Sermon Extras

SERMON NOTES

Rooted and Renegade: Acts 2:14-47 “Moments & Movements” 2

REVIEW > PODCAST! This is the second part of a two part message as we looked at the first part of Acts chapter 2 last week, this was our beginning thought: 

• Moments make movements. 
• Pentecost was the moment that turned Christianity into a movement. (Graph Pic)
• Kenneth Scott Latourette, a professor at Yale said: “The more one examines the various factors which seem to account for the extraordinary victory of Christianity, the more one is driven to search for a cause underlying them all. It is clear that at the very beginning of Christianity there must have occurred a vast release of energy virtually unequalled in history… Nothing else could explain the surge of the early Christian movement. What caused this release of energy…lies outside the realm in which modern historians are supposed to move.”1 But then he goes on to say, “But before I am a historian, I am human… How can I close my eyes to the obvious explanation that something supernatural happened?
• Big Idea : The source of the Christian life is the Holy Spirit. 

INTRO> Today we see Peter’s sermon, the people response and the birth of the NT church. But I want you to notice something…. if you go back and look at all those great movements that we talked about… there is one thing in common with all of them… there is a message, Every movement has a message.… somebody stands up and speaks and says something…. Steve job to introduce technology has to stand and speak.. President Kennedy to put a man on the moon, stands up and speaks. 

CONTEXT> So it is with the movement of Christianity! Christianity has a message and it’s called the gospel or good news and we see it most clearly here in Acts 2 empowers by the Holy Spirit which leads us to our big idea:

Big Idea > The Holy Spirit empowers believers to proclaim and practice the Gospel. 

The Holy Spirit empowers us to proclaim the gospel: 

1. Open your mouth. “ v14 Peter, standing with the elven, lifted up his voice and addressed them” very interesting here that this ἀποφθέγγομαι (apofthengomai) is only used in Acts the same word that Luke uses is 2:4 for “utterance” it means to “declare or speak boldly” Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing. 
2. Use the scriptures. v16 “But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel…” Do you see this? Where Does Peter put all of his confidence, what does the Spirit inspire Peter to say? The Scriptures! That where the power is, in Gods Word! “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29 *ILL> Show “How God Speaks Chart”
3. Get to Jesus. v22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth..” Peter references Jesus 10x in these short verses! His thesis is very simple… v36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus who you crucified.” That’s it, that’s the nail in the coffin
4. Lead to a response. v37 … brothers, what shall we do?” This tells me that you can’t be indifferent to the message of the gospel, that it absolutely requires a response. You either accept or reject it. 

APP> Salvation is not an invitation from a nice guy, but a summons from a king. 

B) The Holy Spirit empowers us to practice the Gospel: 

*ILL> Do you remember this guy? Sir Isaac Newton? The genius whose teaching on physicis our kids still learn to this day! He was a Christian, remember his 3rd law? The law of action and reaction “For every action there is an equal or opposite reaction” The same is true with the proclamation of the Gospel, what happens now? 

1. Repent from sin. v38 “Repent…” you have to understand that this IS the Christian message, it means to change your mind and go a different direction! We need to move from feeling bad about sin to receiving forgiveness from sin. 
2. Express faith through Baptism. v38 “and be baptized every one of you…” You know what… there is all kinds of debate over this. I’ve read so many pages and got so convicted this week..”Why do you ask? Because they don’t ask…” Just get baptized… How often do we use theological debate as a distraction to biblical obedience. APP> Baptism Class October 20th
3. Live your life in community with other believers. v42-47 These versos are the vision for West Side, this is what we are striving for here… this week I was struck by the “togetherness” of the people and these verses: 

Enemies of  Biblical Community: 

• Self-sufficiency- “I don’t need other people.” 
• Self-protection- “I can’t trust other people.”
• Self-righteous- “I’m better than other people.” 
• Self-serving- “I need other people.”

The Spirit- filled vision of Acts 2 will only work Corporately as it is applied individually. 

Application Questions: 

1. What if the majority of West Side served as much as you do, where would we be?
2. What if the majority of West Side gave as much as you do, where would we be? 
3. What if the majority of West Side loved other people as much as you do, where would we be? 

Big Idea > The Holy Spirit empowers believers to proclaim and practice the Gospel. 

“There is no need for us to have to wait, as those one hundred and twenty had to wait, for the Spirit to come. For the Holy Spirit did come on the Day of Pentecost, and has never left his church. Our responsibility is to humble ourselves before his sovereign authority, to determine not to quench him, but to allow him his freedom. For then churches will again manifest those marks of the Spirit’s presence, which many young people are specially looking for,, namely, biblical teaching, loving fellowship, living worship and an ongoing and outgoing evangelism.” John Stott