FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF LITCHFIELD
Unpacking Pentecost: Gospel Fueled Spirit Empowered Mission Part 2 Acts 2:36-47
God 's mission to restore His kingdom has always been through gospel-fueled Spirit-empowered broken people. Repentance is a gift of God for salvation. The Spirit regenerates the sinner's heart using the Word to produce godly sorrow over sin. The sinner's right response is to repent and be saved. Once the sinner repents they are baptized with the Holy Spirit into the community of God, and are now empowered to joyfully advance the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus in the church, community, and home.
Locations & Times
First Baptist Church Litchfield
608 N Van Buren St, Litchfield, IL 62056, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Unpacking Pentecost:
Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered Mission Part 2
Acts 2:36-47
God 's mission to restore His kingdom has always been through gospel-fueled Spirit-empowered broken people. Broken people are sinners whose heart needs to be regenerated (Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered) by the Holy Spirit in order to joyfully advance God’s kingdom by making much of Jesus in the church, community, and home.
II. The Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered People
(2:37-41)
“Cut to the Heart” = Sorrow over their sin
Salvation is a Spirit-Empowered Process
1. People do not naturally understand the gospel.
Jeremiah 17:10- Deceitful Heart
Ezekiel 11:19- Heart of Stone
Ephesians 2:1-3- Dead Heart
Matthew 11:16-24 Jesus must reveal Himself
John 6:44-45- The Father must drag you to Jesus
2. The Spirit must regenerate (make alive) your heart to see.
John 3:3- You must be born again to see God's Kingdom
Ezekiel 36:25-27- God must change your heart of stone to one of flesh for you to obey
3. The Spirit uses God’s Word as an instrument for regeneration (make alive).
Hebrews 4:12- God's Word is living and effective
James 1:18 God's word used for the new birth
Peter Preaches a Spirit-Empowered Word= People respond "What must we do?"
It is imperative we preach the full gospel without worry people’s opinions of us but of their opinion of themselves.
“Sowers of the Gospel, this should be our aim in our sermons; not that men should be part pleased with us, but that they should be part displeased with themselves; not that our conceits should be thought by them good, but that their own habits should be thought by them bad; their lives, their pastimes, their ambition, and, in short, all their sins. So that they are discontented with themselves, let them be discontented with us, and welcome.” THOMAS À KEMPIS
4. The Spirit “cuts the heart” with Godly grief to produce repentance.
“When they heard Peter’s message, they were “cut to the heart.”’
“10 For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death." 2 Corinthians 7:10
"The difference between worldly sorrow and Godly sorrow is like the difference between a child being upset they got caught doing something wrong versus being ashamed they did something to offend their parent’s honor."
5. A Repentant Heart is a Right Response (2:38-40)
“What must we do to be saved?
Cut to the heart = convinced they are in serious trouble.
“Repent and be baptized.” (v38)= “Save yourself” (v40)
Repentance Confesses Faith
Romans 10:9-10- Confess with your mouth believe in your heart
We are justified by faith (not baptism)
Romans 3:28
Romans 4:5
Romans 10:4
Baptism is an expression of your faith.
"Baptism is the outward expression of an inward reality."
TP: Two Points to Consider:
1. You cannot save yourself. Salvation is a Spirit-empowered act.
"3 Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit."
1 Corinthians 12:3
2. God 's mission to restore His kingdom has always been through gospel-fueled Spirit-empowered broken people. Broken people are sinners who have no ability to save themselves from God’s wrath. God empowers them by taking his Spirit, regenerating the sinners’ heart (makes it alive), producing sorrow over sin that leads to repentance that leads to salvation. Then He pours out His Spirit to live inside the regenerated sinner.
If you have repented of your sin and confess Jesus Christ as Lord, you have experienced the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. You are the recipient of His saving grace.
"8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9
Do you feel convicted over your sin?
Don't ignore the Holy Spirit.
Have you repented of your sin?
God has given you the ability to do so!
Have you accepted Jesus Christ's gift of salvation?
All whom the Father draws will be saved!
III. The Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered Church
(2:42-47)
God made us for community. We are better in community.
Nine Characteristics of the Spirit-Empowered Church:
1. Apostles Teaching (42b)
Evangelize the Lost:
The instrument the Holy Spirit uses to regenerate dead hearts.
Edify Believers:
“Grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ"
2. Fellowship (42b) koinonia
“Believers were so bonded that if one was in need, the others did not feel they had the right to live on in prosperity without giving up something to meet the need. So they would sell possessions and use the money to meet the needs of the poor in the church.” John Piper
50% of Americans feel isolated and lonely
"Maybe the reason Americans are so lonely is that we have traded koinonia for capitalism. We have sold our souls to materialism at the cost of our fellowship."
3. Worship (42b)
4. Prayers (42b)
5. Unity (44)
6. Generosity (45)
7. Hospitality (46)
8. Effective Ministry (43, 47)
9. Evangelism (47)
To sum it up: the Spirit-empowered early church focused a lot on the teaching of the apostles, experienced wonders and signs of God in healings and deliverances and changed lives of people being added to the church, shared their possessions as freely with the needy as though they didn't even own them, spent time in big groups in the temple, ate together in their homes almost every day, and when they met each other, they met God. They prayed and they praised.
The unity and community of the early church is reflective of the unity and community of the Trinity.
"Woe to him that is alone. David was alone when Satan drew him to defile his neighbor’s wife. While the sheep flock together, they are safe, as being under the shepherd’s eye. But if one straggle from the rest, it is quickly a prey to the ravenous wolf. It is no hard matter to rob that house that stands far from neighbors. The cruel pirate Satan watches for those vessels that sail without a convoy.” George Swinnock
TP: We were made for community. We are better in community. We have been empowered to live in community with each other and to transform Litchfield with the empowerment of the church. God 's mission to restore His kingdom has always been through gospel-fueled Spirit-empowered broken people. He takes broken people and redeems them to live in community with himself and other believers. He empowers people to be united in the gospel for the sake of advancing his kingdom by transforming our community. We do this together in the Spirit.
Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered Mission Part 2
Acts 2:36-47
God 's mission to restore His kingdom has always been through gospel-fueled Spirit-empowered broken people. Broken people are sinners whose heart needs to be regenerated (Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered) by the Holy Spirit in order to joyfully advance God’s kingdom by making much of Jesus in the church, community, and home.
II. The Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered People
(2:37-41)
“Cut to the Heart” = Sorrow over their sin
Salvation is a Spirit-Empowered Process
1. People do not naturally understand the gospel.
Jeremiah 17:10- Deceitful Heart
Ezekiel 11:19- Heart of Stone
Ephesians 2:1-3- Dead Heart
Matthew 11:16-24 Jesus must reveal Himself
John 6:44-45- The Father must drag you to Jesus
2. The Spirit must regenerate (make alive) your heart to see.
John 3:3- You must be born again to see God's Kingdom
Ezekiel 36:25-27- God must change your heart of stone to one of flesh for you to obey
3. The Spirit uses God’s Word as an instrument for regeneration (make alive).
Hebrews 4:12- God's Word is living and effective
James 1:18 God's word used for the new birth
Peter Preaches a Spirit-Empowered Word= People respond "What must we do?"
It is imperative we preach the full gospel without worry people’s opinions of us but of their opinion of themselves.
“Sowers of the Gospel, this should be our aim in our sermons; not that men should be part pleased with us, but that they should be part displeased with themselves; not that our conceits should be thought by them good, but that their own habits should be thought by them bad; their lives, their pastimes, their ambition, and, in short, all their sins. So that they are discontented with themselves, let them be discontented with us, and welcome.” THOMAS À KEMPIS
4. The Spirit “cuts the heart” with Godly grief to produce repentance.
“When they heard Peter’s message, they were “cut to the heart.”’
“10 For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death." 2 Corinthians 7:10
"The difference between worldly sorrow and Godly sorrow is like the difference between a child being upset they got caught doing something wrong versus being ashamed they did something to offend their parent’s honor."
5. A Repentant Heart is a Right Response (2:38-40)
“What must we do to be saved?
Cut to the heart = convinced they are in serious trouble.
“Repent and be baptized.” (v38)= “Save yourself” (v40)
Repentance Confesses Faith
Romans 10:9-10- Confess with your mouth believe in your heart
We are justified by faith (not baptism)
Romans 3:28
Romans 4:5
Romans 10:4
Baptism is an expression of your faith.
"Baptism is the outward expression of an inward reality."
TP: Two Points to Consider:
1. You cannot save yourself. Salvation is a Spirit-empowered act.
"3 Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit."
1 Corinthians 12:3
2. God 's mission to restore His kingdom has always been through gospel-fueled Spirit-empowered broken people. Broken people are sinners who have no ability to save themselves from God’s wrath. God empowers them by taking his Spirit, regenerating the sinners’ heart (makes it alive), producing sorrow over sin that leads to repentance that leads to salvation. Then He pours out His Spirit to live inside the regenerated sinner.
If you have repented of your sin and confess Jesus Christ as Lord, you have experienced the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. You are the recipient of His saving grace.
"8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9
Do you feel convicted over your sin?
Don't ignore the Holy Spirit.
Have you repented of your sin?
God has given you the ability to do so!
Have you accepted Jesus Christ's gift of salvation?
All whom the Father draws will be saved!
III. The Gospel Fueled Spirit-Empowered Church
(2:42-47)
God made us for community. We are better in community.
Nine Characteristics of the Spirit-Empowered Church:
1. Apostles Teaching (42b)
Evangelize the Lost:
The instrument the Holy Spirit uses to regenerate dead hearts.
Edify Believers:
“Grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ"
2. Fellowship (42b) koinonia
“Believers were so bonded that if one was in need, the others did not feel they had the right to live on in prosperity without giving up something to meet the need. So they would sell possessions and use the money to meet the needs of the poor in the church.” John Piper
50% of Americans feel isolated and lonely
"Maybe the reason Americans are so lonely is that we have traded koinonia for capitalism. We have sold our souls to materialism at the cost of our fellowship."
3. Worship (42b)
4. Prayers (42b)
5. Unity (44)
6. Generosity (45)
7. Hospitality (46)
8. Effective Ministry (43, 47)
9. Evangelism (47)
To sum it up: the Spirit-empowered early church focused a lot on the teaching of the apostles, experienced wonders and signs of God in healings and deliverances and changed lives of people being added to the church, shared their possessions as freely with the needy as though they didn't even own them, spent time in big groups in the temple, ate together in their homes almost every day, and when they met each other, they met God. They prayed and they praised.
The unity and community of the early church is reflective of the unity and community of the Trinity.
"Woe to him that is alone. David was alone when Satan drew him to defile his neighbor’s wife. While the sheep flock together, they are safe, as being under the shepherd’s eye. But if one straggle from the rest, it is quickly a prey to the ravenous wolf. It is no hard matter to rob that house that stands far from neighbors. The cruel pirate Satan watches for those vessels that sail without a convoy.” George Swinnock
TP: We were made for community. We are better in community. We have been empowered to live in community with each other and to transform Litchfield with the empowerment of the church. God 's mission to restore His kingdom has always been through gospel-fueled Spirit-empowered broken people. He takes broken people and redeems them to live in community with himself and other believers. He empowers people to be united in the gospel for the sake of advancing his kingdom by transforming our community. We do this together in the Spirit.
