The Kingdom in Our Midst

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.080 --> 00:00:18.589 An about you. To turn with me to the book of acts. Will 2 00:00:18.589 --> 00:00:25.379 be looking at chapter four of acts and verses thirty two through thirty five. 3 00:00:30.179 --> 00:00:33.740 Again, acts chapter four, starting at Verse Thirty Two through Thirty Five. 4 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:38.210 Here now is God's word. Now the full number of those who believed were 5 00:00:38.250 --> 00:00:41.850 of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things 6 00:00:41.890 --> 00:00:45.490 that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common and 7 00:00:46.850 --> 00:00:50.280 with great power. The apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the 8 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:54.920 Lord Jesus, and Great Grace was upon them all. There was not a 9 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:58.560 needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses 10 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:00.840 sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the 11 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:07.109 Apostle's feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus 12 00:01:07.109 --> 00:01:18.349 end as the reading of God's word you may be seating. As we continue 13 00:01:18.549 --> 00:01:23.459 in what is commonly called the Church calendar and as we find ourselves still in 14 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:27.340 the season of Easter, we see in these beginning chapters of the book of 15 00:01:27.379 --> 00:01:34.489 acts what happened in the life of the Church following Christ resurrection and all those 16 00:01:34.530 --> 00:01:38.890 tumultuous events that led to his death and and his resurrection and the appearances that 17 00:01:40.370 --> 00:01:45.010 happened after his resurrection. We say, for example, in chapter two of 18 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:49.040 Pentecost, how the Holy Spirit came down and as three thousand people were added 19 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:53.200 to the number of the Church that day. But we also see a distinct 20 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:59.439 transition in the the the mentality and the activities of the apostles. You remember 21 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:04.469 on Easter how in Jesus appeared to the apostles and Issy appeared to them later 22 00:02:04.590 --> 00:02:07.270 on. He often would find the behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. 23 00:02:08.430 --> 00:02:13.870 They were afraid being in that city of Jerusalem. That's that the same 24 00:02:13.949 --> 00:02:16.219 thing that they had just witnessed happened to Jesus, would also happen to them, 25 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:21.180 who had so long been at Jesus side and had been proclaiming and giving 26 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:29.580 testimony to Jesus Kingdom. Indeed, they in those moments were totally like sheep 27 00:02:29.620 --> 00:02:32.449 without a shepherd. They had been scattered and whatever political power they thought they 28 00:02:32.449 --> 00:02:38.449 had, whatever popularity they may have had, was gone like dust in the 29 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:44.479 wind. But yet we see something very different here, and he's beginning chapters 30 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:50.080 of acts where the apostles are no longer locked behind doors out of fear, 31 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:55.599 but are boldly proclaiming and boldly illustrating to the world around them the Kingdom of 32 00:02:55.639 --> 00:03:00.830 God. Not only are they preaching it, but they're living it out without 33 00:03:00.949 --> 00:03:04.550 fear and in the face of the very leaders who had put Jesus to death 34 00:03:05.069 --> 00:03:08.990 just months before. Need this must have been quite a surprise to these religious 35 00:03:08.990 --> 00:03:12.979 leaders, who thought finally that they had turned the page, they finally closed 36 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:16.740 the chapter on this Jesus Movement. They had succeeded in getting the crowds turned 37 00:03:16.780 --> 00:03:22.259 against Jesus, they had succeeded in nailing him to a cross and they had 38 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:24.740 seen how his disciples had scattered and they thought, finally this is it. 39 00:03:27.409 --> 00:03:31.569 And just to make absolutely certain that this word would not continue to spread, 40 00:03:31.610 --> 00:03:36.689 they had asked pilot for an armed guard to seal the tomb, to make 41 00:03:36.770 --> 00:03:40.479 sure that nobody stole the body of Jesus and and started preaching that he had 42 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:47.120 risen from the dead. But in fact, despite their every effort, everything 43 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:52.080 that they feared was an even more was coming about in their very midst. 44 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:55.189 Now it was not merely Jesus as the primary preacher and performer of miracles, 45 00:03:55.229 --> 00:04:00.430 but now these apostles themselves are going out preaching boldly and performing miracles, and 46 00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:03.990 the whole church is growing up. Thousands are being added to their number. 47 00:04:04.710 --> 00:04:09.030 Once again you see the tables of turn. Once again it is the religious 48 00:04:09.030 --> 00:04:13.580 leaders who have their backs against the walls, not able to refute either the 49 00:04:13.740 --> 00:04:18.500 miracles or the message that the apostles are bringing need. Once again they want 50 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:25.250 to persecute the church. But because of the crowds and because of the reality 51 00:04:25.410 --> 00:04:29.689 of these miracles, you know, he got some guy who's been lame from 52 00:04:29.769 --> 00:04:33.209 birth who is now standing as a forty year old, completely healed by the 53 00:04:33.290 --> 00:04:35.810 power of God. And how can they refute that miracle? How can they 54 00:04:36.129 --> 00:04:43.959 refute the fact that God is working among them? And so, as this 55 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:47.040 church is growing, as the Kingdom of God is is growing like a flower 56 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:54.069 in their very midst, we see here a remarkable verse. In in verse 57 00:04:54.189 --> 00:04:58.829 thirty two, it says the full number of those who believed were of one 58 00:04:58.949 --> 00:05:02.790 heart and soul. Now, earlier in this chapter it says that there was 59 00:05:02.870 --> 00:05:06.029 about five thousand men who are part of the church. So the Church has 60 00:05:06.069 --> 00:05:12.540 been growing and we read here that that the full number were of one heart 61 00:05:12.579 --> 00:05:15.899 and one soul, which is an amazing thing for a group that large, 62 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:19.420 especially those who did not necessarily know each other for a very long time. 63 00:05:24.490 --> 00:05:27.930 The full number who believed were one heart and one soul, and no one 64 00:05:27.970 --> 00:05:30.129 said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but 65 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:36.439 they had everything in common. What we see here in the midst of this 66 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:41.319 city, in the very midst of the political powers that were opposed to Jesus, 67 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:46.160 ironically, was a very fulfillments of the things that the Old Testament prominent 68 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.870 prophets had longed for and looked forward to. They had looked forward to a 69 00:05:49.990 --> 00:05:55.949 kingdom that would grow within their midst, where people's hearts would be changed. 70 00:05:55.990 --> 00:06:00.230 We're not only there would be glory, not only would the messiah be enthroned 71 00:06:00.870 --> 00:06:03.939 on high, but also that people's hearts would be changed and that they would 72 00:06:03.939 --> 00:06:09.660 love one another. This is the salient criticism that God gave of his people 73 00:06:09.699 --> 00:06:14.540 in the Old Testament, was that their hearts were hardened. He said to 74 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:17.889 them again and again, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. In other words, 75 00:06:17.930 --> 00:06:24.209 all these animals you're slaughtering for me, they're not making me forget the 76 00:06:24.290 --> 00:06:26.970 fact that you are not being merciful to each other. You are not loving 77 00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:30.610 each other, your hearts are not open to one another. I desire, 78 00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:33.279 I demand, mercy, not sacrifice. That is what he wanted. He 79 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:39.399 wanted them to to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with 80 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:43.959 her. God. It was the heart matter that was important to God, 81 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:46.589 and what we see in verse thirty two here is that heart matter is being 82 00:06:46.629 --> 00:06:50.870 fulfilled and the very midst of those who pretended to look for the Kingdom of 83 00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:55.029 God but were really opposed to the Kingdom of God. They who thought they 84 00:06:55.029 --> 00:06:57.670 were the leaders, they who thought they were on the front lines, who 85 00:06:57.670 --> 00:07:00.459 were the first who are going to taste power when God's kingdom came in its 86 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:03.740 glory. They are now on the sidelines because of their lack of faith, 87 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:11.620 as in fact, God's power is revealed in their midst. The hearts of 88 00:07:11.660 --> 00:07:15.129 these people are opened, and the tangible way that they expressed that to one 89 00:07:15.170 --> 00:07:19.970 another. It says, is that no one said that any of the things 90 00:07:20.009 --> 00:07:25.129 that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 91 00:07:27.410 --> 00:07:31.000 Now you would spect among family members, people who have grown up and who 92 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:35.920 have especially a biological relationship to one another, that they would work for one 93 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:40.240 another, that they would sacrifice for one another, that they would provide for 94 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:43.879 one another, and the New Testament, this is one of the arguments that 95 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:48.350 the apostles used to tell Christians. You know, you really need to care 96 00:07:48.470 --> 00:07:51.189 for your families, because even the gentiles, even the Pagans, do that. 97 00:07:51.430 --> 00:07:55.589 This is something that even natural people, because of their family ties, 98 00:07:56.230 --> 00:08:00.060 know how to do. You see parents working so that their children can get 99 00:08:00.060 --> 00:08:03.980 an education, you see them trying to make the next generation better than the 100 00:08:03.019 --> 00:08:09.779 previous generation, and these things we expect of natural family members. But here 101 00:08:09.899 --> 00:08:13.930 we see something that is remarkable in the way that this love that these people 102 00:08:13.970 --> 00:08:16.730 have is expressed, and that is these people, who may not have even 103 00:08:16.769 --> 00:08:22.129 known each other for very long, who are certainly not family members in the 104 00:08:22.170 --> 00:08:28.680 immediate sense, we're nevertheless sharing things with one another and having everything in common 105 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:33.240 as if they were a family. They saw somebody in need, they provided 106 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:37.840 what that person needed without question, without even thinking twice. They were willing 107 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:43.269 to treat one another as a family, and this, I say, is 108 00:08:43.389 --> 00:08:48.669 evidence of the reality of the Kingdom of God growing up in their very midst. 109 00:08:50.389 --> 00:08:54.070 That we might ask a certainly people looking back into history, might ask 110 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:56.980 what made the difference? What is it that broke these people's hearts? What 111 00:08:56.139 --> 00:09:03.820 is it that made these strangers who had just come together have such love for 112 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:07.620 one another? And I think we see the answer to that in verse thirty 113 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:13.009 three. We see that in this whole passage that I read, versus three 114 00:09:13.090 --> 00:09:16.610 two through thirty five, it talks mainly about, you know, the physical 115 00:09:16.970 --> 00:09:20.690 sharing that they did with their their their goods. But Luke, here the 116 00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:24.639 author Tucks away this verse right in the middle so that we don't lose sight 117 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:28.840 of why this happened. Verse Three Three says with great power, the apostles 118 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:33.919 were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Great 119 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.360 Grace was upon them all. This is the reason they came together, this 120 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:39.509 is the reason that they felt to be a family's because of the message of 121 00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:43.470 Christ. The message are the one who came down from heaven, who took 122 00:09:43.509 --> 00:09:48.269 on human flesh, who walked in our place, who lied the perfect life, 123 00:09:48.269 --> 00:09:52.110 who didn't disobey a single law and who had all the power to his 124 00:09:52.190 --> 00:09:58.220 fingertips to do whatever he wanted, and yet who chose out of humility, 125 00:09:58.340 --> 00:10:05.059 who chose an obedience to his heavenly father, to die for sinners, to 126 00:10:05.100 --> 00:10:09.330 take their sins upon himself, to have his record stained with all the sins 127 00:10:09.370 --> 00:10:15.370 of his people and to hang there on a cross, naked, bloodied, 128 00:10:16.250 --> 00:10:20.799 and to endure that shame, that humiliation, of someone who, just a 129 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:26.480 week before had been on the precipice of seemingly political power and glory, free 130 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.480 on Palm Sunday, and who had been willing to take that all aside to 131 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:37.149 die for his people, and who, triumphant rose on the third day, 132 00:10:37.149 --> 00:10:41.669 having paid that debt, having made that sacrifice, having paid for sins and 133 00:10:41.870 --> 00:10:48.470 and wiped our slates clean. He rose again. It is this message which 134 00:10:48.509 --> 00:10:52.580 the apostles were now emboldened to preach, regardless of their own death, because 135 00:10:52.620 --> 00:10:56.259 now they knew the one who had conquered death, the one who had the 136 00:10:56.379 --> 00:11:00.620 power of eternal life, and they had seen him in their midst, they 137 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:03.779 had seen the wounds in his body, they knew that his resurrection was a 138 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:07.570 fact. And now, with this testimony, with this inside and with great 139 00:11:07.610 --> 00:11:11.889 power, they preached the word. And for this reason people came together. 140 00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:18.960 People came together and treated each other as brothers and sisters, in Christ because 141 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:28.480 they knew that that was reason enough to be a family. We see here 142 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:31.799 in the following verses, in verses thirty four and thirty five, more information 143 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:37.950 about how that came to tangible expression, as they gave to one another not 144 00:11:37.070 --> 00:11:43.950 simply freely, but also magnanimously and with full open hearts. It says here 145 00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:46.700 in Verse Thirty Four, there was not a needy person among them, for 146 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:52.259 as many as were owners of lands or houses, sold them and brought the 147 00:11:52.299 --> 00:11:56.860 proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the Apostle's feet. Now think 148 00:11:56.899 --> 00:12:01.809 about this. You got, you know, five thousand plus people in this 149 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:05.570 church, and surely there are going to be some among them who were poorer, 150 00:12:05.610 --> 00:12:11.009 perhaps even destitute, for various reasons. Maybe they were lame, maybe 151 00:12:11.009 --> 00:12:15.049 they were blind, maybe something like that had kept them from making money. 152 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:20.279 And yet now there were people, there were people in the church who, 153 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.679 on the other end of the spectrum, were very rich, who had houses 154 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:28.480 and lands, who are willing to sell those things and give magnanimously to those 155 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:35.350 who were needy. And just think about the the the amount of giving that 156 00:12:35.509 --> 00:12:37.909 is involved here. You know, we all give a certain amount and you 157 00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:41.549 know some people believe in the ten percent tithes, some people believe you know 158 00:12:41.590 --> 00:12:45.940 whatever is on your heart, but giving somebody a house is kind of a 159 00:12:46.019 --> 00:12:48.179 big deal. I mean, I don't care what the housing market looks like, 160 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:50.460 it's a big deal to sell your house and say I ain't to bring 161 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:54.860 the proceeds from this house and because I know they are destitute people in this 162 00:12:54.940 --> 00:12:58.409 church, I am to give everything from this house or from this tract of 163 00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:03.850 land that I just sold so that their needs can be met in at that 164 00:13:03.009 --> 00:13:11.169 is what people did. They gave from the heart magnanimously, and it was 165 00:13:11.250 --> 00:13:15.399 successful. We read here there was not a needy person among them, because 166 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:18.919 of what these people do. Now, we also read here that what they 167 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:22.960 did they did in an orderly fashion. Certainly, their hearts were opened wide, 168 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:28.350 certainly they loved one another, but they did not do this as a 169 00:13:28.429 --> 00:13:35.190 church in a way that was foolish or in a way that was without safeguards. 170 00:13:35.269 --> 00:13:39.549 Let me put it that way. For we read here that the people 171 00:13:39.629 --> 00:13:43.299 brought their guests and laid it at the Apostle's feed and it was distributed to 172 00:13:43.500 --> 00:13:48.019 each as any had need. This is something that we see later on in 173 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:52.059 the church as they developed deacons, as the Office of Deacon is established, 174 00:13:52.100 --> 00:13:56.610 and as apostles such as Paul lay down rules for who can receive money from 175 00:13:56.649 --> 00:14:01.129 the church. That was very important for them to safeguard what was being done 176 00:14:01.210 --> 00:14:05.370 so that you would not have people trying to just come into the church for 177 00:14:05.450 --> 00:14:09.929 the sake of getting money. We see here again the principle that the Holy 178 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:13.759 Spirit, though he is a powerful Holy Spirit, as also an orderly holy 179 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:18.120 spirit and the spirit who moved in people's lives and and the love that was 180 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.240 shared was not done without this order and without this accountability, so that all 181 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:26.590 good order could be preserved and so that there would not be abuses of people 182 00:14:26.629 --> 00:14:31.549 who were from the heart giving large sums of money for those who genuinely had 183 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:35.429 need. It was under the oversight of the Apostles and the end result, 184 00:14:35.470 --> 00:14:39.500 again, is that there was not a needy person among them within this church. 185 00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:52.250 Now, I would say at this point, speaking of these successes and 186 00:14:52.330 --> 00:14:56.450 speaking of this this love that was poured out and speaking about the fact that 187 00:14:56.490 --> 00:15:01.529 we see here the Kingdom of God growing up in the midst of Palestine here, 188 00:15:01.889 --> 00:15:09.120 that we as Christians are not actually that far removed from the early church. 189 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:13.639 Certainly, there are many years that have passed between this early church and 190 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:18.200 us, but what was going on here was the fulfillment of the Kingdom of 191 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:20.950 God, and that is something that is still being fulfilled in our very midst. 192 00:15:22.629 --> 00:15:26.429 The same Christ that was proclaimed back then is the same Christ who is 193 00:15:26.470 --> 00:15:30.629 proclaimed now. The Same Holy Spirit that was poured out back then is the 194 00:15:30.669 --> 00:15:35.299 same Holy Spirit who is poured out now. We are today the church the 195 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:41.019 Community of believers, just as they were the church in the community of believers 196 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:45.139 back then. And we have a risen Christ who has conquered death so that 197 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:48.299 we can be confident that nothing can stand in the way of his kingdom, 198 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:54.330 even today, as we see it spreading around the world. I would also 199 00:15:54.330 --> 00:16:00.370 say that in these these these verses, we see an answer to all the 200 00:16:00.450 --> 00:16:03.289 the systems that the world has tried to develop to solve the human problem. 201 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:10.360 For Dy throughout human history, people have tried to create utopias in the world 202 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:15.279 to try to overcome the sin in the brokenness which this fallen world so obviously 203 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:21.950 manifests. We have seen communism, we have seen subcultural groups like the hippies 204 00:16:21.990 --> 00:16:27.190 and their various communes try on a human level to replicate something that comes close 205 00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:30.710 to salvation, to something that that comes close to love in their minds, 206 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:37.059 something that will heal this broken world, and yet we see that it's it 207 00:16:37.259 --> 00:16:41.860 fails every single time because it is absence of the true power and the true 208 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:48.490 love that only comes from God, through Christ and his Holy Spirit. My 209 00:16:48.649 --> 00:16:52.330 grandfather, who did not profess, at least in my hearing, to be 210 00:16:52.370 --> 00:16:57.649 a believer, used to mock this text and the used to joke and say, 211 00:16:57.649 --> 00:17:00.690 you know, the early church, they were a bunch of communists. 212 00:17:00.250 --> 00:17:03.000 See, they shared everything in common. There were a bunch of communists back 213 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:07.519 then, and I'm sure that there are other people who have, looking at 214 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:11.480 this verse, thought the same thing, that the church is basically a commune 215 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:15.470 and that what was going on was kind of like Marxism today. But I 216 00:17:15.509 --> 00:17:18.950 would submit to you that this is nothing of the case that was going on 217 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:22.150 in this early church. In fact, I would submit to you that this 218 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:26.390 is one of the most anti communist passages and all of scripture. We do 219 00:17:26.509 --> 00:17:32.220 not see anything here of class envy or class hatred, of the rich greedily 220 00:17:32.339 --> 00:17:37.779 holding back whatever they can and the poor having to resort to violent revolution to 221 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:41.420 get ahold of their share of the Pie. But we see something very, 222 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:45.450 very different, something that cannot be replicated by any political party or by any 223 00:17:45.450 --> 00:17:52.490 human movement. We see something coming from heaven itself, as the rich have 224 00:17:52.650 --> 00:17:56.170 their own hearts broken and opened, as they are giving in common to the 225 00:17:56.289 --> 00:18:00.119 poor. The Apostles did not take anything away from them, they did not 226 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:04.599 compel and we see that in the following verses and Chapter Five, where Peter 227 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:08.559 tells them that they nobody is compelling you to give anything. This is your 228 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:12.589 property, it remains your own. But because of the love they had, 229 00:18:14.549 --> 00:18:19.750 they freely gave what they what was needed for the welfare of the poor and 230 00:18:19.829 --> 00:18:23.950 the destitute in the church. And this is something, again, that cannot 231 00:18:23.950 --> 00:18:27.180 be replicated by any human movement, but only comes from God and is a 232 00:18:27.299 --> 00:18:33.819 sign that God was truly working in this church and it is truly moving and 233 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:37.299 as again, as we read in verse three four, this was successful. 234 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:40.940 There was not a needy person among them because of the giving that was going 235 00:18:41.019 --> 00:18:45.329 on. Well, at this point somebody might be asking me, well, 236 00:18:45.170 --> 00:18:51.529 you painted a pretty rosy picture of life back then, and you've also said 237 00:18:51.529 --> 00:18:55.250 that we today in the church have the same spirit and the same Gospel and 238 00:18:55.329 --> 00:18:57.440 the same message. So we should be exactly like that, right. Why 239 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:02.079 isn't everything Hunky Dorry in the Church today as it appears to be back in 240 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:07.400 the Church back then? What is different about us today? And I would 241 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:11.309 submit to you that, first of all, yes, we need to admit 242 00:19:11.349 --> 00:19:15.910 that everything is not hunky Dory today, but I think, despite what we 243 00:19:15.990 --> 00:19:18.829 read in this passage, we also need to admit that everything was not Hunky 244 00:19:18.869 --> 00:19:23.819 Dory in the early church either. What we see in this passage is true 245 00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:29.819 who the true pouring out of God's spirit and the true expression of love, 246 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:36.420 but what we also see in the new testaments, and especially in the the 247 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:40.089 letters of the apostles to the various churches, is that they still struggled with 248 00:19:40.210 --> 00:19:45.089 sin, just as we do today. Let me give you an illustration that 249 00:19:45.170 --> 00:19:52.049 helps me to understand this a little bit better and as Arizonans might might resound 250 00:19:52.130 --> 00:19:55.920 with you. If you take a typical Arizona desert like the one we live 251 00:19:55.960 --> 00:20:00.160 in, and you cultivate the soil and you plant seeds and you pour water 252 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.359 on it, you can get things to grow here. I mean they have 253 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:06.880 golf courses here and they have lots of green grass. You can see people's 254 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:11.109 lawns that are actually green and it's a beautiful thing. But if you look 255 00:20:11.150 --> 00:20:14.789 around, even if you're standing in the middle of summon's yard or even if 256 00:20:14.829 --> 00:20:18.470 you're on one of those golf courses, and you look around, you will 257 00:20:18.509 --> 00:20:22.059 find evidences of desert. Even there. You'll see evidence that even though new 258 00:20:22.099 --> 00:20:26.380 life is growing, there are still remnants of the old, dead desert there 259 00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:32.740 as well. There is cultivation, there is new life growing up, but 260 00:20:32.859 --> 00:20:36.769 it is growing up in the midst of a place of death and they are 261 00:20:36.890 --> 00:20:40.650 remnants of death even there. And I would submit to you, beloved, 262 00:20:40.809 --> 00:20:44.849 that in that sense we are no different than the early church today. They 263 00:20:45.009 --> 00:20:48.809 wrestled with sins, even though they had love for one another. There were, 264 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:52.000 you know, if you go to the very next chapter in acts, 265 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:56.359 we see the story of N and I us and Sapphara and how they lied 266 00:20:56.519 --> 00:21:00.359 to the Holy Spirit into the church about how much money they were giving. 267 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:06.670 And we're struck dead as a result of that lie. But indeed, they 268 00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:10.509 say they wrestled with sins, just as we do today. And yet they 269 00:21:10.549 --> 00:21:14.589 saw and experience also the new life and the fruits of the Holy Spirit that 270 00:21:14.670 --> 00:21:21.299 were possible only through the message of Jesus Christ. Yes, beloved, we 271 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:26.220 await being finally perfected. We await to Christ to come again so that he 272 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:30.180 can consummate what he has started. But the good news for us even now 273 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:34.450 is that he has started it. Even now we can taste the fruits of 274 00:21:34.490 --> 00:21:38.730 the Holy Spirit. Even now we can express righteousness, which we cannot before, 275 00:21:40.369 --> 00:21:42.210 because of what God has done in our hearts. And if you've been 276 00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:45.369 a Christian for any length of time, you know what a different creature you 277 00:21:45.450 --> 00:21:49.559 were before you came to Christ from what you are now. You know the 278 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:55.200 truth that in Him we are a new creation. But you also know, 279 00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:57.960 if you've been a Christian for any length of time, how difficult sometimes it 280 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:03.509 is to wrestle with those sins and how much we must struggle to put to 281 00:22:03.630 --> 00:22:07.470 death the old man, even as we walk according to the spirit who is 282 00:22:07.589 --> 00:22:14.109 undoubtably within us. And if we look at the Church today, the the 283 00:22:14.710 --> 00:22:19.339 same struggle happens as well. The good news is we do see today strangers 284 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:23.140 coming together around the name of Christ. We do see people in even in 285 00:22:23.339 --> 00:22:29.859 this church. I look around the demographics are very diverse. I mean we 286 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:32.289 have people who are young and old, we have people who are of different 287 00:22:32.289 --> 00:22:36.650 racial backgrounds, we have people who are maybe even from different countries. And 288 00:22:36.769 --> 00:22:38.730 why are we all here this morning? It is because of the name of 289 00:22:38.809 --> 00:22:44.089 Christ. Why do we have any love for one another at all? It 290 00:22:44.250 --> 00:22:47.920 is because of the love of Christ. Why are we new creatures? It 291 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:52.880 is because of the love of Christ. That is the good news. And 292 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:56.119 so you might be saying, well, how do we work on the bad 293 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:59.509 news? How do we how do we continue to grow so that we can 294 00:22:59.549 --> 00:23:03.750 be more perfect, so that we can be more perfect and our love for 295 00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:08.470 one another and that we can overcome more and more the brokenness that we see 296 00:23:08.509 --> 00:23:11.549 in the world around us? And again I would point you, will love 297 00:23:11.589 --> 00:23:17.460 it, back to verse thirty three of this text. Once again, the 298 00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:19.220 thing that brings us together, once again, the thing that will help us 299 00:23:19.299 --> 00:23:23.019 to continue to grow in our sanctification, is the same thing that brought us 300 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:26.740 to faith in the first place, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 301 00:23:26.970 --> 00:23:30.569 That which broke our hearts, is the thing that will continue to break 302 00:23:30.609 --> 00:23:33.369 our hearts, is a message of the cross, is the message of his 303 00:23:33.450 --> 00:23:36.930 kingdom, the message of something which is not of this world but as of 304 00:23:37.009 --> 00:23:41.369 Heaven, the message of a Lord who loved us so much that he took 305 00:23:41.410 --> 00:23:45.079 on our flesh, walked in our shoes and died in our place and now 306 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:48.920 is ruling and reigning at the right hand of God the father. And if 307 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:52.079 we keep our eyes fixed upon him, as Paul says, in the heavenly 308 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:56.509 places, that will give us the proper perspective, that will keep our eyes 309 00:23:56.549 --> 00:24:00.390 and our focus where they need to be so that we can overlook whatever differences 310 00:24:00.509 --> 00:24:04.470 on human level we might have with one another and come together around the name 311 00:24:04.549 --> 00:24:08.309 of Christ and over the body of Jesus Christ, because that is what is 312 00:24:08.349 --> 00:24:15.779 truly our reason for being together and united today. Scripture teaches us in many 313 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:25.130 places about our heavenly inheritance and about the things that we are already participating in 314 00:24:25.569 --> 00:24:27.849 now. You could even say that we are spending our inheritance even now as 315 00:24:27.849 --> 00:24:32.329 Christians, because even though we wait for the future, even though we wait 316 00:24:32.369 --> 00:24:34.329 for Christ to come back and to see that glory, we even now have 317 00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:37.880 been given the Holy Spirit as a down payments of eternal life. We even 318 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:42.559 now can bear those fruits of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, 319 00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:47.000 patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We 320 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:49.200 even now can bear those in our lives because of what God is doing for 321 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:56.430 us, and so we ought to consider our lives now, more and more, 322 00:24:56.710 --> 00:25:00.829 is being pilgrims in this evil world, as those who do not belong, 323 00:25:00.910 --> 00:25:06.829 who are not citizens of earth and of this present world system, but 324 00:25:06.950 --> 00:25:11.940 who are citizens even now of Christ's kingdom, who even now have a spirit 325 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:15.579 and who even now are written in the book of life. We ought more 326 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:19.940 and more to turn our eyes away from getting things for ourselves, whether it's 327 00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:25.490 chasing worldly ambitions or acquiring money for our selves, or whatever the case may 328 00:25:25.529 --> 00:25:33.289 be, and also rather to think about how we can store up treasure in 329 00:25:33.490 --> 00:25:37.839 heaven, and with the Lord's help, we will more and more do that. 330 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:42.000 We know we must ultimately await Christ, who is the author and perfector 331 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:47.400 of our faith, to do the work. But, beloved, he has 332 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:48.759 already given us a means of grace by which we can grow. He has 333 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:52.109 already given us the Lord's supper, he's already given US baptism, he has 334 00:25:52.109 --> 00:25:56.910 already given us his word. Indeed, he is the word incarnate and he 335 00:25:56.990 --> 00:25:59.349 has given us this word so that we can grow even now, even as 336 00:25:59.390 --> 00:26:03.309 we await for him to come back and finish what he has started. We 337 00:26:03.430 --> 00:26:07.259 can even now be transformed by the renewing of our minds and more and more 338 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:11.140 bear the image of Christ in our lives. And if we do that, 339 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:14.539 not only individually will we be transformed, not only in our families, but 340 00:26:14.619 --> 00:26:17.779 also in the Church and the body of Christ. Will we see this again 341 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:22.609 and again and again, how love is poured out in strange places where you 342 00:26:22.730 --> 00:26:26.650 never expect it, where the Gospel is priest and miraculous and wonderful things happen. 343 00:26:27.130 --> 00:26:32.049 Indeed, the conversion of one center is a miracle. Who can who 344 00:26:32.089 --> 00:26:37.160 can do surgery on man's heart, but God alone? But indeed, I 345 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:41.240 would I would submit to you that if we keep our focus on the Gospel 346 00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:45.039 and as we see the preaching the Gospel, we will see amazing things in 347 00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:48.630 the world around us, even as the apostles saw in the early days of 348 00:26:48.710 --> 00:26:51.829 the church. Let us pray