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[0:00] Now turning back to the portion of scripture that we read, the book of Acts chapter 2. And we can look at verse 36 out of the portion that we read, the last verse that we read.

[0:16] Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

[0:30] And in looking at this portion of scripture we can first look at the importance of the gospel witness.

[0:47] Secondly, facts do not lie. And thirdly, Jesus the fulfillment. Jesus the fulfillment.

[0:58] And coming first to the importance of the gospel witness. Now the day of Pentecost was a very important day in the history of the church as it was also a turning point as far as world history is concerned.

[1:19] It was the beginning of a movement that would very much have a great influence upon the thinking and upon the behavior of the world in which we live.

[1:34] And we need to understand. We need to understand. We need to understand. We need to understand in a measure. What the events that took place on Pentecost mean.

[1:52] If we are going to have any understanding at all of Christianity in a measure. And we need to understand. And we need to understand. And we need to understand what these events mean in order that we can understand why the church is here within the world sustained by the grace of God generation after generation.

[2:14] And we need to understand why the church is here within the church.

[2:44] Without realizing, without realizing, without realizing the enormous consequences that are connected with such a decision. Now you imagine yourself in one of the great cities of this world.

[3:02] Whether that be London, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney or Paris. Or any of the other great cities within the world. You imagine yourself living in one of these great cities.

[3:15] On a dark winter night. And suddenly the lights go out. The street lights, domestic lights, bars, offices.

[3:32] They all go out. And you can imagine. You can imagine. You can imagine. You can imagine the confusion. The chaos. The fear. And the utter inability to cope.

[3:47] The street lights. House lights. Underground lights. Airport lights. Bars. Restaurants. Offices. All is in darkness.

[3:59] And there would be no doubt whatsoever that there would be a people who would exploit such a situation. It always happens. They would loot. And they would rob.

[4:11] Reminding us that we are living in a fallen world. That is under the dominion of sin. That is under the dominion of sin.

[4:22] This gives us. This gives us in some measure. A picture. Of.

[4:33] What would happen. If God. Would remove. The gospel witness. Out of our midst. Completely.

[4:45] If he would remove. The gospel witness. Out of our midst. Completely. Well let me tell you this. It is happening. And it is happening especially in the west.

[5:00] And we are seeing the consequences of it. In our own day. We are seeing. We are not blind to the consequences of this. In our own day.

[5:16] And what are the consequences? Well we live in a nation. That has no sense of vision. We live in a nation that has no sense of vision.

[5:30] Whatsoever. And it doesn't matter. What the great and the good do. We keep staggering.

[5:41] From one economic crisis to another. And that has been taking place since the 70s. You remember. You remember. You remember when Dennis Hilly. When he was chancellor. And went cap in hand.

[5:52] To the IMF. To seek help. With the debt. That our nation was in. And ever since then. We have never. Really. Recovered. And even at this moment.

[6:04] We are a nation. That is heavily. In debt. The other thing that's hard. The other thing that happens. The other result. Of the gospel witness. Being slowly taken out of her midst.

[6:16] Is this. That sin is looked upon. As being no great deal. Sin is not a threat. But righteousness.

[6:29] And holiness. Is being looked upon. As a bigger threat than sin. And we live. In a nation. Where our government. Is passing laws.

[6:40] That are contrary. To the word of God. And if you stand up. Against. These laws. That are being passed. You are looked upon.

[6:51] As being the threat. Not the sin. That these laws. Are promoting. Unless the situation. That we find ourselves. Now the optimism.

[7:02] The optimism. That was. That resulted. From the age. Of the enlightenment. Where people. Were of the opinion. That humanity. Would continue.

[7:12] To progress. And eventually. Through that. Progression. Every problem. That besets. Our world. Would eventually. Be solved. But that.

[7:25] Optimism. Was shattered. By the two great wars. Of the last century. And the continuing wars. That we have. And we experience. Today. Within.

[7:36] Our world. Now the thing is this. If we continue. Going down. The path. That we are on. God's patience. Will eventually. Run out.

[7:48] And the gospel witness. Will be. Removed. And it will be just like the lights. Going out. On that dark night.

[8:02] It will be just like that. The lights going out. What will be the result of it? Well the result of it. Will be that there is nothing. Left.

[8:13] Left. That can keep sin in check. And sin. Will have. Full. Rain. Sin. The sin of the human heart.

[8:24] Will have full rain. We will be left. As a nation. Groping. In darkness. No. We would be wrong.

[8:35] We would be wrong. To think that. It is our government. That is at fault. It is not. If you have got a secular government.

[8:46] Wearing you over you. Then you shouldn't be surprised. That they. Pass laws. That are contrary. To God's word. Who is at fault? The church is at fault.

[8:59] The church is at fault. And how is the church at fault? Because the gospel trumpet. Within our nation.

[9:12] Is no longer giving off a certain sound. With a result that many. Are not being called to the battle. And you look back on our nation.

[9:27] In the past. And you have only got to start. With this community itself. That experienced. Such great. Revivals.

[9:39] In the 40s. And the 50s. Beginning probably before the last. Beginning probably before the last war. And continuing after the war.

[9:49] All you got to do is look. At this. Building itself. Where these. Where the Lord's blessing was poured.

[10:01] Upon his word. And where many. Came. At the same time to confess. That they had experienced.

[10:14] The Lord. Turning them around. Turning their lives around. And you've only got to look back to that. Where.

[10:24] The world. Was being. Blessed. Mightily. By the Lord. Why is it not happening today? Because the church.

[10:36] Has lost its way. I remember reading. I remember reading. About an ambassador. He was being sent by the. He was being sent by the.

[10:46] United States. To a foreign country. This was his first time. And he asked. One of the. Wise people. In the government. He said. He asked him.

[10:57] How can I. How can I judge. The health. Of the nation. That I am going to. How can I judge. The moral health.

[11:08] Of this nation. That I am being sent to. And the answer. He received. Was this. You can judge it.

[11:19] By one thing. And one thing only. And that is the spiritual health. Of the church. Within that nation. God. And. So. If we continue.

[11:29] Going down. The path. That we are on. God. Will eventually. Withdraw. The gospel witness. From out. Of our midst. And.

[11:41] We will be left. Groping in darkness. Yet. There will be. Many voices. Raised. Telling me. And you. To take this path. And take that path.

[11:52] And take the other path. And none of these paths. Will lead me. Or you. To any solid hope. You see.

[12:03] We all. Have some. Hope. Or other. Hope. And. We all. Build up. Our hopes.

[12:14] In relation. To. Things. Or. People. Or whatever. Until finally. These hopes. Fall.

[12:25] Like ashes. Around our feet. And once they do. We are very quick. To build ourselves. Another hope. For instance. Look at the world. Captures now. And many. Are hoping.

[12:36] That their own nation. Whether that be. Belgium. Or France. Or. Whoever. Their own nation. That hope. Is completely. Centred upon their own nation. Winning the world cup.

[12:47] And if they do. Then. They will celebrate. And maybe the celebrations. Will only last for a day. Or maybe they will last for a week. But then it's over. So what do they hope for then?

[13:00] Maybe. They will hope. That their nation. Will retain the world cup. In four years time. But. They're not certain. They cannot be certain. And you see.

[13:11] There is only one certain hope. One solid hope. And that is the hope. That the gospel. Brings before me.

[13:22] Christ in us. The hope of glory. There is no other hope. That is certain. Or sure. But this hope. As scripture.

[13:34] Points out to us. It is a hope. That shall not be disappointed. And this brings us. To the second thing. That we have here. Facts do not lie. Therefore.

[13:45] We've got to put the question. We've got to pose. The question here. What does this sermon. That Peter preached. On the day of Pentecost. What does it teach us.

[13:55] About Christianity. What does it teach us. About the church. Well the first thing. We have to note. Is that Peter. Does not begin. Speaking.

[14:07] About religious experience. Although he could have started. With that. But he speaks. About facts. He speaks. About facts. And all.

[14:21] Of these. Were facts. To do. With this. Persian. Jesus. Of Nazareth. All of these.

[14:35] Were facts. That had. Something to do. With this. Persian. Jesus. Of Nazareth. The people. Were amazed. People.

[14:45] Were amazed. At hearing. These disciples. Speaking. In the different. Languages. That were. Representative. Of all. Who had gathered. In Jerusalem. On that day. Were they not.

[14:58] Unlearned. Men. From Galilee. How could they speak. In these different. Languages. Some. Mockingly. Said. That they were.

[15:09] Filled. With new wine. You see. They were. Confronted. With a phenomenon. That they could not. Explain. And when that. Happens. To. Us.

[15:20] We always. Look for an explanation. We always. Try to explain. It away. But they couldn't. They couldn't. And you see. The crux.

[15:30] Of Peter's message. The crux. Of Peter's. Message. Was this. You are asking. He says. What is this? What is this?

[15:43] And I can only. Explain. Explain. Explain. In terms. Of a person. Called. Jesus. He.

[15:55] Alone. Is the only. Explanation. For what you are seeing. And hearing. And if you.

[16:06] Look. If you go home. And look at Peter's message. That is what he is bringing home. To these people. You are asking. What is this? I cannot.

[16:18] Explain. What it is. Except in terms. Of a person. Called Jesus. He. Alone. Is the explanation. For what. What you are seeing.

[16:29] And hearing. And Peter. In this sermon. Peter. In this sermon. Quotes. From two. Particular prophecies. The prophecy. Of the prophet.

[16:39] Joel. And that. Of David. Whose prophecies. Were written. In the form. Of psalms. We have. The prophecy. Of the prophet.

[16:50] Joel. From 17. Down. To the end. Of verse 21. And the prophecy. Of the prophet. David. From verse. 25. Down. To verse.

[17:01] 28. And then. Another prophecy. Of David. From verse. 34. To verse. 35. And the.

[17:15] Pichter's argument. Is this. That these. Prophecies. These prophecies. That he was quoting.

[17:25] Was a fact. Of history. They were facts. Of history. And the appearance.

[17:37] Of this. Passion. Jesus. Within our world. As a man. Was a proof. That these. Prophecies. Were facts.

[17:48] Of history. This was the proof. That this Jesus. Had appeared. Within our world. In old age. The proof.

[17:58] That these prophecies. Were. A fact. Of history. It is therefore. A solid fact. Of history. That centuries. Before.

[18:09] The birth. Of Christ. Various men. Wrote down. In documents. That were. Preserved. Prophecies.

[18:26] About this. Passion. That was. To come. Prophecies. About this. Passion. That was. To come. They give details.

[18:39] About his birth. In Bethlehem. We find that. In the prophecy. Of Micah. They reveal.

[18:49] To us. What sort of. Passion. This. What sort of. Passion. This Jesus. Would be. That he would. Be despised. And rejected. By the world. We have that. In the prophecy. Of Isaiah.

[19:02] And they reveal. That there would be. One day. When this Jesus. Would ride. Into Jerusalem. On the fall. Of a donkey. And that he would. Be betrayed. For 30 pieces. Of silver.

[19:12] You will find that. In the prophecy. Of Zechariah. They said. He would. As Isaiah. Puts it. For us.

[19:24] He would be. Taken. Like a lamb. Into the slaughter. And put to death. We have that. In Isaiah. Chapter 53. And verse 7. He would die.

[19:39] But that. Would not be the end. He would rise again. And even after his rising again. He would ascend.

[19:51] Unto the right hand of God. From whence. He would send the spirit. Unto the church. And that was exactly. That's exactly. What is taking place. At Pentecost. The anointing.

[20:03] Of the church. With the Holy Spirit. We have. The prophecy. Of his resurrection. In the quotation.

[20:14] Of the prophecy. Of David. In. From Psalm 16. The psalm. We were singing. From verses. From verses. 25.

[20:24] To 28. David. And as Peter says. David was not speaking. About himself. For his grave. Is with us. Even unto this day. He was speaking.

[20:37] Of the Lord. To come. And then again. David. In Psalm 110. That we have. Quoted for us. In verses. 34. To 35. David.

[20:48] Prophesized. Of Christ's. Ascension. To the right hand. Of the Father. From whence. He poured forth. The spirit. Unto the church. This is what was happening.

[20:58] On the day of Pentecost. Three thousand souls. Were added. Unto the church. In one day. For the church.

[21:10] Receiving the same. Anointing. That the prophets. The kings. And the priests. In the Old Testament. Had received. The anointing. Of the Holy Spirit.

[21:23] Connecting. The New Testament church. To the Old Testament. Church. All of this. The prophets foretold. And this is the foundation.

[21:36] Of Christianity. This is why. You and I. Can experience. Religious experiences. Because. All of this.

[21:46] Has been fulfilled. All that was written. About this Christ. Has been fulfilled. And what did Jesus promise.

[21:57] To the church. That he would send. The comforter unto her. He wouldn't leave her. As an orphan. He would send. A helper to her.

[22:08] And this is what is taking place. On Pentecost. When three thousand souls. Were added unto the church. In one day. The anointing.

[22:20] Of the Holy Spirit. Christ. Fulfilling his promises. Ascended. To the right hand. Of the Father. And now. He fulfills his promise. To the church. By sending to the church.

[22:31] The Holy Spirit. It's all. A fulfillment. Of prophecy. It's all. A fulfillment. Of prophecy. Well.

[22:43] How can one explain. Prophecy. How can one explain. Prophecy. Well. Peter says. If we go to. Peter's second. Peter's second letter.

[22:53] In chapter one. And verse 20. Peter puts it this way. Knowing this. First of all. That no prophecy. Of scripture. Comes from someone's.

[23:06] Own interpretation. That's the first thing. No prophecy. Of scripture. Comes from someone's. Own interpretation. In other words.

[23:18] No prophet. Conjures anything up. In his own imagination. The prophets weren't. A group of people. Who were thinking. Philosophically.

[23:28] About life. And about the world. And who certainly. Hit on a brilliant idea. That they wanted to share. With the rest of the world. No. And Peter says.

[23:42] In verse 21. Of that same letter. About prophecy. For no prophecy. Was ever produced.

[23:53] By the will of man. But men spoke. But men spoke. Men spoke from God. As they were carried along. By the Holy Spirit. Or as they were moved.

[24:04] By the Holy Spirit. Inspired by the Holy Spirit. You see. It's this same Holy Spirit. That has inspired. The scriptures. Of the Old and the New Testament. And you can never separate.

[24:16] The spirit from the world. Never. Never. And it's this Holy Spirit.

[24:28] That inspired. The prophets. To write down. What they wrote about Christ. Or as. In some instances. In scripture. He is called. The spirit of Christ.

[24:41] It was the spirit. Of this. Self. Same. Christ. That inspired. These prophets. To write. What they wrote about. What they wrote about.

[24:52] Which brings us. To the third. And final thing. That we have here. Jesus. The fulfillment. So. Jesus's. Life. Death. And resurrection.

[25:05] Were all. Fulfillments. Of prophecy. And this was. The thrust. Of Peter's message. A message. That was. Based. On the solid.

[25:16] Facts. Of history. So what does. This message. Do. For me. And you. Well. It reveals.

[25:26] This to us. That there is. Such a passion. As the one. Through. And living.

[25:37] God. And that this. Living. God. Is active. Within. Within. Our world. Through.

[25:50] His son. Jesus. Christ. And through. The Holy Spirit. Because. He's given. The spirit. To the church. And the church.

[26:00] Dwells. Within. This world. God. He is not. He is not. An abstraction. This God.

[26:11] Is not. An abstraction. He is not. A figment. Of my imagination. Or your imagination. He is not. A Santa Claus. In the sky. That you or I. Can argue. And debate about.

[26:23] He is a living God. A living God. Who gives revelation. Gives knowledge.

[26:34] And imparts information. What revelation has he given to us?

[26:45] His word. And through that very word. He gives us knowledge. Of the world around about us.

[26:56] And of life itself. And he imparts information. Through that very word. To me. And to you. He imparts information. About himself.

[27:08] And about ourselves. He is holy. We are sinners. He is holy. We. Are sinners.

[27:26] He is a God. As Peter reveals to us. Who has a. Plan. And purpose. For. This world. And that is the message.

[27:39] Of Christianity. And it is a wonderfully. Liberating message. And it is a wonderfully. Liberating message. Because there is no.

[27:50] Other hope. There is no other. Solid hope. Except the hope. That is brought before us. By the gospel. And if you lean.

[28:04] On any other hope. Apart from the hope. Of the gospel. Then you are leaning. On a hope. That will never be fulfilled. You are leaning.

[28:18] On a hope. That is full of uncertainty. Full of insecurity. A hope. That will never. Ever. Be fulfilled. A hope.

[28:28] That will. Fall like ashes. Around. Your feet. And in a sermon.

[28:38] Peter. In referring. To the death of Jesus. In the sermon. He says. Him being delivered. By the definite plan.

[28:51] And full knowledge. Of God. What does that reveal. To me and to you. It reveals to us. That the sufferings. And death of Jesus. On the cross.

[29:01] Was no accident. It was no mere accident. In the long run. It was not something. That was even achieved. By men. But it was part.

[29:14] Of God's plan. And purpose. For the world. Well. This living God.

[29:26] To reveal this plan. To the prophets. These many centuries ago. We find him now. Carrying out this plan. Carrying out this plan.

[29:38] What is the object. Of this plan. Well. The object. Of this plan. Is to say. Salvation. Of sinners. My salvation.

[29:50] Your salvation. That is the object. Of it. And Peter. Concludes. The prophecy. Of Joel. With this quotation. And it shall come.

[30:03] To pass. He says. That everyone. Who calls. On the name. Of the Lord. Shall be saved. What a promise. To me. And to you. Except.

[30:15] We've got to be careful. That we are going to call. On the Lord. In prayer. We have got to be sincere. We have got to be sincere. And we are saved from what?

[30:35] We are saved from what? We are saved from the hell that we deserve. For we were living lives that were in rebellion to God's word.

[30:54] Lives that were an offense to God. Those of us who today have experienced conversion. We are living such lives.

[31:07] Lives that were deserving. Nothing from God. God. And it wasn't because. Of our goodness.

[31:18] That God brought us into his family. But because it was his good pleasure to do so. It was his good pleasure to do so. So that the great question confronting you today.

[31:36] Is not. How will I get through this day. Or the next day. Or the day after. Or what does the world owe me?

[31:48] The great question you should be asking yourself is. Who is this person Jesus? Who is this person Jesus? Jesus. Has he anything at all to do with you?

[32:05] And if he doesn't. Then you should not let yourself rest. Until he does. Can he do for you what others shall profess.

[32:17] That he has done for them? The answer to that is yes. And he is only too willing to do so. He is only too willing to do so. Amen.

[32:29] Amen. Well. Why were the prophets. Writing about this Jesus centuries before he came. Why did God sent him into this world to die?

[32:46] Why? Well this is the supreme fact of history. This is the supreme fact of history. And where do you stand in relation to this fact?

[33:01] Where do you stand in relation to this supreme fact? Men. Men. Men. Men. Drove nails into his hands and into his feet.

[33:12] And lifted them up on a cross. And in doing so. They were simply fulfilling. The purposes of God.

[33:23] And was he not punished on that cross. For my sin and your sin.

[33:34] As our substitute. As our substitute. And he was punished. And he was punished.

[33:47] By the definite plan. And full knowledge of God. And you see our problem is this. That we keep running away.

[34:02] From the truth of God's word. Leading to us. Living. In the darkness and misery of sin.

[34:14] Well my friend. You are living in a privileged age. And a privileged time.

[34:29] Where you've got the complete word of God available to you. And why is it complete? It's complete because what the prophets were foretelling.

[34:42] Has now been fulfilled. In the life of Christ. In the death of Christ. In the resurrection of Christ. In the ascension of Christ.

[34:56] In the Old Testament dispensation. They only had part of the world. We have the world in all its fullness. Even when Peter was preaching this sermon.

[35:07] They only had part of the world. We have the world in all its fullness. We have no excuse. And unto whom much has been given.

[35:21] Much shall be asked of them. And nobody has been given. As much as our generation has been given. And that is the responsibility.

[35:32] That we have to bear. And if we continue living. In the darkness and misery of sin. The result is this.

[35:45] That we do not know where we are going. We do not understand life. We are not ready to die. And we are still looking.

[35:58] To the future with fear. Come. To this Jesus. And in coming.

[36:09] Make your peace with God. God. And the future. Will take on a completely different you. In your experience.

[36:24] May it be so. For you. In the days. To come. May he bless to us. These few thoughts. Let us pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[36:34]  Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.