[0:00] Thank you for tuning into this message by David Entry. Every true revival is a product of the strong preaching of God's Word. May you receive a word from this message that will spark a revival in you.
[0:13] Acts chapter 2, reading from verse 36 to 42, it says that, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.
[0:31] Now, when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
[0:42] Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
[0:59] For the promise is unto you, and unto your children, and unto all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
[1:12] And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourself from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.
[1:28] And the same day, there were added unto them about 3,000 souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
[1:42] Here ends the reading of God's Word. Father, we thank you that you are the King of kings. You are the ruler of the ages. Thank you for gathering us together so you can put yourself into us, so preparing us that by the time we meet you, we look more like you.
[2:01] As your word is taught, we pray our hearts are open. Reveal Jesus to us. Let Christ be formed more and more in us and be revealed through us. We pray that as your word is taught, heal the brokenhearted.
[2:16] Comfort the discouraged. Lord, convict the sinning and save the lost. Heal the sick. Let your power be in demonstration to the glory of your name.
[2:28] We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Last week, we spoke about how Peter underscored the fact that David spoke extensively, prophesying, and he prophesied in the first person.
[2:50] However, it wasn't him he was talking about. David used the pronoun. He was talking about, I saw the Lord on my right hand.
[3:03] I, I. By trusting him, even though he said I, it was talking about somebody superior to David. And so, Peter made it clear that David spoke not about himself, but he spoke about Jesus the Christ.
[3:20] And he said to them that. So, after he went through all the process of the preaching for one purpose, the purpose of his preaching, it was to make it very clear in their understanding that Jesus, the one who was crucified, is the Christ.
[3:39] That was the message. So, when Peter preached, the focus of his preaching was to reveal Christ, was to convince them through Scripture and through the events that are played out in their lives, that Jesus is actually the Christ spoken of by the prophets and by God.
[4:03] And, in fact, that's how his message was kind of ending. After saying everything in verse 36, he says that, Let the house of Israel know assuredly of a certainty, not ambiguously or not maybe uncertainly, He said, Assuredly, let the house of Israel know that God has made the same Jesus, whom he was talking to the people who crucified him, whom he crucified.
[4:38] God has made him the same Jesus, both Lord and Christ. He is the Christ. And when they heard that, they realized they had made a mistake. He came and we killed him.
[4:49] Acts chapter 13, verse 27, he said, The rulers of the people and the people of Jerusalem, because they knew him not, neither did they know the voice of the prophets, which they read every Sabbath.
[5:03] They fulfilled what the prophets were saying, that when the Messiah comes and people will kill him, they fulfilled it. Why? Because they didn't know him and they didn't know the voice of the prophets.
[5:15] They fulfilled it by condemning him. Stephen puts it this way in Acts chapter 7. Verse 51 and 52. He spoke about how you stiff-necked people and circumcised of her.
[5:27] You do always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did. So you are doing. These are the Israelites. They're Jews. Stephen said, you always resist the Holy Spirit.
[5:38] So we being the church, we are almost like the Jews. If we are not alert, we will end up resisting the Holy Spirit, thinking that we are okay. He said, you always resist.
[5:49] You people always resist the Holy Spirit. That's very interesting. It's possible that you can be a believer and resist the Holy Spirit. Not that you don't believe anymore or not that you don't care.
[6:01] But he'll be prompting you and guiding you and you can be filled with your personal idea, personal expectation, personal philosophy, personal agenda. So much so that what the Holy Spirit is saying is not as important.
[6:12] Especially in times of emotions. When somebody has really upset you, you are very offended. Even in church, you can be offended in church and begin to do things which you know the Holy Spirit will not let you.
[6:24] And we will resist the Holy Spirit. And I was, it would have been kind of bearable for me if he has said, every now and then you receive the Holy Spirit. He said, you always.
[6:37] That's really worrying for me. That means I can be in a state of resisting the Holy Spirit. As a believer. As people of God. We can be. He said, you always resist the Holy Spirit.
[6:48] That means it's very easy as a human being to resist the Holy Spirit. Because of our human tendencies and our natural inclinations. So in Hebrews chapter 3, 4 and 7, it talks about today when you hear the voice, as the Holy Spirit says, when you hear his voice, do not harden your heart.
[7:09] Because you can hear his voice and harden your heart. So Stephen said, you always resist the Holy Spirit. He says, verse 52. Acts chapter 7, verse 52. He said, which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?
[7:22] Now, this is a very strong point. Always resisting the Holy Spirit. And he said, there's no prophet fathers never persecuted. No prophet. That means if you're a prophet, the Jews will persecute you.
[7:34] It comes naturally. He said, no prophet, this prophet, that prophet. There's no one prophet who was not subjected to persecution. Stephen said, which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?
[7:51] And they went as far as even killing those who foretold of the coming of Jesus. They persecuted the prophets. If you spoke about Jesus coming, they will kill you.
[8:04] He said, the fathers of the Jews, very interesting. For him to say they're your fathers, it's like, it's a custom that you were born into. And you will naturally behave it without realizing what you are doing.
[8:15] And he said, now you guys have now become the betrayers and the murderers of Jesus Christ. They persecuted the prophets and stoned those who told about the coming of Jesus.
[8:27] It came in your lifetime. You have actually become his betrayers and murderers. So it wasn't only one person who murdered. It was a corporate murder. It's a murderers of one person.
[8:39] So they all teamed up to murder him. They didn't just kill him. They murdered him. The greatest miscarriage of justice ever. They killed him. So Stephen said, you crucified him.
[8:52] Paul said, they didn't know his voice. And they fulfilled the prophets. What the prophets? By killing him. Peter said, you killed him. You killed him. And when the Bible says that, they were cut to the heart.
[9:03] Or stabbed in the heart. And they said to Peter. Then they said to Peter, end the rest of the apostles. They all said, what shall we do?
[9:14] What shall we do? What shall we do? We have committed something very impardonable. We are committed. What shall we do? And Peter says, there is always a pathway to God from man.
[9:26] There is a pathway to God from man. What shall we do? And Peter said, repent. Everybody say repent. Repent. Repentance is a blessing. Repentance is a blessing.
[9:39] Repentance is a blessing. It's always an opportunity to make it right with God. God is not so mean that there is no way back to him. The only way back to God is through repentance.
[9:52] That means it doesn't matter how far you go. You can always get back to God. God always has constructed this major highway. It's a road.
[10:03] It's called the road of repentance. You can use different ways to walk away from God. But there is only one way to get back to him. Repentance. I can't believe that these people who murdered the just one.
[10:18] Peter told them, there is hope for you. If you can repent. Then you don't have a problem at all. Tell somebody, you don't have a problem. You don't have a problem.
[10:30] You don't have a problem. That's why we have to be very careful when we are pointing fingers at people. We have to be very careful because with God, there is forgiveness. With God, there is always room for forgiveness.
[10:45] In fact, who was it? He said, David. David. David. When he sinned against God by numbering the people, counting them, God told him, don't count the people to try and verify or to try and evaluate your greatness because you are king.
[11:03] Let me be king. Don't try and, you know, weigh, assess the extent of your kingdom. So that focus comes on you. Don't count them. David numbered them and he sinned against God.
[11:16] And there was mayhem amongst the people. And David said, I've sinned against God. And he went to God to pray and said, God said, what do you want me to do with you? You want me to give you into the hands of your enemies?
[11:30] David said, please, don't give me into my hands. Let me fall into your hands. Because at least with you there is mercy. It doesn't matter how, let me use anthropomorphic language.
[11:43] It doesn't matter how angry God is. How upset is he? Run to fall into his hands. That's why don't stay permanently away from church. Because kings have come and kings have passed.
[11:55] Rulers and kingdoms disappear. Yes. Thrones will disappear. In the day of crisis, what are you going to do when you need God? When things are calm, don't behave like it's always going to be like that.
[12:11] Life has some sharp turns. Some of the turns are not 90 degrees. Some of the turns are actually 30 degrees. You know, when you're driving, you get to a road.
[12:23] We have one or two in London. And you are turning, let's say, left or right. But it's a very sharp, not just 90 degrees right angle.
[12:33] But the turning that goes like this, especially if it's descending a hill. You go and you come back like this. Life has got some sharp turns. The younger you are, the more you might not appreciate it.
[12:47] The older you are, the more you respect the sharp turns of life. So, that's why this song means a lot to me that thrones and rulers disappear.
[12:59] Kings have come and kings have gone. But his kingdom reigns forever. It doesn't matter what happens. Never run away from God. But one beautiful thing about God, when Jehoshaphat and his people were going for war, they sang that God is good and his mercy is endued.
[13:18] That's serious. That's very profound. That his mercy is endued forever. At no point in time would you say, God can't have mercy on me. Because his mercy endued forever.
[13:30] Psalm 136, verse 1, verse 2, verse 3. He kept saying, his mercy endued forever. His mercy endued forever. His mercy endued forever. That's one chapter that is saturated with the endurance of God's mercy.
[13:42] In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 4. He said, but God, who is rich in mercy? Wow. God, who is rich in mercy? Why do you think Paul, in fact, Philippians chapter 2, he spoke about he persecuted the church.
[13:56] Talking about Paul. He said, I persecuted the church. When he talks about his credentials, he was a persecutor. Verse 6, he said, concerning zeal.
[14:07] His zeal for God made him persecuted the church. He didn't know that what he was doing was wrong. He persecuted the church. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 13, he said he was a blasphemer.
[14:19] He was an injurious person. Insolent man. He said that, I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor. Persecutor. What was he persecuting? The church.
[14:30] He was closing down churches. Acts chapter 8, verse 1. Bible says that this Paul, he was breathing. And Paul consented to his death, Stephen. At the time, great persecution arose against the church that was in Jerusalem.
[14:44] In Acts chapter 9, verse 1 and 2, rather. Acts chapter 9, verse 2. Bible says that Saul, he's still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[14:57] Such a person, in human terms, does never qualify to be an apostle. So, a person like Paul should have been blacklisted. But our God is not like the government.
[15:12] Oh yes. Our God is not like the government. He can make an apostle out of a persecutor. Why?
[15:23] Paul tells us how God can do that. Look at the text again. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 13. He said, and our son is, but I obtain mercy.
[15:35] But I obtain mercy. I got mercy. Mercy means don't give me what I deserve, God. The punishment I deserve. The treatment I deserve because of my actions. It's not like you are innocent.
[15:47] You are not innocent. When you are not innocent, what you need from God is mercy, not merit. And God has a lot of mercy. That's good news.
[16:01] Oh yeah, clap for Jesus, for mercies. That is why we have to be very careful when we are dealing with people, when we know they are mercy passed.
[16:13] Whether they are mercy passed after they became Christian or before they became Christian. We have to be very careful because sometimes you know that this person doesn't deserve blessing.
[16:24] What we may call blessing or the hand of God. But for some reason, God in his mercy and his wisdom is using somebody not because of their mess. No, no, not because of God.
[16:34] God doesn't use people because of their mess. He uses people because of his mercy. So someone went to the temple to go and pray. Luke chapter 18. Bible says, this Pharisee, he prayed with himself.
[16:50] He prayed that. And the Pharisee stood and prayed that with himself. His prayer was all about him. God, I thank you that I am not like other men.
[17:01] Oh, really? Really? The focus of your prayer is comparison. Ah. You are not thinking about who you are. But you are thinking about how you are better than others.
[17:13] You will forsake mercy. Usually when we think we are better than others, we are always quick to condemn them. Meanwhile, you are not all the best. I said the other time I was preaching.
[17:25] I said that let's not compare ourselves to others. Let's compare ourselves to Christ. Christ should be the standard. It will help us to be humble. He prayed that with himself. That I am not like others.
[17:36] I am not like that. And I am not like that. And then he went as far as talking about other men. Estochialness. Unjust. Adulteress. And then he went as far as even as this.
[17:50] He saw the guy. They were praying. They were praying. They were praying. Even as. And his praise and worship was based on how his condition is better than other people's condition.
[18:03] Thank God for me. I am not in hospital. I thank you. No. It is good to be thankful to God. But don't let it be motivated by comparison with others. Let it be motivated by how God has been good to you.
[18:15] His message. His kindness. His message. His kindness. He said. Not like. And then the tax collector. He knew that they were looking down at him.
[18:26] So he came. And he knew he was bad. So when he came. He couldn't even lift up his eyes to God. The Bible said. He bowed his head. He didn't lift up. And he was beating his breast. That's what happened to the people after he had Peter preaching.
[18:39] They beat. Please. Never underestimate what God can do with a repentant person. Repentance makes it look like God becomes blind to what you did.
[18:55] Repentance provokes the mercy of God so strongly. That's why there's no way into church outside of repentance. People who come to church without repenting.
[19:06] They have not arrived in church. They came for function. You came for an event. You have been attending events. Not church. We call church.
[19:18] We don't attend church. We are church. But to be church. It starts with repentance. I feel like preaching. So this man.
[19:29] Beat his chest. Luke chapter 18. He beat his. The Bible said that. The tax collector. He couldn't even come close. He was standing afar off. The other guy was standing right in front.
[19:40] He was standing afar off. And couldn't. The Bible says that. He would not as much raise his eyes to heaven. He couldn't. Normally it was a Jewish custom. You look into heaven. The tax collector.
[19:52] He was looking like this. With smile on his face. Every now and then look at that guy. Oh God. I'm better. I'm better. I'm better.
[20:03] And then. He couldn't raise his eyes to look. But beat his breast. Saying. What did he say? Every time you are coming to church.
[20:14] Start with mercy. God have mercy on me. Every time you are coming for fellowship. Every time you are about to pray. Entreat God for mercy. Paul said in Romans chapter 12 verse 1.
[20:26] I beseech you by the message of God. By the message of God. I entreat you. I implore you. By the message of God. Never lose sight of what mercy has done for you.
[20:38] Bible says that the reason why you are not dead. Is because of the mercy of God. Bible says. Lamentations chapter 3. It says that. It's because of his message that we are not consumed. Wow. Do you know when the COVID came.
[20:49] Some people lost their lives. COVID was a bad thing. It really was bad. A lot of people were affected. Families were affected. But COVID has come and gone.
[20:59] And you are here to tell the story. God will continue to sustain you. By his message. So always remember. To give God credit for his message.
[21:11] And always. Never forget to ask for mercy. Most of the time. When you are busy asking for mercy. The true sign that you are asking for mercy. Is you don't have time for other people's message.
[21:23] Because you are thinking about yourself. God have mercy on me. They don't know me. But you know me. God have mercy. Someone scream mercy.
[21:35] Mercy. So because. God is a God of mercies. He has always left. A road. A pathway. Let me use this word. I think I prefer that.
[21:45] Highway. He has always left. A pathway. A roadway. Back to him. Doesn't matter how far you go. There is always a roadway back to God. I think I am talking to someone.
[21:57] Who is listening to me. And you have left church. You have left your church. You have not been attending church. You have backslided. Hey. Hey. Hey. I know you feel very bad. About the whole thing. And you have gone so far. But you know.
[22:08] Believers. They fall. When a Christian falls. It is like someone on a ship. Who has fallen on deck. He is not falling into the sea. So. So.
[22:19] Just get up. Just get up. Sometimes you will be so concerned about. People. You know. Sometimes. It is natural. Some people. Talk. Yeah. Like. And you come. You are feeling like.
[22:30] Now you are. Yeah. Now. Now. Please. Don't worry about that. Go back to church. Or come back to God. Come to the house of God. Come back to church. Come back to God. Come back to God.
[22:41] Come back to God. Come back to God. Come back to God. Don't wait for things to spiral completely out of control. And. Now.
[22:51] At least you have a bit to save. Before everything gets scattered by the enemy. And even if the enemy doesn't scatter everything. Your heart is breaking. Because you have distanced yourself so far away from God.
[23:02] I don't know who I am talking to. Come back to God. Come back to God. It doesn't matter what you did. People may not forgive you. But there is forgiveness with God. There is forgiveness with God. Right.
[23:13] Because. Because God. Is rich. In mercies. He is called the God of mercy. He is rich in mercy. Come back to God.
[23:25] Watch this. The people who killed Jesus. No. They didn't kill him. I'm sorry. They murdered him. They murdered him. When they were cut in their hearts. And caught in their tracks.
[23:36] They asked. What shall we do? That is it now. All of you did that. All of you. I told you. Kneel down.
[23:47] But all of you. Hold the other ones. Remove their wig. That's now our time to show how right we have been.
[24:00] Every church member. And everybody who is working with Christ. And is strong in church. Should behave like Joseph. When he got the chance to prove to his brothers. It wasn't an issue.
[24:11] He didn't care about that. He was thinking about. Subspecies. I tenetitis. The bigger picture. What God has got to do. From eternity. Let's think about that more. Than making. Proving to see. I'm right. Sometimes you don't.
[24:23] No one ever even needs to know. How right you are. It's not necessary. Because you are not that important. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
[24:33] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So. They were cut to the heart. They said amen. Peter said repent. I realize John the Baptist preached repentance.
[24:45] Matthew chapter 3 verse 6. Mark chapter 1 verse 5. Luke chapter 3 verse 3. John chapter 1 verse 20. Actually that's. That's. That's.
[24:55] That's. That's what I'm talking about. Baptism. But John. Matthew. Mark chapter 1. Let's start from verse 4. Let's start from verse 4. John came baptizing in the wilderness.
[25:08] Preaching the baptism of repentance. For the remission of sins. So that was his message. He was preaching the baptism of repentance. For the remission of sins.
[25:19] So. John the Baptist ushered in a new era. For humanity. As long as our relationship with God. God. Is concerned. And Jesus himself.
[25:30] When he showed up. Very interesting. In Matthew chapter 4. Verse 17. And then we'll go to Mark chapter 1. Verse 14 and 15. Mark chapter 4 verse 17.
[25:40] From. From that time. Jesus began. To. Okay. What time? Let's go to verse 16. So. At least. Let's see. The people who sat in. In.
[25:50] That's when he came. That. To be fulfilled by what was said. The people who sat in darkness. Have seen a great light. And upon. Those who sat in. The raging. And shadow of death.
[26:01] Light us. Dawn. From that time. Jesus began to preach. And to say. That was his preaching. What was his preaching? Repent. For the kingdom of God is our hand.
[26:12] He never preached judgment. He preached repentance. Give people room to change. He never preached condemnation. He preached repentance.
[26:24] He preached repentance. There's no clearer evidence. That God is working in your heart. Than when you become merciful. And you give people room to repent. Did you hear what I said?
[26:36] There's no clearer evidence. That God is at work in your heart. Than when you become merciful. Not judgmental. Merciful. And give people room. To repent. Give people room.
[26:49] Give your husband room to repent. Give your wife. Give your wife room to repent. Give your ex room to repent.
[27:01] No. Listen. Listen to what I didn't say. I didn't say go back to him or her. I never said that. I never said that. I never said that. What I said is.
[27:14] Give him room to repent. And get to God. Repentance is going towards God. It is repentance towards God. Repentance towards God.
[27:25] Repentance towards God. I think Acts chapter 26 verse 20. Let's see what it says. But declared first to those in the Marcos and Jerusalem. And throughout all the regions of Judea. And then to the Gentiles.
[27:37] That they should repent. Turn to God. And do works befitting repentance. There will always be works that show that someone has repented. It befits repentance.
[27:49] Give me the King James. King James puts it in a slightly different way. That works meet for repentance. When we look at your works. We can tell you have repented. If you have genuinely repented.
[28:01] It will show in your works. Repentance is always evidenced by works. We are never saved by works. Access to salvation is through repentance.
[28:13] So if you have genuinely repented. People will notice that there is a U10. You do things differently. Repentance will always be evidenced by works. So Jesus preached repentance.
[28:26] Repent for the kingdom of God is a time. Mark chapter 1 verse 14 and 15. John was put in prison. After John was put in prison. Jesus came to Galilee. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.
[28:37] Look at the next verse. Preaching of the gospel. And saying. So he was telling you before the kingdom of God is a time. And saying. The time is fulfilled. And the kingdom of God is a time.
[28:49] Repent and believe in the gospel. When it comes to our responsibility. It's repentance. When it comes to God's responsibility. It's redemption. Repentance. I will explain it in a minute.
[29:00] So God offers redemption. We access redemption through repentance. God has done it already. I don't have to do anything. No.
[29:11] There is a responsibility on you to repent. And produce works that are meet. Or that reflect repentance. Works. Not the King James. The other one.
[29:22] A new King James. Works that correspond. Or are befitting. I like that. Befitting. You don't have to make noise. About how you have repented. Everybody.
[29:32] Myself. I used to. If you are born again. There must be. I used to. When they send you. What's that message again? Tell them. No. I can't do that. I'm changed. I've repented.
[29:43] It's not because you are a church goer. But because Christ is in you. There are people who. Are just converts.
[29:54] But they haven't repented. Amen. So. Peter said. Repent. Let's look at the text again. Repent.
[30:05] And let every one of you. Be baptized. In the name of Jesus. For what? Remission. Repentance and baptism. Remission means removal. It's been put away. That's the mercy of God.
[30:18] What you have done. It can be forgiven. What? What is it that you have done. You think God cannot forgive. There's nothing you have done. That God cannot forgive.
[30:29] The only thing God cannot forgive. Is when you reject Jesus. Because that's the means for forgiveness. So if you reject. The means for forgiveness. On what grounds can God forgive you? God doesn't forgive us.
[30:40] Because we have behaved right. God forgives us. Because Jesus died on the cross. For our sins. And that's very important. In Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7. It said. In whom we have redemption.
[30:52] Through his blood. The forgiveness of. Ah. So is forgiveness of sins. Predicated on repentance. Or his blood. Both ways. When it comes to God.
[31:02] He forgives us. Because of Christ's blood. When it comes to us. We access forgiveness. Because of our repentance. Did you understand that? You repent.
[31:12] In order to access forgiveness. Which God has provided. Through the blood of Christ. On the cross. So. It's only the cross of Christ. That gives us.
[31:23] Forgiveness. Because. God cannot. Overlook sin. And says. Okay. You are sorry. No, no. Remorse. There's a difference. Between repentance and remorse. Remorse is you are sorry.
[31:37] Because you've been caught. You feel bad about this whole thing. Or you've lost a job. You left some money. Or something. Because of the repercussion. Of what you did. You are suffering it.
[31:47] So you are sorry. But. It's not everything you do. That you might suffer for. Is it not true at all? There are things you have done. Nobody knows. Or only one person knows.
[31:59] And you are not suffering for it. And I believe you will suffer for it. It's not everything we suffer for. What I'm saying. There are things that. You do.
[32:10] And will never suffer. The consequences on earth. However. Don't wait to be caught. Before. You have a change of mind. Repentance.
[32:22] Comes with. I don't want to focus too much on repentance. But. Some of the evidence of repentance. It comes with. Sorrow of heart. You are not sorrowful. Because you are caught. You are sorrowful.
[32:32] Because of. It affected the relationship with God. A gentleman came and talked to me. Some time ago. Because I read books. By some. Men of God. And I listened to a preaching. That says that.
[32:43] Masturbation is fine. So. In secondary school. When we were in secondary school. So he started. Taking advantage of. Life fine. But.
[32:58] After. A few rounds. He felt. Because he tested it once. Another time. Tested it again. He said. He came to me. One way in secondary school. He said. Brother David.
[33:10] I read this book. And he says that is fine. But. Every time I finish. I can tell. There is a gap between me and God. Something and something. I just know.
[33:21] I am okay. Some people say. Oh it is just in your mind. No. It is not in your mind. Your spirit. Is it. When you sin against God. You feel it first in your spirit. Yes.
[33:32] Yes. Yes. You feel it first in your spirit. You feel there is a disconnect. There is something. The fellowship. Has been mad. Something has affected. It is like. You are sitting in a car.
[33:43] Driving fast speed. Ferrari. Is it? Not Ferrari. Safari. No. When you drive through the. With the mud and everything. The racing car. What is it called? Safari.
[33:54] Not the animal one. But. You know sometimes the cars are so. Muddy. And. The car has got. Windshield.
[34:05] Or windscreen. And windows. But. It is dark inside. Because of that. So. The person sitting is not dark. But that light is not coming. Because of. Sin. So sometimes.
[34:15] Your relationship with God. Can be mad. Because of. Something. Sin in your life. You are not backslided. You are not an unbeliever. But. Your fellowship has been.
[34:26] Interferred with. Has been affected. And so when you are a believer. And. Look at the way you spoke to your wife. You've spoke to your wife. Over banana. Banana you wanted to use to break your fast.
[34:40] She has finished the banana. Because. Your wife can eat at all times. So she has. And you are so disappointed.
[34:53] Because. You didn't want to eat. Any meal. You wanted to eat before midnight. So you can continue the fasting. And you come home. And they finish the banana. And.
[35:05] You feel. Why? I told you. I was going to. You like doing this. You like doing this. I've regretted that. And you spoke in a way. You know. You spoke in a way. And your wife said.
[35:16] You talk to me like that. And maybe she didn't even cry. But you left. And then. Your spirit tells you. No. That was wrong. When you are a Christian. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits.
[35:29] So before the preacher speaks. The Holy Spirit is speaking louder. And. Then you know. Oh no. Suddenly feel that.
[35:40] I've sinned against God. Not just against my wife. It's against God. David said. It's you alone. Psalm 51. You have I sinned against. Our sin.
[35:50] Is against God. You can do something against someone. As a believer. But you have sinned against God. They may not know. But you have sinned against God. He said.
[36:02] Against you. You only. Have I sinned. God. And. Have I done this evil. In your sight. That you may be found. Just when. You speak. And blameless.
[36:13] When you judge. God. I deserve. You can punish me. And you are just. Because of what I've done. They don't know what I've done. But you know. Am I. Am I preaching? Yes. Repentance.
[36:25] Is when you know. That. There's a disconnect. Or you. You've done something. Against God. People don't have to know. They don't have to catch you. And then you. You feel. You are not happy. About what you have done.
[36:36] Then you go. You say. God forgive me. I've missed you. Don't wait to be caught. Because that is. More complicated. Because you are better. When people don't know.
[36:46] Your business. Yes. Yes. Yes. Because some things. People know about you. They won't forget. It's not. Not that they don't want to forget.
[36:56] But naturally. When they remember you. Even when you are singing. Or when you are talking. Everything. Flashbacks. Haven't you. Some of you here.
[37:08] There are some people. Who used to be. You saw them on Facebook. They are now. Good people. Preaching. Married. But you remember. What. They went to steal somebody's. Banana. Banana. And they brought that before.
[37:22] The headmaster. Or headmistress. You remember that very well. So when you see them. I'm talking about 20 years ago. But when you see them. You still remember. When we were in school. This one. Stole bananas.
[37:32] Yes. How much more. Someone you are in a relationship with. People have records.
[37:43] Of what you have done. Adosia. Somebody say. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
[37:54] So Peter said repent. Say repent. Say repent. Repent. Jesus said repentance. Shall be preached in his name. In Acts chapter 17 verse 30.
[38:08] He said God commands everyone. Everywhere to repent. As I mentioned. Repentance is. The Greek word is metanoia. Change of mind. Which leads to a change of action.
[38:19] So repentance is definitely a change of mind. The way you are assessing. Evaluating things. Your assessment of things. Your intellectual.
[38:31] Evaluation. Assessment of things. So long as God is concerned. You change your approach. You change your mind. And it will always be reflected. In your actions.
[38:42] Peter said repent. If you want to enjoy. Messies from God. The roadway. To God's messies. Is repentance. Because with God. There is mercy. And there is forgiveness. God will.
[38:53] Watch this. This is very interesting about God. Which makes him God. Different from us. He will always forgive. In fact. I think somewhere in the scriptures. Some also. King James said. He will not always chide.
[39:06] He will not always. In other words. Always. After you. To punish you. He will not always. There are times. In Psalm 103 verse 9. He will not always.
[39:17] Give us different versions. Let's see what this child. Is not child. He will not always. He will not always. Strive with this. Nor will he keep. His anger. He will not keep.
[39:29] His anger forever. New living translation. God. Will not. Constantly accuse us. You. Remember what you did.
[39:39] You. Remember what you did. Every time you. Like some wives. Or some husbands. Or like. Like neighbors. You know. You. They remind you. Of something you did. Years ago.
[39:51] Yeah. Five years. Five years. Is quite close. Some people. Can keep records. Yeah. They can keep records. You are laughing with them.
[40:01] By stealing their head. That's human nature. Anyway. But God. Will always forgive. So. He says. We should repent. In other two. Enjoy.
[40:13] Forgiveness. Amen. Let me just finish this text. Because. I thought I was going to verse 42. I really wanted to talk about fellowship. But I want to finish. So let's look at the text again.
[40:23] Acts chapter 2 verse. 38. Thank you Jesus. Then Peter said unto them. Repent and be baptized. Every one of you.
[40:34] For the remission of sins. Now. Permit me to just. Touch on baptism. The Christian baptism. Is. Credo baptism. Not a pedo baptism.
[40:45] There are some church organizations. That believe in pedo baptism. Pedo baptism is. Infant baptism. Pedo. Pedo means child. Infant. Okay. So. And credo.
[40:56] Credo is creed. Creed. Set of beliefs. So the Christian baptism. From what I see. In scripture. I encourage. We believe in. Credo baptism. Having understood.
[41:07] And come. In an agreement. Come into an agreement. With what has been stated. That Jesus Christ died. For our sins. He was buried. He resurrected. On the third day. For our justification.
[41:18] Is ascended in heaven. And anyone who puts his faith in him. Can be forgiven of their sins. And be a child of God. That is. You have to understand. Those facts. To be saved. Now. If you haven't understood.
[41:29] The facts. The creed. The statements of faith. You cannot be saved. And so we believe that. Your believing. Precedes your salvation. Do you understand what I'm saying?
[41:41] Your believing. If you haven't understood. It doesn't matter how minimal. Your understanding might be. But understood and accepted. That Jesus is God. In the flesh. Died on the cross.
[41:52] To save us from our sins. Was buried. Resurrected. On the third day. For our justification. And ascended into heaven. And will come back. That is the basics. Of the Christian faith. Jesus is Lord.
[42:02] Now. You must. Ascend to that. A two year old boy. Cannot ascend to that. Cannot ascend to that. Because what does that mean. To that child. So what happens. If that child dies.
[42:13] God will sort that out. Leave it. It's smarter than me. It's wiser than me. So. Let's be loud on what the scripture is loud on. And let's be silent on what the scripture is silent on.
[42:24] Did you understand that? So. But I believe that. Theologically. It's believed that. Children. Who die under the age of awareness. Of accountability. Are automatically covered by God.
[42:36] Covered by God. They go to God. So. But. And people go as far as asking. How about my dog? He's. He's in church. Battersea. Battersea house. So.
[42:51] So. It's important to understand. When it comes to baptism. We believe. In credo baptism. Knowing the facts of salvation. Being saved. Because look at this. Now that is a very interesting text.
[43:03] I'm saying that because. Someone will say that. He says that. Repent. And be baptized. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent. Repent. And be baptized. In the name. For the remission of sins.
[43:13] So it looks like. Baptism is what is bringing. Remission of sins. Removal of sins. Is predicated on baptism. No. It's not necessarily. But. You see.
[43:24] Let's talk about. John the Baptist. He came baptizing with water. This is very interesting. What's the. Okay. What's the meaning of baptism? Baptism. Is being put. Watch this. This is very important.
[43:35] Baptism. Is being put. Into death. And burial. So in Christian baptism. Or in baptism. The statement that is being made. Is someone is being put into death.
[43:46] And burial. That's practically. What baptism is. So John the Baptist. Came baptizing. He baptized the people. And put them. Into death. Dying to self.
[43:56] Dying to self. And sins. Put them into death. To expect Jesus Christ. Who is the resurrection coming. So John. No one. Encountered. John's baptism. And never expected. The coming of Jesus Christ.
[44:07] Because you are not dying. And staying there. But it is termination. Something is terminated. For something else. To be germinated. So in baptism. Is. We introduce you.
[44:18] Into death. That's what it is. Baptism. Is an introduction. Into death. So. Introduction. Now. In Christian baptism. John's baptism. Was a preliminary baptism.
[44:30] John's ministry. Was an introductory ministry. So. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Could not have waited. For some. Time. Years. Before he came.
[44:40] After John the Baptist came. Because John the Baptist ministry. Was an introductory ministry. So introductory. He was introducing somebody. So. As soon as John was getting up the scene. Christ was there.
[44:51] Because. John baptized people into death. Jesus must be there. To give them life. He is alive. So he came to give life. So everybody who met John the Baptist.
[45:02] Expected Jesus. Expected the Messiah. Who was going to bring life. So the baptism. Was being introduced into death. Now. The believers baptism. In Matthew.
[45:13] Chapter. 28. Verse 19. Jesus said. Go. Therefore. And make disciples. Of all nations. Baptizing them. How?
[45:25] In. When you look at this word. In. The original Greek. Can be rendered. Into. I probably. I didn't check. But probably even. New American standard version. Or English standard version. Might use.
[45:36] Into. Like. For God. So. John 3. He said. For God. So. Whoever. Whoever. Believed in him. The original Greek. See. That's. American standard version. Did you see that? Baptizing them.
[45:47] Into. So. You. What. This is very important. We baptize people. Watch this. Into. The death of Christ. Here. He said. We should baptize them. Into.
[45:58] The name. Of. Not the names. But the names. One. One person. God. The father. God. The son. God. The holy spirit. We are baptizing people. Watch this. Into the triune God.
[46:10] It's very important. So. Baptism. Baptism. Baptism. Is. Into. The death of Christ. Galatians. Chapter 3. Verse 27. We baptize people. Into. The death of Christ. Galatians. Verse 27. We baptize people.
[46:21] Into Christ. So. When you are being baptized. It's like. We pick you. And we are putting you. Into the death of Christ. And into Christ. And at the same time. We are putting you. Into. The triune God.
[46:32] And at the same time. First Corinthians. Chapter 12. Verse 13. We are putting you. Into the body of Christ. For by one speech. We are all baptized. Into one body. Being put.
[46:44] Baptism. Baptism. Is. An essential aspect. Of your Christian journey. Of your. It's not. Just that. I've just repented. Or maybe an activity. It's not. It's an essential aspect.
[46:54] Of your Christian journey. Even though. It's not. Baptism. Does not save. Baptism. Is a reflection. Of the salvation. That has happened. In your life. Is the reflection. Of the reality.
[47:05] Is the visible. Visible. Evidence. Of the spiritual reality. So everybody. Jesus said. Go into the world. Make disciples. And baptize them.
[47:15] When this guy came. And they asked Peter. What shall we do? Peter said. Repent. And be baptized. For the remission of sins. Because baptism. Is an act. That shows that now.
[47:26] I'm a changed person. Something has changed. In my life. And I'm being introduced. Into Christ. Romans chapter 6. Verse 3. And 4. Romans 6. 3. 4. It says that. Or do you not know.
[47:38] As many of us. As were baptized. Into. Baptized. Into. Christ Jesus. Were baptized. What? Into his death.
[47:50] Baptism. Is being introduced. Into death. So that resurrection. Can come. So I'm talking about. Termination. And germination. Something of your old life.
[48:02] Something of your old self. Your old self. Is being terminated. And a new life. Is being germinated. Verse 4. It says that. Verse 4. Therefore.
[48:13] We are buried. With him. Through baptism. Into. You see what I said. Into death. Into death. Into death. That. Just as Christ.
[48:24] Was raised from the dead. By the glory of God. It means so. We also. Say we also. Did Christ stay in the grave? No.
[48:34] So we also. Will not stay in the grave. But. We are not buried. People in grave. By putting water. The waters of baptism. Stephen. He said. That's water. Acts chapter 8.
[48:45] In fact. Acts chapter 8. Verse 12. When. They believed Philip. As he preached. The things concerning. The kingdom of God. And the name of the Lord. Jesus Christ. Both men and women. Were baptized.
[48:56] After you believe. You get baptized. When they believed. They were baptized. The Ethiopian eunuch. In verse 37. And 38. He said. That's water. What's touching him from being baptized?
[49:07] And Philip said. Why not? Let's get into the water. And he took him into the water. And got him baptized. After he has believed. It's important to understand. Even Saul of Tarsus.
[49:18] He. Acts chapter 9. Verse 18. And he arose. And was baptized. Saul of Tarsus. After that. He was baptized. Because of time. There's a plethora.
[49:29] Of evidences of baptism. Of believers. So the Christian baptism. Is the believer's baptism. You have to be a believer. In order to be baptized. So guess what?
[49:40] I told you before. I became born again. I was very churchy. I was always in church. And I was always religious. And so I was baptized. But I wasn't born again.
[49:51] But when I met Jesus. And I became born again. Guess what? I got myself. The believer's baptism. The first one is not bad. But the second one. Is a believer's.
[50:01] I was baptized as a believer. If since you became a believer. You haven't been baptized. It's likely. No it's likely. You're actually working in disobedience. After you become a believer.
[50:12] I don't know what has been. Maybe you were baptized as a baby. You were baptized. With your family. Everybody. It's just a fashionable thing to do. There's nothing wrong with that. It's nice. It's nice. But now as a believer.
[50:24] You must be baptized as a believer. So it says that. Be baptized for the remission of sins. And you shall receive the Holy Ghost. He preached Christ. But what are they receiving? They are receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
[50:34] He preached Christ. But they are receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Quickly. The gift of the Holy Spirit here mentioned. When you look at the text very carefully. Is it. Okay. What does it mean?
[50:44] The gift of the. Is it spiritual gift? The Holy Spirit gave them gifts. No. The Holy Spirit himself. As the gift. That's what it means. In Romans chapter 12. Verse 3.
[50:55] It said. I said. Through the grace of God given to me. That everyone who is amongst you. Not to think of himself. More highly than he ought to think. But to think so badly. As God has dealt with everyone. The measure of grace.
[51:06] So. As God has dealt with everyone. The measure of grace. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Verse 4. That is even better. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Verse 4. It says that. There are diversity of gifts. By the same Spirit.
[51:17] Now. The gift of the Spirit. Watch this. This is what. The reason I'm saying is. He said. Repent and be baptized. For the remission. And you shall receive the gift. Of the Holy Spirit. You shall receive the gift. It's not talking about.
[51:28] Spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit himself. The gift. Whilst we still have. 1 Corinthians. We just read. It says that. The diversity of gifts. But it's the same Spirit. So the Spirit gives gifts.
[51:39] But that's not the gifts. He was talking about. The Spirit himself. The Spirit himself. The Spirit himself. The Spirit himself. Is your gift. The gift. When you are born again. God gives you the Holy Spirit himself.
[51:50] As a gift from above. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13. Talking about. We have been sealed with the Spirit of promise. The Spirit of God himself. Is the gift. But he doesn't give.
[52:00] He's not giving to anybody. Apart from people. Who believe in Jesus Christ. And repent. And he said. In him. He also trusted. After he heard the word of truth. The gospel of your salvation. In whom also. Having believed.
[52:11] You were sealed. With the Holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit. Once you believe in Jesus. And you become born again. You repent. What you receive. Is the Holy Spirit himself. As your gift.
[52:22] The greatest gift in life. Is the Holy Spirit. The greatest gift in life. Thank you. Did you receive something? Thank you for listening to this message.
[52:34] By David Entry. We pray you have been revived towards God. You can connect with David Entry. On all relevant social media platforms. Including Instagram. And LinkedIn. You can also hear more messages.
[52:46] From David Entry. On all relevant streaming platforms. And the Karis Church app. Don't forget to like. And share the message. And be blessed. Thank you.