Well, you can turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2, we're going to consider a passage we've looked at before, but I think it sort of caps off a series of sermons we have gone through recently. We've looked at the truths regarding the church, the head of the church, the identity of the church, the worship of the church, the regular principle of worship, and the Christian Sabbath. And so what we find in terms of a response to Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost describes for us, and interestingly is prescriptive for us, in terms of what churches today ought to look like.
So I'll just pick up in verse 22, but then our focus will be on verses 41 to 47, but just to set it in its larger context. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.
Whom God raised up, having loose the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. For David says concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy in your presence. Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, He, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Now, when they heard this, they were caught to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all as anyone had need.
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Amen. Well,
Closing Prayer
let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for not only this example of apostolic preaching of the cross, but also the response of the people of God, who have known the power of the Holy Spirit, who have confessed faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is good for us to see the early church in practice, and to see the application of the various things we've been considering over the last couple of months.
God, help us to imitate this and help us to be faithful in the manner in which you call us unto in terms of the local church. We ask again for the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. We ask again for cleansing through that precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in his most blessed name.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, as we look at this particular passage, we ought to understand that this is descriptive. It describes what is happening in the first century church. There are things in the book of Acts that are descriptive that are not necessarily prescriptive for us. In other words, the signs and wonders that are done through the apostles.
There are no longer apostles. So those sorts of signs and wonders, the tongue speaking, the prophesying, those things are no longer for us. It's described in the book of Acts, but it's not prescribed for our present conduct. But in terms of this response to the apostles' preaching, it is a description.
It describes for us what happened. But in terms of the rest of the New Testament, we see that it's prescriptive. This is how the church ought to look. The church ought not to be identifiable with the biggest band, and the best guitarist, and the most sort of concert-like approach.
The worship of God in this New Covenant era is very simple in nature, and it's spoken too often in the New Testament Scriptures.
The Power of the Gospel
So I want to look first at the power of the gospel in verse 41, and then secondly at the practice of the church in verses 42 to 47. Verses 42 to 47 and the practice of the church doesn't make any sense when it's ripped out of the context of the power of the gospel. So we'll look at that first.
Reception of the Word
Notice the reception of the word in verse 41a. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. The glad reception of the word of God is seen in three particulars in the context. Notice in the first place, Faith.
Verse 44 says, now all who believed were together. So one of the things that describes the reception of the gospel or the power of the gospel received is the faith of persons received by God's grace to believe the gospel itself. Secondly, there's repentance. Verse 38, Peter says, repent and let every one of you be baptized for the remission of sins.
So a glad reception of the word involves faith and repentance. And then as a fruit of that, or as a result of that, there is obedience. They gladly receive the word and then they are baptized in obedience to Peter's instruction. The receivers of the word by faith are called to obey the command of Christ and submit to water baptism.
As John Gill notes, baptism precedes and is intimately connected with church membership. It is that sort of initiatory rite. The Lord's Supper is to be engaged in in practice until the coming of our blessed Savior. But in terms of baptism, it's not baptism unto salvation.
It is baptism because you have been saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So the glad reception of the word looks like that. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, repentance unto God, and an obedient desire to do what Christ calls us to. Again, make sure you understand that obedient desire is not the reason for which we're accepted in the beloved.
We're received freely by God's grace. Justification is by faith alone. It's attended by repentance, but it certainly issues forth in obedience. So the power of the gospel, the glory of the message of Christ crucified and risen, that is precisely what Peter preaches beginning in verse 22.
He preaches the true humanity of our blessed Savior. He preaches the death of our blessed Savior. Not ultimately at the hands of men, that is certainly instrumental, but this was according to the plan and purpose of God. Notice in verse 23, Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death.
So the true humanity of Jesus, including the sufferings of our blessed Lord, the death at Calvary, but then the resurrection from the dead, and the triumphant exaltation, is that message which you, if you are not saved this morning, desperately need to hear. You not only need to hear that message, but you need to believe that message. Because apart from that message, there is no hope, there is no help, there is no heaven to come. I would suggest that if you ask ten people, probably eight to nine of them would say, oh yes, I'm on my way to heaven.
And then if you ask the follow-up question as to why, they would say something along the line as, I'm a pretty good guy, I haven't done anything really bad. They're thinking in terms of a works approach to the God of heaven and earth. They don't understand that in Adam, all die. That the problem isn't simply a few bad habits on the part of sinners, but it is total depravity and total inability.
So for a sinner to enter into the very heaven of God, he must first, by grace, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have not believed that message today, you are hell-bound. The Lord God Most High calls all men everywhere to repent. And as Peter says in Acts chapter 4 at verse 12, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
If you resolve today to never sin again, you'll make it for about a second at the most. If you did happen to be successful and never sin again, you've still got a mountain of sins that need to be dealt with. The glory of the Christian message, the glory of the Christian gospel, is that when we hear the message of Christ and Him crucified and resurrected, when we by grace look to Him, we live, and what live means is that we are forgiven of our sins. What live means is that we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ, so that when we stand before God, we're clothed in the righteousness of another, what Luther called an alien righteousness.
In fact, with reference to Luther, he made this observation concerning this great exchange or this transaction where our sins are heaped upon the Savior, and where the Savior's righteousness is heaped upon us. He says, the rich, noble, pious bridegroom Christ takes this poor, despised, wicked little whore in marriage, redeems her of all evil, and adorns her with all his goods. That, my brothers and sisters, that, my dear friend, is the gospel of our salvation. It's good news because it's about forgiveness.
It's good news because it's about a righteousness that avails with God. And in this instance, when they heard this statement, and they heard as well, Peter prosecute the truth, that it was their hands instrumentally that had cut off the very Messiah of God, they were cut to the heart, they cry out, Men and brethren, what must we do to be saved? So they are right, understanding their sin, having been convicted of it, and then Peter dutifully points them to the Savior, upon whom they believe, and they enter into everlasting life. That is why we meet as a church.
That is why we send missionaries. That is why we evangelize. That is why we tell people the good news in Jesus Christ. Some suggest that us meeting today is a rejection of that second great commandment.
We're not only to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, but we're to love our neighbor as ourself. The best way we express love to our neighbor is to preach the gospel to them, to tell them the truth that God is holy, and they are not, but God has provided a way of remedy in the person and in the word of our Lord Jesus. similar to what we find in the next chapter. A certain man lame from his mother's womb, in chapter three, was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple. And then he asks Peter specifically, Peter and John, for money.
And then verse six, then Peter said, silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. I may not have a great immune system to pass on to everybody. I may not be able to get you a vaccine.
I may not be able to engage in that manner of health in terms of the physicality. But what I have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ, look unto Him and be saved. So the power of the gospel is seen in its reception.
It's not by works, it's not by accomplishment, it's not by merit, it's by God's grace. They believe, they repent, and as a fruit, they then obey God. But as well,
Growth of the Church
notice the growth of the church in 41B. It says, then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And that day, about 3,000 souls were added to them. Now, the verb that they were added is what's called a passive voice.
That means it wasn't them that added themselves. It wasn't the apostles that added them. It wasn't a Billy Graham crusade where everybody was invited to the front to make their decision, to sign their card, to raise their hand. Perhaps you've been in those churches at the very end where it's, you know, every head bowed and every eye closed.
Just shoot up your hand a little bit if you want to get saved. What's with the secrecy? We're in the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord. Why do we have to have our heads bowed and our eyes closed?
Isn't this something that people have got rejoice over? Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents. I like to think that the Church of Jesus Christ would certainly rejoice over one sinner who repents as well. But that is man-centered.
That is a man-word technique, I think, more designed to manipulate and to emotionally appeal to people than to preach the truth as it is in Jesus. It was God that added them to the church. It wasn't the preaching of Peter as the ultimate cause. It was certainly instrumental.
It is through the preaching of the gospel that God is pleased to save sinners. But this addition of 3,000 souls underscores the sovereignty of God Most High. Look back to verse 39, a passage that is not a paedo-baptist passage. Verse 39 says, the promises to you and to your children and to all who are far off, the modification is necessary at the end.
As many as the Lord our God will call. It's about sovereign grace. It's about election. It's about predestination.
The preacher doesn't make Christians. Christians don't make themselves Christians. God does it through the power of his own grace. He opens the heart.
He grants them the ability to receive the truth. He grants them the twin braces of faith and repentance so that they willingly and happily come to Jesus Christ. And then, as a fruit, their obedience is seen in the waters of baptism. It really is a glorious statement concerning the power at work when the people of God gather together for the preaching of His Word.
The Practice of the Church
Now, let's look secondly at the practice of the church. The practice of the church. We see the practice described in verses 42 to 47a, and then we see the power involved in verse 47b. Lots of things to consider here.
By that, I don't mean you're going to be here all afternoon.
Steadfastness in Apostles' Doctrine
In the first place, notice the steadfastness of the church. Verse 42, and they continued steadfastly. This wasn't hit and miss. This wasn't occasional.
They didn't just do this when they were overwhelmed with a religious feeling, but rather it got into their bones. It got into their DNA. This is what the people of God do. This is what those chosen by God, placed in Christ, redeemed by the Savior, empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit, they do this. struggle, they may have issues from time to time, there may be ebb and flow, but they continue steadfastly in the gifts that God has given to the church.
Now this particular participle, they continued steadfastly, governs the next four things. And the word means to persist in something, to hold fast to, to continue in, or to persevere in something. So they continued steadfastly, and now there's four items that they continue steadfastly in. Four things that mark the practice of the early church.
Four things that ought to mark the practice of the church today. And the first one is obvious, it is stated clearly. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. In other words, it was the preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost that became the normal practice for the church of the Lord Jesus.
They had witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a special and powerful way. They had heard people speaking in tongues. They had heard the reality of what had been spoken by the prophet Joel come to pass in their own gathering together. But when it comes to continuing steadfastly, certainly they would have been steadfast with reference to the signs and wonders that the apostles engaged in, but they continued steadfastly in that doctrine, in that teaching, in that instruction, they knew that they needed the Word of God Almighty.
And Scripture, specifically the New Testament and the Old Testament as well, but we're dealing with the New Covenant Church, we have several instances of the emphasis upon the preaching of the Word. John Calvin makes the observation, neither doth he name all manner of doctrine but the doctrine of the apostles, that is, that which the Son of God hath delivered by their hands. Therefore, wheresoever the pure voice of the gospel doth sound, where men continue in the profession thereof, where they exercise themselves in hearing the same ordinarily that they may profit, without all doubt there is the church. In other words, it is fundamental to church life that there be an emphasis on the preaching of the gospel.
Turn over to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. A couple of passages to underscore this truth that we ought to be continuing steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine. Romans 10 verse 14, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe we have in him of whom in the new King James? It's better rendered this way. And how shall they believe him whom they have not heard? In other words, when the gospel is preached properly, exegetically sound, consistent with what scripture teaches, it is Christ as prophet speaking to the church.
That's what the text emphasizes. How shall they believe him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So when gospel preaching is conducted properly, it is, as it were, the prophet Christ speaking by his spirit to the church of the Lord Jesus.
Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 18, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. See, in the first place, you learn from this that not all men like preaching. It was foolishness as far as Paul was concerned with reference to the Jew and with reference to the Gentile. The Jews considered a stumbling block to hear of a crucified Messiah.
The Greeks were seeking after signs, or the Jews were seeking signs. The Greeks were seeking after wisdom. But Christ is both wisdom and power of God. So we learn in the first place that not all men love preaching.
We learn in the second place that God does love preaching, because in the wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. And that doesn't just mean those who get saved, but it's those who are saved and even those who are perishing, because in the message declared, God is glorified. And then the final text, just a sampling here, 2 Timothy 4. 2 Timothy 4. We've seen this.
I alluded to it last hour. I just want to underscore this point. Verse 2. Preach the word.
Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires. Because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.
And they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry." So back to Acts chapter 2, they continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. That is crucial in terms of the practice of the church. Now certainly, you can hear sermons online.
Certainly, you can Zoom this particular meeting. Certainly, you can engage in what we used to do, listening to cassette tapes. Now you just live stream everything. Certainly, there is the transferal of information.
But I'm sort of old school when it comes to the act of preaching. I think Pastor Albert N. Martin is right. There is a threefold connection that obtains during the act of preaching.
The Spirit of God comes upon the man and then the man declares the truth. You don't have the wherewithal or the freedom or the liberty to hit pause. You don't have the freedom or the liberty or the wherewithal to say, well, I don't like this. This is making me uncomfortable.
Now, I've done this for a few years and I've had people get up and walk out. I don't think our dear brother Gabriel was doing that. I think he was going to the bathroom. But I think in the past we've had people that didn't like what they were hearing, so they got up and left.
But that's a lot more difficult than hitting stop on your computer. The presence of God among the people of God in the interaction of the preaching of God's Word is something that is lost with reference to an internet connection. Martin Lloyd-Jones was against taping sermons. Now, there's a great trust of taped sermons that Martin Lloyd-Jones did, but it was for this very reason.
And he cited the example of Whitefield. Somebody said, you know, I read George Whitefield's sermon, and it was good, but wow, it wasn't like I've read about his preaching. And the response was, you can't put the Holy Spirit on paper. Something happens during the act of preaching that doesn't always happen when you tune in online.
That doesn't happen when I'm out walking the dog and I have my ear pods or whatever they're called, things stuck in my head. There's something different about the presence of the preacher under the power of the Spirit presenting gospel truth to people. Something is lost in the exchange. I've said it before and I'll say it again.
If this was 20 years ago, there wouldn't be the opportunity for live streaming. This is simply not an argument to shut our churches down. Brethren, we see in the emphasis in this passage, a togetherness among the people of God, a charitableness among the people of God. Things that certainly can happen vis-a-vis Zoom, but they don't like they do in person.
I have never had that encounter where I'm talking to somebody and one of us just pauses because the internet connection is poor. Or where it gets glitchy and we don't see their faces the way we think we should. And to be quite candid, we've been at this for more than a year. When we live zoomed or zoomed our Wednesday night meetings, I thought the whole church would be online.
I thought we'd see everybody up there. Just didn't happen. I'm not whining, I'm not grumbling, I'm not complaining, but I am suggesting that when it comes time to actually going to the house of the Lord, there is a requirement in terms of fidelity that's not as easy to abide by when you're all on your own and you can just hit stop. For my own part, brethren, people send me sermons or they send me lectures and I'm often tempted and I often succumb to checking Twitter while I'm listening to those things.
That shouldn't be an option! If anybody's listening now, flipping between us and Facebook, stop it! That is not giving due attention to the proclamation of God's Holy Word. See, this isn't just a self-help group.
This isn't just therapeutic deism. This isn't just this idea that we come in exchange. No, if we believe the Bible and we believe what Paul says there in Romans 10, then we believe we're hearing from Christ and we should want to be present to hear from Christ.
Fellowship and Charity
Notice the second thing they continue steadfastly in, fellowship. Fellowship, again, internet fellowship. I've made friends on the internet, and I love those people, and that's great. But there's something lost in the distance.
There's something lost with a bad internet connection. Am I the only one who has bad internet? Am I the only one that has these pauses or has these times where the thing scrambles up and it locks up? There is that need for fellowship that the people of God have with one another.
And in the context, if you look at verse 45, it says, they sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. The primary emphasis is likely seen in the charity given. by one to another. John Calvin describes this fellowship this way, mutual society and fellowship unto alms and unto other duties of brotherly fellowship. So they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine.
They continued steadfastly in fellowship.
Breaking of Bread
Notice thirdly, they continued steadfastly in the breaking of bread, most likely a reference to the Lord's Supper. If you drop down for just a moment to verse 46, it says, so continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. That was probably shared meals together, verse 46. That was probably sitting down, having a nice dinner or a nice lunch, talking about the things of God, and then going on our way.
But in verse 42, what is in view in light of the fact that it is between the terms of doctrine, fellowship, and prayers, it is likely a reference to the Lord's Supper. And that is something, again, that must be done in person. It must be done with one another, gathering together to eat this bread, to drink this cup, and to proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Acts 20, verse 7, in Troas, they broke bread together. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and 11, the theology of the Lord's Supper.
There is this meal that the Christian church observes that is called the Lord's Table or the Lord's Supper that is set apart. It is a time for spiritual nourishment and refreshment, and it is a time for the people of God to encourage one another and to bring glory and honor and praise unto their God.
Prayer in the Church
And then notice, fourthly, they continued steadfastly in prayers. So verse 42, they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Turn over to 1 Timothy 2. 1 Timothy 2, beginning in verse 1. Therefore, I exhort first of all, this is the first order of business for the Apostle Paul.
He's going to deal with women in the worship of God. He's going to deal with men in terms of elders and deacons. He's going to tell us that he writes these things so that we know how we ought to conduct ourselves in the house of God. The first order of business is found in verse 1 of chapter 2.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. So it ought not to surprise us on that day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God comes upon the preacher and the hearer, when they believe, when they repent, and when that issues forth in baptism in terms of obedience, not unto salvation, but as a result of salvation, they continue in these four things. And prayer is certainly on the docket. And that is something that the church needs to be about.
Before Timothy is to think about what men in the church he's supposed to set apart as elders and deacons, though he needs to do that, what is the first order of business for the Apostle Paul is prayer. Prayer is crucial. The church doesn't go forward without the prayers of the people of God. And the corporate prayer meeting is essential as well. to call upon the name of our God and to come boldly to the throne of grace.
So back to Acts chapter 2, we see the steadfastness of the church, verse 42a. We see, secondly, the practice of the church, verse 42b.
Fear of God in the Assembly
Notice, thirdly, the effect upon every soul at verse 43. Verse 43 tells us, then fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. The presence of God produced the fear of God upon every soul. That's what happens.
Our God is holy. Our God is glorious. Our God is majestic. We don't come into contact with Him and not have fear, and not have reverence, and not have that reverential awe in the presence of such a great King.
That is symptomatic of the people of God, who know the presence and the power of the Spirit of God, and who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The fear of God is a most blessed thing. Psalm 89, 7 tells us, God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. I think at times we have brought God down to our level.
Ever since He made us in His image, we have been dutifully trying to remake Him in our image. And as a result, we have relegated Him as to the level of friend, the status of, you know, big buddy, and things like that. No, we need to fear in the presence of God Almighty, and that's what takes over the soul of those who have been bought with a price. Calvin says, Luke's meaning was this, that there appeared such power of God in the church that the people, for the most part, had not one word to say.
And then, of course, the presence of God is manifested, notice, by the many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. I've said this before, it bears repetition. We are a church that believes in what's called cessationism. or non-continuationism. We don't believe that those charismatic gifts, the supernatural, revelatory gifts continue.
They serve their purpose for a time. Now that the New Testament canon is complete, we don't look for tongue-speaking, we don't look for prophesying, but rather we continue steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine. These signs and wonders were done through the apostles to confirm that they were God's men, speaking God's word, giving God's revelation. And once they had finished that canon, those gifts, tongue speaking and prophesying, are no longer extant in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the theology of signs and wonders in the Bible. Moses did signs and wonders, the prophets did signs and wonders, Jesus did signs and wonders, and the apostles did signs and wonders. Not only are the signs and wonders to be taken into consideration, but what was being accompanied by the signs and wonders. Moses gave the revelation of God.
The prophets gave the revelation of God. The Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has given us the declaration concerning God. Revelation. The apostles gave us revelation.
So those signs and wonders were confirmatory. They authenticated. They validated. And they said that what these men are speaking is, in fact, the Word of God.
Once the New Testament canon is complete, there's no more longing for tongue-speaking and prophesying on the part of God's people. And then
Brotherly Love and Togetherness
notice, fourthly, the brotherly love manifested in the church in verses 44 to 45. Their love was seen in togetherness. Now, all who believed were together. It's a beautiful thing.
All who believed were together. The ones who repented and the ones who are baptized are here called believers, and the beauty of believers, having been brought together, is that they kind of like one another. They love each other, they want to be around each other, and they seek to encourage one another and to exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest we be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. as Hebrews 3 tells us. So there is this togetherness and that togetherness is manifested in their charitableness toward one another.
So verse 44, now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. Now just a few practical observations at this point. In the first place, this isn't communism. OK?
Don't make that mistake. Well, there it is. Everybody has the same. This is not state coerced.
It wasn't the government who said, thou must get rid of all your stuff and give the proceeds to everyone else. As well, this charity was not mandated by the church. It's an outflow of the redeemed person. It is an outflow of those saved by grace.
It is a manifestation of God's grace in our lives that we be charitable, that we be large-hearted, that we be liberal toward one another. But it was not mandated by the church. Turn over to Acts 5 for just a moment. Acts 5.1, but a certain man named Ananias with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet.
But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? Now listen to the apostle, the representative of Christ's church. While it remained, was it not your own? See, it's not mandated.
This was voluntary on the part of the people of God to sell their stuff and give the proceeds to those in need. It wasn't mandated by the apostolic church. While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?
Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. The issue in Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira is lying to God, the Holy Spirit. It's not the fact that they kept back part of it for themselves.
Peter says they had that right and that obligation should they choose to invoke it or should choose to keep it for themselves. J. A. Alexander says there is nothing said of a compulsory renunciation of all individual property, either as a divine institution or a voluntary self-denial.
Our confession of faith speaks to this end as well. Nevertheless, their communion one with another as saints does not take away or infringe the title or propriety which each man has in his goods and possessions. In other words, you can't be coerced by the civil state or by the church elders to sell everything you have and give it to the poor. The blood-bought children of God will tithe They will give, they will be charitable, they will want to live in light of that second great commandment and manifest love to their fellows.
But it's not because they have a gun to their head or a ticket book in front of their face. And then we have this statement from Matthew Poole, Christ's gospel does not destroy the law and the eighth commandment is still in force, even for the people of God.
Ongoing Conduct of the Church
And then fifthly and finally, under the practice of the church, notice the ongoing conduct of the church in verses 46 to 47a. They had a public conduct. Verse 46, so continuing daily with one accord in the temple. So the people of God met together daily with one another in the temple in order to continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and in prayers.
In other words, church worship demanded their attention, and they were all too happy to give it. And then in terms of their private conduct, they hung out with one another. And breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. So it was a blessed reality for the Church of Jesus Christ to undergo both a togetherness and a charitableness.
They were not infringed upon by the civil state, at least up to this point. Now, things would definitely take a turn for the worse in terms of the Roman Empire, but for now, at the inception of the power of the Holy Spirit, as he comes upon the Church of Christ on this day of Pentecost, this is what church life looked like in the first century. And it's a most encouraging thing for the people of God and one that we ought to pursue. And then the power involved in verse 47, it always underscores God's place in all of this.
And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. So when it comes down to it, Peter's preaching is instrumental. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But it's the power of God unto salvation.
It is the power of God to change the heart. It is the grace of God that furnishes sinners with faith and repentance so that they may, in fact, close with our Lord Jesus. Paul highlights this in 1 Corinthians 3.6. He says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
This is similar and analogous to Proverbs 21.31. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord. Again, Matthew Poole says, not Peter's sermons, no, nor the miracles of fiery cloven tongues and the rushing mighty wind could have converted any. but that which was signified there." In other words, the powerful operation of the Spirit of God in their hearts. So the passage ends on that high note in terms of God's sovereignty as the efficient cause for addition to the church.
Application
And in conclusion, just a few thoughts. First, the description. There ought to be proper practice. See, this is what we're supposed to do, the Apostles' Doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.
Notice that that's what we're supposed to do. That necessarily excludes a whole lot of stuff that the church does that they're not supposed to do. We're not to intrude upon the worship of God with strange fire. We're not supposed to add number five and number six and number seven and number eight and whatever it is that we long to see in the public worship of the living God.
No, the practice of the church must imitate the practice of the church here. in these areas, as well the presence of the fear of God. I have a brother, a friend, that when he came to our church in Southern California, he said, this was the first church I ever walked into where there was the fear of God. And this brother, I thought that was a great thing. I wasn't a pastor there.
I was a brother in the church there. But I remember this guy, that was his testimony. I knew this was the church for us because people feared God in this place. Again, the fear of God, as the Bible presents it, isn't the hide under the piano type of fear.
It's reverential awe. It is the soul of godliness, as John Murray taught. It is that reality that God is God and we are not. And the legitimate response from the creature in light of that is to fear Him, is to treat Him with that reverence and that dignity that is consistent with His being.
As well, you have the togetherness and the charitableness of the people of God in verses 44 to 45. And again, this isn't suggesting that we'll all be perfect at this. No, there's remaining corruption, not only at the individual level, there's remaining corruption in terms of church life as well. But the idea is, is that we seek by grace to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus so that we will be faithful in the execution of Christian duty. the gladness and the singleness of the heart of the people of God, and the praising of God by the people of God.
That is a great description and one that churches today should aspire to. Secondly, in terms of the practice of the church, these four things. Now there's others that the New Testament enjoins upon us, singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and making melody in our hearts to the Lord, giving. Obviously, this isn't an exhaustive list of what the regulative principle of worship entails, but it is a suggestive list.
And I think I've shared with you recently, Belgic Confession, Article 29. And Belgic Confession, Article 29, does what just about everybody in the Reformed world did back then. Every Puritan, every creed, every confession highlighted the marks of the church. And in my estimation, Belgic Confession 29 expresses it well.
The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel. It makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them. It practices church discipline for correcting faults. Those are the marks of the church preaching sacraments and discipline, not puppets and ponies and programs, not pastors repelling with their headgear on to be superhero guy.
It's not that foolishness that we so often witness. It is preaching sacraments and discipline. The article goes on to say, in short, it governs itself according to the pure word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it, and holding Jesus Christ as the only head. By these marks, one can be assured of recognizing the true church.
There's another article in that Belgic Confession that I want to rehearse as well. It's number 28. You'll forgive me. Our confessional stream is under the Westminster Confession.
We hold to the Second London Confession of Faith. Second London is dependent upon Westminster and Savoy. Westminster is the Presbyterian document. Savoy is the Independence or the Congregationalist.
I have a great deal of respect for the three forms of unity, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, and the Belgic Confession. I'm just not as familiar with those as I am with that other stream. And so it has been pointed out to me recently by one of the brothers I'm in alliance with, who has the Belgic as one of his confessional standards. He pointed this out to a couple of us.
Belgic Confession number 28. So 29, you've got the marks of the church. 28, you have something that I don't think we like to ponder a lot. It's called the obligations of church members. Oh, you mean I have to actually do something as a member?
Yeah, you do. There's some responsibility you bear as a blood-bought child of God Most High when you were brought into the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a bit of a lengthy statement, but I hope that you'll listen. It says, we believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, I don't want to go down that rabbit trail.
That's a big issue. Is there any salvation outside the church? And somebody has an Uncle Larry that read the Bible on his own and God saved him. I'm not here to debate whether God saved Uncle Larry or not reading the Bible on his own.
The idea going back in the history of the church is that salvation is tied to the life of the church. I actually think Uncle Larry can get saved reading his Bible on his own. But I think the normative way is that God is pleased through the foolishness of the message preached vis-a-vis 1 Corinthians 121 to save those who believe. So back to the statement here, because I know that jars people.
It sounds papist almost. and that there is no salvation apart from it. They say, no one ought to withdraw from it, content to be by himself, regardless of his status or condition. But all people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body. And to preserve this unity more effectively, it is the duty of all believers, according to God's word, to separate themselves from those who do not belong to the church in order to join this assembly wherever God has established it.
And I think peculiarly relative for our situation is the following words. even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid and death and physical punishment result. And so all who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God's ordinance." And I realized there's a lot of difference of opinion relative to this virus. And I don't want to make any hard and fast rules because I'm not a scientist. I'm not a doctor.
I'm not a virologist. I'm not an epidemiologist. I'm also not the lord of the conscience. But normatively, in terms of life in general, we ought not to despise the church.
We ought to cherish her. We ought to love her. We ought to appreciate her as the apple of God's eye. because it is the church of God which He, Christ, purchased with His own blood. So we ought to support her, we ought to pray for her, we ought to attend her services, and we ought to support her work in this world that we find ourselves in. for the propagation of the glorious gospel of free and sovereign grace, for disciple-making and for planting other churches, so that we can duplicate and replicate and see throughout the world image-bearers reflecting the glory of Jesus Christ who saved them, continuing steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for this description of the church in the first century. God, help us to pursue such things and help us to see the beauty of the simplicity involved in new covenant worship. We don't see the sacrifice, and we don't see the incense, and we don't see the the pomp and the show that we see in that first covenant.
New covenant worship is spirit-led, it's spirit-driven, and these things are for the benefit of those blood-bought children of God Almighty. Help us as a church to go forward in the fear of the Lord and in that comfort of the Holy Spirit that mark the two churches of Judea in Acts chapter 9. And may we seek by your grace to bring glory and honor and praise unto you, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We'll close with a brief time of meditation.