Week 05 - The Book of Acts - "Let This Be Known To You" | Pastor Harley Doneburg | Sunday, February 23rd, 2025

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

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

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,

Joel 2 · chapter mention

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

John 3 · chapter mention

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

John 20 · chapter mention

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

John 20 · chapter mention

20. John chapter 20, verse 19 says this. John

John 20:19 John 20:19

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

Acts 2 · chapter mention

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.