1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,800 You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,760 people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:15,040 Let's dive in. I am moving into what I thought 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:19,120 would be First Samuel chapter 18, but I'm going to wait on 6 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:23,320 that until next week because I really feel like I missed 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,240 something in first Samuel 17 that's I'm actually going to 8 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,160 take from another Bible story in Acts chapter 4. 9 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,240 And I just want to encourage you. 10 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,560 I know we've been talking about walking through the valley. 11 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,480 I know we've been talking about facing your giants, but what I 12 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:44,800 really want to encourage you to do today is set your eyes on 13 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,680 Jesus. The only vision that we have in 14 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:53,880 the valley is first by mean that God is with us in the valley. 15 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:59,640 And so I want for us to look at a picture of the story in the 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:04,280 book of Acts of disciples that came to a spot in their life. 17 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:09,280 And they even though they faced great difficulty, they still 18 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,880 made a choice to worship. And so I want to just infuse 19 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:17,200 this, some of these principles into us as we kind of close out 20 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,040 this little mini series in a series. 21 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,120 All right, So if you have your Bible, Acts chapter 4, Acts 22 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:31,080 chapter 4 in the New Testament, if you have a Bible handy, if 23 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,720 you're not familiar with where Acts is, if you could just go 24 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,520 all the way to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and then you'll 25 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,640 hit the book of Acts, the book of Acts. 26 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:47,240 Our youth lived out the book of Acts yesterday, serving at the 27 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,960 foster care home and making it look more beautiful, making it 28 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,480 look presentable. And so we just want to thank you 29 00:01:54,480 --> 00:02:00,440 for that, for all of you that donated and gave and your giving 30 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,600 of what you give to Bridgetown infuse some of this and allowed 31 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,440 this to happen. So thank you for Steve and 32 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:11,600 Evangelia for doing that and reaching out into that area and 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,040 seeing God work. So if you have your Bible handy, 34 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,600 if you could turn to Acts chapter 4 beginning in verse 23 35 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:24,480 of your Bible and being let go. They went there to their own 36 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:30,240 companions and reported all that the chief priest and the elders 37 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,720 had said to them. And so when they heard that, 38 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,760 they have raised their voice to God with one accord, and said, 39 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:41,040 Lord, you are God who made heaven and earth in the sea, and 40 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:46,720 all that is in them, who by the mouth of your servant David have 41 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,240 said, Why did the nation's rage and the people plot vain things? 42 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,800 The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were 43 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:58,320 gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. 44 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:03,840 For truly, against your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed 45 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:08,520 both Herod and Pontius Pilate with, the Gentiles and the 46 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:14,240 people of Israel were gathered together to do whatever Your 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:21,200 hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 48 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:26,520 Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to Your servants that 49 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:34,160 with all boldness they may speak Your word by stretching out Your 50 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:39,000 hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the 51 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:44,080 name of Your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the 52 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:49,280 place where they were assembled together was shaken and they 53 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:55,480 were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word 54 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:00,080 of God with boldness. If you could just look at your 55 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,920 neighbor and say, neighbor, my neighbor, we will work it out. 56 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:12,480 We will work it out. Yes, we will work it out. 57 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,920 I want you to remember that statement as we go through this 58 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:21,279 whole sermon is that we will work it out. 59 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,720 The place for me was Loma Linda Hospital. 60 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,240 It's not exactly where I would think I would be spending a few 61 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:35,840 nights. At the age of 33 years old, I 62 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:39,880 was at the top of my health. I was running avidly every week, 63 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:45,680 I was exercising, and I had taken a group of young men and 64 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:51,240 women to Ensenada, Mexico, where I'd found myself not realizing. 65 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,880 But I was a bit by a tick, which I found out a year later. 66 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,360 But this was month 3 in the process and I had been hooked up 67 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,880 to all these heart monitors and as I was hooked up to all of 68 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,440 these heart monitors, I was laying there questioning my 69 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:12,880 future, telling God about my future, giving God all of my 70 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:18,120 plans about my future, telling God what He should actually do 71 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:22,040 with my future. I had falsely believed that in 72 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,880 my Christianity that because I followed the Lord and because I 73 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,520 was saved and because I served Jesus, that I would never face 74 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,440 any type of pain, trial or heartache in my life. 75 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:36,760 And here I was at the age of 33 and the doctors were telling me 76 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,080 that I had something happening within me, but it was all in my 77 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,720 head. My heart was doing all of these 78 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:46,360 strange things. And I remember one instant as I 79 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:51,480 was hooked up to several heart monitors in the hospital, that 80 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,080 as I was laying there, I was questioning God. 81 00:05:55,320 --> 00:06:01,560 And in walked an older friend. And as he walked into the room, 82 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:06,600 I began to tell him my complaint against God. 83 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:12,360 I began to tell him how I had planned for my future to look 84 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,360 differently. I began to tell him all of the 85 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:23,080 options that I had sovereignly planned as a human being of what 86 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:28,600 should be happening in my life. I told him the story that I 87 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,720 wrote and he looked at me and he said these words. 88 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:37,960 He said God does not want your options, He wants your 89 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,960 obedience. Once again He told me as I was 90 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,800 laying there. It seemed a little harsh at the 91 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,040 time, but I don't think he was trying to be harsh. 92 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,360 I think he was trying to get to the heart of the matter, which 93 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,320 was the matter of my own heart in the moment as he looked at me 94 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:57,320 and said in my eyes, God doesn't want your options. 95 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:03,240 He wants your obedience. Now, I don't know about you as 96 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,160 you've walked into this room, that if you have found yourself 97 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:11,720 in your life right now at a spot where you have given God all of 98 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:17,120 your options, you've given God all of your future, You've told 99 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:23,400 him the story that you wrote about your life and the story of 100 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:29,080 what you wrote doesn't look the same as what God has sovereignly 101 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:35,280 engraved upon time. I think the best way for us in 102 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:42,000 our lives right now to be those who would be working it out is 103 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,520 worshipping through. I think we have to come to a 104 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:49,040 spot in our lives and if we're going to truly work it out that 105 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:52,840 we're going to be people who will actually worship through 106 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:56,120 the moment that we are actually in. 107 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:00,720 I believe that the reality is it the is that the righteous face 108 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,720 real pain? The reality is, is that your 109 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:08,560 story doesn't always match what God has planned in your life. 110 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,400 The reality is, is I was talking to a gentleman about meeting 111 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,920 countless people. He said, Casey, I've seen God do 112 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,160 the miraculous and I've also seen God work slowly and 113 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,080 methodically and sanctifying people. 114 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:29,480 He said I rarely see the miraculous in these situations, 115 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:35,559 but he said this, I do see the slow, methodical, sanctifying 116 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,559 work of God, and I call that progress, he said. 117 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,200 And many times he told me that many times we don't want to walk 118 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,000 through the slow progress. I want the instant miracle. 119 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,760 But what happens when God doesn't give your instant 120 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,360 miracle? What happens when you are 121 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,360 righteously living, but you're living in real pain? 122 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:01,920 The righteous lose their jobs. The righteous have letters that 123 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:06,880 do not get accepted at school. The righteous often will have a 124 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,400 cancer. The righteous will have family 125 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:11,520 struggles. The righteous will find 126 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,960 themselves that that we might think if we believe hard enough, 127 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,120 if we sing long enough, if we claim long enough, that this 128 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:23,600 experience of pain will go away. And sometimes God requires me to 129 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:29,640 walk through a pathway of pain as a process of Him working in, 130 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,560 in and through my life for His glory. 131 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,640 And I know that that's not often a popular message. 132 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,480 At that time in my life, it was not something that I really 133 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,520 wanted to hear and listen. That message that the man gave 134 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:48,080 me, it didn't release my pain, but it did change my 135 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,120 perspective. Do you see? 136 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,840 It didn't really change my health in that moment, but it 137 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,360 did transform my heart in that moment. 138 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:02,160 Did you see the destination of a tick bite would not diminish 139 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,840 what Jesus wanted to do. That was still good even though 140 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:08,840 I was facing something that was bad. 141 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:13,720 And sometimes because we're facing something that's bad, we 142 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:19,480 often characterize that as Jesus not being good. 143 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:24,440 But look, all throughout biblical history, you will find 144 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:30,120 that great men and women who followed after God, walked 145 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:35,200 through valleys and had the vision and the audacity to keep 146 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:41,960 worshipping God even though they didn't feel like it, Even though 147 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:46,520 Abraham, it didn't look well for him and Isaac, even though God 148 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,120 would say to Abraham, now I know that you will not withhold your 149 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,760 son, your only son from me. Thus I will bless you in the 150 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:56,800 moment. He would place everything on the 151 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:58,920 altar. It happened to David. 152 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,440 In David's life. You think the greatest battle 153 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:03,400 might be that David fought Goliath. 154 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:05,120 That was not the greatest battle. 155 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,600 The greatest battle would come when David would. 156 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,280 You have to face Saul after the battle, and we'll get into that 157 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,120 next week, so make sure that you're here. 158 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:16,800 But this is what David would say when he's running for his own 159 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:18,600 life. He said these words. 160 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:23,640 The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. 161 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:26,440 He didn't say that laying out at a beach in Cabo. 162 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:29,200 He didn't say that in a palace sitting with Saul. 163 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:32,760 He was running for his life because Saul was trying to kill 164 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:35,920 him. Listen, it not only happened to 165 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:39,240 David, it happened to Job. If you're at the Men's Study 166 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,960 with us on Saturday mornings, we're going through the book of 167 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:46,200 Job with John MacArthur. And this is an amazing story of 168 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,520 a man who made a decision that even though he would face 169 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:52,120 tremendous pain, would say these words. 170 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,520 In Job 19, verse 25, he wrote these words. 171 00:11:55,520 --> 00:12:00,160 I know that my Redeemer lives, and he shall stand at the last 172 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:05,480 on the earth. I love what God did with the man 173 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,560 by the name of Daniel, who would now stand up and say with 174 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:13,440 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we will not worship your false 175 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,960 gods. I will keep praying no matter 176 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,240 what. And people came against them, 177 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,840 and Daniel was thrown into the lion's den. 178 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,200 You remember the story in the jungle, the mighty jungle, the 179 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,520 lion sleep tonight. All you heard was the hit song 180 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:32,080 running through the pit. And there Daniel said to the 181 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:34,920 people who come, it would come coming to get him. 182 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:40,560 My God sent his Angel and he shut the mouths of lions. 183 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:45,960 Notice he did not remove the mouth of lions, He shut the 184 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:50,440 mouth of lions. What I often want is removal. 185 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,720 And what God often does is quiet. 186 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,040 Even though there's lions, God is still God. 187 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,880 And now when we come to this area of our story, I love what 188 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:09,160 happens in Mary's life in regards to this life of Jesus 189 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,760 and hearing the news. She said, my soul magnifies the 190 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,920 Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 191 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,840 I don't understand your plan, but I receive your plan. 192 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:25,920 Did you hear that? And this is where we might find 193 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:28,880 ourselves today. I don't always understand God's 194 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:36,080 plan, but I receive God's plan in the moment, so I have my eyes 195 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:40,520 fixed on Him. And I live as Matt Redmond once 196 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:46,920 said in his book, that the heart of God loves a persevering 197 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:52,240 worshipper who, though overwhelmed by many troubles, is 198 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:58,880 never overcomed and moved away from the beauty of God. 199 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:04,800 Do you see, sometimes the beauty of God in the midst of things 200 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:09,240 that are broken seem to leave a St. bitter. 201 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,880 And in this moment, the one thing that will continue you in 202 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:22,200 health towards Jesus is that you are willing to work it out by 203 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:26,720 worshipping through. And so we come today to this 204 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:30,240 spot where you might be sane in your life. 205 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:32,600 Casey. It's my marriage. 206 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:38,400 It's my health right now. Casey, it's my it's my anxiety, 207 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,760 it's my depression. It it's my parents, you might 208 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,960 say, young men and women. It's my kids, you might say as a 209 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,160 parent. It's the divorce that I went 210 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,280 through. It's the abuse of my past. 211 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:53,880 It is the hurt of the present. It is the unknown about my the 212 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,400 future. I want to just stamp something 213 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:01,320 different today. Instead of saying it's my, I 214 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:06,000 want you to say he is over it. He is. 215 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:09,080 He is the strengthener of my marriage. 216 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:14,480 He is the one who has purchased my body. 217 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,840 He is the one who calms my anxiety. 218 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,120 He is the one who lifts my head of depression. 219 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,520 He is the one who is given to me, these parents. 220 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,080 He is the one who's provided for me, these kids. 221 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:33,200 He is the one who heals me even through the wounds of divorce. 222 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,880 He is the one who could take my past and not allow me to be 223 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:40,680 defined in the present. He is the alpha and the Omega. 224 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:46,000 He is the beginning and the end. He is and He was and He still is 225 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:51,080 to come and He is going to continue to work in and through 226 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:54,800 my life today. And here are the disciples in 227 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:56,960 the book of Acts. Now we look at the book of Acts 228 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:01,840 and we read 27 or 28 chapters and we'll look at the book of 229 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:04,960 Acts and go, wow, miracle after miracle after miracle after 230 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:06,960 miracle, instant things happening. 231 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:11,760 But understand the context of the book of Acts is the Acts of 232 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:14,320 the Holy Spirit through the apostles. 233 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,880 The context of the book of Acts is written over a 40 year 234 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:23,240 period, 40 years now. We read it in one shot and we're 235 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,600 like, why aren't we experiencing these types of miracles? 236 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:33,360 This happened over 40 years. Mundane Mondays, terrible 237 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,640 Tuesdays. We'll work it through on 238 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:38,120 Wednesday. I'm thoroughly exhausted by 239 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:40,480 Thursday and thank God it's Friday. 240 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,640 These are mundane days that they experience the power of the Holy 241 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,360 Spirit. Not every day in the book of 242 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:52,720 Acts was filled with a miracle, but we read it in context like 243 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,480 it is. But we have to understand 40 day 244 00:16:56,520 --> 00:17:01,160 for 40 year period of this time where it is written that we 245 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,200 understand the disciples are following Jesus. 246 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,160 We would say that these are radical disciples. 247 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:10,040 They weren't radical, they were normal. 248 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:15,920 We've often taken radical in America and it should be normal 249 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,880 in our Bibles. And we take what's radical and 250 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,560 we look at these guys and say they were bold, they were 251 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:27,440 strong, and these guys were sent to prison so much so that they 252 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,360 would stand up in this this time. 253 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,520 And then the book of Acts, the Bible tells us that in John, 254 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,760 John, the life of John in Acts chapter 4, verse three, that 255 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,600 John had been detained at this moment. 256 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:46,640 John had been questioned at this moment, and then they were 257 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:52,120 threatened at this moment, and then they were commanded and 258 00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:56,760 then they were imprisoned by the religious rulers. 259 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:01,520 Now it is like today, if someone were to walk into this place and 260 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:07,760 they were to arrest us for worshipping Jesus, would you 261 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:12,520 come? Thank God for our freedom. 262 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,440 Thank God this Memorial Day weekend is more than a BBQ. 263 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,360 We get to celebrate soldiers who fight for our freedom. 264 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,320 Thank God that we live in a country where men and women 265 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:27,560 would shed their blood and sacrifice their lives so we can 266 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:32,000 experience the freedom that we have in this country to come and 267 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,560 worship. They didn't have it in the book 268 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,680 of Acts. They were now threatened and 269 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:44,200 then these disciples were thrown into prison because they would 270 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:52,520 not stop speaking about Jesus. And so in this story, we find 271 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:58,000 ourselves having to understand that we should be men and women 272 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:04,720 who are constantly living in the awe and the wonder of God. 273 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:07,680 I think that was special about these disciples. 274 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,800 They lived in the awe and the wonder of Jesus. 275 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:14,480 I think we take Jesus for granted. 276 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:19,040 I, I think we take the blood of the Lamb for granted. 277 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,840 I think we take forgiveness of God for granted. 278 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,000 I think we take the grace of God for granted. 279 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,680 I was reading a story some years ago, a guy on a train who was 280 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,080 crossing the continent that everybody was unhappy on the 281 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,080 train. It was hot, it was stuffy. 282 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:40,040 This was this was before air conditioning and it was a place 283 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:44,600 that was just miserable except for one man who was over by a 284 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,360 window and he was having the time of his life. 285 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:52,600 Every once in a while he'd look out the passing scene that was 286 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:57,920 before him and he would cry out, wonderful, wonderful. 287 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,480 And finally somebody could take it no longer. 288 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,440 They went over to him and said, my friend, the rest of us are 289 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,600 miserable and you're having the time of your life. 290 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,320 Can you tell us why you keep saying wonderful? 291 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,240 He said well I was a blind man until a few weeks ago and then a 292 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:19,280 great doctor restored my sight. And what is perfectly 293 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:23,440 commonplace to you is out of this world. 294 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:29,360 For me, I think Christ in our lives has just taken commonplace 295 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:35,080 rather than a wonderful place. And we no longer look out in 296 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:39,480 life and say wonderful, we'll often say horrible. 297 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:44,240 It won't turn out this way positively. 298 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,560 I'm going to be bitter for the rest of my days. 299 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,080 I love what G Campbell Morgan, the old British preacher, used 300 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:54,360 to say. He said begin as though you had 301 00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:58,680 never known him. And I just want to challenge you 302 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,600 with that today as we jump into this text, as we live in the awe 303 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:07,000 and the wonder of God that you can know beyond a shadow of a 304 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,200 doubt. We can work it out by worshiping 305 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,880 through it. Now, worship is not just 306 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:16,240 singing. Worship is obediently living. 307 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,360 And I think we've mixed that a little bit in our Christianity 308 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:27,440 in America as we equate worship to lyrically lifting our voices 309 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:32,160 to God. It is that, but more 310 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,960 encompassing is obediently living for God. 311 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:41,080 So what happens in the obedience of the disciples because they 312 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:45,080 lived in this awe, in this wonder of God, Remember they 313 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,640 were imprisoned and listen to what happened. 314 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:52,560 The Bible tells us in verse 23 of Acts chapter 4 and being let 315 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,960 go, they're let out of the prison. 316 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,440 And I want to show you some things that they did so we could 317 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:03,240 actually live in this place and live out what God's calling us 318 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,560 to do. Number one, if you're taking 319 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,120 note, their crisis pushed them to community. 320 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,520 Their crisis pushed them into community. 321 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:17,960 No, notice the Bible gives us the, the intention, literally, 322 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:21,040 they were let go, which literally means they were let 323 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,320 loose. They were no longer bound hand 324 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:25,720 and foot by the religious rulers. 325 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,920 And now they find themselves, the Bible says not only just the 326 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,360 intention that they were let loose, but notice the direction. 327 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:39,560 That's a great place to say answer God's call on your life 328 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:45,120 because He's setting you free with sounding bells and amazing 329 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:47,200 blood. Listen, listen. 330 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:53,760 And they being let go, they went to their own companions. 331 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,280 Now notice the intention that they're let loose, but notice 332 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,560 their direction. The Bible says that they went. 333 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,080 They had an intentional direction. 334 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:05,520 They went to their own companions. 335 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:09,720 Now in my Bible this is italicized, which means that 336 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:15,000 this was not necessarily in the New Testament documents, but the 337 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:22,120 writer is continuing the thought through of where the disciples 338 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:26,120 were actually headed. Now now notice what happens. 339 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:31,960 They came to their own companions. 340 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:37,040 They came to their own now. Now this is used in John chapter 341 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:40,520 one verse 11. The Bible says he came for his 342 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,120 own but his own did not receive him. 343 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:48,600 The Bible also uses this word in John chapter 13 verse one where 344 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:53,360 it talks about Jesus what was with his own disciples. 345 00:23:53,680 --> 00:24:00,920 The, the, the word there means for us of companions and owning 346 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:06,760 this their own companions is that these two men left prison 347 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:12,440 and they went to their people. These two men, they left prison 348 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:17,840 and they went to their people. They, they found themselves at a 349 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:22,480 spot that although the rulers had bound them, they were set 350 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,360 free. They had such a strong 351 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:29,280 relationship with people who weren't just in the jailhouse, 352 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:33,280 but the church was at a house. They went back to their people. 353 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,200 Now understand this, if I get out of prison for preaching the 354 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,880 gospel, if I'm ever put into prison, I just want to set this 355 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:43,600 expectation so you're not upset with me. 356 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:48,440 I won't probably come see you. I'll probably go see my wife and 357 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:52,880 my kids. These guys went back to their 358 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:56,320 community. That was the first spot where 359 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:02,040 they would end up going to is they went to the spot where they 360 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:08,960 were going to be encouraged. As they're looking at this Peter 361 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:14,600 and John, they leave their crisis and this crisis leads 362 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,480 them right into their community. Now listen, the Bible does not 363 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:23,280 say being let go. They isolated themselves. 364 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:31,920 Notice the Bible does not say and being let go, they were 365 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,920 offended. No, the Bible doesn't say and 366 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:40,080 being let go, they stayed in their pajamas and they watched 367 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,120 church online. The Bible doesn't say that. 368 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:50,200 The Bible doesn't say and being let go, they were discouraged 369 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:55,920 and being let go they were agitated, frustrated, irritated 370 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,040 and annoyed. If you drove to church that way, 371 00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:01,840 the Bible doesn't say that. The Bible tells us. 372 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:05,640 Then being let go, they went to their own companions and notice 373 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:09,320 this word. They reported all that the chief 374 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:11,440 priests and the elders had said to them. 375 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:16,440 They went back to their community and they were 376 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:22,120 truthfully honest. Now they might have been feeling 377 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,040 irritated, frustrated. They might have been feeling 378 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:32,920 hurt, upset, but none of that pushed them away from getting 379 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:38,280 back to their community. The greatest thing that you and 380 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:44,200 I could do in this moment is to be honest with what you're 381 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:49,040 feeling. Be honest as they reported what 382 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:52,840 the religious rulers had told them. 383 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:56,120 But here's the danger for every single one of us is that when 384 00:26:56,120 --> 00:27:00,640 life gets hard, we feel as though we are a wait to those 385 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:06,360 who are waiting on the Lord. Can I just say that again, when 386 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:12,600 life gets hard, we feel as though we are a weight to those 387 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:17,160 who are waiting on the Lord. Can I just speak some things to 388 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,360 you today? You are not a burden. 389 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,240 I don't know why the people on the right got that better than 390 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:29,920 the people on the left. You are not a burden, you are a 391 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,360 blessing. I just want you to tell your 392 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:37,760 neighbor I am valuable. There you go. 393 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:42,360 I am valuable. I am valuable. 394 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,920 Do you know one of the hardest things for me in community is 395 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:49,560 not to give help, it's to receive help. 396 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,480 I have a hard time. I want to give. 397 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:56,160 I want to make sure people are OK. 398 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:01,280 I, I, I have a hard time in my own life receiving and letting 399 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:07,840 people know I need help. And I don't know if I'm speaking 400 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:14,400 to anybody today, but here's if we're going to build right, you 401 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:17,760 have to believe that you're not a burden, you're a blessing. 402 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:24,640 And if you were worth the blood of Jesus, you are worth building 403 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:34,840 his Kingdom. All right, so this is what we 404 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,200 often hear. I've heard it all. 405 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,960 People come to church, they enter into the community. 406 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,480 No notice the the disciples did not go into their community and 407 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:47,920 say, oh, there's too many old people here. 408 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:54,560 They didn't go back into their house and go, there's just too 409 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,040 many young people here. This is a church for young 410 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,040 people. They didn't say any of that. 411 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,680 They didn't go back into the house and say, well, this 412 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,680 community is too small, or this community is too big, or this 413 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,600 community is too. No, no, no, they didn't do any 414 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:12,720 of that. They didn't go back to their 415 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,000 community and say, well, I'm just too hurt. 416 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,680 They didn't go back to their community and say I am too and 417 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:21,400 fill in the blank. Listen, They went back to their 418 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:25,320 community and they reported all that the rulers had told them. 419 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:30,360 Do you see what's happening in the midst of all of this is I 420 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:37,280 could come out with all of my excuses about why I can't allow 421 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,040 this crisis to push me back into community. 422 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,880 And we can find that in and of that self. 423 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:47,800 Yes, we need healing. We need honesty, but also we 424 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:52,760 need obedience. And what God desires to do in 425 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:57,400 the midst of all of this is not your withdrawing, which might be 426 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:00,160 your nature or your instinct of survival. 427 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,400 But notice this, they would not withdraw. 428 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:07,400 Thus they would enter into community that would bring 429 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:10,080 healing. Now understand this, you don't 430 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:12,960 find good community, you build good community. 431 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:19,760 We're not going to just find good community. 432 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:23,320 We're going to build good community. 433 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,560 And in that, isn't it interesting that in community 434 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:30,680 they're both rises hurt and healing in that community. 435 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:36,200 Not everything about the early church was perfect. 436 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:39,440 And some of us were like, I just want to go back to the New 437 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,560 Testament church in the book of Acts you do. 438 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,800 We're going to go back where they're drinking so much 439 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:50,400 communion that they're drunk. You want to go back to a place 440 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:53,280 where they're eating this communions that that they're 441 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:57,440 eating stuff sacrificed to idols there, there, there is sexual 442 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:00,280 promiscuity. There's there's Ananias and 443 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:02,960 Sapphira falling to the ground because they lied to the Holy 444 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:04,280 Spirit. What if that happened in our 445 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:08,480 church? Listen, it is messy. 446 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:13,480 It is going to be something that we walk through and worship 447 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:17,960 through and process, and you have to make a decision. 448 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:22,800 And I have to make a decision of resisting the urge to withdraw. 449 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:25,880 I'm going to have to resist that urge. 450 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:28,360 Don't let those who have sinned against you determine your 451 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:32,320 future you you let God lead that for you. 452 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,560 No notice this if you would we must learn that that Christian 453 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:42,120 community again write this down is is not just found it's built. 454 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:46,000 Write that down somewhere we have to build community. 455 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,400 It doesn't happen like Taco Bell fast food going through the 456 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:53,440 drive through it takes time and it takes a truth. 457 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,360 It takes working through different situations. 458 00:31:56,360 --> 00:32:00,280 Listen, listen. Can you reset your life for 459 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,760 relationships? Reset your life for 460 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,320 relationships. Slow down. 461 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:13,000 Slow down enough slowing down to allow you to build up community 462 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,560 around you. And if you would just write this 463 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:17,120 down. We must be vulnerable, 464 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:23,640 accountable, and know that you're lovable and valuable all 465 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:27,320 in the same breath. All of this happens at the same 466 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,800 breath. Their crisis pushed them into 467 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:35,960 community and in that they're going to experience the healing 468 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,880 power of the Spirit of God. Notice also if you're taking 469 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,080 note, if I want to walk, work it out and worship through. 470 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:45,760 Notice this report caused them to raise their voice. 471 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:50,240 The report they said they, they came to the the house and they 472 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,400 reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said 473 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,840 to them. They heard everything that the 474 00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:59,920 senators and the governors had laid out for them. 475 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:03,440 And notice the Bible says so when they heard that they raised 476 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,840 their voice to God. No, no, no. 477 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:09,640 Notice that when they heard it, they raised their voice to God. 478 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:14,080 Notice if you would, they came to a place where they would lift 479 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:17,880 up their voice to the only one who can actually help them in 480 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:21,720 the moment that they were in this, this, this was a spot 481 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,600 where the Bible says they lifted up their voice to God with one 482 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:28,360 accord. And they said this, let's, let's 483 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,480 just try that. This morning they lifted up 484 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:37,960 their voice to God in New King James Version, said Lord, you 485 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:42,640 are God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that 486 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,440 is in them. Oh, we didn't do it together. 487 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:46,760 Here we go. We're going to lift this up. 488 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:48,840 We're not in different accords, We're in one accord. 489 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:54,120 You ready, Lord? You are God who made heaven and 490 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:57,000 earth and the sea and all that is in them. 491 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:01,080 Now notice this, who by the mouth of your servant David have 492 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,480 said, why did the nation's rage and the people plot vain things? 493 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:08,239 The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers were 494 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:12,120 gathered together against the Lord and against the Christ. 495 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:14,960 No, notice this. Their crisis would push them 496 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,560 into community, but the report would cause them to lift up 497 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:24,440 their voice to the Lord. The report could not determine 498 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:28,440 their praise. Did you get that they were told 499 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,880 not to speak in the name of Jesus ever again. 500 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:34,960 Don't ever hand out a no strings attached card. 501 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:38,080 Don't ever tell anyone that you're loved by God. 502 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:41,960 Don't ever see people in your life be transformed. 503 00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:45,560 And they brought this report. They heard it, they brought it, 504 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:49,520 and then they lifted the report to God in an act of prayer. 505 00:34:50,159 --> 00:34:54,600 Now notice what they said. They said Lord. 506 00:34:56,520 --> 00:35:00,280 Now that's interesting that they would say Lord because this is 507 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:07,640 what the Roman rulers would call Caesar Lord. 508 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:13,200 That's why it was such a push in the face of Rome, of 509 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:19,200 Christianity, because the Church did not serve and submit to 510 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:23,600 Caesar alone. They served a greater Lord. 511 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:27,960 The one who has listen to this, the word Lord is the one who has 512 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,800 absolute authority, the one who has supreme strength and the one 513 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:35,240 who is in complete control. They not only said Lord, but 514 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:39,640 they said you are God, You're God. 515 00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:44,960 He has not only the preeminence, but he also noticed this. 516 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:48,360 He has the power. He has the power. 517 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,160 Notice this. Who made heaven and earth and 518 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:55,400 the sea and all that is in them. Listen, Listen to what they 519 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:56,920 said. They lifted up with one of one 520 00:35:56,920 --> 00:36:01,360 accord, their voice to the Lord. Everything that we face, we're 521 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:04,440 bringing it before the preeminent Lord. 522 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:08,160 We're bringing it to the powerful God. 523 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:12,280 And then notice who by the mouth of your servant David, have 524 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:16,520 said, why did the nations rage and the people plot vain things? 525 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:21,360 This was written and said in Psalm chapter 2 hundreds and 526 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,200 thousands of years before it happened. 527 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:28,480 And here the kings of the year to take their stand, the rulers 528 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:33,120 were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ, 529 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,960 the anointed One. For truly against your holy 530 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:41,280 servant Jesus, whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate 531 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:45,360 with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together 532 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:49,000 to do whatever your hand and Your purpose determined before 533 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,600 to be done. Notice He is this, He is, He is 534 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,680 Lord, He has pre eminence. You are God, you have power. 535 00:36:55,760 --> 00:37:01,160 But notice this, you are also Lord who works in your purpose. 536 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:07,080 He has purpose, He has purpose for all of this and working this 537 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:11,040 out for His glory. Thus we cannot move forward 538 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:15,520 without the fear of God. You will not move forward 539 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:18,640 without the fear of God. You will not move forward unless 540 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:21,840 you have the fear of God. Now we, we, you, you put in 541 00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:25,800 there that they, who's Herod now? 542 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:30,760 Who's Pontius Pilate for you? Who are the people that have 543 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:35,480 come against you in this way, against the Lord in this time? 544 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:40,000 And we would say that you still have a purpose in the midst of 545 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:44,160 this. I would encourage you to do one 546 00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:47,920 thing throughout as you read the Bible and that is this. 547 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:53,280 Know the heart of God and see the hand of God working and you 548 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:57,600 will understand and I will too, that God is faithful to meet us 549 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:00,960 in this moment. The Bible says now Lord in verse 550 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:05,880 29, look on their threats and grant to your servants with that 551 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:08,240 with all boldness they may speak your word. 552 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:14,600 Notice with Jesus what happens in the life of the disciples is 553 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:22,760 this is they faced real things, they faced real threats. 554 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:30,000 At this time you might remember that it is the Roman rulers who 555 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:34,880 are putting tar over Christians bodies and lighting them on 556 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:38,480 fire. At this time it is the Roman 557 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:42,680 rulers and the religious rulers who are taking and locking up 558 00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:46,400 Christians of the way and bringing them to be fed to the 559 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:53,720 lions that this is real pain. Please understand this is so 560 00:38:54,000 --> 00:39:01,000 important in our lives. Is that just because you follow 561 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:06,880 Jesus doesn't mean you won't experience pain. 562 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,280 This is so important for us to grasp. 563 00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:17,320 It is so important for us to set the expectation in the place 564 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:19,760 that we are God. We are not God. 565 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:23,080 Excuse me. And although bad things happen 566 00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:26,520 in life, the God that you still worship is still good in your 567 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:33,400 life. So I want to just wrap this up 568 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,520 with one last thing if I can, and that is this. 569 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,240 If I'm going to worship through something, I want you to write 570 00:39:41,240 --> 00:39:44,640 this down. This is going to be kind of hard 571 00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:49,040 to grasp in the minute. Their when determined their 572 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:52,360 where, so they could actually live out their what? 573 00:39:54,880 --> 00:40:00,320 Their when determined their where so they could live out 574 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,040 their what. Now listen to this. 575 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:04,000 You might go. Where's that? 576 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:07,760 Where's that in the text? The Bible says in verse 30 by 577 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:11,120 stretching out your hand to heal that signs and wonders may be 578 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:14,120 done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. 579 00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:22,040 Notice this verse 31 and when notice this and when they had 580 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:31,160 prayed there, when determined their where the place where they 581 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:36,280 were, notice that assembled together was shaken. 582 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:40,120 It'd be amazing if the Holy Spirit just shook the building. 583 00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:48,200 I mean louder than any stadium. Can you imagine? 584 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:52,840 Can you imagine? I think a lot of times I want 585 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:56,720 the shaking of the house without the shaking of my life. 586 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:07,280 I want to see the shaking of the house, this outward without God 587 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:13,240 shaking my life in the process. And I think what we have to 588 00:41:13,240 --> 00:41:19,320 realize that when the house is shaking also their lives were 589 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:21,960 shaken. And this is what happened when 590 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:27,440 their lives were shaken, they were all filled with the Holy 591 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:31,040 Spirit. Now you might say, well, I 592 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:33,160 thought they already had the Holy Spirit. 593 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:35,120 They did. The Holy Spirit had sealed, 594 00:41:35,720 --> 00:41:38,560 redeemed the Holy Spirit's given us a down payment. 595 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:43,680 The filling of the Holy Spirit was for the empowering of the 596 00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:46,440 mission. Now notice the mission. 597 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:49,600 This is the what? They were all filled with the 598 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,720 Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God in boldness. 599 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:58,520 Now notice this, the Bible doesn't say that the place was 600 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:01,480 shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they went 601 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:03,760 out and performed tons of miracles. 602 00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:07,080 It doesn't say the house was shaken and their lives were 603 00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:08,520 shaken. They were filled with the Spirit 604 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:11,080 and they all just bursted out and speaking in tongues. 605 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:16,280 Although I believe in the gift of tongues, it says that they 606 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:19,520 spoke the word of God with boldness. 607 00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:24,720 Did you see what happened? They had a greater boldness 608 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:31,320 because the house by the Holy Spirit was shaking, thus their 609 00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:34,920 lives were filled. Now follow with me. 610 00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:40,560 The Bible says that they spoke the word of God with boldness. 611 00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:45,480 What was the one threat that the rulers gave to these disciples 612 00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:54,760 not to speak the word in the name of Jesus ever again? 613 00:42:56,000 --> 00:43:01,720 Now we have to ask ourselves, what is boldness? 614 00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:10,800 Some might say boldness is for me to stand up in your face and 615 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:16,080 to tell you the truth. OK, that's part of it. 616 00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:22,920 How about speaking the truth with confidence and love? 617 00:43:25,720 --> 00:43:31,560 Boldness, I think, also takes another approach and that is 618 00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:36,720 this. I am coming with confidence in 619 00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:44,720 Christ but humility towards man. Boldness doesn't erase fear. 620 00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:51,080 It makes me obedient in spite and in the midst of fear. 621 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:57,880 Boldness is something that God gives. 622 00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:03,160 Now in my life and in my teaching, I can often highlight 623 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:06,320 the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which I believe in healing. 624 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:10,640 I I believe that that God has given the gift of wisdom, the 625 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:14,000 gift of faith. I believe that God is called in 626 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:18,120 in Ephesians 4 for the equipping of the Saints and evangelism, 627 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:20,960 the the teaching and the preaching gifts, all of these 628 00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:23,120 gifts. But here's what we do. 629 00:44:23,720 --> 00:44:28,640 We will often highlight gifts and diminish the fruit of the 630 00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:32,320 Spirit. So we highlight the gifts of the 631 00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:37,040 Spirit, but we fail to live in the fruit of the Spirit. 632 00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:41,960 So you could have a preaching and a teaching gift but have no 633 00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:46,640 love. And what we often do in, and 634 00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:50,760 what I've often done in my own life is I will say I'm gifted in 635 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,960 this area. But the fruit of the spirit is 636 00:44:55,960 --> 00:45:04,560 Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, 637 00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:10,440 self-control. Against such things there is no 638 00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:17,880 law. So real boldness is not just 639 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:22,880 expressing a gift, it's bearing fruit. 640 00:45:27,080 --> 00:45:33,640 The apple tree does not. With boldness go and apples 641 00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:39,200 come. The apple tree is just being an 642 00:45:39,720 --> 00:45:47,440 apple tree, and because of that, what flows from that are 643 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:51,520 watermelons. No Peaches? 644 00:45:51,520 --> 00:46:02,160 No, just apples, just apples. What if it takes more boldness 645 00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:11,640 to plant, to stand, to root, And from that boldness of planting, 646 00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:18,200 standing, and rooting, people get to experience the fruit of 647 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:21,520 what it took for you to stay standing? 648 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,560 We hope you enjoyed this message and we'd love for you to join us 649 00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:28,720 in person every Sunday at 10:30 AM. 650 00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:31,120 For more information and updates, visit 651 00:46:31,120 --> 00:46:33,760 wearebridgetown.com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll 652 00:46:33,760 --> 00:46:34,600 see you next week.