The wonderful works of God
The wonderful works of God
Topic: We should celebrate, practice, and live by Gods Marvelous works in our lives
How: Respond to the care, love, and guidance of God through Christ
Background
Mass communication to the known world of the day. Acts 2:9-11
The wonderful works of God proclaimed. Acts 2:11
3000 Souls sought the wonderful works of God in their lives. Acts 2:41
Acts 2:11 - The wonderful works of God
Act 2:1 And in the day of the Pentecost being fulfilled, they were all with one accord at the same place,
Act 2:2 and there came suddenly out of the heaven a sound as of a bearing violent breath, and it filled all the house where they were sitting,
Act 2:3 and there appeared to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of them,
Act 2:4 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, according as the Spirit was giving them to declare.
Act 2:5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation of those under the heaven,
Act 2:6 and the rumour of this having come, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because they were each one hearing them speaking in his proper dialect,
Act 2:7 and they were all amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, 'Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
Act 2:8 and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born?
Act 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10 Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that are along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the marvelous things of God.'
The wonderful works of God
The great things that God had done through the gift of his Son for all people:
1. The miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, together with
2. The marvelous work of his Spirit,
3. The glorious out pouring of gospel grace, mercy and loving care.
These acts demonstrate God's love for sinful humanity.
The "wonderful works of God" make forgiveness and salvation possible.
They reconcile sinful men to a holy God.
Power to change, restore, and empower lives
1. "Imagine gang members, drug dealers, racists & sex offenders being transformed by the Gospel.
2. Imagine politicians, judges & other influential leaders taking stands based on the word of God.
3. Imagine hundreds & even thousands of people being saved in a single church service!"
The early church, as recorded in the Book of Acts, was a dynamic, growing church that turned the world upside down!
In spite of incredible opposition & terrible persecution the church grew so dramatically that within 300 years the Roman Empire had surrendered to the gospel of Christ, & the emperor himself had become a Christian, also.
1. Why He is marvelous
a. God is great in wisdom.We often seek answers from many places, but only God has the wisdom we need.
Isaiah 55 says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God is infinitely wise. In fact, we can’t even imagine the ways God will work.
God’s wisdom provides practical guidance and direction
b. God is so great he knows everything.There is nothing God needs to learn; nothing he has yet to discover. When God guides us, he does so in perfect knowledge. We may walk by faith but we follow God who already knows what’s ahead. Psalm 147:5 says, “Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”
We can’t keep secrets from him and no one can tattle on us to him. He already knows!
That skeleton we’ve got buried deep? God knows. And still he loves us.
When we confess our sin, we’re not informing God; we’re conforming our heart to his through repentance.
2. How he is marvelous in his works
a. Righteous works
“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”” Romans 1:17, NIV.
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” Isaiah 64:6, NIV.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV.
“he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.’ Titus 3:5, NIV.
b. Compassionate works
When God looks on us, He sees sinners whose main need is grace, forgiveness and salvation.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3
c. Redemption works
To buy us back with price. Picture of slave auction where someone buys a slave and sets him free.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” Ephesians 1:7
d. Covenant works
By offering a covenant or agreement, God is doing a work.
God is the superior party and we are the lesser party.
God does not have to offer a covenant but He does because of his mercy and grace.
“For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.” Deuteronomy 4:31.
“In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”” 1 Corinthians 11:25, NIV.
e. God is great in faithfulness.We know that God is faithful and yet don’t always feel that faithfulness when our circumstances are hard. But God’s character is constant even when our circumstances aren’t. It’s not that he chooses to be faithful. He can be nothing else. As sure as the sun will rise, God is faithful.
None of us goes to bed waiting to see if the sun will rise the next morning to make plans. We know the sun will rise! It’s not even a thought. And so, in full confidence of that sunrise, we plan the next day. That is God’s faithfulness. We don’t have to wring hands or worry if he’ll come through. We can count on the constancy of God’s faithfulness.
f. God is measureless.
He is boundless and outside of any limits whatsoever. So, it’s not just that God is greater.
He is great beyond anything our mind could imagine. “There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might,” the scriptures tell us.
The "wonderful works of God" should fill us with amazement, wonder and praise. They demonstrate God's glory, magnificence and splendor.
Jesus Christ is both God and man, and He has come to seek and save the lost.
He has come to heal the sick and give sight to the blind.
Jesus is the only hope for the world, for all who believe in His death and resurrection are saved and made right before God.
Application
As the assembled group there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation of those under the heaven.
We should celebrate, practice, and live by Gods Marvelous works in our lives
