Sermon

Acts Chapter 2 - Marks of Teaching

January 3, 2016 Carrigaline Baptist Church - Sermons

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for each one of us.
And it is a complete guide
for our faith, what we believe,
and what we practice.
You and I must be careful not to divide the Scriptures.
It's a complete whole.
And all written under the superintendence
of the Holy Spirit.
Hadn't Jesus Himself said these words
in John 16 and verse 13,
when the Spirit of truth comes,
He will guide you into some truth?
Partial truth?
No, when He, the Holy Spirit of truth, comes,
He will guide you into all truth.
We don't need any more
than what is written in this book.
This is our foundation.
This is where we stand as believers.
And we are to devote ourselves
to the apostles' teaching.
It's the foundation of the church.
Ephesians 2 and verse 19 says this,
that we are God's people
and members of God's household
built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets
with Christ Jesus Himself
as the chief cornerstone.
We move the foundation
and the building collapses.
There is no church
in the meaningful sense.
So thank God
for His word.
The third thing
that I want to bring before you
this morning is this,
that their teaching
was full
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
After Peter explains
what has happened
on the day of Pentecost,
how he speaks about
Joel the prophet,
what does he do?
Well, he speaks
about Christ.
Christ.
And we shouldn't be surprised.
Why?
Well, because the Holy Spirit
of truth,
his task is
to bring glory
to Christ.
And that's exactly
what is happening
as Peter preaches
from verse 22
onwards
right through
to verse 41.
He's saying
who this Jesus is
and what they must do
about this Lord Jesus.
So he speaks
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He speaks of His miracles.
Those signs
that pointed
to who He was.
He speaks about
the crucifixion of Christ.
He has a lot to say
about the resurrection
of Christ.
He speaks about
the glory
that He has gone to.
He speaks to us
very clearly
of the Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the people heard
and they believed
about this
Lord Jesus Christ.
What shall we do?
Repent
and put your trust
in Him.
And you will receive
the forgiveness
of your sins.
Your problems
of sin,
the problem of sin
will be dealt with
and be baptized.
You see,
the apostles
knew what Jesus
had said.
Go into
all the world
and preach
the gospel.
And I'll be with you
and teach them
everything
that I have
commanded you.
So they told
of Jesus
and they glorified
Jesus
and they taught
the sayings
of Jesus.
Their teaching
was full
of a glorified
Christ.
The real Jesus
was proclaimed
in the power
of the Spirit.
and they
continued
steadfast
in the apostles
teaching
which glorified
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
And we know
that's true.
When they were
persecuted,
what did they do?
Well,
they went everywhere.
And what did they do
when they went everywhere?
They preached
Christ.
Wouldn't it be
wonderful
if you went
down the streets
of Carragaleine?
And people
weren't talking
about the weather.
Although there's
a lot to talk
about the weather
at the present time.
But people's
conversation
was about
the Savior.
But is
our conversation
about
the Savior?
Oh,
that we might
know that
movement in
our hearts.
For I know
myself,
and know that
it is true
of you also,
that sometimes
your hearts
are cold
as far as
the Savior
is concerned.
Oh,
that the Lord
will come
afresh to us.
And with a power
that perhaps
we have not
known before,
that we're
full of Christ.
because we
have taken
notice
of what the
scriptures say,
and we will
become devoted
to the
apostles'
teaching,
which was
full of
Christ.
The fourth
thing I want
to say this
morning,
their devotion
to the
apostles'
teaching
was
continuous.
A literal
translation
of verse 42,
the first
part of
verse 42,
says this,
they were
continually
devoting
themselves
to the
apostles'
teaching.
And let's
think,
these apostles,
who were
they?
Well,
they were
unlearned,
ignorant
men.
they hadn't
been to
theological
school.
They hadn't
had the
education of
the scribes
and the
Pharisees.
No,
they were
fishermen.
They were
ordinary
people,
but empowered
by the
Spirit of
God.
And later
we read
that the
whole world
was turned
upside down
as a
result of
the
apostolic
teaching.
As people
heard it,
they sought
to communicate
to others.
They were
continually
devoting
themselves
to the
apostles'
teaching.
They were
steadfast.
They were
single-minded.
They were
hungry for
the Word,
if you like.
Not just
the milk,
but also
the meat.
They sought
to regulate
their lives
according to
the apostles'
teaching.
They were
steeped in
the teaching
of the
scribes and
Pharisees.
People who
had constantly
misinterpreted
the scriptures.
But there
was this
change of
direction.
And they
devoted
themselves
continually
to the
apostles'
teaching.
teaching.
So I'll
ask you the
question as I
asked myself
as I prepared
this message.
How devoted
am I?
How devoted
are you?
do you have
a longing
to know
more?
More
of our
blessed
Trinity,
the Father,
the Son,
and the
Holy Spirit?
Do you
long to
know more
of what
God says
to you
and to
me
in His
words?
Or is
your heart
cold?
Are there
days when you
don't even
bother to
pick up
your Bible?
When you
come on
a Sunday,
you say,
well,
I've heard
it all
before.
Instead of
coming with
anticipation.
Do you
bother to
get out
for the
Bible study
in the
midweek?
Oh, I
know there
are various
reasons why
you can't
be there.
But examine
those reasons,
whether they
are genuine
reasons.
And I'm
not just
saying this
to older
people.
I'm
saying it
to young
people as
well.
Somewhere
along the
line,
somebody
said or
suggested
that the
Bible study
was just
for people
of a
certain age.
Where do
you find
that in
this book?
Oh, I
know you
have your
studies,
and perhaps
it's just as
simple as
meant not
spending quite
so much
in Facebook
so that
you can
be at
the
Bible
study.
You have
to answer
that.
I can't
be your
conscience.
Are we
growing in
our Christian
faith?
As I
prepared this
message, I
thought of the
Apostles'
letter to the
Ephesians in
chapter 1.
1.
And I
presume the
Apostle Paul,
when he's
writing to
the church
at Ephesus,
expected the
people to
understand what
he was saying,
or at least
for the elders
of the church
to instruct
the people in
what he was
saying.
And he
uses words
there.
Another
part of
our
understanding.
In
chapter 1,
he speaks
about being
chosen.
He speaks
about being
predestined.
He speaks
about being
adopted.
He speaks
about redemption.
He speaks
about the
riches of
God's grace.
He speaks
about the
sealing of
the Spirit.
And so
much more.
Do you
long to
know more
of these
truths?
And how
they apply
in your
daily life?
And there's
so many more
scriptures.
Are we
growing in
our Christian
experience?
are we
devoting
ourselves to
the apostles
teaching?
And is
the truth
gripping
us?
Did the
early church
have an easy
time?
No, they
didn't.
How did
they deal
with their
difficulties?
Well, we
might look at
Acts chapter

Acts 4 chapter mention
4, where
Peter and
John are
thrown into
prison.
But the
word was
in fire
in their
bones.
They were
threatened.
They were
told to
be quiet.
Oh, they
said, but we
cannot help
speaking about
what we have
seen and
heard.
And when
they left
prison, they
pray.
And their
prayer is
recorded for
us in
Acts 4 and
verses 24 to
31.
And what
do they see?
What do they
understand?
Well, they
see the
ruling
authority, the
sovereignty of
God over the
affairs of
men.
They see the
triumph of the
Lord over the
authorities and
powers of this
world.
And they pray
for more power
to get on with
the work of
spreading the
gospel.
And if we go
into Acts 6
and 7, here we
have Stephen.
And he holds
the truth,
apostolic truth,
before the
people.
And people
look at his
face as it
was the face
of an
angel.
Israel.
And when
persecution
broke out
through the
apostle Paul,
those who
had been
scattered went
everywhere,
preaching the
word wherever
they went.
They were
gripped by
the truth.
The truth
was part of
themselves.
The word of
God was hid
in their
hearts.
Oh, that
we might
devote
ourselves to
the apostles'
teaching in a
way that
perhaps we've
not done
before.
I ask you
a question.
Do you
find yourselves
arguing with
apostolic
teaching?
It's evident
that the
apostle Paul
recognized that
there was a
tendency for
people to
argue with
apostolic
teaching.
Paul writes
and encourages
Timothy, and
he encourages
him to preach
the word, to
get on with
apostolic
teaching.
Why?
Well, it was
an imperative.
Paul knew
human nature,
the tendency
to go after
the novel
because people
had itching
ears to hear
what they
wanted to
hear.
Some, you
see, in
the early
church began
to cherry
pick.
I can
believe this,
but I
can't believe
that.
I'm happy
with John,
but I
don't like
Paul.
I'm happy
with the
New Testament,
but not
the Old
Testament.
I like
what John
taught about
love, but
I don't
like what
Paul had
to say
about
predestination.
I'm happy
with teaching
about heaven,
but I
can't accept
judgment
and hell.
We can't
do that.
It's the
whole
word
of God.
And we
must accept
it and
submit to
the apostolic
teaching,
the whole
truth,
and nothing
but the
truth.
The early
church devoted
themselves to
apostolic
teaching,
and so
must we.
Now, I'm
conscious of the
fact that there's
so much more
that needs
to be said.
and you
say, you
haven't said
anything about
fellowship,
about baking
a bread
and a
prayer.
You haven't
said anything
about giving
to the
poor,
etc., and the
various things
that follow.
I know I
haven't.
But you see,
all of these
flow out
of our
faithfulness
to the
word of
God.
You see,
fellowship
comes about
as we
hold on
to this
truth,
as we
devote
ourselves
to this
truth.
It's
unity
in the
truth.
Jesus
says, I
pray for
those who
believe on
me through
their message
that all
of them
may be
one.
So,
fellowship
is based
on the
truth.
Remove
the truth
and we're
just a
club like
any other
club.
And
fellowship
brings
together
nations.
It brings
together
ages.
It brings
together
male and
female.
It brings
together
the married
and the
single.
It brings
together
the educated
and those
who have
comparatively
little
education.
For
barriers
are broken
down
in
Christ.
And
when we
break
bread,
we will
break
bread with
perhaps a
new
understanding
of all
that has
happened
to us
in
Christ.
And
when we
pray,
we will
pray after
the mind
of Christ.
They're
all
interwoven.
And
when we
go out
into the
world
and into
our places
of employment,
into our
schools,
into our
colleges,
we will
want others
to know
of Christ.
Christ.
So may
you and
I be
granted
strength
to devote
ourselves
to the
apostles'
teaching,
this
truth
on
fire.
Pray for
your
pastor.
Pray for
the elders
of the
church
that they
too
will know
this power
of God
resting
upon them.
what a
difference
it will
make
in our
individual
lives,
what a
difference
it will
make
in our
church
life,
and in
the
goodness
of God,
what a
difference
it will
make
in our
community.
Amen.
Let's
pray.
Father,
we thank
you that
you've
given us
your
word.
We pray
that we
will be
mindful of
that
word.
Help us,
O Lord,
to know
your
word,
to be
well-versed
in your
word.
And may
your word,
O Lord,
come to
us so that
we're not
just hearers
of your
word,
but doers
also.
O Father,
we look
to you
and pray
that you
will come
upon all
of us
as individuals
and corporately
with the
empowering
of your
Holy Spirit
so that
others will
be affected.
And this
we pray
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.