Heavenly Father, as we come to listen to your word, we do acknowledge your greatness, your glory, your power, your majesty, and your compassion to sinners, your mercy and your grace towards them, that which we so needed. We ask that in light of who you are, all that you are, Lord, that you would be kind this morning to help us to understand, to open our eyes to the beauty of your design for the church. To the joy of having a new heart that longs with passion to love you and to worship you, to sing to you. to share that love with one another. We ask for just an abundance this morning as we spend time here in Christ's name, amen. Well, this morning we have already enjoyed time together in prayer. We've enjoyed a time together praising God through song. We've listened to his word read to us in the Psalms. Now we're turning to be taught from his word. Afterwards, we'll spend time together at the Lord's table and even enjoying a meal together afterwards. In all of it, enjoying the fellowship that we have with God and with one another. But maybe some of you have wondered what committee got together and decided that these were the particular activities that we were to be doing as we gathered. Well, there wasn't a committee, praise the Lord. And there didn't have to be one. You say, well, Larry, what do you mean by that? First, there wasn't one because Jesus is the head of the church. And while he was with the apostles for three years and before he ascended, he gave both by example and command for them to teach all that he had given to them. To teach the church all that he had given to them. So the apostles' teaching was vital for the growth and for the health of the church. He gave instruction also for the Lord's table to be a regular part of his body's gathering so we wouldn't forget his love for us. Prayer was also a priority in his own life. He taught it, he commanded his disciples to pray, and certainly he also called us to not forsake the assembling together of the saints. So there was no committee. Jesus established the necessary activity for his church to flourish through his instruction by his example and his commands. But in conjunction with that, these activities as well as the attitudes we'll be looking at this morning are the very things that the new heart that we're given in salvation They're the very things that the new heart craves. It isn't just that Jesus commands us to do these things and so we have to. But these are the very things that the one who has been saved and has been given a new heart desires to do. It is what we long to do. It is what we find joy in doing. In other words, Let's say that you were an unsafe person on some island somewhere and happened to find a Bible and in reading it you came to know the Lord, you were saved. But you were without a church, without a church background, without any traditions. The desires of your new heart given at salvation would still be directing you, would still be in you to learn more about God from His Word, to be taught more about His salvation that is yours. You would have a desire to meet with others, to share the same faith in Christ. Those who were in fellowship with you, you would want to remember Christ's love for you, shown on His death and resurrection and celebrated at His table and to pray to Him to enjoy this newfound open door to commune with God, to thank Him, to praise Him and petition Him, knowing that He intimately cares for you. So Jesus' instruction as to the activity that's to be going on when the church gathers together meets the very needs and cravings of the new heart. A new heart, which was promised in Deuteronomy 36, Ezekiel 36 verse 26, that would be given to the person upon their salvation as they enter into this new covenant through faith in Christ. And so this morning, we have gathered, not because we have to, but because it's in our hearts to do so. We've read the scriptures not because we have to, but because we treasure God's Word. We've spent time in prayer together singing praises to our God, not because we have to, but because it's in our hearts to spend time with Him, exalting Him, praising Him, giving thanks to Him, and bringing even our petitions before Him. And we're now opening God's Word to listen and learn from Him to be taught, not because we have to, but because we want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to grow in our love and obedience, our worship of our merciful and gracious God. Before we leave today, we'll be sharing in the Lord's table together and then we'll share a meal together afterwards. Not because we have to, but because it is the deep need and the deep desire of our new hearts to remember His love for us demonstrated on the cross and to express that vertical love horizontally as we spend time together enjoying the fellowship we have in Christ. And so we're devoted to these things, not because we have to be, not because some committee got together and told us, but because it is the very command of God, but the very heart that He put in us to desire to do these things. Jesus' instruction, His commands meet the very needs and cravings of the new heart you were given. when you receive salvation through faith in Him. And these are the very activities that we find in Acts chapter 2 verse 42, the day the church was born. These are the things that the church was continually devoting themselves to from the day the church began. Not only that, in verses 43 through 47, Luke describes for us the attitudes that were prevalent in the church then that are still expressions of those new hearts that we've been given in the church even today. I hope that as we look at each of these this morning, you'll recognize that the same grace that was poured out on them by the Holy Spirit on the day the church began, that same grace that changes hearts is still being poured out today on all those who believe in Christ. I hope that you'll recognize that these are the desires and the joys and the cravings of your own heart. That's why you're here today, that's why you want to do what you're doing. Not because someone drug you here, not because you can't stand it and can't wait till it's over to get to do something you really want to do, but that this is the utter joy of your week, to be with God's people and to worship Him in this way. Now before we look at these expressions, let me just kind of set the stage here again for us. When we come to verse 42, Peter, remember, has just finished his first sermon. He had just finished explaining the supernatural events these Jews gathered for Pentecost had seen and they had heard. And then he launched into preaching the truth about Jesus. And from Peter's message, they then understood, his audience understood that they were accountable before God. That they understood that they were guilty for murdering him. They understood he had been raised from the dead. And Peter, as an eyewitness, tells them he was also ascended to the right hand of the Father and would return as king and judge. And as the Holy Spirit presses the reality of their guilt and God's coming judgment upon them, they're crying out from fear, wanting to know what they need to do to avert the judgment they deserve. Will God forgive them? Can they still receive their Messiah? Is God that merciful? What should we do, Peter? And Peter says in verse 38, repent. Repent. Turn 180 degrees with your whole heart, believing Jesus as God's Savior, sent to die for your sin, was raised from the dead, and is now your exalted King, and give your whole life to serving Him as such. Trust Him and trust in His love for you. Now obviously that would take a radical change of heart. From being blind to seeing. From a totally selfish constitution to trusting in Christ to rule over your life. So instead of living for self, you would now be living for Him. So this change of heart had to be a miraculous work of God. And it was one of the promises, you remember, of the new covenant, a promise found in Ezekiel 36, 26, when God says he would forgive sin, when he says that he would put his spirit, the spirit would take up residence in the believer, and the heart of stone would be removed, and they would be given a new heart, a changed heart that loved God and that loved others. And so he calls them to repent. If they loved their sin, if they loved their selfish ways, they won't. But if they're being drawn by God and changed by Him, they would repent. And so Peter says, repent, count the cost, and turn to Christ as Savior and Lord. And then Luke tells us, And this is wonderful. It tells us that there were some who had received his word. They had been given repentant hearts. The Spirit of God had circumcised their hearts and they believed on Christ. And as an outward expression of that new inward reality, they were baptized, 3,000 of them. So there was public profession after public profession after public profession, 3,000 of them all witnessing to the mercy and the saving grace of God. All of them having been changed in the inner man. Mind, desires, affections, will, the will of man, all changed. They were new creatures no longer living for themselves, but for the one that they knew by faith was their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And Luke describes for us what those new heart expressions look like as these 3,000 continued together in the days that followed. So we have a lot of people who were just rescued from the authority of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of the sun. And Luke now describes for us in verse 42 their activities, and then in verses 43 through 47 he describes their attitudes. And so let's look at these activities of the new heart first. Luke says in verse 42, they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. Four activities they wanted to do from the heart, they desired to do. It even says they were continually devoting themselves to these things. The word here for devote means to stick by, or be close at hand, or to attach oneself to something. These were four activities they were attached to, were persistent in doing, were engaged in, were devoted to. These were things, weren't things that someone told them they had to do. But all, all of them wanted to do it from the heart. These activities were their new joy. So what were these new activities from the heart? Well, the first, the apostles' teaching. They continually were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching. This is like, you know, when a baby is born and, you know, they bring them out and you look at them and their lips are already going. Aren't they? It's the first thing you notice, these little quivering lips already sucking, ready for the milk that they so desperately need. No one told them to do that. It's just innate. It's God's design. If they were going to grow, if they're going to have food right off the bat, they needed, and they would need to continue to eat their whole, the rest of their lives. If they were going to have that food, they needed to come ready to do that, craving that. It's natural. Our bodies need nourishment to grow, to function, to be strong, and to be fruitful. And that's true spiritually as well. That's why Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2 too, to like newborn babes. Long for the pure milk of the word so that by it you might grow in respect to salvation. That's a natural craving of the new heart. It longs for the word of God. We understand that desire can certainly ebb and flow in seasons, but it's the craving of the new heart. And when it's not there, when there is absolutely no desire to listen to God from His word, there should be a serious evaluation going on. Because either you don't know Him, or you're starving yourself spiritually. This is the primary means of grace by which we can consistently walk in a manner worthy of our Lord, which is the desire of every true believer's heart to honor Him. But specifically here, he says it was the apostles' teaching that they were continually devoting themselves to. Now that's not describing just their activity of teaching, but the content of it. They wanted to know more about their Savior. They wanted to know more about their Lord. They wanted to understand all that was going on in this great salvation that they had just experienced. And as we've seen with Peter's first sermon, the apostles' teaching was focused on proclaiming Jesus as God's Messiah, his life, his substitutionary death, his resurrection, his ascension, his imminent return. They took the law, the Psalms, the prophets, and demonstrated from them that Jesus was God's Messiah. Peter had already used Joel 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 110, and references to 2 Samuel 7 in his first sermon. So they were teaching Christ as the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises. And so they had a lot to draw on. Not only that, they had the content of all that Jesus personally taught them for the first three years. And remember from Matthew 28, Jesus had told them, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to do all that I have commanded you. And so teaching and preaching was going to be a big part of their work as the apostles as they filled out this New Testament revelation for the church. They had a treasure trove of things that Jesus taught which they needed to teach the church to lay the foundations of truth for her growth and for her maturity. And you're thinking, how in the world did all these guys remember everything that he said? I mean, half the time they didn't even understand what he was saying. Well, remember in John 14. Beginning in verse 16, Jesus says, And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate, that He may be with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him or know Him. You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. And then in verse 25, Jesus says, these things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. We're thankful for the Holy Spirit, aren't we? That's how God's revelation for the New Testament would be completed for future generations. And we'll continue to see the Spirit of God use him and Paul and others, making clear the gospel and laying the foundation of truth for the New Testament church. And so the apostles' teaching was the food, it was the very food that the church needed. They needed it then and we need it now. And for all future generations, they're going to continue to need it. It was the sound doctrine given by the Holy Spirit through the apostles that was the food for the new believer's soul. So being devoted to the sound doctrine Jesus taught and the spirit illumined to the apostles became a basic distinguishing mark of someone who was truly saved. In John 15, remember Jesus says the true branch does what? Abides, right? Abides in the vine. It draws its sustenance for life and fruit bearing from the vine that it's attached to. I mean, that's a picture of the believer's dependence upon Jesus, upon his words, upon the truth. And that's the desire of the new heart received at salvation. Like a deer pants for the water, Dave says, my soul longs for you. Psalm 19, it's more desirable than gold, it's sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb. It rejoices the heart and enlightens the eye. It warns us, it gives us wisdom, it sanctifies us, it revives our soul. If there is no evidence in your life of a devotion God's Word, you need to do some examination because that is the natural inclination of the new heart. These people had a radical change at the heart level seen in the fact that they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching. They were feasting on all they had to learn from them about their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They were also devoting themselves to fellowship. Now, when we hear about fellowship, or many people think of fellowship, they think in terms of, I think, mostly sentimental feelings. You know, I'd like to be around those people because they make me feel good. Not sure why, I just like being there. Feels good, it reminds me of home, it reminds me of family, kind of a nostalgia type thing. It's comfortable for me. And so people often think of fellowship in terms of what they get out of it. How it makes them feel. If the sentimental feelings are there, it's wonderful fellowship. If they're not, the conclusion is there was no real fellowship. It's kind of a narcissistic view of fellowship because your interaction with others is all about what's in it for you. But the fellowship we're talking about here is all about giving. In other words, true fellowship costs you something. You come to give, you come to share, you come to edify, you come to build up others, you come to serve others. Christian fellowship is characterized by that selfless care for one another because that's the nature of the new heart. It's selfless. Believers are placed in a permanent fellowship with God and with other believers based on the selfless giving of the Son for our redemption. Our salvation is an act of God's love. It's an act of God's selfless love. And the new heart we receive at salvation is of the same nature, to be oriented to others. We love one another. And Paul says in Romans 8, the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has given to us. You remember the disciples were always arguing, always kind of bickering as to who was going to be on the right and the left hand and the kingdom and all of that. They were always jockeying for positions. They weren't really thinking about the other. They weren't really serving others. They were striving with each other. Holy Spirit gave them new hearts. In other words, they didn't have this type of fellowship with each other until the Holy Spirit gave them new hearts. In fact, this familiar Greek term koinonia isn't even found in the Gospels. This is the first place that it occurs in the New Testament. And every time this word is used from here on out, it's referring to some kind of sharing We see it again in verses 44 and 45 where it says, and all those who had believed were together and had all things in common. That's koinonia. They considered the resources they had that were given to them, that it wasn't given to them just for themselves, but to help other people with. And so verse 45 says, and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them all up as anyone had need. They were just giving their stuff away just to meet the needs of someone else. And so the word carries this idea of being in unity of heart where sharing with others, participating and caring for others is the focus. Showing goodwill to others, participating and caring for others by meeting needs. It's used in Philippians 1.5 of the fellowship that the church had with Paul in the spreading and the proclaiming of the gospel. They selflessly gave themselves to share in that ministry with him, sometimes by supporting him in whatever means he needed, but also doing the work, coming alongside, helping to do the work that he was doing. And so they were continually devoting themselves to the fellowship of the saints. where everyone was in unity in their love for Christ and love for one another. This is what the author of Hebrews calls us to, remember? In chapter 10, verse 24, he says, and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Those selfless things that we encourage, that we do for others and we encourage others to do as well. Not forsaking your own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. All the more as you see the day drawing near. That's what the church was doing. And all that was an expression of the new heart, a desire to be with others, to share the same selfless love for Christ that he had shown for us to one another. So they were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, they were devoting themselves to fellowship, and third, to breaking of bread. That's a reference specifically to the Lord's table. I think later on in verse 46, it says, they were breaking bread from house to house. They were taking their meals together. I think that defines the breaking of bread as eating a meal together when they were at someone's house, where there was hospitality being shown. But this one here, I think, is in a list of these four activities that seem to be more directly associated with a little more organized worship. Remember the Lord's Table is one of those two ordinances that Jesus left to the church. Baptism is the other, and they had already done that, 3,000 of them baptized on the day of Pentecost, and now they were sharing regularly in the Lord's Table, or the breaking of bread in their worship together. It was the regular reminder of all that Jesus had accomplished on the cross to redeem them to himself. And so because of its meaning, it was the natural expression of the new heart, which loved Christ, to come together and to remember him and to celebrate him. So keeping this ordinance was the great, great joy of the church. They were devoted to remembering Christ's sacrificial love for them. So the activities that the church was devoted to were the apostles teaching, the fellowship in the Lord's table, And as we would expect, the fourth activity says here, prayer. There was a priority of prayer. There was a priority of communion with God, communion with Christ, talking to God, praising God, thanking Him, petitioning God for the daily needs of the saints, for greater strength and wisdom to continue the ministry Christ left the church to be doing. I mean, the great joy in coming together wasn't just to talk to each other, but to go before God together as brothers and sisters in Christ, as those whom the Spirit of God had blown over and given new hearts to come to our God in heaven through the Son and the power of the Spirit and to commune with Him. With a new heart came a new heart. With a new birth that came, the new heart had confidence, boldness, that God was a loving Father whose wrath toward sin had been satisfied through Christ's work on the cross, and the complete forgiveness of sin had been granted, so the redeemed are born again crying, Abba, Father. Prayer is the first breath and continual breathing of the saint. It is in prayer to God that we first come, asking for mercy and forgiveness. And then when we receive this great salvation, you continue in prayer for the rest of eternity. Thanking the Father and the Son and the Spirit for such mercy, such grace. You were once an enemy deserving of His judgment and now by His mercy and grace a friend, a son, having full access to His throne. And so we come not because we have to, but we are compelled by such love to continually offer up thanksgivings and praises to our kind and merciful and gracious God. Again, these are all natural expressions of the new heart. These 3,000 people had received this, and this was their activity that they were devoted to. This wasn't a list of things the church had to do. It wasn't a list to keep, but the natural overflow of activity that came from the new heart, which these 3,000 had just received. These activities are the very joy of the new life, the expressions of a new desires, new affections, new loyalties, new understanding in all of them. At the same time, the very means of grace to help the church continue to grow in Christ's likeness and fruitfulness for Christ's sake. You know, our service here has always been a little longer maybe than your normal service. Some days it's really longer. But it is so because there's such joy found in everything that we do. I hate to cut anything out. We're continually devoted to all these things because it's the joy of our heart to do so. We come together to pray. In fact, prayer begins about 9.45 here as we begin gathering in groups to pray. I'm sure it begins even earlier than that at home when we all begin waking up in the morning, praising God and praying for the day ahead of us. Then we sing God's praises together with hymns and songs that exalt our God. We read God's word. We pray more. We sing his praises more. We pray again, petitioning God for needs in the body. We sing even more praises to our God. Again, we give ourselves to listening to him through his teaching of his word. We share to get, that can go on forever sometimes, but, and then we share together and remembering Christ's death and resurrection for us at the Lord's table. And then we pray again. Then we even enjoy sharing a meal together. For a time when we can care for one another, minister to one another, share with one another, giving ourselves to God first and then to one another to edify and to build one another up in Christ. What a beautiful day. These are all expressions of the new heart, the activity that the new heart naturally craves and finds joy in and is refreshed by. All of them expressions of loving God and loving one another. So those are the activities. But Luke continues here with describing attitudes of the hearts in the church. The attitudes. Verse 44 begins by saying, and fear came upon every soul. That describes an attitude of reverence toward God. The word here for fear is phobos, where we get our word phobia from. There was certainly a startling fear in them, not just from what Peter had preached, but from the fact that there were 3,000 people who had been radically changed. They had been baptized and they were continually devoting themselves to all these things. There was a reverence that God was doing something in their midst. But all along with that, it continues on to say that many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. So Pentecost began with supernatural events, as the Holy Spirit came, as the mighty deeds of God were being proclaimed in foreign languages, 3,000 people get saved, and in the following days everyone begins to recognize their lives are different, their associations are different, their zealousness for the things of God is different, and not only, not only that there were wonders and signs taking place, miraculous things taking place through the apostles. More miracles were taking place. In chapter 3 we're going to look at one of those that causes quite an uproar. So there's a soberness that falls upon the crowds who were there for Pentecost. It was evident to everyone that God was going, was doing something, was doing something It's supernatural among them and so there was a sober reverence for God that like a blanket just seemed to fall over Jerusalem. I think because many churches today don't preach the Word of God because they don't pray because they don't cultivate true fellowship. Some don't even come to the Lord's table anymore, maybe just once or twice a year. Because the means of grace God has given us has been set aside by many, the church has lost its sense of reverence. And so they have to try to manufacture it with cheap substitutes. Gold flakes falling from the ceiling. Emotionally charged speakers and music to create the mood. Some have even used pyrotechnics. All of it artificial. External stimuli rather than God's means of grace that affect the heart and cause a person. to from the depths of their hearts stand in awe in reverence before their holy God. Reverence toward God. That's the first attitude. Second, we find here in verses 44 and 45 an attitude we would expect to see in the hearts of all those who have been changed. Look at verse 44. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all as anyone might have need. This is that fellowship that we looked at earlier. It's an aspect of it. And it began with an attitude of generous care for one another. We can call this love, right? This is the agape love. This is what it looks like. It begins with that attitude. It's the selfless care for others. You see a need and you do whatever it takes to meet it, even when it costs you. Christ understood our need as sinners and He willingly, He joyfully gave Himself even to death that our sin might be atoned for and we could be forgiven. That's love. That's love. But there's a historical situation that you need to understand about this before you just launch off and decide you're going to give everything away to everybody. Some people have interpreted this verse in that way as though Christians support some type of communal living where nothing belongs to anyone. That's not a good application of these verses. You need to understand this is not a prescription or a command to the church for all ages, but a description of a unique opportunity that they had in their historical situation to care for one another. So what was their historical situation? Well, you remember this is Pentecost. This is Pentecost. The place is flooded with people. People from all over the world. And all of a sudden you have 3,000 people who are saved and gathered together, gathering together daily, and they notice that among them are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of those who are from the Despora, who have come to Christ and are staying longer than they anticipated. And so they can Learn from the apostles everything they need to before they return home. They're just hanging around, enjoying the fellowship. I mean, who would want to leave this thing? So all of a sudden there were these tremendous needs. And the hearts of those who had come to Christ who lived there in Jerusalem were compelled by love to care for their new spiritual family members who had needs. And so the needs were massive and the attitudes of those who lived there was such that all those who had believed were together and had all things in common. Whatever you need, if I got it, I'm willing to share it with you to meet that need. That's what was going on here. And so verse 45 says, they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all as anyone might have need. I mean, that's the attitude of generous care that was there for one another. The selfless love for one another. This is something I have seen in this body over and over and over. You all give above and beyond. It's an incredible testimony of this body that we're able to meet the needs. There's been a number of times we've supported families in difficult times until they got back on their feet. I mean, everything, month to month for quite a while until they got back on their feet. The fact that we're able to buy this building and renovate it to meet our growing ministry needs here, it's incredible. There's been support of missionaries, incredibly generous giving where we've helped churches in Honduras, churches in distress, helped students get trained for ministry and on and on. I mean, that's the attitude the church had at the beginning because it is the fruit that the Spirit of God produces in people who adore their Savior and love one another. These are the attitudes of the new heart, reverence for God, generous care for one another. But there's another in verse 46, and I call this joyful and sincere unity. It says here, in daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart. First, this is saying that there was a profound unity in the church. They were daily devoting themselves with one accord, with one mind, with one purpose. They were all on the same page with the same inner impulses to be worshiping God and caring for one another. That's what was going on as they were gathering at the temple daily. Jesus said it was a house of prayer. So that became their regular gathering place with others to worship God. And I would imagine it had to be just absolutely buzzing with excitement of sharing Christ with others on the Temple Mount, giving praise to God. I mean, just an ongoing worship service the whole day. We'll see more of that unfold in chapter 3. But even beyond that, when they went home to eat, when it was time to go to sleep, when it was time to rest, this seems to be saying that they went in groups to different houses, but still talking about Jesus, still talking about what the apostles had been teaching, thinking through the Old Testament and all that had been fulfilled and the expectations of His return. And so it says they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity. Where the Spirit is reigning in the heart, there is gladness and joy, right? Galatians 5.22 says joy is what? It's a fruit of the Spirit. It's a fruit of the Spirit. When you're yielded to the Spirit of God, when you're walking in keeping with God's Word, with your mind set upon Him and His glory, and the wonder of who He is and what He has done to redeem you, joy fills the heart. It also says they had a sincerity of heart. That word means a simplicity of heart. In other words, their hearts weren't encumbered with all the worries and the concerns for everything else. They were in the moment enjoying all that the Spirit of God was doing in them and among them. I mean, think about this. If they were accountable and guilty before Him and yet God was willing to forgive their sin against Him, if His mercy and love were that great to care for their greatest need at such a profound cost, how much more will He not care for all the little things they were dealing with then? There was a unity in the devotion to be together to worship God that flowed over into their homes as they opened them to feed and to care for one another. There were no worries about meeting the needs of everyone because they knew God would provide what they needed. And they were all filled with gladness and sincerity of heart. And of course, they were praising God. That's our fourth attitude here. Praise begins with an attitude of recognizing someone else's worthiness to be praised. And that requires humility, doesn't it? And the church that day was overwhelmed by that. In fact, the day began with the church speaking the mighty deeds of God. And such praise of God continued to be the activity of the church. Praising God, celebrating God, speaking of the wonders and majesty of God, and in this case, certainly the mercy and the grace of God. If a heart isn't filled with joy, and acknowledging who God is, and acknowledging what He has done, and overflowing with thanksgiving to God, something's wrong. This is the attitude that all believers should have. Certainly we understand the trials, we understand the ebbs and flow in the Christian life, but this is the heart, this is the new heart. all those who understand what they deserve for their sin against Him, and yet realizing He died to redeem unworthy sinners to Himself, to seat them with Him in the heavenly places. Unbelievable, isn't it? Ephesians 1 3 Paul blesses God the father of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. Why? Well, he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Just as he chose us in him verse 7 in him We have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our transgressions verse 11 in him We also have been made inheritance verse 13 in him You also were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise to the praise of his glory when you understand who you are in Christ who God is, what He has done to save you, and He is even protecting you for a glory, for an inheritance we can't even begin to fathom. He's protecting for you to that end, to give you all of Christ. It produces Thanksgiving, doesn't it? We gather to do that. We gather to exalt God. We gather to worship Him. That's what all the singing is about. That's what all the prayer and the reading of scripture and preaching is about. That's what sharing in the Lord's table is about. We're praising our God, worshiping our God, and continuing even as we leave this place to go out and tell others about Him. Verse 47 concludes by saying, and they were having favor with all the people. I imagine they were. I mean, who doesn't like to be around people who are selfless, who are full of joy, and love, and peace, and patience, and gentleness, and kindness, and goodness, and faithfulness, and self-control, who are filled with excitement about God? But God was giving the church favor with all the people. I would imagine it would have been a relief from the ages of legalism that that place had been under. that the Pharisaical leaders had placed them under. I mean, the temple mount for the first time in who knows how many hundreds of years became a place of celebration and joy of prayer and praising God from the heart, loving God and loving one another and seeing and learning the life of God and these new believers bore witness to the miraculous work of God that He had done in all of them. I would have liked to have been there. But that's what we have here. Verse 47 ends by telling us, and the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved. Gospel was being proclaimed and the incredible witness of the transforming power of that gospel was seen in the lives of 3,000 people. Their actions and attitudes bearing witness to a merciful, forgiving God who saves sinners, who transforms sinners in the inner man, bringing joy to the heart and the Lord was adding to their number daily. Just an explosion of fruitfulness and joy, expressions of worship and reverence and love. Again, our body is a testimony of that same mercy and grace. We don't come here and do what we do because we have to, but because we've been given new hearts as a gift in this new covenant, we find it our greatest joy and fulfillment to be continually devoted to worshiping our God who has loved us so, so much. Heavenly Father, we do thank you. We thank you for the wonder of this great salvation that we have. We thank you for showing us such grace. Lord Jesus, thank you for defining for us all these activities and attitudes that correlate with the very heart the Spirit of God has created within us. Thank you for such a salvation. We ask that we continue in our devotion to you for your glory. As we do that, that you would be adding to the number of your church. Fill it up with more hearts that find such great joy in worshiping you. We ask this for your glory and our utter joy. It's in Christ's name we pray.