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“DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN”

READ IN THE BIBLE (ACTS 13:37-39)

We read in, (Acts 13:37-39) “He whom God raised again, saw no corruption: Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through THIS MAN is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses”. This portion of scripture is part of the conclusion of the Apostle Paul’s message which he preached in Antioch in Pisidia. (Acts 13:14) Dear reader let me ask you, “DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN” through whom you can have forgiveness of sins? In this message, on this portion of scripture, there are four specific things I want to consider with you. By way of outline we will consider;

1. A MESSAGE TO BE PROCLAIMED.

2. A MATTER TO BE DEALT WITH.

3. A MISTAKE TO BE AVOIDED.

4. A MAN TO BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH.

Let’s consider first of all;

1. THERE IS A MESSAGE TO BE PROCLAIMED.

It says in the first part of, (Acts 13:38) “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren”. The Apostle Paul said unto the people in, (Acts 13:32) “We declare unto you glad tidings”. He said also in, (verse 26) “To you is the word of this salvation sent”. We see then, from these words, there were some specific things the Apostle Paul wanted his audience to know. The message was one of “glad tidings” or “good news”. The message was about God’s salvation now made available through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. It is a reminder to us that there are also some specific things that God wants YOU to know from His Word. This message is called the “gospel”, the gospel of the grace of God. Is this message known to you? Have YOU heard the gospel preached? Do YOU believe the gospel message? After the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and just before His ascension back to heaven, He issued His great commission to His own. (Mark 16:15, 16) “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (condemned or judged)”. It is God’s desire that every man, women and child, of every tongue and color, should have the opportunity to hear the gospel. A person’s eternal destiny, in either heaven or hell, is determined by whether or not the gospel message is believed. The person who believes the gospel and confesses outwardly by being baptized shall be saved. This baptism is a believer’s baptism by total immersion in water. Baptism followed faith in Christ and was practiced by all believers at the beginning of the church period. (See Acts 2:41, 42; 11:44-48; 18:8). The person who does not believe the gospel shall be finally condemned and judged by God. The omission of baptism in the last clause in (Mark 16:16) shows it is faith alone that saves one’s soul. There is no scriptural support for so called “baptismal regeneration”. Being baptized as a child or as an adult will not save you. Next, let us consider our second point;

2. THERE IS A MATTER TO BE DEALT WITH.

We read in, (Acts 13:38) “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through THIS MAN is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins”. The matter to be dealt with is YOUR sins. Dear reader, have YOU dealt with YOUR sins? Are you enjoying the superlative blessing of sins forgiven or, are you still in your sins? Through the fall into sin by our first parents, Adam and Eve, sin came into the world. Adam, by his disobedience, sinned against God and as a result became the possessor of a fallen nature. Not only was he a sinner, but each of his descendants inherited the same nature. We are told in, (Romans 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” The single act of Adam brought sin and death upon all. This is confirmed by the fact that innocent babies, who have never consciously sinned, die. This is the result of Adam’s sin being imputed to his progeny. The Bible, the Word of God, declares the universality of sin. Regardless of environment, background, education, etc., we are reminded every day that, “there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 14:1). “There is no man that sinneth not” (1 Kings 8:46). “There is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not”. (Ecclesiastes 7:20). “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:12). “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23). These scriptures bring before us God’s description of mankind. This is not what you will read about or hear about in our contemporary news media. This is not likely to be your description of yourself. Nevertheless, God’s Word is true. YOU need to be saved because, like all of us, you have been born into this world with a sinful nature within you. We cannot help this, for we inherited this sinful nature from our parents and they, in turn, from their parents and so on, all the way back to Adam and Eve, our first parents. It only requires time to reveal the sinful nature within us. It is soon manifested by sinful thoughts which are entertained in the mind, sinful words that are allowed to escape the lips, sinful acts that are committed in the life, and a sinful attitude of rebellion adopted toward God Himself. A person sins because it is his nature to do so. What is in the root of their nature will be seen later in the fruit of their doings. The Bible, the Word of God, declares the consequence of sin. (Romans 5:12) which we quoted above, states that there is, “death by sin”. “Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. We read in, (Romans 6:23) “The wages of sin is death”. We read also that God says in, (Ezekiel 18:4)” All souls are mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die”. No matter how healthy you may seem to be at the present time, death is always only a breath away. No matter how long your life may last, in light of eternity before you, this life is very short at best. We read in, (James 4:14) “Ye know not what shall be on the morrow.” These words remind us of the uncertainty of life. It says also in this same verse, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, (a mist, a puff of smoke) that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away”. These words remind us of the brevity of life. Death is certain and it comes all too soon. Death in scripture is not only of the body, not only physical, but it is spiritual and eternal as well. Physical death is the separation of the person’s spirit from his body. (James 2:26) “The body without the spirit is dead”. Physical death does not end human existence. Man is a spiritual being who survives the death of the body in which he temporarily lives on earth. The spirit and soul of the person is the real person which does not and cannot cease to exist. When God created man, it says in, (Genesis 2:7) “man became a living soul”. The Bible warns that following death is the judgment of God. We read in, (Hebrews 9:27) “It is appointed unto men once to die, but AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT”. YOU need to be saved because God must punish sin. God is a holy and righteous God, and therefore hates sin of any kind and must punish it. God must visit His judgment upon sin and the sinner, if that person dies with his sins unforgiven. NO STAIN OF SIN SHALL EVER DARKEN HEAVEN. ALL WHO ENTER THERE MUST BE CLEANSED FROM THEIR SINS. YOU must have YOUR SIN’S forgiven by God. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke very solemn words concerning those who die in their sins, rejecting Him as their Savior. For such, He said, there was no hope of heaven; but instead, a dreadful place of outer darkness where there is eternal weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Read (Mark 9:43-48); (Matthew 25:30, 41, 46); (Luke 16:19-31); (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8). But, thank God, we read in His Word, that God is, “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. (2 Peter 3:9). We read also in, (1Timothy 2:3, 4) “God our Savior who will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth”. Those who spend eternity in hell and the lake of fire do so out of willful neglect and stubborn refusal of God’s offer of a free salvation. Dear reader, have YOU received God’s salvation as a free gift? Some might earnestly inquire, “How can a person have forgiveness of sins”? Regarding this issue we should consider next;

3. THERE IS A MISTAKE TO BE AVOIDED.

Our main scripture text we are considering says, (Acts 13:37-39) “He whom God raised again, saw no corruption: Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through THIS MAN is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses”. THE MISTAKE TO BE AVOIDED is to think you can earn your salvation by working for it. Please notice, you cannot have forgiveness of sins or be justified before God by keeping the “Ten Commandments” or by any other effort on your part. You cannot work for or earn your salvation by your self effort or self merit. God’s Word says that salvation is, (Titus 3:5) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done”. God’s Word also says, (Ephesians 2:8, 9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast”. It says in, (Romans 3:28) “A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law”. The Lord Jesus said, (John 3:3, 7) “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. “Ye must be born again”. If you have never thought about this issue previously, it is time to consider this most important matter. Ask yourself seriously: “Have I been truly born again, or am I trying, by my own efforts, my good resolves, my religious exercises, and my good works to please God and thus earn my salvation by my own merits”? Dear reader, whether you are religious or irreligious, moral or immoral, educated or uneducated, young or old, rich or poor: YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. It is a mistake to think your good works, your strivings to be better, your good resolves; any religious ceremony (including infant baptism) through which you have passed or may pass can save you. It is a mistake to think your prayers or your sorrow for sins will merit God’s favor and salvation. It is a mistake to depend on your pastor, your preacher, your pope or your rabbi to save you. JESUS CHRIST HAS DONE ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR YOUR SALVATION. His finished work on the cross, alone, makes possible the salvation of all who trust in Him and own Him as Lord. Our scripture text says in (Acts 13:39), “you cannot be justified by the law of Moses”. If you cannot be justified before God by anything you can do, how then can you be justified? And, what does the word “justification” mean? Justification means the clearance of the guilty sinner in God’s court of justice. The sinner is declared righteous before God and brought into a new and right relationship with Him. Justification is the legal and formal acquittal from guilt by God as Judge. Job ask the question, (Job 25:4) “How then can man be justified with God”? The answer to this question is found in the New Testament of the Bible, the Word of God. We read in, (Romans 3:28) “A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law”. The Gospel of God’s grace tells that God justifies sinners as a free gift and by an act of unmerited favor. God’s justification cannot be earned. It can only be accepted. It is given and received undeservingly. Dear reader, are YOU justified before God? DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN through whom you can be justified before God? This brings us to the final point we want to consider;

4. THERE IS A MAN TO BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH.

Our main scripture text says, (Acts 13:37-39) “He whom God raised again, saw no corruption: Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through THIS MAN is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses”. THERE IS A MAN TO BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH because it is through Him you can have forgiveness of sins. It is by belief in Him you can be justified from all things. Do YOU know this man? Have YOU become acquainted with the man? There are a few things we should tell you about this man;

1. The deity of this man (Mark 15:39)

“Truly THIS MAN was the Son of God.” He was no mere man. He was God’s beloved Son. (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. The Bible calls it a great mystery that “God was manifest in the flesh”. The Son of God became the Son of man in order to offer Himself as a sacrifice, on the cross, for our sins. He proved His deity by the life He lived, by the works He did and by the words He spoke.

2. The uniqueness of this man (John 7:46)

“Never man spake like THIS MAN”. When the people heard Him speak they were astounded at the things He said. It says in, (Matthew 7:29) “He taught them as one having authority”. On one occasion when He spoke, it says of the people, (Luke 4:22) “All bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth”. On another occasion, when the Lord asks His disciples if they were going to leave, Peter replied, (John 6:68) “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life”. Dear reader, it is absolutely imperative that you hear His words and heed the advice of the Lord’s mother in, (John 2:5) “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it”. We say this because He said, (John 12:48) “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day”

3. The sinless ness of this man (Luke 23:41)

“THIS MAN hath done nothing amiss”. Jesus Christ was the only person who ever went through this world without sin. He is the sinless Son of God. He is holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. There is a three-fold testimony in the Word of God to His sinless perfection. Peter said of Him, (1 Peter 2:22) “He did no sin”, John wrote of Him, (1 John 3:5) “In Him is no sin” and Paul wrote of Him, (2 Corinthians 5:21) “He knew no sin”. But, there is even more. Scripture teaches, “The Impeccability of Christ”. This is much more than the absence of sin in His life. When we say that the Lord Jesus was impeccable we are saying that He was incapable of sinning. In Him there was the presence of perfect righteousness and absolute holiness. This holiness could not be sullied by sin. Sin and the person of Christ are absolute opposites.

4. The ascension and exaltation of this man (Hebrews 10:12)

We read in this verse, “But THIS MAN, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God”. It was on the cross of Calvary that the Lord Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. We read in, (1 Peter 3:18) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) by the Spirit”. It was, “by the grace of God that He tasted death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9). But, death and the grave could not hold Him. Death had no claim upon Him. He was resurrected from the dead. Our main scripture text says in, (Acts 13:37) “He whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Dear reader, this is the gospel of God, God’s good news. (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4) “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures”. YOUR salvation and eternal destiny in heaven depends on believing in the Lord’s resurrection. We read in, (Romans 10:9, 10) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (Jesus as Lord) and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?

5. The grace of this man (Luke 15:2)

“THIS MAN receiveth sinners, and eateth with them”. Will YOU come to Him? He promises to receive all who come. He is “knocking at the door of your heart” waiting for you to open to Him. (Revelation 3:20) “Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. Will YOU open the “door of your heart” to Him and by faith invite Him in?

6. The eternal being of this man (Hebrews 7:24, 25)

“But THIS MAN, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that comes to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them”. Here we are reminded of His eternal being and His present ministry in heaven. He is able and willing to save all who come to God by Him. Will YOU come in faith that you might be saved? YOU must come to Him for salvation.

7. The rejection of this man (Luke 19:14)

“We will not have THIS MAN to reign over us”. There are many who are saying this either by lip or by life, by their words or their ways. When the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world there were many who rejected Him. We read in, (John 1:10, 11) “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not”. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not”. It says also in, (Isaiah 53:3)”He is despised and rejected of men”. Dear reader, have YOU been rejecting THIS MAN, God’s beloved Son, the only Savior of sinners? Are YOU still rejecting Him?

In closing, I urge YOU to take advantage of this present time while you can and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as YOUR own personal Savior. YOU are traveling the “highway of life”, passing through time on the way to eternity. There are only two destinations before you. It will either be eternal joy in heaven or eternal sorrow in hell. Now that you have read this message you have come to a “crossroads” on your life’s journey. Which way will you go? If you choose the “way of rejection” of the Savior you will remain on the “Broadway” to eternal destruction, trading a few short years of pleasure, popularity, and power for eternal torment in the “Lake of Fire”. If you choose the “way of acceptance” of the Savior, heaven will be your eternal home. The “Father’s House” will be your eternal dwelling place. (Acts 16:31) “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”. Will YOU believe in Him and by a definite act of faith, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior. Please give this matter your most serious attention. Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

Christian Messenger