Father God, we pray that you would give us the same mind that you have on the Lord Jesus
and that we would agree with your assessment of him and that he is Lord and Christ.
I pray, Father, that you would continue to shape us as a church that pursues your glory.
And individually, Lord, we ask that you would help us to see a commitment to your church
and the impact that it makes for all of eternity, not just for our lives but the lives of others.
And so be with us now as your word is opened.
I pray that you would speak to us and challenge where we're at with you and your people.
Amen.
Edward Lorenz was a mathematician working in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology back in the 1960s
on the computer modelling a weather system.
So sorry, Rob, if I get this completely wrong.
He devised a program which, once he typed in certain data, could calculate what the subsequent weather pattern was going to be.
One day, he made a mistake.
He meant to type in a six-digit number, 0.506127, but instead, he only typed in the first three digits, 0.506.
It was a minute error, only one part in a thousand.
As it turns out, the difference in the weather patterns was enormous.
It was as if, this is how he describes it, as if a tiny atmospheric disturbance in China,
no greater than the beat of a butterfly's wings, a week or so later becoming a Force 12 hurricane in New York,
his discovery became known as the butterfly effect.
It explains why our weather forecasters, sorry, Rob, have a difficult time predicting the weather too often in advance
or even getting at the weather that we like to have it weekend by weekend.
And so instead of blaming Rob of weather zone, we should blame it on the butterflies in China.
That's much better as a Rob blame it on the butterflies in China.
His discovery is that a little thing over here can have a magnifying effect that just grows and grows and grows.
And so the term butterfly effect.
Unfortunately, there is no butterfly effects in our lives magnifying the little contribution that we make to the world.
On a whole, individual actions on our part are a bit like stones tossed into a very large lake.
We make a splash, but the ripples just die out very quickly.
We are remembered by just a few and our contribution to humanity remembered even less.
Most of us have to face the fact that we will drop the little pebble of our lives into the turbulent ocean of world events
and in no time at all, the surface will bear no trace of our passing.
It's depressing, but it's a fact of life.
I know virtually nothing about the younger lives of my grandparents and nothing about my great-grandparents.
It is this purposelessness that is one of the chief anxieties of people.
But it doesn't have to be bleak and meaningless.
Because the ripples of one life did not die away with death.
The effect of the life and ministry, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus
have increased in amplitude and expanded in diameter right across the globe
from 2,000 years ago with a bunch of blokes in Galilee.
At the beginning of Acts, we see that Jesus returns to heaven after his resurrection.
But his impact and his influence in the world is not over.
Jesus is still at work in this world and this is what the book of Acts is about
and why it is so relevant for us today.
The very first sentence in Acts says,
in my former book,
in my former book, Theophilus, this is Dr. Luke writing,
I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.
And the word began there at the beginning of Acts
is the word that helps us understand the relevance of this book.
What Luke, the author, stresses here is that what Jesus did on earth
was the beginning of his doing and his teaching.
Jesus is not done with his work and with his teaching.
He's not dead and he's not absent.
He's alive and he's present.
He's still speaking.
He is still working.
He is still building his church.
Whenever people come under the authority of his name
and receive the forgiveness of sins and trust in his power,
his influence continues to spread and increase.
And that is what we long to see happen here in Chatswood
through this church and around this city and indeed across this world.
And my prayer is that as we go through this commitment series,
our annual commitment series here in Acts,
Jesus himself will speak and act and give us a glimpse
of his purpose for the church
and the part that we play in that
and therefore the purpose of our lives.
May such a glimpse of Jesus and his purpose
cause us to make a radical commitment
to what he is doing
to make his name great in this world.
Because in the end, it's all about Jesus.
He is Lord and King and Ruler and Creator
and Sustainer and Inherit of all that is.
The ripple impact of Jesus' life and ministry
as obscure as he was in first century Palestine
has only increased
and will continue to increase for all of eternity.
And so we pick up our text today
partway through Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost.
So if you haven't got your Bibles open,
turn to Acts chapter 2.
We're kicking off at verse 22.
The promised Holy Spirit has arrived
and a large crowd has gathered
to see what the fuss is all about.
You might expect Peter to get up
and to preach on the coming of the Spirit,
but as Jesus is the focus of Acts,
so he's the focus of this sermon.
This former coward, Peter,
who denied Jesus,
stands up in front of more than 3,000 people
and says in Acts 2.23,
you, with the help of wicked men,
put him to death, that's Jesus,
by nailing him to the cross.
And again in verse 36,
God has made this Jesus,
whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ.
It's pretty strange here,
but Peter gets up in front of this crowd
of more than 3,000 people
and it seems that he's holding them accountable
for the death of Jesus.
On the most part,
they weren't even likely there.
So how can he say that?
It seems a little tad rude, actually.
What he's getting at
is that the essence of the crime
against Jesus
was not the ending
of his physical life per se.
It was the rejection of God
in Jesus' life.
Jesus was handed over
to be crucified
on the grounds of blasphemy.
That is,
he claimed to be the Son of God.
He claimed that God
had endorsed him
as Messiah.
And so if a person
rejects what Jesus claims,
then you vote for blasphemy.
And to vote for blasphemy
is to endorse
in the depth of your heart
the cry of the crowd
in front of Pilate,
crucify this man.
And what Peter does
with his sermon here
is he draws the clearest
possible contrast
between what the crowd
did with Jesus
and what God
did with Jesus.
And Peter shows us
four ways
in which God
endorses Jesus
and the stark contrast
between the way
God treats Jesus
and the way
the crowd treats Jesus
and by implication
the way that we
have treated Jesus.
Firstly,
God endorsed Jesus
by working miracles
and signs and wonders
through him.
Verse 22,
men of Israel,
listen to this.
Jesus of Nazareth
was a man
accredited by God
to you
by miracles,
wonders and signs
which God did
among you
through him
as you yourselves know.
The miracles
were God's
certification
of Jesus.
They were God's
vote,
God's testimony.
When Jesus
did a miracle
it was God's
endorsement
of Jesus.
and what
did the religious
leaders do
when Jesus
said,
Lazarus,
come out
of the tomb
and they're
standing over there
and they're
watching a dead
man walk
out of the tomb,
what did they do?
Okay,
guys,
huddle,
how are we
going to kill
Jesus?
God's
endorsement
of Jesus
and their
rejection
of Jesus.
Secondly,
God endorsed
Jesus by
planning his
death for
the sins
of all
people.
Verse 23,
this man
was handed
over to you
by God's
set purpose
and foreknowledge
and you
with the help
of wicked
men put him
to death
by nailing
him to
the cross.
God
plans
Jesus'
death,
the people
plan Jesus'
death and
the difference
between God's
plan to
crucify Jesus
and Pilate
and the crowd's
plan to
crucify
Jesus
was that
Pilate and
the crowd
were rejecting
Jesus as a
mere pretender
and God
was honouring
Jesus as
the saviour
of the world.
God planned
the death of
Jesus not to
disown him
or to
dishonour him
or to
reject him
but to
glorify him
as the
perfect,
flawless
lamb of
God who
takes away
the sin
of the
world.
Thirdly,
God
endorsed
Jesus by
raising him
from the
dead.
God's
powerful
response to
their rejection
and crucifixion
of Jesus is
in verse
24,
but God
raised him
from the
dead,
freeing him
from the
agony of
death because
it was
impossible for
death to
keep its
hold on
him.
So Peter
stands before
the crowd
of 3,000.
You
crucified
him.
It's your
treatment of
Jesus.
God raised
him from
the dead.
That's his
response.
Fourthly,
God endorsed
Jesus by
exalting him
to the
right hand
and putting
all his
enemies under
his feet.
Verses
34 and
35,
Peter quotes
Psalm 110
to show
the significance
of Jesus'
exaltation.
It says,
the Lord
said to
my Lord,
sit at
my right
hand until
I make
your enemies
a footstool
for your
feet.
And so
this particular
endorsement of
Jesus,
where God
takes him
and moves
into his
right hand,
exposes
the ultimate
horror of
rejecting
Jesus.
In
rejecting
Jesus,
they have
rejected
the one
whom God
declared to
be the
Lord of
the universe
by exalting
him to
his right
hand.
And so
the decisive
thrust of
Peter's sermon
is summed
up in
verse 36.
Therefore,
let all
Israel be
assured of
this.
God has
made this
Jesus,
whom you
crucified,
both Lord
and Christ.
God
endorsed
Jesus as
the worker
of miracles
on earth.
God
endorsed
Jesus as
the perfect
sacrifice
for sins.
God
endorsed
him as
Christ,
the Messiah,
by raising
him from
the dead.
God
endorsed
him as
the Lord
of everything
by exalting
him all
the way to
the highest
place in
the universe
and making
him supreme
over all
of his
enemies.
And so
the crucial
issue in
this sermon
of Peter's
is not
the rejection
or the
killing of
a man,
but the
denial of
God.
You see,
to reject
Jesus,
is Peter's
point here,
is in fact
to reject
God.
To vote
no to
Jesus is
to stand
in opposition
to God.
That's the
issue.
And that
is what
cut them
to the
heart.
Peter means
for his
audience
here to
feel the
clash
between
their
rejection
of Jesus
and God's
acceptance
and endorsement
of Jesus.
What matters
here ultimately
is not that
they killed
a man,
but that
they are
standing in
opposition to
God.
And this
is a
shocking
thing for
these people
to hear
and extremely
hard for
them to
admit.
Because
these 3,000
people have
gathered for
worship.
It is the
day of
Pentecost.
They are
religious people
that Peter
is talking
to.
They are
moral people.
They are
worshipping
people.
But he is
telling them
that their
minds are
totally at
odds with
God.
They claim
to know
God.
They claim
to love
God and
worship God
and follow
God.
But Peter
says that
they are
diametrically
opposed to
God.
And so if
we say that
we know
God,
but reject
God's
endorsement
of Jesus,
then we
don't really
know God.
And
worse,
we're
actually
against
God.
And this
is what
cuts
Peter's
hearers to
the heart.
They saw
for the
first time
that their
zeal
for God
had actually
been a
zeal
against
God.
And so
after years
of denial
and running
from God,
the question
is to
Peter,
what are
we going
to do?
And
Peter's
response is
twofold in
verse 38.
Repent
and be
baptized
every one
of you
in the
name of
Jesus
Christ
for the
forgiveness
of your
sins
and you
receive the
gift of
the Holy
Spirit.
And so
they need
two things.
They need
forgiveness
and they
need the
Holy Spirit.
And what
we desperately
need and
what God
is willing
to give
is forgiveness.
We have
violated
God.
We have
disobeyed
God.
And there
is only
one hope
that this
God,
through the
atoning
death of
his son,
might
forgive us
for our
sin against
him.
And so
I say
to us
all here
today,
worshipping
people,
as Peter
did to
verse 4
in verse
40 to
the crowd,
be saved.
Be saved
from this
crooked
generation.
On the
basis of
God's
word,
I declare
that there
is a
God who
rules the
universe.
verse.
There is
a holy
law that
he has
given us,
his word
that we
have trampled
all over
and ignored.
And in
the name
of Jesus
Christ,
there is
forgiveness
for our
sin against
God.
That is
our first
need,
our primary
need,
and God
in Jesus
Christ
stands ready
to give
it to
anyone who
comes to
him in
repentance
and faith.
Repentance
involves
turning from
any conviction.
It's a
transformation
of the
mind.
It's a
turning away
from any
conviction
about Jesus
other than
that he is
the son of
God,
crucified,
raised,
ascended,
reigns as
Lord and
king of the
universe.
And that he
is the lamb
of God who
has come to
take away
the sin of
the world.
And as
Lord and
Christ over
all that
he has
made,
he expects
our
allegiance.
And so
we see in
verse 41
that about
3,000 people
accepted
Peter's
message and
were added
to the
church in
that day.
That's
astounding.
In chapter
1,
verse 15,
it says
that the
believers
numbered
120.
and now
there's
3,120
and 11
apostles.
My goodness,
their staff
teams are
smaller than
ours.
That's
massive growth.
3,120 people
have repented
of their
rejection of
God and
now have a
common focus,
the Lord Jesus
Christ.
And this
brings us,
now left
with 3,120
people,
brings us
to their
second need
and our
deep second
need as
well.
It's here,
our need is
to have God
himself reign
in our lives
where sin
and ignorance
and rebellion
used to reign.
Those 3,120
people and
those here
gathered at
St. Paul's
Chatswood
need wisdom
and guidance
and love
and joy
and peace
and patience
and goodness
and self
control.
We need
extraordinary
power for
the task
of living
with Christ
the Lord.
We need
extraordinary
power of
the Holy
Spirit to
pursue any
discipline
that we
call to
in commitment
series.
We need
extraordinary
power for
revealing to
this world
that Jesus
is Lord
and Christ.
We need
the power
of the
Spirit for
the task
of being
a new
community
under the
Lordship
of Jesus.
Notice
that the
call from
Peter in
verse 40
and 41
is a
call to
leave one
group.
He says
be safe
from this
corrupt
generation.
He says
leave that
group
and join
this new
group
the
fellowship.
These new
converts
were brought
together
through a
common
salvation
into a
common
devotion.
There is
no
leave the
corrupt
generation
and go
and find
your own
way.
There is
no
individualism.
There is
no solo
Christianity.
There is
no consumer
Christianity.
Even the
term I think
volunteering
at church
seems really
foreign in
this picture
of the
early
church.
The picture
here is
not a
bunch of
poor
slaves who
have sort
of been
given a
job in
some
factory
somewhere
by God.
It's
more poor
slaves who
have been
made
family
members
brought
into the
family
business
as joint
owners and
heirs of
that business
to do the
work of
their new
generous
father.
God
And there
are four
things happening
in the
church where
the spirit
of God
reigns.
These
believers were
devoted,
that is,
they were
seriously,
continually,
single-mindedly
and earnestly
pursuing and
persisting in
four things
that are the
keys to
spiritual growth
and maturity.
Have a look at
it in verse
42.
The first is
teaching.
They devoted
themselves to
the apostles'
teaching.
Under the
reign of the
Holy Spirit,
these new
Christians were
hungry for
the word of
God.
Being filled
with the
spirit and
being filled
with the
word of
God go
together like
peas and
carrots.
Where the
spirit reigns,
a love for
God's word
reigns.
The
backbone of
a healthy
Christian life
is the
word of
God.
1 Peter
2.2
says,
like newborn
babes
craves pure
spiritual milk
so that by
it you may
grow up in
your salvation.
And so
friends,
I want to
encourage you
to read your
Bible,
to mark it
up,
to bring it
to church.
Each of us
must make
sure that
sometimes,
somewhere in
our week,
we are being
taught.
We have a
core value
written up
there on our
wall that
says Christ
centered Bible
saturation.
That's a
value.
A value is
something that
we say that
we hold deep
within us.
It shapes and
forms who we
are.
And the
way we
know that
we actually
value that
value is
that it
gets worked
out in
practice in
our commitment
to actually
reading and
studying the
word of
God.
In other
words,
don't tell me
you hold to
that value
and tick
that box
if you
shelved your
Bible over
here somewhere.
But let me
say that
more than
study is
needed.
Yes,
we want to
be a
Bible-believing
church and
saturation of
the scriptures,
but we want
to be a
Bible-living
church,
a Bible-obeying
church,
not just
information being
fed into us,
but transformation
of our life.
The second
is fellowship.
They devoted
themselves to
the fellowship,
verse 42.
Now,
this kind of
fellowship didn't
occur before the
day of Pentecost.
The Greek
word used
here isn't
even found
in the
Gospels,
and the
key idea
to it is
commonality.
Every time
the word is
used in the
New Testament,
it stands
or it means
some kind
of sharing.
That's what
the word
fellowship
means.
Now,
we have a
lot of
ideas that
come to
mind when
we think
of Christian
fellowship,
and I
would suggest
that most
of them are
pretty
tame,
or lame
even.
The
foundational
idea is
that of
giving,
sharing,
sacrificing.
That is,
Christian
fellowship
actually
costs.
So,
fellowship is
not a
sentimental
idea of
togetherness.
giving,
things like
it's not
tea and
biscuits,
or whatever
it is that
young people
do,
coke and
pizza or
something.
It doesn't
just happen
because two
Christians are
sitting together
and chatting.
Just because you're
a Christian,
they're a
Christian,
and we just
happen to be
talking about
football,
a great
night of
fellowship.
fellowship
comes through
giving,
and true
fellowship
costs.
Many
Christians have
never known
the joy of
Christian
fellowship
because they
have never
learnt to
actually give
themselves away.
some visit a
church or even
a community
group with
an eye only
for their
needs,
and they
walk away
saying there
was no
fellowship
there.
I've heard
it this
year a
couple of
times.
But we
only have
fellowship when
we make it a
practice to
reach out to
others and to
give something
of ourselves to
others,
regardless of
what's happening
in our lives.
thirdly,
they devote
themselves to
the breaking
of bread.
Now the
breaking of
bread here
might refer
to the
Lord's
Supper,
or it
might refer
to the
fellowship
they have
over a
meal,
or both.
I have a
tendency to
lean that
it's about
the Lord's
Supper
specifically,
but most
likely,
what happened
was that
they had
a meal
together,
a main
meal of
steak and
chips,
and then
they would
take the
bread and
the wine
and they
would
remember
Christ's
death
together.
What this
means is
that Christ
and his
atoning work
was constantly
before this
new community.
Daily,
they would
bring their
hearts up to
solemn and
joyous
contemplation.
There is a
real sense of
wanting to be
together and
to share
together,
and the
ongoing basis
of their
being together
and sharing
together was
their fellowship
in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
He was the
linchpin of
their
togetherness.
Fourthly,
they devoted
themselves to
the prayers.
When they
got together,
they ate
together,
they prayed
together,
and they
praised
together.
This
togetherness
was not
one of those
churchy kind
of togetherness
things where
you can come
together and
spend all night
talking about
church but
never mention
Jesus.
This is
Jesus at
the center.
When they
got in
touch with
each other,
they got in
touch with
God together.
Where the
spirit reigns,
the hearts of
God's people
move up
towards him
in prayer.
What a
wonderful picture
of this new
community of
transformed lives
where the
spirit reigns.
They've been
rescued from
sin through
the gospel of
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
They've been
brought together
in a new
spirit-transformed
community.
So make
no mistake
here, this
is a work
of God.
This impressive
community didn't
just happen
because a few
people decided
to turn over
a new leaf and
start some
new club.
This was a
radical
transformation
controlled by
the sovereign
hand of God
and God
enabled the
apostles to
do wonders
and it says
here that the
Lord added to
their number
daily those
who were being
saved.
This is God
at work through
the life and
witness of his
people and this
sort of community
cannot be
manufactured by
tweaking a few
programs.
The Christian
community has
its origin in
and continues
under the
proclamation of
the message
that the
crucified Jesus
is Lord and
Christ and all
true fellowship
is founded upon
and focused on
the gospel and
the result is
other person
centered love as
lives are
transformed by
that gospel.
The two are
inseparable.
Is it any
wonder people
were impressed
with this new
society growing
up in Jerusalem?
True Christian
fellowship
naturally
overflows
into mission
as the world
wants a slice
of the Christian
community and
the power that's
behind that
community.
our world
needs to see
church communities
witnessing to the
reality of gospel
shaped restored
relationships.
It is quite
clear in Luke's
mind that a
Christian is not
an individualist
who enjoys some
kind of private
communion with God
but a member of a
new society
inescapably bound
up with every
other Christian in a
mutual solidarity of
a radically deep
kind.
It is a wonderful
picture of the
church right here
where the spirit of
God reigns.
We see Christians
relating to the
word of God,
relating to each
other and the
word of God and
relating to God and
each other and the
word of God and
relating to God and
each other and the
word of God and the
world.
Let me just throw a
caution here in
against
idealising it,
this church,
in Acts 2.
It's a wonderful
picture.
But if we're not
careful, we can
paint an unrealistic
picture of it.
The kind of
blessings God has
given them in his
mercy and in their
weakness and in their
imperfection comes with
groaning.
right here in Acts
2.
They're in
honeymoon period.
Everything's
fantastic.
And they will be for
a couple of
chapters.
But here in Acts
2, we have the
beginnings of a
vintage administrative
hassle and pressure.
It's not obvious
here.
We'll see it next
week.
Meeting the needs of
3,000 people and
leading them into
joy-filled mission
is very messy.
And it will
always be messy.
These are, you
go from a church
with 11 leaders and
120 members, a few
extra here, you
know, fill up these
seats and you've got
some sort of a
picture of what the
early church was
like.
And then jam 3,000
extra people in
amongst it.
3,000 new babies
in Jesus.
Now, in my
family, you put
one new baby in
the house, it's
chaos.
It's chaos for 12
months.
It's just madness.
Sleep deprivation,
all the concerns,
worries, anxieties,
and 3,000 of them,
man, I'm moving to
Brazil.
It's an issue is
what's happening
here.
It's important for
us to realise it
unless we think
that out there
somewhere there is
a perfect church
that I need to go
and find and to be
part of.
Or unless we have
the other response
and we fold our
hands here and groan
and whinge and
complain and when
this church gets
perfect, then I'm
going to make a
contribution then.
In Acts chapter,
sorry, in 2
Corinthians 11
verse 28,
Paul,
in chapter 11,
he gives his long
list of all his
issues and struggles
in ministry and
all his burdens in
ministry and right at
the end of the list
he says,
apart from other
things, there is a
daily pressure on me
of my anxiety for
all the churches.
This is the
apostle Paul speaking.
The apostle Paul
was blessed by God
in planting multitude
after multitude of
successful churches.
His ministry was
blessed.
The effect of this
blessing, this
wonderful blessing
and this success
and this growth
was what he called
the daily pressure
of concern for
all the churches.
With blessing
comes groaning.
With blessing
comes hardship
and difficulties.
That's normal.
When you look
around the church
and you see
blessing and
successes,
you'll also see
mess and sin
and mistakes
and difficulties.
That's normal.
And we are
feeling it right
here now as a
church.
Let me tell you,
I am feeling
the daily pressure
for just one
church.
I couldn't
imagine what it
would be like to
be the apostle
Paul.
Let me tell you
that God has
wonderfully blessed
us as a church
in the past 12
to 18 months.
There is some
great ministry
momentum.
A number of
people have come
to Christ and
committed to our
church family.
For the blokes
amongst us
and who didn't
make it yesterday
morning,
you missed out
on a great
man's breakfast.
Jeremy Kirk,
who comes along
here occasionally
but mainly in our
morning congregation,
gave a wonderful
testimony of how
he came into
this church as an
unbeliever, just
thinking I'd be good
for the kids.
In no time at all,
Debbie's leading him
in our for course.
Eyes came alike
to the gospel.
Andrew Green at
the same time
invites him to
come along for
journaling and
prayer, Bible
reading and prayer
on a Wednesday
morning and he
said on one of
those Wednesday
mornings, bang,
he said that was
the moment,
decisive moment
where he felt the
spirit of God
came on him and
all of a sudden
joy, eyes came
open.
This is the
moment Christ
flooded into his
life.
That was a
wonderful testimony.
The time to
build pledging
was an amazing
expression of
unity and
commitment across
the church.
The $680,000
that we pledged
over the next
three years was
not just a few
people throwing
in masses of
bucks, it was
across the whole
church.
And yet, there
is a deep
groaning as we
are faced with
hard decisions
right now with
our budget for
next year.
And it's
right in the
midst of such
blessing, of
such joy.
Church is
messy.
And can I
suggest that even
as I'm calling
you through this
series to
commitment to the
local church and
St. Paul's here
and our vision
that we have for
the future and
our core values,
expect it to be
both joyful and
hard.
Expect both of
those things to
go together.
As messy as the
church is,
Ephesians 3
says that God's
universal plan for
all ages is that
through the church
the manifold
wisdom of God
should be made
known to the
rulers and
authorities in
the heavenly
realms according
to his eternal
purposes which he
accomplished in
Christ Jesus our
Lord.
When we align our
purpose with God's
purpose to make
Jesus known
through the
church to this
universe, then
our life, one
life, our drop
in the lake, that
ripple doesn't
peter out but it
grows in magnitude
through all of
eternity.
And so my call
today and through
this series is for
us all to reassess
our commitment to
the Lord Jesus and
his purpose is being
worked out through
his local church
here, St. Paul's
even to all the
universe.
Amen.