May 18, 2008
Sermon by: Robert Austell
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Sermon by: Robert Austell
play/download
On this Confirmation Sunday, where six of our youth confirm the faith that God has stirred in their life, I want to look with you at the description in Acts of the Church as the covenant community. “Covenant community” is not a term used in this passage, but is a way of naming what is described in this passage: a gathering of those in whom God has worked to bring about faith, who have turned to God in repentance, and who have been forgiven according to His promise of salvation by His own hand.
I’d like to look with you at the sequence of coming to faith described in this passage, share with you briefly about the faith of the young men and women coming before you today to be confirmed, and then consider the way the ongoing life of the covenant community is described at the end of the passage.
God at Work
We have talked before about sharing our faith story. Ultimately the purpose of that is to point to the greater story of God at work in our own lives and in the world. Acts 2:36-42 tells the story of God at work with one group of people who believed. Consider the process of their salvation.
In the passage preceding, Peter has been preaching the Word of God. In correction to the accusations that the spirit-filled disciples were drunk, he declares to the gathered crowd, “These men are not drunk, but are fulfilling the promises of God through the prophet, Joel!” (Acts 2:15-16) He goes on to speak of the promised Spirit and salvation of God, culminating in testimony about Jesus in verse 36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.”
That’s the Word of God; that is the message; that is God’s story and the word of salvation – that Jesus is Lord and Christ, saving one and anointed one, by God’s will and power.
Now look at what God brought about in those who came to believe.
“Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said…. ‘What shall we do?’” (v. 37)
This is describing conviction of sin. They knew that they were not right before God and shared, directly or indirectly, in culpability for Jesus’ death. It is not necessary that you be present for the crucifixion to be responsible for it. One of the necessary realities of salvation is recognizing our sinfulness and being convicted of its tragic consequences… getting to the point of Isaiah facedown before God in Isaiah 6, “Woe is me; I am undone” and asking, “What shall I do?”
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…” (v. 38)
What shall we do? Peter says, “Repent.” That means “turn around.” It describes the change from a posture of being turned away from God to one of being turned toward God. That is what conviction of sin can lead to. It is as if, when we recognize that we may be running headlong into our own destruction, we stop momentarily to see if there is a way out. Repentance is turning around to face God. In the first moment, that can be a scarier prospect than continuing to run! But God’s promises are sure and His grace is immediate (even preceding you!).
Peter also instructs them to “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” There were other baptisms already being practiced at that time. Most close to this context, baptism was a sign of conversion to Judaism reserved for pagans. Jesus’ name marked this baptism as distinctly different, but it still would cost the mostly Jewish crowd something in terms of respectability and reputation. It was public and it specifically connected those being baptized with Jesus.
“…for the forgiveness of your sins…” (v. 38)
Baptism not only marked those who publicly repented and aligned themselves with Jesus, bit it signified God’s forgiveness of sins through Jesus. The detail of God’s work among humanity is captured here in the meaning of baptism. Hearers were baptized in Jesus’ name to signify that God accomplished forgiveness of sin through His Son, Jesus. Peter’s instructions were to repent and be marked publicly with the sign of God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
“…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off…” (vv. 38-39)
Peter continues, saying that God not only forgives sin, but also pours out His Spirit as a gracious gift. Peter has already quoted the Old Testament prophets, and his words here follow them closely. God’s ancient promise was to provide salvation by His own hand and to pour out His Spirit of blessing and presence. This promise was made first to Abraham and his children, but at the same time extended through them to all the people of the world. This is the “promise” here in v. 39. It is for the Jewish crowd, come from “far off” to the Feast of Weeks; it is a promise God has made to their children, and it is a promise made through them to all people, including each of us.
…as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (v. 39)
This is probably the phrase that people have the hardest time comprehending. It puts the salvation of souls squarely in God’s hands. It points to God’s sovereignty – that is, God’s power and wisdom. God is not surprised by anything, and more than that, is instrumental in our salvation at each point and even before were made, if you believe what is written in Ephesians.
More than a few people get their brain tied in knots over this, wanting to insist that God can’t know whether I will believe or not, and even if He does, I have the power and the right to defy God’s will. That gets right to it, doesn’t it… that it is only in recognizing that I yield to God’s will that I could begin to understand the magnitude, scope, and infinite love that underlies God’s purpose for me.
And if that logic escapes you, look where Peter put this phrase. It’s not at the beginning. You don’t lead a conversation with, “Well, you can only believe in God if He wants you to.” No, it’s at the end, as if by way of explanation, of how a hopelessly weak and sinful human being such as I could possibly be convinced of sin, turn my life around to face God, and come to trust Him in faith. Here, looking back on it, it’s because God was calling me all along.
That Day There Were Added
Today, we are welcoming six young men and women into the membership of our church. What I love about this is that you can so clearly see that God doesn’t use just one method to bring people to faith. Confirmation class isn’t about running kids through a certain program and “poof” – out come Christians on the other end. No, their faith stories are as unique as they are.
One is being baptized and the others, having already been baptized under the promise, are remembering their own baptisms and making those vows their own. Some of them trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior years ago, others did more recently. Some cannot remember a time they didn’t believe in Jesus; for others this is their first very public profession of faith. Each is recognizing God’s work in their life and knows that God has been leading them all along.
For some of them, faith is as natural and close to them as the love of their parents… something that they are choosing to embrace and receive. Others may feel like they have had to run a marathon obstacle course to get here. That’s how much “our story” can vary from person to person.
What is the same for each of them and for each of us is what underlies the individuality of your own journey of faith: God’s consistency and God’s faithfulness to keep His promises. God saves us by His own strong hand. God has come all the way down to where we are to rescue us through His own suffering and death. God calls all to repentance and faith. God invites each of us to come and see, to believe, and to trust and follow.
That’s how each of our individual and different stories points to the one story of God at work in the world, out of love for the world.
Life Goes On
The Church is a covenant community. We are that because ultimately we are drawn together here (that’s the community) by the promises and the working of God (that’s the covenant). Our children are a part of that from the earliest age because of the promise in verse 39, first made to Abraham’s children, now made to ours through Christ – that God will save all who turn to Him. How is the promise to our children different than the promise to anyone then? The difference is that the promise is spoken, proclaimed, and lived out in the covenant community – that is God’s gift and our gift to our children! The confirmation students are today confirming that reality in their own lives, and join the adult community of faith by their profession of faith.
The passage in Acts describes what the covenant community looks like. First, it is full of families of faith, intent on sharing the story and promise of God with the children of the community.
It is also described in verse 42:
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The last word I want to highlight out of this passage is “devoting.” A Christian is one who has not only been convicted of sin, turned to God, publicly professed faith in Jesus Christ as signified by baptism, but who has been filled with the Holy Spirit and continues to live devoted to God through the covenant community.
The vows I will ask the students are the same ones I ask anyone who joins this covenant community. Simplified, they are the following:
- Who is your Lord and Savior?
- Do you turn from sin and turn to God?
- Do you declare your absolute reliance upon God’s grace and forgiveness?
- Will you be devoted to the Lord through this covenant community?
In v. 42, this devotion is illustrated in several ways, which only begin to describe life committed to following Jesus Christ. We are to be devoted to the Apostles’ teaching, that is to God’s Word. We are to study it, learn it, and live it. We are to be devoted to fellowship, which is not potluck dinners so much as what we might call “church family.” We belong to each other through Christ because we belong to Christ. We are to be devoted to the breaking of the bread, understood to be the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, where we remember, celebrate, and hope in Christ’s saving death. It also refers to being in the habit of eating and making a “church home” here with each other. And we are to be devoted to prayer, in all the different ways we can pray with and for one another.
This just scratches the surface – as we have been talking about for some time, we are also to be devoted to those who are still “far off,” even as God is!
If I had to summarize all this into one statement, I would say this:
Our God is the God of eternity, who from the beginning has kept His promise to not forsake us, but save us and make us into a family bearing His name, for His glory and for the sake of the world.
What is covenant community? It is what God is doing here at Good Shepherd and it is what you are a part of by God’s grace.
If you are convicted of sin, thanks be to God!
If you need to repent, turn around and ask, “What now?”
If you need to be baptized, profess faith, or somehow tell your story, let’s do it!
If you need forgiveness of sin, listen and believe; God’s mercy is new every morning, and every week we speak the truth of God’s forgiveness to all who would receive it. “If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Rejoice, for in and through Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.”
If you believe, but feel disconnected from God, pray for a renewed sense of the Holy Spirit in your life. If you believe, the Spirit is there. Ask God to fan the flames of faith and make His presence known.
If you lack devotion, recommit yourself to learning and obeying God’s Word; recommit yourself to one another in this family; recommit yourself to Christ, who gave body and blood for you; and recommit yourself to prayer.
This is covenant community; we are God’s covenant community; jump in with both feet, and heart, and mind, and strength. Amen.
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