WEBVTT 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:06.820 It's always a little nerve -wracking to look 00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:12.919 out and see other preachers here. And today I... 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:18.480 Hello. Call the congregation. Call the congregation. 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:22.399 Come in, please. Are you there? Is it working? 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:30.079 Okay, let's go back to this one then. As I was 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:32.350 saying... It's always a little nerve -wracking 00:00:32.350 --> 00:00:35.170 to look out and see preachers here. And today, 00:00:35.310 --> 00:00:39.250 there is a man who's becoming a dear friend. 00:00:40.289 --> 00:00:42.329 And a man that many of you have prayed for, though 00:00:42.329 --> 00:00:45.049 not all of you know, who is here along with his 00:00:45.049 --> 00:00:48.310 family. And I speak of Pastor and Mrs. Jim Ingle, 00:00:48.409 --> 00:00:51.149 who are leading the work at Grace Church Richfield. 00:00:51.729 --> 00:00:53.649 He's on vacation this morning, I understand. 00:00:53.750 --> 00:00:55.729 Is that correct? Would you and your family with 00:00:55.729 --> 00:00:58.549 you please stand so that our folks can see you? 00:00:58.570 --> 00:01:01.909 We have prayed for you. How we rejoice in what 00:01:01.909 --> 00:01:04.409 God is doing in Richfield through your ministry. 00:01:04.930 --> 00:01:07.129 And you sure make me nervous being here today. 00:01:09.790 --> 00:01:16.709 Great to see you. Some people are wondering aloud, 00:01:16.950 --> 00:01:22.849 what is wrong with many churches? Why is there 00:01:22.849 --> 00:01:27.849 a waning interest in little life? Why is there 00:01:27.849 --> 00:01:34.280 a decline in... Participation. Well, that is 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:40.560 not an easy set of questions to answer. But one 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.840 of the ways that we can begin to answer it is 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:46.579 to examine the sermonizing. What is being preached 00:01:46.579 --> 00:01:50.700 in a church that is experiencing that kind of 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:55.000 response from its congregation? What is the theme 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.450 of the preaching? Well, we have been looking 00:01:58.450 --> 00:02:02.250 at the early church in the book of Acts. We have 00:02:02.250 --> 00:02:06.269 noted that it is very much an alive church. And 00:02:06.269 --> 00:02:09.370 part of the reason for that is the theme of the 00:02:09.370 --> 00:02:12.509 sermonizing. Indeed, the theme of the very first 00:02:12.509 --> 00:02:15.530 sermon that was ever delivered to that newly 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:20.250 born body of believers. It is the theme of Jesus 00:02:20.250 --> 00:02:24.800 Christ. I fear that in some churches these days 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:27.879 there is more sermonizing done on social issues, 00:02:28.219 --> 00:02:32.740 ecological problems, theological or political, 00:02:32.780 --> 00:02:37.259 rather, liberation, and economic justice than 00:02:37.259 --> 00:02:42.099 there is on the person of Jesus Christ. Without 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:45.919 question, the early church preached Christ, Christ 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:51.539 crucified and Christ raised from the dead. In 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:54.479 Acts chapter 2, the church had been born even 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:58.340 though it had not yet been fully revealed. And 00:02:58.340 --> 00:03:01.379 on its birthday, the day of Pentecost, Peter 00:03:01.379 --> 00:03:05.979 became the spokesman for those in that church. 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:10.840 His first concern as he spoke to the great crowd 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:15.139 on the day of Pentecost was to explain the phenomena 00:03:15.139 --> 00:03:19.650 which were occurring. He took as his... proof 00:03:19.650 --> 00:03:24.610 text, Joel chapter 2, and explained to them that 00:03:24.610 --> 00:03:28.050 what they were witnessing was in fact the work 00:03:28.050 --> 00:03:31.389 of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit was 00:03:31.389 --> 00:03:35.229 the source of the noise that they heard, of the 00:03:35.229 --> 00:03:37.849 fire that they saw on the heads of the disciples, 00:03:37.930 --> 00:03:41.590 and the languages which the disciples were speaking. 00:03:43.009 --> 00:03:50.599 As he moves further into his address, Peter presents 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:57.060 an exposition of the person of Jesus Christ. 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:05.719 Jesus Christ, he says, is both Lord and Christ. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:12.879 He is deity and he is the appointed Savior of 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:19.639 Israel. Jesus of Nazareth is Lord and Christ. 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:25.279 That is the main body of his sermon. Today we're 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:28.339 going to follow his thinking. He gives four proofs 00:04:28.339 --> 00:04:34.459 of that truth, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Proof 00:04:34.459 --> 00:04:38.339 number one, he was attested by God, verse 22. 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:44.079 Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus the 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:49.000 Nazarene, a man attested to you by God. with 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:52.079 miracles and wonders and signs which God performed 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:55.279 through him in your midst, just as you yourselves 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:59.779 know. And then he goes on. But in verse 22, he 00:04:59.779 --> 00:05:03.699 gives the first proof of this statement, Jesus 00:05:03.699 --> 00:05:07.740 Christ is Lord. The first proof is that he, Jesus 00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:11.000 Christ, Jesus the Nazarene, as he calls him, 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:17.040 was attested by God. What does that mean, that 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:20.930 he was attested? by God. It means that he was 00:05:20.930 --> 00:05:25.250 appointed, he was designated, or if you please, 00:05:25.350 --> 00:05:30.850 he was proved or accredited by God to be who 00:05:30.850 --> 00:05:36.350 he claimed to be. He was a man from Nazareth. 00:05:37.529 --> 00:05:41.750 He was fully human, as fully human as all of 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:44.949 us here today, except without our sin inherited 00:05:44.949 --> 00:05:49.970 from Adam. But he was more than a man. He was 00:05:49.970 --> 00:05:55.610 unique, for he was fully God as well. In the 00:05:55.610 --> 00:05:59.110 person of Jesus, there was the nature of God 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:03.589 and the nature of man united without mixture 00:06:03.589 --> 00:06:07.750 and without either his humanity or his deity 00:06:07.750 --> 00:06:13.110 being diminished at all. Perfect man and full 00:06:13.110 --> 00:06:19.490 God in one person. This truth about him was attested 00:06:19.490 --> 00:06:24.069 by God. He was a man through whom God worked, 00:06:24.250 --> 00:06:30.990 designated as a unique instrument of God, appointed 00:06:30.990 --> 00:06:35.850 to a particular purpose. But he was also God 00:06:35.850 --> 00:06:41.009 himself come in the flesh. Peter declares that 00:06:41.009 --> 00:06:44.910 Jesus of Nazareth was publicly, he says, you 00:06:44.910 --> 00:06:47.800 notice, in the midst of you. He was publicly 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:52.800 proved by God to be who he claimed to be. And 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:56.740 what were these proofs, these attestations by 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:01.040 God? What were the demonstrations that he was 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.939 who he claimed? Well, Peter points to miracles, 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:11.339 wonders, and signs. Miracles refer to the manifestations 00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:17.199 of might and power. Miracles are the suspension 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:23.319 of natural laws by the intervention of the supernatural. 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:28.920 An example of his miracles would be his walking 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:33.620 on water. Natural laws say that that is impossible 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:38.240 for a human to do. But natural laws were suspended 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:42.800 while the supernatural took force and Jesus walked 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:49.120 on water. The response of Peter was, My Lord. 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:57.459 And then Peter points to the wonders that Jesus 00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:01.399 performed. Wonders refer to startling events 00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:06.139 which arrest the attention of the observer, to 00:08:06.139 --> 00:08:10.379 deeds which cause the beholder to marvel or to 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:14.779 wonder. An example would surely be Jesus raising 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:20.500 the dead, as he did several times. And then he 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:24.879 points to the signs that Jesus performed. These 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:28.699 signs were indicators of the truthfulness of 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:32.519 what he said. They were the marks or the tokens 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:37.059 of his divine authority. An example might be 00:08:37.059 --> 00:08:39.659 the multiplication of the fishes and loaves, 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:43.759 which were a sign. that when he said, I am the 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:48.919 bread from heaven, that he was in fact. Now what 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:52.120 had been the attitude of the Jewish nation to 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:56.220 whom Peter was preaching on this day? To Jesus, 00:08:56.379 --> 00:09:01.700 miracles, wonders, and signs. And remember that 00:09:01.700 --> 00:09:03.779 many of those who were listening to him on this 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:07.879 occasion had seen some of those miracles, wonders, 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:12.259 and signs. What had been their attitude as a 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:17.860 nation toward God's attestations, God's demonstrable 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:23.519 proofs that Jesus was Lord and Christ? It was 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:29.120 that of rejection. Some ignorantly, but the leaders 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:33.159 at least, the religious leaders, knowingly. They 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:36.940 had rejected their Christ. And for that, they 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:39.399 were in the process of being set aside for this 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:46.279 whole age. Thomas Walker said, Sin against light 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:52.659 and knowledge is inexcusable and fatal. And that 00:09:52.659 --> 00:09:59.220 was the sin of the Jewish leaders. It is no less 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:03.500 of a sin for those today who reject Jesus Christ, 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:08.460 knowing... full well who he is. God has fully 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:13.879 attested to the person of Jesus of Nazareth that 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:19.220 he is both Lord and Christ. One who rejects Jesus 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:23.360 Christ then rejects Jesus Christ at his own peril. 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:29.580 He places himself under the judgment of God because 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:33.159 of his rejection of the one that God has appointed, 00:10:33.340 --> 00:10:40.389 designated, Lord and Christ. In the next verse, 00:10:40.450 --> 00:10:44.029 Peter swiftly moves ahead to the second proof 00:10:44.029 --> 00:10:49.370 that Jesus is Lord and Christ. It is that he 00:10:49.370 --> 00:10:55.750 was delivered by God. Verse 23. This man, delivered 00:10:55.750 --> 00:10:58.429 up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge 00:10:58.429 --> 00:11:01.269 of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of 00:11:01.269 --> 00:11:05.529 godless men and put him to death. What is Peter 00:11:05.529 --> 00:11:07.289 talking about? Well, of course, he's talking 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:10.690 about Christ's death. This had occurred only 00:11:10.690 --> 00:11:15.389 53 days previously. And again, I point out that 00:11:15.389 --> 00:11:17.370 many of those who were listening to the words 00:11:17.370 --> 00:11:20.710 of Peter on this day of Pentecost had observed 00:11:20.710 --> 00:11:26.429 the death of Jesus. You will notice that Peter 00:11:26.429 --> 00:11:30.149 puts the death of Christ into a very delicate 00:11:30.149 --> 00:11:37.629 balance. tuned perspective that he speaks about 00:11:37.629 --> 00:11:41.370 his death. He sees it from the standpoint of 00:11:41.370 --> 00:11:45.830 God and then balances it perfectly with a view 00:11:45.830 --> 00:11:50.769 from the standpoint of man. From God's perspective, 00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:58.809 Jesus was delivered up. He was handed over by 00:11:58.809 --> 00:12:04.210 God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge. What 00:12:04.210 --> 00:12:08.269 does all of that mean? Well foreknowledge means 00:12:08.269 --> 00:12:13.549 to know before. It is the term that physicians 00:12:13.549 --> 00:12:19.210 use today for prognosis. Prognosis is when the 00:12:19.210 --> 00:12:22.950 doctor tells you how you're going to do after 00:12:22.950 --> 00:12:25.850 you get your medicine or you've had your surgery. 00:12:28.610 --> 00:12:32.149 The doctor tries to know ahead of time what's 00:12:32.149 --> 00:12:36.500 going to take place. in your circumstances. Here 00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:41.360 we have the prognosis of God, but the term theologically 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:45.320 has a much deeper meaning because it means more 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:49.919 than just knowing some facts ahead of time. It 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.620 does not mean at all theologically God guessing 00:12:52.620 --> 00:12:59.639 what will take place, but it means what God determines 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:04.440 ahead of time will happen. And we know that because 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:07.740 of the phrase and the way that it is constructed 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:12.120 here as Luke records the sermon. He speaks about 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:18.120 the predetermined plan, the designed plan and 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.860 foreknowledge of God. And when he says that, 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:25.600 he wraps them up in one package. Essentially, 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:27.840 the way he phrases this, he is saying that they 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:35.340 are both like one coin with two sides. God did 00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:37.559 know ahead of time what would happen to Jesus, 00:13:37.659 --> 00:13:41.100 but it was because he determined ahead of time 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:47.039 what would happen to Jesus. We see a similar 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:53.120 truth in the book of 1 Peter, if you want to 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.299 look back there. Here we have again the words 00:13:56.299 --> 00:14:05.740 of the same man. Except here he's writing to 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:12.360 some believers. And Peter says, let's begin in 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:18.159 verse 18 of chapter 1. Knowing that you were 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:21.139 not redeemed with perishable things like silver 00:14:21.139 --> 00:14:24.620 or gold from your futile way of life inherited 00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:29.220 from your forefathers, then how were they redeemed? 00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:33.330 Well, he says, with precious blood. As of a lamb 00:14:33.330 --> 00:14:37.389 unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 00:14:37.850 --> 00:14:44.490 Now look at verse 20. For he was foreknown before 00:14:44.490 --> 00:14:48.470 the foundation of the world but has appeared 00:14:48.470 --> 00:14:53.649 in these last times for the sake of you. And 00:14:53.649 --> 00:14:59.620 so Peter repeats that word foreknown. Tied together 00:14:59.620 --> 00:15:01.820 with it, remember, is the idea that not only 00:15:01.820 --> 00:15:03.919 did God know ahead of time what would happen, 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:08.159 but God planned ahead of time the death of His 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:15.179 Son. It was not an accident. His death was not 00:15:15.179 --> 00:15:19.320 a plan that got out of hand some way, but rather 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:22.480 even before God spoke the world into existence, 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:29.940 He planned the death of the Lamb. Jesus Christ. 00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:34.679 That is what Peter declared on that Pentecostal 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:38.600 Sunday. He said, this man, Jesus of Nazareth, 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:44.539 delivered up by God according to his planned 00:15:44.539 --> 00:15:50.759 scheme, his predetermined purpose. But then notice 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:53.879 that he balances it in verse 23, going back to 00:15:53.879 --> 00:16:00.830 Acts 2. He says, you nailed him to a cross by 00:16:00.830 --> 00:16:03.490 the hands of godless men and put him to death. 00:16:04.149 --> 00:16:08.129 And so here is man's standpoint in the death 00:16:08.129 --> 00:16:11.649 of Christ. God's standpoint is that God planned 00:16:11.649 --> 00:16:15.809 it. Man's standpoint is that man is responsible 00:16:15.809 --> 00:16:19.710 for the death of Christ. He says, you put him 00:16:19.710 --> 00:16:23.750 to death. You killed him. Metaphorically, the 00:16:23.750 --> 00:16:27.720 verb means to take away. In a literal sense, 00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:31.460 it means to take away the life of someone, to 00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:36.100 kill. It is a word that is used of the chief 00:16:36.100 --> 00:16:42.460 priests and scribes in Luke 22, verse 2, when 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:47.419 he tells about them seeking to kill Jesus, which 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:50.899 they ultimately did. This is a favorite word 00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:54.799 of Luke. It is used 23 times in the New Testament, 00:16:54.860 --> 00:16:58.820 19 of those times. in the book of Acts. So he 00:16:58.820 --> 00:17:03.980 almost solely uses this term. And 17 out of those 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:08.480 19 times, it is used in a literal sense, and 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:11.140 most often in reference to the death of Jesus, 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:18.140 that he was put to death by men. So the death 00:17:18.140 --> 00:17:20.440 of Christ was, on the one hand, according to 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:23.180 the plan of God, but on the other hand, it does 00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:25.859 not leave man without responsibility for it. 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:30.220 There is commonly asked the question, who killed 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:33.599 Jesus? And there are those who quickly respond, 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:38.079 the Jews. They are Christ killers. That is an 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:41.839 epithet of hatred that has been used by anti 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:47.099 -Semites for many, many hundreds of years. Is 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:55.440 it true? Well, in one sense, yes, it is. They 00:17:55.440 --> 00:18:01.019 did kill Christ. The word of God declared here 00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:08.099 says that they put him to death. But they were 00:18:08.099 --> 00:18:12.200 not solely held accountable for it. For you will 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:15.220 notice that Peter says that by the hands of godless 00:18:15.220 --> 00:18:20.480 men, these Jews had put him to death. That refers 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:24.779 to the Romans. Or we may broaden that to Gentiles 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:29.700 in general. Not only the Jews killed Christ, 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:34.059 but Gentiles as well. It was actually their wicked 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:36.920 hands which put the nails into his hands, into 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:41.500 his feet, and hung him upon the cross. But I 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:44.319 think that we may broaden it even further to 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:50.319 say that all men in all ages are responsible 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:53.619 for the death of Christ. For in the book of Romans, 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:57.779 It says that he was delivered up because of our 00:18:57.779 --> 00:19:03.220 transgressions. Same word, delivered up. He was 00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:12.140 killed for our transgressions. You put Christ 00:19:12.140 --> 00:19:16.500 to death, and so did I. And so there is none 00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:20.480 of us who can point his finger at a Jew and say, 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:26.569 you are a Christ killer. because we are all Christ 00:19:26.569 --> 00:19:30.269 killers. We are all responsible for the death 00:19:30.269 --> 00:19:35.529 of Christ from the human standpoint. But I want 00:19:35.529 --> 00:19:38.309 to take it one step further in order to keep 00:19:38.309 --> 00:19:40.269 it in the perspective that Peter seems to put 00:19:40.269 --> 00:19:45.369 it in, and that is this, that ultimately God 00:19:45.369 --> 00:19:50.990 himself put Christ to death. As Isaiah the prophet 00:19:50.990 --> 00:19:56.289 foretold, It pleased the Lord to bruise him. 00:19:58.710 --> 00:20:02.589 So God put him to death. All of that is true. 00:20:04.109 --> 00:20:10.289 The point is that he was delivered by God and 00:20:10.289 --> 00:20:17.430 by man to death. He died. Now there is a third 00:20:17.430 --> 00:20:19.789 proof that he is both Lord and Christ, and without 00:20:19.789 --> 00:20:22.779 this one, the second one is meaningless. And 00:20:22.779 --> 00:20:25.460 that is that he was raised up by God. So he was 00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:28.019 attested by God. He was delivered by God. Number 00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:31.299 three, he was raised up by God. Verses 24 to 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:36.200 32. And God raised him up again, putting an end 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:39.599 to the agony of death, since it was impossible 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:42.480 for him to be held in its power. For David says 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:45.759 of him, I was always beholding the Lord in my 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:48.859 presence, for he is at my right hand that I may 00:20:48.859 --> 00:20:52.079 not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:55.539 my tongue exalted. Moreover, my flesh also will 00:20:55.539 --> 00:20:59.279 abide in hope, because thou wilt not abandon 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:02.819 my soul to Hades, nor allow thy Holy One to undergo 00:21:02.819 --> 00:21:07.420 decay. Thou hast made known to me the ways of 00:21:07.420 --> 00:21:11.859 life. Thou wilt make me full of gladness with 00:21:11.859 --> 00:21:17.099 thy presence. Brethren, I may confidently say 00:21:17.099 --> 00:21:20.630 to you regarding the patriarch David, that he 00:21:20.630 --> 00:21:23.390 both died and was buried and his tomb is with 00:21:23.390 --> 00:21:26.990 us to this day. And so because he was a prophet 00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:30.190 and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath 00:21:30.190 --> 00:21:32.630 to seat one of his descendants upon his throne, 00:21:32.829 --> 00:21:35.710 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:39.230 of Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades 00:21:39.230 --> 00:21:44.009 nor did his flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God 00:21:44.009 --> 00:21:47.750 raised up again to which we are all witnesses. 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:52.799 And so the third main point that Peter gets across 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:56.880 as he preaches Jesus Christ as Lord is his resurrection. 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:02.279 Death was unable to hold Christ in its grasp. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:07.440 As the hymn says that we sometimes sing, Death 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:12.940 could not hold its prey, Jesus my Savior. He 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:17.700 tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord, up from the 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:23.349 grave. He arose. Now there are two reasons why 00:22:23.349 --> 00:22:27.029 death could not hold him prey. Number one, because 00:22:27.029 --> 00:22:34.670 of who he is. Jesus Christ is the creator. He 00:22:34.670 --> 00:22:38.750 is the source of all life. It is impossible for 00:22:38.750 --> 00:22:43.230 him to be overcome by death, which he himself 00:22:43.230 --> 00:22:47.329 brought into existence. It is impossible for 00:22:47.329 --> 00:22:52.119 him... as the eternal God come in flesh, to be 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:58.980 held prisoner by a temporal experience. It is 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:01.980 absolutely impossible that death could have held 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:06.000 him permanently because of who he is. Indeed, 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:09.200 I will go on to say, death could not have had 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:13.079 him in the first place if he had not given himself 00:23:13.079 --> 00:23:19.680 to death. If he had not laid down his life, death 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:23.960 could not have had him at all. But he gave himself 00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:29.900 to death and could not be held by it because 00:23:29.900 --> 00:23:33.519 of who he is. But secondly, he could not be held 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:38.000 by death because of what his purpose was. His 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:40.519 purpose was to accomplish eternal redemption 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:45.740 from death and sin for his people. And resurrection 00:23:45.740 --> 00:23:52.400 was an essential part of that purpose. He had 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:55.319 to be raised from the dead in order for his death 00:23:55.319 --> 00:24:00.680 to have full meaning and impact. He was delivered 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:06.079 for our transgressions and was raised on account 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:10.319 of our justification, says the apostle in the 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:13.859 book of Romans. The death of Christ cannot be 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:16.880 separated from his resurrection. They are both 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:21.140 equally critical parts of the gospel that we 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:26.359 proclaim. And so because of his purpose, he could 00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:29.500 not be held by death. Had he been held by death, 00:24:29.579 --> 00:24:31.319 his purpose could not have been accomplished. 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:38.420 Death could not have held him prey any more than 00:24:38.420 --> 00:24:42.779 an ant. could put a bear hug on an elephant and 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:46.900 get away with it. Any more than a man can go 00:24:46.900 --> 00:24:53.500 out to an ocean and drink it dry. There is absolutely 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:57.660 no capacity in death to hold the prince of life 00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:02.759 as its captive. Now this was all prophesied by 00:25:02.759 --> 00:25:08.259 David. And Peter quotes. Apparently Peter memorized 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:11.910 the scripture. Not a bad example for us to follow. 00:25:12.990 --> 00:25:15.769 On this occasion, God brought back to his mind 00:25:15.769 --> 00:25:20.029 a passage from Psalm 16, verses 8 through 11. 00:25:22.269 --> 00:25:25.430 The hope that is expressed in the words of David 00:25:25.430 --> 00:25:29.089 here is the hope of neither loss of soul nor 00:25:29.089 --> 00:25:35.089 decay of body. In verses 25 and 26, David talks 00:25:35.089 --> 00:25:37.470 about his fellowship with God, but look, these 00:25:37.470 --> 00:25:42.640 words. are so significant that David had to be 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:45.680 speaking here on behalf of someone besides himself. 00:25:46.599 --> 00:25:50.559 And of course he was. Peter calls him a prophet 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:56.140 in verse 30. David was speaking here on behalf 00:25:56.140 --> 00:26:01.460 of Jesus Christ, his descendant, as he talks 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:03.740 about the perfect fellowship and trust that he 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:07.759 had in his father, the perfect worship. Of God 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:11.539 in verse 26. But he mentions in the end of verse 00:26:11.539 --> 00:26:16.960 26. His hope. Now what is his hope? Verse 27. 00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:22.400 Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades. There 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:26.480 he talks about the immaterial part. His soul 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:31.359 spirit if you please. I'll not be abandoned there. 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:35.849 In the realm of the dead. But he goes on to say, 00:26:35.970 --> 00:26:41.509 nor will you allow your Holy One to undergo decay. 00:26:43.390 --> 00:26:45.950 And there he speaks with reference to the body, 00:26:46.069 --> 00:26:51.329 not undergoing decomposition. That was the hope 00:26:51.329 --> 00:26:56.990 expressed in Psalm 16. Now Peter goes on to point 00:26:56.990 --> 00:26:59.890 out to those who are listening, David expressed 00:26:59.890 --> 00:27:02.289 these words, but he says, I want to call your 00:27:02.289 --> 00:27:07.210 attention. to the fact that David died and his 00:27:07.210 --> 00:27:12.450 body decayed. And he says he's buried with us 00:27:12.450 --> 00:27:18.130 today. And they still, even in 1984, point to 00:27:18.130 --> 00:27:21.089 what they call the tomb of David in Jerusalem. 00:27:21.609 --> 00:27:24.569 In that day, it was very prominent and was said 00:27:24.569 --> 00:27:27.410 to be one of the wonders of Jerusalem, a magnificent 00:27:27.410 --> 00:27:33.119 structure. And so Peter's point is obvious. David 00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:36.819 spoke these words, and yet he died. He is still 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:40.599 in Hades, the realm of the dead, and his body 00:27:40.599 --> 00:27:47.940 has decayed. So what was he talking about? Well, 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:51.920 he goes on to say that David knew that God had 00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:56.460 given him a promise, and that promise was a descendant, 00:27:56.500 --> 00:28:01.200 a descendant who would be seated upon his throne. 00:28:03.860 --> 00:28:07.140 And David apparently looked ahead. There are 00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:09.480 some people who think that he literally had a 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:12.500 vision of what was going to happen a thousand 00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:16.140 years later. But in verse 31 it says, he looked 00:28:16.140 --> 00:28:21.220 ahead, at least by faith he saw it, and he spoke 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:25.660 of the resurrection of Christ when he said those 00:28:25.660 --> 00:28:34.359 words. And so Peter's point is this. David did 00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:40.180 not fulfill the words of Psalm 16. David was 00:28:40.180 --> 00:28:45.200 speaking about his descendant, the Christ. And 00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:48.940 by the way, the Jews knew two things. They knew 00:28:48.940 --> 00:28:53.619 that Messiah would be David's son. And there 00:28:53.619 --> 00:28:57.059 were those who agreed with Peter's interpretation 00:28:57.059 --> 00:29:00.900 here that that psalm that David wrote prophesied 00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:04.849 regarding Messiah. So what Peter is saying here 00:29:04.849 --> 00:29:08.049 was not something brand new or strange to those 00:29:08.049 --> 00:29:11.930 who are listening to him. He simply takes it 00:29:11.930 --> 00:29:19.069 a step further. He says, this Jesus, God raised 00:29:19.069 --> 00:29:23.829 up again, to which we are all witnesses. He's 00:29:23.829 --> 00:29:33.210 simply saying, men, what David spoke about. has 00:29:33.210 --> 00:29:37.930 been fulfilled in Jesus, who has been raised 00:29:37.930 --> 00:29:42.170 from the dead, and you are witnesses. Now, they 00:29:42.170 --> 00:29:44.650 were witnesses in a sense in which we are not 00:29:44.650 --> 00:29:47.809 today. There were many of those who had witnessed 00:29:47.809 --> 00:29:52.670 at least the effects of the resurrection. For 00:29:52.670 --> 00:29:55.009 when Jesus rose from the dead, he did not appear 00:29:55.009 --> 00:30:00.200 to anyone except his own believers. He never 00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:03.599 appeared again to the world and will not until 00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:07.859 that day when he comes in his glory. And yet 00:30:07.859 --> 00:30:10.480 they had been witnesses of the claims of his 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:14.299 resurrection. They were witnesses of a tomb in 00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:18.019 a garden that was empty. And they had to witness 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:20.720 to the fact that no one was able to produce the 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:25.519 body of Jesus. And so they were in that sense 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:29.480 witnesses in a very special way. And they could 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:32.680 not deny that what Peter was saying was true. 00:30:34.059 --> 00:30:38.400 He was raised up by God. They had to admit that 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:45.079 that was so. And he goes on to give the fourth 00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:48.640 proof that Jesus was who he said he was. He was 00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:51.660 delivered by God. He was attested by God. He 00:30:51.660 --> 00:30:54.839 was delivered by God. He was raised up by God. 00:30:55.019 --> 00:30:58.869 And finally, he was exalted by God. In verse 00:30:58.869 --> 00:31:01.910 33 he says, Therefore, having been exalted to 00:31:01.910 --> 00:31:05.190 the right hand of God, and having received from 00:31:05.190 --> 00:31:08.269 the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he 00:31:08.269 --> 00:31:12.029 has poured forth this, which you both see and 00:31:12.029 --> 00:31:15.390 hear. For it was not David who ascended into 00:31:15.390 --> 00:31:18.470 heaven, but he himself says, and again he quotes 00:31:18.470 --> 00:31:20.369 David and says, Now David couldn't have fulfilled 00:31:20.369 --> 00:31:23.230 this, but this is what David said, The Lord said 00:31:23.230 --> 00:31:26.539 to my Lord, Sit at my right hand. until I make 00:31:26.539 --> 00:31:31.299 thine enemies a footstool for thy feet. Today, 00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:36.240 Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God. What 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:39.099 that means is that he is in the place of supreme 00:31:39.099 --> 00:31:44.980 honor, authority, and glory. You say, well, how 00:31:44.980 --> 00:31:48.680 do we really know that Jesus is there? I want 00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:50.660 to suggest that there are two proofs that Jesus 00:31:50.660 --> 00:31:55.240 is at the right hand of God. One proof is found 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:57.819 a little bit later in the book of Acts, in the 00:31:57.819 --> 00:32:05.579 seventh chapter, when he is seen there. We come 00:32:05.579 --> 00:32:10.319 in verse 55 of Acts 7 to the impending martyrdom 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:15.119 of Stephen. And it says, being full of the Holy 00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:22.099 Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven. and saw 00:32:22.099 --> 00:32:27.279 the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right 00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:30.720 hand of God. So how do we know that Jesus is 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:33.039 today exalted at the right hand of God? Someone 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:38.720 has seen him there and told us so. Stephen looked 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:42.579 up intently into heaven and saw the glory of 00:32:42.579 --> 00:32:46.640 God and saw Jesus himself standing at the right 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:48.759 hand of God. Nobody else there saw it. Stephen 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:52.079 saw it. So we have an eyewitness that Jesus is 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:55.759 there. But now going back to Acts chapter 2, 00:32:55.980 --> 00:32:58.599 Peter is suggesting there is a second proof. 00:32:59.880 --> 00:33:02.720 He says he is exalted to the right hand of God 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:06.480 and having received the promise from the Father 00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:09.819 of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this 00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:14.759 which you both see and hear. Peter is saying 00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:18.339 that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:22.299 unusual phenomena which they witnessed, proved 00:33:22.299 --> 00:33:26.599 that Jesus had arrived back in heaven in his 00:33:26.599 --> 00:33:30.859 exalted position. The reason for the manifestation 00:33:30.859 --> 00:33:34.599 of the divine power and the supernatural phenomena 00:33:34.599 --> 00:33:38.640 around them, which they saw and heard, was the 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:43.019 exaltation of Jesus. And he quotes from Psalm 00:33:43.019 --> 00:33:47.579 110, verse 1, asserts the deity of Christ. He 00:33:47.579 --> 00:33:50.559 suggests the same interpretation that Jesus himself 00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:55.059 gave in Matthew 22, 41, and that is that how 00:33:55.059 --> 00:33:59.299 could David speak of his son and call him Lord? 00:34:01.500 --> 00:34:07.859 The answer is that David's son is the Lord. Physically, 00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:12.780 the descendant of David, but also the Lord himself 00:34:12.780 --> 00:34:18.460 incarnated in human flesh. And he is today exalted 00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:22.280 in glory, awaiting that time when his enemies 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:26.840 will be made his footstool. That's a strange 00:34:26.840 --> 00:34:30.440 expression, isn't it? We don't even have footstools 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:36.079 in our living rooms anymore. That is an expression 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:38.980 which was very meaningful to people in that day. 00:34:40.179 --> 00:34:45.280 For you see, it was the custom of the victor. 00:34:46.280 --> 00:34:51.019 to place his foot on the neck of the one he had 00:34:51.019 --> 00:34:56.119 conquered and to proclaim his victory. And that 00:34:56.119 --> 00:35:00.739 is the sense of footstool here. It is what Joshua 00:35:00.739 --> 00:35:03.360 did in the 10th chapter of the book bearing his 00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:06.440 name is recorded, that he put his foot upon the 00:35:06.440 --> 00:35:08.820 necks of his enemies. It's apparently what David 00:35:08.820 --> 00:35:11.340 did when he killed Goliath in the Valley of Elah. 00:35:11.980 --> 00:35:14.099 After the giant had fallen, he went over and 00:35:14.099 --> 00:35:19.710 put his foot... on goliath's neck and then excised 00:35:19.710 --> 00:35:23.110 the upper portion of his body he removed his 00:35:23.110 --> 00:35:26.829 head but by putting his foot on his neck he was 00:35:26.829 --> 00:35:30.769 saying i am the victor and what jesus christ 00:35:30.769 --> 00:35:33.469 is waiting for today is simply the father's right 00:35:33.469 --> 00:35:36.949 time to proclaim his victory over his enemies 00:35:36.949 --> 00:35:41.210 now his conclusion in verse 36 is this therefore 00:35:41.210 --> 00:35:47.360 let all the house of israel know for Now, if 00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:49.260 you were going to read the Greek in this, you 00:35:49.260 --> 00:35:53.159 would begin by reading, For certain, let all 00:35:53.159 --> 00:35:55.260 the house of Israel know. And the significance 00:35:55.260 --> 00:35:58.199 of that is that he is saying this is absolutely 00:35:58.199 --> 00:36:02.079 true. There can be no question about it. It is 00:36:02.079 --> 00:36:07.420 for certain that God has made Jesus of Nazareth 00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:12.760 both Lord and Christ. This one that you've crucified. 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:20.000 You will notice in verse 36 a contrast between 00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.480 the way the father has honored his son and the 00:36:24.480 --> 00:36:29.639 way that the Jews had dishonored him. Could I 00:36:29.639 --> 00:36:32.260 point out to you that this was not a gospel message 00:36:32.260 --> 00:36:37.579 with an invitation? Peter did not at this point 00:36:37.579 --> 00:36:39.519 say, now would you take out your hymnal and turn 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:42.760 it just as I am. We're going to sing three verses. 00:36:43.019 --> 00:36:46.889 He didn't do that. Because primarily this was 00:36:46.889 --> 00:36:50.730 not a gospel preaching message to invite people 00:36:50.730 --> 00:36:54.730 to be saved. But Peter's reason for preaching 00:36:54.730 --> 00:37:00.369 this message was to indict the nation of Israel 00:37:00.369 --> 00:37:08.449 for its crime in rejecting its Messiah. It is, 00:37:08.449 --> 00:37:13.730 in effect, an arraignment. of the nation before 00:37:13.730 --> 00:37:18.989 the judgment bar of God. And Peter is the prosecutor. 00:37:20.409 --> 00:37:26.150 He is saying, God has exalted this one that you 00:37:26.150 --> 00:37:32.170 crucified. In doing that, however, he brought 00:37:32.170 --> 00:37:34.889 them face to face with their sin as a nation 00:37:34.889 --> 00:37:42.519 and the danger of their impending judgment. And 00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:44.519 you will notice that they responded in verse 00:37:44.519 --> 00:37:48.940 37 by being pierced to the heart and saying to 00:37:48.940 --> 00:37:51.960 Peter and all the apostles, What shall we do? 00:37:54.539 --> 00:37:57.440 It brought about a repentance on at least part 00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:00.360 of them. And so there were people saved on that 00:38:00.360 --> 00:38:03.360 day, although that was not apparently Peter's 00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:08.460 primary purpose in bringing this message. As 00:38:08.460 --> 00:38:10.960 commentator Thomas Walker pointed out years ago, 00:38:11.760 --> 00:38:14.699 With a rejected Christ upon the throne of power, 00:38:14.920 --> 00:38:18.760 the sinner's condition is one of solemn peril. 00:38:23.300 --> 00:38:25.739 My friend, if you are here today and you have 00:38:25.739 --> 00:38:30.719 never acknowledged Jesus Christ as your Lord 00:38:30.719 --> 00:38:35.099 and received Him into your life to save you from 00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:40.679 your sin, you delay that decision or perhaps 00:38:40.679 --> 00:38:46.809 you've rejected him in the face of solemn peril. 00:38:48.789 --> 00:38:56.030 The peril of dying in your sins and being separated 00:38:56.030 --> 00:39:00.250 from God for all of eternity in the place of 00:39:00.250 --> 00:39:07.349 judgment which the Bible calls hell. Jesus Christ 00:39:07.349 --> 00:39:15.900 is Lord. That is his name. That is his title. 00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:21.500 It is the name, Lord, at which every knee shall 00:39:21.500 --> 00:39:28.679 bow and every tongue will confess. Some do it 00:39:28.679 --> 00:39:34.420 now in worship and in faith. Someday, everyone 00:39:34.420 --> 00:39:43.199 will do it, many in judgment. Those who acknowledge 00:39:43.199 --> 00:39:48.940 who he is and receive him now, there will later 00:39:48.940 --> 00:39:52.980 be those who will acknowledge him, but it will 00:39:52.980 --> 00:39:55.820 be too late to receive him, and they will go 00:39:55.820 --> 00:40:03.980 into judgment. Which group will you be in? You 00:40:03.980 --> 00:40:06.480 see, from a human standpoint, that decision is 00:40:06.480 --> 00:40:14.449 yours. What will you do with Jesus of Nazareth, 00:40:14.610 --> 00:40:18.190 whom God has declared to be Lord and Christ? 00:40:21.489 --> 00:40:24.510 Will you toy with him by playing religious games? 00:40:27.949 --> 00:40:33.110 Will you tip your hat his direction by going 00:40:33.110 --> 00:40:39.719 to church and performing ritual? Or will you 00:40:39.719 --> 00:40:44.619 today receive him into your life as Lord and 00:40:44.619 --> 00:40:51.760 Savior and be saved? I trust you will do the 00:40:51.760 --> 00:40:55.639 latter and no longer have a superficial understanding 00:40:55.639 --> 00:41:00.320 of who he is and no longer have only a mental 00:41:00.320 --> 00:41:07.219 assent that he is God, he is Christ. but that 00:41:07.219 --> 00:41:12.000 you will open your life's door and today receive 00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:18.820 him to save you from sin and to be the Lord of 00:41:18.820 --> 00:41:25.780 all you are and have. Many of us today have made 00:41:25.780 --> 00:41:31.579 that decision. May I point out to us that this 00:41:31.579 --> 00:41:37.199 Christ, this Jesus of Nazareth, that God has 00:41:37.199 --> 00:41:40.860 declared Lord in Christ, is worthy of our total 00:41:40.860 --> 00:41:45.559 devotion and worship. Whatever we do for Him, 00:41:45.760 --> 00:41:52.619 whatever we sacrifice for Him, whatever we suffer 00:41:52.619 --> 00:41:59.599 for Him is worth it. It's worth it. It is insufficient 00:41:59.599 --> 00:42:06.269 payment to even begin to say thank you. Jesus, 00:42:06.269 --> 00:42:12.570 for what you have done for me. As the hymn writer 00:42:12.570 --> 00:42:18.949 said, were the whole realm of nature mine, that 00:42:18.949 --> 00:42:24.110 were a present far too small. Love so amazing, 00:42:24.190 --> 00:42:30.769 so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. 00:42:33.710 --> 00:42:38.389 My fellow believer, is your all under his control 00:42:38.389 --> 00:42:44.889 today? Is he your Lord? The Lord of your decisions. 00:42:45.469 --> 00:42:50.769 The Lord of your lifestyle. The Lord of your 00:42:50.769 --> 00:43:00.889 relationships. Heavenly Father, after reviewing 00:43:00.889 --> 00:43:03.860 the sermon that Peter preached, on the birthday 00:43:03.860 --> 00:43:11.119 of the church, we cannot ignore the proof that 00:43:11.119 --> 00:43:18.179 Jesus is Lord and Christ. We have seen that you 00:43:18.179 --> 00:43:27.699 attested him to be such by the miracles, wonders, 00:43:27.880 --> 00:43:33.909 and signs he performed. And that you, amazing 00:43:33.909 --> 00:43:37.769 though it is, in grace delivered him up for us. 00:43:42.050 --> 00:43:45.909 And that you raised him from the dead and have 00:43:45.909 --> 00:43:52.750 exalted him to your right hand. Father, we give 00:43:52.750 --> 00:44:01.489 ourselves to you afresh on this Lord's day. And 00:44:01.489 --> 00:44:05.789 we pray that the truth that Jesus is Lord may 00:44:05.789 --> 00:44:13.949 be written over every room of our hearts. May 00:44:13.949 --> 00:44:19.050 there be no part of our lives outside of his 00:44:19.050 --> 00:44:23.809 control. And especially, Lord, do I pray for 00:44:23.809 --> 00:44:28.190 those who do not know Jesus in a personal saving 00:44:28.190 --> 00:44:35.190 way. who've never trusted in him, may they today 00:44:35.190 --> 00:44:41.969 understand and respond in faith to be saved. 00:44:45.130 --> 00:44:59.050 He is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the 00:44:59.050 --> 00:45:11.369 dead. and he is Lord. Every knee shall bow, every 00:45:11.369 --> 00:45:27.989 tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Would 00:45:27.989 --> 00:45:29.949 you take your hymnal and turn, please, with me?