Acts 2:42-47 New Life In Christ 4, The Church: "The Church of Expectation" by Rev. Derek S. Langille

• Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be famous? Sure you have! I know I have many times.

• I've toyed with the idea of fame and fortune, influence and reputation.
• I've wondered what it might be like to leave behind anonymity, obscurity, and apparent insignificance for public attention, stardom, and power.
• If fame is the name of the game it's out there for the taking, but is that what it means to belong to the church?
• We don't join the church because we are looking for fame, do we?
• We join because we need to do something meaningful and significant with our lives. We join because we need to cultivate a sense of belonging.
• God has hard-wired those feelings into our mental-emotional make up.  These needs are God given needs.
• We need to do something significant otherwise our lives would be without purpose, meaningless.  We need to belong otherwise we would emotionally stagnate, our hearts would dry up.
• Making a meaningful contribution to the world for the sake of Christ's cross and cultivating a culture of belonging can lead to fame, but they can also lead to something else.
• They can lead the church to expectation.
• Luke tells his readers that the believers became famous for their devotion.
• The Greek verb for devotion that Luke used in verse 42 carries the meaning of being unchanging or unswerving, having a singleness of loyalty to a specific course or set of actions.
• Let me give you an example of the kind of devotion Luke was talking about.  Winston Churchill the late prime minister of Great Britain said at the time of WWII, "We have but one aim and one irrevocable purpose.  We are resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestige of the Nazi regime.  From this nothing will turn us - nothing.  We will never parley, we will never negotiate with Hitler or any of his gang."
• Now the believers in the new born church had that kind of devotion.  They were determined to keep one set of actions as their primary focus, their main purpose.
•  They were determined to remain devoted "to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
• Exposition:
• Let's dig deeper into each of these objects of devotion the believers were submitting to...

1. The apostle's teaching - the apostle's teaching refers to the authoritative content conveyed about Jesus of Nazareth by the apostolic eyewitnesses. 

• An apostle is one who is sent as Christ's official representative and messenger.
• They were the ones appointed and sent out to be witnesses to the ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
• Their teaching, without doubt, included the sayings, sermons, stories/parables of Jesus, recounted his earthly works & ministry, his suffering, death and resurrection.
• Examples of this kind of teaching are recorded in the four Gospels of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. The rest of the NT is also filled with examples of the apostle's teaching, but with specific purposes to specific churches beyond retelling the words and life of Jesus.
• These apostles were the eyewitnesses to Jesus life, work, teaching, death and resurrection and the church hung on their every word.
• Every time the believers heard the teaching of the apostles, they expected to hear a word from God for their lives.
• Are we as expectant as they?  Do I expect to hear a word from God for me each time I read the Bible or hear the word preached?

2. The fellowship - Those words, "the fellowship," tell Luke's readers that something made the church's gatherings different, distinct, unique.

• They were like a sect within Judaism, but they were not.
• While they kept Jewish customs, they lifted up Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Roman and Jewish authorities executed, as the focus of their worship, preaching and as the centre of God's salvation plan for the world.
• To those first believers, Jesus was the long awaited Jewish Messiah, but he was also the Lord of all the earth.
• To be certain, being devoted to the fellowship was much more than a social get together or ordinary religious gathering.
• Luke stresses this fellowship's uniqueness in verses 44-47a, And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people.
• The devotion to the fellowship which Luke underscores is as much a devotion to one another as it is a devotion to Christ.
• According to Luke, real fellowship highlights the unique nature of the church's primary calling to love one another.
• Every time the believers gathered as the fellowship, they met with expectant love.
• Do we expect to love and be loved as members of the fellowship?  Do I expect to give and receive God's love as a member of the fellowship of believers whenever we gather?
• If real fellowship highlights the church's calling to love one another, then, as Rick Warren said, the best place to expect that love is as a member of a small group.
• Sunday Service is where the crowd meets to worship God, but Small Groups are where intimacy and friendship form bonds of love, God's life giving, life shaping love.

3. The breaking of bread - Bread was the staple food of the Middle East, just as rice is the staple food of Asia.

• Bread is significant because those early believers would not have sat down to eat without thinking of the meal the apostles passed on to them, the meal Jesus shared with the Twelve on the night he was betrayed.
• That night Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it, saying, "This bread is my body, given for you. Take it and eat it in remembrance of me."
• Whether this was an outward or inward observation of the Lord's Supper every time they ate, we cannot be certain.
• What we can be certain of, however, was that even a regular meal in the Jewish context was a spiritual activity, and those early believers shared their meals gladly and generously.
• Sharing with others in need of food was a way of life for them, all the while "praising God and having favour with all the people" as a result of their glad generosity.
• Christ generously gave his body, his life for the church, so the church responded by generously sharing everything they had.
• They broke bread as Christ's cheerful representatives, sharing expectantly waiting on God to work in the lives of people who also need Jesus.
• Are we cheerful sharers who expectantly wait on God to work in people's lives?  Am I Christ's glad representative who shares my belongings and my food expectantly waiting on God to act in people's lives?

4. The prayers - We might be tempted to ask, "What prayers?" because by referring to "the prayers," Luke highlights for his readers formal prayers, both Jewish and Christian.

• By formal prayers, we mean written or memorised prayers that were common to the church.
• The Psalms are a group of formal prayers.  Jesus model prayer, the Lord's Prayer, is a formal prayer.
• That the early church was devoted to the discipline of formal prayer should not surprise us.
• Formal prayers served as guides for the prayer life as well as for prayerful meditation.
• In addition, the members of the new born church, being situated in and around Jerusalem, made use of the Temple prayer times at the third and ninth hours (9:00 am & 3:00 pm) when formal public prayers we observed with particular attention being given to the Book of Psalms.
• In their enthusiasm & with their fresh Holy Spirit given perspective on Scriptural prayers like Psalms, they would have prayed with renewed energy, life & joy.
•  They offered impromptu prayers modeled after past prayers such as the prayer of the believers in Acts 4 which was modeled on part of Psalm 2.
• We can be certain that they devoted themselves to prayer, both public & private, formal & informal.
• The early believers devoted themselves to prayer because they expected God to act.
• Are we devoted to prayer? And if we are, then are we devoted to prayer for the same reason?  Am I devoted to prayer and by my prayers do I expect God to act?
• Well, we have seen that the early church was devoted to the apostles' teaching, and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And we have asked ourselves some hard questions about our devotion.
• Let's turn our attention briefly to another question: What were the results of their expectant, determined devotion?
• 1. They had glad and generous hearts. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. - verses 44-47a
• The result of devotion to God's 4 priorities for the church are transformed hearts. The stingy become generous through disciplined devotion.  The angry, bitter and resentful become glad through disciplined devotion.
• 2. God gets the glory while God's people find favour. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people.
• Because their focus was devotion to God, God made them famous in the eyes of the people so he would get even more praise and glory.
• 3.God acts. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. - verse 43 And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. - verse 47b
• God acts when his people devote themselves to him expectantly.  God acted through his apostles displaying signs and wonders to prove the authenticity of their message.  & God acted through working in the lives of others, adding them to the fellowship through their new found faith  in Jesus Christ.
• Now what?  What about us?
• All of this tells me that our church today, each one of us, needs to practice expectantly these same four basic elements of devotion.
• We need to continue to be devoted to the apostle's teaching. We can do that by reading and studying our Bibles, listening to the word preached at Sunday Services or taught in your small group, it may also include reading, watching, or hearing sound teaching in the media. 
• We need to continue to be devoted to the fellowship. 
• Opportunities are always present for us to share Christ's love with each other.  If one has a need, then we ourselves should meet it or find out how we can see it met.
• It is easy for us to see the troubles of the poor & oppressed and it is good for us to give to relieve their suffering. 
• What is harder is to bear with one another in love. God puts us together in the local church and asks us to love the unlovable. 
• He asks us to forgive those blinded to their pride.  He asks us to forgive those who hurt us even as they refuse to admit any wrongdoing.
• He asks us to swallow our pride and give other believers the wonderful blessing of serving us in our need.
• We need to continue to be devoted to the breaking of bread.  Whether it's sharing the Lord's Supper or sharing a meal at the kitchen table we need to practice doing so gladly and generously.
• Just as we exercise loving one another, we must exercise love toward the world generously.
• It can be as simple as praying for God to poor out such a blessing on a suffering neighbour who needs Jesus that they become overwhelmed by God's love or maybe you or I should be the ones to take over a fresh loaf of homemade bread, sit down over tea and hear their pain or, dare I say, their complaints.
• We need to continue to be devoted to the prayers.  I would guess that many of us, not all but many, have prayer lives that are pretty flighty.  That is where the discipline of formal prayer comes in handy.
• We need to make use of the prayers God has made available to us in his word.  We need to not only read them; we need to pray them. We need to not only pray them; we need to meditate on them & we need to do it all expectantly. 
• When we pray we need to pray with renewed energy, life and joy because we know and expect God to act.
• And when we do all these expectantly, anticipating God's transforming work in our lives, he will act.
• Act expectantly as you wait for God to show his power and grow his church!

New Life in Christ 3: Baptism, Romans 6:1-14 - by Rev. Derek S. Langille

¹ Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ² Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? ³ Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ⁴ For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

 ⁵ Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. ⁶ We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷ For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ⁸ And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹ We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. ¹⁰ When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹ So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

 ¹² Do not let sin control the way you live;^[a] do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Ø "Why should I be baptised? How is it relevant to me? I am a Christian. I know Jesus. After all, baptism doesn't save me, so what's the point?"

Ø Sometimes there are objections to things that have been practiced for many years in the church.

Ø When most people raise objections to our traditions or practices it is generally because they want to know why?

Ø Why do we do what we do?

Ø This morning I want to look at some of the bare essentials on why we do baptism to answer the questions, "Why should I be baptised? What is its purpose?"

Ø #1. Baptism represents our union with Christ in his death. Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? -Romans 6:3

Ø The Greek verb baptizo means to immerse, plunge or dip.

Ø Going under the water symbolises dying to our old life and being buried with Christ into his death.

Ø Last week we looked at Salvation's ABC's and what we find as we admit, believe, & confess is that we are joined to Jesus in faith.

Ø Our loyalty to him identifies us with him, even as he chose to identify with us by becoming human and going to the cross.

Ø Very early in the history of the Church, baptism immediately followed a person's commitment to Jesus Christ.

Ø A person's baptism ought to function as a powerful ally. It helps us look at our old life as dead and buried and in resisting temptation.

Ø We sometimes go through trials and temptations that cause us to question our faith, “Am I really a Christian?” When those times come we can point to our baptism and remind to ourselves that Jesus died for me and I died with him in my baptism.

Ø Baptism represents our union with Christ in his death.

Ø #2. Baptism represents power to live a new life.

Ø Coming up out of the water, following immersion, symbolises the new resurrection life of the believer.

Ø Because he is risen from the dead and sin's power has no claim over him, we, who are joined to Jesus in his death, are also set free from sin's power and control over us.

Ø Since we are joined to Christ in his death, we are also joined to his powerful resurrection life and may live new lives.

Ø In Colossians 3:2-3, Paul tells his readers, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." - Col. 3:2-3

Ø The things and desires of this life are fading and we must not focus on them.

Ø It is up to us to choose to see the desires of our old nature as dead.

Ø Paul tells his readers in verse 6, We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. - Rom. 6:6

Ø Our old sinful self, under sin and death, was crucified with Christ.

Ø As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" - 2 Cor. 5:17

Ø Since we no longer belong to Adam, but to Christ, "we died with Christ and were set free from the power of sin." - Rom. 6:7

Ø Baptism gives us a moment in time we can point to in our lives so we can look temptation in the face and say, "I'm dead to you! I don't have to listen to you anymore! Be gone!"

Ø Being united with or joined to Christ also reminds me of the practice of grafting in horticulture.

Ø A cutting, shoot, or bud is removed from one plant and implanted under the bark of another so that it may draw life, strength, and produce fruit from the sap of new branch.

Ø In Romans 11 Paul speaks of us Gentiles in this way. As wild olive shoots, we have been removed from the wild olive tree and grafted into the cultivated olive tree.

Ø Because we are joined to Christ like the grafted wild olive shoot we have new life and we also draw our strength from his life.

Ø Baptism represents power to live a new life.

Ø #3. Baptism represents our future resurrection with Christ.

Ø As Paul explains, ⁸ And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹ We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. ¹⁰ When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹ So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. - Rom. 6:8-11

Ø Paul presents us with a tension that is yearning to be resolved and baptism represents that tension.  It is the tension between what already is, and what is yet to come.

Ø Baptism reminds us of our union with Christ in his death and the power to live a new life, but baptism also reminds us that we are waiting for something else much greater.

Ø Because we are joined to Christ in his death, we are also joined to his resurrection not only for power to live this life, but for eternity.

Ø Death could not hold Jesus in the grave, neither will death be able to hold all those united to Jesus in faith.

Ø We await the victory over death, which belongs to us in Jesus with great anticipation.

Ø  ⁵⁴ Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?”

 ⁵⁶ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Cor. 15:54-57

Ø Baptism represents our future resurrection with Christ.

Ø What does baptism mean?

Ø Baptism means you're dead to this life, so use your life doing good for God.

Ø Since baptism means we're dead to this life, now what?

Ø Reject sin. ¹² Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Since you are dead to sin, you have power in Christ to refuse to let sin rule you. You are free from sin's control.

Ø Deny/deprive the body. ^13a Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. The sinful desires and lusts of our bodies must be brought under Christ's control because our bodies are weak and in bondage to death and decay and to deadly, decaying lusts and desires.

Ø Give yourself and your body to God. ^13b Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Offer your whole self, heart, soul, mind, & body to God in service to him by doing what you know is right for his glory and fame.

Ø Live under the freedom of God's grace. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

You are free from the law's requirements.

                       ...the law's impossible standards.

                       ...the law's meticulous ritual system.

                       ...the fear of failing the law's just standards.

You are free to serve God by doing what is right.

Ø So does this mean that we never sin again?

Ø Does it mean I will never again yell at the children instead of crouching down to their height, embracing & listening to them?

Ø Will I never again curse at the vehicle that cut me off?

Ø Will I never again be rude to my spouse while always putting her needs above my own?

Ø Does it mean I will never again be defensive and angry?

Ø Will I never again envy my neighbour’s higher standard of living?

Ø Will I never again stick my foot in my mouth?

Ø No, but it does mean that God has empowered us to strive with Him against the temptations we face each day.

Ø Baptism means you're dead to this life, so use your life doing good for God.