So, Lord, we give you this morning. Pray that,
God, that you would speak to our hearts. Lord,
we want to hear your voice today, Lord. We want
you to stir our heart, Lord. We want to be sensitive
to what you're telling us, Lord. I know you've
got so much to speak to us personally. God, encouragement
and challenge. And we're just so thankful you're
so willing to do that. You're willing to speak
our language and to tell us what we need to hear,
Lord. So I pray we'd hear that this morning,
Jesus. In your name. So the book of Acts is exciting.
God has not changed. 2 ,000 years and running.
God's spirit of God working with the word of
God and the people of God, touching lost and
broken people, a lost and dying world. God using
his Holy Spirit and his word in his church, in
his people. That's what God does. You and I.
If you're a believer here today, that's the promise
we hold on to, that the book of Acts is continuing
to today. God's Holy Spirit is in you, working
in your life. He's working on your life. He's
working through your life. That's amazing. So
amazing that God loves broken people, right?
Think about that. Remember the day you came to
the Lord, how broken you were. How lost you are.
How like, oh my gosh, there's a God in heaven
who loves me. How can anyone know everything
about me and still love me? That's amazing. That's
kind of the cry of the woman at the well when
she went back to her hometown in Samaria and
says, come and see a man who told me everything
about me, knows everything about me. The understanding
was, and this guy still loves me. It's Messiah.
I found Messiah. There's nothing hidden from
him. He loves broken people. And you know what?
He not only loves broken people, he uses broken
people. Right? He uses you. He wants to use your
life. He doesn't have another option but to use
broken people. He uses us who are broken. He
touches by his Holy Spirit. And works in our
life. It's amazing. And you see Peter standing
up here. Amazing. If you remember the life of
Peter. How he was discouraged. After the crucifixion.
He was not only discouraged at what happened
to Jesus. He was dead. He was discouraged by
his attitude. By what his actions, what he did.
Denied the Lord. Jesus is arrested. Hey, do you
know him? No. Three times. Question. No, I don't
know him. I don't know him. He swears, makes
an oath. I don't know the guy. Right? So he's
discouraged by that. Discouraged that Jesus is
arrested and crucified. Then Jesus is resurrected.
The victory of Calvary. Which is the message.
It's the theme of the book of Acts. It's the
theme of the epistles. As you go through, it's
the resurrection. Even after that, Peter is discouraged.
And he's so messed up about who he had been.
About his own life. The turns in his own life.
Because he didn't see that coming. When Jesus
said, man, Peter, you're going to deny me. He
said, no way. Even these guys might, Lord, I
won't. He didn't see it in his heart. He didn't
see it in his life, in himself. And sometimes
that shocks us. It can shock us who we still
are, right? We have great devotions in the morning.
We're driving to work or whatever. This is great.
Car pulls out in front of you. What the heck?
And you realize that you didn't know that was
still inside of you. You didn't know some of
the stuff is still in there until it. Pops out
at just the right moment. Like, whoa, that whole
guy needs to be crucified. And Peter didn't understand
it. But now on the other side of the resurrection
and Pentecost, he stands up with boldness. He's
going to give chapter and verse about what's
going on. Peter has a working knowledge of the
word of God. Amazing. A couple of Wednesdays
ago, Once a month, we're doing kind of a testimony
night for men's study. And Brandon, who's not
here, lots of people are battling. There's a
lot going around here. I'm praying everyone's
safe. There's flus and stomach bugs and strep
throat. You're all right. Everyone here's safe.
Don't be nervous. But Brandon's not here. Could
be one of those things grabbed him. But he shared
his testimony a couple weeks ago. And it was
great. He was real and open, honest. Just what
he was going through in his life right now. What
God was doing. Some of that was discouragement
or whatever. Struggles that we all have. When
he got done, it was very good. I just had this
sense. Part of the trouble, and we're going to
see the early church doesn't do this. It's not
week to week. For us, sometimes it's week to
week. The early church, we're going to see they
gather daily, not because they're super saints.
Yeah, we're more spiritual. We need to get to
men's study this week. No, but they needed it.
They needed each other. They needed the word
of God. They needed fellowship. They needed to
be in prayer. That was the action of the early
church, not because they're super saints, because
they saw who they really were. And I think Peter
saw who he really was and said, I can't go far
from this place. I need to stay close to you,
Lord. I need to be in the word of God. I need
to be around other saints. I need to be around
people. And I thought, you know, sometimes we
can come here week to week and we look at other
people. And other families, and you've had a
rough week, a rough month, a rough go, struggles.
Some of your flesh may be reared up, something
in your life that you've been struggling with
maybe, and you look around and you think, man,
that family's got it all together. Look at the
smiles on their face. Look at their kids. And
we never get past this. This surfacy fellowship
that we have that's, you know, how was it? You
know, how was your week? What's going on? And
we never get into, but these guys, you know how
it is when you live with someone, when you're
around each other every day, it more than just
seeing someone for an hour at church or literally,
you know, you're together for 20 minutes talking.
When you work with someone, you get a little
closer. You know what they like. You know their
stops in the morning, where they stop for gas.
Well, that's the idea of fellowship and being
around each other. We get to know each other.
The walls come down, and we can talk and be real.
And it's what we need. It's what the early church
needed, and it's what the church needs. And Peter
stands up. There's a work going on in Peter's
life. Peter remembered probably some of what
Jesus told him. You know, follow me and I'll
make you a fisher of men. Right? That promise
that God makes Peter. Peter, listen, you follow
me and I'm going to do this work in your life.
And then Jesus meets Peter fishing. Again, he
tells Peter, listen. He asks him the question,
do you love me? I like you, Lord. Well. Feed
my lambs. And then he says, feed my sheep, right?
This is what I have for your life. My plan hasn't
changed for your life, Peter. That's something
we need to hold on to because sometimes we mess
up like Peter and we lose sight of the fact that
God still loves you. You're broken. He saw it
coming like he did Peter and he still wants to
use your life. His plan is to set your feet back
up on that rock and have you moving forward.
That's the whole reason. of the cross of Calvary.
It was for past sins, present sins, and future
sins. God knows your mistakes. Yeah, you're still
going to make some mistakes. And the resurrection,
the power, this power. And Peter's going to talk
about it here. It's going to be part of the first
church message, the resurrection. But Philippians
chapter 1. Says this, verse 6. Paul says, being
confident. This is something you can be confident
in. That he who has begun a good work in you
will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
That work that Jesus started in your life, the
day you were saved, the day you gave your heart
to the Lord. He says, you know what? Paul says
to the church in Philippi, hey, guys, sit back,
rest in this fact that God's still working in
your life. Why? Maybe some people were discouraged.
They're sitting back like Peter, like, you know
what? I give up. I'm not perfect like the rest
of the church, those people who sit over there
with that big family or whatever. I just, I don't
understand what's going on. And Paul says this,
listen, be confident in this very thing. He who
has begun a good work in you will complete it.
He's working in your life. He's completing a
work. He's changing who you are. He's conforming
us into his image. He's making us more like him.
It's his work, right? That's why we came to Calvary
because we saw what we were doing with our lives.
We were messing it up. Anything and everything.
that I could do wrong, that's what I was doing.
Some of the stuff I was doing, I didn't even
realize, like, wow, I guess I never knew about
that. I guess I'll try that too, right? It's
just my life was a mess. And we can trust the
process that God knows what he's doing. And where
does he start here? All these people, these pilgrims
come to... Jerusalem to worship at Pentecost.
They're worshiping there, and there's all these
different responses. Some were amazed and confused
and perplexed, and then there's mockers, people
looking at what's happening. In the people of
God, by the Spirit of God, there's all kinds
of responses. Some people are amazed. Some people
mock. Some people are want to know more. And
they ask that question, what could this mean?
Verse 12, what does this mean? And their question
is going to change as we get through this chapter.
It goes from, what does this mean? 3 ,000 of
them say, what should we do? What do we do? But
Peter, in this process from What does this mean?
So what do we do? Peter gives a little Bible
study. He explains what's happening here. And
I want to take note in verse 14, it says, but
Peter standing up with the 11 raised his voice
and said to them, men of Judea and all who dwell
in Jerusalem, let this be known to you. And heed
my words. Listen to what I'm saying. I think,
number one, Peter knows his audience. And who's
his audience? I think you might be religious
people who are celebrating in Jerusalem at one
of the feasts that's required. And these guys
are coming from all over. And they're not all
saved. They're not, what's that mean to us today?
It means that sometimes people sitting in church,
they come to church and it doesn't mean you're
saved. Doesn't mean you're not saved, obviously.
Peter also is a listener, right? Peter's a lot
different than who he used to be. Peter, who
rebukes Jesus for saying that, He's going to
die. Peter says, no, be that far from you, Lord.
He doesn't know what's in his heart. He doesn't
know he's going to deny the Lord. He doesn't.
He cuts off Malchus's ear. Right? And now Peter's
a little different. You know, I've heard a pastor
say years ago, I think it was Gail Irwin. You
probably don't know him, but he's a guy. You
know, 30 years ago when I got saved, that I listened
to, it was on the radio for a little while. And
he would say, it's ready, fire, aim, Peter. You
know, he looks and shoots and then tries to aim.
All right, where did I just shoot? You know,
Peter's the guy that cuts off Malchus's ear in
the garden. Right? And Jesus heals it. Peter's
different. He's a different guy. Now, he cuts
off Malchus' ear. At the end of this chapter,
it's going to say that these people who hear
his preaching are cut to the heart. The different
cutting going on now. Peter's using the word
of God instead of a sword. And he's doing an
eternal work in people through God's Holy Spirit.
And he's compelled to give an answer. He's a
listener. He listens to the people. He listens
to the people. And I think that's valuable. I
think it's something that you should consider
and I should consider. And I've probably said
it before. But I'm sometimes a better talker
than listener. But Peter listens to what these
guys have to say. And he processes it. And he
has an answer for them. Peter probably thinking
about this as he writes in 1 Peter 3 .15. He's
probably looking back, but it says this in 1
Peter 3 .15. Peter says, but sanctify the Lord
God in your hearts and always be ready to give
a defense to everyone who asks you. A reason
for the hope that's in you with meekness and
fear, with reverence and respect. You should
be ready. Peter says, listen, guys, I want to
tell you, he wants to remind the church, be ready
to give people an answer. But to give an answer,
you need to listen to the question. What are
people asking? Sometimes you got to read between
the lines. Sometimes you got to know what people
are saying. Right? Why they say certain things
or behave a certain way. You got to think, I
wonder why they're saying it that way. I wonder
why they're treating me this way. I wonder what
their question is. And Peter's ready to give
an answer to these guys. He wants to tell them
what's going on. And he goes on to say it. He
says, these are not drunk, as you suppose, verse
15, since it's only the third hour of the day.
But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.
And he goes back to Joel chapter 2. He says,
and it shall come to pass in the last days, says
God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.
And your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your
young men. shall see visions and your old men
shall dream dreams. I think I'm in the dreaming
dreams category. And I'm my men's servants and
I'm my maid's servants. He says this, I'll pour
out my spirit in those days and they'll prophesy.
Prophecy, visions, dreams, promises. Of God's
Holy Spirit being poured out. Explaining the
word of God. I think that's one of the primary
purposes God's spirit is moving. To tell people
about Jesus. To talk to them. And you'll have
vision and dreams. Your life will have purpose.
The promise for your children. You ever worry
about your kids? God's Holy Spirit, he says,
I'm going to pour out my spirit. I'm going to
touch lives through my Holy Spirit. I want to
work through my spirit. And so Peter's explaining
this. And that promise, what's going on? Peter
says, he pushes it all the way to the tribulation,
which is what Joel does. If you read Joel. He
says, I'll show wonders in heaven above and signs
in earth beneath, blood, fire, vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the
moon into blood before the coming of the great
and awesome day of the Lord. He brings us right
to the second coming of Jesus Christ. And what
Peter's saying is what Joel was talking about.
Part of that is God's spirit moving in a new
way in these last days. that begin at Pentecost.
And you could do a whole study, go through Matthew,
Thessalonians, Timothy, and you can look up what
the last days look like. The apostles asked Jesus,
you know, what will be the sign of your coming
in the end of the age? Jesus didn't say, don't
worry about that. You won't have to worry about
that. Jesus gave them a specific answer. Here's
what to look for. You need to know this. That's
a great question. You need to know this. Because
the days are looking more and more like the days.
Jesus could be back at any moment, at any time.
The church needs to be ready. It's been 2 ,000
years. And we could spend a long time on that.
The second coming and those signs. But he goes
on to say in verse 21, and it shall come to pass
that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall
be saved. And isn't that a great promise? For
anyone, whoever, there's no limit on the whoever.
There's zero qualifications. Do you have a pulse?
Are you still breathing? Yes, you qualify. You
can be saved. If you call on the Lord, you can
be saved. Peter doesn't even give this huge explanation
of sin and salvation. Peter says that you just
call on the name of the Lord, you'll be saved.
You believe on him. Pretty amazing and pretty
simple gospel Peter gives here. To that point,
using Joel. Then he says this. He throws the
ball in their court. He says, 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
yourselves also know, him being delivered by
the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God,
you have taken and by lawless hands have crucified
and put to death. When God raised up, having
loosed the pains of death, it was not possible
that he should be held by it. He says, these
are wonders and signs and miracles, which God
did through him in your midst, as you yourselves
know. So the proof and evidence, he says, listen,
you guys saw this stuff. Many of them were there
as Jesus raised people from the dead, as lepers
are cleansed and paralyzed people are healed.
Peter says, you guys know this. You saw it. Many
of them were there or heard it firsthand. Hey,
you guys wouldn't believe this. And that's really
why Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. In John
chapter 3, he comes to Jesus and says, hey, we
know who you are. No one can do what you're doing,
these signs, except God be with you. Even the
scribes, the Pharisees, the religious leaders
couldn't deny the fact that God was moving. in
Jesus's life in a way that was so dynamic and
different from anything Israel had seen. Just
miracle, sign, wonder, so many different things.
And Peter points that out to these guys. Listen,
you cannot deny this fact that Jesus of Nazareth,
who he is and what he did. And so they all had
to sit back and say, oh yeah, I remember that
one thing. I remember. What he did. And then
he says this. Him being delivered by the determined
purpose and foreknowledge of God. And there's
perfect tension here in verse 23. Because he
says, listen, this was God's plan. It was his
determined purpose. He knew this was going to
happen. Jesus being crucified did not thwart
his plan or foil his plan. It was part of his
plan. This was God's plan. It's called God's
sovereignty. This was going to happen. But it
doesn't take away responsibility. Human responsibility.
God knew it. Verse 23. It was his purpose. But
then he says this. He says, you have taken and
by lawless hands have crucified and put to death.
And a lot of them could say, no, not me. Wasn't
me. It was Rome or it was the religious leaders.
They could point and try to defer and deflect
any blame. And that's what people do when they
don't want to deal with their sin. They defer.
They deflect. They don't want to own it. They
have excuses for it. But we're going to see 3
,000 of these guys are like, all right, what
do we do? You're right. I am guilty. I feel guilty.
I was part of that. I wanted him crucified. And
the reality is we're all guilty. You're guilty.
I'm guilty. It was for our sin that he died.
We're guilty. Part of that. The weight and the
guilt of sin is on us. We should feel that. And
then he says this, when God raised up, having
loosed the pains of death because it was not
possible that he should be held by it. Listen,
this wasn't just a doctrine for these guys. And
it is a doctrine, the resurrection. It's the
power. This was life to these guys. This was
life for Peter. Peter was so down and so out
after what he had done. Jesus ministers to him
for 40 days in the apostles to show himself alive.
I want to, hey, Peter, I'm alive, man. It's okay.
I'm alive. And guess what? You are too. You're
alive because I'm alive. That's amazing. These
Peter is telling them about the resurrection,
not because it's doctrine and it is, and it's
important, but because there's power behind it.
Because now Peter, because of the resurrection,
the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Peter now has this hope. Not that. His hope isn't
that he's gonna be sinless and never make mistakes.
His hope is in the fact that Jesus died for all
of his sins and he was raised, the grave couldn't
hold him. There's power in the resurrection.
There's life there for the church. Hope for you
and I. Because Jesus went just for Peter's sins
or not just, for my sins, but he went there for
all of our sins. Jesus went to Calvary and he
bore all of our sins and that couldn't hold him
there. All of our sins. Amazing. And the focus
of the resurrection is a theme throughout the
book of Acts. It's the purpose of Peter's preaching.
We'll see that as we get into chapter 3, chapter
4. It's the purpose of Paul's preaching, the
resurrection. It's life and acceptance. You know,
sometimes it feels almost blasphemous. To tell
someone, hey, your sins are forgiven. When you
really think about it, hey, if you receive Jesus
Christ and what he did on the cross, you're 100
% forgiven. It feels strange to be able to tell
somebody that, number one, because I didn't do
anything for it. But number two, that is so big
that you're forgiven. To be able to say, guess
what? You're forgiven. It feels, turn to John
chapter 20, just for a second. Let's look at
this because the disciples go from sadness to
gladness because of the resurrection. John chapter
20. John chapter 20, verse 19 says this. John
20, verse 19. Then the same day at evening, being
the first day of the week, when the doors were
shut, the disciples were assembled for fear of
the Jews. And Jesus came and stood in the midst
and said to them, peace be with you. And when
he said this, he showed them his hands and his
side. And then the disciples were glad when they
saw it. Previously, they were sad. Previously,
they were scattered, scared, spread. Smite the
shepherd, the sheep scatter. And that's what
was taking place with these disciples. And now
they see his wounds, his scars, and they're glad.
Not because he suffered it, but because of the
resurrection and the power of the resurrection.
So Jesus said to them, peace be to you. As the
Father has sent me, I'm sending you. And when
he had said this, he breathed on them and said
to them, receive the Holy Spirit. That's the
seal of the Spirit. If you forgive the sins of
any, they're forgiven them. Isn't that amazing?
I forgive you. Listen, I don't forgive you. Jesus
forgives you. That's amazing. If you retain the
sins of any, they're retained. What's that mean?
Listen. If you don't receive Jesus Christ, you
have to pay your own penalty for your sins. If
you don't receive Jesus Christ, you're going
to stand before the Lord someday and try to give
some sort of an excuse. Like why you're not deserving
of punishment. And Thomas called the twin. One
of the 12 was not with them when Jesus came.
And the other disciples therefore said to him,
we've seen the Lord. So he said to them, unless
I see his hands. And the print of the nails and
put my finger in the print of the nails and put
my hand into his side. I will not believe. And
after eight days, his disciples were again inside
and Thomas with them. And Jesus came and the
doors being shut and stood in the midst and said,
peace be to you. And he said to Thomas, oh, by
the way, reach your finger here and look at my
hands and reach your hand here and put it into
my side. And don't be unbelieving, but believe.
Here, look at my scars. I'm alive. And Thomas
answered and said, my Lord and my God. And Jesus
said to Thomas, because you have seen me and
you've believed, blessed are those who have not
seen yet have believed. Amazing. The resurrection.
It's the hope. It was the hope the church had.
And so Peter goes on here. This is Psalm 16.
He explains Psalm 16, what it meant. Verse 25,
back in Acts chapter 2. 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 will rest in hope.
For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor
will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
You've made known to me the ways of life. You
will make me full of joy in your presence. Peter
says that Psalm 16, this is the explanation of
it. And so verse 29 says, 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 of the fruit of his body, according to the
flesh. he would raise up the Christ to sit on
his throne. And he foreseeing this spoke concerning
the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was
not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
This Jesus, God has raised up, 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 see. And here, which you now
see in here. And David didn't ascend into heavens,
but he says himself, the Lord said to my Lord,
sit on my right hand till I make your enemies
your footstool. So that's, I think, Psalm 110.
So Peter's preaching this message, giving an
explanation of everything that's happened. And
then he says, therefore, let all the house of
Israel know assuredly. That God has made Jesus,
whom you crucified, he puts the onus on them
again. He's made him both Lord and Christ, Messiah
and Master. That's very important. Because when
you become a Christian, it's important to know
that he's not just your Messiah. He is. He's
your Savior, but he's also your Lord. You need
a Lord. You now. Not only have a Savior, but
he's your Lord, and he's the best master you'll
ever have. He cares for you. He loves you. He's
got great plans for your life, and life isn't
always easy. We're not exempt from trouble, but
he's going to walk through it with us. But don't
say you need a Savior, but I don't need a Lord.
I got my life covered. I'll call you if I need
you. No, he's the Lord of your life. He wants
to direct your life. He's the master of your
life because he's also the master of your destiny.
And it says this, when they heard this, they
were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the
rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what
shall we do? Their question changed. What do
we do? What do we do? I get it. I believe it.
They're saying, now what? Now what do we do?
Peter says, repent and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, that you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises to you.
and your children, and to all that are far off,
as many as the Lord our God will call. He says,
repent. That's a change of mind, a change of
direction, a change of heart. It's agreeing with
someone else that I agree with the message. I
agree that I'm a sinner and I need a savior.
Peter says, repent. You need to change. That's
the attitude you need to have. Because what we
believe determines our steps. Our belief system
determines our behavior many times. That's what
the devil tried to convince Eve in the garden.
It goes all the way back to the garden. And he
questions God, in essence. As the devil asks
Eve, you know. Jesus questions the word and what
is said and what God said. As he points out the
tree in the midst of the garden. As God said,
you shall not eat all the trees in the garden.
And he says, you know, you're right. God said
you can't eat it or touch it. And that's not
what God said. He didn't say you shouldn't touch
it. And as they dialogue. her belief system changes.
She quits believing God and that this tree was
something that is bad. And her belief system
changed as the devil presented this tree as something
good. It was good to the eyes. It was good for
food, able to make you wise. It looked good,
tasted good, and it had... Great benefits. He
throws this stuff out, and it changed her behavior.
She grabbed the fruit and ate it. I'll eat that.
Yeah, you're right. Because your belief system
will change you. You'll act on it. You're not
going to be perfect. I'm not saying that. The
direction of your life, where you're pointed.
It determines what you believe. So he says, repent.
You need to change the way you think. And then
he says, and let everyone of you be baptized.
And baptism is not how you're saved. It's something
you do after you're saved. It's the evidence.
It's part of the proof. Like, all right, repent.
Be baptized. It doesn't mean, all right, you're
not saved until you're baptized. That's not a
biblical truth. If you've ever heard that before.
They do it, they're baptized because they're
saved. And they want to tell the world. That's
what people would do when they converted to Judaism.
Many people would get baptized. It was this outward
show of an inward work of the heart. And he says,
listen, this promises to you. You'll receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promises to
you and your children and all who are far off.
This promise holds true. As many as our Lord
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. 3
,000 souls. Why? Because the soul is eternal.
It's heaven or hell for people. It doesn't say
3 ,000 seats were full. 3 ,000 souls were added.
And verse 42, and they continued steadfastly.
In the apostles' doctrine, that's the word of
God. In fellowship, that's koinonia, this oneness,
this closeness. The church just leaned on each
other. They were with each other. In breaking
of bread, communion, and in prayers. They didn't
do that because they were super saints. They
did that because they needed it. They needed
to know the Bible. They need to know what God
said. They needed each other, the church, and
they needed to be praying. And fear came upon
every soul and many wonders and signs were done
through the apostles. Now, all that believed
were together. They had all things in common.
They sold their possessions and goods and divided
them. Maybe had more. Some people had less or
didn't. They said, hey, we can help you out.
There was compassion. They just saw the needs
of each other, and they wanted to jump in and
help. And they continued daily with one accord,
that's unity, in the temple. They're like, hey,
dude, you going to the temple again? Let's go.
Meet me there. Let's go. We're going to have
a Bible study. See if we can witness to anyone.
Let's do it. And they continued daily with one
accord in the temple, breaking bread from house
to house, and they ate their food with gladness
and simplicity of heart. Amazing it is to be
thankful. How horrible it is when you start becoming
unthankful and you start looking maybe at what
other people have and how it just, your whole
mindset. It says that they went from house to
house. They ate their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart. Praising God, having favor
with the people, and the Lord added to the church
daily those who were being saved. That's God's
work through his people. What did they see in
the early church? Worship. They just saw the
church. They were speaking in other tongues the
wonderful works of God. It's worship. It's being
reminded what God did in your life. Tell me your
greatest times of worship. Probably aren't here.
Maybe it is. Your greatest worship is probably
in your car. You're listening to the radio. It
might be a Bible study or a worship song. And
God's spirit just begins to minister to your
heart and remind you of what he did for you.
And it brings you to tears. And you worship him,
right? Well, guess what? These people who came
to Jerusalem, they saw that in the early church.
People were just worshiping, speaking the wonderful
works of God. And they saw it in people's lives.
They saw them worship. That's what people need
to see in your life. Not just a witness of your
word or a track, but they're watching your lives.
They're watching the worship of your lives and
what you worship. You know, Paul told the Ephesian
church not to be drunk with wine wherein is excess
or dissipation or is, you know, waste. He says,
don't be drunk wine, but be filled with the Spirit.
And I just started thinking, you know, the reality
is what he's talking about when he's talking
about being drunk, it's something that's filling
your life. It can be anything. It can be alcohol.
It can be a phone. It can be your job, a career,
pleasure. Whatever it is, what is filling your
life that's taking the place of worship and worshiping
God and getting together, praying? Because that's
what they were filled with. That's why they did
it. To get filled with the Holy Spirit. They
weren't just praying. And you can pray and God
wants to fill your life. But they were consumed
with the word of God. Right? They were filled
with the word of God. They were filled with fellowship.
They were filled with prayers. Not Facebook,
right? Not that Facebook's wrong or Instagram
and all those things, but what are we filled
with? What's our priority? It's a challenge.
Because what you're filled with, it comes out
in your life. Don't be drunk with mine, but be
ye filled. And it literally means be ye being
filled continually. Fill your life with the word
of God, fellowship, prayers. But because you
need it. So, Lord, we thank you so much for your
word. The truth of it, God, and the hope we have
in the resurrection and who you are. The reality,
Lord, of the work you're doing in our lives and
the reality, Lord, that you want to use our lives.
God, I pray we'd rest in that fact, that we'd
never become so discouraged and past the point
of thinking or to a point of thinking that you
don't want to use us or that you don't love us.
I pray that as we just sing this last song, Lord,
that you would cause us to ever end a fellowship
with you, Lord, and really worship and be reminded
of who you are and who we are to you. Lord, you
love broken people. You fix broken people. You
use broken people. So we give you our lives,
Lord, and God, I pray that it would be our focus
even this week, Lord, that the direction of our
life would be being filled by your Holy Spirit.
It would be our passion and desire and our pursuit.
We pursue so many different things in this life,
Lord. I pray that being filled, Lord, would be
our pursuit this week.