Well things change. If you want to know what I was going to preach on, come next week or the rest because we were going to here about prayer but the Lord changed that last night at about 11 o clock.
Intro church.
Radically committed, they were a community that spoke to everyone about Christ.
They sold their things and made sure everyone had. They were growing in number so hectically that the Roman Government caught a wake up.
They were on fire for the Lord. You know where that expression comes from – well you try sitting in an upper room with a flame on your head say you are not on fire for the Lord
They were rocking. They were radical. But they were the Adam and Eve of Congregations. They were in a church God had planted himself. From then on he used others to plant the congregations – Ephesus and Phillipi and so on. But this first one – God himself put it together. And man did they rock for God.
On Friday night I stood in that Church. I was standing right over there and yet I was in down town Jerusalem. I watched as a community, however small was formed through hard work. I watched as the Holy Spirit entered into this place and has taken control. He is here- right here right now. And he will never leave. I was in the Acts 2 church.
We are tired, but we are excited. I am just so proud of what the Lord has used us to do already. But boy am I ready for what is about to come.
Today though – we rest. Today we take in the love and the grace that God has for each of us. Take in a deep breath of Gods Love, let it out. Take in a deep breath of his grace – let it out.
Gods Love, Romans 5:1-11, establishes for us three simple truths about the love of God:
It is without cause.
It is without measure.
It is without end.
Look for those truths as we read the entire passage:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, {2} through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. {3} Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; {4} perseverance, character; and character, hope. {5} And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
{6} You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. {7} Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. {8} But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
{9} Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! {10} For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! {11} Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Have you read your love letter today yet. Have you taken in something that in its own special way, thanks you for what we have done in two short days? Let me tell you – if you are not feeling his love and his gratitude. Gratitude? Explain. Then there is something wrong. If you have been part of the build of this church in any way, then you have got to be feeling just an inkling of blessing right now. Mt 20:8
We are going to be busy. Yek we are going to run of our feet! But this morning, I just wanted to share with you that no matter what happens in this very special place, we must always take time to see it feel, and know it. God loves you. Stand up! Shout it out come on lets just turn to each other and tell each other that God loves you.
You want to know how God has shown his love? Well lets here from you. Why not just share – shout it out – one word – whatever. Let us your friends that will be with you forever – so you better get used to sharing with each other. We want to hear how it went with you and the Lord this week. Who wants to share?
God loves you…And I don’t want you to accept that simply because hey I am a Christian and I am supposed to say that – I want you just to close your eyes and know that God loves you. He has a special package of grace just for you. There is a drop of blood that was spilled just for you. He cried out in pain just for you. Don’t ever get to busy building this church that you loose sight of that incredible gift.
A visitor to Ystad Sweden tells of the little church located there. It is not a particularly beautiful church, and is exceptional in no way except that when you go inside you notice there is a crucifix hanging on the wall opposite the pulpit. The figure of our Lord is life-sized and life-like even to the use of real hair mangled beneath a crown of thorns.
How did this unusual crucifix happen to be in a Swedish Lutheran church?
Well, it seems that in the early 1700’s the King of Sweden paid an unexpected visit to the church. When the pastor saw the king in attendance he was over-whelmed. He ignored the text for that Sunday, and replaced it with an oratorical outburst of tribute and praise for the king.
Soon afterward the church received the crucifix from the king. With it came this command: "Hang this within the church so that whoever stands in the pulpit will be reminded of his proper subject."
You see, as much as I loved the fact that we were off to a great start, as much as I loved the fact that I stood right here and it felt so right, if we as a group, as a team, as a church whatever, loose sight of the grace that God has given us in his awesome love, we will very quickly stumble from being an acts 2 church and we will become a revelation 2 church.
This church is a fruitage of the love that God has for this community. We are all first and foremost sinners. All sinners so desperately in need of a miracle that if building this church clouds out why we need that love, we really have missed the mark.
Today though let us simply rejoice and count ourselves worthy knowing that yes we have been called, yes we are here to build a church, yes we are here to fulfill our great commission, yes we have gifts that we must use, but YES FIRST TO THAT LOVE AND THAT GRACE THAT AMAZING GRACE THAT HAS BEEN AMAZINGLY GIVEN.
When we are filled by that love, we don’t need anything else:
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or Gold,
Id’ rather be his than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be lead by his nail pierced hands.
I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause,
I’d rather be faithful to his dear cause,
I’d rather have Jesus than world wide fame,
I’d rather be true to his holy name.
He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom,
He’s sweeter than honey out of the comb,
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
I’d rather have Jesus and let him lead.
Than to be the king of a vast domain,
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today
