Obstinate Devotion
Review:
- Our emphasis last week was comparing Peter’s words 2000 years ago when he said “Let God save you from this wicked generation” as he (Peter) looked ahead by Jesus’ prophecy about the coming judgment of God on Israel / Jerusalem and the destruction of both in 70 AD.
- We looked and saw clearly that we, too live in a wicked generation and realized that God is calling us through Peter’s sermon to repent and let God save US from our crooked generation.
- I hope that we respond as we saw others respond to Peter’s message and the urging of the Holy Spirit:
Acts 2
37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
- Now in Acts 2 beginning at verse 42, we see the believers in Jesus being formed into what we call the Body of Christ, the first century church.
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
- the apostles’ teaching, and
- to fellowship, and
- to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and
- to prayer.
Acts 2
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.
45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity[j]—
47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Quoting Wright:
“This common life they began together was the life of a new family, in a world where fmily’ meant helping one another, whatever need might arise.
Clearly the sale of property didn’t include the homes in which they lived and met. What mattered was living as a single new extended family.
Verses 42-47 bring into focus what the whole chapter is about.
This is the new Temple, the place where God is meeting with his people in grace.
It was hugely attractive. Many were baptized and drawn into this sudden new movement.
“When we put chapter 2 together, then, we find that the ancient promises about God willing the whole creation with his wisdom and glory have become focused on Jesus and his followers. The small sketch of the church in v 42 functions eschatologically: Jesus’ followers become a small working model of the new creation. When the text speaks of great awe, of powerful signs (presumably healings) and of celebration and praising God, this is what’s going on: they are glimpsing the new creation itself, close up and personal. That remains the challenge for all Christian fellowships…today.”
Devoted themselves means “Persist obstinately; be constantly; give self continually; persevere; serve personally.”
In our day, we’re broken by divided loyalties, idolatry, and broken thinking that comes from the Disordered Desires of our sin nature, our flesh, our appetites that are at war with what the Holy Spirit is producing.
Why is there so much conflict in the church?
James 4
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?
2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.
6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
John Mark Comer explains it like this,
“Through the principle of Reaping and Sowing: “every action has a reaction, and those reactions are often disproportionate to the action.”
(The parable of the sower, and evil too)
Galatians 6
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.
8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
(See also: Matt. 13; Mark 4; Luke 8)
Reaping and Sowing applied to spiritual formation: sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap another action; sow some actions, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny, either in slavery to sin, the world, the flesh and the devil OR freedom in the Holy Spirit.”
We’ve talked about the Three Enemies of The Soul that emerge from Gen. 3 and the Sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden:
Deceptive Ideas (The Devil - John 8.44)
- Disordered Desires (The Flesh)
- Sinful Society (The World)
Philippians 2.12-13
Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
- Fruit of the Holy Spirit: Galatians 5-6
- Obedience by and to the Holy Spirit: Titus 2:14
- Holy Society: Ephesians 1:15-20
- Reaping and sowing goes both ways.
Tragically, we’ve made all kinds of churches for all kinds of preferences but we’ve forgotten to build around repentance, turning to God, believing in Jesus and living out His holiness.
Why does our church not completely resemble Acts 2.42?
- The believers in Acts 2.42 began with devoting themselves to the things of God.
- Individually, they set themselves apart to God.
- Our culture is devotes ourselves to us.
Matthew 22.37
‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Romans 12.2-3
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are.
1 Corinthians 1
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
Colossians 3
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
Luke 9
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?
26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.
Luke 17.32-33
“Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.”
Comer:
“Notice, this is a statement, not a command. You will lose or save it. Not that you could lose or save it. Jesus frequently ended his teachings not with a command but simply with a statement about reality.
For Jesus, you have two choices:
Option A: you deny Jesus and follow your self. Put another way, you put desire on the throne of your life. You make getting what you want the ultimate authority and driving motivation of your life.
Option B: you deny your self and follow Jesus. Meaning, you crucify the desires of your flesh and tap into your deeper desires for God himself.
The results? Losing your life. Or saving it. According to Jesus, those are your options. “
Galatians 5
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Jon Tyson Podcast Episode “God Comes When He’s Wanted”
