1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,680 I'm Daniel, I'm one of the I'm the lead pastor here at Res 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,360 Church. Welcome. 3 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:08,240 If you're new. OK, I've had, I've had the 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:12,960 blessing of having some, some newborns and maybe you've had 5 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,400 kids or you're an aunt or an uncle or a cousin and you've 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,920 gotten to spend some time around infants and newborns as well. 7 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,360 And one of the things that's kind of unique if you're a dad 8 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,120 is it when that baby is really small, the mom almost 9 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,320 immediately bonds with the baby, The, the, the scent and the 10 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:31,360 smell and the feeding and everything. 11 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,320 There's a chemical reaction. And so the, the bonding is 12 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,120 really quick. But if you're the dad, you're, 13 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:42,080 you might as well be a lamp. You're just like, and, and so, 14 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,680 and you know, I mean, we all know that babies are cute only 15 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,480 because we're biologically wired to believe that babies are cute 16 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:50,320 because actually they're, they're kind of little tyrants. 17 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,320 They scream, they demand, they never say thank you. 18 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:57,840 And so for those first few months, if you're a dad, it's, 19 00:00:57,840 --> 00:00:59,680 it's a little bit more difficult to connect. 20 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,680 And there's a moment with every single one of my kids. 21 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:04,360 And you might be able to relate to this. 22 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,440 Well, the light bulb comes on. And what I mean by that is I, 23 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,720 you know, I pick Avery up and it's some period of months into 24 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:14,360 her life. I pick her up and she recognizes 25 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:23,480 me Bing And, and in that moment, the, the, the connection with my 26 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:28,000 daughter becomes 2 two ways instead of just one way because 27 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,680 she actually recognizes that I'm not a lamp. 28 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:37,080 I'm, I'm, I'm dad and so, so up until then, you know, everything 29 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:39,960 that that baby's processing is just kind of a blur of hunger 30 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:42,560 and noise. And, but then in that moment, a 31 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,840 real connection starts. It's the moment that the 32 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,680 connection becomes mutual. It's the moment that it becomes 33 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,080 personal. And, and that's when everything 34 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,760 changes. And, and so we're going to 35 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:55,320 continue our series today. We're going to be in Acts 36 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,680 chapter 2. That's exactly what happens at 37 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,080 the end of Acts one beginning of chapter 2. 38 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,560 The connection becomes real. You see, God had always been 39 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,040 there. He's always been present. 40 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,360 He's always been loving. He's always been leaning over 41 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:16,280 the crib since Genesis. But there's a moment in history, 42 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:22,120 a very specific, loud, fire filled moment where the Holy 43 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:26,080 Spirit arrives and all of a sudden the relationship isn't 44 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,800 just real, it's personal. It becomes intimate, it becomes 45 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,440 individual. And that's what we're talking 46 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,200 about today. Our big idea, if you get nothing 47 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,120 else out of today, is this. God wants in. 48 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,920 God wants in. Last week in this series that 49 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:47,040 we're calling day one, we talked about Jesus disciples being told 50 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,560 that they needed to wait for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. 51 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,360 And they're not given a lot of details about the mission of the 52 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,320 church and how it's supposed to work and when it's supposed to 53 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:57,200 happen and how are we going to spread this gospel. 54 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,600 And everything seems a little bit crazy because they're given 55 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,960 so little information. And we talked about why that was 56 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,480 because we love to have all of the details to feel like we're 57 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,280 in control of the outcome. And so we're going to pick this 58 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,600 story back up in Acts one. We I think we left off in verse 59 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,000 11 or 12, they walk back off this mountain. 60 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,080 It was a mount called all of it. It's about 1/2 day journey. 61 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,600 And so they've walked back and they're now in an upper room 62 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:24,440 with a bunch of the other disciples. 63 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:26,560 And so in the middle of axes, they're going to name off a 64 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,040 number of the disciples that are in the room. 65 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:32,240 But then we find out later there's 120 of them waiting in 66 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,800 this upper room. And Peter decides while they're 67 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,480 up there and they're waiting, you know, we now only have 11 68 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,120 apostles because Judas has taken his life and we need a 12th 69 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:45,400 disciple. And so they, they, they have 70 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,400 some criteria for that. It needs to be someone who's 71 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,440 been with Jesus since the beginning and has seen the 72 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,280 resurrected Jesus. And they whittle it down to two 73 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,640 candidates. And then they got to decide 74 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:54,920 between the two. We're going to pick this up in 75 00:03:54,920 --> 00:04:00,080 verse 23. And they put forward 2/2 of the 76 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,000 disciples. Joseph called Barsabbas, he's 77 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,840 also called Justice. And Matthias, so they have 78 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:08,960 justice in Matthias. And they prayed and said, You, 79 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,520 Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two 80 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,040 you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and 81 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,680 apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go his own 82 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,440 place. And they cast lots for them. 83 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,600 And the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the 11 84 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,720 apostles. Casting lots was an ancient 85 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:32,280 practice. You can read about it all the 86 00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:36,120 way back in Proverbs 16. It's basically a version of 87 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,880 rolling the dice if they did it with stones, but you're just 88 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,880 rolling dice. And so the, the methods actually 89 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,560 used a bunch in the Old Testament whenever people 90 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,320 couldn't get access to God. So we've talked a couple weeks 91 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,960 ago about how access to God in, in that time was difficult. 92 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,120 And so if you couldn't get to the temple or you couldn't get 93 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,800 to the Tabernacle, or you couldn't get to a priest to get 94 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:00,920 access to God, then what you do is you'd, you'd use this method 95 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,520 of casting lots. It was the equivalent, the 96 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,880 theological equivalent of I'll flip a coin and let God decide 97 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,680 or guide that coin. And it wasn't meant to be 98 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:14,800 superstitious at all. It was a, it was an honest 99 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:19,160 acknowledgement that we don't have the internal capacity to 100 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:23,120 discern this for ourselves. And that sounds kind of crazy 101 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:24,960 now, and I'll explain why it's crazy now. 102 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,600 But, but in the Old Testament, for a lot of major decisions, we 103 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,880 see them cast lots when they're dividing up the land in Joshua 104 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,000 14, when they go to the promised land, when they're selecting the 105 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,440 scapegoat in Leviticus 16, when they're exposing the sin of 106 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,600 Aachen in Joshua 7, when they're identifying Saul as king in 107 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,400 First Samuel 10. All of these decisions they cast 108 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:46,640 lots for. It wasn't gambling. 109 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:52,760 It was a method of deferring to God when direct divine 110 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:56,360 communication wasn't available. Now, here's why this is kind of 111 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,320 notable here in Acts 1. When we see them do this, it is 112 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,760 the very last time in the Bible they will cast lots. 113 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,800 Never again. And it's not a coincidence that 114 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,280 the author of this book, Luke, he's very deliberate in in 115 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:19,040 listing out how they did this on purpose because he's about to 116 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,120 contrast it in the next couple verses. 117 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,720 So he knows what he's doing. You see, after Acts 2, which 118 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,480 which we'll read about in just a moment, the early church will 119 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:31,680 never cast lots for anything. They won't cast lots to select 120 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:37,640 elders or for mission decisions. In fact, when they send elders 121 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:40,720 or I'm sorry, when the church in Antioch sends missionaries in 122 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,760 Acts 13, the Holy Spirit speaks directly to them. 123 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,000 It says, set apart Barnabas and Saul. 124 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,920 When Paul doesn't know where to go in Acts 16, he gets a vision. 125 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:56,440 The dice are gone because what the dice pointed toward is now 126 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:01,720 living inside the believer. So you don't need an external 127 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:06,560 source anymore. And it's exactly what Jesus had 128 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,560 already promised. If we go back to his message in 129 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:18,080 John 1613, He says, But when he the Spirit of truth comes, He 130 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,560 will guide you into all truth. Even later. 131 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,960 James, who's the half brother of Jesus, writes a letter to the 132 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:27,760 church and he actually says this. 133 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:35,720 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, ask, not roll, ask. 134 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,440 So church, listen, this is important if you're, if you're 135 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,520 trying to follow Jesus to try to live this Christian life, I want 136 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:45,720 you to hear this. You don't need a Ouija board, 137 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:49,760 you don't need divination, you don't need to roll dice. 138 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:53,760 You have the spirit of the living God, who knows the mind 139 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:58,680 of the Father living inside of you in the moment here, after 140 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,640 this, this casting of lots in Acts One, it'll end the moment 141 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:04,960 that you ever have to guess again. 142 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:14,920 You don't have to guess. If you've ever been paralysed by 143 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:20,160 a decision, kind of stuck, not knowing the will of God, You're 144 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,360 not supposed to flip coins or read signs or wait for a feeling 145 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:27,440 that never comes. You have the Spirit of God, you 146 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,920 have the word of God that you have prayer to the Father. 147 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,960 You have wise counsel from others, Spirit led and filled 148 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,039 people. And that is the complete 149 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,159 decision making tool kit of the new covenant. 150 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:47,000 So they're in this upper room and other than rolling or 151 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,840 casting lots to select a disciple, what is it that they 152 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:51,840 were doing? Well, back up in the chapter 153 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:56,560 just slightly to verse 14, the the text is going to list a 154 00:08:56,560 --> 00:08:58,920 bunch of names of people, tells us there's 120. 155 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:00,920 But look at what they were doing in verse 14. 156 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:06,920 It says this, all of these, all of these 120 people with 1 157 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:12,240 accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the 158 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,920 women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers. 159 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,560 So this is now 10 days in this room. 160 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,960 They've been sitting in the upper room together waiting, 161 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:22,960 praying for what Jesus had promised. 162 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:25,920 Jesus ascends. We read about that last week. 163 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,600 And now for 10 days they've been in this room. 164 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,360 So it's 50 days total since the resurrection. 165 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,080 And they weren't told how long they'd have to wait in the upper 166 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,480 room. They're given no time frame 167 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,760 about how long it would take. So what are they doing up in 168 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:46,360 that room? Well, number one, they were 169 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:49,000 persistent. They were persistent. 170 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,720 It says they all join together constantly in prayer. 171 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:57,400 There's a Greek word there. It's procarturu Ness. 172 00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:59,280 Procarturu Ness is a big long word. 173 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:01,640 Here's what it means. It means to attend to 174 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:05,200 constantly. It means to not quit. 175 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,840 It means to endure. That's the way their prayer is 176 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:13,800 being described in Greek. This wasn't a one time prayer 177 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,800 meeting. This was 10 days of non-stop 178 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,400 prayer in the upper room. No breaks. 179 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,040 They weren't killing time. They were positioning 180 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:27,120 themselves. There was a revival a couple 181 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:29,920 years ago back on a college campus on the East Coast. 182 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,840 And it started as a as a Sunday evening evening Bible study. 183 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:39,160 And the next thing you know, it just became constant prayer day 184 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,000 after day after day. And it actually made national 185 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,560 news. People were flying in to see 186 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:48,440 this, but what was actually happening was people enduring in 187 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:53,400 prayer. Secondly, they weren't just 188 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:55,600 persistent, they were unified. It says they all joined 189 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,840 together. And the actual phrase, the word 190 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:01,440 that's used here for join together or of 1 accord is used 191 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:03,760 a bunch in the book of Acts. Intentionally. 192 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,800 It is the word homothumadon. Homothumadon. 193 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:09,760 It appears 10 times in the book of Acts. 194 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,240 It means of 1 accord, of one mind, of One Direction. 195 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:14,720 There were no factions in the room. 196 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,120 There were no theological debates about whether the spirit 197 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,600 would or wouldn't come. No one was lobbying for a 198 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,240 preferred agenda. We have to do it my way. 199 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:29,760 They were of 1 accord, a unity that was itself important for 200 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:33,080 what was about to happen. See, I personally believe that 201 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,680 the way that you get to that unity is you actually have to 202 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:37,360 start praying together to get there. 203 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,080 I don't think you get to this unity that we see in the book of 204 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:42,920 Acts if you're not praying together. 205 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,440 I think 1 leads to the next. And if you want this kind of 206 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:48,560 Unity Church, come pray together. 207 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:53,560 Come pray together over and over and over again because prayer 208 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:58,040 together builds unity together. So they're praying together. 209 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:01,400 It builds unity together. And 3rd, they were dependent. 210 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,800 Jesus said that they would not be able to do this without the 211 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:07,920 Spirit. You need to wait to go do this. 212 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,280 They knew they couldn't manufacture what was coming, 213 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:12,960 they couldn't strategize it, they couldn't fund it, they 214 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:14,360 couldn't network their way to it. 215 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:19,000 So 120 people with 0 ability to do what Jesus had called them to 216 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,080 do without the Holy Spirit get up and up a room and their 217 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,040 prayer wasn't, Lord bless what we're about to build. 218 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,120 Their prayer was we can't move without you. 219 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:35,360 A theologian, John Stott, observes that the waiting period 220 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:37,320 of those 10 days was not passive. 221 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,640 He says it this way. They were not idle during those 222 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,160 10 days. They were busy in prayer. 223 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:51,200 Church, we need to be busy in prayer, not not too busy to 224 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:57,560 pray, busy in prayer. He notes that the early church's 225 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:01,880 posture of corporate, persistent, unified prayer is 226 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,760 itself a model. It's not just for revival, but 227 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:10,840 for an ordinary Christian life. Hear me, Church, for the 228 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,480 ordinary Christian life, we should be busy in prayer. 229 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:19,840 DA Carson commenting on this Greek word homo thermidon is in 230 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:21,800 the theme that in Acts he actually says this. 231 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,120 He says that every time this word is used in the book of 232 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:29,040 Acts, it's not coincidental that every time it is used it it 233 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:33,200 precedes some significant divine moment comes right after it. 234 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:37,760 So every time the church prays gets in one accord, he uses this 235 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:40,280 word because the next thing after the church gets in one 236 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,960 accord is something phenomenal from the Spirit. 237 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,800 Unity is not the result of God's blessing. 238 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:50,360 It is repeatedly shown as the condition to get God's blessing. 239 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:55,640 When you walk in those glass doors on a Sunday morning, there 240 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:57,840 are three ES. We call them three ES. 241 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:00,280 It's a vinyl that's on the door. When you walk by it, it says 242 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:07,760 expect, engage, and encourage. It says expect God to move. 243 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,480 Engage with the worship and with the Word of God and encourage 244 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,400 and be encouraged. And we ask you to do that 245 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:19,000 anytime you walk in here. And it maps directly to the 246 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,800 posture of the 120 in the upper room. 247 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,640 They're expecting God to move. They are engaging in prayer. 248 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,360 They're in one accord. And what we try to model every 249 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,280 Sunday when you come in here is the exact same thing they're 250 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:39,400 modeling in that upper room. And when they do that, then it 251 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,160 gets spicy. Look at Acts 2, verse one. 252 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:48,040 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together 253 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:51,920 in one place, and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a 254 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:58,360 mighty rushing of wind, and in it filled the entire house where 255 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:02,560 they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire 256 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:07,000 appeared to them and rested on each one of them, and they were 257 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,800 filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in other tongues 258 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,000 as the Spirit gave them utterance. 259 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:15,760 So we're 50 days from the resurrection. 260 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,240 We're also 50 days from the Passover. 261 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:22,200 They are celebrating a festival called the Feast of Weeks in 262 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,920 Jerusalem right now. And Israel celebrating what was 263 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:30,000 really an anniversary of the giving of the Mosaic Law back on 264 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,160 Mount Sinai when Moses comes down with the law, the 10 265 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:35,240 commandments. And here's here's God's word. 266 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,840 And so they celebrate that fifty days after the Passover. 267 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:44,080 And so thousands of people have gathered in Jerusalem what 268 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:47,360 happens on the anniversary of the giving of the Law? 269 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,640 God gives them the Spirit, which means that the Law now gets 270 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:58,640 written on their hearts. This has been prophesied both in 271 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:03,960 Jeremiah 31 and in Ezekiel 36 had pointed to a moment when God 272 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,760 would no longer use external laws, but rather internal heart 273 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:12,800 change. The feast of weeks which fell on 274 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,480 this day had come to be associated with the giving of 275 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,600 the Law on Mount Sinai. So it was fitting that the New 276 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,040 Covenant should be inaugurated on this day. 277 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,960 The Law written on the heart, replacing the Law written on 278 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:29,400 tablets of stone. That didn't replace the Law at 279 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,480 Pentecost. He relocated it. 280 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,320 He moved it from a stone tablet that you have to look at to a 281 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,880 heart you can't ignore. Why? 282 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:47,640 Because God wants in. It says they heard a sound like 283 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,800 the blowing of a violent wind. Not an actual wind, just the 284 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,080 sound of it. That's that's a repeated pattern 285 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:56,200 that we see in the Old Testament, the breath of life, 286 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:00,640 like in the Garden of Eden when God breathes life into Adam, or 287 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,119 in the valley of dry bones where Ezekiel hears the dead bones 288 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:06,280 come alive through the divine breath of God. 289 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,880 It's a creation moment as the spirit descends on the 290 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:12,760 believers. But you know what they didn't 291 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:13,880 see? They didn't see wind. 292 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:18,079 They saw fire. You know, throughout the Old 293 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:22,440 Testament when God made his presence visible to people, it 294 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:28,560 was always fire. Think about the burning Bush 295 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,560 that burned so brightly Moses couldn't even look at it 296 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:33,720 directly. Or the the pillar of fire 297 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,960 leading Israel through the wilderness, visible to everyone. 298 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,560 1 manifestation for the whole nation. 299 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,920 Or Exodus 19 fire consuming Mount Sinai when the law was 300 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,040 given. This is the anniversary of that 301 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,600 one big fire or big cloud, one pillar, always 1 manifestation 302 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:57,440 for the for the community. And then in Acts two, verse 3, 303 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,920 it's not one big fire anymore. They saw what seemed to be 304 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,600 tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of 305 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,040 them. So that fire doesn't come down 306 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,440 as a cloud or a pillar. It comes down to begins to 307 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:16,560 divide 120 times. It becomes individual. 308 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,720 In the Old Testament, there's a story of something called the 309 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,880 Shekinah glory that once filled the Tabernacle. 310 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:27,680 So overwhelming was this presence, this fire from God, 311 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,320 that the priest couldn't even go into the Tabernacle. 312 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:34,880 And now that same presence, that visible presence of God, is 313 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,760 splitting itself and dividing itself to each of the individual 314 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:42,040 believers sitting in the upper room. 120 individual flames. 315 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,520 This is the theological revolution in Acts 2. 316 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:52,720 God doesn't live in a building anymore, He lives in his people. 317 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,320 The Temple of the Holy Spirit is not in Jerusalem. 318 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:01,120 It's in every believer in this room and every believer after 319 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:04,520 that. Martyn Lloyd Jones says that the 320 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:08,120 transition from the temple to the body is not incidental, it 321 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:11,360 is the entire point. God always wanted to dwell with 322 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,360 his people. The difference is now he dwells 323 00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:18,640 in his people. The Shekinah glory that filled 324 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,640 the temple, the same fire Moses couldn't look at the same glory 325 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:24,880 the priest couldn't stand in, divided itself into 120 326 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,120 individual flames landed on 120 ordinary people. 327 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,160 God didn't get smaller, he got more specific. 328 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:39,520 He got personal. God wants in verse 4. 329 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,120 And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak 330 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:44,920 in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 331 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,960 Now there's a festival going on. Now there were dwelling in 332 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,680 Jerusalem, Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 333 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,080 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were 334 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:01,200 bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own 335 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,520 language. And they were amazed and 336 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:05,880 astonished, saying, are not all of these who are speaking 337 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,440 Galileans? How is it that we hear, each of 338 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:16,880 us, in his own native language? If you keep reading, what you're 339 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,680 going to see is a list of how many different regions and lands 340 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:23,200 and languages were all represented, and somehow every 341 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,000 one of them could hear the disciples in their own language. 342 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:32,600 So we're going to, we're going to take a quick sidebar from our 343 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:35,400 story because I want to make a theological point. 344 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:39,800 There's a doctrine that is introduced here that's it's a 345 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:46,720 bit controversial because it involves speaking in tongues. 346 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:48,520 That's what we're reading here, speaking in tongues, and I don't 347 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:49,960 want to skip past it without addressing it. 348 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,760 So here's what you need to know. The Bible actually addresses two 349 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,880 different types of manifestation of speaking in tongues, and 350 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:01,800 they're actually separate things, distinct gifts. 351 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:04,880 The first one is what we're reading here in Acts chapter 2. 352 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:10,680 It is speaking known human languages, real people hearing 353 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,480 their real native languages spoken fluently by Galileans who 354 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:16,040 had never learned of those languages. 355 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:20,840 And the purpose is very clear. The Gospel is crossing every 356 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:23,760 linguistic or language barrier all at the same time. 357 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:25,080 That's what's happening in the text. 358 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,520 Now there's a second type of speaking in tongues that we read 359 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:34,240 about in First Corinthians 14 when the apostle Paul addresses 360 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,640 it with a church and he writes this, anyone who speaks in a 361 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,400 tongue does not speak to people, but to God. 362 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:46,520 Paul calls it a personal private, and he and, and it is 363 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:51,280 edifying to the speaker. And he doesn't forbid this type 364 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,920 of speaking in tongues. He actually says, I, I would 365 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:55,520 like every one of you to speak in tongues. 366 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:01,480 But he does regulate it in a corporate setting without an 367 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,520 interpreter. He would say that needs to 368 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:06,120 remain private because it's between you and God. 369 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,840 Gordon Fee, one of the foremost New Testament scholars on the 370 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:15,640 Holy Spirit, says it this way as a gift of private prayer and 371 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,040 utterance. Paul speaks of tongues quite 372 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:22,920 favorably, obviously a topic that for Paul is very personal 373 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:27,120 and private. The breakdown, the controversy 374 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:32,200 for him has occurred when what is personal and private comes 375 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:36,200 into the public assembly since it has no facility for 376 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:41,960 strengthening others. If you're, if you're pretty new 377 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:44,320 to Christianity and and you're like, why are we taking time on 378 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:46,920 this? People have lost their minds 379 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,600 over this. OK, there is some some real 380 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,600 debate on both sides of this issue and let me tell you where 381 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,840 our church stands on this. We believe that we would call 382 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:00,600 this an open handed issue. There are Christians who 383 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:06,480 genuinely love Jesus and believe that certain gifts ceased after 384 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:11,640 the age of the apostles. We call that theological term 385 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,400 cessationism. There are also Christians who 386 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,680 believe that none of those gifts ceased and are still active 387 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:19,720 today. We would call that 388 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:24,080 continuationism. Both can worship here. 389 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,520 Neither breaks the gospel of Jesus Christ. 390 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,240 Now we're open handed regardless of what you believe. 391 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:38,000 We would say there is a biblical way to honor God regardless of 392 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,520 how you believe. But here's what we are not open 393 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:43,520 handed on. The Holy Spirit is real, present 394 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:48,920 and active. However He chooses to show up. 395 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:53,680 We want to be a people who are positioned to receive Him in a 396 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:59,360 biblical manner. In my opinion, one of the most 397 00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:04,280 interesting things that happens in Acts chapter 2 is everything 398 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:08,440 seems very new, But the reality is I think it's actually the end 399 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,120 of a beautiful story that started all the way back in 400 00:24:11,120 --> 00:24:13,800 Genesis. And I want you to, I want to 401 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:15,840 show you something that happened in Genesis. 402 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:18,320 And if you're unfamiliar with the Bible, if you're new, I'll 403 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,760 do my best to kind of summarize what happens. 404 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,760 But there's a, there's a crazy weird story in Genesis Chapter 405 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,640 11 where people decide they're going to build a building to 406 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:30,480 God. They can actually build a tower 407 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:34,120 tall enough to get to God. In Genesis 11, chapter 1, it 408 00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:37,040 says this. Now the whole earth had one 409 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,560 language and the same words, and they're all together in one 410 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,760 place. Verse 4 Then they said, Come, 411 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,760 let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the 412 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,800 heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be 413 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:51,920 dispersed over the face of the whole earth. 414 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:58,200 And so they're building the tower to God, and God 415 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:02,800 intervenes. Verse 9. 416 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,920 Therefore it's name was called Babel because the Lord confused 417 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:07,920 the language on all the earth. If you've read the story, he 418 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,000 comes in, he everyone suddenly speaking different languages and 419 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:12,440 he scatters them. And from there the Lord 420 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:13,920 dispersed them over the face of the earth. 421 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:21,040 So in arrogance, humanity decided we would build to God 422 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,920 yet another moment where we decided we could be God or like 423 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:28,960 God. And God responds to the pride 424 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,960 and the rebellion by striking people with confusion. 425 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:39,040 And the result is division, tribalism, the origin of every 426 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,920 language barrier, cultural conflict, and national war in 427 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:47,520 human history. Here's here's why I'm bringing 428 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:52,800 that up. The exact opposite happens in 429 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,640 Acts 2. It's the end of that story. 430 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:59,120 You see, in Acts 2, instead of man building to God, God comes 431 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:02,160 to man. We go in reverse. 432 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:06,680 Instead of one group of people being scattered into many, we 433 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,280 actually get all of these different languages and all 434 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:11,920 these different nationalities gathered into one. 435 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,720 So instead of being scattered, God is gathering, and instead of 436 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:17,240 withdrawing his presence, he's pouring it out. 437 00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:20,000 Instead of the building stopping like it did in Babel, the 438 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,720 building of the church has just begun and has continued to this 439 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:31,280 day. In Acts 29 through 11, Luke 440 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,600 lists 15 different regions. Scholars like NT Wright and 441 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,880 Daryl Bach note that this list roughly maps into all of the 442 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:45,760 known inhabited world. It's a symbolic inventory, The 443 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,120 scattered nations of Babel now all being called together into 444 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:53,360 one place, hearing one message in their own languages. 445 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:59,840 Just think about the direction. Babel is humanity ascending 446 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:03,280 toward God. Pentecost is God descending 447 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:08,040 toward us. This is not just a reversal of 448 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:10,880 the language miracle. It's a reversal of the entire 449 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,480 theological posture of humanity before God. 450 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,160 Babel says we will reach up and grab you. 451 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,400 Pentecost says I have come down to get you. 452 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,440 This is the gospel compressed into architecture and it answers 453 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:31,680 the deepest human question. Can I get to God with a better 454 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:33,440 one? What if he already came to get 455 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:39,640 you? That's what Christ's blood on 456 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:45,280 the cross has accomplished. Jesus made a way for you and I. 457 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:49,560 Now there's another point here because he he very purposefully 458 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:51,720 mentions that the crowd says these are Galileans. 459 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,600 And so we could talk about how Galileans were very uneducated 460 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:57,800 men suddenly doing amazing things for God in the Spirit. 461 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:00,400 But I can't see how that would be applicable for a church in 462 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,080 Oildale. So we'll move on. 463 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:10,760 What do we do with this story? It's beautiful, it's amazing, 464 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,120 it's crazy. But now what? 465 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,560 Kent Hughes says this in his commentary about the book of 466 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,680 Acts. He says a grandson asked his 467 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,360 grandfather, Grandpa, what is the wind? 468 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,320 The old fisherman replied, I cannot explain the wind to you, 469 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:28,760 but I can teach you how to raise the sails. 470 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:33,160 So you can't manufacture the Holy Spirit, you can't produce 471 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:37,000 Pentecost, you can't engineer a revival, but you can position 472 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,400 yourself to receive what Jesus is ready to give. 473 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:47,040 The 120 disciples that are in the upper room raised 3 sales. 474 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:49,920 These are the same 3 sales available to you. 475 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:55,400 And I, number one, raise the sale of persistent prayer. 476 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,400 That doesn't say that the 120 prayed once and then waited. 477 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:04,080 They prayed constantly for 10 days. 478 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,240 Persistent prayer is not trying to change God's mind. 479 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,680 It's the act of making yourself available. 480 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,520 It is posturing ourselves toward God and staying there. 481 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:16,680 There are people in my life that I have been praying for for 482 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,400 years, and it doesn't seem like there's been any progress. 483 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:23,880 But nothing that I do as a pastor is more important than my 484 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,000 prayer life. Nothing. 485 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:32,000 And there are weeks that I am so terrible at being consistent in 486 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:39,160 prayer that it is embarrassing. In fact, I often times think 487 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,800 that God drives and allows suffering in my life so that He 488 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,920 will drive up the desperation and urgency for His presence. 489 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,840 And my question for you, is there someone, something in your 490 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:53,560 life that you prayed about once, twice, three times and you gave 491 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,240 up on? Can you imagine if the disciples 492 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:03,160 had quit on day 7? The second sale they raised is 493 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:08,400 the sale of unity. The Spirit came when they were 494 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:11,920 in one accord, homothymidon in one accord. 495 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,360 Division in the body is not just a relational problem between 496 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,360 people, it is a spiritual blockage. 497 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:23,680 The opposite of Pentecost is a church that is scattered. 498 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:28,760 While in the same room every week in your life and in your 499 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,560 church, you will have opportunities for disunity. 500 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:35,560 They will be available to you. You'll have opportunities to be 501 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,400 offended. They are available to you. 502 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,280 You have opportunities to find things wrong with this church. 503 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:47,560 That's not that hard. In fact, every person who's ever 504 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:49,960 been part of a church has experienced church hurt. 505 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:55,240 I'm not minimizing church abuse. That's different. 506 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,800 What I'm saying is that to be around other messy humans is at 507 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,920 some point to be hurt. Amen. 508 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:07,040 In fact, I've never been hurt as deeply as I have by people in 509 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:13,120 the church, this church. But we have a choice to be 510 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:18,480 offended, to be wounded and stay there, or to prayerfully choose 511 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:26,600 unity, to love inside the conflict, to forgive freely, to 512 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:30,760 think the best of others. In fact, we're we're in our 513 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:32,800 leadership development. We teach once a month. 514 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,280 This thing called Supercharged over in the Chapel. 515 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:37,360 It's tonight at 5:00 PM. You're all welcome. 516 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,720 We are going to teach on thinking the best of others. 517 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:49,000 I have days as a pastor where it feels like I can't stop crying. 518 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:54,480 And yet in the midst of that, God has done his most beautiful 519 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,560 work in my life and through this church. 520 00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,040 And I'm trying to tell you that it's worth it. 521 00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:03,880 It's worth it. Is there a relationship in your 522 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,400 life, in your small group, in your family, in your marriage 523 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,840 where you're carrying division that needs to be resolved? 524 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:18,440 Because we see a pattern where the, the, the Spirit empowers A 525 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:24,480 unified body. 3rd sail, raise the sail of expectancy. 526 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:28,520 They weren't in the upper room hoping for the best and crossing 527 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:30,440 their fingers. They were waiting for Jesus 528 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:33,840 because he said to wait. Expectancy is faith with an 529 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:36,280 address. It's believing that God is going 530 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:42,200 to do something specific. You know, every time we preach a 531 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,640 message in this church, I actually expect that they're 532 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:46,760 going to be people that are giving their life to Christ. 533 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:50,120 Every single time, every single time we preach, every single 534 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,000 time Pastor Dave or Richard or anyone comes up and preaches a 535 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,440 message and gives an invitation, I'm looking around because I 536 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:59,000 expect God to save people. And you can say, hey, that's 537 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:02,800 naive or that's unrealistic, but I'm on my toes waiting for God 538 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:05,760 to move because I'd rather be a fool than miss it. 539 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:12,880 Call me a fool, but don't let me miss a move of God and then 540 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:24,040 wonder why my faith is boring. We say we believe in a real act 541 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:27,400 of God, but are you expecting him to move? 542 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:31,560 When you walk into this church on a Sunday morning, when you 543 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,280 sit down to pray during the week, do you genuinely believe 544 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:37,000 that the Spirit of God is present and active? 545 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,800 Or have you gotten so practical, so managed, so efficient that 546 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:43,400 the Holy Spirit is an afterthought? 547 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:51,560 We can't make the wind blow, but we can raise the sails. 548 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:55,160 We can be persistent. We can fight for unity. 549 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:59,080 We can be expectant. And when we do that, when a when 550 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:04,920 120 people came together and the wind comes, everything changes 551 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:12,199 because God wants in For some of you here today or or maybe 552 00:34:12,199 --> 00:34:16,159 watching online, maybe you've never surrendered your life to 553 00:34:16,159 --> 00:34:18,199 Christ. And so you, you hear me that God 554 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:20,960 wants in that, that he desires to save you. 555 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:22,520 And you're not even sure what that means. 556 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:29,480 Let me explain. Jesus died on a cross to pay the 557 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:36,040 penalty for your sin. Three days later he walked out 558 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:40,600 of that tomb alive, and He is offering you salvation, 559 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:51,400 forgiveness, and eternal life. The Bible says that to be saved 560 00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:56,280 you must believe in your heart that God raised Him from the 561 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,640 dead, and you must confess with your mouth that He is your Lord. 562 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:05,440 So I want to offer you a chance to do that today, to let Him in. 563 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:11,000 If you'd like to surrender your life to Christ and follow him as 564 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,800 King, I'm going to lead you in a prayer. 565 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:17,000 Will you all bow with me for just a moment? 566 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:23,360 close your eyes. If you want to declare today 567 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:28,760 with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, just pray this after me. 568 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:36,520 Jesus, I know I'm a Sinner who can't save myself. 569 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,920 I want you to save me and adopt me into your family. 570 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:53,360 I surrender everything to you and I receive your promises of 571 00:35:53,360 --> 00:36:00,480 forgiveness, of adoption into your family, and of eternal 572 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:03,680 life. Be my Lord. 573 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:10,200 Please Jesus, if you said that prayer for the very first time, 574 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:15,880 would you be brave and raise your hand for me to see Thank 575 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:24,320 you, thank you, thank you can put your hands down in Jesus 576 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:31,800 name, Amen. Real quick Jesus loves you more 577 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:37,000 than you actually believe or imagine he does and if you just 578 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,120 gave your life to Christ. Welcome to the family. 579 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:48,320 In just a moment, we're going to respond to this sermon. 580 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:49,600 Our prayer team is going to come up here. 581 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:52,200 We we love praying for you guys and with you guys for any 582 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,000 reason. But as you stand to sing this 583 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:59,240 song, if you just made a declaration of faith to Christ 584 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,760 or you've done it recently and not told anyone about it. 585 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,360 I want you to to go back to one of those two tables in the back. 586 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:06,160 It says I raised my hand. We have a gift for you. 587 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:08,040 We want to celebrate with you. We're excited for you. 588 00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:10,560 We want to talk about what a journey of following Christ 589 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,960 looks like. So will you stand with us? 590 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:15,240 Our per team is going to be up here. 591 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:19,120 You move as the Lord leads you. We thank you church. 592 00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:19,560 We love you.