WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:04.580 If you go with me in your scriptures to Acts 00:00:04.580 --> 00:00:09.380 chapter 15 this morning, Acts chapter 15, we're 00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:13.279 going to read a story here that has been speaking 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:20.660 to me, that has been impacting my life. I was 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:25.879 camping with my daughters and my grandson, Edmund. 00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:28.920 It was his first trip. He's back there running 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:33.390 the cameras. this morning. Happy to have him. 00:00:33.549 --> 00:00:37.210 And the fourth night, the first three nights 00:00:37.210 --> 00:00:41.149 were awesome. The fourth night, we got, we were 00:00:41.149 --> 00:00:44.329 planning on staying at a lake and every campsite 00:00:44.329 --> 00:00:47.590 was full. So when that happens, guess what you 00:00:47.590 --> 00:00:51.490 got to do? You got to go to the next lake. And 00:00:51.490 --> 00:00:54.590 I am thinking that nobody has ever been to that 00:00:54.590 --> 00:01:01.079 lake. It was called Skin Dance Lake. Skin Dance 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:07.859 Lake. And, I mean, it was so overgrown, we couldn't 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:11.599 even find the campsites. But the girls finally 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:16.819 found the campsite. And we found out why it was 00:01:16.819 --> 00:01:20.319 called Skin Dance Lake. Because there were so 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:26.359 many mosquitoes in that place. I mean, we had 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:31.750 bugs, but not that bad. And they were, it was 00:01:31.750 --> 00:01:35.450 mind -boggling how many mosquitoes that we had 00:01:35.450 --> 00:01:38.689 on that lake. Especially, you know, when the 00:01:38.689 --> 00:01:41.150 sun goes down, the mosquitoes usually come out 00:01:41.150 --> 00:01:42.950 for about 40 minutes and then they settle down 00:01:42.950 --> 00:01:45.189 and leave. Well, they did not settle down and 00:01:45.189 --> 00:01:48.569 leave all night. They swarmed and swarmed and 00:01:48.569 --> 00:01:52.709 swarmed and swarmed. And my grandson Edmund said, 00:01:53.010 --> 00:02:07.879 Papa, I have been to the gates of hell. We named 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:11.300 that website, or that website, that campsite, 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:16.900 the gates of hell. So many mosquitoes, it made 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:20.539 your skin dance. See, that was the, that's how 00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:24.560 we're going to remember that lake forever. Skin 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:30.680 dance lake. And then the last campsite, the Lord 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:35.840 rewarded us for us enduring. Jesus is building 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:37.780 his church at the gates of hell. I just want 00:02:37.780 --> 00:02:40.580 to remind you about that. It's not always the 00:02:40.580 --> 00:02:43.780 nicest places that Jesus is building his church. 00:02:44.620 --> 00:02:48.300 Isn't that right? And the Lord rewarded us, though, 00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:53.240 with the last campsite is normally the first 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:55.300 one taken on the lake, and we got there late 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:57.819 during the day, and we got the best campsite 00:02:57.819 --> 00:03:02.819 on Segal Lake, and it was... phenomenal. It had 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:07.419 its own swimming pool. It had its own precipices 00:03:07.419 --> 00:03:11.099 where we could climb and see every part of the 00:03:11.099 --> 00:03:16.479 lake. It had blueberry patches that were totally 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:20.599 ripe. We picked blueberries. We even found some 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:24.199 raspberries that were ripe, and we picked them 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:26.680 and picked them, and we called that the gates 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:33.539 of heaven. Amen. And so why did I tell you that? 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:40.680 Oh, because when we were at that site and I was 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:44.819 setting up the tent, I just felt the Lord speak 00:03:44.819 --> 00:03:51.000 to me and drop in my heart something that He's 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:56.120 going to do, that He's going to send the moving 00:03:56.120 --> 00:04:01.800 of His Spirit. That he is going to breathe on 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:08.099 our city and in this region fresh life. That 00:04:08.099 --> 00:04:10.879 he is going to move in power. And I was setting 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.560 up the tent there. And I just, the presence of 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:17.220 the Lord. And you know, it was all good. It wasn't 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:20.769 like... It was a great time with my family. It 00:04:20.769 --> 00:04:23.810 wasn't a prayer retreat for me this week at all. 00:04:23.870 --> 00:04:27.129 But in that moment, the presence of God came 00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:32.589 upon me. And I knew God's going to bring revival. 00:04:33.670 --> 00:04:37.949 He is going to bring the moving of His Spirit. 00:04:38.629 --> 00:04:41.670 That may or may not... mean anything to you. 00:04:41.709 --> 00:04:43.290 You might be sitting there saying, well, what 00:04:43.290 --> 00:04:46.829 do you mean by the moving of God's Spirit? What 00:04:46.829 --> 00:04:49.829 do you mean by God's going to bring revival? 00:04:50.329 --> 00:04:55.050 What do you mean by that? And what I mean by 00:04:55.050 --> 00:04:57.649 that is that there have been different times 00:04:57.649 --> 00:05:02.470 and seasons throughout history that God just 00:05:02.470 --> 00:05:06.889 sovereignly moves by His Spirit. Sometimes it's 00:05:06.889 --> 00:05:11.089 in response to people calling out to him, which 00:05:11.089 --> 00:05:14.029 is why we need to increase prayer, which is why 00:05:14.029 --> 00:05:18.790 we're having summer nights of prayer on Wednesdays. 00:05:18.850 --> 00:05:23.470 And so sometimes it's in response to a hungry 00:05:23.470 --> 00:05:28.569 heart seeking after God. But sometimes it's simply 00:05:28.569 --> 00:05:34.209 a sovereign move of His Spirit. God just chooses 00:05:34.209 --> 00:05:38.310 this moment in this time, and He begins to do 00:05:38.310 --> 00:05:42.470 things that only He can do. And the New Testament 00:05:42.470 --> 00:05:47.769 church is really... in the last hundred years, 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:50.870 really since Azusa Street and a little bit before 00:05:50.870 --> 00:05:55.449 that, the church began to realize that we can 00:05:55.449 --> 00:05:59.730 experience what the New Testament church experienced. 00:06:01.050 --> 00:06:04.170 We can have the same encounters that the New 00:06:04.170 --> 00:06:07.269 Testament church had. And then as that grew, 00:06:07.470 --> 00:06:11.089 as that grew in the hearts of men, they begin 00:06:11.089 --> 00:06:14.509 to say, not only can we, but we don't want to 00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:18.170 settle for anything less than that. That's what 00:06:18.170 --> 00:06:20.209 we're believing for. That's what we're praying 00:06:20.209 --> 00:06:23.209 for. And you have moments of history that God 00:06:23.209 --> 00:06:26.290 broke in and did great things. Now, there are 00:06:26.290 --> 00:06:29.430 some times where you catch, you know, on a trip 00:06:29.430 --> 00:06:34.319 like ours, that I've had taken in the last couple, 00:06:34.579 --> 00:06:37.379 in the last month I've had two trips up there, 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:40.360 you know, and I don't catch fish in nets up there. 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:45.740 I catch them with a line one at a time. And there 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:50.279 are times where God catches people one at a time. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:56.620 Here and there. Catch this one. Catch that one. 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:02.079 But I believe And I'm thankful for that. Some 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:04.560 of you got saved all by yourself. You came to 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:07.240 Christ all by yourself. You were the only one. 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:11.160 Maybe you were all alone. And I'm thankful for 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:14.620 that, and I don't want to diminish the ones and 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:18.920 the twos and how God works here a little, there 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:21.879 a little, because it is God that does it just 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:26.560 the same. Amen? But the time for needing the 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:32.180 nets, is coming where you don't catch one or 00:07:32.180 --> 00:07:36.459 two for dinner here or there, where you throw 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:41.139 the nets out and the nets get full of fish and 00:07:41.139 --> 00:07:46.120 you bring in the fish, not in the ones and the 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:49.100 twos, but in the dozens and the dozens and the 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:53.139 dozens and the dozens. Hallelujah. Glory to God. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:57.699 And this is what begins to happen in what we 00:07:57.699 --> 00:08:00.560 would call a move of God in the land is that 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:05.939 many people begin to come under conviction all 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:09.680 at the same time. There comes in the life of 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:14.319 a group of people, families, cities, all groups 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:19.139 of people, a desire to get right with God and 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:25.240 walk in repentance. Praise the Lord. And the 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:28.779 New Testament church, they walked in that. They 00:08:28.779 --> 00:08:36.379 saw it. They saw multitudes come to Christ. Multitudes. 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:42.159 And I want to read this story. This might seem 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:45.539 like an odd story to read, but it's been speaking 00:08:45.539 --> 00:08:48.519 to my heart because we need to make it easy for 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:51.929 people to come to Christ. not more difficult. 00:08:53.690 --> 00:08:56.870 And certain men came down from Judea and taught 00:08:56.870 --> 00:09:02.750 the brethren, this is the Gentile brethren, unless 00:09:02.750 --> 00:09:05.409 you are circumcised according to the custom of 00:09:05.409 --> 00:09:17.379 Moses, you cannot be saved. Therefore, when Paul 00:09:17.379 --> 00:09:20.299 and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:25.100 with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:27.580 and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:31.799 to the apostles and elders about this question. 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:39.179 So circumcision was the sign of the Jews and 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:43.580 it was a portion of following the law. Well, 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:47.740 the law was what Jesus came to fulfill. Jesus 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:54.759 fulfilled it. And the law teaches us what sin 00:09:54.759 --> 00:10:01.379 is. So they sent Paul and Barnabas on their way 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:04.539 by the church. They passed through Phoenicia 00:10:04.539 --> 00:10:08.759 and Samaria, describing the conversion of the 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:14.250 Gentiles. And they caused great joy to all the 00:10:14.250 --> 00:10:17.830 brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, 00:10:17.929 --> 00:10:20.190 they were received by the church and the apostles 00:10:20.190 --> 00:10:23.870 and the elders. And they reported all the things 00:10:23.870 --> 00:10:27.909 that God had done with them. But some of the 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:31.710 sect of the Pharisees who believed in Christ 00:10:31.710 --> 00:10:36.429 rose up saying, it is necessary to circumcise 00:10:36.429 --> 00:10:40.110 them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. 00:10:42.919 --> 00:10:46.379 And can I tell you that this teaching still persists 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:52.299 today? That if you want to follow Jesus correctly, 00:10:52.700 --> 00:10:58.379 you've got to follow the law. If you want to 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:03.679 do it rightly, you've got to be circumcised. 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:08.299 And all 600 and some laws of the Old Testament, 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:14.759 you've got to keep them all. And so these Pharisees 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:17.179 had come to Christ and they trusted in Christ, 00:11:17.340 --> 00:11:21.019 but they said, we've also, as we trust Christ, 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:26.700 got to follow the law. Now the apostles, now 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:29.799 this is an important question. You see, seven 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:35.179 to ten years before, was when Peter had the vision 00:11:35.179 --> 00:11:38.899 to go to Cornelius' house. He had a vision of 00:11:38.899 --> 00:11:42.720 unclean animals. He was on his rooftop praying, 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:47.500 and he had this vision of unclean animals, and 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:51.899 this vision came to Peter, and the voice that 00:11:51.899 --> 00:11:56.960 he heard was, rise, Peter, kill, and eat. And 00:11:56.960 --> 00:12:01.799 he was appalled, disgusted by this vision. He 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:05.720 was like, Lord, nothing unclean has ever touched 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:10.919 my mouth. You want me to eat these unclean animals? 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:18.480 And the vision happened three times. And what 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:23.039 God was really showing Peter was that Peter, 00:12:23.059 --> 00:12:25.840 you thought that salvation was only for the Jews, 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:31.299 but salvation is for the Gentiles as well. Now 00:12:31.299 --> 00:12:34.639 that encounter that Peter had happened seven 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:39.950 to ten years before. And so the church had, through 00:12:39.950 --> 00:12:44.490 the leadership of Peter, this Jewish church had 00:12:44.490 --> 00:12:48.769 opened up its heart to see that the salvation 00:12:48.769 --> 00:12:52.269 that Jesus brings is not just for the Jews, but 00:12:52.269 --> 00:12:55.850 it's also for the Gentiles. So the church had 00:12:55.850 --> 00:12:59.169 come to the place where they understood that 00:12:59.169 --> 00:13:03.470 salvation was not just for Jewish people, but 00:13:03.470 --> 00:13:08.070 that it was for whosoever will. But that created, 00:13:08.309 --> 00:13:11.629 although everybody rejoiced as they watched God 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:15.789 move among the Gentiles, and now through Paul's 00:13:15.789 --> 00:13:19.490 ministry, they all rejoiced about it, but it 00:13:19.490 --> 00:13:23.950 also created tension. And it created problems. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:28.580 Because the Jewish people who grew up in their 00:13:28.580 --> 00:13:31.720 Jewishness, who had all of these traditions and 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:35.019 different things that they celebrated and different 00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:38.960 ways that they lived because of the law of Moses, 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:42.519 when they trusted Christ, they did not just immediately 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:45.840 abandon all of those things. They continued to 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:48.759 keep those things as part of their tradition. 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:53.100 And do you know what? The Holy Spirit never convicted 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:56.960 them about it or told them to stop. It was okay 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:01.779 for the Jewish people to maintain some of those 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:05.639 Jewish traditions in the midst of following Christ. 00:14:06.179 --> 00:14:11.919 And in fact, Jesus is the fulfillment of all 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:14.659 of those traditions. The Jewish traditions are 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:21.889 fascinating. The revelation of Jesus is in those 00:14:21.889 --> 00:14:29.230 traditions. And it's awesome. But now these Gentiles, 00:14:29.230 --> 00:14:34.789 who did not grow up with any of that Jewishness, 00:14:34.830 --> 00:14:40.370 are coming to Christ. And guess what they're 00:14:40.370 --> 00:14:44.950 not doing? They are not following the laws of 00:14:44.950 --> 00:14:51.549 Moses. They are not. intertwining with any of 00:14:51.549 --> 00:14:53.570 those things. They didn't grow up with it. It 00:14:53.570 --> 00:14:55.330 was not a part of who they are. You know what 00:14:55.330 --> 00:14:57.769 they're just doing in their Gentileness? They're 00:14:57.769 --> 00:15:00.330 just trying to follow Jesus as best as they can. 00:15:01.429 --> 00:15:04.129 And that's probably where most of us are at. 00:15:06.710 --> 00:15:13.789 Gentile people. Not grown up in any kind of religion. 00:15:14.629 --> 00:15:19.139 But here they are. turning to Christ. And it 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:25.980 bothered some of the Pharisaical believers. And 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:30.960 they came and preached. Okay, yes, you've got 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.759 to follow Jesus, but now you've got to do this, 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:36.299 you've got to do that. And they started preaching 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:42.580 the law of Moses to these beautiful Gentile believers. 00:15:43.950 --> 00:15:48.070 And it angered Paul and Barnabas. And they broke 00:15:48.070 --> 00:15:51.429 out and they were protecting these Gentiles. 00:15:51.730 --> 00:15:57.610 Let them follow Christ. Let them follow Christ. 00:15:58.389 --> 00:16:02.409 And there's some of that in us. We look at people 00:16:02.409 --> 00:16:05.049 and we say their lives aren't perfect yet. We 00:16:05.049 --> 00:16:08.230 see that their lives are not perfect yet. And 00:16:08.230 --> 00:16:10.830 we want them to do this and do that and all of 00:16:10.830 --> 00:16:15.179 these things. But I'm telling you that if they've 00:16:15.179 --> 00:16:18.820 got the real thing, if they've given their life 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:23.039 for real to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is leading 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:25.360 them, guess what's going to happen? They're going 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:30.159 to start walking in line with Christ. The Holy 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:34.779 Spirit is very good at his job. Somebody say 00:16:34.779 --> 00:16:39.480 amen to that. So the apostles... we're considering 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:42.179 this question. What is the place of circumcision? 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:44.820 What is the place of all of this in the lives 00:16:44.820 --> 00:16:49.320 of the Gentiles? Is everybody with me so far? 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:54.860 And when there had been much dispute, verse 7, 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:58.559 Peter rose up and said to them, men and brethren, 00:16:58.659 --> 00:17:03.940 you know that a good while ago God chose among 00:17:03.940 --> 00:17:09.200 us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:13.460 the word of the gospel and believe. He's referring 00:17:13.460 --> 00:17:16.579 to Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. You can read 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:21.660 that on your own time. So God, who knows the 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:26.839 heart, everybody say knows the heart, acknowledged 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:31.819 them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:37.059 did to us. and made no distinction between us 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:43.900 and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Isn't 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:48.000 this a good story? This is Peter now, the cornerstone 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:53.079 apostle talking about to this meeting. Now therefore, 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:58.259 Why do you test God? By putting a yoke on the 00:17:58.259 --> 00:18:01.700 neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers 00:18:01.700 --> 00:18:07.359 nor we were able to bear. But we believe that 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:11.380 through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:15.440 shall be saved in the same manner as they. Oh, 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.839 this is a good moment. This is a good moment 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:23.920 because the Pharisaical believers who were preaching 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:27.480 the wrong message, trying to put a yoke on all 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:31.000 the other believers, got rebuked by Peter and 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:34.720 said, no, we're not going to have any of that. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:40.220 It is not by works that we are saved. We are 00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:45.460 saved by grace through faith. Hallelujah. In 00:18:45.460 --> 00:18:51.519 his name. And Peter wanted to make sure the Gentiles 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:55.140 are saved by grace through faith, and we are 00:18:55.140 --> 00:19:01.640 also saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. 00:19:02.859 --> 00:19:06.359 when you try to add to it, when you try to put 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.779 rules on people, when you try to conform people 00:19:09.779 --> 00:19:13.599 into your image, you are not discipling them 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:17.160 unto Christ. You are trying to conform them to 00:19:17.160 --> 00:19:20.839 what you think that they should be like. And 00:19:20.839 --> 00:19:24.920 that is not the role of the church. And Peter 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:34.890 was saying, leave them alone. I love this story. 00:19:36.150 --> 00:19:42.410 Then all the multitude kept silent. They listened 00:19:42.410 --> 00:19:47.069 to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles 00:19:47.069 --> 00:19:51.829 and wonders God had worked through them among 00:19:51.829 --> 00:19:56.650 the Gentiles. When I read that, I say, God, may 00:19:56.650 --> 00:20:00.190 that be the story of Faith Church. May we be 00:20:00.190 --> 00:20:02.630 able to go around and tell of all the wonders 00:20:02.630 --> 00:20:05.990 and the miracles that God is doing in Lincoln, 00:20:06.089 --> 00:20:10.450 Illinois. Hallelujah. Somebody on the Lincoln, 00:20:10.529 --> 00:20:13.410 one of the Lincoln website or the Facebook groups 00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:18.150 said, hey, can somebody open up restaurants on 00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:22.940 Sunday morning so that tourists will come to 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:25.000 Sunday morning. Did anybody else see that post 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:27.440 about 10 days ago? Jamie, you saw that post. 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:31.839 I read that. I read that. And the Lord spoke 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:36.720 to me and said, tourists are going to come to 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:40.279 Lincoln, Illinois to see the good things that 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:44.539 they've heard that God is doing. I want to say 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:48.579 that again. tourists are going to come to Lincoln, 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:52.180 Illinois to hear, to see with their own eyes, 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:56.440 is it true what I've heard about that God is 00:20:56.440 --> 00:21:00.480 doing in the city? Hallelujah. I believe that 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:04.619 with my whole heart. And they told of all the 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:07.480 wonders that had happened among the Gentiles. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:12.980 And after they had become silent, James, this 00:21:12.980 --> 00:21:16.450 is the half -brother of Jesus, Now an apostle 00:21:16.450 --> 00:21:21.410 and a leader in the church answered and said, 00:21:21.490 --> 00:21:26.809 men and brethren, listen to me. Simon has declared, 00:21:27.029 --> 00:21:30.670 that's Peter, has declared how God at the first 00:21:30.670 --> 00:21:36.029 visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people 00:21:36.029 --> 00:21:39.630 for his name. And with this, the words of the 00:21:39.630 --> 00:21:45.650 prophets agree. Hallelujah. Just as it is written, 00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:49.569 now this is from Amos chapter 9. James is quoting 00:21:49.569 --> 00:21:53.769 from Amos chapter 9. After this, I will return 00:21:53.769 --> 00:21:59.450 and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which 00:21:59.450 --> 00:22:04.089 has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins and 00:22:04.089 --> 00:22:07.390 I will set it up so that the rest of mankind 00:22:07.390 --> 00:22:11.369 may seek the Lord. Even all the Gentiles who 00:22:11.369 --> 00:22:15.289 are called by my name, says the Lord who does 00:22:15.289 --> 00:22:21.779 all these things. Hallelujah. And known to God 00:22:21.779 --> 00:22:25.079 from eternity are all his works. Therefore, I 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:28.460 judge that we should not trouble those from among 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:31.759 the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:35.359 we write to them to abstain from things polluted 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:39.359 by idols, from sexual immorality, from things 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:44.089 strangled, and from blood. For Moses has throughout 00:22:44.089 --> 00:22:47.710 many generations those who preach him in every 00:22:47.710 --> 00:22:52.269 city being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. 00:22:53.180 --> 00:22:56.180 So we'll come back to that in a moment. Then 00:22:56.180 --> 00:22:58.619 it pleased the apostles and the elders with the 00:22:58.619 --> 00:23:02.039 whole church to send chosen men of their own 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:05.559 company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:09.700 Judas, who was also named Barsabbas, and Silas, 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:13.000 leading men among the brethren. They wrote this 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:16.420 letter by them. The apostles, the elders, and 00:23:16.420 --> 00:23:18.700 the brethren, to the brethren who are of the 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:22.759 Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, greetings. 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:25.900 Since we have heard that some who went out from 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:30.000 us have troubled you with words, unsettling your 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:33.480 souls, saying you must be circumcised and keep 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:37.079 the law. to whom we gave no such commandment, 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:40.539 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one 00:23:40.539 --> 00:23:44.119 accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved 00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:47.099 Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:49.740 lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:53.819 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:57.099 also report the same things by word of mouth, 00:23:57.259 --> 00:24:00.859 for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to 00:24:00.859 --> 00:24:05.160 us to lay upon you no greater burden than these 00:24:05.160 --> 00:24:08.559 necessary things, that you abstain from things 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:12.619 offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:16.980 and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:24.380 from these, you do well. Farewell. So when they 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:27.200 were sent off, they came to Antioch, and when 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:29.420 they had gathered the multitude together, they 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:32.180 delivered the letter. When they had read it, 00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:35.980 they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now Judas 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:39.940 and Silas themselves, being prophets also, exhorted 00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:43.660 and strengthened the brethren with many words. 00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:48.079 And I see them prophesying over the people there. 00:24:48.670 --> 00:24:52.269 And after they had stayed there for a time, they 00:24:52.269 --> 00:24:54.829 were sent back with greetings from the brethren 00:24:54.829 --> 00:24:58.369 to the apostles. However, it seemed good to Silas 00:24:58.369 --> 00:25:01.230 to remain there. Paul and Barnabas also remained 00:25:01.230 --> 00:25:05.450 in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of 00:25:05.450 --> 00:25:10.930 the Lord with many others also. The move of God. 00:25:11.630 --> 00:25:16.329 The move of God. Moving from city to city, from 00:25:16.329 --> 00:25:21.740 people group. people group. Quickly, why those 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:26.279 four things? Those four things for three reasons. 00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:37.259 One, because they needed to come out of their 00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:42.819 idolatry to follow Christ. These Gentiles, many 00:25:42.819 --> 00:25:46.359 of them were steeped in idolatry. and they needed 00:25:46.359 --> 00:25:51.039 to come out of their idolatry to follow Christ. 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:55.480 You cannot serve two masters, and the message 00:25:55.480 --> 00:26:00.539 of the gospel is repent and turn to God. Well, 00:26:00.619 --> 00:26:02.759 if you're going to repent, you're going to turn 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:06.740 to God, but you're also going to turn away from 00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:11.990 something. And so that message to give up your 00:26:11.990 --> 00:26:18.910 idolatry to follow Jesus is clear. And if you're 00:26:18.910 --> 00:26:21.009 going to follow Jesus, friends, it's going to 00:26:21.009 --> 00:26:24.009 be because you turn your back on some things 00:26:24.009 --> 00:26:27.130 in your life. The stuff that's dominated you 00:26:27.130 --> 00:26:30.390 can dominate you no longer. You have a new master. 00:26:30.470 --> 00:26:34.529 His name is Jesus. Come out from among them. 00:26:35.650 --> 00:26:40.220 The second thing, that they were cautious of, 00:26:40.420 --> 00:26:46.400 is that they wanted to build a bridge to the 00:26:46.400 --> 00:26:52.500 Jews in their cities. And if they're eating strangled 00:26:52.500 --> 00:26:57.720 animals and blood and calling themselves Christians 00:26:57.720 --> 00:27:02.059 and preaching to the Jewish people to come to 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:06.039 Christ, What do you think will happen? Will any 00:27:06.039 --> 00:27:11.000 of the Jews come to Jesus? No, they won't. And 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:14.900 so part of this message is, we want you to remove 00:27:14.900 --> 00:27:21.420 the stumbling block that can exist so that others 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:26.299 will come to Jesus easily. And you know what 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:31.710 that is, friends? That's called love. I am not 00:27:31.710 --> 00:27:36.549 going to live in such a way that is going to 00:27:36.549 --> 00:27:42.789 keep others from Christ. If you get nothing else 00:27:42.789 --> 00:27:45.309 from this message this morning, I want you to 00:27:45.309 --> 00:27:50.150 hear that. I am not going to live in such a way 00:27:50.150 --> 00:27:56.230 that will keep others from coming to Christ. 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:05.039 I want to live in such a way that I am not a 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:09.539 stumbling block. Yeah, but pastor, aren't I free? 00:28:09.940 --> 00:28:14.940 Don't use your freedom to do things that will 00:28:14.940 --> 00:28:20.339 cause others to stumble. But use your freedom 00:28:20.339 --> 00:28:24.539 to create the opportunity for others to come 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:32.319 to Christ. It's called love. We build bridges 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:41.119 to people. We build bridges to people. And thirdly, 00:28:41.160 --> 00:28:48.700 the command, these four commands, especially 00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:54.200 the call to come out from sexual immorality. 00:28:56.140 --> 00:29:05.480 This is a major call to our nation. Because sexual 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:15.680 immorality causes so much harm in a person's 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:20.380 life. Paul said in nearly every one of his letters, 00:29:20.460 --> 00:29:26.440 warning against sexual immorality of all different 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:32.930 kinds. He who sins sexually sins against his 00:29:32.930 --> 00:29:38.730 own body. You cannot live in sexual immorality 00:29:38.730 --> 00:29:42.670 and walk in the blessing of God. The two do not 00:29:42.670 --> 00:29:49.250 exist. The two do not exist. And they wrote this 00:29:49.250 --> 00:29:55.140 to... provide the protection on these new believers 00:29:55.140 --> 00:30:01.680 to keep them from the schemes of the enemy. America, 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:04.559 I have watched over the last 20 years and 10 00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:08.680 years and five years, America go off the rails 00:30:08.680 --> 00:30:15.119 with sexual immorality of types that were rare 00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:20.460 even in the wild days of the 60s and the 70s. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:23.599 Before I was born, some of you remember those 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:31.500 days. The free love days. But it is that immorality 00:30:31.500 --> 00:30:37.339 that harms each individual. When you sin sexually, 00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:43.140 you're sinning against your own life. And so 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:46.400 they wrote this in there to be a protection of 00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:50.960 that new faith that they had in Jesus Christ. 00:30:51.420 --> 00:30:57.140 Hallelujah. And so our message of purity is not 00:30:57.140 --> 00:31:02.130 one of condemnation. to the nation or to people 00:31:02.130 --> 00:31:06.950 groups or to individuals who are digging their 00:31:06.950 --> 00:31:10.730 heels and saying, I want my freedom. We are not 00:31:10.730 --> 00:31:14.589 condemning people. We are calling people out 00:31:14.589 --> 00:31:18.470 of the stuff that keeps them in bondage and keeps 00:31:18.470 --> 00:31:22.769 them in captivity and in to the blessing of the 00:31:22.769 --> 00:31:26.690 Lord. Hallelujah. And so you'll read it in the 00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:30.029 New Testament over and over and over and over. 00:31:30.170 --> 00:31:38.589 Keep yourself sexually pure. Hallelujah. Praise 00:31:38.589 --> 00:31:43.250 God. If I preach this as much as Paul did, you 00:31:43.250 --> 00:31:47.410 might get tired of me talking about it. But this 00:31:47.410 --> 00:31:52.130 is a point of prayer for our nation. It is way, 00:31:52.329 --> 00:31:58.309 way, way, way more common. For people to live 00:31:58.309 --> 00:32:02.869 together now than to get married. But they are 00:32:02.869 --> 00:32:06.609 sinning against their own body and condemning 00:32:06.609 --> 00:32:13.029 their own souls when they're trying to live for 00:32:13.029 --> 00:32:17.690 God at the same time and it cannot work. And 00:32:17.690 --> 00:32:19.869 so they told them these three things. Come out 00:32:19.869 --> 00:32:23.119 from your former way of life. Build a bridge 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:25.579 and love the people around you. Don't live in 00:32:25.579 --> 00:32:29.660 such a way as to be a stumbling block. And keep 00:32:29.660 --> 00:32:37.059 your heart, your body, your vessel pure sexually. 00:32:38.660 --> 00:32:43.420 And if you'll do those three things in four commands, 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:50.980 you will do well. You will find favor with God. 00:32:51.950 --> 00:32:58.089 And I love how Peter just boiled 700 commandments 00:32:58.089 --> 00:33:06.210 of the law down to four. He said, we don't expect 00:33:06.210 --> 00:33:11.470 you to follow 700 of them. But will you follow 00:33:11.470 --> 00:33:17.730 four? And they all said, yeah. They rejoiced 00:33:17.730 --> 00:33:23.930 at the encouragement. of the letter. These people, 00:33:23.970 --> 00:33:25.730 they came and they were teaching us all this 00:33:25.730 --> 00:33:29.430 stuff, and it unsettled us, and we didn't feel, 00:33:29.549 --> 00:33:32.210 we don't know what to think. And that letter 00:33:32.210 --> 00:33:38.750 set them free, and they said, yes, we can follow 00:33:38.750 --> 00:33:43.869 God. Friends, I believe that God is about to 00:33:43.869 --> 00:33:45.869 make a highway. I'm going to preach another message 00:33:45.869 --> 00:33:50.730 about the passage from Amos. That James quoted. 00:33:51.609 --> 00:33:57.789 The tabernacle of David. God reestablishing the 00:33:57.789 --> 00:34:00.089 tabernacle of David. He's going to do it again. 00:34:00.150 --> 00:34:03.230 He's doing it now. He's going to do it again. 00:34:03.329 --> 00:34:06.089 And people are going to stream. People are going 00:34:06.089 --> 00:34:09.929 to stream to the presence of God. Hallelujah. 00:34:11.110 --> 00:34:14.710 From every tribe, tongue, and nation. We're going 00:34:14.710 --> 00:34:18.190 to see it. We're going to see the move of God. 00:34:20.969 --> 00:34:23.329 Some of you don't know your place yet in the 00:34:23.329 --> 00:34:27.750 kingdom, in the church. You're here for a reason 00:34:27.750 --> 00:34:33.449 right now. You are foundational. You are foundational 00:34:33.449 --> 00:34:36.789 to this house. Tell that to the person you're 00:34:36.789 --> 00:34:39.409 sitting next to. You're important. You matter. 00:34:40.789 --> 00:34:45.949 You might not believe it, but I'm telling you 00:34:45.949 --> 00:34:52.880 to believe it. You are a part. And God is going 00:34:52.880 --> 00:34:59.719 to use you. I want to close with a passage in 00:34:59.719 --> 00:35:07.400 Genesis chapter 4 that has touched my heart my 00:35:07.400 --> 00:35:16.480 whole life. In Genesis chapter 4, the whole event 00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:24.039 with Cain and Abel, the family of Cain, All of 00:35:24.039 --> 00:35:30.440 this. And then the very last sentence, the very 00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:34.300 last sentence does not fit in, seemingly, with 00:35:34.300 --> 00:35:39.500 the chapter before it or after it. The very last 00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:44.679 sentence was this. Then men began to call on 00:35:44.679 --> 00:35:51.159 the name of the Lord. The last sentence of Genesis 00:35:51.159 --> 00:35:56.880 4. Then men began to call on the name of the 00:35:56.880 --> 00:36:05.400 Lord. This was a sovereign move of God at that 00:36:05.400 --> 00:36:11.800 moment in time. People just started getting right 00:36:11.800 --> 00:36:18.760 with God. It just happened. How many of you have 00:36:18.760 --> 00:36:20.539 prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed 00:36:20.539 --> 00:36:22.239 and prayed and prayed and prayed for revival? 00:36:22.619 --> 00:36:24.519 You prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and 00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:26.900 prayed and prayed for a move of God. And you've 00:36:26.900 --> 00:36:29.460 seen a few things happen, but your soul has not 00:36:29.460 --> 00:36:36.360 been satisfied yet. And here, along this sentence, 00:36:36.599 --> 00:36:41.059 just described this time period about the people 00:36:41.059 --> 00:36:45.480 in that entire region. Then men begin to call 00:36:45.480 --> 00:36:50.940 on the name of the Lord. It suddenly began to 00:36:50.940 --> 00:36:55.599 happen. People started praying. People started 00:36:55.599 --> 00:36:57.619 getting interested in the things of the Holy 00:36:57.619 --> 00:37:02.719 Spirit. People started caring about their relationship 00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:06.059 with God. Up until that point, they blew it off. 00:37:06.119 --> 00:37:07.820 They didn't think about it. They lived however 00:37:07.820 --> 00:37:09.820 they wanted. They did things for themselves. 00:37:10.179 --> 00:37:14.900 But at this time in history, men began to call 00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:18.829 on the name of the Lord. And I believe we're 00:37:18.829 --> 00:37:21.949 about to enter into such a time. I believe we're 00:37:21.949 --> 00:37:25.230 about to step into a moment like this where people, 00:37:25.289 --> 00:37:27.409 not because of this church or that church or 00:37:27.409 --> 00:37:30.409 anything that they've done right or wrong or 00:37:30.409 --> 00:37:33.269 any of that, but God begins to move on a city 00:37:33.269 --> 00:37:36.369 and God begins to touch hearts and lives and 00:37:36.369 --> 00:37:40.550 people begin to waken in their heart and something 00:37:40.550 --> 00:37:43.469 moves inside of them that wasn't there before 00:37:43.469 --> 00:37:46.949 and they begin to say, I gotta know this God, 00:37:47.150 --> 00:37:50.469 that God is real. I didn't think he was. I didn't. 00:37:50.510 --> 00:37:52.889 think he was paying attention, but he is paying 00:37:52.889 --> 00:37:57.070 attention. I've got to turn my life to him. I've 00:37:57.070 --> 00:37:59.989 got to begin to pray. I've got to begin to seek. 00:38:00.050 --> 00:38:04.269 Hallelujah. And God is going to cause people 00:38:04.269 --> 00:38:08.590 to sovereignly move on his heart. Some of you 00:38:08.590 --> 00:38:11.289 have family members that you've twisted and twisted 00:38:11.289 --> 00:38:14.010 and twisted and twisted and tried to get them 00:38:14.010 --> 00:38:17.349 to step into their calling and get to church, 00:38:17.489 --> 00:38:19.670 get to church, get to church, get to church, 00:38:19.769 --> 00:38:21.769 get to church, get to church, get to church. 00:38:23.090 --> 00:38:25.489 And you've said it so many times that you quit 00:38:25.489 --> 00:38:28.909 saying it because you just gave up. But then 00:38:28.909 --> 00:38:33.380 all of the sudden, God is going to move in their 00:38:33.380 --> 00:38:36.800 heart and life and they are going to begin to 00:38:36.800 --> 00:38:39.440 call on the name of the Lord and it is going 00:38:39.440 --> 00:38:44.340 to happen in Jesus' name. Thank you, Lord. Do 00:38:44.340 --> 00:38:47.300 you feel hope this morning? Do you feel hope 00:38:47.300 --> 00:38:51.400 in life? Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father. 00:38:51.699 --> 00:38:54.320 And so, Lord, we see you moving in Acts chapter 00:38:54.320 --> 00:39:00.219 15. You made a way. God, if they would have made 00:39:00.219 --> 00:39:03.840 the wrong decision in that moment, if they in 00:39:03.840 --> 00:39:06.199 this moment would have said, oh, they have to 00:39:06.199 --> 00:39:12.360 follow the whole law. If in this moment they 00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:16.280 would have said that, they would have put an 00:39:16.280 --> 00:39:23.159 end to the move of God. Lord, I pray that you 00:39:23.159 --> 00:39:25.739 would convict your church when they make it harder 00:39:25.739 --> 00:39:29.800 than it really is to come to Christ. When they 00:39:29.800 --> 00:39:31.780 say you've got to get all your ducks in a row 00:39:31.780 --> 00:39:36.960 before you come to Jesus. You can't just come 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:41.039 as you are. You've got to change everything first. 00:39:42.420 --> 00:39:44.940 Lord, I pray that you would forgive your church 00:39:44.940 --> 00:39:49.000 for having that kind of a mentality. God, you 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:52.960 said, whosoever will call on the name of the 00:39:52.960 --> 00:39:58.599 Lord shall be saved. And I ask God that the way 00:39:58.599 --> 00:40:05.280 would be made easy for people to come to Jesus 00:40:05.280 --> 00:40:09.460 in this last hour in the name of the Lord. I 00:40:09.460 --> 00:40:13.360 pray that it would just be very easy for people 00:40:13.360 --> 00:40:18.420 to turn to God. These Gentiles turning to God. 00:40:19.500 --> 00:40:24.639 Turning to God. I pray that it would be said 00:40:24.639 --> 00:40:28.440 of Lincoln, Illinois. that it turned to God. 00:40:29.280 --> 00:40:33.739 In every neighborhood, in every street, God, 00:40:33.860 --> 00:40:38.400 in every corner of this city, in Jesus' name, 00:40:38.639 --> 00:40:43.280 then people begin to call on the name of the 00:40:43.280 --> 00:40:55.239 Lord. God, we are expectant. God, we believe. 00:40:57.519 --> 00:41:01.800 We're looking to you to move by your spirit. 00:41:03.659 --> 00:41:09.400 Thank you, Father. The grace of God shed abroad 00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:16.780 in this city to turn hearts in high places and 00:41:16.780 --> 00:41:28.170 low places, in every social class. Oh, God. Oh, 00:41:28.170 --> 00:41:31.550 God, we feel your promise. We hear your calling. 00:41:33.829 --> 00:41:38.250 We ask, God, that you would move and have your 00:41:38.250 --> 00:41:45.530 way. Have your way. You're going to bring revival. 00:41:47.969 --> 00:41:53.809 You're going to do it, God, by your Spirit. Hallelujah. 00:41:58.630 --> 00:42:01.989 Hallelujah. Thank you, Father. Just take just 00:42:01.989 --> 00:42:04.690 a moment here and just, in your own words, just 00:42:04.690 --> 00:42:09.489 ask God to move by His Spirit. God, we've made 00:42:09.489 --> 00:42:13.809 it so hard for people. God, I ask that it would 00:42:13.809 --> 00:42:16.510 just be very easy for people to come to Christ. 00:42:18.789 --> 00:42:23.969 Oh, Lord Jesus, have your way. Oh, Lord Jesus, 00:42:24.090 --> 00:42:31.039 move. Oh, Lord Jesus, move. Thank you, Father. 00:42:31.840 --> 00:42:34.880 The people that feel like they are last, you 00:42:34.880 --> 00:42:40.219 are making them first. God, you are calling the 00:42:40.219 --> 00:42:42.440 people in the hedges and the highways and the 00:42:42.440 --> 00:42:47.340 byways, the people in the obscure positions and 00:42:47.340 --> 00:42:52.780 places of life to see that the Father's house 00:42:52.780 --> 00:43:00.179 is full. To see that the Father's house is full. 00:43:01.960 --> 00:43:06.960 Oh God, oh God, oh God. Fill up your house, we 00:43:06.960 --> 00:43:13.920 pray. Fill up your house, we pray. Oh Jesus. 00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.960 Oh Jesus. Jesus, move.