When we come together what is the purpose of meetings?
How often should we meet?
It is vital to come together as a church body. The Hebrew writer made clear the importance of meeting in chapter 10 starting in verse 23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” As followers of Christ, our life is to be distinctively different from that of those around us. We should still do life together with those around us and not treat them as aliens and outsiders; however, there ought to be a distinction in our character and conduct. In Acts 2 Peter’s central message to the Jews is found in verse 40 when he urged them to “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Peter by the power of the Holy Spirit was calling for a division of society. He was calling on people to repent of their sinful ways, be baptized, and live for Christ.
The actions of the people after peter had finished speaking give us a glimpse, I believe into the inward working of the church. I would submit to you that their actions recorded in verses 42 through the close of the chapter are indicative of the purpose, direction, timing, and frequency of our gatherings. From this passage we learn that the early church was continually devoted to
1.) The apostles teachings,
2.) Fellowship,
3.) Collective and private worship and praise.
Resulting from this rich unity the first Christians were filled with awe and amazement, generously met the needs of others, and grew as a family in wisdom favor and number. God blessed their gatherings richly.
What does that look like in the church today?
How can we share the same Christian love and bond?
Is it possible to “do life together” and continue in one mind?
I believe it is but only if we are willing to submit to Gods leadership, strive for humility, and seek God.
I'm not promising that my sermon will be the best ever instead I want to talk about the best sermon ever preached. The sermon that had the largest single response in church history.
I have read that the number one fear that people have is the fear of speaking in public. It ranks ahead of the fear of death! The fear of speaking in public would increase if a person knew that he would be speaking to a hostile audience. Add to that the fact that the audience is not just a small group, but at least five to ten thou- sand hostile people and you must address them without a public address system! To make matters worse, you have made a fool out of yourself just weeks before in such a manner that many in your audience would have heard about it. And, you have no time to prepare your message. The opportunity presents itself and you’re on—without any notes!
Such was the situation facing Peter on the Day of Pentecost. The sound of the rushing wind from heaven had drawn a large crowd, which then heard all the believers speaking of the great deeds of God in the many different native languages of the crowd. This perplexed them as they asked, “What does this mean?” (2:12). But others in the crowd were mocking and accusing the believers of being drunk. It was to this Jewish crowd in the city of Jerusalem, where Jesus had been killed just over seven weeks ago, that Peter delivered the sermon that launched the church. In terms of results—about 3,000 got saved that day—it was one of the greatest sermons ever preached.
Luke here only gives us the gist of that great sermon (2:40). But even so, there is far more here than I can deal with in the time allotted to me. Thus I plan to give an overview of the whole sermon today and then go back in future weeks and look more in depth at certain parts of it. I want to walk you through this sermon, explaining the flow of thought so that you grasp Peter’s method and argument. Even though you may never be called on to preach to a crowd, you will have opportunities to bear witness for Christ. Studying Peter’s sermon can help you be ready.
First Peter begins (2:14-21) with the questions that the crowd was asking about the phenomena of Pentecost, linking what they saw and heard to the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32. He then (2:22-36) rather abruptly shifts to the person of Jesus, arguing as his bottom line that God authenticated Jesus as Lord and Christ, “this Jesus whom you crucified” (2:36).
But he builds his argument inductively (a good method with hostile audiences), building his case point by point, but not giving the main point until last. When his audience responds with conviction of sin, asking, “What shall we do?” Peter tells them to repent and be baptized, and 3,000 did so.
Let’s work through his sermon in more detail:
1.Peter Relates to The People.
Peter was relatable and didn’t have his nose stuck in a book.
Peter goes on to make three points about Joel’s prophecy.
a.In the last days…
This phrase refers to the present era between the resurrection of Christ and His return. Peter was led by the Spirit to announce that this was the day when God would pour out his Spirit to all people. An announcement like this would have completely shocked all those who heard it; because, there understanding of God was that His spirit was only given to an elect group of people. Up until now God’s Spirit was reserved and mankind was separated from the presence of God because of their sins. Joel prophesied that one day, after the resurrection of Christ, that God would pour out his spirit and it would no longer be reserved.
b.Judgment will come…
c.Salvation is offered to everyone who asks…
2.Peter pointed to God’s Authentication Of Jesus.
By this time everyone within an earshot of Jerusalem knew of the High profile trial and crucifixion of Jesus. Many had heard the official announcements that His followers had stolen His body in order to make everyone think that Jesus kept his word and truly was raised from the dead.
Peter insisted that that Jesus had indeed been raised from the dead supernaturally and not by any work of their own. They had dismissed the resurrection themselves. He gave them four proofs that Jesus was the Son of God:
1.God proved Jesus to be divine by miracles and wonders
2.God proved Jesus to be the Messiah by His death.
3.God proved Jesus to be the Messiah by his resurrection.
4.God proved Jesus to be the Messiah by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
3.Peter offers a chance for response.
In evangelism we must deal with sin! Sin is the reason Jesus came. He came to redeem us from sin our former master. Sin is what separates us from the love of God and heaven. Much of modern evangelism deals with God’s mercy but never addresses the Sin problem in the life of a person.
Those who argue that you must be baptized to be saved use this verse as their proof text. But they ignore both the context of this verse and the overwhelming testimony of Scripture, that salvation is by grace through faith, and that good works (such as baptism) are the result of salvation (Eph. 2:8-10). Granted, the notion of an unbaptized believer was foreign to the apostles, since it was assumed that saving faith would result in prompt obedience to Jesus Christ. But, in the next chapter (3:19), Peter calls his audience to repent “so that your sins may be wiped away,” but he never mentions baptism. When Peter called upon these people to be baptized, he was calling them to make a radical break with their culture and religion that had crucified the Messiah, and to be publicly identified with Jesus Christ. This outward symbol would prove the reality of their inward repentance and faith, and the fact that God had forgiven their sins.
Since God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ who will judge the world, sinners must repent.
The Holy Spirit has been and will be the strongest dividing force throughout
history?
Think about it…
We tend to think of the moving of God as
unifying and exciting. In many protestant circles the moving of the Spirit is sensationalized
and becomes the focus of the Christian’s life and service. Not all emotion is
wrong, nor unmerited. When God moves on the heart of sinful man it is an emotional
experience. To encounter the glory of God is indeed a experience not to be
taken for granted. It should be humbling, exciting and emotional when we come
to the realization that we as sinful people have the honor to speak and experience
the working of a holy God.
With that said when the Holy Spirit is at
work there is also a great deal of division that occurs. Consider the words of
Jesus in Matthew 10:34 “Think not that I come to bring peace: I come not to
bring peace but a sword.” Look also to Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” As I have
studied scripture I’ve noticed one important thing. When God takes time to
repeat Himself is typically means the subject is important. In both passages of
Scripture a sword is mentioned. Now as we look at the book of acts we see
groups of people who were divided. People struggled greatly with either the
words/ teachings of Jesus and the works/ministry of Jesus. The Holy Spirit
comes to convict the world of sin and in light of that divides all humanity
into one of two groups.
1.Those who are amazed and
perplexed and the things of God
2.Those who are mockers and skeptics.
In the second
chapter of Acts we see perhaps the greatest physical demonstration of the power
of the Holy Spirit of God; resulting in a deeper division of society than ever
before. On that day three thousand people accepted the Lord as their Savior,
while who knows how many turned away and hardened their heart even more to the
message of hope. The truth of the matter is that the Christian life is
exclusive in the sense that Jesus is the only way to heaven. The Holy Spirit is
searching the earth to find those who will be faithful to God and those who
have already rejected Him in their hearts.
The Holy
Spirit, which is the very spirit of God, is preparing every man woman and child
for that final judgment when he will divide the wicked from the redeemed. John
the Baptist warned the Jews of this coming judgment in Matthew chapter 3, “As for me, I
baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is
mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire.“His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His
threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn
up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” The obvious question before us is on which
side will we fall? On whose side will we stand? When God moves are we amazed and
perplexed or skeptical and mocking? When that Day of Judgment comes will we be
found with the righteous or with those who are wanting?
Living
a life with Jesus is much like riding a roller coaster. It can be terrifying, exciting,
and suspenseful. There are many unexpected twists and turns and bumps along the
way; It is a fun ride nonetheless. Just like a roller coaster it is a ride that
is not for everyone. While it is available for anyone to ride not everyone will
choose it. Some will turn away intimidated by it, others will decide it’s not
worth it and could think of a “better” way to spend their time.
A few
years back, my wife and I went to one of the oldest and largest amusement parks
on the east coast, Kings Dominion in Virginia. While we were riding on the Ferris
wheel I asked my wife to join me on this seemingly innocent looking wooden
roller coaster. It looked much smaller and quieter when we were 100ft off the
ground. She hesitantly agreed and we waited in line and paid little attention
to the instructions given. We strapped in our seats and once it took off we realized
we still had our glasses on and we were not sitting properly. We were tossed to
and fro, jerky from side to side, screaming at the top of our lungs, and
holding ever dear to each other and our glasses.
A
roller coaster is a very powerful machine, and in order to have an enjoyable experience
it is vital to listen closely to the instructions. When preparing to ride a
roller coaster you have to do a great deal of waiting, and waiting, and more
waiting. It is not prudent to attempt to cut in line and cut your waiting time.
Chances are that such a stunt could land you with more of a wait time. Despite the
discomfort of waiting; it is the wait that makes the ride all the more
enjoyable.
Throughout
the ministry of Christ, the disciples went through an eventful, emotional, and
rewarding ride with Jesus. By the time Jesus ascended into heaven, His
followers were ready to take on the world and jump head first into the work
they had been given; however, Jesus had some final instructions to give them.
He did
not want them to blindly jump into action. Rather he wanted them to be fully
equipped for the work He had called them to. In the first 11 verses of Acts we
see several key points regarding the life of Jesus and the way in which we
ought to conduct our lives to live in accordance with His life and teachings.
Jesus life was empowered by the
Holy Spirit of God. Through His works He gave us the example of the model life.
Through His Teachings He gave us the perfect theology. In all these things he
set the example for us and showed us the way of life.
1.Believers
must accept BOTH the works and words of Jesus vv.1
Luke wrote of all the things which Jesus began to do and
teach.
It is
important for believers to surrender their life to the words and works of
Jesus. It is not enough to accept the goodness of the life of the man Jesus. We
must fully embrace both his actions and His teachings and apply them to our
lives. John Calvin calls this the “Holy Knot.” You must take His words and His
works and bind them to your own life.
Jesus
was more than just a good teacher He was divine. Only God has the power to
forgive sins, and to raise himself from the dead and to cause himself to ascend
into heaven!
a.By the Spirit His Birth was announced
b.By the Spirit He was conceived
c.By the Spirit He was preserved from danger
d.By the Spirit He grew in understanding and favor
e.By the Spirit He lived
f.By the Spirit He taught and led many to follow
Him
g.By the Spirit He performed many signs and
wonders
h.By the Spirit He rose again
i.By the Spirit He bore all our sins and
punishment
j.By the Spirit He lives in and with all of us
k.By the Spirit His work carries on.
2.His
Ministry was confirmed by many convincing proofs
The ministry of Jesus and his resurrection were
confirmed and verified by a number of convincing proofs. These are the things
that confirmed that he truly did raise from the dead with a glorified body:
a.He
ate real food
i.No ghost or phantom can do such a thing
b.He
ran and walked Luke 24
c.He
preached
d.Walked
through walls
e.Omnipresence
The question then
for us who remain is: does our life bear out these convincing proofs of the resurrected
Christ? Our lives ought to bear out the convincing proof that God has resurrected
our life. Yet statistics tell us that for many there is not significant
lifestyle change among a number of Christians and non-Christians. Take for
example the divorce rate: Nationally 50% of all marriages end in divorce that
number is the same in and out of the church. In Josh McDowell’s book “The Last
Christian Generation” he references a survey of a number of teens and young
adults and found that there is less than a 3% difference between the behavior
of Christian and Non-Christians.
For many churches
and Christians there is an extreme shortage of fruit production. We live in a
society which caters to the comforts and whims of selfish people. Largely
speaking it seems that society is unwilling to be challenged or to be asked the
hard questions. Responsibility and morality are traits that are hard to find.
Take for example that most young adults put of leaving the nest till they are
well into their 30’s. In the United States the adolescence extends on till the
age of 27. It is a crime and a shame when parents don’t teach their children to
be self-sufficient. It’s even worse when we live lives so contrary to scripture
that there is little difference between our lives and that of those outside the
church.
3.He Commanded Them to wait
a.Jesus lived a life empowered by the Holy Spirit. He
waited on God’s timing and was always about His father’s business. He never deviated
from the plan or the timing.
b.He
commanded His followers to wait on the same empowerment
God has a plan for our life. There is a mission set before
each of us; however, in our haste we can jump out ahead of God and miss the fullness
of the mission. Sometimes, allot of times for me, God tells us to slow down and
wait for Him. I'm speaking of the power of the Holy
Spirit. The word used in verse 8 for power is the same word from which we get
the word dynamite. In fact, the man who discovered dynamite went to a friend of
his, a Greek NT scholar and asked him for the most powerful word he could think
of and he gave him the Greek word "dynamos." Basically what Jesus is
saying, if you will wait on my timing and yield yourself to my Spirit you will
be like dynamite in this world and no force on earth will be able to stop the
message you carry.
The disciples were eager to conquer
the world. Before Jesus sent them to conquer the world He wanted to conquer
their hearts. God has a purpose for us and will empower us to carry it out. The
question is, are we willing to wait on the Spirit to direct us? Just like we
could decide to jump on the a roller coaster track and run solo without the safety
of the vehicle, we can decide to attempt to do what God has called us to do
without waiting on His timing. We may walk the length of the track but we would
not be able to enjoy the fullness of it.
Sometimes the waiting is the
hardest part. Sometimes waiting on God is painful. While we are waiting God
will shape us into the people, the followers He desires for us to be. It is in
those waiting moments that our character is defined. If we will worship God in
our waiting and trust Him for the outcome we will overcome.
Once God tells us to move let’s not
be idle, let’s move ahead bold a confident.
I want to challenge you to write
down at this moment what you believe God is asking you to do today…..
Write it out and spend time praying
about how you should respond.
After you wrote it down spend time listening to this
song and as God how you ought to respond.
For some of us God is telling us to
wait on Him and watch Him act.
Others of us God is calling us to
move ahead with confidence.
There
are undeniable seasons in our life where we feel distant from the
presence and heart of our Savior and God. Yet just as undeniable as
those times, there are seasons in which we know we are walking
closely to his side. The prophet Isiah urges us all to "Seek
the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near."
Why is it that despite knowing that God is close to us at all times
we feel so distant and alone? How can it be that there are seasons in
our christian life that we cannot see God's mercy and companionship
displayed before us?
Could
it be that there are things present in our lives which prevent us
from recognizing the moving of God in our lives? Not unlike the two
disciples in our text, there is a certain undeniable force which
prevents us from recognizing the savior when he is right before our
very eyes. Let us journey together through this story and ponder how
these men could not recognize Jesus, and also think upon the manner
of life their lived when they could not find their master.
Notice
first that the two disciples were saddened. Perhaps through
sorrow over the unexpected departure of their master their eyes were
filled with sorrow. It is a known fact that when people are
experiencing heighten levels of grief that they are not able to think
or see things as clearly. Their inability to recognize Jesus was
certainly not solely the cause of sorrow, for we are told they are
prevented from seeing. This would indicate that God in His sovereign
wisdom did not wish for them to recognize Christ. Their grief
certainly aided their inability to look upon the face of their
savior.
This
is true as well for so many of us. There are seasons in our life that
are so painful they don't make sense. In that pain we often begin to
ask why. We seek for a answer we wonder where is our savior in the
midst of our pain. in the same way these disciples were grieving and
asking where their savior had gone and He was there in their midst
the whole time asking them the same question. In the midst of your
pain see that your messiah is beside you even if you cannnot see
Him
Also
we cannot help but see that they were wrestling with
unbelief. Unbelief blinds us to the work and presence of our
savior. Much like us in our our of grief, these men were not looking
for the savior. they had given up hope that they would be rescued.
They did not ask might this be the messiah. They were not searching
for Him. Rather they were making plans for their life now. They
dismissed the stories of his Resurrection as idle talk and fables.
They were moved by his teachings but blinded to his healing and
presence.
We
often times can fall into the same pit. We go through a season where
we walk with God daily, spend time extended time in prayer and
fellowship with others. These seasons are much like climbing a
mountain, exciting, challenging, and rewarding. However, once we
reach the valley and we no longer see our guide we crash and no
longer continue to grow in our walk with God we neglect our time with
the savior and no longer search him out.
As
a result the manner of our life is one of sadness. When we
do not spend time in the presence of our savior we will be saddened.
Jesus is the joy in our life. He has filled us with such great a
hope. Through him we live and move and breath and have our being. It
is though his name we have life and have it abundantly. Likewise,
when believers live life absent from his presence they will be
downcast and miserable!
Spurgeons wrote:
I can understand the child of God saying "i am out of fellowship
with Christ," but I cannot understand his saying that calmly and
deliberately, without tears and repentance. I can comprehend that the
heir of heaven may walk in darkness and see no light; but I cannot
understand how he can be at home in darkness." If you set a bird
of the day flying at night it would flutter and be uneasy. If you
take a candle to a place where birds are nesting they will be uneasy.
The only bird comfortable and at home in the darkness is the owl. If
any of us are at home in the darkness and content without the light
of our master we are creatures of the night. I pray we are sad if we
don't sense our savior near. If we are not grieved when we feel
the absence of the Holy Spirit we were never children of the day.
In
the same way those who are out of fellowship with each other will be
downcast. So let us cast off ever ounce f unbelief and embrace
Christ. If your in seasons of grief know that God is ever near. He is
in your midst. Let us then live as children of the light and remove
all darkness from our lives lest we be devoured by predators in the
dark. You were made to live by the day therefore do not live as tho
you were a creature of darkness.
