Let the Great Commission begin....
The disciples have learned to listen to what Jesus says by this time so when He said, "Wait" they waited and the Holy Spirit did come and they were equipped to go out with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many get hung up on the way the Holy Spirit came or the described physical events that happened but I am more interested in what happened after that. Peter, the one who cowered to a little girl in the outer courtyard when Jesus was on trial, stands before the assembled crowd and preaches a sermon that should be the model for all sermons to follow.
One aspect of Peter's sermon is that he uses the Bible as the textbook to explain what was happening. The Old Testament passages were used to give clarity to what they were experiencing. Today we also have the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to draw upon. The sermons we give today should follow this example to go to "the Book" for explanation and clarity to the world we live it.
Another aspect of Peter's sermon was the focal point of proclaiming that Jesus is the risen Lord. They were eye witnesses of it and made a public confession and proclamation of Jesus is the Messiah. Our sermons today need that fact spoken by those whose lives have been transformed by the Lord and giving testimony of why we are assembling.
Yet another aspect of Peter's sermon is the clear invitation to others to accept the facts of God's plan to send a Savior and the completion of that plan. It is a clear invitation to follow through with that awareness with personal repentance and baptism (public witness of loyalty) to Jesus. On our level this is just the start of our walk with Jesus and the start of the process of discipleship. Our sermons today need this message of new life in Jesus Christ. This is a message to us and to our children.
I fear and witness that many of our sermons and gathering times do not include these elements on a regular basis. Maybe we feel the message is "too simple" or that it get old, "We have heard this before." So we swing to the other end of the spectrum and the Scripture is something we refer to put a footnote to our moral change and Jesus goes from being Savior to being another great teacher who lived what He preached.
It was another challenge to me this Sunday to take a serious look at "how" Peter preached this first sermon. I recognized that what caused the people to respond "What shall we do?" was the reading and explaining of the Word about the risen Lord. In our world of sound bytes and glitzy slick programs we have adopted too many of the world's ways to draw people into the church when Peter used the Scripture and speaking of the risen Lord and his own testimony of this event to keep the glory of God on Him and not on himself or what he was saying and doing.
Lord, please help us to keep our services "You focused" and saturated with You.
Adam
One aspect of Peter's sermon is that he uses the Bible as the textbook to explain what was happening. The Old Testament passages were used to give clarity to what they were experiencing. Today we also have the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to draw upon. The sermons we give today should follow this example to go to "the Book" for explanation and clarity to the world we live it.
Another aspect of Peter's sermon was the focal point of proclaiming that Jesus is the risen Lord. They were eye witnesses of it and made a public confession and proclamation of Jesus is the Messiah. Our sermons today need that fact spoken by those whose lives have been transformed by the Lord and giving testimony of why we are assembling.
Yet another aspect of Peter's sermon is the clear invitation to others to accept the facts of God's plan to send a Savior and the completion of that plan. It is a clear invitation to follow through with that awareness with personal repentance and baptism (public witness of loyalty) to Jesus. On our level this is just the start of our walk with Jesus and the start of the process of discipleship. Our sermons today need this message of new life in Jesus Christ. This is a message to us and to our children.
I fear and witness that many of our sermons and gathering times do not include these elements on a regular basis. Maybe we feel the message is "too simple" or that it get old, "We have heard this before." So we swing to the other end of the spectrum and the Scripture is something we refer to put a footnote to our moral change and Jesus goes from being Savior to being another great teacher who lived what He preached.
It was another challenge to me this Sunday to take a serious look at "how" Peter preached this first sermon. I recognized that what caused the people to respond "What shall we do?" was the reading and explaining of the Word about the risen Lord. In our world of sound bytes and glitzy slick programs we have adopted too many of the world's ways to draw people into the church when Peter used the Scripture and speaking of the risen Lord and his own testimony of this event to keep the glory of God on Him and not on himself or what he was saying and doing.
Lord, please help us to keep our services "You focused" and saturated with You.
Adam
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