1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:05,160 OK, well good morning again and I'm very glad to be here this 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,600 morning. And as was already said, I, my 3 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,400 name is Willie Simons. I am one of the lay pastors at 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,400 the Stratfordville EMC. So we had a little bit of a 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,200 drive this morning, but it was sunny and it was nice. 6 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:20,760 I don't know how it's been over here this last week, but over in 7 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,080 Stratfordville it's been grey and cold and rainy pretty much 8 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:25,240 all week. So it's nice. 9 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,560 It's refreshing to see some sun and so very good. 10 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,040 So yeah, I am, I'm very honored to to be here. 11 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,080 I'm humbled. I always am humbled when I get 12 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:35,840 asked to speak. Jake had asked me a few weeks 13 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:37,720 ago if I could preach here today. 14 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,600 And so I had nothing up at the home church. 15 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,400 And so I was glad, glad to do that. 16 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,080 I have preached here before, but in checking back in my records, 17 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,760 I, I think the last time I preached here was way back in 18 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,280 2020. That's the that's when I could 19 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:54,840 find it in. So it was about five years ago 20 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,840 and a lot has changed in five years. 21 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:04,040 Of course, COVID went through that and, and so, and then when 22 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:08,400 I come here, I see some familiar faces, a lot of new faces that I 23 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,280 don't know. And so if I forgot your name, 24 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:13,720 please forgive me. I'm, I have a hard enough time 25 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,880 remembering the faces, the names in our home church. 26 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:18,520 And so I really struggle with that. 27 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,800 So I apologize if I if I forgot your name. 28 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,000 I always appreciate it when we have guest speakers at our 29 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,360 church when they come and they introduce themselves a little 30 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,760 bit just for for context sake. So I figured I would do that 31 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,160 this morning. I have a little bit of a picture 32 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,120 here if you can see it. There's a relatively recent 33 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,600 picture from our daughter's wedding back in October. 34 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,640 So I am married to my lovely wife Tina there. 35 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,760 She came with today and we have 3 kids. 36 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:49,560 And there they are on the screen there. 37 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,600 If you don't know who I am, I'm the short 1 and then there's my 38 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,680 son beside me and then the other son on the other end and then my 39 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,640 daughter. So it's been, it's been good. 40 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,200 As you can see, my daughter's husband is quite tall. 41 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,479 And when he came and approached me and asked me if he could date 42 00:02:08,479 --> 00:02:13,160 my daughter, I said I thought he was a little too tall. 43 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:18,520 And so I was like, I was like, I just about said, no, you know, 44 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,920 I, and so I, I'm just kidding, of course, but US short guys can 45 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:25,200 be pretty insecure. Anyways, we're, we're glad to 46 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,320 have them in the family. It's, it's really a blessing. 47 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,960 And so definitely we are, we are blessed beyond what we deserve. 48 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:36,040 So we're very thankful for that. So I know, like I said, that a 49 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,720 lot has changed since the last time that I've been here. 50 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,320 And I know that you guys are, are going through a difficult 51 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,400 time right now. And so I, I hope that I just 52 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,360 just want to let you know that we've been praying for you and, 53 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,400 and want to encourage you. And so to be, to be patient and 54 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:54,520 to trust in the Lord. That is a good thing. 55 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,280 Well, we as a church in Straffordville, we've been 56 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,080 preaching through the lectionary, which is basically, 57 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:05,680 it's like a church preaching schedule and it's used by many 58 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,160 churches around the world. And it's basically organized 59 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,800 around the different biblical themes according to the calendar 60 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,480 year. And so we've been preaching on 61 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,800 passages that are selected in the lectionary schedule. 62 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:21,560 So during Easter, which we are just recently coming out of, we 63 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:23,800 rightfully focus on the resurrection. 64 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:25,920 And this is of course a good thing. 65 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:31,720 But I do believe that we do not, that we often fail to think 66 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,560 about the implications of the resurrection. 67 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,760 I think I truly, truly believe that. 68 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,360 Like, what does it actually mean that Jesus rose from the dead, 69 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:44,560 that he died and rose again? And so that's what I want to 70 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:48,120 focus on this morning. And I'm going to start with a 71 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:52,280 question, very simple question. Do you believe in the 72 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:57,640 resurrection of Christ? I would suspect that most of you 73 00:03:57,640 --> 00:03:58,760 do. You're here in church, and 74 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,480 that's good. So here's another question. 75 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:05,880 Do you live like it? Do you live like it? 76 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,520 And now you might be a little bit uncomfortable because you're 77 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,600 probably thinking, well, you're thinking of your failures in 78 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,400 some way. You're not quite living up to 79 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,320 this wonderful truth. And I can relate to that. 80 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:19,399 But some of you might be thinking, well, what? 81 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:24,280 What would it even look like to live like Jesus rose from the 82 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:26,520 dead? And that's a very good question 83 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,960 to ask because I do believe that we all sense that if it is true, 84 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,080 if it really is true, then believing it should make a huge 85 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,520 impact on our lives and the way that we live. 86 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,000 You see, there are many things that if they weren't true, 87 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,280 wouldn't make that much difference in our lives. 88 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,160 Even some pivotal historical events, let's say like the the 89 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:54,360 moon landing. If it turns out that it wasn't 90 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,520 true and some of you maybe believe that it wasn't true and 91 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,400 that's fine. It's just an illustration, but 92 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,960 you know, like it would probably affect your, your view of the 93 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:08,000 media and the government, but it wouldn't be earth shattering for 94 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,840 you. But the resurrection on the 95 00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:14,200 other hand, if it didn't happen, if the resurrection did not 96 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,560 happen, then the apostle Paul says we as Christians should be 97 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:20,400 the most pitied group of all people because we're living an 98 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,840 illusion. But if it did happen, then 99 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:26,720 again, I think we would all agree that the consequences 100 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,840 would be almost immeasurable if someone that claimed the claims 101 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:36,200 that Jesus claimed, like being one with a father, for example, 102 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,480 if he died and rose again, well, that has enormous implications. 103 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,360 And so in our passage this morning that I'd like to look 104 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:48,960 at, which is you can turn your Bibles to Acts chapter 5, verses 105 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,320 27 through 32. That's going to be our main 106 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,840 passage today. I'll have most of the passages 107 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:57,480 that are referenced are going to be on the PowerPoint, not all of 108 00:05:57,480 --> 00:05:59,320 them. If you'd like, you can follow 109 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,840 along your Bibles. So that's our main passage this 110 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:05,040 morning. And in this passage we can see a 111 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:10,560 glimpse of the implications of the resurrection of Christ and 112 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,040 the implications of the gospel, the death and resurrection of 113 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,120 Christ. And so I say a glimpse because 114 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,680 obviously the impact of the gospel is so vast, we can hardly 115 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,080 scratch the surface of it here in in one message. 116 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,600 But I would like to at least start scratching this morning. 117 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:29,880 So again, if you turn your Bibles to Acts chapter 5, verses 118 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:34,760 27 through 32, we'll be looking at three things that this 119 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:39,600 passage describes as being transformed by the truth of the 120 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,440 death and resurrection of Christ, the truth of the gospel. 121 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:44,880 And so these are gospel transformations. 122 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,960 And those 3 transformations that we see in this passage are 123 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:53,960 firstly, fear to faith, secondly, old to new, and 124 00:06:53,960 --> 00:07:00,680 thirdly, Jerusalem to the world. So firstly, from fear to faith. 125 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:05,600 And we'll read the first part of the passage verses chapter 5. 126 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,640 Acts chapter 5, verses 27 through 29 says this. 127 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,080 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the 128 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:15,480 Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 129 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,320 We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, he said. 130 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,320 Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are 131 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:24,800 determined to make us guilty of this man's blood. 132 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:27,040 Peter and the other apostles replied. 133 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:31,120 We must obey God rather than human beings. 134 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:34,680 So the first gospel transformation that we see here 135 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,960 is from fear to faith, or I could say even specifically a a 136 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:39,640 bold faith. A bold faith. 137 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,960 So what's happening here? Well, the church is brand new 138 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:47,840 after the ascension of Christ back to heaven and asking the 139 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,560 apostles to wait in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy 140 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,520 Spirit. The apostles then start to 141 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,760 proclaim the gospel in Jerusalem and it's accompanied by signs 142 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,320 and wonders and a lot of people start to believe their message. 143 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:06,240 The message of the gospel spreads and what happens is, is 144 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,440 the religious leaders get jealous. 145 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:11,280 The religious leaders were jealous, but they were not 146 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,200 jealous for the glory of God or for they weren't concerned for 147 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,640 God's Kingdom. Probably what was the case is 148 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,600 they were jealous because their power and influence was starting 149 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,200 to be threatened by the apostles as people started to believe 150 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:27,880 their message. And So what the religious 151 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,160 leaders do is they have the apostles put in prison. 152 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,600 But during the night, this is in in the earlier part of the 153 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,600 chapter, chapter 5, during the night, an Angel of the Lord 154 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,520 frees them from the prison and orders them to go proclaim the 155 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,360 gospel in the temple. And they did that. 156 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:45,800 And after realizing that the apostles had been freed from the 157 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:47,880 prison, they discovered that they were teaching in the 158 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:49,080 temple. So they went to get them. 159 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,320 The authorities went to get them, and they brought them to 160 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:55,200 the Sanhedrin. Now, the Sanhedrin is basically 161 00:08:55,200 --> 00:09:00,400 like the Jewish High Court. And so there they are reminded 162 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,440 in no uncertain terms to not teach in this name is what it 163 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,880 says. They couldn't even get 164 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:10,080 themselves in this case to say the name of Jesus, just this 165 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:12,280 name. And so the authorities reminded 166 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,080 them what they had previously told the apostles don't preach 167 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:19,280 Jesus. We see this just one chapter 168 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,760 back in chapter 4, verses 18 and 20. 169 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:23,960 I'll read it. It says this. 170 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,720 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak 171 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:29,960 or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 172 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,280 But Peter and John replied, which is right in God's eyes to 173 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:36,680 listen to you or to him. You be the judges. 174 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,960 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen 175 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,720 and heard. And so the apostles answer here 176 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,640 is virtually the same as it was there in in chapter 5. 177 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:52,960 We must obey God rather than human beings. 178 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,440 Now we have to say here that the Bible actually commands God's 179 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:04,320 people to obey the authorities, to obey the authority structures 180 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,080 that are are put in place into their lives. 181 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,640 So children are to obey their parents, citizens to their 182 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:13,240 governments are commanded in the Bible to honor, respect and obey 183 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,600 those in authority over them. This is a good thing. 184 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,800 Scripture calls us to that. And so the apostles are not 185 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,840 purposely trying to rebel against the authorities here. 186 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:25,080 That's very important to highlight. 187 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,800 The issue at hand is a description of a scenario where 188 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:35,120 what the authority wants and what God wants are in conflict. 189 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,640 They don't match up. And in those cases, we are 190 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:44,240 called as believers to honor God above whatever authority figure 191 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,040 is asking us to compromise our obedience to him. 192 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:52,320 And so here you can really see the boldness of the apostles, 193 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:54,320 right? So this is the Jewish High 194 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,800 Court. The apostles lives were at risk 195 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:02,960 and yet they boldly proclaim we're going to listen to God. 196 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:06,840 He told us to preach Jesus and that's what we're going to do. 197 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:09,640 And besides that, we can't even help it. 198 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:12,680 We can't help but proclaim what we've seen. 199 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,840 And so the apostles were more concerned with what God thought 200 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,800 than what man thought. This is no small thing. 201 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:28,080 How many things do we do or not do because we are afraid of what 202 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:32,200 other people think? It's humbling to admit, probably 203 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:33,640 a lot more than we'd like to admit. 204 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:38,480 Has it ever LED you to compromising your faith, your 205 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,200 fear of man? We need to consider here the 206 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,560 transformation of the apostles. The transformation of the 207 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:48,440 apostles. The boldness that they display 208 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,880 here isn't the picture you get when you read of their behaviour 209 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,400 just a short while previous. In the Gospels we see the the 210 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,320 apostles often wavering in their faith, being rebuked by Christ 211 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,840 for their doubting, and so you have many examples. 212 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:08,200 Peter, of course, because of his fear of man, denied Christ three 213 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,720 times. And after Jesus rose from the 214 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,240 dead, although the disciples didn't know it yet, we read in 215 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:17,560 John 2019, it says on the evening of the first day of the 216 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:20,400 week when the disciples were together with the doors locked 217 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,640 for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them 218 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:28,920 and said peace be with you. So here they feared the Jewish 219 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:31,920 leaders. And so the contrast that you see 220 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:35,840 here is unmistakable, isn't it? Fear was prominent in the 221 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:40,080 disciples, but now we see them willing to die for Christ and 222 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:42,760 not just saying it like Peter did, but wasn't actually going 223 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,440 through with it. They were living examples of 224 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,320 having the attitude that the Apostle Paul speaks of in 225 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,400 Philippians chapter 3, or to I forget, in Philippians. 226 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,880 Anyways, to live as Christ and to die is gain. 227 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,240 And so we must ask ourselves the question, what happened? 228 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,000 How did this transformation of the apostles come about? 229 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,480 Well, the answer to this is surely twofold. 230 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,920 Firstly, it's the reality of the resurrection and then secondly 231 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,960 the power of the Holy Spirit. The reality of the resurrection 232 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,240 is obvious here, right? Because they, they have, they 233 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,280 had come to realize that they hadn't followed this Jewish 234 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,320 rabbi in vain. They weren't duped by him. 235 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,120 All that he said would happen, happened, and all that the the 236 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:34,800 thing that they struggled with comprehending the most, that 237 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,400 Christ would die and rise again, has happened. 238 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:40,320 And they were eyewitnesses to it all. 239 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:45,760 Having seen the risen Christ in person, it must have felt like 240 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,520 for the apostles that it was really too good to be true, but 241 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:51,360 it really wasn't it. It was true. 242 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,400 So firstly the reality of the resurrection changes everything 243 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,200 for the apostles and secondly the power of the Holy Spirit. 244 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,840 Before Jesus ascension he had promised the apostles the gift 245 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,520 of the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter one, verse 8 says, 246 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:10,640 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, 247 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,280 and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and 248 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:16,000 Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 249 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,040 And as soon as the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles, they 250 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,400 start boldly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. 251 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:29,320 So it's worth noting here that the boldness came only after the 252 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,000 Spirit came. This teaches us that it is not 253 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:38,440 facts alone that transform us. Facts are crucial. 254 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,400 The truth is crucial. The historical fact of the 255 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:46,040 resurrection of Christ is the bedrock of Christianity. 256 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:48,760 If Christ has not risen, then it's all bunk. 257 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:54,280 But as important as these facts are, we need the presence of the 258 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:59,440 Holy Spirit to imprint these truths in our hearts and to 259 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,000 reveal to us what the implications of the resurrection 260 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,840 are. And the amazing thing is, is 261 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,960 that the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe the gospel. 262 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:14,200 The apostles say as much a few verses later in verse 32 says we 263 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:17,520 are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit whom 264 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:19,960 God has given to those who obey him. 265 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:25,960 And so the obedience here, that the obedience here is referring 266 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:30,200 to receiving the message that the apostles were on trial for 267 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:34,000 the Holy Spirit is not only for the apostles but for all who 268 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:39,000 believe their message. Ephesians chapter one verse 13 269 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,600 says this says, and you also were included in Christ when you 270 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,280 heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, when 271 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,800 you believed, you were marked in him with the seal, the promised 272 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,800 Holy Spirit. So if you're a believer here 273 00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:00,600 today, you have the Holy Spirit. So the gospel transforms the 274 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:05,000 apostles from fear to faith and can transform us as well. 275 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,520 We can, by embracing the reality of the resurrection and the 276 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,160 power of the Holy Spirit, walk away from fear and into a bold 277 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:16,240 faith. But we need to be cautious here. 278 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,760 We really do, because some people might be unnecessarily 279 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,640 discouraged. Perhaps you think of your own 280 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:28,440 life and you feel that this bold faith doesn't describe you. 281 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:32,760 I often struggle with this exact thought. 282 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:35,760 We need to remember a couple things. 283 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,520 First of all, we have all we need. 284 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:44,360 We too have been given the Spirit of God to dwell within 285 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,440 us. And a bold faith is not limited 286 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:53,360 to some kind of special super believers #2 there are no 287 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:57,360 special super believers. Even the Apostle Peter, for 288 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:02,200 example, wasn't always so bold and courageous even after this 289 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:04,599 display here. There was an event sometime 290 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:07,480 after this where we can see an example of this. 291 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:12,400 The apostle Paul actually ends up rebuking Peter publicly. 292 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,680 He describes it in Galatians 2 verse 12 which I will read. 293 00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:21,839 It says for before certain men came from James, he used to eat 294 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:24,599 with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began 295 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:27,119 to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles 296 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:29,960 because he was afraid of those who belong to the circumcision 297 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,320 group. This is an amazing thing. 298 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:37,440 So the church is growing and the apostle Peter is, we can use to 299 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,720 say an example. He's maybe eating with everyone, 300 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,680 Jews and Gentile believers. But then there's this group that 301 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,960 comes around, this circumcision group, these religious leaders, 302 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:50,840 and Peter's afraid he doesn't want to be on the wrong side of 303 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:52,440 these guys. So he withdraws. 304 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,520 He pulls away, avoids the Gentile believers. 305 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:58,400 It's amazing. Why did he do that? 306 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,400 Look at what it says for fear of the Jewish leaders. 307 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:05,000 He says he was in in fear of the circumcision group. 308 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:09,960 Isn't that fascinating? This bold Peter that we find 309 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:14,040 here is now scared again of the religious leaders. 310 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:18,440 I actually find this encouraging because no Christian is perfect. 311 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,440 No Christian is always living in accordance with the power that 312 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:23,840 they've been given by the Spirit. 313 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,600 The transformation is real. The transformation we see in the 314 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,000 apostles is a real transformation, and it is real 315 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:35,240 for us as well. What the apostles, you, what it 316 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,120 used to be a feature for the apostles. 317 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,360 Fear and doubt later becomes only a bug, but failures are 318 00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:45,400 still present on occasion. I think I really just want to 319 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,720 stress this point because we need to hold these true truths 320 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:53,160 in tension that the gospel transforms, but we are not yet 321 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:56,760 living in the reality of the fullness that will take place in 322 00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:00,120 the new creation when we get new bodies and are perfected. 323 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:02,600 Until then, we are not yet perfected. 324 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,840 And so we sometimes struggle, we sometimes sin, we fail. 325 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:12,520 Actually, just by way of example, last night, so during 326 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,640 the night, I hadn't thought this through very well. 327 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:19,080 So this might come out really weird, but so we live out, we 328 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:22,440 live out in the country and they're across from us. 329 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:24,640 There's a Bush, there's, there's woods there. 330 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,320 And it's not our property, but there was a Bush party. 331 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:31,600 So some young people had decided they would have a Bush party. 332 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:35,120 And so there were vehicles going down the road back and forth. 333 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:39,600 It's very annoying because they were supposed to go on the field 334 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:41,560 and the party was way back in the woods somewhere. 335 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,200 And so we heard the vehicles going back and forth. 336 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,000 And often they would end up turning around on our driveway 337 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,600 because they couldn't find out where the driveway actually was. 338 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:51,560 And on top of that, there was this other vehicle that just 339 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,800 parked right by our driveway. And we live on a back Rd. 340 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:59,280 So like this guy was like half on the road and I was like, this 341 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:02,240 is just not safe. And now there's other other 342 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:03,800 vehicles coming. They were going to the party but 343 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,280 didn't know where it was. And so I walk out there, this is 344 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:12,360 like this is like 11 last night. And I walk out there and I'm 345 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:15,440 like, I go up to one of the truck and I'm like I said, hey, 346 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,600 this vehicle over here. Do you know whose it is? 347 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:19,080 Because he's. You should move it because 348 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:20,960 somebody's going to hit it. It's not safe here. 349 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:22,880 No, I don't know. We're just trying to go to this 350 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:24,000 party, but we don't know where it is. 351 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:26,040 Well, the driveway's right over there. 352 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:31,600 And then, then I walk over and here's a, a Tesla cyber truck. 353 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:36,480 So I go up to the truck and there's, there's a, a dad there. 354 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,800 He's probably 50 years old. He's like, he goes to me. 355 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,280 He's like, oh, are you in charge of this party? 356 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,400 And I'm like, no, I just live right here. 357 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,840 I'm just trying to get these people away from the road here. 358 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,240 He's like, oh, OK, so he's got his son there. 359 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,240 He was dropping his son off at this party, the Bush party, 360 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:54,800 which just blew my mind. I'm like, what? 361 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:58,720 Father dropped off his son at a Bush party at 11 at night? 362 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,480 I'm like, so if that's what I'm thinking, right. 363 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,640 And then he's like, he's like, yeah, is it? 364 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,080 Is this a good idea? And I'm like, well, you need to 365 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,240 make good decisions. And and that's all I said. 366 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,160 I'm like, come on. I could have said, hey, you 367 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:14,440 should repent and come to Christ. 368 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:17,240 I mean, this is terrible. That probably wouldn't have been 369 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:19,440 good either, but I could have done better than that. 370 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,240 And so after I left, I'm like, whatever, he dropped his kid off 371 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,240 and I was so disappointed in myself. 372 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,760 But anyways, I wasn't living a bold faith there. 373 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:31,320 And often times there's the cases, right? 374 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:36,200 We have opportunities to share of Christ and we miss it and we 375 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:37,880 fail, maybe because we're afraid. 376 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,880 And so we need to hold those two truths in tension. 377 00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:45,440 The gospel transforms us, but we're not yet perfected. 378 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:50,760 So the gospel transformation that we see there firstly is 379 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,560 from fear to faith and to bold faith. 380 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,800 That brings us to the second gospel transformation, which is 381 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,760 from old to new. So let's continue reading in the 382 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:05,600 passage verses 30 and 31. So the God of our ancestors 383 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:09,200 raised Jesus from the dead whom you killed by hanging him on a 384 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,000 cross. God exalted him to his own right 385 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,280 hand as Prince and savior that he might bring Israel to 386 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,840 repentance and forgive their sins. 387 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,960 So here in this part of the apostles response we we see a 388 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,840 short really A2 sentence summary of the gospel. 389 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,800 You see a reference to sin. He says you killed Christ and we 390 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:33,120 see a reference to Christ's death in his resurrection. 391 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:37,280 It says he raised Jesus, God exalted him, and we see a 392 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:41,640 reference to our response. It says repentance, and we see 393 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,160 the result of the gospel, which is forgiveness. 394 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,960 But what I want to highlight here is something that can 395 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,720 easily be overlooked is that phrase the God of our ancestors. 396 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,040 A number of times I've heard people ask over the years how 397 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:01,080 ask questions about how God seems different in the New 398 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:02,720 Testament than he does in the old. 399 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:07,240 He used to do this or be that way, and now He's not. 400 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,160 I believe this is a misunderstanding of how the 401 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:13,080 Bible portrays God in both the Old and New Testaments. 402 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:18,240 The God of the Old Covenant is the same as the God of the New. 403 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:23,120 He never changes. Some people, some more 404 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:27,280 progressive church leaders and theologians, want to detach the 405 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:30,960 gospel from the Old Testament because often times they're 406 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,920 embarrassed by it. But we need to remember that God 407 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,120 never changes, although he never changes. 408 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,040 The gospel that the apostles were preaching certainly was 409 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:45,360 something new that God was doing in redemptive history. 410 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:49,880 So there is a newness, there is a transition from the old to the 411 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:54,680 new, but it was not new in the sense that it was a surprise or 412 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:57,440 not planned. The gospel transformation is 413 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,000 from the old covenant to the new, but not something that is 414 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,320 completely other than the old. The apostles believed the 415 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:07,920 apostles message ushered in the movement from the old covenant 416 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,360 to the new covenant, but it was not new in the sense of 417 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:14,920 something detached from the old. This is very important because 418 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:18,400 the apostles did not see their message as something detached 419 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,000 from the story of Israel in the Old Testament. 420 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,120 They viewed, excuse me, they viewed their message as one that 421 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:29,040 brings the story of of Israel and the Old covenant to 422 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,520 fulfillment. And again, although the gospel 423 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,360 ushers in a new covenant, it does not present to us a 424 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:38,960 different God. Maybe it's a little bit like 425 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,240 when a Caterpillar turns into a butterfly. 426 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,560 The Caterpillar was never designed to remain a 427 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:48,040 Caterpillar, but a butterfly. In a similar way, the old 428 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,800 covenant was never instituted to remain forever. 429 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:55,480 It was always moving to what it was pointing towards the whole 430 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,400 time, Jesus and the ushering in of the new. 431 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,440 When the council heard the apostles connect their message 432 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,320 of Christ to the God of their ancestors, what was their 433 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:13,320 reaction? Verse 33 says they were furious 434 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:16,800 and wanted to put them to death. So there we are again with the 435 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,360 religious leaders. Anger, jealousy. 436 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,320 Pastor and author Casey Clark says this. 437 00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:28,000 He says the council's reaction was fury. 438 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:32,200 Our reaction should be to recognize the the good news seen 439 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:36,800 in Jesus and to recognize this good news was not a Plan B God 440 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,120 did not abruptly change directions starting with the New 441 00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:42,000 Testament. God's coming to us in Jesus has 442 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,200 always been the plan, and we can even see it in Genesis. 443 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:49,680 So the Gospel transforms the old to the new by shining a light on 444 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,240 what was there all along. The God of ancient Israel is the 445 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,040 God that raised Jesus from the dead. 446 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,720 And so the gospel transformation that we see there is from the 447 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,760 old to the new. Thirdly, another gospel 448 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:07,760 transformation we see in this passage is from Jerusalem to the 449 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,160 world, verse 28. We'll read that again. 450 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,920 The beginning part of it. It says We gave you strict 451 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:16,360 orders not to teach in this name, He said. 452 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,200 Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. 453 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:23,960 So here again you can see the religious leaders indicate how 454 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:29,400 the apostles message of Christ had already filled Jerusalem. 455 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:33,400 Only a short while, probably about a few months after the 456 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:36,040 coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. 457 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:38,480 Many people believe their message. 458 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:42,240 In fact, in Acts chapter 2, we find that after Peter's sermon 459 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,560 at Pentecost about 3000, received his message and were 460 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:49,480 baptized, the gospel was being preached, people believed and 461 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:51,160 the church was growing exponentially. 462 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,280 And then at the end of chapter 2 in Acts we we see that the Lord 463 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:58,640 added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 464 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:02,200 And this cycle continues throughout the book of Acts. 465 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:08,360 And then in chapter 17 of Acts verse chapter 17, verses 6 and 466 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:12,240 seven, which is about 19 years after the events here in chapter 467 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:16,320 5, the gospel has reached the Greek city of Thessalonica. 468 00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:19,520 And once again the gospel is preached. 469 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,800 Once again people believe and once again the Jewish leaders 470 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:28,640 are jealous and they go after the apostles and the town 471 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,960 leaders as well. Acts 17, verses 6 and seven says 472 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,680 when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of 473 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:36,920 the brothers before the city authorities shouting. 474 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:40,480 These men who have turned the world upside down have come here 475 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:43,640 also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting 476 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:45,960 against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another 477 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:49,840 king, Jesus. So we're at a place now where 478 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:53,400 the spread of the gospel has so transformed everywhere it went 479 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,480 that it is described here, by its enemies no less, as having 480 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:05,800 turned the world upside down. The gospel transforms people and 481 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:09,880 then transforms society through those people wherever it goes. 482 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,440 I really do believe this is another thing we tend to take 483 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:17,640 for granted. There are values that are held 484 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:23,280 by most in society today as being a given, but in reality 485 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:27,760 are anything but. Author Glenn excuse me, Glenn 486 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:30,000 Scrivener has written a wonderful book on the on the 487 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,960 topic called The Air We Breathe. It covers this topic quite well. 488 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:37,040 We went through it in adult Sunday school a couple of years 489 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,720 ago at our church. In the book he shares of how 490 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:45,080 many of the values that we hold dear today were not the values 491 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:48,240 that were held in the world where Christianity began. 492 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,600 As one example, consider the common Roman practice of the 493 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:56,320 exposure of infants. So this was an ancient form of 494 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:57,240 abortion. Really. 495 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:01,560 If children were not healthy, or in many cases even if they were 496 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:05,800 just a girl, then the parents would basically throw them out 497 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,800 and leave them to die. Well, the Christians took note 498 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:12,880 of this and they responded. And author Glenn Scrivener 499 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:19,320 writes in his book He Says This about the Christian's reaction 500 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,160 to this. He says a similar story can be 501 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:25,240 told about the ending about ending the exposure of infants. 502 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:28,360 Once again, the early Christians made no their implacable 503 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:30,840 opposition to the practice, and at the same time they 504 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,120 demonstrated sacrificial love in addressing it. 505 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:36,560 Right from the beginning, the early church took up collections 506 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,200 for the poor and sick, not just for their own but those of the 507 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,560 surrounding culture. It was this combination of word 508 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,200 and deed which later saw legislation catching up. 509 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,520 But culturally, what made the enduring difference was not the 510 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:51,320 changes in law, but the changes in hearts. 511 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,040 A new kind of heroism had gripped the world. 512 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:57,680 It was evident in monks like Telemachus or nuns like Makrina, 513 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,880 whose life of radical generosity included touring the rubbish 514 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,760 dumps to rescue exposed infants and adopt them into her 515 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:08,400 community. He goes on to say in the book 516 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:13,360 that the best societies protect their weakest members rather 517 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:16,800 than eliminate them. And I think that's obvious to 518 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:20,720 us. This attitude towards the weak 519 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:26,320 and vulnerable has its roots in Christian theology that says all 520 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:29,080 people are made in the image of God and have value. 521 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:33,160 People are more than what they can bring to the table. 522 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,560 And that's just one example among many of how the Gospel 523 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:41,680 transforms societies. The author of the book makes the 524 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:45,040 bold claim that values like equality, compassion, science, 525 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,480 freedom and progress all have their roots in the spread of 526 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:52,360 Christianity to the nations. He says of everyone at least 527 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,960 living in the West that they are like a goldfish swimming in the 528 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,520 water of Christianity, whether you know it or not. 529 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,640 Now, sadly, many people in our day are trying to detach these 530 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:07,320 values from the teachings of Christianity, and therefore they 531 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,080 are at great risk of being forsaken. 532 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:13,400 And that's another reason why we as believers should keep being 533 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:17,480 faithful to spread the gospel and the love that springs from 534 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:20,520 it. This is the power of the gospel 535 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,360 to truly transform lives individually and then through 536 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,800 that societies around them. To preach this gospel to the 537 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:29,840 whole world is the calling of the church. 538 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:35,360 And so the resurrection really changes everything. 539 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:38,280 The resurrection really changes everything. 540 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,080 If we believe it, we will be truly transformed. 541 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,680 We should never underestimate the power of the gospel to 542 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,440 change lives. I read recently of the testimony 543 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:52,640 of a woman who described how the gospel transformed her 544 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,520 relationship with her dad. The relationship was one of 545 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,640 tension and pride, resulting in anger and avoidance. 546 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,520 After becoming a Christian in her late teens and beginning to 547 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:08,360 read the Bible, she said God's words began to chip away at my 548 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,200 guarded and calloused heart. During one particular season of 549 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,320 conflict and tension between the two, she felt a burden to 550 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,760 apologize to her dad, and by this one act, just this one 551 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:22,360 apology, the relationship was transformed. 552 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,560 She apologized, and to her amazement, her dad apologized 553 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,400 back. She was 20 years old at the time 554 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:33,000 and her dad was 50. And that was the first time ever 555 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:38,120 in his life that he said, I'm sorry, She said. 556 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,000 I'll never forget the day Dad and I decided to put her claws 557 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,000 to rest, to stop walking over each other with pride and anger 558 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,640 and instead walk side by side with love and empathy. 559 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:51,960 You know what that is? That's the power of the gospel 560 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,880 to transform. The gospel, having having taken 561 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:58,200 hold of this young lady, ended up transforming the whole 562 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:01,440 family. And this gospel is available to 563 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:03,880 us all. Do you believe that? 564 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,440 Do you believe the gospel has the power to transform you, to 565 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,120 transform your family, your church, your community? 566 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,120 It does. Jesus really did die and he 567 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:19,120 really did rise again. And the Bible says he did it for 568 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:22,600 us, He did it for you. So if you're here today and you 569 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,480 have not received this gospel, this good news, then I would ask 570 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:30,000 what's stopping you? Why not turn to Jesus today, 571 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:32,560 place your trust in Him, and be transformed by the power of the 572 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,400 gospel? For those of us that have 573 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:39,440 received this gospel, my encouragement is to let us walk 574 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:42,200 in step with the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. 575 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:48,000 Let's cast off our fear and live in the faith and the power that 576 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,280 he gives. Let's pray. 577 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,520 Father in Heaven, once again, we come before you and just want to 578 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:57,560 thank you. Father, we thank you for your 579 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:02,960 word, which is a treasure, which transforms our hard hearts. 580 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:08,520 And so, Lord, so many areas in our lives that don't align with 581 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:11,199 the power and the freedom that you have given us. 582 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:14,920 And so Lord, we, we just confess that before you and we trust 583 00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:17,120 that in Christ we are completely forgiven. 584 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:21,000 We thank you so much for that. And our prayer is that you would 585 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:23,000 go with us from here. I pray that you would bless this 586 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,080 church to your honor and glory, and that your Kingdom would come 587 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:28,760 and your will would be done. In the name of Jesus, we pray. 588 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:29,480 Amen.