WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.720 What a friend we have in Jesus. The top five 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:07.219 of Pastor Jim's favorite hymns, that comes at 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:10.720 us at number four. Okay, what a friend we have 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:13.800 in Jesus. Spoiler alert, we will have sung all 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:16.460 five of my favorites in this sermon series. Why? 00:00:16.899 --> 00:00:20.420 Because I wrote it. And so understanding that 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:23.660 we have a friend in Jesus, especially played 00:00:23.660 --> 00:00:26.219 on that beautiful organ. Thank you, Joe. That 00:00:26.219 --> 00:00:29.980 is, to me, just a little slice of heaven. The 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:34.640 words of that song, it's just so relatable. And 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:38.659 I don't know where you are when it comes to friendships 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:43.280 in your life. As I get older, I see how friendships 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:46.520 have changed over the years, how friends are 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:49.340 this new concept when you're in elementary school, 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:52.719 and friends are kind of a big deal. And that 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:56.280 truth really continues throughout life. That 00:00:56.280 --> 00:00:58.759 if you think about it, friends, people that God 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:01.119 puts in your life, we're not talking about spouses, 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:04.299 though that should be your friend. If not, see 00:01:04.299 --> 00:01:06.000 me in two weeks. I'm out of the office this week. 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:07.879 We probably should have a conversation if your 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:11.040 spouse isn't your friend. But our friendships 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:14.890 throughout our life change. I remember I had 00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:18.849 two, if I had best friends, I've always struggled 00:01:18.849 --> 00:01:21.129 with that term best friend. I don't know why. 00:01:21.269 --> 00:01:22.950 It's probably something I'll work out in therapy. 00:01:23.170 --> 00:01:27.090 But I had Andy Hulkin and John Foley, Jonathan 00:01:27.090 --> 00:01:30.989 Foley. We lived about half a block from each 00:01:30.989 --> 00:01:33.870 other all the time. We just, every day after 00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:36.510 school, we would play in the cul -de -sac. We'd 00:01:36.510 --> 00:01:39.409 play baseball. That was kind of our game. And 00:01:39.409 --> 00:01:43.760 I thought about writing this. this sermon this 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.239 week, I haven't talked to those guys in probably 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:53.000 20 years. Yet I still remember that they were 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:58.569 my best friends. Right? John Foley was one that 00:01:58.569 --> 00:02:01.409 really taught me a lot about baseball because 00:02:01.409 --> 00:02:04.349 his dad was a big baseball guy. And going over, 00:02:04.450 --> 00:02:06.829 we would always watch baseball together, and 00:02:06.829 --> 00:02:08.490 that was really where my passion for baseball 00:02:08.490 --> 00:02:12.189 came. And my friend Andy is really where my hatred 00:02:12.189 --> 00:02:15.090 of cats came from because he had a cat named 00:02:15.090 --> 00:02:18.550 Tiger that I swear was sent from Lucifer to end 00:02:18.550 --> 00:02:22.490 my life. And so I will forever be scarred emotionally 00:02:22.490 --> 00:02:28.349 and physically of that. But Andy, again, we had 00:02:28.349 --> 00:02:30.250 a love of music together. Him and I were in a 00:02:30.250 --> 00:02:33.129 band together growing up. And so just you think 00:02:33.129 --> 00:02:35.110 about those friends. I want you to take a moment 00:02:35.110 --> 00:02:38.289 about those friends you had in, let's just say, 00:02:38.409 --> 00:02:41.069 middle school. Some people call it junior high, 00:02:41.129 --> 00:02:43.909 but some people don't like that, Nikki. But middle 00:02:43.909 --> 00:02:47.189 school, junior high, the friends you had there. 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:50.379 Think about it for about 10 seconds. How many 00:02:50.379 --> 00:02:53.680 of you are still friends with those individuals? 00:02:55.460 --> 00:02:58.219 That's amazing, right? That is phenomenal. Now, 00:02:58.240 --> 00:02:59.900 how many of you haven't moved around a lot of 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:01.819 those that rose their hand? Because that's a 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:04.340 lot easier when you stay around. When you go 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:07.180 away to school, when you move, you do tend to 00:03:07.180 --> 00:03:11.360 lose those relationships. But as we see in what 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:13.199 we're going to see in chapter 4 of the book of 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:17.349 Acts, Having a friend in Jesus gives us something. 00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:20.650 And it's not something that we take in a consumeristic 00:03:20.650 --> 00:03:24.009 kind of way, but it meets us where we are when 00:03:24.009 --> 00:03:27.830 it comes to conflict, when we have pressure situations, 00:03:27.949 --> 00:03:30.789 and suffering. Because what we're going to see 00:03:30.789 --> 00:03:34.509 is the disciples, the apostles of Jesus, because 00:03:34.509 --> 00:03:38.030 they had a friendship with Jesus, they saw him 00:03:38.030 --> 00:03:40.210 do the teaching, they lived life with him for 00:03:40.210 --> 00:03:43.789 three and a half years or so, they had... an 00:03:43.789 --> 00:03:47.689 ally, an advocate to have courage in conflict, 00:03:47.870 --> 00:03:51.409 peace under pressure, and joy in suffering. We 00:03:51.409 --> 00:03:53.189 have a lot of scripture to get through, so we're 00:03:53.189 --> 00:03:56.650 going to start in Acts chapter 4. We're going 00:03:56.650 --> 00:03:59.430 to start the first three verses. The first three 00:03:59.430 --> 00:04:02.710 verses, I call this the confrontation. So the 00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:04.509 confrontation begins, and it's going to kind 00:04:04.509 --> 00:04:05.949 of be this narrative that we're going to see. 00:04:06.530 --> 00:04:10.310 So starting in chapter 4, verse 1 through 3. 00:04:10.810 --> 00:04:12.830 And as they were speaking to the people, the 00:04:12.830 --> 00:04:15.969 priests and the captain of the temple and the 00:04:15.969 --> 00:04:18.970 Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:21.670 they were teaching the people and proclaiming 00:04:21.670 --> 00:04:25.470 in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And 00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:28.350 they arrested them and put them in custody until 00:04:28.350 --> 00:04:33.589 the next day, for it was already evening. Is 00:04:33.589 --> 00:04:36.310 that it? All right. So that's where we are with 00:04:36.310 --> 00:04:39.269 the first three verses. So they're preaching. 00:04:39.790 --> 00:04:43.149 They're preaching Jesus. Again, they didn't take 00:04:43.149 --> 00:04:46.269 preaching classes. They didn't do exegesis. They 00:04:46.269 --> 00:04:49.870 didn't do cultural context or what we call hermeneutics. 00:04:50.129 --> 00:04:53.170 They literally were preaching Jesus' message. 00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:57.350 Jesus was killed. He was put in a tomb. Three 00:04:57.350 --> 00:05:00.129 days later, he rose from the dead. That was the 00:05:00.129 --> 00:05:04.750 gospel. Unadulterated, pure gospel. And then 00:05:04.750 --> 00:05:06.509 all of a sudden the priests, the captain of the 00:05:06.509 --> 00:05:09.350 temple and the Sadducees, were greatly annoyed. 00:05:09.410 --> 00:05:14.769 Not just mildly irritated, right? Greatly annoyed, 00:05:14.930 --> 00:05:17.970 Luke's writer tells us. Because the apostles 00:05:17.970 --> 00:05:21.370 were proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of 00:05:21.370 --> 00:05:24.170 the dead. If we go back to the Gospels, it's 00:05:24.170 --> 00:05:26.930 the exact narrative that the temple was trying 00:05:26.930 --> 00:05:31.029 to snuff out. They paid off the guards. They 00:05:31.029 --> 00:05:32.889 wanted to snuff that narrative. They wanted to 00:05:32.889 --> 00:05:35.069 lie. They wanted to cover it up. They wanted 00:05:35.069 --> 00:05:37.610 to deceive the people because they knew that 00:05:37.610 --> 00:05:40.329 they knew that they knew that if people started 00:05:40.329 --> 00:05:43.230 getting whiff of the fact that Jesus rose from 00:05:43.230 --> 00:05:46.470 the dead, that he was the Messiah, he was the 00:05:46.470 --> 00:05:48.750 Savior, and that people would put their faith 00:05:48.750 --> 00:05:51.509 in him. And what did that mean for the temple? 00:05:51.790 --> 00:05:58.930 A lack of? Anybody? No? Control. Someone said 00:05:58.930 --> 00:06:01.029 control. The lack of control. They wanted to 00:06:01.029 --> 00:06:03.449 control the people. They had a way of perverting 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:06.930 the temple for their own gain, their own authority. 00:06:07.209 --> 00:06:09.990 And what this message was doing was undercutting 00:06:09.990 --> 00:06:15.110 all of that with truth. The Sadducees denied 00:06:15.110 --> 00:06:18.170 the resurrection. The gospel was a direct threat 00:06:18.170 --> 00:06:20.970 to not only their theology, but their authority. 00:06:21.189 --> 00:06:25.589 Because they have conflated those together. When 00:06:25.589 --> 00:06:29.970 we look for human authority to define our Christ 00:06:29.970 --> 00:06:34.170 -likeness, we are doing it wrong. Yes, are we 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:35.870 called to submit to the governing authorities? 00:06:36.110 --> 00:06:39.350 Absolutely. But that's not for your definition 00:06:39.350 --> 00:06:42.579 in Christ. Right? Republican, Democrat, that 00:06:42.579 --> 00:06:45.379 is not, Christ doesn't define you through those 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:48.560 terms. Let's go even just a cut deeper to 214 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:50.879 Ridge Road. Being Christian Reformed does not 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:55.019 define who you are in Christ. You are a Christ 00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:58.699 follower first. Period. End of that. Don't add 00:06:58.699 --> 00:07:01.800 things to it. Does that inform all the rest of 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:04.339 yourself? It should. Right? That I am a follower 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:06.779 of Christ, so it should define how I live my 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:10.170 life. That's not any smart thing from Jim. That's 00:07:10.170 --> 00:07:14.310 in the Word of God. Yet the Word of God cannot 00:07:14.310 --> 00:07:17.529 be chained up as the authorities of the temple 00:07:17.529 --> 00:07:20.649 were trying to do. Even Peter and John are arrested. 00:07:21.850 --> 00:07:24.949 Many who heard the Word believed. They were arrested 00:07:24.949 --> 00:07:29.519 for preaching Jesus. Believe me, as a preacher 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:32.860 in the United States, have I ever worried, 20 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:34.980 years now in the pastorate, have I ever worried 00:07:34.980 --> 00:07:36.980 that I was going to be arrested for preaching 00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:41.639 the gospel? No. Have I ever worried about getting 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:44.220 emails 10 minutes after service? Absolutely. 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:47.920 But that is not the same as getting arrested. 00:07:48.899 --> 00:07:51.139 Those sending it might want it to feel the same. 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:53.399 It never does, right? Especially to those that 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:54.920 don't put their name on it. I don't even read 00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:58.660 those. But understand that I've never had that 00:07:58.660 --> 00:08:01.560 fear. In the United States, we don't necessarily 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:05.399 have that fear. And I count myself lucky because 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:07.819 I know stories where that's not the case around 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:11.980 the world. Right? We talk about this missionary, 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:14.839 Josh, that we just commissioned to go. Guys, 00:08:14.860 --> 00:08:17.959 where he's going to be, Christianity is not the 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:20.939 world religion. It's not the tribes and village 00:08:20.939 --> 00:08:25.379 religion. Islamic religion is there predominantly. 00:08:26.589 --> 00:08:30.310 And he's going with not deep theology or hermeneutics. 00:08:30.470 --> 00:08:32.330 He's going to go with the Word of God translated 00:08:32.330 --> 00:08:35.570 in a language. He's going to trust and stand 00:08:35.570 --> 00:08:38.409 on the Word of God much like Peter and John did. 00:08:38.789 --> 00:08:41.110 And that is why Peter's going to give a defense. 00:08:42.029 --> 00:08:44.769 And here's, well, let's read it first and then 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:46.509 we'll make that point. So starting with verse 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:49.769 5. On the next day, the rulers and elders and 00:08:49.769 --> 00:08:52.730 scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, and Ananias, 00:08:52.730 --> 00:08:55.250 the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and 00:08:55.250 --> 00:08:58.190 Alexander, and all who were the high priest family. 00:08:59.250 --> 00:09:02.970 And when they had set them in the midst, they 00:09:02.970 --> 00:09:06.909 inquired, by what power or by what name did you 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:10.590 do this? Claire, can you go back to that first 00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:13.610 slide of the scripture? These names, where else 00:09:13.610 --> 00:09:18.179 do we see these names in scripture? Ananias and 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:21.539 Caiaphas. John and Alexander, not so much as 00:09:21.539 --> 00:09:23.879 far as the Sadducees go. But where do we see 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:28.620 Ananias and Caiaphas' name before? What? The 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:32.419 crucifixion. Their names really only come up 00:09:32.419 --> 00:09:36.539 during Holy Week. For something good? Why do 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:39.659 we have those names during Holy Week? They were 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:44.460 the ones overseeing Jesus' death. These were 00:09:44.460 --> 00:09:47.309 leaders of the temple. Leaders of the church 00:09:47.309 --> 00:09:50.070 in that time. I'd probably just call it the temple. 00:09:50.110 --> 00:09:51.129 I'm probably not going to call it the church. 00:09:51.250 --> 00:09:53.730 The temple at that time. The same council that 00:09:53.730 --> 00:09:57.250 condemned Jesus now stands over Jesus' followers. 00:09:57.669 --> 00:10:01.370 By what power or name do you do this? I thought 00:10:01.370 --> 00:10:06.190 to myself, what a dumb question. These are supposed 00:10:06.190 --> 00:10:09.610 to be leaders of the temple. Direct conflict 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:12.029 of the way, as we talked about. It wasn't Christianity 00:10:12.029 --> 00:10:13.909 yet. That name didn't come for a couple hundred 00:10:13.909 --> 00:10:19.049 years. But the way, the way of Jesus. They ask 00:10:19.049 --> 00:10:25.450 these questions. For lunch, I'll put lunch on 00:10:25.450 --> 00:10:28.230 this. For lunch, in a conversation with Pastor 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:31.889 Jim, why is this not the first time we've heard 00:10:31.889 --> 00:10:34.289 those questions? Where else do we hear these 00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:37.350 questions? You already answered, Nikki. You can't 00:10:37.350 --> 00:10:42.500 answer again. These two questions, we hear that 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:44.240 this isn't the first time we've heard these questions. 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:48.799 Where else do we hear these? Calm down, let other 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:52.539 people get it. You already know it's probably 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:58.299 Holy Week. What? You're in college, so I'll take 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:00.100 you out for lunch anytime, even though that answer 00:11:00.100 --> 00:11:15.669 was wrong. Junior high youth workers are hitting 00:11:15.669 --> 00:11:18.450 it out of the park. Way to go. The rest of you, 00:11:18.529 --> 00:11:21.690 you're on the bench. Let's get into the scriptures. 00:11:21.909 --> 00:11:24.870 This has happened before when Jesus was arrested. 00:11:25.450 --> 00:11:27.830 It happened again when he was teaching in the 00:11:27.830 --> 00:11:30.830 temple. They know the answers to these questions. 00:11:32.190 --> 00:11:35.049 But what they're trying to do, just the same 00:11:35.049 --> 00:11:36.750 thing they did with Jesus, they're trying to 00:11:36.750 --> 00:11:40.500 trap them. The irony here is they think they're 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:42.620 on trial, but the power of Christ is about to 00:11:42.620 --> 00:11:45.620 be displayed again. Because the Holy Spirit, 00:11:45.740 --> 00:11:47.059 remember, they had to wait for the Holy Spirit. 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:49.059 The Holy Spirit just didn't say, peace out, I'm 00:11:49.059 --> 00:11:51.259 gone, start the church. He's with them, with 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:55.559 us, every step of the way. Verse 8. Then Peter, 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.779 filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers 00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:01.840 of the people and the elders, we'll get to verse 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:05.200 9 in a second. But Luke highlights this, right? 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:07.419 Luke's writer highlights that the Holy Spirit 00:12:07.419 --> 00:12:11.440 is at work. Courage and witness is never self 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:14.860 -generated. Peter isn't doing this on his own 00:12:14.860 --> 00:12:19.039 authority, out of his own power. We can't do 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:20.899 that because of what we prayed for a couple minutes 00:12:20.899 --> 00:12:23.480 ago. The fact that we are at war with ourselves, 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:27.860 that good reformed theology of total depravity. 00:12:28.019 --> 00:12:34.169 Does anyone know what depravity means? Dead in 00:12:34.169 --> 00:12:37.669 sin. We are bent against God. That is what depravity 00:12:37.669 --> 00:12:40.649 means. And we have that inside of us. Well, pastor, 00:12:40.750 --> 00:12:43.029 I'm a believer. I'm a professed. I was baptized 00:12:43.029 --> 00:12:45.289 as a kid. I made my professed faith. I'm a member 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:47.870 of the church. Absolutely. You're still a sinner. 00:12:48.210 --> 00:12:51.230 That doesn't make you perfect. That doesn't make 00:12:51.230 --> 00:12:53.750 you devoid of the need of the power of the Holy 00:12:53.750 --> 00:12:56.509 Spirit. And Peter, foot and mouth disease Peter, 00:12:56.870 --> 00:13:00.909 who denied Jesus, lost a rabbi. Rabbi restores 00:13:00.909 --> 00:13:03.960 him in the book of John. is filled with the Holy 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:07.279 Spirit. The boldness you have in your faith, 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:11.220 now I'm going to qualify this, the boldness you 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:15.179 have in your faith is the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:13:15.779 --> 00:13:18.799 Okay? Now get ready. That felt good. This isn't. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.860 The dumbness we have when we speak out on behalf 00:13:22.860 --> 00:13:25.980 of faith for our own volition is not the Holy 00:13:25.980 --> 00:13:29.159 Spirit. That's depravity. And that's the rub. 00:13:29.929 --> 00:13:32.289 There are times we love to get up on our high 00:13:32.289 --> 00:13:35.250 horse, right, and just launch those grenades 00:13:35.250 --> 00:13:38.610 at people in judgment or because you didn't do 00:13:38.610 --> 00:13:41.009 what I wanted you to do, opinions or whatever 00:13:41.009 --> 00:13:46.029 in the church, and we think it's the Holy Spirit 00:13:46.029 --> 00:13:49.539 at work. But when it's guilt, when it's hurting 00:13:49.539 --> 00:13:52.460 others, right, when it's trampling over people 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:56.679 or denying their right to be in the church, so 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:58.159 to speak, maybe that's a weird way of saying 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:00.899 it, but saying you have to be this way in order 00:14:00.899 --> 00:14:04.240 to be a part of this, that's not the work of 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:06.039 the Holy Spirit. Now, I'm not saying it's not 00:14:06.039 --> 00:14:09.340 the truth, different conversation. When we do 00:14:09.340 --> 00:14:12.700 it to condemn, that is not the work of the Holy 00:14:12.700 --> 00:14:15.509 Spirit. That is the work of our depravity. When 00:14:15.509 --> 00:14:18.210 we do it as a Pharisee and a Sadducee, that is 00:14:18.210 --> 00:14:21.470 not the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit 00:14:21.470 --> 00:14:24.570 fills us with boldness, yes, absolutely. But 00:14:24.570 --> 00:14:26.850 it's going to be a boldness that models the way 00:14:26.850 --> 00:14:31.570 of Jesus. What does Jesus say? Let him without 00:14:31.570 --> 00:14:36.909 sin cast the first stone. Yet, in church, we 00:14:36.909 --> 00:14:40.750 love to be the first caster of stones. We love 00:14:40.750 --> 00:14:43.450 to throw stones at people. That's not going to 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:45.470 be the power of the Holy Spirit. Holding someone 00:14:45.470 --> 00:14:48.429 accountable to the truth of the gospel and the 00:14:48.429 --> 00:14:51.529 truth of God's word can be done without stone 00:14:51.529 --> 00:14:54.529 throwing. Yet for a lot of us, we like to just 00:14:54.529 --> 00:14:56.649 take it. And for a lot of us, we like to hide 00:14:56.649 --> 00:14:58.850 behind certain people, maybe the elders, and 00:14:58.850 --> 00:15:02.159 we throw and then run. We do it in a cowardly 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:05.220 way. But Peter doesn't do this. This fulfills 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:08.320 the promise that Jesus gave in Luke 12. Do not 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:11.000 be anxious, for the Holy Spirit will teach you 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:15.179 what to say. So what did he say? Let's go with 00:15:15.179 --> 00:15:20.980 verse 9. If we are being examined today concerning 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:24.620 a good deed done to a crippled man by what means 00:15:24.620 --> 00:15:27.860 this man has been healed, let it be known to 00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:30.919 all of you and to all the people of Israel that 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:35.080 by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:38.220 you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:41.139 by him this man is standing before you well. 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.720 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:49.059 you, the builders, become the cornerstone, and 00:15:49.059 --> 00:15:53.179 there is salvation in no one else, for there 00:15:53.179 --> 00:15:58.360 is no other name under heaven given among men 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:02.840 by which we must be saved. Peter is preaching. 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:06.600 He is filled with the Holy Spirit. He is preaching. 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:09.840 He is directly answering the question. The healing 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:13.779 came by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:16.779 Could he have left it there? Absolutely. He doesn't. 00:16:16.779 --> 00:16:20.779 He doubles down. Whom you crucified, whom God 00:16:20.779 --> 00:16:25.980 raised from the dead. That is the narrative of 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:30.399 the gospel. That is the heart of our message. 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:35.320 Yet, Allow me a little grace here because I'm 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:38.379 preaching to myself first. Yet we love to find 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.360 ourselves in the middle of that. Not by the name 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:43.460 of Jesus Christ, not by whom God raised from 00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:49.759 the dead, whom you crucified. We can pull out 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:52.460 the judgment and use that for our own gain when 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:55.279 we believe it suits us. And that's something 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:58.389 we have to be careful about as believers. That 00:16:58.389 --> 00:17:01.970 we are a part of the narrative. We all claim 00:17:01.970 --> 00:17:04.450 sinner. If you are not a sinner this morning, 00:17:04.490 --> 00:17:07.950 you don't need to be here. Spoiler alert, we 00:17:07.950 --> 00:17:12.190 all are. We were part of the people that crucified 00:17:12.190 --> 00:17:15.170 Jesus. Though we were not there then, literally, 00:17:15.289 --> 00:17:21.150 our sin is what took him to the cross. Our sin 00:17:21.150 --> 00:17:25.720 is what he died for. And Peter, again, he's not 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:27.500 only going to double down, he's going to then 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:32.839 bring about a call for them. I don't look at 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:34.720 this as an altar call, but it's pretty close. 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:37.960 That he does not want to leave the leaders of 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:41.460 the temple without the full gospel message. Salvation 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:44.160 is found in no one else, for there is no other 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:47.180 name under heaven given among men by which we 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:52.019 must be saved. This idea of saved. This is a 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:55.440 new concept. Jesus talks about it. The church 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:58.299 rejected it. The church was never built in that 00:17:58.299 --> 00:18:02.059 mode, the idea of salvation. Just like if I were 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:03.819 to talk, or if all of a sudden we were to do 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:06.359 an altar call in a Reformed church, there would 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:09.039 be some friction. I'm sure we would get some 00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:12.839 emails. Because in the Reformed tradition, we 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:14.940 were brought up that we baptize our kids. We've 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:17.359 had 77 of those in the last seven years, praise 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:20.519 the Lord. That it's not because the baby that's 00:18:20.519 --> 00:18:24.500 being baptized is desiring salvation. We don't 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:26.059 even know what the baby's desiring. Probably 00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:27.819 for me to stop talking so I can go back to bed. 00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:30.799 Not to waterboard them when it comes to their 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:33.140 baptism. But guess what? That's how I do it. 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:37.200 Understand that what we believe is that the Holy 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:39.460 Spirit is the one that's going to regenerate 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:41.339 your heart and that you're going to come to the 00:18:41.339 --> 00:18:44.079 knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:47.500 How? By understanding the bad news of your sin. 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:50.339 I've said it before. I'll say it again. When 00:18:50.339 --> 00:18:52.420 someone comes and asks to make profession of 00:18:52.420 --> 00:18:54.940 faith, the first question I ask is, tell me about 00:18:54.940 --> 00:18:59.349 your sin. Exactly. Because if you can't tell 00:18:59.349 --> 00:19:02.890 me about your sin and the bad news of sin, how 00:19:02.890 --> 00:19:04.849 in the world are you going to tell me about the 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:07.349 good news of Jesus? And we all come to it at 00:19:07.349 --> 00:19:11.369 different times. We've had 12 -year -olds. We've 00:19:11.369 --> 00:19:16.049 had 96 -year -olds come to salvation in Christ 00:19:16.049 --> 00:19:19.109 in that time. Praise the Lord. You remember Nuria? 00:19:19.390 --> 00:19:22.509 Nuria White? Two Mother's Days ago, baptized. 00:19:22.769 --> 00:19:26.690 A mere year later is now in glory. It's a beautiful 00:19:26.690 --> 00:19:31.029 story. Salvation is found in no one else. The 00:19:31.029 --> 00:19:33.470 Belgian Confession, Article 26, helps us with 00:19:33.470 --> 00:19:35.990 this understanding. Jesus Christ is our only 00:19:35.990 --> 00:19:40.980 mediator and advocate. We need no other go -between, 00:19:41.220 --> 00:19:45.019 for he alone reconciles us to the Father. Understand, 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:47.640 this is what the temple hated. They wanted people 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:49.339 to have a works righteousness understanding. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:52.519 If you give, if you do, if you sacrifice, you 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:56.019 will be favored in God's sight. It wasn't even 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:58.880 a salvation thing. It was just to find yourself 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:04.500 favored in the sight of Yahweh. So even the most... 00:20:06.269 --> 00:20:09.650 Depraved of leaders, even the most perverted 00:20:09.650 --> 00:20:13.890 of systems, have to be impacted by the gospel. 00:20:14.109 --> 00:20:18.849 The council has astonishment in verse 13. Now, 00:20:18.869 --> 00:20:21.390 when they saw the boldness of Peter and John 00:20:21.390 --> 00:20:24.589 and perceived that they were uneducated, common 00:20:24.589 --> 00:20:27.750 men, they were astonished. And they recognized 00:20:27.750 --> 00:20:32.109 that they had been with Jesus. Leave that up. 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:36.279 Friends, that should be your desire for every 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:40.460 encounter in your life. Every encounter you have 00:20:40.460 --> 00:20:43.480 with an unbeliever. And we all know, that's why 00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:48.140 church still has a job. That they recognize that 00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:52.900 they have been with Jesus. In the way I live 00:20:52.900 --> 00:20:55.180 my life, don't I want the world to have that 00:20:55.180 --> 00:20:59.339 understanding of me? And all that does is make 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:03.200 me mourn my sin. Because I'm a sinner just like 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:06.880 you. And you're a sinner just like me. And do 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:09.519 we want the world to be wrapped up in our sin? 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:12.359 Or do we want the world to be wrapped up and 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:16.859 astonished by a Savior that saved this guy from 00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:20.960 sin? That's the gospel. It's not about what you 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:23.339 know. It's not the depth of your theology, though 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:25.819 that's good to have. And once you are a believer, 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:28.319 we want to deepen that knowledge and that understanding. 00:21:29.250 --> 00:21:33.789 Romans 5, 2 Peter 1, talk about the growth, what 00:21:33.789 --> 00:21:36.829 we call sanctification. But friends, that's the 00:21:36.829 --> 00:21:40.650 goal. Whether it's the person that you just had 00:21:40.650 --> 00:21:44.730 an encounter with in the checkout line, or the 00:21:44.730 --> 00:21:46.769 waiter or waitress that mess up your meal at 00:21:46.769 --> 00:21:49.250 your favorite restaurant, whether it's your boss 00:21:49.250 --> 00:21:52.230 that you can't stand, or that neighbor that doesn't 00:21:52.230 --> 00:21:54.470 cut their lawn on time. We talk about that neighbor 00:21:54.470 --> 00:21:56.329 a lot. Everyone at Melbrook does a good job. 00:21:56.430 --> 00:21:57.910 I don't know why that keeps popping in my head. 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:03.119 Can that be how we leave people in our encounters? 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:06.920 Do people recognize that you've been with Jesus? 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:10.819 Because I think that's the goal. That's what 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:15.000 we should desire in our life, in the way we live 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:18.240 out the gospel. They see the boldness of Peter 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:21.920 and John, uneducated, ordinary men. Absolutely, 00:22:22.059 --> 00:22:25.480 it's why Jesus picked them. And they conclude 00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:28.799 that they have been with Jesus. The greatest 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:33.539 credential for ministry is not education. Sorry, 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:35.799 Evan. Sorry, Mike. I know you're going to seminary, 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:41.619 but it's not education. It's not status. Okay, 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:43.980 elder. Okay, deacon. Okay, chair of a committee. 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:48.480 It's none of that. It's having communion with 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:50.960 Christ. It's that people can see your life and 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:54.259 go, they're a Christ follower. And I know a lot 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:56.880 of you have grown up in religious systems and 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.779 churches where your takeaway has not been that. 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:03.140 It's been something very different, maybe even 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:05.859 darker. But just remember, the greatest credential 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:08.519 you have for living out ministry in whatever 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:12.299 you do, whatever job you have, is that people 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:16.680 can see that you're with Jesus. I'd love it. 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:19.000 I'd love it if the narrative stopped here. It 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:21.980 would be so much better. But unfortunately, it 00:23:21.980 --> 00:23:26.069 doesn't. So let's go on to the undeniable miracle 00:23:26.069 --> 00:23:41.950 in verse 14. What shall we do with these men? 00:23:42.150 --> 00:23:45.690 For that a notable sign has been performed through 00:23:45.690 --> 00:23:48.329 them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 00:23:48.589 --> 00:23:53.390 and we cannot deny it. They see the miracle. 00:23:53.589 --> 00:23:56.809 These are uneducated men. These are ordinary 00:23:56.809 --> 00:23:59.809 men and this guy can walk. They saw him at the 00:23:59.809 --> 00:24:02.049 front of the gate beautiful. We talked about 00:24:02.049 --> 00:24:05.950 that. Every day this guy was dropped off. Now 00:24:05.950 --> 00:24:08.750 he's walking. They don't know what to do. It's 00:24:08.750 --> 00:24:13.029 messing with their heads. So they can't control 00:24:13.029 --> 00:24:16.089 it. They can't put their hands on it. They can't 00:24:16.089 --> 00:24:18.730 manipulate it. So what are they going to try 00:24:18.730 --> 00:24:23.450 to do? They're going to try to silence it. But 00:24:23.450 --> 00:24:25.970 before we get to that, one point about miracles. 00:24:27.670 --> 00:24:31.450 Sit with that word this week. I'm going to be 00:24:31.450 --> 00:24:32.970 out of the office. We're going out of town for 00:24:32.970 --> 00:24:33.990 half the week, and I'm going to be out of the 00:24:33.990 --> 00:24:35.849 office, so don't email me about it. I'll get 00:24:35.849 --> 00:24:38.789 to it the next week. But what do you do with 00:24:38.789 --> 00:24:43.630 the word miracle? Miracles play so much in our 00:24:43.630 --> 00:24:46.450 lives, and we sometimes don't see it as that. 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.000 Well, Pastor Jim, what's a miracle? It's something 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:52.900 I can't explain, but something that points to 00:24:52.900 --> 00:24:58.019 God. That can be a healing. That can be a restored 00:24:58.019 --> 00:25:00.059 relationship. You know that relationship that 00:25:00.059 --> 00:25:02.779 is just dead as a doornail. You just know it's 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:04.700 broken. It's never going to come back. All of 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:09.380 a sudden it does. Guys, that's a miracle. We 00:25:09.380 --> 00:25:11.740 get so afraid to use the word miracle because 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:13.900 we don't think we should be allowed to do it. 00:25:14.329 --> 00:25:16.910 If you can't explain it and all you can do is 00:25:16.910 --> 00:25:19.950 point to God about it, call it a miracle. It 00:25:19.950 --> 00:25:22.490 is very okay. But the temple didn't like that. 00:25:22.529 --> 00:25:25.029 So what do they do? They're pretty consistent. 00:25:25.130 --> 00:25:29.349 They try to silence it. Verse 17. But in order 00:25:29.349 --> 00:25:33.230 that it may spread no further among the people, 00:25:33.369 --> 00:25:37.309 let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in 00:25:37.309 --> 00:25:40.700 this name. You can't even say his name in this 00:25:40.700 --> 00:25:43.759 name. So they called them and charged them not 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:49.680 to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. 00:25:51.019 --> 00:25:54.220 Pop quiz. This is the end of the church. True 00:25:54.220 --> 00:25:57.079 or false? See, that's why I didn't put lunch 00:25:57.079 --> 00:25:58.980 on that. That was way too easy. Right? There's 00:25:58.980 --> 00:26:02.640 so much more of the Bible to read. This is man 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:06.339 trying to manipulate. This is man trying to do, 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:10.359 really. The abuse of power. This is an abuse 00:26:10.359 --> 00:26:12.819 of authority. The leaders command them not to 00:26:12.819 --> 00:26:15.240 speak or teach in the name of Jesus. This is 00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:18.640 the world's oldest strategy. Sorry if you get 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.119 offended by it, but this is the world's oldest 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:24.680 strategy. Silence the gospel by intimidation. 00:26:25.980 --> 00:26:28.220 There's no way you can believe that. There is 00:26:28.220 --> 00:26:31.019 no way that you have to be quiet. We're going 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:34.539 to censure you. We're going to silence you. It's 00:26:34.539 --> 00:26:36.559 funny. What is the better way to silence them? 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:39.039 Unfortunately, both these guys do get it in the 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:42.779 end. They get killed for it. But the temple won't 00:26:42.779 --> 00:26:46.539 do it. The Romans will. Totally another rhyme 00:26:46.539 --> 00:26:49.599 for totally another time. The world's oldest 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:52.759 strategy, silence the gospel by intimidation. 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:55.740 Someone hurts us, we're going to hurt them back. 00:26:56.539 --> 00:26:58.579 Someone speaks against us, we're going to speak 00:26:58.579 --> 00:27:02.700 louder. It's the oldest trick in the book. But 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:05.680 there's a bold response to this. Now friends, 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:09.299 We live in a world where we probably don't have 00:27:09.299 --> 00:27:11.180 a lot. Maybe some of you are starting to feel 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:15.200 that. The idea of Christianity has become under 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:17.900 fire. Not as of late. It's been there. Always 00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:21.160 have been. But that the world, the worldly powers 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:23.900 don't want us to live a life of a humble servant 00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:25.859 of Christ. They don't. It's about authority. 00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:27.519 It's about what I can get. It's about power. 00:27:27.559 --> 00:27:31.440 All of those things. But there is a response 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:34.420 here. They could have just kept their quiet. 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:37.400 They'd be like, we're too afraid. We can't do 00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:39.000 it. We're going to slink back. We're going to 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:41.500 just shut our mouths. They don't. And I think 00:27:41.500 --> 00:27:43.859 it's because they walked with Jesus and saw all 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:46.539 the things, but they give a bold response. Verse 00:27:46.539 --> 00:27:50.819 19. But Peter and John answered them, whether 00:27:50.819 --> 00:27:53.500 it is right in the sight of God to listen to 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:57.339 you rather than to God, you must judge. For we 00:27:57.339 --> 00:28:01.619 cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. 00:28:01.819 --> 00:28:05.380 I love this. They don't get into a theological 00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:09.259 argument. They don't try to discredit them. They 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:12.779 don't try to disrespect them. They basically 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:15.420 just calmly say, whether it is right in the sight 00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:17.900 of God to listen to you rather than to our God, 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:21.859 you must be the judge. But we can only speak 00:28:21.859 --> 00:28:27.119 to what we have seen and heard. They are the 00:28:27.119 --> 00:28:30.529 true disciples of Christ. They walked with him. 00:28:30.609 --> 00:28:33.450 They talked with him. They had friendship with 00:28:33.450 --> 00:28:36.470 him. Belgian Confession, Article 7. Scripture 00:28:36.470 --> 00:28:39.170 alone is our rule of faith. When human authorities 00:28:39.170 --> 00:28:42.490 contradict God's word, obedience to God must 00:28:42.490 --> 00:28:46.710 come first. Submit to the governing authorities? 00:28:46.970 --> 00:28:49.470 Absolutely. Until they call you to actively sin. 00:28:49.890 --> 00:28:52.130 Then I'm not saying that we need Christian anarchy, 00:28:52.150 --> 00:28:55.250 because that's not a thing. But understand that 00:28:55.250 --> 00:28:58.329 at some point we may have to stand. And say, 00:28:58.410 --> 00:29:02.029 for that I cannot do. Because it is against my 00:29:02.029 --> 00:29:05.849 Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And no, that does 00:29:05.849 --> 00:29:07.849 not mean that gets you out of a speeding ticket. 00:29:08.190 --> 00:29:10.710 That's not what we're talking about. Go deeper 00:29:10.710 --> 00:29:14.410 and grow up. Friendship with Jesus means allegiance 00:29:14.410 --> 00:29:18.730 to him above everything else. I'd love to say, 00:29:18.809 --> 00:29:22.150 they said it, they were able to baptize the Sadducees 00:29:22.150 --> 00:29:24.130 and the Pharisees, it was all good. Unfortunately 00:29:24.130 --> 00:29:26.589 not, there's still two more verses, verses 21 00:29:26.589 --> 00:29:30.130 and 22, what I call the aftermath. And when they 00:29:30.130 --> 00:29:32.450 had further threatened them, they let them go, 00:29:32.609 --> 00:29:34.769 finding no way to punish them because of the 00:29:34.769 --> 00:29:37.809 people. For all were praising God for what had 00:29:37.809 --> 00:29:42.079 happened. For the man on whom this... sign of 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:44.759 healing was performed was more than 40 years 00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:47.099 old. I could go into a deep dive of what that 00:29:47.099 --> 00:29:51.119 meant. We don't need to. But notice, they threatened 00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:53.680 him again, tried to intimidate him again, but 00:29:53.680 --> 00:29:56.440 released him. The man was healed, was over 40 00:29:56.440 --> 00:29:59.680 years old. His lifelong disability made this 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:04.799 miracle undeniable. God's grace does silence 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:10.220 fear and does embolden faith. What a friend! 00:30:10.809 --> 00:30:14.690 We have in Jesus. All the things we sung about, 00:30:14.829 --> 00:30:17.210 I break down to these points, and yes, I will 00:30:17.210 --> 00:30:19.150 be landing the plane. And here's the thing about 00:30:19.150 --> 00:30:22.589 landing a plane. Here's the thing. How many of 00:30:22.589 --> 00:30:25.490 you would very much appreciate a pilot that when 00:30:25.490 --> 00:30:28.609 he says, we're going to descend now onto whatever 00:30:28.609 --> 00:30:32.230 town, and then all of a sudden, is that a good 00:30:32.230 --> 00:30:37.079 landing? No, it's smooth. It takes time. Landing 00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:39.980 gear has to come out, right? There's a moose. 00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:43.180 You've got to pull up. All the things. So here 00:30:43.180 --> 00:30:46.359 I'm going to land my comfortable plane with five 00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:51.059 very quick, Sarah, very quick points. Friendship 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:55.359 with Jesus brings courage in conflict. Friendship 00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:59.920 with Jesus brings courage in conflict. Two, you 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:03.160 cannot silence a heart. That has been changed 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:07.839 by Christ. You cannot silence a heart that has 00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:10.019 been changed by Christ. When grace grips you, 00:31:10.119 --> 00:31:14.779 witness becomes natural. Like the healed man, 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:18.119 you can't help but leap and praise God. Third, 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:24.539 the gospel will always face opposition. The gospel 00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:27.059 will always face opposition. Whether cultural 00:31:27.059 --> 00:31:30.720 hostility, spiritual apathy, fear of rejection. 00:31:31.470 --> 00:31:35.710 Every age, every time, and every place has its 00:31:35.710 --> 00:31:38.930 Sadducees and its Pharisees. The question we 00:31:38.930 --> 00:31:43.569 have is, will we still speak? Four, the Spirit 00:31:43.569 --> 00:31:46.890 fills ordinary people with extraordinary witness. 00:31:48.490 --> 00:31:50.750 Some of you may be thinking, I don't have much 00:31:50.750 --> 00:31:53.809 of a testimony. I've been in church all my life. 00:31:53.869 --> 00:31:56.250 I've always known Jesus as my friend. And one 00:31:56.250 --> 00:31:58.369 day I came to the understanding that he was my 00:31:58.369 --> 00:32:00.930 Savior. Friend, do you not hear how amazing that 00:32:00.930 --> 00:32:03.990 is? That in a world that wants to pull you right 00:32:03.990 --> 00:32:06.430 and left, up and down, you stayed the course? 00:32:06.769 --> 00:32:10.049 I would love for that to be my testimony, but 00:32:10.049 --> 00:32:13.289 God had to slap me across the face multiple times. 00:32:13.470 --> 00:32:16.250 And I know at least 60 % of you feel the same 00:32:16.250 --> 00:32:18.589 way in a statistic I just made up, but it's probably 00:32:18.589 --> 00:32:22.569 true. And fifth, Christ's friendship sustains 00:32:22.569 --> 00:32:26.549 us under pressure. Whatever that pressure is 00:32:26.549 --> 00:32:28.900 for you, I don't know. That pressure could mean 00:32:28.900 --> 00:32:33.180 a variety of things. But being close with Christ 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:37.460 gets us through this. They had been with Jesus. 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:40.940 That's what made the difference. Intimacy with 00:32:40.940 --> 00:32:44.720 Christ gives us peace when the world stands against 00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:50.619 us. So remember to whom you belong. You belong 00:32:50.619 --> 00:32:53.799 to Christ. And if you're here this morning and 00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:56.819 you don't know if you are, Find me after service. 00:32:57.019 --> 00:33:00.960 Find a prayer paramedic. Maybe you've never confessed 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:04.440 Lord as Savior. Let's make that today. Because 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:08.839 today, October 12th, 2025, we'll be standing 00:33:08.839 --> 00:33:12.099 then as your testimony date of the day that you 00:33:12.099 --> 00:33:16.000 and Jesus became friends when you recognize him 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:19.980 as Lord and Savior. Church, this is our moment 00:33:19.980 --> 00:33:24.259 to stand firm in grace. The same Spirit that 00:33:24.259 --> 00:33:27.640 filled Peter fills us. The same Jesus who stood 00:33:27.640 --> 00:33:30.339 with them stands with us. And when the world 00:33:30.339 --> 00:33:35.079 says, be silent, may we too say, we cannot but 00:33:35.079 --> 00:33:39.819 speak of what we had seen and heard. Please stand 00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:43.599 if you are able. And let us close together with 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:48.880 our closing prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, you are 00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:52.200 our Savior and our friend. When the world stands 00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:56.279 against us, help us to stand with you. Give us 00:33:56.279 --> 00:34:00.160 courage to speak your name, wisdom to live with 00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:04.519 grace, and hearts filled with your spirit. Strengthen 00:34:04.519 --> 00:34:07.640 us to proclaim that there is no other name under 00:34:07.640 --> 00:34:11.440 heaven by which we must be saved. Amen.