church

INI
First Sunday after Trinity
June 14, 2009
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

GOD'S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CHURCH
Acts 4:32-35

Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.. This morning we will study the Word of God as it is found
in the fourth chapter of Acts, beginning with the 32nd verse, as follows:

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul;
neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they
had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was
ther e anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or
houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and
laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
So far the holy Word.

In the Name of Jesus Christ who said, If you abide in My Word, then you are
My disciples indeed, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

There is a U.S. auto manufacturer who not so long ago promoted itself in
advertisements as "The Heartbeat of America." I remember thinking that tha t
was a bit over the top. After all, to say that one company is the "Heartbeat of
America" just seems like a claim that nobody could live up to, not even the
biggest car maker there is. It was an obvious exaggeration. At least I hope it
was, because this is the same company that officially declared bankruptcy this
past Monday morning. So if they're the "Heartbeat of America," that means that
our country just had a huge coronary!

Well, that claim was obviously an exaggeration. But the writer of the Book of
Acts makes an almost identical claim in our text for today. Only this time, it's
no exaggeration. He claims that there is one factor that is of such vital,
over-riding importance in the lives of Christians that it's not too much to say
that this is "The Heartbeat of the Church." What is it? It's God's Word!
Particularly, that preaching of God's Word that proclaims clearly the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what His resurrection means for us. If you've
ever wondered why we in this church place so much emphasis on God's Word,
why we focus on it so exclusively and base our entire lives upon it - then your
answer lies right here in our text for today. Join me this morning as we consider
the theme,

GOD'S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CHURCH
I. It promotes unity among its members.
II. It provides grace for its members.
III. It provokes good works from its members.

; One of the guiding principles that Martin Luther lived by was the Latin phrase
sola scriptura, “by Scripture alone.” Like him, we in the CLC confess that the
Bible is “the sole source and norm of Christian doctrine and life.” That means
that what we believe – and how we live – is based solely on the Word of God.
But when we adopt this principle we’re not following a mere human being, great
as the Reformer was. We’re following the Bible itself. In nearly every chapter
we’re reminded of how central are the pure teachings of Scripture to the lives of
Christians. Clearly, GOD’S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE
CHURCH. Jesus said, “The words I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” –
Jn 6;63. “If you abide in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed.” “Blessed
are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.”

Once again in our text for today, the Word of God is obviously central. Verse
33 tells what a powerful force the preaching of the Word was in the early
church:20And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus. The rest of the text really elaborates on how that preaching
affected the church. It’s a little like tracing how the blood flows from the heart
to the various members of the body - we can follow the Word of God and see
how it affects the various members of the church.

In the first place, GOD’S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CHURCH
because it promotes unity among its members. Verse 32 says, Now the
multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. The original
word s there are very explicit, by the way. It doesn’t just mean that the
Jerusalem Christians were in general agreement with one another. It doesn’t
mean that they all had similar feelings in their hearts. It was more than that. It
means they shared a single heart – one heart among them all. And that heart
was the Word of God.

They were so united, in fact, that they cheerfully shared all their material goods
with any fellow Christian who had need. Our text says that not a single person
in the church thought of his earthly goods as belonging to himself, but rather to
the Lord and to his fellow-Christians. Perhaps without even knowing it, they
were fulfilling Christ's parting instructions for His disciples, "These things I
command you, that you love one another."

The Word of God dwelt in them richly. It was the single heart, beating for them
all, sustaining them all, nourishing them all. And the pure preaching of God's
Word produced an amazing unity. As one writer put it, "They all wanted one
thing: to be saved eternally. They all thought one thing: only to be faithful to
the Lord Jesus. They all experienced one thing: the comfort of the Holy Spirit."
They lived and relished the truth of the psalmist's words, Behold how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

That total unity around God's Word is a wonderful20thing in a congregation.
Unfortunately, it is also a rare thing. It's not often that a group of believers is
able to be perfectly united in supporting the work of the Gospel, and supporting
their fellow-Christians. Even if most of them are "holding up the prophet's
hands," there are usually at least a few to be found who are hanging on his
elbows instead. They'll be insisting on their rights, gossiping about their fellow
church members and generally providing more problems than solutions for the
fellowship. And if you're saying to yourself right now, "I wonder if Pastor's
talking about me," you don't have to wonder. I am talking about you. And I'm
talking about me, and I'm talking about everybody here. Because all of us have
a sinful flesh that wars with the Spirit. It's full of pride and stubbornness and
selfishness, and it chooses our own good above our neighbor's. It can destroy
the unity of a congregation. It is like the arterial sclerosis of the church, clogging
the vital arteries that carry health and nourishment from the heart. And the
result is the same, too - if you clog the pathways to the heart, the body won't
survive for long.

In our church, as in Jerusalem, the answer is the Word. The pure preaching of
God's Word provides true unity, and strength, and health to His believers.
GOD’S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CHURCH. And another
reason we can say that is because it provides grace for its members. Verse 33
tells us, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And
great grace was upon them all.

It’s no coincidence that these two sentences are right next to each other. For it
is the Word itself – the Word of the Gospel – that provides grace for God’s
believers. It’s the Good News that we have a Redeemer. A Redeemer who lived
a righteous life in our place, who died for us, and – m ost importantly – who
rose again for our justification. GOD’S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF
THE CHURCH because it is a word of great grace. It tells of God’s undeserved
love for us in Christ.

Years ago the evangelist Billy Graham was driving through a small southern
town when a policeman pulled him over for speeding. He freely admitted he’d
been going too fast and was willing to pay whatever fine there was, but the
officer said he’d have to appear in court. So early the next morning he stood
before the judge, who sentenced him to a fine of ten dollars, “…one dollar, “ he
said, “for every mile you were going over the limit.” But in the next moment the
judge, with a jolt, recognized who he was. His manner softened. “You have
violated the law,” said the judge, “and the fine must be paid. But I am going to
pay it for you.” Whereupon he took a ten-dollar bill out of his own wallet,
attached it to the ticket, and promptly took the preacher out and bought him a
steak dinner.

That’s a pretty good picture of how God forgives repentant sinners in Jesus
Christ. Because we are sinners, of course. When it comes to our record. you and
I have to plead “guilty as charged.” There’s no alternative, because we are
guilty: guilty of the original sin that we inherited from Adam, and guilty of the
actual sins that we commit every day. The Apostle John wrote, “If we say that
we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” And yet, when
we come to our Savior wretched and miserable, confessing our many sins, what
do we find? Grace! Instead of the penalty, we get the steak dinner. Instead of
punishment, we receive grace - God's undeserved love and favor for the sake of
Jesus Christ.. You see, the fine didn’t go away – it had to be paid. But the Judge
paid it for us, and not with a paltry ten-dollar bill, either. The Judge of all the
universe paid the penalty of our sin with the blood of His own Son Jesus Christ.
“For God so love the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” –20Jn 3:16.

You see now what a precious lifeblood this Word of grace is to the church.
You see why GOD'S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CHURCH,
carrying the spiritual nutrients it needs to all the members of the body. And
which part of the Word did the Apostles particularly focus on? It says that they
gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And they did that
on purpose, because the resurrection is the keynote of the whole Christian faith.
The resurrection of Christ from the dead was the beginning, middle and end of
the Apostle's preaching, because if you've got the resurrection, you've pretty
much got all the rest of it. The resurrection proves the divinity of Christ. The
resurrection proves the sufficiency of Christ's atonement for our sins on the
cross. It symbolizes our sanctification - our rising to a new kind of life in Christ,
and it foreshadows our own resurrection to eternal life on the Last Day. -That's
pretty much everything! Without the resurrection you have nothing, but with it,
there's nothing you don't have! As Paul t old the Corinthians, If Christ is not
risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! …But now Christ is risen
from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the
dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. -- 1
Cor 15:17-22.

"Great grace was upon them all." Did you know that the Greek word for
"grace" is almost identical to the Greek word for "joy?" It's true. And it makes
sense, when you think about it. Because those who truly understand what grace
is - those who understand the breathtaking gift God's given us in His Son -
those are the people who have joy in their lives. Those are the people who have
a clean conscience and can sleep soundly at night. Those are the people who are
at peace with God and man, and who can face life's inevitable challenges with
confidence and cheer. Because they believe God's Word, and the Word tells
them that their big problem is solved. As Paul said, There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

You're probably thinking, "Boy, do I wish I could be that person!" If so, my
Christian friend, then all I can say to you is, "Wake up and smell the coffee.'
Because you are that person right now! By virtue of your faith in Jesus Christ,
every precious gift of God's grace - those I mentioned and a thousand I haven't
mentioned - are yours this very moment, if you'll only open your eyes and see it!
Paul says that, as a believer, you have been "…enriched in everything by
Him=2 0in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ
was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift." -- 1 Cor 1:5-7.

Which brings us to the last point. Because if God's Word is the heartbeat
pumping grace into your life, then people are going to be able to see that in the
way you live. Those who receive this Word of grace, and understand it a
appreciate it, those are the ones who also are going to produce abundant fruits
of faith in their lives. GOD’S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE
CHURCH because it provokes good works from its members.

Our text says, Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and
one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his
own, but they had all things in common... Nor was there anyone among them
who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and
brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles'
feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

Certainly this sharing of property wasn’t the only kind of good works the
Jerusalem Christians did. But it does illustrate the astonishing
“single-heartedness” that they enjoyed as a congregation. And it really is
astonishing when you think about it. Here in America home prices are as low as
they’ve been for a long time, but still a person’s h ouse is likely to be by far and
away the most valuable thing he possesses. And the same was true then. What
effect did the preaching of the Word have on the Jerusalem Christians? It
prompted many of them to sacrifice this most valuable possession for the good
of the church. Many of them actually sold their homes. Then they would the
money over to the church for the work of the Gospel and to help support
needier Christians. By the way, the text in the Greek indicates that this was not
something everybody did all at once. But it was common. Many congregation
members did it. It evidently was a frequent occurrence that people would
actually sell their real estate and bring the money to the church. GOD’S
WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CHURCH, and that Word naturally
provokes good works in believers.

The Jerusalem situation was truly strang e and wonderful. Strange, because
money and possessions are what human beings usually cling to most fiercely.
One of the first words that every child learns to say is the word, "mine"? But it
was wonderful, too, because that selfishness was absent among the Jerusalem
Christians. Here were these people freely sharing with each other. They
obviously viewed their possessions as belonging to the Lord and their neighbor,
rather than themselves. It was wonderful because, though so many were
sacrificing so much for the Gospel, there was not anyone among them who
lacked. In a land full of beggars and starvation and hunger, not a single one of
those thousands of Jerusalem Christians lacked anything! It was wonderful
because they knew where their treasure was, and it wasn't in houses, or land, or
bank accounts or 401k's; it was in heaven. Like life-giving blood from a healthy
and vigorous heart, they had the precious Word of God coursing through their
veins, the Word which told them, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20
"but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 "For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also. -- Mat 6:19-21. May our treasure, as
well, ever be there with our dear Savior in heaven!

Do you know where the geographical center of the United States is? It’s near a
small town in the northwest corner of South Dakota called Belle Fourche. If
you want to see it, you have to drive out twenty miles north of town. There, in
a lonely cow pasture, you’ll find the concrete and brass monument of the U.S.
Coast and Geodetic Survey, marking the exact geographical center of our
country. God’s Word is like that monument, for it marks the exact spiritual
center of our lives as Christians. Everything in our lives emanates from it, and
returns to it. That’s why we can say this morning – without exaggeration - that
GOD’S WORD IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CHURCH. For it promotes
unity among its members, it provides grace for its members, and it provokes
good works from its members. So with Martin Luther, let us continue t o say,
Sola Scriptura! May God’s Word, with its message of grace, be the guiding
principle of our lives, from this time forth and even forevermore. My prayer is
that years from now, when folks look back at Ascension Lutheran Church,
they'll say the same thing about us that they said about those Jerusalem
Christians: "And great grace was upon them all!" AMEN.