Good morning, friends,
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and welcome again to
Sabbath School Study Hour
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coming to you here
from the Granite Bay
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Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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We'd like to
welcome our online members
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and those joining
us across the country
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and around the world
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on the various
television networks.
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I also like to welcome
our members and our visitors
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right here in Granite Bay.
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One of the
reasons that we mention
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where we're located in
Sacramento, California,
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we've had people contact us
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who've been watching
the program for years
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and they had no idea
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that we are right
in their neighborhood,
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they wanted to find
out where the address is,
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so that they
could come and join us
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for Sabbath School Study Hour.
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Well, again, we're glad
to see you this morning.
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We've been studying
through a new lesson quarterly
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on the Book of Acts.
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It's been a great
study, a good start.
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We're actually on
lesson number three today.
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Lesson number three is entitled,
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"Life in the Early Church".
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And we're beginning to
that in just a few moments.
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Before we do though,
we'd like to let our friends
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who are joining us online
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and also watching on
the various networks,
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we do have a free offer.
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A book entitled,
"Life in the Spirit."
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And we'll be happy to
provide this to anybody
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who calls and asks.
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If you'd like to
receive the book,
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the number to
call is 866-788-3966
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and you can ask
for offer number 155.
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If you'd like to download
this free offer for free,
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and you can
read it on your phone
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or some other
electronic device that you have,
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all you'll have to do
is text the number 40544
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and you want to put
in the code "S-H-0-4-7".
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You'll then get a link
and you'll be able to download
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a copy of the
book, Life in the Spirit.
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You can read that.
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It's connected
somewhat with our lesson today,
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talking about Life in
the Early Christian Church.
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It's a very important study.
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Well, before we
get to our lesson,
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let's begin by
lifting our voices in song.
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I'd like to
invite our song leaders
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to come join me on stage.
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Dear Father in heaven,
once again we are grateful
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for the
opportunity to gather together
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and open up Your Word
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and study this
very important lesson
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dealing with the
early Christian church,
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recorded for us
in the Book of Acts.
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Father, there are so
many important lessons
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that we can learn from
those first century Christians,
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who were just
fully devoted to you
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and committed to the mission
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of taking the
gospel to the world.
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So bless our time today,
for we ask this in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Our lesson this morning
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is going to be
brought to us by Pastor Doug.
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Thank you Pastor Ross,
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and our singers,
and musicians, and...
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Welcome friends.
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We're getting
into the Book of Acts,
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and I'll just tell
you our mission today.
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We're going to try and study
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from Acts 2 roughly
46 on through Acts 5.
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In our lesson today,
we have a memory verse.
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Lesson title is
Life in the Early Church.
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Lesson number three.
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We have a memory
verse, it's Acts 2:46-47.
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You ready?
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"So continuing daily
with one accord in the temple,
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and breaking bread
from house to house,
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they ate their
food with gladness
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and simplicity of heart,
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praising God and having
favor with all the people.
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And the Lord added
to the church daily
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those who were being saved."
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Now this is a rare moment.
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Notice what's happening.
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Gladness, praising, favor,
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growth, one accord,
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Lord sent those days again.
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Can you say amen? Amen.
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Look what's
happen into the church.
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They're together,
they're praising God,
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gladness, not
complicated, simplicity,
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and evangelism is working.
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People are being
added to the church.
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I wonder if
there's a connection.
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God had just
poured out the spirit.
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The devil really hadn't
regrouped and figured out
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what he was going
to do to fight it,
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and the church was just
growing, and prospering,
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and so much of what
the Lord had planned
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was happening during his time.
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So it says, "They
continued weekly."
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Is that what it says?
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Daily.
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How often
should we get together?
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Not too many are ready to say,
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"We ought to have
church every day, Pastor Doug."
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But I think we ought to
do better than once a week
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because if we want
to have the experience
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that the early church had,
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you'll find that
they were getting together
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on a regular
basis for Bible study,
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for prayer, for fellowship,
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it says breaking of bread
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that doesn't
always mean just eating,
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neither does it always mean
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they were participating
in the Lord's Supper.
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The same phrase is
used for just eating.
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You ever heard someone say,
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"We'll get
together and break bread."
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I mean, it just
talks about a meal,
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but sometimes it meant that
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they were having
the Lord's Supper.
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So they were doing
all of these things,
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and there was great harmony
in the church at that time.
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So you read here in verse 44,
I'm just backing up in Acts 2.
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"Now all who
believed were together,
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and had all things in common,
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and sold their
possessions and goods,
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and divided them among
all, as anyone had need."
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So continuing
daily with one accord.
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Now I've not heard too
many pastors preach on that.
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It sounds like communism.
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Now I know that's a
kind of a dirty word
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if you're a red
blooded American,
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but having communal living...
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Do you know what
the first government
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was in North America?
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So it was, it was communism
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that the pilgrims
had a common garden,
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and they had
common houses and things,
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and they thought, let's practice
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the New Testament church,
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and we'll just share everything.
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Well, you need the
baptism of the Holy Spirit
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to have that attitude,
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and nobody likes
working in everybody's garden.
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I like working in my garden.
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Are you that way too?
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And so they found out
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that when they
tried to practice that,
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it lasted for
about a year and a half,
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and about 30% of
them starved to death.
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They didn't do very well.
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You know, one reason that
communism failed in Europe
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is because nobody wants to
work in everybody's garden.
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There were the government farms,
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and then everybody
had their own farm.
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And they put all their energy
into their own little gardens
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that they got.
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When Karen and I went to Russia,
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they still had
the government farms,
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and then people had
their own little private farms
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out in the country.
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They put all their
energy into their own.
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So what was going on
here, when it says that,
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"All who believed were together,
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and had all things in common,
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and sold their
possessions and their goods,
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and divided them among anyone."
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They were just so Spirit filled.
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They were just so filled
with love for each other.
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They said, "Look,
we're looking to store
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our treasures in heaven."
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And they were really
seeking to put into practice
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everything that Jesus had said.
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Christ sent them out, said,
"Don't even take two tunics.
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Don't even take
two pair of sandals.
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I just want you to hit the road,
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trust in Me and
preach the gospel."
00:10:02.96\00:10:05.47
And so they lived
a very spartan life.
00:10:05.47\00:10:09.57
Now I'm not saying
that should happen now,
00:10:09.57\00:10:12.01
but it's going to happen
again before Jesus comes.
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I believe when God pours
out His Spirit on the church,
00:10:15.94\00:10:18.18
you're going to see the
same spirit of self-sacrifice,
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of love, benevolence,
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of urgency that you
see in the early church.
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Amen? Amen.
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I didn't write this, you
take it up with the Lord,
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that's what they
were doing back then
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when the Holy
Spirit was poured out.
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And then I want you to notice,
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it not only says there in
verse 46 continuing daily.
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Go to Acts 5.
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I'm just jumping
to another chapter now
00:10:44.84\00:10:46.37
just to make this point.
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Acts 5:42, "And
daily in the temple..."
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Again, daily Bible
study in prayer meeting.
00:10:55.65\00:11:00.86
But they weren't
just doing that at home,
00:11:00.86\00:11:02.36
they were
getting together daily.
00:11:02.36\00:11:04.06
They were on fire.
00:11:04.06\00:11:05.49
They couldn't imagine
going a day without Bible study.
00:11:05.49\00:11:09.70
You know, one of the earmarks
is of a congregation growing.
00:11:09.70\00:11:14.47
Frequency and gathering together
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for prayer and Bible study,
00:11:17.27\00:11:19.17
whether it's in a home or church
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doesn't seem to matter,
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but the studies that have
been done by groups like Barna,
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when they say, "Why
is that church growing
00:11:25.25\00:11:27.85
and that one isn't growing?"
00:11:27.85\00:11:29.15
One of the things they...
00:11:29.15\00:11:30.39
When they melted it all down,
one of the things they noticed
00:11:30.39\00:11:32.49
is there were frequency
of meetings and fellowship
00:11:32.49\00:11:37.73
where the people were
getting together for meals,
00:11:37.73\00:11:40.50
for prayer, for Bible
study, and as they did that,
00:11:40.50\00:11:44.97
people all wanted to belong.
00:11:44.97\00:11:46.50
Others would join,
there was a passion,
00:11:46.50\00:11:48.80
someone say, "Hey, we're having
a study at our house tonight,
00:11:48.80\00:11:50.91
would you like to come,
we're having some friends,
00:11:50.91\00:11:52.57
would you like to come in?"
00:11:52.57\00:11:53.81
And it just seemed like
00:11:53.81\00:11:54.91
they were making more and
more connections and it grew.
00:11:54.91\00:11:57.88
Was the early church growing?
00:11:57.88\00:12:01.08
How many were
baptized after Pentecost?
00:12:01.08\00:12:04.25
Three thousand.
00:12:04.25\00:12:05.32
Now was that
the biggest baptism?
00:12:05.32\00:12:08.16
What was the biggest
number mentioned for baptisms
00:12:08.16\00:12:10.49
in their early
book, in early chapter?
00:12:10.49\00:12:13.26
Five thousand.
00:12:13.26\00:12:15.10
I think that was
after the miracle
00:12:15.10\00:12:16.33
of the Beautiful Gate,
00:12:16.33\00:12:17.37
which we're
going to get to later.
00:12:17.37\00:12:20.50
People saw the power of
God, everybody was interested,
00:12:20.50\00:12:23.84
the disciples could not
keep up with all the studies
00:12:23.84\00:12:26.84
that they were giving.
00:12:26.84\00:12:28.08
And ultimately, when you
get to Acts 7, they said,
00:12:28.08\00:12:30.81
"Look, we can't be spending
our time giving up the food,
00:12:30.81\00:12:35.15
we need some
deacons to help us do that
00:12:35.15\00:12:36.99
because there's
so many new people
00:12:36.99\00:12:38.29
coming in that
need discipleship.
00:12:38.29\00:12:40.66
They need to be taught."
00:12:40.66\00:12:42.36
And so they spent so
much time in teaching.
00:12:42.36\00:12:44.73
What did Jesus do
when He rose from the dead?
00:12:44.73\00:12:47.10
He appeared for 40
days among the disciples.
00:12:47.10\00:12:50.43
What was the main thing
Jesus did for that 40 days
00:12:50.43\00:12:53.44
when He continued to
appear after the resurrection?
00:12:53.44\00:12:57.24
Bible study.
00:12:57.24\00:12:59.21
He opened to
them the scriptures.
00:12:59.21\00:13:01.91
Every time He met
with them, John 21,
00:13:01.91\00:13:04.85
when they were
fishing, in the upper room,
00:13:04.85\00:13:07.48
on the road to the Emmaus.
00:13:07.48\00:13:09.02
Every time He met
with them, it says,
00:13:09.02\00:13:10.32
He opened to
them the scriptures.
00:13:10.32\00:13:11.79
He had to instruct them
and help them to understand,
00:13:11.79\00:13:15.16
so they could then,
in turn, teach others.
00:13:15.16\00:13:18.13
And so, that's one
of the greatest needs.
00:13:18.13\00:13:20.80
I think that's what
real discipleship is.
00:13:20.80\00:13:22.56
Jesus said, "Go into
all the world and" do what?
00:13:22.56\00:13:26.03
Not just
baptize, "make disciples."
00:13:26.03\00:13:29.37
And He says,
"Teaching them to do all things
00:13:29.37\00:13:33.51
whatsoever I've commanded you."
00:13:33.51\00:13:34.88
Teaching,
teaching the Word of God.
00:13:34.88\00:13:37.25
Preaching and
teaching the Word of God
00:13:37.25\00:13:38.68
is what brings evangelism,
that's what bring conversions,
00:13:38.68\00:13:42.05
and what I'm saying here is,
00:13:42.05\00:13:43.32
the more the church
gets together to do that,
00:13:43.32\00:13:45.99
the healthier
the church will be.
00:13:45.99\00:13:48.29
Now here we have
our Sabbath School,
00:13:48.29\00:13:51.26
we're glad you're here.
00:13:51.26\00:13:52.66
We have our church service.
00:13:52.66\00:13:54.63
Sometimes we have various
00:13:54.63\00:13:55.90
and sundry
afternoon and vesper programs.
00:13:55.90\00:13:59.67
We have our midweek Bible study.
00:13:59.67\00:14:02.00
I think as the day
of the Lord approaches,
00:14:02.00\00:14:03.51
we need to get together more.
00:14:03.51\00:14:05.87
I think that we need to have
different elders and leaders
00:14:05.87\00:14:08.58
who can open their homes
00:14:08.58\00:14:09.98
and bring people
in for Bible study.
00:14:09.98\00:14:12.45
And the more we study together,
00:14:12.45\00:14:14.65
the closer we get, the
better we pray for each other.
00:14:14.65\00:14:17.59
You know, in some churches,
people just stop coming,
00:14:17.59\00:14:19.52
no one ever checks on them.
00:14:19.52\00:14:20.59
We don't know they're
having all kinds of problems.
00:14:20.59\00:14:22.76
When they connect in
homes on a weekly basis,
00:14:22.76\00:14:25.36
you become aware
of what the needs are,
00:14:25.36\00:14:27.56
and you can minister them
00:14:27.56\00:14:29.06
before they sort of
disappear out the back door.
00:14:29.06\00:14:32.00
And so there's a
need for daily fellowship.
00:14:32.00\00:14:34.37
I'm making a big deal of
it because it's a big deal.
00:14:34.37\00:14:37.54
This need for daily fellowship,
I think is really important.
00:14:37.54\00:14:40.81
Now, in a moment someone's
going to read Acts 17:11.
00:14:40.81\00:14:44.58
Well, Kadian, you'll have that.
00:14:44.58\00:14:45.98
I want to read Acts 4:34.
00:14:45.98\00:14:48.55
Oh, I did that already.
00:14:48.55\00:14:49.65
Acts 16:5.
00:14:49.65\00:14:51.62
"So the churches were
strengthened in the faith,
00:14:51.62\00:14:54.32
and increased in number daily."
00:14:54.32\00:14:57.39
Go ahead and read
please Acts 17:11.
00:14:57.39\00:14:59.93
These were more fair-minded
than those in Thessalonica,
00:14:59.93\00:15:03.57
in that they received
the word with all readiness,
00:15:03.57\00:15:06.33
and searched
the Scriptures daily
00:15:06.33\00:15:08.37
to find out whether
these things were so."
00:15:08.37\00:15:11.21
You've heard the expression
of the Berean Christians
00:15:11.21\00:15:14.51
who were more fair minded
than those of Thessalonica
00:15:14.51\00:15:17.31
because they said, "Well,
let's find out if it's true."
00:15:17.31\00:15:20.52
Instead of just
getting mad, said,
00:15:20.52\00:15:21.78
"That's not what
we've always believed."
00:15:21.78\00:15:24.02
They said, "Let's study it."
00:15:24.02\00:15:25.45
And they
studied, they were noble.
00:15:25.45\00:15:28.62
And how often did they study?
00:15:28.62\00:15:30.89
Daily.
00:15:30.89\00:15:31.93
You notice that there again.
00:15:31.93\00:15:33.09
That church ended up being
a place that grew spiritually.
00:15:33.09\00:15:35.96
We need to get together.
00:15:35.96\00:15:36.97
I hope you have a
personal daily Bible study,
00:15:36.97\00:15:41.24
but I think something
we ought to press for.
00:15:41.24\00:15:43.84
Wouldn't it be great
00:15:43.84\00:15:44.91
if Granite Bay
and other churches
00:15:44.91\00:15:46.61
that are watching right
now, if people in your church,
00:15:46.61\00:15:50.21
in your community
knew they were somewhere
00:15:50.21\00:15:52.15
they could go almost
every night of the week
00:15:52.15\00:15:53.62
for a home Bible study.
00:15:53.62\00:15:55.25
Whatever night was convenient,
00:15:55.25\00:15:56.38
there would be a
home open for Bible study.
00:15:56.38\00:15:58.32
There might be two or
three, there might be a dozen.
00:15:58.32\00:16:02.26
You don't want too big,
00:16:02.26\00:16:03.22
you know, unless
you're coming together for,
00:16:03.22\00:16:06.49
in the church itself, but...
00:16:06.49\00:16:09.10
Wouldn't that be great
00:16:09.10\00:16:10.10
if you just kind of
had a Bible study dossier?
00:16:10.10\00:16:14.74
That you could put in
your bulletin and say,
00:16:14.74\00:16:16.17
"Where is the Bible?
00:16:16.17\00:16:17.24
Where are the
Bible studies this week?"
00:16:17.24\00:16:18.97
What would happen to
a church that did that?
00:16:18.97\00:16:22.11
Maybe we ought to try it.
00:16:22.11\00:16:23.61
We need
volunteers open their homes
00:16:23.61\00:16:25.01
that can help disciple.
00:16:25.01\00:16:27.48
All right, Acts 19.
00:16:27.48\00:16:28.75
Acts 19:9,
00:16:31.79\00:16:33.99
"But when some were
hardened and did not believe,
00:16:33.99\00:16:36.26
they spoke evil of the
Way before the multitude,
00:16:36.26\00:16:39.13
he departed from them
and withdrew the disciples,
00:16:39.13\00:16:43.67
reasoning daily in
the school of Tyrannus."
00:16:43.67\00:16:48.20
Hebrews 3:13, "But
exhort one another daily."
00:16:48.20\00:16:53.04
Jesus said, "Whoever would
come after me, lead him daily."
00:16:53.04\00:16:57.01
Lord, give us this
day our daily bread.
00:16:57.01\00:17:00.32
The Christian life
is a moment by moment,
00:17:00.32\00:17:02.35
day by day experience.
00:17:02.35\00:17:04.09
We need to be
feeding together daily
00:17:04.09\00:17:06.82
and as often as
possible gather together.
00:17:06.82\00:17:09.69
All right, enough on that.
00:17:09.69\00:17:11.33
Let's go now to Acts 3,
00:17:11.33\00:17:13.23
and this is one
of the great stories.
00:17:13.23\00:17:15.10
You may turn in your Bibles
00:17:15.10\00:17:16.33
because I'm probably going to do
00:17:16.33\00:17:18.13
a little spot
reading along the way.
00:17:18.13\00:17:20.10
It's hard to just
fly over this story
00:17:20.10\00:17:23.00
in Acts 3 in a quick manner.
00:17:23.00\00:17:27.61
"Now Peter and John went
up together to the temple
00:17:27.61\00:17:30.31
at the hour of
prayer, the ninth hour."
00:17:30.31\00:17:33.21
There were typically three
hours of prayer in the temple,
00:17:33.21\00:17:36.32
and it's good to go
00:17:36.32\00:17:37.39
that when the doors
were opened for prayer,
00:17:37.39\00:17:39.25
they went there.
00:17:39.25\00:17:41.59
"And a certain man
00:17:41.59\00:17:43.53
lame from his
mother's womb was carried,
00:17:43.53\00:17:46.76
who they daily laid
at the gate of the temple
00:17:46.76\00:17:49.53
which is called Beautiful,
to ask alms of the people
00:17:49.53\00:17:52.80
who entered the temple."
00:17:52.80\00:17:54.27
This man is...
00:17:54.27\00:17:55.40
He's so bad off, it's
not that he took crutches,
00:17:55.40\00:17:57.97
they had to carry him.
00:17:57.97\00:18:00.04
Now, there's a lot of people
that would never find the Lord
00:18:00.04\00:18:03.98
except somebody
brought them to the temple,
00:18:03.98\00:18:06.08
they brought them to church.
00:18:06.08\00:18:07.48
You remember in Mark 2,
there's a man who is paralyzed,
00:18:07.48\00:18:11.92
and his friends bring him
to the house where Jesus was.
00:18:11.92\00:18:15.26
You may not be a preacher,
you may not be an evangelist,
00:18:15.26\00:18:17.79
you may not be a teacher,
00:18:17.79\00:18:18.93
Lord willing, you got a
church where the Word is spoken.
00:18:18.93\00:18:21.86
If you can at
least get them there.
00:18:21.86\00:18:24.40
And so they said, "Let's
bring him to the temple."
00:18:24.40\00:18:27.24
And they just didn't
bring him to any temple,
00:18:27.24\00:18:29.34
they brought him
to the Beautiful Gate.
00:18:29.34\00:18:31.77
Now, let me read
something to you from Josephus,
00:18:31.77\00:18:34.14
the Jewish
historian, Flavius Josephus.
00:18:34.14\00:18:36.85
He wrote about this.
00:18:36.85\00:18:40.45
And he said, "The
temple had nine gates,
00:18:40.45\00:18:43.08
on every side covered
with gold and silver."
00:18:43.08\00:18:45.82
This is one of the
most beautiful buildings
00:18:45.82\00:18:47.39
in the world at the time.
00:18:47.39\00:18:49.26
"But there was one
gate outside the holy house
00:18:49.26\00:18:52.46
made of Corinthian brass
00:18:52.46\00:18:54.66
and greatly
excelled those that were only
00:18:54.66\00:18:57.13
covered with gold and Silver.
00:18:57.13\00:18:59.20
The Corinthian gate
which opened on the east
00:18:59.20\00:19:01.90
was over against the gate
00:19:01.90\00:19:03.61
of the holy house
itself was much larger."
00:19:03.61\00:19:07.04
This is what we
believe, this is the gate,
00:19:07.04\00:19:08.88
you know, when Jesus
made the triumphal entry.
00:19:08.88\00:19:11.85
There is a gate facing east
towards the Mount of Olives.
00:19:11.85\00:19:14.82
He came down
the Mount of Olives,
00:19:14.82\00:19:16.15
went up the hill into Jerusalem.
00:19:16.15\00:19:17.55
That gate is now walled in
00:19:17.55\00:19:19.25
as Ezekiel
prophesied it would be.
00:19:19.25\00:19:21.36
Just on the
other side of that gate
00:19:21.36\00:19:22.76
was also an
entrance to the temple.
00:19:22.76\00:19:24.53
And when you go to Jerusalem
00:19:24.53\00:19:26.59
and you see the
platform and you see all that,
00:19:26.59\00:19:28.76
it all makes sense.
00:19:28.76\00:19:30.83
Listen what he said,
00:19:30.83\00:19:31.83
"Corinthian gate which
opened towards the east,
00:19:31.83\00:19:36.44
over against the
gate of the holy house
00:19:36.44\00:19:38.04
itself was much larger.
00:19:38.04\00:19:39.07
Its height was 75
feet, its doors were 55 feet,
00:19:39.07\00:19:45.21
and he said, this
was made of bronze
00:19:45.21\00:19:46.65
and covered with gold."
00:19:46.65\00:19:48.05
Engineers today don't even
know how you can make hinges
00:19:48.05\00:19:51.35
to open a gate like
that, I mean for the technology
00:19:51.35\00:19:54.06
they had back
then, that was massive.
00:19:54.06\00:19:56.09
"And it was adorned
after in most costly manner,
00:19:56.09\00:19:59.39
having much
richer and thicker plates
00:19:59.39\00:20:01.93
of silver and gold
upon them than the others."
00:20:01.93\00:20:05.33
So can you understand
00:20:05.33\00:20:06.40
why they called it
the beautiful gate?
00:20:06.40\00:20:09.34
Now, what does that
beautiful gate represent?
00:20:09.34\00:20:14.04
What beautiful
gates are you and I
00:20:14.04\00:20:15.58
hoping to go through someday?
00:20:15.58\00:20:18.01
Pearly Gates, that'll be
the most beautiful gates.
00:20:18.01\00:20:21.18
This man is on the outside,
00:20:21.18\00:20:23.12
he can't get on the inside
00:20:23.12\00:20:26.05
except somebody
introduces him to Jesus.
00:20:26.05\00:20:30.83
So think about that.
00:20:30.83\00:20:34.73
And you read here, when the man,
00:20:34.73\00:20:37.03
he's there begging.
00:20:37.03\00:20:40.10
You read the back story
in the book Desire of Ages.
00:20:40.10\00:20:43.34
This man had come down
00:20:43.34\00:20:44.84
from the
northern areas of Israel.
00:20:44.84\00:20:47.48
He had heard about the
miracles that Jesus performed,
00:20:47.48\00:20:50.71
and when he gets to Jerusalem,
00:20:50.71\00:20:52.71
you realize now that this
all takes place in Acts 3,
00:20:52.71\00:20:55.08
it's not been long
since the ascension of Jesus.
00:20:55.08\00:20:57.75
Acts 1, Jesus ascends to heaven.
00:20:57.75\00:20:59.89
Here we're at Acts 3.
00:20:59.89\00:21:01.92
This man had hoped to come.
00:21:01.92\00:21:03.63
And when he came to Jerusalem,
00:21:03.63\00:21:04.99
he found out that
Jesus had been executed,
00:21:04.99\00:21:07.40
he was devastated,
00:21:07.40\00:21:08.46
he was hoping to be healed.
00:21:08.46\00:21:10.60
So he was a special case.
00:21:10.60\00:21:12.90
So he said, "Well, best I can do
00:21:12.90\00:21:14.90
is since I've come all this way,
00:21:14.90\00:21:16.14
I'll just beg at the gate."
00:21:16.14\00:21:18.77
And so, his
hopes had been dashed
00:21:18.77\00:21:21.01
because Jesus now
had been crucified.
00:21:21.01\00:21:23.31
He had heard rumors
00:21:23.31\00:21:24.75
that the
followers say He was alive,
00:21:24.75\00:21:27.05
so all that's
going on in his mind.
00:21:27.05\00:21:30.39
"Seeing Peter and John
about to go in the temple,
00:21:30.39\00:21:33.69
he asked for alms.
00:21:33.69\00:21:35.99
And fixing his
eyes on them with John,
00:21:35.99\00:21:39.39
Peter said, 'Look at us.'"
00:21:39.39\00:21:41.06
Now what do you think he
thought was going to happen
00:21:41.06\00:21:42.76
when he said, I
used to panhandle.
00:21:42.76\00:21:45.63
And if you're
asking for spare change
00:21:45.63\00:21:47.07
and someone says, look at me,
00:21:47.07\00:21:48.14
one of two things
is going to happen,
00:21:48.14\00:21:49.27
they're going to bawl you
out and tell you to get a job
00:21:49.27\00:21:52.14
or they're going
to give you something.
00:21:52.14\00:21:53.38
It's usually nothing else
00:21:53.38\00:21:56.64
unless, of
course, you're religious.
00:21:56.64\00:21:59.85
And then they want to
share the gospel with you.
00:21:59.85\00:22:03.65
"Peter said, 'Look on us!'
00:22:03.65\00:22:05.45
So he gave them his attention."
00:22:05.45\00:22:08.02
You've heard me say before
the gospel begins with looking.
00:22:08.02\00:22:12.93
First step in salvation,
"The year the King Isaiah died,
00:22:12.93\00:22:16.97
I saw the Lord."
00:22:16.97\00:22:19.07
Paul saw Jesus.
00:22:19.07\00:22:21.54
Thief on the cross
saw Jesus lifted up.
00:22:21.54\00:22:24.17
Zacchaeus was too
short to climb the tree
00:22:24.17\00:22:25.94
'cause he wanted to see Jesus.
00:22:25.94\00:22:29.24
And you've got a lot
of stories in the Bible
00:22:29.24\00:22:30.68
that explain that
salvation begins with looking.
00:22:30.68\00:22:33.75
And so he says, "Look on us."
00:22:33.75\00:22:36.18
Wanted to make sure
he had their attention,
00:22:36.18\00:22:37.52
a lot of people
are coming and going.
00:22:37.52\00:22:40.19
"Fixing his eyes
on him, with John,
00:22:40.19\00:22:44.26
Peter said, 'Look at us.'
00:22:44.26\00:22:45.89
So he gave them his attention
00:22:45.89\00:22:47.76
expecting to receive
something from them."
00:22:47.76\00:22:49.90
What was he expecting?
00:22:49.90\00:22:52.33
A handout.
00:22:52.33\00:22:53.97
You've heard the expression,
00:22:53.97\00:22:55.04
"Is it better to
give a man a fish
00:22:55.04\00:22:57.71
or to teach him to fish?"
00:22:57.71\00:23:00.38
Would it been better for
Peter to give him spare change
00:23:00.38\00:23:03.45
or teach him to walk
so he could help himself?
00:23:03.45\00:23:07.58
So often our prayers
are for the little things.
00:23:07.58\00:23:11.92
We are praying that God
will make us comfortable
00:23:11.92\00:23:14.16
in our
crippledness and our slavery.
00:23:14.16\00:23:17.86
It's like you've
heard me say it before,
00:23:17.86\00:23:19.89
"A man who's in
prison, and he says,
00:23:19.89\00:23:21.36
'Lord, can you please give
me a softer bed in my prison,
00:23:21.36\00:23:25.07
and can you give me
better food in my prison,
00:23:25.07\00:23:27.10
and can I have better
light and better ventilation.'"
00:23:27.10\00:23:30.37
And then he's
praying for everything
00:23:30.37\00:23:32.21
so he can be more
comfortable in this prison,
00:23:32.21\00:23:33.88
and God is saying, why didn't
you pray I get you out of jail?
00:23:33.88\00:23:37.65
I mean, that's really
what you ought to be praying.
00:23:37.65\00:23:40.28
So this man, he's there begging,
00:23:40.28\00:23:42.25
he's not thinking
big enough, is he?
00:23:42.25\00:23:45.09
Hoping to get
something from them,
00:23:45.09\00:23:47.79
he's hoping to get
the silver and gold.
00:23:47.79\00:23:50.59
Peter said in verse 6,
"Silver and gold I don't have,
00:23:50.59\00:23:53.93
just so you
don't misunderstand."
00:23:53.93\00:23:55.10
What do you think happened
in his heart when he said that,
00:23:55.10\00:23:56.60
"Silver and gold, I don't have"?
00:23:56.60\00:23:59.60
But he didn't let him
wait very long to find out.
00:23:59.60\00:24:02.70
"What I do have I give you
in the name of Jesus Christ..."
00:24:02.70\00:24:07.91
He had heard that name before,
00:24:07.91\00:24:09.44
"Of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
00:24:09.44\00:24:11.88
Unless he had any
doubts, Peter reached out
00:24:11.88\00:24:14.62
and took him by the
right hand and lifted him up.
00:24:14.62\00:24:20.12
And he had faith
evidently in that name,
00:24:20.12\00:24:23.29
and immediately, his
feet and his ankle bones
00:24:23.29\00:24:25.99
received strength,
00:24:25.99\00:24:27.23
his legs and limbs that
had been crippled came to life,
00:24:27.23\00:24:30.23
and he felt his
coordination and he stood up,
00:24:30.23\00:24:32.43
and he not only was
able to stand and walk,
00:24:32.43\00:24:34.94
after he took a few steps,
00:24:34.94\00:24:36.50
everything came
back to him at once,
00:24:36.50\00:24:38.07
so it says, "He leaping up.
00:24:38.07\00:24:40.84
Stood and walked."
00:24:40.84\00:24:42.04
You ever seen somebody get
out of a hospital bed and leap?
00:24:42.04\00:24:44.28
No.
00:24:44.28\00:24:45.31
You got to take
real careful steps
00:24:45.31\00:24:46.75
or you're going to go down.
00:24:46.75\00:24:48.52
This is a dramatic healing.
00:24:48.52\00:24:50.05
"He leaping up, he
stood and he walked."
00:24:50.05\00:24:52.82
See, he coming
into the temple before
00:24:52.82\00:24:55.39
because they had
a rule that cripples
00:24:55.39\00:24:58.19
were not
allowed into the temple.
00:24:58.19\00:24:59.59
I know you and I think
that that's pretty awful.
00:24:59.59\00:25:04.13
It was mostly the Levites
and you'll read about this,
00:25:04.13\00:25:06.97
for instance,
in Leviticus 21:17,
00:25:06.97\00:25:10.54
"Speak to Aaron and say,
00:25:10.54\00:25:12.31
'No man of your descendants
in succeeding generations
00:25:12.31\00:25:15.31
who has any defect may approach
to offer bread to his God.
00:25:15.31\00:25:19.08
A man blind or lame who has
00:25:19.08\00:25:21.02
a marred face
or a limb too long,
00:25:21.02\00:25:23.12
a man who has a broken
foot or a broken hand."
00:25:23.12\00:25:26.82
Now it used to be just
that, but you may remember
00:25:26.82\00:25:31.23
when David was
taking the city of Jerusalem
00:25:31.23\00:25:34.50
from the Jebusites,
00:25:34.50\00:25:35.73
the Jebusites were
mocking David and saying,
00:25:35.73\00:25:42.14
"The lame and the
cripple in our city
00:25:42.14\00:25:44.37
could repel your army."
00:25:44.37\00:25:47.41
And there was a law made,
he said, from that time on,
00:25:47.41\00:25:51.05
the lame and the
crippled were not allowed
00:25:51.05\00:25:53.05
into the
precincts of the sanctuary.
00:25:53.05\00:25:55.45
And something
happens, some custom developed,
00:25:55.45\00:25:57.52
but God didn't have a rule
00:25:57.52\00:25:59.29
that Christians
that are crippled
00:25:59.29\00:26:00.66
or handicapped
should stay out of church.
00:26:00.66\00:26:02.62
It started with the Levites
00:26:02.62\00:26:04.16
who were supposed to
represent Jesus who is perfect.
00:26:04.16\00:26:07.23
The lamb, the Passover Lamb
00:26:07.23\00:26:08.70
needed to be a
lamb without blemish.
00:26:08.70\00:26:10.87
Anyway, here they had them
on the outside at the gates.
00:26:10.87\00:26:14.04
You know the parable
00:26:14.04\00:26:15.10
of the rich man
and Lazarus, right?
00:26:15.10\00:26:17.44
Where did Lazarus, the
beggar, where was he lained?
00:26:17.44\00:26:21.11
At the gates.
00:26:21.11\00:26:22.81
And so they're
separated from God.
00:26:22.81\00:26:25.18
They're on the outside.
00:26:25.18\00:26:26.61
You and I are crippled
like Mephibosheth, right?
00:26:26.61\00:26:29.38
We all limp.
00:26:29.38\00:26:30.89
But Jesus heals us so
we can walk in His steps.
00:26:30.89\00:26:34.92
And so this is a wonderful,
00:26:34.92\00:26:36.22
one of the
wonderful points in the story.
00:26:36.22\00:26:39.56
But everybody, there
are very few crippled people
00:26:39.56\00:26:42.80
left in Jerusalem
00:26:42.80\00:26:43.93
'cause so many had been
healed by Jesus at this point.
00:26:43.93\00:26:46.87
Everyone knew this man
who was sitting at the gate.
00:26:46.87\00:26:50.61
So he goes in, he's
walking and leaping,
00:26:50.61\00:26:52.44
and people see him and they say,
00:26:52.44\00:26:53.51
"That can't be the same guy."
00:26:53.51\00:26:54.64
And they said, "That's him."
00:26:54.64\00:26:56.04
Verse10, "They knew
that it was he who sat
00:26:56.04\00:26:58.18
at the alms of the
beautiful gate of the temple,
00:26:58.18\00:27:01.85
and they were filled
with wonder and amazement
00:27:01.85\00:27:05.45
at what had happened to him."
00:27:05.45\00:27:07.49
That's an amazing fact.
00:27:07.49\00:27:09.56
"And all the people saw
him walking and praising God."
00:27:09.56\00:27:12.73
What kind of
walk should we have?
00:27:12.73\00:27:15.23
We need to walk where
we're praising God too.
00:27:15.23\00:27:17.27
Amen.
00:27:17.27\00:27:18.57
Now Peter and John said,
"We don't have silver and gold,
00:27:22.00\00:27:28.54
but what we do have,
we'll share with you."
00:27:28.54\00:27:32.11
And so they
shared Jesus with him.
00:27:32.11\00:27:36.25
How long was Peter's
sermon to this crippled man?
00:27:36.25\00:27:39.85
"In the name of
Jesus of Nazareth,
00:27:39.85\00:27:42.19
stand up and walk."
00:27:42.19\00:27:43.43
Pretty short.
00:27:43.43\00:27:45.09
How many of us are
afraid sometimes to share
00:27:45.09\00:27:48.23
because we say,
we don't have enough?
00:27:48.23\00:27:51.20
Whether it's the
gospel or resources,
00:27:51.20\00:27:53.10
we say we don't have enough.
00:27:53.10\00:27:54.60
Don't ever think
you don't have enough.
00:27:54.60\00:27:56.40
When the boy came to Jesus
00:27:56.40\00:27:57.94
with his five
loaves and two fish,
00:27:57.94\00:27:59.77
what did Jesus do?
00:27:59.77\00:28:01.78
He took the little he had.
00:28:01.78\00:28:03.14
When the woman came to Elisha
with her little vessel of oil,
00:28:03.14\00:28:06.88
what did God do?
He multiplied it.
00:28:06.88\00:28:09.25
When you see people in need,
00:28:09.25\00:28:11.39
you know, how
many needed the gospel,
00:28:11.39\00:28:12.62
don't think, "I'm not qualified,
00:28:12.62\00:28:14.52
I don't know enough, I
can't give a Bible study."
00:28:14.52\00:28:17.29
Share what you do have.
00:28:17.29\00:28:19.26
Can God speak through a donkey?
00:28:19.26\00:28:21.83
Then what is your excuse.
00:28:21.83\00:28:25.30
Do any of us have an
excuse for not doing something?
00:28:25.30\00:28:29.77
You got, you know,
there's a statement
00:28:29.77\00:28:32.71
in the Spirit of Prophecy,
and this is a paraphrase,
00:28:32.71\00:28:34.61
I don't even know the reference,
00:28:34.61\00:28:35.64
but she basically says,
"You're better off trying
00:28:35.64\00:28:38.51
and doing something wrong
than doing nothing very well."
00:28:38.51\00:28:43.05
You're better off
trying to share the gospel
00:28:43.05\00:28:45.35
and muddling through it
than doing nothing perfectly,
00:28:45.35\00:28:50.66
'cause so often we're afraid
00:28:50.66\00:28:52.09
we'll do it wrong
instead we do nothing right.
00:28:52.09\00:28:55.86
So they said, "We may
not have silver and gold,
00:28:55.86\00:28:58.37
but we will
share what we do have.
00:28:58.37\00:29:00.27
We've got something
more important than that."
00:29:00.27\00:29:03.64
Now did that man,
after his legs were healed
00:29:03.64\00:29:05.84
that he saved me,
and you cheapskates,
00:29:05.84\00:29:07.34
you didn't give me
any silver and gold?
00:29:07.34\00:29:09.28
Or was he happy?
00:29:09.28\00:29:11.71
But this caused quite a ruckus.
00:29:11.71\00:29:14.88
And they knew it was that man.
00:29:14.88\00:29:17.05
They were filled with amazement.
00:29:17.05\00:29:18.19
I'm in verse 11,
00:29:18.19\00:29:19.25
"Now as the lame
man who was healed
00:29:19.25\00:29:21.79
held on to Peter and John."
00:29:21.79\00:29:23.22
He wasn't going to let them go.
00:29:23.22\00:29:25.63
These are the two
witnesses like the Word of God,
00:29:25.63\00:29:27.46
he wasn't going to let go.
00:29:27.46\00:29:28.76
"All the people ran
together to them in the porch
00:29:28.76\00:29:31.03
which is called Sol,
word began to spread,
00:29:31.03\00:29:32.57
'have you seen
this, have you heard it,
00:29:32.57\00:29:33.74
here he is, come look.'"
00:29:33.74\00:29:35.34
Great crowds of
people are coming.
00:29:35.34\00:29:38.17
Peter saw it.
00:29:38.17\00:29:39.97
What does an apostle
do when he sees a crowd?
00:29:39.97\00:29:43.08
When Paul saw a crowd
00:29:43.08\00:29:44.15
they wanted to kill
him, what did he want?
00:29:44.15\00:29:45.38
He told the soldiers, he
said, "Let me preach to him."
00:29:45.38\00:29:48.88
"Peters sees a crowd.
00:29:48.88\00:29:50.29
He responds to the
people, 'Men of Israel,
00:29:50.29\00:29:52.65
why do you marvel at this,
00:29:52.65\00:29:53.82
why do you look intently on us
00:29:53.82\00:29:55.49
as though we by our
own power and goodness,
00:29:55.49\00:29:58.56
we made this man walk."
00:29:58.56\00:30:00.26
Now some evangelist today,
00:30:00.26\00:30:01.86
if they had
performed that miracle,
00:30:01.86\00:30:03.16
they would have taken up
an offering to get a new jet.
00:30:03.16\00:30:06.37
But he said,
"Don't give us credit,
00:30:10.04\00:30:13.01
we didn't do it."
00:30:13.01\00:30:16.34
He said, "It wasn't
through our power or goodness,"
00:30:16.34\00:30:18.81
that's one of the signs of
a prophet of God is humility.
00:30:18.81\00:30:22.85
"The God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
00:30:22.85\00:30:25.19
the God of our fathers
glorified His servant Jesus,
00:30:25.19\00:30:28.96
who you delivered up
00:30:28.96\00:30:30.03
and denied in the
presence of Pilate,
00:30:30.03\00:30:31.99
when he was
determined to let Him go."
00:30:31.99\00:30:33.86
Remember, some of the mob said,
00:30:33.86\00:30:38.17
"Crucify Him and
give us Barabbas.
00:30:38.17\00:30:41.14
"But you denied the
Holy One and the just,
00:30:41.14\00:30:43.34
and you ask for a
murderer to be granted you,
00:30:43.34\00:30:46.34
and you killed
the Prince of life,
00:30:46.34\00:30:48.91
who God raised from the
dead, of which we are witnesses.
00:30:48.91\00:30:53.21
And His name,
through faith in His name,
00:30:53.21\00:30:57.12
has made this man
strong, who you see and know."
00:30:57.12\00:31:02.09
Now has Jesus' name changed?
00:31:02.09\00:31:06.93
Has faith in His name changed?
00:31:06.93\00:31:10.67
Can God still do miracles
through faith in His name?
00:31:10.67\00:31:13.94
Yes.
00:31:13.94\00:31:15.44
"Yes, the faith
that comes through Him
00:31:15.44\00:31:17.47
has given him
this perfect soundness
00:31:17.47\00:31:19.64
in the presence of you all.
00:31:19.64\00:31:21.94
Yet now, brethren, I know
that you did it in ignorance,"
00:31:21.94\00:31:24.58
he's now trying to soften
the conviction a little bit,
00:31:24.58\00:31:29.32
"As did also your rulers.
00:31:29.32\00:31:31.52
But those things
which God foretold
00:31:31.52\00:31:33.39
by the mouth of His prophets,
that Christ would suffer,
00:31:33.39\00:31:36.32
He has thus fulfilled."
00:31:36.32\00:31:37.99
Remember, all the
prophets foretold this.
00:31:37.99\00:31:40.83
Then he says what
he says in Acts 2,
00:31:40.83\00:31:42.93
"Repent
therefore and be converted,
00:31:42.93\00:31:46.57
that your sins
may be blotted out."
00:31:46.57\00:31:48.37
What were the first words
that John the Baptist spoke?
00:31:48.37\00:31:51.94
Repent.
00:31:51.94\00:31:53.14
When Jesus began preaching,
00:31:53.14\00:31:54.44
what was the
first thing He said?
00:31:54.44\00:31:56.54
Repent for the
kingdom of heaven...
00:31:56.54\00:31:58.05
Same thing as John.
00:31:58.05\00:31:59.35
And now what is
Peter saying, "Repent."
00:31:59.35\00:32:01.25
What is repentance?
00:32:01.25\00:32:02.98
A sorrow for sin,
and he said be converted,
00:32:02.98\00:32:06.29
turned around, a reformation,
00:32:06.29\00:32:09.76
"That your sins
may be blotted out,
00:32:09.76\00:32:11.66
so the times of
refreshing may come
00:32:11.66\00:32:13.83
from the presence of the Lord,
00:32:13.83\00:32:15.50
and He may send Jesus Christ,
00:32:15.50\00:32:17.73
who has preached to you before."
00:32:17.73\00:32:18.93
He says Christ
is going to return,
00:32:18.93\00:32:20.50
why this is a great salvation
Adventist sermon all in one.
00:32:20.50\00:32:24.97
"Whom heaven must receive
00:32:24.97\00:32:26.14
until the times of the
restoration of all things."
00:32:26.14\00:32:29.08
Jesus is there, waiting for
the restoration of all things,
00:32:29.08\00:32:31.51
He's going to restore
His people to His image,
00:32:31.51\00:32:34.52
"which God had
spoken by the mouth
00:32:34.52\00:32:36.18
of all His holy
prophet since the world began."
00:32:36.18\00:32:39.32
Anyway, so he then goes,
00:32:39.32\00:32:43.06
he preaches as a great revival
00:32:43.06\00:32:46.06
and now we're going to
go on to the next section,
00:32:46.06\00:32:49.56
you could see.
00:32:49.56\00:32:50.73
By the way, someone was
going to read to me Psalm 100:4.
00:32:50.73\00:32:55.64
You got it, go ahead, Katrina,
if they're ready for you.
00:32:55.64\00:32:58.11
I want you to go
ahead and read that.
00:32:58.11\00:32:59.91
"Into His gates
with thanksgiving,
00:32:59.91\00:33:02.34
and into His courts with praise.
00:33:02.34\00:33:04.41
Be thankful to Him,
and bless His name."
00:33:04.41\00:33:06.85
After that lame man was healed,
how did he enter the temple?
00:33:06.85\00:33:11.39
With thanksgiving and praise.
00:33:11.39\00:33:12.79
Why do we enter God's house
with thanksgiving and praise?
00:33:12.79\00:33:16.76
Does God heal our walk?
00:33:16.76\00:33:18.29
Yes.
00:33:18.29\00:33:19.43
Yeah, we were all like
those cripples and He heals us.
00:33:19.43\00:33:23.80
And so be thankful to
Him and bless His name.
00:33:23.80\00:33:26.07
So we should come together
00:33:26.07\00:33:27.14
when we worship
God to thank Him.
00:33:27.14\00:33:29.84
You know, in Acts 1,
the Holy Spirit is promised,
00:33:29.84\00:33:33.44
in Acts 2, the Holy
Spirit is poured out,
00:33:33.44\00:33:36.85
and now we just see in Acts
3, the Holy Spirit is practiced.
00:33:36.85\00:33:41.18
You see the miracles
are beginning to happen.
00:33:41.18\00:33:44.55
All right, now in Acts 4,
there is a rise of opposition
00:33:44.55\00:33:48.46
because when
God begins the work,
00:33:48.46\00:33:50.26
the devil doesn't stand still.
00:33:50.26\00:33:52.06
The Bible says,
00:33:52.06\00:33:53.16
"All that live
godly in Christ Jesus
00:33:53.16\00:33:56.50
will suffer persecution."
00:33:56.50\00:33:58.10
All right, let's go to Acts 4:1.
00:33:58.10\00:33:59.70
I'll read verse 1 through 4.
00:33:59.70\00:34:02.97
"Now as they spoke to
the people in the temple,
00:34:02.97\00:34:05.64
the priests, and the
captain of the temple,
00:34:05.64\00:34:07.24
and the
Sadducees came upon them,
00:34:07.24\00:34:08.84
being greatly disturbed
that they taught the people
00:34:08.84\00:34:12.51
and they preached in Jesus
the resurrection and the dead."
00:34:12.51\00:34:16.35
Now why are the Sadducees
especially upset about this?
00:34:16.35\00:34:22.32
How are the Sadducees
different from Pharisees?
00:34:22.32\00:34:25.96
Sadducees don't
believe in the resurrection.
00:34:25.96\00:34:28.23
Now the high priest Caiaphas,
00:34:28.23\00:34:30.30
was he a Pharisee or a Sadducee?
00:34:30.30\00:34:33.40
He's a Sadducee.
00:34:33.40\00:34:34.87
And that's why
they were sad, you see?
00:34:34.87\00:34:36.67
And the
Pharisees were legalistic,
00:34:40.04\00:34:41.54
and they weren't
very fair, you see.
00:34:41.54\00:34:44.41
I know. Connie, but
it helps you remember.
00:34:44.41\00:34:46.35
Anyway, and so they came...
00:34:46.35\00:34:49.52
They came upon them,
and they're especially upset
00:34:49.52\00:34:51.55
because they're in the temple
00:34:51.55\00:34:54.39
preaching the very
thing they don't believe.
00:34:54.39\00:34:58.86
That's like,
00:34:58.86\00:35:00.40
if you were to
go to a Kingdom Hall
00:35:00.40\00:35:02.70
Jehovah Witness church,
00:35:02.70\00:35:03.73
and you stand up
and you start preaching
00:35:03.73\00:35:05.17
about the benefit
of blood transfusions.
00:35:05.17\00:35:07.64
That wouldn't be well received.
00:35:07.64\00:35:09.94
You know what I'm saying?
00:35:09.94\00:35:11.14
And so Peter's right there,
00:35:11.14\00:35:14.01
not only saying that
the high priest killed Jesus
00:35:14.01\00:35:17.68
but that He rose from the dead.
00:35:17.68\00:35:18.91
So it's like a
double whammy for them.
00:35:18.91\00:35:21.75
And so they are...
00:35:21.75\00:35:23.22
To say greatly disturbed
is not an overstatement.
00:35:23.22\00:35:27.16
That they taught the people
00:35:27.16\00:35:28.36
and they preach the
resurrection from the dead.
00:35:28.36\00:35:30.19
You know what's really sad?
00:35:30.19\00:35:31.83
Here you get the
religious leaders
00:35:31.83\00:35:33.06
greatly disturbed
00:35:33.06\00:35:34.76
that spiritual people
00:35:34.76\00:35:36.26
are preaching the
truth in the church.
00:35:36.26\00:35:37.80
Could that still happen?
00:35:40.34\00:35:43.77
Happened before,
they were God's people,
00:35:43.77\00:35:45.67
it happened back then.
00:35:45.67\00:35:47.34
"And so they laid hands on them,
00:35:47.34\00:35:50.65
and they put them in
custody until the next day,
00:35:50.65\00:35:52.55
for it was already evening,"
too late to call an assembly,
00:35:52.55\00:35:55.82
that didn't stop them
with Jesus though did,
00:35:55.82\00:35:57.35
they call the special
evening meeting for Christ.
00:35:57.35\00:36:01.19
"However, many of
those who heard the word
00:36:01.19\00:36:02.96
and believed,
00:36:02.96\00:36:04.19
and the number of the
men came to about 5,000."
00:36:04.19\00:36:08.16
And so there are a lot.
00:36:08.16\00:36:09.46
And you later read,
00:36:09.46\00:36:10.53
many of the
priests believed as well.
00:36:10.53\00:36:14.37
So they get them
together the next day,
00:36:14.37\00:36:17.67
and they set them in the midst.
00:36:17.67\00:36:18.71
I'm in verse 7.
00:36:18.71\00:36:22.61
"And they asked, 'By what power
00:36:22.61\00:36:25.01
or what name
have you done this?'"
00:36:25.01\00:36:27.32
In the name of who?
00:36:27.32\00:36:28.75
What authority?
00:36:28.75\00:36:30.19
"Peter filled
with the Holy Spirit,
00:36:30.19\00:36:32.75
pulled out his notes."
00:36:32.75\00:36:35.29
Did Peter have any notes?
00:36:35.29\00:36:37.09
Did Jesus say, "You don't
need to worry about what to say,
00:36:37.09\00:36:39.76
the Holy Spirit will tell
you what to say in that hour"?
00:36:39.76\00:36:41.83
Yes.
00:36:41.83\00:36:43.73
"But Peter filled
with the Holy Spirit,
00:36:43.73\00:36:45.47
he said to them,
"The rulers of the people
00:36:45.47\00:36:47.07
and the Elders of Israel.
00:36:47.07\00:36:48.87
If this day we are
judged for the good deed
00:36:48.87\00:36:51.51
done to the helpless man,
00:36:51.51\00:36:53.31
and by what means
he's been made well."
00:36:53.31\00:36:55.04
At first Peter says,
00:36:55.04\00:36:56.88
"Did you arrest us
because we healed a man?
00:36:56.88\00:37:00.05
You arrest us because we
helped a crippled man walk?
00:37:00.05\00:37:04.35
And we did a good
thing so you put us in jail."
00:37:04.35\00:37:07.39
He said, "Is
this why we're here?
00:37:07.39\00:37:08.66
I just want to make it clear."
00:37:08.66\00:37:10.29
He's started
feeling, "Well, sorry,
00:37:10.29\00:37:12.33
we arrested you for
healing without a license."
00:37:12.33\00:37:15.30
"Let it be known to you all,
00:37:20.24\00:37:22.64
and to all the people in Israel,
00:37:22.64\00:37:24.64
that by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
00:37:24.64\00:37:27.44
who you crucified,"
He's telling Caiaphas
00:37:27.44\00:37:30.28
and the high
priest in the Sanhedrin.
00:37:30.28\00:37:32.48
"Who God raise from the
dead," oh, that hurts them,
00:37:32.48\00:37:36.45
"by him this man
stands here before you whole.
00:37:36.45\00:37:39.32
He's right here
in your presence,
00:37:39.32\00:37:40.39
don't argue with the facts.
00:37:40.39\00:37:42.39
All of Jerusalem
knows he was at the gate
00:37:42.39\00:37:44.19
begging that he's
been miraculously healed.
00:37:44.19\00:37:46.33
It was done in the middle
of the day in the ninth hour.
00:37:46.33\00:37:50.37
And then he goes on and says,
00:37:50.37\00:37:51.47
"This is the stone which
was rejected by you builders,
00:37:51.47\00:37:55.37
which has become
the chief cornerstone."
00:37:55.37\00:37:57.21
The job of the
priest was supposed to help
00:37:57.21\00:37:58.41
build up the temple of God.
00:37:58.41\00:38:00.24
And they
rejected the cornerstone,
00:38:00.24\00:38:02.08
the foundation
stone for the temple.
00:38:02.08\00:38:05.51
And he goes on to say,
00:38:05.51\00:38:07.52
"Nor is there
salvation in any other,"
00:38:07.52\00:38:10.15
this is a famous verse,
"for there is no other name
00:38:10.15\00:38:13.32
under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved."
00:38:13.32\00:38:18.16
I remember hearing
a story about a man
00:38:18.16\00:38:20.36
who had been raised a Christian
00:38:20.36\00:38:22.30
and lived in New York
City, and he got involved,
00:38:22.30\00:38:25.53
he went to school,
and studied business,
00:38:25.53\00:38:27.44
and started, you
know, as young people
00:38:27.44\00:38:28.90
often do they go to college,
00:38:28.90\00:38:30.04
they become
preoccupied with their career,
00:38:30.04\00:38:31.94
and their new friends, and
he drifted from the church,
00:38:31.94\00:38:34.74
he became a
successful businessman,
00:38:34.74\00:38:36.24
but he just knew
his life was empty.
00:38:36.24\00:38:38.48
He knew he could die
any time, and he was lost.
00:38:38.48\00:38:40.78
And what profit is it
if you gain everything
00:38:40.78\00:38:42.18
and you lose your soul.
00:38:42.18\00:38:43.25
So while he's
thinking about these things,
00:38:43.25\00:38:44.85
he's walking
home from work one day
00:38:44.85\00:38:47.72
and on a busy intersection,
00:38:47.72\00:38:49.96
there was a blind man
standing on a soap box,
00:38:49.96\00:38:53.13
he was a street preacher.
00:38:53.13\00:38:55.23
And he was reading
from a Braille Bible.
00:38:55.23\00:38:58.40
So this blind street preacher,
he's standing on a soap box,
00:38:58.40\00:39:01.77
and he's reading
from a Braille Bible.
00:39:01.77\00:39:04.74
And he's reading
this verse that says,
00:39:04.74\00:39:08.91
"Neither is there any
other name under heaven..."
00:39:08.91\00:39:13.55
And he lost his
place on his Braille Bible,
00:39:13.55\00:39:15.35
and so he's
feeling around on the Bible
00:39:15.35\00:39:17.49
to see if he
could re-find the place,
00:39:17.49\00:39:19.09
but he didn't
want to lose his crowd,
00:39:19.09\00:39:20.76
so he said,
"There is no other name,
00:39:20.76\00:39:22.62
there is no other name,
00:39:22.62\00:39:24.09
there is no
other name under heaven
00:39:24.09\00:39:26.76
whereby you must be saved."
00:39:26.76\00:39:28.50
And because he
said it several times,
00:39:28.50\00:39:30.77
the man was waiting
for the light to change,
00:39:30.77\00:39:32.03
he heard the preacher,
00:39:32.03\00:39:33.10
and he couldn't
get it out of his mind.
00:39:33.10\00:39:34.47
There is no other
name, there is no other name,
00:39:34.47\00:39:36.27
there is no other name.
00:39:36.27\00:39:37.71
He went home and opened
up his Bible started reading,
00:39:37.71\00:39:39.91
he was converted,
he came back to Lord,
00:39:39.91\00:39:41.34
he told that story.
00:39:41.34\00:39:42.91
How that verse just hearing...
00:39:42.91\00:39:46.61
He went back to thank
the blind street preacher,
00:39:46.61\00:39:48.48
he never saw him again.
00:39:48.48\00:39:50.39
'Cause but, so
sometimes we think,
00:39:50.39\00:39:52.12
"Oh, nobody's listening,
nothing is happening."
00:39:52.12\00:39:54.62
You don't know in
the power of your words.
00:39:54.62\00:39:57.26
All right, now you
can read your verse.
00:39:57.26\00:39:59.56
"Now when they saw the
boldness of Peter and John,
00:39:59.56\00:40:03.57
and perceived that they were
uneducated and untrained men,
00:40:03.57\00:40:08.44
they marveled.
00:40:08.44\00:40:09.94
And they realized that
they had been with Jesus."
00:40:09.94\00:40:15.71
You know, you
think about the audacity,
00:40:15.71\00:40:18.31
Peter before
when a girl asked him,
00:40:18.31\00:40:21.42
"Aren't you one
of Jesus' followers?"
00:40:21.42\00:40:23.05
He denied Jesus three times
00:40:23.05\00:40:26.15
and these were
servants that were asking him.
00:40:26.15\00:40:28.56
And he was scared,
and he denied Jesus.
00:40:28.56\00:40:32.06
But after he
repented for his denial,
00:40:32.06\00:40:35.36
and God gave him
another chance, he said,
00:40:35.36\00:40:36.97
"Okay, now are you
going to get scared?
00:40:36.97\00:40:39.37
Here you are in front
of the Supreme Court,"
00:40:39.37\00:40:41.27
the highest ruling body,
00:40:41.27\00:40:43.37
all of the most prestigious
people in the land of Israel,
00:40:43.37\00:40:47.11
in all their pomp and splendor,
00:40:47.11\00:40:48.54
and Peter is there,
and he now is fearless.
00:40:48.54\00:40:51.51
He is Spirit filled,
00:40:51.51\00:40:52.58
and he has
boldness, he has courage,
00:40:52.58\00:40:55.55
he has audacity,
and he points to them,
00:40:55.55\00:40:57.39
he said, "You did it."
00:40:57.39\00:41:00.29
And what did they say,
00:41:00.29\00:41:01.49
when they saw the
boldness of Peter?
00:41:01.49\00:41:04.33
Whose boldness
did it remind them of?
00:41:04.33\00:41:07.83
They saw his eloquence,
and the power of his words,
00:41:07.83\00:41:13.00
they said, "He's a
fisherman by his dress,
00:41:13.00\00:41:16.77
but we can tell by
the way his acting,
00:41:16.77\00:41:18.31
he's been with Jesus."
00:41:18.31\00:41:19.87
How many of you would
like to be accused of that?
00:41:19.87\00:41:22.38
That you spend time
every day with Jesus,
00:41:22.38\00:41:23.98
and you start acting like Jesus.
00:41:23.98\00:41:26.18
That's what happened.
00:41:26.18\00:41:27.75
And so as a result of that,
they said, "What do we do?"
00:41:27.75\00:41:32.09
They said, "We can see
indeed a notable miracle
00:41:32.09\00:41:34.76
has been done through them,
00:41:34.76\00:41:35.79
it's evident to all
who are in Jerusalem,
00:41:35.79\00:41:37.46
we can't deny it.
00:41:37.46\00:41:39.09
But we don't want
to spread anymore,
00:41:39.09\00:41:40.73
so let's just
severely threaten them,
00:41:40.73\00:41:43.57
that from now on
they speak no more
00:41:43.57\00:41:46.10
to any man in this name."
00:41:46.10\00:41:47.74
They won't even say Jesus name.
00:41:47.74\00:41:49.14
"Don't speak about
this name any more."
00:41:49.14\00:41:50.84
Because it
bothered their conscience,
00:41:50.84\00:41:52.17
they crucified Him.
00:41:52.17\00:41:54.01
"So they called them back in,"
00:41:54.01\00:41:55.58
they said, "Do not speak
nor teach in the name of Jesus.
00:41:55.58\00:42:00.25
But Peter and John
answered and said to them,
00:42:00.25\00:42:02.28
"Whether it's
right in the sight of God
00:42:02.28\00:42:03.99
to listen to you
more than God, you judge."
00:42:03.99\00:42:09.32
He said, "For we cannot speak
00:42:09.32\00:42:11.36
but the things that
we have seen and heard."
00:42:11.36\00:42:14.20
They're not going to
hide their experience.
00:42:14.20\00:42:16.60
"So when they
further threatened them,"
00:42:16.60\00:42:18.43
they said, "Didn't you hear us?"
00:42:18.43\00:42:20.57
"We got to let them go,
00:42:20.57\00:42:23.07
finding no way of punishing them
00:42:23.07\00:42:24.67
because of the people,
00:42:24.67\00:42:25.77
since they all glorified
God for what had been done.
00:42:25.77\00:42:28.48
For the man was
over 40 years old over
00:42:28.48\00:42:30.85
on who this miracle of
healing had been performed.
00:42:30.85\00:42:33.68
And being let go, they
went to their own companions
00:42:33.68\00:42:36.55
and reported that all
the chief priests and elders
00:42:36.55\00:42:38.99
had said to them.
00:42:38.99\00:42:40.09
When they heard this,
they raise their voice to God
00:42:40.09\00:42:42.32
with one accord
said, 'Lord, You are God,
00:42:42.32\00:42:44.63
who made heaven,
and earth, and sea,
00:42:44.63\00:42:45.96
and all that is in it by
the mouth of Your servant.'
00:42:45.96\00:42:48.93
Why did the nations rage,
00:42:48.93\00:42:50.37
and the people plot vain thing."
00:42:50.37\00:42:51.67
Now they are quoting,
00:42:51.67\00:42:52.77
they know their Bibles
are quoting back from Psalm 2.
00:42:52.77\00:42:56.00
And I want you to
notice, go to verse 29.
00:42:56.00\00:42:58.74
"Now, Lord, look
on their threats,
00:42:58.74\00:43:00.74
and grant to Your
servants that with all boldness,
00:43:00.74\00:43:04.11
we might speak Your word."
00:43:04.11\00:43:06.72
So did they stop
going to the temple?
00:43:06.72\00:43:09.88
No.
00:43:09.88\00:43:10.92
It says the Holy
Spirit was poured out.
00:43:10.92\00:43:12.25
And you look in verse 31,
00:43:12.25\00:43:14.29
"They were filled
with the Holy Spirit,
00:43:14.29\00:43:15.62
and they spoke the
Word of God with boldness."
00:43:15.62\00:43:19.56
And they continued to go
00:43:19.56\00:43:23.16
to the temple and
teach and to preach.
00:43:23.16\00:43:25.10
All right, and
then we get into a...
00:43:25.10\00:43:28.44
So you see
opposition began to increase.
00:43:28.44\00:43:33.04
Now you go to a
little sad story,
00:43:33.04\00:43:37.61
but it's a warning
Ananias and Sapphira.
00:43:37.61\00:43:40.75
Go to chapter 5.
00:43:40.75\00:43:41.92
"But a certain
man named Ananias,
00:43:46.49\00:43:48.46
with Sapphira his
wife, sold a possession.
00:43:48.46\00:43:52.23
And he kept back
part of the proceeds,
00:43:52.23\00:43:54.46
his wife also being
privy or aware of it,
00:43:54.46\00:43:57.20
and they brought a certain part
00:43:57.20\00:43:59.03
and laid it at
the apostles' feet."
00:43:59.03\00:44:00.54
Now you notice that it
says in the prior verse.
00:44:00.54\00:44:03.34
We go to verse 34, Acts 4:34.
00:44:03.34\00:44:07.51
"Nor was there among them
00:44:07.51\00:44:08.91
anyone who lacked for all
who were possessors of lands
00:44:08.91\00:44:11.78
and houses sold them,
00:44:11.78\00:44:13.48
and brought the
proceeds of the things
00:44:13.48\00:44:15.18
that were sold and laid
them at the apostles' feet,
00:44:15.18\00:44:17.99
and they distributed to
everyone as any had need."
00:44:17.99\00:44:23.12
They were liquidating,
00:44:23.12\00:44:25.93
they were investing not only
00:44:25.93\00:44:27.30
in taking care of
the poor in their group
00:44:27.30\00:44:29.60
but in subsidizing the
spreading of the gospel.
00:44:29.60\00:44:32.60
Will we see that
spirit again in the last days?
00:44:32.60\00:44:34.94
Yes.
00:44:34.94\00:44:36.44
How many of you are hoping
that you'll be willing to do
00:44:36.44\00:44:38.61
something like that
when the time comes?
00:44:38.61\00:44:42.34
How are you going to
know when the time comes?
00:44:42.34\00:44:46.75
Maybe the time has come.
00:44:46.75\00:44:47.92
Do you know that
there will be a day
00:44:54.49\00:44:57.09
when our money
will be worthless?
00:44:57.09\00:44:59.96
And we're going to wish that,
00:44:59.96\00:45:02.80
"Oh, Lord, we're
going to cast our money
00:45:02.80\00:45:05.53
to the rats, and
the bats, and the moles
00:45:05.53\00:45:07.07
and think it's too late now,
00:45:07.07\00:45:09.30
my money is worthless now."
00:45:09.30\00:45:11.94
Someone said, "What's
the best day to repent?"
00:45:11.94\00:45:16.21
And the rabbi said,
"The last day of your life."
00:45:16.21\00:45:18.65
He said, "But what if I don't
know what the last day is?"
00:45:18.65\00:45:20.75
He said, "Exactly."
00:45:20.75\00:45:24.15
All right, back to our story.
00:45:24.15\00:45:26.59
So what Ananias
and Sapphira do is,
00:45:26.59\00:45:28.52
they said, "Let's sell a piece
of property and let's donate
00:45:28.52\00:45:31.16
but let's not donate it at all,
00:45:31.16\00:45:32.79
but we'll say
we're donating it all."
00:45:32.79\00:45:34.46
Now if they had gone
to the apostles and say,
00:45:34.46\00:45:36.13
"We sold and we're
giving 50%, we're keeping 50%."
00:45:36.13\00:45:38.97
They would have said, "Fine."
00:45:38.97\00:45:40.64
But what they did
is they made pretend,
00:45:40.64\00:45:43.87
"We are putting
it all on the altar."
00:45:43.87\00:45:47.14
But they said,
"Let's not put it all
00:45:47.14\00:45:48.24
and let's keep something back."
00:45:48.24\00:45:49.94
So it's hypocritical,
it's exactly what it is.
00:45:49.94\00:45:53.78
They're pretending to
make a complete sacrifice
00:45:53.78\00:45:56.05
when it is not complete,
00:45:56.05\00:45:57.39
that was what was
specially offensive to God.
00:45:57.39\00:46:00.49
Is they're trying
to fame themselves
00:46:00.49\00:46:02.52
to be more spiritual.
00:46:02.52\00:46:04.56
God's Spirit
had been poured out,
00:46:04.56\00:46:06.80
there was an
authenticity in the church,
00:46:06.80\00:46:08.83
there was a sincerity,
there was an honestness.
00:46:08.83\00:46:11.53
Now the first
ugly head of hypocrisy
00:46:11.53\00:46:16.44
begins to raise itself
in the spirit-filled church,
00:46:16.44\00:46:19.21
God had to deal with
it in a very dramatic way.
00:46:19.21\00:46:22.98
So that's what's happening.
00:46:22.98\00:46:25.15
So they come, and they
laid at the disciples feet,
00:46:25.15\00:46:26.92
and Peter says, the Holy Spirit
told Peter what was going on.
00:46:26.92\00:46:29.82
Ananias, why has
Satan filled your heart
00:46:29.82\00:46:32.72
to lie to the Holy Spirit
00:46:32.72\00:46:34.56
and keep back part of the
price of the land for yourself?
00:46:34.56\00:46:37.59
While it remained,
was it not your own?
00:46:37.59\00:46:39.53
We didn't tell you to do it.
00:46:39.53\00:46:40.76
And after it was sold, was
it not in your own control?
00:46:40.76\00:46:43.47
You didn't have to
claim to give a 100%,
00:46:43.47\00:46:45.67
just give, have
whatever you want.
00:46:45.67\00:46:47.64
Why do you conceive
this thing in your heart?
00:46:47.64\00:46:49.94
You have not lied
to men but to God."
00:46:49.94\00:46:52.74
Now who did he say he lied to?
00:46:52.74\00:46:54.08
The Holy Spirit.
00:46:54.08\00:46:55.54
And then he said,
"You lied to God."
00:46:55.54\00:46:56.98
Is the Holy Spirit God?
00:46:56.98\00:46:58.11
Yes. God the Spirit.
00:46:58.11\00:46:59.61
Yes.
00:46:59.61\00:47:01.35
"Then Ananias,
hearing these words,
00:47:01.35\00:47:03.85
fell down and
breathed his last."
00:47:03.85\00:47:07.22
He dropped dead.
00:47:07.22\00:47:09.16
"So great fear came upon all
those who heard these things."
00:47:09.16\00:47:12.96
Does God sometimes
allow us severe judgment
00:47:12.96\00:47:15.13
that others may fear?
00:47:15.13\00:47:16.93
Doesn't Peter, I'm
sorry, doesn't Paul tell Timothy
00:47:16.93\00:47:19.67
to rebuke people
who are sinning openly
00:47:19.67\00:47:22.24
that others may fear?
00:47:22.24\00:47:23.94
I think there's a
good time for people
00:47:23.94\00:47:25.57
to be disciplined that
others may fear, right?
00:47:25.57\00:47:29.11
What happens in a society
where you protect the criminals
00:47:29.11\00:47:32.41
and you prosecute the victims?
00:47:32.41\00:47:34.28
Criminals are emboldened.
00:47:34.28\00:47:35.38
Therefore, they become fearless.
00:47:35.38\00:47:37.59
But if you want the
criminals to be afraid,
00:47:37.59\00:47:39.52
you've got to punish them.
00:47:39.52\00:47:41.26
Isn't that right?
00:47:41.26\00:47:42.39
Cultures don't do well
00:47:42.39\00:47:43.66
when all the rights
go to the criminals,
00:47:43.66\00:47:46.83
and the victims have no rights.
00:47:46.83\00:47:49.80
All right.
00:47:49.80\00:47:52.40
And so Ananias hearing
these things, he drops dead.
00:47:52.40\00:47:54.84
"The young man wrapped him up,
took him out, and buried him."
00:47:54.84\00:48:00.54
"Now about three hours later
00:48:00.54\00:48:01.94
when his wife
came, not knowing."
00:48:01.94\00:48:03.61
He had not texted her
00:48:03.61\00:48:05.25
because they
hadn't invented that yet.
00:48:05.25\00:48:08.38
She didn't know
what had happened.
00:48:08.38\00:48:11.09
And Peter, she comes,
00:48:11.09\00:48:12.89
and she's kind of looking around
00:48:12.89\00:48:13.96
wondering where Ananias is.
00:48:13.96\00:48:16.49
And Peter
answered her and said that,
00:48:16.49\00:48:18.16
"Tell me whether you
sold the land for so much?"
00:48:18.16\00:48:21.86
And she perpetuates the lie,
00:48:21.86\00:48:24.57
she said, "Yeah,
that's what we sold it for."
00:48:24.57\00:48:27.44
"Peter said to her, 'How is
it that you've agreed together
00:48:27.44\00:48:30.51
to test the Spirit of the Lord?
00:48:30.51\00:48:32.24
Look, the feet of those
who have buried your husband
00:48:32.24\00:48:35.04
are outside the door,
they will now carry you out.'
00:48:35.04\00:48:38.61
And immediately she
fell down at his feet
00:48:38.61\00:48:41.32
and breathed her last.
00:48:41.32\00:48:43.08
And the young man came
in and found her dead,"
00:48:43.08\00:48:45.49
Now if you were
those young deacons,
00:48:45.49\00:48:48.22
would you ever forget that?
00:48:48.22\00:48:50.03
Would you ever lie
about your tithe and offerings
00:48:50.03\00:48:54.46
after that?
00:48:54.46\00:48:58.77
Do we?
00:48:58.77\00:49:00.37
Are we honest?
00:49:00.37\00:49:02.97
Do we blow the
trumpet like the Pharisees
00:49:02.97\00:49:04.84
when we make an offering
and want everybody to know?
00:49:04.84\00:49:08.38
Or do we not let
our left hand know
00:49:08.38\00:49:09.88
what our right hand is doing?
00:49:09.88\00:49:13.85
She died, and they
took her out and buried her,
00:49:13.85\00:49:15.32
so great fear came upon
the church after these things.
00:49:15.32\00:49:18.65
Now how many of you would agree
that was a severe judgment?
00:49:18.65\00:49:24.76
Is it a time when
God needs to be severe?
00:49:24.76\00:49:28.06
Does God have a high...
00:49:28.06\00:49:29.80
When God's Spirit is
moving in a dramatic way,
00:49:29.80\00:49:32.50
and God's people see
the evidence of God's power
00:49:32.50\00:49:35.34
right in front of them,
00:49:35.34\00:49:36.47
to sin in the face
of the power of God
00:49:36.47\00:49:40.08
is especially more wicked.
00:49:40.08\00:49:44.71
Why did God strike
with fire from heaven
00:49:44.71\00:49:49.92
the sons of
Aaron, Nadab and Abihu?
00:49:49.92\00:49:56.29
They right there
could see the fire of God.
00:49:56.29\00:50:00.20
They could see the
power of God on the mountain,
00:50:00.20\00:50:02.50
they were in
the presence of God,
00:50:02.50\00:50:03.93
they were being fed with manna
00:50:03.93\00:50:05.20
that fell from heaven every day,
00:50:05.20\00:50:06.57
the coil would come in,
00:50:06.57\00:50:07.74
they had just saw the
evidence of God's power,
00:50:07.74\00:50:09.80
and in spite of that God said,
00:50:09.80\00:50:11.71
"Do not drink when you
come to the temple of Lord
00:50:11.71\00:50:13.71
and only use holy fire."
00:50:13.71\00:50:15.34
They got drunk, and they
took fire from their camp fire
00:50:15.34\00:50:18.08
instead of the
fire from the altar,
00:50:18.08\00:50:20.08
and God said, "They are
not respecting sacred things."
00:50:20.08\00:50:22.78
So God needed to do something
severe to make an example.
00:50:22.78\00:50:27.39
And it is now, you know,
been an example for history.
00:50:27.39\00:50:31.29
So sometimes God is especially
serious at times like that.
00:50:31.29\00:50:34.83
All right, last section
here, I just got a few minutes.
00:50:34.83\00:50:37.73
It tells us that,
there is a second arrest.
00:50:37.73\00:50:40.20
So you go to Acts 5:12.
00:50:40.20\00:50:44.01
And it tells us that,
again, persecution began.
00:50:44.01\00:50:50.38
Verse 17, "Then the
high priest rose up,
00:50:50.38\00:50:52.35
and those who were with
him," because they continued
00:50:52.35\00:50:53.88
to preach from the
sect of the Sadducees,
00:50:53.88\00:50:57.62
"and they were
filled with indignation,
00:50:57.62\00:50:59.75
and they laid
hands on the apostles,
00:50:59.75\00:51:01.52
and they put them
in the common prison.
00:51:01.52\00:51:04.46
But at night the
angel of the Lord
00:51:04.46\00:51:06.76
opened the prison
doors and brought them out,
00:51:06.76\00:51:08.66
and the angel said,
'Run for the hills.'"
00:51:08.66\00:51:11.73
Is that what he said?
00:51:11.73\00:51:14.40
He said, "Go back to the
temple and speak to the people."
00:51:14.40\00:51:18.51
Hadn't they just been arrested
for preaching in the temple?
00:51:18.51\00:51:21.98
And they went
back to the temple,
00:51:21.98\00:51:23.08
then they were arrested again.
00:51:23.08\00:51:26.08
And he said,
"Don't be intimidated,
00:51:26.08\00:51:28.42
go and speak to the
people the words of this life."
00:51:28.42\00:51:31.59
So the angel got
them out of prison.
00:51:31.59\00:51:33.15
Now can you understand
00:51:33.15\00:51:34.22
why Herod had 16
soldiers guarding Peter?
00:51:34.22\00:51:39.06
That's Acts 12
00:51:39.06\00:51:40.16
because the apostles had
already broken out of prison.
00:51:40.16\00:51:44.47
And so he said, "Look,
these guys are slippery,
00:51:44.47\00:51:46.84
so you put them in an
inner most cell and 16 soldiers,
00:51:46.84\00:51:49.87
he's not going
anywhere, and handcuff him.
00:51:49.87\00:51:52.61
See, if he can get out of that.
00:51:52.61\00:51:54.48
Would he, he couldn't do that."
00:51:54.48\00:51:57.25
And so they send the...
00:51:57.25\00:51:58.38
They all get
together early in the morning,
00:51:58.38\00:51:59.78
they said, okay,
let's have an early case.
00:51:59.78\00:52:01.12
They said, "Go,
bring him from the jail,
00:52:01.12\00:52:02.62
let's talk to him."
00:52:02.62\00:52:04.39
"And the officer came,
00:52:04.39\00:52:07.56
they didn't find
them in the prison,
00:52:07.56\00:52:09.09
they returned and
they reported saying,
00:52:09.09\00:52:11.36
'Indeed we found the
prison shut securely,
00:52:11.36\00:52:13.29
and the guard standing
outside before the door
00:52:13.29\00:52:15.66
but when we opened,
we found no one inside!'
00:52:15.66\00:52:19.03
Now when the high priest,
and the captain of the temple,
00:52:19.03\00:52:20.94
and the chief
priests heard these things,
00:52:20.94\00:52:22.27
they wondered what
the outcome would be.
00:52:22.27\00:52:23.94
So one came and said,
00:52:23.94\00:52:25.01
'Look, the men who
you put into prison
00:52:25.01\00:52:27.04
they're
standing in the temple.'"
00:52:27.04\00:52:28.34
Oh, no, me, oh my, not again.
00:52:28.34\00:52:31.21
And they're teaching the people,
00:52:31.21\00:52:33.05
they just keep going back.
00:52:33.05\00:52:35.72
"And the captain
went with the officers
00:52:35.72\00:52:37.55
and brought them
without violence."
00:52:37.55\00:52:39.99
These guys just
broke out of jail.
00:52:39.99\00:52:42.46
"For they feared the people,
lest they should be stoned.
00:52:42.46\00:52:46.56
And when they brought them in,
00:52:46.56\00:52:47.60
they set them
before the council.
00:52:47.60\00:52:49.06
And the high priest asked them,
00:52:49.06\00:52:50.10
saying, 'Did we not
strictly command you
00:52:50.10\00:52:52.30
not to teach in this name?
00:52:52.30\00:52:54.07
And look, you filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine,
00:52:54.07\00:52:57.17
and you intend to bring
this Man's blood on us!'"
00:52:57.17\00:52:59.27
No, that's not actually true
00:52:59.27\00:53:01.64
when Jesus was being crucified
Pilate washed his hands
00:53:01.64\00:53:04.81
and said, "I don't want
the blood of this innocent man,
00:53:04.81\00:53:07.02
and the people cried,
00:53:07.02\00:53:08.48
let His blood be
upon us and our children."
00:53:08.48\00:53:11.55
Isn't that right?
00:53:11.55\00:53:12.62
So it wasn't the
apostles doing it,
00:53:12.62\00:53:14.86
the leaders had
said that themselves.
00:53:14.86\00:53:17.69
"You intend to bring
this Man's blood on us!
00:53:17.69\00:53:20.00
And Peter and the
other apostles answered
00:53:20.00\00:53:21.80
and said, 'We ought to
obey God rather than men.
00:53:21.80\00:53:26.27
The God of our
fathers raised up Jesus
00:53:26.27\00:53:28.67
whom you murdered
by hanging on a tree.
00:53:28.67\00:53:31.77
Him as God
exalted to His right hand
00:53:31.77\00:53:33.98
to be a Prince and a Savior,
00:53:33.98\00:53:35.21
to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins.
00:53:35.21\00:53:38.28
And we are
witnesses of these things,
00:53:38.28\00:53:40.02
and so is the Holy Spirit
00:53:40.02\00:53:41.88
whom God has given to
those that speak in tongues.
00:53:41.88\00:53:44.75
God has given to
those that obey Him.'"
00:53:46.99\00:53:49.46
So who did He give
the Holy Spirit to?
00:53:49.46\00:53:52.79
It's a power, He
doesn't give to those
00:53:52.79\00:53:54.30
that aren't going to surrender.
00:53:54.30\00:53:55.86
"When they heard these
things, they were furious,
00:53:55.86\00:53:59.43
and they plotted to kill them.
00:53:59.43\00:54:01.90
Then one of the council,
a Pharisee named Gamaliel,
00:54:01.90\00:54:04.44
a teacher of the
law held in respect,"
00:54:04.44\00:54:06.34
he had actually taught
Paul when he was a young man.
00:54:06.34\00:54:09.04
"And all the people..."
00:54:09.04\00:54:10.11
Some of Gamaliel's
writings survived to this day.
00:54:10.11\00:54:14.45
"He commanded them
to put the apostles
00:54:14.45\00:54:16.55
outside for a little while.
00:54:16.55\00:54:17.75
He said, "Let excuse
them for just a moment
00:54:17.75\00:54:20.02
and watch them,
keep them outside."
00:54:20.02\00:54:22.19
And he said, "Men of
Israel, take heed to yourself
00:54:22.19\00:54:24.46
on what you intend to
do regarding these men."
00:54:24.46\00:54:26.36
Now Gamaliel was
old enough to know.
00:54:26.36\00:54:30.20
These men had
been doing miracles,
00:54:30.20\00:54:31.97
God could be behind this,
they better be very careful.
00:54:31.97\00:54:35.74
But he was enough
of a politician to know
00:54:35.74\00:54:37.44
he shouldn't anger the Sadducees
00:54:37.44\00:54:38.87
because they had power,
Gamaliel was a Pharisee.
00:54:38.87\00:54:43.75
And he said, "Keep in mind
there was a man named Theudas,"
00:54:43.75\00:54:47.78
I'm in Acts 5:36,
00:54:47.78\00:54:49.92
"he rose up, once
claiming to be somebody.
00:54:49.92\00:54:51.75
A number of
about 400 joined him.
00:54:51.75\00:54:53.59
He was slain,
00:54:53.59\00:54:54.66
and all who obeyed
him were scattered,
00:54:54.66\00:54:56.16
it came to nothing.
00:54:56.16\00:54:57.73
After this man, it
was Judas of Galilee
00:54:57.73\00:54:59.69
in the days of the census,"
00:54:59.69\00:55:00.86
that's back when Jesus was born.
00:55:00.86\00:55:03.03
Remember they, I guess was
how to tax that was a census.
00:55:03.03\00:55:06.37
"He drew away
many people after him.
00:55:06.37\00:55:08.14
He also perished,
00:55:08.14\00:55:09.24
and all who
followed him were dispersed.
00:55:09.24\00:55:11.14
And now I say to you,
keep away from these men,
00:55:11.14\00:55:13.61
let them alone for if
this plan is the work of men,
00:55:13.61\00:55:16.44
it will come to
nothing, but if it's of God,
00:55:16.44\00:55:20.42
you cannot overthrow it,
00:55:20.42\00:55:21.55
lest you even be
found to fight against God."
00:55:21.55\00:55:24.92
Now you can kind of
tell Gamaliel was thinking,
00:55:24.92\00:55:27.96
this could be the work of God.
00:55:27.96\00:55:30.13
He saw the Spirit shining.
00:55:30.13\00:55:31.83
He had spent
years studying the Word,
00:55:31.83\00:55:33.19
he knew some of the prophecies
Peter was talking about.
00:55:33.19\00:55:36.80
I wonder sometimes if
Gamaliel will be in the kingdom.
00:55:36.80\00:55:39.77
"And they agreed with him,
00:55:39.77\00:55:40.97
and when they
called the Apostles."
00:55:40.97\00:55:43.10
In spite of Gamaliel's advice,
00:55:43.10\00:55:44.44
they said, "Let's
at least beat them."
00:55:44.44\00:55:47.44
"They beat them,
and they commanded them
00:55:47.44\00:55:48.98
they should speak no
more in the name of Jesus,
00:55:48.98\00:55:51.25
and they let them go.
00:55:51.25\00:55:52.95
So they departed from
the presence of the council,
00:55:52.95\00:55:55.25
rejoicing that
they were counted worthy
00:55:55.25\00:55:58.35
to suffer shame
for Jesus' name."
00:55:58.35\00:56:00.82
And here you have it
again, "Daily in the temple,
00:56:00.82\00:56:03.53
and in every house, they
did not cease teaching..."
00:56:03.53\00:56:06.59
Did they stop
going to the temple?
00:56:06.59\00:56:08.56
Daily in the temple.
00:56:08.56\00:56:10.67
Did they obey the
command to stop preaching?
00:56:10.67\00:56:13.64
They just went right on back
00:56:13.64\00:56:15.40
their wounds
weren't even healed.
00:56:15.40\00:56:16.84
What did Jesus say we should do
00:56:16.84\00:56:18.07
if we're
persecuted for righteousness?
00:56:18.07\00:56:21.21
Great is your reward in heaven,
00:56:21.21\00:56:22.64
rejoice and be exceedingly glad.
00:56:22.64\00:56:25.38
And if you want an
example in the Bible
00:56:25.38\00:56:26.72
of someone who
rejoiced in persecution,
00:56:26.72\00:56:29.48
here's a time when
the apostles rejoiced
00:56:29.48\00:56:32.19
like Paul and Silas in jail,
00:56:32.19\00:56:33.92
rejoiced that they were
persecuted for Christ sake.
00:56:33.92\00:56:36.86
How many of you like to
pray you could be persecuted?
00:56:36.86\00:56:38.93
No, we don't
look forward to that.
00:56:42.63\00:56:44.37
But that was the
spirit-filled church.
00:56:44.37\00:56:46.80
Amen.
00:56:46.80\00:56:47.87
All right, I want to
just tell our friends,
00:56:47.87\00:56:49.07
we're out of time for, and
we did get through the lesson.
00:56:49.07\00:56:51.41
We're giving away, this
book, Life in the Spirit,
00:56:51.41\00:56:53.54
it will encourage you
00:56:53.54\00:56:54.61
and you just call the
number on your screen.
00:56:54.61\00:56:56.64
Actually, text SH047
00:56:56.64\00:57:01.22
at 40544,
00:57:01.22\00:57:03.92
and you'll get offer number 155.
00:57:03.92\00:57:06.25
And also you can download this
for free then at that location.
00:57:06.25\00:57:08.96
God bless you.
00:57:08.96\00:57:09.92
We'll study His Word
together again next week.
00:57:09.92\00:57:12.96
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00:57:38.55\00:57:42.86
Let's face it,
it's not always easy
00:57:42.86\00:57:45.13
to understand everything
you read in the Bible.
00:57:45.13\00:57:47.76
With over 700,000
words contained in 66 books,
00:57:47.76\00:57:51.47
the Bible can
generate a lot of questions.
00:57:51.47\00:57:54.10
To get biblical
straightforward answers,
00:57:54.10\00:57:56.40
call into Bible Answers Live,
00:57:56.40\00:57:58.21
a live nationwide
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00:57:58.21\00:58:01.04
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00:58:01.04\00:58:03.28
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00:58:03.28\00:58:05.98
For times and
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00:58:05.98\00:58:08.08
or to listen to answers online,
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00:58:08.08\00:58:13.52