Empowered Disciples wk 4
Notes
Transcript
Response to Peter’s Sermon
Response to Peter’s Sermon
Last week we looked at verses 1-36 of Acts chapter 2, we seen the Holy Spirit come upon the Disciples.
We seen the outcome of the Disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit.
We then seen Peter’s first sermon, which was on the day of Pentecost.
We covered a lot of text last week, and this morning we are going to begin by quickly looking at some main points from Peter’s sermon.
Then we will look at three things that happen as a response to Peter’s sermon.
Big Idea:
The Holy Spirit not only convicts people to salvation but transforms them into a devoted community of disciples.
As believers in Jesus Christ we all have received the promise of the Holy Spirit.
We do not always rely on or allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives but every believer has been indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Main Points from Peter’s Sermon
Main Points from Peter’s Sermon
After Peter told the crowd there in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost that the disciples were not drunk he began his sermon by quoting from the prophet Joel in the Old Testament.
Joel prophesied of the end days when God would pour out the Holy Spirit on God’s followers.
The followers of God would then prophesy of God.
Then Peter brings up Jesus, who would have been known by those in the crowd, all the people may not have ever seen Jesus, but they had surely heard about him and what he had done.
With the people in the crowd having probably witnessed miracles or at the least heard of them, they condemned Jesus also and allowed godless men to put Jesus to death.
Peter then tells the crowd that death could not hold Jesus.
Peter then explains this by quoting David in the book of Psalm. ‘
He then tells the crowd that the disciples had all witnessed Jesus after His resurrection.
Then Peter closes his sermon with Acts 2:36
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Pierced to the Heart
Pierced to the Heart
Key Truth:
We need to understand that the Holy Spirit brings conviction before transformation.
A person does not get transformed into a mature Christian before they get convicted and saved.
We do not take a shower to get clean before we get in the bath.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
We are told here that after the crowd heard Peter’s sermon they were pierced to the heart, that is they were convicted of their sins.
Realizing that they were sinners they asked, what shall we do?
Peter once again speaks up telling the crowd that they need to repent.
To repent is to turn from sin to God.
The goal of repentance is to reduce or remove the consequences of sin, Peter was calling on the Jews who had witnessed and endorsed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to publicly renounce their actions by baptism.
Then Peter says be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
We need not to misunderstand this.
The New Testament is clear that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
But repentance and baptism are to accompany faith.
But baptism does not save a person.
Rather it shows the world that we are following Jesus, as we symbolize through baptism Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Illustration 1: The Arrow to the Heart
A wound from an arrow, only heals after it first wounds.
A surgeon's scalpel cuts before it restores.
Likewise, God's Word often hurts before it heals.
Conviction isn't punishment—it's evidence that God is working.
Hebrews says in Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Application:
We are not to run from conviction.
Rather we are to Run to Christ.
Illustration 2: Smoke Detector
A smoke detector is loud and uncomfortable.
Nobody enjoys hearing it.
But if there's a fire, you don't pull the batteries—you find the fire.
The conviction of the Holy Spirit is heaven's smoke detector.
Ignoring conviction never removes the danger.
Personal Application
Ask yourself:
When was the last time God's Word convicted me?
Have I become comfortable with sin?
Am I sensitive to the moving and convicting of the Holy Spirit?
Church Application
Healthy churches don't merely entertain.
Healthy churches preach truth that brings conviction and hope.
Be Saved
Be Saved
Key Truth:
After being convicted by the Holy Spirit we then see salvation.
Saving faith always produces a changed life.
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Luke’s note that Peter warned them “with many other words” was his way of indicating that he had only been able to give a portion of Peter’s sermon.
With Peter’s sermon and exhortation to be saved, the church age begin.
The reference to a perverse or corrupt generation is Old Testament language for a generation that is stubborn, rebellious, and not faithful to God.
The Jews at Pentecost were part of such a generation, a generation that witnessed the coming of the Messiah and rejected Him.
Peter’s final words were an appeal to save themselves from the perverse generation.
And they were saved; about 3,000 accepted Peter’s invitation that day, were baptized, and were added to the 120.
Illustration 1: Lifeguard Rescue
Imagine you are drowning.
A lifeguard swims out and says,
"I'm here to save you."
You don't negotiate.
You don't say,
"I will think about it."
You surrender.
Salvation is receiving the rescue.
Illustration 3: Adoption
Salvation isn't merely being rescued from judgment.
It's being adopted into God's family.
The people didn't simply leave sin.
They entered a new family and a new way of life.
Challenge
Many people want forgiveness without discipleship.
The early church accepted both.
The Church Age
The Church Age
With the 3,000 that were saved on the day of Pentecost, we see the beginning of the church age.
We today are still part of the church age.
Now we are going to see, what the first church was devoted too.
Key Truth:
The Holy Spirit creates a generous, joyful, Gospel-centered community.
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
In verse 42 we are told that the believers had devoted themselves to four practices in their new life, and should be seen in the life of the church, even today.
The first thing they were devoted to was the teaching of the apostles.
Just as the apostles had been instructed by Jesus, so they passed along that instruction to the new Christians.
In keeping with Jesus’ teaching them, this would have included such subjects as Jesus’ resurrection, the Old Testament Scriptures, the Christian witness, and surely their own reminiscences of Jesus’ earthly ministry and teachings.
The second thing the early believers and church was devoted to, was fellowship.
The Greek word used here (koinonia) its basic meaning is “association, communion, fellowship, close relationships.”
With the context of the section of verses, the meaning would then be that they devoted themselves to a fellowship that was expressed in their mutual meals and in their prayer life together.
The third devotion was the breaking of bread.
This could be the Lord’s Supper, but also can be sharing meals together, sharing the different feasts together, or all of them.
The fourth and final devotion was prayer.
The early believers were mainly Jews, and the Jews had formal hours of prayer in the temple.
Being that this was a tradition that they grew up with surely they kept those prayer hours.
They also shared time together in their private homes of times of prayer.
They grew up praying at specific times every day, but had learned from Jesus the importance of prayer.
In v. 43 we are told the people, that is the new believers, were in aww of the wonders and signs taking place.
These wonders and signs were the miracles that the apostles were performing.
Then in v 44, we are told that they were all together, that is the new believers, the early church had a strong unity.
This unity is further expressed by the early church holding everything in common.
Holding everything in common was a practice of the believers selling their property and goods and apportion the proceeds whenever a need arose.
Vs. 46-47 then summarizes the life they held together.
The early believers remained faithful to their Jewish worship, devoting themselves with one accord in the temple.
With one accord is commonly used in Acts to express the unity of purpose the early believers had.
For the Christian community, fellowship and unity of purpose are only beneficial when rooted in fellowship with Christ and in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
The unity of the Christian community derives from and is guided by the gift of the Holy Spirit that lies at the heart of its life together.
The early church was faithful in following Jesus’ instructions in the Great Commission.
Because of their faithfulness God responded and blessed the young community, adding new converts daily.
Illustration 1: A story is told of a pastor visiting an inactive church member.
Sitting together by a fireplace in complete silence, the pastor used tongs to remove a single burning coal from the fire and placed it alone.
Isolated from the rest, the glowing coal quickly died out.
The man silently watched the ember cool, realizing the lesson: a solitary Christian cannot sustain their spiritual fire on their own.
Just as the isolated coal loses its heat and fades into darkness, a believer separated from the fellowship, warmth, and support of the church community will soon lose their zeal.
Seeing the dead coal, the man recognized he needed to return to the congregation, and the pastor's unspoken sermon prompted him to commit to attending church again the following Sunday
Applications
Peter gives four marks of new believers.
With these marks we need to ask ourselves
Ask: Am I devoted to...
God's Word?
Biblical fellowship?
Worship?
Prayer?
Disciples are not spectators.
They are devoted followers.
Applications
Ask:
Am I serving?
Am I generous?
Am I meeting needs?
Am I worshiping with God's people consistently?
Christianity was never designed to be lived alone.
Church Application
A Spirit-filled church is known for:
Radical generosity
Genuine fellowship
Joyful worship
Consistent prayer
Gospel witness
People should notice something different about us.
As people look at Refuge Family Fellowship, they should notice that we are different from the world.
Closing Illustration
Domino Effect
When one domino falls...
it knocks down another.
Eventually thousands fall because one moved first.
Peter preached.
Three thousand responded.
Those believers changed Jerusalem.
Jerusalem influenced Judea.
Judea influenced Samaria.
Samaria reached the ends of the earth.
The Gospel still spreads one transformed life at a time.
The question is:
Will your response to God's Word and become the next domino?
Invitation
Peter's listeners asked,
"What shall we do?"
That remains the most important question anyone can ask.
Someone today may need to repent and trust Christ.
Someone may need to obey in baptism.
Someone may need to recommit themselves to God's Word, prayer, fellowship, and worship.
Others need to stop merely attending church and begin living as empowered disciples.
The same Holy Spirit who convicted hearts on the day of Pentecost still convicts today.
He still saves, transforms, and forms ordinary people into an extraordinary community for the glory of God.
The question is not whether God is speaking, but how each of us will respond.
