Saved

“Immanuel Spirit” – Part 10

(Acts 2:47b, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 27, 2011)

… And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

And the Lord

The Lord saves people.

God's ways are above our ways, and His thoughts are above ours. We know Him now, and we will know Him better the more that we see Jesus in the Word and give ourselves more fully to Him. We will know Him far better when we see the Lord in heaven and all our sin is gone. But we will never have exhaustive knowledge of God. He is the Creator. Even in heaven, we will still be His creatures.

We do not understand God. Nor do we understand even the glory of mankind made in God's image. What is man? He is one being, yet after death, his body rests in the grave and his spirit is in the hands of God. He has a heart, mind, and will that can applaud the Law of God, and yet he may do what he does not want to do. His soul is a spiritual battleground during his stay on earth, even though the Spirit of God dwells in him, and his once dead spirit has been made alive. Man is a complex being. Who can understand his own heart?

If we do not understand God, and if we cannot fathom what man is, it should not surprise us that we get into all kinds of trouble when we consider the interaction of Almighty God and His mysterious image-bearer man. We need to hear words from heaven on these great topics, receive them, and embrace them. Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Yes. The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart. Yes. In one it was an expression of man's wickedness. In the other it was for a revelation of God's righteousness. Thus God displayed the mystery of unbelief that is beyond our knowing. But here in Acts 2, the people saved themselves according to Peter's plea. Yes. God saved people according to His sovereign plan. He added to their number those who were being saved. Yes again. Thus God displayed the wonder of salvation and the interaction of God and man for eternal life. We cannot fathom the depths of this glorious blessing. We receive it and rejoice. This was the Lord's work among men. Blessed be His Name!

Added to their number

An entire generation of God's people, the Israelites, died in the wilderness. Only Joshua and Caleb were spared. When the time came for them to go into The Promised Land, they turned away in fear. They had seen God's great works of deliverance in Egypt. They saw the consequence of hardheartedness. They saw that God made a distinction between Israel and Egypt. But they were lost. But do not assume that their death in the wilderness according to God's judgment tells you everything that you need to know about their eternal condition. The same author of Hebrews who says that this generation died in unbelief, lists that congregation among the heroes of the faith in heaven. “By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land.” These are in the great cloud of witnesses from heaven that surround us now. See Hebrews 12:1. From their new home they cheer us on in the race of faith.

Through centuries of Old Testament revelation, we have been prepared for the message of faithlessness and death. Even the best men and women of faith fall short of the Lord's command to Abraham in Genesis 17:1. “Walk before me and be blameless.” They live and they die. Even Moses could not go into The Promised Land. But now, through the one blameless Man who died and rose again, through faith in His Name, through the power of God, through the road of repenting and the symbol of better waters than those that drowned the soldiers of Pharaoh, people are being added to the number, rather than subtracted to a better place. And this is just the beginning. 120 has turned into more than 3000, and the number of the community of the redeemed, the society of Jesus, is growing. They are believing, repenting, receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit, that promise that was for them and for their children. The Lord is adding to their number.

Day by day

This great divine work of addition into the new society of Jesus, the church, is happening day by day. The power of the Spirit cannot be contained to just one day of the year, or just one day of the week. Every day they are devoting themselves to Jesus and His generosity. Every day grace is being received from heaven and extended throughout the community of the redeemed and beyond.

The church was growing continuously because Holy Spirit Christianity cannot be contained in the limits that we might define for God. We like to control things. We have been created to have dominion. We are people of the sixth day of creation. We were made to fill the earth and subdue it. We are to rule over all the kings and kingdoms of this world. But there is Someone else above us who is King, and we need to tremble at His Word. He is the One through whom all things were made. He is the God of the seventh day, and the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is in us and working among the growing number of His people who will go from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth, until they come again to Jerusalem, where the ingrafting of all sorts of Gentiles will make jealous the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God the Holy Spirit will use your steps as He has used other suffering servants of Jesus Christ over these centuries of addition. He has prepared you to be worshipers and workers, givers and helpers, hands and hearts, both near and far, mothers and fathers, parents and children, lovers of creation and servants of the Creator. He is always adding, though death may seem to subtract. He is adding, because He is saving what death and hell can never own.

Those who were being saved

The Immanuel Savior has saved. Now the Immanuel Spirit is saving. People are being saved. Long ago, the Lord made a distinction between His Old Covenant people, Israel, and their captors in Egypt. He saved Israel with a mighty hand. In the next generation, He brought them into a land that He gave them forever through a man named Joshua. But when that Joshua was preparing to take The Promised Land, He was encountered by a better man, called the commander of the Lord's Army. Joshua bowed down before Him who had a saving purpose that would reach beyond Israel.

That great Captain of our salvation has come. He is Jesus, the new Joshua, and He sends us forward in a different kind of conquest. He saves people, and brings them into a new army, led by the King, the new Joshua, who died and rose again. We give food to the hungry in His Name. We bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. We work for others in our jobs as if unto Jesus, our Master. We submit to all lawful authority as subjects of the One who reigns forever. If we live, we live for Him. If we die, we die with His Name in our hearts. We are saved. Praise the Lord! The Lord has brought us into the number.

1. Who brings church growth?

2. What is the “number” referred to in this verse?

3. How could it be that the church was growing continuously?

4. What does it mean to be saved?

OT Passage: Numbers 14:1-25

Don't get freaked out by astounding grace.

“Immanuel Spirit” – Part 9

(Acts 2:43-47, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 20, 2011)

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people.

Awe came upon every soul... (43)

“Awe” or fear of God is the appropriate response of the creature to our great and Almighty Creator. We can and will have that kind of awe in heaven. See Revelation 4 and 5. Without the fear of God, there is no real wisdom. Yet Jesus calls us “friends,” we are “sons of God” through Him, and perfect love has cast out all our fear of eternal torment for those who know the love of God. But “awe” of God is only right. When we devote ourselves to His Word and Sacrament, when we let our lives and our prayers be formed by the Spirit of God at work within us, we cannot help but bow before the Lord, our Maker, our Defender, and our Redeemer!

This awe of God comes upon people who know that God is speaking to them, addressing them, leading them, and loving them. Three thousand plus people heard with grace the call of God in Peter's message, and awe came upon every soul among them. This is not bad, but very good. The impulse to humble yourself in the presence of the Almighty may be a sign that the Immanuel Spirit of Jesus Christ is actually with us, even now.

That experience of awe was not only a result of the wonder of the day of Pentecost, the hearing of home dialects, the powerful preaching of Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and the response of thousands who believed and were baptized. There were ongoing wonders and signs of the presence of God with His church through the hands of the apostles. These unlearned men who were the new teachers and preachers of the founding society of Christian faith and life were not only bringing words to ears of thousands, they were used by God to perform mighty miracles. See the healing of a man who was lame from birth in Acts 3. God was doing many such great works through the apostles. This had to be from the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.

This nearness of God by His Spirit is essential for the progress of the Lord's kingdom. We need to know that God is here. There is something that is too small about a church where everything that happens in the lives of even thousands who are involved can be easily explained by their own plans and their own power. Where is God in that project? Wonders and signs from God do not convert people, but they do wake the elect up to the presence of the Lord in a gathering of His beloved church. Awe comes upon every redeemed soul. There is an expectation that God is with us, and has chosen us for His service. This is particularly helpful to believers that are facing or will soon face severe opposition from strong men and nations.

All who believed were together... (44-45)

Beyond these amazing wonders and signs, it will be through the Immanuel Spirit of Jesus Christ that the teaching and ceremonies of Christian worship will overflow in sacrificial and generous living. God must lead His people into Christ-likeness by His Spirit. We cannot go into that promised land unless Jesus leads the way.

The church in Jerusalem after the day of Pentecost had evidence of the presence of God that could not be denied. The people who believed were part of something that came out of heaven and was spreading out over all the earth. They were together in this new society of Jesus. While they still held title to their own property and had the right to sell it (see Acts 4 and 5), they were using their ownership for the benefit of the common body of believers.

This was a deeply unrealistic thing to do. Many of these individuals came to Jerusalem from far-off places in order to participate in Passover and Pentecost. What happened to their former lives? What are they doing staying in Jerusalem? Will they ever go back and resume their previous activities? Did they have new jobs now, and temporary quarters in Jerusalem? We have many questions, but no answers from the Bible. What we do know is that, not just a few, but many, “were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” As Jesus had said would be the case, by their fruits the people of God became known.

Day by day... (46-47)

There was a sincere and frighteningly dramatic change of life for a growing community of thousands of people who believed that Jesus was Lord, that He was with them, and that He was leading them in lives of uncommon generosity and joy. What He led them to do, He led them to do daily. Every day they were going to the temple for large group instruction by the apostles, and every day they were gathering in their homes eating, worshiping, and caring for each other.

We know that they were devoted to the apostles' teaching, the fellowship of shared lives, the breaking of the bread, the prayers of the people of God. But these activities were enlivened by the evident presence of the Spirit of the Lord. They were bringing about the best prophesies of the Old Testament. See our Old Testament passage for today, Ezekiel 36:16-38. They were living the heavenly life on earth. They were praising God, extending grace to people, and receiving the approval of one another in the joy of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were living a life of no regrets, allowing Christ to be King, knowing the fear of the Lord, and knowing that they were accepted forever by God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How are we to reply to this example so many centuries later? Will we respond with the wrong kind of fear, that worry and unbelief that turns us away from God leading us to self-justifying reasons why living the Acts 2 life is bad or impossible? We will use the hearing of this Word as an occasion to think, feel, and obey just a little bit less toward Jesus? That is not the song you want to sing. This Jesus who died for our sins is both Lord and Christ. Sanity comes in the right song of heaven. In eternity, when multitudes see Jesus through sinless eyes, we will be captivated with wonder and love for Him. We will cast our crowns before Him, and say with thousands upon thousands of angels and every living creature in heaven and on earth, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing, honor, glory, and might forever and ever!”

If that is the way of final sanity, the way of the grace of the Holy Spirit leading to that end for all of us today is to take just the next step of yielded obedience that our Lord and Christ has for us this week. Next week there may be more, but you only get to live one day at a time. Do not be overwhelmed or discouraged by the church in Jerusalem described in Acts 2. That's what happens when God's grace gets inside people. That's what it looks like when heaven comes to earth. Just imagine if each of us took some step, small or large, toward that end today...

1. What is awe? Is it good for us?

2. Why did awe come upon every soul?

3. What were the evidences of true spiritual life in the church?

4. How did the daily life of people who became part of the church change?

Devoted to the Lord

“Immanuel Spirit” – Part 8

(Acts 2:41-42, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 13, 2011)

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Those who received his word... (41)

The Lord tapped certain people on the shoulder on that Pentecost day in the year when Jesus died as the Passover Lamb. They were the people who heard about the wonders of God in their own dialect from Galileans who had no business knowing their languages. That was God's way of saying to them, “Hey! Pay attention to what you hear next.”

What did happen next? Peter had preached to them a straightforward and earnest biblical message from Joel 2, showing them their need to call upon the Name of the Lord, and showing them from Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 that Jesus of Nazareth was both Lord and Messiah. He concluded his message by pressing their own need to come clean regarding Jesus, since God had made this Jesus, the one that they crucified, both Lord and Christ.

So far we have the divine tap on the shoulder and the apostolic preaching of the Word. What follows next is the indispensable conviction of the Holy Spirit. They were cut to the heart; pierced by God. Was there any hope left for them, and if there was, what should they do?

Peter gave them a clear and simple answer: Repent about Christ, the cross, the resurrection, and the promise of God. And then be baptized in the Name of Jesus. But the day was not over. What remained was critical. How would they respond to the call of God to them? Would they do what they must? Would they change their minds and their lives concerning Jesus? Would they be identified with the group of people who were a part of the community of the Savior?

That morning, about three thousand people said, “Yes.” Not everyone heard the wonders of God in their own dialects. Not everyone received the preaching of Peter and accepted his message on Joel 2 and Psalms 16 and 110. Not everyone was cut to the heart by the Holy Spirit. And that is why not everyone was baptized that day, associating themselves that very moment with a movement and a community of faith, worship, and life that would change the world. Not everyone did that. But about three thousand souls did. About three thousands people said that the message they heard was life to them. Three thousand found in a Man who had died on a Roman cross the only Savior of the Jews and of the world. Three thousand believed that this Jesus had risen from the dead. Three thousand associated themselves with a group of Galileans who understood the Scriptures in a very different way then the chief priests, the elders, the scribes, and the Pharisees, who had rejected Jesus Christ.

There was danger for these three thousand. They knew what happened to Jesus, Now they were publicly associating themselves with him through baptism. What would happen to them next? Would they all be put to death as a dangerous sect? Would they live in fear of what the authorities would do? After finding the Captain of their Salvation, would they spend the rest of their days consumed by the chance of danger, like subversives who have to hide from others in order to avoid arrest. Not according to verse 42...

And they devoted themselves... (42)

They devoted themselves, not to hiding in fear, but to the worship of God. This group of Jews and proselytes from so many different places started the practice of Christian worship. They took the pattern that they were accustomed to from synagogue life in their homelands far from the temple, and they began to live the new life right there where they were staying in Jerusalem. That took certain activities that were common to daily and weekly worship in Jewish assemblies and added the celebration of the Lord's Supper to them in accord with the specific command of Jesus, who had told his disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

They devoted themselves to these activities that we have been doing for centuries since that day. Four wonderful gifts of God are listed here that we participate in, none of them miraculous. But the living Christ, the Immanuel Spirit, is at the center of each of these gifts.

First, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. Peter's message is the obvious example of this teaching in Acts 2, but it is only the first in millions of messages that will be given all over the world in the centuries that follow. Though there is nothing inherently miraculous in this gift, it is still very new. Heartfelt pleas to worshipers had been heard before. See Deuteronomy 8. But prior to this moment, even the teaching of Jesus left people wondering what it was all about. The apostles' teaching was now clear. They reveal the plain truth in light of the coming of Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Through this teaching there can be no doubt about who the Messiah is, and what He has done to save us while yet upholding the fullness of divine holiness. Suddenly 100s of passages that were waiting for an answer have found their hidden key in Christ. This is the kind of teaching that people longed for during the entire Old Testament period, and it is yours all the time in our day. You just come, open your heart to the Word of God, and hope that the preacher does not get in the way.

Second, they devoted themselves to fellowship, or sharing. From the verses that follow we see that the sharing referred to involves wealth. Again, there is nothing miraculous about a person giving sacrificially, but it is unusual. The person who does not help to support the work of Christ through the church is missing out on a great gift of God. There will always be people in need until we get to heaven. We want to be the hands and feet of Christ to them. This is not our money that is being freely given. We have come to see that it is the Lord's, and we want to use it in His Name. Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift. He lets us give away His money.

Third, they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. This “breaking of bread” can mean simple eating, but in this context it seems to be a reference to the sacramental meal that Jesus instituted, the Lord's Supper, or “communion.” This meal is not miraculous, but it is very spiritual, and it is a great gift to the church. Many messages have been preached that wrongly obscure the basic truths of our common faith. The Lord's Supper should make up for that every time it is celebrated. Can we miss that this is about the body and blood of Christ, who saves us?

Finally, they devoted themselves to prayers. The gift of prayer is not miraculous, but we know what it is to lack that gift, and we would rather have it than not. When we sing to God, we sing our prayers through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. When we add our “Amen” to a prayer that one person leads, we join our hearts together in common purpose. We want to see the justice and truth of Jesus Christ win the day. We want to be kept away from sin that could destroy us and bring disgrace upon the church. We want all the gifts of God for us. We pray, and the Lord hears.

For centuries, Christians, gathering together on the first day of the week, have devoted themselves to the use of these Christ-centered, Spirit-filled gifts. It is our privilege to be a part of that great endeavor as the worship of God moves forward throughout the earth.

1. How was it clear which people received Peter's word?

2. What does it mean that the church “devoted themselves” to certain activities?

3. What are the activities that they devoted themselves to?

4. How is this experience both new, and in accord with the tradition of the synagogues?

Receiving the promise

“Immanuel Spirit” – Part 7

(Acts 2:37-40, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 6, 2011)

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

38 And Peter said to them, “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. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart... (37)

Thousands of people heard the words of Peter on the day of Pentecost so long ago. They heard a very unflattering message. Peter was insistent that they were guilty of the blood of an innocent Man. He said, “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Peter said that a correct understanding of the Bible and their lives proved three facts. 1.They needed to call on the name of the Lord. 2. Jesus is the Lord. 3. This Jesus, they crucified.

What now? It would seem like it was too late. The people had crucified the Lord. We also have come to see that we have crucified the Lord. Don't we say that He died for our sins? What hope can there be for us? But that is our hope. In His death, our sins have been atoned for. Do you feel the guilt of the cross? That is a good sign. In that death is both our guilt and our atonement.

Yet we will run away from both the guilt of our sin and the forgiveness that comes through the death of the Lord. We will run away from Jesus, unless we are cut to the heart by the Holy Spirit. This spiritual surgery is necessary if we are to be healed by the Lord of love.

This is the greatest miracle of Pentecost: Thousands were cut to the heart, and thousands wanted to know what they should do. They did not try to kill Peter and the apostles that day. They humbly turned to them as the Lord's ambassadors, and they said, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized...” (38)

The answer was mercifully clear, direct, and hopeful. He said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” To “repent” is to “surrender” to Jesus as Lord. This surrender says to the Lord, “You are right, God. I was wrong.” I want to be with You. I want to be found in Your name together with all Your people. Let me be baptized into that unity with You that is found only in the Name of Jesus. Christ.

This is something that everyone needs to hear and to respond to. This is not just for some small group of people that have a particularly religious bent, or who come from a particular background. It is not just for people who are powerful, or alternatively, just for people who are weak. Peter does not know the specific stories of the thousands who are listening to him that day. He cannot hear all their personal objections based on who they are or what they have been through in their lives. He says, “This is something for every one of you.” Every. One. Of. You.

The important thing for people to come to grips with at this decisive moment of time is that this true association with Jesus Christ will mean the forgiveness of their sins. This is extremely exciting for people who had just heard that they had crucified the Lord. They were supposed to call upon the Name of the Lord. Instead they crucified the Lord. But this Lord is still alive. They can still call upon the Name of the Lord. How can they do that? They can repent and be baptized. What will this mean for them? Their sins will be forever forgiven. That means peace with God and eternal life in heaven for people who deserved the fullness of God's wrath that Jesus took for them. This is the best news for sinners that could ever be imagined. I know of no better news, unless you refuse to repent and be baptized.

And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit... (38-39)

But for the person who will repent and be baptized, this good news of forgiveness, of peace with God, of eternal life in heaven, comes with a present way of life. The God who gave amazing utterance to the apostles will be with them too. They have witnessed the pouring out of the heavenly gift of the Holy Spirit on others. But now Peter insists that if they will repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, then they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. God will be with them, and in them. God will have gifts for them. He will produce fruit in them. He will give them peace, joy, and heaven, leading them, even through suffering, in the walk of faith that God has for all who call upon the Name of the Lord.

Then Peter expands Joel 2. “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” The sign of union with God, and the Immanuel Spirit, will be for you, and for your children, for all those who are truly called by God.

It all comes back to the call of God. God is changing the times from the era of preparation to the age of fulfillment. Jesus has come. It is time for everyone to be named with the Name of the Lord of heaven and earth. Jesus is risen. Now is not the time to by squeamish about Him. Now is the time to receive Him and the Holy Spirit as those who have been called by God.

And with many other words he bore witness... (40)

Peter had more to say. I always have more to say. I am a desperate man. I don't even know if you are hearing this message today. I want to say to everyone, everywhere, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Will you do this? “Save yourself!” I am speaking like a fool.

There is a world all around you that is not hearing the call of God, and that world is picking off people from the church who decide that they will no longer hear and will not be saved. There is an adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone he may devour. See 1 Peter 5:7. Are you at risk? There is no need to be that person who walks too far away from a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. Save yourselves by a fresh consideration of the blood that saves.

Ask the Lord for the promise. The promise is for you and for your children. This is the season of new rain from heaven. “Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give ... showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.” (See Zechariah 10 for these and following quotes.)

There are many other spiritualities out there, but this one comes from the Lord who shed His blood for you. This is the one that satisfies every demand of God. “The household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation.” Do not “wander like sheep” who suffer from “lack of a shepherd.” You have the solid Cornerstone.

Jesus can make you “like a mighty warrior.” Your “hearts shall be glad as with wine.” Your “children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.” God “will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the Lord. Repent. Receive.

1. How did the crowd respond to the preaching of Peter?

2. What did Peter ask them to do?

3. In what sense is the promise of the Holy Spirit to the called and to their children?

4. In what sense can people save themselves?

OT Passage: Zechariah 10