We take your Bible out and let's open it together just as you do through the week. It's our great privilege to own a copy of the scripture and our privilege today to study it. Let's open it to Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. Today we begin a new study entitled Devoted. Devoted. Acts chapter 2. This study has been on my heart for a while now and God has seen fit to allow us to finish one topic and move on to the next and we start today. I anticipate this will be a series about six sermons long and this will put us through Easter as well, perhaps getting us all the way to Pentecost Sunday, but this will be our focus. for at least the next month or so, Acts chapter two. So I encourage you, we do come to this passage again and again, seeing that it's such a significant portion of scripture, the birthday of the church, the coming of the Holy Spirit, showing that Christ has been exalted to the Father's right hand, and it'll be our pleasure to be able to look into it specifically for at least a month, all right? Let's pray, and then we will consider this passage together. Father, as we quiet ourselves now, and we are again able to look at what you've said, we ask that we would give heed to it, that we would look at it with fresh eyes, even upon a passage that we have considered before. As we read this morning from Peter, who preached in this passage, We again and again need to be reminded of what we already know so that even those things are more firmly settled within us so that our faith grows in you. So Lord, we pray that you would answer that request and all that for your glory. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. As I was scrolling through social media this week, I came across this picture. And it says 75% of kids left the church from 18 to 29, from ages 18 to 29. And then why 25% stayed? And this is quite a statistic to read. We know of things like this. We look at the kids that are here today and we think, in 10 years or so, 20 years, you and what you choose is gonna fall into a category. So some of these things are really close to our heart. Now, the bottom of this image that I saw was this, because they were trying to explain why it is that 25% of young people who grew up in the church, stayed at church. And they say things like, of those 25%, many of them ate dinner five of seven nights a week as a family. That happens in our house. Number two, they served with their families in ministry. So kids, you can think about that. Three, they had one spiritual experience in the home during the week. And I would assume that means probably at least one in the home there. Fourth, they were entrusted with responsibility and ministry at a very early age. So it seems that they got involved at church. And fifth, had at least one Faith-focused adult in their lives other than their parents. I look at this and I think, that has some insight. Some of those things I can identify with. I can think of examples of those things. And I could look at perhaps our church and think, well, praise the Lord. A lot of those things are very true. I know of adults who work on having spiritual conversations with kids who aren't their own. I know of families who open the Bible through the week. A lot of things I look at this and I say, that is really, really wonderful. Because in the end of the day, we do want our kids to follow in our footsteps of faith. You can't just have a sermon based on a picture that you find on social media, right? Because we need to be able to evaluate everything that we think, do, and say based on what God's word says. And there's even movements abroad that would say, well, what did the early church do? Sometimes people would say that, you know, the church perhaps has got off its mission. What is the mission of the church? What ought the church be doing? What did the first church do? Here we come to Acts chapter two, because we have the founding of the New Testament church in fulfillment of Jesus's promise that he would build his church. We find in this chapter, Peter preaches on Pentecost to a lot of Jewish people. And I need you to understand what kind of Jewish people these were. Acts chapter 2 verse 5 says this, now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. These were God-fearing people. These were seriously religious people. Yet we know from this passage that they didn't know the Lord. After Peter preaches, we read this in verse 42. These who were devout already, they, in verse 42, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the prayers. So you kind of have in these two verses the idea of someone who's devout, he's God-fearing, he's reverent, and then now in verse 42 you find someone who's devoted. And there is a shade of difference between those. Those who are devout are reverent. Those who are devoted are remaining. Some of your translations read in verse 42, they continued steadfastly. That's what it means. They kept going. Whereas devout means this is the direction you're going in. Those who are devoted, they're dedicated. They're attached. Those who are devout adore the Lord, but those who are devoted are attached. They stick it out with the Lord. They remain. And obviously you see that these who remained were devoted to four things. which in the course of our study are gonna be the third, fourth, fifth, sixth sermons of our study. Today I want to answer this simple question. Who were the devoted? In verse 42 it says, and they devoted themselves. Who were they? There's four things we learn about them and we'll only have time to cover two of them today. And the reason I go over this is because I want to ask you, are you devoted? Are you devoted? Are you one who remains dedicated, attached to the Lord? Can the things that we learn today and in the weeks coming be said to be true of you? So use this as a check on your own heart. As we begin then, The first thing we learn about the devoted is that they have heard the gospel. The devoted have heard the gospel. Many Jewish people heard Peter preach on Pentecost. Go back to chapter two, verse one. When the day of Pentecost arrived, then verse 14, Peter, standing with the 11, lifted up his voice and addressed them, men of Judah. Verse 22, men of Israel, hear these words. What are his words? Jesus of Nazareth. First word of the sermon. 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 yourself know. And what did these people know? What had they witnessed? Matthew 11 tells us, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have heard the good news preached to them. That's what they witnessed. These knew about Jesus, who had been endorsed by God. These Jews had the unique experience where they actually saw the miracles of Jesus Christ, and they marveled at them. You have to imagine, when you see something like a blind person receive sight or the lame walk, that is just an amazing thing to observe. The sad thing was that they rejected him. They didn't want him in their lives. You say, well, what, did they just ignore him? No, they actually sought to see him killed. Look at verse 23. This Jesus, Peter says to them, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Doesn't that sound odd to you? On the one hand, Peter talks about the miracles that Jesus is doing, these things that no one else has the power to do, but these people are able to nail that person to a cross. Doesn't that seem odd? Well, there's more than what meets the eye. Young people, just as your father allows you as a child to beat you in a game of basketball because you really can't beat him in a game of basketball, he lets you do that. So Jesus Christ allowed himself to be crucified. Why? Well, because he was sacrificing his life for the sins of other people. He was voluntarily taking God's punishment for sin that other people deserved. And what we learned is that God accepted his sacrifice and he raised him from the dead. Look at verse 24. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death. So these people knew about Jesus, who had been endorsed by God. because Jesus had done all of these miraculous things, yet they had rejected him, they had crucified him. We also learn that, well, they crucified Jesus, but God raised him up. Can you imagine being a hearer on that day of what Peter said? And you think to yourself, you've got to be kidding me. I know you said that this person rose from the dead, People don't rise from the dead. That can't happen, right? Well, if that kind of thing just doesn't happen, why did they believe him? Why did they take Peter seriously at all? I need you to notice what the Jewish people had already witnessed on the day of Pentecost. We know that Jesus' followers were together. In chapter two, verse four, it says, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in different languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. And those Jews who called for Jesus' crucifixion, they heard the disciples speaking in those foreign languages. Verse 11, we heard them telling in our own languages the mighty works of God. And what was striking is that those folks from Jerusalem weren't from other places. They shouldn't have known those languages, yet they were able to act to speak fluently in those languages. You say, how can that happen? They didn't have Rosetta Stone. Correct. It was a miracle. And the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit proved to the Jewish people that Jesus was indeed alive and ascended back to heaven. Verse 33, Peter says, therefore, since he has been exalted at the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. So the miracle that these Jews were witnessing on that very day was proving something else. It was proving that Jesus was not dead in the grave, that he had been raised up, had ascended to heaven, he was seated at the Father's right hand. And then from this point, with this truth, Peter connects the dots between Christ's exalted position beside the Father and these Jews who had crucified him. Look at verse 34. Acts 2, 34. The Bible says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. You know, sometimes at home, you dramatize a passage of scripture? Perhaps you could try this one. What does it mean that someone be made a footstool? Well, it doesn't take much imagination. No one wants to be the footstool. MacArthur has said, placing one's enemies under one's feet was a figure of speech pointing to their abject submission. One day, God will make all of his enemies submissive to him. He will conquer them all. And then, to seal the deal, Peter makes sure the folks know who those enemies are. So he repeats this point. In verse 36, you were the ones who crucified him, who is now exalted at the Father's right hand. You're his enemies. So putting all this together in the course of the sermon, the inevitable conclusion is that Christ is certainly risen from the dead and exalted at the Father's right hand. The sobering reality is that these people have rejected him. They put him to death. And the haunting question is are they utterly doomed as the enemy of this raised and reigning Christ? And that's kind of how they respond. Look at verse 37. What shall we do, they asked Peter. I mean, these people realized that a target's on them. These folks were convicted because of their sin, because they crucified the Messiah. Now, if you could imagine Of all the sins in the world, what ones would be a really bad sin? Where would you rate crucifying Jesus Christ? You may think, well, I'm glad I didn't do something bad like that. True. But do you realize that you too will stand before Jesus Christ and give an account of your life? Revelation tells us that Jesus Christ will give to each according to his works. True, you were not responsible for putting Jesus Christ to death about 2,000 years ago, but is there anything in your life which Jesus might be displeased with? You see, in the end of the day, no one is any better off than the Jews in Acts chapter two. So when they ask the question, what shall we do, that's a really good question that they ask, right? Well, what's Peter answer? Look at verse 38. He says, repent. He pulls out the age-old prophetic message. This is Ezekiel said, I will judge you, O house of Israel, everyone according to his works declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. The message is repent. Repent means to turn. It means away from your own way and turn to God, the one who's been exalted. It is a change of mind so that it's reoriented so that you deny yourself and follow Christ. Repentance is not simply feeling sorry or saying, I'm sorry. Repentance is not turning over a new leaf. Repentance is not trying to live a better life so that you can outweigh the bad things you've done in your life. That's just personal reform. That's moralism. That's not repentance. Repentance is acknowledging that your life is headed in the wrong direction, away from God. It's headed wherever you want it to go. And it's realizing that you have got to do a 180. Why? Well, because Jesus Christ is Lord of all, exalted at the Father's right hand, and that changes everything for you. And God invites you, turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. You realize that there is no other person in the world, there's no other being in the universe, who can offer you forgiveness except God. But God offers forgiveness. Peter said in chapter three of Acts, repent therefore and turn back that your sins may be blotted out. So friends, are there any sins in your life that you know need to be erased? The people on this day of Pentecost knew of those sins. They learned that only Jesus could release them from the heavy burden of their sin. Those who were devoted heard the gospel. That's the first thing we learn about them. Now secondly, those who are devoted received the gospel. I say, did you just say that? Nope, I didn't just say that. I said in the first case, They heard the gospel. In the second case, I said they received the gospel. Well, what's the difference? Well, some people have said the difference between hearing it and receiving it is 18 inches from the head to the heart. The difference is heaven and hell. You know, there is a lot of people There's a lot of people who've heard the gospel, but they've never received the gospel. I guess the question we need to consider is, well, what's the difference and how do we know if we've received it? Because we've said the gospel throughout the day and from week to week for weeks and years here. So how do we know the difference between hearing it and receiving it? Glad you asked. Two things. Those who receive the gospel believe it for themselves. Those who receive the gospel believe it for themselves. Look at chapter two, verse 22. This is where Peter cites the apostle Joel and he says, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, the name of the Lord shall be saved. This is the individual aspect of the gospel. Kids, look up this way. What are you gonna have for dinner today? And of course, when it's Sunday and I say dinner, I mean lunch. What are you gonna have for lunch today? Now some of you might know because your family has one of those calendars on the refrigerator and you know every meal every day. Or you know what you're going to have for lunch because your mom already put it in the crock pot this morning. Or you don't know what mom planned and you'll find out when you get home. But whatever the case may be, it is probably the case that you don't decide what lunch is going to be. That's decided for you. You know, salvation is not a choice that someone else can make for you, like your mom makes the decision for you, what you'll have for lunch. No one else can call on the name of the Lord so that you're saved. Well, they can pray for your salvation, and we regularly pray for you by name all the time. but we can't call on the name of the Lord for you. We can bring you to church so that you hear the gospel, but we can't make you or for you make the choice to follow Christ. That's something you have to do yourself. Young people, in not too many days, you will be able to drive yourself to church on a Sunday and afterwards go home and prepare whatever lunch you'd like. It's not that far away. But what you can do today, what you can do today is choose to believe the gospel message that Jesus died to save you from your sin. No one can do that for you, but you can do it today. You see, those who receive the gospel believed it individually, they believed it for themselves. So that's the first way we can know if we've received the gospel. Have you believed it yourself? Secondly, those who received the gospel believe it as from God. Now that might not seem to be the case if you look at verse 41. Acts 2 41 says, those who received his word, who's the his? Who is the his? Acts 2 verse 41. Peter. This is Peter's message. Now shouldn't we just shake our heads? Why would anyone believe Peter's message? What is so special about Peter? Kids, what do you remember about Peter? He was a fisherman. What's so special about that? Nothing. Acts chapter 4. We learn that Peter was uneducated and untrained. He was an average Joe. To make matters worse, the Jews on this day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 thought that he was drunk because of his speaking in other languages. So why would the people be compelled to listen to Peter's message? Because it says they received his word. Well, Peter claimed that his message was from God. Go to Acts 2, verse 16. Because Peter just cites the Old Testament prophets. He says, this is what was uttered by the prophet Joel. And then verse 22, he says, for David said concerning Christ. You see, Peter's just citing Old Testament He's showing that the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit was exactly what God had promised so that Jesus was now exalted. Jesus was no longer dead, but he was risen, returned to heaven, and was now reigning at the Father's right hand. Therefore, Jesus deserves submission by all mankind. And those who receive Peter's message believe that that message was actually from Almighty God. It wasn't just Peter's message. It was a message that Peter was telling them that was ultimately from God. Now, there's a cross-reference that can solidify this point in your mind. So write in your Bible, in the margin, 1 Thessalonians 2, 13. The Apostle Paul, in the letter to the Church of Thessalonica, described how people received his message, and he says this. When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, Same kind of experience as what these Jews had on the day of Pentecost from Peter. Paul says, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you received it not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God. So when you hear someone open the Bible before you, you're actually hearing the word of God. Yes, that person before you opening the Bible to you may be a mere preacher or Sunday school teacher on a Sunday, but what they're saying to you is actually from heaven. Or when you hear your husband or your father open the Bible before you at home, what you're actually hearing is God. Do you realize that? It's not just some kick your dad's on. Or some thoughts from a preacher or your Sunday school teacher. The Bible teacher in your life isn't just another voice among many. It's not just another viewpoint among many. Those who receive the word receive it as from God. And his promise to you is that everyone who believes in him receives the forgiveness of sins through his name. The question is, Have you embraced that message for yourself as a message from God? Because that's what described those in Acts 2 who were devoted. Does that describe you? So as we look at Acts chapter 2 in closing now, I'm trying to say we are trying to find parallels between our life and theirs. They heard the gospel, they received the gospel. Are there parallels between your life and their life? Young people, can you say beyond a shadow of a doubt, I have heard the gospel. I know what the gospel is. You say that's significant because there's billions of people who have never heard it. You're extremely privileged if you can even say you've heard it. And it's important that you hear it because faith comes by hearing. Secondly, and very importantly, have you ever received it? Do you realize it's not just someone who is going a long time on Sunday morning, but it is God who's trying to speak to you. And you make that choice as an individual to say, God, I'm going to believe that word from you. I'm going to believe that Christ died for my sins so that I can be completely forgiven. You know, we work so hard, young people, to raise you in the Christian faith. We don't know if you'll be one of the statistics who, as the picture goes, three out of four leave the church, leave the faith. What we do know as your parents, as those who love you, those who care for you, is that if you have not heard the gospel and if you have not received the gospel, you will not be devoted to the faith. That's why we bring the gospel to you and we regularly pray for you by name that you be saved and receive this good news. If that's something that really challenges you today, I strongly encourage you to talk to your mom and dad. or to another teacher or someone beside you. And we'd love to talk to you more about that. Let's pray. Father, as we close this, we pray that you would challenge our hearts. Challenge us with our devotion to you. We are so thankful that you have allowed us to remain among the number of those who do remain because so many don't remain. And since COVID, It seems like numbers are cut in half in most places or worse. But Lord, we do pray that we would be going about things your way, and we understand that there is no way that a church can sustain its membership without the gospel, it being heard and it being received. We are thankful, those of us who know you, that we heard it and received it. And we pray again for those among us who have not yet received it. We know they've heard it. We pray that by your grace they will understand it and receive it. We ask for that in Jesus' name, amen.