← ArchiveB2StartSunday, September 16, 2018DateSeptember 16, 2018Speaker—TextActs 2Passages in this sermonActs 21:52Colossians 2:1438:26TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00As you've already heard, my name is Josh Burnham, a lead pastor here at Bethel.0:28And let me say this, out of all the things that you chose to do this weekend, you have decided to gather around the name of Jesus Christ this morning. So I pray that God richly blesses the reading of his word. If you joined us last week, you were here for what we call Back to Church Sunday. And it's exactly what it sounds. We invited people that have not experienced worship in a long time to come back. And so now we heard a great message with Mike Satterfield.0:57I encourage you to go online and listen if you haven't. Just an awesome brother in Christ that loves the Lord and loves his church. But now, now what? We're back in church. And so now what do we do? That's where we begin this morning with a series for the next four weeks called simply Back to the Start. And we're going to begin with a sermon called, entitled Church 101. Now some of you are thinking, okay, whippersnapper, I founded the church.1:24What are you going to tell me? Just hold on. Just hold on. God's word is fresh and living and active. So if you were birthed in the church and you were drugged to church and you are still now in the church, that doesn't mean we have it all figured out. So we want God to bring us back to the basics of our faith. Why? So with that, join me in Acts chapter 2.1:52Acts chapter 2. Why is this important? Because I believe those who call themselves Christ followers are at an existential crisis. So what do you mean by that? Last year, 2017, a poll in Europe revealed some startling trends. Now you want to know what the United States looks like in about 20 years? Look at Europe. And this is what we found in this poll.2:20And we have the graphic behind. I want us to look at Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Those three. Now if you notice, this is what the poll said. They asked themselves, are you a Christ follower? Yes or no? We won't get into the definition there. Are you a Christ follower? Yes or no? And some would say yes. And then do you practice your faith? Look what's going on with those who call themselves Christians in Europe.2:46So in Denmark, or in Finland, for example, 9% of those who say they have faith practice and worship regularly. Look at this. In Finland, 68% are non-practicing. They said, we have faith. We just don't do anything about it. And you look at Sweden, the same way, 43%.3:14You have Norway, 38%. Now this is what I appreciate about Europe that I don't appreciate about America. They're honest. They're honest. And you say, well, where are you going with that? Just wait. This is what the pollster concluded. He said, a non-practicing Christian is surely the final step before not professing any allegiance at all.3:35There is no such thing as a non-following Christ follower. And if we're honest, our nation, our county, and our states are filled with people who are not honest.3:53Because if they were honest, they would say, well, I say I have faith. I just don't practice and follow that. So that leads us to today's discussion in the Word of God. What is church? I think we have fundamentally missed the mark about what church is.4:19And we're going to see one of the earliest church services in the history of the world in Acts chapter 2 this morning. So I simply ask you this first. What about you? Do you practice what you say? And I have a video by one of the world's deepest, preeminent theologians that will lead us into our discussion this morning. So if you would pay attention and watch Deep Theology.4:48What is the church?5:01The Andy Griffith Show. That's them. That's who? Yeah, the two crooks. They're trying to bust out their buddies. Sam, we better call the police. We are the police.5:30I'll try it. We are, aren't we? I need my bulletin. For our youth, just get with me out of the service. This is the issue we have, church. Hey, let's go to church. No, we are the church. Did you catch what they said? Let's call the police. No, we are the police. We have forgotten who we are.5:59And if we do not get back to the basics of our faith, soon we will be predominantly non-practicing, which is really non-belief in itself. So let's look at one of the earliest church services that history records and say, Lord, bring us back. Bring us back to the basics of our faith. Acts chapter 2. We are the church, beginning in verse 41. Acts chapter 2. In the New Testament, Acts 2, 41.6:29So those who accepted his message were baptized. And that day, about 3,000 people were added to them. Can you imagine? 3,000 people accepting the message of Christ and running to the throne where they find grace. Verse 42. They devoted themselves.6:58Circle that word, devoted. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Verse 43. Everyone was filled with awe. And many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Not all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all as any had need.7:24Every day, they devoted themselves to the meeting together in the temple and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And every day, the Lord added to their number, those who are being saved.7:49You want to know my prayer for the church of Christ? That every day, numbers will be added daily. Let's pray. Father, we cannot understand your word apart from your spirit, illuminating our hearts and our minds. And so, Lord, we ask that you would open our ears, that we would not be doers or hearers only, but doers of your word.8:13Lord, if someone is here right now that is far from you, may you call them to yourself, convict them of their sin, and may they repent and find salvation in no other name but the name of Jesus. Lord, bring us back to the basics, where we have wandered, where we hold to the tradition of men and not the truth of your word.8:36Lord, forgive us. And may we do better because you've empowered us through your spirit. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. We are the church. We are the church. And so, I want to give you five marks or characteristics of the church.9:03Now, if you know Jesus, these should be five distinguishing marks of your life. If you look at the end of this and you say, well, I don't have any of these. Maybe you're not who you think you are. And maybe today you need to confess Christ as Lord truly and find grace in your time of need. So, Mark number one in verse 41. Those who received his message were baptized.9:31In that day, 3,000 people were added to them. So, listen to the power of the gospel. Those who what? Verse 41. Those who, not those who walked an aisle. Not those who answered a poll or who were baptized. Not those who filled out a connect card or completed their catechism. Those who did what? Those who received, accepted his message.9:59Now, who is his? His is Peter. And what's his message? It's very simple. Repent and be baptized. You're a sinner. He died for your sin. Trust him. Repent. You say, well, that's super easy. It's that simple and yet that difficult that it took God to send his only son to live a sinless life. That if we believe, we are forgiven of our sin and made righteous. You see, the mark number one of true Christianity, of the true church, is that an identity with Christ gives you a new identity.10:28Identification with Christ leads you to a new identity. You say, well, what is this new identity? The key is here in verse 41. Those who accepted the message were what? They were baptized. So you say, okay, pastor, I just heard you say that if I am baptized, then I am saved into the church.10:53That's not what I said. Verse 41. For those who accepted the message were baptized. What is baptism? Baptism is an expression of obedience to the word of God. So the order is imperative, right? Accepting the gospel, your heart is illuminated, your mind is open, and you say, well, now I am going to obey.11:18What is baptism? It is going under the water, right? You are baptized into his death. Why? Because he died on the cross, was buried, and rose again. And if you have confessed Christ as Lord, this is what you say. God, as you sent your son to die for me, I am dying to myself, and I am raised in new life.11:39What life? New life. God doesn't refurbish you. He's not a flipper. Right? He makes you new. And if you're like me, that is good news. That is good news. God didn't flip me and put some new paint and lipstick and say, here he is, world. No, God said, Josh is sinful to his core.12:08And he died because of his sin. The relationship was broken. And now he too has died and been risen in Christ. Identification with Christ is a new identity. And they were baptized. They stepped out in faith and obedience to their declaration. And I have to believe that some of you today are here and you have never been obedient to the declaration that you make. So you say, I have faith.12:37I just don't practice it. What? That's like our kids. You hear something break and they're in the room and you walk in and you say, what happened? I don't know. Really? Some of you have had that discussion in your house. So the lamp just jumped off the table and you happen to be walking by. There is no such thing as a non-following Christ follower. And maybe you're here and you say, well, I don't like, I'm scared of people and I don't want to identify publicly with Christ.13:07It's worth it. It is worth it. And on October 7th, we have our next baptism celebration. And it is a fantastic moment where you boldly declare your faith in Jesus Christ. Look at their obedience in verse 41. Identification with Christ leads to a new identity. So those who were accepted to his message were what? Were baptized.13:36Were baptized. How long did they wait? That's a trick question. We don't know. But it wasn't very long. It wasn't even a whole verse. Obedience to Christ does not delay. Obedience to Christ does not delay. Why? Because we have identified with Jesus and we want to boldly identify with Jesus and hear the new identity in Christ. If you have been baptized in racial life, you can never die again.14:03So if you are in Christ, I just want you to say this. I want you to hear it. I want you to believe it. I want you to stand upon the promises of Scripture. If you know Jesus, this is your new identity. I am made new. Just say that. I am made new. So when Satan says, Josh, don't you remember the old life? You say, but Satan, don't you remember? I am made new.14:32I have identified with Jesus Christ and therefore I have a new identity. The old things have passed and behold, the new has come. Mark number one. Identification with Christ is a new identity. It's a new identity. You guys don't know the old Josh. Praise God. You don't know the old me. Because the old me was walking a path to hell that I deserved. And that God would justly pour out his wrath because of my sin.15:02But the new me is walking a path to glorification in heaven. Because Jesus has provided a way for me. Mark number one. Identification with Christ leads to a new identity. Mark number two. Back to church. Lord, give us a new identity. Mark number two is in verse 42. They devoted themselves. They devoted themselves to what? To four things here.15:31To the apostles' teaching, to fellowship. They were Baptists because we know they like to eat. The third, devotion. And to prayer. Now we'll look at fellowship and breaking of bread later in this. But the second mark is devotion to the things of God. Devotion to the things of God. So devotion to Christ leads to a dedicated life. Devotion to Christ leads to a dedicated life. So when we come to faith in Christ, our desires and our delights change.16:01That's the power of the gospel working in us. Are you devoted? This word in Greek means to adhere. Almost as if they were gorilla glued to the devotion of the word of God. But it's not devotion to anything. It's consistent, perpetual devotion. That's the tense in the Greek. They didn't one day say, we're going to go to church. And then they fell off the face of the map. They are devoting themselves continually.16:32Are you devoted? Are you devoted to the things of God? That's a mark of your faith. And you say, well, pastor, you're getting a little personal. That's the point. Are you devoted? And I get it. We are never devoted enough. I'm not going to ask your hands. Your invisible hands. Anyone say, you know what? I've been devoted as much as I need to be. I'm good. I am perfection sonified.17:02I'm not ready. This is symbolic. That's not me. Devotion. Adhering to the word of God. Sam Chadwick says it this way. That spirit-filled souls are ablaze for God. They love with a love that glows. They serve with a faith that kindles. And they serve with a devotion that consumes.17:29They serve with a devotion that consumes. Are you devoted to the things of God? If you're not devoted at all, that might be a sign that your heart is not where you think it is. You say, well, I'm in the church. Isn't that what you want? Sort of. You're watching the church worship, but you're not in the church. Because only Jesus can invite you into the church. That's what the Holy Spirit does. Are you devoted to the things of God?17:59So what are they devoted to? It's not good to be devoted just to anything. We have to be devoted to the right things. The godly things. So first they're devoted. We should be devoted as people of God to what? Verse 42. The very first thing is the apostle's teaching. So where is the deposit of the apostle's teaching? God's word. We have the truth and the word of God. We must be devoted.18:28This word teaching is the word didache in Greek. And what's interesting was we have a first century document called the didache from the early church. This is one of the first documents that we have from the church. And this is how it begins. Listen to the early teachings of the earliest church. It begins verse 1 of the didache. There are two ways. One of life and one of death. And there is a great difference between the two ways.18:58And it ends with this verse. Then shall the world see the Lord coming on the clouds. The earliest teachings of the earliest church were there are two ways. One that leads to life and one that leads to death. And the reality is this morning that some of you are walking down the road to life. The narrow path. But the sad reality is that some of us are walking down the path to destruction.19:24You know what the Southern Baptist path without Christ leads? That's the path of destruction. You know where the religious path without Christ leads? The path of destruction. You know where the good Southern moral path leads? You love God, you love family, and you love football? Not necessarily in that order, but you know, those three things eventually.19:52Without Christ, everything leads to hell. To eternity away from Christ. So I don't want you to think because you're here today that you're good. None of us are good. But we must be devoted to the dedicated life in Christ Jesus. And they also were devoted to prayer. What is prayer? Prayer is very simply communication with God. A fourth century church leader, John Chrysostom, says this.20:21He says prayer is simply to find conversations. Conversations with God. How dedicated is your life today? Mm, right? If we were to let the Holy Spirit open our lives and say, God, how dedicated are we to your church, your devotion? Look, this is not a join the church, serve more sermon.20:48I want you to dedicate it to the things of God, the true church. How dedicated are you to righteousness, to the word of God, to the breaking of bread, to prayer? Mark number two of true Christianity. A devoted life to Jesus leads to a dedicated life. New identity, new devotion. It's third mark. Look at the third verse here. Verse 43.21:19Verse 43. Everyone was filled with... That's not awe. It's awe. This is a reverential respect for something. This is your dad telling you, boy, you don't have to love me, but you're going to respect me. See? Right? That was not planned. Just want you to know that. That is, you don't understand that I love you right now, but you will respect me.21:47You will fear me. Not with a being afraid, but we need to revere God because he is holy, holy, holy. Everyone who sees a glimpse of God's holiness in Scripture, you know what they do? Fear and trembling. Are you filled with awe in your life? We don't just come to the presence of God and say, God, here I am. You say, God, you say, come to you anyway.22:16So here I am. No, we come to God with humility and being filled with awe. If there is no respect for holiness in your life, you probably don't know the Lord. We should fear and tremble at our sin because there are no white lies. There is no gossip in your life that God will ignore. There is no road rage that is acceptable in the kingdom of heaven. Those are things that we diminish, but we need to be filled with awe and wonder at the power of the Lord.22:45You see, the power of Christ working out in our life is not invisible. It's tangible. Look at verse 43. Fellowship with Christ fills us with awe. Everyone was filled. Who's everyone? Okay, so this is where you're smarter than the scholars. Let me just share. I was reading these commentaries and scholars are, they're divided on whether everyone is outside the church or inside the church.23:09So is this, is this outside the fellowship or inside the fellowship? Yes. Yes. Everyone was filled with awe and respect. Spurgeon says it this way. The fear of God is the death of every other fear. Like a mighty lion, it chases all other fears before it. The fear of God is what?23:39It is death of every other fear. It is like a mighty lion. It chases out fears before it. Church, God wants you to be filled with awe and to fear him. Not be afraid, but as we've already sung, if you are in Christ, God is for you. Not against you. Some of you might have grown up in a tradition like I did and you just feel like when you sin, God is, he has a big flyswatter waiting to, to swat you, to, to destroy you.24:02Listen, if you are in Christ, the, the wrath of God has already been poured out against you. And it was poured out on Jesus Christ. And when we sin, that fear of saying, God, oh, you poured out that justice against me on your son. God, I am sorry that I have rebelled against you.24:32And Lord, I am not only sorry and filled with awe, I am thankful that you have already forgiven me of my sin. Are you filled with awe and wonder at the majesty of God? Church, we need to be filled with awe. We've lost that in the church. We need to be filled with awe. Mark number three, fellowship with Christ fills you with awe, with trembling.24:57Mark number four, look at verse 45. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all as many had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple. So here, some of you guys are thinking, okay, pastor wants me to sell my house and give it to the offering plate right now.25:23That's not what's going to happen. But here's the fourth mark of the early church. American church, we need to see this and hear it. What is happening here? Believing in Christ brings you into community. Believing in Christ brings you into community. We live in such an individualistic society that we say, well, I am saved by myself.25:50Jesus died. We've heard pastors say, right? If you're the only one that's ever lived, Jesus died for you. Okay, that might be true, but you're not the only one that's ever lived. And so we grow, we are sanctified, not individually, but collectively. So if you are in Christ, you are part of a new community. If you don't like the new community, don't follow Christ. Because like it or not, you got me.26:21Right? This good, bad, and indifferent. This is the community of faith. This is a community you have been grafted into, adopted into. This word, koinonia, used 19 times in the New Testament, is a word that means the unique sharing of God and the unique sharing with others. As if the New Testament is saying, when you share in this new community, you share with God.26:46See, this is the mark of true Christianity. If you are in Christ, you are in community. If you say, well, I don't want the community, you're saying, I don't want Christ. Look very clearly at what's going on. Verse 44. Now, all the believers were together. And they're looking at the needs.27:16And they're saying, Josh has this need. And God has graciously given me. And I can meet that need. And Brandon has this need. But God, you've given me this to meet his need. And Bob has this. And God, you've given me food that I can meet his need. And Bob is looking at Emily and saying, I can meet that need. And together, we care more about each other than we care about ourselves. And that should break our heart. Because if we're honest, and as I look at my life, I care more about myself more than I care about you.27:44And if you're honest, you most likely care about you more than you care about me. Can you imagine if we took seriously this mark of Christianity? You know what the world would say? If we thought more about each other than ourselves, the world would say, what is your problem? We don't get you guys.28:14Hold that. Because that's going to be the fifth mark. I was reading a story about, I believe, fellowship and communion. Because this same word, koinonia, is often used as the word that means the fellowshipping of a husband and a wife. And this story fascinated me. I think it's a beautiful story of fellowship. Listen to this. Chip and Cindy, after 10 years of marriage, were in the long process of getting a divorce. They'd been separated for years.28:44They were separated to the point where they were in the process of finalizing the divorce. And he was already in another relationship. And a funny thing happens. Chip went into kidney failure. And as his wife heard about that, his current wife, but soon to be ex-wife Cindy, heard about that, she said, you know what, if I'm a match, I'm going to give him my kidney. And guess what happens?29:15She was a match. And so she gave the kidney. And with this caveat, she even wrote it up. She said, there are no strings attached. I don't want more alimony. I don't want more child support. I'm giving you my kidney because that's the right thing to do. And the surgery was a success. It was a match. And a funny thing happened when they were recuperating in the hospital together. They realized that as they gave of themselves, that the love that once grew cold was rekindled for each other.29:44And I want you to listen to Chip's words. This was in 2007. He told the reporter, he said, why would I want to date someone else when I have a woman who would give part of herself so I can keep living? He put an end to his other relationship and asked Cindy to come back home. And their marriage was restored. And they've been married over 17 years since.30:14Why would I share that story? Because when we give of each other in mutual submission, we grow in fellowship. When I serve you more, the more I love you. We think the more we love, the more we serve. But it's the opposite. The more I give of myself to you, the more that I love you. And even the ones that are hard to love, I'm not going to call you out.30:44But have you ever had someone that's hard to love and you start praying for them and you start serving them? Guess what happens? They're not as hard to love anymore. Because we're designed and we're brought into this new community. So mark number four of this new community, your love for Christ deepens your love for this new community. Your love for Christ deepens your love for this new community. That the world might see a change in us.31:14And that leads us to mark number five of the early church and what the true church looks like. Look at verse 41.31:29Those who accepted his message were baptized. And that day about 3,000 people were added to them. You say, well, pastor, what's the fifth mark? As we have this dramatic pause. The fifth mark is simply missional living. The love for the Messiah leads to missional living. You say, well, where did you find that? In verse 45, right? Where did you find that they're living missionally?31:58Well, if you look at verse 46, look at what's happening in the Word of God here. Every day, they devoted themselves, right? Adhering, continual adherence, like gorilla glue, to the things of God. And where are they hanging out? We'll just use pastor language, right? Two T's. The temple and the table. The temple, I can jump on board with both of those.32:29The temple and the table. So where are these people that are being added to their number daily, where are they hearing the Word of God? The temple and the table. They're looking at the church and saying, what is up with you? You used to do these things and now it's like you've died and you've come back to life. Oh, really? It's like you're in this new community and you care for the people of God more than you care for yourself.33:00Really, you notice that? Let me tell you about Jesus, the Messiah. The one who has changed it all. You see, if you know Christ, you are to live in a way where others take notice. You are to live in a way where others take notice. And you might be thinking, well, I don't have any platform to share Christ. Yes, you do. You go to Walmart.33:31You go to the Dollar General. You go to work. Maybe you're a stay-at-home mom and you're investing in your children. Everyone here has a platform to share the good news. Anyone go to the temple lately? Someone know. How about the church? Anyone gathered to hear the word of God lately? Yes, that's all of us. And you need to share what God is doing in your life. We can't come here and be silent.34:02We need to share the good graces of Christ. Love of the Messiah leads to missional living. When's the last time you shared your faith? And for you, it might be a tract that you carry around in your pocket and you hand to someone who's in need. For you, it might be praying for someone. Or living in a way that is against the culture in your work environment. But live in a way where people take notice and that numbers would be added to ourselves daily.34:28Mark number five is that the love for the Messiah leads to missional living. Now, I want to take the pressure off of you right now. Because you can never live in a way where someone else will become saved. That is not your job. You can't save anyone. And if Billy Graham were here, he would say the same thing. You don't save anyone.34:58And we should take a deep breath and say, phew. It's the Holy Spirit who convicts. It's God who draws people to himself. It's people who respond by faith to the good news. But we have a responsibility. You have to share the good news. We want to say, well, I'm going to live in a way where I don't have to use words. Okay, let me just quickly.35:27This is not even in the sermon, but I want Andy to say this. What is the scripture made up of? Lots of words. And so we get our truth of Christ in the word of God. There has to be a point in your time, in your life, where words have to come out. And let it be the grace and the truth of Christ in your life. And you say, well, pastor, I don't know what to say. Just bring the Bible with you. If you're mute, just go, mm, mm, mm, mm.35:55Go ahead and highlight it ahead of time, right? Mm. And you know, when you read the word of God, your heart will be stirred. And the power of the Holy Spirit will convicts. If you're here today, how does your life measure up? Are you in the church? Not Bethel.36:24Not Bethel. Not the Southern Baptist Church. Not the non-denominational church. Are you part of the church of Christ? Not the institution. The identity. Do you have a new identity? Have you gone from death to life? Anyone? Rejoice in that new identity. What God has given you cannot be taken away. Are you devoted to the things of God?36:55Are you filled with reverence to the holiness and the majesty of God? Are you in this new community? And lastly, are you living missionally? And maybe you're here and you say, Lord, I don't measure up. I know I profess you as a Savior, but I don't measure up. During our time of response, spend time and say, God, heal my wounds.37:20Restore to me. The joy of your salvation. Maybe you're here today and I want to be delicate, but I want to be very clear. Maybe you're here today and you say, well, Pastor, I don't have a new identity. And I'm not devoted to the things of God. And I don't have reverence for the Lord. And, you know, I don't really like church people. They're weird. Yes, I agree. But you have to love them anyway.37:49And in the fifth one, I'm not living missionally for Christ. This is what scripture says about you. You do not know the Lord. You don't know Christ. You are not walking paths of righteousness. But here's the good news. That God can make those who are dead this morning alive in Christ. Listen to what Colossians says. When you were dead in your trespasses, he made you alive with him and forgave us of our trespass. He erased the certificate of debt against us, nailing it to the cross and wiping it clean.38:20In Colossians 2.14, if that's you today, I want you to know that God has given you the simple message of salvation. That if you repent of your sins and by faith respond to his son who died on the cross for your sins, that you will be saved. Whoever believes and confesses that he is Lord will be saved. And the fact that you are here today means that God is calling you.38:48Because you've heard the message of Christ. Do not leave here. Without responding to the grace that has been offered you. Saying, God, I know I'm a sinner. And I know there is no mark, there's no fruit of forgiveness in my life. And Lord, today I want to be yours. Today is the day that I want to put my trust in you. And you say, Pastor, well, how do I do that? It's by communication to God.39:19How do we communicate? Not by Twitter. Not Facebook. Not by email. But it's through prayer. Conversation with God. Saying, God, I know I've fallen short. And I know Jesus took my place. Lord, I stand upon your promises today that I believe. I don't deserve it. But I believe. If that's you today, I want you to know that God will save you. Because He is holy. Because He is holy and He is just. And He is righteous.39:48Maybe you are not part of a covenant fellowship anywhere. And today, the Holy Spirit's been stirring your heart. And you realize you've been saved, but you are not involved with the fellowship. Today is your lucky day. Following the service, we have our Next Steps class. Where you can learn how to be part of a covenant member here. If that's what the Holy Spirit moves. But if you're in Christ, you're in the church. The question is, which local body do you serve with today?40:16Let's pray, Father.← Previous in B2StartSunday, September 9, 2018Next in B2Start →Sunday, September 23, 2018More sermons on Acts →
