The Church:
The Day The World Changed
Text: Acts, Chapter 2
This morning, I’d like to continue our series on the Lord’s Church. Some think the Church was an institution that kind of showed in history and developed over time in the ways that man decided it should. Nothing could be further from the Truth!
The Church of our Lord was never an afterthought. It was purposed by God before the world was created. God’s people, Paul writes in Ephesians 1:4—
“…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.”
In Chapter 1, verse 2, as he addresses the chosen of God, Peter says, “…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.”
Yes, the Lord’s Church was God’s plan to save mankind. It was a Church of Prophecy. King David spoke about the Christ centuries before.
Psalm 16:8-11
---8---“I have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
---9---“Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
---10---For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will you allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
---11---You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Isaiah prophesied about a day in the future—I believe it is the day the world was changed:
Isaiah 2:2-4
---2---“Now it will come about that in the last days
The mountain of the house of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
---3---And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
---4---And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.”
Jeremiah prophesied about a new day:
Jeremiah 31:31-33
---31---“”Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
---32---not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
---33---“But this is a covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it’ and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
The Prophet Joel prophesied about this day—this day that the world would change:
Joel 2:28-32
---28---“It will come about after this that I will pour out
My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
---29---“Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
---30---“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire and columns of smoke.
---31---“The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood
Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
---32---“And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Will be delivered;
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who escape,
As the LORD has said,
Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.”
Well….when would this happen?
Daniel prophesied about the time this would occur. He was talking to the King of Babylon when he told him that his was the first great kingdom, but that another would follow which was inferior to his. This would be the Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel said—after that, a kingdom would rise up and rule over the earth. That kingdom would be Greece.
Then Daniel said the following in Chapter 2, verse 40.
Daniel 2:40
---40---“Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.”
Following this, Daniel talked about the Divine Kingdom.
Daniel 2:44
---44---“In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will, itself, endure forever.”
Now we come to the New Testament during the Kingdom of Iron—the Roman Empire. Here we find John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord, say: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Then John pointed Jesus out to the crowd and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.”
After Jesus’ ministry, His death, His burial, and His resurrection, we find Him with His disciples. And this was right before His ascension to sit at the right hand of God. In Acts 1, verse 4, He tells them to, “Go into Jerusalem and wait for the power to come from on high.”
The disciples do as Jesus instructed and, in Acts 2, we find them in an upper room with Jesus’ mother and brothers. Then the day that begins the last days of the old Jerusalem—the physical Jerusalem—begins, as God ushered them into the Kingdom of Christ. Yes, the day to begin all future days had arrived.
The Nation of Israel had gathered for the feast of Pentecost.
Acts, Chapter 2 opens this way when speaking concerning the day the world changed:
Acts 2:1
---1---“And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.”
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house; and, tongues like fire appeared to rest on each one of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.
In Jerusalem that day, there were devout men from every nation under heaven; and, they were amazed because each one heard them speak in their own language. There were Parthians and Medes— Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Panphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome—both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs.
They mocked and said, “These guys are drunk!”
Verse 14 said that Peter stood up and raised his voice and told them what DAY this was! He said this was the day spoken of by the prophet Joel; and, he quoted the same prophecy of Joel we read a few minutes ago. THIS pinpoints the day that the world changed!
Peter said, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus, the Nazarene, a man who was attested to you by God, by miracles which have seen, was delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. He was nailed to the cross by Godless men who put him to death. God raised Him up, because it was impossible for death to have the power over Him.”
Most of those people knew of the words of King David that we read from Psalm 16. They though David was referring to himself and that when he died his body would never see decay. So, Peter enlightened them about what David meant in the 16th Psalm.
He said that King David died and he points to his tomb, which they could see from where they were. No, he said, David was a prophet, and he spoke of the resurrection of Christ. He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witness. It was not David who ascended into heaven, but Jesus Christ who was sitting at the right hand of God. Peter told them that God has made this Jesus—whom you crucified—both Lord and Christ.
See, the Apostle actually preached a simple message of Jesus being the Son of God, and that he was crucified. This was a message of hope because He was resurrected from the dead. This message they preached is simply called “The Gospel”. It is the only message with power to save people from their sins. Then and Now!
When those people heard the gospel, I want you to notice at how they responded in verse 37 “Now when they heard of this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
I don’t know anywhere in the Bible that the question they ask and the answer they received is any more specific. They ask a direct question and they got a direct answer. They ask with sincere hearts, and Peter and the apostles responded with an honest answer. They delivered the keys—the entrance into the Kingdom of Christ. Look at their answer in verse 38
Acts 2:38-39
---38---“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
---39---“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Well, A direct question deserves a direct answer and they got it! It deserves the same today!
So another question is how did they respond, and the answer is found in verse 41
Acts 2:41
---41---“So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.”
A congregation of the Lord’s church was born that day. It was a day the world changed. It happen right in the city of the Old Jerusalem. Yes, a New Jerusalem was born and the Kingdom of God now would advance throughout the world. The scripture said it would begin in Jerusalem and go all over the world.
The church in Jerusalem was a very special congregation of the Lord’s people, they serve as an example to us today, because they were the 1st. It’s like George Washington, when He became first President of the United States. No one had come before George, so no one really knew what it was like to be President and what that meant. How does a President act and what do they do?
That’s why that even a lot of the New Converts stayed in Jerusalem to be instructed in the manner in which the Lord’s church should conduct itself. Now what were they doing? Well verse 42 tells us
Acts 2:42
---42---“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
was their lives changed? Oh yes there lives were changed. So, how did they feel?
Acts 2:43
---43---“Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe: and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.”
This is how they felt, and Now How did they react?
The first thing we learn is that they understood what it meant to “Surrender All”. First, they gave themselves and they recognized that everything they owned belonged to God who gave it. Did it work out for them? Yes, It worked very well.
In verse 44 it says
---44---“And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common…”
They learned what it meant to Truly sacrifice and to be a Loyal member of Christ Kingdom
---45---“…and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them will all, as anyone might have need.”
They learned how the Lord’s church lives together in Unity & Love.
Acts 2:46
---46---“Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart…”
They learned how God blesses his people, and the effect it has on those around them. God’s plan is unfolded right before their eyes, and they saw the results of the Power of God.
Acts 2:47
---47---“…praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
Yes, the first Congregation of the Lord’s church was together in Jerusalem with the apostles who were instructing them.
As we follow Luke’s record in the Book Acts, we can learn more about this group of people. Their congregation Grew as recorded in Acts 4:4
Acts 4:4
---4---“But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”
We also learn they prayed together in times of Trouble, because they suffered for who they were and what they believed. When Peter and John were put in prison they prayed a Prayer of Power to God for their safety. If you read Acts 4 we will understand that they believed that God would respond and He did. We need to remember the Power of Prayer in regard to Our congregation.
Acts 4:31-35
---31---“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
---32---And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.
---33---And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
---34---For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales
---35---and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”
Some would say this Congregation was the perfect Congregation, in the perfect environment, and a Congregation with absolutely no problems. Was that True?
These were great people who had been converted to Christ, but they were still people—“REAL PEOPLE”. As Real people that had real problems. The Question was How would they deal with them?
In Acts 6 we read about a big problem that this Congregation experienced.
Acts 6:1
---1---“Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.”
So, the Apostles summoned the congregation of Jerusalem to solve this problem. They said it is not desirable that we neglect the Word of God, and they said for them to choose seven men of good reputation and let them work to solve this problem.
They chose seven and all of them had Hellenistic names, because the Hellenistic Christians were making the Complaints. This solution found approval with the whole congregation.
Today, we should notice that these people did not hide this problem under the rug and let it Fester. No, they met it head on and it was Solved in the proper Christian manner. This is a great example for future Congregations—even our own—because as long as real people compose Congregations, there will be problems. They can be solved in the proper Christian Way.
The problem the Christian people of Jerusalem experienced did not destroy them, because they handled it properly. The result can be seen in Acts 6:7.
Acts 6:7
---7---“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”
This was a big problem, but it wouldn’t even close to the problem they would experience after Stephen would be stoned to death for preaching the Gospel of Christ. We will talk about this on another Day.
Conclusion
What have we learned today about the Lord’s church?
1st —It was a Church of prophesy
2nd —It was composed of baptized believers who were truly converted and Transformed.
3rd —They became a great congregation that serves as an example for all the future Congregations that would follow, because they…
A—Learned about sacrifice and giving
B—Learned to live in Unity and Love
C—Learned to pray in times of trouble
D—Learned to Meet Problems head on and solve them in a Christian Manner.
The result was they experienced God’s grace and they Grew.
Invitation.
