First Lutheran Church of Little Rock

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The first reading from Acts 2 serves as the sermon text for this morning.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:

LSB 911:1 Lord, This Day We’ve Come to Worship
1
Lord, this day we’ve come to worship;
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Grace us with Your blessèd presence;
Blessèd Savior, be our host. Refrain

ref
Alleluia, alleluia,
Alleluia, praise the Lord!
Alleluia, alleluia,
Alleluia, praise the Lord!

Introduction

A. As beautiful as the scene of our sermon text is, it almost has a “Once
upon a time” feel to it.
1. This is not to say that St. Luke is romanticizing things or that he
doesn’t have his facts straight.
2. It just seems that the scene he describes is like nothing we have ever
experienced before.
3. And if you have never experienced such a beautiful scene, perhaps you
wonder what help Luke’s words have to offer.
B. We should not assume these conditions of the early church would be in
the church’s future.
1. Luke lets us peer through a small window into life in the early church.
2. What we get to see through that window is by no means a full-length
feature film, but it is also much more than a mere snapshot.
3. The church described in our text is bustling with activity:
a. a vibrant life of worship
b. and an avalanche of generosity toward the needy,
c. a beautiful camaraderie that no snapshot could capture.
4. It’s like the flurry of activity you see when an ants’ nest has been
stirred up.
a. Every single member of the body seems to be busy with something.
C. Perhaps to us, the problem with this beautiful scene is that it (almost)
lacks any problems.
1. You almost have to read between the lines to find anything less than
ideal.
2. Apparently, not everyone in Jerusalem had yet come to faith in Christ.
3. But at the same time we hear these words:
Acts 2:43 (NASB95)
43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were
taking place through the apostles.
4. The people were:
a. Acts 2:47 (NASB95)
47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was
adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
5. There were people who needed help
Acts 2:45 (NASB95)
45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing
them with all, as anyone might have need.
a. but those needs seemed to be met as soon as they came to light.
6. So if there is any problem with this beautiful scene, it’s that it seems
too beautiful.
a. We have a hard time relating to it.
b. After all, we live in what we have cynically come to refer to as the
“real world,” right?
D. We may live in the “real world,” but for that “real world,” God in his
grace has provided a real Savior, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, our Good
Shepherd.
1. I don’t need to tell you that the church today is living in the “real
world,” a world where sin seems out of control, where it’s often hard to
distinguish the church from the world it’s supposed to be witnessing to.
A. Churches embracing homosexuality as an “alternative” lifestyle.
B. Condoning rearranging the order of God’s creation:
1. It’s okay if a boy wants to be a girl.
2. It’s okay if a girl wants to be a boy.
3. All this is to be seen as “normal”.
4. If it makes you feel better about yourself, do it!
5. This is not normal and it is wrong according to God and His Word!
C. Today’s church faces a growing opposition from the world around it.
1. Now, this is nothing new for many Christians around the word, but for
the church here in North America, this is not something we are accustomed
to.
a. Then we hear, far more often than we would like, of scandals within the
church:
1. embezzlements,
2. sexual misconduct,
3. misappropriated funds,
4. things that give the church a real black eye and have the world telling
the church to clean up its own act before it dares to preach to others.
b. Individually, we all have our own battles against sin:
c. not big, public scandals, per se,
d. but private problems that only we and maybe a close friend or two know
about.
e. But they are still battles, and they leave us bruised and wounded.
2. Then there are wounds we’re nursing from others’ sins against us, and
our struggle to forgive as we have been forgiven.
a. Add these all together, and it seems our world bears no resemblance to
the world Luke describes in our text for this morning.
D. But remember: as beautiful as it is, the scene Luke describes is just a
small window into the early church.
1. It teaches us some wonderful things, but Luke is not suggesting that the
early church faced no real problems.
a. Keep reading! In chapter 4, real hostility arises against the church as
Peter and John are arrested for proclaiming the Gospel.
b. In chapter 5, the church faces scandal.
1. Ananias and Sapphira apparently wanted to see their names on a big wall
plaque, announcing what generous people they were.
2. They pretended to make a big donation to the poor, but it was all for
show; and to pull this off, they lied:
A. to the church,
B. to the apostles,
C. but ultimately to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3).
c. Moving on to chapter 6, we hear the Greek-speaking widows complaining
that they were being discriminated against.
2. We could go on and on, but you get the point.
a. Whatever else Luke is teaching us, it is not that the early church faced
no real problems.
b. The world of those early Christians was every bit as “real” as ours is.
2. But for people (then and now) who find themselves in the “real world,”
our text proclaims the life that comes from the very real (and risen)
Savior.
A. Jesus lives! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
1. Luke’s description of life in the early church is beautiful, not because
those Christ­ians faced no real problems, but because they were learning to
face real problems with a real and living Savior!
2. Jesus lives!
B. And because he lives, we shall live also—in him!
John 14:19 (NASB95)
19“After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see
Me; because I live, you will live also.
1. Our Good Shepherd is leading his flock to life.
a. With David, we pray:
Psalm 23:6 (NASB95)
6Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
2. But the Scriptures also make it clear:
a. eternal life does not eventually begin when you die in faith.
b. Eternal life has already begun from the moment God joined you in faith
to Christ, your Good Shepherd, in and through your Baptism.
John 5:24 (NASB95)
24“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who
sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed
out of death into life.
3. The Good Shepherd leads us through the valleys of life:
Psalm 23:4 (NASB95)
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no
evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
4. Why does He do this?:
Psalm 23:6 (NASB95)
6Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
5. No doubt, we look forward to that glorious day.
a. But that life is already now being manifested in his church.
C. That’s what makes our text so exciting.
1. It’s not that the early church had no real problems.
a. It’s that they knew they had a real Savior, and that glorious truth
could not help but show itself in how they lived out their faith.
2. That life manifested itself in their devotion to the Lord’s Word and
Sacrament.
Acts 2:42 (NASB95)
42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and
to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
a. Luke is speaking of the three thousand or so who had come to faith in
Jesus on Pentecost.
3. They were steadfastly devoted “to the apostles’ teaching” because that
is where they heard the voice of the Good Shepherd’s.
4. They were devoted to “the fellowship,” their sharing together in Christ
and all his gifts, including the gift of the family of faith.
5. They were devoted to “the breaking of bread,” which may have included
the Agape meals that were part of the early church, but it especially
involved the regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
6. And they were devoted to “the prayers.”
a. For God had made them:
Exodus 19:6 (NASB95)
6and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are
the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
b. and they earnestly took up their priestly work of interceding for
others.
c. The early church lived from a rich, vibrant life of worship!
7. Because they were so strongly connected to their Good Shepherd’s voice,
that Word took root in them and made them agents through whom the Good
Shepherd extended his care to others.
Acts 2:45 (NASB95)
45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing
them with all, as anyone might have need.
a. No one told them they had to do this.
b. It was simply the natural care and concern they had for one another as
part of the flock of the Good Shepherd.
D. Yes, the church today has problems.
1. But what better time to manifest the life and love of Christ?
a. The same God of love,
b. the same risen Savior,
c. the same Holy Spirit,
d. They are all still at work in the church today!
2. The church of Jesus continues to be fed and strengthened by our Lord’s
Word and Sacrament.
a. We gather together to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd by:
1. Devoting ourselves to the apostolic teaching,
2. To the fellowship,
3. To the breaking of bread,
4. And to the prayers.
3. Strengthened by these gifts of grace, the church of Jesus continues to
serve as the agent through whom the Good Shepherd extends his care to
others in their various needs.
a. First among those needs is the proclamation of the Gospel.
1. Everyone still needs to hear that Jesus has died for her or his
salvation!
b. But lots of other activities bear witness to that Gospel:
1. food pantries,
2. grief counseling,
3. care for the sick and dying.
4. these and countless other expressions of care are a natural outgrowth of
the church’s life, and they all happen because our real and living Savior
lives in and through his church.
Conclusion

A. We sometimes speak of people who “look at life through rose-colored
glasses.”
1. We have in mind people who are overly optimistic and seem not to want to
face reality.
2. Such an over-optimistic outlook can be dangerous when it refuses to take
into account the real sin (and its effects), the real evil, that has
infected God’s good creation.
3. When the optimism has no foundation, sooner or later the bubble will
burst, leaving behind it shattered hopes, dreams, and even lives.
B. In the resurrection of Jesus, God allows his people to look at life
through Christ-colored glasses (Acts 2:42–47).
1. Our optimism is not based on ungrounded personal wishes, but on God’s
sure and certain promise grounded in the death and resurrection of Christ.
2. As we look at life and the world, we can view it as marked with the sign
of the cross.
3. We can look at life as it truly is:
A. as part of God’s very good creation, beautiful, and yet infected with
(and affected by) sin.
B. So, there will be times of joy and beauty.
C. There will also be times of sorrow, sadness, and suffering.
D. But all of it falls under the promise of God’s steadfast love in Christ,
E. Romans 8:28 (NASB95)
28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
C. Life in the early church as St. Luke describes it might seem too good to
be true, like it’s not part of the “real world.”
1. Just remember: our text is not the church’s whole history.
2. Other parts of that history testify to sin’s ongoing presence, and to
the church’s ongoing need for a very real Savior.
D. But the church has just such a Savior; and while our text is not the
church’s whole history, it is a very real part of that history, and it
demonstrates the very real life which our very real Savior has imparted to
his beloved, forgiven flock.
E. While Leading You, His Sin-Wounded Sheep, to Life, the Good Shepherd
Creates among You the Very Life to Which He Is Leading You.
F. And you shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Amen.
G. Let us pray:
LSB 911:3,5 Lord, This Day We’ve Come to Worship
May Your Word enrich our spirit,
Give us strength to do Your will,
Show the kingdom we’ll inherit,
When at last our voice is still. Refrain

Celebrate the resurrection
In the church and sing His praise,
Till we come to true perfection:
Serve the Lord through all our days. Refrain
Text: © 1995 Richard C. Dickinson. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no.
110000247
Amen.
H. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
I. In the Name of the Father…Amen.

A. In the Name of the Father…Amen.
B. The Epistle lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.
C. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our heavenly Father through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
D. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:
LSB 477:1-2 Alleluia, Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven
Alleluia, alleluia!
Hearts to heav’n and voices raise:
Sing to God a hymn of gladness,
Sing to God a hymn of praise;
He who on the cross a victim
For the world’s salvation bled—
Jesus Christ, the King of Glory,
Now is risen from the dead.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!
Death at last has met defeat:
See the ancient pow’rs of evil
In confusion and retreat;
Once He died, and once was buried:
Now He lives forevermore,
Jesus Christ, the world’s Redeemer,
Whom we worship and adore. Amen.

E. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

Introduction

A. The first and chief article of the faith is this:
1. Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again
for our justification (Romans 4:24–25).
2. He alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John
1:29), and God has laid upon him the iniquities of us all (Isaiah 53:6).
3. All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works or
merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in
His blood (Romans 3:23–25).
4. This is necessary to believe.
5. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law, or merit.
6. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us.
7. As St. Paul says:
® Romans 3:26–28 (NASB95)
26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time,
so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in
Jesus.
27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works?
No, but by a law of faith.
28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the
Law.
B. Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though
heaven and earth and everything else falls (Mark 13:31).
® Acts 4:12 (NASB95)
12“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under
heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
1. Isaiah 53:5 (NASB95)
5But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our
iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His
scourging we are healed.
2. Upon this article everything that we teach and practice depends, in
opposition to the pope, the devil, and the whole world.
3. Therefore, we must be certain and not doubt this doctrine.
4. Otherwise, all is lost, and the pope, the devil, and all adversaries win
the victory and the right over us.
C. Well, there it is—from the Smalcald Articles (SA II I 1–5) contained in
the Book of Concord, the doctrine you confess about the faith and what your
pastor takes an oath to adhere to in his teaching and proclamation.
1. We are saved by faith in Christ—apart from the deeds of the Law.
D. But then hear the first verse of our text:
® 1 Peter 1:17 (NASB95)
17If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each
one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on
earth;
1. “Who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds” but the Lord God
Himself!
2. If we’re judged on our deeds, we ought to fear!
3. Because we are mankind, which means we are fallen beings made of spirit
and flesh.
E. What are we?
1. We can’t keep a promise for a week, let alone for centuries.
2. We witness our God on a mountain giving us his Law and then build a
golden calf against that law.
3. We see our God fight a Pharaoh with miracles to free us and then doubt
he can give us the land he promised us.
4. We will listen to demons about the needs of our flesh and will bite on
the temptations.
5. We stand at grave sides.
6. We will be in graves.
7. We know there is nothing righteous in us.
F. So, are we saved by faith, or Is Eternal Life Based on Our Deeds? No! On
Christ! So . . . Live Those Deeds the Father Judges!
1. God judges sinful deeds (Lev 19:2; Ps 5:4–5).
® Leviticus 19:2 (NASB95)
2 “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
® Psalm 5:4–5 (NASB95)
4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells
with You.
5The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do
iniquity.
A. God is fair.
1. The Law is the basis for His judgment.
2. So one sinful thought, word, deed, or desire condemns me.
3. Alas, my very nature is sinful!
4. Therefore, I am condemned!
B. Money or attempts to accomplish good deeds to avoid condemnation are to
no avail.
® Romans 13:8–10 (NASB95)
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his
neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL
NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it
is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of
the law.
C. If my deeds are judged this way, I should fear!
2. Yes, God is holy and just, but He is also merciful (Jeremiah 3:12).
® Jeremiah 3:12 (NASB95)
12“Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless
Israel,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am
gracious,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not be angry forever.
A. Before creation, in his omniscience he knew what man would do and
become.
1. Man would be incapable of achieving his salvation.
B. Before the first proclaimed Gospel, before the first sin, before the
foundation of the world, God determined to send his Son for our redemption.
® 1 Peter 1:20 (NASB95)
20For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared
in these last times for the sake of you
C. Silver or gold could not meet God’s requirements for our sin.
1. What we could not do, the precious blood of Christ, a sacrificial lamb
without blemish or spot, did for us:
® 1 Peter 1:18–19 (NASB95)
18knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or
gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood
of Christ.
D. God has promised eternal life to those who trust in his Son, that trust
working in us by his Holy Spirit using his Word—the never-changing,
life-giving Word.
® 1 Peter 1:21 (NASB95)
21who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and
gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
3. By faith in Christ his Son, my judge is also my Father.
A. I come to him as my Father, confessing I am sinful and can’t meet his
demands.
1. If he judges by deeds, am I still condemned?
2. Is eternal life mine or not?
B. God cannot deny himself.
1. He must judge in righteousness and he must be faithful to his promises.
® 2 Timothy 2:11–13 (NASB95)
11It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live
with Him;
12If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will
deny us;
13If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2. We know we speak and act with sinful flesh.
A. Our actions, words, desires, thoughts, will—are not perfect.
B. Even our acts of love are tainted with sinful thoughts.
C. How will we be judged?
3. As righteous! Because Christ’s righteousness covers those sinful
“taints”:
A. the righteousness given to you at your Baptism, received by the faith
the Holy Spirit works in you!
C. So the Father does judge our deeds!
1. But your sins are not in his book of deeds!
2. Your sins shall not be remembered.
3. Your “good deeds,” though tainted, are righteous by the blood of Christ.
4. Your righteous deeds are the fruit of faith, evidence of being a new
creation
® 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NASB95)
10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each
one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.
® Matthew 25:34–40 (NASB95)
34“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed
of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world.
35‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and
you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in
prison, and you came to Me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry,
and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
38‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and
clothe You?
39‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent
that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them,
you did it to Me.’
® Revelation 12:11 (NASB95)
11“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when
faced with death.
4. Therefore, since the Father has judged you righteous apart from deeds,
live the deeds he judges righteous.
A. You are righteous, “pure,” by faith.
® 1 Peter 1:22 (NASB95)
22Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a
sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
B. You want to serve such a loving Father by serving your neighbor—in love,
not expecting anything in return—for your neighbor has no impact on your
salvation.
1. That has been accomplished by Christ!

Conclusion
A. Like kids in confirmation, we struggle to understand and explain the
question, “Why do I want to fear the Lord?” as Peter says in verse 17 of
our text.
1. Is Jesus not my Savior?
2. Does he not love me?
3. Am I going to be allowed in his presence only if I tremble with fear?
4. We use the word respect to convey the idea that the fear of God means we
love him so we don’t desire to anger him.
5. But we also need to keep in mind that we fear him because he will
discipline his children for their own good.
6. We are to be wary of those things that bring God’s discipline, for if
they are unchecked, they will lead to his wrath and condemnation.
B. The Greek word for fear, φόβος, is derived from φοβέομαι, which means
“to flee” or “withdraw.”

1. We certainly are to cling to God for all good things:
A. his salvation,
B. his guidance,
C. his protection.
2. But as children of the living God, we fear him by:
A. withdrawing from those things that anger him,
B. Staying away from those things that replace him in our heart as God.
3. Not that we are fearful of those things in themselves; we are fearful of
what they will do to our relationship with God.
4. If we do not withdraw from such things, then something else in our life
has become what we fear more, for we’re no longer fearing God.
5. Something our sinful nature claims is now our god.
C. We hear from:
® Psalm 130:4 (NASB95)
4But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
1. Let us ever withdraw from those things which do not give forgiveness:
A. idols,
B. works,
C. false religions.
D. We withdraw from them so that we will ever be with our God.
D. Since before the world began, our Father had you in mind.
1. He would send his Son into the flesh for you:
A. to die for you,
B. redeem you,
C. and bring you to faith in what he has done for you.
2. We have been brought to that faith by the Father’s own living Word, his
imperishable seed.
3. That faith, that trust, is strengthened by staying in the Word.
4. As long as that faith remains—whether it be feeble or strong—you will
stand confidently before your judge.
5. So live a life of thanks for what has been done to redeem you from sin,
death, and the devil.
6. Live in love for the precious blood and resurrection of the Son of God.
7. In Christ, eternal life is yours right now!
8. The great reunion with all the faithful is yet to come.
9. So now live in the freedom, the joy, the deeds the gift of eternal life
that Christ brings! Amen.
E. Let us pray:

LSB 477:3 Alleluia, Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory be to God on high:
Alleluia to the Savior
Who has gained the victory;
Alleluia to the Spirit,
Fount of love and sanctity!
Alleluia, alleluia
To the triune Majesty!
Text (sts. 1, 3): Public domain
Text (st. 2): © 1982 The Jubilate Group, admin. Hope Publishing Co. Used by
permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110000247

F. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

G. In the Name of the Father…Amen.