Sunday Sermon
sunday morning 22nd Feb 09
Acts 4v32-37
In this section we have another summary statement of what the church was like in those early days. Already we have seen Acts 2v42-47. We have seen how the people were a devoted people, loving the teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer.
Here we are given another insight into how things were.
That there are two record of how things were shows that we need to sit up and take note!
Unity, Service and Mission!
1. First of all we see the believers were united: v32a.
V32 All the believers were one in heart and mind.
This speaks of the unity that was around in those days.
There was a deep unity – heart and mind/soul. Their whole selves.
Note the context: this is following persecution! A common enemy unites.
But better still the Gospel unites. They were united because of Jesus.
They were united in Him as His body, through their belief in him!
That is the point! It was all the “believers” who were united!
Jesus Christ was the great unifying factor.
App:
Simple and obvious. The only way to unite is to all together focus on Christ.
An orchestra get in tune to one note. The church likewise gets in tune to Jesus.
Yet how important this is. Time and again we are told to be united in the NT e.g. eph4v3
Thus whenever there is disunity there is a big problem!
The solution is repenting and turning again to Jesus – there is no other way.
2. Second we see their united in service and sharing : v32b, (34-37).
V32b No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
V34-35 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need
V36-37 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.
This seems like the natural consequence of their belief in Jesus.
There is no talk of having to share, or the apostles teaching it!
Simply they were following in their masters footsteps.
They took seriously the fact that not only were they owned by Jesus – bought at the price of His blood, but that all they had was now at His disposal.
Belief in the Gospel was no paper exercise, rather it was life transforming!
Further it was community transforming: “there were no needy persons among them”!
What an astonishing group this must have been to be apart of!
They believed in Jesus thus they were united: they believed in Jesus thus they were transformed and transforming!
App:
Does our belief in Jesus transform us?
Does it transform us? More specifically does He transform your wallet?
If belief in Jesus makes no practical difference to how you live then you don’t believe in Jesus!
3. Thirdly we see they were united in mission v33:
V33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
They witness, testified.
The resurrection was the message.
To witness and testify they relied on God – Much grace.
Testified: simply they got on with telling the message of what God had done!
They were the witnesses, they had seen what had happened, and they spoke up!
Grace: Gods favour, blessing was on them. How they needed Gods help and how God supplied their every need. Not just enough to get by but “much/great grace”! – mega grace.
How could they proclaim the truth, believe in Jesus, share with those in need, but by grace!
This verse points out that the group were still a missionary organisation! They did not stop at 5000 men and think about keeping the structures going. Evangelism was at the heart of their work! Every chapter of Acts apart from 27 says something about evangelism!
App:
Our survival depends upon Gods mega grace! We need his favor. Nothing else will do.
And we need to testify!
But it is only as we act that we will receive the grace we need!
Grace comes at the point of need, not before! More grace comes the more we need!
God will never leave us to do his work without his power.
The early church had loads of grace because they needed loads of grace and as we work and witness we too can expect Gods Mega-grace!
sunday evening 22nd Feb 09
Rom 8v26-27
Last week we saw something of the battle that the believer is involved in as she struggles through this life. As we wait on the glories of heaven, we wait longingly, with groaning and persevering hope. It’s hard work at times, like giving birth, but the sure and certain hope is the new life at the end. We have the first-fruits of the Spirit thus the rest will follow.
This groaning and working out of our salvation can seem a lonely helpless business!
But as we see this week there is God at work for is in and through it all.
1) as we wait the Spirit helps us wait.
V26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
“Spirit helps” points to the two sided effort that is going on (see Mary and Martha LK10v40)
How does He help?
“Intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”: stands in on our behalf, speaks to the Father for us.
Why does he Help?
Because of our “Weakness”: literally incapacity
We are fallen, helpless, physically dying, struggling all the time!
Especially in prayer; we don’t know the proper way to pray and often we don’t know what to ask for!
But the Spirit does!
APP: what then is our role?
a) to walk humbly before our God
he is working all the time for our salvation, remembering our weakness and interceding for us
b) not called to let go and let God
Spirit “helps” does not mean the Spirit does it all!
c) be assured of salvation even in our weakness
there the Spirit works! Not just in times of great blessing and revival!
2) the Fathers helps us as we wait!: v27
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
Paul then moves to turn the emphasis away from the Spirit to God the Father for a moment.
“he who searches our hearts” – a typical Jewish expression for God.
The Father is the one who looks at the heart! He “searches” our heart.
That is He examines, give a thorough investigation!
But for the believer this is not to be thought of in a terrifying way, rather God searches us out to bring us what we need, to comfort etc.
We seek to be those who are honest before God, and who do not try to hid ourselves!
The Father is also the One who knows the mind of the Spirit, because of the previous communication that he gone on.
The Spirit has been groaning for us, interceding for us, all in accordance with God’s will.
So as the Father searches our hearts he is applying the prayer of the Spirit for us to our hearts!
App:
The Spirit intercedes for us, and God listens to the Spirit.
The Father listens to the Spirit as He prays for us and His prayer is always in accord with the Fathers will.
We can take great comfort from this truth.
The salvation that has been given to us does not stop at the point we believe.
There is a whole life to live, and as we live that life God is working out His will for us!
Look at yourself as a work in progress – God is working on you even now!
The Father is searing us out, and the Spirit is praying for us!
3) the outcome of all this work of God for us? V28.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
This great promise!
How can it be that everything works together for the good of those who love God?
Because of all that we have just seen.
All things work for our good because God is working for our good.
We are weak, we can’t pray at times, - even then God works for our good.
He never give up on us.
Perhaps the most terrible experience to go through as followers is when we cannot pray.
When we feel totally helpless, totally alone, in a state of unconscious consciousness.
There, right there, God prays for us.
App:
The human / divine balance always needs to be remembered in all of this.
On our side we are called to love God.
To work out our salvation, longing, groaning and patiently persevering.
On the other side God is at work – he has called us according to his purpose.
He is in control, working in us according to His plan.
But this should inspire us to greater effort. God is working in us, let us work too!
We have nothing to lose! Yes we are weak, but the Spirit helps and through the Spirit the Farther works!
