus.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: John 15:9-17
1. If you keep my commandments (v. 10). Again, Jesus says,
"You are friends if you do what I command you." (v. 14) Does this
mean that Christ will love us only when we are good and obedient?
If so, do we have to earn Christ's love by good behavior? Other
passages say otherwise. God loves us before we love him. While we
are yet sinners, Christ died for us. Though we are unlovable and
disobedient, Christ loves us as we are. However, love will not
allow us to be disobedient; and if love disappears, it is evident
by our rebellious behavior.
2. My Father's commandments (v. 10). As Jesus expects us to
obey his commandments, he obeyed his Father's will. Do we know
what commandments the Father gave Jesus? We gather from Jesus'
statements that God ordered him to seek and save the lost, to
serve and not to be served and to give his life as a ransom.
3. Joy (v. 11). The word is not happiness, fun, entertainment
or amusement. There is a difference between "blessed" and
"happy." The world wants happiness. The Christian has joy. It is
a deep, inner condition of the soul. It is a joy of being one
with Christ, the joy of true life. Thus, Paul shouts, "Rejoice in
the Lord always."
4. Command (v. 17). Twice Jesus commands us to love one
another as he loved us. Can love be commanded? Can love be placed
on order? Can you make yourself love when you do not want to or
feel like loving? If love is only an emotion or a sentiment, it
cannot be manufactured at will. But, since Christian love is a
matter of will, love can be given to others as commanded by God.
Lesson 1: Acts 10:44-48
1. Heard (v. 44). While Peter preached, the Holy Spirit fell
upon the listeners. Usually we associate the coming of the Spirit
with baptism. Rather we should identify the Spirit with the Word.
Whether the Word comes to us in act (baptism, Lord's supper), or
in word, the Spirit is identified with the Word. This experience
of receiving the Spirit through the preached Word should assure
us of the importance of the preached Word. Since the Word saves
and the Spirit's coming with it assures us of salvation,
preaching is a sacramental act; it is a means of grace.
2. Amazed (v. 45).The Jews, attending the meeting where Peter
preached, were amazed that the Spirit came upon Gentiles.
Heretofore, salvation was for the Jews only as God's chosen
people. As Jews they refused social contact with Gentiles. They
would not eat with Gentiles. They had their own food; Gentile
food was considered polluted. The Jews were amazed that God could
accept, forgive and save Gentiles. The kingdom's door was opened
to all the world. How amazing of God to want all people to have
life! So thought the Jews of Peter's day.
3. Commanded (v. 48). Having seen the Holy Spirit coming to
the Gentiles, Peter commanded that they be baptized. Why would he
command baptism? Should it not be requested? Probably some
Christian Jews would have objected to letting Gentiles become
Christians. By commanding, Peter overcame the opposition. But,
Peter's command harmonized with Jesus' command to baptize: "Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing ..."
160
The command also reminds us of the importance of baptism. Though
we may have faith and may have received the Spirit, we may think
baptism is unnecessary. Since Peter's day, baptism is considered
necessary for salvation.
Lesson 2: 1 John 5:1-6
1. Child (v. 1). Are all people the children of God? Or, are
they creatures of God? According to this text, only those who
believe in Jesus as the Christ are the children of God. A popular
notion is that all people are God's children. By virtue of
creation, being born physically, people are God's creatures. To
be God's children we must, as Jesus taught, be born again
spiritually. This second birth comes when we believe Jesus is
Lord. The time and place of this birth as children of God is
baptism when God in grace accepts and adopts us as his children.
Love (vv. 1-3). A child of God loves the Father. If we love
the Father, John says we will also love his children. Christians
then are brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the way it
should be, but many Christians show a lack of brotherly love even
though they claim to love the Father. The reason we do not love
God's children is our lack of love of God. Proof of our love of
God is our obedience to the Father. How then can we learn to love
God? The answer: "We love him because he first loved us."
3. Overcomes (vv. 4, 5). The Christian is placed in a hostile
world. The "world" represents sin and death. In the world dark
and sinister forces are deadly enemies to the Christian. Here we
are in this kind of world and Jesus ascends to heaven. How can we
cope with these evil forces? John says that faith overcomes the
world. How does faith do this? Faith opens up the believer to the
guidance and power of the Spirit. By faith God fights our battles
for us and gives us the victory.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
What About The Ascension?
Today most Protestant churches confine worship services and
the observances of the church year, except Christmas, to Sundays.
When festivals (Epiphany, Ascension) fall on a weekday, a service
on that day is omitted, primarily because the attendance does not
justify the work of getting up an additional sermon. If the
festival is observed, it is usually mentioned on the preceding or
following Sunday.
Ascension falls on Holy Thursday, 40 days after Easter. It is
a major festival of the church because it celebrates the return
of Christ to heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God.
It marks the epitome of Jesus' exaltation. Without it, Jesus is
left stranded indefinitely on earth. If we emphasize the
parousia, how did Jesus get to heaven from whence he comes back
to earth at the end of time? The ascension is doctrinally
important. It says that Christ the victor is received by the
Father and angels in glory and honor. It tells us Christ is
universal and for all people without the limits of time and
space. He is at the throne of God, interceding for us and sharing
in the rule of the universe.
How can the church ignore this great festival with its truth
and how can preachers avoid the subject by not preaching on it?
It is time for us to consider this question because Easter VI is
the Sunday preceding the ascension and Easter VII follows it. A
number of options is presented to a preacher:
1. Hold a service on Ascension Day and preach on or from the
lessons -- Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:16-23; Luke 24:44-53 --
regardless of the number in attendance.
2. Ignore the day completely by preaching only on Easter VI
and VII.
3. Integrate the ascension on Easter VI or Easter VII. Perhaps
an ascension lection can be the text for the sermon. To preach on
the ascension on the Sunday prior to the festival is
psychologically better by anticipating the event rather than to
consider the ascension on the following Sunday, Easter VII.
THREE LESSONS
Is That What You Call Love?
Need: Our world is full of all kinds of love. We love certain
foods or drinks. We have romantic love. We make love. Christians
have their own brand of love. It is the love of God in Christ.
Christian love is different from the world's love. In the three
lessons we see certain characteristics of Christian love.
Outline: This what you call real love --
a. A love that includes all -- Lesson 1.
b. A love that obeys -- Lesson 2.
c. A love that sacrifices -- Gospel.
Gospel: John 15:9-17
1. Can love be commanded? 15:12, 17
Need: In this Gospel lesson the word "commandment" occurs five
times. Twice Jesus commands us to love one another. Since Israel
taught for centuries, the commandments to love God and neighbor,
this is nothing new, except that in this case we are to love as
Jesus loved. The average person asks, "Can love be commanded?"
Can you love by deciding to love? Can you make yourself love
someone you find offensive? Can a father order a child to love
its mother? This sermon tries to answer these questions.
Outline: Why love can be commanded --
a. Because Christian love is not a feeling but an act of the
will.
b. Because Christian love does not depend on liking people.
Love is agape -- loving the unlovable.
c. Because Christian love flows from God's prior love.
2. How to have friends. 15:12-17
Need: Christ and his followers are friends. The Quakers call
themselves a Society of Friends -- friends of Christ. In this
text Jesus speaks of this friendship and explains its nature.
Friendship is a relationship which transcends all other
relationships. A parent is not necessarily a friend of a child.
Spouses are not always friends with each other. An employer may
not be an employee's friend. Friendship is not an accident.
Friends are won and made.
Outline: To have friends is to be a friend.
a. Choose your friends -- v. 16.
b. Love your friends -- v. 13.
c. Please your friends -- v. 14.
d. Confide in your friends -- v. 15.
3. We know something you don't know! 15:15
Need: Do you know something I do not know? If so, I'd like to
know it! Christians, according to Jesus in this text, know
something the world does not know. Jesus shared his innermost
thoughts and feelings with the disciples as with bosom friends.
It is this secret, personal, precious knowledge that we proclaim
for the good of all who would like to know.
Outline: Confidence Jesus shares with us --
a. The true nature of God: love.
b. The truth about Jesus: God's only Son.
c. The real meaning of life: lose life for Jesus' sake.
d. The final outcome of the world: a new heaven and a new
earth.
Lesson 1: Acts 10:44-48
1. To baptize or to be baptized? 10:44-48.
Need: A majority of Christians are baptized when children and
therefore they do not fully understand what baptism is or what
happened when they were baptized. Peter together with his fellow-
disciples were commanded to baptize. Here Peter commands people
to be baptized. Is it right for people to be forced, to be
commanded, to be baptized? Peter gave
162
the order because the people met the conditions for baptism.
Wasn't it enough that they believed and received the Spirit? For
Peter and for the church today baptism is necessary for
salvation.
Outline: People who should be baptized --
a. People who hear the Word -- v. 44.
b. People who receive the Spirit through the Word -- v. 45.
c. People who through the Spirit praise God -- v. 46.
2. Little known facts about the Holy Spirit. 10:44-48
Need: This pericope anticipates Pentecost which will be
observed in two Sundays. Since so much is to be taught and so
little about the Spirit is known, this sermon on the Spirit may
prove to be preparation for Pentecost. For many the Spirit is a
mystery. The passage will help to clarify the person and the work
of the Spirit.
Outline: What the text tells us about the Spirit --
a. The Spirit comes by hearing the Word -- v. 44.
b. The Spirit possesses all believers, Jew and Gentile -- v.
45.
c. The Spirit is a gift from God -- v. 45.
d. The Spirit causes a response -- v. 46.
Lesson 2: 1 John 5:1-6
1. A winning faith! 5:4-5
Need: Faith is often considered as something intellectual --
static, inert, impractical. But faith is an active, alive and
winning factor in a Christian's life. But not any faith, not a
faith in faith itself. Because faith overcomes its enemies, it is
easy to believe for the sake of believing. Faith brings victory
to the believer. How so? What faith can do this?
Outline: Consider a faith that conquers --
a. What faith conquers -- the world -- v. 4.
b. What faith is -- faith in Christ -- v. 5.
c. What faith does -- overcomes -- vv. 4, 5.
2. Are all God's children? 5:1
Need: In the interests of pluralism and universalism, the
popular view is that all human beings are children of God. We
loosely call for the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of
man. If God is father, we must be his children. This sounds good
and generous and tolerant. It is the "right thing" to maintain in
a pluralistic society. This is not the biblical view as expressed
in the above text. Because all are not children, the church
through evangelism and missions attempts to bring all to the
place where they are the children of God.
Outline: What the Bible teaches --
a. By creation we are creatures of God -- once-born.
b. By adoption we are children of God -- the twice-born --
v. 1.
