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Good morning, everybody. I'm Shantanez, Shantanez Jacob, and I'm going to read with you today from the Acts of the Apostle, chapter 1, verse 8, then verse 14, and 36-42 of chapter 2.
Let us begin now.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.
You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd.
Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this.
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles,
Brothers, what shall we do?
Peter replied, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call.
With many other words he warned them, and he pleaded with them, save yourselves from this corrupt generation.
Those who accept his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
This is the word of our Lord.
You may be seated.
Well, it's been said already, but happy Pentecost Sunday, Christ Church.
Today, we are joining together with the global church, every tribe, language, people, and nation, to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was resurrected, and he was enthroned at God's right hand, he poured out the Holy Spirit to put new life, to put the divine life of God in our souls,
and to empower us across all of our differences to be the one family of the Father, and to be witnesses of Jesus.
That's what Pentecost is about.
And, you know, at Christmas, God proved that he's with us.
At Easter, God proved that he's for us.
And at Pentecost, God proves that he's in us.
And how amazing would it be if we came up with some new and creative ways to celebrate this amazing gift of Pentecost,
the way we celebrate Christmas, and the way we celebrate Easter.
So I want to invite us to open our pew Bible today.
You've heard this text read, but on page 888, you'll see that this is not a floating text without any context.
And page 888, we've been slowly just exploring Acts chapter 1 and chapter 2,
because we want to better know and we want to better experience the person and the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.
And we want to be able to answer this question,
what does the Holy Spirit do to make a person a Christian?
And having made a person a Christian, what does the Holy Spirit do when he fills that Christian with himself,
when he fills a collective group of Christians, the church, with himself?
And what I want to do today is talk about four things.
I want to talk about how God calls you, God baptizes you, God saves you, and God adds you.
Okay, God calls you, he baptizes you, he saves you, and he adds you.
And I want to start with God, how God calls you.
And I want to bring us to verse 38, where Peter replied,
after having preached this first Christian sermon ever, on the day of Pentecost,
he replied,
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off,
for all whom the Lord our God will call.
And if you want to underline that last phrase, you can.
For all whom the Lord our God will call.
A Christian is someone who's been called by God.
If you're a Christian, you know that God has called you by name into a living relationship with himself.
And how does God call us?
Well, he calls us in the same way that he called those people on the day of Pentecost.
God poured out his Holy Spirit, and that Spirit is a Spirit of truth.
And so the Spirit of truth spoke through Peter's exposition of the Bible.
The Spirit spoke through Peter's exposition of the Gospel,
and led them into the truth about Jesus.
The truth of his life, the truth of his death, the truth of his resurrection.
And the Spirit was driving the words of the prophets.
He was driving the words of this apostle into the minds, and into the hearts,
and into the wills of everyone who was listening.
That's how God was calling them.
And when God calls us, the first thing he does is he causes us to think.
Right?
In verse 36, it says that,
Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this.
God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.
The Holy Spirit caused them to start thinking with their minds about Jesus.
And the Holy Spirit caused them to engage with the objective historical facts of the person and the work of Jesus.
And the logic of Peter's sermon, because of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit,
it began to work in their minds.
And they said to themselves,
Hmm, okay, if God raised Jesus to life,
if God made this Jesus whom we crucified, both Lord and King,
then we are in deep trouble.
Why?
Because we crucified him.
And we live in a world that when God comes in the flesh,
it crucifies him.
And they realized that,
Oh my goodness,
this whole time I've been neglecting and ignoring Jesus.
I've been thinking that I had no need of Jesus.
I've been completely unconcerned about Jesus.
And they realized that if I've not actually accepted Jesus,
then I've been rejecting the one that God approves and that God raised and that God has exalted.
And it says in verse 37 that when the people heard this,
what happened?
Well, God began,
God's call began to work through their minds down into their hearts.
And it says they were cut to the heart.
They were convicted.
They were disturbed.
They were caused to feel this intense inner pain that we talked about last week.
They were made uncomfortable and they began to grieve.
Why?
Because they realize,
again,
if I've been stiff-arming Jesus,
that means I've actually been stiff-arming God.
And you see,
the Spirit of God is applying the Word of God to their minds and to their hearts.
And they experience pain because they realize,
we treated God's Messiah so unjustly.
They realize that if we've hurt Jesus,
we've actually hurt his Father.
And they realize that,
oh my goodness,
our greatest need
and our greatest sin
is that we failed to see our need of Jesus.
We thought so little of Jesus.
And it caused them to cry out for help.
And they say,
brothers,
what shall we do?
And doing is about the will,
right?
So God's call to these people in the gospel
has penetrated their minds and their thinking.
And it's gone down into their hearts
and their desiring.
And now it's getting down into their wills
and their doing.
And they say,
what shall we do?
What should we stop doing?
What should we start doing?
They realize this truth of Hebrews 9.27
that says,
people are destined to die once
and after that to face judgment.
And they realize that we need to be rescued
from the judgment of God.
We need to be reconciled
in a relationship with God.
They say,
we absolutely do not want to be separated from God
and to go on into an eternity
of ever increasing misery.
And if we don't do something different
than what we're doing now,
that's what's going to happen to us.
But rather they say,
we want to be with God.
We want to enjoy the pleasures of God
for all eternity.
And so they cry out,
brothers,
what shall we do?
So what's happening on the day of Pentecost
is that this community
of 120 Christian disciples,
they're bearing witness
to these 3,000 people about Jesus.
A crowd of more than 3,000 people,
but to these 3,000 in particular.
And through the witness of
this spirit-filled,
spirit-empowered church,
God is calling these 3,000 people
out of condemnation
and into a reconciled relationship
with himself.
So let's pause here
for some brief application.
Some of us are here
and we're exploring Christianity.
And what I want you to hear
is that God is calling
these 3,000 people
to come home to him.
Right?
Just like that prodigal son
in Luke chapter 15.
This young man
who turned his back on the father.
He went off to a far country
and he plunged himself
into a life of self-centeredness
where he just did everything
that he wanted to do.
And one day he got down
to the very bottom of his misery
and he came to his senses
and he remembered his father.
He remembered,
oh my goodness,
my father is rich
and my father is generous
and if I just turn back
to my father,
everything may be okay.
And so he turns
and he realizes
as he's walking up the road
to go home
that this whole time
the father's been looking for him,
the father's been calling him
and the father's now running to him
to embrace him
and bring him home.
And if you are hearing
the external call
of the gospel
in your mind
and if you are sensing
the internal call
of the father
in your heart,
then your next move,
your next step
is to answer that call
with your will
to do something different
and that is to turn home
to your father
and to his embrace.
And to apply this for you,
if you identify yourself
as a Christian,
I want you to know
that this call of God
is a powerful call.
That when he calls you,
he's exercising
and manifesting
the same power
that he exhibited
in the creation
of the universe
and in the resurrection
of Jesus.
And here's how
the New Testament
describes this powerful
calling of God.
It says,
Peter,
who's giving this sermon,
says in his first epistle,
he says,
God called you
out of darkness
into his wonderful light.
The God of all grace
called you
to his eternal glory
in Christ.
The apostle Paul
says to the Thessalonians,
he says,
God calls you
into his kingdom
and glory.
He called you
through our gospel
that you might share
in the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so the question
for you is,
has that powerful call
happened to you?
Have you been called
out of darkness
and into his wonderful light?
Has God called you
by his grace
into his eternal kingdom
to share with you
the glory
and the honor
and the majesty
and the beauty
of Jesus?
Because that's what
a Christian is.
A Christian is a person
who knows
that they've experienced
this powerful call
of God.
But it's more than that.
God not only calls you
but God baptizes you.
God baptizes you.
If we can go back
to verse 38,
it says,
Peter replied,
repent and be baptized
every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness
of your sins
and you will receive
the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
See,
Peter's describing
what is involved
in being joined
to this community
of Jesus
that's had the life
and the power of God
poured into it
by the Holy Spirit.
And he's telling us
what's involved
in this tremendous change
that takes place
within us
and how this inward change
begins to show itself
outwardly
in our lives.
And Peter's saying
that this Jesus
who God raised
from the dead,
right,
this Jesus who God
exalted to his throne,
this Jesus who God
now calls
Lord and Messiah,
he's there
and he's actually
making both promises
and demands.
And what are his promises?
Well,
he promises forgiveness
and the freedom
that comes with forgiveness
and he promises
the Holy Spirit
and the power
that comes
with the Spirit.
To be forgiven
is our greatest need
and it's the thing
that we cannot do
for ourselves.
Right,
all the stuff
that you've done
and that you said
and that you've thought
of which you're
totally ashamed
and would want
no one to know about.
All the things
that you've failed to do
and failed to say
and failed to think
of which you are guilty,
it's possible
to be released
from all of that.
And that's the great message
of the Christian gospel
that Jesus
bore
the condemnation
that we deserve
so that we could
receive the forgiveness
that we do
not deserve.
And he came
to liberate us
from our shame
and from our guilt
and from the penalty
of our sins.
And again,
this is how Peter
puts it in his first letter.
He says in 1 Peter 1,
you were redeemed
with the precious blood
of Christ,
a lamb without blemish
or defect.
He himself
bore
our sins
in his body
on the cross
so that we might
die to sins
and live to righteousness.
By his wounds
you have been
healed.
the first promise
that Jesus makes
from his throne
in heaven
is that you can be
forgiven of your sin.
The second promise
that he makes
is that you can have
the Holy Spirit
living within you.
That the Holy Spirit
can come into your heart
and when he gets
into your heart
he regenerates you.
He gives you,
he brings about
a new birth.
He plants the life
of God
in your soul
and he makes you
a new creature
and he causes
the presence of God
and the power
of God
to permanently
reside
within you.
And so the question
for you is
do you have
this promised
freedom of forgiveness
and this promised
power
of the Holy Spirit
that Jesus
has promised to us?
But you see,
Jesus doesn't
just make promises.
The resurrected Lord
from his heavenly throne
he also makes demands.
And what are his demands?
Well, it says
in verse 38
Peter replies
speaking for Jesus
he says repent
and be baptized
every one of you
in the name
of Jesus Christ.
And we talked about
this word last week
repentance
metanoia
metanoeo
means to change
your mind entirely.
To have a radical
about turn
in your attitude.
gratitude.
To repent
is to
turn
your allegiance
away from
yourself
and away
from your sin
and away
from all of your
God substitutes.
And repentance
is always combined
with faith
and with trust.
It's turning away
and turning toward
and faith
is implicit here.
There's no possibility
of turning
from sin
negatively
unless we turn
to Jesus
positively.
and this
double turn
from sin
to Jesus
from self
to the living
God
that's what we call
conversion.
And it's such a radical
turning away
from ourselves
and a turning
toward God
that it bears
fruit
in changed
behavior.
So that people
who previously
repudiated
God's Messiah
are now brought
to a place
where they publicly
affirm their
dependence on Jesus
by undergoing
baptism
in his name.
Be baptized
every one of you
in the name
of Jesus
Peter says.
The New Testament
knows
of no
unbaptized
believers.
Baptism
is the means
and the medium
by which
the promises
of Jesus
and the demands
of Jesus
are expressed
in our lives.
Baptism
is how we publicly
demonstrate
our repentance
and our faith.
And baptism
is this outward
visible public
act
symbolizing
the washing
away
and the forgiveness
of sin
the pouring out
of the presence
and power
of the Holy Spirit
are being united
to the death
and the resurrection
of Jesus.
We say
when we baptize you
you've been buried
with Christ
in baptism
and raised
with him
to walk
in newness
of life.
Baptism
is humbly
submitting
to
a name
and to
an authority
that's symbolized
by that name
into which
you are being baptized.
It's a change
of your identity
and a change
of your allegiance.
It's saying
to the world
and to yourself
I'm under new management.
I have a new Lord.
I'm no longer
identified
primarily
with my own name.
I'm no longer
Jonathan
as it were.
I'm no longer
identified
primarily
with my agenda
and my will
for my life.
Rather
he's my new identity
and his agenda
is my agenda.
This is where
some churches go
amen
just a little
amen.
Just for some
application
if you're exploring
Christianity
have you considered
that
the freedom
and the power
that your heart
wants
the freedom
and the power
that
you're spending
your time
and your energy
and money
trying to
get for yourself
through your work
and your career
through your success
and your financial
security
through friendship
and romance
through your family
through your kids
through new adventures
and travel
and experiences
that none
of these
are going
to be
enough for you
in this life
and they're
certainly not
going to be
enough for you
in the life
to come.
There's a freedom
and there's a power
that your heart
desires
that only Jesus
can give to you.
The freedom
of divine forgiveness
the freedom
of living
in a reconciled
relationship
with the living God.
the power
of divine
indwelling
the power
of having
God
the Holy Spirit
permanently
residing
within you
your heart
will forever
remain restless
and will keep
restlessly searching
for freedom
and for power
that this world
simply promises
to you
but will not
give you.
And Peter says
that this freedom
and this power
it's yours
for the taking.
It's a free
gift
that all you
have to do
he says
is just
change your
mind.
Stop putting
your faith
in yourself
start putting
your faith
in Jesus
and start saying
you know what
you're my Lord
and you're my King
that's your next
move.
But secondly
if you're a Christian
to apply this
to you
do you understand
what it means
to be baptized?
Do you understand
what it means
to be a baptized
Christian?
And here are
some tests.
Are you going
to him
daily
the one
in whose name
you've been baptized
are you going
to him daily
and saying
Jesus
would you please
apply to me
the freedom
of the forgiveness
that you offer?
I'm not living
in freedom.
Were you going
to him
on a daily basis
and saying
Jesus
please refill
me with the power
of the Holy Spirit?
I want to live
in the power
of the Holy Spirit.
Are you
going to the throne
of grace
with confidence
so that you may
receive mercy
and find grace
to help you
in your time
of need?
Is your prayer life
evidence that you
have received
these heavenly promises
and that your baptism
is expressing itself
in your life?
And we need to remember
that for these
3,000 converts
in Jerusalem
on the day
of Pentecost
and for many
of our brothers
and sisters
around the world
in the global church
today
being baptized
meant risking
everything.
It meant being
separated from
your nearest
and dearest
relatives.
It meant being
renounced by
your family.
It meant being
ostracized by
society.
It meant that
people began
to despise you
and no longer
want to do
business with you
or have anything
to do with you.
Sometimes it meant
going to prison.
Sometimes it meant
dying for your faith
to be baptized
was a costly thing.
And I wonder
if sometimes
we forget
our baptisms.
I wonder
if we love
the one
in whose name
we've been baptized
so much
that we'd be
willing to experience
discomfort
and inconvenience
for his sake.
I wonder
if we take
our relationship
with Jesus
so seriously
like our mothers
and fathers
in the faith
that we're willing
to suffer
for him
and even
to die for him.
That's what
baptism
represents.
Dying with Christ.
Being raised
with Christ.
Repent and be
baptized every
single one of you
Peter says.
But God not only
calls you
and not only
baptizes you
but God saves you.
And look at
verse 40.
It says
with many other
words he warned
them and he pleaded
with them
save yourselves
from this corrupt
generation.
Jesus trained
Peter for three
years.
He equipped
Peter.
He authorized
Peter
as his apostle
to say things
like this.
Right?
To speak
words that not
everybody
necessarily wanted
to hear.
And what's Peter
pleading with them
to do?
He says save
yourselves from
this corrupt
generation.
Save yourselves
from this crooked
and twisted
generation.
Some translations
say be saved
from this
generation.
And that's
an equally
legitimate
translation.
Be saved
from this
generation
emphasizes that
salvation is a
rescue operation
initiated and
accomplished by
God and God
alone.
We do not
save ourselves.
God is the
one who saves
us.
And if you look
in your Bible
down at verse
47 it says
the Lord added
to the church
daily those
who were being
saved.
Saved by who?
Saved by God.
The difference
between a
Christian and a
non-Christian is
that a Christian
is among the
saved and a
non-Christian is
among the
not saved.
And you can
imagine a house
on fire with a
bunch of people
inside of it and
a ladder is put
up to the window
and the firemen
come and there's
a certain number
of people that are
rescued that are
saved.
Out of that
house and then
there are others
who are not.
Or you can
imagine a shipwreck
where some people
are saved to shore
and then others
are not.
Or you can
imagine a
courthouse where
some people are
accused and
they're going to
go home acquitted
and set free but
other people are
not going to go
home.
They're going to
be condemned.
And that's what
Peter means when
he says be saved
from this generation.
A Christian is a
person who has
been saved and is
being saved and
will go on to be
saved.
And that's what the
Apostle Paul means
when he talks about
you've been justified
and you've been
sanctified and you've
been glorified.
A Christian has been
saved and put into a
totally new position
and standing where you
already stand justified
and righteous before
God.
And a Christian is also
being saved from the
remnants of sin and
evil that remain in
our mortal body.
We are slowly,
gradually being prepared
for the glory into
which we are going.
And a Christian will
one day be saved
completely,
delivered from the
pollution of sin and
the power of death to
enjoy and to glorify
God and a resurrected
body in his new
creation.
That's what it means
for God to sovereignly
save you from this
corrupt generation.
So, is our translation
correct or incorrect?
Well, yes.
It's right.
Be saved from this
corrupt generation and
save yourselves from
this corrupt generation.
And when Peter says
that, he's just quoting
his Bible.
He's quoting the
Torah.
Deuteronomy 32.5
talks about living in a
corrupt and warped and
crooked generation.
And that refers to the
outlook of humanity
without reference to God.
That's what a corrupt
generation is.
It's how human beings try
to organize themselves and
their world apart from and
separate from God.
And Peter says there's
something corrupt and
there's something twisted
about that approach to
life.
It's heading for disaster.
It's driving over a
cliff.
And Peter urges his
listeners to actively
separate themselves and
to separate and to set
themselves apart from this
corrupt generation.
You have an active and an
urgent responsibility,
Peter says, to leave this
human centered and God
resisting generation with
all of its corrupt views
of history and its
corrupt views of the
self and its corrupt
views of God and its
corrupt views of Jesus.
And you need to move
into a new reality.
You need to move into a
new humanity.
You need to move into a
new creation that has a
new view of everything.
God, life, eternity,
human meaning and
purpose, all of it.
In Acts chapter 26,
verse 18, it says that a
Christian is somebody who's
been turned from darkness
to light and from the
power of Satan to God.
The apostle Paul says in
Colossians 1.13, for God
has rescued us.
He saved us from the
dominion of darkness and
he's brought us into the
kingdom of the son that he
loves.
And it's the question for
us, is it clear that you've
been saved like that?
Paul says to the
Philippians, he says, be
blameless and pure, children
of God without fault in a
warped and crooked
generation.
These apostles love quoting
Deuteronomy for some
reason.
Be blameless and pure,
children of God without
fault in a warped and
crooked generation.
Then you will shine like
stars in the night sky.
Is your life and is your
conduct a clear
demonstration?
Confirmation that you've
been saved, you are being
saved, and you are going
to be saved.
God calls you, God baptizes
you, God saves you, and a
final word, that God adds
you.
God adds you.
Verse 41, we'll come back
to this next week.
But it says, those who
accepted Peter's message were
baptized and about 3,000 were
added to their number that
day, and they devoted
themselves to the apostles'
teaching and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread, and
to prayer.
So added to this number of
120 disciples on the day of
Pentecost are these 3,000
newly baptized Christians, and
that means that the Holy
Spirit multiplied the church
26x in one day.
I'm not a math guy.
I think that's good.
26x, is that good?
It's good.
So, the New Testament knows
no unchurched believers.
They're all immediately
churched.
Your baptism adds you to the
church, and your baptism adds
you to the distinctive way of
life and devotion in the
church.
And to be a Christian means
that you've become a living
member of a living church of
the living Lord.
And at first, you did not
belong, but now you do
belong.
And God moved these 3,000
people from one position to
another.
They were over here, and now
they're over here.
And look at what happens to
them.
God causes them to undergo a
complete change.
Their thinking, their
outlooks, their actions are
totally revolutionized.
They have this new life in
Christ, and it immediately
begins to express itself.
And we can see this new life
of God that's been planted
in their souls being
expressed in their, the
quality of their life
together.
They gave practical
demonstration of their faith
by, it says, devoting
themselves.
Or other translations say
continuing steadfastly.
And again, we'll explore this
in depth next Sunday, but what
does it mean as we close?
It means that they
continued together.
These people that have been
called, that have been
baptized, that have been
saved, it means they
continued together in
constant devotion.
You could not keep them
away from each other.
Their association with other
Christians was the biggest
thing in their life.
It was the very center of
their lives.
And they said, we will not
let any lesser things get
in the way of this main
thing.
And what are the lesser
things?
Well, use your imagination.
What keeps us away on a
Sunday?
What keeps us away midweek?
A lot of lesser things
that do not matter.
And they said, we are not
going to let that happen to
us.
They said, we are going to
come together, and we'll
see this next week.
They came together regularly
and willingly, not just one
day a week.
It says they came together
day by day.
They so wanted to be with
each other that they, when
they finished their day's
work, they'd go to one
another's houses, and they
would study the Bible, and
they would pray.
Why?
Because they realized that
even though they were from
different biological families,
they were now part of the
same spiritual family.
They shared the same
spiritual life.
They were born of the same
spirit.
They were raised with the
same Christ.
They had the same life of
God the Father in their
souls.
And they had to express it.
They were rejoicing in the
same Savior, delighting to
put their trust in the
apostles' teaching about
Jesus.
Delighting to come to
fellowship in Christ Jesus.
Delighting to come and to
break that bread in communion
with Christ Jesus.
They were delighting to pray
prayers directly to Jesus,
directly to the Holy Spirit,
directly to the Father.
They fixed their eyes on the
same thing.
Their eyes were fixed together
on eternity.
They were preparing themselves
for the same thing.
They were preparing for the
life of the world to come, to
be ready to live in glory
everlasting.
That's why they came together
every day and every Sunday.
So the question as we come to
this table, has God called you?
And has God baptized you?
And has God saved you?
And has God added you to his
devoted and steadfast people?
And is that obvious?
Is it obvious that you belong
to this God who calls, baptizes,
saves, and adds?
And that you are a person of
devotion and steadfast love?
May it be so.
In the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
Amen.