Proclaiming Christ’s Reign

Posted by on May 2, 2004 under Sermons


PROCLAIMING CHRIST’S REIGN

Intro to Acts 2

  • The church is waiting and praying. Now the gift of empowerment that Jesuspromised is delivered. It is noticed by the crowd
  • The spirit enables them to speak out boldly and proclaim
  • But even more – The crowd is enabled to hear in their own languages. It is not thatthe apostles preach it in various languages. People from every nation. Each onehears in own dialect
  • In their own language they hear the Greatness of God. They were amazed. Speaking to each other about this: What does this mean? Some critics say -They’re drunk!

Acts 2:14 – 36 (Peter’s Sermon – Let’s give attention to this first proclamationof the church)

God gives the church its voice and message through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Weare heralds of the kingdom rule of God emerging into the world. Peter’s sermon canshow us the basics of our continuing message and proclamation …

Borrowing statements from the letters of Paul and Peter, let us consider how wecontinue to proclaim Christ’s kingdom in the same way Peter did on Pentecost …

  1. We Believe Therefore We Speak
    But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance withscripture–“I believed, and so I spoke”–we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also withJesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. – 2 Corinthians 4:13-14

    • When the apostles spoke, they spoke as witnesses. They were doing more thansimply articulating their personal convictions. They were doing more thanproposing a philosophy or theory. They spoke out of their experience of God’samazing deeds.
      • In 2 Peter 1:16, Peter grounds his message in the fact that he and the otherapostles were eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty and that conforms to themessage of the prophets.
      • In I John, John says that he and the other apostles declare “what was fromthe beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, whatwe have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.
      • Paul’s ministry and message are rooted in his experience on the road toDamascus where he encountered the Risen Christ.
      • These may be slightly different personal experiences, but they have onething in common – Christ, the crucified one, is risen from the dead andexalted as Lord. That reality is transforming. It’s implications are striking.
    • Usually when we experience something we try and fit that experience into one ofwell-known categories. But the experience of Jesus, the risen Lord, rearranges ourcategories. (Consider how radically Paul’s life is changed).
    • Consider what this means for us: Our proclamation of the gospel is more than justa debate with others about our personal beliefs versus theirs. (Remember thatPeter doesn’t spend much time refuting the critics who claim he is drunk). Ratherour proclamation is of something new.
      • The definition of news – We report, you decide. We can speak of the newsof God. We witness his actions, we report his work.
    • Is this objective or subjective? It is both. Certainly God has made Christ Lord -regardless of how you or I respond to that. This is objective. (Note: that Peter doesnot invite the crowd to make Jesus Lord of their Life but he affirms that God hasmade Christ Lord regardless of their response or invitation). Nevertheless, thereis a place for us to speak of our subjective experience of Christ’s lordship. How hasit changed me? How do I see the world differently? The apostles do this. This hasits place because we experience this news about God as something wonderfullygood!

  2. We declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into hismarvelous light.

    But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out ofdarkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you areGod’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.- 1 Peter 2:9-10

    • When the apostles claim that salvation is found in no other name than Jesus, theyare not being crude and intolerant. Their primary agenda is not to condemn otherviews. Rather, they first proclaim what is unique and exceptional about the gospel. They are speaking from experience of the mercy and goodness of what God hasdone. (Recall that Peter betrayed Christ and was restored. Recall that Paul wasa persecutor yet he was spared and received by others with forgiveness). Theysimply state that God has done something unique to overcome the powers of sinand evil. So, this is the only real hope. There just isn’t an alternative.
    • When Oprah Winfrey (among others) says that there are many paths to God, itassumes that God is out there waiting to be found by us. And even if we disagreewith many paths we sometimes operate under the assumption that God needs tobe found by us. But the reason why the apostolic news is so good is that God is nothiding while we seek him – he has arrived and revealed his grace in Jesus Christ. That’s why the Hebrew writer says these are such incredible days because Longago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but inthese last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things,through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and theexact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of theMajesty on high … – Hebrews 1:1-4

    • Consider what this means for us: When we proclaim the uniqueness of God’skingdom rule it is not from arrogance (as though we found the path to God) but fromhumility – God has found all of us. Paul seems to express this humility when hesays to the Galatians (4:8-9) Formerly, when you did not know God, you wereenslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you havecome to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back againto the weak and beggarly elemental spirits?
    • Our proclamation is not arrogant – it cannot be – for it isn’t about us, rather it isabout God. Although the news we proclaim is about the great things that areexclusive to God and that goodness is exceptional with God, we never have theright to claim this is exclusive among us! For God extends his grace to all who hearand respond in trust. The story of the book of Acts describes how Israel discoversthat God’s mercy and love includes the Gentiles. God has empowered us to sendout the invitation, but he hasn’t authorized us to make the guest list!

  3. Speaking the Truth in Love

    But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is thehead, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by everyligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes thebody’s growth in building itself up in love. – Ephesians 4:15-16

    • Words have creative power. God spoke the world into being with words. Adam hadauthority to name creatures. Apostles are empowered to speak and the result ofthat empowerment is not just an argument to consider or a sermon to compliment,it is a new reality – this is Kingdom breaking in.
    • The result of Peter’s Spirit-Powered Sermon is new creation. Not only are languagebarriers overcome (reversal of Babel) but also social and political ones Lukedescribes the church as a new community quite different from anything we know -Acts 2:41-47
    • A witness to the power of words is marriage: “By the authority invested in me Ipronounce you man and wife” – that’s more than just flowery speech. That iswitness and proclamation of a new reality: two are now one! This is why discussionabout the meaning and definition of marriage are not primarily political issues theyare first Kingdom of God issues. May the law of the land conform to God’sproclamation (so I pray) but if not we still know who has the only final authority tocreate with words and speech.

This calls on us to do more that just speak out against what is not (wrong) it callson us to proclaim what is true and good. If we cannot do that, then we must remainsilent for we will not be proclaiming Christ’s Kingdom – no, we will just be griping. Unfortunately, there’s been too much griping passed off as “biblical preaching.” What’s the difference?

When Peter called the crowd to realize that they had crucified God’s Messiah itwould have been griping if his only goal was to make them feel bad or to prove howterrible they were. (And wouldn’t that have been hypocritical on Peter’s part – afterall where was he when Jesus was on trial?) Griping offers no hope. But to thepeople who were suddenly feeling hopeless and lost because they had crucifiedtheir rescuer and promised King Peter speaks for God when he says – “Repent, andbe baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may beforgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you,for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our Godcalls to him.” (Acts 2:38)