1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,250 2 00:00:00,333 --> 00:00:10,333 [music] 3 00:00:13,042 --> 00:00:16,792 What do you think about the church? 4 00:00:20,292 --> 00:00:22,625 Do you love the church? 5 00:00:30,292 --> 00:00:32,500 Do you serve the church? 6 00:00:40,292 --> 00:00:44,000 When you see the church what do you see? 7 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,500 Jesus loves his church. 8 00:01:12,833 --> 00:01:15,542 The Christian life is an amazing life. 9 00:01:15,625 --> 00:01:17,250 It's a miraculous life. 10 00:01:17,333 --> 00:01:19,708 It's a supernatural life. 11 00:01:19,792 --> 00:01:21,458 And Christians go to church, 12 00:01:21,500 --> 00:01:24,458 but you can't get this life from the church. 13 00:01:24,500 --> 00:01:26,208 And Christians are baptized, 14 00:01:26,292 --> 00:01:28,625 but you can't get this life from baptism. 15 00:01:28,667 --> 00:01:30,667 And some Christians are born into Christian families, 16 00:01:30,708 --> 00:01:33,833 but you can't get this from your parents or your grandparents. 17 00:01:33,875 --> 00:01:38,333 This life, this amazing life, this Christian life, 18 00:01:38,417 --> 00:01:41,167 it only comes from Jesus Christ. 19 00:01:41,208 --> 00:01:46,958 And it's literally the life of Jesus coming into your life 20 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,750 and changing, radically altering, 21 00:01:49,833 --> 00:01:54,750 transforming your whole life. 22 00:01:54,833 --> 00:01:58,500 And so as we begin our study on "Jesus Loves His Church," 23 00:01:58,542 --> 00:02:00,333 we're going to go back and look 24 00:02:00,375 --> 00:02:02,250 at where the church started and began, 25 00:02:02,333 --> 00:02:03,958 and look at the first Christians 26 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:05,833 in the New Testament context. 27 00:02:05,875 --> 00:02:08,042 If you've got a Bible, go to Acts 1. 28 00:02:08,125 --> 00:02:10,333 We'll be in Acts 1 and 2. 29 00:02:10,375 --> 00:02:14,042 And for us, this is a bit of visiting our family history. 30 00:02:14,125 --> 00:02:16,042 My dad and I, not long ago, 31 00:02:16,125 --> 00:02:18,042 we had an opportunity to go to Ireland. 32 00:02:18,125 --> 00:02:21,458 We're the O'Driscolls and we wanted to find out our history, 33 00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:24,833 and where our ancestors and our forefathers were from, 34 00:02:24,875 --> 00:02:27,958 and to understand the people that we are a part of. 35 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,667 And it was a great time for my dad and I. 36 00:02:30,708 --> 00:02:32,667 When we pick up the book of Acts 37 00:02:32,708 --> 00:02:34,542 we're doing that same thing spiritually. 38 00:02:34,625 --> 00:02:37,333 We're getting to know our family history as the church. 39 00:02:37,417 --> 00:02:39,833 We're meeting our spiritual forefathers, 40 00:02:39,917 --> 00:02:41,917 who have gone before us. 41 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,667 And we're looking at history that is 2,000 years old, 42 00:02:45,708 --> 00:02:47,833 and how the church came into being, 43 00:02:47,917 --> 00:02:50,250 and what it means to be a Christian. 44 00:02:50,333 --> 00:02:55,042 And so we'll start by looking at Jesus' life in Acts 1 45 00:02:55,125 --> 00:02:57,333 because before we get into the church 46 00:02:57,375 --> 00:02:59,042 we have to deal with Jesus. 47 00:02:59,125 --> 00:03:02,833 The Jesus that we love is a Jesus who's alive. 48 00:03:02,917 --> 00:03:05,833 He's a Jesus who puts his life in us. 49 00:03:05,917 --> 00:03:09,167 And he makes us his living church. 50 00:03:09,208 --> 00:03:12,458 So here's where it begins, Acts 1. 51 00:03:12,500 --> 00:03:14,458 "In his first book, O Theophilus," 52 00:03:14,500 --> 00:03:16,417 All right, we're going to stop right there. 53 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:18,333 Do a little bit of an introduction. 54 00:03:18,417 --> 00:03:20,000 The author's name is Luke. 55 00:03:20,083 --> 00:03:22,500 He's a man who writes two books of the Bible. 56 00:03:22,583 --> 00:03:25,708 He writes the Gospel of Luke, which we spent a few years in 57 00:03:25,792 --> 00:03:27,833 not long ago, looking at the life of Jesus. 58 00:03:27,917 --> 00:03:29,250 And that's a prequel. 59 00:03:29,333 --> 00:03:31,333 And then he writes a sequel called Acts, 60 00:03:31,417 --> 00:03:33,833 which is the history of the early church. 61 00:03:33,917 --> 00:03:37,333 He was a man converted into Christianity later in life. 62 00:03:37,375 --> 00:03:40,250 And he was a well-known medical doctor. 63 00:03:40,333 --> 00:03:42,167 For those of you who are professionals, 64 00:03:42,208 --> 00:03:45,167 you have professional degrees, maybe you're in business, 65 00:03:45,208 --> 00:03:46,917 or medicine, or research, 66 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,917 or something of that nature or kind. 67 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:50,333 You're like Luke. 68 00:03:50,375 --> 00:03:51,833 He had a white-collar job. 69 00:03:51,917 --> 00:03:54,958 He was an educated, affluent, successful man. 70 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,250 There is no indication that he entirely gave up 71 00:03:57,333 --> 00:03:59,000 his medical practice. 72 00:03:59,042 --> 00:04:01,042 He did go into ministry as a pastor, 73 00:04:01,125 --> 00:04:02,833 but he probably had a full-time job, 74 00:04:02,875 --> 00:04:05,333 and then he was a volunteer leader in the church. 75 00:04:05,375 --> 00:04:08,208 So, some of you, that's your story or God is calling you 76 00:04:08,292 --> 00:04:11,333 into that kind of story, to use everything that you've learned 77 00:04:11,417 --> 00:04:13,667 in your vocational and education background, 78 00:04:13,708 --> 00:04:15,958 and then applying that to church and ministry 79 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,333 without going into paid vocational ministry. 80 00:04:18,417 --> 00:04:19,833 That's Luke. 81 00:04:19,917 --> 00:04:23,458 And he was close friends with a man named Paul. 82 00:04:23,500 --> 00:04:26,333 As we read the New Testament, they travel a lot together, 83 00:04:26,417 --> 00:04:28,417 they work a lot together, they're partners. 84 00:04:28,500 --> 00:04:31,667 And what we see, as well, is that Luke may have actually been 85 00:04:31,708 --> 00:04:34,042 Paul's personal physician. 86 00:04:34,125 --> 00:04:36,333 And so these two men, Paul and Luke together, 87 00:04:36,417 --> 00:04:39,458 give us the vast majority of the New Testament. 88 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:42,167 Paul writes some, I think it's 13 or 14 letters 89 00:04:42,208 --> 00:04:43,542 in the New Testament. 90 00:04:43,625 --> 00:04:46,333 There's a debate as to whether or not he wrote Hebrews. 91 00:04:46,375 --> 00:04:49,458 And then Luke gives us the very long books of Luke and Acts. 92 00:04:49,500 --> 00:04:52,542 Just by sheer tonnage, these two men contribute the majority 93 00:04:52,625 --> 00:04:54,042 of the New Testament. 94 00:04:54,125 --> 00:04:56,208 And so Luke's a very important man. 95 00:04:56,292 --> 00:04:58,542 And in both of his books, Luke and Acts, 96 00:04:58,625 --> 00:05:01,333 where he's looking at the history of Jesus and the history 97 00:05:01,417 --> 00:05:04,000 of Jesus' people, the church, he mentions early on this man 98 00:05:04,083 --> 00:05:06,250 Theophilus, or Theo. 99 00:05:06,333 --> 00:05:10,125 His name literally means one who loves God, or lover of God. 100 00:05:10,167 --> 00:05:12,708 And what we can ascertain about this man, Theophilus, 101 00:05:12,792 --> 00:05:14,458 is that he was a wealthy, affluent, 102 00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:16,458 successful businessman. 103 00:05:16,500 --> 00:05:20,125 And Jesus had lived, and Jesus had died, and Jesus had risen, 104 00:05:20,167 --> 00:05:22,500 and then Jesus had returned to heaven. 105 00:05:22,583 --> 00:05:25,125 And some of the witnesses of his life, death, burial, 106 00:05:25,167 --> 00:05:28,458 resurrection had died, and they had passed on, 107 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:30,750 though some were still alive. 108 00:05:30,833 --> 00:05:34,542 And so it seems as if Luke and Theo together decided, 109 00:05:34,625 --> 00:05:37,958 "We really need to go out and interview the remaining, 110 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,000 "living eyewitnesses. 111 00:05:40,083 --> 00:05:43,333 "Need to go find Mary, his mom, and James, his brother. 112 00:05:43,417 --> 00:05:46,917 "And we need to go find any of the disciples, and apostles, 113 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,250 "and followers, and those who were healed, 114 00:05:49,333 --> 00:05:52,333 "and those who were witnesses to his miracles 115 00:05:52,417 --> 00:05:53,750 "and his resurrection. 116 00:05:53,833 --> 00:05:56,458 "We need to go find them. We need to interview them. 117 00:05:56,500 --> 00:05:59,083 "And we need to do some historical work of collecting 118 00:05:59,167 --> 00:06:01,958 all this eyewitness data before they've passed on." 119 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,167 And so Theophilus wrote the check, 120 00:06:04,208 --> 00:06:06,042 and he bankrolled and funded it all. 121 00:06:06,125 --> 00:06:08,833 And then Luke was the one who went out and did 122 00:06:08,917 --> 00:06:10,708 all the research and all the interviews. 123 00:06:10,792 --> 00:06:14,417 And so what we're getting here is not philosophy, it's history. 124 00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:16,458 We're getting the facts from the eyewitnesses 125 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:18,333 of exactly what happened. 126 00:06:18,417 --> 00:06:21,042 And some of you are going to be like Theophilus, 127 00:06:21,125 --> 00:06:23,917 you're going to help generously fund the work of the gospel. 128 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,833 Some of you are going to be like Luke, researchers, and scholars, 129 00:06:26,917 --> 00:06:29,542 and teachers who help to write down things 130 00:06:29,625 --> 00:06:32,042 that help others know Jesus. 131 00:06:32,125 --> 00:06:35,833 And ultimately it's all about him, and it's only about him. 132 00:06:35,917 --> 00:06:39,833 And all that Luke has to say connects directly to Jesus. 133 00:06:39,917 --> 00:06:43,208 And what we see in his first book, Luke, 134 00:06:43,292 --> 00:06:45,833 is he talks a lot about Jesus' relationship with 135 00:06:45,917 --> 00:06:47,333 the Holy Spirit. 136 00:06:47,417 --> 00:06:50,042 And that's a theme he's going to pick up on with 137 00:06:50,125 --> 00:06:51,833 the Holy Spirit's relationship with the church 138 00:06:51,875 --> 00:06:53,208 in the book of Acts. 139 00:06:53,292 --> 00:06:55,417 So what we see is that Jesus is God, 140 00:06:55,500 --> 00:06:57,875 he's the second member of the Trinity, he comes down, 141 00:06:57,958 --> 00:07:01,333 takes upon himself human flesh, and he lives this amazing life. 142 00:07:01,375 --> 00:07:03,958 He casts out demons, he heals people, 143 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,208 he teaches and preaches with authority, 144 00:07:06,292 --> 00:07:08,500 he goes water skiing without a boat. 145 00:07:08,583 --> 00:07:10,542 He does some amazing things. 146 00:07:10,625 --> 00:07:13,000 And the question is, "Well, how did he do that? 147 00:07:13,083 --> 00:07:15,417 "How did Jesus live this supernatural, 148 00:07:15,500 --> 00:07:17,458 "miraculous, amazing life? 149 00:07:17,500 --> 00:07:20,333 "How did he say no to sin every single time 150 00:07:20,417 --> 00:07:23,667 and yes to God at every single opportunity?" 151 00:07:23,708 --> 00:07:26,917 Well, though he was God, he set aside the continual use 152 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,500 of his divine attributes, and he lived as we do. 153 00:07:29,583 --> 00:07:31,500 He was really tempted, really hungry, 154 00:07:31,583 --> 00:07:34,208 really tired, really tried. 155 00:07:34,292 --> 00:07:38,042 But he lived by the presence and the power of the third member 156 00:07:38,125 --> 00:07:40,333 of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit. 157 00:07:40,417 --> 00:07:42,833 And Luke, more than any other gospel writer, 158 00:07:42,917 --> 00:07:44,667 really bears this out. 159 00:07:44,708 --> 00:07:47,667 So in Luke 1 he told us that Jesus was conceived 160 00:07:47,708 --> 00:07:49,500 by the Holy Spirit. 161 00:07:49,583 --> 00:07:52,625 In Luke 2, he says that Jesus is called the Christ, 162 00:07:52,667 --> 00:07:56,125 which means the one anointed by the Holy Spirit. 163 00:07:56,167 --> 00:07:59,667 In Luke 3, we see the baptism of Jesus, 164 00:07:59,750 --> 00:08:02,750 where Jesus goes into the water, the Father speaks from heaven, 165 00:08:02,833 --> 00:08:04,958 "This is my Son in whom I'm well pleased," 166 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,750 and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove. 167 00:08:09,833 --> 00:08:12,917 We see as well, in Luke 4, 168 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,750 that Jesus was, quote, "full of the Holy Spirit." 169 00:08:15,833 --> 00:08:17,500 He was Spirit-filled. 170 00:08:17,583 --> 00:08:20,167 His life was empowered, and directed, 171 00:08:20,208 --> 00:08:23,458 and enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit. 172 00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:26,958 It also says in Luke 4 that he was, quote, "led by the Spirit." 173 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,167 Everywhere he went was by the direct leading 174 00:08:30,208 --> 00:08:32,333 of the Holy Spirit. 175 00:08:32,417 --> 00:08:35,250 It says, as well, in Luke 4 that he came, quote, 176 00:08:35,333 --> 00:08:37,542 "in the power of the Spirit." 177 00:08:37,625 --> 00:08:39,458 So when Jesus would preach, and teach, 178 00:08:39,500 --> 00:08:44,208 and perform miracles, he did so by the power of the Holy Spirit. 179 00:08:44,292 --> 00:08:47,667 And he sums it all up in Luke 4 where he's 180 00:08:47,708 --> 00:08:50,667 in a synagogue on their Sabbath day of Saturday, 181 00:08:50,708 --> 00:08:53,333 and he opens up the ancient scroll of Isaiah, 182 00:08:53,417 --> 00:08:56,333 and he reads a verse that says simply, 183 00:08:56,417 --> 00:08:59,750 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." 184 00:08:59,833 --> 00:09:02,125 And so Jesus is saying, "Today this is fulfilled 185 00:09:02,167 --> 00:09:03,750 "in your hearing. 186 00:09:03,833 --> 00:09:05,833 "You've been waiting for the anointed, appointed, 187 00:09:05,917 --> 00:09:08,417 "coming of the Messiah God. 188 00:09:08,500 --> 00:09:11,417 "I am here and the Holy Spirit is on me. 189 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:13,208 "The Holy Spirit is in me. 190 00:09:13,292 --> 00:09:15,750 The Holy Spirit works through me." 191 00:09:15,833 --> 00:09:19,542 And so we're to see Jesus' life empowered by the Holy Spirit. 192 00:09:19,625 --> 00:09:22,042 And this is really important because when he moves from 193 00:09:22,125 --> 00:09:25,250 Jesus' life to the life of Jesus' people, the church, 194 00:09:25,333 --> 00:09:27,708 he has the Holy Spirit descending on the church at 195 00:09:27,792 --> 00:09:30,500 Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his 196 00:09:30,583 --> 00:09:34,333 baptism, to take the life of Jesus and place it in us. 197 00:09:34,375 --> 00:09:38,542 So that we might be new people, with new desires, and new power, 198 00:09:38,625 --> 00:09:42,542 to live a new life patterned after by Jesus. 199 00:09:42,625 --> 00:09:45,000 And that's exactly what Christianity is. 200 00:09:45,083 --> 00:09:50,000 It's Jesus for us, and ultimately Jesus in us. 201 00:09:50,083 --> 00:09:51,750 So "In the first book, O Theophilus, 202 00:09:51,833 --> 00:09:54,958 "I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and to teach, 203 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,958 until the day he was taken up," he ascended back into heaven, 204 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,167 "after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit." 205 00:10:01,208 --> 00:10:05,167 He's going to keep emphasizing that the ministry of Jesus, 206 00:10:05,208 --> 00:10:08,750 the life of the church, the conversion of people is 207 00:10:08,833 --> 00:10:11,708 through the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. 208 00:10:11,792 --> 00:10:14,250 You need to know that at Mars Hill Church 209 00:10:14,333 --> 00:10:17,458 we firmly believe unless it's about Jesus 210 00:10:17,500 --> 00:10:19,333 and the Holy Spirit shows up, 211 00:10:19,375 --> 00:10:21,833 it's not Christian. 212 00:10:21,875 --> 00:10:23,542 It's Christian if it's about Jesus 213 00:10:23,625 --> 00:10:25,667 and the Holy Spirit's involved. 214 00:10:25,708 --> 00:10:27,250 That's what we believe. 215 00:10:27,333 --> 00:10:29,208 It takes God's person, God's presence, 216 00:10:29,292 --> 00:10:32,500 God's power to make us God's people. 217 00:10:32,583 --> 00:10:36,458 He goes on, "After he had given commands through the Holy Spirit 218 00:10:36,500 --> 00:10:39,000 to the apostles," those are leaders, "whom he had chosen. 219 00:10:39,083 --> 00:10:41,917 "He presented himself alive to them after his sufferings by 220 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,958 "many proofs, appearing to them forty days and speaking about 221 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:46,458 the kingdom of God." 222 00:10:46,500 --> 00:10:49,458 So Jesus died on the cross in our place for our sins. 223 00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:50,833 He was buried. 224 00:10:50,917 --> 00:10:52,250 Three days later he rose. 225 00:10:52,333 --> 00:10:55,958 And for 40 days he proved to everyone that he 226 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:57,792 was very much alive. 227 00:10:57,833 --> 00:11:00,333 So people could have meals with him, and hug him, 228 00:11:00,417 --> 00:11:02,750 hear him preach and teach. 229 00:11:02,833 --> 00:11:04,750 Thomas the doubter said, "I don't believe 230 00:11:04,833 --> 00:11:06,333 unless I see the scars myself." 231 00:11:06,417 --> 00:11:07,833 Jesus says, "Here they are." 232 00:11:07,917 --> 00:11:09,667 And he fell down and worshiped him, 233 00:11:09,708 --> 00:11:11,417 and proclaimed, "My Lord and my God." 234 00:11:11,500 --> 00:11:13,250 Jesus' own mother worshiped him as God. 235 00:11:13,333 --> 00:11:15,833 "My son is alive, he really is Lord." 236 00:11:15,917 --> 00:11:18,250 Jesus' brothers worshiped him as God. 237 00:11:18,333 --> 00:11:20,833 Even enemies, like Saul of Tarsus 238 00:11:20,875 --> 00:11:22,458 who became Paul the Apostle, 239 00:11:22,500 --> 00:11:23,958 worshiped him as God. 240 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,000 Big idea: Jesus died. Jesus rose. 241 00:11:27,083 --> 00:11:29,750 Jesus hung out for 40 days. 242 00:11:29,833 --> 00:11:33,208 And lots of people, crowds upwards of 500 at a time, 243 00:11:33,292 --> 00:11:35,958 1 Corinthians 15 says, they saw him alive. 244 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,167 This was just a fact. 245 00:11:38,208 --> 00:11:40,167 This was just a fact. 246 00:11:40,208 --> 00:11:42,833 And again, if Jesus is dead, our faith is dead. 247 00:11:42,875 --> 00:11:44,833 If Jesus is dead, our hope is dead. 248 00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:48,167 And if Jesus is dead, then we are dead. 249 00:11:48,208 --> 00:11:50,042 But Jesus is alive. 250 00:11:50,125 --> 00:11:52,500 That is the issue for Christianity, 251 00:11:52,583 --> 00:11:54,500 the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 252 00:11:54,583 --> 00:11:57,167 "And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart 253 00:11:57,208 --> 00:11:59,250 from Jerusalem," which is where they were 254 00:11:59,333 --> 00:12:01,542 for a feast called Pentecost, 255 00:12:01,625 --> 00:12:03,750 "but to wait for the promise of the Father, 256 00:12:03,833 --> 00:12:05,958 which, he said, 'you heard from me; for John,'" 257 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:07,458 that's his cousin, 258 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:10,333 "'baptized with water, but you'll be baptized with,'" what? 259 00:12:10,417 --> 00:12:14,333 "'The Holy Spirit,'" or I should say with whom? 260 00:12:14,375 --> 00:12:17,500 "'The Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" 261 00:12:17,583 --> 00:12:19,708 So everybody's really excited, "Hey, Jesus is alive. 262 00:12:19,792 --> 00:12:21,250 "This is great. 263 00:12:21,333 --> 00:12:23,458 "We've got to go back home and tell everyone. 264 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:24,833 This is amazing." 265 00:12:24,917 --> 00:12:26,250 Jesus said, "Not yet. 266 00:12:26,333 --> 00:12:29,667 First you need to receive the Holy Spirit." 267 00:12:29,708 --> 00:12:33,750 Before life can be lived, before ministry can be done, 268 00:12:33,833 --> 00:12:37,042 the Holy Spirit needs to show up in your life. 269 00:12:37,125 --> 00:12:39,333 Because the Christian life is not the life 270 00:12:39,375 --> 00:12:41,542 that you and I live for God. 271 00:12:41,625 --> 00:12:44,042 It's the life that God lives in us. 272 00:12:44,125 --> 00:12:46,625 It's the life that God lives through us 273 00:12:46,667 --> 00:12:48,333 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 274 00:12:48,375 --> 00:12:52,042 It's the life of Jesus taking up residence in our life. 275 00:12:52,125 --> 00:12:54,250 So he tells them to wait. 276 00:12:54,333 --> 00:12:58,542 The story continues, "So when they had come together, 277 00:12:58,625 --> 00:13:02,417 "they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore 278 00:13:02,500 --> 00:13:03,958 the kingdom to Israel?'" 279 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,750 Here's their question: "Are we done? 280 00:13:05,833 --> 00:13:10,333 "Can you go kill some Romans? Can you reverse the curse? 281 00:13:10,417 --> 00:13:13,250 "Could we just have a lot of milk and honey? 282 00:13:13,333 --> 00:13:16,333 "Can we call into work tomorrow and tell our boss 283 00:13:16,417 --> 00:13:19,750 "what we really think about him because we're done? 284 00:13:19,833 --> 00:13:21,625 "Is the kingdom of God here? 285 00:13:21,667 --> 00:13:23,042 Are we done?" 286 00:13:23,125 --> 00:13:25,833 How many of you feel that way? Right? 287 00:13:25,917 --> 00:13:28,000 Your question to Jesus today would be, 288 00:13:28,083 --> 00:13:30,000 "Can you just bring the kingdom? 289 00:13:30,083 --> 00:13:32,167 "Can you crush our enemies, lift the curse, 290 00:13:32,208 --> 00:13:34,167 "give me something to eat in a hammock? 291 00:13:34,208 --> 00:13:36,250 Can we do that today?" 292 00:13:36,333 --> 00:13:40,167 Here's what Jesus is going to say, "He said to them, 293 00:13:40,208 --> 00:13:44,292 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons.'" 294 00:13:44,333 --> 00:13:47,458 He says, "'It's not for you to know the times or the seasons 295 00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:49,917 "'that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 296 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,333 But you will receive,'" what? 297 00:13:52,375 --> 00:13:56,292 "'Power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.'" 298 00:13:56,333 --> 00:13:59,500 Here's the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian: 299 00:13:59,583 --> 00:14:03,500 A non-Christian can appreciate and admire the life of Jesus, 300 00:14:03,542 --> 00:14:07,167 but they can't experience and enjoy his power. 301 00:14:07,250 --> 00:14:10,083 Do you get that? 302 00:14:10,167 --> 00:14:14,792 For a Christian we can enjoy and experience the power of Jesus 303 00:14:14,833 --> 00:14:19,375 not just in his life, but unleashed in our life. 304 00:14:19,458 --> 00:14:21,458 And Jesus says, "When the Holy Spirit comes, 305 00:14:21,500 --> 00:14:23,792 he comes powerfully." 306 00:14:23,833 --> 00:14:27,833 He utterly changes people. 307 00:14:27,917 --> 00:14:32,333 To give you an analogy, there's a section in Pennsylvania where 308 00:14:32,417 --> 00:14:36,000 people are living in nice suburban and rural homes. 309 00:14:36,083 --> 00:14:38,000 There's electricity, you drive through at night, 310 00:14:38,083 --> 00:14:41,000 the lights are on in the homes, the street lights are on, 311 00:14:41,083 --> 00:14:42,625 the businesses are open. 312 00:14:42,667 --> 00:14:45,333 And then you hit the Amish community. 313 00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:50,208 And it's dark because they don't have any connection to 314 00:14:50,292 --> 00:14:52,208 the power grid. 315 00:14:52,292 --> 00:14:55,167 They've chosen to live without any connection to that 316 00:14:55,250 --> 00:14:57,333 powerful resource. 317 00:14:57,375 --> 00:14:59,125 Though it's available to them, 318 00:14:59,167 --> 00:15:02,083 they've not availed themselves to it. 319 00:15:02,167 --> 00:15:05,667 Some people live like that spiritually. 320 00:15:05,750 --> 00:15:07,250 Jesus is alive. 321 00:15:07,333 --> 00:15:08,958 The Holy Spirit is powerful. 322 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,500 The Holy Spirit is glad to indwell you, to transform you, 323 00:15:12,542 --> 00:15:16,750 to empower you, to enable you to love Jesus, to live like Jesus, 324 00:15:16,833 --> 00:15:18,792 to be a new person as a Christian 325 00:15:18,833 --> 00:15:20,875 and a member of the church. 326 00:15:20,958 --> 00:15:24,167 But some people are not connected to Jesus through 327 00:15:24,208 --> 00:15:28,042 repentance, and faith, and the Holy Spirit. 328 00:15:28,125 --> 00:15:30,292 All of that power is available to them, 329 00:15:30,333 --> 00:15:33,458 but they don't avail themselves to it. 330 00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:35,833 For those of you who are non-Christians, 331 00:15:35,875 --> 00:15:39,208 you cannot live the Christian life apart from the presence of 332 00:15:39,292 --> 00:15:41,833 Christ and the Holy Spirit. 333 00:15:41,875 --> 00:15:44,500 For those of you who are Christians, when you're tempted, 334 00:15:44,583 --> 00:15:47,208 and tried, and troubled, here's what I want you to do: 335 00:15:47,292 --> 00:15:49,292 Invite the Holy Spirit to empower you. 336 00:15:49,333 --> 00:15:51,292 Believe that he is with you. 337 00:15:51,333 --> 00:15:53,417 Believe that he is for you. 338 00:15:53,500 --> 00:15:58,375 Believe that what Jesus has for your future is possible through 339 00:15:58,458 --> 00:16:00,542 his presence and power. 340 00:16:00,625 --> 00:16:02,792 So Jesus says, "Don't worry about everything yet. 341 00:16:02,833 --> 00:16:04,292 "First things first, 342 00:16:04,333 --> 00:16:06,083 "be connected to me through the person, 343 00:16:06,167 --> 00:16:08,667 "the presence, the power of the Holy Spirit. 344 00:16:08,708 --> 00:16:11,750 "And when he comes you'll be able to live a new life, 345 00:16:11,833 --> 00:16:16,542 a life like mine, living by the same power that I do." 346 00:16:16,625 --> 00:16:20,375 This is exciting stuff. 347 00:16:20,458 --> 00:16:24,167 This is so important because a lot of times people wonder, 348 00:16:24,250 --> 00:16:26,167 "How do we know who the Christians are?" 349 00:16:26,208 --> 00:16:27,542 "Well, were they baptized? 350 00:16:27,625 --> 00:16:29,500 "Did they grow up in a Christian family? 351 00:16:29,542 --> 00:16:31,292 "Are they moral? How do they vote? 352 00:16:31,333 --> 00:16:32,667 Do they attend church?" 353 00:16:32,750 --> 00:16:34,708 The one sign, seal, symbol, 354 00:16:34,792 --> 00:16:39,167 certainty of salvation is the Spirit. 355 00:16:39,250 --> 00:16:42,333 The other things may or may not be indicators of true, 356 00:16:42,375 --> 00:16:45,500 genuine relationship with Jesus. 357 00:16:45,542 --> 00:16:48,000 But when the Holy Spirit shows up in somebody's life, 358 00:16:48,083 --> 00:16:50,125 Jesus says, "He comes with power." 359 00:16:50,167 --> 00:16:53,500 People flat out change. 360 00:16:53,583 --> 00:16:56,708 You're not just a better version of your old self, 361 00:16:56,792 --> 00:16:59,917 you're a new person altogether. 362 00:17:00,042 --> 00:17:06,792 So the story continues, "'You will receive power when 363 00:17:06,833 --> 00:17:08,750 "'the Holy Spirit has come upon you, 364 00:17:08,833 --> 00:17:10,667 "'and you will be my witnesses 365 00:17:10,750 --> 00:17:13,000 in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, ends of the earth.'" 366 00:17:13,042 --> 00:17:15,292 If you belong to Jesus, if you're filled with 367 00:17:15,333 --> 00:17:18,583 the Holy Spirit, you want others to come to know Jesus. 368 00:17:18,667 --> 00:17:21,375 You want to live your life and tell your testimony 369 00:17:21,458 --> 00:17:24,333 in such a way as to be a witness. 370 00:17:24,417 --> 00:17:27,583 So for us, we don't believe this myth that faith is 371 00:17:27,667 --> 00:17:29,542 private and personal. 372 00:17:29,625 --> 00:17:31,542 It's public and practical. 373 00:17:31,625 --> 00:17:34,917 We don't believe, "Oh, well this is my life and I don't want to 374 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,583 "in any way have you feel uncomfortable because you feel 375 00:17:37,667 --> 00:17:39,000 pressured to meet Jesus." 376 00:17:39,083 --> 00:17:41,500 I don't want people to feel pressured to meet Jesus, 377 00:17:41,583 --> 00:17:44,208 but if the Holy Spirit is pressuring them, I want them 378 00:17:44,292 --> 00:17:47,375 to feel pressured to meet Jesus. 379 00:17:47,458 --> 00:17:49,792 Some of you have been cowardly about your faith. 380 00:17:49,833 --> 00:17:51,625 You've not been witnesses. 381 00:17:51,667 --> 00:17:53,208 You don't talk about Jesus. 382 00:17:53,292 --> 00:17:55,000 You don't share Jesus. 383 00:17:55,083 --> 00:17:57,500 You don't give Jesus credit for even things that people 384 00:17:57,583 --> 00:17:59,000 are seeing in your life. 385 00:17:59,083 --> 00:18:01,042 "How's it going? Wow, that's encouraging. 386 00:18:01,125 --> 00:18:02,458 That's really interesting." 387 00:18:02,500 --> 00:18:04,667 What you don't say is, "Jesus is alive. 388 00:18:04,750 --> 00:18:06,458 "God has showed up in my life. 389 00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:08,292 "By the grace of God I'm changing. 390 00:18:08,333 --> 00:18:11,500 "I know I'm not perfect, but I know one day in the presence 391 00:18:11,542 --> 00:18:15,083 of Jesus I will be, and he's working on me until then." 392 00:18:15,167 --> 00:18:18,167 How's it going telling your story? 393 00:18:18,208 --> 00:18:21,667 And here's what witnessing is, you love somebody, 394 00:18:21,708 --> 00:18:24,958 and you want other people to meet the person you love. 395 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,083 That's all that it is. 396 00:18:27,167 --> 00:18:29,667 Say, "Man, Jesus loves me. I love him. 397 00:18:29,708 --> 00:18:31,958 "He's changed my life. He loves you. 398 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,625 I love you. I want you to meet him." 399 00:18:34,667 --> 00:18:36,833 That's called evangelism. 400 00:18:36,875 --> 00:18:40,500 When you fall in love, that's what you do, right? 401 00:18:40,583 --> 00:18:43,125 You go to everybody you know, you say, 402 00:18:43,167 --> 00:18:45,417 "I've met the most amazing person! 403 00:18:45,500 --> 00:18:47,625 "And they are changing-- my whole life, 404 00:18:47,667 --> 00:18:50,500 my outlook, my heart, everything's different." 405 00:18:50,542 --> 00:18:53,667 If you've met Jesus, you've tasted his love, 406 00:18:53,750 --> 00:18:56,875 you just go out and tell the people that you know 407 00:18:56,958 --> 00:18:59,417 what his love has done for you. 408 00:18:59,500 --> 00:19:02,542 And Jesus calls that being his witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, 409 00:19:02,625 --> 00:19:04,042 Samaria, ends of the earth. 410 00:19:04,125 --> 00:19:07,042 Means we start at home and we go out from there. 411 00:19:07,125 --> 00:19:10,458 That we ring out to the nations of the earth 'cause God loves 412 00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:13,292 the whole world, and there is good news for all people 413 00:19:13,333 --> 00:19:16,333 that Jesus is alive. 414 00:19:16,417 --> 00:19:18,875 He goes on, "When he had said these things, 415 00:19:18,958 --> 00:19:20,875 "as they were looking on, he was lifted up, 416 00:19:20,958 --> 00:19:23,083 and a cloud took him out of their sight." 417 00:19:23,167 --> 00:19:24,792 You think that was a weird moment? 418 00:19:24,833 --> 00:19:26,542 Can you just see that? 419 00:19:26,625 --> 00:19:28,167 Like, hey everybody's there. 420 00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:29,875 All right, here's all the new Christians, 421 00:19:29,958 --> 00:19:31,458 there's 120 Christians at this time. 422 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:32,833 Not a big deal. 423 00:19:32,917 --> 00:19:35,083 Christianity is not billions like it is, just yet. 424 00:19:35,167 --> 00:19:37,292 "Jesus, you're alive. This is amazing. 425 00:19:37,333 --> 00:19:43,500 What is it the 40th day now? Oh..." 426 00:19:43,542 --> 00:19:45,000 Can imagine that? 427 00:19:45,042 --> 00:19:47,500 I mean, I'm sure there was a long awkward silence 428 00:19:47,542 --> 00:19:51,667 and a lot of stares at each other like... 429 00:19:51,708 --> 00:19:53,958 "How come we didn't put a string on him? 430 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,583 Like, what? He's gone." 431 00:19:58,667 --> 00:20:00,500 'Cause see Jesus lived in heaven, 432 00:20:00,542 --> 00:20:03,667 he came down to the earth, he lived, died, rose. 433 00:20:03,750 --> 00:20:06,167 He evidenced his resurrection for 40 days. 434 00:20:06,250 --> 00:20:08,167 And then he ascended back into heaven. 435 00:20:08,250 --> 00:20:09,667 So Jesus is alive right now. 436 00:20:09,750 --> 00:20:13,000 He's ruling, reigning, he's Lord, God, Savior, King, Christ, 437 00:20:13,042 --> 00:20:15,250 he's high and exalted on a throne. 438 00:20:15,333 --> 00:20:17,500 But here's what everybody's wondering at that point, 439 00:20:17,542 --> 00:20:20,000 "What do we do now? 440 00:20:20,042 --> 00:20:23,292 "We had a nice church of 120, Jesus was our pastor. 441 00:20:23,333 --> 00:20:26,250 What now?" 442 00:20:27,833 --> 00:20:30,292 "While they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, 443 00:20:30,333 --> 00:20:33,042 two men," maybe two angels, "stood by them in white robes, 444 00:20:33,125 --> 00:20:36,208 "and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand 445 00:20:36,292 --> 00:20:38,125 "'looking into heaven? 446 00:20:38,167 --> 00:20:40,500 "'This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, 447 00:20:40,542 --> 00:20:43,000 will come in the same way you saw him go.'" 448 00:20:43,083 --> 00:20:45,000 Said, "Guys, he's going to be back." 449 00:20:45,083 --> 00:20:46,500 "When?" 450 00:20:46,583 --> 00:20:49,500 "None of your business. Okay?" 451 00:20:49,583 --> 00:20:51,375 "What do you want us to do?" 452 00:20:51,458 --> 00:20:53,708 "Tell the whole earth that he's alive." 453 00:20:53,792 --> 00:20:55,500 "We can't do that." 454 00:20:55,583 --> 00:20:57,333 "Oh, he said the Holy Spirit's coming. 455 00:20:57,375 --> 00:21:00,375 You can." 456 00:21:00,458 --> 00:21:02,792 One hundred-twenty people are now today on the earth, 457 00:21:02,833 --> 00:21:05,292 a few billion people who worship Jesus. 458 00:21:05,333 --> 00:21:06,667 Why? 459 00:21:06,750 --> 00:21:08,958 Because the Holy Spirit showed up with power. 460 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,875 And people scattered and are his witnesses. 461 00:21:12,958 --> 00:21:14,375 And we are the church. 462 00:21:14,458 --> 00:21:16,375 We're part of this great legacy. 463 00:21:16,458 --> 00:21:19,250 This is our family history. 464 00:21:19,333 --> 00:21:21,000 I can't get into all the details, 465 00:21:21,042 --> 00:21:24,167 but what happens next is the Holy Spirit does fall on 466 00:21:24,250 --> 00:21:28,500 the leaders, and they start speaking in tongues. 467 00:21:28,542 --> 00:21:30,792 There are three kinds of tongues in the Bible. 468 00:21:30,833 --> 00:21:33,083 There is a private prayer language that Paul tells 469 00:21:33,167 --> 00:21:36,500 the Corinthians that he prays in a tongue. 470 00:21:36,583 --> 00:21:40,500 So it can be a personal connecting time with Jesus. 471 00:21:40,583 --> 00:21:45,000 Other times it's a revelation, where God has something to say, 472 00:21:45,083 --> 00:21:48,000 he says it to someone, and then they speak it in tongues, 473 00:21:48,042 --> 00:21:49,708 and it's translated. 474 00:21:49,792 --> 00:21:52,500 We see that in 1 Corinthians 12. 475 00:21:52,583 --> 00:21:57,833 And thirdly, sometimes tongues is where Jesus loves somebody, 476 00:21:57,875 --> 00:22:00,042 and you don't speak their language, 477 00:22:00,125 --> 00:22:03,167 but he wants you to tell them about him. 478 00:22:03,250 --> 00:22:07,375 So he enables you to not only speak their language, 479 00:22:07,458 --> 00:22:09,167 but their dialect. 480 00:22:09,250 --> 00:22:11,958 And here in Acts 2, both the Greek words are used. 481 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,167 They not only speak the language but the dialect. 482 00:22:14,208 --> 00:22:16,833 So like, if you were evangelizing a Southern redneck, 483 00:22:16,917 --> 00:22:20,500 right, you would not only speak their version of English, 484 00:22:20,542 --> 00:22:22,833 which the British would say isn't English, 485 00:22:22,917 --> 00:22:26,750 and you would communicate it with a Southern drawl. 486 00:22:26,833 --> 00:22:28,167 They would be like, "That's amazing. 487 00:22:28,250 --> 00:22:30,792 "You speak redneckanese. That's amazing. 488 00:22:30,833 --> 00:22:35,000 You're communicating in my native language and dialect." 489 00:22:35,083 --> 00:22:37,208 Similarly, if they were Canadian, or they were British, 490 00:22:37,292 --> 00:22:39,500 or they were Australian, you'd have that dialect 491 00:22:39,583 --> 00:22:41,208 and the language. 492 00:22:41,292 --> 00:22:43,917 And what that is, is that's God doing a miracle, 493 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,917 and showing the hearer how much he loves them. 494 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,000 That he's overcoming the confusion of languages 495 00:22:51,083 --> 00:22:52,708 that happened at the Tower of Babel. 496 00:22:52,792 --> 00:22:54,417 And he's bringing people together again 497 00:22:54,500 --> 00:22:56,125 around the person of Jesus. 498 00:22:56,167 --> 00:22:59,625 So what happens is these rural fishermen and farmers, 499 00:22:59,667 --> 00:23:02,167 pretty simple folk for the most part, 500 00:23:02,250 --> 00:23:07,000 they are speaking about Jesus 501 00:23:07,042 --> 00:23:11,167 in languages and with dialects, 502 00:23:11,250 --> 00:23:18,083 or slang words, and drawls, that absolutely fit the hearer. 503 00:23:18,167 --> 00:23:21,083 And so the Holy Spirit falls, and then what happens is that those 504 00:23:21,167 --> 00:23:23,583 who are hearing it are mystified. 505 00:23:23,667 --> 00:23:26,000 "What's happening? 506 00:23:26,042 --> 00:23:27,667 "This is supernatural. 507 00:23:27,750 --> 00:23:29,542 "This is miraculous. 508 00:23:29,625 --> 00:23:33,542 God must really love us to talk to us." 509 00:23:33,625 --> 00:23:36,500 And so there's a lot of interest and confusion, 510 00:23:36,583 --> 00:23:38,500 and those who are present want to know, 511 00:23:38,583 --> 00:23:40,792 "What's God doing?" 512 00:23:40,833 --> 00:23:46,667 And so it moves from Jesus' life to Jesus' life for us. 513 00:23:46,750 --> 00:23:51,500 In Acts 2:22-32, so to explain what is happening and who this 514 00:23:51,583 --> 00:23:55,500 great savior Jesus is, a man named Peter stands up. 515 00:23:55,542 --> 00:23:58,833 Peter was the leader, human leader of the disciples. 516 00:23:58,875 --> 00:24:01,667 He's always listed first in their names. 517 00:24:01,750 --> 00:24:06,375 He is close with Jesus for 3 years. 518 00:24:06,458 --> 00:24:10,333 He himself was a coward until he saw Jesus risen from death, 519 00:24:10,417 --> 00:24:12,292 until he was filled with the Holy Spirit, 520 00:24:12,333 --> 00:24:15,000 and then he became courageous. 521 00:24:15,042 --> 00:24:18,000 At one point in his life he tragically denied that he even 522 00:24:18,042 --> 00:24:20,667 knew Jesus, yet after Jesus rose from death, 523 00:24:20,750 --> 00:24:23,500 and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, 524 00:24:23,542 --> 00:24:26,292 when it came time for him to be crucified, they said, 525 00:24:26,333 --> 00:24:29,958 "Peter, we're going to crucify you unless you deny Jesus. 526 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,458 "And we'll crucify you painfully, and arduously, 527 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:35,000 and openly, and publicly." 528 00:24:35,083 --> 00:24:39,875 And Peter said boldly, "Then crucify me upside down. 529 00:24:39,958 --> 00:24:41,417 "I'm not going to deny Jesus, 530 00:24:41,500 --> 00:24:43,833 and I don't deserve to die like him." 531 00:24:43,875 --> 00:24:45,708 And that's how he died. 532 00:24:45,792 --> 00:24:49,708 See the Holy Spirit came on him in power. 533 00:24:49,792 --> 00:24:52,000 Here's what he has to say at the sermon. 534 00:24:52,042 --> 00:24:53,375 Now let me say this, 535 00:24:53,458 --> 00:24:55,625 Christianity starts with a sermon. 536 00:24:55,667 --> 00:24:58,000 I personally love this. 537 00:24:58,083 --> 00:24:59,417 Okay. 538 00:24:59,500 --> 00:25:02,042 Personally, I think this is awesome. 539 00:25:02,125 --> 00:25:05,667 The church is what happens when the Bible is preached, 540 00:25:05,750 --> 00:25:10,083 and the Holy Spirit comes, and people are connected to Jesus. 541 00:25:10,167 --> 00:25:12,458 The result is the church. 542 00:25:12,500 --> 00:25:15,458 But it's always back to the preaching of the Word of God, 543 00:25:15,500 --> 00:25:18,083 the repentance of sin, the power of the Spirit, 544 00:25:18,167 --> 00:25:20,250 the life of Jesus. 545 00:25:20,333 --> 00:25:23,667 The result is a bunch of people called Christians who are on 546 00:25:23,750 --> 00:25:27,167 mission together as the family of God, the church. 547 00:25:27,250 --> 00:25:30,167 Christianity starts with a sermon. 548 00:25:30,208 --> 00:25:32,750 It's why we still have preaching today. 549 00:25:32,833 --> 00:25:35,667 We believe that God works through the Scriptures. 550 00:25:35,750 --> 00:25:38,125 That the Holy Spirit wrote the Scriptures, 551 00:25:38,167 --> 00:25:41,833 that he empowers preachers and teachers to proclaim them, 552 00:25:41,875 --> 00:25:44,917 and he opens understanding to receive them. 553 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,917 So here's Peter's sermon, and it's actually not his 554 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,500 whole sermon, it's a bit of a summary transcript. 555 00:25:51,542 --> 00:25:54,833 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth," 556 00:25:54,875 --> 00:25:56,917 Where does Peter start his sermon? 557 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:59,500 Jesus. I love that. 558 00:25:59,583 --> 00:26:02,167 "Jesus of Nazareth." 559 00:26:02,208 --> 00:26:03,542 That's it. 560 00:26:03,625 --> 00:26:05,583 "I wonder what he's talking about?" 561 00:26:05,667 --> 00:26:07,583 Jesus. 562 00:26:07,667 --> 00:26:09,792 It starts with Jesus, it ends with Jesus, 563 00:26:09,833 --> 00:26:12,500 it's all about Jesus, it's only about Jesus, 564 00:26:12,542 --> 00:26:15,083 it's always about Jesus. 565 00:26:15,167 --> 00:26:18,292 And the Holy Spirit wants you to know Jesus, 566 00:26:18,333 --> 00:26:20,542 you to be excited about Jesus. 567 00:26:20,625 --> 00:26:22,542 Peter's filled with the Holy Spirit. 568 00:26:22,625 --> 00:26:24,083 Where does he start? 569 00:26:24,167 --> 00:26:26,083 Jesus. 570 00:26:26,167 --> 00:26:28,833 "Dear everyone, Jesus of Nazareth, 571 00:26:28,917 --> 00:26:33,000 that's who we're talking about." 572 00:26:33,042 --> 00:26:35,833 Let me say this too, as long as I'm preaching, 573 00:26:35,875 --> 00:26:38,000 you're going to hear about Jesus. 574 00:26:38,042 --> 00:26:40,708 Mars Hill Church, from day one when we were flat broke, 575 00:26:40,792 --> 00:26:44,583 homeless, and poor, we were talking about Jesus. 576 00:26:44,667 --> 00:26:48,333 And though many things will change, 577 00:26:48,375 --> 00:26:52,208 one thing will never change, the Book will be open 578 00:26:52,292 --> 00:26:55,292 and Jesus will be proclaimed, by the grace of God, 579 00:26:55,333 --> 00:26:57,000 through the power of the Holy Spirit, 580 00:26:57,083 --> 00:27:00,042 at Mars Hill Church. 581 00:27:04,167 --> 00:27:07,750 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, 582 00:27:07,833 --> 00:27:10,750 "a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders 583 00:27:10,833 --> 00:27:13,250 "and signs that God did through him in your midst, 584 00:27:13,333 --> 00:27:15,000 as you yourselves know--" 585 00:27:15,042 --> 00:27:17,083 Here's what he says, "Guys, Jesus, 586 00:27:17,167 --> 00:27:20,500 "you know he did the miraculous. 587 00:27:20,542 --> 00:27:21,875 Some of you were there." 588 00:27:21,958 --> 00:27:24,875 He's talking to some of your early eyewitnesses. 589 00:27:24,958 --> 00:27:26,292 "You saw it, right? 590 00:27:26,333 --> 00:27:28,042 "A little boy gives him a Lunchable, 591 00:27:28,125 --> 00:27:29,458 "he feeds a stadium. 592 00:27:29,500 --> 00:27:30,833 "Interesting. 593 00:27:30,917 --> 00:27:32,250 "Right? 594 00:27:32,333 --> 00:27:34,208 "Dead people come back, give him a hug. 595 00:27:34,292 --> 00:27:37,292 "There's a sign. Different. 596 00:27:37,333 --> 00:27:41,417 "Moses and Elijah come down for lunch. 597 00:27:41,500 --> 00:27:44,125 Unique, right?" 598 00:27:44,167 --> 00:27:46,000 He says, "We've seen Jesus' life, 599 00:27:46,083 --> 00:27:48,792 "he does stuff nobody else does. 600 00:27:48,833 --> 00:27:52,292 "He says stuff nobody else says. 601 00:27:52,333 --> 00:27:55,417 "We know that he comes with God's power and authority. 602 00:27:55,500 --> 00:27:58,333 We know that he's God's presence among us." 603 00:27:58,375 --> 00:27:59,833 Says, "You know it." 604 00:27:59,875 --> 00:28:02,292 See, we can't just look at Jesus' life and say, 605 00:28:02,333 --> 00:28:03,667 "What an amazing life." 606 00:28:03,750 --> 00:28:05,375 No, it's beyond a human life. 607 00:28:05,458 --> 00:28:12,125 He does far more than we could ever do. 608 00:28:14,958 --> 00:28:21,083 "This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan 609 00:28:21,167 --> 00:28:24,667 "and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by 610 00:28:24,750 --> 00:28:26,167 the hands of lawless men." 611 00:28:26,250 --> 00:28:28,333 Okay, some people call this Reformed theology, 612 00:28:28,417 --> 00:28:30,583 we call it Bible. 613 00:28:30,667 --> 00:28:32,292 Okay. 614 00:28:32,333 --> 00:28:38,417 Here's what he says, "You killed Jesus, 615 00:28:38,500 --> 00:28:43,125 "but it was part of God's definite plan, 616 00:28:43,167 --> 00:28:47,083 and he knew of it in advance through his foreknowledge." 617 00:28:47,167 --> 00:28:49,583 Anybody confused? 618 00:28:49,667 --> 00:28:51,833 If you're not confused, you weren't paying attention, okay? 619 00:28:51,875 --> 00:28:55,167 Let me say it again, "You killed Jesus, 620 00:28:55,250 --> 00:28:57,917 "but it was part of God's definite plan, 621 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,083 and he knew it would happen according to his foreknowledge." 622 00:29:01,167 --> 00:29:03,333 It all comes together. 623 00:29:03,417 --> 00:29:07,250 First of all, God is good, not evil. 624 00:29:07,333 --> 00:29:09,333 God only does good, not evil. 625 00:29:09,417 --> 00:29:12,375 God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 626 00:29:12,458 --> 00:29:14,792 When evil happens, when injustice happens, 627 00:29:14,833 --> 00:29:16,792 when oppression happens, when sin happens, 628 00:29:16,833 --> 00:29:19,583 you can't look up in heaven and say, "God, you're sovereign, 629 00:29:19,667 --> 00:29:22,083 why do you do evil things?" 630 00:29:22,167 --> 00:29:23,875 God doesn't do evil things. 631 00:29:23,958 --> 00:29:27,875 God grieves evil things. 632 00:29:27,958 --> 00:29:30,375 I had a woman come to me some years ago, 633 00:29:30,458 --> 00:29:32,083 she'd tragically been raped. 634 00:29:32,167 --> 00:29:34,083 She said, "Why did God have me raped?" 635 00:29:34,167 --> 00:29:38,000 I said, "Sweetheart," she was a young gal, 636 00:29:38,042 --> 00:29:41,292 "God is not a Father in heaven who is organizing 637 00:29:41,333 --> 00:29:43,500 the rape of his daughters." 638 00:29:43,542 --> 00:29:45,292 God doesn't do that. 639 00:29:45,333 --> 00:29:50,875 That's not how God works. 640 00:29:50,958 --> 00:29:53,750 Sometimes in the name of God's sovereignty we can forget 641 00:29:53,833 --> 00:29:56,875 the goodness of God. 642 00:29:56,958 --> 00:29:59,333 We can so emphasize the sovereignty of God, 643 00:29:59,417 --> 00:30:02,083 that he's only sovereign and no longer good. 644 00:30:02,167 --> 00:30:05,875 Great error happens when you take any attribute of God 645 00:30:05,958 --> 00:30:08,583 and you make it the totality of God. 646 00:30:08,667 --> 00:30:10,000 "God is love." 647 00:30:10,042 --> 00:30:12,000 Okay, then he can't send anybody to hell. 648 00:30:12,042 --> 00:30:13,375 He's also just. 649 00:30:13,458 --> 00:30:15,375 Don't just take one attribute of God and 650 00:30:15,458 --> 00:30:17,292 turn it into the totality of God. 651 00:30:17,333 --> 00:30:19,333 God is sovereign. He is sovereign. 652 00:30:19,417 --> 00:30:22,458 He rules and reigns over everyone and everything. 653 00:30:22,500 --> 00:30:24,875 But he's also good. 654 00:30:24,958 --> 00:30:29,667 Don't make him evil. 655 00:30:29,750 --> 00:30:33,333 You're responsible for your sin. 656 00:30:33,417 --> 00:30:38,667 He says, I'll read it again, he says, 657 00:30:38,750 --> 00:30:44,875 "You crucified and killed," Jesus Christ. 658 00:30:46,292 --> 00:30:51,292 So you, and me, us, and we, have sinned. 659 00:30:51,333 --> 00:30:53,583 We've not done what God wanted. 660 00:30:53,667 --> 00:30:56,417 We've done exactly what God forbids us to do. 661 00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:58,833 We can't look at God and say, "Well, you're sovereign, 662 00:30:58,875 --> 00:31:01,083 "everything that happens is your responsibility. 663 00:31:01,167 --> 00:31:02,667 "It's not my fault. 664 00:31:02,708 --> 00:31:04,042 I'm clean." 665 00:31:04,125 --> 00:31:05,542 We have to say, "I'm guilty. 666 00:31:05,625 --> 00:31:06,958 "You're guilty. I'm guilty. 667 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,083 We're guilty." 668 00:31:09,167 --> 00:31:15,250 But, though we do evil, God remains good. 669 00:31:15,333 --> 00:31:18,458 And God is so good that he rules over evil, 670 00:31:18,500 --> 00:31:21,292 and he uses it for good. 671 00:31:21,333 --> 00:31:23,083 Isn't that amazing? 672 00:31:23,167 --> 00:31:26,042 Here it's called the "definite plan." 673 00:31:26,125 --> 00:31:30,292 Not a hypothetical, potential, possible plan. 674 00:31:30,333 --> 00:31:33,333 A definite plan. 675 00:31:33,417 --> 00:31:35,667 And God also, it says here, has foreknowledge. 676 00:31:35,750 --> 00:31:39,083 What this means is you and I are bound by time, limited by time, 677 00:31:39,167 --> 00:31:40,833 live in time. 678 00:31:40,875 --> 00:31:44,292 We don't know what the future holds, right? 679 00:31:44,333 --> 00:31:46,708 But God does. 680 00:31:46,792 --> 00:31:48,417 God sees everything completely, 681 00:31:48,500 --> 00:31:53,417 perfectly, in totality, continually. 682 00:31:53,500 --> 00:31:59,625 So though God does not cause evil, he foresees it, 683 00:31:59,667 --> 00:32:04,583 and he has a definite plan to overcome it and to use it 684 00:32:04,667 --> 00:32:07,750 for his glory and our good. 685 00:32:07,833 --> 00:32:09,500 Give you an example in the Scriptures, 686 00:32:09,542 --> 00:32:10,875 there's a man named Joseph. 687 00:32:10,958 --> 00:32:13,000 He's like a type of Christ. 688 00:32:13,042 --> 00:32:14,958 He was betrayed by his brothers. 689 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,792 Thrown in a hole and left for dead. 690 00:32:17,833 --> 00:32:21,500 And he comes out of the hole, and he rises up to be a king 691 00:32:21,542 --> 00:32:25,042 who saves a multitude of people. 692 00:32:25,125 --> 00:32:28,083 And when he stands before his brothers in Genesis 50:20, 693 00:32:28,167 --> 00:32:31,083 he looks them in the eye and he says something very similar. 694 00:32:31,167 --> 00:32:35,583 He says, "What you intended for evil God used for," what? 695 00:32:35,667 --> 00:32:39,708 "Good, and the saving of many lives." 696 00:32:39,792 --> 00:32:42,583 Jesus comes along as the greater Joseph. 697 00:32:42,667 --> 00:32:46,208 His brothers, the Jews, have betrayed him. 698 00:32:46,292 --> 00:32:49,125 They have thrown him in a hole and left him for dead. 699 00:32:49,167 --> 00:32:52,917 And here he comes out of that hole and he is now a living, 700 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,125 ruling, and reigning king. 701 00:32:55,167 --> 00:32:58,208 And it was part of God's definite plan that though they 702 00:32:58,292 --> 00:33:02,583 sinned against him, that he would use the evil for good 703 00:33:02,667 --> 00:33:05,583 and the saving of many lives, including mine, 704 00:33:05,667 --> 00:33:09,542 and I pray by the grace of God, yours. 705 00:33:09,625 --> 00:33:14,667 This is God's definite plan. 706 00:33:14,750 --> 00:33:17,500 God knew that we would sin. 707 00:33:17,542 --> 00:33:22,167 God knew that sin would cause us to die. 708 00:33:22,208 --> 00:33:27,458 God knew that we would deserve hell and the wrath of God. 709 00:33:27,500 --> 00:33:32,292 And God in his foreknowledge sent his son Jesus Christ, 710 00:33:32,333 --> 00:33:36,708 with a definite plan that they agreed to in eternity past. 711 00:33:36,792 --> 00:33:40,000 Ephesians 1 talks about him working out everything 712 00:33:40,042 --> 00:33:42,417 according to his plan. 713 00:33:42,500 --> 00:33:45,625 And the Father and the Son agreed on this plan. 714 00:33:45,667 --> 00:33:47,375 And Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 715 00:33:47,458 --> 00:33:50,833 comes into history and he is sinned against, 716 00:33:50,875 --> 00:33:56,125 but he remains faithful because he knows the definite plan. 717 00:33:56,167 --> 00:33:58,833 That is that he would live without sin, 718 00:33:58,875 --> 00:34:01,375 and that he would be betrayed by a friend, 719 00:34:01,458 --> 00:34:05,083 and that he would be crucified between two thieves. 720 00:34:05,167 --> 00:34:09,375 And when it looked like God was defeated, God was victorious. 721 00:34:09,458 --> 00:34:12,292 When it looked like God was dying, the truth is, 722 00:34:12,333 --> 00:34:15,458 it's in his death we find our living. 723 00:34:15,500 --> 00:34:19,583 And the definite plan was that Jesus would die in our place, 724 00:34:19,667 --> 00:34:21,500 for our sins. 725 00:34:21,542 --> 00:34:24,750 That Jesus would give us salvation and forgiveness. 726 00:34:24,833 --> 00:34:28,500 That Jesus would take away our death, and give us his life, 727 00:34:28,542 --> 00:34:31,500 and send us his Spirit to make us new, 728 00:34:31,542 --> 00:34:35,667 to be his people together forever with him. 729 00:34:35,750 --> 00:34:38,708 What was done to Jesus was the worst evil in the history 730 00:34:38,792 --> 00:34:41,333 of the world, the murder of God. 731 00:34:41,375 --> 00:34:43,792 What was done by Jesus was the greatest good 732 00:34:43,833 --> 00:34:45,667 in the history of the world, 733 00:34:45,750 --> 00:34:50,125 glorifying the Father and saving a multitude. 734 00:34:50,167 --> 00:34:53,167 It is all part of God's foreknowing, 735 00:34:53,250 --> 00:34:56,500 sovereign, definite plan. 736 00:34:56,583 --> 00:35:00,583 Now, let me say for you what this means practically. 737 00:35:00,667 --> 00:35:05,875 Don't freak out. Because there will be times in your life where 738 00:35:05,958 --> 00:35:11,083 you feel like God doesn't have a plan, 739 00:35:11,167 --> 00:35:13,083 and it's all chaos, 740 00:35:13,167 --> 00:35:15,250 and out of control. 741 00:35:15,333 --> 00:35:18,083 And as a result you'll struggle 742 00:35:18,167 --> 00:35:20,792 because you want to know the future. 743 00:35:20,833 --> 00:35:23,458 "What is going to happen? How do I plan? 744 00:35:23,500 --> 00:35:25,500 "How do I prepare? 745 00:35:25,542 --> 00:35:30,667 "How do I brace myself for what seems to be nothing but trauma 746 00:35:30,750 --> 00:35:34,208 coming my way?" 747 00:35:34,292 --> 00:35:41,125 Here's the truth, God has a definite plan. 748 00:35:41,167 --> 00:35:45,667 And God knows what tomorrow has for you. 749 00:35:45,750 --> 00:35:49,375 And he will not tell you his definite plan. 750 00:35:49,458 --> 00:35:53,500 And he may not tell you of your tomorrow. 751 00:35:53,542 --> 00:35:56,333 And for those of you who question his definite plan 752 00:35:56,375 --> 00:36:00,375 and you want to have the foreknowledge that he has, 753 00:36:00,458 --> 00:36:03,375 you're going to destroy yourself with worry, and grief, 754 00:36:03,458 --> 00:36:06,083 and anxiety, and stress. 755 00:36:06,167 --> 00:36:08,167 And I'm not saying that you live irresponsibly, 756 00:36:08,208 --> 00:36:10,667 and you don't plan, and prepare, and pray. 757 00:36:10,750 --> 00:36:13,958 But I'm saying, at the end of the day, there's only one 758 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:19,667 who is sovereign and he loves you. 759 00:36:19,750 --> 00:36:22,292 And he's got it under control. 760 00:36:22,333 --> 00:36:25,500 And here's what happens, sometimes Christians want to try 761 00:36:25,542 --> 00:36:29,083 to manipulate God to avoid suffering. 762 00:36:29,167 --> 00:36:32,542 Jesus endured suffering, and with Jesus 763 00:36:32,625 --> 00:36:34,583 we can endure suffering. 764 00:36:34,667 --> 00:36:37,875 And the truth is that Christians don't avoid all suffering, 765 00:36:37,958 --> 00:36:43,250 but with Jesus we can endure any suffering. 766 00:36:43,333 --> 00:36:46,000 God has a definite plan. 767 00:36:46,042 --> 00:36:48,875 He knows the future and your future. 768 00:36:48,958 --> 00:36:50,875 And it doesn't matter what sin you commit, 769 00:36:50,958 --> 00:36:56,417 or others commit against you, he will use it for good. 770 00:36:56,500 --> 00:37:00,292 There will be a day that you see it. 771 00:37:00,333 --> 00:37:03,750 Some of you will see part of God's definite plan 772 00:37:03,833 --> 00:37:07,750 in your life. 773 00:37:07,833 --> 00:37:10,542 When we're in the middle of it we live by faith. 774 00:37:10,625 --> 00:37:13,500 We're looking out the windshield, like, 775 00:37:13,542 --> 00:37:15,833 "I don't know where we're going, what we're doing, 776 00:37:15,917 --> 00:37:17,833 I'm just trying to stay close to Jesus." 777 00:37:17,917 --> 00:37:21,250 You walk with Jesus for a while and all of sudden you look in 778 00:37:21,333 --> 00:37:22,875 the rearview mirror and you're like, 779 00:37:22,958 --> 00:37:25,292 "Ah, there was a definite plan. 780 00:37:25,333 --> 00:37:28,292 "I see how this connected to that and they connected to this, 781 00:37:28,333 --> 00:37:29,833 "and what he taught me here. 782 00:37:29,917 --> 00:37:33,500 And oh, he had a definite plan." 783 00:37:33,542 --> 00:37:35,667 Most of our life is living by faith, 784 00:37:35,750 --> 00:37:39,792 and once in while we get to look back and see the definite plan. 785 00:37:39,833 --> 00:37:42,500 For some of you, the hardest, most difficult, 786 00:37:42,542 --> 00:37:45,792 arduous parts of your life, the painful, traumatic, 787 00:37:45,833 --> 00:37:50,583 grievous parts of your life, you may not see until you see him 788 00:37:50,667 --> 00:37:52,750 face to face. 789 00:37:52,833 --> 00:37:55,000 You may not understand the definite plan 790 00:37:55,042 --> 00:37:58,250 until this life is done. 791 00:37:58,333 --> 00:38:02,542 But know this, God is good, God is sovereign, 792 00:38:02,625 --> 00:38:04,958 God is bigger than sin. 793 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:09,750 He uses evil for good, though he's not the author of it, 794 00:38:09,833 --> 00:38:12,917 he's the ruler over it. 795 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,833 He has a definite plan, he knows the future, 796 00:38:15,917 --> 00:38:18,542 and you can trust him. 797 00:38:18,625 --> 00:38:22,458 And when all is said and done, and your faith becomes sight, 798 00:38:22,500 --> 00:38:25,542 you will believe in your heart of hearts, 799 00:38:25,625 --> 00:38:29,417 that his way was the best way, and his plan was the best plan, 800 00:38:29,500 --> 00:38:33,458 and you will praise him for who he is and what he's done. 801 00:38:33,500 --> 00:38:35,542 I need you to believe that. 802 00:38:35,625 --> 00:38:38,958 That's what he tells them. 803 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:42,250 "God raised him up." 804 00:38:42,333 --> 00:38:46,750 Hey, here's something I really need you to know. 805 00:38:46,833 --> 00:38:49,958 Jesus isn't dead. 806 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,708 Did you know that? 807 00:38:52,792 --> 00:38:55,000 This is the one thing that changes everything. 808 00:38:55,042 --> 00:38:58,875 There's a lot of religions; dead guys. 809 00:38:58,958 --> 00:39:01,958 Mohammed, dead, Buddha, dead, Krishna, dead, 810 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:04,542 dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. 811 00:39:04,625 --> 00:39:06,500 Philosophers like David Hume and Bertrand Russell, 812 00:39:06,583 --> 00:39:10,250 dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. 813 00:39:10,333 --> 00:39:12,125 Jesus, not dead. 814 00:39:12,167 --> 00:39:14,292 Unique. 815 00:39:15,125 --> 00:39:18,125 Unique. 816 00:39:22,208 --> 00:39:24,042 "God raised him up." 817 00:39:24,125 --> 00:39:26,958 You ever been to a funeral? 818 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:30,042 If you don't believe in resurrection, death seems like 819 00:39:30,125 --> 00:39:33,458 this unconquerable enemy. 820 00:39:33,500 --> 00:39:35,208 You believe in the resurrection of Jesus, 821 00:39:35,292 --> 00:39:38,250 and you know that that is your future in him, 822 00:39:38,333 --> 00:39:41,042 it changes how we live, it changes how we die. 823 00:39:41,125 --> 00:39:43,250 The worst thing, friends, is not to die, 824 00:39:43,333 --> 00:39:45,958 it's to die apart from Jesus. 825 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,167 "God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, 826 00:39:48,208 --> 00:39:51,167 because it was not possible for him to be held by it." 827 00:39:51,208 --> 00:39:52,833 See, death comes where there's sin. 828 00:39:52,917 --> 00:39:56,167 Jesus died for our sin, though he had no sin, 829 00:39:56,250 --> 00:39:58,250 and death could not hold him 830 00:39:58,333 --> 00:40:00,500 because he was without sin. 831 00:40:00,542 --> 00:40:04,500 And so he rose from death and he conquered sin and death. 832 00:40:04,542 --> 00:40:05,875 And then he quotes David. 833 00:40:05,958 --> 00:40:07,292 "For David says concerning him." 834 00:40:07,333 --> 00:40:11,167 For these guys, David is as big as it gets, right? 835 00:40:11,208 --> 00:40:13,667 If you would ask all the kids in, you know, 836 00:40:13,708 --> 00:40:15,042 the Jewish school today, 837 00:40:15,125 --> 00:40:17,792 "Who do you want to be like when you grow up?" 838 00:40:17,833 --> 00:40:19,167 "David." 839 00:40:19,250 --> 00:40:21,167 I mean, kids still pretend to be David. 840 00:40:21,250 --> 00:40:22,583 Do you have any sons? 841 00:40:22,667 --> 00:40:25,292 First time you read them the story of David and Goliath, 842 00:40:25,333 --> 00:40:27,792 that's all they're thinking about for the next 10 years. 843 00:40:27,833 --> 00:40:30,542 "I want to be a shepherd boy who slaughters big guys." 844 00:40:30,625 --> 00:40:33,292 Next thing you know your kids are throwing rocks at you. 845 00:40:33,333 --> 00:40:34,667 You know, so... 846 00:40:34,750 --> 00:40:36,875 But, you know, for the Jewish kids growing up, 847 00:40:36,958 --> 00:40:38,875 and the boys grow up, and they're like, 848 00:40:38,958 --> 00:40:40,792 "David, little shepherd boy takes down Goliath. 849 00:40:40,833 --> 00:40:43,000 "And then he goes out and kills lions. 850 00:40:43,042 --> 00:40:45,083 "Wow! Then he grows up to be king. 851 00:40:45,167 --> 00:40:47,583 "You could be anything. You could be like King David. 852 00:40:47,667 --> 00:40:49,792 "He rules the nation. He worshiped God. 853 00:40:49,833 --> 00:40:53,292 "He writes books of the Bible. He sings songs to the Lord. 854 00:40:53,333 --> 00:40:55,500 He gets the plans for the temple." 855 00:40:55,542 --> 00:40:57,333 David's a big deal. 856 00:40:57,375 --> 00:40:59,333 If you ask the kids, "Who's your hero?" 857 00:40:59,375 --> 00:41:01,042 "David." 858 00:41:01,125 --> 00:41:03,042 David's as big as it gets. 859 00:41:03,125 --> 00:41:04,875 So he quotes David. 860 00:41:04,958 --> 00:41:08,458 "David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before me, 861 00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:13,083 for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken.'" 862 00:41:13,167 --> 00:41:17,958 See, Jesus is with you. 863 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:20,667 This is why the presence and power of the Holy Spirit 864 00:41:20,708 --> 00:41:23,000 is so important. 865 00:41:23,042 --> 00:41:26,167 That's how Jesus is with you. 866 00:41:26,250 --> 00:41:28,792 So you won't be shaken. 867 00:41:28,833 --> 00:41:30,792 "'Therefore my heart was,'" what? 868 00:41:30,833 --> 00:41:33,083 "'Glad.'" 869 00:41:33,167 --> 00:41:34,542 David had tough days. 870 00:41:34,625 --> 00:41:38,875 But you can have gladness of heart if God is with you. 871 00:41:38,958 --> 00:41:40,583 "'And my tongue rejoiced.'" 872 00:41:40,667 --> 00:41:42,375 You could sing, and you could pray, 873 00:41:42,458 --> 00:41:47,167 and you could praise if God is with you. 874 00:41:47,250 --> 00:41:51,583 "'My flesh also will dwell in hope.'" 875 00:41:51,667 --> 00:41:55,208 Can't buy hope, 876 00:41:55,292 --> 00:41:58,500 it's a gift of God. 877 00:41:58,583 --> 00:42:03,958 The Bible says that God gives us faith, hope, and love. 878 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:08,167 Hope is what we all need. Right? 879 00:42:08,250 --> 00:42:13,167 Your hope can't come in trying to know God's definite plan. 880 00:42:13,250 --> 00:42:16,375 Your hope can't come in trying to know the future. 881 00:42:16,458 --> 00:42:20,833 Your hope comes that God is with you, that God is for you. 882 00:42:20,917 --> 00:42:23,583 He goes on to say, 883 00:42:23,667 --> 00:42:25,875 "For you will not abandon my soul to Hades," 884 00:42:25,958 --> 00:42:27,292 that's the grave, 885 00:42:27,333 --> 00:42:30,083 "or let your Holy One see corruption." 886 00:42:30,167 --> 00:42:32,958 See, David, even a thousand years before Jesus was born, 887 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:36,042 he had this idea that death is not the end, 888 00:42:36,125 --> 00:42:37,667 that resurrection is. 889 00:42:37,708 --> 00:42:40,667 That God made us for life, and we die because of sin. 890 00:42:40,708 --> 00:42:45,167 But God has more for his people than just a funeral, 891 00:42:45,250 --> 00:42:49,167 but a wedding awaiting them on the other side. 892 00:42:49,250 --> 00:42:54,125 He goes on to say, "You have made known to me the paths of 893 00:42:54,167 --> 00:42:59,292 life; you will make me full of gladness with your," what? 894 00:42:59,333 --> 00:43:01,792 "Presence." 895 00:43:01,833 --> 00:43:04,667 He said, "You know what made David great? 896 00:43:04,708 --> 00:43:07,583 The presence of God." 897 00:43:07,667 --> 00:43:11,375 Here's what can happen, friends, whether it's David 898 00:43:11,458 --> 00:43:14,042 or another leader, a political leader, a moral leader, 899 00:43:14,125 --> 00:43:16,833 a religious leader, a spiritual leader, a business leader, 900 00:43:16,917 --> 00:43:20,000 you and I are prone to choose heroes. 901 00:43:20,042 --> 00:43:25,292 We're prone to want to mimic them, and follow their example, 902 00:43:25,333 --> 00:43:27,167 and imitate them. 903 00:43:27,208 --> 00:43:30,333 And so what we will do is then we will ignore whole parts 904 00:43:30,417 --> 00:43:32,542 of their life that are sinful, and turn them 905 00:43:32,625 --> 00:43:35,000 into some fictitious character. 906 00:43:35,042 --> 00:43:38,000 So nobody ever talks about the fact that Gandhi was 907 00:43:38,042 --> 00:43:42,000 a bisexual who left his wife and slept with children. 908 00:43:42,042 --> 00:43:44,500 And nobody talks about the fact that Martin Luther King 909 00:43:44,542 --> 00:43:46,500 committed adultery a lot. 910 00:43:46,542 --> 00:43:48,958 And nobody talks about the fact that JFK was unfaithful 911 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:50,333 to his wife. 912 00:43:50,417 --> 00:43:52,083 We sort of revise history. 913 00:43:52,167 --> 00:43:56,417 We try to turn our heroes into saviors. 914 00:43:56,500 --> 00:43:58,917 And then we want to live a life like them. 915 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:00,667 We want to be inspired by them. 916 00:44:00,750 --> 00:44:02,167 We want to follow their example. 917 00:44:02,250 --> 00:44:03,958 We want to be modeled after them. 918 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:05,958 And they're all sinners. And they're all dead. 919 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:08,667 And even the best among us isn't that great. 920 00:44:08,708 --> 00:44:10,083 David was an adulterer. 921 00:44:10,167 --> 00:44:11,542 David was a murderer. 922 00:44:11,625 --> 00:44:15,083 And even on his death bed one of the final things he does is 923 00:44:15,167 --> 00:44:18,750 puts out a hit to go have some guy murdered. 924 00:44:18,833 --> 00:44:21,250 So if you tell the whole story of David's life, 925 00:44:21,333 --> 00:44:22,667 he needs a savior too. 926 00:44:22,708 --> 00:44:27,375 He's not a savior. 927 00:44:27,458 --> 00:44:30,083 What made David great? 928 00:44:30,167 --> 00:44:34,000 He says it, "Your presence." 929 00:44:34,042 --> 00:44:37,292 See, God was with David. 930 00:44:37,333 --> 00:44:39,792 And through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, 931 00:44:39,833 --> 00:44:42,583 God is with you, and God is with us. 932 00:44:42,667 --> 00:44:46,958 And we're sinners, and we have folly, and rebellion. 933 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:50,958 And the Holy Spirit is willing to be with us. 934 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:53,458 And what this means is even when life gets hard, 935 00:44:53,500 --> 00:44:55,917 'cause we're sinning or others are sinning against us, 936 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:57,792 at least we're not alone in it. 937 00:44:57,833 --> 00:45:01,167 And let me say, if you're here looking for a version of 938 00:45:01,208 --> 00:45:03,583 Christianity where you will never suffer, 939 00:45:03,667 --> 00:45:08,333 there is no version that omits suffering. 940 00:45:08,417 --> 00:45:13,667 But when we suffer, God comes to be with us, he comforts us, 941 00:45:13,750 --> 00:45:16,875 we get to know him better, and we more greatly appreciate 942 00:45:16,958 --> 00:45:20,000 the sufferings of Jesus. 943 00:45:20,042 --> 00:45:21,667 There's something worse than dying, 944 00:45:21,708 --> 00:45:23,167 that's dying without Jesus. 945 00:45:23,250 --> 00:45:24,750 There's something worse than suffering, 946 00:45:24,833 --> 00:45:26,667 that's suffering without Jesus. 947 00:45:26,750 --> 00:45:31,583 And Jesus brings his presence to us, in us, through us, for us, 948 00:45:31,667 --> 00:45:34,167 sometimes in spite of us, by the presence and power 949 00:45:34,208 --> 00:45:35,875 of the Holy Spirit. 950 00:45:35,958 --> 00:45:38,042 The whole thrust of the argument, 951 00:45:38,125 --> 00:45:40,333 the whole thrust of the sermon is, 952 00:45:40,417 --> 00:45:43,292 don't just look at the people in the Bible and ignore their sin. 953 00:45:43,333 --> 00:45:46,000 Don't just look at people in history and ignore their sin, 954 00:45:46,042 --> 00:45:49,000 and try to follow their example. 955 00:45:49,042 --> 00:45:52,042 Come to Jesus, receive the Holy Spirit, 956 00:45:52,125 --> 00:45:56,417 have God be present in you. 957 00:45:56,500 --> 00:45:59,083 And then the change that's happening is by 958 00:45:59,167 --> 00:46:01,875 the grace of God, for the glory of God. 959 00:46:01,958 --> 00:46:05,042 This is where the Christian life is not one where you live 960 00:46:05,125 --> 00:46:09,458 a life for God, but God comes and lives a life in you. 961 00:46:09,500 --> 00:46:13,750 He goes on, "Brothers, I can say with confidence about 962 00:46:13,833 --> 00:46:16,792 the patriarch David that he both died and was buried." 963 00:46:16,833 --> 00:46:21,375 Two facts, there was a funeral, he's in a hole. 964 00:46:21,458 --> 00:46:27,083 David's soul was with the Lord, but his body was in the ground. 965 00:46:27,167 --> 00:46:29,375 "And his tomb is with us to this day." 966 00:46:29,458 --> 00:46:31,875 Says, "You know what, David was a pretty good guy, 967 00:46:31,958 --> 00:46:33,667 but he really can't do anything today." 968 00:46:33,708 --> 00:46:35,042 You go to his grave, 969 00:46:35,125 --> 00:46:37,375 "Hey David, what should I do with my wife?" 970 00:46:37,458 --> 00:46:39,375 Not going to be a great counseling appointment. 971 00:46:39,458 --> 00:46:41,083 He doesn't have a ton to offer. 972 00:46:41,167 --> 00:46:43,083 Even the greatest among us are still sinners. 973 00:46:43,167 --> 00:46:47,292 Even the greatest among us still die. 974 00:46:47,333 --> 00:46:49,958 Jesus is without sin. 975 00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:52,792 Jesus is alive. 976 00:46:52,833 --> 00:46:54,833 He's not just the best among us. 977 00:46:54,875 --> 00:46:59,167 He's in a category unto himself. 978 00:46:59,250 --> 00:47:02,000 "Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with 979 00:47:02,042 --> 00:47:04,875 "an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants 980 00:47:04,958 --> 00:47:06,292 on his throne." 981 00:47:06,333 --> 00:47:08,167 You know what made David great? 982 00:47:08,250 --> 00:47:11,167 That through him would come one of his descendants, 983 00:47:11,208 --> 00:47:14,167 who would sit on the throne, and be a greater King, 984 00:47:14,250 --> 00:47:18,000 the King of kings, Jesus Christ. 985 00:47:18,042 --> 00:47:22,083 And so Jesus, like David, started out poor, and rural, 986 00:47:22,167 --> 00:47:24,375 and simple, and humble. 987 00:47:24,458 --> 00:47:28,583 And he was hated, and despised, and opposed even by 988 00:47:28,667 --> 00:47:31,375 his own brothers. 989 00:47:31,458 --> 00:47:35,958 And ultimately he grew up to be a mighty, powerful king. 990 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:38,792 And Jesus comes along as the greater David. 991 00:47:38,833 --> 00:47:41,000 And he resurrects from death. 992 00:47:41,042 --> 00:47:47,167 And he is the King of kings, with a kingdom that never ends. 993 00:47:47,208 --> 00:47:50,583 "He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ," 994 00:47:50,667 --> 00:47:52,667 because God has a definite plan, 995 00:47:52,708 --> 00:47:54,583 and he foreknows the future. 996 00:47:54,667 --> 00:47:56,458 "That he would not abandon to Hades, 997 00:47:56,500 --> 00:47:58,167 "nor did his flesh see corruption. 998 00:47:58,208 --> 00:48:01,750 This Jesus God raised up, of that we're all his witnesses." 999 00:48:01,833 --> 00:48:03,417 Now here's their story. 1000 00:48:03,500 --> 00:48:08,167 This is being preached to some, quote unquote, "good people." 1001 00:48:08,208 --> 00:48:10,042 Where are they at? 1002 00:48:10,125 --> 00:48:12,125 Where are they at, Mars Hill? 1003 00:48:12,167 --> 00:48:14,417 Jerusalem, the Holy City. 1004 00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:16,250 Why are they there? 1005 00:48:16,333 --> 00:48:19,667 Well, they're not atheists, and they're not just theists, 1006 00:48:19,708 --> 00:48:21,833 or spiritual, or supernatural. 1007 00:48:21,917 --> 00:48:23,667 These are devout people. 1008 00:48:23,708 --> 00:48:26,833 They give lots of money to the temple. 1009 00:48:26,875 --> 00:48:29,750 They read, if they're literate, the Scriptures. 1010 00:48:29,833 --> 00:48:32,708 If not they have the Scriptures read to them in the synagogue. 1011 00:48:32,792 --> 00:48:34,708 And they go there every Saturday. 1012 00:48:34,792 --> 00:48:36,125 They don't eat pork. 1013 00:48:36,167 --> 00:48:37,958 And they do everything the Bible says. 1014 00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:41,125 And they're trying to memorize the 613 laws. 1015 00:48:41,167 --> 00:48:44,167 Keep them all. 1016 00:48:44,208 --> 00:48:46,458 They've walked to Jerusalem. 1017 00:48:46,500 --> 00:48:50,708 How many of you would have walked to church today? 1018 00:48:50,792 --> 00:48:52,500 It's hot. 1019 00:48:52,583 --> 00:48:55,083 It's rugged. It's far. 1020 00:48:55,167 --> 00:48:57,333 There is no 7-Eleven with a Slurpee machine. 1021 00:48:57,417 --> 00:48:59,667 It's effort. You know what I'm talking about? 1022 00:48:59,750 --> 00:49:01,167 And they walk. 1023 00:49:01,208 --> 00:49:03,667 And then they walk all the way up the hill. 1024 00:49:03,708 --> 00:49:05,458 And they walk up to the temple. 1025 00:49:05,500 --> 00:49:09,000 And here's what Peter says, "That's not enough." 1026 00:49:09,083 --> 00:49:12,250 Because you could be spiritual without the Holy Spirit. 1027 00:49:12,333 --> 00:49:15,833 You could be committed to Jewish rules, 1028 00:49:15,917 --> 00:49:20,833 but not Jesus' resurrection. 1029 00:49:20,917 --> 00:49:23,625 You can be someone who admires the life of Jesus, 1030 00:49:23,667 --> 00:49:26,417 but has not experienced it. 1031 00:49:26,500 --> 00:49:28,708 You could be born into a religious family, 1032 00:49:28,792 --> 00:49:32,042 but not born again into the family of God. 1033 00:49:32,125 --> 00:49:35,833 Is that your story? 1034 00:49:35,875 --> 00:49:40,250 It's about family, morality, tradition, spirituality, 1035 00:49:40,333 --> 00:49:45,458 religion; or Jesus. 1036 00:49:45,500 --> 00:49:47,500 That was my story. 1037 00:49:47,583 --> 00:49:52,958 As far back as we could trace, we're Catholic, Irish Catholic. 1038 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:57,667 We don't have any atheists; we have criminals, but no atheists. 1039 00:49:57,708 --> 00:50:02,167 We all believe in God. 1040 00:50:02,250 --> 00:50:06,167 I was baptized as a baby, but I didn't know Jesus. 1041 00:50:06,250 --> 00:50:09,292 And I grew up going to church, and I didn't know Jesus. 1042 00:50:09,333 --> 00:50:12,083 And I prayed oftentimes, even before I went to bed 1043 00:50:12,167 --> 00:50:15,542 or before a meal, and I didn't know Jesus. 1044 00:50:15,625 --> 00:50:17,542 I knew a few verses of the Bible, 1045 00:50:17,625 --> 00:50:19,083 and I didn't know Jesus. 1046 00:50:19,167 --> 00:50:24,750 I was a fairly moral guy, and I didn't know Jesus. 1047 00:50:24,833 --> 00:50:27,000 A lot of people are like that. 1048 00:50:27,042 --> 00:50:28,875 A lot of you are like that. 1049 00:50:28,958 --> 00:50:30,542 Say, "Well, my family was Christian." 1050 00:50:30,625 --> 00:50:32,750 Or, "I've been Christian since I was a kid." 1051 00:50:32,833 --> 00:50:34,500 Or, "I was baptized as an infant." 1052 00:50:34,542 --> 00:50:35,875 Or, "I'm a good person." 1053 00:50:35,958 --> 00:50:37,292 Or, "I believe in God." 1054 00:50:37,333 --> 00:50:39,000 Or, "You know, I go to church." 1055 00:50:39,042 --> 00:50:42,000 All of that can be very good if you believe in Jesus, 1056 00:50:42,042 --> 00:50:43,542 and you have the Holy Spirit. 1057 00:50:43,625 --> 00:50:47,667 If not, it's absolutely worthless. 1058 00:50:47,708 --> 00:50:51,917 It's like a wedding ring without a wife. 1059 00:50:55,333 --> 00:50:58,917 So what did he tell them? 1060 00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:00,500 You need Jesus. 1061 00:51:00,542 --> 00:51:02,083 You need the Holy Spirit. 1062 00:51:02,167 --> 00:51:04,583 Let me ask you this today, do you know Jesus? 1063 00:51:04,667 --> 00:51:10,583 Have you received the Holy Spirit? 1064 00:51:10,667 --> 00:51:13,500 That's where the story continues, Jesus' life in us. 1065 00:51:13,542 --> 00:51:18,375 Acts 2:33-41, "Being therefore exalted at the right hand 1066 00:51:18,458 --> 00:51:20,292 of God," Jesus is alive. 1067 00:51:20,333 --> 00:51:22,583 He's in the presence of the Father. 1068 00:51:22,667 --> 00:51:25,000 He's at the right hand, the seat of authority; 1069 00:51:25,042 --> 00:51:26,875 he's ruling and reigning right now. 1070 00:51:26,958 --> 00:51:29,167 "And having received from the Father the promise of 1071 00:51:29,250 --> 00:51:32,667 "the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this 1072 00:51:32,750 --> 00:51:34,958 that you yourselves are seeing and hearing." 1073 00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:37,667 How many of you have seen the presence and power of 1074 00:51:37,750 --> 00:51:39,167 the Holy Spirit in someone's life? 1075 00:51:39,250 --> 00:51:40,667 "Man, they've changed, they're different, 1076 00:51:40,750 --> 00:51:42,292 "they're thinking different, they're acting different, 1077 00:51:42,333 --> 00:51:44,792 they're behaving, believing different." 1078 00:51:44,833 --> 00:51:47,750 How many of you have seen the work of the Holy Spirit 1079 00:51:47,833 --> 00:51:51,083 in someone, but not experienced it in yourself? 1080 00:51:51,167 --> 00:51:54,708 That's exactly what's happening here. 1081 00:51:54,792 --> 00:51:56,708 These religious, devout, nice, moral, 1082 00:51:56,792 --> 00:52:02,792 spiritual people, they're seeing God do something in others' 1083 00:52:02,833 --> 00:52:08,833 lives that they themselves have not experienced. 1084 00:52:08,917 --> 00:52:10,792 "For David did not ascend into the heavens, 1085 00:52:10,833 --> 00:52:13,500 but he himself says, 'The Lord,'" that's God the Father, 1086 00:52:13,542 --> 00:52:18,000 "'said to my Lord,'" Jesus Christ, 1087 00:52:18,042 --> 00:52:20,000 "'sit at my right hand 1088 00:52:20,042 --> 00:52:22,292 until I make your enemies a footstool.'" 1089 00:52:22,333 --> 00:52:23,750 Now think of that. 1090 00:52:23,833 --> 00:52:26,750 Every time you put your feet up think that's where the enemies 1091 00:52:26,833 --> 00:52:29,958 of Jesus end up, at his feet, as his footstool. 1092 00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:31,792 It's a powerful image. 1093 00:52:31,833 --> 00:52:35,542 This opportunity for salvation that you're getting invited to 1094 00:52:35,625 --> 00:52:38,292 today, it's only for this life. 1095 00:52:38,333 --> 00:52:41,667 When this life ends, you stand before Jesus, there's judgment, 1096 00:52:41,750 --> 00:52:43,792 consequence eternally. 1097 00:52:43,833 --> 00:52:45,792 This is it. 1098 00:52:45,833 --> 00:52:49,167 It's appointed once for a man to die, then judgment. 1099 00:52:49,250 --> 00:52:51,792 This is it. 1100 00:52:51,833 --> 00:52:55,417 If you don't receive Jesus, you will meet him and be his 1101 00:52:55,500 --> 00:53:00,042 footstool under his rule and authority, as his enemy forever. 1102 00:53:00,125 --> 00:53:02,750 Let me just be clear about this. 1103 00:53:02,833 --> 00:53:08,250 This is a sobering, serious subject. 1104 00:53:08,333 --> 00:53:11,167 He goes on--some of you would ask, "You trying to convert me?" 1105 00:53:11,250 --> 00:53:13,042 Totally! 1106 00:53:13,125 --> 00:53:15,000 Yes. 1107 00:53:15,042 --> 00:53:16,375 "You trying to make me a Christian?" 1108 00:53:16,458 --> 00:53:18,375 I'm not trying to make you a Christian, 1109 00:53:18,458 --> 00:53:20,375 but I'm trying to make you a Christian. 1110 00:53:20,458 --> 00:53:22,583 Only the Holy Spirit can make you a Christian. 1111 00:53:22,667 --> 00:53:24,583 I'm inviting him to make you a Christian. 1112 00:53:24,667 --> 00:53:26,000 Yes. 1113 00:53:26,042 --> 00:53:28,000 That's why your family, your friends, your neighbors, 1114 00:53:28,042 --> 00:53:29,833 your coworkers, your enemies brought you here. 1115 00:53:29,917 --> 00:53:31,792 They're like, "Listen. You need Jesus. 1116 00:53:31,833 --> 00:53:33,958 "Hell's hot. Forever's a long time. 1117 00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:37,458 Now's a good time." That's why you're here. 1118 00:53:37,500 --> 00:53:42,167 God knows the future. God knew you would hear this. 1119 00:53:42,208 --> 00:53:46,667 And this is all part of his definite plan for you. 1120 00:53:46,708 --> 00:53:48,083 Absolutely. 1121 00:53:48,167 --> 00:53:50,542 You're supposed to become a Christian today. 1122 00:53:50,625 --> 00:53:52,583 Not just religious. Not just moral. 1123 00:53:52,667 --> 00:53:55,125 Not just traditional. It's not about family. 1124 00:53:55,167 --> 00:53:57,833 It's about the family of God. It's not about being spiritual. 1125 00:53:57,875 --> 00:54:01,958 It's about the Holy Spirit. It's not just about regulations. 1126 00:54:02,000 --> 00:54:07,000 It's about the resurrection. And it's about Jesus. 1127 00:54:07,042 --> 00:54:09,667 Now they hear this, and you hear this. 1128 00:54:09,750 --> 00:54:12,292 The question is: "What do we do?" 1129 00:54:12,333 --> 00:54:14,542 That's the question. 1130 00:54:14,625 --> 00:54:17,583 He goes on, verse 37, "Now when they heard this 1131 00:54:17,667 --> 00:54:19,292 they were cut to the heart." 1132 00:54:19,333 --> 00:54:21,292 "Oh, no. I'm a sinner. 1133 00:54:21,333 --> 00:54:23,583 "I need Jesus. I've missed him. 1134 00:54:23,667 --> 00:54:25,083 That's the problem." 1135 00:54:25,167 --> 00:54:27,083 How many of you are feeling that? 1136 00:54:27,167 --> 00:54:29,458 That's the Holy Spirit right now, coming to you. 1137 00:54:29,500 --> 00:54:30,958 Just hammering away. 1138 00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:33,667 "Hey, pay attention. Jesus loves you. 1139 00:54:33,750 --> 00:54:35,667 "He died for you. He rose for you. 1140 00:54:35,750 --> 00:54:38,000 "He's Lord, God, Savior, King, Christ. 1141 00:54:38,042 --> 00:54:42,500 Enough of it already. Today's the day." 1142 00:54:42,542 --> 00:54:45,167 "And they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles," 1143 00:54:45,208 --> 00:54:47,583 here's a great question, "'What do we do? 1144 00:54:47,667 --> 00:54:50,792 What do you want us to do?'" 1145 00:54:50,833 --> 00:54:54,083 The answer is, Jesus already said, "it is" what? 1146 00:54:54,167 --> 00:54:56,833 "Finished." 1147 00:54:56,875 --> 00:54:58,333 We don't do anything. 1148 00:54:58,375 --> 00:55:00,167 He did everything. 1149 00:55:00,208 --> 00:55:03,042 We trust him for what he's done. 1150 00:55:03,125 --> 00:55:08,875 So here's Peter's answer, you ready for it? 1151 00:55:08,958 --> 00:55:12,875 Peter said, "Repent 1152 00:55:12,958 --> 00:55:16,458 and be baptized every one of you." 1153 00:55:16,500 --> 00:55:19,875 I'd invite you all to salvation in Jesus. 1154 00:55:19,958 --> 00:55:22,167 "In the name of," whom? 1155 00:55:22,208 --> 00:55:28,375 "Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, 1156 00:55:28,458 --> 00:55:30,583 and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." 1157 00:55:30,667 --> 00:55:32,000 Unpack. Repent. 1158 00:55:32,083 --> 00:55:33,750 What's that mean? Big, huge word. 1159 00:55:33,833 --> 00:55:37,167 Repentance is when the Holy Spirit 1160 00:55:37,208 --> 00:55:39,542 starts to change our mind. 1161 00:55:39,625 --> 00:55:41,708 We start to think, "What am I doing? 1162 00:55:41,792 --> 00:55:43,667 "Where am I going? Why am I here? 1163 00:55:43,708 --> 00:55:47,250 What's the point? Who am I?" 1164 00:55:47,333 --> 00:55:49,458 Changes our heart. 1165 00:55:49,500 --> 00:55:51,833 "I don't want to be this way anymore. 1166 00:55:51,917 --> 00:55:53,625 "I don't want to think this way. 1167 00:55:53,667 --> 00:55:55,333 "I don't want to act this way. 1168 00:55:55,417 --> 00:55:57,458 I want to be different." 1169 00:55:57,500 --> 00:55:59,833 Leads to a change of direction. 1170 00:55:59,917 --> 00:56:02,833 Repentance is turning around. 1171 00:56:02,875 --> 00:56:06,667 "Jesus, I need to get close to you. 1172 00:56:06,750 --> 00:56:08,667 "Where's that Bible somebody gave me? 1173 00:56:08,750 --> 00:56:10,500 "I need to pick that up. 1174 00:56:10,583 --> 00:56:13,667 "Jesus, I don't pray very well, but I need to talk to you. 1175 00:56:13,750 --> 00:56:15,625 "I just need to talk to you. 1176 00:56:15,667 --> 00:56:17,833 "Hey Jesus, where are your people? 1177 00:56:17,875 --> 00:56:22,625 "I need to get to know some of them 'cause I'm confused 1178 00:56:22,667 --> 00:56:26,000 and I need the family." 1179 00:56:26,042 --> 00:56:28,500 It's a change of mind, and a change of heart, 1180 00:56:28,542 --> 00:56:31,000 and a change of life direction. 1181 00:56:31,042 --> 00:56:32,500 You stop walking away from Jesus, 1182 00:56:32,583 --> 00:56:34,000 you start walking towards Jesus. 1183 00:56:34,083 --> 00:56:37,167 You stop ignoring Jesus, you start listening to Jesus. 1184 00:56:37,208 --> 00:56:41,042 You stop rebelling against Jesus, you start obeying Jesus. 1185 00:56:41,125 --> 00:56:45,667 You stop despising Jesus, you start enjoying Jesus. 1186 00:56:45,708 --> 00:56:48,833 And the closer you get to him the more like him you become. 1187 00:56:48,917 --> 00:56:50,333 That's repentance. 1188 00:56:50,417 --> 00:56:54,333 Let me say this, Jesus invites you. 1189 00:56:54,417 --> 00:56:56,333 There's a smile on his face. 1190 00:56:56,375 --> 00:57:01,375 His fists aren't clenched, his hands are open. 1191 00:57:01,458 --> 00:57:03,500 He's looking at you, saying, "Don't go any further, 1192 00:57:03,583 --> 00:57:05,708 "it only gets worse. 1193 00:57:05,792 --> 00:57:08,333 Please turn around and come back." 1194 00:57:08,375 --> 00:57:10,000 That's repentance. 1195 00:57:10,042 --> 00:57:11,917 Have you ever done that? 1196 00:57:12,000 --> 00:57:13,625 You're trying to hide your sin. 1197 00:57:13,667 --> 00:57:15,125 Blame others for your sin. 1198 00:57:15,167 --> 00:57:16,708 Excuse your sin. Manage you sin. 1199 00:57:16,792 --> 00:57:19,083 Diminish your sin. Deny your sin. 1200 00:57:19,167 --> 00:57:21,417 How about repent of your sin? 1201 00:57:21,500 --> 00:57:23,500 "Jesus, you died. Here it is. 1202 00:57:23,583 --> 00:57:26,000 I'm coming home." 1203 00:57:26,083 --> 00:57:27,417 He says, "Repent." 1204 00:57:27,500 --> 00:57:30,000 And then what? "Be baptized." 1205 00:57:30,042 --> 00:57:32,000 Baptism is an outward demonstration 1206 00:57:32,083 --> 00:57:33,625 of an inward transformation. 1207 00:57:33,667 --> 00:57:35,000 That's a baptism. 1208 00:57:35,083 --> 00:57:36,917 Baptism doesn't save you. 1209 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:38,625 Jesus saves. 1210 00:57:38,667 --> 00:57:41,917 But baptism shows, because he says, "You will be my," what? 1211 00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:43,417 "Witnesses." 1212 00:57:43,500 --> 00:57:45,417 Baptism is part of our witness. 1213 00:57:45,500 --> 00:57:48,000 It's how we publicly preach the gospel, 1214 00:57:48,042 --> 00:57:50,208 the good news of Jesus Christ. 1215 00:57:50,292 --> 00:57:51,917 Jesus lived without sin. 1216 00:57:52,000 --> 00:57:53,625 He died and was buried. 1217 00:57:53,667 --> 00:57:56,500 Three days later he rose from death. 1218 00:57:56,583 --> 00:57:59,917 Baptism is where we show Jesus lived without sin, 1219 00:58:00,042 --> 00:58:02,792 died and rose for me. 1220 00:58:02,833 --> 00:58:05,375 And just as water cleanses me from filth, 1221 00:58:05,458 --> 00:58:08,375 Jesus cleanses me from the filth of sin. 1222 00:58:08,458 --> 00:58:12,792 And so baptism is how we show that we personally believe in, 1223 00:58:12,833 --> 00:58:14,583 belong to Jesus. 1224 00:58:14,667 --> 00:58:17,000 That we don't just admire his life, 1225 00:58:17,042 --> 00:58:19,958 but we experience his life. 1226 00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:23,000 Have you ever been baptized as a believer? 1227 00:58:23,042 --> 00:58:24,750 Some of you were baptized as children. 1228 00:58:24,833 --> 00:58:27,000 Did you grow up as a believer? 1229 00:58:27,042 --> 00:58:29,000 Did you grow up faithful to the Lord? 1230 00:58:29,042 --> 00:58:33,875 Or were you like me, someone who got wet but not saved? 1231 00:58:33,958 --> 00:58:36,500 Then you need to be baptized. 1232 00:58:36,583 --> 00:58:39,708 You need to be baptized, not for your salvation, 1233 00:58:39,792 --> 00:58:42,208 but as a witness of the salvation 1234 00:58:42,292 --> 00:58:43,708 that Jesus has given you. 1235 00:58:43,792 --> 00:58:45,417 We'd invite you today. 1236 00:58:45,500 --> 00:58:48,000 Come forward, let us talk to you, pray for you, 1237 00:58:48,042 --> 00:58:51,000 so you can repent, give your sin and your life to Jesus, 1238 00:58:51,083 --> 00:58:54,708 become a Christian, receive the Holy Spirit, be baptized. 1239 00:58:54,792 --> 00:58:56,875 And he says, "Why?" 1240 00:58:56,958 --> 00:58:59,083 "For the forgiveness of sins." 1241 00:58:59,167 --> 00:59:01,792 Jesus says it on the cross, "Father, forgive them." 1242 00:59:01,833 --> 00:59:06,000 And then he dies, providing the means by which forgiveness 1243 00:59:06,042 --> 00:59:07,500 is possible. 1244 00:59:07,542 --> 00:59:10,875 You can be forgiven. 1245 00:59:10,958 --> 00:59:13,000 It's so liberating. 1246 00:59:13,042 --> 00:59:15,875 It's so amazing. 1247 00:59:15,958 --> 00:59:17,458 No more guilt. 1248 00:59:17,500 --> 00:59:19,000 No more condemnation. 1249 00:59:19,042 --> 00:59:20,375 No more blaming. 1250 00:59:20,458 --> 00:59:21,792 No more hiding. 1251 00:59:21,833 --> 00:59:23,583 No more denying. No more diminishing. 1252 00:59:23,667 --> 00:59:25,000 No more shame. 1253 00:59:25,042 --> 00:59:29,583 Forgiven, loved, known, embraced 1254 00:59:29,667 --> 00:59:31,583 in spite of who you are. 1255 00:59:31,667 --> 00:59:36,125 The Holy Spirit placed in you to make you someone else. 1256 00:59:36,167 --> 00:59:38,333 I invite you to forgiveness. 1257 00:59:38,375 --> 00:59:41,083 I invite you to Jesus. 1258 00:59:41,167 --> 00:59:44,167 And he says, "And you'll receive the Holy Spirit." 1259 00:59:44,250 --> 00:59:47,375 God's glad to place his Spirit in you. 1260 00:59:47,458 --> 00:59:49,500 And this does so many things. 1261 00:59:49,583 --> 00:59:52,375 This could be a whole millennia of sermons. 1262 00:59:52,458 --> 00:59:55,583 But I'll just pack it down to three big ideas. 1263 00:59:55,667 --> 01:00:00,500 New nature, new desires, new power. 1264 01:00:00,583 --> 01:00:05,000 New nature means it's not just a modified, updated, 1265 01:00:05,083 --> 01:00:07,583 new-and-improved version of you. 1266 01:00:07,667 --> 01:00:12,667 It's a totally, thoroughly, completely new you. 1267 01:00:12,750 --> 01:00:15,708 You change in your core all the way down to your identity, 1268 01:00:15,792 --> 01:00:17,500 your nature, who you are. 1269 01:00:17,583 --> 01:00:21,917 When the Holy Spirit comes in, you are different. 1270 01:00:22,000 --> 01:00:24,917 The Bible calls this being born again, being regenerated, 1271 01:00:25,000 --> 01:00:28,333 new person, new man, new creation in Christ. 1272 01:00:28,375 --> 01:00:30,792 Whole constellation of imagery. 1273 01:00:30,833 --> 01:00:32,542 But you just change. 1274 01:00:32,625 --> 01:00:34,500 I can still remember at 19 1275 01:00:34,583 --> 01:00:36,708 the Holy Spirit flipped the switch in me, 1276 01:00:36,792 --> 01:00:40,042 and who I was died, and there's just somebody else 1277 01:00:40,125 --> 01:00:43,167 with my last name. 1278 01:00:43,208 --> 01:00:46,042 Now, sometimes he thinks and acts like the old guy, 1279 01:00:46,125 --> 01:00:50,708 but the truth is, new guy, not perfect, but changing, 1280 01:00:50,792 --> 01:00:52,833 totally different. 1281 01:00:52,917 --> 01:00:55,167 Totally different. 1282 01:00:55,208 --> 01:00:56,917 New nature. 1283 01:00:57,000 --> 01:00:58,958 New desires. 1284 01:00:59,000 --> 01:01:01,667 As soon as I got saved, I can still remember, 1285 01:01:01,750 --> 01:01:06,000 I started reading the Bible 'cause I wanted to. 1286 01:01:06,083 --> 01:01:09,000 I remember on a Saturday, I'm in college; 1287 01:01:09,083 --> 01:01:11,375 all my buddies are going out to do something. 1288 01:01:11,458 --> 01:01:13,375 They're like, "What are you going to do?" 1289 01:01:13,458 --> 01:01:15,875 I was like, "I think I'm going to read the Bible." 1290 01:01:15,958 --> 01:01:17,292 They're like, "You're what?" 1291 01:01:17,333 --> 01:01:21,917 I was like, "I'm as shocked as you are but I actually want to." 1292 01:01:22,000 --> 01:01:23,708 Before it would have been like, 1293 01:01:23,792 --> 01:01:26,375 "You know, I'm going to give myself a root canal." 1294 01:01:26,458 --> 01:01:30,000 That's the same category I would have put Bible reading in. 1295 01:01:30,042 --> 01:01:31,750 "Why are you reading the Bible?" 1296 01:01:31,833 --> 01:01:36,458 "I like it, even though I feel horrible when I read it 1297 01:01:36,500 --> 01:01:39,042 "because I remember how bad I am. 1298 01:01:39,125 --> 01:01:41,042 I still like it." 1299 01:01:41,125 --> 01:01:44,167 I started wanting to pray. 1300 01:01:44,208 --> 01:01:45,833 I wanted to go to church. 1301 01:01:45,917 --> 01:01:47,458 I wanted to meet God's people. 1302 01:01:47,500 --> 01:01:49,458 I wanted to get in a small group. 1303 01:01:49,500 --> 01:01:51,250 Next thing I know, I'm giving money. 1304 01:01:51,333 --> 01:01:54,167 Like, "What am I doing? Money is leaving my wallet. 1305 01:01:54,208 --> 01:01:55,958 "Something has changed. 1306 01:01:56,000 --> 01:01:58,458 "I'm not getting anything in return; 1307 01:01:58,500 --> 01:02:01,000 I'm just trying to help." 1308 01:02:01,083 --> 01:02:03,208 Christianity is not about what you have to do, 1309 01:02:03,292 --> 01:02:05,000 it's about what you get to do. 1310 01:02:05,083 --> 01:02:07,208 Because if the Holy Spirit gives you your desires, 1311 01:02:07,292 --> 01:02:08,708 that's what you want to do. 1312 01:02:08,792 --> 01:02:11,208 See, some of you, your real problem is you have 1313 01:02:11,292 --> 01:02:12,625 conflicted desires. 1314 01:02:12,667 --> 01:02:16,000 You're like, "I want to do this, but God wants me to do that." 1315 01:02:16,083 --> 01:02:18,708 If you're a Christian, if the Holy Spirit is in you, 1316 01:02:18,792 --> 01:02:20,708 here's the key, go with your deepest desires, 1317 01:02:20,792 --> 01:02:22,125 your strongest desires. 1318 01:02:22,167 --> 01:02:24,708 Because those are God's desires for you. 1319 01:02:24,792 --> 01:02:27,708 Down deep you don't want to sin, you want to be holy. 1320 01:02:27,792 --> 01:02:29,917 You don't want to disobey, you want to obey. 1321 01:02:30,000 --> 01:02:31,917 You don't want to put your Bible down, 1322 01:02:32,000 --> 01:02:33,667 you want to pick your Bible up. 1323 01:02:33,708 --> 01:02:36,833 You don't want to run from God, you want to run to God. 1324 01:02:36,917 --> 01:02:38,542 You don't want to avoid God's people, 1325 01:02:38,625 --> 01:02:40,333 you want to be with God's people. 1326 01:02:40,375 --> 01:02:42,417 New nature, new desires, new power. 1327 01:02:42,500 --> 01:02:44,667 You used to be powerless over certain sins, 1328 01:02:44,708 --> 01:02:47,958 and now you're powerful to walk away from them. 1329 01:02:48,000 --> 01:02:53,000 You can love God, you can serve God, you can obey God. 1330 01:02:53,083 --> 01:02:55,458 If you're a Christian, you're not just a wicked, guilty, 1331 01:02:55,500 --> 01:02:58,333 forgiven sinner; you're a wicked, guilty, forgiven 1332 01:02:58,417 --> 01:03:01,708 sinner who's now a new creation in Christ, who has a new nature, 1333 01:03:01,792 --> 01:03:04,708 who has new desires, who has a new power to live 1334 01:03:04,792 --> 01:03:08,208 a whole new life, like Jesus, for Jesus, through Jesus, 1335 01:03:08,292 --> 01:03:11,583 because Jesus is alive, and his life is in you 1336 01:03:11,667 --> 01:03:13,500 through the Holy Spirit. 1337 01:03:13,583 --> 01:03:19,083 This is a great life. 1338 01:03:21,583 --> 01:03:25,208 "For the promise is for you and your children." 1339 01:03:25,292 --> 01:03:29,667 Dads, are you the first link in the chain? 1340 01:03:29,750 --> 01:03:31,750 Are you a broken link in the chain? 1341 01:03:31,833 --> 01:03:35,250 Will you be the last link in the chain? 1342 01:03:35,333 --> 01:03:38,167 See, what we want is we want your children and your children's 1343 01:03:38,208 --> 01:03:41,167 children to know, love Jesus, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, 1344 01:03:41,208 --> 01:03:45,125 to receive a new nature, new desires, and new power. 1345 01:03:45,167 --> 01:03:47,667 Some of you, your parents, grandparents, they love Jesus, 1346 01:03:47,708 --> 01:03:50,667 but the chain is broken with you. 1347 01:03:50,708 --> 01:03:52,750 You don't have the Holy Spirit. 1348 01:03:52,833 --> 01:03:54,958 You don't love Jesus Christ. 1349 01:03:55,000 --> 01:03:59,500 Repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit. 1350 01:03:59,583 --> 01:04:02,417 For some of you, your family were unbelievers. 1351 01:04:02,500 --> 01:04:04,500 You come from a legacy of unbelief. 1352 01:04:04,542 --> 01:04:07,125 You're the first link in the chain. 1353 01:04:07,167 --> 01:04:11,833 God wants you to love and serve your children so that your 1354 01:04:11,875 --> 01:04:15,292 children's children's children would know and love Jesus. 1355 01:04:15,333 --> 01:04:18,708 And there'd be a great long chain with generations of faith 1356 01:04:18,792 --> 01:04:21,417 that started with you as a matriarch or a patriarch, 1357 01:04:21,500 --> 01:04:24,917 repenting of sin, being baptized, 1358 01:04:25,000 --> 01:04:27,500 receiving the Holy Spirit. 1359 01:04:27,542 --> 01:04:31,958 And for some of you, you're the rebellious ones. 1360 01:04:32,000 --> 01:04:35,417 You're the one who has broken that chain of faith. 1361 01:04:35,500 --> 01:04:37,333 Where are you in it? 1362 01:04:37,417 --> 01:04:39,833 Will you be the last link in the chain? 1363 01:04:39,917 --> 01:04:42,208 Will it be your children or your children's children 1364 01:04:42,292 --> 01:04:44,542 who go apostate and deny Christ? 1365 01:04:44,625 --> 01:04:46,833 Or will the Holy Spirit work through you, 1366 01:04:46,917 --> 01:04:49,333 and work through your children and your children's children? 1367 01:04:49,417 --> 01:04:54,125 We do not believe that your faith can save your children. 1368 01:04:54,167 --> 01:04:57,958 We believe that the kingdom of God is a single-file line. 1369 01:04:58,000 --> 01:04:59,958 We want your parents in front of you 1370 01:05:00,083 --> 01:05:01,708 and your children behind you. 1371 01:05:01,792 --> 01:05:05,708 We want you to all pass through that gate of faith together. 1372 01:05:05,792 --> 01:05:08,708 But one of the ways you can help and encourage your children 1373 01:05:08,792 --> 01:05:11,000 is by modeling faith, and practicing repentance, 1374 01:05:11,042 --> 01:05:12,833 and being filled with the Holy Spirit, 1375 01:05:12,875 --> 01:05:15,333 and worshiping Jesus as Lord, and encouraging them 1376 01:05:15,375 --> 01:05:18,000 to follow in your example. 1377 01:05:18,042 --> 01:05:21,417 This is a massively important word. 1378 01:05:21,500 --> 01:05:23,125 It's for your children. 1379 01:05:23,167 --> 01:05:25,625 And it says, "For those who are far off, 1380 01:05:25,667 --> 01:05:28,333 those who are in other nations and other places," 1381 01:05:28,375 --> 01:05:30,917 we'll get into that in coming weeks, 1382 01:05:31,000 --> 01:05:33,917 "everyone whom the Lord God calls to himself." 1383 01:05:34,000 --> 01:05:36,958 Again some call it Reformed, we call it Bible. 1384 01:05:37,000 --> 01:05:39,500 God calls people to himself. 1385 01:05:39,583 --> 01:05:42,417 Is God calling you to himself today? 1386 01:05:42,500 --> 01:05:45,625 Are you hearing God call you to Jesus? 1387 01:05:45,667 --> 01:05:49,333 Is that ringing in your heart as it rings in your ears? 1388 01:05:49,417 --> 01:05:52,250 If so, repent, turn from sin, trust in him. 1389 01:05:52,333 --> 01:05:54,458 Come forward, that we might pray with you. 1390 01:05:54,500 --> 01:05:57,000 We'll go ahead and baptize you. 1391 01:05:57,083 --> 01:05:59,333 You'll be filled with the Holy Spirit. 1392 01:05:59,417 --> 01:06:02,500 Your whole life can change by the grace of God. 1393 01:06:02,583 --> 01:06:04,000 And some of you say, 1394 01:06:04,083 --> 01:06:06,000 "But I didn't bring a change of clothes." 1395 01:06:06,083 --> 01:06:07,500 In the definite plan of God 1396 01:06:07,583 --> 01:06:10,583 we have a towel and a t-shirt for you. 1397 01:06:10,667 --> 01:06:12,667 It's part of his definite plan. 1398 01:06:12,750 --> 01:06:15,625 And in his foreknowledge he told us to bring them for you. 1399 01:06:15,667 --> 01:06:17,125 You're welcome. 1400 01:06:17,167 --> 01:06:20,125 So we're ready, we're ready to receive you. 1401 01:06:20,167 --> 01:06:21,917 We're ready to pray for you. 1402 01:06:22,000 --> 01:06:24,083 We're ready to talk to you about Jesus. 1403 01:06:24,167 --> 01:06:26,917 We're ready to baptize you. Amen? 1404 01:06:27,000 --> 01:06:28,917 And so here's what we're going to do, 1405 01:06:29,000 --> 01:06:30,500 we're going to celebrate Jesus. 1406 01:06:30,583 --> 01:06:32,542 We're going to give our tithes and offerings, 1407 01:06:32,625 --> 01:06:35,000 'cause we want the whole world to know he's alive. 1408 01:06:35,083 --> 01:06:37,167 As well, we're going to take Communion, remembering his 1409 01:06:37,208 --> 01:06:40,917 broken body and shed blood means that God is not angry with me, 1410 01:06:41,000 --> 01:06:42,333 he loves me. 1411 01:06:42,417 --> 01:06:44,417 All my sin is forgiven in Christ. 1412 01:06:44,500 --> 01:06:47,167 I'm a new person and as I take Communion in me, 1413 01:06:47,208 --> 01:06:50,333 I'm showing Jesus is in me. 1414 01:06:50,417 --> 01:06:53,250 I'm not saying the elements are literally Christ, 1415 01:06:53,333 --> 01:06:56,042 but I'm saying as we partake, we remember that Christ 1416 01:06:56,125 --> 01:06:59,333 is literally in us through the Holy Spirit. 1417 01:06:59,375 --> 01:07:02,625 And the Holy Spirit wants us to sing, he wants us to celebrate, 1418 01:07:02,667 --> 01:07:05,625 he wants us to rejoice. 1419 01:07:05,667 --> 01:07:08,625 And he's going to come, and he's going to live in us, 1420 01:07:08,667 --> 01:07:11,500 and he's going to dwell in us as we honor Jesus. 1421 01:07:11,542 --> 01:07:13,125 Amen? I'll pray. 1422 01:07:13,167 --> 01:07:18,208 Father God, thank you for the definite plan, 1423 01:07:18,292 --> 01:07:23,000 the specific plan, the amazing plan. 1424 01:07:23,083 --> 01:07:27,500 Jesus, thank you for executing the plan perfectly. 1425 01:07:27,583 --> 01:07:31,375 No sin, substitutionary death, 1426 01:07:31,458 --> 01:07:36,000 resurrection, exaltation. 1427 01:07:36,083 --> 01:07:38,500 It is finished. 1428 01:07:38,583 --> 01:07:42,500 Send the Holy Spirit to give us your life so that we can 1429 01:07:42,583 --> 01:07:46,917 enjoy you and invite the nations to do the same. 1430 01:07:47,000 --> 01:07:49,667 As we say thank you, Jesus, amen.