WEBVTT 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:21.460 If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:26.719 The old has passed away, and behold, the new 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:33.039 has come. All of this is from God, who through 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:37.359 Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:40.240 us the ministry of reconciliation. That is... 00:00:40.810 --> 00:00:44.630 In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself 00:00:44.630 --> 00:00:47.990 and not counting their trespasses against them 00:00:47.990 --> 00:00:51.789 and entrusting to us. Would you look at a few 00:00:51.789 --> 00:00:54.929 people and say, entrusting to us. Can you do 00:00:54.929 --> 00:01:00.929 that? Entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 00:01:02.289 --> 00:01:07.390 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. God 00:01:07.390 --> 00:01:13.780 is making his appeal. Through us. Think about 00:01:13.780 --> 00:01:19.760 that. Just ponder that for a moment. God is making 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:26.540 his appeal through us. I just stop and just. 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:29.939 This is why my series takes so long. Because 00:01:29.939 --> 00:01:35.939 I never stay on my notes. If I were God. I would 00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:40.120 not put this whole thing on us. Just saying. 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:44.079 I look at myself in the mirror. I look at you 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:53.079 and me, and I go, give my only begotten son, 00:01:53.260 --> 00:01:59.319 spill his blood, watch him move with agony at 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:03.079 every step, and then say, and I'm going to hand 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:08.629 it to people who've fallen at every level. And 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:12.810 they are going to do the great commission. Just 00:02:12.810 --> 00:02:22.770 saying. That is amazing. The mind of man will 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:28.110 never fully understand the mind of Christ. But 00:02:28.110 --> 00:02:32.229 yet we have the ability to know his thoughts 00:02:32.229 --> 00:02:35.810 and his ways because they're higher. And how 00:02:35.810 --> 00:02:41.500 amazing. How amazing that God Almighty who formed 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:46.639 the universe and called life out of himself through 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.860 Jesus Christ. The word that came out of Christ 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:53.560 and formed the very earth and the existence of 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:56.479 you and I. And the world hangs by the power of 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:00.460 his word. How powerful that redemption and the 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:04.080 power of the message is now given to you and 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:10.250 I. That's what this is about. It's about the 00:03:10.250 --> 00:03:12.870 good news. It's about the gospel. It's about 00:03:12.870 --> 00:03:17.050 the life transforming power of Jesus Christ that 00:03:17.050 --> 00:03:21.129 is able to touch every life from every side of 00:03:21.129 --> 00:03:25.409 the track up, down, back, forward. God can bring 00:03:25.409 --> 00:03:29.330 a change into every person's life and it's the 00:03:29.330 --> 00:03:33.990 only change that will matter for eternity. Now. 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:41.580 He's given you and I entrusting us with the message 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:47.080 of reconciliation. Making us ambassadors. Making 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:50.120 His appeal through us. The rest of the verse, 00:03:50.259 --> 00:03:55.280 we implore you now. We implore you on behalf 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:01.819 of Christ. Be reconciled to God. For our sake, 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:09.539 He made Him. To be sin. The one who knew no sin. 00:04:09.860 --> 00:04:14.039 So that in Jesus, we might become the righteousness 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:23.639 of God. That's the gospel. That our sin would 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:27.639 not be counted against us. And that as we are 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:33.339 in Him, it is His righteousness that now covers 00:04:33.339 --> 00:04:42.600 us, not our own. Not our own efforts. His. His 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:45.920 righteousness is through faith. It's imputed 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:50.199 to us. The old is gone and the new has come. 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:55.040 The slide here says you're not just in the faith. 00:04:55.899 --> 00:05:00.699 You're called to be part of the community of 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:06.709 faith. 17 years. That's a... relatively very, 00:05:06.870 --> 00:05:14.209 very short amount of time. But it is part of 00:05:14.209 --> 00:05:18.569 the message to this area, to this people, to 00:05:18.569 --> 00:05:22.009 this region, and to the world. The things that 00:05:22.009 --> 00:05:24.430 God allows people to come out of this house. 00:05:24.689 --> 00:05:27.110 The message to come out of this house from the 00:05:27.110 --> 00:05:30.540 gospel to go to the nations. As we were singing 00:05:30.540 --> 00:05:33.379 that song, Sweet Aroma, I remember when that 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:36.180 was penned. I remember the themes that I were 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:39.279 at. Going to the nations. Let it rise to the 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:44.980 nations. Let it rise to the Lord. Man. We're 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:50.420 called out of what we were in to be part of that 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:55.079 great community called the church. We're called 00:05:55.079 --> 00:05:58.199 to be ambassadors and reconcilers. That means 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:02.060 that every one of us has a job. Every one of 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:07.319 us has a commission. 1 Peter 2 .9, if we could 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:10.980 put that on the screen. But you are a chosen 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:16.240 people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:22.129 for God's own possession. I don't know, for those 00:06:22.129 --> 00:06:24.290 of you that are here today, I don't know if you 00:06:24.290 --> 00:06:26.930 know what that was taken out of, but that verse 00:06:26.930 --> 00:06:31.009 was specifically lifted right out of the Old 00:06:31.009 --> 00:06:35.149 Testament, brought through the cross, and Peter 00:06:35.149 --> 00:06:38.050 penned it by the Holy Spirit saying, listen, 00:06:38.189 --> 00:06:41.790 God did to natural Israel, he was quoting this 00:06:41.790 --> 00:06:45.350 verse, he said to natural Israel, you're my own 00:06:45.350 --> 00:06:49.029 special people, you're my holy chosen people, 00:06:49.209 --> 00:06:52.100 birthed out of... out of natural lineage. But 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:55.839 after Jesus, he doesn't just take those that 00:06:55.839 --> 00:06:58.439 are natural birth. That's done away with. He 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:01.180 takes those that are born again by the Spirit, 00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:04.680 both Jew and Gentile. And he says, listen, every 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:07.360 one of you now, not just a few select people, 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:12.610 but every one of you are a... Holy race, a chosen 00:07:12.610 --> 00:07:16.050 people, a holy nation. And when he says holy 00:07:16.050 --> 00:07:19.649 race, he means of every race, of every creed 00:07:19.649 --> 00:07:24.370 and every color. It is now not just one Hebraic 00:07:24.370 --> 00:07:31.009 Jewish race. It is all Arab, Israeli, Gentile, 00:07:31.009 --> 00:07:35.689 Chinese, Brazilian, American, Cuban. You name 00:07:35.689 --> 00:07:43.810 it, it's in there if they know Jesus. A holy 00:07:43.810 --> 00:07:48.730 race. A holy nation. It says this, you were chosen 00:07:48.730 --> 00:07:55.189 to tell about the wonderful acts of God. So 2 00:07:55.189 --> 00:07:58.290 Corinthians, Paul tells us, we are ambassadors 00:07:58.290 --> 00:08:01.730 and we've been given the message of teaching, 00:08:01.930 --> 00:08:07.029 sharing, releasing the message about God's salvific 00:08:07.029 --> 00:08:11.959 reconciliation. Through Jesus Christ. Peter says 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:14.959 the same thing. He says you're God's own possession. 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:17.800 You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts 00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:21.939 of God who called you out of darkness into his 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:27.240 wonderful light. At one time, you were not a 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:30.720 people. That doesn't mean that you're not a person. 00:08:32.169 --> 00:08:34.490 He says, you weren't a gathering of a people. 00:08:34.610 --> 00:08:37.669 You didn't have a bookend. You were scattered. 00:08:37.889 --> 00:08:40.830 You were aimless without God calling you to yourself. 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:46.950 But now you are God's people. In the past, you'd 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:50.610 never received mercy. But now you've received 00:08:50.610 --> 00:08:56.750 God's mercy. The community that we are involved 00:08:56.750 --> 00:09:01.210 with is centered around Jesus Christ. And because 00:09:01.210 --> 00:09:05.269 he is the center, all who love him, his word, 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:09.230 his holiness, his life, his truth, his grace, 00:09:09.309 --> 00:09:13.009 his presence, are to love those who are connected 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:16.730 to him in the same way. If you love him, you 00:09:16.730 --> 00:09:19.149 love his grace, you love his mercy, you love 00:09:19.149 --> 00:09:22.870 his presence, then you have to love who he calls 00:09:22.870 --> 00:09:29.980 to himself. Acts chapter 2. Very fitting this 00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:31.779 morning you turn there in your Bible, Acts chapter 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:36.539 2. We believe in the book of Acts in all of its 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:43.679 entirety. We believe that the book of Acts is 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:50.740 still being written. Why? It's the Acts of... 00:09:51.680 --> 00:09:54.460 Christians, it doesn't mean that Scripture is 00:09:54.460 --> 00:09:57.620 still being written, but the acts of God are 00:09:57.620 --> 00:10:01.179 still being recorded. There are multiple thousands 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:04.240 and millions of miracles that have taken place 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:06.919 in the name of Jesus that are still happening 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:12.240 today all around the world. Acts 2, 41 through 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:14.600 47, I want to read that this morning. I want 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:18.879 you to catch the together, the they, the there. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:23.809 Listen to this. Those who believed what Peter 00:10:23.809 --> 00:10:27.110 said were baptized and added to the church that 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:32.169 day. About 3 ,000 in all. All the believers devoted 00:10:32.169 --> 00:10:37.509 themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, 00:10:37.809 --> 00:10:41.870 to sharing meals, including the Lord's Supper, 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:48.529 and to prayer. Four things. How many can count 00:10:48.529 --> 00:10:53.120 to four this morning? Four things. Folks, these 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:59.679 four things should never be departed from. They 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:04.000 are the foundation. Four always means complete. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:07.000 Not seven, which is perfection, but four, north, 00:11:07.139 --> 00:11:10.799 south, east, west. It is the print. That's why 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:13.720 there's... Four faces on the heavenly creatures 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:16.240 before the throne. Why? It's complete. It shows 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:20.059 the fullness. These four things show the fullness 00:11:20.059 --> 00:11:24.480 of what should be in the life of every single 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:28.080 person that names Jesus Christ as their Savior. 00:11:28.139 --> 00:11:33.500 Ready? Number one, the apostles' teaching. Meaning 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:39.389 what? The Bible. You should be getting the apostles' 00:11:39.570 --> 00:11:41.690 teaching. Why was it important that the apostles 00:11:41.690 --> 00:11:44.789 taught it? And what was the apostles' teaching? 00:11:44.970 --> 00:11:49.409 The apostles were interpreting the 39 books of 00:11:49.409 --> 00:11:52.350 the Old Testament through the now Holy Spirit. 00:11:52.470 --> 00:11:56.789 And that's why we have the new. We've got 27 00:11:56.789 --> 00:12:00.549 books in this New Testament that come from the 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:04.769 foundations of the 39. You don't just read the 00:12:04.769 --> 00:12:08.149 new and have no understanding of where the 27 00:12:08.149 --> 00:12:11.549 books came from. They came from that which was 00:12:11.549 --> 00:12:15.450 spoken and released in the 39. And God breathed 00:12:15.450 --> 00:12:19.830 fresh grace on them for you and I. The apostles' 00:12:20.049 --> 00:12:26.210 teaching. Number two, to fellowship. That word 00:12:26.210 --> 00:12:28.450 then that we looked at a few weeks ago, koinonia. 00:12:29.029 --> 00:12:33.519 Not to be in Christ. Or part of Christ. But doing 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:38.320 Christ together. The commonality of it. It's 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:40.500 one of the easiest and the hardest things to 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:51.039 do. Fellowship. Not. Now please hear me. I have 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.519 had so many definitions of fellowship over the 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:56.100 years. I have people tell me. Well I'm just staying 00:12:56.100 --> 00:12:59.779 home and fellowshipping with my wife. No. No. 00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:06.799 No. That's called one of two things, and I'm 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:11.740 going to pass both definitions. You cannot fellowship 00:13:11.740 --> 00:13:17.139 within your own family. You can have family time 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:19.840 within your own family, but fellowship involves 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:24.059 someone else beside your own natural born family. 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:32.320 That's a good word, preacher. Fellowship. Apostles 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:37.519 teaching. Fellowship, what? Sharing meals, including 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:41.399 the Lord's Supper, meaning hospitality. I didn't 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:43.720 take the time to have all the scriptures put 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:45.720 up there on the screen for you, but you cannot 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:48.440 get away in the New Testament. Away from the 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:51.279 fact that we are called to share one another's 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:54.299 lives. And that means inviting someone over. 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:57.740 I don't care if you live in an aluminum cradle 00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:01.559 of love called a fifth wheel. I don't care if 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:03.659 you're in a three... Some of you are just now 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:06.360 getting that. If you're living in a three -story 00:14:06.360 --> 00:14:10.639 home at Taj Mahal or Booker Hall. I mean, I don't 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:13.409 care. I don't care. I give you a hard time. I 00:14:13.409 --> 00:14:15.450 don't care where you're living. I don't care 00:14:15.450 --> 00:14:19.529 if you share tortillas and rice and beans or 00:14:19.529 --> 00:14:22.409 you share a hot dog or chicken like we're going 00:14:22.409 --> 00:14:24.990 to do today. It doesn't matter. The fact of the 00:14:24.990 --> 00:14:29.230 matter is that you're bridging and doing life 00:14:29.230 --> 00:14:36.110 together with people. And the fourth one, to 00:14:36.110 --> 00:14:44.970 prayer. It's huge. To pray about the needs of 00:14:44.970 --> 00:14:48.549 the people that you are meeting. To pray for 00:14:48.549 --> 00:14:52.090 healing. To pray for freedom. To pray for the 00:14:52.090 --> 00:14:55.789 region. To pray for the nation. To pray for our 00:14:55.789 --> 00:14:59.730 government. To pray that the gospel for peace 00:14:59.730 --> 00:15:03.409 and grace and mercy. That is what the church 00:15:03.409 --> 00:15:08.960 is called to do. Those four things are... fundamentally, 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:13.360 and they are the foundation of what we do together 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:18.039 as church, and that's what forms community. Now 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:20.600 listen, it says, when they did those four things, 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:26.039 verse 43, a deep sense of awe came over them 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:31.500 all. All. Not just the ministers, not just the 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:37.940 worship leaders, they all experienced a And the 00:15:37.940 --> 00:15:40.940 apostles performed many signs and wonders. Verse 00:15:40.940 --> 00:15:48.220 44. And all the believers met together in one 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:55.169 place and shared everything they had. They sold 00:15:55.169 --> 00:15:57.789 their property and possessions. They shared money 00:15:57.789 --> 00:16:01.710 with those in need. They worshiped together in 00:16:01.710 --> 00:16:04.909 the temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's 00:16:04.909 --> 00:16:08.190 Supper, shared meals with great joy and generosity, 00:16:08.289 --> 00:16:12.409 all the while praising God, enjoying the goodwill 00:16:12.409 --> 00:16:16.950 of all the people. And each day the Lord added 00:16:16.950 --> 00:16:21.929 to their fellowship those who were being saved. 00:16:23.309 --> 00:16:31.269 Amazing. Just like huge redwood trees, some of 00:16:31.269 --> 00:16:36.769 the largest living things on the earth, the tallest 00:16:36.769 --> 00:16:41.669 trees in the world, some of them are 300 feet 00:16:41.669 --> 00:16:46.909 high, more than 2 ,500 years old. You would think 00:16:46.909 --> 00:16:50.509 that the large trees would have a tremendous 00:16:50.509 --> 00:16:55.340 root system. Reaching down as high as that tree 00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:58.500 goes, reaching down into the depths of the earth. 00:17:00.139 --> 00:17:05.940 But they don't. Fact is, it's just not the case 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:10.079 at all. Redwoods have a very shallow root system 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.660 compared to the size of the trees. The roots 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:20.400 of the trees, however, are interlocked. They're 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:26.349 intertwined. They're tied to each other and form 00:17:26.349 --> 00:17:31.509 a bond that causes them to stand the test of 00:17:31.509 --> 00:17:36.549 time. As I was thinking about this message today 00:17:36.549 --> 00:17:40.650 and I was praying, Christianity is over 2 ,000 00:17:40.650 --> 00:17:44.309 years old, I thought how appropriate for this 00:17:44.309 --> 00:17:48.769 picture of a redwood tree that stands staggeringly 00:17:48.769 --> 00:17:52.700 tall became just... The little thing that Jesus 00:17:52.700 --> 00:17:56.140 talks about, the little mustard seed that was 00:17:56.140 --> 00:17:59.339 planted that all of a sudden becomes the greatest 00:17:59.339 --> 00:18:03.099 tree of the field. How does that happen? It happens 00:18:03.099 --> 00:18:07.119 through the interlocking of the root system. 00:18:09.619 --> 00:18:14.779 When the winds blow, the conditions happen. Having 00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:17.160 an interlocking root system, they support and 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:21.720 sustain each other. They need one another. to 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:27.960 survive. They need one another to survive. Those 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:31.000 trees would not be standing left to themselves. 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:35.700 It's an impossibility. Science has proven it 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:41.440 over and over. The phenomenon is that they can 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:46.200 be so massive and yet have such shallow root 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:50.619 systems. but the strength of that tree is found 00:18:50.619 --> 00:18:53.140 in their connectiveness and their interlocking. 00:18:54.859 --> 00:18:59.140 Belonging to Christ, we belong to each other. 00:18:59.819 --> 00:19:04.579 And fellowship with Christ means interlocking 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:07.099 with one another and fellowshipping around Him. 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:12.579 Through Christ, God has made us a family and 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:15.380 a community of faith. This is our... God -given 00:19:15.380 --> 00:19:18.839 support system. This is the interlocking of the 00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:21.839 church, the beginning of the church, the beginning 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:25.180 of the seed, the beginning in the book of Acts 00:19:25.180 --> 00:19:28.380 on the day of Pentecost when 3 ,000 were added 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:31.680 was not the fact that the apostles were giants 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:37.299 in the faith. Fact is, 53 days earlier, come 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:40.920 on, 53 days earlier, they all abandoned Jesus 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:45.349 Christ. It wasn't the fact that they were giant 00:19:45.349 --> 00:19:52.490 sequoias of the faith. What caused the church 00:19:52.490 --> 00:19:56.509 to move forward among a lot of things that God 00:19:56.509 --> 00:19:59.210 did, but one of the main building blocks is he 00:19:59.210 --> 00:20:02.390 wove those four things together and he put right 00:20:02.390 --> 00:20:05.890 at the beginning that 3 ,000 people could what? 00:20:06.540 --> 00:20:09.099 interlock with each other, knowing that there 00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:11.720 would be seasons of persecution, that there would 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:14.920 be great things that would take place, that would 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:19.480 have emotional and spiritual shaking to it. They 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:22.900 were saying no to something they were raised 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:25.859 in, saying no to something that they were part 00:20:25.859 --> 00:20:29.359 of, to say yes to Jesus. And unless they had 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:32.519 some place to interlock, they would not stand. 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:37.839 It's right in the beginning. And as the beginning, 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:41.799 so shall the church be. In fact, as the Bible 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:44.980 says it in a prophetic word over and over, he 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:48.880 says, as the glory of the former house, there'll 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.279 be greater glory of the latter house. Folks, 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:54.079 you can't leave the foundational principles. 00:20:54.380 --> 00:20:58.980 God doesn't do that. He always builds with the 00:20:58.980 --> 00:21:03.019 foundation. Now, you doing all right this morning? 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:10.460 First community of believers gathered together 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:14.700 on a regular basis for worship, prayer, for Bible 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:18.599 study, for fellowship and meals. Acts 2 .44 says, 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:23.500 all that believed were together. That's why it's 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:27.400 so important this morning that God's planted 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:30.740 you in this house. He's planted you in a work 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:33.660 so that we can do something together. Listen, 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:37.529 it wasn't easy to follow. in the first century. 00:21:38.470 --> 00:21:41.490 First century times were tough and persecution 00:21:41.490 --> 00:21:45.529 was rampant. Early believers were bound together 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:48.329 into a fellowship and a community. They needed 00:21:48.329 --> 00:21:50.490 each other to survive for strength of community. 00:21:51.069 --> 00:21:55.349 But just as it was in the first century, life 00:21:55.349 --> 00:21:59.329 isn't easy today to follow Jesus Christ. There 00:21:59.329 --> 00:22:04.750 are great enemies to following the Lord. Discouragement. 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:11.720 temptation, sin, apathy, failure, materialism, 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:16.299 unbelieving family, doubts, fear, rejection, 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:20.140 unanswered questions, and the like. We face many 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:23.680 obstacles in our desire to live for the Lord. 00:22:23.740 --> 00:22:27.799 However, God has not left us. on our own to run 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:30.819 this race or fight the battle. He has given us 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:33.559 the Holy Spirit, and he has given us one another. 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:37.359 Times are tough now. Social trends, pressures 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:40.440 of being isolated, staying independent, the pressure 00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:44.200 to fit in, excuses, the press of time, navigating 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:47.680 through people's hypocrisy, fake love, pseudo 00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:54.380 -truths. You get the point. but we are still 00:22:54.380 --> 00:23:01.460 called to the genuine and the authentic. Jesus 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:05.559 says to build our lives, you have to do what? 00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:09.700 Dig down past the sand and get a hold of the 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:15.059 rock. Our lives are to be built on Christ, the 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:18.920 solid rock, and what Christ instituted. Nothing 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:24.089 less. That old hymn, on Christ the solid rock 00:23:24.089 --> 00:23:29.410 I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. And 00:23:29.410 --> 00:23:32.809 yet God has given us Jesus Christ as the head 00:23:32.809 --> 00:23:36.730 and the body, which is the church. He's put them 00:23:36.730 --> 00:23:40.529 together, not severed them. Hallelujah. He's 00:23:40.529 --> 00:23:43.930 put it together to do what? So that you and me 00:23:43.930 --> 00:23:48.509 with him. Great purpose and power to stay the 00:23:48.509 --> 00:23:52.289 full course and to live in the power of love 00:23:52.289 --> 00:23:56.190 and truth. The Lord has released several major 00:23:56.190 --> 00:23:59.269 power centers for us to live out this thing called 00:23:59.269 --> 00:24:05.150 salvation. In this world, and in overcoming anointing 00:24:05.150 --> 00:24:07.950 and spirit, we have the blood of Jesus Christ, 00:24:08.289 --> 00:24:11.210 we have the power of the Lord's name, and we 00:24:11.210 --> 00:24:13.630 have the power of the Holy Spirit in His anointing. 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:20.980 And along with those, we have seven, eight, seven 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:25.960 say eight, hallelujah, eight, if you will, spiritual 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:30.900 truths, power centers that are to guide us, faith, 00:24:31.339 --> 00:24:37.559 mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, peace, prayer, 00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:43.750 and unity. In those eight power centers, Along 00:24:43.750 --> 00:24:46.970 with the blood of Jesus. Along with the power 00:24:46.970 --> 00:24:50.289 of the Holy Spirit. Come on. Along with the power 00:24:50.289 --> 00:24:55.289 of His name. In those truths, we are designed 00:24:55.289 --> 00:24:59.349 to live and operate by those things in our spiritual 00:24:59.349 --> 00:25:04.809 community. Faith, mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, 00:25:05.170 --> 00:25:09.710 peace, prayer, and unity. They are developed. 00:25:10.349 --> 00:25:13.799 They will be tested. and they will either be 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:17.519 approved or disapproved by the way we give ourselves 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:22.700 to or neglect those truths inside our own community. 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:27.819 That's why the enemy loves to sabotage these 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:31.240 God -given power centers. In the Holy Spirit. 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:34.180 For the enemy knows that our weapons are mighty 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:37.200 in God. 2 Corinthians 10 .4. They're able to 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:39.420 overcome the world. They're able to overcome 00:25:39.420 --> 00:25:42.960 the flesh and the devil. Because not all weapons 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:48.460 are offensive. But all weapons are effective 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:59.049 in the power of love. 1 Corinthians. Chapter 00:25:59.049 --> 00:26:02.609 1. I'm going to get into a little scripture here 00:26:02.609 --> 00:26:07.329 before we close. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 1 says 00:26:07.329 --> 00:26:13.750 this. I think it's profound. Paul, called by 00:26:13.750 --> 00:26:17.269 the will of God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ 00:26:17.269 --> 00:26:24.970 and our brother, Sosanes, to the church of God 00:26:24.970 --> 00:26:28.400 that is in Corinth. And those sanctified in Jesus 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:34.000 Christ called to be saints together with all 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:39.420 those who in every place call upon the name of 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:42.880 the Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. 00:26:43.799 --> 00:26:48.500 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and 00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:52.579 the Lord Jesus Christ. His opening line to the 00:26:52.579 --> 00:26:58.369 Corinthian church. was to set the stage of the 00:26:58.369 --> 00:27:03.910 overarching theme of no division, no segregation, 00:27:04.289 --> 00:27:11.170 no partiality, and no disunity. Listen to it 00:27:11.170 --> 00:27:17.450 again. Called to be an apostle of Christ and 00:27:17.450 --> 00:27:21.049 our brother Sosthenes to the church of God that 00:27:21.049 --> 00:27:23.700 is in Corinth. to those sanctified in Christ 00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:29.880 called to be saints together. With all those 00:27:29.880 --> 00:27:34.359 in every place who call on the name of the Lord 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:41.119 Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. What 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:47.319 an amazing opening line. Now, I've got about 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:52.809 seven minutes. To kind of bring this point home 00:27:52.809 --> 00:27:59.049 here for a second. Sosthenes, you kind of just 00:27:59.049 --> 00:28:02.849 mention it and you move on. But what we don't 00:28:02.849 --> 00:28:07.630 realize is that brother was mentioned for a very, 00:28:07.690 --> 00:28:15.670 very specific reason. And if we don't read the 00:28:15.670 --> 00:28:20.660 book of Acts, we miss. What actually is taking 00:28:20.660 --> 00:28:24.240 place when Paul writes this letter to the Corinthian 00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:27.359 church, he puts the name of this fellow in there 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:30.759 that everyone that was in that Corinthian church 00:28:30.759 --> 00:28:34.539 would have been almost hit by a Holy Ghost hammer 00:28:34.539 --> 00:28:43.619 and went, whoa. So what happened? Acts 18. I'll 00:28:43.619 --> 00:28:46.839 read it to you. Verse 1 through 11. After this, 00:28:46.859 --> 00:28:51.359 Paul left Athens. and went to Corinth. This is 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:54.660 the starting of the Corinthian church. And he 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:57.700 found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus 00:28:57.700 --> 00:29:00.279 recently, who had come from Italy with his wife 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:03.099 Priscilla because Claudius Caesar had commanded 00:29:03.099 --> 00:29:06.559 that all the Jews leave Rome. This is under persecution. 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:10.460 And he went to see them. Paul went to see them. 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:13.319 And because he was of the same trade, they were 00:29:13.319 --> 00:29:16.700 tent makers. He stayed with them and worked with 00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:19.680 them for they were tent makers by trade. He reasoned 00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:22.180 in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade 00:29:22.180 --> 00:29:25.900 both Jews and Greeks. And when Silas and Timothy 00:29:25.900 --> 00:29:30.799 arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:35.359 the word, testifying to Jews that Jesus was... 00:29:35.769 --> 00:29:39.430 that Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed 00:29:39.430 --> 00:29:43.130 and reviled him, he shook his garments and said 00:29:43.130 --> 00:29:47.009 to them, Your blood be upon your own hands. I 00:29:47.009 --> 00:29:50.849 am innocent of it. From now on, I will go to 00:29:50.849 --> 00:29:55.710 the Gentiles. And he left there and went to the 00:29:55.710 --> 00:30:01.170 house of a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper 00:30:01.170 --> 00:30:07.519 of God. His house. Mr. Justice's house was next 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:14.980 door to the Jewish synagogue. Crispus, I recommend 00:30:14.980 --> 00:30:21.279 that not be a name for your son. Anyway, Crispus, 00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:26.420 the ruler of the Jewish synagogue, listen, believed. 00:30:27.130 --> 00:30:30.289 in the Lord together with his entire household. 00:30:30.849 --> 00:30:34.089 And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed 00:30:34.089 --> 00:30:37.710 and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul 00:30:37.710 --> 00:30:40.880 one night in a vision, do not be afraid. but 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:44.500 go on speaking and do not be silent for I am 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:47.740 with you and no one will attack you to harm you 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:51.460 for I have many in this city who are my people. 00:30:51.640 --> 00:30:55.400 And Paul stayed a year and six months teaching 00:30:55.400 --> 00:30:58.420 the word of God among them. Okay, let's just 00:30:58.420 --> 00:31:01.500 encapsulate this real quick. What was he saying? 00:31:01.619 --> 00:31:04.339 He's saying that when Paul started the church 00:31:04.339 --> 00:31:07.039 in Corinth and God brought him there, it was 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:11.420 eight 18 months of pioneering and establishing 00:31:11.420 --> 00:31:15.019 the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church. And 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:18.819 so much so that when the religious Jews would 00:31:18.819 --> 00:31:22.279 not hear the message, Paul was determined to 00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:25.099 go to the Gentiles to reach anyone who would 00:31:25.099 --> 00:31:27.299 hear about the gospel. But even in the midst 00:31:27.299 --> 00:31:32.119 of going to the Gentiles, the ruler, the head 00:31:32.119 --> 00:31:37.519 dude, got saved that was orchestrating the Jewish 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:40.359 Sabbath, him and his entire household, which 00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:43.880 meant what? It meant immediate kicked out of 00:31:43.880 --> 00:31:47.599 the synagogue, immediate betrayal that he would 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:51.559 now be put out of the Jewish faith because he 00:31:51.559 --> 00:31:55.220 followed the Lord Jesus Christ. And God was doing 00:31:55.220 --> 00:31:57.259 miraculous things. You're saying, well, how does 00:31:57.259 --> 00:31:59.880 that have to do anything with Sosthenes, okay? 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:03.660 God's saving grace was redeeming the most hardened 00:32:03.660 --> 00:32:07.500 people. Rulers and leaders of the Jewish synagogue 00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:10.200 were confessing and turning to Jesus Christ and 00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:13.160 joining the church. Then we go to verse 12, and 00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:16.819 this is where it gets interesting. But when Galileo 00:32:16.819 --> 00:32:20.960 was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united 00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:24.480 attack against Paul. Why? Because they were ticked 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:27.119 off that Paul was sharing the gospel and that 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:31.690 people were turning to Jesus. And they brought 00:32:31.690 --> 00:32:35.910 him before the Roman tribunal of that area. And 00:32:35.910 --> 00:32:38.630 they said, this man is persuading people to worship 00:32:38.630 --> 00:32:42.430 God contrary to Roman law. But when Paul was 00:32:42.430 --> 00:32:46.230 about to open his mouth, Galileo said to the 00:32:46.230 --> 00:32:51.269 Jews, if it were a matter of wrongdoing or a 00:32:51.269 --> 00:32:54.890 vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to 00:32:54.890 --> 00:32:59.039 accept your complaint. But since it is a matter 00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:03.440 of questions about words and names and your own 00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:07.940 law, see to it yourself. I refuse to be a judge 00:33:07.940 --> 00:33:13.619 of these things. And he drove the Jews and their 00:33:13.619 --> 00:33:17.579 party from the courtroom and the court bench, 00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:23.559 from the tribunal. And they seized. They all 00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:28.420 see. Let me just read this so you get this. They 00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:34.519 all sees Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue. 00:33:34.579 --> 00:33:42.619 What? Sosthenes was the next in command after 00:33:42.619 --> 00:33:47.009 Christmas. Crispus got the left foot of fellowship 00:33:47.009 --> 00:33:51.170 from the synagogue for turning to Jesus and Sosthenes 00:33:51.170 --> 00:33:55.190 became the ruler of the synagogue and he plotted 00:33:55.190 --> 00:33:58.690 to take Paul and the works of the Holy Spirit 00:33:58.690 --> 00:34:01.809 that were happening among people down. And when 00:34:01.809 --> 00:34:06.069 a Roman judge looked at the argument, the attorneys 00:34:06.069 --> 00:34:08.489 and all of the people that Sosthenes brought, 00:34:08.710 --> 00:34:11.909 he drove them from the tribunal and the crowd, 00:34:12.269 --> 00:34:18.150 the bailiffs, people seized Sosanase, a Jew that 00:34:18.150 --> 00:34:22.250 was trying to upend the gospel and beat his little 00:34:22.250 --> 00:34:28.090 butt funky. That's the New Living Translation. 00:34:29.630 --> 00:34:33.150 Right there in the courthouse put a beat down 00:34:33.150 --> 00:34:38.909 on him. Sosanase. How did Sosanase come to the 00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:47.900 gospel? A hard way. You ever heard he got his 00:34:47.900 --> 00:34:50.320 butt handed to him? This happened to Sosanace. 00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:56.619 How did that happen? The next thing we read, 00:34:56.639 --> 00:34:59.280 that's all we hear about Sosanace in the book 00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:04.079 of Acts. And the next thing that we read is Paul 00:35:04.079 --> 00:35:09.519 in his opening letter to the church puts Sosanace 00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:14.840 as a fellow brother in the writing of that letter. 00:35:15.309 --> 00:35:18.550 To the church. And says I want you to know. That 00:35:18.550 --> 00:35:22.039 one who resisted me. One who resisted your God. 00:35:22.300 --> 00:35:25.059 One who resisted the working of the Holy Spirit. 00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:29.039 Knows better now. And him and I are bros because 00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:31.940 of Jesus Christ. And I want you to know that 00:35:31.940 --> 00:35:35.079 Sosanace has as much fellowship as anybody else. 00:35:35.159 --> 00:35:37.559 I don't care what he did before. I used to be 00:35:37.559 --> 00:35:40.460 like him. You used to be like him. I want you 00:35:40.460 --> 00:35:43.480 in the Corinthian church to embrace Sosanace. 00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:47.179 Because this is who God is bringing to his house. 00:35:47.300 --> 00:35:49.989 Out of every creed. Out of every tongue. out 00:35:49.989 --> 00:35:53.130 of every tribe. Sosanace is part of the community. 00:35:55.329 --> 00:35:59.150 Yeah, Christmas is there. He got off easy with 00:35:59.150 --> 00:36:02.210 just a little persecution from his family. Sosanace 00:36:02.210 --> 00:36:05.329 got a beating for Jesus, but he now sees it better. 00:36:05.409 --> 00:36:09.590 Now welcome him. Can I tell you that there's 00:36:09.590 --> 00:36:12.070 some people in this room that have received some 00:36:12.070 --> 00:36:15.639 beatings? The devil has pummeled your life. But 00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:18.500 I'm telling you, in the book of life, your name 00:36:18.500 --> 00:36:21.360 is not at the end. Your name is right in the 00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:30.059 beginning. It says that the last shall be first 00:36:30.059 --> 00:36:33.820 and the first shall be last. You have the same 00:36:33.820 --> 00:36:37.920 privileges, the same gospel, the same grace. 00:36:38.480 --> 00:36:42.380 Whether you came As we talked about last week, 00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:45.300 out of a family that loved Jesus and modeled 00:36:45.300 --> 00:36:48.719 it, or you came the hard way through hard knocks. 00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:56.340 The community of faith, the church, living together, 00:36:56.599 --> 00:37:00.019 dwelling together, sharing meals, fellowship, 00:37:00.440 --> 00:37:04.260 the teaching of the Word of God and prayer. These 00:37:04.260 --> 00:37:09.139 are yours. Don't listen to any lie. that says 00:37:09.139 --> 00:37:12.199 you're not worthy of it. Don't listen to any 00:37:12.199 --> 00:37:14.980 lie that says I have no need of you. No, no, 00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.719 no, no. The Lord has need of you. Would you stand 00:37:19.719 --> 00:37:29.699 with me this morning? Heavenly Father, today, 00:37:29.880 --> 00:37:38.570 Lord, in this 17th year, Lord, September 9th, 00:37:38.570 --> 00:37:42.769 2018, this is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. 00:37:43.650 --> 00:37:47.829 It's called the head of the year. Lord, I believe 00:37:47.829 --> 00:37:50.130 with all of my heart as we're standing here before 00:37:50.130 --> 00:37:52.750 you, this is the beginning of something pouring 00:37:52.750 --> 00:37:55.730 out that's new and fresh for this house and this 00:37:55.730 --> 00:37:58.769 region. Lord, there's a new anointing that's 00:37:58.769 --> 00:38:02.550 coming on this house. Gladness. Gladness and 00:38:02.550 --> 00:38:08.199 joy is coming. And Lord, fruitfulness. I prophesy 00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:11.099 fruitfulness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:17.000 Lord, today, 9 -9 -18, which is nine plus nine, 00:38:17.119 --> 00:38:20.280 four nines, meaning a complete fruitfulness. 00:38:20.500 --> 00:38:24.420 Let a complete fruitfulness be our portion in 00:38:24.420 --> 00:38:28.690 2018. Lord, I prophesy it. I speak it into the 00:38:28.690 --> 00:38:32.070 atmosphere. I'm asking for community and fellowship. 00:38:32.429 --> 00:38:34.989 Lord, to be strengthened like never before in 00:38:34.989 --> 00:38:38.010 this house. We're making room for those that 00:38:38.010 --> 00:38:41.769 you're going to ask. Lord, in the days to come, 00:38:41.809 --> 00:38:45.510 we see it in the season. Lord, the cloud of your 00:38:45.510 --> 00:38:48.510 presence drawing and reaching. It's happening 00:38:48.510 --> 00:38:51.289 even as we speak it. It's happening this year. 00:38:51.690 --> 00:38:58.199 Causing from Lynn Lane in Benton County. we make 00:38:58.199 --> 00:39:03.039 room. And we ask even now in Jesus' name for 00:39:03.039 --> 00:39:06.079 the reach of the Holy Ghost and for the intertwining 00:39:06.079 --> 00:39:09.480 of our root systems to go down and to interlock 00:39:09.480 --> 00:39:12.719 with one another, bringing them into our life 00:39:12.719 --> 00:39:16.639 and saying, yes, you are part of the family of 00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:19.480 God and our family here at Life Bible Church. 00:39:19.760 --> 00:39:23.679 Lord, I bless your people. We bless this barbecue. 00:39:23.820 --> 00:39:27.099 We bless this meal. And we thank you for all 00:39:27.099 --> 00:39:30.239 that you've done these 17 years. And we ask you 00:39:30.239 --> 00:39:35.019 to come. Lord, give us another year of fruitfulness 00:39:35.019 --> 00:39:39.639 by your grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Pastor David. 00:39:52.710 --> 00:39:58.349 LifeBibleChurch .org or call us at 541 -995 -8282.