Best Sermon Ever | Peter's Sermon at Pentecost

Best Sermon Ever Acts 2:14-41 Review: last week we saw in the first part of the chapter the birth story of the church. It was initiated by God’s plan. 2. Inaugurating a new era of redemptive history and 3. Induction of the Gentiles believers into the people of God. Introduction: Best Sermon Ever? Peter’s first was probably his best. What makes it more amazing is that just 50 days earlier petered had committed a terrible sin against the Lord in denying him. He’s been restored and now steps forward as a spokesman among the other 11 Apostles. He answers their confusion by telling them that God’s end-time salvation has now arrived through the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus the Messiah. Main Point: Big Idea: Proposition: A Church on the move is... Committed to Biblical Preaching that leads to Biblical Conversions. Princess Bride: You keep using that word…I don’t think it means what you think it does.” Text Intro: Peter’s Sermon is built around two interrogatives/Questions 1. What does this mean (vs 12) 2. What should we do? (vs37) Transition: Body: Scripture I. A Church on the Move is Committed to Biblical Preaching • Note the obvious: it is a sermon. ◦ Or at least part of the sermon and then Luke’s summary of it. Vs. 40 “and with many other words he did testify and exhort.” ◦ The rhetorical style is similar to how the ancients delivered speeches. ▪ Not yet 9am. Evidently “the early service”  ◦ Primacy of Preaching. J. mac ▪ Today the church tries to employ a plethora of different program’s approaches, gimmicks, activities, drama’s …and the list could go on. Secular psychology, management techniques, advertising campaigns. ▪ Even with all this, when statistics come in, do you know what is the #1 factor that people choose a church based upon? = preaching • Anyone feel up to the job? • That’s why this guy needs your prayers, that’s why preachers need encouragement and time to give themselves to this holy task. ▪ God has chosen the preached Word to be the primary vien by which he feeds his church. • J. Mack speaking of thes programs, “not all of these things may be harmful. Some, in their proper place, may even be helpful. But what has too often been sacrificed in the flurry of activities and programs is the priority of preaching.” ▪ Acts is in a large part the recording of the apostles’ preaching. Preaching has remained a central part of the life of the church to this day. • Jesus matt 4:17 “began to preach… • Paul • The Reformation, which recovered faith was spread largely through preaching – luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Knox. • Later the mighty pulpits of Puritans build the moral continence of this country from their pulpits. • Whitefield, (although a large open air ministry- for his entire ministry in churches) Wesley, Edwards. • We see this today, the influences of the pulpit. • One of the problems with the church today is the decline of the power of the pulpit. ▪ Peter is confident, bold, and authoritative, vs. 14 “heed my words” ◦ Outline of Biblical Preaching Explanation, Illustration Application. ▪ Explanation: Interprets Joel in vs .14-21 • Explains that God fulfills this in Jesus vs. 22-26 ▪ Illustrates this with David’s Psalm. ▪ Application: Calls them to repentance vs. 37-40 • Explanation, Illustration, Application. • It is rooted in the Scriptures. ▪ Note: Peter ‘s scripture Content. (to unsaved epitome of “unchurched” people) based in Joes 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 110:1 and Psalm 132:11 ◦ Answers questions with scripture. ▪ Note that Peter’s response to the “What does this mean?” wasn’t sociological or psychological. • He went to the text. “The Bible Says” ▪ That’s really a picture of the role of the church in the world. • App: for many in you neighborhood, office, are school there are people who can’t make sense of this world because they don’t know the designer. • You are there to point them to the book. ◦ Rooted in the Ancient Text: ▪ The message itself, Peter is using the OT to show that ▪ This is not a “New Religion” • It was promised by God and these are the last days. • God is faithful to keep his promises. • APP: Is that ok with you that this isn’t new? Every so many years there’s a group of Christians that seem to think they have a new expression and corner on what Christianity is. • “give me that old time religion” it’s good enough for me. ◦ I’ll take the faith once delivered to the saints. ◦ Is Counter Cultural: Biblical Preaching has always been counter cultural. ▪ The promise is to “all flesh” (all peoples) vs. 17 ▪ Regardless of gender “sons & daughters” ▪ Regardless of Age “old men & young men” ▪ Regardless of social status, “even on my servants” ▪ Note: think women and servants were overlooked in this culture. The coming of the church age of grace and the outpouring of the spirit elevates them. • Don’t fall into the lie that Christianity is oppressive to groups, genders, or minorities, or poor. ◦ Is supernatural: ▪ Followed by apocalyptic signs. • Probably partial fulfillment with some future. ◦ Some see as figurative, some see as literal at the crucifixion. ▪ The spirits coming marks the inauguration of the end times. • Focused on Christ ◦ Vs. 21 LORD in Joel = YAWEY and here Peter refers to this as Jesus = Deity of Christ. ▪ The essence of Peter’s message is that “Jesus is Lord” this challenges both the Jewish view of monotheism and the Roman view that “Ceasar is Lord” ▪ Jesus will save “whosoever” – you don’t have to become a Jewish proselyte or anything else to be saved (vs.10 ◦ Miracles = evidences that Jesus is the Messiah and God’s agent of Salvation. ▪ Attested, accredited ◦ Vs. 24 the resurrection = God’s vindication of Jesus. ◦ Illustrated in David: ▪ Ps 110 as evidence that David predicted Jesus resurrection vs. 25 – 31 and his exultation vs. 33-36 Scripture II. A Church on the Move is Craving Biblical Conversions. • Peter’s message moves to a call. ◦ God’s keeps His promises ◦ The Spirit is for All ◦ Jesus saves all who will repent. ◦ Conversions is the goal. ▪ A new study shows that 30% of church are growing. ▪ The vast majority is from “transfer growth” • You could see that locally. Almost all are from another congregation. Some even market for this. • Let me say: that if you’re visiting from another congregation. That you’re welcome and that we understand that there are some legitimate biblical reasons why God moves people from one congregation to another. ◦ But one of the things that we do in membership interviews here when someone is transferring from another congregation is to ask if there is any unresolved conflict there. (I often contact the previous pastor and check to see that as well) ▪ We want to see conversion growth not transfer growth. • Conversion involves Repentance & Faith ◦ Notice Vs. 38 Joke: This verse is good home security. Old lady stopped burglar in his tracks. (axe & 2 38’s  ) ◦ Faith & Repentance go together. ◦ Faith is often mentioned without repentance as well as repentance without faith. ▪ As DA Carson says, ”Both are shorthand expressions that imply the other.” • Conversion is evidenced in Baptism. ▪ Does not mean that the waters save. ▪ We are saved “by grace through faith” Eph 2:89 ▪ Yet Jesus commands baptism as an outward expression of what the Spirit has accomplished. ▪ It’s a display of repentance. Being willing to publically yield allegiance to Jesus Christ. ▪ The public seal of this promise of God to his people. • 3 Errors that emerge from not seeing Baptism as the Visible sign of Repentance & Faith. (note that this is why it’s important to compare scripture with scripture) ◦ Some groups teach that Baptism is essential to salvation. Most notably followers of Cambelites: (Church of Christ) Baptismal regeneration. ▪ Paul made a distinction between thee two, “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel” 1 cor 1:17. The Gospel is the “message of the cross.” ◦ Oneness Pentecostals: Apostolic believe one person that manifests itself in 3 ways. ▪ Form of modalism a heresty concdemned in ad 200 ◦ Decisionism from the “new measures” of Revivalism. ▪ Little story: Awakenings and revivals the gospel preached and conversions were measured by baptisms. • Remember baptism is the visible sign of repentance and faith. ▪ But in the 1800’s a movement had emerged that sought to create revival and stir it up with what was known as “New Measures” • Much of the worship service styles we know from the last century find their roots in this time. (Notice that this is not anchient faith but something worked up. • Finney taught that man needed converted from his will not his nature. ◦ That revival wasn’t a miracle, but something “the philosophical result of the right use of constituted means” so his “new measures included an “anxious bench” or a “seat of decision.” Finney said that, “the object of measures is to gain attention” and to do that “you must have something new” • “Added to the church” What does it mean to be “added to the church” ▪ vs. 41 is in passive voice. ▪ A few verses later vs 47 the subject of the sentence is given. “The Lord added to the church” ▪ It was Jesus who promised, Matt 16:18 “I will build my church” • APP: ◦ Chuck Swindoll tells a story of doing a wedding and a lady who was the wife of one of the leaders in the church comes up to him, “my husband and I have been down at the beach for the past week, and my husband has walked the beach for hours in the greatest agony. After several days he finally came in and threw himself down on the couch and wept for three hours. Then he asked Christ into his heart.” I wonder if there’s someone like that here today? ◦ Embers to Flames Story: I’m reading a book right now on church revitalization. The author tells the story of a revitalizer who took a church in Florida and his first sermon preached on the importance of personal conversion. Add here. ▪ There may be some here like that at EBC some who have been around the church for years but have never truly been converted. Would today be the day you give up the struggle and doubts and trust Christ? ◦ How about you? You might say, “I’m so far away, I cannot be saved” ▪ Vs. 39 this promise is for you, for all who are far off” • There is no one who is so far removed from God that he cannot redeem. Conclusion: Main Point: (Proposition| Big Idea) Application: • Biblical preaching: ◦ How can you be committed to biblical preaching? ▪ Learn to like it. – it’s an acquired taste. ▪ Listen expository – What does this mean? ▪ Listen with application – ◦ Support it in our church. ▪ Giving, promotion, etc. • Biblical Conversion ◦ Call to Action: Response Time: Time to respond, help those with responding, and share how you are responding. Come let it be known that: • need to be baptized • want to join the church • would like to talk with someone about salvation • any testimonies? ◦ How God used preaching and teaching on biblical conversion to save you?