[Strange things happen within those who have truly met our
Lord Jesus Christ. When
the Bible says,]
[Romans 12:1-2
1
I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your
reasonable service. 2 And
be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ]
[The word Transformed here is speaking of a
metamorphosis just as dynamic as that of the butterfly, which transforms
from the ugly, gross looking caterpillar into a beautiful, colorful
winged creature. The change
is so utterly complete that one almost cannot believe that they are the
same creatures. So it ought
to be in each of us as Christian, the new birth is our metamorphosis, we
are the same person, yet we are utterly and eternally changed.
Our name is the same, we live in the same place, we look the same
(for the most part), yet we have been so utterly and completely changed
that our friends should look at us and say things like, “What has
happened to you?”]
[The Bible expresses it this way,]
[1 Peter 4:3-4
3
For the time past of
our life may suffice us
to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in
lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and
abominable idolatries: 4
Wherein they
think it strange that ye run not with
them to the same excess
of riot, speaking evil of you:]
[Your friends and family that knew who you were before
you received Christ will remember your past and will think it a really
strange thing that this new found religion has so completely changed
you. Many of them will
think that your new found faith is but a passing fad, and that soon you
will reject all this morality and will return to your good old ways.
But, if your faith is real, and if your relationship with the
Lord Jesus Christ is real, you will never go back again.]
[Throughout the Bible we are given many examples of
the unusual characteristics of truly born again Christians and they
appear in stark contrast to their worldly, lost, and even religious
counterparts. By the way,
folks, never forget that there are many religious, yet unredeemed people
in our world. Just because
someone says they believe Jesus was, died, rose again, and they go to
Church every Sunday does not necessarily mean that they are born again.
Never forget that the Bible says,]
[James 2:19
19
Thou believest that there is
one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ]
[Rest assured, the devil, Lucifer, knows that Jesus
was, died, and rose again from the grave.
He was there when it all happened.
The fallen angels that joined Lucifer in his rebellion, the
demons, also saw it all.
Yet, not one of them will be in heaven.
One must respond to the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincere confession and acceptance in order to be born again.
To confess means to agree with God, or to say the same thing as
God. The Bible says,]
[Romans 10:9
9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved. ]
[So, once you truly receive the Lord Jesus Christ as
your personal Lord and Savior, then an incredible metamorphosis takes
place in your life. At this
transformation,]
-
[You are given a new
relationship (John 1.12; Gal 4) – You become a child of God
rather than a servant of God.
You enter into the family of God]
-
[You are given a new
enlightenment (Eph 1.13-14; 1 Cor 2) – The Holy Spirit enters
your heart and life and begins to enlighten you in the Word of God.]
-
[You are given a new purpose
(Eph 2.8-10) – You no longer work to be saved but you work
because you are saved and these new works will strive to be those
works that honor and glorify your Heavenly Father.
A child that loves his father never wishes to disgrace his
father.]
-
[You are given a new
proclamation (Matt 28.18-20) – You will find that you just want
to tell everyone about Jesus.]
[What we discover in the Bible, and experience in our
lives is that everything has changed for us, and that metamorphosis was
the result of the conversion that our salvation has worked in us.
Absolutely nothing is the same anymore, and we say,
“Glory to God,
I’m saved!”]
[As we come to
the text before us this morning, this is exactly what is being expressed
in this passage. As we read
it we wonder, is this text teaching socialism?
It almost sounds like socialism.
No, this text is not speaking of socialism at all, instead it is
speaking loudly about metamorphosism, which I am certain is not in your
dictionary. What do I mean?
Everything had changed in these early born again Christians.
Absolutely nothing was the same for them after their new birth.
This was never more evident than it was in their actions.
They willingly sold everything they had and took care of each
other in meaningful and sacrificial ways.]
[What these early Christians did was live out,]
[2 Corinthians 9:7
7
Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let
him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful (Hilarious) giver.]
[This was no mere religious practice for them, they
were utterly, completely, and as far as the world was concerned, they
were hilariously changed.
They were doing what no normal human being would do.
Their actions can only be explained through the metamorphosis of
the new birth. They were no
longer acting like mortal people, they were acting as immortal people
who walked with a living Heavenly Father who owned everything and would
provide all of their needs.]
[As we
consider this text we discover their,]
A.
New
Outlook (vs 42-43) [-
And they continued stedfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and
in prayers. 43
And fear came
upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the
apostles.
– The spiritual life was so real
and dynamic in these early Christians that,]
1.
They
Wanted It (vs 42; Matt 5.6; 2 Pet 2.7-8; 1 Pet 2.2; James 4.8)
[-
And they continued stedfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, . . . –
These born again Christians had
tasted the goodness and grace of God and they wanted more of God.
They just couldn’t seem to get enough of their Bible, and their
Churches. They wanted to
know more of God’s truth and they sought it out with diligence.
Notice in this text that they,]
[Continue Steadfastly -
προσκαρτεροῦντες
(Gk) – A Greek
compound word:
προσ
means to move towards,
καρτερ™w
- To endure manfully.[1]
From
prós (4314), to, and
karteréō (2594), to
endure. To tarry, remain somewhere (Mark 3:9); to continue steadfastly
with someone (Acts 8:13); to cleave faithfully to someone (Acts 10:7);
referring to those who continually insist on something or stay close to
someone (Acts 2:46; Rom. 13:6); used metaphorically of steadfastness and
faithfulness in the outgoings of the Christian life, especially in
prayer (Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2).[2]
]
[The whole idea here is to progress toward or
to pursue purposefully the doctrine (truth) of the apostles.]
[They had experienced the wonder and joy of
God’s presence at the moment of their salvation and they wanted more.]
[Do
you remember when you first received the Lord Jesus Christ?
Do you recall the relief you felt, the peace you had, the sense
of eternal joy. Do you
still have that joy? If
not, why not?]
[We
learn a profound lesson from these first Christians and this
text. If you would stir up
your sense of the presence of God and the joy that accompanies His
presence then you must Continue
Steadfastly. You must
strive for it, you must move towards it, you must hunger and thirst for
it. Our Lord said,]
[Matthew 5:6
6
Blessed
are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. ]
[You have two courses in your spiritual life,]
[You can be
vexed by this world and its allurements and vices,]
[2 Peter 2:7-8
7
And delivered just Lot, vexed
with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man
dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed
his righteous soul from
day to day with their
unlawful deeds;) ]
[Or you
can nurture your
spiritual growth,]
[1 Peter 2:2
2
As newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: ]
[James 4:8
8
Draw nigh to God, and he will
draw nigh to you. Cleanse your
hands, ye sinners; and
purify your hearts,
ye double minded.]
[These Continued Steadfastly, they pursued with
purpose the knowledge of and presence of God.
They wanted to walk very close to God with all their heart and
they refused to neglect those things that would bring them into God’s
presence.]
2.
They
Worshipped It (vs 42-43; James 4.8; Matt 18.20) [-
. . . and in breaking of bread,
and in prayers. 43
And fear came
upon every soul: . . .
– Not
so much worshipped it as worshipped in it.
They found what they were looking for in their pursuit.
They found the very presence of God.
God kept his promise,]
[James 4:8
8
Draw nigh to God, and he will
draw nigh to you. Cleanse your
hands, ye sinners; and
purify your hearts,
ye double minded.]
[God also said, ]
[Matthew 18:20
20
For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ]
[Fear
came upon every soul –
πάσῃ
ψυχῇ φόβος
(Gk) –
Upon every soul
fear. -
φόβος (Gk)
1.
LN 25.251
fear, state of
terror (Mt 28:8; 2Co 7:5);
2.
LN 25.254
source or occasion of fear
(Ro 13:3);
3.
LN 53.59
reverence, a
worshiping respect (Ac 9:31; 2Co 5:11)[3]]
[Every soul experienced this incredible fear.
This fear was the result of their worship.
They broke bread and prayed, they sought God with diligence and
purpose and then the fear came.
What fear? The
actual presence of God in all His holiness and purity, in all his
justice and power, in all His omniscience and sovereignty; God made
himself known among them.]
[Friends
this is true worship!
We call ourselves worshipping when we sing our favorite songs, pray, and
open the Bible. But true
worship is a worship the brings God into our presence and strikes holy
fear into our hearts and lives.]
[We
need the same worship they knew!]
[Perhaps we need to ask ourselves, are we just going through the motions
of worship? Or are we
experiencing the presence of God among us?]
3.
They
Worked It (vs 43) [-
. . .
and many wonders and signs were
done by the apostles.
– As a result of their desire and true worship God was demonstrated
through their ministry. The
apostles were anointed by God and the community was touched by God.
They were able to do the work of the ministry in powerful and
persuasive ways.]
[My friends if we would see God’s kingdom
gloriously manifested through the kingdom work of our Church, this
Church then we must want His fulfilling presence, worship in His
presence, and work through His persuasion.]
B.
New
Observance (vs 45-46) [- The new outlook of these early born
again Christians also transformed their observances.
Many call our
Christian Churches religions because we do
religious things. We come
to worship at the same time each week, we do the same things in our
worship each week, and we wander away in the same way each week.
But for these first Christians their faith was anything but
religious. These people
were different, very different, and their conduct proved it.
Notice how the presence of God among them changed them.
His presence changed them
in,]
1.
Their Treasures (vs 45; Mal 3.7-12; Matt 7.11) [-
And sold their possessions and
goods, and parted them to all
men, as every man had need.
– This was profoundly
unexpected. We all know
that if you are a part of a religious sect you are expected to give to
that sect. Someone has to
support and pay for the work! ]
[In the Bible we are taught,]
[To give our tithes
– 10 % of everything you are prospered.
We are even told that if we don’t give our tithes we are robbing
God and God will eventually judge that neglect.]
[Malachi 3:7-12
7
Even from the days of your
fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept
them. Return unto me,
and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said,
Wherein shall we return? 8
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9
Ye are
cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me,
even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes
into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
there shall not
be room enough
to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your
ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12
And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a
delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.]
[The Bible couldn’t be more clear, we must
faithfully give our tithe to God and that tithe must be given to your
local Church or it’s not a tithe.]
[To
give our offerings – Now an offering is something over your
10% tithe that God burdens you to give for some kingdom cause.
Offerings are an important part of God’s work and must never be
neglected.]
[Sacrificial
Giving - But these Christians gave sacrificially.
They gave over and beyond what one might consider reasonable.
They gave all
that they had.
They even sold their worldly treasures and gave the money to the Church
to meet the needs of everybody in the Church.
This is unparalleled hilarious giving.
This is what Paul wrote about,]
[2 Corinthians 9:7-11
7
Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let
him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful
(hilarious) giver.
8 And God
is able to make all
grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to
every good work: 9 (As it
is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his
righteousness remaineth for ever. 10
Now he
[God] that ministereth seed to
the sower both minister bread for
your food, and multiply
your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11 Being enriched in every
thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to
God. ]
[Why
did these Christians give like this?
Because they were walking in the presence of Almighty God.
When you walk in the very presence of God everything in this
world diminishes and dims.
The things that matter in mortal life don’t matter as much any more.
Your treasures become less important because you realize that
they aren’t really much in comparison to God and His bounty and your
Heavenly Father gave them to you to use for His glory anyway.]
[Secondly,
we often hang on to what we are given so that we can take care of those
things that might come up in our lives.
When you walk close to God you realize that He is fully able to
take care of your needs and you need only to trust and obey Him.
After all your Heavenly Father has said,]
[Matthew 7:11
11
If ye then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your
Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? ]
[Show me a
Christian who will not tithe or give sacrificially to God and his
Kingdom work and I will show you a Christian who is not walking in the
presence of God.]
[Not
Foolish Giving – I’m not talking about foolish giving here,
I’m talking about guided giving.
That is yielding everything God has given you back to Him and
doing with it what He asks you to do.]
2.
Their Time (vs 46; 1 Cor 15.33) [-
And they, continuing daily with
one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, . . .
Notice that these
Christians were transformed in their Treasures and also in their Time.
Their worship was no longer a worship schedule but they developed
a lifestyle of worship and fellowship.]
[Once they got into the presence of God with
God’s people, they wanted nothing else but to be in the presence of God.
They would gather together daily in the temple and in peoples
houses. Once, twice, or
three times a week were just not sufficient for them, they would
constantly get together and draw each other into the presence of God.]
[These people still went to work and still
cared for their families, but they had discovered something that they
just could not deny and whole heartedly desired.
That something was the presence of God.]
[Fellowship
Matters – we need each other in our spiritual walk.
When you feel spiritually discouraged, or depressed by this world
you need to get around God’s people.
Earlier I mention Lot who was
vexed by this evil world.
My friend the Bible reminds us,]
[1 Corinthians 15:33
33
Be not deceived: evil
communications corrupt good manners. ]
[You need Godly friends and your spiritual
family. This world offers
you all kinds of worthless things to distract you.
There is worthless music, worthless entertainment, and many
worthless distractions.
Don’t throw away those things that will keep you right with God and in
the presence of God for worthless things.]
[Accountability
Matters – Certainly these saints didn’t get together every
day for nothing. They got
together and edified one another; they built each other up in the Lord
and in their faith.]
3.
Their Tenor (vs 46) [-
. . . did eat their meat with
gladness and singleness of heart,
- Two things stand out here,]
[Their
Gladness – These people were joyful and happy. They were
Christians who walked in the kind of holiness that allowed them to walk
with God and enjoy it. They
were Christians who sacrificially gave everything they had to the Lord
and were glad about it.]
[This is how our walk with God ought to be, it
ought to be glad!]
[Their
Singleness of Heart – They were undivided in their loyalty to
their Heavenly Father. They
were not afraid to be wholly God’s and distinct from the world.]
[I
wonder how many of us are miserable Christians?
We have received the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are sorry we did.
Oh, we would never really say that to anybody, but that’s the way
we live. There is
everything but gladness in our lives because we are always wishing we
had what those worldly folks out there have.]
[Christian you need to be
wholly and sacrificially given to God and be glad that you are?]
