The Church Begins
Acts 2

Sermon By    
Dr. David Trumble

The Whole World is Lost!  There is None Righteous. No, Not One!

All Have Sinned, and have Earned Loneliness, Despair, Death.

But Almighty God Loves Us Anyway!  

Out of His Unconditional Love,  Jesus Comes to Rescue the Perishing!   He is despised & rejected.  He carries the Cross.  He dies on that Cross!

The Moment Jesus Dies, everything changes.   The Curtain, between Man & God, Rips Top to Bottom.  Jesus Paid For Every Sin!  He died For Me! And He died for you.

 They took his body down from the cross , and placed it in a  borrowed tomb.

This was not the end.  This was just the Beginning! 

Jesus Is Alive! Jesus Lives! Because He Lives We Too Shall Live!

There is an ancient legend.   Gabriel greets Jesus upon arrival after Ascension

Gabriel asks, “Lord, who have you left behind to carry on the work you began?”

Jesus replies, “A little band of people who love me,” 

Gabriel is puzzled.   “But Lord, what if they fail when their trials come? 
Will all you have done been defeated?”

Jesus answers,  “Yes, if they fail, all I have done will be wasted.”

Gabriel with a trembling voice of panic,  “What then, Lord?”    

Jesus looks Gabriel straight in the eye and says, “They Will Not Fail!”

The First Gospel Sermon.  Acts 2:21f

Peter Declares People Need The Lord! People of all ages Need The Lord.  
Why do they need the lord, you may ask? 

Well, some people need Jesus to help cram for final exams.  Some need release from bad habits and guilt chains.  Some need Jesus to give them hope, or confidence, or love.  But Everyone Needs The Lord!

A story about an armed robber goes like this:  Curtis was in the storage room of  the  7/11 store where he worked.  Hearing voices, he walked back into the store only to see a Robber with a BB gun..  Curtis jumps the robber and wrestles with him for several minutes until the robber broke free .  The robber got in his get away car and started to drive away, but Curtis kept coming.  Suddenly, the car swerved and hit a concrete divider.  Curtis opened the door and grabbed the robber. 

Suddenly, the robber was still.  He looked up at Curtis and said, “Thanks, I was hoping I would get caught.” 

In the hours that followed, a story of desperation, drugs, and despair flowed out of the would be robber to his captor and the police. 

You see, the  next best thing to being saved is being caught.

When you encounter Jesus, Guess What!?  You are Caught!   God already knows!  You Can’t Hide!

You Need The Lord!  I need the Lord!  We All Need Jesus.  Every one of us Has Sinned!  We have rebelled against God.  We are liars, cheats, bullies, jealous, envious, bitter, selfish people.  We even make ourselves sick. When we finally realize we are caught, it is a blessing.

We are All Guilty & We Can Not Save Ourselves! BUT JESUS CAN!  Jesus Saves! No matter what

Listen to how we talk.  We are so self absorbed and wallowing in our own guilt.  Woman said,  “The way I look at it, self-pity is better than none at all.”

A dieter realized, “I’m almost down to what I didn’t want to get up to.”

Tired and wear professional said, “I am about as fit as a fizzle.”

Old man mused, “Do you find it shocking that nothing shocks us anymore?

Without Jesus life is Pointless!  Work, Sleep, Work, Sleep, Work, on and on it goes. What is the point?  The fact is, People Need The Lord, NOW!
 
And Jesus Is Able right now. 

Oh, yes, there are many  pretenders.  Jesus is not  like the mechanic who told the customer,“I couldn’t fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder.” 

Oh, no.  Jesus Is Able! He heals the sick.  He gives strength to the weak.  He energizes, invigorates, empowers, lifts up continually. 

Does your back ache from endless toil?  Jesus can relieve your pain. 

Are you blinded by the chaos, confusion, and despair all around? Jesus can give you new vision. 

Do bad habits enslave you?  Jesus can set you free. 

.Are you dead and empty inside,  Jesus can give you life abundant. 

Whatever your need, Jesus is able to supply your need.

When we cannot help ourselves, Jesus lifts us up.

While we were powerless in sin, Jesus died for us.  Jesus paid the price so we could be free from sin forever.  Free to live.  Free to love.  Free to give. 

Jesus Has Already Don’t It All!  But will we receive his gift?

Message is Clear – But Do You Believe?  Jesus is the Christ,  the Son of the Living God, the eternal Sacrifice for your sin, & Lord of Lords forevermore? 

Will you trust Him, depend on Him, Obey Him in everything Now & Forever?

This was the choice offered on the Day of Pentecost or the Grand Opening of the church.  The Bible says 3,000 people received Jesus as Lord and Savior that day and were baptized as a witness to their faith.  The holy spirit came and energized them and the church was born.

What was or is the mission of this church?
 
Jesus reveals the answer to this question in many ways, but one of the most profound and direct answers comes in what is called the Great Commission.  These are the instructions Jesus gave to those original leaders of his church some 2,000 years ago. 

“All authority in heaven and earth are given to me.  Therefore go, make disciples of all people, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all that  whatsoever I have taught you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”   Matt. 28:18-20

 This is The Mission of the Church!  The church is to go and make disciples of Jesus.  The Message Is Clear!  Jesus Saves!  People need the Lord.

We go one step further.  Jesus wants us to continue his redeeming, saving, healing, and blessed works.  In a real sense, we are to be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus in the world until he returns.

The church is here to meet needs as representatives of Christ.  Some need help raising children, the church is here.  Some need help with discouragement, the church is here.  Some need release from sin, the church is here.   Jesus came to Seek & Save the Lost & This is Our Job.

Man was admiring a Minah bird in pet store window “Hello”
Man didn’t say anything.
After a few seconds the bird spoke up again,  “What’s the matter with you, Can’t you talk?” 

The  job of the church  is to tell Message.  Sometimes we wonder who we should tell.

Woman called 911.  The  house across street was on fire.  She couldn’t think of street number, so she told the 911 operator, “It is the only house on the  block with a fire in the garage.”

Wherever you see need, be there as Jesus would.  Listen. Be Sensitive. People will tell their problems.  Remember,   Jesus meets every need.

Part of this mission includes teaching.

When we look at the early church, we see believers united on the Lordship of Christ.  They stayed together.  The met every Lord’s Day steadfastly studying the Bible, sharing in fellowship, celebrating life and salvation, sharing communion, praying, giving, growing,  serving, nurturing, blessing, living as Christ in the world.

In every gathering Jesus is at the Center.  The Bible is Open.  In many ways the church has not changed.  We still do all those things.

On Day of Pentecost – Church Began.  Today we are the church.  Our mission has not changed.  Our savior has not changed.  Our hope has not changes.

When we consider the possibilities God has for us, there Are No Limits!  Jesus is Able & We are Willing!

Whatever dreams of  The Kingdom you can dream, Jesus can make reality!

So dream of  dynamic Christian worship, Seniors  Ministry,  Family Nurture, Bible Fellowship Groups, Bible Classes, Choirs, Recreation Ministries, Benevolent Ministries.  Dream Big, Because We Have A      B – I – G  God!  Nothing Is Impossible!

Pray for God to use you.  Pray for God to give His church the resources, the tools, the right ingredients to achieve His mission. 
 
Focus your thoughts on Jesus and the Bible.  With your hearts committed to Jesus, tell those mountains, “Mountains Move Over! Jesus is alive!”

The Army of God is Ready to Move! Jesus Wins!  Jesus Wins!

Though out all the work.  Throughout all the journey of faith, Remember Jesus is Alive!  Jesus is with us!  Jesus is coming again!

  
Gabriel greets Jesus upon arrival  in heaven after ascension

Gabriel asks,  “Lord, who have you left behind to carry on the work you began?”

Jesus replies, “A little band of people who love me,” 

Gabriel is puzzled.   “But Lord, what if they fail when their trials come?    Will all you have done been defeated?”

Jesus answers,  “Yes, if they fail, all I have done will be wasted.”

Gabriel with a trembling voice of panic, “What then, Lord?”    

Jesus looks Gabriel straight in the eye and says, “They Will Not Fail!”