WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.960 How's everybody doing tonight? Does everyone 00:00:03.960 --> 00:00:08.679 have a prayer sheet tonight? I have something 00:00:08.679 --> 00:00:12.080 on there for you. If you don't have a prayer 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:15.679 sheet, go ahead and get yourself a prayer sheet. 00:00:19.500 --> 00:00:23.399 Tonight, we're gonna keep going in our sharing 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:27.160 Jesus to a post -Christian world series. We are 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:40.210 on session three. Okay, we're on session three, 00:00:40.229 --> 00:00:41.929 and tonight we're gonna talk about something 00:00:41.929 --> 00:00:46.929 that people really need to know. People really 00:00:46.929 --> 00:00:50.509 need to know that Jesus saves, amen? So that's 00:00:50.509 --> 00:00:53.729 what we're gonna talk about tonight. But before 00:00:53.729 --> 00:00:58.810 we get started, on the prayer sheet, I have three 00:00:58.810 --> 00:01:02.590 questions for you, okay? It says intro questions. 00:01:03.229 --> 00:01:07.760 And I want you to take 90 seconds. answer those 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:09.620 three questions. There's a fourth question. If 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:11.459 those questions don't apply to you, there's a 00:01:11.459 --> 00:01:13.959 fourth question, okay? I'm not going to call 00:01:13.959 --> 00:01:16.340 anybody out. This is between you and the Lord, 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:21.239 so I want you to just take a second and fill 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:38.569 that out. You have 75 more seconds. Stuart, you 00:01:38.569 --> 00:01:44.150 can go to the next slide. These are the questions. 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:16.919 So the questions are, what was your life like 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:21.280 before Jesus saved you, right? How did Jesus 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:25.639 save you? And what's your life been like since 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:29.719 Jesus saved you? Okay, and we're talking about 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:31.840 sharing Jesus to a post -Christian world. And 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:36.460 so the fourth question is, if those questions 00:02:36.460 --> 00:02:40.710 don't apply to you. then what are you looking 00:02:40.710 --> 00:02:43.669 for in life? Okay, so your time is up. I wasn't 00:02:43.669 --> 00:02:50.009 kidding about the 90 seconds. So, I kind of wrote 00:02:50.009 --> 00:02:54.050 down my answers, right? Before I got saved, I 00:02:54.050 --> 00:02:56.289 was completely out of control. I did whatever 00:02:56.289 --> 00:03:00.650 I wanted, whenever I wanted it, and it left me 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:06.400 empty, right? So I tried to fill my life. with 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.819 things that could never satisfy, right? I was 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:12.080 looking for peace, I was looking for happiness, 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:16.599 but I lived with this constant fear, this constant 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:20.479 anxiety, because life is uncertain, and I didn't 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:24.219 know what was gonna happen in the future, right? 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:27.460 Just for context, I got saved when I was 17, 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:31.340 so I was kinda leaving high school, I was becoming 00:03:31.340 --> 00:03:35.639 an adult, I had... You know my future ahead of 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:38.560 me, but I didn't know what that looked like and 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:41.979 so You know most people are feeling pretty anxious 00:03:41.979 --> 00:03:44.560 pretty afraid at that point in time and I definitely 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:49.060 was And so one night I was considering that emptiness 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:54.159 and I called out to God and I told him Essentially, 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:57.219 I don't know how much longer I can stand this 00:03:57.219 --> 00:03:59.639 and I asked Jesus to intervene in my life And 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:04.229 he intervened right and it was amazing And you 00:04:04.229 --> 00:04:06.530 can ask my wife, she knew me before I was saved. 00:04:07.129 --> 00:04:13.449 I was not the same person that I am today. And 00:04:13.449 --> 00:04:17.629 that's all glory to Christ. Amen. And so life 00:04:17.629 --> 00:04:19.790 is full of up and downs. There's hard times, 00:04:19.790 --> 00:04:24.290 but today, and every day that I wake up and that 00:04:24.290 --> 00:04:26.970 I've woken up after getting saved, I have this 00:04:26.970 --> 00:04:30.649 peace and this contentment knowing that my life 00:04:30.649 --> 00:04:35.110 is in God's hands eternally that I'm saved. If 00:04:35.110 --> 00:04:38.290 I were to die tonight, I would spend eternity 00:04:38.290 --> 00:04:40.910 in heaven with Christ. And there's so much peace 00:04:40.910 --> 00:04:43.610 and so much contentment in that. And so if that's 00:04:43.610 --> 00:04:50.750 true for you, give me an amen. It's words can't 00:04:50.750 --> 00:04:56.889 even describe the difference that we get to live. 00:04:58.180 --> 00:05:00.279 because Christ is in our lives, because Christ 00:05:00.279 --> 00:05:04.060 saved our life. And so if that's true for you, 00:05:04.420 --> 00:05:06.720 then you know that you've been called to share 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.319 that truth with the world, right? You've been 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:11.899 saved. You're called to share the truth with 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:15.939 the world that Jesus saves. He can save people 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:21.040 from that void of death and the vanity of life. 00:05:21.579 --> 00:05:23.660 And so if you haven't been here for the past 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:25.120 couple of weeks, we've been trying to answer 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:29.120 this one. question specifically, how can we reach 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:33.240 people in a postmodern world? Postmodernism, 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:37.319 I have a definition up there, is a late 20th 00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:40.120 century style concept of arts, architecture, 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.040 and criticism that represents a departure from 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:46.579 modernism, which is essentially humanism and 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:50.560 the pursuit of knowledge through experience rather 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:55.649 than trusting God or tradition. postmodernism 00:05:55.649 --> 00:05:59.790 at its heart is a general distrust for grand 00:05:59.790 --> 00:06:03.329 theories, ideologies, as well as a problematic 00:06:03.329 --> 00:06:04.990 relationship with the notion of arts. And so 00:06:04.990 --> 00:06:09.509 like it's this whole philosophical concept, but 00:06:09.509 --> 00:06:11.629 basically you see the heart of it right there 00:06:11.629 --> 00:06:13.889 is distrust for grand theories and ideologies. 00:06:14.129 --> 00:06:17.670 They don't, I'm gonna just walk you through the 00:06:17.670 --> 00:06:19.750 thought process here. Okay, so modernism came 00:06:19.750 --> 00:06:22.310 before postmodernism and they basically said, 00:06:22.540 --> 00:06:25.279 We don't trust authority. We don't trust church. 00:06:25.339 --> 00:06:28.040 We don't trust tradition. We don't trust cultural 00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:30.660 values. And so they said, let's go find truth 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:33.500 and meaning on our own through our own experience. 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:38.779 And postmodernism looks at that, right? The people 00:06:38.779 --> 00:06:40.839 who came before them and they said, well, they 00:06:40.839 --> 00:06:42.899 didn't obviously find truth. They didn't find 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:45.339 meaning. Their life is just as empty as our life. 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:50.180 So truth must not exist. There must be no meaning 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:55.279 to any of this, right? But the reality is, when 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:58.100 they did that, when people made that conscious 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:02.160 decision by rejecting the sources of truth, they 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:05.939 actually, somewhere along the way, rejected God, 00:07:06.100 --> 00:07:08.720 right? The true source of life, the true source 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:12.500 of meaning and truth. Postmodernism says things 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:14.939 like create your own truth, be your own authority. 00:07:17.100 --> 00:07:19.420 Control your own narrative, right? They're seeking 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:24.639 peace and joy. but they've rejected the source 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:29.699 of it. And so they lean into this philosophy 00:07:29.699 --> 00:07:31.920 that the world pushes, which is essentially saying, 00:07:32.259 --> 00:07:34.519 you're God, you are God, you're your own God, 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:38.279 you make up your own reality. But that doesn't 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:41.720 solve the problems that we're facing. That doesn't 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:44.279 answer the questions that we're having, right? 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.079 It actually puts all the weight that people are 00:07:47.079 --> 00:07:50.069 trying to escape from when they're seeking. It 00:07:50.069 --> 00:07:51.550 puts all the weight on themselves, right? It 00:07:51.550 --> 00:07:54.089 puts it right back on their shoulders. If you're 00:07:54.089 --> 00:07:56.970 your own truth, then you have to sustain the 00:07:56.970 --> 00:07:58.730 truth. If you're your own authority, then you 00:07:58.730 --> 00:08:02.149 have to justify everything. You have to carry 00:08:02.149 --> 00:08:04.629 all of the weight of the world on your shoulders. 00:08:04.689 --> 00:08:07.810 And we can't do that. There's no peace there. 00:08:07.949 --> 00:08:12.129 There's no joy there. And so here's the tension 00:08:12.129 --> 00:08:14.110 for us and that we've been trying to kind of 00:08:14.110 --> 00:08:18.879 dive into. That's our mission field. people who 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:25.379 have rejected the truth and who are in desperate 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:33.179 need of what we have, Jesus. So we're being asked 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:35.299 to proclaim Christ to a world that's already 00:08:35.299 --> 00:08:40.899 decided that Jesus is irrelevant. And that's 00:08:40.899 --> 00:08:44.480 not something that is easy to do. Like have you 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:48.419 guys ever had difficulty doing that? Like it's 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:53.899 not always easy. It can be frustrating when the 00:08:53.899 --> 00:08:56.600 authority of God, the authority that we hold 00:08:56.600 --> 00:08:59.960 dear as believers is disregarded. That's kind 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:02.700 of frustrating sometimes, isn't it? It can be 00:09:02.700 --> 00:09:07.659 intimidating when we discuss things with people 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:10.220 who are skeptical from the jump, right? They 00:09:10.220 --> 00:09:12.440 already don't wanna hear what we're saying. It 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:15.019 can be discouraging when we preach the gospel 00:09:15.019 --> 00:09:17.740 to people and they brush it off like. Like it's 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:20.519 a real that they just scrolled past right that's 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.720 Have you guys been there like that is that is 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.279 difficult? So how do we reach people in the world 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:28.700 today who are thinking this way? Here's what 00:09:28.700 --> 00:09:30.860 I want you to see Peter today tonight in the 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:33.120 message we're gonna be talking about Peter faced 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:36.720 the same tension and He stood up in front of 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:39.679 the people who killed Jesus and he proclaimed 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:42.039 the Lord anyway, they had already rejected Christ, 00:09:42.059 --> 00:09:46.929 but he proclaimed the Lord and we see that they 00:09:46.929 --> 00:09:50.129 responded, right? He proclaimed God with confidence. 00:09:50.789 --> 00:09:54.669 And so that's exactly what I think we should 00:09:54.669 --> 00:09:56.649 be doing, right? Christ is the fulfillment of 00:09:56.649 --> 00:09:59.330 everything that the world is looking for. And 00:09:59.330 --> 00:10:01.129 we should be proclaiming him with confidence. 00:10:01.190 --> 00:10:03.289 So let's go to the Lord and pray. And then we're 00:10:03.289 --> 00:10:06.669 gonna be in Acts two. Let's pray. Thank you Lord 00:10:06.669 --> 00:10:09.769 for allowing us to come together and get into 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:13.000 your word. And I just pray that as we... Talk 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:14.679 about the fact that you saved that if there's 00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:16.720 anybody here who doesn't know you as Lord and 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:18.419 Savior Lord that they wouldn't leave here without 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:21.740 knowing you And I pray that every believer here 00:10:21.740 --> 00:10:25.059 tonight would leave here with more confidence 00:10:25.059 --> 00:10:29.100 in Who you are what you've done? so that they 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:32.919 could Reach those who need you Lord reach those 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:35.740 who don't know you who are looking for you Even 00:10:35.740 --> 00:10:37.679 if they don't know that they're looking for you 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:40.940 Lord pray that You bless this message, and you 00:10:40.940 --> 00:10:44.190 would help me to speak Your word, Lord, in Jesus' 00:10:44.370 --> 00:10:49.190 name, amen. So we're in Acts two, and our text 00:10:49.190 --> 00:10:53.490 today happens right, sorry, our text today happens 00:10:53.490 --> 00:10:57.289 at Pentecost, which literally means 50 days after 00:10:57.289 --> 00:11:00.090 Passover, right? And Passover is where Jesus 00:11:00.090 --> 00:11:02.110 was crucified. He was crucified on Passover. 00:11:02.230 --> 00:11:06.529 So we are picking up 50 days after Jesus was 00:11:06.529 --> 00:11:09.710 crucified. Many people would have been in Jerusalem 00:11:09.710 --> 00:11:12.980 still from Passover that, at the next major feast 00:11:12.980 --> 00:11:15.460 that they're having and that's the Feast of Weeks. 00:11:15.980 --> 00:11:20.059 The Feast of Weeks was where they would bring 00:11:20.059 --> 00:11:23.179 the first portion of the crop that had ripened 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:27.220 and they would offer it to God basically in anticipation 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:30.860 and trust that God was gonna bring more when 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:34.019 the harvest came, right? So they would get the 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:35.799 first head of corn or whatever and they would 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:39.419 take it. trusting that God was gonna bless the 00:11:39.419 --> 00:11:41.879 rest of the field, right? The first fruits is 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:45.159 what they were bringing. And so Acts two tells 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:48.980 us that there were, he says in Acts two, verse 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:51.759 five, he says, now there were dwelling in Jerusalem, 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:54.299 Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 00:11:54.379 --> 00:11:58.399 And then Luke goes on in Acts to describe 15 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:02.139 distinct regions where people had gathered from 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:04.779 to worship God. So this place is like packed. 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:08.039 with people, a lot of them, again, are the same 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:11.340 people who were there when Jesus was crucified. 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:14.159 And so it's as these people are gathered for 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:18.559 this festival that the Holy Spirit filled Jesus' 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:22.620 disciples for the first time. Before this time, 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:25.639 the Spirit came and went, but since this time, 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:29.179 God has indwelled every believer, driving them 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:33.159 to do His will and to want His will in the world. 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:36.919 So. in the days of the apostles, when the Spirit 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:40.360 came, the Spirit gave the apostles, the 12 who 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:42.159 were with Jesus for those three years and a few 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:45.840 other special abilities as a sign to legitimize 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:47.879 their message, right? And one of the things He 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:50.399 gave them was the gift of tongues, right? And 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:52.899 so in the passages leading up to where we're 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:55.980 reading tonight, they received the gift of tongues. 00:12:56.019 --> 00:12:59.980 They were able to speak and be heard in every 00:12:59.980 --> 00:13:04.240 language, right? So 1 Corinthians tells us, why 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:06.500 that was. First Corinthians 14 tells us why that 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.779 was. God wanted to be understood clearly. He 00:13:08.779 --> 00:13:11.620 wanted everybody there to know exactly what he 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:16.039 was saying. And so as Peter preached, every man 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:20.500 heard him in their own language. Isn't that amazing 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:23.779 to me? And I think it was amazing to them as 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:26.700 well, because as Peter's preaching, a crowd gathers 00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:29.840 and everybody wants to know what is this guy 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:34.639 saying? And how is he saying it? To all of us 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:38.039 at the same time in one like can you imagine 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:40.639 he said in one sentence in 15 different regions 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:44.259 are understanding it as If he said it in their 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:46.740 own language, and that's that's crazy, and they 00:13:46.740 --> 00:13:48.559 said this is what the famous verse where they 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:51.139 said all he must be Drunk and they're like no. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.799 It's only nine o 'clock. I'm not This is the 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:56.899 Holy Spirit right and so that was that's a funny 00:13:56.899 --> 00:14:00.299 story But it's a really amazing story, and I 00:14:00.299 --> 00:14:03.690 think what's amazing about it is God gathered 00:14:03.690 --> 00:14:05.370 these people through the working of his spirit, 00:14:05.409 --> 00:14:07.950 and then he didn't miss the opportunity to tell 00:14:07.950 --> 00:14:09.870 them exactly what he wanted to tell them, right? 00:14:09.909 --> 00:14:13.090 So tonight we're gonna look at Peter's first 00:14:13.090 --> 00:14:15.769 sermon, and it's really the first message of 00:14:15.769 --> 00:14:18.870 a spirit -filled Christian after Jesus' death. 00:14:19.389 --> 00:14:22.830 And I think it's a great message that God wants 00:14:22.830 --> 00:14:24.830 the whole world to know. God wants people to 00:14:24.830 --> 00:14:27.350 understand this clearly. And he wanted the people 00:14:27.350 --> 00:14:29.149 who rejected him to understand that clearly. 00:14:29.549 --> 00:14:32.250 And so. What we're gonna be talking about tonight 00:14:32.250 --> 00:14:36.830 the Objective is every believer should proclaim 00:14:36.830 --> 00:14:40.269 Jesus confidently He is exactly what the post 00:14:40.269 --> 00:14:44.750 -christian world needs We're gonna look at three 00:14:44.750 --> 00:14:47.909 reasons that we should proclaim Jesus to a world 00:14:47.909 --> 00:14:50.289 that already rejects him and so reason number 00:14:50.289 --> 00:14:55.889 one in Acts 2 verse 22 or chapter 22 or verse 00:14:55.889 --> 00:15:00.120 Sorry chapter 20 chapter 2 verse 22 That was 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:03.879 crazy. Reason number one is that he was approved 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:06.940 by God, okay? So we're gonna be in verse 22. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.200 It says, Ye men of Israel, hear the words of 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:16.919 Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:20.000 you by miracles and wonders and signs which God 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:22.840 did by him in the midst of you and ye yourselves 00:15:22.840 --> 00:15:26.720 also know. Him being delivered by the determinate 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:29.929 counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken 00:15:29.929 --> 00:15:33.149 and by wicked hand have crucified and slain whom 00:15:33.149 --> 00:15:35.470 God hath raised up and having loosed the pains 00:15:35.470 --> 00:15:40.629 of death because it was not possible that he 00:15:40.629 --> 00:15:46.009 should beholden of it. And so Peter is preaching 00:15:46.009 --> 00:15:50.870 this message, right? Just 50 days after Jesus 00:15:50.870 --> 00:15:53.490 was killed and he opens up with ye men of Israel, 00:15:53.570 --> 00:15:56.559 hear these words, right? Imagine if somebody 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:58.679 just came in here and said, hey, everyone, listen 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:01.659 up. I have something to tell you. That's essentially 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:04.580 what Peter is doing when he does this. These 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:07.960 people are gathered from all over the nations. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:11.179 And he goes right up in front of them and says, 00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:15.100 do you remember Jesus of Nazareth, the guy that 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:18.419 you crucified? And he's about to make the case 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:22.179 that Jesus is God, that Jesus is the Messiah. 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:25.320 Doesn't that sound confident to you? Peter was 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:28.740 very confident in his Lord. And I think it's 00:16:28.740 --> 00:16:30.820 the craziest thing to me is that he's telling 00:16:30.820 --> 00:16:35.659 the people who killed Jesus, the guy you killed 00:16:35.659 --> 00:16:39.259 is God, you were wrong, right? And so the big 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:42.720 question that we should ask tonight, and I think 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:47.559 that the world needs to know is why was he so 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:51.269 bold, right? I think the first reason he was 00:16:51.269 --> 00:16:53.629 bold is because he had the spirit of God in him. 00:16:54.610 --> 00:16:59.490 You guys remember, this is Peter, right? This 00:16:59.490 --> 00:17:02.309 is the same guy who was asked of a little girl 00:17:02.309 --> 00:17:05.289 if he was a disciple of Jesus. And instead of 00:17:05.289 --> 00:17:07.569 saying, yes, I believe in Jesus. I'm a follower. 00:17:08.009 --> 00:17:11.289 That's my Lord and savior. He started cussing 00:17:11.289 --> 00:17:13.930 people out so that he could not break his cover, 00:17:14.049 --> 00:17:19.140 right? That's not very courageous, right? But 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:24.019 here he's saying, you crucified this man and 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:28.579 he's God. That's bold. Spirit -filled Peter was 00:17:28.579 --> 00:17:31.900 a completely different man than the Peter that 00:17:31.900 --> 00:17:34.740 we read about in Matthew 26, where he's denying 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:39.660 Christ, right? He's completely different. Interestingly 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:43.740 to me, Romans 8 .23 calls the spirit the first 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:47.269 fruit of redemption. Right and he's at the feast 00:17:47.269 --> 00:17:51.490 of first fruits In another verse it calls it 00:17:51.490 --> 00:17:54.329 calls the spirit our earnest right our down payment 00:17:54.329 --> 00:17:58.309 What it is is a sign that when you die you're 00:17:58.309 --> 00:18:00.529 gonna be with God forever, right? It's the first 00:18:00.529 --> 00:18:05.390 fruits. Acts 1 8 says Acts 1 8 says but you will 00:18:05.390 --> 00:18:08.210 receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon 00:18:08.210 --> 00:18:10.710 you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem 00:18:10.710 --> 00:18:13.289 and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of 00:18:13.289 --> 00:18:17.079 the work the end of the earth And what we see 00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:20.980 in Acts two is exactly that. That's exactly what 00:18:20.980 --> 00:18:23.660 Peter is doing, right? He received the Holy Spirit. 00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:26.799 Now he's preaching. He's being a witness with 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:30.359 power. And if you're saved tonight, then you 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:32.680 have that same spirit, right? And you have that 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:36.039 same eternal promise from God. So you can have 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:39.960 that same confidence in Jesus, even though the 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:42.509 world already rejects him. The second reason 00:18:42.509 --> 00:18:45.490 that he's being so bold is because he has the 00:18:45.490 --> 00:18:50.089 evidence to defend his claims. He says, Jesus 00:18:50.089 --> 00:18:54.670 was a man approved by God, right? The word approve 00:18:54.670 --> 00:18:58.529 means demonstrated or accredited. Have you guys 00:18:58.529 --> 00:19:02.230 ever had to like validate who you claim to be? 00:19:02.869 --> 00:19:07.029 I think the most obvious example is like, are 00:19:07.029 --> 00:19:09.450 you licensed to drive? You're like, yes, I am. 00:19:11.769 --> 00:19:16.150 Yes, I had a better example though, I think My 00:19:16.150 --> 00:19:21.009 son I you guys know I love basketball and I have 00:19:21.009 --> 00:19:24.369 I'm decent I'm pretty good, but I had some injuries 00:19:24.369 --> 00:19:26.309 these past couple years I'm pretty good, but 00:19:26.309 --> 00:19:30.049 I've had some injuries, but my son like a couple 00:19:30.049 --> 00:19:33.710 months ago was telling somebody Yeah, my dad 00:19:33.710 --> 00:19:39.059 used to be good at basketball I looked him in 00:19:39.059 --> 00:19:41.920 the eyes, I said, put your shoes on. I'll show 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:44.660 you who used to be good at basketball, right? 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:50.759 I think minus the pride and the ego, that's essentially 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:55.180 what Peter is saying about Jesus right here. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:20:00.240 He's pointing to the idea of authentication through 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:03.720 evidence. Jesus said he was the Messiah and God 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:07.890 gave the evidence. That everyone saw and experienced 00:20:07.890 --> 00:20:12.130 right he gave he He really is who he said he 00:20:12.130 --> 00:20:15.069 was and the next verse the next parts of the 00:20:15.069 --> 00:20:17.849 verses He says among he proved this among you 00:20:17.849 --> 00:20:21.250 by many miracles right miracles is mighty works 00:20:21.250 --> 00:20:25.049 displays of supernatural power Think of the feeding 00:20:25.049 --> 00:20:27.710 of the five thousand right he said five thousand. 00:20:27.710 --> 00:20:31.369 He did it multiple times, but He's showing in 00:20:31.369 --> 00:20:36.440 public. I have power right Then he says and he 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:39.359 proved it by wonders The definition of wonders 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:42.640 is like extraordinary events that produced our 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:47.640 astonishment Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:51.259 Right that everybody was like, oh my goodness. 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:56.039 That's a wonder We don't see that every day And 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:59.940 then he said and signs which God did by him in 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:02.259 the midst of you as you ye yourselves know." 00:21:02.259 --> 00:21:04.380 And so the idea of signs are acts that point 00:21:04.380 --> 00:21:08.160 to something different, right? If you see a stop 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:11.599 sign, it tells you to stop. These signs said, 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.960 Jesus is Lord, right? That's what they said. 00:21:16.019 --> 00:21:19.859 And in Matthew 12, one of the signs that you 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:23.359 see is Jesus calls himself the Lord of the Sabbath, 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:25.480 and then he heals a man with a withered hand 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:28.599 on the Sabbath, proving that he is the Lord of 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:33.430 the Sabbath. And then the Pharisees in Matthew 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:36.769 12, 14 say, then the Pharisees went out and held 00:21:36.769 --> 00:21:38.890 a council against him, how they might destroy 00:21:38.890 --> 00:21:42.730 him, right? And so Peter saying, God allowed 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:45.069 you to see all of these amazing things. He made 00:21:45.069 --> 00:21:51.710 it abundantly clear that Jesus is Lord. You all 00:21:51.710 --> 00:21:55.710 saw it. He's the Messiah, but you rejected your 00:21:55.710 --> 00:21:59.339 savior, right? Then they executed this plan and 00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:02.640 they killed him. In verse 23 though, he says, 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:04.799 him being delivered by the determinate counsel 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:08.700 and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:11.200 wicked hands have crucified and slain. So here's 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:13.859 something amazing, right? The Jews took counsel 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:16.299 against God. We read it in Matthew 12 against 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:20.720 Jesus. But Peter said, and we know that the Romans 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:23.799 executed their plan. They crucified him. But 00:22:23.799 --> 00:22:28.279 Peter says that it was God. who willingly sent 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:30.920 his own son to be killed, right? It was by the 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.180 determinant counsel and foreknowledge of who? 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:37.299 God, right? It was God's plan from the beginning 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:40.799 of the world to send his son to die for the sins, 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:44.200 to be the Messiah that the world needed. And 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:49.279 he used the world's sinfulness as a tool to accomplish 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:53.400 that mission. God laid him in his hands, right? 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:57.460 But before God did that, Jesus, did countless 00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:00.480 miracles, he preached countless sermons, and 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:02.599 everything that he said was validated by the 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:05.440 demonstrations that he had, that he made. And 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:07.900 to cap it all off, in verse 24, he rose from 00:23:07.900 --> 00:23:13.420 the dead. In verse 24, it says, whom God hath 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:16.579 raised up, having loosed the pains of death, 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.599 because it was not possible that he should beholden 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:24.839 of it. I really like that idea of loosened. loose 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:27.599 the pains of death, right? Death is something 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:34.279 that we all experience and fear and pain come 00:23:34.279 --> 00:23:37.220 knowing that death is coming, right? And when 00:23:37.220 --> 00:23:41.759 death is imminent, those things increase, right? 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:45.359 Who's ever been afraid to die? Like I thought 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:48.140 I was dying a couple of times and it was terrifying, 00:23:48.140 --> 00:23:55.950 right? And for the unbeliever, Death is certain 00:23:55.950 --> 00:23:59.470 doom, right? When I die, I don't know what's 00:23:59.470 --> 00:24:03.109 going on. I don't know what's gonna happen. That's 00:24:03.109 --> 00:24:06.589 a terrible, dreadful place to be. For the believer 00:24:06.589 --> 00:24:10.730 though, Jesus defeated death in the grave. 1 00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:15.329 Corinthians 15, 20 and 21 says, but now is Christ 00:24:15.329 --> 00:24:18.190 risen from the dead and become the firstfruits 00:24:18.190 --> 00:24:21.210 of them that slept for since by man came death. 00:24:21.289 --> 00:24:24.069 By man also came the resurrection of the dead. 00:24:24.690 --> 00:24:27.130 There's that idea of the first fruits again, 00:24:27.250 --> 00:24:30.450 right? Jesus was the first fruits of them that 00:24:30.450 --> 00:24:34.009 slept. Do you know what that means? There's gonna 00:24:34.009 --> 00:24:37.470 be more resurrection, right? If you're a believer, 00:24:37.529 --> 00:24:40.470 you don't have to fear, you don't have to dread 00:24:40.470 --> 00:24:44.430 death anymore. No, because Jesus rose from the 00:24:44.430 --> 00:24:48.069 dead and Peter saw him, right? And that's what 00:24:48.069 --> 00:24:50.559 he's saying. And it wasn't just Peter that saw 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:53.119 him. The Bible tells us in Acts one that there 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:57.119 was 120 people with Peter, right? And he says, 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:01.180 it was not possible that he should be holding 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:04.900 of death, right? Jesus has authority over death. 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:09.140 He said, because I live, you shall live also, 00:25:09.160 --> 00:25:13.480 right? And so Peter had every reason to be confident 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:16.660 in his claims of who Jesus was. And as a believer 00:25:16.660 --> 00:25:20.079 today, you're You're not going out to share the 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.940 gospel with a post -modern world with no tools. 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.660 You're not going out empty handed, right? You 00:25:27.660 --> 00:25:32.359 have the Holy Spirit. You have the eternal confidence 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:35.480 in your Lord and you also have a mountain of 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:39.640 evidence. And that's what we saw Peter, that's 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:43.380 why Peter was able to stand up and proclaim Jesus 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:46.700 with confidence because he knew he wasn't making 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:50.970 that up. Right? And so God had already done the 00:25:50.970 --> 00:25:54.210 work of approving, of approving Jesus. He did 00:25:54.210 --> 00:25:56.009 it in public. He did it with many witnesses. 00:25:56.109 --> 00:25:58.630 He did it through miracles. He did it on the 00:25:58.630 --> 00:26:02.410 cross. Right? He did it through the empty tomb. 00:26:03.230 --> 00:26:06.269 And so you don't, you don't have to have confidence. 00:26:08.089 --> 00:26:12.609 Sorry. You don't have to convince the world that 00:26:12.609 --> 00:26:15.740 Jesus is real. God already proved it. Jesus is 00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:18.660 the author of life and he is exactly what the 00:26:18.660 --> 00:26:22.180 world's looking for. Our job is simply to proclaim 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:27.220 it. Even if they don't like to hear it, they 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:29.460 need to hear it, right? And so that's reason 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:36.539 number one. Because Jesus was approved by God, 00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:44.779 right? Reason number two is that he was approved 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:47.500 by God. foretold by scripture So we're gonna 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:50.180 be jumping ahead a few verses kind of you can 00:26:50.180 --> 00:26:51.819 actually don't jump ahead because we're gonna 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:54.180 read the context But have you guys ever done 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:58.119 something really meaningful? But it went completely 00:26:58.119 --> 00:27:06.880 unrecognized I Don't want men we probably do 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:11.019 this all the time well actually we probably Women 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:18.099 we probably do this all the time But for my example, 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:22.480 it wasn't me, it was Gabby. When we lived at 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:26.240 our in -laws, one day I was feeling really nice 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.519 and I was off and so I cleaned the whole house. 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:35.119 I made the bed and I displayed a teddy bear with 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:37.920 chocolates and candy canes and they made a heart 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:41.039 and like... Angela's shoes were in there for 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:42.900 some reason. I just looked at the picture I don't 00:27:42.900 --> 00:27:44.519 know why Angela's shoes were in there, but it 00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:48.460 was supposed to be cute right and so I'm watching 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:50.960 Gabby come home from work, and she's looking 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:54.019 through the house and She's not saying anything 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:56.559 and I'm just sitting there like This is gonna 00:27:56.559 --> 00:28:01.920 be glorious Right and I was just I was So she 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:05.519 goes upstairs and she looks at the bed with this 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:09.960 cute decorations on it. There's like throw blanket 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:13.460 on there like the sheet was like folded at the 00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:15.619 end I don't even I don't know why people do that 00:28:15.619 --> 00:28:19.680 but she looks at it I just know people do it 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:22.420 so I did it but she looked at it and she goes 00:28:22.420 --> 00:28:31.819 did my mom clean our room I may have thrown stuff 00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:35.500 off the bed I don't remember but but she completely 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:39.009 missed The whole point of what happened like 00:28:39.009 --> 00:28:42.750 there was this clear sign like Your husband loves 00:28:42.750 --> 00:28:49.690 you and she did not get it Sorry Peter is about 00:28:49.690 --> 00:28:53.750 to use a Word the words of David who's like a 00:28:53.750 --> 00:28:57.750 fan favorite in Israel Words that they had definitely 00:28:57.750 --> 00:29:01.549 seen they had definitely heard To show them that 00:29:01.549 --> 00:29:04.910 they missed something extremely meaningful, right? 00:29:04.930 --> 00:29:08.069 They missed they missed the Christ, right? And 00:29:08.069 --> 00:29:10.769 so before we get into the actual verses that 00:29:10.769 --> 00:29:13.670 are up there, we're gonna read the context. And 00:29:13.670 --> 00:29:16.509 so verse 25 is where we're gonna pick up and 00:29:16.509 --> 00:29:20.849 it says, for David speaking concerning him, who's 00:29:20.849 --> 00:29:25.029 him? Jesus, right? David speaking concerning 00:29:25.029 --> 00:29:30.650 him, Paul's making a case for Jesus. David speaking 00:29:30.650 --> 00:29:34.420 concerning him. I foresaw the Lord always before 00:29:34.420 --> 00:29:37.880 my face for he is on my right hand that I should 00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:40.480 not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:45.099 and my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh 00:29:45.099 --> 00:29:49.400 shall rest in hope because thou wilt not leave 00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:52.440 my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:57.740 holy one to see corruption. Thou hast made known 00:29:57.740 --> 00:30:01.400 to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:09.140 of joy with thy continence. So this is a direct 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:13.559 quote from David in Psalm 16 and it's important 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:17.059 to note when he says Thou shalt not leave my 00:30:17.059 --> 00:30:20.220 soul in hell. The word hell there isn't Gehenna. 00:30:20.440 --> 00:30:24.160 It's not the eternal fire hell that we think 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:26.259 of when we think of hell. The word there is Hades 00:30:26.259 --> 00:30:30.220 or Sheol. So it's more so It's more so general, 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:33.200 general like the grave death. You're not going 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:36.619 to leave me dead, essentially. And so when he 00:30:36.619 --> 00:30:40.759 says either or neither will doubt suffer that 00:30:40.759 --> 00:30:43.519 Holy One to see corruption. He literally means 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:47.559 the body of the Holy One is not going to be decayed. 00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:51.279 Right. And so Peter goes on, he says, men and 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:53.799 brethren, let me speak freely unto unto you of 00:30:53.799 --> 00:30:57.079 the patriarch David, for he is both dead and 00:30:57.079 --> 00:31:00.500 buried in his sepulcher. with us to this day." 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:05.099 So what's he saying? He's saying, David is dead. 00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:08.039 We can all go to David's grave and we can, if 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:11.160 we dug him up, we would see David's bones in 00:31:11.160 --> 00:31:15.640 the grave. They would be decayed. He's deteriorated. 00:31:17.299 --> 00:31:19.460 What's that mean? He could not have been talking 00:31:19.460 --> 00:31:21.059 about himself. And that's what he's going to 00:31:21.059 --> 00:31:23.480 say right here. He says, therefore, being a prophet 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:27.619 and knowing that God has sworn an oath to him, 00:31:28.839 --> 00:31:31.880 What was the oath? The oath was that was in second 00:31:31.880 --> 00:31:34.420 Samuel. I will raise up an offspring after you 00:31:34.420 --> 00:31:38.799 and I will establish your throne Or his the throne 00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:43.640 his kingdom forever, right? That the first fruits 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:46.220 of his loins according to the flesh would not 00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:49.519 or sorry that the first fruits of his Loins according 00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:52.039 to his flesh according to the flesh. He would 00:31:52.039 --> 00:31:55.279 raise up Christ to sit on his throne. So Pete 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:58.690 or yeah Peter is saying David didn't live forever. 00:31:58.990 --> 00:32:00.690 He knew he wouldn't live forever. He's dead. 00:32:00.730 --> 00:32:04.130 He was speaking prophetically of the Christ. 00:32:04.990 --> 00:32:08.769 And he continues, he's seeing this therefore, 00:32:09.390 --> 00:32:12.910 I can't read tonight. I'm sorry. He's seeing 00:32:12.910 --> 00:32:16.549 this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, 00:32:17.049 --> 00:32:20.430 that his soul was not left in hell, neither his 00:32:20.430 --> 00:32:26.849 flesh did see corruption. Now, We made it to 00:32:26.849 --> 00:32:29.569 where we're reading tonight, right? What Peter's 00:32:29.569 --> 00:32:32.130 saying is Jesus is the Christ that David spoke 00:32:32.130 --> 00:32:35.809 of. He continues and says, this Jesus hath God 00:32:35.809 --> 00:32:40.029 raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore 00:32:40.029 --> 00:32:44.970 being at the right hand of God exalted and having 00:32:44.970 --> 00:32:47.009 received of the Father the promise of the Holy 00:32:47.009 --> 00:32:55.430 Ghost. Think back to Acts 1, just 10 days earlier. 00:32:56.539 --> 00:33:00.200 Jesus ascended to heaven, right? Where he's seated 00:33:00.200 --> 00:33:02.160 at the right hand of God and he received of the 00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:05.140 promises and Peter says, and he has shed forth 00:33:05.140 --> 00:33:08.839 this which you see now and here. He's talking 00:33:08.839 --> 00:33:12.880 about the fact that he's able to speak and everybody's 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:14.700 understanding him. This thing that's happening 00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:17.920 right now, you're seeing that because Jesus was 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:21.200 exalted. He's at the right hand of God and he 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:28.819 made this happen. so that you all know that he 00:33:28.819 --> 00:33:32.240 is the Christ that David's speaking of. He ends 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:36.319 by saying, for David is not ascended into heaven, 00:33:36.819 --> 00:33:41.640 but he sayeth himself, the Lord said to my Lord, 00:33:42.119 --> 00:33:45.940 sit thou at my right hand until I make thy foes 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:48.470 thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of 00:33:48.470 --> 00:33:52.170 Israel know assuredly that God hath made the 00:33:52.170 --> 00:33:57.809 same Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ." 00:33:57.809 --> 00:34:01.210 Here's Peter's point. The Holy One did not see 00:34:01.210 --> 00:34:04.490 corruption. God approved Jesus in front of everyone, 00:34:04.990 --> 00:34:10.630 right? He raised him from the dead and God through 00:34:10.630 --> 00:34:14.460 the Old Testament Told everybody that this is 00:34:14.460 --> 00:34:16.420 exactly what was gonna happen. This is what the 00:34:16.420 --> 00:34:19.320 Messiah is gonna do when the Messiah comes this 00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:21.239 is what it's gonna look like and then Jesus did 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:25.420 it and What does that make Jesus? The Messiah 00:34:25.420 --> 00:34:28.460 that's that's Peter's point. Jesus is the Messiah. 00:34:28.460 --> 00:34:31.360 He's the ruler of all creation He's Lord and 00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:34.199 Savior and so he's saying some to end he's saying 00:34:34.199 --> 00:34:38.179 some Someday the guy that you all killed is gonna 00:34:38.179 --> 00:34:43.340 make his enemies his footstool You don't want 00:34:43.340 --> 00:34:47.039 to be his footstool Right. That's what he's saying 00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:51.400 Jesus was approved by God. He was foretold by 00:34:51.400 --> 00:34:58.500 scripture and so To illustrate this how many 00:34:58.500 --> 00:35:04.599 of you guys know who this guy is Good I'm glad 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:10.380 you all know who Larry Bird is You didn't know 00:35:13.579 --> 00:35:20.719 We can. We'll talk later. So a lot of people 00:35:20.719 --> 00:35:25.840 in Larry Bird's like prime have been quoted as 00:35:25.840 --> 00:35:28.840 saying that they thought Larry Bird was overhyped 00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:32.260 before they ever played him. They thought essentially 00:35:32.260 --> 00:35:36.119 this guy cannot be as good as everybody says 00:35:36.119 --> 00:35:41.460 he is right. And. When they would face off Larry 00:35:41.460 --> 00:35:43.929 Bird is famous for doing for. for doing something 00:35:43.929 --> 00:35:48.150 amazing. He would call his shots. So like Gary 00:35:48.150 --> 00:35:49.969 Payton, who's one of the greatest defenders of 00:35:49.969 --> 00:35:54.969 all time, said that basically he felt this way. 00:35:55.010 --> 00:35:57.909 And when he played Larry Bird, Larry Bird would 00:35:57.909 --> 00:36:00.789 look at him in the eye and tell him exactly what 00:36:00.789 --> 00:36:03.110 he's going to do and say, you're not going to 00:36:03.110 --> 00:36:07.969 be able to stop it and then do it. Right. And 00:36:07.969 --> 00:36:11.010 that instantly cured any doubts that those guys 00:36:11.010 --> 00:36:14.710 would have about how good Larry Bird was, right? 00:36:14.710 --> 00:36:17.210 His ability was just as good as they said it 00:36:17.210 --> 00:36:19.429 was. And that's kind of what God is doing in 00:36:19.429 --> 00:36:21.230 the scripture right here. He's calling his shot. 00:36:21.429 --> 00:36:25.489 He said, in Psalm two, he said, the kings and 00:36:25.489 --> 00:36:27.369 the rulers would take counsel against him. In 00:36:27.369 --> 00:36:30.050 Psalm 22, he said, they're gonna pierce his hands, 00:36:30.829 --> 00:36:34.110 right? In Daniel nine, they said, he will be 00:36:34.110 --> 00:36:38.010 cut off. In Psalm 16, they said, his body will 00:36:38.010 --> 00:36:41.010 not see decay, right? He's not gonna stay dead. 00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:44.739 God's gonna raise him from the dead. In second 00:36:44.739 --> 00:36:47.320 Samuel, he said, I'm gonna establish his kingdom 00:36:47.320 --> 00:36:50.760 forever, right? He's essentially saying, hey, 00:36:50.760 --> 00:36:53.980 I'm gonna go left, I'm gonna cross between, I'm 00:36:53.980 --> 00:36:56.820 gonna step back, and I'm gonna bank it. And there's 00:36:56.820 --> 00:37:01.639 nothing that you can do because Jesus is really 00:37:01.639 --> 00:37:07.780 who he said he was. He's really God. So God didn't 00:37:07.780 --> 00:37:10.619 leave. Jesus identity up for debate. He wrote 00:37:10.619 --> 00:37:13.380 the answers down centuries before Jesus was ever 00:37:13.380 --> 00:37:17.500 born and Then he watched his son fulfill Every 00:37:17.500 --> 00:37:21.000 word of it and that should give you confidence 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:27.440 to share the gospel with the world It's right 00:37:27.440 --> 00:37:29.880 there he did it he said it it's proven there's 00:37:29.880 --> 00:37:36.900 no real there's no dispute right Like I said, 00:37:36.960 --> 00:37:39.059 I know it can be intimidating. I know you can 00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:41.199 feel insecure at times. I feel insecure at times 00:37:41.199 --> 00:37:44.739 about my own ability to do ministry effectively, 00:37:44.980 --> 00:37:50.599 but we don't actually have to be like the Larry 00:37:50.599 --> 00:37:53.840 Bird of Christians, right? Everything that we 00:37:53.840 --> 00:37:59.980 need is right here. There's over 300 prophecies 00:37:59.980 --> 00:38:02.599 in the Bible that Jesus fulfilled in his life. 00:38:03.369 --> 00:38:07.849 You don't have to be like, man, I am the guy. 00:38:07.849 --> 00:38:12.050 I can share the gospel like none other. No. His 00:38:12.050 --> 00:38:14.210 abilities are sufficient, right? He's given you 00:38:14.210 --> 00:38:17.469 the spirit and his word is sufficient. He's God. 00:38:18.030 --> 00:38:20.269 And so you can be confident in that. That's the 00:38:20.269 --> 00:38:24.050 second reason. The third reason is that he was 00:38:24.050 --> 00:38:28.369 declared by eyewitnesses. Go to verse 37, so 00:38:28.369 --> 00:38:31.570 we're gonna pick up. And so here, same scene, 00:38:31.570 --> 00:38:34.730 Peter standing face to face with those who killed 00:38:34.730 --> 00:38:41.070 Jesus and he's proclaiming Christ boldly. If 00:38:41.070 --> 00:38:45.369 he wasn't convinced that Jesus was the Christ, 00:38:45.409 --> 00:38:48.090 that Jesus was alive, he would not have been 00:38:48.090 --> 00:38:51.449 proclaiming anything, right? Because one, he 00:38:51.449 --> 00:38:54.769 would have known it's not true, right? But two, 00:38:54.769 --> 00:38:57.949 he would have died. They killed Jesus. They certainly 00:38:57.949 --> 00:39:00.429 would have killed Peter. Nothing was keeping 00:39:00.429 --> 00:39:03.469 him from that. And Peter, we know, was killed 00:39:03.469 --> 00:39:06.889 for the gospel. Later on down his life, he was 00:39:06.889 --> 00:39:11.349 crucified upside down for the gospel. But his 00:39:11.349 --> 00:39:15.230 confident declaration in our text tonight, we're 00:39:15.230 --> 00:39:17.570 gonna see made an impact on his audience. And 00:39:17.570 --> 00:39:23.929 so look at verse 37. Verse 37 says, now when 00:39:23.929 --> 00:39:26.150 they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts 00:39:26.150 --> 00:39:30.210 and said unto Peter, to the rest of the Apostles, 00:39:30.369 --> 00:39:34.289 men and brethren, what shall we do?" Remember, 00:39:34.349 --> 00:39:37.909 this is an audience who rejected Jesus already, 00:39:38.070 --> 00:39:41.110 in person, right? Not just they heard about Jesus, 00:39:41.110 --> 00:39:43.530 they didn't accept him. Jesus was there with 00:39:43.530 --> 00:39:47.389 them, they rejected him. But here, they're responding 00:39:47.389 --> 00:39:51.570 to the evidence that Peter laid out, and they're 00:39:51.570 --> 00:39:54.070 saying, what shall we do? Why? Why are they doing 00:39:54.070 --> 00:39:57.289 that? Because the message is true, the cross 00:39:57.289 --> 00:40:00.679 has power. Right? God, Jesus is the Christ. They 00:40:00.679 --> 00:40:03.559 had rejected him when he was there, but through 00:40:03.559 --> 00:40:06.719 the proclamation of Christ, they were convinced 00:40:06.719 --> 00:40:10.139 of the truth. And they asked, what should we 00:40:10.139 --> 00:40:16.380 do? I don't think that the world that we live 00:40:16.380 --> 00:40:20.719 in today is past that, right? These guys literally 00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:23.599 killed Jesus and they were responding to it. 00:40:23.619 --> 00:40:26.079 So I think that we can share the gospel with 00:40:26.079 --> 00:40:30.000 people today. In verse 38, Then Peter said unto 00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:32.320 them, repent and be baptized every one of you 00:40:32.320 --> 00:40:34.139 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 00:40:34.139 --> 00:40:37.460 of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the 00:40:37.460 --> 00:40:40.900 Holy Ghost. And so the idea of repentance is 00:40:40.900 --> 00:40:44.079 a change of mind, right? Before you were against 00:40:44.079 --> 00:40:48.800 Christ, now not only be convinced of Christ, 00:40:48.820 --> 00:40:53.019 but be committed to Christ, right? Stop living 00:40:53.019 --> 00:40:56.199 as if, for the world today, stop living as if 00:40:56.199 --> 00:40:59.179 you are God. Start living as if Christ is Lord, 00:40:59.400 --> 00:41:04.579 right? And you're under him. Then he says, be 00:41:04.579 --> 00:41:07.760 baptized. And we know baptism isn't a means for 00:41:07.760 --> 00:41:11.019 salvation, but it's a sign, it's really a proclamation 00:41:11.019 --> 00:41:14.400 that, hey, I do believe in Jesus Christ. I do 00:41:14.400 --> 00:41:17.079 believe that he is the Lord, that he is the son 00:41:17.079 --> 00:41:20.139 of God. And then he says, and receive the Holy 00:41:20.139 --> 00:41:24.360 Ghost. And so Peter is saying, essentially, to 00:41:24.360 --> 00:41:27.420 this group of people who rejected Jesus, if you 00:41:27.420 --> 00:41:30.139 really believe that Christ is the Messiah, if 00:41:30.139 --> 00:41:32.900 Jesus is the Messiah, then join the family, become 00:41:32.900 --> 00:41:35.559 a child of God, put your faith in him. And I 00:41:35.559 --> 00:41:37.760 believe that same invitation is open to every 00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:42.480 single person today. Right? In verse 39, he says, 00:41:42.539 --> 00:41:44.760 for the promises unto you and your children, 00:41:45.519 --> 00:41:48.519 and to all that are afar off, even as many as 00:41:48.519 --> 00:41:50.960 the Lord our God shall call. And so we live in 00:41:50.960 --> 00:41:54.480 a world today that has largely rejected Christ. 00:41:57.300 --> 00:42:00.199 They've either said he isn't God or that he's 00:42:00.199 --> 00:42:03.099 just one of many gods, which is essentially the 00:42:03.099 --> 00:42:08.280 same thing. Here, Peter is proclaiming that Jesus 00:42:08.280 --> 00:42:12.099 is the one true God. He is the Lord and the Christ. 00:42:12.159 --> 00:42:16.179 He's the judge of all sinners. And he's the only 00:42:16.179 --> 00:42:22.130 hope that a sinner has. Anyone willing to acknowledge 00:42:22.130 --> 00:42:25.329 that truth today can be welcomed into the family. 00:42:25.369 --> 00:42:27.150 They can be given purpose. They can be given 00:42:27.150 --> 00:42:32.150 meaning. They can be given truth right now. Jesus 00:42:32.150 --> 00:42:35.829 is literally what our world is looking for. They're 00:42:35.829 --> 00:42:37.690 not gonna find it in relativism. They're not 00:42:37.690 --> 00:42:41.550 gonna find it in their own truth. They're gonna 00:42:41.550 --> 00:42:47.929 find it in Christ who died for their sins. But 00:42:47.929 --> 00:42:49.289 they're gonna have to make that decision for 00:42:49.289 --> 00:42:51.280 themselves, right? We can't make that decision 00:42:51.280 --> 00:42:56.920 for them. If they die before they make that decision, 00:42:56.940 --> 00:42:58.900 it's going to be too late. And that's why Paul 00:42:58.900 --> 00:43:04.239 says, save yourselves from this unto -toward, 00:43:04.340 --> 00:43:07.340 that's such a weird word, generation. Save yourselves 00:43:07.340 --> 00:43:10.079 from this unto -toward generation, right? He 00:43:10.079 --> 00:43:16.579 says, then, Then they gladly received his words 00:43:16.579 --> 00:43:19.239 and were baptized and the same day they were 00:43:19.239 --> 00:43:22.960 added unto them about three thousand souls And 00:43:22.960 --> 00:43:27.119 so here's here's what I want you to See tonight 00:43:27.119 --> 00:43:31.139 Peter preached Christ to the people who killed 00:43:31.139 --> 00:43:34.019 Jesus and they eventually killed him if he could 00:43:34.019 --> 00:43:36.320 do that We can tell our neighbors right you can 00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:40.079 tell your neighbor about Jesus boldly confidently 00:43:41.389 --> 00:43:45.449 for the same reasons that he was able to. And 00:43:45.449 --> 00:43:46.869 that's what the world needs to hear from you 00:43:46.869 --> 00:43:49.570 tonight. If you're a believer, that's what the 00:43:49.570 --> 00:43:53.690 world needs from you. It's true, the world may 00:43:53.690 --> 00:43:59.630 not be very interested in truth today, but this 00:43:59.630 --> 00:44:04.289 is the most important piece of truth that exists. 00:44:04.630 --> 00:44:07.510 They need to hear it. They might reject it. They 00:44:07.510 --> 00:44:11.230 may hate you. They may disrespect you. God forbid 00:44:11.230 --> 00:44:16.070 they they may persecute you But they may not 00:44:16.070 --> 00:44:21.929 right they may receive the gospel And don't you 00:44:21.929 --> 00:44:28.849 think if just one person were to get saved From 00:44:28.849 --> 00:44:31.010 a lifetime of your proclaiming Christ wouldn't 00:44:31.010 --> 00:44:36.010 that be worth it We never know what the results 00:44:36.010 --> 00:44:40.869 are gonna be before we open our mouths But we 00:44:40.869 --> 00:44:45.409 do know what the call is, right? Go to all the 00:44:45.409 --> 00:44:49.530 world and preach the gospel. When Peter preached 00:44:49.530 --> 00:44:52.550 the gospel, people responded. They were added 00:44:52.550 --> 00:44:54.309 to the church, they received the Holy Ghost, 00:44:54.329 --> 00:44:57.170 and their lives were changed forever, right? 00:44:57.329 --> 00:45:01.150 And he can do that same thing through you as 00:45:01.150 --> 00:45:03.030 well, if you're willing to proclaim the gospel 00:45:03.030 --> 00:45:07.250 confidently. It can feel this way sometimes, 00:45:07.250 --> 00:45:10.960 but the gospel isn't this weak. argument in the 00:45:10.960 --> 00:45:14.219 world today. It's the answer to the questions 00:45:14.219 --> 00:45:18.679 that people are looking for. It's exactly why 00:45:18.679 --> 00:45:21.500 every believer needs to be proclaiming it, right? 00:45:21.599 --> 00:45:26.840 It's what the world needs. And so again, the 00:45:26.840 --> 00:45:29.159 point tonight is that every believer should proclaim 00:45:29.159 --> 00:45:34.400 Jesus confidently. He was approved by God, right? 00:45:34.400 --> 00:45:37.659 He was foretold by scripture and he was declared 00:45:37.659 --> 00:45:44.610 by eyewitnesses. And again, you may be thinking, 00:45:45.929 --> 00:45:48.510 the world doesn't care about those three things. 00:45:48.550 --> 00:45:51.650 They don't care about the evidence. They say 00:45:51.650 --> 00:45:55.309 there's no truth, right? But here's what you 00:45:55.309 --> 00:45:57.730 need to notice. The crowd at Jerusalem said the 00:45:57.730 --> 00:46:00.969 same thing. They rejected Jesus, but they saw 00:46:00.969 --> 00:46:02.590 the miracles, they heard the sermons, they watched 00:46:02.590 --> 00:46:06.250 him die. But when Peter stood up and preached 00:46:06.250 --> 00:46:08.670 the gospel to them, 3 ,000 people responded and 00:46:08.670 --> 00:46:13.539 were saved. The hostile culture that we live 00:46:13.539 --> 00:46:16.639 in today is not a reason to be silent. It's a 00:46:16.639 --> 00:46:19.760 reason to speak up. The world needs Jesus. And 00:46:19.760 --> 00:46:22.980 so think back to those three questions that I 00:46:22.980 --> 00:46:27.639 asked you at the beginning of the sermon. Those 00:46:27.639 --> 00:46:32.099 three questions are really the answer to the 00:46:32.099 --> 00:46:36.840 fourth question. What are you looking for? The 00:46:36.840 --> 00:46:39.019 world is looking for the things that you have 00:46:39.019 --> 00:46:45.510 in Christ. So what do we do with that? We need 00:46:45.510 --> 00:46:48.230 to share our testimony, right? That's one thing 00:46:48.230 --> 00:46:51.449 we need to do with it. We know that our faith 00:46:51.449 --> 00:46:56.389 is built on truth, but our lives are also filled 00:46:56.389 --> 00:46:59.710 with tons of experiences of how God has changed 00:46:59.710 --> 00:47:01.530 our life. This is what my life was like before 00:47:01.530 --> 00:47:03.530 I met Jesus and this is what it's like now. And 00:47:03.530 --> 00:47:06.670 so, yeah, we definitely need to share the truth. 00:47:07.119 --> 00:47:09.440 Peter shared the truth, but he also shared his 00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:11.860 experience, right? And so share your testimony 00:47:11.860 --> 00:47:14.880 and share the scriptures. That's what Peter did. 00:47:15.840 --> 00:47:19.059 He leaned on the word and his experiences to 00:47:19.059 --> 00:47:23.119 show the crowd how God has worked and who God 00:47:23.119 --> 00:47:28.840 is. And some people, I know some people have 00:47:28.840 --> 00:47:32.719 this idea that like their calling is simply to 00:47:32.719 --> 00:47:36.719 live out their faith. But the Bible makes it 00:47:36.719 --> 00:47:40.800 clear, like live out their faith and not talk 00:47:40.800 --> 00:47:43.500 about Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that if 00:47:43.500 --> 00:47:45.780 we're not proclaiming the word of God, that people 00:47:45.780 --> 00:47:48.699 are not getting saved, right? Romans 10, 14 says, 00:47:48.840 --> 00:47:51.099 how shall they hear without a preacher? If people 00:47:51.099 --> 00:47:53.000 aren't telling people about Jesus, how are they 00:47:53.000 --> 00:47:56.900 gonna respond? And so here's the assignment tonight 00:47:56.900 --> 00:48:02.500 for you. Think of one person. Who's come to mind 00:48:02.500 --> 00:48:05.079 as we've been talking about this tonight? Who 00:48:05.079 --> 00:48:08.539 is rejected Jesus that you know that needs Christ 00:48:08.539 --> 00:48:11.800 in their lives? Who do you know that's searching 00:48:11.800 --> 00:48:15.679 for meaning, for truth, for anything to cling 00:48:15.679 --> 00:48:20.280 to in this world today? Think of that person 00:48:20.280 --> 00:48:26.159 and write their names down. I encourage you to 00:48:26.159 --> 00:48:28.179 write their names on a prayer slip and we will 00:48:28.179 --> 00:48:32.610 pray for them, right? Don't stop there though. 00:48:32.969 --> 00:48:37.670 Go and invite them to Easter. That's the challenge. 00:48:39.530 --> 00:48:41.829 You don't have to have all the answers, right? 00:48:42.070 --> 00:48:44.530 Just go to them with the card in hand and say, 00:48:44.690 --> 00:48:50.369 hey come with me to church. Come hear the gospel. 00:48:51.070 --> 00:48:53.750 You never know what could happen from there, 00:48:53.869 --> 00:48:56.969 right? The whole Easter push this year is one 00:48:56.969 --> 00:48:59.710 invite could change everything, right? And I 00:48:59.710 --> 00:49:03.829 know a handful of people are sitting here right 00:49:03.829 --> 00:49:07.610 now who could quote that and tell you their story, 00:49:07.610 --> 00:49:11.230 right? Maybe you're one of them. And so be that. 00:49:11.429 --> 00:49:14.269 Do that. Go invite somebody and write their name 00:49:14.269 --> 00:49:16.969 on a prayer slip. Let's pray for them. If you're 00:49:16.969 --> 00:49:18.630 here tonight, though, and you're saying that's 00:49:18.630 --> 00:49:21.250 not my story, I've never trusted Jesus as my 00:49:21.250 --> 00:49:24.130 Lord and Savior, then you need to know that the 00:49:24.130 --> 00:49:27.630 case was made the same case that the crowd heard. 00:49:27.849 --> 00:49:30.130 in Jerusalem was made to you tonight. God was 00:49:30.130 --> 00:49:32.849 verified. He was foretold by scripture and he 00:49:32.849 --> 00:49:36.530 was declared by eyewitnesses. It's clear who 00:49:36.530 --> 00:49:40.030 he is. And so if you walk out of here tonight, 00:49:40.530 --> 00:49:43.389 having heard the gospel, having heard who Christ 00:49:43.389 --> 00:49:45.590 is and you do nothing with it, then you're in 00:49:45.590 --> 00:49:48.530 the same position as those who nailed him to 00:49:48.530 --> 00:49:50.969 the cross, right? You're rejecting Christ. And 00:49:50.969 --> 00:49:55.170 so before you do that, consider the grace of 00:49:55.170 --> 00:49:57.849 God. The Bible says that, If you confess with 00:49:57.849 --> 00:50:00.909 your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in 00:50:00.909 --> 00:50:03.349 your heart that God raised him from the dead, 00:50:03.449 --> 00:50:06.690 then thou shalt be saved. It doesn't matter who 00:50:06.690 --> 00:50:09.030 you are, where you're coming from. That same 00:50:09.030 --> 00:50:13.469 invitation is extended to you. And it was extended 00:50:13.469 --> 00:50:16.909 to the people who killed Jesus. Right? And so 00:50:16.909 --> 00:50:23.469 you can't be too far. So let's pray. Thank you 00:50:23.469 --> 00:50:25.070 Lord for allowing us to come together tonight 00:50:25.070 --> 00:50:29.449 and to get into your word to see a great example 00:50:29.449 --> 00:50:35.469 of somebody who was confident in you and bold 00:50:35.469 --> 00:50:38.369 to speak your word, Lord. I just pray that as 00:50:38.369 --> 00:50:41.030 we leave here tonight, that we would leave here 00:50:41.030 --> 00:50:47.210 not just saying, yeah, I know I'm sent, but saying, 00:50:47.250 --> 00:50:49.909 no, God sent me. He empowered me through his 00:50:49.909 --> 00:50:53.650 spirit. He's given me his word. He's given me 00:50:53.650 --> 00:50:56.969 the examples of Peter, he's given me the example 00:50:56.969 --> 00:51:00.210 of Christ to be bold, to be confident, and so 00:51:00.210 --> 00:51:04.070 I'm gonna live sent. I pray that we would all 00:51:04.070 --> 00:51:06.369 leave here thinking that way tonight, and I pray 00:51:06.369 --> 00:51:09.429 that as we go out and we do invite people to 00:51:09.429 --> 00:51:11.030 Easter, that people would come, that people would 00:51:11.030 --> 00:51:14.190 hear the gospel, and people would respond. I 00:51:14.190 --> 00:51:15.730 just pray if anybody's here tonight, they don't 00:51:15.730 --> 00:51:17.130 know you as Lord and Savior, Lord, that they 00:51:17.130 --> 00:51:19.570 would not leave here without talking to me or 00:51:19.570 --> 00:51:23.630 talking to somebody about how they could. know 00:51:23.630 --> 00:51:25.110 that heaven is their home, Lord. Pray this in 00:51:25.110 --> 00:51:26.170 Jesus' name, amen.