Themes of the Bible: Church (Acts 2)

 

Themes of the Bible: Church (Acts 2)

Okay, so next week, for those of you that are doing the prereading for next week, we’ll be looking at the armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6.

Today we’ll be in Acts chapter 2, but before we dive in, I want us to go back about 600 years before the day of Pentecost, 600 years before the events of Acts 2 took place. You have the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel is speaking to the divided nation. If you remember back to the summer, we talked about how Israel had a civil war, they split, with the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Ezekiel is prophesying and he's speaking to both of these kingdoms, and he says these words that they didn't fully understand at the time, “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36:24-28). And then, into chapter 37 he says to these people who have had multiple kings and multiple kingdoms, there is coming a day there will be one king over all of you. There will be one nation, no longer divided and there will be a new covenant with God, the old covenant that you've had under Moses and all of these rules, all of that will be done away with and we will insert a new covenant. If you didn't realize this, that's exactly what is being fulfilled in the second chapter of Acts, the inauguration of God's new covenant with His people. The old covenant, the old nation of Israel is now done away with and the New Covenant of God's people is being instituted Pentecost, we call it the day that the church is born. It's what we trace our lineage, back to this day of Pentecost, but really what's happening is the reestablishment of God's people after they've been divided. Now they're coming together.

This is the new covenant that has been promised for all of these years, every page of the Old Testament was leading up to the inauguration of Jesus's kingdom that is now reaching fulfillment after his resurrection. You can divide this chapter into three sections. The first section is the miracle that takes place when the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles. The second is the amazing sermon that Peter drops on all of those people from the steps of the temple mount, when all the people gather around and they hear the speaking each in their own language. And then thirdly, the very end of the chapter, you see the beginning of what we call the church. It's like the initial early stages of what the church would be. Now, I'm not going to read every verse of this chapter to you. I'm assuming that some of you did your homework. However, I do want to focus and read together those first 12 verses.

If you got your Bibles, we're in Acts chapter 2, verses 1-12, [Read Acts 2:1-12]. They're blown away by what's happening here. This is a miraculous event. Yet, Luke gives a very precise explanation of what's happening here. We have a massive wind or at least the sound of a massive wind, and what appears to be a flame that looks like tongues of fire. And then the disciples start belting out all of this weird language all over the place. And it's important to note that it is abundantly clear in this passage that the apostles are not incoherently babbling. This is not some bizarre unknown language that nobody knows what they're saying, or just sounds like a bunch of gibberish. That is not what is taking place here. This is not a personal language that they are exhibiting or having with God, where nobody else knows what it is, but God knows what it is, and they know what it is. That’s not what’s happening here. Now you will meet people today in the church that will say when they speak in tongues, they are speaking in a personal language to God. And this is something that he understands. They may not fully understand, but he understands it. I am not going to judge someone else's spiritual experiences. And that’s a different conversation for another time, but whatever it is that is happening to those people in those charismatic churches, is not what is happening to these people here in Acts 2. That's what we know from scripture, and Acts chapter 2 is clear that these apostles are speaking foreign languages. These are actual languages that they did not fully understand, but the other people not only could understand them, but understood it as their native languages. It’s as if you have John stats speaking Spanish. And then you have James speaking French, and then you've have Bartholomew all of a sudden speaking Swahili. They've never been to this place before. They never studied these languages, but all of a sudden they are capable of speaking it fluently for the purposes of communicating the gospel message and truth of Jesus Christ.

You have all of these Jews from every nation on earth, exactly like Ezekiel prophesied and they have been brought to one place. They don't speak the same language as the apostles, at least not as a native heart language, but all of a sudden they're outside and they start hearing their language proclaiming the crucified savior, that Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and they're turning around thinking, ‘who's speaking our language? These are Galileans, how do they know our language?’ Then look at verses seven and eight. This is a miracle that's taking place and we shouldn't miss it. Verse seven, [Read Acts 2:7-8]. They are speaking actual foreign languages that these people understood.

Do you remember when Jesus he comes back from the dead and he's with the apostles for 50 days. And then he tells them ‘I have to go.’ What do you mean you got to go? You just came back. He can't be leaving again. And He says, ‘No, no, it's better for you that I go’ How could it be better than having God right beside us, Jesus answers, ‘it's better because you're going to have God living inside you. I'm going to send you someone.’ That's what he's promised, and that's what he is now delivering and delivering in a big way.

Now, quick point. Maybe this is just me, but whenever I see this stuff, I'm always looking for something from the Old Testament to tie it to. Did anybody read this about the disciples and their babbling and think of any event from the Old Testament? If you go back to Genesis chapter 11, after the flood. God has told the people to scatter over all the earth and fill it and make babies and all of that stuff. He's told them to go and do that, but the people disobey, and they all come together in one place to build a name for themselves and a tower to the heavens. It’s the Tower of Babel, and what happens there? What happens there is the polar opposite of Pentecost. What is the point that's being made here? The spirit of the world, the spirit of man that was present in Babel led to utter confusion and men being disobedient and being thwarted in their aims and their goals. But, what's happening here at Pentecost? The Holy Spirit is there, and where the Holy Spirit shows up there is order and there is structure and there is purpose. This is the miracle of the Holy Spirit, and the complete polar opposite of what man attempted in the Old Testament.

Let’s look at verses 13 through 15. Maybe this was your favorite part of the passage. [Read Acts 2:13-15]. I love that line. ‘It’s only nine in the morning. If it was three o'clock in the afternoon. Okay, I could totally understand what you mean, but it's only nine in the morning. We're not day drinkers. What's wrong with you?’ Now he's about to knock their socks off. Remember who these people are. These are holy people. These are godly people. These are rule followers that have come together in Jerusalem. They are moral people, and how do they know that they're good? How do they know that they're godly? Because they follow the old covenant. They're doing the things they're supposed to do. And they believe that by doing that, they are loving God. And is about to tell them is that none of that matters when it comes to your salvation. Salvation is not dependent upon all of these things that you used to do. The New Covenant is here and it has nothing to do with all of that old stuff that you used to do. It hinges completely on how you respond to what God has done in Jesus. That's it. And that's what you need to hear people who have gathered here in front of me, says Peter. Verses 21-22, [Read Acts 2:21-22]. In other words, if you claim to love God, you cannot claim to love God and deny what he has done with Jesus of Nazareth. If that's the point, you people who claim to love God, then you have to surrender your lives to Christ. He's asking the crowd to choose that day, whether they accepted what God has done through Christ, or reject what God has done through Christ.

These are the ways that Peter lays out that God has endorsed Jesus as the Messiah. Look at verse 22. [Read Acts 2:22]. He's saying, ‘you know that God chose Jesus as Messiah, because look at the miracles, the miracles that Jesus performed, are certification by God of Jesus's authority and his divinity.’ Do you remember when Jesus healed the paralytic, the dude that couldn't walk? They lower him through the roof right in front of Jesus, and the first thing Jesus says to him is, “Your sins are forgiven.” And it's at that point that all of the teachers of the law lose all control. They flip out and say, “who's this guy to think he can forgive sins?” Only God can forgive sins and Jesus, maybe rolling his eyes, responds, “Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven or pick up your mat and walk?” And then he says, “so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins, pick up your mat, and walk.” He’s saying that the whole point of the miracle was to prove he was divine, that he had the authority to forgive sins. That's what Peter is saying. You saw the miracles, you saw Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead or you heard about it and you heard it testified by people who did witness it. Jesus is doing these miracles and that is one way that God has clearly certified him and endorsed Him as the Messiah.

Secondly, God also planned and used his death. Look at verse 23. [Read Acts 2:23]. Do you know that one of the big hang ups people had with the idea of Jesus as the Messiah was the fact that he died. That's not what a messiah does. When I think of a conquering Messiah and I put myself in the place of those first century Jews, I'm thinking of a conquering Messiah, the last thing I think of is somebody who was hanging on a cross naked, humiliated, and being tortured to death by men. That's not the scene that I would think of, of a conquering Messiah. What kind of Messiah dies? Alright, that's exactly why when Jesus tells His disciples, ‘I have to die and then I'll be raised again.’ What do they say? ‘No, no, no, you got this all wrong, Jesus.’ Imagine the guts it takes to look at Jesus and say, ‘Dude, you don't understand. Let me explain this to you.’ That's basically what they say. ‘We’re not going to let that happen.’ And Jesus says, ‘you don't understand. If I don't do this, your salvation doesn't happen.’ But the disciples struggled to believe how God would let his Messiah die. Well, they're not the only ones. These people who are gathered here on Pentecost are wondering the same thing. It's why the disciples scattered after Jesus was dead. For those days that he was in the tomb, the Jesus movement was essentially over. They were scattered, they were confused. They didn't understand. They're sitting in the room waiting until the women come and tell them, ‘hey, the tomb is empty’ kind of just like Jesus said it was going to be. They didn't the idea of a dead Messiah or a suffering and dying Messiah. And Peter is saying, this was all part of the plan. This didn't take God by surprise. What I’ve said over and over in this series, it's annoyed you all year long, is that God is the master chess player. And man always thinks and Satan always thinks that he's five steps ahead and God is 10 miles ahead of where they are. Satan thinks he is winning, all these men that he's using to put Jesus to death. And God is so far ahead of them, that the very words that they are speaking as they killed him, and the very actions that they engage in, lifting vinegar up to him and casting lots for his clothes. What are those actions doing? Confirming exactly what was prophesied about the coming Messiah. God isn't linking arms with wicked men, but he is so far ahead of what wicked men are doing that he's prepared for their actions. And it’s all certifying Jesus as this Promised Messiah.

Peter keeps going. Look at what he says in the very next verse, [Read Acts 2:24]. So, men voted no to Jesus, but God voted yes. And guess who wins that? There's no question. The men condemned him, but God has endorsed him. Men killed him, but God has raised him. That's the point that Peter is making and then look at what he does in verses 25 through 32.

Look at what he says in verses 25 through 32. [Read Acts 2:25-32]. As faithful Jew, they are all big fans of King David. That Psalm, they have been reading and reciting their entire lives. They knew those words. And what is Peter doing? He's flipping the light switch on. Peter is taking a passage that they all knew and flipping the light on and it's dawning on them. “Wow! David was talking about Jesus!” This is exactly what that passage meant. They have been reciting these passages all their lives, but they've never understood it. And now they do. Peter is proving that Jesus is that holy one who would never see decay, and because of that, they will not be abandoned to the grave either. That's what's happening in this passage.

Then lastly, the last endorsement. This is what Peter says he Jesus has received from the Father of the promised Holy Spirit and is poured out what you now see and hear everything that brought you around me. Why did you come here? You came here because you heard some weird language being spoken and you didn't know what was going on. That's what's going on right here. What you are seeing is the final endorsement that God is giving of Jesus as Messiah.

Peter has built him up and now he sends it home in verse 36. Take a look at verse 36. [Read Acts 2:36]. That's it. That's what it all leads to right there. But then I get hung up on that, “whom you crucified.” I cannot help but read this passage and think how offensive those words must have been together Jews there. These are holy people. And you're saying I crucified Jesus? I want you to notice though that souls are at stake and Peter is not worried about giving offense. He is worried about speaking the truth. Now, when we speak the truth, it must be done in love. And when we speak the truth, we cannot shy away from speaking the truth that Jesus died, he was buried and he was resurrected on the third day and your sins, people of the world just like my sins, separate us from God and there has been one path to get to heaven, and it is the Crucified Savior. You and I can't shy away from that. Peter didn't. He flat out says, ‘you crucified him.’ If you reject what Jesus has done, and what God has done through Jesus, then you are rejecting God, and Peter is saying to this group of people that love to be holy, that it doesn't matter what you do and what you say, if you reject God's endorsed savior: Jesus. If you do that, then you are anti God. No matter what customs you keep, no matter what traditions you honor, either he is Lord or he is a blasphemer deserving death. You have to decide that right now. And that's what Peter is saying to this crowd. And it's what I think Peter is saying to us as well.

The question then isn't, did you physically kill this man at Calvary? That isn't the issue here. The issue and the question is, are you denying what God has done through Christ? That's the issue. Do you did you physically pierce his hands? No, you didn't do that. Did you physically crush that crown of thorns down on his scalp? No, you didn't do that. Did you thrust the spear through his side on the cross? No, you didn't do that. But do you this day stand with God's affirmation of Christ as Savior and Lord, or do you stand against God's work through Jesus Christ? That's the choice.

That's what cuts them to their hearts. Look at what verse 37 says, [Read Acts 2:37]. Don't miss this. Because for 50 days, Jesus has trained his apostles for this moment. When this moment comes, and you tell them all of this and they're ready to join the New Covenant, when they want to be a follower of Jesus. Look at what he says. Verse 38, [Read Acts 2:38-41]. 3000 join the church! So, you got about 120 who were there before who are already followers, and now you tack on 3000 newbies on to this early body and what you see is the disciples implementing Jesus's plan, Jesus's plan that he had trained them to answer the question that all believers ask; how are we going to impact the world for the kingdom of God? For them, it was the birth of the local church. Acts 2, verses 42 through 47, [Read Acts 2:42-47].

This is the honeymoon period for the church. The church has just been born. It is brand new, you have 3000 new believers who are fired up about being followers of Jesus. This is the honeymoon period, and they are doing things here in these verses that are not going to continue. For instance, they're meeting daily. Well, soon the early church will settle into the pattern that we now, where we meet on the first day of the week. Okay, they gather together, okay, they're meeting daily. They're sharing everything. Well, pretty soon that church is going to separate, it's going to be in all these different locations and they'll care for one another, but not all Christians were living in a commune together. The ones that would continue that became Monastic Orders. So, this was the early stages, the honeymoon period, and they're relying totally on the apostles because they were all these baby Christians. Eventually you're going to see church discipline, you're going to see the elders and the deacons that will lead local congregations. That's what the whole New Testament is about, God implementing his church.

That's what it's all about. So, this right here is the honeymoon period in that things are happening that do not always continue to happen as we go forward. Kind of like the honeymoon. If you get what I'm saying, right, there are things that occurred that is not necessarily the pattern for the church to still follow today. When Christiana and I first got married, we went on vacation, got to spend a week figuring things out as a newly married couple. We ate out every meal, did little hikes, went to the movies, explored an area away from home. But when that trip was over, our daily lives look very different than what they looked like during our honeymoon. It’s the same thing with the early church. But the foundation is there that we still cling to. You saw it right there in those verses. The apostles teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, communion, remembering Christ's sacrifice, devoting time to pray for each other. That's what they're doing. And that right there is the model that we replicate moving forward as we move as a church towards maturity. This was God's design.

Some of you in this body have gifts, and you have desires. You have a passion to serve in certain areas, and you can do it here, in this church. That is God's design. And how He’s says you're going to change the world. Use your gifts to build up and minister within the local church. Do you remember Mark chapter 3? Jesus is teaching. He's in the middle of teaching his followers and somebody pops into the room and says, ‘Hey, Jesus, your mother and brothers are outside.’ They're talking about Mary and His half-brothers. And you know what Jesus says to them? He kind of turns and nods and says, ‘Here, my followers, these people are my mother and brothers.’ So, if you want to follow that example, it's the family of God that we’re to treat like our very own family. Jesus understood it. He knew that we needed it and He knew that the world needed us in the church to be His messengers to the world.

Let’s pray.