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00:34 Good morning, friends,
00:35 and welcome again to Sabbath School Study Hour 00:38 coming to you here from the Granite Bay 00:39 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:40 We'd like to welcome our online members 00:42 and those joining us across the country 00:44 and around the world 00:45 on the various television networks. 00:47 I also like to welcome our members and our visitors 00:49 right here in Granite Bay. 00:51 One of the reasons that we mention 00:52 where we're located in Sacramento, California, 00:55 we've had people contact us 00:57 who've been watching the program for years 00:59 and they had no idea 01:00 that we are right in their neighborhood, 01:01 they wanted to find out where the address is, 01:03 so that they could come and join us 01:04 for Sabbath School Study Hour. 01:06 Well, again, we're glad to see you this morning. 01:08 We've been studying through a new lesson quarterly 01:10 on the Book of Acts. 01:11 It's been a great study, a good start. 01:13 We're actually on lesson number three today. 01:16 Lesson number three is entitled, 01:17 "Life in the Early Church". 01:19 And we're beginning to that in just a few moments. 01:22 Before we do though, we'd like to let our friends 01:24 who are joining us online 01:25 and also watching on the various networks, 01:28 we do have a free offer. 01:29 A book entitled, "Life in the Spirit." 01:32 And we'll be happy to provide this to anybody 01:34 who calls and asks. 01:36 If you'd like to receive the book, 01:37 the number to call is 866-788-3966 01:41 and you can ask for offer number 155. 01:45 If you'd like to download this free offer for free, 01:47 and you can read it on your phone 01:49 or some other electronic device that you have, 01:51 all you'll have to do is text the number 40544 01:56 and you want to put in the code "S-H-0-4-7". 02:02 You'll then get a link and you'll be able to download 02:04 a copy of the book, Life in the Spirit. 02:06 You can read that. 02:07 It's connected somewhat with our lesson today, 02:09 talking about Life in the Early Christian Church. 02:12 It's a very important study. 02:14 Well, before we get to our lesson, 02:15 let's begin by lifting our voices in song. 02:18 I'd like to invite our song leaders 02:19 to come join me on stage. 04:33 Dear Father in heaven, once again we are grateful 04:35 for the opportunity to gather together 04:36 and open up Your Word 04:37 and study this very important lesson 04:39 dealing with the early Christian church, 04:41 recorded for us in the Book of Acts. 04:43 Father, there are so many important lessons 04:45 that we can learn from those first century Christians, 04:49 who were just fully devoted to you 04:51 and committed to the mission 04:52 of taking the gospel to the world. 04:54 So bless our time today, for we ask this in Jesus' name. 04:57 Amen. 04:58 Our lesson this morning 05:00 is going to be brought to us by Pastor Doug. 05:03 Thank you Pastor Ross, 05:05 and our singers, and musicians, and... 05:07 Welcome friends. 05:09 We're getting into the Book of Acts, 05:11 and I'll just tell you our mission today. 05:13 We're going to try and study 05:14 from Acts 2 roughly 46 on through Acts 5. 05:21 In our lesson today, we have a memory verse. 05:22 Lesson title is Life in the Early Church. 05:26 Lesson number three. 05:28 We have a memory verse, it's Acts 2:46-47. 05:33 You ready? 05:35 "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, 05:40 and breaking bread from house to house, 05:43 they ate their food with gladness 05:46 and simplicity of heart, 05:48 praising God and having favor with all the people. 05:51 And the Lord added to the church daily 05:54 those who were being saved." 05:57 Now this is a rare moment. 05:59 Notice what's happening. 06:01 Gladness, praising, favor, 06:06 growth, one accord, 06:09 Lord sent those days again. 06:11 Can you say amen? Amen. 06:13 Look what's happen into the church. 06:15 They're together, they're praising God, 06:19 gladness, not complicated, simplicity, 06:23 and evangelism is working. 06:25 People are being added to the church. 06:27 I wonder if there's a connection. 06:31 God had just poured out the spirit. 06:33 The devil really hadn't regrouped and figured out 06:35 what he was going to do to fight it, 06:37 and the church was just growing, and prospering, 06:40 and so much of what the Lord had planned 06:42 was happening during his time. 06:45 So it says, "They continued weekly." 06:48 Is that what it says? 06:50 Daily. 06:51 How often should we get together? 06:55 Not too many are ready to say, 06:56 "We ought to have church every day, Pastor Doug." 07:00 But I think we ought to do better than once a week 07:03 because if we want to have the experience 07:05 that the early church had, 07:08 you'll find that they were getting together 07:11 on a regular basis for Bible study, 07:14 for prayer, for fellowship, 07:17 it says breaking of bread 07:18 that doesn't always mean just eating, 07:20 neither does it always mean 07:23 they were participating in the Lord's Supper. 07:25 The same phrase is used for just eating. 07:29 You ever heard someone say, 07:30 "We'll get together and break bread." 07:31 I mean, it just talks about a meal, 07:33 but sometimes it meant that 07:35 they were having the Lord's Supper. 07:37 So they were doing all of these things, 07:40 and there was great harmony in the church at that time. 07:44 So you read here in verse 44, I'm just backing up in Acts 2. 07:49 "Now all who believed were together, 07:52 and had all things in common, 07:54 and sold their possessions and goods, 07:57 and divided them among all, as anyone had need." 08:01 So continuing daily with one accord. 08:04 Now I've not heard too many pastors preach on that. 08:08 It sounds like communism. 08:13 Now I know that's a kind of a dirty word 08:14 if you're a red blooded American, 08:16 but having communal living... 08:19 Do you know what the first government 08:21 was in North America? 08:24 So it was, it was communism 08:26 that the pilgrims had a common garden, 08:30 and they had common houses and things, 08:33 and they thought, let's practice 08:35 the New Testament church, 08:36 and we'll just share everything. 08:38 Well, you need the baptism of the Holy Spirit 08:40 to have that attitude, 08:42 and nobody likes working in everybody's garden. 08:48 I like working in my garden. 08:51 Are you that way too? 08:54 And so they found out 08:55 that when they tried to practice that, 08:57 it lasted for about a year and a half, 08:59 and about 30% of them starved to death. 09:03 They didn't do very well. 09:04 You know, one reason that communism failed in Europe 09:07 is because nobody wants to work in everybody's garden. 09:11 There were the government farms, 09:13 and then everybody had their own farm. 09:15 And they put all their energy into their own little gardens 09:17 that they got. 09:19 When Karen and I went to Russia, 09:22 they still had the government farms, 09:24 and then people had their own little private farms 09:26 out in the country. 09:27 They put all their energy into their own. 09:30 So what was going on here, when it says that, 09:34 "All who believed were together, 09:36 and had all things in common, 09:37 and sold their possessions and their goods, 09:39 and divided them among anyone." 09:41 They were just so Spirit filled. 09:43 They were just so filled with love for each other. 09:46 They said, "Look, we're looking to store 09:47 our treasures in heaven." 09:49 And they were really seeking to put into practice 09:52 everything that Jesus had said. 09:57 Christ sent them out, said, "Don't even take two tunics. 10:00 Don't even take two pair of sandals. 10:01 I just want you to hit the road, 10:02 trust in Me and preach the gospel." 10:05 And so they lived a very spartan life. 10:09 Now I'm not saying that should happen now, 10:12 but it's going to happen again before Jesus comes. 10:15 I believe when God pours out His Spirit on the church, 10:18 you're going to see the same spirit of self-sacrifice, 10:22 of love, benevolence, 10:23 of urgency that you see in the early church. 10:28 Amen? Amen. 10:30 I didn't write this, you take it up with the Lord, 10:32 that's what they were doing back then 10:33 when the Holy Spirit was poured out. 10:36 And then I want you to notice, 10:38 it not only says there in verse 46 continuing daily. 10:42 Go to Acts 5. 10:44 I'm just jumping to another chapter now 10:46 just to make this point. 10:49 Acts 5:42, "And daily in the temple..." 10:55 Again, daily Bible study in prayer meeting. 11:00 But they weren't just doing that at home, 11:02 they were getting together daily. 11:04 They were on fire. 11:05 They couldn't imagine going a day without Bible study. 11:09 You know, one of the earmarks is of a congregation growing. 11:14 Frequency and gathering together 11:17 for prayer and Bible study, 11:19 whether it's in a home or church 11:20 doesn't seem to matter, 11:22 but the studies that have been done by groups like Barna, 11:25 when they say, "Why is that church growing 11:27 and that one isn't growing?" 11:29 One of the things they... 11:30 When they melted it all down, one of the things they noticed 11:32 is there were frequency of meetings and fellowship 11:37 where the people were getting together for meals, 11:40 for prayer, for Bible study, and as they did that, 11:44 people all wanted to belong. 11:46 Others would join, there was a passion, 11:48 someone say, "Hey, we're having a study at our house tonight, 11:50 would you like to come, we're having some friends, 11:52 would you like to come in?" 11:53 And it just seemed like 11:54 they were making more and more connections and it grew. 11:57 Was the early church growing? 12:01 How many were baptized after Pentecost? 12:04 Three thousand. 12:05 Now was that the biggest baptism? 12:08 What was the biggest number mentioned for baptisms 12:10 in their early book, in early chapter? 12:13 Five thousand. 12:15 I think that was after the miracle 12:16 of the Beautiful Gate, 12:17 which we're going to get to later. 12:20 People saw the power of God, everybody was interested, 12:23 the disciples could not keep up with all the studies 12:26 that they were giving. 12:28 And ultimately, when you get to Acts 7, they said, 12:30 "Look, we can't be spending our time giving up the food, 12:35 we need some deacons to help us do that 12:36 because there's so many new people 12:38 coming in that need discipleship. 12:40 They need to be taught." 12:42 And so they spent so much time in teaching. 12:44 What did Jesus do when He rose from the dead? 12:47 He appeared for 40 days among the disciples. 12:50 What was the main thing Jesus did for that 40 days 12:53 when He continued to appear after the resurrection? 12:57 Bible study. 12:59 He opened to them the scriptures. 13:01 Every time He met with them, John 21, 13:04 when they were fishing, in the upper room, 13:07 on the road to the Emmaus. 13:09 Every time He met with them, it says, 13:10 He opened to them the scriptures. 13:11 He had to instruct them and help them to understand, 13:15 so they could then, in turn, teach others. 13:18 And so, that's one of the greatest needs. 13:20 I think that's what real discipleship is. 13:22 Jesus said, "Go into all the world and" do what? 13:26 Not just baptize, "make disciples." 13:29 And He says, "Teaching them to do all things 13:33 whatsoever I've commanded you." 13:34 Teaching, teaching the Word of God. 13:37 Preaching and teaching the Word of God 13:38 is what brings evangelism, that's what bring conversions, 13:42 and what I'm saying here is, 13:43 the more the church gets together to do that, 13:45 the healthier the church will be. 13:48 Now here we have our Sabbath School, 13:51 we're glad you're here. 13:52 We have our church service. 13:54 Sometimes we have various 13:55 and sundry afternoon and vesper programs. 13:59 We have our midweek Bible study. 14:02 I think as the day of the Lord approaches, 14:03 we need to get together more. 14:05 I think that we need to have different elders and leaders 14:08 who can open their homes 14:09 and bring people in for Bible study. 14:12 And the more we study together, 14:14 the closer we get, the better we pray for each other. 14:17 You know, in some churches, people just stop coming, 14:19 no one ever checks on them. 14:20 We don't know they're having all kinds of problems. 14:22 When they connect in homes on a weekly basis, 14:25 you become aware of what the needs are, 14:27 and you can minister them 14:29 before they sort of disappear out the back door. 14:32 And so there's a need for daily fellowship. 14:34 I'm making a big deal of it because it's a big deal. 14:37 This need for daily fellowship, I think is really important. 14:40 Now, in a moment someone's going to read Acts 17:11. 14:44 Well, Kadian, you'll have that. 14:45 I want to read Acts 4:34. 14:48 Oh, I did that already. 14:49 Acts 16:5. 14:51 "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, 14:54 and increased in number daily." 14:57 Go ahead and read please Acts 17:11. 14:59 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, 15:03 in that they received the word with all readiness, 15:06 and searched the Scriptures daily 15:08 to find out whether these things were so." 15:11 You've heard the expression of the Berean Christians 15:14 who were more fair minded than those of Thessalonica 15:17 because they said, "Well, let's find out if it's true." 15:20 Instead of just getting mad, said, 15:21 "That's not what we've always believed." 15:24 They said, "Let's study it." 15:25 And they studied, they were noble. 15:28 And how often did they study? 15:30 Daily. 15:31 You notice that there again. 15:33 That church ended up being a place that grew spiritually. 15:35 We need to get together. 15:36 I hope you have a personal daily Bible study, 15:41 but I think something we ought to press for. 15:43 Wouldn't it be great 15:44 if Granite Bay and other churches 15:46 that are watching right now, if people in your church, 15:50 in your community knew they were somewhere 15:52 they could go almost every night of the week 15:53 for a home Bible study. 15:55 Whatever night was convenient, 15:56 there would be a home open for Bible study. 15:58 There might be two or three, there might be a dozen. 16:02 You don't want too big, 16:03 you know, unless you're coming together for, 16:06 in the church itself, but... 16:09 Wouldn't that be great 16:10 if you just kind of had a Bible study dossier? 16:14 That you could put in your bulletin and say, 16:16 "Where is the Bible? 16:17 Where are the Bible studies this week?" 16:18 What would happen to a church that did that? 16:22 Maybe we ought to try it. 16:23 We need volunteers open their homes 16:25 that can help disciple. 16:27 All right, Acts 19. 16:31 Acts 19:9, 16:33 "But when some were hardened and did not believe, 16:36 they spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, 16:39 he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, 16:43 reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus." 16:48 Hebrews 3:13, "But exhort one another daily." 16:53 Jesus said, "Whoever would come after me, lead him daily." 16:57 Lord, give us this day our daily bread. 17:00 The Christian life is a moment by moment, 17:02 day by day experience. 17:04 We need to be feeding together daily 17:06 and as often as possible gather together. 17:09 All right, enough on that. 17:11 Let's go now to Acts 3, 17:13 and this is one of the great stories. 17:15 You may turn in your Bibles 17:16 because I'm probably going to do 17:18 a little spot reading along the way. 17:20 It's hard to just fly over this story 17:23 in Acts 3 in a quick manner. 17:27 "Now Peter and John went up together to the temple 17:30 at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour." 17:33 There were typically three hours of prayer in the temple, 17:36 and it's good to go 17:37 that when the doors were opened for prayer, 17:39 they went there. 17:41 "And a certain man 17:43 lame from his mother's womb was carried, 17:46 who they daily laid at the gate of the temple 17:49 which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of the people 17:52 who entered the temple." 17:54 This man is... 17:55 He's so bad off, it's not that he took crutches, 17:57 they had to carry him. 18:00 Now, there's a lot of people that would never find the Lord 18:03 except somebody brought them to the temple, 18:06 they brought them to church. 18:07 You remember in Mark 2, there's a man who is paralyzed, 18:11 and his friends bring him to the house where Jesus was. 18:15 You may not be a preacher, you may not be an evangelist, 18:17 you may not be a teacher, 18:18 Lord willing, you got a church where the Word is spoken. 18:21 If you can at least get them there. 18:24 And so they said, "Let's bring him to the temple." 18:27 And they just didn't bring him to any temple, 18:29 they brought him to the Beautiful Gate. 18:31 Now, let me read something to you from Josephus, 18:34 the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus. 18:36 He wrote about this. 18:40 And he said, "The temple had nine gates, 18:43 on every side covered with gold and silver." 18:45 This is one of the most beautiful buildings 18:47 in the world at the time. 18:49 "But there was one gate outside the holy house 18:52 made of Corinthian brass 18:54 and greatly excelled those that were only 18:57 covered with gold and Silver. 18:59 The Corinthian gate which opened on the east 19:01 was over against the gate 19:03 of the holy house itself was much larger." 19:07 This is what we believe, this is the gate, 19:08 you know, when Jesus made the triumphal entry. 19:11 There is a gate facing east towards the Mount of Olives. 19:14 He came down the Mount of Olives, 19:16 went up the hill into Jerusalem. 19:17 That gate is now walled in 19:19 as Ezekiel prophesied it would be. 19:21 Just on the other side of that gate 19:22 was also an entrance to the temple. 19:24 And when you go to Jerusalem 19:26 and you see the platform and you see all that, 19:28 it all makes sense. 19:30 Listen what he said, 19:31 "Corinthian gate which opened towards the east, 19:36 over against the gate of the holy house 19:38 itself was much larger. 19:39 Its height was 75 feet, its doors were 55 feet, 19:45 and he said, this was made of bronze 19:46 and covered with gold." 19:48 Engineers today don't even know how you can make hinges 19:51 to open a gate like that, I mean for the technology 19:54 they had back then, that was massive. 19:56 "And it was adorned after in most costly manner, 19:59 having much richer and thicker plates 20:01 of silver and gold upon them than the others." 20:05 So can you understand 20:06 why they called it the beautiful gate? 20:09 Now, what does that beautiful gate represent? 20:14 What beautiful gates are you and I 20:15 hoping to go through someday? 20:18 Pearly Gates, that'll be the most beautiful gates. 20:21 This man is on the outside, 20:23 he can't get on the inside 20:26 except somebody introduces him to Jesus. 20:30 So think about that. 20:34 And you read here, when the man, 20:37 he's there begging. 20:40 You read the back story in the book Desire of Ages. 20:43 This man had come down 20:44 from the northern areas of Israel. 20:47 He had heard about the miracles that Jesus performed, 20:50 and when he gets to Jerusalem, 20:52 you realize now that this all takes place in Acts 3, 20:55 it's not been long since the ascension of Jesus. 20:57 Acts 1, Jesus ascends to heaven. 20:59 Here we're at Acts 3. 21:01 This man had hoped to come. 21:03 And when he came to Jerusalem, 21:04 he found out that Jesus had been executed, 21:07 he was devastated, 21:08 he was hoping to be healed. 21:10 So he was a special case. 21:12 So he said, "Well, best I can do 21:14 is since I've come all this way, 21:16 I'll just beg at the gate." 21:18 And so, his hopes had been dashed 21:21 because Jesus now had been crucified. 21:23 He had heard rumors 21:24 that the followers say He was alive, 21:27 so all that's going on in his mind. 21:30 "Seeing Peter and John about to go in the temple, 21:33 he asked for alms. 21:35 And fixing his eyes on them with John, 21:39 Peter said, 'Look at us.'" 21:41 Now what do you think he thought was going to happen 21:42 when he said, I used to panhandle. 21:45 And if you're asking for spare change 21:47 and someone says, look at me, 21:48 one of two things is going to happen, 21:49 they're going to bawl you out and tell you to get a job 21:52 or they're going to give you something. 21:53 It's usually nothing else 21:56 unless, of course, you're religious. 21:59 And then they want to share the gospel with you. 22:03 "Peter said, 'Look on us!' 22:05 So he gave them his attention." 22:08 You've heard me say before the gospel begins with looking. 22:12 First step in salvation, "The year the King Isaiah died, 22:16 I saw the Lord." 22:19 Paul saw Jesus. 22:21 Thief on the cross saw Jesus lifted up. 22:24 Zacchaeus was too short to climb the tree 22:25 'cause he wanted to see Jesus. 22:29 And you've got a lot of stories in the Bible 22:30 that explain that salvation begins with looking. 22:33 And so he says, "Look on us." 22:36 Wanted to make sure he had their attention, 22:37 a lot of people are coming and going. 22:40 "Fixing his eyes on him, with John, 22:44 Peter said, 'Look at us.' 22:45 So he gave them his attention 22:47 expecting to receive something from them." 22:49 What was he expecting? 22:52 A handout. 22:53 You've heard the expression, 22:55 "Is it better to give a man a fish 22:57 or to teach him to fish?" 23:00 Would it been better for Peter to give him spare change 23:03 or teach him to walk so he could help himself? 23:07 So often our prayers are for the little things. 23:11 We are praying that God will make us comfortable 23:14 in our crippledness and our slavery. 23:17 It's like you've heard me say it before, 23:19 "A man who's in prison, and he says, 23:21 'Lord, can you please give me a softer bed in my prison, 23:25 and can you give me better food in my prison, 23:27 and can I have better light and better ventilation.'" 23:30 And then he's praying for everything 23:32 so he can be more comfortable in this prison, 23:33 and God is saying, why didn't you pray I get you out of jail? 23:37 I mean, that's really what you ought to be praying. 23:40 So this man, he's there begging, 23:42 he's not thinking big enough, is he? 23:45 Hoping to get something from them, 23:47 he's hoping to get the silver and gold. 23:50 Peter said in verse 6, "Silver and gold I don't have, 23:53 just so you don't misunderstand." 23:55 What do you think happened in his heart when he said that, 23:56 "Silver and gold, I don't have"? 23:59 But he didn't let him wait very long to find out. 24:02 "What I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ..." 24:07 He had heard that name before, 24:09 "Of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 24:11 Unless he had any doubts, Peter reached out 24:14 and took him by the right hand and lifted him up. 24:20 And he had faith evidently in that name, 24:23 and immediately, his feet and his ankle bones 24:25 received strength, 24:27 his legs and limbs that had been crippled came to life, 24:30 and he felt his coordination and he stood up, 24:32 and he not only was able to stand and walk, 24:34 after he took a few steps, 24:36 everything came back to him at once, 24:38 so it says, "He leaping up. 24:40 Stood and walked." 24:42 You ever seen somebody get out of a hospital bed and leap? 24:44 No. 24:45 You got to take real careful steps 24:46 or you're going to go down. 24:48 This is a dramatic healing. 24:50 "He leaping up, he stood and he walked." 24:52 See, he coming into the temple before 24:55 because they had a rule that cripples 24:58 were not allowed into the temple. 24:59 I know you and I think that that's pretty awful. 25:04 It was mostly the Levites and you'll read about this, 25:06 for instance, in Leviticus 21:17, 25:10 "Speak to Aaron and say, 25:12 'No man of your descendants in succeeding generations 25:15 who has any defect may approach to offer bread to his God. 25:19 A man blind or lame who has 25:21 a marred face or a limb too long, 25:23 a man who has a broken foot or a broken hand." 25:26 Now it used to be just that, but you may remember 25:31 when David was taking the city of Jerusalem 25:34 from the Jebusites, 25:35 the Jebusites were mocking David and saying, 25:42 "The lame and the cripple in our city 25:44 could repel your army." 25:47 And there was a law made, he said, from that time on, 25:51 the lame and the crippled were not allowed 25:53 into the precincts of the sanctuary. 25:55 And something happens, some custom developed, 25:57 but God didn't have a rule 25:59 that Christians that are crippled 26:00 or handicapped should stay out of church. 26:02 It started with the Levites 26:04 who were supposed to represent Jesus who is perfect. 26:07 The lamb, the Passover Lamb 26:08 needed to be a lamb without blemish. 26:10 Anyway, here they had them on the outside at the gates. 26:14 You know the parable 26:15 of the rich man and Lazarus, right? 26:17 Where did Lazarus, the beggar, where was he lained? 26:21 At the gates. 26:22 And so they're separated from God. 26:25 They're on the outside. 26:26 You and I are crippled like Mephibosheth, right? 26:29 We all limp. 26:30 But Jesus heals us so we can walk in His steps. 26:34 And so this is a wonderful, 26:36 one of the wonderful points in the story. 26:39 But everybody, there are very few crippled people 26:42 left in Jerusalem 26:43 'cause so many had been healed by Jesus at this point. 26:46 Everyone knew this man who was sitting at the gate. 26:50 So he goes in, he's walking and leaping, 26:52 and people see him and they say, 26:53 "That can't be the same guy." 26:54 And they said, "That's him." 26:56 Verse10, "They knew that it was he who sat 26:58 at the alms of the beautiful gate of the temple, 27:01 and they were filled with wonder and amazement 27:05 at what had happened to him." 27:07 That's an amazing fact. 27:09 "And all the people saw him walking and praising God." 27:12 What kind of walk should we have? 27:15 We need to walk where we're praising God too. 27:17 Amen. 27:22 Now Peter and John said, "We don't have silver and gold, 27:28 but what we do have, we'll share with you." 27:32 And so they shared Jesus with him. 27:36 How long was Peter's sermon to this crippled man? 27:39 "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, 27:42 stand up and walk." 27:43 Pretty short. 27:45 How many of us are afraid sometimes to share 27:48 because we say, we don't have enough? 27:51 Whether it's the gospel or resources, 27:53 we say we don't have enough. 27:54 Don't ever think you don't have enough. 27:56 When the boy came to Jesus 27:57 with his five loaves and two fish, 27:59 what did Jesus do? 28:01 He took the little he had. 28:03 When the woman came to Elisha with her little vessel of oil, 28:06 what did God do? He multiplied it. 28:09 When you see people in need, 28:11 you know, how many needed the gospel, 28:12 don't think, "I'm not qualified, 28:14 I don't know enough, I can't give a Bible study." 28:17 Share what you do have. 28:19 Can God speak through a donkey? 28:21 Then what is your excuse. 28:25 Do any of us have an excuse for not doing something? 28:29 You got, you know, there's a statement 28:32 in the Spirit of Prophecy, and this is a paraphrase, 28:34 I don't even know the reference, 28:35 but she basically says, "You're better off trying 28:38 and doing something wrong than doing nothing very well." 28:43 You're better off trying to share the gospel 28:45 and muddling through it than doing nothing perfectly, 28:50 'cause so often we're afraid 28:52 we'll do it wrong instead we do nothing right. 28:55 So they said, "We may not have silver and gold, 28:58 but we will share what we do have. 29:00 We've got something more important than that." 29:03 Now did that man, after his legs were healed 29:05 that he saved me, and you cheapskates, 29:07 you didn't give me any silver and gold? 29:09 Or was he happy? 29:11 But this caused quite a ruckus. 29:14 And they knew it was that man. 29:17 They were filled with amazement. 29:18 I'm in verse 11, 29:19 "Now as the lame man who was healed 29:21 held on to Peter and John." 29:23 He wasn't going to let them go. 29:25 These are the two witnesses like the Word of God, 29:27 he wasn't going to let go. 29:28 "All the people ran together to them in the porch 29:31 which is called Sol, word began to spread, 29:32 'have you seen this, have you heard it, 29:33 here he is, come look.'" 29:35 Great crowds of people are coming. 29:38 Peter saw it. 29:39 What does an apostle do when he sees a crowd? 29:43 When Paul saw a crowd 29:44 they wanted to kill him, what did he want? 29:45 He told the soldiers, he said, "Let me preach to him." 29:48 "Peters sees a crowd. 29:50 He responds to the people, 'Men of Israel, 29:52 why do you marvel at this, 29:53 why do you look intently on us 29:55 as though we by our own power and goodness, 29:58 we made this man walk." 30:00 Now some evangelist today, 30:01 if they had performed that miracle, 30:03 they would have taken up an offering to get a new jet. 30:10 But he said, "Don't give us credit, 30:13 we didn't do it." 30:16 He said, "It wasn't through our power or goodness," 30:18 that's one of the signs of a prophet of God is humility. 30:22 "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 30:25 the God of our fathers glorified His servant Jesus, 30:28 who you delivered up 30:30 and denied in the presence of Pilate, 30:31 when he was determined to let Him go." 30:33 Remember, some of the mob said, 30:38 "Crucify Him and give us Barabbas. 30:41 "But you denied the Holy One and the just, 30:43 and you ask for a murderer to be granted you, 30:46 and you killed the Prince of life, 30:48 who God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 30:53 And His name, through faith in His name, 30:57 has made this man strong, who you see and know." 31:02 Now has Jesus' name changed? 31:06 Has faith in His name changed? 31:10 Can God still do miracles through faith in His name? 31:13 Yes. 31:15 "Yes, the faith that comes through Him 31:17 has given him this perfect soundness 31:19 in the presence of you all. 31:21 Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance," 31:24 he's now trying to soften the conviction a little bit, 31:29 "As did also your rulers. 31:31 But those things which God foretold 31:33 by the mouth of His prophets, that Christ would suffer, 31:36 He has thus fulfilled." 31:37 Remember, all the prophets foretold this. 31:40 Then he says what he says in Acts 2, 31:42 "Repent therefore and be converted, 31:46 that your sins may be blotted out." 31:48 What were the first words that John the Baptist spoke? 31:51 Repent. 31:53 When Jesus began preaching, 31:54 what was the first thing He said? 31:56 Repent for the kingdom of heaven... 31:58 Same thing as John. 31:59 And now what is Peter saying, "Repent." 32:01 What is repentance? 32:02 A sorrow for sin, and he said be converted, 32:06 turned around, a reformation, 32:09 "That your sins may be blotted out, 32:11 so the times of refreshing may come 32:13 from the presence of the Lord, 32:15 and He may send Jesus Christ, 32:17 who has preached to you before." 32:18 He says Christ is going to return, 32:20 why this is a great salvation Adventist sermon all in one. 32:24 "Whom heaven must receive 32:26 until the times of the restoration of all things." 32:29 Jesus is there, waiting for the restoration of all things, 32:31 He's going to restore His people to His image, 32:34 "which God had spoken by the mouth 32:36 of all His holy prophet since the world began." 32:39 Anyway, so he then goes, 32:43 he preaches as a great revival 32:46 and now we're going to go on to the next section, 32:49 you could see. 32:50 By the way, someone was going to read to me Psalm 100:4. 32:55 You got it, go ahead, Katrina, if they're ready for you. 32:58 I want you to go ahead and read that. 32:59 "Into His gates with thanksgiving, 33:02 and into His courts with praise. 33:04 Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." 33:06 After that lame man was healed, how did he enter the temple? 33:11 With thanksgiving and praise. 33:12 Why do we enter God's house with thanksgiving and praise? 33:16 Does God heal our walk? 33:18 Yes. 33:19 Yeah, we were all like those cripples and He heals us. 33:23 And so be thankful to Him and bless His name. 33:26 So we should come together 33:27 when we worship God to thank Him. 33:29 You know, in Acts 1, the Holy Spirit is promised, 33:33 in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit is poured out, 33:36 and now we just see in Acts 3, the Holy Spirit is practiced. 33:41 You see the miracles are beginning to happen. 33:44 All right, now in Acts 4, there is a rise of opposition 33:48 because when God begins the work, 33:50 the devil doesn't stand still. 33:52 The Bible says, 33:53 "All that live godly in Christ Jesus 33:56 will suffer persecution." 33:58 All right, let's go to Acts 4:1. 33:59 I'll read verse 1 through 4. 34:02 "Now as they spoke to the people in the temple, 34:05 the priests, and the captain of the temple, 34:07 and the Sadducees came upon them, 34:08 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people 34:12 and they preached in Jesus the resurrection and the dead." 34:16 Now why are the Sadducees especially upset about this? 34:22 How are the Sadducees different from Pharisees? 34:25 Sadducees don't believe in the resurrection. 34:28 Now the high priest Caiaphas, 34:30 was he a Pharisee or a Sadducee? 34:33 He's a Sadducee. 34:34 And that's why they were sad, you see? 34:40 And the Pharisees were legalistic, 34:41 and they weren't very fair, you see. 34:44 I know. Connie, but it helps you remember. 34:46 Anyway, and so they came... 34:49 They came upon them, and they're especially upset 34:51 because they're in the temple 34:54 preaching the very thing they don't believe. 34:58 That's like, 35:00 if you were to go to a Kingdom Hall 35:02 Jehovah Witness church, 35:03 and you stand up and you start preaching 35:05 about the benefit of blood transfusions. 35:07 That wouldn't be well received. 35:09 You know what I'm saying? 35:11 And so Peter's right there, 35:14 not only saying that the high priest killed Jesus 35:17 but that He rose from the dead. 35:18 So it's like a double whammy for them. 35:21 And so they are... 35:23 To say greatly disturbed is not an overstatement. 35:27 That they taught the people 35:28 and they preach the resurrection from the dead. 35:30 You know what's really sad? 35:31 Here you get the religious leaders 35:33 greatly disturbed 35:34 that spiritual people 35:36 are preaching the truth in the church. 35:40 Could that still happen? 35:43 Happened before, they were God's people, 35:45 it happened back then. 35:47 "And so they laid hands on them, 35:50 and they put them in custody until the next day, 35:52 for it was already evening," too late to call an assembly, 35:55 that didn't stop them with Jesus though did, 35:57 they call the special evening meeting for Christ. 36:01 "However, many of those who heard the word 36:02 and believed, 36:04 and the number of the men came to about 5,000." 36:08 And so there are a lot. 36:09 And you later read, 36:10 many of the priests believed as well. 36:14 So they get them together the next day, 36:17 and they set them in the midst. 36:18 I'm in verse 7. 36:22 "And they asked, 'By what power 36:25 or what name have you done this?'" 36:27 In the name of who? 36:28 What authority? 36:30 "Peter filled with the Holy Spirit, 36:32 pulled out his notes." 36:35 Did Peter have any notes? 36:37 Did Jesus say, "You don't need to worry about what to say, 36:39 the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say in that hour"? 36:41 Yes. 36:43 "But Peter filled with the Holy Spirit, 36:45 he said to them, "The rulers of the people 36:47 and the Elders of Israel. 36:48 If this day we are judged for the good deed 36:51 done to the helpless man, 36:53 and by what means he's been made well." 36:55 At first Peter says, 36:56 "Did you arrest us because we healed a man? 37:00 You arrest us because we helped a crippled man walk? 37:04 And we did a good thing so you put us in jail." 37:07 He said, "Is this why we're here? 37:08 I just want to make it clear." 37:10 He's started feeling, "Well, sorry, 37:12 we arrested you for healing without a license." 37:20 "Let it be known to you all, 37:22 and to all the people in Israel, 37:24 that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 37:27 who you crucified," He's telling Caiaphas 37:30 and the high priest in the Sanhedrin. 37:32 "Who God raise from the dead," oh, that hurts them, 37:36 "by him this man stands here before you whole. 37:39 He's right here in your presence, 37:40 don't argue with the facts. 37:42 All of Jerusalem knows he was at the gate 37:44 begging that he's been miraculously healed. 37:46 It was done in the middle of the day in the ninth hour. 37:50 And then he goes on and says, 37:51 "This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, 37:55 which has become the chief cornerstone." 37:57 The job of the priest was supposed to help 37:58 build up the temple of God. 38:00 And they rejected the cornerstone, 38:02 the foundation stone for the temple. 38:05 And he goes on to say, 38:07 "Nor is there salvation in any other," 38:10 this is a famous verse, "for there is no other name 38:13 under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." 38:18 I remember hearing a story about a man 38:20 who had been raised a Christian 38:22 and lived in New York City, and he got involved, 38:25 he went to school, and studied business, 38:27 and started, you know, as young people 38:28 often do they go to college, 38:30 they become preoccupied with their career, 38:31 and their new friends, and he drifted from the church, 38:34 he became a successful businessman, 38:36 but he just knew his life was empty. 38:38 He knew he could die any time, and he was lost. 38:40 And what profit is it if you gain everything 38:42 and you lose your soul. 38:43 So while he's thinking about these things, 38:44 he's walking home from work one day 38:47 and on a busy intersection, 38:49 there was a blind man standing on a soap box, 38:53 he was a street preacher. 38:55 And he was reading from a Braille Bible. 38:58 So this blind street preacher, he's standing on a soap box, 39:01 and he's reading from a Braille Bible. 39:04 And he's reading this verse that says, 39:08 "Neither is there any other name under heaven..." 39:13 And he lost his place on his Braille Bible, 39:15 and so he's feeling around on the Bible 39:17 to see if he could re-find the place, 39:19 but he didn't want to lose his crowd, 39:20 so he said, "There is no other name, 39:22 there is no other name, 39:24 there is no other name under heaven 39:26 whereby you must be saved." 39:28 And because he said it several times, 39:30 the man was waiting for the light to change, 39:32 he heard the preacher, 39:33 and he couldn't get it out of his mind. 39:34 There is no other name, there is no other name, 39:36 there is no other name. 39:37 He went home and opened up his Bible started reading, 39:39 he was converted, he came back to Lord, 39:41 he told that story. 39:42 How that verse just hearing... 39:46 He went back to thank the blind street preacher, 39:48 he never saw him again. 39:50 'Cause but, so sometimes we think, 39:52 "Oh, nobody's listening, nothing is happening." 39:54 You don't know in the power of your words. 39:57 All right, now you can read your verse. 39:59 "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, 40:03 and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, 40:08 they marveled. 40:09 And they realized that they had been with Jesus." 40:15 You know, you think about the audacity, 40:18 Peter before when a girl asked him, 40:21 "Aren't you one of Jesus' followers?" 40:23 He denied Jesus three times 40:26 and these were servants that were asking him. 40:28 And he was scared, and he denied Jesus. 40:32 But after he repented for his denial, 40:35 and God gave him another chance, he said, 40:36 "Okay, now are you going to get scared? 40:39 Here you are in front of the Supreme Court," 40:41 the highest ruling body, 40:43 all of the most prestigious people in the land of Israel, 40:47 in all their pomp and splendor, 40:48 and Peter is there, and he now is fearless. 40:51 He is Spirit filled, 40:52 and he has boldness, he has courage, 40:55 he has audacity, and he points to them, 40:57 he said, "You did it." 41:00 And what did they say, 41:01 when they saw the boldness of Peter? 41:04 Whose boldness did it remind them of? 41:07 They saw his eloquence, and the power of his words, 41:13 they said, "He's a fisherman by his dress, 41:16 but we can tell by the way his acting, 41:18 he's been with Jesus." 41:19 How many of you would like to be accused of that? 41:22 That you spend time every day with Jesus, 41:23 and you start acting like Jesus. 41:26 That's what happened. 41:27 And so as a result of that, they said, "What do we do?" 41:32 They said, "We can see indeed a notable miracle 41:34 has been done through them, 41:35 it's evident to all who are in Jerusalem, 41:37 we can't deny it. 41:39 But we don't want to spread anymore, 41:40 so let's just severely threaten them, 41:43 that from now on they speak no more 41:46 to any man in this name." 41:47 They won't even say Jesus name. 41:49 "Don't speak about this name any more." 41:50 Because it bothered their conscience, 41:52 they crucified Him. 41:54 "So they called them back in," 41:55 they said, "Do not speak nor teach in the name of Jesus. 42:00 But Peter and John answered and said to them, 42:02 "Whether it's right in the sight of God 42:03 to listen to you more than God, you judge." 42:09 He said, "For we cannot speak 42:11 but the things that we have seen and heard." 42:14 They're not going to hide their experience. 42:16 "So when they further threatened them," 42:18 they said, "Didn't you hear us?" 42:20 "We got to let them go, 42:23 finding no way of punishing them 42:24 because of the people, 42:25 since they all glorified God for what had been done. 42:28 For the man was over 40 years old over 42:30 on who this miracle of healing had been performed. 42:33 And being let go, they went to their own companions 42:36 and reported that all the chief priests and elders 42:38 had said to them. 42:40 When they heard this, they raise their voice to God 42:42 with one accord said, 'Lord, You are God, 42:44 who made heaven, and earth, and sea, 42:45 and all that is in it by the mouth of Your servant.' 42:48 Why did the nations rage, 42:50 and the people plot vain thing." 42:51 Now they are quoting, 42:52 they know their Bibles are quoting back from Psalm 2. 42:56 And I want you to notice, go to verse 29. 42:58 "Now, Lord, look on their threats, 43:00 and grant to Your servants that with all boldness, 43:04 we might speak Your word." 43:06 So did they stop going to the temple? 43:09 No. 43:10 It says the Holy Spirit was poured out. 43:12 And you look in verse 31, 43:14 "They were filled with the Holy Spirit, 43:15 and they spoke the Word of God with boldness." 43:19 And they continued to go 43:23 to the temple and teach and to preach. 43:25 All right, and then we get into a... 43:28 So you see opposition began to increase. 43:33 Now you go to a little sad story, 43:37 but it's a warning Ananias and Sapphira. 43:40 Go to chapter 5. 43:46 "But a certain man named Ananias, 43:48 with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 43:52 And he kept back part of the proceeds, 43:54 his wife also being privy or aware of it, 43:57 and they brought a certain part 43:59 and laid it at the apostles' feet." 44:00 Now you notice that it says in the prior verse. 44:03 We go to verse 34, Acts 4:34. 44:07 "Nor was there among them 44:08 anyone who lacked for all who were possessors of lands 44:11 and houses sold them, 44:13 and brought the proceeds of the things 44:15 that were sold and laid them at the apostles' feet, 44:17 and they distributed to everyone as any had need." 44:23 They were liquidating, 44:25 they were investing not only 44:27 in taking care of the poor in their group 44:29 but in subsidizing the spreading of the gospel. 44:32 Will we see that spirit again in the last days? 44:34 Yes. 44:36 How many of you are hoping that you'll be willing to do 44:38 something like that when the time comes? 44:42 How are you going to know when the time comes? 44:46 Maybe the time has come. 44:54 Do you know that there will be a day 44:57 when our money will be worthless? 44:59 And we're going to wish that, 45:02 "Oh, Lord, we're going to cast our money 45:05 to the rats, and the bats, and the moles 45:07 and think it's too late now, 45:09 my money is worthless now." 45:11 Someone said, "What's the best day to repent?" 45:16 And the rabbi said, "The last day of your life." 45:18 He said, "But what if I don't know what the last day is?" 45:20 He said, "Exactly." 45:24 All right, back to our story. 45:26 So what Ananias and Sapphira do is, 45:28 they said, "Let's sell a piece of property and let's donate 45:31 but let's not donate it at all, 45:32 but we'll say we're donating it all." 45:34 Now if they had gone to the apostles and say, 45:36 "We sold and we're giving 50%, we're keeping 50%." 45:38 They would have said, "Fine." 45:40 But what they did is they made pretend, 45:43 "We are putting it all on the altar." 45:47 But they said, "Let's not put it all 45:48 and let's keep something back." 45:49 So it's hypocritical, it's exactly what it is. 45:53 They're pretending to make a complete sacrifice 45:56 when it is not complete, 45:57 that was what was specially offensive to God. 46:00 Is they're trying to fame themselves 46:02 to be more spiritual. 46:04 God's Spirit had been poured out, 46:06 there was an authenticity in the church, 46:08 there was a sincerity, there was an honestness. 46:11 Now the first ugly head of hypocrisy 46:16 begins to raise itself in the spirit-filled church, 46:19 God had to deal with it in a very dramatic way. 46:22 So that's what's happening. 46:25 So they come, and they laid at the disciples feet, 46:26 and Peter says, the Holy Spirit told Peter what was going on. 46:29 Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart 46:32 to lie to the Holy Spirit 46:34 and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 46:37 While it remained, was it not your own? 46:39 We didn't tell you to do it. 46:40 And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? 46:43 You didn't have to claim to give a 100%, 46:45 just give, have whatever you want. 46:47 Why do you conceive this thing in your heart? 46:49 You have not lied to men but to God." 46:52 Now who did he say he lied to? 46:54 The Holy Spirit. 46:55 And then he said, "You lied to God." 46:56 Is the Holy Spirit God? 46:58 Yes. God the Spirit. 46:59 Yes. 47:01 "Then Ananias, hearing these words, 47:03 fell down and breathed his last." 47:07 He dropped dead. 47:09 "So great fear came upon all those who heard these things." 47:12 Does God sometimes allow us severe judgment 47:15 that others may fear? 47:16 Doesn't Peter, I'm sorry, doesn't Paul tell Timothy 47:19 to rebuke people who are sinning openly 47:22 that others may fear? 47:23 I think there's a good time for people 47:25 to be disciplined that others may fear, right? 47:29 What happens in a society where you protect the criminals 47:32 and you prosecute the victims? 47:34 Criminals are emboldened. 47:35 Therefore, they become fearless. 47:37 But if you want the criminals to be afraid, 47:39 you've got to punish them. 47:41 Isn't that right? 47:42 Cultures don't do well 47:43 when all the rights go to the criminals, 47:46 and the victims have no rights. 47:49 All right. 47:52 And so Ananias hearing these things, he drops dead. 47:54 "The young man wrapped him up, took him out, and buried him." 48:00 "Now about three hours later 48:01 when his wife came, not knowing." 48:03 He had not texted her 48:05 because they hadn't invented that yet. 48:08 She didn't know what had happened. 48:11 And Peter, she comes, 48:12 and she's kind of looking around 48:13 wondering where Ananias is. 48:16 And Peter answered her and said that, 48:18 "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?" 48:21 And she perpetuates the lie, 48:24 she said, "Yeah, that's what we sold it for." 48:27 "Peter said to her, 'How is it that you've agreed together 48:30 to test the Spirit of the Lord? 48:32 Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband 48:35 are outside the door, they will now carry you out.' 48:38 And immediately she fell down at his feet 48:41 and breathed her last. 48:43 And the young man came in and found her dead," 48:45 Now if you were those young deacons, 48:48 would you ever forget that? 48:50 Would you ever lie about your tithe and offerings 48:54 after that? 48:58 Do we? 49:00 Are we honest? 49:02 Do we blow the trumpet like the Pharisees 49:04 when we make an offering and want everybody to know? 49:08 Or do we not let our left hand know 49:09 what our right hand is doing? 49:13 She died, and they took her out and buried her, 49:15 so great fear came upon the church after these things. 49:18 Now how many of you would agree that was a severe judgment? 49:24 Is it a time when God needs to be severe? 49:28 Does God have a high... 49:29 When God's Spirit is moving in a dramatic way, 49:32 and God's people see the evidence of God's power 49:35 right in front of them, 49:36 to sin in the face of the power of God 49:40 is especially more wicked. 49:44 Why did God strike with fire from heaven 49:49 the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu? 49:56 They right there could see the fire of God. 50:00 They could see the power of God on the mountain, 50:02 they were in the presence of God, 50:03 they were being fed with manna 50:05 that fell from heaven every day, 50:06 the coil would come in, 50:07 they had just saw the evidence of God's power, 50:09 and in spite of that God said, 50:11 "Do not drink when you come to the temple of Lord 50:13 and only use holy fire." 50:15 They got drunk, and they took fire from their camp fire 50:18 instead of the fire from the altar, 50:20 and God said, "They are not respecting sacred things." 50:22 So God needed to do something severe to make an example. 50:27 And it is now, you know, been an example for history. 50:31 So sometimes God is especially serious at times like that. 50:34 All right, last section here, I just got a few minutes. 50:37 It tells us that, there is a second arrest. 50:40 So you go to Acts 5:12. 50:44 And it tells us that, again, persecution began. 50:50 Verse 17, "Then the high priest rose up, 50:52 and those who were with him," because they continued 50:53 to preach from the sect of the Sadducees, 50:57 "and they were filled with indignation, 50:59 and they laid hands on the apostles, 51:01 and they put them in the common prison. 51:04 But at night the angel of the Lord 51:06 opened the prison doors and brought them out, 51:08 and the angel said, 'Run for the hills.'" 51:11 Is that what he said? 51:14 He said, "Go back to the temple and speak to the people." 51:18 Hadn't they just been arrested for preaching in the temple? 51:21 And they went back to the temple, 51:23 then they were arrested again. 51:26 And he said, "Don't be intimidated, 51:28 go and speak to the people the words of this life." 51:31 So the angel got them out of prison. 51:33 Now can you understand 51:34 why Herod had 16 soldiers guarding Peter? 51:39 That's Acts 12 51:40 because the apostles had already broken out of prison. 51:44 And so he said, "Look, these guys are slippery, 51:46 so you put them in an inner most cell and 16 soldiers, 51:49 he's not going anywhere, and handcuff him. 51:52 See, if he can get out of that. 51:54 Would he, he couldn't do that." 51:57 And so they send the... 51:58 They all get together early in the morning, 51:59 they said, okay, let's have an early case. 52:01 They said, "Go, bring him from the jail, 52:02 let's talk to him." 52:04 "And the officer came, 52:07 they didn't find them in the prison, 52:09 they returned and they reported saying, 52:11 'Indeed we found the prison shut securely, 52:13 and the guard standing outside before the door 52:15 but when we opened, we found no one inside!' 52:19 Now when the high priest, and the captain of the temple, 52:20 and the chief priests heard these things, 52:22 they wondered what the outcome would be. 52:23 So one came and said, 52:25 'Look, the men who you put into prison 52:27 they're standing in the temple.'" 52:28 Oh, no, me, oh my, not again. 52:31 And they're teaching the people, 52:33 they just keep going back. 52:35 "And the captain went with the officers 52:37 and brought them without violence." 52:39 These guys just broke out of jail. 52:42 "For they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. 52:46 And when they brought them in, 52:47 they set them before the council. 52:49 And the high priest asked them, 52:50 saying, 'Did we not strictly command you 52:52 not to teach in this name? 52:54 And look, you filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, 52:57 and you intend to bring this Man's blood on us!'" 52:59 No, that's not actually true 53:01 when Jesus was being crucified Pilate washed his hands 53:04 and said, "I don't want the blood of this innocent man, 53:07 and the people cried, 53:08 let His blood be upon us and our children." 53:11 Isn't that right? 53:12 So it wasn't the apostles doing it, 53:14 the leaders had said that themselves. 53:17 "You intend to bring this Man's blood on us! 53:20 And Peter and the other apostles answered 53:21 and said, 'We ought to obey God rather than men. 53:26 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus 53:28 whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 53:31 Him as God exalted to His right hand 53:33 to be a Prince and a Savior, 53:35 to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 53:38 And we are witnesses of these things, 53:40 and so is the Holy Spirit 53:41 whom God has given to those that speak in tongues. 53:46 God has given to those that obey Him.'" 53:49 So who did He give the Holy Spirit to? 53:52 It's a power, He doesn't give to those 53:54 that aren't going to surrender. 53:55 "When they heard these things, they were furious, 53:59 and they plotted to kill them. 54:01 Then one of the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, 54:04 a teacher of the law held in respect," 54:06 he had actually taught Paul when he was a young man. 54:09 "And all the people..." 54:10 Some of Gamaliel's writings survived to this day. 54:14 "He commanded them to put the apostles 54:16 outside for a little while. 54:17 He said, "Let excuse them for just a moment 54:20 and watch them, keep them outside." 54:22 And he said, "Men of Israel, take heed to yourself 54:24 on what you intend to do regarding these men." 54:26 Now Gamaliel was old enough to know. 54:30 These men had been doing miracles, 54:31 God could be behind this, they better be very careful. 54:35 But he was enough of a politician to know 54:37 he shouldn't anger the Sadducees 54:38 because they had power, Gamaliel was a Pharisee. 54:43 And he said, "Keep in mind there was a man named Theudas," 54:47 I'm in Acts 5:36, 54:49 "he rose up, once claiming to be somebody. 54:51 A number of about 400 joined him. 54:53 He was slain, 54:54 and all who obeyed him were scattered, 54:56 it came to nothing. 54:57 After this man, it was Judas of Galilee 54:59 in the days of the census," 55:00 that's back when Jesus was born. 55:03 Remember they, I guess was how to tax that was a census. 55:06 "He drew away many people after him. 55:08 He also perished, 55:09 and all who followed him were dispersed. 55:11 And now I say to you, keep away from these men, 55:13 let them alone for if this plan is the work of men, 55:16 it will come to nothing, but if it's of God, 55:20 you cannot overthrow it, 55:21 lest you even be found to fight against God." 55:24 Now you can kind of tell Gamaliel was thinking, 55:27 this could be the work of God. 55:30 He saw the Spirit shining. 55:31 He had spent years studying the Word, 55:33 he knew some of the prophecies Peter was talking about. 55:36 I wonder sometimes if Gamaliel will be in the kingdom. 55:39 "And they agreed with him, 55:40 and when they called the Apostles." 55:43 In spite of Gamaliel's advice, 55:44 they said, "Let's at least beat them." 55:47 "They beat them, and they commanded them 55:48 they should speak no more in the name of Jesus, 55:51 and they let them go. 55:52 So they departed from the presence of the council, 55:55 rejoicing that they were counted worthy 55:58 to suffer shame for Jesus' name." 56:00 And here you have it again, "Daily in the temple, 56:03 and in every house, they did not cease teaching..." 56:06 Did they stop going to the temple? 56:08 Daily in the temple. 56:10 Did they obey the command to stop preaching? 56:13 They just went right on back 56:15 their wounds weren't even healed. 56:16 What did Jesus say we should do 56:18 if we're persecuted for righteousness? 56:21 Great is your reward in heaven, 56:22 rejoice and be exceedingly glad. 56:25 And if you want an example in the Bible 56:26 of someone who rejoiced in persecution, 56:29 here's a time when the apostles rejoiced 56:32 like Paul and Silas in jail, 56:33 rejoiced that they were persecuted for Christ sake. 56:36 How many of you like to pray you could be persecuted? 56:42 No, we don't look forward to that. 56:44 But that was the spirit-filled church. 56:46 Amen. 56:47 All right, I want to just tell our friends, 56:49 we're out of time for, and we did get through the lesson. 56:51 We're giving away, this book, Life in the Spirit, 56:53 it will encourage you 56:54 and you just call the number on your screen. 56:56 Actually, text SH047 57:01 at 40544, 57:03 and you'll get offer number 155. 57:06 And also you can download this for free then at that location. 57:08 God bless you. 57:09 We'll study His Word together again next week. 57:12 Can't get enough Amazing Facts Bible Study? 57:15 You don't have to wait until next week 57:17 to enjoy more truth filled programming. 57:20 Visit the Amazing Facts media library at AFTV.org. 57:25 At AFTV.org, you can enjoy video and audio presentations 57:30 as well as printed material all free of charge, 57:33 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 57:35 right from your computer or mobile device. 57:38 Visit AFTV.org. 57:42 Let's face it, it's not always easy 57:45 to understand everything you read in the Bible. 57:47 With over 700,000 words contained in 66 books, 57:51 the Bible can generate a lot of questions. 57:54 To get biblical straightforward answers, 57:56 call into Bible Answers Live, 57:58 a live nationwide call-in radio program 58:01 where you can talk to Pastor Doug Batchelor 58:03 and ask him your most difficult Bible questions. 58:05 For times and stations in your area 58:08 or to listen to answers online, visit Bal.AmazingFacts.org. |
Revised 2018-07-16