WEBVTT 00:00:09.449 --> 00:00:14.289 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.289 --> 00:00:16.589 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:19.809 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.129 --> 00:00:22.989 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.230 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.230 --> 00:00:31.070 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.070 --> 00:00:34.740 by this week's sermon. Today, as we study the 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:37.460 book of Acts chapter 2 on the fulfillment of 00:00:37.460 --> 00:00:41.219 the Holy Spirit's promise, we are studying the 00:00:41.219 --> 00:00:44.780 loving presence of God. And we have to remember 00:00:44.780 --> 00:00:50.179 that during this time, the apostles were awaiting 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:53.659 the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised. 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:57.039 And then later, the apostle Paul writes about 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:00.100 this and summarizes it with this reflection. 00:01:00.460 --> 00:01:04.219 Will you read it out loud with me? We know how 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:08.140 dearly God loves us because He has given us the 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:11.939 Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:18.560 And this is a catalyst of transformation that 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:23.159 we were talking about earlier. It is the love 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:26.400 of God in our lives through the Holy Spirit that 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:31.019 changes everything. And when we are talking about 00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:33.930 the Holy Spirit in our lives, what we are talking 00:01:33.930 --> 00:01:38.090 about is that God desires for us to experience 00:01:38.090 --> 00:01:41.390 His love and the freedom and the healing power 00:01:41.390 --> 00:01:47.129 of His love in every part of our being. And that 00:01:47.129 --> 00:01:52.269 begins when we say yes to Jesus. And at that 00:01:52.269 --> 00:01:55.170 moment, the Bible says the Holy Spirit comes 00:01:55.170 --> 00:02:00.349 to live in us. So if you're a follower of Jesus, 00:02:01.579 --> 00:02:06.000 You have the Holy Spirit in you. Now you don't 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.800 need to pray for the Holy Spirit to come to you. 00:02:08.979 --> 00:02:11.879 Now you need to pray for a growing intimacy with 00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:16.159 the Holy Spirit that is already in you. And what 00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:18.960 we discover is that to experience the love of 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:22.800 God in deeper parts of our beings, it doesn't 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.740 just require the catalyst of God's love in us, 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.080 but it also requires the right response from 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:33.900 us. And what is that response? What does it look 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:37.580 like? That is what the study will reveal to us. 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:43.240 So let's go to look, I mean to Acts chapter 2. 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:47.319 And it begins with the time in which, remember, 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:52.020 Jesus has already died at Passover. He has resurrected. 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:55.889 He has appeared to the apostles. And he has invited 00:02:55.889 --> 00:03:00.129 them to stay there in Jerusalem and to remain 00:03:00.129 --> 00:03:05.349 there until the Holy Spirit comes on them. He 00:03:05.349 --> 00:03:07.909 had told them before, the Holy Spirit is with 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:10.250 you, but now he's going to be in you. So wait 00:03:10.250 --> 00:03:14.110 for that promise. And 50 days after Passover 00:03:14.110 --> 00:03:18.509 was the celebration of Pentecost. That was the 00:03:18.509 --> 00:03:20.250 time in which people from all over the empire 00:03:20.250 --> 00:03:25.409 would come to Jerusalem to celebrate. the fresh 00:03:25.409 --> 00:03:27.909 fruit, the new fruit of the harvest. And as they 00:03:27.909 --> 00:03:31.930 came in, people from all over the empire, this 00:03:31.930 --> 00:03:37.430 city became just huge, populated by so many people 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:39.969 from all over the world. Imagine celebrating 00:03:39.969 --> 00:03:44.849 the World Cup in Bangkok. Can you imagine what 00:03:44.849 --> 00:03:47.370 it would feel like trying to get out of Sukhumvit 00:03:47.370 --> 00:03:53.039 in the car? Filled with people everywhere. And 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:56.539 that is what Jerusalem had become in this moment. 00:03:57.500 --> 00:04:01.479 And the apostles are there in Jerusalem, meeting 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:06.900 in this place, hiding from the authorities, and 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:09.979 praying and worshiping. And as they're in that 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:16.259 space, on the 50th day after Passover, the fulfillment 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:22.509 of the Holy Spirit's coming happened. And this 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:25.029 is what the Word of God says in Acts chapter 00:04:25.029 --> 00:04:28.689 2. We're going to read the entire chapter. Because 00:04:28.689 --> 00:04:32.149 this is the historical account of what happened 00:04:32.149 --> 00:04:36.370 at the beginning. And this is what it says. On 00:04:36.370 --> 00:04:38.810 the day of Pentecost, all the believers were 00:04:38.810 --> 00:04:42.949 meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there 00:04:42.949 --> 00:04:45.310 was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a 00:04:45.310 --> 00:04:49.430 mighty windstorm. And it filled the house where 00:04:49.430 --> 00:04:54.089 they were sitting. Then what looked like flames 00:04:54.089 --> 00:04:56.649 or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each 00:04:56.649 --> 00:05:00.329 of them. And everyone present was filled with 00:05:00.329 --> 00:05:02.870 the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages 00:05:02.870 --> 00:05:07.689 as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At 00:05:07.689 --> 00:05:11.189 that time, there were devout Jews from every 00:05:11.189 --> 00:05:13.810 nation living in Jerusalem. And when they heard 00:05:13.810 --> 00:05:17.920 the loud noise, everyone came running. And they 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:22.199 were bewildered to hear their own languages being 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:26.959 spoken by the believers. They were completely 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:32.740 amazed. How can this be? They exclaimed. These 00:05:32.740 --> 00:05:36.540 people are all from Galilee and yet we hear them 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:41.670 speaking in our own native language. And you 00:05:41.670 --> 00:05:44.129 can imagine, because during that time, the Roman 00:05:44.129 --> 00:05:47.589 Empire, you had people from all over. And they're 00:05:47.589 --> 00:05:50.410 all coming to Jerusalem at that moment. And they 00:05:50.410 --> 00:05:54.589 start hearing these guys from Galilee speaking 00:05:54.589 --> 00:06:00.470 in their languages. The wonders, the good news 00:06:00.470 --> 00:06:05.410 of God's love. And it tells us, no exaggeration. 00:06:05.910 --> 00:06:11.170 It tells us here, here we are, Parthians. Medes, 00:06:11.170 --> 00:06:16.089 Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, 00:06:16.310 --> 00:06:20.689 Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, 00:06:20.889 --> 00:06:24.649 Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, 00:06:24.790 --> 00:06:28.129 visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to 00:06:28.129 --> 00:06:32.649 Judaism, Cretans and Arabs. Fifteen different 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:38.209 groups mentioned in this list. And all of them, 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:43.379 experiencing what was happening at the same time. 00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:46.800 And we all hear these people speaking in our 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.259 own languages about the wonderful things God 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:55.000 has done. What were they hearing in their own 00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:00.040 language? The wonderful things that God had done. 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:04.660 Because Jesus had just been crucified. He had 00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:07.860 just resurrected. He has just ascended to heaven. 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:10.879 And now the Holy Spirit is empowering the apostles. 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:14.279 To share with the whole world. About the amazing 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:18.139 news of God's love. And they stood there amazed 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:22.879 and perplexed. What can this mean? They asked 00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:29.689 to each other. Yet. Others in the crowd ridiculed 00:07:29.689 --> 00:07:33.050 them, saying they're just drunk, that's all. 00:07:34.110 --> 00:07:40.529 And at that moment, Peter is going to stand up, 00:07:40.629 --> 00:07:44.889 and for the first time in human history, he's 00:07:44.889 --> 00:07:50.060 going to preach the gospel. You might remember 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:53.279 that Jesus had told him earlier in his ministry 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:56.399 that he was going to give him the keys of the 00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:01.100 kingdom. And now you have Peter opening the door 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:05.660 to the kingdom. Inviting people from all nations 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:11.860 to come and join the followers of Jesus. And 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:15.500 become people indwelled by the love of God through 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:19.500 the Holy Spirit. And now Peter is going to take 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:23.620 this moment to make that invitation very clear 00:08:23.620 --> 00:08:27.120 and plain to all of these people. And this will 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:31.660 mark the beginning of the church. So this is 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:37.220 what Peter says. Peter stepped forward with the 00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:44.919 11 other apostles and shouted to the crowd. Listen 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:48.870 carefully all of you. Fellow Jews and residents 00:08:48.870 --> 00:08:54.450 of Jerusalem, make no mistake about this. These 00:08:54.450 --> 00:08:57.909 people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. 00:08:58.610 --> 00:09:02.649 Nine o 'clock in the morning is much too early 00:09:02.649 --> 00:09:07.929 for that. No, what you see was predicted long 00:09:07.929 --> 00:09:13.250 ago by the prophet Joel. And now he's going to 00:09:13.250 --> 00:09:17.019 quote. An old prophecy from a book in the Old 00:09:17.019 --> 00:09:21.340 Testament called Joel. And this is what he said. 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:26.779 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my 00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:32.000 spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:35.860 will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. 00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:41.269 And your old men will dream dreams. You won't 00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:43.950 have to come to the temple in Jerusalem to experience 00:09:43.950 --> 00:09:47.809 God. You will experience God's presence in you. 00:09:50.110 --> 00:09:54.850 In those days, I will pour out my spirit even 00:09:54.850 --> 00:09:59.590 on my servants, men and women alike. And they 00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:04.129 will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the 00:10:04.129 --> 00:10:07.490 heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood 00:10:07.490 --> 00:10:11.389 and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become 00:10:11.389 --> 00:10:16.309 dark and the moon will turn blood red before 00:10:16.309 --> 00:10:18.830 that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 00:10:19.110 --> 00:10:23.169 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord 00:10:23.169 --> 00:10:29.309 will be saved. And with this, he finishes the 00:10:29.309 --> 00:10:33.929 quotation of Joel. He's telling them, look, the 00:10:33.929 --> 00:10:37.330 day was coming where God was going to give them 00:10:37.330 --> 00:10:42.919 his spirit to all people. It didn't matter whether 00:10:42.919 --> 00:10:45.620 you were young or old. It didn't matter whether 00:10:45.620 --> 00:10:47.559 you were a man or a woman. It didn't matter. 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:54.240 Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:59.379 be filled with God's love and be saved. Did it 00:10:59.379 --> 00:11:04.039 matter where they came from? No. Did it matter 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:07.860 what they had done and how bad of a people they 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:13.009 were? No. Anyone who calls on the name of the 00:11:13.009 --> 00:11:18.750 Lord will be saved. And he continues. People 00:11:18.750 --> 00:11:23.330 of Israel, listen. God publicly endorsed Jesus 00:11:23.330 --> 00:11:27.629 the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, 00:11:27.830 --> 00:11:33.169 and signs through him, as you well know. But 00:11:33.169 --> 00:11:37.960 God knew what would happen. And his prearranged 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:41.240 plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:45.379 With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:51.559 him to a cross and you killed him. But God released 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:55.379 him from the horrors of death. And raised him 00:11:55.379 --> 00:11:59.080 back to life. For death could not keep him in 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:04.210 its grip. King David said this about him. And 00:12:04.210 --> 00:12:06.350 now he's going to quote another book, the book 00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:09.850 of Psalms in the Old Testament, about these prophecies 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:12.629 about Jesus. And he's going to quote two times 00:12:12.629 --> 00:12:19.450 the words of King David. Here he says, I see 00:12:19.450 --> 00:12:22.230 that the Lord is always with me. I will not be 00:12:22.230 --> 00:12:26.210 shaken for he is right beside me. No wonder my 00:12:26.210 --> 00:12:29.009 heart is glad and my tongue shouts his praises. 00:12:29.009 --> 00:12:32.700 My body rests in hope. For you will not leave 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:36.159 my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:40.399 to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:44.279 of life and you will fill me with the joy of 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:49.779 your presence. Dear brothers, think about this. 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:53.539 You can be sure that the patriarch David who 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:57.179 wrote this wasn't referring to himself. For he 00:12:57.179 --> 00:13:00.320 died and was buried and in fact we have his tomb 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:06.360 right here among us in Jerusalem. No, he wasn't 00:13:06.360 --> 00:13:09.740 talking about him. He was a prophet and he knew 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:14.419 God had promised with an oath that one day one 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:18.620 of David's own descendants would sit on his throne. 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:23.679 David was looking into the future. And speaking 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:27.480 about the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:33.100 this. That God would not leave him among the 00:13:33.100 --> 00:13:36.519 dead. Or allow his body to rot in the grave. 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:40.000 He was talking about Jesus. Not about himself. 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:45.259 And God raised Jesus from the dead. And we are 00:13:45.259 --> 00:13:50.129 all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the 00:13:50.129 --> 00:13:54.429 place of highest honor in heaven. At God's right 00:13:54.429 --> 00:13:59.830 hand. And the father as he had promised. Gave 00:13:59.830 --> 00:14:03.309 him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us. Just 00:14:03.309 --> 00:14:07.129 as you see and hear today. For David himself 00:14:07.129 --> 00:14:10.789 never ascended into heaven. Yet he said this. 00:14:10.809 --> 00:14:14.730 And here is the second quote. The Lord said to 00:14:14.730 --> 00:14:18.279 my Lord. Sit in the place of honor at my right 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:21.559 hand. Until I humble your enemies. Making them 00:14:21.559 --> 00:14:26.519 a footstool under your feet. So let everyone 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:32.679 in Israel know. For certain. That God has made 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:36.779 this Jesus whom you crucified. To be both Lord 00:14:36.779 --> 00:14:45.120 and Messiah. Peter's words. pierced their hearts. 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:49.779 And they said to him and to the other apostles, 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:57.240 Brothers, what should we do? Peter replied, Each 00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:02.779 of you must repent of your sins, turn to God, 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:05.559 be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:08.240 forgiveness of your sins, and then you will receive 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:13.820 the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is 00:15:13.820 --> 00:15:17.759 not just to you, it's also to your children and 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:21.799 to those far away, all who have been called by 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:26.799 the Lord our God. Then Peter continued preaching 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:31.139 for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:38.139 save yourself from this crooked generation. Those 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:43.279 who believed what Peter said, were baptized and 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:48.759 added to the church that day about 3 ,000 in 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:52.620 all. All the believers devoted themselves to 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:56.100 the apostles' teaching and to fellowship and 00:15:56.100 --> 00:15:58.740 to sharing in meals including the Lord's Supper 00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:04.120 and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:07.740 them all. And the apostles performed many miraculous 00:16:07.740 --> 00:16:10.779 signs and wonders. And all the believers met 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:13.899 together in one place and shared everything they 00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:17.399 had. They sold their property and possessions 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:20.620 and shared the money with those in need. And 00:16:20.620 --> 00:16:22.940 they worshipped together at the temple each day, 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:26.419 met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:30.620 their meals with great joy and generosity. All 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:36.039 this while praising God. And enjoying the goodwill. 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:43.940 Of all the people. Each day. The Lord added to 00:16:43.940 --> 00:16:47.820 their fellowship. Those who were being saved. 00:16:48.460 --> 00:16:53.179 And this. Is the end. Of the historical account. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:58.620 Of the first. Humans. Who heard the good news 00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:02.700 about God's love. Responded to him. And were 00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:06.190 transformed. By the presence of the Holy Spirit 00:17:06.190 --> 00:17:11.190 in their lives. And from that moment until today. 00:17:11.210 --> 00:17:16.789 The invitation remains the same. God wants you 00:17:16.789 --> 00:17:21.410 and I to experience. The presence and the power 00:17:21.410 --> 00:17:26.190 of his love. Because his love is healing. His 00:17:26.190 --> 00:17:31.650 life transforms. And his love has a name. The 00:17:31.650 --> 00:17:36.180 Holy Spirit. Jesus promised him. It was fulfilled 00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:39.440 at Pentecost. And the invitation remains today. 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:44.400 For you and for me. To grow in intimacy with 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:48.400 the Holy Spirit. So that his love. Will continue 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:54.200 to transform us and heal us. But God's love. 00:17:56.079 --> 00:18:01.960 Is one part of the equation. He loves us. And 00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:05.400 He has done everything in His power so that we 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:10.180 can now experience His love and walk in it. But 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:14.579 the other part of the equation is the response 00:18:14.579 --> 00:18:22.500 of people to God's love. And that's why this 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:26.440 passage is so revealing. Because if you want 00:18:26.440 --> 00:18:29.759 to grow in intimacy with God, if you want the 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:33.460 love of God, to heal deeper parts of your being, 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:40.380 then we have to understand what is the response 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:46.460 to God's love. And this is what Peter told the 00:18:46.460 --> 00:18:51.119 first audience. If you want to receive the love 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:54.880 of God, the Holy Spirit in you, you will have 00:18:54.880 --> 00:19:01.710 to first repent. You will repent and turn to 00:19:01.710 --> 00:19:06.829 God and be baptized as a follower of Jesus. And 00:19:06.829 --> 00:19:09.910 then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:19:12.750 --> 00:19:18.890 Repentance, as it turns out, is the response 00:19:18.890 --> 00:19:24.809 of the heart that is willing to acknowledge that 00:19:24.809 --> 00:19:29.210 I've been in the wrong. I've been in the wrong 00:19:29.210 --> 00:19:33.809 about who you are, about who I am, and about 00:19:33.809 --> 00:19:38.009 what life is about. I have been in the wrong. 00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:44.509 I was mistaken. I was confused. I was misled. 00:19:44.789 --> 00:19:48.650 And now I can see the truth. The truth about 00:19:48.650 --> 00:19:51.809 who you are, about who I am, and about what life 00:19:51.809 --> 00:19:59.250 is about. Repentance. Is that response that Peter 00:19:59.250 --> 00:20:09.329 says we need to experience. And he is going to 00:20:09.329 --> 00:20:14.730 guide these first Christians. I should say pre 00:20:14.730 --> 00:20:19.349 -Christians. In answering these questions. And 00:20:19.349 --> 00:20:23.640 you can see. That the first sign of this repentance 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:27.440 that he's talking to them about is a change of 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:36.720 mind about who Jesus is. Because all of us come 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:40.819 from a background where we did not know who Jesus 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:48.140 was. And at some point, when you hear what Jesus 00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:52.089 had come to do on, he accomplished. This story 00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:58.269 is so powerful that some people say it's just 00:20:58.269 --> 00:21:02.730 too good to be true. It's too good to be true 00:21:02.730 --> 00:21:06.369 that God loves me so much that He came down to 00:21:06.369 --> 00:21:09.690 pay for my sins so that I can be forgiven. It's 00:21:09.690 --> 00:21:15.470 too good to be true. And other people say, no, 00:21:15.670 --> 00:21:22.039 this cannot be true. Jesus was just a good guy, 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:24.900 you know, a good teacher, but the son of God, 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:28.140 he died and resurrected. All that's just myth. 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:37.279 If you want to experience the love of God, you 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:40.819 will first have to experience a change of mind 00:21:40.819 --> 00:21:46.279 about who Jesus is. And this first audience, 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:50.829 especially, were the ones Who crucified Jesus. 00:21:51.849 --> 00:21:55.549 They thought Jesus was a fake. That deserved 00:21:55.549 --> 00:22:03.250 to be killed. And now Peter tells them. Let everyone 00:22:03.250 --> 00:22:06.250 in Israel know. For certain that God has made 00:22:06.250 --> 00:22:09.670 this Jesus. Whom you crucified to be. Both Lord 00:22:09.670 --> 00:22:18.759 and Messiah. Messiah means anointed one. And 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:22.700 it was the promise from the beginning that God 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:26.359 was going to send one in the future that was 00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:29.460 going to be a descendant of King David from the 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:33.059 tribe of Judah, from the nation of Israel, to 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:36.759 become the savior of the world. He was going 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:40.619 to be born out of a virgin. And he was going 00:22:40.619 --> 00:22:45.779 to become the one that would defeat Satan, sin, 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:50.200 and death. And one day he was going to establish 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:53.740 a new heaven and a new earth and establish a 00:22:53.740 --> 00:22:56.559 new kingdom that was going to be the home of 00:22:56.559 --> 00:23:03.759 righteousness. This being was the Messiah. And 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:09.380 now Peter says, Jesus is that Messiah. He is 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:12.940 the fulfillment of these promises. And you have 00:23:12.940 --> 00:23:21.019 to accept and acknowledge that. And that is what 00:23:21.019 --> 00:23:26.099 stopped many people from experiencing the love 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:29.700 of God in their lives. Not because God does not 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:33.640 love them, but because they refuse to repent 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:39.880 and to acknowledge that I have been wrong all 00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:44.400 of my life. That's a hard thing to acknowledge. 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:55.759 But if it is the truth, wouldn't you care more 00:23:55.759 --> 00:24:05.779 about truth? I was six years old when I heard 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:09.660 the good news about what Jesus had done. And 00:24:09.660 --> 00:24:14.140 I felt compelled by the love of God. I remember 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:17.140 that I was with my father in my bedroom and I 00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:21.220 went on my knees. After talking with him. And 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:26.279 I asked Jesus to save me. And I remember feeling. 00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:30.640 Overwhelmed by two things. The realization that 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:35.200 I was a sinner. And the realization that how 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:43.380 much God loved me. And I remember that I was 00:24:43.380 --> 00:24:46.180 just crying and crying and crying non -stop. 00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:50.029 And my sister. Looked into the room and I remember 00:24:50.029 --> 00:24:55.230 her asking. Why is Pablo crying so much? It was 00:24:55.230 --> 00:24:58.769 a combination of conviction and joy. And awareness 00:24:58.769 --> 00:25:04.650 of just God's love. And I realized. That that 00:25:04.650 --> 00:25:06.869 was not just my experience. It's the experience 00:25:06.869 --> 00:25:10.390 of many people who have come. To surrender their 00:25:10.390 --> 00:25:17.529 lives to the Messiah. If you are here today. 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:22.779 And you are wrestling with accepting the fact 00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:26.980 that Jesus is the Savior of the world. That He 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:33.619 is indeed what the Bible says. Then I'm here 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:38.740 to invite you. God is calling you to Him. He 00:25:38.740 --> 00:25:42.220 wants you to experience His love. And the first 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:45.059 thing that you will have to do is to believe 00:25:45.059 --> 00:25:50.109 and accept who Jesus is. Would you open your 00:25:50.109 --> 00:25:57.789 heart to him? I would like to pause for a second. 00:25:59.130 --> 00:26:03.130 There's a noise that I hear. Do you know what 00:26:03.130 --> 00:26:11.650 that is? I don't want it to remain there in the 00:26:11.650 --> 00:26:14.309 background and be distracting. You hear that? 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:23.980 Do we know where that is coming from? Is it outside 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:31.039 or is it in here? Okay. Good. Let's move to the 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:41.019 next part. Will you read this verse aloud with 00:26:41.019 --> 00:26:45.740 me? So let everyone in Israel know for certain. 00:26:46.349 --> 00:26:49.089 That God has made this Jesus. Whom you crucify. 00:26:49.369 --> 00:26:54.630 To be both Lord and Messiah. Did you notice that 00:26:54.630 --> 00:26:58.549 Jesus is described with two words? Not only Messiah. 00:26:59.190 --> 00:27:05.490 Or what was the other word? Lord. He has been 00:27:05.490 --> 00:27:16.309 given all authority on heaven and on earth. And 00:27:16.309 --> 00:27:20.990 to experience God's love requires not only a 00:27:20.990 --> 00:27:25.269 change of mind about who Jesus is, but about 00:27:25.269 --> 00:27:31.869 how I relate to him. And what God wants you to 00:27:31.869 --> 00:27:38.589 acknowledge is that Jesus is Lord, not just Savior. 00:27:40.710 --> 00:27:45.480 What I mean... Is that there is a change of allegiance 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:50.619 that happens in which now I submit my life to 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:57.700 Jesus. I remember when I was in Mexico City serving 00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:00.799 there in the church plant ministry that we had. 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:06.579 I got to meet a guy that was born in a Christian 00:28:06.579 --> 00:28:09.680 family and he went to church since he was young. 00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:15.359 And we met at a youth camp. Summer camp. And 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:19.000 as we were. Riding back home. In the car he was 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:22.519 telling me. His experience. Because it had been 00:28:22.519 --> 00:28:26.420 a transformational experience. Completely for 00:28:26.420 --> 00:28:30.019 him. To have attended that camp. Because he says 00:28:30.019 --> 00:28:36.079 you know. I. Believed. That God loved me. And 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:40.539 I believed that Jesus had died for my sins. But 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:44.980 I reasoned. that if God loved me so much, I could 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:47.400 sin all I want because salvation at the end was 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:53.180 by grace. So that's what I did. I was dating 00:28:53.180 --> 00:28:55.759 all these girls, having sex with all of them. 00:28:55.819 --> 00:28:58.759 I was doing all this life, drinking, having fun. 00:28:58.900 --> 00:29:01.759 I was doing all of these things while at the 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:09.019 same time going to church on Sundays. But it 00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:15.529 had never occurred to me That Jesus was not my 00:29:15.529 --> 00:29:20.509 Lord. Because that was not a category in my thought. 00:29:22.809 --> 00:29:28.970 And for the first time in his life, I still remember 00:29:28.970 --> 00:29:34.650 his name, Sergio. For the first time in his life, 00:29:34.849 --> 00:29:40.029 he actually submitted his life to Lord Jesus. 00:29:43.049 --> 00:29:48.849 And now he was able to really say, Jesus, you 00:29:48.849 --> 00:29:55.569 are both Lord and Messiah. And his story is not 00:29:55.569 --> 00:30:02.549 unique. I sat down with a teenager once who also 00:30:02.549 --> 00:30:06.490 grew up in a Christian home. Who also said, I 00:30:06.490 --> 00:30:09.490 believe in Jesus. And I asked him this question. 00:30:09.990 --> 00:30:16.750 Have you ever? Repented. Of your sins. And he 00:30:16.750 --> 00:30:22.049 looked at me. With big eyes. And after a few 00:30:22.049 --> 00:30:32.910 seconds. He says. No. Never. Do you realize. 00:30:33.089 --> 00:30:38.150 That the Bible says. That even demons. Evil spirits. 00:30:38.710 --> 00:30:45.329 Acknowledge that Jesus. Is the Messiah. Satan 00:30:45.329 --> 00:30:50.950 is not an atheist. The problem is not believing. 00:30:52.529 --> 00:30:59.329 The problem is. Submitting. And repentance. Something 00:30:59.329 --> 00:31:01.730 that demons and Satan and evil spirits don't 00:31:01.730 --> 00:31:07.420 have. Is the response. To God's love. Is to acknowledge. 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:11.619 That I have been living my life in my own terms. 00:31:12.680 --> 00:31:17.059 And I have not been entrusting my life. To your 00:31:17.059 --> 00:31:22.599 love. And therefore I repent. Of being my own 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:26.640 Lord. And now I'm going to have only one Lord 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:35.359 in my life. And that is you. Lord. Jesus. And 00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:41.079 this is something that God wants all of us to 00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:45.920 experience. That's why Peter replies to the audience 00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:48.960 at that moment and he says, each of you must 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:53.480 repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized 00:31:53.480 --> 00:31:55.980 in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness 00:31:55.980 --> 00:31:59.519 of your sins. Then you will receive the gift 00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:08.460 of the Holy Spirit. Have you submitted to the 00:32:08.460 --> 00:32:22.460 authority of Jesus? Is Jesus your Lord? If you 00:32:22.460 --> 00:32:24.660 are thinking, well, God loves me and that's all 00:32:24.660 --> 00:32:27.900 I care about. Nothing I do changes anything. 00:32:28.839 --> 00:32:35.420 I'm saved by grace. Yes. Amen to that. But that 00:32:35.420 --> 00:32:39.039 is not the issue. The issue is not whether God 00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:46.640 loves you. It's whether you love God. And you 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:54.559 cannot love God without submission. Because Jesus 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:59.799 said, if you love me, you will obey me. And that 00:32:59.799 --> 00:33:03.720 submission to Lord Jesus Is something that the 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:07.660 Holy Spirit will do in your life. And will start 00:33:07.660 --> 00:33:13.299 transforming one area after the other. If you 00:33:13.299 --> 00:33:19.880 repent. But the last part of the repentance. 00:33:20.440 --> 00:33:26.660 Was the change of direction. He tells them. Not 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.380 only repent and turn to God, but you are going 00:33:29.380 --> 00:33:33.759 to be baptized as a follower of Jesus. And what 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:36.019 is amazing is that when we celebrate baptisms, 00:33:36.039 --> 00:33:39.900 we are symbolizing that I died to my old life, 00:33:40.019 --> 00:33:43.680 and now I come alive to a new life driven by 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:48.000 love for God. Now I'm following Jesus until the 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:54.349 end. It's a change of direction. Before I was 00:33:54.349 --> 00:33:57.369 going wherever the world took me. Wherever my 00:33:57.369 --> 00:34:00.549 friends said. Whatever my feelings led me to. 00:34:01.369 --> 00:34:07.589 And now. Repentance means. That I am a follower 00:34:07.589 --> 00:34:10.389 of Jesus. And there is a change of direction 00:34:10.389 --> 00:34:14.429 in my life. Because now. I'm living my life. 00:34:14.469 --> 00:34:21.849 Not for myself. But for him. And this aspect. 00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:25.679 It's an aspect in which you will have to trust 00:34:25.679 --> 00:34:30.360 the love of God for you and submit to the love 00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:32.820 of the Holy Spirit to lead you into that future 00:34:32.820 --> 00:34:36.960 that you fear. Because that future that you fear, 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:41.000 if you are following the Lord, the Lord is already 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:45.280 there. There's nothing to fear when you are following 00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:51.260 Jesus. But are you following Jesus? Or are you 00:34:51.260 --> 00:34:55.119 just believing in his love, but not really trusting 00:34:55.119 --> 00:35:02.159 him as to follow him? If you want to experience 00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:07.079 the healing love of God in your life, you will 00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:09.380 have to pay attention to what Peter told the 00:35:09.380 --> 00:35:15.079 first audience. Repent. Acknowledge who Jesus 00:35:15.079 --> 00:35:21.630 is. Submit to him as your Lord. And follow Him. 00:35:22.909 --> 00:35:26.570 Because that is true repentance. And true repentance 00:35:26.570 --> 00:35:30.409 means that now the love of God is going to be 00:35:30.409 --> 00:35:38.750 filling every part of your being. And that's 00:35:38.750 --> 00:35:45.409 the promise. Not just for them, but for you. 00:35:46.190 --> 00:35:52.340 For me. For our children. For those who are far 00:35:52.340 --> 00:35:56.800 away, anyone who has been called by God, invited 00:35:56.800 --> 00:36:01.739 into this new life of following the Lord. So 00:36:01.739 --> 00:36:06.199 now that you have heard the account of Acts 2, 00:36:06.360 --> 00:36:09.559 the fulfillment of the coming of the Holy Spirit 00:36:09.559 --> 00:36:13.019 into our lives, the beginning and the birth of 00:36:13.019 --> 00:36:16.889 the church, now you know. The connection between 00:36:16.889 --> 00:36:20.989 God's love. And our response as repentance. So 00:36:20.989 --> 00:36:27.630 if you are feeling lost. What you need. Is Jesus. 00:36:28.849 --> 00:36:32.849 So that you can experience. The Holy Spirit in 00:36:32.849 --> 00:36:37.869 you. And the love of God in you. If you have 00:36:37.869 --> 00:36:43.489 lost your feeling. What you need. Is a deeper 00:36:43.489 --> 00:36:48.769 intimacy. With God. And to come to God. And let 00:36:48.769 --> 00:36:51.730 the love of God through the Holy Spirit. Heal. 00:36:53.809 --> 00:36:58.289 That deep wound of your soul. So whether you 00:36:58.289 --> 00:37:00.349 feel lost. Or whether you've lost your feeling. 00:37:00.510 --> 00:37:06.789 The answer is the same. Holy Spirit. Would you. 00:37:07.949 --> 00:37:14.230 Invite. Today the Holy Spirit to. Encounter you. 00:37:14.909 --> 00:37:18.449 And to grow in deeper intimacy with him. As you 00:37:18.449 --> 00:37:22.750 follow Jesus. So I would like to conclude this 00:37:22.750 --> 00:37:27.510 study. With these three questions. Because the 00:37:27.510 --> 00:37:30.130 Holy Spirit is the love of God put in your heart. 00:37:30.309 --> 00:37:35.389 And therefore I ask you. Have you repented? If 00:37:35.389 --> 00:37:38.489 you've never repented of your sins. Now is the 00:37:38.489 --> 00:37:41.369 time to repent before God. Because he wants to 00:37:41.369 --> 00:37:45.300 forgive you. But you have to respond to his love 00:37:45.300 --> 00:37:51.420 first. The second question. Is have you submitted 00:37:51.420 --> 00:37:55.420 to Lord Jesus. Because he wants to embrace you. 00:37:56.800 --> 00:38:00.500 But you have to submit to him first. If you never 00:38:00.500 --> 00:38:04.239 have acknowledged Jesus as the Lord of your life. 00:38:04.440 --> 00:38:11.000 Do that today. He will lead you. With intimacy. 00:38:11.019 --> 00:38:17.400 With care. As a shepherd with the lamb. And finally. 00:38:18.579 --> 00:38:22.659 Are you following him? Not just believing in 00:38:22.659 --> 00:38:27.699 his love. But following him. Into the life that 00:38:27.699 --> 00:38:31.420 he is calling you to. Because he wants to guide 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:36.199 you. But you have to respond to his love first. 00:38:38.260 --> 00:38:46.460 By repentance. Lord, we say, Holy Fire, follow 00:38:46.460 --> 00:38:53.159 us. We want your power. We say, living water, 00:38:53.380 --> 00:39:00.679 run within. Bring change and transformation. 00:39:00.679 --> 00:39:07.480 But Lord, what we hear today is very personal. 00:39:09.769 --> 00:39:12.929 Because after we pray that and after we sing 00:39:12.929 --> 00:39:17.909 that, you ask us back, do you really mean it? 00:39:20.329 --> 00:39:23.230 Because it will require deep repentance on you. 00:39:27.630 --> 00:39:38.329 So Lord, today let repentance reign. Flow through 00:39:38.329 --> 00:39:46.800 this space. As you encounter us. Break. The walls 00:39:46.800 --> 00:39:57.539 of unbelief. Break. The pride. Break the fear. 00:39:59.940 --> 00:40:07.099 We submit to you. Lord Jesus. Let your love. 00:40:09.949 --> 00:40:40.010 Empower us. In Jesus' name we pray. you will 00:40:40.010 --> 00:40:43.769 find giving options on our website. And remember 00:40:43.769 --> 00:40:46.550 to join us next week. God bless you.