WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.259 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:15.439 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at Christchurcheastbay.org. 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:27.260 Good morning. 00:00:27.780 --> 00:00:28.480 My name is Brian. 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:32.399 I'm a member of the Alameda Community Group here at Christchurch. 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:37.299 Today's scripture lesson is a reading from the Acts of the Apostles. 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:51.799 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:57.820 Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd. 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.059 Fellow Israelites, listen to this. 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:12.219 Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 00:01:12.219 --> 00:01:17.420 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:22.459 And you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:32.000 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:02:01.980 David said about him, 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:31.980 00:02:31.979 --> 00:02:41.060 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and has poured out what you now see and hear. 00:02:41.060 --> 00:02:45.080 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:52.319 The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. 00:02:53.159 --> 00:02:55.819 Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:01.900 God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:08.200 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the other apostles, 00:03:08.760 --> 00:03:10.659 Brothers, what shall we do? 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:19.140 Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. 00:03:19.580 --> 00:03:22.099 And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:30.439 The promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call. 00:03:31.219 --> 00:03:34.959 With many other words, he warned them, and he pleaded with them, 00:03:35.459 --> 00:03:37.539 Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. 00:03:38.379 --> 00:03:44.699 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day. 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:47.000 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:48.419 Thanks be to God. 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:51.280 All right, good morning. 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:53.500 Thank you so much, Brian. 00:03:53.839 --> 00:03:54.899 Thanks, Arpy. 00:03:55.299 --> 00:03:59.399 And thanks to Andrew's brother, Nate, for leading us in worship. 00:03:59.619 --> 00:04:06.079 It's just a wonderful time in the season of Andrew's sabbatical to see so many people just leaning in and helping out. 00:04:06.620 --> 00:04:10.819 I do want to just add on to Arpy's announcement before we begin, 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:14.280 that we have two congregational meetings a year. 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:15.939 One in the fall and one in the spring. 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:23.319 And we're going to begin this spring meeting hopefully right around 1145, as soon as we end our service. 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:29.319 We hope that most of you will stick around and learn some good information 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:32.980 and just engage with the life of our church family together. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:40.079 Anybody that needs to slip out, we'll let you just kind of quietly slide out after the benediction. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:47.639 And again, we have Christchurch kids extended to 1230, and we hope, parents, that you'll take advantage of that. 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:58.079 If you're a member of the church, we just want to encourage you to know that the reason the session is called, 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:07.479 this meeting today is to just help us live out the promises we made as members of this church body, 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:15.060 that we promised that we would serve Christ and his church by supporting and participating in this congregation 00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:21.019 in its service to God and its ministry to others to the best of our ability. 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:26.680 And we also made promises that we'd promote the unity, purity, and peace of the church. 00:05:26.859 --> 00:05:32.439 And one of the ways that we can live out these promises we made is to just come to these family gatherings 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:35.560 and seek to help build up our church family together. 00:05:36.579 --> 00:05:39.459 I want to invite you to turn in your pew Bible. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.299 I know we just read the scriptures, but I want to invite you to actually hold a Bible this week. 00:05:44.300 --> 00:05:50.040 At least one day of the week, you can say you had a real Bible, a real book in my hands. 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:54.439 And you can turn in your pew Bible to page 883. 00:05:55.139 --> 00:06:01.199 And this sermon is my attempt, having been away at presbytery meetings in Nevada for several days this week, 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:07.040 to just unpack this text a little bit for you, page 883. 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:10.600 We've been exploring Acts chapter 1 and 2. 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:16.620 And Jesus promised to give the person and the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to his church. 00:06:17.260 --> 00:06:23.600 And we're looking today at the first Christian sermon that was ever preached on the day of Pentecost. 00:06:23.740 --> 00:06:27.939 We already looked at the opening of Peter's sermon where Peter says, 00:06:28.080 --> 00:06:30.100 no, actually, we are not drunk. 00:06:31.060 --> 00:06:33.580 We are not filled with alcoholic spirits. 00:06:33.700 --> 00:06:37.560 What's happening right now is that we're filled with God's Holy Spirit. 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:41.120 And now we come to the heart of this first Christian sermon. 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:44.579 And we're going to just dive right in. 00:06:44.699 --> 00:06:49.160 And because we have our meeting today, I'm going to leave verses 38 to 41. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:51.420 And we'll come back to those next week. 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:59.959 But what I want to talk about for a minute is gospel, truth, outside power, heart conviction, and mind change. 00:07:00.779 --> 00:07:05.860 Gospel truth, outside power, heart conviction, and mind change. 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:07.220 Let's start with gospel truth. 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:13.780 So we talked a few weeks ago about at the beginning of Acts chapter 2, 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:20.699 Jesus is fulfilling the promise that he made that he pour out the Holy Spirit on his disciples 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:22.819 and that he would fill the church with the Holy Spirit. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:31.699 And it wasn't just one or two leaders that began to speak the gospel truth on the day of Pentecost. 00:07:31.699 --> 00:07:35.879 We'll remember that the whole congregation of about 120 disciples, 00:07:36.279 --> 00:07:44.339 when they were filled with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit enabled all of them to begin to declare God's mighty acts of salvation. 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:50.019 And eventually, one of those 120 steps up to the microphone, his name's Peter. 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:54.300 And you'll remember that Peter failed Jesus the most. 00:07:54.300 --> 00:07:59.020 Now, if I had been the captain of that team, I'd have been like, hey, Peter, you're off the team. 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:01.720 But that's not how Jesus works. 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:08.199 Jesus thought it'd be good for Peter to be the leader and the spokesman of the team as his greatest failure. 00:08:08.860 --> 00:08:14.560 And Jesus loves empowering failures with the Holy Spirit and transforming them into new people. 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:16.920 And so Peter steps up to the microphone. 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:21.819 And we now come to the heart of this first Christian sermon ever preached. 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:22.879 And what does Peter say? 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:30.520 What does Peter think is essential truth that needs to be communicated? 00:08:30.759 --> 00:08:32.899 What does everyone need to hear? 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:36.700 Well, Peter says in verse 22, people of Israel, listen to this. 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:39.740 Jesus of Nazareth. 00:08:40.680 --> 00:08:44.259 Every good sermon starts and ends there. 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:48.939 Christianity is Christ. 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:54.360 Christianity is the person and work of Jesus Christ. 00:08:55.220 --> 00:09:00.759 And Peter begins to carefully unpack the history of Jesus in stages. 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:02.679 And he says, listen to this. 00:09:02.819 --> 00:09:08.580 Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:12.700 which God did among you through him as you yourselves know. 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:18.379 So Peter begins saying, Jesus is a real historical human being. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:26.980 And though Peter will go on and affirm Jesus' divinity, he never does that at the expense of Jesus' humanity. 00:09:27.140 --> 00:09:28.900 And this is just what baffles the mind. 00:09:29.020 --> 00:09:32.280 How can one person be both God and man? 00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:33.800 How can Jesus be the God-man? 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:36.240 But Peter says that's what he is. 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:39.700 And if you look at his life, he came and he fed the hungry. 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:41.560 And he healed the sick. 00:09:41.580 --> 00:09:42.700 And he raised the dead. 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:44.180 And he cast out evil. 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:48.419 And he forgave people's sins in a way that no one had ever experienced. 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:53.460 He came and he made people whole in body and in soul. 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:57.399 He came indicating that he was here to put the world right. 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:06.819 And these signs and these wonders that Jesus did in his lifetime, they were God's seal of authenticity, 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:12.500 confirming Jesus' authority, confirming that this truly is the Son of God. 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:19.919 This is the one who's come to rule and to reign and to launch the kingdom of God on the earth as it is in heaven. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:25.719 But the gospel is not only about the life of Jesus, it's also about the death of Jesus. 00:10:25.899 --> 00:10:28.339 And so what is Peter's emphasis here? 00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:29.979 He goes on in verse 23, he says, 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:34.379 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. 00:10:34.479 --> 00:10:39.699 And you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 00:10:39.700 --> 00:10:42.440 Peter says, 00:10:42.540 --> 00:10:51.240 Jesus' crucifixion is attributed equally to the wickedness of human beings and to the eternal purpose of God. 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:55.000 And what that means is that the cross was not an accident. 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:58.100 The cross was certainly not a tragedy. 00:10:58.820 --> 00:11:09.200 No, the cross was a covenant commitment that was made in eternity past by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:11:09.700 --> 00:11:16.800 That one of them, Jesus, would come and he would stand in our place. 00:11:17.560 --> 00:11:20.060 That he would come and bear our sins. 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:21.820 That he would take our curse. 00:11:21.900 --> 00:11:23.700 That he would die our death. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:29.500 That the judgment and condemnation that we all deserve for breaking God's law of love. 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:35.759 And all the debts that we had accumulated to the love that we owed to God and to one another. 00:11:36.379 --> 00:11:39.060 That Jesus would come and take those upon himself. 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:43.480 And Peter says, that was the deliberate plan of God. 00:11:44.140 --> 00:11:45.620 This great exchange. 00:11:45.800 --> 00:11:53.920 This great substitution that the God-man would take the curse that you deserve so that you could get the blessing that he deserved. 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:58.620 But the gospel doesn't end with the cross of Jesus. 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:00.679 Peter goes on and he says in verse 24, 00:12:00.819 --> 00:12:10.219 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 00:12:10.220 --> 00:12:14.840 And then Peter begins quoting from memory. 00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:19.639 One of those great psalms that all of us should probably just commit to memory like Peter did. 00:12:19.779 --> 00:12:20.920 Psalm 16. 00:12:21.920 --> 00:12:25.180 And why is Peter quoting the scriptures? 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:26.980 Because that's what a good sermon is. 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:28.800 A good sermon is a feast on the scriptures. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:45.559 And because in this psalm, Psalm 16, Israel's king, David, he wrote many, many centuries before that the body of God's Messiah, 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:56.179 Messiah, the body of the Messiah who would come, would not be allowed to remain in a sphere of decay and death, but we would be snatched out of death. 00:12:57.479 --> 00:13:05.579 And after quoting Psalm 16, Peter begins to reason with them from the scripture in verses 29 to 32, 00:13:05.580 --> 00:13:13.220 that the body of King David, who wrote Psalm 16, Peter says his body is right over there in his tomb. 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:22.020 And all of you can walk right over there and you can go to the tomb of David and you can see that his body is in that tomb. 00:13:23.180 --> 00:13:29.180 But Peter says if you walk over here to the tomb of Jesus, what will you find? 00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:31.580 You'll find that it's empty. 00:13:32.400 --> 00:13:34.820 You'll find that his body is not there. 00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:35.300 Why? 00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:42.900 Because Jesus is the one that King David wrote about in Psalm 16. 00:13:44.080 --> 00:13:48.540 Jesus is God's promised royal descendant from the house of David. 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:54.180 Jesus is the one that God promised would sit on the throne of David. 00:13:55.280 --> 00:14:02.720 And you see, God, Peter wants all these people to know, God, when he makes a promise, he always fulfills his promise. 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:11.220 And God was not going to let Jesus be abandoned to the realm of the dead. 00:14:11.220 --> 00:14:16.500 God was not going to allow Jesus' body to see decay. 00:14:16.500 --> 00:14:28.799 And Peter's telling them that what happened to Jesus was part of a sovereignly ordained eternal plan as revealed in the scriptures long ago. 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:35.359 That God was not going to allow Jesus' ministry and Jesus' work to end at the cross. 00:14:35.359 --> 00:14:42.339 And in fact, Peter says Jesus was such a righteous person and such a powerful person that Peter says in verse 24, 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:50.960 God freed Jesus from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:55.899 Death had no permanent power over Jesus and over the body of Jesus. 00:14:55.899 --> 00:15:04.639 He wants this crowd of people to know that in the resurrection, God actually reversed the human verdict on Jesus. 00:15:05.659 --> 00:15:13.299 When everybody condemned Jesus, that God reversed that verdict and showed that Jesus' cross was not a defeat. 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:15.199 Jesus' cross was a victory. 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:26.900 And that in the resurrection, God the Father is publicly declaring that Jesus has actually accomplished the salvation that he came into the world to secure. 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:32.440 So let's pause here for just a little bit of application before we move on. 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:37.960 Some of you are here and you're exploring Christianity for the first time. 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:49.480 And what I want to encourage you to do is to get clarity about this question of whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:54.259 Because absolutely everything hangs upon that. 00:15:55.259 --> 00:16:03.820 If Jesus is dead, then all of the curiosities and questions you have about Jesus really don't matter that much. 00:16:04.139 --> 00:16:07.120 You should just move on to another interesting topic and subject. 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:15.379 But if Jesus is alive, then you need to deal with him as a matter of utmost importance to your life. 00:16:16.660 --> 00:16:25.000 The gospel or the good news is not an abstract affirmation that God is love. 00:16:26.019 --> 00:16:30.259 Neither is it a vague declaration that God loves you. 00:16:30.259 --> 00:16:39.200 The gospel, the good news is that God the Father so loved the world that he gave his crucified yet resurrected son. 00:16:40.419 --> 00:16:47.139 And God the Father is saving the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:48.559 That's the heart of the gospel. 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:52.979 And the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, he says, 00:16:52.979 --> 00:16:57.979 If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 00:16:58.079 --> 00:17:01.859 And you are still, if he hasn't been raised, all of us are still in our sins. 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:09.779 He says, if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we Christians of all people are the most to be pitied. 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:11.559 If Christ has not been raised. 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:19.419 But if Christ has been raised, then that must be the turning point of human history. 00:17:20.919 --> 00:17:30.399 And Peter says, because of God's utterly faithful reliability to the promises that he made to King David, 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:38.519 Jesus somehow went through death and he came out the other side thoroughly alive again. 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:47.059 And in his cross and in his resurrection, he dealt a blow, such a blow to human sin. 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:52.000 He dealt such a blow to death that neither of these were ever going to recover again. 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:56.079 That's the heart of Christian faith. 00:17:57.579 --> 00:18:03.440 And Peter's claim is that the one who's been raised from the dead and the one who's poured out God's spirit, 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.539 that that one is God's Messiah. 00:18:06.539 --> 00:18:10.579 That one is the true son and the true heir of King David. 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:14.599 That one is the rightful and final king of Israel. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:18.859 And therefore, he is the real Lord and sovereign of this world. 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:26.819 And if you follow Peter's argument, if Jesus is the true Lord of this world, 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:31.259 then the only sensible thing to do is to bow down before him. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:34.940 Because he's greater than you. 00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:41.420 The only rightful thing to do would be to surrender the control of your life to him 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:45.180 because he's much better at controlling your life than you are. 00:18:46.340 --> 00:18:47.820 He rose from the dead. 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:51.480 But here's the second point of application. 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:55.779 If you're a Christian and you believe this gospel truth, 00:18:55.860 --> 00:18:58.240 you've staked your life on this gospel truth, 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:02.680 the question for you is have you come to terms with the implications 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:08.259 of God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge for your life? 00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:09.859 Right? 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:15.460 If God's plan and foreknowledge included the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, 00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:21.259 if the death of God's only beloved son is included in God's plan, 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:26.700 then don't you think your troubles and your trials 00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:30.140 and the testings of your faith 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:35.640 might also be included in God's deliberate plan? 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:46.740 You know, God's plan to work out everything for his glory and our good 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:49.320 includes all the bad stuff. 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:53.240 But it doesn't just include all the bad stuff. 00:19:54.040 --> 00:19:56.440 It includes all the good stuff too. 00:19:57.560 --> 00:19:59.000 And what do I mean by that? 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:05.180 Well, Peter says Jesus was freed from the agony of death. 00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:08.759 It was impossible for death to keep its hold on Jesus. 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:11.519 That God raised Jesus to life. 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:13.700 And what that means, if that's true, 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:16.880 then that is not just God's deliberate plan for Jesus. 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:20.599 It's God's deliberate plan for all who put their trust in Jesus. 00:20:22.660 --> 00:20:25.740 You see, Jesus, Peter says, Jesus has a new body. 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:30.240 He's the first bit of material reality to be glorified. 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:33.799 But more than that, he's the prototype of your resurrection. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:38.160 He's the preview of coming attractions for what God intends to do for you. 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:42.059 And if you believe that, 00:20:43.059 --> 00:20:46.099 then you live completely differently 00:20:46.099 --> 00:20:48.440 than the rest of the world. 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:53.839 How many of us are living with fear? 00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:58.099 How many of us are living without hope? 00:20:58.740 --> 00:20:59.960 And without confidence? 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:05.759 Peter's saying, God's deliberate plan for you, 00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:09.359 you may not know God's plan for you five years from now or ten years from now, 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:12.460 but God's deliberate plan for you a hundred years from now, 00:21:12.539 --> 00:21:14.839 a thousand years from now, a million years from now, 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:18.019 is to do for you what he did for Jesus. 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:21.519 And if that's true, we would have no fear. 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:24.140 We would have hope. 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:26.480 We would live with confidence. 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:29.640 That's the gospel truth. 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:31.540 You with me? 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:33.300 All right, cool. 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:36.520 Gospel truth. 00:21:36.600 --> 00:21:38.360 Let's talk about outside power. 00:21:39.800 --> 00:21:42.420 There's gospel truth, but there's also outside power. 00:21:43.300 --> 00:21:46.640 What does Peter say happened to Jesus after he was raised from the dead? 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:50.440 Verse 32, Peter says, 00:21:51.020 --> 00:21:54.440 God raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:59.340 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit 00:21:59.340 --> 00:22:02.540 and has poured out what you now see and hear. 00:22:03.560 --> 00:22:04.720 And notice those verbs. 00:22:05.100 --> 00:22:08.040 They're present active, that Jesus has received the Holy Spirit. 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:10.720 Jesus has poured out the Holy Spirit. 00:22:10.860 --> 00:22:15.320 Peter's not talking about, merely about the historical Jesus. 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:17.980 He's talking about the contemporary Christ. 00:22:19.159 --> 00:22:19.319 Right? 00:22:19.339 --> 00:22:24.919 That the one who lived and died and rose is also the one who lives and reigns and saves today. 00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:28.939 That God raised Jesus from this place of cursedness, 00:22:29.439 --> 00:22:34.339 and he exalted Jesus to this position of supreme honor and absolute authority. 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:42.500 And there he sits on God's throne to govern over our lives and to govern over all of created reality. 00:22:44.179 --> 00:22:50.159 And from that place, Jesus pours out the Father's limitless supply of the Holy Spirit. 00:22:50.259 --> 00:22:53.159 And notice where the Holy Spirit is coming from. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:59.799 The disciples experience something that's coming into them from outside of them. 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:03.919 And this is not an emotional experience that they're having. 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:09.480 It's not a psychological experience that's arising from within them, from the inside. 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:09.980 No. 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:15.379 The Holy Spirit is coming into them, not just from outside of themselves. 00:23:15.879 --> 00:23:18.779 The Holy Spirit is coming into them from outside of this world. 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:28.720 Divine power, Peter says, is coming into them from the triune God. 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:30.700 From the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:23:30.899 --> 00:23:31.279 Shoo! 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:32.960 Down into the church. 00:23:34.139 --> 00:23:39.079 Heavenly power from outside of this world is coming down into their minds, 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:43.960 and into their hearts, and into their bodies, and into their souls, and into their lives. 00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:50.880 Verse 33, again, exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, 00:23:51.100 --> 00:23:54.960 and has poured out what you now see and hear. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.079 And why is this important? 00:23:56.799 --> 00:24:01.420 Because our culture says that our problems come from outside of us, 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:05.460 and that inside we have what it takes to solve them. 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:10.200 And that's the exact opposite message of Christianity. 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:16.480 Christianity says that your main problem comes from inside of you. 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:21.700 And that out there, beyond yourself and beyond this world, 00:24:22.120 --> 00:24:26.200 God has the power to give you what you need to be saved. 00:24:28.620 --> 00:24:33.440 Christianity says that your deepest problem is that you are all about you. 00:24:34.660 --> 00:24:38.340 Your deepest problem is that you are homo incurvatus in se. 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:40.819 You are a human being turned in upon yourself. 00:24:40.959 --> 00:24:42.859 You are a self-centered person. 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:48.839 And we're living in a world where people are bumping into one another all the time, 00:24:48.899 --> 00:24:50.740 thinking that I'm the center of the universe. 00:24:50.879 --> 00:24:52.199 No, I'm the center of the universe. 00:24:52.539 --> 00:24:55.139 And when you get married couples together doing that, 00:24:55.199 --> 00:24:56.819 when you get nations doing that, 00:24:56.939 --> 00:24:58.139 you've got a lot of conflict. 00:24:58.359 --> 00:24:59.159 You've got war. 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:01.879 And that's why Peter's saying, 00:25:02.059 --> 00:25:03.119 you need a power, 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:05.699 not from inside of you or inside of this world, 00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:08.319 you need a power that's outside of this world, 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:10.160 that's from God himself, 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:13.100 from God in heaven coming down into you. 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:16.700 Do we get that? 00:25:17.660 --> 00:25:21.279 So you've got to have the gospel truth of what God's done in Jesus, 00:25:21.539 --> 00:25:24.299 but you've got to have outside power that comes from the Holy Spirit. 00:25:25.860 --> 00:25:29.960 And then Peter goes on and he begins to talk about heart conviction. 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:32.200 Heart conviction. 00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:35.000 Listen to what he says in verse 36. 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:35.279 00:25:35.460 --> 00:25:38.180 let all Israel be assured of this, 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:40.900 that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, 00:25:41.100 --> 00:25:43.539 both Lord and Messiah. 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:45.519 And when the people heard this, 00:25:45.580 --> 00:25:47.440 they were cut to the heart 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:49.819 and said to Peter and the other apostles, 00:25:50.039 --> 00:25:50.319 brothers, 00:25:50.700 --> 00:25:52.019 what shall we do? 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:53.759 Now, 00:25:53.860 --> 00:25:57.259 I don't know if we have any cardiologists in the room, 00:25:57.259 --> 00:26:00.420 but if you go to your cardiologist 00:26:00.420 --> 00:26:02.980 and your cardiologist is, 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:04.440 begins to warn you 00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:08.759 and your cardiologist begins to plead with you 00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:10.099 and saying to you 00:26:10.099 --> 00:26:12.660 that I'm sorry to tell you, 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:14.400 but we've got to go into your heart. 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:15.960 We, 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:16.420 we're going to, 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:18.220 we're going to have to cut into your heart. 00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:22.599 You would do well not to ignore your cardiologist, 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:24.079 right? 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:27.379 You would do well rather to say to your cardiologist, 00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:29.339 what shall I do? 00:26:30.539 --> 00:26:30.960 What, 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:32.919 what do you want to do to me? 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:34.740 Well, 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:36.359 spiritually speaking, 00:26:37.220 --> 00:26:39.819 our cardiologist with a capital C 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:42.460 wants to come in and do work on our heart, 00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:44.099 right? 00:26:44.139 --> 00:26:45.519 He doesn't just want to come in and 00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:46.980 do a cath and, 00:26:47.019 --> 00:26:48.399 and open up a blocked artery. 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:50.679 He doesn't just want to open up our chest 00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:52.299 and get in to deal with, 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:52.860 you know, 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:54.380 heart disease or heart failure. 00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:55.360 He wants to get into 00:26:55.360 --> 00:26:57.759 the depths of who we are. 00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:00.120 And, 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:01.100 you know, 00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:01.980 in this text, 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:02.400 Peter, 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:04.299 Peter is 00:27:04.299 --> 00:27:07.779 loving the patients 00:27:07.779 --> 00:27:10.060 that he's working on, 00:27:10.100 --> 00:27:10.279 right? 00:27:10.360 --> 00:27:10.500 He, 00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:10.720 he, 00:27:10.820 --> 00:27:13.240 he wants their hearts to be healthy. 00:27:13.360 --> 00:27:14.900 He wants them to live. 00:27:15.900 --> 00:27:18.080 And so he's speaking to them and he's, 00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:21.820 he's working on them surgically to cut their heart. 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:28.460 To be cut to the heart is a deeply existential experience where 00:27:28.460 --> 00:27:34.120 we come under the conviction of the truth of God's gospel and we come under the power 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:35.900 of God's spirit. 00:27:35.900 --> 00:27:39.920 And I wonder if that's what we expect when we come to church. 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:43.920 And I wonder even if it's what we pray for when we, 00:27:44.300 --> 00:27:44.680 you know, 00:27:44.800 --> 00:27:47.759 are getting ready on Saturday night to come to church. 00:27:47.820 --> 00:27:52.580 I wonder if it's what we ask God for as we're getting up on Sunday morning to come 00:27:52.580 --> 00:27:53.280 here. 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:56.400 Are we looking for him to cut on the heart? 00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:04.240 Do you think most people would rather hear a message that cuts the heart and convicts the 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:04.480 heart? 00:28:05.900 --> 00:28:08.019 Or a message that affirms them and says, 00:28:08.140 --> 00:28:08.180 well, 00:28:08.220 --> 00:28:08.500 you're just, 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:10.000 you're okay just the way you are. 00:28:11.780 --> 00:28:12.460 But see, 00:28:12.540 --> 00:28:15.980 if we go home and no one gets cut to the heart, 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:20.019 if we go home and no one comes under the conviction of God, 00:28:20.060 --> 00:28:23.460 if we go home and no one feels called to repentance, 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:25.680 then we're doing something wrong. 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:30.420 We're missing out on gospel truth and outside power. 00:28:31.360 --> 00:28:31.900 But you see, 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:33.700 when both of those are present, 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:35.640 people are cut. 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:38.600 And that's why Peter preaches as he does. 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:39.900 He says in verse 23, 00:28:40.460 --> 00:28:41.360 he says, 00:28:41.620 --> 00:28:45.320 this man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:46.160 And you, 00:28:46.380 --> 00:28:47.400 I imagine Peter saying, 00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:48.560 and you all, 00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:53.140 you put him to death by nailing him to the cross, 00:28:53.800 --> 00:28:55.720 but God raised him from the dead. 00:28:57.340 --> 00:28:57.519 See, 00:28:57.580 --> 00:29:01.620 Peter's pointing out a contrast between our human activity 00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:04.319 and God's divine activity. 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:06.179 That you killed, 00:29:06.179 --> 00:29:07.959 but God raised. 00:29:09.079 --> 00:29:10.539 And there's a conflict there, 00:29:10.579 --> 00:29:10.779 right? 00:29:10.859 --> 00:29:16.059 There's a conflict between God's approval and vindication of Jesus, 00:29:16.179 --> 00:29:17.719 that God is all in on Jesus. 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:19.620 And yet, 00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:24.079 the human beings in this picture are resisting and rejecting Jesus. 00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:29.940 And that reveals that they are complicit in a great injustice, 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:33.220 a great cosmic miscarriage of justice, 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:36.779 a great cosmic travesty of justice. 00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:39.559 And friends, 00:29:39.639 --> 00:29:43.579 this is true of anyone who resists Jesus. 00:29:44.940 --> 00:29:49.779 This is true of anyone who rejects the one whom God has approved 00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:53.359 and God has vindicated by raising him from the dead. 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:58.379 Peter wants everybody to know that the greatest of all injustices that you could do 00:29:58.379 --> 00:30:03.180 is to resist God and resist the one he sent to save you. 00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:08.160 And so he says in verse 36, 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:09.299 therefore, 00:30:09.460 --> 00:30:11.140 let all Israel be assured of this. 00:30:11.259 --> 00:30:13.420 God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, 00:30:14.140 --> 00:30:16.039 both Lord and Messiah. 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:23.580 God's view of Jesus and your view of Jesus are completely out of alignment. 00:30:24.340 --> 00:30:25.740 And that's the problem, 00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:26.840 Peter says. 00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:28.759 And when he says that, 00:30:28.820 --> 00:30:29.539 it says they were, 00:30:29.820 --> 00:30:30.580 they heard this, 00:30:30.660 --> 00:30:31.680 they were cut to the heart. 00:30:31.680 --> 00:30:33.400 And they said to Peter and the other apostles, 00:30:33.600 --> 00:30:33.900 brothers, 00:30:34.279 --> 00:30:36.160 what shall we do? 00:30:37.600 --> 00:30:42.560 The enormity of a sense of cosmic guilt 00:30:42.560 --> 00:30:47.000 begins to overwhelm them and to convict their conscience. 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:50.420 And they realize that even now, 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:53.560 a divine judgment not only looms over them, 00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:56.500 a divine judgment looms over the whole world 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:58.580 that's in rebellion against God and his son. 00:30:58.579 --> 00:31:01.379 And this is so important. 00:31:01.500 --> 00:31:05.419 Every new generation needs to come under this heart-cutting, 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:07.319 conscience-convicting truth 00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:11.819 that the world we live in is a world that when its creator God came, 00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:13.519 we crucified him. 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:16.779 And we are involved. 00:31:17.419 --> 00:31:18.679 We are complicit. 00:31:18.879 --> 00:31:20.519 We have blood on our hands. 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:23.839 If you think you, 00:31:23.980 --> 00:31:25.039 if you had been there, 00:31:25.379 --> 00:31:29.039 that you would not have denied Jesus like Peter did, 00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:33.900 and if you think you wouldn't have betrayed Jesus like Jesus did, 00:31:33.940 --> 00:31:35.500 or abandoned him like the disciples did, 00:31:35.539 --> 00:31:35.740 or the, 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:39.079 if you had not rejected him as the crowds did, 00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:41.119 you just don't know your heart, 00:31:41.319 --> 00:31:41.940 Peter would say. 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:44.599 You don't know what's in your heart. 00:31:44.599 --> 00:31:48.339 When I look at my last week, 00:31:48.379 --> 00:31:50.639 and I look at the ways that I've ignored Jesus, 00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:52.199 or neglected Jesus, 00:31:53.339 --> 00:31:55.039 I think about the ways that I've, 00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:58.500 I've lived as a functional atheist, 00:31:59.619 --> 00:32:02.879 and relied completely on myself, 00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:04.139 and my own resources. 00:32:05.779 --> 00:32:08.079 When I look at my own hardness of heart, 00:32:08.139 --> 00:32:08.619 I realize, 00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:08.959 oh, 00:32:09.419 --> 00:32:11.240 I probably need to be cut. 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:15.120 I probably need God to come get into my heart, 00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:17.339 and soften me up, 00:32:17.460 --> 00:32:18.120 and do a work. 00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:21.240 And the result was that they, 00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:24.579 they experienced God cutting on them, 00:32:25.420 --> 00:32:26.500 out of love. 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:29.859 They experienced an intense inner pain, 00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:34.079 and they realized that we haven't just simply done something wrong. 00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:37.259 We haven't just simply broken an impersonal moral law. 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:38.559 We've hurt God. 00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:41.579 We've cut the heart of God. 00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:45.539 We've abused and mistreated the Son of God. 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:48.359 And they begged for direction. 00:32:48.859 --> 00:32:49.960 What shall we do? 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:53.119 Can anything be done to avert the judgment 00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:56.679 that God would surely and rightly bring on people 00:32:56.679 --> 00:33:00.859 who so shamefully mistreated God's Messiah? 00:33:00.859 --> 00:33:03.119 You see, 00:33:03.179 --> 00:33:03.799 God's word, 00:33:03.939 --> 00:33:04.699 when it's preached 00:33:04.699 --> 00:33:06.719 in the power of the Holy Spirit, 00:33:06.819 --> 00:33:08.699 it pierces hard hearts. 00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:11.119 And it begins to soften them, 00:33:11.159 --> 00:33:12.259 and cause them to cry out, 00:33:12.339 --> 00:33:14.159 and realize their need for mercy, 00:33:14.719 --> 00:33:15.459 their need for help, 00:33:15.519 --> 00:33:17.879 their need for divine salvation. 00:33:19.679 --> 00:33:22.359 So Peter brings them gospel truth, 00:33:22.479 --> 00:33:23.259 outside power, 00:33:23.439 --> 00:33:24.059 heart conviction, 00:33:24.619 --> 00:33:25.240 and finally, 00:33:25.819 --> 00:33:26.899 mind change. 00:33:26.900 --> 00:33:28.360 And again, 00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:29.780 we'll come back to this next week, 00:33:30.080 --> 00:33:31.420 verses 38 to 41. 00:33:32.740 --> 00:33:33.240 But, 00:33:33.480 --> 00:33:35.900 there's this desperate question, 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:36.680 what shall we do? 00:33:36.759 --> 00:33:39.120 And Peter's answer is simple and straightforward. 00:33:39.280 --> 00:33:39.720 He says, 00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:40.820 in verse 38, 00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:43.280 Peter replied, 00:33:44.140 --> 00:33:44.500 repent. 00:33:46.780 --> 00:33:48.180 It's just as simple as that. 00:33:49.040 --> 00:33:49.460 Repent. 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:53.180 The verb is metanoeo. 00:33:54.299 --> 00:33:56.180 The noun is metanoia. 00:33:57.019 --> 00:33:58.519 Your noia is your mind. 00:33:59.759 --> 00:34:02.500 Metanoia means change your mind. 00:34:03.880 --> 00:34:04.960 Think differently. 00:34:06.059 --> 00:34:08.519 If God raised Jesus from the dead, 00:34:09.539 --> 00:34:11.920 then you need to change your mind about Jesus, 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:14.079 and surrender your life 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:16.360 to the one that God has approved, 00:34:16.679 --> 00:34:17.420 and vindicated, 00:34:17.420 --> 00:34:19.559 by raising him from the dead. 00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:23.639 That if God has made Jesus both Lord and King, 00:34:23.720 --> 00:34:27.480 then you need to radically change the way that you think, 00:34:28.680 --> 00:34:32.579 and radically alter the way that you relate to Jesus. 00:34:34.659 --> 00:34:37.340 Metanoeo is the first and necessary step, 00:34:38.059 --> 00:34:41.119 the first thing you have to do to become a Christian. 00:34:42.220 --> 00:34:43.039 But also, 00:34:43.200 --> 00:34:43.860 it's more than that. 00:34:44.099 --> 00:34:46.200 Metanoeo is this ongoing, 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:47.199 repeated thing 00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:49.159 that you do throughout 00:34:49.159 --> 00:34:50.619 your Christian life. 00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:53.379 When Martin Luther 00:34:53.379 --> 00:34:55.539 nailed his 95 theses 00:34:55.539 --> 00:34:56.699 to the church door 00:34:56.699 --> 00:34:57.879 in Wittenberg, Germany 00:34:57.879 --> 00:34:59.579 in 1517, 00:35:00.460 --> 00:35:01.899 this great moment that 00:35:01.899 --> 00:35:02.619 sparked 00:35:02.619 --> 00:35:04.219 a revival 00:35:04.219 --> 00:35:05.619 in the church 00:35:05.619 --> 00:35:06.759 that had lost its way. 00:35:08.379 --> 00:35:09.839 Do you know what his very first 00:35:09.839 --> 00:35:11.939 of those 95 theses were? 00:35:11.940 --> 00:35:14.460 He said this. 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:14.820 He said, 00:35:14.900 --> 00:35:16.980 When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 00:35:17.240 --> 00:35:17.619 Repent, 00:35:18.780 --> 00:35:21.139 he willed the entire life of believers 00:35:21.139 --> 00:35:22.900 to be one of repentance. 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:26.659 Luther is saying that 00:35:26.659 --> 00:35:29.139 Christianity is about a lifelong, 00:35:30.360 --> 00:35:30.760 daily, 00:35:31.800 --> 00:35:32.539 continuously 00:35:32.539 --> 00:35:34.340 repenting life. 00:35:35.599 --> 00:35:36.659 Changing your mind. 00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:38.519 Thinking differently. 00:35:38.519 --> 00:35:41.099 turning away from yourself 00:35:41.099 --> 00:35:42.099 and turning toward 00:35:42.099 --> 00:35:42.780 Jesus 00:35:42.780 --> 00:35:43.920 and God's grace. 00:35:45.380 --> 00:35:46.019 Repentance 00:35:46.019 --> 00:35:47.900 is an inward transformation 00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:49.500 that 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:50.780 eventually produces 00:35:50.780 --> 00:35:52.000 a clear 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:52.639 and distinctive 00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:53.619 outward change 00:35:53.619 --> 00:35:54.559 of life. 00:35:56.019 --> 00:35:56.480 So friends, 00:35:56.539 --> 00:35:57.639 if you find yourself 00:35:57.639 --> 00:35:58.699 throughout this week 00:35:58.699 --> 00:35:59.059 going, 00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:01.880 what should I do this morning? 00:36:01.880 --> 00:36:05.480 What should I do tonight? 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:08.579 It's the middle of the day. 00:36:08.660 --> 00:36:09.380 I'm not sure 00:36:09.380 --> 00:36:10.140 what I should do. 00:36:11.720 --> 00:36:13.059 The answer is always 00:36:13.059 --> 00:36:14.680 metanoeo. 00:36:16.519 --> 00:36:16.920 Repent. 00:36:18.360 --> 00:36:19.340 Change your mind 00:36:19.340 --> 00:36:20.140 about God. 00:36:21.140 --> 00:36:22.000 Think differently 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:22.940 about Jesus. 00:36:24.280 --> 00:36:25.619 Turn away from yourself 00:36:25.619 --> 00:36:27.539 and turn your life 00:36:27.539 --> 00:36:28.240 over to him. 00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:31.899 In the name of the Father, 00:36:32.019 --> 00:36:32.819 Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:36:33.419 --> 00:36:33.679 Amen.