September 2025 – Nathaniel R. Martin

September 29, 2025 Nathaniel R. Martin

Repent and Be Baptized: Acts 2:37-41

Sermon Idea: The gospel of Jesus Christ requires a response, and the church should urgently call people to respond.

Introduction: When I mapped out the book of Acts several weeks ago, I dedicated a week to this passage because I wanted to provide a convictionally Baptist interpretation of these verses to strengthen you as members of a Baptist church. This is a passage often appealed to by our paedobaptist friends in defense of infant baptism, and it would serve as good discipleship to dive deep into the waters of that discussion.

That is a fine goal, and a worthwhile discussion, and I still may make a point or two in that regard, but it will not be the focus of this morning. The more I reflected on Peter’s gospel preaching and the verses that follow in 2:37-41, two ideas remained with me and eventually became a burden on my own soul. In fact, they became such a burden that I couldn’t let this week go by. Both Jack and Aaron offered to preach for me, and given how my week went, I honestly should have let them.

My stubbornness got the best of me, becasue I was eager to share with you my takeaway from Acts 2:37-41. It is not novel nor paradigm-shifting, but straightforward: The gospel of Jesus Christ requires a response, and the church should urgently call people to respond.

Peter’s view of life was shaped forever by the reality that Christ was raised from the dead and had ascended into heaven. He did not treat the gospel like one possible way to understand the world, which should be considered alongside others. No, for Peter, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ was the good news of the gospel, which should not only be proclaimed to others, but pressed upon them with a degree of urgency, calling for a response.

A couple of weeks ago, I finished teaching through the New Hampshire Confession of Faith on Wednesday evenings. The final article addresses the world to come, including the eternal destinations of Heaven and Hell. During that time, I shared with those present two quotes that capture the urgency Peter exemplifies in these verses. The first is from Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Mission, and the second is by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the late Baptist pastor in London.

It was the reality of Heaven and Hell that led Hudson Taylor to pray, “Would that God make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; heaven so real that we must have men there; Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to make the Man of Sorrows the Man of Joy by the conversion to him of many.”

It was the reality of Hell that led Charles Spurgeon to say, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees…Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

My hope and prayer is that we would be a people who believe the gospel in such a way that we would be compelled to share it and call people to respond to it.

As we examine these verses this morning, I want us to see the response required by the gospel, the promises it offers, and the urgent need to respond to the gospel.

I.) The response required by the gospel (Acts 2:37-38)

Those who heard Peter’s preaching were impacted by what they heard, 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Ac 2:37)

Given how important the referent of “this” is, let’s review the gospel preached by Peter. What they heard was the good news about Jesus Christ, whose life was attested by God through signs and wonders, whose death on the cross was according to the definite plan of God, who was raised from the dead because death couldn’t hold him, and who has ascended into heaven as both Lord and Christ.

This is the message that cut them to the heart. It was the good news about Jesus, the crucified one, being the resurrected and ascended Lord in heaven. Realizing that they have been wrong about Jesus, they now ask, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter’s response is twofold, 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (Ac 2:38)

Repentance was a key feature in the preaching of both John the Baptist and Jesus.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Mt 3:1–2)

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:14–15)

If repentance was a key feature in the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and now the apostles, I dare say that means it’s pretty essential. What does it mean?

To repent is to change your mind, and so turn from your ways. When Peter calls these men to repent, he calls them to change their minds about Jesus and their understanding of the kingdom of God. This change of mind would reorient their entire lives, so that their thoughts, words, and actions would be brought under the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord. So, when we say repentance is a change of mind, we do not mean it’s a mere mental change, but rather a change of mind that changes how your entire life is oriented.

The Baptist Catechism explains clearly and beautifully how repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in obedience to God.

Q. What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace (Acts 11:28), whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin (Acts 2:37, 38), and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ (Joel 2:12; Jer 3:22), doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God (Jer 31:18, 19; Ez. 36:31), with full purpose of and endeavour after new obedience (2 Cor. 7: 11; Is. 1:16, 17).

In our preaching, whether on the Lord’s Day or in your personal evangelism, we must call people to repentance, to change their minds about who Jesus is, and so change the orientation of their lives, so that they will come into submission to Jesus Christ.

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Ac 17:30–31)

It is sometimes said that the church should be a hospital for sinners. That I agree with! What I am not inclined to agree with is how this image is sometimes used. If it is used to prevent the pastor from addressing sin, calling for repentance in the church, or making any distinction between Christians and non-Christians, then the image loses its helpfulness. What do I mean by that?

People who go to hospitals are supposed to get better. If you were to learn that a hospital saw 0% improvement in its patients, you would look for another hospital. People don’t go to the hospital to stay sick. They go to get better.

We want everyone to come as they are, but we want their souls to be treated with the gospel of grace and their lives to be wholly submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The third & last stanza of that famous invitation hymn, Just As I Am, makes it very clear that the hymn writer had no concept of an unchanged, unrepentant Christian.

Just as I am, and waiting not

to rid my soul of one dark blot,

to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,

wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

because thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Those who respond in repentance are to follow that with a public profession of their faith by being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, “…

and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (Ac 2:38)

Baptism is, on the one hand, a public profession of faith, and on the other, a sign that identifies believers with Jesus Christ and incorporates them into the body of Christ, the church.

Jesus instructed us that disciples are made by being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is how someone responds positively to the gospel of Jesus Christ: repentance and baptism.

We need to be clear about how to respond appropriately to the gospel, and we must call people to repentance and baptism. As we do so, we need to teach the promises offered through the gospel.

II.) The promises offered through the gospel (Acts 2:38)

for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Ac 2:38)

The first promise that comes through the gospel is the forgiveness of sins. We must be abundantly clear that our most significant problem is the sin that separates us from God and from one another. We can educate, resource, and legislate, but none of these will solve man’s most significant problem.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones stated that preaching is the primary activity of the church because God remains unchanged and man’s need remains unchanged.

“…the moment you consider man’s real need, and also the nature of salvation announced and proclaimed in the Scriptures, you are driven to the conclusion that the primary task of the Church is to preach and proclaim this, to show man’s real need, and to show the only remedy, the only cure for it.”

Repentance and baptism are related to the forgiveness of sins, becasue by trusting in Christ, the benefits of Christ’s death are applied to us. We are washed, cleansed, and purified by the blood of Christ. The wrath of God against our sin is satisfied on the cross, so that our sins are forgiven and removed as far as the east is from the west.

The gift of the Spirit is the second promise offered through the gospel, but we must be cautious here. As we read Acts, the relationship between time and the Spirit changes in relation to Baptism. Sometimes the Spirit comes before baptism and sometimes after. We will explain those texts in time.

Notice the scope of the promise, “39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

This is where many of our friends who baptize infants find some textual support. They hear, “…and for your children,” and hear echoes of the Abrahamic covenant, where the covenant sign of circumcision was for you and your children.

In the context, however, the promise is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which is for all generations and all nations, “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

There is the key. The promise is given to everyone whom the Lord calls to himself. That is who is a proper recipient of baptism: the called and repentant who have received the Spirit. It is worth noting that this is precisely what happens in verse 41: So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Now that we have seen the required response and the promises offered through the gospel, we must recognize the urgent need to respond to the gospel.

III.) The urgent need to respond to the gospel (Acts 3:39-42)

40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Ac 2:40–41)

I find it interesting that in verse 40 it says, “And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them…” The image that we are given is an urgent call to repent and believe. It is the picture of pleading.

We need to dedicate ourselves to sharing the gospel and pleading with sinners to repent and believe. We need to get back to inviting people to church on a regular basis, so they can hear the gospel and be pleaded with to repent and believe.

We need to be honest about the wickedness for which the wrath of God is coming and which Christ can save us from.

9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Th 1:9–10)

Friends, when was the last time you prayed fervently and urged someone else to repent and come to Christ? I asked this not to guilt or condemn, but to convict so that we all might be bolder in sharing the gospel and urging sinners to come to Christ.

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees…Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

September 25, 2025September 25, 2025 Nathaniel R. Martin

Longing to See Him as He Is: 1 John 3:2-3

*Preached at the Brookport Community Revival on September 23rd, 2025*

Sermon Idea: The future hope of seeing Christ as he is in heaven compels us to pursue Christlikeness in the present.

Introduction: The Bible describes God’s glorious nature as so holy, pure, and transcendent that no one with natural, sinful eyes can see his essence and live. In fact, the nature and essence of God is spirit and thus invisible to the natural eye.

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Ti 1:17)

he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (1 Ti 6:15–16)

To truly see God unmediated and unveiled is not possible for human eyes. This is why God tells Moses in Exodus 33:20, 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (Ex 33:20)

When Deuteronomy describes Israel hearing God from the fire on Mount Sinai, it is said that they heard Him but did not see Him.

12 Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. (Dt 4:12)

Isaiah tells us that the prophet saw the Lord sitting on a throne, but he did so through a vision.

It is impossible to see God, and if you could, the experience would kill you.

How can we take hope in seeing a God who is impossible to see?

In the greatest act of love, the most outstanding example of humility, God revealed himself in the sending of the Son. Everything we’ve said so far remains true because God never changes. But now God grants the ability to see his glory as never before in the person of his Son.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:14)

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (Jn 1:18)

What is significant about Jesus Christ being the very image of the invisible God is that the Bible speaks of salvation as seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and our transformation as the beholding of the glory of the Lord.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. (2 Co 3:18)

We become what we behold, for better or for worse, and the Christian is to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

We do that now with the eyes of faith. We believe and hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. By grace, we see who he truly is and trust him. The Christian hopes that one day we will see Christ no longer with eyes of faith, but with our very eyes. The hope of heaven is that we will see him, and we will see him as he is.

This future promise is not given to us as some abstract idea, but as a hope that informs our lives now. The future hope of seeing Christ as he is in heaven compels us to pursue Christlikeness in the present.

That is what I want to show you tonight from 1 John 3:2-3, and I want to do so with two supporting points. We will be perfected by seeing Christ in heaven, and we are being purified by the hope of seeing Christ in heaven.

I.) We will be perfected by seeing Christ in heaven (1 John 3:2)

There is a tension in the Christian life. On the one hand, we are not who we once were, and on the other hand, we are not yet who we will be. There is an already and a not yet.

Now, we are beloved children of God. That’s the starting point for John in verse 2: Beloved, we are God’s children now (1 Jn 3:2).

Don’t rush past being identified as beloved. As children of God, we are the beloved of God. We should be in awe of the fact that we could be loved in such a way. That’s what John communicates in vs. 1: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

God does not look at his church with a cold indifference. He does not merely put up with us. We are beloved in God the Father, who delights in us as he delights in his Son.

So, rather than just telling you God loves you without definition, let’s see if we can add some theological meat to the bone so that when we hear that we are beloved by God the Father, we can savor what it means.

To be beloved by God is to receive the gracious benefits of Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection.

To be beloved by God the Father is to have all the secured benefits of the cross poured on us by his grace: the forgiveness of sins, restoration to God, the hope of eternal life—all of these and more are truly ours as God’s beloved people. We don’t deserve this love, but it has graciously come to us in Christ. No one becomes beloved by God outside of God’s grace and outside of faith in the Lord Jesus, who died in our place.

⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 Jn 4:9–10)

2. To be beloved by God the Father is to be adopted as sons and daughters through faith in Jesus Christ.

The gospel’s good news is that we become what Christ is by nature through adoption. Jesus is the eternal Son of God from the Father. We are sons and daughters by adoption through faith in Jesus Christ! So now, in Christ, God looks at us, his beloved sons and daughters, and says, “…with you I am well pleased.”

It was the love of God given on the cross that led my favorite hymn writer, Isaac Watts, to say:

Love so amazing, so divine

Demands my life, my soul, my all!

Being called a child of God is wonderful, amazing, life-changing news, but we do not now experience or reflect all that it means to be a child of God. There is a not-yet, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 Jn 3:2)

I can’t begin to fathom what this will be like. The mystery of it all is too grand to speculate or dive into details that God has not disclosed for us. It is more than enough to know that Christ will appear and when we see him we will be transformed into his likeness.

Becoming like Jesus Christ is the true end of the Christian life. It is goal of all this. In the end, the peope of God who have been saved from the darkness of sin and death, will become radiantly bright as the reflection of the glory of Christ. Consider how prominent this theme is in the New Testament.

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. (Jn 17:24)

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, (2 Co 4:16–17)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Ro 8:18)

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Php 3:20–21)

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Col 3:4)

Beloved saint, I do not know what troubles your soul. I may not know the weakness of your flesh or the anxiety of your heart. What I know is that the future glory that awaits us in heaven outweighs it all!

How does all this happen? How are we transformed into glory? We are transformed into glory by seeing the glory of the Son as he is, with unveiled faces and resurrected eyes.

What Moses saw in part in the cleft of the rock, what Isaiah saw in a mere vision, what the disciples glimpsed at in the Transfiguration, what blinded Paul on the road to Damascus, we will see in full, and we will be in joyful awe of Him.

Johnathan Edwards said that the more we behold the glory of Christ, the more we will want to see him: “After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story; the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever.”

There is a saying, “he is so heavenly minded that he is of no earthly good.” I don’t know anyone like that. I’ve been a pastor for eight years now. I have been a Christian since 2007. In all that time, I’ve never met a person who thought about the glory of heaven too much. I have never met a person whose view of the eternal glory was too high.

Friends, we do not long for the presence of Christ enough! Where are the saints who long for the presence of Christ, who can’t wait to see his glory, who long to be transformed into his likeness?

This is the longing that will serve as a comfort to so much that wears on our souls.

Our people will not conquer sin by mustering the willpower to say, “no!” We need to put before their eyes and fill their ears with the beauty of the Son, the glory of seeing him as he is, and the hope of being transformed into his likeness. We need to stir the affections of their heart to have stronger desires—not the desires of the flesh— but for the glory of the presence of Christ.

Brother pastors, preach sermons that leave the saints longing for the glory of heaven. Preach sermons that stoke a joyful expectation for the coming of Christ.

We will be perfected by seeing Christ in heaven, and that hope is the fuel for the Christian life in the present. Let’s look at verse 3.

II.) We are being purified by the hope of seeing Christ in heaven (1 John 3:3)

There is an important connection between the hope that Christians have and the way we are to live now, And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 Jn 3:3)

The way that we use the word hope in everyday language could lead to misunderstanding as to the meaning. We often use the word hope to refer to a mere wish. “I hope the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series.” That is a mere wish. It is not rooted in anything certain. When the Bible speaks of hope, it is much more than a mere wish. It is a confident assurance, a certain future reality that is so sure it has the power to fuel the present.

The hope John is referring to is verses 2 and is threefold: 1. Christ will appear, 2. We will see him as he is and 3. We will be transformed and perfected by his presence. That is why John identifies our hope as, “in him.” True Christian hope is found in Christ. It does not pass or fade. It is not a vibe. It doesn’t have term limits.

The hope that we will be perfected in the presence of Christ compels us to pursue that purity now, in the present.

Jesus told us clearly in the Sermon on the Mount that is the pure in heart who will see God, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt 5:8)

For this reason, the New Testament teaches that the promise of our future purity is to lead us to pursure purity now in an eager expectation to prepare ourselves for the presence of Christ.

There are too many examples to give but consider for example Colossians 3:4-6.

4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. (Col 3:4–6)

Friend, the born again believer does not presume on the grace of God, and think little of the pursuit of holiness. The born again believer, with the great hope of perfection in heaven, pursues all the more purity and holiness, that he might be like Christ.

Tonight I wonder if there are any of you burdened by the weight of ongoing sin. I wonder if there might be those who realize they care little about their pursuit of holiness. If that is you, friend, pay attention to the solution.

Let me tell you what it’s not.

You will not condemn yourself into greater Christlikeness. You will not guilt yourself into godliness. No amount of scolding will serve to sanctify you.

Set your hope on the one to come. Pray for the Lord to deepen your desires for the presence of Christ. Listen to Scriptures and believe your future hope is the fuel for the present.

The future hope of seeing Christ as he is in heaven compels us to pursue Christlikeness in the present.

September 24, 2025September 25, 2025 Nathaniel R. Martin

Jesus, Both Lord and Christ: Acts 2:22-36

Sermon Idea: The Lord on whom we call for salvation is the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Jesus.

Introduction: At the very center of all the preaching in the New Testament is the person and work of Jesus Christ. The examples we are given are far from ambiguous. There are no general appeals to believe in “the man upstairs.” The apostles do not proclaim a mysterious higher power or offer vague wisdom about a life well-lived.

The subject of apostolic preaching is Jesus Christ.

Writing to the Colossians, Paul said, 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Col 1:28)

Writing to the Corinthians, Paul said that in his preaching he knew nothing, except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Co 2:2)

When I say that Jesus is the central subject of apostolic preaching, I mean more than as a moral example, although we are to follow Jesus’ example. I mean more than as a source of wisdom, although it is in Christ where true wisdom and knowledge are found.

In the preaching of the New Testament, Jesus is the subject of every sermon because he is the proper object of faith and worship. Salvation is found through faith in Jesus Christ, who becomes the center of true worship of God.

The premier example of this type of preaching is the Apostle Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14-36, and you have to understand how revolutionary it was. Peter is preaching to people who have recited and believed the Shema since childhood.

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Dt 6:4–5)

He is preaching to a people who would have memorized the Ten Words, which begin, 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. (Ex 20:2–3)

Peter steps forward on the day of Pentecost, and he preaches boldly that the Lord by whom salvation comes is none other than Jesus of Nazareth, the one who was recently arrested, tried, and put to death.

The way that he does it is truly beautiful. He begins with a quote from Joel 2:28-32. He does this partly to explain that God’s promise to pour out His Spirit has been fulfilled, but he does it also to riff off the word Lord in verse 21.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Ac 2:21)

With that promise from Joel now stated, Peter seemingly switches gears. He brings up Jesus of Nazareth in verse 22, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know (Ac 2:22)

Now pay attention to the details. How is Jesus identified? He is Jesus of Nazareth, a man. In the minds of many listening, this was the man from that lowly town from which nothing good comes, who got what he deserved by being executed on a cross.

Peter then uses a refrain, “…this Jesus,” (2:23, 32, 36) to prove that this Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ who may have been crucified, but whom God raised from the dead and who has been exalted at the right hand of the Father.

Peter’s conclusion then ties it all together, 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified (Ac 2:36)

The Lord on whom we call for salvation is the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Jesus.

There are four major points that Peter makes to prove this: Jesus’ life was attested by God, Jesus’ death was according to God’s plan, Jesus’ resurrection was God’s affirmation of his Lordship, and Jesus’ ascension was his assumption as both Lord and Christ.

I.) Jesus’ life was attested by God (Acts 2:22)

Jesus’ life was an ordinary one in one respect, but far from ordinary in another. He was from a small, lowly town called Nazareth, from an average family. His ministry, however, was marked by signs and wonders, works of God that attest that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah. Those listening to Peter would have known this, and so have no excuse for their rejection of him. That’s Peter’s point in verse 22.

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— (Ac 2:22)

The healings that Jesus did, the miracles he performed, the signs and wonders that came by his hand, were God’s attestation that he was the Son of God, and the Kingdom of God was coming with the presence of the king.

Thomas Jefferson is known for creating The Life and Morals of Jesus Christ, which was essentially a copy-and-paste Bible minus anything miraculous or supernatural. The significant problem is, of course, that Jesus is not just a moral teacher and didn’t intend to be known as one. The signs are God’s attestation of Jesus’ divinity and lordship. To remove them isn’t to preserve the real, historical Jesus—it is to miss Jesus altogether.

Unlike Peter’s original audience, we did not see with our eyes the signs and wonders that Jesus performed, but we should believe them. The healing of the sick, the feeding of thousands, water to wine, walking on water, and yes, even raising the dead. These come to us not as corrupted stories or as fanciful mythology, but they come to us from the reports of eyewitness testimony, recorded in the fourfold gospel accounts and preserved carefully over time.

Jesus’ life was attested by God, but his death was also according to God’s plan. Look at verse 23.

II.) Jesus’ death was according to God’s plan (Acts 2:23)

The death of Jesus was not a cosmic accident. It did not catch God by surprise or derail his plan. That is because the death of Jesus on the cross was the definite plan of God.

23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men (Ac 2:23)

With one verse, the New Testament teaches the glory of God’s sovereignty and the importance of human responsibility.

Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” In the strongest possible terms, Peter asserts that the triune God foredained and predestined the death of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus is not evidence that he is not the Messiah, because the death of Jesus was the very plan of God for the Messiah. Isaiah 53 is a clear example of the Old Testament anticipation of a suffering servant of the Lord.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (Is 53:5)

10Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief (Is 53:10)

On the cross, Jesus is not a helpless victim overtaken by the wickedness of the world. Death does not come to him as an unexpected blow. The death of Jesus on the cross is the very means by which Jesus defeated death itself.

John Piper says it this way, “The glory of the Son of God is not that death broke in and snatched him and that he overcame the intruder. Death did not snatch him. It did not intrude his plans. He snatched death. Death served his plans. He destroyed death—not by escaping its intrusion upon his life, but by intruding himself into death’s life and killing it from inside and walking out victorious.”

God’s sovereignty does not excuse sinners of their moral responsibility, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men (Ac 2:23)

God’s sovereignty is compatible with human freedom and moral responsibility. We should affirm that joyfully, resting with the tension of Scripture affirming both truths.

The life and death of Jesus are essential, but it is the resurrection and ascension that serve as the key points that prove Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord by whom salvation comes.

III.) Jesus’ resurrection was God’s affirmation of his Lordship (Acts 2:24-32)

Jesus died by the sovereign plan of God, and he was raised by the sovereign hand of God.

24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it (Ac 2:23–24)

The grave could not contain Jesus, becasue he was the Messiah who had no sin of his own. To support this, Peter quotes Psalm 16:8-11, a Psalm of David that is fulfilled in Jesus.

25 For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ (Ac 2:25–28)

Peter’s explanation is straightforward, David is dead and his tomb can be found. So that means David, believing the promise God made in the Davidic covenant, was foreseeing the resurrection of Jesus, who would sit on David’s throne.

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. (Ac 2:29–32)

I want to focus just for a moment on those final words in verse 32, “…we all were witnesses.”

To explain the rise of Christianity, its spread, and its perseverance through persecution that included suffering for many and martyrdom for some, one must say these witnesses sincerely believed that Jesus rose from the dead and that they saw him.

This is the admission that agnostic biblical scholars and historians make. Listen to these two quotes from two esteemed unbelieving scholars: Paula Fredricksen, who taught for many years at Boston University, and E.P. Sanders, who spent most of his teaching career at Duke University.

“I know in their own terms what they saw was the raised Jesus. That’s what they say, and then all the historic evidence we have afterwards attests to their conviction that that’s what they saw. I’m not saying that they really did see the raised Jesus. I wasn’t there. I don’t know what they saw. But I do know that as a historian that they must have seen something.” – Paula Fredricksen

“That Jesus’ followers (and later Paul) had resurrection experiences is, in my, judgement, a fact. What the reality was that gave rise to the experiences I do not know.” – E.P. Sanders

What these agnostic scholars don’t know, we confess to be true. We sing it with joy and thankfulness.

Up from the grave he arose;

with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;

he arose a victor from the dark domain,

and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of his exaltation, which culminates in his ascension and assumption of the throne in heaven. Look with me at verses 33-36.

IV.) Jesus’ ascension was his assumption as both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:33-36)

33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. (Ac 2:33–36)

Jesus’ ascension into heaven is what led to the outpouring of the Spirit. With the ascension of Christ and the coming of the Spirit, the new covenant community begins.

The Lord on whom we call for salvation is the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Jesus.

This is how the early church preached the gospel: Jesus is Lord in fulfillment of the Scripture. This is the message of God’s power unto salvation. How will you respond?

We will look at this passage in greater detail next week, but those listening to Peter understand that the message requires a response.

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Ac 2:37–38)

Do not settle for a vague cultural Christianity. Give your allegiance to Jesus Christ, place all of your trust in him, and treasure him for the rest of your life. Expect Jesus to be the central subject of sermons. Demand it, in fact!

September 15, 2025September 25, 2025 Nathaniel R. Martin

The Coming of the Holy Spirit: Acts 2:1-21

Sermon Idea: The risen Lord Jesus builds His church through the presence of His promised Spirit and the preaching of His Word.

Introduction: Our Lord Jesus made it plain that he is the builder of his church, a work that is so sure that the attempts of Hell itself will prove to be futile.

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mt 16:18)

This passage has been a comforting balm to believers throughout church history, because no matter what comes—persecution, poverty, attack, or apostasy—the church of the Lord Jesus Christ will be built.

I shared this with you in one of my earliest sermons here, but I love the conviction that is present in one particular paragraph of Article 27 in the Belgic Confession.

“And this holy church is preserved by God against the rage of the whole world, even though for a time it may appear very small in the eyes of men—as though it were being snuffed out.”

Christ has promised to build his church, and we should believe him. No matter how unimpressive she may seem to the world, or how many predict her demise, Christ will have a people for Himself.

What does this have to do with Acts 2? What does it have to do with us? Oh, so, so much. If Christ is the builder of his church and it will be successful, how will he do it?

In our study of Acts thus far, we have made a point to emphasize that the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven does not mean his absence or apathy. Jesus Christ lives and reigns from heaven, so that what we see in Acts are the acts of the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Beloved, the building of Christ’s church is not dependent on our ability to be clever marketers.

It does not hinge on our ability to satisfy the preferences of every visitor.

The building of Christ’s church is not at the mercy of denominational resources or institutions.

The risen Lord Jesus builds His church through the presence of His promised Spirit and the preaching of His Word.

When we last left the disciples, they were together in an upper room, devoting themselves to prayer. They were doing so in obedience to Jesus, who commanded them to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit. As they were staying, they rightly sought the Lord for a replacement of Judas, and appointed a man named Matthias.

These twelve apostles serve powerfully as the beginning of God’s restoration promises to Israel. With the twelve restored, God will fulfill his promise to pour out his Spirit on his people.

What I hope to do with the remainder of our time this morning is learn as much as we can from the fulfillment of God’s promise to send the Spirit, but also how Word and Spirit are inseparable in their work. God is building the church of the Lord Jesus Christ through the Word and the Spirit. That is how he built it then, and how he continues to build it today.

I.) The risen Lord Jesus builds his church by the presence of his promised Spirit (Acts 2:1-13)

It is not insignificant to identify the time of Pentecost in verse one, When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. (Ac 2:1)

The Feast of Pentecost is the second of three annual Jewish feasts that required a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Throughout the Old Testament, it is called the Feast of Weeks (Lev. 23:15-21) and celebrates the provision of God. The word Pentecost comes from the word fiftieth, becasue God’s giving of the law on Mount Sinai occurs fifty days after the Passover.

The final Passover has taken place, with the sacrificial death of the Passover lamb, Jesus Christ. Now Pentecost can be fulfilled as God gives his greatest provision, himself, by the sending of the Holy Spirit. As they are gathered to remember the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai, God pours out his Spirit, so that the law will be written on their hearts.

The coming of the Spirit is described like a great storm.

2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. (Ac 2:2–3)

What Luke is describing is nothing other than a supernatural act of God. The source of the sounds comes from heaven, where Jesus has ascended. This is a description of the overwhelming presence of God. It was “like a might rushing wind, and “as of fire.” These small words are important. This isn’t a natural event that can be explained by meteorology. It was a sound from heaven that filled the room, that sounded like a mighty rushing wind.

In the Bible, wind is representative of the Spirit and the very breath of God (Ezekiel 37:9-10). The clearest New Testament example is given to us by Jesus in his conversation with Nicodemus.

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (Jn 3:7–8)

They hear the sound of wind, but what they see is tongues of fire. Throughout Scripture, fire is representative of God’s very presence. Moses heard God speak out of the fire of the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-6), and God led Israel with a pillar of fire by night through the wilderness. The difference here is that the fire doesn’t consume them, but rests on each one. In other words, the presence of God is with each person.

What does all this mean? We are told in verse four that the Holy Spirit filled all those who were in the room.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)

In Scripture, to be filled with the Spirit is to be empowered and equipped for a particular ministry or responsibility. Jesus has promised that the coming of the Spirit would make them witness from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, and that’s precisely what’s being described here in Acts 2:4.

Jesus has not left the building of his church in the hands of twelve men who must resource themselves. He has not commissioned witnesses who must then depend on their own strength.

God himself provides all that the disciples need for the accomplishment of their task, and the power they need for the task is given in the sending of the Spirit.

The situation is different, and we are at differing points in redemptive history, but God has given us a mission and then left us to ourselves.

God has empowered us by his Spirit and equipped us with his powerful Word. Let me give you two brief examples.

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Co 3:4–6)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:16–17)

Word and Spirit. This is the great power that God has equipped us with for the accomplishment of His mission.

One of my favorite childhood films is The Sandlot. It is a delightful movie about Baseball, America’s beloved pastime. This illustration will include spoilers if you haven’t seen the movie. It was released in 1993, so it is your own fault.

It’s the story of a young man named Smalls who moves to a new neighborhood and makes friends with several boys who regularly play baseball at the local Sandlot. One day, they find themselves in need of a baseball to play with. Hopeing to endear himself to these boys, Smalls steals a ball from his Stepdad’s trophy case, signed by Babe Ruth. He then hits the ball over the fence guarded by a giant dog, named “The Beast.” They have a problem; they need the ball back, but they are terrified of the beast. So they hatch every plan imaginable. They attempted to lower one of the boys using a pulley system, but it failed. They built an elaborate vacuum system, but it failed. They built a catapult out of an Erector Set, and it failed. Over and over, they lean on their own resources and fail time and time again.

At the end of the movie, after a long battle with the beast, they meet the dog’s owner, who says very simply, “Why didn’t you just knock on the door? I would have gotten it for you.”

When churches depend on themselves for their task, belittling God’s Word and Spirit, they end up looking like children building erector sets when all they had to do was knock on the door.

God has not left us to ourselves, but has given us his Word and Spirit.

Verses 5-13 tell us the result of the Spirit’s outpouring.

The result of the Spirit’s filling is the ability to speak in tongues, which in the context of Pentecost is diverse ethnic dialects or languages.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language (Ac 2:5–6)

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in his own native language? (Ac 2:8)

“…both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. (Ac 2:11)

The details about the diverse people present and their unified experience are important because part of God’s restoration promises concerns the bringing together of all the scattered exiles of Israel and reunifying them into one people.

Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Is 43:5–7)

Pentecost is the fulfillment of the gathering of all the exiles who are scattered among the nations. It’s also a reminder that God’s kingdom will include every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Included in the crowd, according to verse 11, were both Jews and proselytes.

What are they doing? They are praising the mighty works of God (Acts 2:11)

In Genesis 11, God confuses the language of the people so they could no longer work together to build the tower of Babel for their own name and glory. At Pentecost, God reverses Babel in a way, so that as the diverse languages are spoken, all can understand the praising of God’s mighty works.

This is a critical stage in the development of God’s plan to have one people in Christ Jesus from every nation under heaven. In Revelation, the picture we are given is one of a multitude of nations around the throne.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! (Re 7:9–10)

Those around are confused by what is taking place.

12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” (Ac 2:11–13)

The event has happened, but it required interpretation. Peter steps forward and explains the outpouring of the Spirit as the fulfillment of God’s Word.

II.) The risen Lord Jesus builds his church by the preaching of His Word (Acts 2:14-21)

Pentecost shows that the day of the Lord is at hand.

17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. (Ac 2:17–18)

Cosmic future day of the Lord.

19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. (Ac 2:19–20)

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. (Lk 23:44–45)

The coming day of the Lord is imminent, but Scripture leaves us with hope.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Ac 2:21)

September 8, 2025 Nathaniel R. Martin

Marks of Spiritual Fruitfulness: Acts 1:12-26

Sermon Idea: Spiritual fruitfulness is marked by a faithful devotion to prayer and the Word of God.

Introduction: The book of Acts contains a great deal about numerical growth. We have several texts that speak to the work of God in saving sinners, building the church, and increasing in number.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Ac 2:41–42)

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Ac 2:47)

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith (Ac 6:7)

This emphasis on numerical growth makes sense, considering that this is an account of the earliest days of the church’s life. Growth is important, and church growth is important. It would be a superficial reading of Acts, however, to make numerical growth the sole metric to measure the success and fruitfulness of the early church.

The growth that we see in Acts is both spiritual and numerical. It is the nature of this numeric growth that is truly good. In other words, numeric growth itself is a neutral category. A church having a lot of people is no more a sign of health any more than being small is necessarily a sign of faithfulness. What we see in Acts isn’t good simply becasue there is fast growth. It’s good becasue there is a work of God through the ordinary means of grace. It is the nature of the growth that is significant, not the number or size.

How can we know if God is at work among us? What metrics can be used to measure the success of our ministry? Is it mere faithfulness? Is it the results?

Jared Wilson, in his helpful book, The Gospel-Driven Church, notes that there has long been a debate about the nature of church growth. Two camps can generally be identified. On the one hand, some equate success with results. No results, no success. On the other hand, some equate success with faithfulness, no matter the results.

And although the latter of these two groups is mostly correct, we need to say more. Faithfulness will be accompanied by fruitfulness.

Wilson is right when he writes, “So how do we define church growth biblically? We must hold the two principles in tension, since they affirm a biblical truth. A ministry’s faithfulness to the mission of God is itself a success, regardless of the results. Yet at the same time, a faithful ministry will be a fruitful ministry.”

The question now, of course, is how to define fruifulness appropriately? Borrowing from Jonathan Edwards, Wilson offers five metrics of grace, which he argues matter the most when thinking about church growth.

A growing esteem for Jesus Christ
A discernible spirit of repentance

A dogged devotion to the Word of God
An interest in theology and doctrine
An evident love for God and neighbor

These metrics put the work of God’s grace at the center of your evaluation. More than numbers, they measure the spiritual fruitfulness of a congregation that necessarily follows the faithfulness of that congregation.

In Acts 1:12-26, before the Spirit falls at Pentecost and before a large number of people are converted, we see the disciples exemplifying great spiritual fruitfulness. They are both faithful and spiritually fruitful. God is very much at work in them, and there is growth taking place. It’s just not a growth that can be measured with numbers.

This morning, I want to pay attention to the faithfulness of the disciples and the spiritual fruit that it bears. Like Wilson’s metrics of grace, can we discern marks of spiritual fruitfulness in the life of our church? There are at least three worth mentioning.

Spiritual fruitfulness is maked by faithful devotion to prayer, a faithful trust in God’s Word, and faithful actions formed by God’s Word.

I.) Spiritual fruitfulness is marked by faithful devotion to prayer (Acts 1:12-14)

Jesus has ascended into heaven, and the disciples have been reassured that he will come again. As the next scene opens up, the disciples have gathered in an upper room to obey the commands of Jesus to remain in Jerusalem until the sending of the Holy Spirit.

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (Ac 1:12–14)

This is a remarkable scene. Think about all these saints have endured in a relatively short period of time. Their master was arrested, tried, and sentenced to execution. He was severely beaten and then crucified on a Roman cross before a watching audience. As the grief finally sets in, they encounter the risen Lord Jesus and are taught about the kingdom of God, only to “lose” him again as he ascends into heaven. Oh, and they are down one disciple, having to face the harsh reality of a friend betraying their Lord and abandoning them.

All of this draws them close to one another for the purpose of devoting themselves to prayer. The text says, “All these were in one accord…” Contrary to many Dad jokes, this doesn’t mean the disciples have crammed them into a Honda. It means they are in unity as who they are and what they are to do. Their unity is expressed in their devotion to prayer.

Why are they praying? Jesus has told them to wait, and he has told them he will send the Spirit. What are they praying for?

Here is a group of people so captivated by the will of their Master, so hopeful about all that he has said, that they devote themselves to prayer, believing that through it Jesus will accomplish all that he has promised.

A mark of spiritual fruitfulness is a faithful devotion to prayer. The true nature of our hope and our belief in the promises of God can be measured by our devotion to or neglect of prayer. The disciples are devoting themselves to prayer because they believe that Jesus is going to send the Spirit. That they will be witnesses beginning in Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. It is this belief that drives them to prayer. This word devoted here suggests a continual practice. They persevered in prayer together. They were committed to it.

Prayer is not a religious activity for special occasions; it is the primary language of the people of God.

We know from experience what it looks like to be devoted to something. This morning, the NFL kicks off. I have been a Raiders fan since I was a little kid, becasue I enjoy damaging my mental and emotional health 17 weeks out of the year.

In 2015, they were scheduled to play in Nashville, and I had never been to a game at that point. My dad got tickets, and we planned to take a trip together. He’s here in IL, and I’m in Wake Forest, North Carolina. So on a Saturday in the middle of a semester, I drive over eight hours to meet my Dad in Nashville. It’s November, and the forecast isn’t looking good. There I am on Sunday at the 40-yard line, and in the second half, the sky unloads. I pull my poncho over my head and stay put. It’s pouring down rain in the cold of November for nearly half the game, and it would have taken 2 or 3 grown men to remove me from my seat. Why? Because I love it, and my love produced an act of devotion.

There are some of us who will sit on hard bleachers for hours for every sport in Massac County multiple days a week. Others of us will wake up early in the morning to sit for hours in frigid temperatures for a deer or a duck. These are not necessarily problems, and it’s not a sin to enjoy them, so what’s the point? It’s simply this: we know what devotion looks like, don’t we?

Beloved, has Christ not loved us in such a way as to produce in us greater acts of devotion than these? Are our sins not forgiven as far as the east is from the west? Have we not been reconciled to God? Is eternal life not our glorious inheritance? Are we not indwelt by the Spirit? Has he not promised to build his church, so the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it? Will he not build us up into the very temple of his presence? Is the gospel not the power of God unto salvation?

A mark of spiritual fruitfulness is a faithful devotion to prayer. Prayer should be more primary in our corporate worship gatherings, and our prayer meetings should be more fully attended. Men, lead your family to gather for corporate prayer. Lead the way in attentiveness and affirmation during every prayer of corporate worship. Not becasue it is a religious activity for special occasions, but because it is the act through which God works to fulfill his promises.

Charles Spurgeon, in his concluding address to the students of the pastors’ college, emphasizes corporate prayer in the church in a way worth hearing and recovering.

“If a church is to be what it ought to be for the purposes of God, we must train it in the holy art of prayer. Churches without prayer-meeting are grievously common. Even if there were only one such, it would be one to weep over. In many churches the prayer-meeting is only the skeleton of a gathering: the form is kept up, but the people do not come. There is no interest, no power, in connection with the meeting. Oh, my brothers, let it not be so with you! Do train the people to continually meet together for prayer. Rouse them to incessant supplication. There is a holy art in it. Study to show yourselves approved by he prayerfulness of your people. If you pray yourself, you will want them to pray with you, and when they begin to pray with you, and for you, and for the work of the Lord, they will want more prayer themselves, and the appetite will grow. Believe me, if a church does not pray, it is dead. Instead of putting united prayer last, put it first. Everything will hinge upon the power of prayer in the church.”- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

A mark of spiritual fruitfulness is a faithful devotion to prayer. The second mark we can see is a faithful trust in God’s Word. Look with me at verses 15-20.

II.) Spiritual fruitfulness is marked by faithful trust in God’s Word (Acts 1:15-20)

The disciples had to suffer the loss of Judas, and we can’t know for certain how they initially handled that loss. Based on a basic understanding of life, we can understand that it may have included anger, pain, grief, and discouragement. It could have induced confusion over God’s plan and the disciples’ role in it.

Peter steps forward in this moment to tether God’s people to God’s Word, so that they understand why this has happened and what to do now.

15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Ac 1:15–17)

Peter appeals to two verses in the Psalms, which he then interprets through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Peter reads the Psalms of David and the suffering he endured as being fulfilled by Judas’ betrayal. Without that betrayal, Jesus cannot be arrested, tried, and crucified.

The point is simple. Judas’ betrayal was not a surprise or a disruption to the plan of God; it was under the sovereign providence of God. What is crucial for us to note is that Peter is not trying to make sense of all this on his own, but he is depending on Holy Scripture and is reading it in a way taught to him by Jesus himself (Luke 24). The Word of God is in Peter’s blood and bones. He is so immersed in it that life is interpreted in light of the truth of Scripture.

It is not unlikely that there will be people that you know, some of whom you follow, learn from, and love, who will disappoint you in the most tragic of ways. You will know people who sour and bitterly turn away from the Lord. You will know people who once loved sound doctrine who compromise the most precious of truths.

If you do not have categories that are shaped and formed by the Word of God, it will be deeply unsettling. It will be hard no matter what, but being formed and shaped by the Word will strengthen you to be hurt like a Christian and not be vulnerable to the winds of every painful circumstance.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Ti 4:1–3)

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Ti 3:1–5)

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went o)t, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (1 Jn 2:18–19)

Know the Word, immerse yourself in it, and learn to read and interpret it in a sound way, so that your faith is not at the mercy of every unexpected circumstance.

A mark of spiritual fruitfulness is the faithful trust in God’s Word. That trust not only includes what Scripture prepares us for, but also what it warns us of.

The description of Judas’ death is a warning of all that awaits those who stand opposed to God. No one will withstand the wrath of God, the deliverance of his justice, and the execution of his righteousness. Your sin will either be judged sufficiently on the cross of Christ or eternally in the darkness of Hell.

Listen to the warning, trust in Christ, who alone is the Savior of sinners.

A mark of spiritual fruitfulness is the faithful trust in God’s Word, and those who trust in it act faithfully as they are formed by God’s Word.

III.) Spiritual fruitfulness is marked by faithful actions formed by God’s Word (Acts 1:21-26)

The disciples have unambiguous instructions from Jesus to wait in Jerusalem until the sending of the Spirit. As we’ve seen, they are devoted to prayer and trusting in God’s Word. Their prayer life and their knowledge of the Word lead them to act. They need someone to serve as a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. Let’s look at verses 21-26.

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. (Ac 1:21–23)

Why do I say that their actions are formed by the Word? Becasue Jesus had taught about the roles of the 12 apostles. Consider Luke 22:28-29.

28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk 22:28–30)

The disciples understand that the restoration of the twelve apostles is necessary before the Spirit comes, because the apostles are the foundation through which God fulfills all of his promises to Israel through the Church. So their action is formed by the Word of God, and executed with sincere belief that the Lord has already chosen the right replacement.

23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Ac 1:23–26)

The way they go about determining who the Lord had chosen may seem odd to us, but we need to remember that this was done with a high view of God’s sovereign providence. For example, we read in Proverbs:

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD (Pr 16:33)

After the giving of the Holy Spirit, we do not see the casting of lots practiced again. The Spirit leads the church in all its discerning of God’s will and in all its decision-making.

The key point for us is simple. A mark of spiritual fruitfulness is acting in obedience to God’s Word.

The true test for what we beleive about Scripture will not be found in our statements about it, but in our obedience to it. How much will it matter if the claim to love the authority of the Bible, its authority, clarity, and sufficiency, if we don’t do what it says?

A mark of spiritual fruitfulness is the will to act on what God has clearly taught in His Word.

What we have here in Acts 1:12-26 is a small group of faithful, spiritually fruitful believers who are growing in the Lord.

I don’t know if the Lord will bless us extraordinarily with conversions and explosive church growth while I’m here. What we can do in the meantime is be faithful every day, be devoted to prayer, trust God’s Word, and act in obedience to God’s Word. If we do that, we can be confident that we have the marks of a spiritually fruitful congregation, all to the glory of God.

September 1, 2025 Nathaniel R. Martin

The Ascended Lord: Acts 1:6-11

Sermon Idea: The ascension of Christ Jesus into heaven assures that the kingdom is coming and commissions us as witnesses until He comes.

Introduction: What Old Testament passage does the New Testament quote the most? Does it come to your mind? Might it be Exodus 34, about God’s glory and goodness? Might it be the comforting words of Psalm 23? Or perhaps it is Isaiah 53, and its great promise of the suffering servant who is crushed for our sins. All of these would be good guesses, but there is one text that is quoted, alluded to, and echoed more than all of these. That passage is Psalm 110.

1The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 7 He will drink from the brook by the way therefore he will lift up his head. (Ps 110:1–7)

It is one of the most central themes of the New Testament, the truth that fuels the church’s life and mission, the reality that anchors the hope of the entirety of the Christian life: Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Luke believes that the Ascension is so vital that he records it twice: first in the conclusion of the Gospel of Luke, and then here in Acts 1.

The meditation on Psalm 110 and Christ’s fulfillment of it was not some theoretical concept for the early church. It was not irrelevant theology. It was the very reason to live every day in hope. It was the assurance of their access to God. It was the truth that fueled their obedience and zeal for the Great Commission.

Jesus Christ lives, Jesus Christ reigns, and that makes all the difference for today.

It is because Jesus has ascended into heaven that we can enter into God’s presence with confidence. The Bible tells us that mercy and grace await us in our time of need. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus has passed through the heavens as a great high priest, and so we should draw near to God.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16)

The ascension of Jesus Christ is not some theoretical concept for us either. Jesus Christ lives, Jesus Christ reigns, and that makes all the difference for today.

What difference does it make for the apostles in Acts 1:6-11? Their longing and desire is for the kingdom of God. Jesus has risen; for forty days, He has taught about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3), and He has promised the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Surely this is the time that God will restore Israel, the kingdom will be unified, their enemies will be defeated, and all of God’s promises will be fulfilled. It’s now, isn’t it?

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? (Ac 1:6)

What they desire is right, but there is confusion about the time of the kingdom. There is still more for them to learn about the nature of God’s kingdom, the manner in which it comes, and their particular role in it.

When Jesus responds, he directs them away from the timing to the work of God and the work that God will do through them. The Father appoints the time of the kingdom. The Holy Spirit accomplished the coming of the kingdom. The Son’s ascension and promised return assure the hope of the kingdom.

Jesus’s answer is not only relevant to the apostles, but to us. When will the kingdom of God come, how will it come, and what are we to do as the church until the kingdom of God is fully realized?

The ascension of Christ Jesus into heaven assures that the kingdom is coming and commissions us as witnesses until He comes.

I.) The Father appoints the time of the kingdom (Acts 1:6-7)

The kingdom of God is good, and the apostles are right to long for it, but the timing is left to the providence of God. The secret things belong to the Lord and can be left to the Lord, because he is a God who is sovereign. According to Jesus, the times and seasons are determined by God’s authority.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. (Ac 1:7)

There are a lot of things about life that are left to God’s secret will. We are not meant to know when Jesus will return. We are not meant to know when we will die. These are things that are not known to us, but that ignorance should not lead to anxiety. Why? The Christian can rest in the sovereign providence of God.

The Baptist Catechism provides a helpful definition of God’s providence, as it connects God’s providence to His character.

Q: What are God’s works of providence?

A: God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.

Beloved, we need to believe that the works of God’s providence are holy and wise. We can leave the secret things to God’s will because of who he is and what he is like. In other words, we do not have to doubt that the kingdom will come in full. We can trust that there is a reason that Jesus tarries.

We are not meant to give our attention to the secret will of God. We are to give our attention to the revealed will of God, and God has revealed his will for us in Holy Scripture.

This principle can be applied widely. The disciples were right to long for the kingdom; they wanted it now, but Jesus encourages them to trust the time appointed by the Father, who is good and wise.

We are blessed to have among us so many young adults, college students, or brothers and sisters in those early transitional years. There is a lot about your life that belongs to the secret will of God. Who will you marry and when? How many children will you have? What city will you live in?

These things are not for you to know in advance. What you are to do is not obsess over the secret will of God for your life, but on the revealed will of God in His Word. Spend every day bringing all of your life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Seek the Lord, repent of sin, grow in holiness and righteousness, and become as faithful a church member as possible.

When Jesus appeals to the authority of God, which fixes the days and seasons, there is a loving, pastoral aim. If he is rebuking them, it’s gentle. The correction brings comfort. God is in control, and he is a good God, so don’t worry about the times or seasons.

Believe that God is holy, wise, and powerful. Seek not the secret things. Trust God to be God, and seek with diligence the revealed things, what God commands of us in His Word.

Jesus’s answer doesn’t stop with the time appointed by the Father. He does provide an answer to their question. The coming of the kingdom will be accompanied by the sending of the Holy Spirit, who empowers the apostles to become witnesses of the kingdom of God. Look with me at verse 8.

II.) The Holy Spirit accomplishes through witnesses the coming of the kingdom (Acts 1:8-9)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Ac 1:8)

The way Jesus answered the disciples’ question was first with a “no.” The kingdom will not be fully realized now, but in verse 8, and this is important: he says that it is coming through the work of the Spirit and the birth of the church. The kingdom of God is now, and not yet. It is present and it is future.

Jesus’ answer can be divided into three major points: how the kingdom will come, what the church does as the kingdom comes, and where the kingdom will advance.

The how question is answered in the sending and empowering of the Holy Spirit: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Within Jesus’ answers are numerous allusions to Old Testament promises. So, for example, this is an allusion to Isaiah 32:15-18.

15 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. 16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. 17 And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

We read that not to make a connection for the sake of making a connection. What I want us to see is that the sending and giving of the Spirit marks the beginning of God’s restoration of the kingdom of Israel. The promises will be realized through the Spirit and the church.

What will the Spirit do? Empower the apostles to be witnesses. The church needs to remember that the power of God in building the kingdom comes by the Holy Spirit. In Acts, the Spirit’s power is connected to the preached Word of God and miraculous acts.

33 And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Ac 4:33)

God does not build his kingdom with military might. It is not built with political pressure. The coming of the kingdom doesn’t come with a business plan or dependence on wealth.

The kingdom comes by the power of the Holy Spirit, empowering witnesses to testify to the gospel of the kingdom.

The promise that the apostles will be witnesses involved another important Old Testament allusion.

“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior (Is 43:10–11)

As stated earlier, these connections confirm that the restoration of the kingdom of Israel will occur through the Holy Spirit and the church.

The key truth that the apostles bear witness to is the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, we live in a different period of redemptive history, and do not serve as witnesses in the same way. We have, however, received the great commission, which gives us the responsibility to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the purpose we are to pursue together as a church. The kingdom comes through Word and Spirit.

I am grateful for every Christian civil servant, and for every effort to influence society with what is good, beautiful, and true. I praise the Lord for all of it. Please don’t hear me belittle those efforts at all.

What most excites me, though, and what I think should be the singular focus of the church, is the proclamation of the gospel, the making of disciples, and the planting of churches.

You see, the kingdom comes by the power of the Holy Spirit, but its presence on earth is quite humble. Our sinful hearts don’t like what is small and humble. We want the big and powerful. God confounds the wisdom of the world by saving and gathering unimpressive, sinful people who are baptized in water. The devils of Hell tremble not as his people take up arms, but the bread and the cup.

This is how the Lord often works, as described in His Word.

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Co 1:27–29)

The third and final part of Jesus’ answer concerns the advancement of the kingdom. The kingdom of God will know no boundary. It will reserve no corner of the world that can escape the Lordship of Christ, in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This again alludes to an important Old Testament passage, Isaiah 49:6.

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is 49:6)

God is not only going to begin restoring the kingdom of Israel by the Holy Spirit and through the church, but the church will become a light to the nations as the gospel advances from Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

The heart of God is for the nations, and he will give to his Son a people redeemed from every tribe, tongue, and nation. All of this will be accomplished by the work of God by the Holy Spirit and through the church.

As we progress through Acts, you’ll see how God, by the Spirit, makes the apostles witnesses, starting in Jerusalem and advancing to Rome, ultimately reaching the ends of the earth.

The kingdom of God does not come by military strength. Its reach is not one location and one ethnic group. The kingdom of God comes by the power of the Holy Spirit, empowering witnesses to preach the gospel, starting in Jerusalem and extending to the ends of the earth.

III.) The ascension of the Son and the promise of his return assure the hope of the kingdom (Acts 1:10-11)

After Jesus gives his final marching orders to the apostles, he ascends into heaven.

9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. (Ac 1:9–11)\

One of the reasons we began by discussing the ascension was to allow me to focus on how the narrative connects the ascension to the mission of the disciples. As much as I love the allusions to Psalm 2 and Daniel 7, and how the cloud serves as an image for the glory of God, I also want to emphasize the connection between the ascension and the mission of the disciples.

The two men, possibly angels, give the disciples a gentle rebuke, “Why do you stand looking into heaven?” Christ’s ascension into heaven means that it is now time to work faithfully to do all that Christ had commanded. And they are to do so with the hope of Christ’s promised return.

We seek to fulfill the mission Christ has given us with the unshaking conviction that his reign in heaven assures the success of our labors.

It is the ascended Lord Jesus Christ who said before the cross, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Mt 16:18)

We do so with the full assurance of hope that he will return the same way he came into heaven.

We live between these two great events, and they both are meant to fuel us to action, not apathy. Yes, the day is fixed by the Father. Yes, the Son rules and reigns in heaven, and the Holy Spirit is at work, but God does all of this through people who pray, preach, and serve, so that disciples are made and churches are planted.

The thought that occurred to me in my study was that I’m not broken enough over the lostness in Massac County. The reality of an eternal Hell has not shaken me enough. Mission partnerships and unreached people don’t occupy my thoughts and prayers enough.

The risen Lord Jesus Christ assures that the gospel will advance, disciples will be made, and the church will be built. Those are promises meant to propel us to act.

So let’s look to heaven, but not stand and gaze. Let’s, with obedient hearts, be faithful to pray for the salvation of the lost, the making of disciples, the strengthening, and planting of churches. Let’s love our friends and family well, share the gospel with them, and pray for their conversion. Let us commit to the church and seek to bring every aspect of life under the Lordship of Christ.

Jesus Christ lives, Jesus Christ reigns, and that makes all the difference for today.