Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Acts: Enlarging Our Vision
The Church: It's All About Jesus Part 2 08/10/08
Sermon Series: Acts: Enlarging Our Vision
Message: ‘ The Church: It’s all about Jesus’ pt.2
Text: Acts 2:14-40
I. Acts 2:14-21 Peter explains the Pentecost event
II. Acts 2:22-24 The introduction to Peter’s sermon
Introduction: A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom. Attached to it was the arm of a little girl. Leaping out of her chair she shouted out excitedly "I know, I know!" "Good" said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus first words." And Extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA!" (Ken Kersten)
Funny…but not really when you consider that the average person outside the church doesn’t believe Jesus’ resurrection ever really happened…at best, they think it was some elaborate trick.
Yet, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is crucial to the Christian faith…essential.
In fact without Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, there is no Christianity and no hope for life after death. Let’s make that practical.
ILL: Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit. He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I’m going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. It’s just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live." Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the tour, had said to him. "Zinger, we’re not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying. We’re in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living." Golfer Paul Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour. He’s done pretty well. But that bout with cancer deepened his perspective. He wrote, "I’ve made a lot of money since I’ve been on the tour, and I’ve won a lot of tournaments, but that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don’t have problems, but I feel like I’ve found the answer to the six-foot hole." (Robert Russell)
Here is a man who understands the importance of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and how it affects his life... now and in his future. Peter also understood and made it the key point in his first sermon.
Transition: Open your Bibles to Acts 2:25 (pg. 831 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) It is there we will continue to see that the church is all about Jesus.
III. Acts 2:25-36 Peter develops his sermon
Read: Acts 2:25-36
In the first part of his sermon, Peter introduced the idea that although the disbelieving Jews put Jesus to death, God raised Him from the dead. In fact, Peter claimed that it was impossible for death to keep a hold on Jesus.
To explain, Peter, once again, uses Scripture. He goes not to an obscure text, but to the Psalms and to King David, Israel’s greatest and most beloved king. You can be certain that Peter had their attention.
In Peter’s quote of Psalm 16, David speaks about the inheritance which God had promised him. The blessings David looked forward to were mostly heavenly ones, as I understand the words of the text. Take note of verse 11 in Ps. 16.
Read: Psalm 16:11 ‘You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’
· What was the basis of David’s confidence in these future heavenly blessings?
From Peter’s quote of Psalm 16 we find that David is saying ‘I know that I will die, but my future rests in God’s Holy One, who cannot be held by death or the grave.”
Read: Acts 2:27 ‘because you will not abandon me (David) to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One (Jesus) see decay.’
I know David and Jesus are not in the text, but when you connect the OT and the NT you get the big picture of what David is saying…of where he places his hope of life after death.
Because Jesus bore our sin without becoming a sinner, he remained the Holy One. And David said the Holy One could not be confined to the grave. So, David believed his resurrection form the dead was just as inevitable and certain as God’s Holy One…Jesus.
Peter also knew that to be true because he and over 500 others saw Jesus after he rose from the dead.
OK, let’s show the connection between the OT and the NT. In Psalm 16:11 David said ‘You have made known to me the path (way) of life;’
In John 14:6 Jesus said ‘I am the way (path) and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
Do you see it?
· Jesus was the way of life for David,
· Jesus was the way of life for the disciples,
· Jesus was the way of life for those in the crowd listening to Peter’s first sermon,
· And Jesus is the way of life for all of you here this morning listening to this sermon.
One more OT/NT connection.
David said ‘You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’
Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 wrote ‘For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?’
Peter’s desire, was that the people in the crowd that day would know the joy King David had…certainty in life after death…the same joy Paul wanted his readers to know and the joy I want you to experience.
· Joy, true joy comes only when we live in the presence of Jesus Christ….now and for all eternity.
· And with Paul I would ask…Is it not you?
Peter told the crowd…you were wrong about Jesus, You killed him as if he was a criminal, you rejected his claim to be God’s Son, your Messiah, but by his resurrection, God proved he is both Messiah and Lord.
And Peter told the crowd that day, God will judge all of Jesus’ enemies. Who are the enemies of Jesus? All those who reject him as Messiah and do not believe he is God’s Son.
Transition: The people in the crowd that day were listening intently to Peter’s first sermon and knew Peter was speaking about them. How did they respond?
IV. Acts 2:37 The people respond to Peter’s sermon
Read: Acts 2:37
It’s amazing to see the power of the Holy Spirit at work here. Peter did not give an invitation.
· He didn’t tell the people to come forward during the singing of the last hymn,
· He did tell them to close their eyes and bow their heads and if they want to ask Jesus into their hearts, to just raise their hands.
· Peter just spoke God’s truth, in love, and the Holy Spirit touched their hearts in a powerful way.
Notice that the phenomena of tongues produced nothing like this in the hearts of the crowd. The power of salvation lies in God’s Word. Remember ‘Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God.’
Being ‘cut to the heart’ was a demonstration of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. They now knew that they were guilty of sin and facing God’s judgment and that they had to so something about it if they wanted things to be different between them and God…So they asked Peter and the other disciples ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’
Transition: How’s your heart? Is it beating a little faster? Is the Holy Spirit touching your heart? Peter tells the crowd and each of us today, what we need to do to get right with God. His answer is short… but profound.
V. Acts 2:38-40 Peter gives an invitation
Read: Acts 2:38-40
Peter must have been very pleasantly surprised by the response of the crowd. He probably thought that they would try to have him crucified…but instead they want to get right with God….wow! Only the Holy Spirit would do that.
Peter’s response to the crowd has been the cause of division in many churches…especially those who believe in baptismal regeneration….that baptism actually is necessary for salvation.
Let me try to explain this passage in a way that is faithful to laws of biblical interpretation.
Repent
First, we are told to repent for the forgiveness of our sins. The crowd asked Peter what they needed to do and he gave them something to do.
We must do something to be saved. It’s here in the text. Getting saved from God’s judgment, becoming a Christian doesn’t just happen…we have to do something. We have to repent.
· To repent does not just mean to feel sorry about your sin, it means to change your mind or direction.
· The people in the crowd thought a certain way about Jesus…they didn’t believe him…and they were walking in a direction that is in opposition to what’s found in God’s Word. To repent means they must think differently about him…they must believe him and then change directions, walk in a way that is in agreement with God’s Word.
ILL: A married state official was accused of misusing his position to secure a job for his girlfriend. When evidence against him mounted, the politician issued the following statement. ‘It’s possible that I sent a wrong signal. If I did and I made a mistake, then I’m sorry.’ That’s not true repentance.
Repentance involves three C’s
· Confession: Admitting that you did something wrong…that you sinned.
· Contrition: Feeling sorry and guilty for your sin.
· Change: Stopping what you did that was wrong/sinful.
It’s unfortunate that repent can be such a harsh word in the mouths of insensitive preachers. But it is an essential part of the Gospel…the Good News.
· It’s actually a word of hope, of grace, showing that God allows us to repent, that he doesn’t just give up on us.
· It says you don’t have to be God’s enemy and separated form his love and facing his judgment, you can turn to God and find forgiveness, acceptance and love.
· Think about that for a moment.
Be Baptized
Second we are told to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.
· Baptism in Peter’s day made a very clear statement. Jews were rarely baptized, only Gentiles who wanted to become Jewish. For these Jewish men and women to be baptized would show just how serious they were about their faith in Jesus.
· Baptism is the opportunity to stand up and be counted as a Christian…as being associated with Jesus…not just a general , non-descript, inoffensive belief in ‘God.’
I want you to know that Peter isn’t saying that baptism will forgive your sins or save you.
· Note, Peter first mentions repentance...then baptism.
· Repentance…then obedience…that’s the point. We turn to God, then turn away from the bad things in our lives and the way we do that is by being obedient to God’s Word…and our first act of obedience is baptism.
· Notice Peter said ‘repent and be baptized, everyone of you.’ Remember, even Jesus was baptized.
· So…have you been baptized?
Conclusion
In closing, I want you to remember Acts 2:21 ‘everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’
In the quietness of this moment, in this very place, Peter’s offer is still on the table.
· Forgiveness of your sin
· Reconciliation with God
· Life transforming presence and power of the Holy Spirit
God’s day of judgment is coming. You can turn from indifference, self-assurance and unbelief and embrace God’s precious gift of salvation by repenting of your sin and placing your trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sin and eternal life in heaven.
Make coming to church more than just the fellowship, food, singing…even the guilt/duty….make your life and coming to church, all about Jesus.