Let This Be Known to You
I had a man in my office this week who had a dream about three years ago and, as a result, became a follower of Christ. He had no Christians in his life witnessing to him. Had not read the Bible. Nor had he attended a church where the gospel was presented. He was in crisis. He called out to God in desperation. He had a dream. He gave his life to Christ.
Some in our church family, no doubt, embrace that account and thank God for doing a mighty, supernatural work. Others, perhaps having spent time in less charismatic-oriented churches, are less comfortable with the thought of God using dreams or any of the miraculous gifts to advance his plan. These folks might say that believing such things leads to excess, extremism, and even chicanery. That’s not an unreasonable concern. And yet, there’s an equally legitimate concern in limiting God’s prerogative to work in any way he desires. It seems right then, despite the risk, to see that God can and will do as he pleases including the miraculous. Even though we may be uncomfortable with it.
In Acts 2:14-21, the Apostle Peter begins his epic and impactful sermon by presenting the Scripture passage he would preach from, Joel 2:28-32. For Peter, this passage is the argument and explanation for the powerful Holy Spirit manifestations they had all just witnessed on the Day of Pentecost. And the main point he makes comes with the last sentence, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The power, the signs, the miracles all point to the offer of the gospel.
As we look at this passage together, we’ll see that what we need to know about the mighty works of God is that they are grace-based, Spirit-empowered, Scripture-grounded, end-times-oriented, mission-centric manifestations. In other words, the signs all point to Jesus and his mission.
Sermon Notes
The Book of Acts | Chapters 1–7
Let This Be Known to You
Pastor Todd Dugard
Acts 2:14–21
September 29, 2019
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King,
I tell you.”
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
What I need to know about the mighty works of God is that they are…
• Grace-based (v. 14)
• Spirit-empowered (v. 15–17a)
• Scripture-grounded (v. 17b–18)
Ephesians 2:19b–22
Prophesy is…
(1) Proclaiming: to preach or pronounce an inspired word;
(2) Revealing: to tell of something that is hidden from view;
(3) Foretelling: to predict something that lies in the future
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (BAGD)
In 2007, Dudley Woodberry and others published a study that recounted interviews with 750 former Muslims who had converted to evangelical Christianity. Many of the reasons they gave for their conversion would be expected—the love of God, a changing view of the Bible, and an attraction to Christians who loved others. But one reason might come as a surprise: the experience of a dream they believed to be from God.
• End-times-oriented (v. 19–20)
• Mission-centric (v. 21)