Rom 7:18 "… I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  (19) For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."
Rom 7:24  "What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  (25) Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

I.  Jesus Produced a Radical Change in Peter. (v 42)

    A. He was a man with many faults.

    B. When Jesus came into his life, He changed his name.

         1. The change of name represented a change of character.

   Gen 17:5  "No longer will you be called Abram [exalted father], your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." cf Neh 9:7
   Gen 32:28  "Then the man said,  “Your name will no longer be Jacob [deceiver], but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” cf 35:10
   Judges 6:12  "When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

    C. The change took place because Jesus worked with him and would not give up on him.

Ph 2:13  "God...works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

    A. In the new birth, we are changed inside.   (2 Co 5:17)

Eze 36:26  "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you..."

Rom 6:20  "...you were slaves to sin... (22) but now that you have been set free from sin..."
Gal 4:8   "Formerly...you did not know God... (9) But now...you know God..."
Eph 5:8   "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord."
1 Pet 2:10  "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
1 Pet 2:25  "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

         1. Our behavior
         2. Our relationships
         3. Our life-purpose
         4. Our attitude toward the future

    D. The change takes place because Jesus works with us and will not give up on us.  (Ph 2:13)

I.  The Symbolism of Pentecost

    1. The Gathering (vs. 9-11)

    2. The Harvesting (vs. 41)

II. The Shift from a Corporate Emphasis to Individual (vs. 3-4)
 

III. The Significance of a Deeper Worship Experience.  (vs. 11-12)

I.  Understanding the Times. (vs. 17-20)

      The Now and the Not Yet.
      (2 Tim. 3:1-3, 2 Pet. 3:3-7, Lk. 21:9-11, Mt. 24:9-14)

II. Understanding our Role. (vs. 17-18)

      Desire to be Prophets.

III. The confidence we can have in Jesus. (vs. 22-36)

       6 Doctrines about Christ
          1. Incarnation (vs. 22b)
          2. Authentication (vs. 22c)
          3. Crucifixion (vs. 23)
          4. Resurrection (vs. 24)
          5. Ascension (vs. 33)
          6. Glorification (vs. 33, 36)

Church always refers to People.
(Eph. 1:22-23, Acts 11:22, I Cor. 1:2, I Cor. 16:19, Col. 4:15)
 

The 1st Habit:

A Devotion to the Word. (vs 42)
(I Pet. 2:2, Hos. 4:6)

The Result:
A sense of awe. (vs. 43)

The 2nd Habit:

A Devotion to Fellowship. (vs. 42)

Fellowship – spiritual duty of believers to stimulate each other to holiness and faithfulness. (MacArthur)

The Result:
A sacrificial love. (vs. 44-45)

The 3rd Habit:

A Devotion to the Lord's Supper (Corporate Worship). (vs. 42)

The Result:
Glad and sincere hearts. (vs. 46)

The 4th Habit:

A Devotion to Prayer. (vs. 42)

The Result:
Worship and witness. (vs. 47)

The Gospel:

• Changed Lives

1 Pet 3:15
 
• Realization of Sin (v. 13)

• Apologetics (v. 18, 21, 24)

• Forgiveness of Sin (v. 19)

• Saved from Hell, Condemnation (v. 21, 23)

• Kingdom Living

Mark 1, Luke 4:18-19

• Blessing Others (v. 25)

Acts 4:4