The Rev. Herbert G. Hand
Faith Anglican Church
April 6, 2008
Series:
Drawing Close to the Living God
Title:
What Shall We Do?
Text: Acts 2:14a, 36-47
I.
Working Together
Bishop
Bill Frey is a man I greatly admire:
He was a faithful missionary bishop in Guatemala-Honduras,
then a faithful bishop in
As dean and president of
He was a powerful preacher and teacher.
In his
book, The Dance of Hope, Bishop Frey tells the story of when he was
eleven years old in
One of
the chores his father assigned him was to find kindling wood for their wood
stove and fireplace.
The best
kindling is not the sticks you find on the ground, but “fat lighter,” which you
dig from the stumps of old pine trees. It’s saturated with resin and
ignites easily.
One day
he found a huge stump in an open field near his house.
He pushed
and pulled. He used a crowbar on it. He worked for hours, but the
root system was so deep and so large that he couldn't pull it out of the
ground.
He was
still struggling with it when his father came home.
His
father said, “I think I see your problem.”
“What's
that?” Bill asked.
“You're
not using all your strength.”
Bill
exploded with anger.
Still his
father said, “No, you're not using all your
strength,” then waited for his son to cool down.
Finally
Bill asked his father what he meant.
His
father said, “You haven't asked me to help you yet.” And together they pulled
it out.
(Bishop William C. Frey, The
Dance of Hope, Waterbrook Press,
One of
your greatest strengths is to admit your weakness. One of your greatest
strengths is to ask for help.
II.
What Should We Do?
That’s
exactly what those three thousand – from our reading in Acts chapter two – did
on the Day of Pentecost. They asked, “What should we do?”
From
verses 14 through the end of the chapter Peter preached the Gospel. He
reminded them:
That the Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit had been
foretold by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16).
That Jesus had shown his divinity through many miraculous
signs (Acts 2:22).
That Jesus had died on the cross “by God’s set purpose and
foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23).
That God had raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24).
That Jesus was the prophesied “Son of David” (Acts
2:25-28).
And that Jesus had been “exalted to the right hand of God”
Almighty (Acts 2:33).
Then he concluded with these biting words:
36“Therefore let all
Acts 2:36 (NIV)
The old Negro Spiritual asks the question:
“Were you
there when they crucified my Lord?”
Were all 3,000 there when they crucified Jesus?
No.
Did all 3,000 nail Jesus to the cross?
No.
Yet, in a very real way, every last one of them, and every
last one of us, were there when they crucified my
Lord, for we are all responsible for Jesus’ death.
My sins, your sins nailed Jesus to the cross.
Come
Down From That Cross!
Once
there was a missionary who “told the story of Jesus in an
He
projected pictures of the life of Christ, “against the whitewashed wall of a
house.”
“When the
[crucified Christ] appeared on the wall, one man rose from the audience and ran
forward crying: ‘Come down from that cross, Son of God, I, not you should be
hanging there.”
(William Barclay, The New
Daily Study Bible, Acts of the Apostles, 31)
That man
got it! He grasped the fact that his sins had sent Jesus to the cross.
On the
Day of Pentecost, those 3,000 got it! They understood that their sins had
sent Jesus to the cross.
How did
they respond this terrible news?
They could have covered their ears and denied it.
They could skulked away in
despair.
But they didn’t. In great humility, they asked,
“What should we do?”
Take a
look at Acts chapter two, verse 38. “What should we do?”
38Peter replied,
“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.
Acts 2:38 (NIV)
What
should you do?
1. “Repent and [2.] be
baptized...”
Repent
To repent
is to change direction 180º.
John the Baptizer preached repentance (Matthew 3:1-2)
Jesus preached repentance (Matthew 4:17).
Here Peter preached repentance.
Clearly going to church is not enough.
Being
religious is not enough.
Being
baptized and confirmed is not enough.
God wants
each and every one of us to repent, to change our direction from
self-centeredness and sin, to holiness and obedience:
To change our minds.
And to change our behavior.
Be
Baptized
Peter
also told the crowd to be baptized.
What
exactly is baptism?
First,
according to Romans chapter six, baptism is burial. Romans 6:3-4:
3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him
through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:3-4 (NIV)
Second,
baptism is an act of obedience. In Jesus’ Great Commission, in Matthew
chapter 28, Jesus said,
18...“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Matthew
28:18-19 (NIV)
Third,
baptism is the mark of the covenant.
In Old Testament times circumcision was the outward and
visible mark of the covenant.
In New Testament times baptism is the outward and visible
mark of the covenant.
Fourth,
according to St. Augustine of Hippo, baptism is a tattoo.
In the fourth century,
Just as the Roman emperor would tattoo his soldiers,
claiming them as his own, Jesus Christ is claiming us through baptism and
marking us as His own.
Finally,
baptism is a Sacrament.
Our Prayer Book Catechism says, “The sacraments are
outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as
sure and certain means by which we receive that grace” (Book of Common Prayer
857).
The outward and visible sign of baptism is the “water in
which the person is baptized.”
The inward and spiritual grace is “union with Christ in
his death and resurrection, birth into God’s family the Church, forgiveness of
sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.”
The word sacrament, comes from
the Latin word sacramentum. “Sacramentum” comes from the Greek word mysterium.
The sacraments are mysteries. The sacraments are beyond our full
understanding.
Baptism is that mysteriously wonderful event, in which
Jesus claims us as His own, and we commit ourselves and our children to Him in
faith.
“What
should we do?” Again, Acts 2:38,
“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.
Acts 2:38 (NIV)
Receive
the Gift of the Holy Spirit
On the
Day of Pentecost, the Apostles and over 100 other disciples (Acts 1:15) had
been waiting in the Upper Room, waiting on the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit. For in Acts chapter one, Jesus had said,
4...“Do not leave
Acts
1:4-5 (NIV)
Not only
did the apostles receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but so did the 3,000
coverts.
Jesus
never did a miracle until he received the Holy Spirit.
The
apostles dared not venture out to preach or heal until they received the Holy
Spirit.
As Acts 1:8
says,
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you...
Acts
1:8 (NIV)
As
believers, you and I also need the power of the Holy Spirit:
We cannot live the Christian life in our own strength.
We dare not do the works of God in our own strength.
III.
The Characteristics of Spirit-filled Born Again Christians
Acts
chapter two goes on to describe these repentant, baptized, and Spirit-filled
believers. Verses 42-47 list nine of their characteristics.
1. In
Acts 2:42, they were a teachable church:
They intently listened to, submitted to, and acted upon
the Apostle’s teaching.
2. They
were not an independent church; they were an interdependent church:
They immersed themselves in Christian fellowship, true
concern for one another, true love for one another, true
reconciliation with one another.
Hebrews chapter ten says:
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and
good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in
the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you
see the Day approaching.
Hebrews
10:24-25 (NIV)
3. They
were a praying church:
They realized that they couldn’t live the Christian life
in their own strength.
They were absolutely dependent upon the Lord.
They spent time in personal prayer.
They spent time in prayer meetings.
4. They
were a Eucharistically-centered
church:
They partook of the Lord’s Supper each week.
They did this in remembrance of Jesus.
In reverence and awe, they received the body and blood of
Jesus.
5. In
verse 43, they were an awe-filled church (not an awful church!!!)
They were in awe of God.
Rebecca Saint James in her song, Let My Words Be Few,
describes an awe-filled church:
And I'll stand in awe of you
Yes I'll stand in awe of you
And I'll let my words be few
Jesus I am so in love with you
http://www.searchanylyrics.com/lyrics-213477-RebeccaSt.James-LetMyWordsBeFew.htm
6. They
were a healing church:
They trusted God to heal the sick and to move mightily
among them.
In Acts chapter three, Peter and John had no silver or
gold, but they told the crippled man to stand up and walk in the name of Jesus,
and he did (Acts 3)!
7. In
verses 44 and 45, they were a sacrificially generous church:
They were literally “selling their possessions and goods”
and giving the proceeds “to anyone” who was in need (Acts 4:45).
In Genesis chapter four, After Cain murdered his brother
Able,
9...the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
[Cain responded], “I don’t know, Am I my brother’s
keeper?”
Genesis 4:9 (NIV)
Yes! Yes, you are your brother’s keeper.
Care for, provide for those in need.
8. In
verse 46, they were a worshiping church:
They were not the frozen chosen.
They didn’t see worship as a burdensome obligation.
They came to the temple, lifting their hands and their
hearts in worship.
They came not to be entertained, but to engage with the
living God.
9. They
were a joy-filled church:
You can’t help but be joyful:
When you are truly repentant.
When you are committed to Jesus
through baptism.
When you are filled with God’s
Holy Spirit.
When you are open and teachable.
When you are interdependent with
God’s people.
When you are immersed in prayer.
When you are feasting at God’s
table.
When you are filled with the awe
God.
When you are trusting God to move
mightily among us.
When you are sacrificially
generous toward those in need.
And when you are exuberant in
worship.
You can’t help but be joyful.
IV.
Conclusion
Have you
come to grips with the fact that your sins nailed Jesus to the cross?
Have you
been “cut to the heart?” (Acts 2:37)
Have you
asked the question?
What should we do?
What should I do?
Repent. Change your direction.
If your not baptized, be
baptized.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Grow in the nine characteristics of repentant, baptized,
and Spirit-filled believers.