Let me welcome you this evening to the
last evening of our Spiritual Renewal Conference.
Many of you have been with us for
these three nights.
Those of you who are new, and I've
met some of you, we'd like to extend
an especially warm welcome to you.
It is, again, my great privilege to be
able to introduce Major Ian Thomas.
As I said before, a man who's had
tremendous influence on my own life.
And I can't tell you how appreciative I've
been over these days of seeing this man
of God who has weathered many storms.
In Psalm 90 says this, Those who are
planted in the house of the Lord shall
be fresh and flourishing.
They shall bear fruit in old age to
declare that the Lord is righteous and there
is no unrighteousness in him.
And Major Thomas certainly has done that for
me, for us, and we are so privileged
to have him once again this evening.
Major Thomas.
Well, it's so good to be with you
again tonight and I appreciate so much the
very real privilege that has been mine to
share the Lord Jesus with you.
During the evening, as also with some of
the cadets last night and with the pastors
and wives this afternoon, we had a good
time.
And I had the joy of sharing again
how gloriously, overwhelmingly adequate the Lord Jesus is
in every circumstance, in everybody's life who's prepared
to let him be as God, the God
he is in them, in and through them.
It's exciting to get up every morning and
know that the one who died for us
then is the one who's going to share
his life with us today, right here and
now, and accomplish in and through us what
is his mind and will and purpose.
That's the Christian life, a member of the
body of the Lord Jesus, through whom he
continues to do and continues to teach the
things that he began to do and began
to teach.
And he'll go on doing that through that
which is now his body on earth, the
church, until he returns, vindicated in his deity,
recognized for who he is and every tongue
will confess that Jesus is Lord and bow
in his presence.
What a day that's going to be.
Could be tomorrow or the day after.
I'm looking forward to it.
Of course, remember, I don't anticipate dying before
he comes.
It's so near.
I can't say that for sure because he's
God and I'm not.
But I still cherish the ambition of being
numbered amongst those who are alive and remain
at his coming.
I believe the events all around the world
are such that they're shouting at us.
He's on the doorstep.
He's knocking at the door.
Hope you're ready for that moment when, if
you're redeemed, numbered amongst those whose names are
recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life, you
see him as he is and you're like
him, restored to image.
As I was indicating to the folks this
afternoon, when we see him as he is
and we're like him, who will he see
when he looks at you, when he looks
at me?
Himself.
But that's exactly what he had in mind
when he first created Adam.
Let us make man in our image, our
likeness, and in the image and likeness of
God, made he, him.
So when God looks at man and sees
himself, that's normality.
That doesn't make you Superman.
It simply makes you normal.
And that's why he came and died and
rose again from the dead.
And on the day of Pentecost, for the
first time in all human history since Adam
fell, by the gift of his indwelling Holy
Spirit, took up residence within the humanity of
every forgiven sinner who was there at his
command, waiting to receive that power that alone
comes from on high.
Not just power, a person.
Somebody in whom all the power is vested.
Tremendous.
It wasn't until the early believers discovered the
Lord Jesus alive and well that they got
into action, were empowered by his divine indwelling
for the purpose for which he had brought
them into being.
And it is still today, nearly two thousand
years later, only by virtue of his presence
that you and I are enabled to be
functional as a member of his body, sharing
his life, recognizing his headship and gladly acknowledging,
as the Lord Jesus said, the kingdom of
God is within you.
And if the kingdom of God is within
us, then that's exactly where the king ought
to be, exercising his sovereignty, calling the shots
and expecting us to do as we're told.
And when you're told what to do and
you do as you're told, when you're sent
and you went, you're put.
And we talked about this yesterday.
But you can't be put until you've made
the discovery that the early church had to
discover before they could become effective.
A risen living Lord, in whom you have
a new joy, a new Bible, a new
message, a new responsibility and supremely by his
divine indwelling a new enabling.
Then you can say to me to live
is Christ.
Because his strength is made perfect in our
weakness.
So all we can boast about is our
weakness and his strength.
And let God loose in the world in
which we live.
Marvellous.
And the message of the early church once
said rediscovered Jesus alive and well.
They had nothing else to talk about.
But a risen living and indwelling saviour.
Peter who had said not so Lord to
the cross because he didn't want the cross,
didn't believe in the resurrection.
And full of enthusiasm and dedication and commitment
and genuine love to the Lord Jesus was
a dead loss.
Until he too came to know the risen
Lord.
Convinced of the truth of it.
And the early church entered then into the
good of it at Pentecost.
And then demonstrated the fact of it.
And preached in the power of it.
And lived in the joy of it.
That was the real church.
So long as they kept the Lord Jesus
by faith in the place where he deserves
to be.
In their hearts.
Clothing his deity and divine activity with their
redeemed humanity.
The church in action.
Is Christ in action.
We're going to talk about that a bit
tonight.
Peter and the other disciples and said we
ought to obey God rather than men.
We'll just pick up the story from there.
It's in the fifth chapter of the book
of Acts.
And said they were his witnesses.
This is our new responsibility to be witnesses
to the person of the Lord Jesus unto
the uttermost ends of the earth.
We're his witnesses.
Of these things.
But not only we.
So also is the Holy Spirit.
Whom God has given to them that obey
him.
Obeying the gospel.
In other words being honest enough to admit
that you're a guilty sinner.
Needing exactly what the Lord Jesus came to
do.
And undeservingly to become thereby the recipients of
his indwelling life.
So that he can get on with what
he once began to do and began to
teach.
And the story of the true early church.
Is what the Lord Jesus continued to do
and continued to teach.
Peter and the other apostles in the twenty
ninth verse of the fifth chapter.
Said we ought to obey God rather than
men.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus.
Whom you slew and you hanged on a
tree.
Him hath God exalted with his right hand.
Him hath God raised up with his right
hand to be a prince and a saviour.
For to give repentance to Israel.
And the forgiveness of sins.
And we're his witnesses.
And so also is the Holy Spirit whom
God has given to them that obey him.
In other words, simply at his disposal.
Available.
When the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin
heard these things.
Verse thirty three.
They were cut to the heart.
And they took counsel to slay them.
Foolishly imagining that if they could silence them,
they could silence God.
But there stood out one of them in
the council, a Pharisee.
But he was named Gamaliel, the doctor of
the law.
And in reputation among all the people.
Because they recognized in Dr. Gamaliel genuine reality.
So he commanded them to put the apostles
forth a little while.
And said you men of Israel.
Take heed to yourselves what you intend to
do is touching these men.
Before these days rose up Judas.
Boasting himself to be somebody.
To whom a number of men about four
hundred joined themselves.
Who was slain.
He died.
And they were scattered and brought to nothing.
After this man rose up Judas of Galilee
in the days of the taxing.
He drew away much people after him.
He also perished.
And all even as many as obeyed him
were dispersed.
Judas is dead.
Now I say unto you verse thirty eight.
Refrain from these men.
Let them alone.
For if this council or this work be
of men.
It will come to nothing.
But if it be of God.
You cannot overthrow it unless happily you think
you can fight against God.
Judas is dead.
And thought they Jesus is dead.
But if this is of God.
Jesus is alive.
And to him they agreed.
And when they had called the apostles and
beaten them.
Because they couldn't deny themselves that privilege.
They commanded that they should not speak in
the name of Jesus.
And let them go.
And they departed from the presence of the
council.
Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
shame.
For his name.
And daily in the temple.
And in every house.
House to house.
They ceased not to teach.
And preach.
Jesus.
The Christ.
Convinced of the truth.
Entering into the good of it.
On the day of Pentecost.
Becoming the recipients of his divine indwelling.
By the gift of God the Holy Spirit.
Demonstrating the fact of it.
Preaching in the power of it.
And living in the joy of it.
The joy of suffering shame for his name.
That was the early church after they had
made the life transforming discovery that Jesus was
alive.
Risen from the dead.
Teaching.
And preaching.
For they ceased not to teach and preach
that Jesus is the Christ.
You can't do any preaching until you are
prepared to do some teaching.
You see teaching is an intelligent declaration of
the fact.
The truth as it is.
In Jesus.
Preaching is then an exhortation to those who
have been taught the facts.
To obey the truth and put their faith
in Jesus.
This is what the Lord Jesus did.
When there was a great company of people
who had been fed.
Miraculously.
By the Lord Jesus.
He taught them many things.
I like the way Luther translates that in
his Bible.
I mean the German Bible.
It isn't his.
He just borrows it.
From the one who wrote it.
Instead of he taught them many things.
That means he preached a long sermon.
That's always been a great encouragement to me.
At least I'm following in the footsteps of
the Lord Jesus.
He preached a long sermon.
What was he teaching them?
The truth.
He looked at this great multitude.
5000 and he said they were like shepherds
without a shepherd.
Like sheep without a shepherd.
He recognized their ignorance of what they needed
to know.
So he didn't teach them what they wanted
to hear.
He did what Jesus always did.
Taught people what they needed to know.
At least the disciples thought it was a
long sermon.
Because finally they came along and said it's
getting dark.
These people are tired and hungry.
It's time you quit.
And the Lord Jesus said if they're hungry,
feed them.
He said how can we feed them?
5000.
We've got five loaves, two fishes.
Lord Jesus.
It'll be a miracle and I'm going to
teach you how to do a miracle.
And live miraculously.
And he took the five loaves and two
fishes and broke them and gave them to
distribute.
And everybody had as much as they could
possibly eat and they were all filled.
Because the genuine life of a genuine man
is a miraculous life.
Because it has no possible explanation but God.
That's why the Lord Jesus wasn't Superman when
he came.
He was simply man.
As he is God created man to be.
He was never ever less than God.
Co-equal in deity with the Father and
the Holy Spirit and the triune Godhead.
But he deliberately chose and I have already
alerted you to this in the second chapter
of the book of the Philippians.
That of his own free choice and volition
he deliberately chose to be born a human
being.
But he had to be born a human
being by relinquishing all the attributes of deity.
But still demonstrating the genuineness of his humanity.
He was never less than God.
But always insisted upon living as though he
were never more man.
Because he knew that he was going to
send us, you and me, as the Father
had sent him.
And he couldn't send us as God.
He could only send us in our restored
humanity as those reconciled, cleansed from our sin.
By what he did upon the cross in
the reconciling act.
Have been restored to function by the gift
to us of his resurrection life.
But as men.
Reconciled, redeemed and restored to life.
Sharing his resurrection.
That's why the disciples had absolutely nothing to
talk about that Jesus alive.
A witness at all times to his resurrection.
The Lord Jesus allowed to be clothing his
deity with their humanity to be in action.
As he had allowed the Father clothed with
his sinless humanity to be in action.
He that has seen me has seen my
Father.
What I do he does.
What I say he says.
What I am he is.
Look at me and know God.
And that's the privilege that he's given now
to you and to me.
As he yielded his body then without reserve
to the Father.
So now he calls upon you and me.
Cleansed in his blood.
Reconciled to our creator.
To place our humanity at his disposal.
Without reservation.
So that when others see us behave and
hear us speak.
This is the incredible privilege of being a
Christian.
They'll see God behaving.
And hear God speaking.
Incredible.
How could you settle for less.
Than be restored to your true function.
As an individual member of the body of
Christ.
With whom today he clothes his divine activity.
So what would you expect of the church
in action?
What would you then had you known the
truth.
Have expected of the Lord Jesus but the
Father God in action.
When the church, the true church, the real
church is in action.
You would expect to see Christ behaving.
Of course.
And that was the early church.
Those who were sent.
And went.
And were put.
And let God take the consequences.
In the blessing that is inevitable in the
place where he's put you.
Turn to the 8th chapter of the book
of Acts.
Acts chapter 8.
Saul.
Saul of Tarsus.
The arch enemy of the early church.
Consenting unto the death of Stephen.
Seeing him stoned to death.
Reveling in the fact that his blood was
running in the gutter.
At that time there was a great persecution
against the church which was at Jerusalem.
And they were all scattered abroad throughout the
regions of Judea and Samaria.
Except the disciples who remained in Jerusalem.
The apostles.
Devout men carried Stephen to his burial.
To whose death Saul of Tarsus had given
his consent.
And took care of the clothes of those
who stoned him to death.
Devout men carried Stephen to his burial.
Made great lamentation over him.
As for Saul.
He made havoc of the church.
Entering into every house.
Hailing men and women.
Committed them to prison.
Therefore they were scattered abroad.
Went everywhere.
Bemoaning their fate.
Preaching the word.
You see.
God didn't want the church to settle down
in Jerusalem and get comfy.
Air conditioning.
Cushions to sit on.
So he sent a cat among the pigeons.
Saul of Tarsus.
And scattered them.
In case they forgot to what end they
had been redeemed.
To tell the world that Jesus is alive.
They were scattered and went everywhere.
Preaching the word.
The living word.
Jesus.
In whom all the promises and foreshadowings of
God in the written word.
Had their final consummation.
Clothed with his sinless deity.
Scattered abroad and went everywhere.
Preaching the word.
And then Philip.
Went down to the city of Samaria.
And preached Christ.
Don't jump to a wrong conclusion there.
It wasn't that some disciples preached the word
and Philip preached Christ.
You can't preach the word without preaching Christ.
And you can't preach Christ without preaching the
word.
Teaching and preaching.
Explaining the facts from the revelation that God
has given to us in his book.
And then exhorting people to mix those facts
with faith.
So that he, God, by the Holy Spirit
can turn the facts into reality.
Experience.
Of some boy, girl, man or woman who's
come to know Jesus for who he is.
And is prepared to let him be God.
So Philip went down to Samaria and preached
Christ.
Was he a preacher?
No, he was a deacon.
But he preached.
Because any boy, girl, man or woman can
be a preacher if you talk about Jesus.
He went down to the city of Samaria.
And preached Christ.
Go on to the verse 35, 25.
When they had testified and preached the word
of the Lord.
They returned to Jerusalem and they preached the
gospel in many villages.
Villages of the Samaritans.
And the angel of the Lord spake to
Philip saying, Arise.
And go.
Toward the south.
The angel said go.
And told him where to go.
Unto the way, continuing in that 26th verse,
Unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem
unto Gaza.
Which is desert.
Now Philip by this time had become a
well-known, applauded city evangelist.
He had become accustomed to countless people coming
to hear him speak.
And then God said, go.
Go south.
Down from Jerusalem to Gaza which is desert.
Can you imagine how Philip might have responded
to that?
Out in the desert.
Don't you know?
Haven't you been in my meetings when I've
had thousands of people listening to what I
had to say?
Who do you think I'm going to preach
to in the desert?
Bunch of goats?
But he didn't say that.
Do you know why?
Because he was a man being, continuous present
tense filled with the Holy Spirit.
He was available as a healthy member of
the body of the Lord Jesus to be
put where he was needed.
And that's why he didn't argue.
Instead, because he was being filled with the
Holy Spirit.
Do you know what he did?
Look at verse 27.
He arose and went.
That's pretty simple.
The Lord said go and he went.
That's a man being filled with the Holy
Spirit.
That's what it means to be a Christian.
Be so available to the Lord Jesus 24
hours a day that whenever he says go,
you arise and go and you win.
And when you're told where to go and
you win, where do you find yourself?
Where was John when he was sent?
A man sent from God.
In the first chapter of John's Gospel.
Where God put him.
If you're sent and went, you're put.
That's what it means to be being filled
with the Holy Spirit.
A healthy member of the body of Jesus,
available for his every instruction, giving him the
confidence to expect that when he says go,
he'll be numbered amongst those who win.
Behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of
great authority, under Candacy, Queen of the Ethiopians,
who had the charge of all her treasure.
He was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, under
Queen, the Queen of Ethiopia, Candacy.
And he was returning and sitting in his
chariot, reading Isaiah the prophet.
Would you expect to go into the desert
and find somebody reading their Bible?
The prophecy of Isaiah.
And the Holy Spirit said then to Philip,
go near, join yourself to this chariot, because
he's the object of Christ's quest.
Philip ran thither to him.
He had to run, or he would have
missed his text.
He ran thither to him, heard him read
the prophet Isaiah, and said, do you understand
what you're reading?
He said, how can I?
Except some man should guide me.
So he desired Philip that he would come
up and sit with him.
And the place of the scripture which he
read was this.
He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter, like a lamb, dumb, before his shearers,
so opened he not his mouth.
In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away.
Who shall declare his generation, for his life
is taken from the earth.
Fifty-third chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah.
The foreshadowing of the death of our Lord
Jesus upon the cross.
Wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities,
and the cost of our peace laid upon
him.
The eunuch answered in verse 34 and said,
I pray thee of whom speaketh the prophet
this?
Is he talking about himself?
Or of somebody other man?
Somebody else, some other man.
And then Philip did a very smart thing.
He opened his mouth.
It's a good thing to do if you're
going to say something.
That's the first lesson in preaching.
Homiletics.
Open your mouth.
Now the Lord Jesus had spent a whole
bunch of time telling the disciples to keep
their mouth shut.
Don't tell anybody, because you don't know enough
to talk sense.
But here was a man in the desert,
in the place where God had put him,
who had the right to open his mouth.
And began at the very same scripture and
preached unto him Jesus.
That's all he had to talk about.
Because he knew exactly of whom the prophet
Isaiah was speaking in the 53rd chapter of
that prophecy.
Wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities,
the cost of our peace with God laid
on him by whose stripes we heal.
So right beginning at that scripture he talked
about Jesus.
As they went on their way, they came
under a certain water.
So it's quite obvious that Philip had told
him the significance of baptism.
Not just that Jesus died then, but that
he rose again from the dead.
And those who put their trust in this
risen, living, indwelling Savior testified to their faith
in him by being baptized, going beneath the
water, identifying themselves with his death and coming
up out of the water, sharing his resurrection.
Of course that's what it means to be
baptized.
Countless millions get baptized and have no clue
what's happening except they're becoming a church member.
Identified with Christ in death, buried.
But identified with him in the power of
his resurrection life.
Up out of the water, to begin your
ministry as a member of his body.
Philip said, if you believe with all your
heart what I've told you, you may.
Which presupposes of course that if he didn't
believe all that Philip had told him, he
may not.
He answered and said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God.
So Philip commanded the chariot to stand still
and they went, both of them, down into
the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and
he baptized him.
And when they would come out of the
water, the Holy Spirit caught away Philip.
But the eunuch saw him no more.
He went by donkey and went home by
air.
A donkey ride in the desert.
You know, if Philip hadn't gone when God
said go, and got on that donkey and
set out, I think God would have sent
the donkey.
And he would have been about as good
of course as somebody who goes without being
sent.
It's wonderful when you're sent and you win,
but it's pathetic when you go when you
haven't been sent.
And out of sheer enthusiasm, there are countless
who've done that and made fools of themselves.
Philip didn't.
He was found finally at Azotus and passing
through, he preached in all the cities till
he came to Caesarea.
And I give you only one guess as
to what he preached about.
Jesus.
Well, this is the church in action, a
donkey ride in the desert.
Being told what to do, doing as you're
told and being in the place where God
has put you and finding a man reading
his Bible, wanting to know what it really
meant and led him to Christ.
That doesn't sound very complicated, does it?
Philip didn't have to have unusual skill or
special training, all he had to do was
get on a donkey when he was told
to and go for a ride in the
desert.
And God had already prepared the heart of
a man who was waiting to hear from
the lips of one whose mouth had been
placed at Christ's disposal why he went to
the cross.
That's the church in action.
Donkey ride in the desert where you expect
nothing, humanly speaking, except your heart is filled
with a simple childlike faith in a God
who knows what he's doing and does what
he knows.
Chapter 9, same book.
And remember this is the continued activities of
the Lord Jesus.
Soul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against
the disciples of the Lord went unto the
high priest.
Saul of Tarsus, arch enemy of the early
church, relished the death of Stephen when he
was stoned to death, threw others into jail,
ridiculed those who believed that Jesus was the
Christ.
And so Saul of Tarsus desired of the
high priest letters to Damascus to the synagogues
that if he found any of this way
whether they were men or women he might
bring them bound to Jerusalem and throw them
into jail.
But it was then that a light shined
from heaven brighter than the sun and he
heard the voice of God through the clouds.
Saul arose from the earth, verse 8, and
when he saw no man but they led
him by the hand he was brought to
Damascus.
And there he resided in Damascus.
But there was a certain disciple at Damascus
whose name was Ananias.
And the Lord said to him in a
vision, Ananias, calling him by name, he said,
Behold, I'm here.
And the Lord said unto him, Arise and...
What's the word?
Go.
This is the church in action.
Who's running the church?
The Holy Spirit.
Who's giving the instructions?
The Holy Spirit.
That's the real church in action, the body
of Christ indwelt by a risen living Saviour.
I saw the vision and God said, Ananias,
go.
Go into the street which is called Straight
and enter into the house of Judas for
one called Saul of Tarsus for behold he
prayeth.
So we see the church in action.
Donkey ride in the desert.
Now we see the church in action.
Knock on the door down the road.
Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard by many of
this man, Saul of Tarsus, how much evil
he hath done to those saints of Jerusalem.
Did you say, Saul of Tarsus?
Are you sure you got the name right?
God said, yeah, I got the name right.
But he hath authority from the chief priests
to bind all that call in your name.
I'd be sticking out my neck.
Well, I understand that, said God to him,
but that's not your business, that's my business.
Because now that you're a member of my
body, your neck is my neck.
The Lord said unto him, verse 15, Go
thy way, do as you're told.
He is a chosen vessel unto me to
bear my name before the Gentiles, kings and
the children of Israel.
This man whom you fear is going to
become Paul the Apostle, my special emissary to
the Gentiles.
So Ananas stopped arguing.
Do you know why?
He was a man being filled with the
Holy Spirit.
How do you know?
Well, it's simple.
God said, Go, and Ananas, verse 17, went.
And if you're told to go and you
went, it means that you're a healthy member
of the body of Christ.
That's all it means to be being filled
with the Holy Spirit.
You don't have to make antics and draw
attention to yourself.
You just are told what to do and
do as you're told.
Isn't that terribly complicated?
A man full of the Holy Spirit, he
went his way, entered into the house, putting
his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the
Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto me in
the way as thou camest, hath sent me
that thou mightest receive thy sight and be
filled with the Holy Spirit.
Saul of Tarsus, you're going to become an
entirely new creature.
Nobody will recognize you for who you were.
And immediately they fell from his eyes as
it had been scales, for Saul of Tarsus
had been led blinded into Damascus.
When he saw that light from heaven and
the face of God, the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ, he received
sight forthwith and arose and he too was
baptized.
Identified himself, Saul of Tarsus, enemy of the
early church with the one who died and
who spoke to him from heaven on the
road to Damascus, came out of the water
to share the life of his risen indwelling
Savior.
And straightway, verse 20, he preached Jesus, the
Christ, in the synagogues, that he is the
Son of God.
All that heard him were amazed and said,
Is not this he that destroyed them which
called on this name in Jerusalem?
Came hither for that intent that he might
bring them bound into the chief priest?
Is this the same man?
Of course.
But recreated by the gift of that life
from God that man lost in the day
that Adam believed the devil's lie that he
could be a man without God.
Humanism.
And man becomes his own God.
Saul increased the more in strength, verse 22,
confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus proving
that this is the very Christ.
Just a knock on the door down the
road because a man was told to go
and he went.
This is the church in action.
Nothing spectacular.
Donkey ride in the desert, knock on the
door down the road.
Just ordinary people doing ordinary things but under
divine compunction.
This is the church in action.
Chapter 10, verse 1.
There was a certain man in Caesarea called
Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the
Italian band.
That regiment in the Roman army that were
present and crucified the Lord Jesus and later
was stationed at a city in England called
Chester.
And there is a museum there of this
particular regiment.
And this man was a centurion called Cornelius.
He was a major.
And all majors are very, very fine people.
He was a devout man.
He was one that feared God with all
his heart.
In other words, his fear of God was
so convincing that his kids couldn't help but
be identified with him in his fear of
God.
His servants identified themselves with him.
He was a devout man.
And his devotion to God they couldn't challenge.
He gave much alms to the people.
He was generous.
And he prayed to God always.
He was a God-fearing man.
A man of prayer.
So convincing that he didn't have to whip
his kids to go to church.
They loved him.
For the man of God he was.
He saw in a vision evidently about the
ninth hour of the day, verse 3, an
angel of God coming in to him saying
to him, Cornelius.
And when he looked on him he was
afraid and said, what is it, Lord?
He said to him, your prayers and your
alms, your gifts have come up for a
memorial before God.
Never imagine that an unbeliever is despised by
God if he's earnestly seeking to know the
truth.
The Lord Jesus promised if a man seek,
he will find.
Only those fail to find who never sought.
Only those to whom the door remains shut
are those who never knocked.
But to those who seek, they'll find.
To those who knock, said the Lord Jesus,
the door will open.
Always.
And the lovely thing is that the Lord
Jesus knows exactly where they are.
He knew there was a man reading his
Bible in the desert.
He knew that there was a soul of
Tarsus who had heard the voice of God
on the road to Damascus.
Bear that in mind.
When God says go, he knows where you've
got to go and he knows where you're
going to be put.
And he's already prepared the hearts of those
to whom he's going to minister through you
for their eternal good.
Send men now, verse 5, God said, through
the angel to Cornelius.
Send now men to Joppa, call for one
Simon whose surname is Peter.
I tell you where he lives.
He lodged with one Simon of Tanna whose
house is by the seaside.
And he shall tell you what you ought
to do.
God has seen your prayers, heard them.
God has seen the good gifts that you've
given to your fellow countrymen in their need.
God knows it all.
But I'm going to send you, or tell
you to send for a man who's going
to tell you what you ought to do.
Because your prayers, Cornelius, aren't enough in themselves.
Your good works, the alms, the gifts that
you make available to the poor, they aren't
enough in them.
They won't wash away your sin.
But there's a man down in Joppa who'll
tell you what you ought to do.
Well, a well-meaning neighbor of Cornelius might,
having heard this, say, if ever there was
a man that deserves to go to heaven,
Mr. Cornelius, or Major Cornelius, you're that man.
Don't listen to these people.
They're scaring you.
They're frightening you as though you weren't fit
for heaven.
Forget it.
If ever a man deserved to go to
heaven on the basis of the kind of
life that you live, you're that man.
Was Cornelius impressed?
No.
When the angel which spake unto Cornelius was
departed, verse 7, he called two of his
household servants and a devout soldier, two of
them, that waited on him continually.
And when he had declared all these things
unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
He wasn't too proud to admit to two
of his servants and a soldier escort that
God had told him by an angel that
he needed something more than his devotion and
good works.
And he's told me to send to Joppa
there's a man called Peter there who's going
to tell me what I ought to do.
Wasn't that kind of God?
To find a man too ignorant to come
to Jesus because nobody ever told him about
Jesus.
But make sure that somebody who knew Jesus
would come and tell him what he needed
to know.
That's how good God is.
That's his kindness.
That's grace.
On the morrow as they went on their
journey and drew nigh unto the city, Peter
went up unto the housetop to pray about
the sixth hour.
This is the man they'd gone to fetch.
And he had climbed onto the roof and
was praying there.
And while he was up there, he saw
a vision.
He became very hungry and would have eaten.
And while they made ready, he fell into
a trance.
Peter saw the heavens opened and a certain
vessel descending unto him as it had been
a great sheet knit at the four corners
and let down to the earth, wherein were
all manner of four-footed beasts of the
earth, wild beasts, creeping things, fowls of the
air.
And there came a voice to him, Peter,
rise Peter, kill and eat.
You're hungry.
Here it is.
I sent it down for you.
And Peter said, Not so, Lord.
Did he ever say that before?
Sunday morning, wasn't it?
16th of Matthew.
When the Lord Jesus said, I'm going to
the city of Jerusalem, there I'll be delivered
into the hands of wicked men, religious men,
and they'll do me to death.
I'll be crucified, but don't panic.
The third day I'll rise again from the
dead.
Peter then didn't believe it.
Now he did.
Because he was living in the power of
his resurrection.
But he said, Not so, Lord.
You know I'm a Jew.
Jews don't eat that kind of stuff.
Not so, Lord.
I've never eaten anything, verse 14, that is
common or unclean.
I can't do that.
It would break my religious tradition.
So the voice spoke again unto him the
second time.
Peter, what God hath cleansed, that call thou
not common.
This was done three times.
And then the vessel was received up again
into heaven.
And while Peter doubted in himself what this
vision which he had seen meant, behold, the
men who were sent from Cornelius, the major,
had made inquiry for Simon's house and stood
before the gate.
And they called and asked whether Simon, surname
Peter, was lodged there.
And while Peter thought on the vision, the
Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek
you, two servants and a soldier escort, sent
by Cornelius.
Verse 20, Arise therefore, get thee down.
What's the word?
Go.
That's all.
Go.
Go with them, doubting nothing.
I sent them.
Here was Peter just about to step into
the timeless purpose of God.
Because we are recreated in Christ Jesus unto
good works which God has before ordained that
we should walk in them.
That's why you're only in the will of
God when you were sent and you went
and you're put.
And God has already been telling the story
and preparing for that part that he's allowing
you to play in the story.
So Peter went.
He was sent and went.
He went down to the men which were
sent unto him from Cornelius and he said,
Behold, I am he whom you seek.
What is the cause wherefore you are come?
And they said, Cornelius, the centurion, a just
man, one that fears God and of good
report among all the nation of the Jews,
was warned from God by an holy angel
to send to thee into his house and
to hear words of thee.
Then called he them in and lodged them.
And on the morrow Peter went away with
them and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
And Cornelius, when they arrived, was waiting for
them.
And had called together his kinsmen, relations and
their near friends and the house was filled
with people.
Peter took him up saying, as Cornelius fell
at his feet and worshipped him, Stand up,
I myself am just a man.
And as he talked with him, he went
in and found many that were come together
and said unto them, You know how that
it is an unlawful thing for a man
that is a Jew to keep company or
come into one of another nation.
But God hath showed me that I should
not call any man common or unclean.
Therefore came I unto you without gain saying,
As soon as I was sent for.
I ask therefore for what intent you sent
for me.
And Cornelius recounted the story of his own
encounter with God when the angel came to
him and told him to send and bring
Peter who would tell him what he needed
to know and what he ought to do.
Thy prayer is heard, the angel said to
Cornelius as he recounted this story.
Thine arms are come up before a memorial
in remembrance in the sight of God.
Send therefore to Joppa, call hither Simon whose
surname is Peter.
He is lodged in the house of one
Simon of Tanna by the seaside, and he
when he come shall speak unto thee.
Immediately therefore I sent to thee, and thou
hast well done that thou hast come.
Now therefore are we all here present before
God to hear all things that are commanded
thee of God.
We're not interested in listening to your opinions.
We want, as we've been promised, through your
lips to hear God speak.
And Peter was as smart as Philip the
deacon.
Verse 34.
He opened his mouth.
Isn't it great when you open your mouth
you've got something to say that's worth saying.
This is the exciting adventure of being a
Christian.
A member of the body of Christ with
whom he's clothing his divine activity.
He knows exactly where the seeking souls are.
He's made all kinds of preparations in advance
unknown to you so that when you arrive
all you've got to do is open your
mouth and tell the truth about Jesus.
Don't allow anybody to make for you the
Christian ministry or call complicated.
All you've got to do is be told
what to do.
Do as you're told.
Be sent and went and be put.
And when you see how marvelously God has
opened this door of opportunity you open your
mouth and talk about Jesus.
He opened his mouth and said of a
truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons but in every nation he that
feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with
him.
The word which God sent under the children
of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ he
is Lord of all.
That word I say you know which was
published throughout all Judea and began from Galilee
after the baptism which John the Baptist preached.
How God anointed Jesus Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power who went
about doing good and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil for God was with
him and we, verse 39, are witnesses of
all things which he did both in the
land of the Jews and in Jerusalem whom
they slew and hanged on a tree but
God raised him up the third day and
showed him openly and Jesus is alive.
Knock on the door down the road donkey
ride in the desert and a day in
the dog house for Peter had to go
to the house of a dirty Gentile dog
but if you're prepared by God's indwelling Holy
Spirit to be a healthy member of the
body of Jesus you'll enter into all the
adventure of being available to the one who
alone knows where they are who are seeking
the truth and have never heard it and
you'll go for a ride on a donkey
in the desert and find a man reading
the Bible you'll go down the road and
knock on the door and throw your arms
around the neck of a man who is
the archenemy of the early church and you'll
be sent into the dog house of those
whom men despise because they're unclean in other
words we read as those who were members
of the early church of those who were
in the right place at the right time
saying the right thing to the right person
but who organized it?
the Lord Jesus himself, he's the head of
the body right man, right place, right time
saying the right thing to the right person
when can you enter into the adventure of
that quality of life?
very simple all you've got to do is
die to yourself and become available to Jesus
when Philip got on the donkey and went
for a ride in the desert he died
to himself he had earned the reputation of
being a city-wide crusader thousands would come
and listen to him preach God said go
into the desert I've got somebody I need
to talk to and I need your lips
and he went and was put Ananias had
to die to his own physical preservation he
got a knock on the door of a
man who was the archenemy of the early
church who consented to the death of Stephen
and cast countless others into jail and you
want me to knock on that door?
dead on said Jesus he's my chosen vessel
to go one day to the Gentiles and
Saul of Tarsus will become Paul the Apostle
to Peter said the Lord Jesus I want
you to go with these men but they're
Gentiles I'm a Jew I can't go into
their home it's dirty God said don't you
dare to call common what I have cleansed
be told what to do and do as
you're told go and he went and Cornelius
the Roman officer became a Christian all you've
got to do is die to your own
ambitions die to your own success die to
your own physical well-being and die to
your religious prejudices and racial prejudices and you'll
be in the place where God who so
loved the world that he sent his only
begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should
not perish but have everlasting life you'll be
part of the action and for weeks and
months and years afterwards you'll be hearing the
story of what happened to that boy that
girl, that man, that woman to whom you
went because you were sent isn't it exciting
being a Christian?
you don't need a PhD just a heart
for Jesus and total availability so that you
become expendable to him as he once was
expendable for us what an incredible privilege what
a joy and this is your privilege this
is your joy don't imagine that being a
church member of this body is simply to
sit in a seat once a week or
twice or three times and put a dollar
in the plate that would be dull that's
being religious that's being churched open before you
is the glorious prospect of being a member
of the body of Christ in action allowing
him to do his thing his way at
his time for his reason and always to
his praise not now and again when it's
convenient but with the hilarious expectation when you
get up in the morning and say Lord
Jesus thank you for what you did so
many years ago so that you could be
right now who you are living in me
I haven't a clue what your agenda is
for today but you do and I want
you to know that I'm available and just
tell me the word to go and I'll
be one among those who have sinned and
I'll enjoy the miracle of seeing God in
action doing his thing in his way for
his reasons that's a glorious prospect but that's
yours right now because Jesus is not the
one who was alive he's the one who
is alive right now living in you and
all you've got to say Lord here are
your hands to work with here are your
feet to walk with here are your lips
to speak with your eyes to see the
need your ears to hear the cry and
your heart to love with thank you it's
going to be fun to see what you
have in mind I'm a Christian not just
a church sitter I'm a Christian I'm a
member of the body of Christ I'm alive
because he's alive and I share his resurrection
and every tomorrow is the unfolding adventure being
part of God's story created in Christ Jesus
unto good works that he has before ordained
that I should walk in he knows the
story and is waiting to tell it but
cannot, will not and does not unless I
let him how do you let him?
just by making yourself as available now to
him as he made himself available to the
Father and say thank you in advance for
what he's going to accomplish in spite of
who you are but because of who he
is terrific storm or no storm because he's
coming back again and you don't have to
come back your responsibility and privilege and joy
now is to answer the call and be
found when Jesus comes in the place where
he put you reveling in the blessing that
is inevitable in the place of God's divine
appointing great I know it's true because I've
tried being religious and found it so boring
that finally in despair I quit even though
I was enthusiastic to the nth degree to
do my best for Jesus but I've missed
the whole point that he died for me
only that he might live in me every
moment of every day on earth, on the
way to heaven and then forever I'm not
trading that for anything else I can't settle
for less I don't know how long I've
got to live but that's not my business
because I'm ready to go but I'm ready
to stay so was Paul he said I'd
like to be out of the body and
with Christ much better but so long as
he still has something to do through me
for the furtherance of your faith and the
furtherance of your joy I'll hang around but
when Jesus has nothing more to do with
me in this my body on earth I'm
off, bye that's the Christian life terrific right?
well, live it up loving Jesus we thank
you, we recognize you gladly now as the
head of that body of which we have
become members though we never deserved it because
you've reconciled us to God with your death
but you've quickened us to life you've restored
us to function by coming in your resurrection
power to clothe your deity with our redeemed
humanity thank you so much thank you for
every new day that dawns in which we're
prepared to allow you to do your thing,
your way in your time, for your reason
and to your praise bless these men and
women let them get excited about tomorrow because
tomorrow is going to be as big as
God so long as they let you be
God thank you for boys, girls men and
women, you know where they are right now
we don't, but you do but you'll need
a hand to touch them you'll need lips
with which you can give utterance to your
saving work on their behalf we don't know
where they are anyone, Philip knew who or
where that eunuch was in the desert we
don't know where they are but you do,
Lord Jesus just as you knew where Cornelius
was practicing religion sincerely, earnestly honoring, loving God
but not knowing the truth about Jesus but
you made sure he came to know the
truth thank you for that little boy who
was like I was when I was only
twelve never heard the gospel taken to church
but never heard the gospel never was introduced
to Jesus but thank you that that little
boy sitting in that tent so many years
ago was designed in your purpose to go
all over the world and tell other people
tell them that you were waiting to be
as much alive in them as you came
to be then alive in me dear Lord
grant that these people may get excited about
the incredible privilege of being active members of
your body and part of the action and
seeing God triumph again and again because he
is the victory bless the pastor of this
church bless all the other pastors who have
their role to play bless every individual member
of your body as a member of this
body corporate made up of individuals in particular
who've been to the cross and said thank
you Jesus for what you did but a
million times more I thank you now for
who you are and for all that you've
got in mind in days to come it's
going to be exciting and I'm ready to
go and be numbed amongst those who went
and were put thank you dear Lord you
can't give us a greater privilege and we
want every bit of it not now and
again not in odds and ends but a
life that is no longer existence but the
fulfillment of a divine plan thank you in
your own dear, peerless, precious and all prevailing
name our Savior, our Lord and our God
Amen Mr. Thomas we can't thank you enough
for what you've shared can we give an
adequate appreciation for him tonight thank you thank
you I deeply appreciate it Father we just
thank you so much for your choice servant
Major Ian Thomas Father for the innumerable lives
that you have touched through him over the
years and Lord for the last three days
the way you've touched our lives and drawn
us closer to your son helped us to
focus more clearly more specifically on who he
is and what he wants to be through
us Father I pray that the words that
you've spoken through Major Thomas would bear fruit
in coming days in coming years and Father
we look forward to seeing you face to
face and Lord in the meantime we pray
that in our lives indeed to live would
be Christ in Christ alone it's in his
name we pray Amen