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FULL WRITTEN TRANSCRIPT REVIVAL #3: PETER'S ACCOUNT INTRODUCTION
In our last message together we were in Acts chapter two. It is the first great message of the Christian church. Pop quiz; who is speaking?
What happens is a guide for any revival, but more than that; it is a path for anyone who would simply; get right with God. None of us will ever be perfect in this life, but what would it be worth to you to know you are in a solid, positive relationship with the God of the universe?
In a nutshell, here is how Acts 2 tells it: · God directly empowers believers and speaks through them. · The event is so out of the ordinary, it confuses the world. · The only people who could explain it are those involved. · There is only one explanation; the presence of God. · The world reacts in one of two ways: there are moved, or they mock.
· Peter boldly explains: he begins in Scripture. “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” This is what it looks like when God pours out His Spirit on all flesh.
· The explanation revolves around Jesus the Christ, Messiah, a man attested by God. He is obedient, sacrificed, resurrected, and exalted. The beauty of Christ, the hope of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ, the majesty of Christ, the Godship of Christ, the Scriptural proof of Christ; and then the punch line.
· YOU killed Him. It begins to sink in: The guilt; you killed Him. The agony; you killed Him. “This Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” ….You have killed your only savior; how does that feel? You’ve killed the most important being in the universe; how does that feel?
For those who mocked, it meant nothing, but for those moved, for those who would find life, they were cut to the heart. They must be cut to the heart. A right relationship with God does not begin until you and I are cut to the heart.
Why does the positive process of coming to life in God, have to begin with such a negative as being “cut to the heart”? Is that really the only way? There are teachers in the western church today that point us directly toward prosperity; faith is synonymous with “name it and claim it”, a spiritual walk is wrapped up in “thinking positive.” Let’s incorporate a little modern psychology; build self-value, feel good about yourself, that’s the real objective isn’t it? After all, aren’t you already precious to God so why the negativity? Why be cut to the heart?
Let’s say the cross over here represents the presence of God. If we could be within touching distance we could feel it directly, our experience of God would be so concrete. Considering the perfection of God; who wouldn’t want to be here!
Now, this is what “salvation” is. It is a wonderful condition of coming to spiritual life. But your experience of God really starts way over here. (Distant from the cross.) Salvation is being awakened. You have a real connection, but your experience with God is far from complete. If the air is blowing just right, perhaps you can even catch the scent of the wood. You see the texture, you have an idea what it must feel like; but you have not fully experienced it. Much of your relationship is intellectual and not experiential.
If our thinking never gets beyond the issue of “being saved”, as vital as that is, you and I will never get beyond this point. (The distance) -And that means your life experience in this world will remain pretty much the same as the world’s experience.
You will divorce just as much as the world; you will worry just as much; you will respond in much the same way; you will be ensnared by the same things; your vision and purpose of life will never be any higher; your emotions and reasoning will fall in the same ruts. I could read you survey and statistic to prove that is exactly what IS happening. ….We follow the One who conquered death, and that is the depth of our experience; what a tragedy!
Scripture says the key to a real experience of God is always the same essence: It starts with being “cut to the heart.”
Even after we find salvation, human nature has a way of producing baggage. (Drop bags between position and the cross.) Some of these bags are unresolved wounds, or perhaps regrets, but if we were to give them a universal name, we’d call them sin. ….But what exactly is sin?
Even an ordinary dictionary opens some wonderful insights. I love this three-part definition: 1. A transgression of religious or moral law 2. Deliberate disobedience to the known Will of God 3. A condition of estrangement from God resulting from such disobedience.
So sin is both the baggage; and the condition of the baggage: distance. Anything that causes distance is by definition, “sin.” Let that definition challenge you; don’t ask yourself what “wrong” you have done, ask; what is causing you distance from God?
So there it is, all this “baggage”; obstacles between me and the cross. It is a spiritual impossibility to get from here to there because the bags are in the way. And if you think you can simply walk around them, you are just fooling yourself; spiritual life doesn’t work that way. The “bags” have to be dealt with; they have to be removed to get closer.
That sounds straight-forward enough; but here’s the hitch: These bags have a challenging property. They can be very sticky. Some of these bags are sticky because we love them; even as we hate them. Some we’ve become so comfortable with, we don’t want to lose them; they’ve become part of our identity. Some bags hang on in hidden places and we don’t even realize they are there.
Here’s even more disturbing news; mankind continues to evolve its relationship with our “bags.”
Back a few generations, the tendency was to hide the bags. “Bag? What bag?” Society realized certain things were shameful. People did them but made a science out of hiding them. ….But once they were exposed, the battle could be won. And when people were broken-hearted at the shame of the clutter between them and God, the entire world was changed by the great spiritual awakenings.
In the boomer generation, the trend became redefining the “bags.” “No, that’s not a bag man!” It’s not promiscuity or adultery; it’s “free love.” It’s not drug abuse; it’s “expanding your mind.” It was reasoning away the bags. But if it could be proven that a bag by any other name is still a bag; the battle could be won. And when young people began to realize, we had a tremendous movement of youth towards Christ, the ripples of it were felt from the 60’s all the way to the 80’s.
Then we come to the postmodern generation This generation realizes that logic can have its limits, so they are not easily fooled. They deal in quick-moving imagery and look for reality in bite-sized bits; they are compelled by what moves them inside. They have the potential to be the most honest of any generation; and yet they are the most disconnected from any absolute truth.
As I look at them I have the greatest hope, and the greatest fear for any generation; and this is why: They see the “bags,” for the most part, they can even concede to the idea that they are wrong, but they just don’t care. I had a conversation with Katie where she put it in interesting terms. She said this generation is “schizophrenic” in their spiritual and moral views. That is to say, they can believe in God, and at the same time, have no problem disregarding what is understood as the Will of God.
I see it in pre-marriage counseling. There are more and more young couples who come to me, wanting to get married before God. Pretty much without exception, they even want the traditional vows, but they are living together outside of marriage. Someone from our generation goes, “Don’t you see a logical conflict there?” And for the most part they go, “Logic? Maybe; but it’s accepted, so I’m going to do it and not feel the least bit bad about it.”
If you can see the “baggage”, and you realize what it is and you just don’t care; how can that battle be won? What will happen when an entire generation sees no need to remove the baggage? It can only have one outcome; distance from God. ….Unless something changes.
Do you see why we are pushing so hard for a new way to reach the young? Do you see how urgent it is? Do you see why we’ve spent the summer training in some of the best and latest teaching materials?
Even so; regardless of what generation you belong, we are still subject to the same spiritual absolute: we cannot get close to the “cross” unless we remove the “bags.”
Hebrews 12 1. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2. looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…
We do it with realization, admission, and exchange. What exchange; for each obstacle surrendered, we gain a little more closeness to God; “bags” for “distance.”
Sin; your sin is two things: An act (willful disobedience) and a condition (distance from God). There are two crowds: the moved and the mocking.
In Acts 2, the result for those moved, is this: Pardon in the courts of heaven, freedom to really live, liberty, forgiveness, and deliverance.
It was joy and gladness, eyes opened to the full majesty and power of God, or holy fear; the ability to continue- in true teaching, unity, and open communication with God. -A loss of confusion, ignorance, disappointment and discouragement.
Does any of that sound like the experience you want to have; in God? Then you know what you have to do. “Baggage control.” Start and never stop.
It is going to be a spiritual exercise in what we’ve just heard. Step one: Take a piece of paper, write down one of the obstacles, one of the “bags” in your life. Step two: Come up to the communion “cross” and make an exchange; drop your obstacle, your sin into the trash can under the cross take the bread and dip it.
This morning could be the beginning of a closer walk with Christ; a fuller experience. It begins with an honest resolve.
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