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Acts 2 records, as we title it, the first Gospel sermon. The events and the conversation that Peter had with the men in Jerusalem was prompted by, facilitated by and authorized by the Holy Spirit and the miraculously filling of the apostles. The first sermon was facilitated by the first miracle manifested from the Holy Spirit, …”and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4, ESV). It is my belief that nothing is coincidental in how God presents the scripture to his children. Let us consider the reason why speaking in tongues was required in the first place.
Genesis 11:1 states that “the whole earth had one language and the same words”. Because they had one language and able to communicate so well to each other the LORD said “this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.” (Gen 11: 6). When you look at this out of context I ask “what is the problem?” I would love to be able to say because my children communicate so well nothing will be impossible for them to do. However, God points out that it was a heart issue.
We see this in verse 4, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” This was in clear violation of God’s decree to Noah as they left the ark, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1). God came down and confused their language and dispersed them over the face of all the earth (Gen 11:9). They stopped listening to God and defined their own plans.
Fast forward about 2000 years and God presents his perfect plan to every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5) in their own language. In Genesis 11 God established that good communication and corporation leads mankind to accomplish anything we desire to do. That fact creates an imperative to the importance of the message spoken. At the same time, we are reminded of the long standing consequences of not obeying God’s commands. God miraculously overcame his intentionally established language barrier to establish the church.
That said, what does the first gospel sermon establish:
1. God’s Plan all along
a. This day was foretold by the prophet Joel (v17)
b. "Definite plan and foreknowledge of God" (v23)
2. God’s is almighty
a. Works were done through Jesus, witnessed by man (v22)
b. Not even death is stronger than God (v24)
3. Jesus is heir to the throne
a. In heaven: exalted at the right hand of God (v33)
b. David’s throne: David calls Jesus his Lord (v34)
JESUS has been made both LORD and CHRIST.
The results of the first gospel sermon were thousands of baptisms (v41) and the Lord adding daily as should be saved (v47). Also, they had all things in common. They returned to how it was in the plain of Shinar. They were working towards one goal. Getting into heaven. This time using God’s plan instead of their own.
At times, I create my own plan and wonder why it ends in confusion. The story of the tower to heaven lets me know why. If I am not following God’s plan, confusion will reign. However, if I let Christ reign even the impossible can be accomplished.
As we get ready to enter a new year let us be like the first brethren and say “Christ, what is it I need to do”, where would you have me go, what would you have me do? When our first century brethren had good communication with Christ and worked together they turned the first century “upside down” (Acts 17:6). Let us not be timid in our oneness with Christ. Let us remember that when we are one with HIM, GOD has said that “nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them”.
I am not a numbers person. I am a word person. Thus you have been very patient with me these 22 years. You would have preferred a preacher who delivered tight little packages of outlines you could follow with your fill-in-the-blank sheet on the back of the Sunday announcement page, or who served up bullet points each Sunday on a screen above our heads. Instead you have had to endure a preacher who delivers one linear thought (without a screen), and who insists you listen, and not work ahead on the work-sheet. For a congregation filled with engineers, project managers, and math teachers my style is not the best fit – but you have been patient.
I have made so little accommodation to the congregational left-brain over the years that I sometimes forget to be careful how I use numbers when I do use them. Last Sunday, during Bible class, I talked about probabilities – 90%, and 65% probabilities. My daughter Julia (both a numbers and a word person) said, “Dad, the minute you mentioned probabilities everyone’s eyes lit up and half the people stopped listening so they could crunch the numbers.” She was right. I lost some of you for a minute,
The verse we were studying was I John 2.1 – specifically the phrase I am writing this that you may not sin. If anyone does sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. We were trying to reconcile sin as a possibility in I John 2.1, with John’s description of it as certitude in 1.5-10. I have wrestled with this for 30 years, and thought I had a breakthrough. At the risk of losing some of you again, let me repeat my thought.
If I make 100 moral choices in a day, and choose to do wrong 10 times – I have also chosen to do right 90 times. The means for any isolated choice the 90% probability is that I will not sin. Righteousness is the likely response of a person walking in the light. This is true even for a person who makes 35 bad choices out of 100. It is right and proper for John to describe sin as certitude in chapter 1, and a possibility in chapter 2.
The problem is this – when I start talking about being good 65%, or 90% of the time I start sounding like God is involved in double entry book-keeping. I start to sound like I’m asserting works salvation.
Luckily Mickey Yost spoke up and reminded us that we are saved by grace or not at all. Thank you, Mickey.
The point John makes is a necessary one, nonetheless. If we are walking in the light there is an expectation of righteousness, and of growth in righteousness. Without Chapter 2.1-2 we could easily be discouraged by sin, or feel we have been given license to sin.
One could read those lines about us all sinning and feel we will never do better. One could read those lines about the blood continually cleansing us, and Jesus being faithful to forgive us and think we have two get-out-of-jail-free cards. In describing sin as only a possibility, and saying that he expects we “may not sin,” John is reminding us that we are expected to live righteous lives. We have been redeemed. We are being sanctified. We follow a path blazed by Jesus. He walks the path with us. He is our companion and advocate every step of the way. We are given grace when we fail. We have “everything that pertains to life and godliness” (II Peter 1.3).
John is reminding us this. We have every expectation of success because we have every resource needed for success.
We don’t need numbers to quantify this.
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