When We Come Back: Part 2 Acts 2:42-47
When We Come Back: Part 2
Acts 2:42-47 – May 3, 2020
This time next week we plan to resume normal worship. Well, as normal as possible that is. Yes, we’ll still have some restrictions. Yes, there will still be some who aren’t ready to end self-isolation. But we’re going to come back together.
“What will that look like?” you say. Sure, it will be modified. But it will look much like what we do every Sunday. In fact, it will look much like what we saw the Christians in Acts doing last Sunday and will continue to look at this Sunday. We will devote ourselves to “the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
I. We’ll break bread together.
The first Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. Luke tells us they came together every day in the temple courts. They wanted to hear more about Jesus and what he’d done for them.
But you’ll notice they don’t just come together to sit at the apostles’ feet and listen to their teaching. They eat together, too. Luke tells us, “They devoted themselves … to the breaking of bread. … They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” And maybe if the English is a little unclear, the original language can give us some insight. It says, “They broke bread from house to house.” One night you’re at my house. The next I’m at yours. We’ll set up a rotation.
For these Christians, it wasn’t a one hour on Sunday, wave-as-you-walk-out deal. It’s not like it is for us either. Some of you tried to recreate the Easter breakfast this year. I’m guessing it wasn’t the same, mostly for the fact that it was a lot like all the other breakfasts you eat during the year. Sure, the food was better than the usual Toaster Strudel. But you didn’t get to sit and eat with everyone from church like you do every year. You didn’t get to see those people you might only see once a year since you go to first service and they go to second service.
But what is it about being part of a church that gets you to eat with people who before you might not have given a second glance to? And not just eat, but to open up your home.
Think about the Christians gathering in Acts. They came from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and Libya; from Rome, from Crete, from Arabia, from all different parts of the world. Most likely complete strangers to each other. And yet, shortly after Pentecost, they’re going to the temple together and breaking bread in each other’s homes.
It’s God the Holy Spirit who brought them together. He’s the one who brought 3,000 to faith on Pentecost. He’s the one who kept on adding to their number daily. He brought people from north, south, east and west to that church in Jerusalem. He bound them together in the same faith. They may not have had much in common, but they did have one thing. They all believed in Jesus as their Savior. That’s how Paul could say years later, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Even though we all share the same humanity, it’s human nature to divide humanity. People divide humanity into neighborhoods. They divide humanity by home state, although Texans would never do that. They divide it by culture or by race. They divide it by salary or mortgage payment. They divide it by similar likes and even by similar dislikes. Sometimes all this dividing is harmless—like at the Cowboys-Packers watch party last year when fans of one team watched in one room and fans of the other watched in another room. But often this dividing is not so harmless. Like when we naturally feel like helping one group over another. Or when we see the groups we’re not a part of as an enemy. Or if we prefer to share the gospel of Jesus with one section of humanity but not another.
So what is it, then, that can bring a group of people like us together? People from different parts of the country or even the world. Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, Zoomers. People with different childhood experiences, life experiences. With different opinions and ideas. In a time when the world seems more divided than ever, what brings us together?
Yes, it’s our tendency to divide ourselves. To seek out people like us. To set up one group as better than another. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t work like that. Through his Word, he reveals to us that as much as there is to divide us, there is one thing that unites us. It’s our need for a Savior from sin. It’s our faith in that Savior Jesus. Everything that could divide us melts away when we are shown that my sister in Christ on the other side of the sanctuary is here because she needs Jesus just as much as I do. The sins that would keep us apart are forgiven in his name. Our various identities—“I’m a Texan.” “I’m a millennial.” Whatever.—these identities are put to the side in our new identity—“I’m a child of God.”
And the children of God gather around the Lord’s table. Yes, the early Christians ate together. But it wasn’t only their daily meals they ate. Devoted to the apostles’ teaching, they celebrated the Lord’s Supper together. The apostles passed down what the Lord had given to them, “Take and eat. This is my body. Take and drink this is my blood. Given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
Though we might not eat our daily meals together all that often, we do eat together regularly. As God's family, we regularly come to his table. There, he unites us with himself and with each other, a family eating together the meal where he gives the forgiveness of sins. Where he strengthens our shared faith. Where he deepens the family bond between all of us. As you stand next to your brothers and sisters, you receive that same promise, that same forgiveness, that same hope of eternal life at the family reunion in heaven.
II. We’ll praise God together.
What blessings we receive when we come together at worship. We hear again from the apostles’ teaching. We share fellowship and food with each other. We receive the forgiveness of sins in his Supper. All these blessings from God stir up in us a great desire to praise him.
Luke tells us that the first Christians “devoted themselves … to prayer.” They were “praising God.” But praying to God and praising him are things you can do on your own. Why did they need to come together to do that? Why do we come together to do that?
I suppose you could ask why people do anything together. Why do people throw Superbowl parties? Everyone could easily watch the game alone. Why do people have sewing groups? It’s not like you can’t sew without your friends. Isn’t it a hassle to drag your sewing machine somewhere else? Why do people like to see movies together? You could just wait until it comes out on Netflix and watch at home.
And yes, some of us are homebodies who more often than not like to stay at home. But there’s almost no one out there who doesn’t want to have friends, to have people to share life with, to do things together. That’s the way God created us. The Bible tells us, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” It shows these first Christians gathering together regularly. God said at the beginning, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” and so he created a wife for him.
So, if it’s so easy to get together to do so many other things, why can it be difficult to come together to pray to and praise God? Among Christians who only attend church a few times a year, 44% say “I practice my faith in other ways.”[1] In other words, “I don’t need other Christians to be a Christian.” True enough. You can pray to God by yourself. Even Jesus did. You can praise God by yourself.
Partially, this comes down to living in a country that trains us to mind our own business, especially when it comes to religion. How I practice my faith might be different from how you practice your faith, and if we are different—if the style of worship you like is different from the style of worship I like; if the way you pray is different from the way I pray; if the kind of music you like to sing is different from the kind of music I like to sing—then there’s really no reason for us to worship together.
But it can be even more dangerous than that. There can be a tendency for Christians to want to have a strong relationship with God but to be indifferent to other Christians. A tendency to think it’s just God and me on this walk through life. To think of the Church as a collection of individuals, each doing their own thing, rather than as the indivisible body of Christ. A person isn’t just a collection of organs; they’re a person. The body of Christ isn’t just a group of individuals; it’s the body of Christ.
The problem is the sinful nature doesn’t want to be lost among the many. Part of the reason the Borg in Star Trek are the bad guys is because they want everyone to assimilate. The sinful nature sees becoming part of a larger group as a hindrance to self-expression, the loss of freedom, the disappearance of the individual. The sinful nature you still carry still wants to raise you above everybody else, whether you realize it or not.
Christ came to get rid of this sinful nature. He is our Good Shepherd. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” We’ve wandered away from the flock. We’ve gone our own way. But here’s the key. The Lord has brought us back. He has laid on our Good Shepherd “the iniquity of us all.” “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
And now, bought by his blood, he brings us together to pray to him and praise him. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
One body. One flock. One Church. Uniting our voices in praise to God. Praying together. Praying for each other. In this Church, the individual doesn’t lose their individuality. But they don’t use their individuality just for themselves. They use the unique gifts God gives them in service to him and to the others who gather with them. And so when we gather together again, we’ll praise God together.
During this quarantine, I’ve seen posts on Facebook and heard comments that now is the time for us to really be the church. To get out there and let our light shine. Yes! We want to do that. But that’s not all the church does. The church is gathered together by the Good Shepherd. The church is refueled by the apostles’ teaching. The church assembles. After all, that’s what the word “church” means. The church shares fellowship. The church breaks bread together. The church sings God's praise and prays to him. That’s what we plan do again starting next week. And that’s what we’ll do together forever in heaven. Amen.
[1] https://www.pewforum.org/2018/08/01/why-americans-go-to-religious-services/pf-08-01-18_religious-services-00-06/.
Hope is Restored When the Risen Savior is Revealed as Christ - Acts 2:42-47
When We Come Back: Part 1
Acts 2:42-47 – April 26, 2020
Any day now. Any day now, we won’t have to close our doors. All signs point to the slow down of the disease. The measures being taken are working. Though the disease is still out there, our healthcare system is less and less likely to be overwhelmed. We’ve been patient so far. We can be patient still.
But as we wait for that day to come, we want to remember why we gather at all. We can start to take this family for granted. And especially now. After six Sundays of watching church online, you might have started thinking, “Wow! You mean I could’ve just been watching church at home in my pajamas this whole time!” You might even half-jokingly say, “I don’t ever need to go back.”
Today and next week, God is going to remind us why we don’t just go it alone on our road toward heaven. He’s going to prepare us for when we come back.
I. We’ll gather around the apostles’ teaching.
Jesus called the apostles to be his witnesses. His time on earth was limited. He came for one very specific purpose. Live a perfect life. Die an innocent death. Rise from the dead. He came to win the victory over death. After he won the victory, his mission was over. He ascended back into heaven. He left the mission of spreading the good news to his apostles and their students.
The apostles got right to it. Ten days after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them. They immediately began to preach. The Holy Spirit even allowed them to perform signs and wonders to confirm their message was true. He used their message to bring 3,000 people to faith in Jesus in one day! 3,000 people! And these new believers were devoted to the apostles’ teaching. They gathered to hear the apostles tell them about Jesus. The faith the Holy Spirit put in their hearts led them to want to hear more about this good news. To hear again how all the sins, all the guilt, all the shame, all the fear they had were wiped out by Jesus’ death on the cross. Even though, as Peter put it on Pentecost, they crucified Jesus with their actions, God made him both Lord and Messiah. Through Jesus, God promised to forgive them.
The apostles’ teaching is what brought you into God's family. Just as they were commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” you were baptized in God's name for the forgiveness of your sins. You have learned what Jesus’ work means for your life. It means your enemies are defeated. The devil can’t accuse you; your guilt is gone. Sin can’t control you; Christ lives in you. Death can’t claim you; eternal life is yours.
Right now, with all the restrictions in place, people are watching church online more than ever. There’s all kinds of preachers out there, pastors with convincing messages, many who stick to the apostles’ teaching. There are churches out there with high production values and eye-catching graphics.
But be careful! Stick to the apostles’ teaching. Though there are many who preach from Scripture, there are also many who do not. Preachers who add their own words to God's Word. Who interpret it to fit their own opinions or shape their message around attracting viewers instead of preaching God's truth. Who either intentionally or even unintentionally lead people away from Jesus. You know hearing about Jesus is more important than hearing what you want to hear.
When we gather together again, we will continue to gather around the apostles’ teaching. Why? Because it’s through that teaching, the gospel of Jesus Christ, that we receive life in his name. Though others’ teachings may tell us what we want to hear, Jesus tells us what we need to hear. That though we still sin, we are still forgiven. That though we may not find peace in earthly things, we have heavenly peace. That though we struggle to follow God's will instead of our own, Jesus promises his Holy Spirit to help us. This is why we gather around the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
II. We’ll share with our family.
The believers Luke writes about also devote themselves to fellowship. The word Luke uses there is the word for community and for sharing. Not only did they gather to hear the apostles’ teaching, they shared with each other, with their fellow believers.
Look at what Luke writes about them, “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.” Can you imagine that happening today?
Luke writes about them again in Acts 4, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.”
Luke isn’t promoting a certain economic system that’s become a dirty word to some and an idol to others. He’s simply describing the family bond the first Christians had with each other. Isn’t what they’re doing what a family does?
The members of a family really do share everything, don’t they? Mom and dad don’t make the kids pay rent even though only their names are on the deed to the house. If the parents don’t share something with their kids, it’s for their kids’ own good. Mom’s not going to let her 12-year-old son drive her car. Dad’s not going to let his 2-year-old daughter use the oven. But, in general, the family shares with each other. A family looks out for each other. A family loves each other.
The Bible calls believers a family, too. Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Are you concerned about what’s happening with your family right now? Have you checked in? How far are you willing to go to help your fellow brother or sister in Christ?
Right now, there isn’t a lot of need for you to sell your house to help your fellow Christians. Probably not even your car. And those are things you need. But what about the things you want? You might cancel your Netflix subscription because you can’t afford it anymore, but would you cancel it to give that $108 you were going to spend this year to a fellow Christian in need? You might stop going out to eat so often if it’s getting too expensive for you, but would you save money on your own food so you could provide food for others? To save money you might start only buying the clothes you need instead of the clothes you want, but would you do that so you could give clothes to those who need them?
The point of these examples isn’t that you immediately cancel Netflix, never eat out again, and strictly limit your clothes budget. The point is to ask ourselves, “Am I willing to help out my family of believers if it means I actually have to sacrifice something?” Maybe the answer is found in the family. When big brother doesn’t want little brother to play with his toys. When sisters don’t want to share clothes. Many times our answer to the question, when we really start to think about it, is, “No, I’m not willing.” Or, to put it as simply as big brother to little brother, “You can’t have it. It’s mine.” Or, to put it even more simply, it’s selfishness.
The human heart is naturally quite selfish. It has to learn to share. My son Nicholas is an only child right now, but when he does play with other kids, he does take toys from them. If they take a toy from him, he wants it back. He still has to learn to share. Now, you don’t have to be a Christian to learn to share. There are many generous people out there, like Warren Buffet for example, who don’t believe in God. But, as Christians, we have even more reason to share.
Selfishness comes from the idea that I have to have everything I want. If it’s in my reach, it’s mine. If I want to do it, I will. If I use what I have for someone else, there won’t be enough for me. Selfishness is at the core of sin; it’s at the center of our natural relationship with God. By nature, we were God's enemies. We wanted to go our own way. We didn’t want God telling us what to do. We didn’t want him to be able to hold his providing for us over our heads where he could say, “My house, my rules.”
But Jesus came to destroy your selfishness. He destroyed it with his own selflessness. He selflessly left his throne in heaven. He lived a life down here even though he’s God. He gave up his own life on the cross so that you wouldn’t have to. Now, he’s brought you back into God's family. By faith in him, you want to live under God's house and obey his rules. You want to follow his way. You aren’t his enemy anymore. You’re his forgiven child.
And you’re not an only child. You have innumerable brothers and sisters in Christ. People, who just like you, have been brought to faith in Jesus, to love each other. To be with each other. To share with each other.
As Paul said in Galatians, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” He’s not discouraging doing good to people outside of the family. But the Holy Spirit is encouraging you to be especially concerned about your family. And you can only be concerned about this family because you’ve been made part of this family, God's family, by faith in your Brother Jesus.
III. We’ll gather with our family.
Not only do we share with our family. We gather with them. Many of you gather with your families on birthdays and holidays. Unfortunately, some of you come from broken families. You don’t get together anymore. But you long to have a family to share those special times with.
The first Christians loved to be together. Luke even records that “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.” Every day! Society has changed since then. Schedules have become less flexible. We can’t necessarily get together as a group every day.
Yes, it’s true that you can watch church online and receive the same faith-strengthening Word as in person. But you’re missing something. The book of Hebrews talks about it. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
What you’re missing out on is one of the benefits of being part of God's family. It’s that encouragement that comes from people who really know you, who see you week in and week out, who even care about you. It’s not just encouraging words written by a preacher halfway across the country who doesn’t even know you exist. Your brothers and sisters who gather here around the apostles’ teaching share words and encouragements from that teaching that are meant for you personally.
This is why Jesus brings us together. He brings me to you and you to me so that we can walk on this road toward heaven together. When one of us starts walking off the road, the other brings them back. When one of us is hurting, the other wraps their arm around them. When one of us rejoices in God's blessings, the other rejoices with them.
Next week, we’ll continue to look at the wonderful blessings God gives us as we gather together. We’ll continue to get ourselves ready for that day however soon it will be. Soon we will gather together again. And when we do, we’ll gather around the apostles’ teaching, learning from them just like the first Christians did about our Savior Jesus. We’ll join together in fellowship, sharing our lives with each other. Though we’ll return to our own homes each Sunday, we’ll walk together toward our heavenly home with Jesus.
Jesus is the Messiah You’ve Waited For - Acts 2:14a, 32-41
Jesus is the Messiah You’ve Waited For
Acts 2:14a, 32-41 – April 19, 2020
The doors were locked. The people were talking in hushed tones. Every footstep outside signaled danger. Jesus’ followers were gathered on the Sunday after his death, wondering what would happen next. The leaders of the people had finally gotten their wish. Jesus was dead. Would they come after his followers next?
Sure, some claimed they’d seen Jesus alive. Peter did. But he’d been kind of off since Friday morning. Maybe he was just in denial after he denied Jesus three times. And the women? Well, they probably shouldn’t have prepared those spices in an unventilated space. Those two disciples who just returned from Emmaus? They’re just trying to cash in on the hype.
But then, all of a sudden, there he is! How’d he get in? The doors are locked. But he’s here! Alive! He says, “Peace be with you!” He eats some fish, and it doesn’t just pass through his body. He’s not a ghost! He stays a while. And then he leaves the way he came.
Just then, a knock at the door. It’s Thomas. “We have seen the Lord,” we tell him. “Bah! You’re crazy. Alive? I know he raised other people from the dead. But how can he come back if there’s no one to raise him? I won’t believe it until I see it.”
Thomas was willing to believe. But he wanted to see it for himself. He wanted more proof. He wanted to know for sure. Fortunately for Thomas, Jesus did appear to him. He showed him his hands and side.
But what about you? You’re willing to believe Jesus rose from the dead. You’re hoping it’s all true. But when Jesus says, “Don’t doubt, but believe,” you say, “How can I do that?” Today, Jesus is going to show you how it’s possible.
I. His resurrection confirms it
We’ve jumped forward fifty days from Jesus’ resurrection. We’re ten days removed from Jesus ascending back into heaven. And the disciples have been anxiously waiting for the next step. Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem. He would send the Holy Spirit on them. And then their mission would begin.
That day, Jesus poured the Holy Spirit out on the disciples. He descended in tongues of fire on their heads. They began to speak in many languages. They went outside, and all the people heard them preaching in their own language.
And there were lots of people there. Many came from all around for the Festival of Pentecost. It wasn’t just Jerusalem Jews, but Jewish people from all over the world who were listening to Peter.
These people knew all about the God's promise of a Messiah. They knew how God promised David a Son the throne of whose kingdom God would “establish forever” (2 Samuel 7:13). They’d heard the Messiah’s own words in the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” They themselves had read David’s own words in Psalm 16, “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”
They were waiting for this Messiah, the one who would come and save them. Of course, they had different opinions on what salvation meant. Did it mean salvation from their enemies, the Romans? Did it mean Israel becoming a superpower? Did it mean salvation from the worries of this world? Did it mean salvation from sin?
For some, Jesus could have just been a flash in the pan. A prophet with a meteoric rise and fall. At one time popular enough to make a king. Later, unpopular enough to crucify. Could he really the Messiah? Or should they keep waiting? After all, if Jesus were the Messiah, he was supposed to reign forever. He was supposed to save Israel from her enemies. How could he do that if he were dead?
Peter wants the people to know Jesus is the Messiah they’ve been waiting for. And the proof was in his resurrection. He tells them, “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.”
What further proof could there be that Jesus was the Messiah? The Holy Spirit, speaking through King David, had said the Messiah would rise from the dead. And Jesus did! Some of the people there were aware of the events that had happened just 50 days before. They’d heard about the crucifixion. They’d heard rumors of resurrection. Now, Peter and the other apostles confirm for them that this is what was supposed to happen. This was proof of Jesus’ Messiahship. “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Peter then explains what the Messiah brings. He brings salvation from sin and death. When the people are cut to the heart by Peter’s words, and ask what to do, he tells them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” The risen Messiah forgives those who killed him. The risen Messiah washes away their guilt. The risen Messiah brings people into his family, 3,000 on that day alone!
But how can we know Jesus is the Messiah we’ve been waiting for? Even if you’ve known Jesus for a long time, if you’re like me, there are times when you think, “Is this really real? Did Jesus really win forgiveness for me? I don’t really feel forgiven. Is he really the Messiah? Or should I look somewhere else?”
It’s not necessarily that you want to throw off God's law and say, “It doesn’t matter.” It’s that your heart still carries a burden of guilt. Deep down you cringe at the thought of some of the things you’ve done. You make excuses that your mind readily believes, but your heart flatly rejects. You want more proof, more assurance that you’ve really found the Messiah you’ve been looking for.
Many Messiahs have come on the scene since Jesus died. They offer freedom from the guilt you feel. Salvation from your enemies. A better life right now. All you have to do is follow them and their teaching. But what guarantee do they offer? What foundation do they have? What if you follow their teachings and the guilt doesn’t leave? Your enemies still win? Your life still stinks?
Only one Messiah has risen from the dead. Peter points to Jesus’ resurrection as the proof of his Messiahship. His rising from the dead proves he has conquered sin and death, just as God promised long before. He is the Messiah you’ve been looking for, the one who saves you from sin, who makes you right with God, who promises you peace in the storm now and life forever with him in perfection.
II. His Holy Spirit affirms it
But are you going to take Peter’s word for it? After all, you didn’t see Jesus rise from the dead. Like Thomas, you may doubt it even happened at all. The people on Pentecost didn’t see the risen Jesus either. Why should they just take Peter at his word?
Peter offers further proof. He says, “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” The people may not have seen Jesus risen from the dead. But they had heard the great sound of rushing wind. They had heard the apostles speaking in their own language. God the Son sent God the Holy Spirit to affirm his Messiahship.
Speaking by the Holy Spirit, Peter told 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.” Even if they still couldn’t believe, the Holy Spirit promised to come to them to help them believe. When Peter says, “The gift of the Holy Spirit,” he doesn’t mean they should be looking to speak in tongues like the apostles. He is saying the gift is the Holy Spirit.
But what about you? You didn’t hear the great sound of wind. You didn’t see the tongues of fire on the disciples’ heads. You didn’t hear them preaching in English even though they only language they should’ve known was Aramaic. How can you know this is true?
The Holy Spirit’s working wasn’t limited to Pentecost. Peter says, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” When Peter says, “All who are far off,” he doesn’t only mean distance. He also means far off in time. The Holy Spirit continues to bring the promise of salvation even today through the same gospel Peter preached on Pentecost.
Still hard to believe? That’s why the Holy Spirit gives us more help. When the Holy Spirit gives faith to someone, he comes and lives in that person’s heart. He helps them believe. Peter was preaching the gospel news to them about Jesus. The Holy Spirit uses the gospel to create faith in people’s hearts. He uses baptism to bring people into God's family. He gives himself as a gift to us so that we can believe the good news.
Yes, those doubts about Jesus will come. They always come. We single out Thomas, but is there really anyone who’s never doubted at all? You look at your own heart and think, “I could never be forgiven.” You look at your fellow Christians and think, “I could never be good enough.” You look at what’s going on in the world. You look what every enemy of God says about his Word. Everywhere you look the devil wants you to believe they’re right and God’s wrong.
But their proof is flimsy. The proof in your own heart is fragile. Some days you feel guilty. Others not. But God gives us much greater proof. He has raised his Son from the dead. He has poured out his Holy Spirit on you through the Word and at your baptism. The Holy Spirit lives in your heart to help you. And some days you need all the help you can get. Go back to his Word. They’re not just words on a page. They are power. All this God gives you so he can say to you, “Don’t doubt! Believe!”
Easter Sunday - Christ Has Won the Victory - 1 Corinthians 15:51-57
Christ Has Won the Victory
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
What a glorious day! It’s Easter! Maybe you decided to wear your Easter finest even though you’re not coming to church today. Have you planned an Easter egg hunt in your backyard? Katelyn is cooking a great Easter ham for us today. She and Nicholas dyed eggs, too. It’s still Easter, after all!
You can almost forget about what’s going on the in the world right now. You can almost forget about your daily problems and struggles. You can almost forget. But today, God is going to show us, Easter isn’t about forgetting about those problems. Easter is about standing with Jesus in victory over sin and death.
I. To defeat sin and death
The whole world recognizes death is a problem. People go to all kinds of trouble to keep themselves alive. Even the staunchest nihilist, who says life has no meaning or value, doesn’t immediately resort to death by their own hand. God has created us to be self-preserving. Most suicides happen because something in that person’s brain overrode their instinct to stay alive. They needed help.
People want to be immortal. They want to live as long as they can. Legend has it, that hundreds of years ago, Ponce de Leon discovered Florida while he was searching for the Fountain of Youth. Nowadays, people look for immortality in a pill, in an exercise regimen, or in a new kind of diet. Slow down the aging process. Live until you’re 90, 100, 120, 150. Live forever.
Scientists have discovered an animal they think might be immortal. The hydra is less than half an inch long and lives in the ocean. What causes the aging process in humans and in all other forms of life doesn’t happen in hydra. They continually regenerate their cells, and so, under the right circumstances could live forever. Of course, hydra are much less complex than a human being.
But even though hydra are considered immortal, they still die. They don’t live under the right circumstances for immortality. They live in the ocean where disease, predators, and water contamination can kill them. Hydra don’t die of old age. They die from something else.
And scientists have said the same would be true for human beings even if they found a cure for aging. You could still get a terminal illness. You could still die in an accident. Someone could still kill you. War would still break out. Something new could come along that kills all kinds of people. Even if you didn’t die of old age, you would die of something else.
The Holy Spirit tells us today, it’s not even just aging or disease or accidents that kill us. It’s not just the natural circle of life. It’s sin. “The sting of death is sin.” A stinger like you find on a wasp. Death stings because it’s not just a natural end of life. Death is the ultimate reminder and the ultimate consequence for sin.
Sometimes, when a person dies, it’s obvious they caused their death. They were driving recklessly. They had a heart attack because they ate at Whataburger every day. They overdosed on drugs. Other times, people just die. They die in their sleep. They die in a horrible accident they didn’t cause. They just don’t make it.
But here God tells us that whether directly or indirectly, it’s our fault we die. As he said through the prophet Ezekiel, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” You might not die in a car wreck because you were driving like a maniac. You might not die from Covid-19 because you haven’t left your house in three weeks. But you, like everyone else, will die. Death is inevitable. And it will be your fault.
Death was inevitable for Jesus, too. But it wasn’t his fault. He willing gave himself up to death. Not because he thought death was the better alternative. Not because he thought life had no meaning. He died to bring meaning to life. He came to take the sting of death himself. The stinger of death is like a honey bee’s. The stinger of sin was left in Jesus and death was torn apart. With death defeated, Jesus could not stay dead. He rose again. We, like taunting fans say, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” It has none. Jesus has won the victory.
II. He shares the victory with us.
But what if we were just the fans? I know a lot of us who like sports will refer to our team as we. “We need to sign so-and-so.” “We just need to play better defense.” “Remember when we won the Superbowl back in ’95?” If I had the talent, I’d love to play for the Cowboys, but sadly I don’t. When they win the Superbowl again, I’ll be happy, but I won’t really be able to say I won.
Actually, when I was growing up, I wanted to be a hockey player. I watched every Stars game I could on channel 27. I wanted to be just like Mike Modano. I’d go out in our garage, put on my roller blades, and leave all kinds of dents in the garage door with my many goals. I thought if I could just become like Mike Modano, one day I could play in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup.
What if we were just Jesus’ fans? He won the victory, and we just watched. Sure, we could look up to him, maybe even try to learn from him, so one day in our battle with death, we could come out victorious just like he did. If only we could live the perfect life. If only we could have our chance with death, instead of death coming and taking our life by force.
Sadly, I never became an NHL superstar. And sadly, we’ll never be able to defeat death on our own. But, “thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” Jesus doesn’t just keep his victory to himself. He doesn’t say, “If you just eat right, get plenty of sleep, and follow the Ten Commandments, you can defeat death like I did.” He says, “My victory is your victory. You have defeated sin and death because I have defeated sin and death.”
See how freely he gives the victory for you. You don’t have to pay for it. You don’t have to network for it. Jesus comes to you in his Word and says, “Take this. It’s yours. Believe it.” The fear of death and hell is gone. No punishment for sin remains. The stinger Jesus took, that was your stinger. It’s gone.
And that means death can’t hold us either. Not even the signs of death you already find in your body will be able to hold onto you. The Holy Spirit says through Paul, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”
Our bodies will be changed. How that will be exactly, we don’t know. But we do know that our bodies will no longer be perishable. Our bodies will not wear out. Our minds won’t get sick or tired. Our knees won’t ache. Our feet won’t swell. Our immune system won’t attack itself. Cancer will be gone. No pandemic will touch us. We will be immortal because “Death has been swallowed up” in Christ’s victory.
So now, we walk with Christ as victors in this world. We’re, in a way, like a ruler who visits a nation he’s conquered. Do the people there love him? No. Will they try to fight back against him? Yes. Will they try to kill him. If only they had the chance. But there isn’t much the conquered nation can do. They’ve been defeated.
Sin, death, and the devil do not love us. Satan will try everything to defeat us. He will even stir up people against you. He will use disease and death to try to get you to turn away from God. He will lure you with wealth and power. If you were alone, they could defeat you. But you are not alone. You walk with Christ who has given you the victory. With Christ, you cannot be defeated.
On a day like today, you can almost forget about the problems in your life. But on a day like today, Christ shows you that you don’t have to forget about them. Instead, by faith in him, stand firm against them. They are already defeated now and will be defeated completely forever in heaven. “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” Amen.
Maundy Thursday - We Will Dine with Our Lord Again - Luke 22:14-18
We Will Dine with Our Lord Again
Luke 22:14-18 – April 9, 2020
I feel bad for anyone who has a March or April birthday. This year, you had to celebrate your birthday either alone, or with only a few people. You couldn’t invite your friends over. You couldn’t go out. You couldn’t celebrate like you usually might.
I feel bad for you high school seniors. You’re having to miss out on the last months of senior year, all the events you were looking forward to the most. The last sports season. Prom. Possibly graduation at this point. It’s understandable if you’re disappointed you won’t get to celebrate your last year of high school.
This year, we won’t be able to celebrate Holy Week like normal either. We won’t sit in church as the lights grow dim on Good Friday. We won’t pack in the church on Easter. We aren’t even be able to come together for the Lord’s Supper tonight. And yet, tonight Jesus gives us this comfort: though we can’t celebrate together this year, he will give us a celebration to top all celebrations. We will dine with our Lord again.
I. Gathered around his table.
It was around 6 or 7 in the evening. Everything necessary for the Passover meal was secured. They had the room. They had the lamb, the matzah bread, the bitter herbs, the wine. After washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus reclined at the table. The disciples took their places around the table. They waited for their Lord to speak first.
Jesus began the supper by saying, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” As the time came closer for Jesus to die, he eagerly desired to set in motion events that would change the world forever. Tonight, this Passover meal marked the end of an era.
The Jewish people celebrated the Passover as a reminder of where they came from. 1,500 years before Jesus lived, God performed another act of salvation. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Israelites lived under the burden of slavery in Egypt. After Jacob’s sons died, the Pharaohs forgot how God had used Joseph to save everyone from starvation in a famine. They made the Israelites their slaves to build their palaces and storerooms.
But God had not forgotten his people. He called Moses, an Israelite who grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, to lead his people out of Egypt. He sent Moses to Pharaoh to give him God's command: “Let my people go!” But Pharaoh refused to listen. Even after God sent not one, not two, but nine plagues on the Egyptians, Pharaoh still refused to let God's people go.
So, God threatened a tenth and final plague. A plague worse than destroyed crops, painful boils, or pesky gnats. He threatened to kill the firstborn of every household in Egypt. Even after seeing all nine of the other plagues God performed, Pharaoh still refused to listen to God even when his own son was threatened.
God was going to send this plague. But he would not touch his people. He told each family to take a year-old male lamb, one without any kind of defect, a perfect lamb. And on the day this plague would come, they were to slaughter the lamb and put its blood on the sides and the tops of the doorframes. They roasted the meat and ate it along with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast.
God promised their protection from the plague. He told them, “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
This last plague made Israel free. The blood of the lamb saved them from death. Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt.
Jesus and his disciples celebrated this Passover every year. Every year, they remembered how God had brought his people out of slavery. Every year they remembered how the angel of God passed over the people, sparing them from death. It was a reminder of God's protection and salvation.
But that Thursday night, Jesus celebrated his last Passover before his suffering. As a human being, Jesus needed that reminder of God's protection and salvation. On this Passover, he was to be the Lamb without blemish or defect, the perfect Lamb. He was to shed his blood for salvation. He was to take the place of the whole world so that death would pass over.
Oh, how he longed to celebrate the Passover one more time with his closest companions. These 12 men, who’d walked with him for 3 years, who’d learned from him, who’d lived alongside him. One more communal meal before his death. Looking at the faces of sinners he would redeem. Reminding himself why he had to go to the cross. This was Jesus’ last Passover. He would not eat it again until it found fulfillment in the kingdom of God.
Jesus’ last Passover is truly the end of an era. It is the last Passover. Though people still celebrate the Passover today, Jesus, on that night, brought it to fulfillment. He established a new meal in its place. Rather than meat from the lamb they slaughtered that afternoon, he gives his disciples the body of the Lamb of God, his own body with the bread. Rather than blood painted on the doorframe, his gives his disciples his own blood to drink with the wine. In this meal, he assures them that their sins have been forgiven and that death has passed over them. Because of the coming sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God, they do not have to fear death.
But what if you don’t desire to take Communion? What if you’re not missing it right now? Then, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions: “How well have I carried out my responsibilities according to the Ten Commandments as a husband or wife or single person, as a parent or child, an employer or employee, a teacher or student? Have I loved God with all my heart, gladly heard his Word, and patiently endured affliction? Have I been disobedient, proud, or unforgiving? Have I been selfish, lazy, envious, or quarrelsome? Have I lied or deceived, taken something not mine, or given anyone a bad name? Have I abused my body or permitted indecent thoughts to linger in my mind? Have I failed to do what is right and good?”
Asking yourself these questions, you realize that in some way or another you have sinned. You can try to make excuses. You can try to hem and haw. But God is not interested in excuses for sin. The intention or the motivation is irrelevant. You’ve sinned. You need the forgiveness Christ offers in his Supper.
That’s why Jesus has given us this meal to eat and drink until he comes again. We continue to sin even after coming to faith. He still offers us the forgiveness he won on the cross through his sacrifice of body and blood.
But for a time we can’t gather around the Lord’s table as we usually do. Some of you have come in for private communion, and I encourage more of you to come and dine if you are able. But even so, you feel cut off. Though you receive his body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins, you miss the communion part of Communion. The part where you stand side by side with other Christians and confess together that you are receiving the true body and blood of the Lord for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus didn’t intend for us to celebrate his supper alone under normal circumstances. His supper unites us together as the Holy Spirit says through the Apostle Paul, “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.”
But we are not living under normal circumstances. Like Jesus, we long to celebrate this meal with each other before continuing on our journey through this world. We want the strength it provides to our faith, to go on trusting in God even when the world is turned upside down, to know that Christ still died, Christ still rose, Christ still reigns.
When Jesus established the Lord’s Supper, he said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” When he said, “Do this,” he didn’t mean, “Do this now one time and then never again.” His words there mean, “Continue to do this.” When the Holy Spirit records Jesus’ words in 1 Corinthians 11, he says, “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Our Lord has given us this Supper to eat and to drink again and again until he comes. He will allow us to come together again around his table. He will reunite us. Our longing desire will be fulfilled.
II. At the Wedding Feast of the Lamb
For now, we don’t know when that will be. The government isn’t allowing gatherings of more than ten people. If your family is large enough, that means it’s just you and me for Communion. If you die before all these restrictions are lifted, you may never gather with your fellow believers on earth again.
Jesus himself was not going to eat the Passover meal again on earth. In just a few short hours, he was going to be arrested, tried, tortured, and killed. He would rise again, but his time on earth was over. He ascended back into heaven.
And yet he said to his disciples, “I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God. … I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Already on Thursday, Jesus looks past Friday to Sunday. In less than 24 hours he will die. He won’t be on earth for another Passover. He will rise again. And in heaven, he will celebrate with all his believers whom death has passed over forever.
This meal we eat and drink is a preview of something greater. It is a reminder of the feast that’s waiting for us. John records in his Revelation the words of the angel: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” When we all gather together in heaven, we will celebrate the fact that death has passed over us forever and we will never die.
I know you’re missing normal life, when we get to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and graduations. When we just get to live life here on earth. I know there’s not much that can take away the disappointment right now. It’s hard right now. But time will pass. The Holy Spirit gives you this encouragement: “We must go through many troubles on our way to the kingdom of God.” It’s not easy to wait for the celebration in heaven. It’s not easy to go through these troubles. But we have our end goal in sight. We pass through these troubles on our way to our heavenly home.
I know you’re missing the community we have here. Many of you have told me so. You’re missing the times we spend together in worship, that we come together around the Lord’s table and receive his body and blood together for the forgiveness of sins. But nothing on earth or in hell can stop the Church from doing its work. As Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” We will dine with our Lord again. Amen.