Acts 5:42 - And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the center of the entire Bible

1. What is so important about this verse?
1. Many churches preach all sorts of messages in an attempt to draw people into their services.
1. II Timothy 4:3 reveals that many people want their ears tickled with pleasant messages.
2. Many preachers preach what people want to hear, regardless of what God desires them to preach.
3. Many churches and lives are build on the wrong foundation, therefore the building will be completely dissolved at death, and there is no way to fix the error.
2. The story goes back to Acts 1:4 where the early church obeyed the command of Christ to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Ghost.
1. On the Day of Pentecost – the promise of the Holy Spirit manifestation was given.
2. The gospel was preached and 3,000 people were saved, scripturally baptized and added to the church membership.
3. Acts 3:1-6 – Peter and John, by the power of Christ, healed the impotent man at the gate Beautiful.
1. Acts 3:12, 19 – Peter preached Christ.
2. Acts 4:1-3 – The Pharisees put Peter and John in prison, but 5,000 believed.
3. Acts 4:16 – The Pharisees could not deny a notable miracle (singular) had been done, but Peter and John were directed to not speak any more in the name of Christ, and let go.
4. Acts 4:23-37 – The preaching and fellowship continued after prayer and God gave great victory.
5. Acts 5:1-10 – The death of Ananias and Sapphira, but the blessing of god continued.
6. Acts 5:12 – Many wonders and signs were done by the disciples.
7. Acts 5:14 – Many more believers were added to the Lord, but refused to be baptized and added to the church.
8. Acts 5:16 – More miracles were done.
9. Acts 5:17-32 – The Pharisees again confronted the church, putting them into prison, but the angel of the Lord got them out and they continued to preach.
10. Acts 5:34-41 – Gamaliel advised the Pharisees to not fight the church just in case it was of God.
11. This is the importance of preaching Christ – nothing can stop the gospel message.

 

2. Paul preached Christ everywhere he went. Knowledge that God has been in their midst.
1. Many have become so accustomed to hearing about Christ, they do not really listen to the message of salvation.
1. The message of salvation has been so watered down with "easy believism", or signing your name, or praying through that the saving message has been forgotten.
2. Almost everybody declares they are saved, yet continue to live just as before they were "saved".
2. It would be a great tragedy if you enter eternity without knowing Jesus Christ.
1. I Corinthians 1:17-24 - Paul would not change his message even if there were people offended by it.
1. You being saved is more important than you not being offended by me.
2. Give the salvation of Eugene Birch, and what Norman Meadows told me about Gene walking out of services, declaring he would never return.
2. He wouldn’t change even if there were some people who wouldn’t believe it.
3. Church services are to learn about our great wickedness and unworthiness to go to heaven and about the great saving grace of Jesus Christ.
3. I Corinthians 2:1-5 - Paul determined to preach only Christ and His crucified that their faith might stand in the power of God and not in the wisdom of men.
1. It is possible for a people to stand in the wisdom of men.
2. It is possible for people to attend church services, yet die and spend their eternity in hell.

 

3. Who is Jesus Christ?
1. He is the promised seed.
1. Genesis 3:15 – Immediately after Adam brought sin into the world, God promised the redeemer, Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God.
2. Genesis 12:7 - as explained in Galatians 3:16 - the promise is to seed, not seeds.
2. He is the Son of God, whose body developed in the womb of Mary.
1. Matthew 1:18 - Born of a virgin, which was prophesied in:
1. Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
2. Some say Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled in Isaiah 8:1-3, but these verses speak of the destruction of Israel, not the birth of the Saviour.
3. Matthew 1:23 - Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
3. It was necessary for a Saviour to be born of a virgin – all man and all God – to be the perfect intercessor for us, who are wicked sinners – to a most holy and righteous God.
1. It was necessary that he endure bodily suffering if he was to suffer as man's substitute.
1. Job 9:33 – Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
2. Job declares in the preceding verses that God is not a man that he can approach him as a man, therefore he needs an intercessor between him and God.
2. The final suffering of sinners in hell will be a suffering of both body and soul.
1. Matthew 10:28 states, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
2. Therefore, since Jesus was to suffer in the place of sinners, it was necessary that he have a body in which to suffer.
3. It was necessary that he have a body that he might be "in all points tempted like as we are," so that He, as a high priest can be "touched with the feeling of our infirmities".
1. Hebrews 4:15 states, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
2. Hebrews 5:8 - Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
1. It is not that Christ "learned" as we learn – from our experiences.
2. It is that Christ made us understand he understands our situations, because he was also on this earth, walking in the shoes of men, experiencing the things men experience.
3. The angel Gabriel cannot sympathize with us when we are tempted, because he has never known temptation in the flesh. But Christ can sympathize with us.
4. Hebrews 2:18 states, In that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
4. It was necessary that he have a test in the flesh, and render perfect obedience to the law, in order that there should be wrought out a righteousness that could be imputed to us.
1. The righteousness imputed to us through faith is not righteousness as the personal attribute of God, but it is the righteousness wrought out by Christ in his earthly life.
2. This is indicated because the righteousness imputed to us is described as being by or though faith in Christ.
3. Romans 3:21, 22 states, But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
4. Philippians 3:9 records, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
5. The incarnation was also necessary to his ministry of teaching, his selecting the twelve apostles and founding the church, and his setting for us an example of perfect obedience to the will of God.
4. Philippians 2:6-8 - Jesus Christ was in the form of God, yet left all heaven and its glories to come to the earth and die for unworthy sinners.

 

4. He is the Son of God.
1. Daniel 3:25 - Three Hebrews cast into the burning fiery furnace - The only time the words "Son of God" appeared in the old Testament.
2. John 10:30 – I am my father are one.
1. In verse 24, the Jews demanded Christ tell them plainly who he was, so they would not doubt.
2. Jesus openly declared who he was by the works he did, yet they did not believe.
3. The end result was that the Jews tried to kill him and would have, but he escaped out of their hand.
3. Matthew 4:3,6 - Satan tempted Christ - Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God.
1. Many believe the temptation of Christ was invalid because it was impossible for Christ to sin.
2. The temptation of Christ proved Jesus is the son of God because he did not fall for any of Satan’s temptations.
4. Matthew 8:29 - Demon possessed man (devils cast into swine) believed he was the Son of God.
5. John 1:49 - Nathanael believed Jesus was the Son of God.
6. Matthew 14:33 - The disciples believed he was the Son of God (after he calmed the raging sea)
7. Matthew 26:63 - The unbelieving Jews wanted more proof that Jesus was the Son of God. They would never believe, regardless of what Jesus did.
8. Matthew 27:54 - The centurion said, "Truly this was the Son of God."
1. John 3:18 - People are lost because they haven’t believed in the Only Begotten Son of God.
2. John 20:31 - These things are written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we might have life through His name.

 

5. Additional information.
1. Jesus is the everlasting creator, who was with God in all eternity, yet He left it all and was born into this sinful world.
1. Jesus died a death. He didn’t deserve to die at all because he didn’t have any sin.
2. Jesus didn’t die just any death, but he died a special death - the death of a sinner, which is revealed by crucifixion.
2. Why did Jesus do all this?
1. 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.
2. May God open our eyes so we can see the unsearchable riches of Christ.