Would you turn with me this morning,
or at least listen very carefully as I read from the book of Acts,
chapter 2? The book of Acts, chapter 2. In verse 47, the last line of
verse 47 says, The Lord added to the church daily such as should
be said. The Lord added to the church. daily such as should be say. Like so very many words from
God's Word, the word church has been terribly misused and abused. The word church comes from a
Greek word which means called out. The called of God. I have purposely taught myself
not to refer to religious buildings or the place where people meet
as the church. The church is a precious and
blessed name used by God to refer to his people, his family. They are his chosen, his elect,
his saints. People are the church. Or as
one person put it, we do not go to church, we are the church. That is, if we are a believer. Christ's body is his church,
his bride. That's the church. To be a part
of the church, to be added to the church, as it says here,
is not to join an organization or a religious club. as we would join the Rotary Club
or the Lions Club. But to be a part of the church,
Christ's body, is to be joined to, united to, the church, the
body. And this is the Lord's doings. It is God's work. It says here
in our text, the Lord added to the church daily. Salvation is
of the Lord. It is his choice. It is his sovereign
power. It is his work. And so to be
added to the church, to be made a part of the body of Christ,
to be made a saint, is salvation. The Lord added to the church
such as should be saved. This is not saying everyone deserves
a chance to be saved, or everyone should or ought to be saved.
My, my! No, but Scripture says all that
the Father gave to Christ in that covenant, whose names are
written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of
the world, will be saved. All whom Christ shed his blood
for, the remission of their sins, should be, ought to be, supposed
to be, and will be saved. They will, by God's Holy Spirit. have that blood applied to them,
will be saved. They will repent, they will hear
the gospel, they will repent, and they will believe and come
to Christ by faith. Well, someone argues, if only
the elect will be saved, why not just preach to the elect?
Well, if you put a big E on their head, I would. It would be a
waste of breath to preach to anybody else. But I don't know
who they are. No man knows. And so that's why
the Lord told us to go preach to all. But I know this, the
elect will be saved. All who the Father gave to Christ
will come to Christ because he must get all the glory and salvation. We preach to all because we don't
know who the elect are. But God's sheep will hear his
voice. That's who he laid down his life
for. And salvation is of the Lord. The Lord adds to his church,
such as should be saved. Now, it is the same in every
generation as it was with these people in this story in Acts
2. This was the time of a Pentecostal
awakening or a great awakening or life. These people were given
life from the dead at the time of Pentecost. these people who
were added to the church. It is the same in every generation.
We here, all believers, all saints, all who are saved, hear the same
gospel Peter preached at that day. They are all convicted of
their sins, repent, believe, and are baptized and continue
worshiping God and fellowshipping around the mystery of the gospels
all their days upon this earth. This being made a part of Christ's
church happens just as it did here in Acts chapter 2. Three
things happened. They were called, the people,
3,000 people at this time, were called by the gospel, they were
convicted of their sins, and they made a commitment to Christ. They came to Christ by faith. Now, I want you to ask yourself
as you listen to this, am I a part of God's church. Have I been
added to the church? Have I heard this gospel? Have
I been convicted by its call? Have I come to Christ? The scripture says that God's
people are called by the gospel. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 14, called
by the gospel. Romans 8 says, For whom God did
foreknow, he did predestinate. Whom he did predestinate, he
called. Whom he called, he justified.
That is, they believe and are justified by faith, all according
to God's power. Called by the gospel. What is
the gospel? Well, what did Peter preach here
in Acts chapter 2? It was no gospel of how much
God loved these people and how Jesus died for their sins. That's
not the gospel. But that's about all you hear
preached today. That's about all men called the
gospel. That is not the message at Pentecost. And that is not
the message of the gospel. The message of the gospel is
of a sovereign, reigning, ruling Lord on a throne. whom men rejected,
wicked men rejected, all reject, and that Lord who is on the throne
has men in His hands to dispose of them as He will. And that fear of a sovereign,
reigning, ruling Lord on a throne, high and lifted up, brought repentance
unto salvation. for these people. No mention
of how much God loved them and Jesus died for them. That is
not in the message at Pentecost, and that is not the gospel. Look at it with me, if you will.
Acts chapter 2, Peter preached verse 22, ìYe men of Israel,
hear these words.î And men and women are going to hear it from
God. They will hear it from a preacher. How shall they hear except from
a preacher? You men of Israel, hear these
words. Jesus of Nazareth, yes, that man named Jesus, a man was
approved of God. That has never been said before,
folks. Do you know it? God never said
he approved of anyone. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. But not this man. He was without
sin. A man approved of God. A man
whose righteousness God is well pleased with. A man accepted
by God, a man who earned heaven by his own works, never been
said before. There is not a just man on earth
that sinneth not, Scripture says. But this man was the just one. Yes, there is just one. Jesus
of Nazareth, a man approved of God by all he did and said. And
verse 23 says, He was delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, whom God set forth, the Scripture says,
to be propitiation, a bloody sacrifice, a substitute for the
sins of His people. God sent Him into this world
to die for the sins of His people as the Lamb of God who was slain
even before the foundation of the world, before there was ever
a sinner. The Lamb of God was set forth. Him being delivered
by the determinant, or that is the purpose, and eternal counsel
and foreknowledge and wisdom of God Almighty, ye have taken,
and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Lord of glory. What will men
do with Jesus if offered Jesus? As people say, they will do what
these men did. They crucified Him. We will not
have this man reign over us, they said. And that is the way
it is with all men by nature until God makes us willing in
the day of His power. Psalm 110, verse 3. They took him with wicked hands,
crucified and slew him, but they did what God determined before
to be done, to kill the Lamb. But it says in verse 24, God
raised him up. It is not possible he should
be holden by death. And it goes on down to say in
verse 32, this Jesus hath God raised up. Verse 33, Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, He's not standing outside
your heart's door, people, begging to come in and standing out in
the rain, weeping, hoping, wishing, wanting, hoping you'll let him
in, let him have his way. That's not the Lord of glory.
That's blasphemy. That passage in the Revelation
speaks to the church of whom Christ stands at the door knocking
and will come in and sup with, not save, sup with, commune with,
have fellowship with the church. He's always at the door of the
church where two or three are gathered. Oh, no, Christ, the Lord of glory,
the true Christ of Scripture, yes, Jesus, hath God raised up
and is now at the right hand of God, exalted, seated. And he says in verse 34, he says,
Sit thou on my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool. We better bow at the feet of
this sovereign Lord. Kiss His feet. Lest ye be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little." Psalm
2 says. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know, verse 36, assuredly that God hath made that same
Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord, that is reigning,
ruling King, and Christ, the only one whom God will deal with
on behalf of sinners. Did you hear that? Well, they
heard it. No mention of God loving them,
needing them, wanting, wishing, hoping. No mention of Jesus dying
for them, but of a sovereign reigning Lord on a throne. Now,
what's going to happen? Well, Peter didn't ask them now,
if you'll repeat after me. Peter didn't have to tell them
anything. They cried out, verse 37, when they heard this. What?
Who Christ really is? Where He is? and how they were
in his hands to do with as he pleased, not vice versa. This
created a fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of saving wisdom.
And they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and
the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
They didn't have to be told what to do or to repeat the sinner's
prayer. They were crying out for mercy.
What shall we do? Peter said, Repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission
of sin. And he said in verse 40, with
many other words, he did testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves
from this untoward generation. And I say the same to my generation. Save yourselves from this religious
yet untoward. That is way backward. Not going
to God is so far from the truth. It has never been further from
the truth. Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Believe
the truth, the true one, the true Christ. Well, they that
gladly received this Word by God's power, by God's grace,
they were baptized. They confessed Christ. And the
same day, they were added 3,000 souls. And they continued in this doctrine
and in fellowship. So the Lord added to the church
daily, such as should be said. May He add you to His church,
is my prayer. Amen.