WEBVTT 00:00:01.490 --> 00:00:06.349 God's work in the world will always, always achieve 00:00:06.349 --> 00:00:12.949 its end. Yet it will only in the face of opposition 00:00:12.949 --> 00:00:17.750 from the enemy of souls. That is because this 00:00:17.750 --> 00:00:22.170 is His hour, and His kingdom of darkness and 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:26.429 death is presently in power. Any prospering of 00:00:26.429 --> 00:00:31.019 God's work in the advance of His kingdom Any 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:35.460 victory for righteousness and light is at the 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:40.420 expense of Satan's dominion. The early church 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:45.200 was remarkably effective in its ministry. It 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:48.259 multiplied quickly in its size. It captured the 00:00:48.259 --> 00:00:51.259 attention not only of Jerusalem, but of that 00:00:51.259 --> 00:00:56.520 whole region of Palestine. And it in its message 00:00:56.520 --> 00:01:02.219 became the topic. of interest and conversation 00:01:02.219 --> 00:01:07.280 in the populace. That, of course, could not go 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:10.939 unchallenged as far as Satan was concerned. When 00:01:10.939 --> 00:01:14.359 the power of God was manifested so dramatically, 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:20.239 the power of the enemy countered it. It countered 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:23.920 it basically, you'll recall, through the Jewish 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:28.939 religion, which was opposed, at least its leadership. 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:33.060 was opposed to this new movement following Jesus 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:37.099 of Nazareth. That leads me to say that we should 00:01:37.099 --> 00:01:41.959 not be surprised when Satan's opposition to the 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:47.000 real work of God is disguised in religious garb. 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:52.120 In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul reminds 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:56.560 us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:01.670 light. That's the way he comes on. He does not 00:02:01.670 --> 00:02:04.049 come on as that rather ugly creature that we 00:02:04.049 --> 00:02:07.629 see depicted from medieval paintings. But he 00:02:07.629 --> 00:02:10.009 comes on rather as an angel of light, and he 00:02:10.009 --> 00:02:13.370 says, it is no marvel therefore that those who 00:02:13.370 --> 00:02:18.310 are his servants transform themselves into ministers 00:02:18.310 --> 00:02:22.650 of righteousness. But their true nature, of course, 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:26.330 is something opposite of that. When the apostles 00:02:26.330 --> 00:02:29.189 were seeing much fruit, Satan reacted by having 00:02:29.189 --> 00:02:34.129 them arrested. God responded by a miraculous 00:02:34.129 --> 00:02:38.229 release from the public jail and renewed orders 00:02:38.229 --> 00:02:41.110 to them to be his representatives back there 00:02:41.110 --> 00:02:45.509 on the portico of the temple. Satan then countered 00:02:45.509 --> 00:02:50.490 again by a second arrest of the apostles, and 00:02:50.490 --> 00:02:53.680 that was our study last week. We come now to 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:56.460 our text for today in Acts chapter 5 beginning 00:02:56.460 --> 00:03:25.050 in verse 27. rather than men. The God of our 00:03:25.050 --> 00:03:28.750 fathers raised up Jesus whom you had put to death 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:32.710 by hanging him on a cross. He is the one whom 00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:36.150 God exalted to his right hand as a prince and 00:03:36.150 --> 00:03:40.009 a savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness 00:03:40.009 --> 00:03:43.750 of sins. And we are witnesses of these things, 00:03:44.030 --> 00:03:46.830 and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given 00:03:46.830 --> 00:03:51.169 to those who obey him. When they heard this, 00:03:51.310 --> 00:03:54.289 They were cut to the quick, and were intending 00:03:54.289 --> 00:03:58.990 to slay them. But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, 00:03:59.569 --> 00:04:02.449 a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, 00:04:02.949 --> 00:04:05.590 stood up in the council and gave orders to put 00:04:05.590 --> 00:04:09.430 the men outside for a short time. And he said 00:04:09.430 --> 00:04:13.150 to them, Men of Israel, take care of what you 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:16.709 propose to do with these men. For some time ago, 00:04:16.910 --> 00:04:21.009 Thudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A group 00:04:21.009 --> 00:04:23.689 of about four hundred men joined up with him, 00:04:24.069 --> 00:04:26.829 and he was slain, and all who followed him were 00:04:26.829 --> 00:04:31.810 dispersed, and came to nothing. After this, men, 00:04:32.089 --> 00:04:35.110 Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, 00:04:35.910 --> 00:04:39.029 and drew away some people after him. He too perished, 00:04:39.209 --> 00:04:41.350 and all those who followed him were scattered. 00:04:42.310 --> 00:04:45.870 And so, in the present case, I say to you, stay 00:04:45.870 --> 00:04:49.329 away from these men. Let them alone. For if this 00:04:49.329 --> 00:04:53.410 plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown. 00:04:53.790 --> 00:04:56.230 But if it is of God, you will not be able to 00:04:56.230 --> 00:04:59.089 overthrow them, or else you may even be found 00:04:59.089 --> 00:05:04.069 fighting against God." And they took his advice. 00:05:04.250 --> 00:05:07.269 And after calling the apostles in, they flogged 00:05:07.269 --> 00:05:09.949 them and ordered them to speak no more in the 00:05:09.949 --> 00:05:13.750 name of Jesus and released them. So they went 00:05:13.750 --> 00:05:15.810 on their way from the presence of the council, 00:05:15.810 --> 00:05:18.699 rejoicing. that they had been considered worthy 00:05:18.699 --> 00:05:23.180 to suffer shame for His name. And every day in 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:26.060 the temple and from house to house, they kept 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:30.220 right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the 00:05:30.220 --> 00:05:35.839 Christ. The apostles were faithful representatives 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:40.379 or witnesses of the risen Christ, whether in 00:05:40.379 --> 00:05:45.040 public or in private, in jail, or in the temple. 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:49.040 or in the trial, they were faithful representatives 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:55.300 of the Lord Jesus. We today, their followers, 00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:00.180 too have the privilege of being the representatives 00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:04.779 of the risen Christ. Now we are not apostles, 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:09.199 but we are ambassadors appointed by Jesus Christ 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:13.860 as his representatives in this dark world. What 00:06:13.860 --> 00:06:16.180 does it entail? What does it mean? What does 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:20.639 it involve to be a representative of the risen 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:24.860 Christ? I think there are four answers to that 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:27.399 question. We find them in our text exemplified 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:32.000 in the Apostles. Being a representative of the 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.220 risen Christ in the first place involves standing 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:40.920 up. The angel ordered them to do so back in verse 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:45.720 20. And so they did it. Verse 25 and then again 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:50.300 in verse 27, it says that they stood. Now the 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:53.259 important thing here is not the posture of their 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:57.000 bodies. The important thing is the attitude of 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:03.199 their hearts. They stood. The Greek word in verse 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:05.980 20 is different than the word in the other two 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:08.839 verses I mentioned. For in verse 20, what the 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:12.189 angel really said to them was, take your stand, 00:07:14.029 --> 00:07:19.930 take your stand," he said to them. Boldness was 00:07:19.930 --> 00:07:24.529 displayed as they became the crosshairs of Satan's 00:07:24.529 --> 00:07:29.370 aim. The interrogation of the priest is recorded 00:07:29.370 --> 00:07:34.389 for us in verse 28. They took their stand, and 00:07:34.389 --> 00:07:37.290 as the high priest questioned them, notice in 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:39.610 the first place that he did not mention the name 00:07:39.610 --> 00:07:45.430 of Jesus. You see that? He says it first, we 00:07:45.430 --> 00:07:49.769 ordered you not to teach in this name. And then 00:07:49.769 --> 00:07:52.569 he said, you intend to bring this man's blood 00:07:52.569 --> 00:07:57.129 upon us. You can almost hear him spit out those 00:07:57.129 --> 00:08:02.110 words. They were said with hatred and anger. 00:08:03.029 --> 00:08:05.610 He would not so much as allow the name of Jesus 00:08:05.610 --> 00:08:11.550 to cross his lips. Notice also that in his accusation 00:08:11.550 --> 00:08:14.610 he did not accuse them of jailbreaking because 00:08:14.610 --> 00:08:16.910 he did not have the faintest idea how they got 00:08:16.910 --> 00:08:20.009 out of jail. So he couldn't very well have charged 00:08:20.009 --> 00:08:24.269 them with that crime. But he did make two accusations. 00:08:25.970 --> 00:08:29.290 One was essentially contempt of the council. 00:08:31.110 --> 00:08:35.289 He says, we ordered you to stop teaching in his 00:08:35.289 --> 00:08:38.389 name and you have failed to obey our orders. 00:08:39.420 --> 00:08:41.840 Now, that should really have been no surprise. 00:08:42.620 --> 00:08:48.379 Back in chapter 4 and verse 18, it says, they 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:51.259 summoned them, the apostles, and commanded them 00:08:51.259 --> 00:08:53.960 not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:56.960 And right at that moment when they had given 00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:59.659 that order, notice Peter and John's response, 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:02.480 whether it's right in the sight of God to give 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.840 heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge, 00:09:06.059 --> 00:09:10.190 we cannot stop speaking. And so it should have 00:09:10.190 --> 00:09:13.250 been no surprise at all to the council that these 00:09:13.250 --> 00:09:16.610 12 apostles now are brought before them for contempt 00:09:16.610 --> 00:09:20.690 of the council. They did not come with a contemptible 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:24.509 attitude, but they were unafraid to break the 00:09:24.509 --> 00:09:29.090 orders of the council because those orders contradicted 00:09:29.090 --> 00:09:33.769 the command of God. The second accusation of 00:09:33.769 --> 00:09:35.690 the high priest is found in the last part of 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:39.250 his statement in verse 28. He said, you intend 00:09:39.250 --> 00:09:44.850 to bring this man's blood upon us. In essence, 00:09:44.850 --> 00:09:47.870 he's saying you are blaming us for Jesus' death. 00:09:49.950 --> 00:09:53.549 Now that is a very interesting statement, especially 00:09:53.549 --> 00:09:55.470 in the light of what is said back in Matthew 00:09:55.470 --> 00:09:57.649 chapter 27. I want you to turn back there and 00:09:57.649 --> 00:10:05.309 look at that. Matthew 27, here we have the account 00:10:05.309 --> 00:10:12.720 of Jesus. trial, and crucifixion. Pilate could 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:18.120 find no reason to punish Jesus, intended to let 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:21.360 him go, and yet the crowd cried out for Barabbas. 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:26.200 You know the story. And in verse 20 it says, 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:30.279 but the chief priests and the elders, now remember 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:32.559 that's exactly who's standing before the apostles 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:36.980 now, trying them. The chief priests and the apostles 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:40.240 persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:45.639 and to put Jesus to death. Pilate said, what 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:47.840 shall I do with Jesus who's called the Christ? 00:10:47.899 --> 00:10:51.039 They said, let him be crucified. He said, what 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:54.019 evil has he done? They said, let him be crucified. 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:59.279 So Pilate consented to that, claimed his own 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:03.080 innocence. Then in verse 25, all the people answered 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:10.519 and said, His blood be on us and our children." 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:14.779 Notice what the mob said. They said that undoubtedly 00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:20.440 at the behest of those high priests, chief priests, 00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:25.320 and elders who were egging them on, demanding 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:29.460 for Jesus' execution. They themselves had said, 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:33.669 His blood be upon us. And now, a few weeks later, 00:11:33.690 --> 00:11:36.629 they are accusing the apostles of saying, you 00:11:36.629 --> 00:11:40.009 are trying to accuse us of this man's blood. 00:11:41.450 --> 00:11:43.929 In fact, they had brought the blood of Jesus 00:11:43.929 --> 00:11:49.090 upon themselves. The accusations really show 00:11:49.090 --> 00:11:53.289 the effectiveness of the apostles' work. They 00:11:53.289 --> 00:11:56.870 said, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. 00:11:58.690 --> 00:12:00.730 That should certainly be the goal of every one 00:12:00.730 --> 00:12:04.220 of us. to fill the city where we live with the 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:09.100 teaching of Jesus Christ. It also reveals, that 00:12:09.100 --> 00:12:13.039 is the accusation reveals, a certain fear, I 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:17.159 think, on the part of the council because they 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:21.500 saw the tremendous popular uprising of the people 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:25.539 following after the apostles. Now primarily because 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:28.720 of the miracles, but nonetheless the crowd was 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:32.690 interested. I mean, there was a mass movement 00:12:32.690 --> 00:12:36.850 on and the Sanhedrin knew it. I believe that 00:12:36.850 --> 00:12:40.070 they were fearful that the people might ultimately 00:12:40.070 --> 00:12:47.590 turn on them. The apostles were willing to stand 00:12:47.590 --> 00:12:52.110 up for the Lord Jesus Christ, to take their stand, 00:12:52.309 --> 00:12:56.529 whatever the cost might be. May I say to you 00:12:56.529 --> 00:13:00.029 and I who follow Jesus Christ today, that we 00:13:00.029 --> 00:13:06.049 too must be willing, ready, taking our stand, 00:13:06.350 --> 00:13:10.610 even if that means standing alone. When I say 00:13:10.610 --> 00:13:12.629 that, I think of one Old Testament character 00:13:12.629 --> 00:13:14.850 who was called upon to do that and who did it 00:13:14.850 --> 00:13:19.929 magnificently, and I think of Daniel, who was 00:13:19.929 --> 00:13:25.330 taken away from his homeland in the first attack 00:13:25.330 --> 00:13:29.779 by Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem. taken as 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:33.840 a young man to Babylon, there to be trained for 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:40.120 the courts of the ruler of Babylon. And despite 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:42.039 the tremendous amount of pressure that was brought 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:46.220 against him, despite the fact that most of the 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:49.659 other Jewish young men apparently caved in to 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:52.840 the demands of the heathen pagan culture around 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:58.039 them, Daniel and a few others refused to do that. 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:02.980 Daniel was willing to stand alone if necessary. 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:07.399 I believe that there are times when you and I 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:10.860 must stand alone. There are other times, thank 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:14.659 God, when we have others to stand with us. When 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:17.600 we take our stand, it should never be belligerently 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:23.480 or with a cocky, arrogant attitude, but it should 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:29.679 be humbly, sincerely, and firmly. We must be 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:34.379 willing to do that in the classroom, the junior 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:37.440 high or the high school or the university. Be 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:40.899 willing to take our stand with Jesus Christ and 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:45.799 the truth of God's revealed Word. We must be 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:49.720 willing to do that in the office where there 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:54.139 are other kinds of language and conversations 00:14:54.139 --> 00:14:58.200 taking place. where there are people who have 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:02.240 all kinds of screwy religious ideas. We must 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:05.379 be willing to take our stand at the office and 00:15:05.379 --> 00:15:08.860 let people know who we are. We are representatives 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:12.419 of the risen Christ. We must be willing to do 00:15:12.419 --> 00:15:15.399 that in our family gatherings sometimes, right? 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:18.500 And if there's any place that's most difficult, 00:15:18.500 --> 00:15:22.240 that could be it. When we have parents or brothers 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:26.799 and sisters or aunts and uncles, who do not understand, 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:30.200 who do not even appreciate, perhaps, our Christian 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:34.659 faith. We must be willing there to lovingly and 00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:37.539 yet clearly and firmly to take a stand for Jesus 00:15:37.539 --> 00:15:41.700 Christ. What does it involve to be a representative 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:45.840 of the risen Christ? It involves, first of all, 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:52.019 standing up for Him. But it involves something 00:15:52.019 --> 00:15:55.860 else as well. It involves speaking out, and we 00:15:55.860 --> 00:16:01.159 see that in verses 29 -32. Peter speaks on behalf 00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:05.679 of the whole group. Peter seems to make four 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.519 important points in the brief remarks that are 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:13.080 recorded by Luke. First, Peter articulated a 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:15.519 rationale for their disobeying the orders of 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:19.500 the Council. In essence, he says, not to have 00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:23.299 spoken would have meant disobeying their Savior's 00:16:23.299 --> 00:16:30.200 commands and God's. They had to speak. And he 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:32.740 reaffirms what might be called the principle 00:16:32.740 --> 00:16:37.460 of higher authority. When there is a conflict 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:42.940 of orders, the higher authority is to be obeyed. 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:47.259 In this case, there was a conflict and God, the 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:52.549 supreme authority, must be obeyed. And the apostles 00:16:52.549 --> 00:16:55.850 were willing to do that. They had no real choice 00:16:55.850 --> 00:17:00.490 if they were to be obedient, but to speak regarding 00:17:00.490 --> 00:17:04.210 the Lord Jesus Christ. And so being His representative 00:17:04.210 --> 00:17:09.089 meant speaking out. Secondly, Peter arraigned 00:17:09.089 --> 00:17:12.430 the leaders again. The last part of verse 30. 00:17:13.490 --> 00:17:18.049 He accuses the leaders of their crime, rejecting 00:17:18.049 --> 00:17:22.119 their Christ and having Him put to death. That, 00:17:22.200 --> 00:17:24.660 of course, was not what the Council wanted to 00:17:24.660 --> 00:17:29.359 hear. It was the truth. They were guilty of that 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:33.539 crime. I should hasten to say no more guilty 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:35.700 than were the Romans who actually carried out 00:17:35.700 --> 00:17:39.759 the execution, and actually no more guilty than 00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:43.740 any of us whose sins required the death of the 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:47.180 Lord Jesus Christ. But what Peter said to them 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.460 was true. They had rejected their Christ and 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:53.210 had Him put to death. The third point that Peter 00:17:53.210 --> 00:17:57.170 makes is that he announces God's sovereign control 00:17:57.170 --> 00:18:03.309 in his program. Peter does not present a God 00:18:03.309 --> 00:18:08.130 here who is desperately reacting to events gone 00:18:08.130 --> 00:18:12.769 out of control, but in fact he presents the God 00:18:12.769 --> 00:18:15.130 of their fathers, and notice he says that God 00:18:15.130 --> 00:18:19.430 of our fathers, identifying himself with them. 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:22.559 in their ancestry, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 00:18:22.579 --> 00:18:26.920 and so on. He says, the God of our fathers is 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:31.220 in control, for in the first place He has raised 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:35.819 up Jesus. Now, there are some who believe that 00:18:35.819 --> 00:18:38.799 could refer to Him sending the Lord Jesus Christ 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:42.079 in His incarnation into the world, raising Him 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:45.519 up in that sense to be the Savior. But it seems 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:47.460 to me in the context here to make better sense 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:49.960 to be talking about the resurrection. Because 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:51.880 it goes right on to talk about the death of the 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:55.420 Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, you find that 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:59.319 the resurrection is the central theme in all 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:04.299 of the preaching in the book of Acts. And so 00:19:04.299 --> 00:19:07.140 he says, God raised him up. God is in control. 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:11.119 You put him to death. And remember earlier, he 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:13.940 had already said, you did it, but God allowed 00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:17.240 it. Indeed, it was God's appointment. But he 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:20.640 says, you put him to death. But God raised him 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:24.319 up. It was possible for man to put him to death, 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:29.299 but man could not raise him up. God did that. 00:19:30.180 --> 00:19:33.500 That is the great bedrock doctrine of the Christian 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:39.220 faith. One cannot be a genuine biblical Christian 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:43.279 and deny the literal historical resurrection 00:19:43.279 --> 00:19:48.589 of Jesus Christ. It is an absolute fundamental 00:19:48.589 --> 00:19:54.789 of biblical Christianity. God raised him up and 00:19:54.789 --> 00:19:57.670 God did something more than that. He says God 00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:02.650 also exalted this Jesus. Exalted him where? To 00:20:02.650 --> 00:20:06.309 his right hand. The place of supreme authority 00:20:06.309 --> 00:20:11.349 above all others. The place of honor. God's right 00:20:11.349 --> 00:20:16.029 hand. He exalted him there, he says, as Prince. 00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:24.190 Now that word Prince means leader or source or 00:20:24.190 --> 00:20:26.910 author. It is the term used as author of our 00:20:26.910 --> 00:20:30.450 salvation in the book of Hebrews. It's the same 00:20:30.450 --> 00:20:33.269 word that was used back in chapter 3 in verse 00:20:33.269 --> 00:20:37.470 15 when Peter preached to them and he said, you 00:20:37.470 --> 00:20:41.500 put to death the Prince of life. There it was 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:46.160 used in the sense of the source of life. Really 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:49.000 a paradox. You put to death the source of life. 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:53.940 Here he calls him the prince using the same word, 00:20:53.980 --> 00:20:57.220 but the real context seems to be that God has 00:20:57.220 --> 00:21:01.519 exalted him the leader. He has gone before all 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.500 of us into the presence of God to open the way 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:08.160 into his presence. And he says God has exalted 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:14.920 him as Savior. Savior, deliverer, one who rescues 00:21:14.920 --> 00:21:22.680 from danger. Why did God do this? Well, Peter 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:26.559 says that ultimately it is to save the very people 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:30.960 of Israel. And as well, of course, as many who 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:34.259 believe. But Peter, because he is preaching to 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:37.579 these Jewish leaders, says that God did this 00:21:37.579 --> 00:21:41.750 to grant repentance to Israel. and forgiveness 00:21:41.750 --> 00:21:46.369 of sins. What does repentance mean? It means 00:21:46.369 --> 00:21:56.690 to change one's mind. Instead of rejecting Jesus 00:21:56.690 --> 00:22:03.829 as an apostate of Judaism or as a political leader, 00:22:05.230 --> 00:22:08.259 instead of accepting Him that way, To change 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:10.880 the mind and to see that in fact He is the Prince 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:15.460 and the Savior, that He is God come in the flesh. 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:21.160 Repentance, to change the mind, to change the 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:25.279 mind about one's own sin. Instead of loving sin 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:28.599 and desiring sin, to change the mind and say, 00:22:28.819 --> 00:22:31.400 I no longer want that. I no longer seek that. 00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:34.619 I no longer want to fulfill the lusts of my flesh. 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:39.640 Rather, I want to fulfill God's pleasures. I 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:43.160 want to be a holy person. It means to change 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:46.819 the mind about the Savior, to change the mind 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:51.079 about oneself. It means instead of running from 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:56.279 God, to run to Him in faith, repentance. Now 00:22:56.279 --> 00:22:59.400 he says following repentance comes forgiveness 00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:03.819 of sins. where there is no repentance, there 00:23:03.819 --> 00:23:08.160 is no forgiveness. It is common in our world 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:10.619 today for people to think that somehow Jesus' 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:14.279 death on the cross automatically forgives everybody's 00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:17.599 sins and that ultimately everybody is going to 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:20.220 get to heaven. No matter what they believe or 00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:22.599 don't believe or how they live or don't live, 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:25.900 that Jesus somehow took care of everybody's sins 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:28.660 and everybody is going to be there universally. 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:33.359 And that, of course, is not true. That is not 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:38.339 true. It is true that when He died for our sins, 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:41.720 He potentially paid for the sins of all men. 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:46.599 The merit, the worth of His death is sufficient 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:52.079 for all men of all ages. But it is only those 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:56.359 individuals who repent and trust in the Lord 00:23:56.359 --> 00:24:02.109 Jesus Christ who have their sins. And remember 00:24:02.109 --> 00:24:05.809 this, that God does not excuse sins. That is 00:24:05.809 --> 00:24:09.509 not the meaning of forgiveness. God does not 00:24:09.509 --> 00:24:13.609 just forget sins. That is not the meaning of 00:24:13.609 --> 00:24:17.549 forgiveness. God does not simply overlook them 00:24:17.549 --> 00:24:20.289 or sweep them under the rug, so to speak. That 00:24:20.289 --> 00:24:24.549 is not the meaning of forgiveness. Forgiveness 00:24:24.549 --> 00:24:29.579 has the idea of wiping them away. removing them 00:24:29.579 --> 00:24:34.599 entirely from the record. It is a wonderful thing 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:40.980 that when we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, He 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:46.480 removes the record of our sin. It is gone forever. 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:50.819 And we have a new record put to our account, 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:55.440 the record of perfect obedience. That is righteousness. 00:24:55.900 --> 00:24:59.500 We get Jesus' righteousness in place of the sin 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:04.940 that has been forgiven. The Lord Jesus Christ 00:25:04.940 --> 00:25:08.220 died. He was raised up. He was exalted at the 00:25:08.220 --> 00:25:10.859 right hand of God today to be the Savior of Israel, 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:16.220 but as well to be the Savior of you and of me. 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:22.859 Have you trusted Him? Have you received Him into 00:25:22.859 --> 00:25:26.519 your heart and your life? Have you repented of 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:28.880 your sinfulness? Have you changed your mind about 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:32.660 your sin? Have you changed your mind about Him 00:25:32.660 --> 00:25:37.099 and received Him? If not, I hope that you will 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:42.579 even today. To be a representative of the risen 00:25:42.579 --> 00:25:49.220 Christ means to speak out. Peter also affirmed 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:51.339 the divine appointment that he and the other 00:25:51.339 --> 00:25:56.680 apostles had. He says, we are witnesses of these 00:25:56.680 --> 00:26:02.019 things. And he says, so is the Holy Spirit. And 00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:04.599 there he points out the enablement, the power 00:26:04.599 --> 00:26:08.019 that was theirs. How was it they were released 00:26:08.019 --> 00:26:10.319 from jail? How was it that these miracles were 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:15.599 being done? Why were the multitudes turning to 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:18.940 this Christ? because the Holy Spirit, too, was 00:26:18.940 --> 00:26:23.180 a witness. The Holy Spirit working through them 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:27.319 who had obeyed the Lord Jesus. May I say to you 00:26:27.319 --> 00:26:30.160 that today we are not called upon to be the representatives 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:33.559 of the Lord Jesus Christ in our own strength. 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:37.279 When we trust Him, we receive the Holy Spirit. 00:26:38.519 --> 00:26:42.099 And the Holy Spirit then uses us as His channels 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:47.470 to impact lives around us. That is the importance 00:26:47.470 --> 00:26:49.750 of knowing the empowering of the Holy Spirit 00:26:49.750 --> 00:26:52.349 so that we don't strive and struggle in our own 00:26:52.349 --> 00:26:55.549 strength. We simply allow Him to work through 00:26:55.549 --> 00:27:02.609 us. Speaking out even in tough situations is 00:27:02.609 --> 00:27:05.710 an important part of our representing the Lord 00:27:05.710 --> 00:27:09.829 Jesus Christ. In this particular case, the apostles 00:27:09.829 --> 00:27:13.210 defended themselves and so doing it. There are 00:27:13.210 --> 00:27:15.589 times when we as well must take the initiative. 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:18.759 as they did when they were on the porch of Solomon's 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:22.420 temple. I would also have you notice that it 00:27:22.420 --> 00:27:24.900 doesn't mean necessarily when we speak out that 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:29.160 it must be a lengthy speech or a three -point 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:32.799 sermon. Peter's remarks here really are rather 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:36.420 brief, but they are pointed. They are pointed. 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:40.900 So the BA representative of the risen Christ 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:45.740 means standing up and speaking out. But it thirdly 00:27:45.740 --> 00:27:51.400 means suffering with. Suffering with the Lord 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:56.640 Jesus Christ. The reaction of the Sanhedrin to 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:00.640 Peter's remarks seems to have come in three stages. 00:28:02.339 --> 00:28:06.140 The initial stage was anger. It says they were 00:28:06.140 --> 00:28:11.500 cut to the quick. Have you ever been cut to the 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:15.609 quick? Has something happened to you that caused 00:28:15.609 --> 00:28:20.809 you to react quickly? A few days ago, I was putting 00:28:20.809 --> 00:28:25.569 away something in a shelf that we have, on a 00:28:25.569 --> 00:28:28.569 shelf that we have in our family room, and I 00:28:28.569 --> 00:28:31.529 ran my finger beside a puzzle that the children 00:28:31.529 --> 00:28:33.690 have, and there was a splinter sticking out from 00:28:33.690 --> 00:28:36.230 that puzzle that very neatly went underneath 00:28:36.230 --> 00:28:40.509 my fingernail and halfway up my finger. I was 00:28:40.509 --> 00:28:44.359 cut to the quick. Let me tell you. I withdrew 00:28:44.359 --> 00:28:47.299 my finger and the blood was pouring and I knew 00:28:47.299 --> 00:28:51.140 something had happened that hurt a lot." Now 00:28:51.140 --> 00:28:55.259 that is exactly the picture here. Peter's remarks 00:28:55.259 --> 00:28:58.039 were like a knife driven right into the very 00:28:58.039 --> 00:29:00.839 heart of those men. They were cut by this and 00:29:00.839 --> 00:29:04.759 they were angry. It means to be violently enraged. 00:29:04.779 --> 00:29:08.579 They were infuriated by his remarks and clearly 00:29:08.579 --> 00:29:12.700 they intended to kill them. But there's a second 00:29:12.700 --> 00:29:17.200 stage that quickly comes forth, and that is the 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:19.259 stage when Gamaliel spoke. Gamaliel said, now 00:29:19.259 --> 00:29:21.619 wait a minute. You fellows go outside. I have 00:29:21.619 --> 00:29:24.440 a little speech I want to make. It would seem 00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:27.700 that Gamaliel's speech is the highlight of this 00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:29.799 incident from Luke's perspective. He gives a 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:35.640 lot of space to it here. Gamaliel was a pragmatist. 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:41.289 He was a man who counseled moderation. Now please 00:29:41.289 --> 00:29:44.529 do not mistakenly think that Gamaliel was somehow 00:29:44.529 --> 00:29:48.250 a friend of the church. That wasn't the case. 00:29:48.609 --> 00:29:53.190 Gamaliel here was making a case for his position 00:29:53.190 --> 00:29:56.569 as a Pharisee after the order of the school of 00:29:56.569 --> 00:30:01.190 Hillel, his grandfather by the way. He was a 00:30:01.190 --> 00:30:06.829 man who was cautious, and God used that caution 00:30:06.829 --> 00:30:11.099 that was bred into his Phariseeism to accomplish 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:13.539 his purpose here, to deliver the apostles from 00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:17.960 death. His advice basically was this, if this 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:21.059 is of men, don't worry about it, it'll pass away. 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:24.759 And he gives two examples. He says, you remember 00:30:24.759 --> 00:30:28.779 Thudus. Now the only Thudus that we really know 00:30:28.779 --> 00:30:32.279 about is one that lived about 10 years after 00:30:32.279 --> 00:30:36.259 these remarks. And so there are some who think 00:30:36.259 --> 00:30:39.349 that Luke made a terrible mistake here. It's 00:30:39.349 --> 00:30:41.869 one of the historical errors they say in the 00:30:41.869 --> 00:30:45.329 Bible. But, in fact, the name Thutus was a very 00:30:45.329 --> 00:30:48.450 common name in that day. And there are some people 00:30:48.450 --> 00:30:51.029 who say that there were, in fact, as many as 00:30:51.029 --> 00:30:57.170 10 ,000 conspirators of various sorts around 00:30:57.170 --> 00:31:01.109 Palestine in those decades around the coming 00:31:01.109 --> 00:31:06.569 of Christ. And so, undoubtedly, Gamaliel is referring 00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:10.779 back to... a Thudus who lived before this, who 00:31:10.779 --> 00:31:14.019 is unknown to us today. But he was a man who 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:17.099 had 400 leaders. And his point is, look, he rose 00:31:17.099 --> 00:31:20.599 up, had all these people after him. He died. 00:31:20.619 --> 00:31:24.279 That was the end of it. And then he points to 00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:26.759 this man called Judas of Galilee. Now, Judas 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:30.700 is recorded in secular history. His movement 00:31:30.700 --> 00:31:35.920 occurred when Jesus was but a boy in 6 AD. And 00:31:35.920 --> 00:31:38.980 he, too, He drew away some people after him, 00:31:39.019 --> 00:31:42.720 but then he died and his movement ceased. And 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.859 so Gamaliel's point is this. Look, if this is 00:31:44.859 --> 00:31:49.079 of men, now that Jesus is dead, this is going 00:31:49.079 --> 00:31:53.539 to end. This is just a little flurry of activity 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:55.579 and it will be all over, so don't worry about 00:31:55.579 --> 00:31:59.119 it. On the other hand, he says, if this is of 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:02.700 God, then you men are in danger of fighting against 00:32:02.700 --> 00:32:06.920 God. I don't think that... Gamaliel thought it 00:32:06.920 --> 00:32:10.779 was of God, but that was nonetheless his pragmatic 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:14.460 advice. He essentially said, time will tell. 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:19.759 Now, Gamaliel's attitude is quite different than 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:23.839 that of his disciple who is whom, you know? Right, 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:27.720 Saul of Tarsus. Saul may well have been present 00:32:27.720 --> 00:32:33.339 on this day. Saul's attitude was one of antagonism 00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:37.099 toward the Christians. He viewed these people 00:32:37.099 --> 00:32:40.779 as apostates from Judaism who had to be dealt 00:32:40.779 --> 00:32:44.900 with severely. And so undoubtedly, he and Gamaliel 00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:49.960 had words regarding their different perspectives 00:32:49.960 --> 00:32:54.440 on Christianity. Well, was Gamaliel's advice 00:32:54.440 --> 00:32:57.700 sound? Well, there are some who say, yes, it 00:32:57.700 --> 00:33:03.599 was. But it seems to me it was only from a worldly 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:09.990 perspective. Because the final measure of advice 00:33:09.990 --> 00:33:14.529 is not whether it's pragmatic, but it's whether 00:33:14.529 --> 00:33:19.250 it conforms to the revealed Word of God. And 00:33:19.250 --> 00:33:22.789 Gamaliel's advice did not conform to the revealed 00:33:22.789 --> 00:33:27.450 will of God. And those angels walking on the 00:33:27.450 --> 00:33:32.339 roof right now reminding you of that. Now, there's 00:33:32.339 --> 00:33:36.099 a third phase that we come to in the reaction 00:33:36.099 --> 00:33:38.440 of the Sanhedrin, and that is that they accepted 00:33:38.440 --> 00:33:42.900 the advice of Gamaliel, yet they flogged the 00:33:42.900 --> 00:33:46.519 apostles. The flogging was not a little spanking 00:33:46.519 --> 00:33:50.079 like you give your kids. The flogging involved 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:55.660 39 stripes. It was a severe beating. And then 00:33:55.660 --> 00:33:58.319 they ordered them, they said, you stop speaking 00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:01.319 in this man's name. The response of the apostles 00:34:01.319 --> 00:34:04.839 is predictable. Verse 41, they went on their 00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:07.359 way from the presence of the council rejoicing. 00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:11.079 See, they rejoiced. Why were they rejoicing? 00:34:11.619 --> 00:34:14.039 That they had been considered worthy to suffer 00:34:14.039 --> 00:34:18.719 shame, for Jesus' name. What does it take to 00:34:18.719 --> 00:34:23.480 rob you of your joy? Don't we get robbed of our 00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:27.119 joy in Jesus Christ with such pitily insignificant 00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:31.869 things? Little issues come up, little concerns 00:34:31.869 --> 00:34:35.369 in our lives, circumstances come in, and we just 00:34:35.369 --> 00:34:39.110 fall flat on our faces and we lose the joy that 00:34:39.110 --> 00:34:43.969 we have available in Jesus Christ. People oppose 00:34:43.969 --> 00:34:49.650 us and we are depressed. We get a little bit 00:34:49.650 --> 00:34:52.590 of ridicule and it's the end of the world. We 00:34:52.590 --> 00:34:56.550 go away weeping. How we need to follow the apostles. 00:34:57.070 --> 00:34:59.289 They knew that being a representative of the 00:34:59.289 --> 00:35:04.090 risen Christ meant suffering with Him, suffering 00:35:04.090 --> 00:35:07.309 with Him. Now we often don't see the kind of 00:35:07.309 --> 00:35:11.730 suffering that they endured. It does occur in 00:35:11.730 --> 00:35:16.889 our world. Recently I read about Carlos, a fictitious 00:35:16.889 --> 00:35:23.250 name, for a young pastor in El Salvador. He's 00:35:23.250 --> 00:35:25.869 a graduate of Central America Mission Seminary. 00:35:26.039 --> 00:35:32.559 in Guatemala City. In 10 months or so, the church 00:35:32.559 --> 00:35:35.280 he pastored grew from 100 to 400, making it one 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:37.239 of the largest churches in all of El Salvador. 00:35:38.900 --> 00:35:42.019 Carlos is a university graduate, and he's a former 00:35:42.019 --> 00:35:45.579 Christian worker among the university students 00:35:45.579 --> 00:35:48.500 in El Salvador, and so he is well known by the 00:35:48.500 --> 00:35:51.420 students. Many of the young people that he has 00:35:51.420 --> 00:35:55.309 known in the past on the university campus have 00:35:55.309 --> 00:35:57.449 asked him to join the guerrilla forces in El 00:35:57.449 --> 00:36:01.150 Salvador. He has been pressured, in fact, to 00:36:01.150 --> 00:36:04.250 join them as a chaplain, they have called it. 00:36:05.090 --> 00:36:09.309 Almost daily he receives phone calls. Even when 00:36:09.309 --> 00:36:12.809 he's out of town, they know where he is, and 00:36:12.809 --> 00:36:15.449 they let him know that they're watching him, 00:36:15.869 --> 00:36:17.949 and that he had better soon join their forces. 00:36:20.340 --> 00:36:22.860 Carlos is in a position that if he will not join 00:36:22.860 --> 00:36:26.780 their forces, he must leave El Salvador, they 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:30.960 say. But they say if he leaves, he cannot leave 00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:36.360 with his wife and children. And if somehow he 00:36:36.360 --> 00:36:38.820 and his wife and children are able to get themselves 00:36:38.820 --> 00:36:43.559 out of El Salvador, the guerrillas have promised 00:36:43.559 --> 00:36:48.889 reprisals against both of their families. So 00:36:48.889 --> 00:36:55.610 what is Carlos to do? He is a man caught in a 00:36:55.610 --> 00:36:58.969 dilemma who is learning what it is to suffer 00:36:58.969 --> 00:37:04.170 with Jesus Christ. Our suffering is more subtle 00:37:04.170 --> 00:37:07.750 than that normally. It can mean the loss of friends 00:37:07.750 --> 00:37:13.110 and family, of reputation, of opportunity. It 00:37:13.110 --> 00:37:16.210 comes in the form of quiet hindrance sometimes. 00:37:17.639 --> 00:37:20.360 I have talked to men in corporations who because 00:37:20.360 --> 00:37:22.840 of their testimony for Jesus Christ and their 00:37:22.840 --> 00:37:26.420 commitment to the Lord have been passed over 00:37:26.420 --> 00:37:30.239 in promotions. They've been put on the sidetrack 00:37:30.239 --> 00:37:32.940 in the corporation and they will stay at that 00:37:32.940 --> 00:37:36.780 level for the rest of their working years because 00:37:36.780 --> 00:37:40.659 of their commitment to Jesus Christ. There are 00:37:40.659 --> 00:37:43.559 times when it comes in the form of open ridicule. 00:37:44.039 --> 00:37:46.199 that has happened to some of our students on 00:37:46.199 --> 00:37:48.539 the university campus or on the high school campus. 00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:51.159 But it's happened as well in the office where 00:37:51.159 --> 00:37:55.340 some of you work. There are times when persecution 00:37:55.340 --> 00:37:58.940 comes to us in apprehensive misunderstanding. 00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:02.980 We see that, for example, in the part of the 00:38:02.980 --> 00:38:05.960 parents of a teenager saved recently in our church 00:38:05.960 --> 00:38:08.579 who accused her of becoming a part of a cult 00:38:08.579 --> 00:38:12.320 and who came here to our church to confirm that 00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:16.119 only to go away disappointed. We were not a cult. 00:38:18.420 --> 00:38:20.900 Suffering comes in various forms today, often 00:38:20.900 --> 00:38:24.039 more subtle than those apostles experienced. 00:38:25.260 --> 00:38:26.980 But you and I must realize that if we're going 00:38:26.980 --> 00:38:29.340 to be representatives of the risen Christ, it 00:38:29.340 --> 00:38:33.219 means suffering in some form with Him. We have 00:38:33.219 --> 00:38:36.780 to answer the question in advance, how are we 00:38:36.780 --> 00:38:42.980 going to handle it? The apostles rejoiced. They 00:38:42.980 --> 00:38:48.460 entered into the fellowship of Jesus' sufferings. 00:38:49.659 --> 00:38:51.420 Remember that it is often through suffering that 00:38:51.420 --> 00:38:56.079 the power of God is released. And then finally 00:38:56.079 --> 00:38:58.760 and quickly, there is a fourth answer to the 00:38:58.760 --> 00:39:01.480 question, what does it entail to be a representative 00:39:01.480 --> 00:39:06.619 of the risen Christ? It means sticking to our 00:39:06.619 --> 00:39:10.960 work. These apostles kept on doing what they 00:39:10.960 --> 00:39:14.469 had been doing. They were far from defeated. 00:39:15.969 --> 00:39:21.190 They were a part of a victorious church. Remember 00:39:21.190 --> 00:39:24.570 that God always works in spite of persecution 00:39:24.570 --> 00:39:27.989 and indeed often the pressure of persecution 00:39:27.989 --> 00:39:33.110 only enhances what God is doing through his people. 00:39:33.949 --> 00:39:37.789 We see that for example in China. There are reliable 00:39:37.789 --> 00:39:40.690 sources today who say that the church in China 00:39:41.670 --> 00:39:47.050 is many times larger than it was when the missionaries 00:39:47.050 --> 00:39:51.010 were forced to leave 35 years ago. And all of 00:39:51.010 --> 00:39:55.789 it has happened under persecution, underground. 00:39:57.650 --> 00:40:01.070 They stuck to it. Satan's purpose here was to 00:40:01.070 --> 00:40:05.710 quiet these apostles through intimidation. What 00:40:05.710 --> 00:40:11.000 does it take to silence your witness? What does 00:40:11.000 --> 00:40:15.239 it take to keep you quiet there in the office, 00:40:16.119 --> 00:40:22.920 or at the family gathering we talked about, or 00:40:22.920 --> 00:40:27.059 in the classroom where you study? What does Satan 00:40:27.059 --> 00:40:30.480 have to do to sidetrack you from life's greatest 00:40:30.480 --> 00:40:33.239 privilege being a representative of the Lord 00:40:33.239 --> 00:40:37.820 Jesus Christ? My fellow Christian, may I remind 00:40:37.820 --> 00:40:41.800 you that who you are? What you are and where 00:40:41.800 --> 00:40:48.780 you are are not accidents. Those are designs 00:40:48.780 --> 00:40:53.280 in your life. God has uniquely prepared you to 00:40:53.280 --> 00:40:59.119 be a representative of the risen Christ. You 00:40:59.119 --> 00:41:05.440 do that by standing up, speaking out, suffering 00:41:05.440 --> 00:41:09.260 with Him, and sticking to your responsibility. 00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:13.639 And remember that yours is the victory through 00:41:13.639 --> 00:41:18.159 the Lord Jesus Christ. Because He lives, you 00:41:18.159 --> 00:41:23.360 need not be apologetic or defeated in your witness. 00:41:25.480 --> 00:41:28.900 Pliny, the Roman governor in Asia Minor in the 00:41:28.900 --> 00:41:33.900 early second century, was puzzled about the Christians 00:41:33.900 --> 00:41:37.539 who were brought before him. He wrote a letter 00:41:37.539 --> 00:41:41.070 to the emperor Trajan. at that time asking his 00:41:41.070 --> 00:41:44.829 advice. This was the kind of thing he included 00:41:44.829 --> 00:41:48.610 in his letter. It was a conversation between 00:41:48.610 --> 00:41:51.530 Pliny and a certain unknown Christian who was 00:41:51.530 --> 00:41:55.889 brought before him for trial. The governor threatened 00:41:55.889 --> 00:42:01.849 him, I will banish thee. The reply from the Christian 00:42:01.849 --> 00:42:06.210 was, thou canst not, for all the world is my 00:42:06.210 --> 00:42:11.570 father's house. Then I will slay thee, said the 00:42:11.570 --> 00:42:15.349 governor. Thou canst not, answered the Christian, 00:42:15.429 --> 00:42:19.570 for my life is hid with Christ in God. I will 00:42:19.570 --> 00:42:22.829 take away thy possessions, continued the governor. 00:42:23.989 --> 00:42:26.369 Thou canst not, for my treasure is in heaven. 00:42:27.590 --> 00:42:30.570 I will drive thee away from man, and thou shall 00:42:30.570 --> 00:42:34.949 have no friend left, was the final threat." The 00:42:34.949 --> 00:42:38.550 calm reply from the Christian. in trial was, 00:42:38.730 --> 00:42:44.889 thou canst not, for I have an unseen friend from 00:42:44.889 --> 00:42:50.289 whom thou art unable to separate me. He had the 00:42:50.289 --> 00:42:55.690 victory. Why? Because he knew and served a living 00:42:55.690 --> 00:42:59.469 Savior. That is the Savior that is your Savior, 00:43:00.489 --> 00:43:02.929 and the one who has called you to be his representative, 00:43:04.070 --> 00:43:06.989 where he's placed you. in this twentieth century. 00:43:08.409 --> 00:43:13.530 Let's bow together. Father, I pray that this 00:43:13.530 --> 00:43:16.889 reminder today, the example laid down before 00:43:16.889 --> 00:43:20.349 us by the apostles, would encourage us to be 00:43:20.349 --> 00:43:25.769 faithful representatives of the Lord Jesus. Wherein 00:43:25.769 --> 00:43:30.409 we have been intimidated, quieted by the enemy, 00:43:31.889 --> 00:43:34.550 wherein we have run from suffering and persecution, 00:43:35.050 --> 00:43:40.309 and fail to speak up, to stand up for Jesus. 00:43:41.550 --> 00:43:46.170 We confess those sins. We come to you with renewed 00:43:46.170 --> 00:43:49.650 commitment today to be faithful representatives 00:43:49.650 --> 00:43:53.409 of the risen Christ. Amen.