You know, when the Lord, the gospel comes
in power, gospel comes in the Holy Ghost, it comes in power
to a person's heart, it pricks it. That's what happened to these
men, all these people, these men and women. When Peter got
through preaching, said in verse 37, they were pricked in their
heart, that means stabbed, violently stabbed. And I tell you, when
the gospel comes in power, it pricks a person's heart. It really,
really does. And they're brought, verse 38,
they're brought to repentance. Now repentance is, a lot of people
say it's turning from sin. And it is that in one way, but
what it is, it's a change. It's a great, radical change.
It's a radical change of mind. It's a radical change of your
views that you had before. You viewed yourself one way,
and when God pricks your heart, you view yourself another way.
And you view God one way, and then when God pricks your heart,
you view Him the right way. So that's what repentance is.
It's absolutely God taking you and changing your mind, changing
your views, changing everything about you towards God and towards
yourself. Now that happens, and I tell
you, I always say it's radical. I say it's radical. You can't
find, you know it's radical when a bunch of dead bones come to
life. It's radical when God said he'll take out a stony heart
and put in a new heart, a heart of flag. So I tell you what,
when God makes a new creature, and that's what happens here,
when they pricked in the heart, that first thing they said, oh
what in the world are we gonna do? Peter said, ain't nothing you
can't do. Repent. And they're brought to
repentance. You know in Acts 5.31 says this,
that the Lord Jesus Christ, being a prince and a savior, grants
repentance. You know, he has to grant a person
repentance. And then they obey Christ and
they're baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus in verse 38.
And then they acknowledge our Lord's position. You remember
Peter said this, he says, you know that this same Jesus who
you crucified, God raised again from the dead, and God hath taken
him. David didn't sit at the Lord's
right hand. He ain't sitting up to heaven. He said, but the
Lord, God, God has made Christ sit at His right hand, made Him
both Lord and Christ. And when they heard this, they
acknowledged Christ's position. They acknowledged that He's at
God's right hand. They acknowledged that He's Lord.
They acknowledged that He's Christ, the one sin of God. And I had
noticed something else they acknowledged too. They acknowledged his authority
and their guilt. They acknowledged that they were
guilty. Is responsible for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ
that they partook of the death of Christ ain't that what they
said? Oh listen you you you with your wicked hands crucified him
you crucified him God the one you crucified God made him both
Lord and Christ so they took their guilt their responsibility
for that their part in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and
And I have, you know, I heard some people say if I'd have been
there, I wouldn't have took part in it. If I'd have been there,
I'd try to stop it. Then you'd have been going against
God's purpose. He is delivered by the determined
counsel and foreknowledge of God. And I do know this, that
if I'd have been there, I know me, I know me, I know how desperate
the human heart is, how desperately wicked it is. If I'd have been
there, I'd have been in one of them crowds that would mocked
Him, derided Him, and said, He saved others, but He can't save
Himself. If you'd be the Christ, get off
that cross. Let us see some evidence that
you say who you are. How could you be dying if you're
the Christ? How could you be dying if you're
God in the flesh? And also, I tell you what, that's
one thing that's another thing when the Holy Ghost breaks a
man's heart. He makes him feel his responsibility for the death
of Christ. You know, Here's, we sung that
song tonight. His life, you know, demands my,
His death demands my soul, my all, everything about me. You
know what crucified Him, what killed Him? My sin and your sin. That's why He was slain. So every
one of us is responsible for the death of Christ. And then
it says there in verse 38 that they received the Holy Ghost.
Holy Ghost is given unto them to teach them, to keep them,
to protect them, to guard them against error, to comfort them,
give them assurance, and also to bring things to their remembrance.
Now here in verse 41, I'm gonna start right here. And these verses
from 41 to 47 is a portrait of the beginning of the church,
of the New Testament church, of New Testament believers. And
it's really a model church. It's a model church. It's something
that all believers ought to model themselves and all local assemblies
ought to model themselves after. And it says there in verse 40,
I want you to notice this also. And with many other words, Now
you know they think he quit preaching there in Acts 32-39, but he said
he just kept preaching. He just kept preaching with many
other words. He kept on preaching. Kept on
preaching, and then the last thing you find him saying is,
is to save yourselves from this untoward generation. But he kept
on preaching. The thing is, is that you just
have these details here, but when you see, with many other
words, he preached probably for a good while, and he had nothing
but the Old Testament to do. Then look what it says in verse
41. This is my subject, gladly receiving the word. And then
they gladly received his word. After he got through preaching,
tell him to repent and be baptized, he just kept on preaching. He
just kept right on preaching. And I tell you what, they gladly
received his word. And to receive, it means to take
it to one's heart. To accept it, to value it. It is a welcome, it's welcome
to you. And that's what it means to gladly
receive the word. Now you keep Acts 2 and look
over here in Acts 13 with me. Look in Acts 13 verse 46. And this is, they gladly receive
the word. look what he said here in verse
46 acts 13 then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold And said, it was necessary
that the word of God should first have been spoken to you. But
seeing you, you put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy
of everlasting life. Lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I've set thee to be a lie to the Gentiles, and
that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. Now
listen to this. And when the Gentiles heard this,
they were glad. and glorified the word of the
Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life, they rejoiced
in God. Oh, listen, they don't want it?
Preach it to me. The Jews don't like it? Tell
me. And they gladly received that
word. They loved it. They appreciated it. And old
Solomon the wise man said this, as cold waters to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country. And God sends us good news from
a far country, and boy when he brings it, it's really, really,
and once you get that good news, you're always good news to you.
What Scott used to say all the time, I ain't had no bad news
since I heard the good news. But that's the way it is, I mean,
you know, it's good news, glad, it makes you glad. And then it
says there again over here in chapter two, then they gladly
received his words, received the word of God, received what
Peter had to preach, and were baptized the same day. Now I'll
tell you, I'm gonna tell you something, something I've said
several times. You know, there's people that
sprinkle people. There's people that pour people. And there's
people that immerse people. Now if you get saved in spots,
go ahead and get sprinkled. If you get saved in streaks,
go ahead and pour a cup of water over your head. But if you get saved all over
and you die, bury them. And that's what he means about
baptism, means to be immersed. That means to be put under. This
Christ was buried. That's what baptism means. He
was put in the ground. And baptism is an immersion.
It's a death. It's a recognition of a death
with the Lord Jesus Christ. It's an outward expression of
a changed attitude. It's an outward expression. It's
an open confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know how people
confess Christ in the New Testament? Baptism. Baptism that's how they
confessed. How do you and down in Mexico?
Let me tell you this down in Mexico is such a Catholic country. I mean, it's just Catholicism
rules Mexico and if you become a believer out of that Catholic
Church Your family will disown you your family will turn against
you The church won't have anything, they'll put you out of the church.
And so when a believer down there, when they baptize, they don't
do it like they do, that when somebody down there is baptized,
they know that it's gonna cost them their family, it's gonna
cost them their brothers and sisters, it's gonna cost them
their mama and daddy, it's gonna cost the priest and everybody
else to be upset because they've left the church and identified
with Christ instead of the church. So that's just serious business
down there. And it ought to be that serious
here. I mean, it's something, you know, whenever somebody,
if you've got a real confession in your heart, God's really done
something for you. And you want to confess your
faith in Christ, you say, I want to be baptized. That's what it
is. It's confessing your faith in Christ. And it's a public
declaration of identifying with those who are his disciples.
It says there, and that in this verse 4 to 1 again, and the same
day they were added unto them 3,000 souls, about 3,000 souls. Oh my, they didn't say 3,000
people, they called them souls. Man's in a dying body, but he's
a living soul inside of a dying body. And it's a public, and
they identified. They said, we're gonna be identified
with these apostles. We wanna be identified with what
they've got to say. We wanna be identified with this
Christ that they're talking about that was buried and rose again
and ascended and sits in God's right hand right now. I wanna
be identified with them. They received the message. They
were baptized. So now I tell you, the first
thing is, is they received the word and were baptized. Now look
what it says then in verse 42. It was a church that was learning.
They was a church that was learning. Look what they did. Then they
gladly received his word, in verse 42, and they continued
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. Oh, they didn't get
baptized and then decide, you know, I need to go on about my
life. They didn't get baptized and say, well, listen, I gotta
go do something else. I need to get on back in the
world. I need to do this, I need to join this. But no, no, when
they got baptized, you know what they did? They followed them
apostles around. They steadfastly continued in
what those preachers were preaching. Huh? I don't know how many people
I've baptized and all I did was get them wet over the years. That's sad to me. It really bothers
me at times, but there's nothing I can do about it. But I'll tell
you, they continued. They didn't get baptized and
then go on and do something else. They steadfastly continued in
the Apostles' Doctrine. But Barnabas and Paul was getting
ready to leave the church over in Acts 13. They said they persuaded
them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Why? Because men in his depraved nature,
and in his fallen nature, he's got to have the gospel over and
over and over and over. And that's why we keep coming
hearing it. They continued, they continued. Now did you know, Everybody who
God truly saves, they're going to continue. I believe that with
all my heart. I believe if God saved a man,
he's going to continue. What's he going to continue?
He's going to continue believing. They steadfastly continued in
what those preachers were preaching. That's what it says. Steadfastly
in the Apostles' doctrine. You know what the Apostles' doctrine
was? Man's lost and helpless. He crucified Christ with his
wicked hands. And this same Jesus that you
crucified, He's the Lord. What are we gonna do about it?
Turn, turn, turn. God's in His thrones, God's in
His heaven, God's in His glory. And all these men, they knew
these men were chosen of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why
they continue steadfastly. And they knew that they were
appointed to be His messengers. And I tell you, you know, I wonder
how many of these people in Acts 2 here, these 3,000 souls, I
wonder how many of them were there and saw Christ and lived
during the life of Christ and saw some of His miracles and
saw some of His wonders and actually followed Him around some maybe
and ridiculed Him some maybe. But I mean those people that
was converted that day, there's no telling how many miracles
that they had seen the Lord Jesus do themselves. No telling how
many of them had been at the cross mocking the Lord Jesus
Christ. And oh my, they've seen his miracles,
heard his teaching, but these men, he said they continue steadfast
in the apostles' doctrine. Apostles were chosen. They was
chosen of God to a particular place and a particular position
and a particular power. They had authority that nobody
else had authority of. Look what it says in verse 43
down there, it says, and many wonders and signs were done by
the apostles. Many wonders and signs. And Lord,
let me show you something in 2 Corinthians. Keep action. Look
over in 2 Corinthians 2.12. You know, the thing about an
apostle was, he could do things that nobody else could do. Nobody
else could do. You know, Paul just looked at
a feller. Just looked at a man one time.
He said, get up, just get up. Peter, God gave him such power
and such abilities and such authority that his shadow, They would lay
people out in the street and lay them in the street so if
Peter walked by and his shadow went over them, they'd be healed
by his shadow. That ain't happening now. And
they didn't, they didn't, they didn't have hospitals. Those
fellows said, well listen, first they need help for us and hope
for us. We're gonna have to be where somebody's got some power
and authority. And God gave these men special power and special
authority. Now look what Paul said here
in 2 Corinthians 12, 12. Truly, the signs of an apostle
were wrought among you with all patience in signs and wonders
and mighty deeds. Oh, he said the works of an apostle. What are they? Wonders, signs,
miracles, mighty deeds, mighty deeds. Oh, these men had the
power, they had the abilities and things that nobody else had
and never has had and will never ever have it again. I was in
a service one time and somebody got up to say something and he
said, all the elders, all the bishops, all the ushers, and
all the apostles, you know, acknowledged all of
them like they even had apostles in the service. When Paul left this world, when
them apostles left this world, There's never been another apostle
on this earth. Nobody else has been able to
do what those men did. Nobody else could tell dead men
to get up. Nobody else could heal blind
eyes. Nobody else could heal a leopard.
Nobody else could get a lame man to get up and walk. Nobody
else. Paul, a man was dying, and Paul
was shipwrecked and spent three months on the Isle of Malta.
And he was putting wood on the fire, and a great old big viper
laid hold on his arm. And they said this man must be
a murderer or something. And said vengeance is not going
to suffer him to live. He just shook that thing off
in the fire. And they watched him and watched
him. And they thought, well, listen. And here's this man who
run this whole island. The main person there was dying.
Bleeding to death. Bleeding to death. Paul went
over there, prayed for it, laid hands on it, and it got up just
that quick. Now ain't nobody else can do
that. If you get to bleeding bad enough, you better get to
the hospital right now, because I ain't going to do nothing for
you. But that's what these idiots Miracle workers and healers,
why in the world don't they go to the hospital and start there?
Why don't they go to children's hospitals and start there? If
they've got any power, any ability to do anything for anybody, plus
as I go, as I go to a children's hospital and start emptying out
them children's hospitals. So save them mom and daddies
for all their fear and worry and anxiety. I'd go in there
and tell them little children, say, oh listen, God, God, that's
the first place I'd start. Go save for mother and daddy
and uncles and aunts and everything, the grief and everything they
go through with their babies. But oh, they ain't gonna do that.
But these apostles had this great power and they continued in the
apostles' doctrine. Oh, what a blessed doctrine it
was. That word doctrine just means teaching. And you know
all they had to teach from was the Old Testament. And they could
start in Genesis They started in Genesis 1 1 in the beginning
in the beginning and They would not stop until they got to Malachi
and they could preach Christ from Genesis 1 1 all the way
to Malachi chapter 4 and verse 1 when the son of righteousness
shall Arise with healing in his wings and the messenger of the
covenant shall suddenly appear at the temple Started out with
Christ and ended up with Christ And that's all they had to do
with. And they brought, oh my, they brought praise and doctrine,
and they had a wonderful, wonderful, I'm gonna preach on the apostles'
creed pretty soon. But these people, they continued,
verse 42, they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. Look
what else it says in verse 42. See, these people based their
experiences on the word of God. And they tested their experience
by the word, breaking bread. Oh my, that means they regularly
observed the Lord's table. Breaking bread, breaking bread. And then they continued in prayers.
And that's, you know, I was reading some commentators and they said,
breaking bread and prayers, praying. Breaking bread and praying, not
just prayers, but praying. And they come up praying, and
I'll tell you what, and then look what else it says there.
I love this right here. In verse 43, and it says, they
continued the apostles' doctrine in fellowship. They had fellowship. With who? With the apostles.
How would you like to have fellowship with Peter, John, and James? He's walking around fellowshiping
with these fellas. Eating with them, walking with
them, talking with them. And that fellowship means a common
participation in, and a common participation in God. And then it says, in all my, and then look what it said here
now. You know now in verse 43. And fear came upon every soul,
and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. Oh my. You know, this tells us that
they had such reverence and such power. Fear came upon them. I mean, it's not a fear like
a slavish fear, a fear of God, an awe for God, a reverence for
God. A reverence for his word, a reverence for his word, reverence
for these men who was preaching the gospel. And I'll tell you,
a feeling of awe and reverence came upon every soul. Oh, it
came upon every one of them souls. And them apostles, they walked
them around, find them all the things that they did, the wonders
and all that. And then look what it said again
there in verse 44. And all that believed, listen
to this, I love this, were together. All that believed were together. Every one of us here tonight,
we're together. All that believed, they were
together. Oh my, they didn't go in every direction, they were
together. Oh my goodness, they were together.
And look what else it says. And they had all things common. Well, they had a common faith.
They had a common love. They had a common, Christ was
common to them. The apostles were common to them.
And common don't mean common in the sense that it's just common.
It means that they all had the same thing. All had the same
thing. And then look what else they
were. Oh, you're talking about model church. And they were generous. In verse 45. And they had all
things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted
them to all, as every man had did. Oh, they were generous. They were generous. Some of them
had some possessions. They found out somebody was in
great need. Had a greater much need than
they did. Well, they sold them possessions. They sold them. And the goods that they had,
they took and sold them. And then they took it and gave
it to every man who had need. Huh? Oh my. Soul possessions, good. Gave
as they had need. Now let me tell you something. This was not communism. This
is not communism. When they had all things come,
this is not communism. Communism is a political position. What
it forces everybody to share, making all to have the same share,
all of them to have the same thing. The first colonists that
came to America, they tried communism. They all come in here and they
said they're all going to put everything in one common, all
in one pot. All everything that they had,
they're going to put it in one place. And anybody could come
in now and get what they needed. Well, the only thing with that
was, that a few people done all the work and put all the goods
and they put it over here and in here comes about 25 who didn't
do anything and they come over and start taking away from the
people that didn't. And next thing you know almost all of
them starved to death that first winter. And several of them did. Communism don't work. Now if
you have something in common, you know somebody's in need,
and I'll tell you what, that's one of the most blessed things.
Our Lord says it's more blessed to give than to receive. When
you know somebody's in need, there's not a person in this
building that wouldn't stand up and try their best to meet
that need. Do without yourself to help them
fit their need. And then I'll tell you something
else. It's not socialism, not socialism. And socialism, They
said you can have your own things, but I'll tell you what I'm going
to do. If you got more than somebody else has, what we're going to
do is we're going to take what you got, and we're going to take
part of what you got, and part of what you got, and part of
what you got, and we're going to take it and share it over
here with this fellow here. We're going to tax you, take
your money from you, and give it over here to these fellows
that ain't going to do nothing. That's socialism. You know? And you know who measures the
standard? Of how much everybody gets? Whoever it is that sets
the standard. Well, how much do you need? There was this, this is just
mind blowing to me, but there has been politicians that said
that every American ought to get a minimum from the government
of $1,000 a month. Now you know the government ain't
gonna get no money unless they get it from us. They don't make,
they don't make, they don't, they don't, and that's what,
that's what socialism is. Listen, you got $100, he's only
got, he's only got 10. So I'm gonna take 10 from you,
10 from you, 10 from you, 10 from you, till this guy over
here got $90 and you all got 70 left. And he's got, he's got
a whole hundred down. That's what socialism is. But
somebody says, now this is how much you're supposed to have.
Well, I just don't like that. Do you Larry? I don't like that.
I hate for somebody to put their hand in my pocket. Don't you? Oh my. But all the communism
and socialism is never It's done by force,
it's never done willingly. But I'll tell you, these people,
these people here, they were not forced to give. They done
it because they saw a need and they wanted that need to be met.
And I didn't care anything about it. These people, in one place
they took up an offering for all the poor people that were
in Jerusalem one time. They took up a great big offering
and Paul and Silas took it all the way to Jerusalem and gave
it to the people that were so poor. because there was a dearth
in the land at that time. But these people weren't forced
to give. They sold their possessions and goods. They were doing it
out of love. They were doing it because they
were generous. God gave to them, they saw a need, and they met
it. And oh, let me show you this
then, I've got to hurry. In verse 46, they were a worshiping
and very, very joyful, joyful church. Look what it says. and
they continuing daily with one accord, oh my, continuing in
one accord, unity of power, unity of purpose, and oh, they had
this one accord, and they loved to go to the temple, they loved
to go to where the Lord's people were, they loved to go there,
and the temple is, of course, they gathered in the temple,
and then this is Solomon's porch, that's the court of the Gentiles,
and they would all gather up there, Every day, they'd gather
up there every day. And then this breaking of bread
from house to house. You know what they did? They
ate with gladness. And breaking of bread from house
to house, did they eat their meat with gladness and single-ups
heart. You know what they did? They visited one another and
ate together. and enjoyed one another. Let's
go eat over at So-and-so's house today. Let's go over at this
house today. We're going to, and they was glad and joyful. They went to one another's houses
and went from house to house with gladness and singleness
of heart. Oh, they had, their hearts were single, united. And
oh my, they was so glad and so joyful and so happy. And I tell
you, they had singleness of heart means liberality of heart. They were glad and generous hearts.
And oh my, they went from house to house eating with me. They ate their food together
in gladness and singleness of heart. Oh, they was a happy worshiping
people. Went to worship. And then look
what it says now. It is a growing church. It says
there they were praising God. Praising God. You know it, And we got so much
to praise Him for. Just to praise Him for being
God. Praise Him for the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise Him for
His word. Praise Him for our brothers and
sisters. Praise Him for the gospel. Praise Him for our salvation.
There's so much to praise God about. And then it says here,
and they had favor with all the people, talking about the apostles
now, and all these people that was converted. They all had favor
with the people. That means that they were, people
looked on them with favor. Well, these are fine people. They're wonderful people. I tell
you what, we need to be identified with their people. And listen
to this now. It was a growing church, and
the Lord added to the church. You know what that means? Huh? Oh, the Lord added to the church
daily such as should be saved. Now if it'd been the church today,
you know what they'd have been talking about? Boy, we're doing
a great, great work. Oh, look at the great work we're
doing here. We're building a great church. And man, you wouldn't
believe how many souls we're winning. We won 3,000 today.
We're gonna have to build another building to get them all in.
But no, no, it says the Lord added. You know what that means?
Salvation to the Lord. Salvation to the Lord. The Lord
added. Now you know people can join a church but the Lord's
got to add you to the church. You can't get in the church unless
Christ the God puts you in it. The Lord added. Salvation to
the Lord. And here's something else. Of
all these 3,000 people that were saved, God had to save every
one of them individually. There was 3,000 at one time but
every one of them was saved individually. They had to meet God individually,
deal with God individually, worship God individually. And I tell
you, they enjoyed being together. And people become Christians,
people become believers by believing Christ for themselves. And oh
my, they come one at a time, and when they come, they come
into the church, and it says the Lord added, added to the
church. And I love this right here. such
as should, should be saved. Not might be saved. I hope they'll
get saved. But should be saved. When somebody
should be saved, they're added to the church. Oh, the gospel,
you just can't, it just, you just can't, it's the most glorious
thing I've ever heard. It's the most blessed thing.
Well, let us pray and give thanks. Our Father, oh blessed God in
heaven, how precious, how holy, how glorious you are. Thank you
for allowing us to worship here tonight. Thank you for your word.
Oh Lord, it's got such power, such liberty, and such freedom,
and such comfort, such assurance. And Lord, we just look at words,
and the words add so much. Just a word, just a sentence,
changes something altogether, makes it come alive. Oh Lord,
bless you. God bless these dear saints as
they go home tonight. Give them a good night's rest.
Bless them and keep them through the week. And Lord, for those
who are not with us tonight, for reasons that you know, through
sickness, through providence, Lord, we pray for your great
mercies, your great compassions, and your abundant grace be given
to them for Christ's sake. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Lord,
for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me
whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to
me Thy great salvation so rich and free.