Reply
Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, dRepent, and ebe baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ ffor the remission of sins, and ye shall receive gthe gift of the Holy Ghost. [1]
I. Repent
A. Turn
B. Transform
II. Remit
A. Transgressions
B. Turpitudes
III. Receive
A. Talent
B. Trinity
Introduction: Traditionally this is the third Sunday of Easter. It is the second Sunday after Easter. By this time Jesus had been walking and talking to many people following His resurrection. We know about the two that He saw on the road to Emmaus. We know that Jesus had appeared to those who had locked themselves behind a door thinking that nobody could get in. Jesus got in. That’s another message for another Sunday.
Acts 2 tells of the event on that particular day of Pentecost when everyone was of the same accord. In Jewish custom Pentecost is the fiftieth day after Passover. That tracks with the accounts in Acts. Jesus was said to have walked on earth some forty days after His resurrection. He told the disciples to wait for the day of Pentecost. Today we will skip ahead a few weeks to a time after The Holy Spirit entered. Please go ahead and turn to Acts 2 in your Bibles.
Last week we considered what it would be like if all Christians had the same heart. We are capable of that and we are certainly supposed to be together in our thoughts and prayers. We can be of one accord if we truly serve God and not our own petty jealousies.
Why do we not have and use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as the church once did? That question has been asked a lot. It is one of those things that cause divisions and denominations. If we could ever get back to one accord instead of wondering what church was going to close this week; perhaps? Wouldn’t that be something! Wouldn’t that be a revival! Wouldn’t that be church! Acts 2:1, “And when athe day of Pentecost bwas fully come, they were all cwith one accord in one place.” [2] One day we will! That will be heaven.
Apparently it didn’t last long. People starting questioning and causing the divisions that we still witness to this day. “12 And they were all damazed, and ewere in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.” [3]
Thank God there is always one who is bold enough to speak through the crowd. Arrogance is not always a bad thing. God knows how to use everything and everyone for His purpose. Why did Jesus spend so much time with one guy? “14 But Peter, standing up with fthe eleven, glifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not hdrunken, as ye suppose,” [4]
Peter preached quite a long sermon that day and then he gave the invitation which in part is what we will focus on today.
Scripture: Today’s focal text is Acts 2:38. Please stand for the reading of God’s word.
Prayer: Let us pray. Amen. Please Be seated.
Message: We have heard the answer to the question and here is the question, “37 Now when they heard this, they were bpricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, cwhat shall we do?” [5]
The question still stands. Many weeks ago a question was asked here in this sanctuary. Suppose a national leader were to stand up and declare that the United States is truly the Christian nation that we say we were founded to be. Suppose that person declared that we will come back to the biblical principles that once guided our founding fathers. What would happen?
It was said here that this would not work today. There would be an uprising that would challenge the War Between the States in intensity. I paraphrase there. In other words people would rebel even more than they are doing now. That cut me to the bone not because I was angry but because I was hurt by the truth. I love this nation maybe more than I should. I want us to come back to God.
There is another division in the church now. Some believe that this nation is about to lead another spiritual revival that will spread across the world. Others believe that this nation has completely lost its way and we have gone too far to return.
Either way is good. Either way Jesus is coming in glory. Jesus is coming again and we know that our hope will come to fruition when He does. We don’t know when that day will be and we don’t know what will happen spiritually in the meantime. Will there be another worldwide spiritual revival or have we seen the beginning of the end of civilization on this planet.
And so the inevitable question remains that was asked at that Pentecost observance. What do we do now? If others ask us what is our reply?
It was the same reply that John the Baptizer was preaching in the wilderness. It was the same reply that Jesus told. Repent! Turn away from the wrong direction that you are headed. Paul told in Romans 12:2 the same thing in a different way, “2 And fbe not conformed gto this world: but hbe ye transformed by ithe renewing jof your mind, that ye may kprove what is that good, and cacceptable, and perfect, lwill of God.” [6]
This is not a thing that we can force others to do. Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus. Each of us must reply to the question of what now. Each of us individually must repent of the things that are taking attention away from Him as we watch the world going to hell. We are given a great gift of seeing what not to do. We are watching where not to go. Be neither conformed nor confused but be convinced when He convicts. Hear that again, be not conformed nor confused but be convinced when He convicts.
Peter went on to say that after we have chosen to turn from sinfulness and allow ourselves to be transformed into the likeness of Christ as we were intended, we must be baptized in the name of Jesus. We Baptists believe that we understand that word; baptize; to wash clean, to immerse on the outside. All that is true but here is more. Anybody can be immersed in a baptism observance. Notice here that Peter said, “in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Looking back in the scriptures we see where there were some who were baptized with John’s baptism but they received not the Holy Spirit. Ya’ll get the rocks ready. Do you know that there are Baptists who are not Christians? They have done something! They didn’t allow God to do the thing. They didn’t take the name of Jesus Christ. They are Baptists, they are not Christians. I know that sounds hard but if it is you doing then it is not God doing. You have not been transformed. You only want to get better at who you already are. It’s all about you!
Why must a person do that? Why must a person turn away from the example they see from the world? Until you do you have not remitted. There is that word again from John 20:23. Remit! We take on the name of Jesus Christ because he is sinless. When we are truly Christians, sin does not rule us anymore. That thing that you say you can’t do without; He can!
So what are sins? The outline has two words to represent that which we must remit. Transgressions are against God’s will. We transgress when we know what is wrong and we decide to do that anyway. Why do we do these things? They start out as doing what we see others do and then we get comfortable doing them. It is not an easy thing to break a habit but people make the mistake of saying, “Well you just don’t have enough will power.” Whose will! Whose power! If you carry the name of Jesus and have been baptized or immersed in Him you have Him. Lean on His will and you will have His power.
That other word turpitude is harder. People might even use the excuse that they were born that way. “It’s just the way that I am and I am not ever going to change.” Have you ever heard that? Turpitude is baseness or an underlying trait in a person that guides them. “Jim Brady has an Irish temper just like his dad “Snap Brady.” He can’t change his spots.
Paul’s instructions to us that He gave to the Romans said that we can be changed. We can be transformed but first we must give up on what we see going on in the world. It is not easy. Without God it is impossible. But with God all things are possible.
So how are all things possible? You see you can’t just accept God without accepting His Son. They are part of the Triune Godhead. There are cults such as Jehovah’s Witness and Muslims who don’t believe in the Trinity. They absolutely do not believe in the God of Gods. Do not be conformed to that lie. Stay away from that lie. It is a cancer that is killing many and sending children to hell.
How do we allow our self to be transformed and not conformed? “Ye shall receive the Holy Ghost.” That is to say The Holy Spirit. When you finally receive the Holy Spirit you have received the Trinity. How do you know?
I’ll pick on Karen today and leave Tommy alone for a change. I respect Tommy and don’t want him to get upset with me so Karen, here it goes. Karen is very talented. She admits that God gave her the talent of music. Karen uses that talent to honor God. When she sings and plays we are not her audience. Karen has an audience of One. She sings and she plays for God. When we listen and are caught in the worship we are one with Karen but we are not, I say again, we are not Karen’s audience. She is not here to entertain us. Neither is the preacher by the way.
God gave me the talent of music before I was saved. And I have heard that I had a grand time with it. There was a time that I used my gift for His service too. In my past music was a way for me to get attention and most of it was not good. My mind shifts to those other times and I am ashamed. I always knew there was something else that God had for me even though I still love music. We are all different. We are all talented and gifted differently.
Everybody has a talent that God has gifted them with. It is hard to distinguish between what is a gift; what is a talent. God gave us life so God gives it all. So what is a spiritual gift? Young’s Literal Translation describes the difference as talents and Pentecostal Gifts.
When a person truly becomes a Christian they receive The Holy Spirit who gives things that the person did not have before. When I was thirteen years old I became a Christian. I was baptized in a good Baptist Church. A year later I preached the first sermon that God gave me. I had read though the Bible for the first time. I would not have done those things without The Holy Spirit.
I loved to sing. Harmony was natural to me. When I was in elementary school music teachers would hear the harmony and wonder what I was singing as the others sang in unity. Where did you learn to do that? My sister Janice was a music savant. She went to UNC for music. My parents heard me play the piano after one of Janice’s lessons at our home in Maryland. I was playing what I had heard. They decided to have the lady give me lessons. She quit teaching me because I refused to learn to read music. Why should I read it when I can hear it and play it? Finally I did learn to read music a little. Music is a talent, not a spiritual gift for me.
Standing here with the words that He gives me to speak to you; understanding when someone is “blowing smoke” and not telling me the truth so that I can walk away from a lie, those things are not talents. Those things are spiritual gifts that He gave me when I got saved and He is still teaching me to use them.
The greatest of these spiritual gifts that He gave me though is the one Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 13. This is the last verse, “13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” [7] Faith and hope are spiritual gifts. In other translations we know that the word charity is not what we understand as benevolence. When someone is in need of worldly relief and we supply physical needs that is benevolence. Charity is synonymous with love.
To love you even when I know that you talk evil of me behind my back takes love that I do not possess without God. That is the proof of a Christian. Have you got that? How do you reply to hate?
Prayer:
Invitation: “39 For the promise is unto you, and hto your children, and to all that are iafar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” [8]
The question remains. What do we do now? What is your reply? Peter told them that day way back then. The world is still turning. We are still here. We have the same Savior that has always been and will never ever change. So what needs to change? Who needs to change?
The altar is open for alterations. Jordan Lake is just up the road waiting for a baptism. Jesus is in heaven beside His Father and He is there praying for you. He interceded for you and He continues to until this day. What indeed are you going to do now?
It’s up to you. Come and pray or stay and pray as we sing our hymn of invitation.
d Luke 24:47. So ch. 3:19. & 20:21.
e ch. 8:15, 16. & 22:16. See Mark 16:16.
f See Matt. 26:28.
g ch. 10:45. So ch. 8:20. & 11:17.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 2:38). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a ch. 20:16. See Lev. 23:15.
b Luke 9:51 (Gk.).
c ver. 46. See ch. 1:14.
[2] Ibid., Ac 2). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
d ver. 7.
e See Luke 9:7.
[3] Ibid., Ac 2:12–13). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
f ch. 1:26.
g See Luke 11:27.
h See John 2:10.
[4] Ibid., Ac 2:14–15). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
b Ecclus. 14:1. So Rom. 11:8 marg. Comp. ch. 5:33. & 7:54.
c See Luke 3:10.
[5] Ibid., Ac 2:37). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
f 1 Pet. 1:14.
g So 1 John 2:15.
h See Matt. 17:2.
i Titus 3:5. So 2 Cor. 4:16. Eph. 4:23. Col. 3:10.
j So Eph. 1:18. Col. 1:21, 22.
k Eph. 5:10, 17.
c ver. 2. So 1 Pet. 2:5. See ch. 14:18.
l See 1 Thess. 4:3.
[6] Ibid., Ro 12:2). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[7] Ibid., 1 Co 13:13). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
h Isai. 54:13. Joel 2:28. ch. 3:25.
i ch. 22:21. Eph. 2:13, 17. So Deut. 29:15. ch. 10:45. & 11:15, 18. & 14:27. & 15. 3, 8, 14. Comp. Luke 15:20.
[8] Ibid., Ac 2:39). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
