WE ARE THE CHURCH: Where the Commitment is Ancient (Acts 2:42) - July 26,
2020
INTRODUCTION
We are the church where the commitment is ancient.
"When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of
song," tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. "He urged me to work very hard to
develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena,
Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating,
I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?' "'Luciano,' my father
replied, 'if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life,
you must choose one chair.' "I chose one. It took seven years of study and
frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another
seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it's laying
bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it.
Commitment, that's the key. Choose one chair."
Guideposts
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many
wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and
had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone
who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to
their number daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:42-47 NIV
I. WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE ANCIENT TEACHINGS OF JESUS TO HIS
APOSTLES
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had
told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then
Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.””
Matthew 28:16-20 NIV
A. Jesus commanded the 11 to teach other disciples what he had taught
them.
B. The apostles fulfilled this command.
C. We continue to teach the apostles’ doctrine to this day.
II. WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE ANCIENT DEVOTIONS OF THE
CHURCH
In Russia, Christians are tested by hardship, but in America you are tested
by freedom. And testing by freedom is much harder. Nobody pressures you about
your religion. So you relax and are not so concentrated on Christ, on His
teaching, how He wants you to live."
Pavel Poloz, recently (1987) exiled from Russia, Moody Monthly, April
1989
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 2:42
A. The Apostles’ Doctrine
B. Fellowship
C. Breaking of bread
D. Prayer
III. WE ARE COMMITTED TO ANCIENT IDEAS OF JESUS’
IDENTITY
The Bohemian reformer John Hus was a man who believed the Scriptures to be
the infallible and supreme authority in all matters. He died at the stake for
that belief in Constance, Germany, on his forty-second birthday. As he refused a
final plea to renounce his faith, Hus's last words were, "What I taught with my
lips, I seal with my blood."
Source Unknown
“Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began
to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard
him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem
among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as
prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and
baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”
Acts 9:19b-22 NIV
A. Jesus is Christ/Messiah.
1. The birth of Jesus
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch
over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory
of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to
them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all
the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the
Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in
cloths and lying in a manger.””
Luke 2:8-12 NIV
2. The testimony of Peter and John before the Sanhedrin
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders
of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness
shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know
this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man
stands before you healed. Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has
become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.””
Acts 4:8-12 NIV
B. Jesus is the Son of God.
1. The testimony of demons
“For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward
to touch him. Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and
cried out, “You are the Son of God.””
Mark 3:10-11 NIV
2. The charge against him
“As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted,
“Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for
me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” The Jewish leaders insisted, “We
have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the
Son of God.””
John 19:6-7 NIVD
3. The claim of Scripture
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times
and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom
he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The
Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification
for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became
as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to
theirs.”
Hebrews 1:1-4 NIV
C. Jesus is Lord.
1. Paul’s discussion of eating meat sacrificed to idols
“yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and
for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all
things came and through whom we live.”
1 Corinthians 8:6 NIV
2. Paul’s defense of his ministry
“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and
ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
2 Corinthians 4:5 NIV
3. Paul’s words about the humility of Christ
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven
and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11 NIV
February 15, 1921. New York City. The operating room of the Kane Summit
Hospital. A doctor is performing an appendectomy. In many ways the events
leading to the surgery are uneventful. The patient has complained of severe
abdominal pain. The diagnosis is clear: an inflamed appendix. Dr. Evan O'Neill
Kane is performing the surgery. In his distinguished thirty-seven-year medical
career, he has performed nearly four thousand appendectomies, so this surgery
will be uneventful in all ways except two.
The first novelty of this operation? The use of local anesthesia in major
surgery. Dr. Kane is a crusader against the hazards of general anesthesia. He
contends that a local application is far safer. Many of his colleagues agree
with him in principle, but in order for them to agree in practice, they will
have to see the theory applied.
Dr. Kane searches for a volunteer, a patient who is willing to undergo
surgery wile under local anesthesia. A volunteer is not easily found. Many are
squeamish at the thought of being awake during their own surgery. Others are
fearful that the anesthesia might wear off too soon. Eventually, however, Dr.
Kane finds a candidate. On Tuesday morning, February 15, the historic operation
occurs.
The patient is prepped and wheeled into the operating room. A local
anesthetic is applied. As he has done thousands of times, Dr. Kane dissects the
superficial tissues and locates the appendix. He skillfully excises it and
concludes the surgery. During the procedure, the patient complains of only minor
discomfort. The volunteer is taken into post-op, then placed in a hospital ward.
He recovers quickly and is dismissed two days later. Dr. Kane had proven his
theory. Thanks to the willingness of a brave volunteer, Kane demonstrated that
local anesthesia was a viable, and even preferable, alternative.
But I said there were two facts that made the surgery unique. I've told you
the first: the use of local anesthesia. The second is the patient. The
courageous candidate for surgery by Dr. Kane was Dr. Kane.
To prove his point, Dr. Kane operated on himself! A wise move. The doctor
became a patient in order to convince the patients to trust the doctor.
Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm, Word Publishing, 1991, pp.
35-36
CHALLENGE
Score yourself
from 1 to 5 on how well you adhere to each of the 4 ancient devotions of Acts
2:42. Write down the words Christ and Lord and circle the ancient
idea of Christ you accept more freely. Write down why the other one is more
difficult to accept.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the
Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may
want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps
you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in
your life, I would be honored to speak with you in the upper parking lot
following the service about what God is doing in your life.
