Sunday Sermon
sunday 25th Jan 2009
Acts 2v14-41
Last week we saw that the Spirit was sent out to the church.
Jesus had ascended to heaven and had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit.
So they waited, obediently, prayerfully, as one. And then the Spirit came!
His arrival upon the disciples had an immediate effect. Their tongues were loosed and they proclaimed the Gospel to all the peoples in Jerusalem.
Ultimately we see in v41 that 3000 people accepted the message that was proclaimed to them! So it was a truly momentous day. The day of the Spirit, followed by proclamation of the Good News, followed by salvation for thousands!
Remember context: some wanted to know what was going on v12, others mocked v13.
The key verse is v40:
The disciples were testifying and pleading “save yourself / be saved”v40.
This verse tells us the overarching aim of all that the disciples were doing.
The disciples great concern for all of them was their salvation.
Que: is that our concern for this generation? What is our concern?
1) Peters approach: how did he go about winning their salvation?
a) He testified. V40.
The word for testify here is not simply testify as a “expert witness” – someone who has knowledge of a particular field and is able to give professional independent information.
Rather the word “testify” here means to give witness with passion!
The witness knows something to be true and is pleading with others to believe for their own good! That is how the disciples testified.
b) That brings in the other word we have in v40 “exhorted / pleaded.”
They did not sit around as impartial observers!
Rather they acted like people act when they seek to save children from burning buildings!
So peter and the others full of the Holy Spirit were testifying and pleading with the people to save themselves!
App: we cannot work up this passion by ourselves! This was God given.
This was a day of days. The disciples were responding to their particular situation.
We live in an apathetic age! Seems that very few are interested in the Gospel!
What is our responsibility then? We have to wait on the Lord in prayer. And then follow as He leads.
c) he calls for careful listening and then wipes out the first objection v14-15.
All the passion and zeal of the disciples did not rule out reason and logic!
Peter wants the people to really listen! He has something to say!
That is fundamental. It may seem too basic to even mention but the Gospel essentially is information that needs to be listened to. Thus people’s attention is required!
Then the charge of drunkenness is given short shrift – it’s far too early!
App: In telling people the Message certain elements need to be in place before we even begin.
· We need to have something to say; that is we need to know the gospel!
· Then there needs to be a desire and a careful attention on the part of the listener. And silly objections can be put out of the equation right away.
If these elements are not in place then we might as well not bother! That would be casting our pearls before pigs!
Not that we treat people as pigs because they don’t want to hear the gospel, we pray for them, but we don’t stuff it down their throats.
2) Peters Content: what was it the disciples proclaimed?
a) they explained the strange events they were witnessing. V17-21.
By use of the OT prophecy about the coming of the Spirit.
This was simply treating the people with respect and love. They wanted to know.
Peter furnishes them with the answer!
App: people may come to us with similar questions: why do you live that way etc.
Giving a plain answer is the starting point to sharing the gospel.
b) then they point to Jesus. 22-24
The message of course is fundamentally about Jesus. But there needs to be no great mystery about what is said. Peter is very straight forward. He simply tells it like it is
App: Jesus is the Son of God, he lived and died and God raised Him from the dead are the basic facts of the gospel!
And we need to remember that proclaiming is simply passing on the facts!
Explanation and deeper meaning will follow, but the facts must come first.
c) further reasoning is then made to prove that Jesus was who he said he was v25-36.
Pointing to David and explaining his words in the light of Christ was more logical reasoning.
The people knew all about David. He was an authority that they trusted.
And if the Jesus event makes better interpretation of his words than anything else then the people would be persuaded!
App: reasoned argument must follow the proclamation of the facts. In our context that will mean that we try to answer peoples questions as best we can. We have to be honest and open. We don’t need to be silly or anti-intellectual, we just need to be sincere and seek to help people as best we can.
3) Peoples Response. the people respond v37-39.
Listening to the message, believing its veracity, the people are “cut to the heart” v37.
This kind of response cannot be engineered! Sure the disciples were Spirit filled passionate speakers but all they did was tell the people the News about Jesus with a bit of explanation!
God was at work and that made all the difference!
App: we can try as hard as we like. Indeed we must. But the results are in God’s hands.
Yet isn’t that an encouragement! If it was left up to us, how depressing!
Witnessing then is simply passing on the story as best we know how and leaving the results in God’s hands!
sunday evening 25th Jan 2009
Rom 8v5-9
Last week we saw two things: God sent his Son and what that means for us.
There is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus, instead there is a new way of life.
This new way of life is where the Good News brings us.
God has sent his Son to die for us so that in Him there is no condemnation and he has sent his Spirit so that there is a new way of living!
This is Salvation: Forgiven sins and new life.
Our responsibility is to live in this whole truth.
To accept what God makes of us: that is he says No condemnation.
And then to go on living the new life.
Next Paul goes onto describe that new life in the Spirit by way of contrast to the old way of the flesh.
This is what we will be looking at this week.
Context:
Found at the end of verse 4 where Paul introduces the general human divide between those who live according to the flesh and those who live according to the Spirit.
2 types of people:
Spirit led people and flesh led people
1) What marks those in the flesh? V5
a) first we need to recap on what “the flesh” means.
The flesh means the fallen sinful nature.
It is not referring to the physical body as such but the nature of the human.
And as we saw last week the basic human condition is that we are fallen. Rom3v23.
b) Then the first thing that Paul notes about those who live by the flesh is that they have a certain mindset. So we need to ask what is a “mindset”?
Mindset = the basic direction of a person’s will. Involves more than just our thinking. It is thinking plus the will to do, desire. It’s also the settled way of thinking, not a passing feeling. The mind is set, mindset! Basically it is our heart attitudes that govern the way we live. Distinction must be made here between what we say we believe and what we really believe. It is what we really believe that we live out!
So to speak of a person’s mindset is to speak of what they believe and how that is worked out. What is the mindset of those in the flesh?
Those who live in this fallen condition have their minds set on pleasing that condition!
That is they live without reference to what God desires.
Some enter fully into the dark depth of that nature in obvious ways
Some live seemingly good lives and don’t show the same progress in evil.
c) Moving onto v7 Paul gives further marks of those who live by the fallen nature.
He says that those who live by the fallen nature are “hostile to God”, at war with God!
Speaking in these great general principles Paul leaves no room for the concept of the Noble Savage! As if man left to his own devices would actually end up pleasing God!
Far from everyone being basically good, Paul states we are basically evil!
Actually we are at war against the Good! The flesh hates God! Man is not basically good!
That being the case the logical development is the flesh “does not submit to Gods law”!
Further, “nor can it do so”!
Such is the fallen nature! It hates God, it does not submit to God, it cannot do so!
2)but then there are the marks of those who live by the Spirit. V5.
Those who are in Christ Jesus have an altogether different way!
We still have a mindset but its orientation is towards God rather than away from him!
Those who live by the Spirit in fact seek to please God!
Our desire is to do what the Spirit wants to do!
Our basic desire, because we have been saved by grace, is that we want to please God.
Note Paul is talking about our mindset! Our heart attitude that governs the way we live.
· He is speaking principally. Not about the minute details of daily living.
He is talking about the way we are led. The general direction in which we go.
Paul nowhere says that those who are led by the Spirit are perfect!
We are led by the Spirit, our mindset is to please God, but we still do sin!
App:
If we are feeling strong enough we could search our hearts and see if that is our attitude!
But really what we are to do with this is give the glory to God. This is His doing.
Our new hearts and desires and mindsets are a gift from Him.
We have not changed ourselves.
This is who we are and what we have because of Him, it is all his doing!
3) what are the results of the natures?
a) the result for the fallen nature is nothing but disaster!
V6 the mind of sinful man is death! V8 the fallen man cannot please God!
Sinful man wants but one thing: to live forever! But that one thing is beyond its grasp.
The mindset away from God will ultimately lead to an eternity away from God!
Why? Because the sinful mind cannot please God!
A leopard cannot change its spots. The fallen nature must live displeasing God, it can do nothing else! It is lost and helpless, doomed to destruction!
b) the outcome for those in Christ?
V6 “life and peace”
Life and peace for those who are led by the Spirit!
Why? Because that is what the Spirit is! He is life and peace, v2 “the Spirit of life”!
App:
Again the application is to the glory of God.
Our whole condition and the consequences of that condition are to Gods glory.
It is because we are linked to him, “in Christ”, that we can please God and enjoy life and peace! This is amazing grace, this is the gospel.
It’s about what God has done, how he has taken us onboard!
Note: Paul lays all this down as plain fact! In other words he does not tell us to do anything!
We are controlled by the Spirit; we thus have our minds set on what God desires!
We do belong to the Spirit; thus we have life and peace!
This is all the natural consequence of following our new nature!
