Acts Chapter 9:36-10:2

There is a lesson in here that you should be able as a believer you should be able to point to certain deeds and actions that indicate that you are actually a believer you should have spiritual fruit in your life. Now if you're here this morning and for whatever reason you can't point to any then print that indicates that there might be a problem because fruit should come in the natural way in your Christian walk. Welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee.

David is a senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina.

As a follower of Christ. Our life is going to be filled with fruit foods like praying, giving today. Pastor David explains more about these free as he continues in the book of acts chapter 9 now David McGee teaching fruit happens we are in acts chapter will this book is called acts of the possible, but it's more like the acts of Peter and Paul really follows Peter and Paul actually once we get into it. It will just proceed with Paul, mostly in and what happens there is life with right now were were looking at Peter and let's pick it up with acts chapter 9 verse 36 in Joppa, there was a certain disciple name Tabatha which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days and she became sick and died in one hand washed are they later in an upper room, and since Linda was near Joppa and the disciples had heard that Peter was there.

They sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

Now we talked about this last week, Morgan and talk about it a little bit this week when he point out a couple things number one. She had an upper chamber or an upper room says in the new King James the significance of that is that this woman was probably of means. She was probably well-to-do because if you have an upper room.

It meant you had basically had a nice house that a lot of people think that if somebody has substance has well past finances at their very unspiritual are obviously carnal in chasing this world and and certainly you know there's these vowels of poverty that people say that you should take in and out is an area to be carefully but to assume because somebody has been blessed financially that there unspiritual is is not scripturally accurate.

I have. I know people have friends who have been really blessed financially who are extremely spiritual. I know some people have been really blessed to our spiritual but also new people with very very little that are very carnal, something that attach any story any sort of spiritual significance to whether somebody has been blessed materially or not, I think, is a dangerous thing. Speaking of danger. First Timothy does say this.

First Timothy chapter 6 verse 17 says command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give willing to share storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life. Now evidently this Dorcas Tabatha was living this out. She was doing good to others and given her life away in an given her goods and her resources to minister to people and she was, if you will. Investing in to the kingdom and notice they could see the good things that should not they could see the good things that she did not. It wasn't yet. I think Dorcas is a believer, I think Tabatha is a believer, nothing they knew, in part because of the fruit that was coming out of her life. There's a lesson in there for us and I know we talked about this last winter night has been no service on it but there's a lesson in here that you should be able as a believer you should be able to point to certain deeds and actions that indicate that you are actually a believer you should have spiritual fruit in your life. Now if you're here this morning and for whatever reason you can't point to any then print that indicates that there might be a problem because fruit should come in the natural way in your Christian walk, timeout to force and fruit that I'm talking about the fact that just as you live for the Lord as you read his word is your praying as your serving as your giving as you're doing these things, fruits began to happen.

A lot of times you know we we say will do you believe in and and we make that the thing and that is the thing that's where everybody starts everybody starts the grandmother crosses level. Everybody comes to the cross for forgiveness. Question is, once that happened, what's going on in your life are you walking with the Lord, are you loving one another and again this is not meant to stress you out. It's meant to encourage you because as you walk with the Lord as you do these things. Fruit begins to occur happens happens naturally now. Used to live on a farm and in Summerfield we have fruit trees and all sorts of things, and as I would walk around and take my prayer walks walk by the fruit trees you have never heard a fruit tree doing why I never walk past Appletree and an apple tree going on that wasn't happening.

It made Apple because Appletree is the fruit comes out of Appletree as apples.

The fruit disposed to come out of the Christian Christian fruit, and so there are things that you need to do like no I would get out there trim and prune the fruit tree in the bigotry you spent eight hours just print one tree and hardly move them but you do things and that helps to produce fruit. Just like we talked about last week is the life lesson I life should be filled with good works. I live should be filled with good works. Now every time I talk about working on talk about something else. We are not saved by work.

We are saved by grace alone.

You asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins. He doesn't look at your life and go see how you been to church lately, do Bubba Vera know he forgives you when you ask him to forgive you of your sin. Okay. But that decision should those fruits should follow that decision and we talk about serving I talk about these things as we come across in why because I want to encourage you guys in good works is easy. A lot of churches nowadays all the focus is on getting people saved and that's great. I definitely want to see people get safe every Sunday morning I present the gospel and given imitation asked people they want to come. The Lord say the prayer but there also should be an emphasis on discipleship we have that here. And that's part of why talk about serving. Here's what Hebrews chapter 10 verse 20 forces and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good work you know another word for stir. Agitate all that you make any connection that is pertinent. If I have to. In love, and love as your pastor, and I have to agitate you in the servant. I'm okay with that. Okay. And you gotta know that because there are some people that won't do anything until I get agitated. Hey, you know I love enough to be that agitated. Okay now in its encouragement that will get you to begin the focus outward and not be so inward focused. I'll take that role in the behind. I'd rather take that role in the be the agitator, but I'll play whatever role I need to be the King James says and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and the good works in the new living translation says, think of ways to encourage one another in outburst of love and good deeds so provoke, encourage, stir, these are what this is what were supposed to be doing in the body of Christ, to stir one another up the good works in verse 39 then Peter Rosen went with them and when the income they brought him to the upper room and all the wind.

The widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas and made while she was with them. See think they could show the good works that she had performed interline question are the things that you've done in the last week that would indicate that you indeed are Christian. Are you able to point something you maybe going in the children's ministry after the service.

The service may be served Thursday night. Maybe share your faith with somebody this week. Are you able to point at something and say this is an indicator that I'm walking in my face that old saying that if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict each one of us has to answer the question there should be and if there's not friend again. It doesn't mean, okay, just give up this Christian thing obviously in working out for now, it means you make some course corrections of your will, you realize that maybe you're a little too focused on.

You may be on the stuff that's in your life and you need to be more kingdom minded and oriented. See what Peter does in verse 40 but Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed and turning to the body. He said Tabatha's and she opened her eyes and when she saw Peter, she set up classes interesting.

Peter put them all out to me that's just very fascinating because it shows what a spiritual man.

Peter is he put them all out. I think he knew what God was get rated but ask everybody else to leave yesterday where you were going with what didn't happen is he didn't all of a sudden begin Simon Peter healing ministries and national corporate begin touring the world thought it should not thereby need to step up and may you and I be that humble.

When God uses a somebody ways he has everybody step out. What would you do if you knew you were getting ready to pray for some, he was dead and God was going to bring him back to life.

What would you do this is so convicting Holly in I know what I do not ask them if they could lamb out here on Sunday morning. I'm being honest. I mean, I hope… You know, in part because I think it would be very encouraging for us all to see a dead person get up and walk away. So it didn't client is Less real convicting in. That's what Peter did your listening to Pastor David McGee on cross the bridge will be right back with more just a moment, but I want to remind you of the free resources available to you on cross the bridge.com there's a team of hundreds of people that will pray for somebody to be saved. You have a loved one that needs to know Jesus as Savior. You need people to pray for you need someone to present God's word to them every day were present in God's virtual here on cross the bridge with Pastor David McGee. We can pray for them as well. Just by simple going to cross the bridge.com and click on the pray for the lost button. All you need to do is put in the first names of the people you love, that need to know Jesus as Savior. Click on submit and immediately hundreds of people begin praying for your lost love ones awesome way to bring love once to Jesus, here's a word from associate pastor DA Brown want to take just a minute to pray for some cities in our listening audience. Specifically, York, Pennsylvania and Bluffton, Charleston, Columbia, Conway, Florence, in Greenville, South Carolina, Lord, thank you for the people living in the cities or thank you for what you're doing there. We prayed that your Holy Spirit would pour out and draw many people until personal, intimate relationship with Jesus father that people would put their trust in you receive your forgiveness and get plugged into local Bible teaching church give the pastor's discernment and wisdom on how to bless and leave these people father or we pray that we walk in unity we pray for the city leaders that you would bless and give them wisdom. The mayor, the fire chiefs.

The police chief father Lord, that we would be in admirable servants of you, so that people might see our unity and want a relationship with you. Also, only love. We thank you for these people and us in Jesus name we pray. Amen, amen. Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse, verse 41 then he gave her his hand and lifted her phone and called the saints and widows. He presented her alive and anything that was incurred.

She had been dead and now she's alive, the essay that slow to get the will that she was dead and now she's alive. That's an amazing thing and I'm sure that encourage the people question.

I've never personally pray for slant was dead and seeing them come back to life. Don't know if I ever get that privilege or honor God still does that he does it here in a spiritual sense all the time and this this is something that just fascinates me really I been thinking a lot about you know it's an amazing thing that we get to see weekend, week out here because there is been missionaries that have gone to other countries who have toiled and labored for 20 years to see one, some toiled for 20 years and never saw one and you think of what we get to see here course. Part of that is he who is been given much, much is required.

As we see these things we need to understand there's a responsibility verse 42, and it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord so I was the stay many days in Joppa was Simon the tanner now Joppa is modern day Jacob and it's a suburb of Tel Aviv. Notice it says a tanner what what is a tanner duet at Tanner create leather from animals. Now when you were getting this leather from the animals and me just ask a fairly obvious is the animal alive or dead. The animals that when you begin working with the leather.

The skin of the animal. There's various cancers, goatskin and towels and stuff but what you're pulling the animals dead.

What do you think the Jewish people fall of people who were tanners because we know from Leviticus and other places that they weren't supposed to touch or be around dead animals. Now we have Peter, who was raised from his infancy as a Jewish young man and a Jewish nation nation and he's hanging around I got hangs out with dead animals God's beginning to soften his heart.

Now not only I probably ought to get a little more graphic.

Not only was he working with dead animals, but you probably don't understand.

I mean I would get too graphic, but you know there's like dead animals laying around in the hanging and this guy's house.

Anything that smelled a prominent smell really good as matter-of-factly tell us that you never had to really ask for directions to the tanners house. You can find it with your nose that I remember being in Chinatown in San Francisco. We were traveling around in ministry and it freaked me out that they had like chickens and stuff hanging from the ceiling that they would cut your lunch from and serve all weird to me but to have these dead animals serve the around the stage and then taking this because I know part of the way they process the scans was using dogma near. I know that's a pretty graphic picture, but here is Peter again raised from his infancy as a Jewish man to avoid dead animals and all things unclean and also he finds himself lodging staying with Simon at Tanner. They were looked upon so bad that in the Mishnah.

I ate Jewish commentary you a woman could divorce a man for simply being a tanner that how low will the corporate totem pole. You if you will. Tanner was. So we see Peter getting he's getting ready chapter 10 verse one there was a certain man into Syria called Cornelius the centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave generously to the people in the prayed to God always mentions him being a centurion what a centurion was is a man who was over a Roman soldier who was overseeing about 100 Roman soldiers himself to be a Roman soldier you have to be very disciplined and you have to be very submitted to authority that's interesting when you look to the New Testament. Now the book of acts later. There's an exception but centurions are seen in a good light. Roman soldiers and certainly we have the time when the Roman soldier the centurion came to Jesus and said I'd like for you to help my servant Jesus says okay you know where you live because you know what, I'm not worthy that you should come to my house to say the word will be. Jesus found no such faith like this in his room and it was a centurion that stood by the cross and said surely this was the son of God. So this is a centurion Cornelius was told a lot of stuff in verse two a devout man, one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always listless look at those four things. A devout man that means a a spiritual man, one who feared God, he respected God and noticed that geode be is singular, which was unique for Roman Romans, they believe in a lot of different gods and and understand that you note the Romans never killed Christians for believing in God. The persecution happened because they believed in God alone. They said there is one God – while they were persecuted and you know you look into the world that they followers of Jesus are being persecuted because her saying no, there really is only one God, then it says fear God with all his household. Cornelius obviously was leaving his family well is a difficult task if you know your father and hear her mother especially her single parent that that's a difficult thing the lead your household and one of things we want to do is is help people to do that. That's why one of the reasons that this morning as were in the book of acts and right now in children's ministries. Their learning the exact same passage. Why do we do that because we want families and households to be able to learn the word of God. And here's the cool thing you can come in here not knowing anything about the Bible you can sit through this Sunday morning service and then when you go to pick your child up you've already learned a lot of stuff about this chapter so you can come off to your child like a biblical genius some morning and so we want to help you guys to lead your household that says you gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always looking to discover Cornish is looking pretty good right now.

Any way you read this first one is a good guy is a good yet had he been forgiven of a sense no yet, acts 1114 oh tell us that in more detail, but we can see right here God's about to do something Cornelius good person looking after the poor looking actor's family pray in the God is unsafe. He has not been forgiven of CM to stop and ask yourself what does it take to be forgiven of your sent because a lot of us especially you grew up in the South. I grew up in the south the family been there like 280 years, but we grow up and were told well you do the best you can in God honors as long as you're good.

I'll wager back. Is that biblical absolutely no, absolutely not, then maybe sit here this morning.

Think pastor do people really think that while there may favor asking ask your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers how to get to heaven well first asking are you going to heaven in a most everybody around here so we only and in the next question is very telling body think that you get some interesting answers. I guarantee it. You get well because I'm basically a good person really you want to know what the Bible says about you, but you basically good as you're not. Romans 310, 323 is none righteous, no not one. All fall short of the glory of God or about the classic way things are going up because I go to church so you think you going to heaven because you go to church so going into the building actually makes your Christian. That's an amazing thing.

That's not the way that works were told later. Romans 1011 1013 how it is you get saved you asked God to forgive you your sins you believe that he died for you and you call for service ends. I'll give you that opportunity to do that sit here now wondering why I was one of those people.

I want those people thinking I got a big good enough to gain entrance and that friend you know for sure that your sins been forgiven. You can know right now own Legion. A short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things.

Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again.

Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick, not the righteous to congratulations bring you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make.

God bless you, if you prayed that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you visit, cross the bridge.com and click on God's plan for new life to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ.

God wants to bless you and encourage your relationships today. Whether you are married, considering marriage or engaged to be married. We have a resource for you pastor David wants to send you his four part video series allies stay friends. Allow God to minister to your marriage through his word today. This was an unforgettable weekend that encouraged many marriages and you and your spouse can be encouraged to allies stay friends is our thanks for your generous gift today to help more people here God's truth on this station and beyond, so they can cross the bridge from death to life. Please visit cross the bridge.com today to give a gift of any amount and get your copy of allies stay friends ODA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day to wake up with Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider daily reading plan and the thought to meditate on throughout your day. From the heart.

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Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse through the book of acts