WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.759 Thank you so much for allowing me to be here with you. My name is Brian Wandel. I am a pastoral 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:14.740 intern at Church of the Resurrection, a sister church of yours, as most of you know. It's so 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:22.039 good to be among brothers and sisters in ministry. Our churches have collaborated over many things 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:29.359 over the last eight years or so, as most of you know, and most recently, that will be in two weeks, 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:35.600 many of you will be joining me and my family and a number of other people from Church of the 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:40.780 Resurrection to start a new service, a new community of faith in the Brooklyn neighborhood 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:46.659 at Archbishop Carroll High School. This is really exciting. We had a fantastic meeting this morning 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:53.420 to iron out some details about how things are going to work, and it's going to be a powerful 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:58.820 and exciting thing that happens. So thank you so much that we can do this together. I hope to 00:00:58.820 --> 00:01:04.120 connect with as many of you after the service as possible, but this is a good opportunity for you, 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:09.159 Church of the Advent, and I guess myself as a representative of those from Church of the 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:15.180 Resurrection, who are coming together for this work, as we have worked together so much over the years. 00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:24.740 Sermon today. We're looking at Acts chapter 5, the passage that was read earlier, Acts chapter 5, 00:01:24.739 --> 00:01:33.759 27 to 32, and the central message of this passage and of this sermon is a powerful one. 00:01:35.219 --> 00:01:43.179 We must obey God rather than men. We must obey God rather than men. 00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:50.580 That's big, right? That's something you can put on a poster. That's something you can put on a bumper 00:01:50.580 --> 00:01:55.140 sticker. That's something that you can remind yourself of at the beginning of each day. 00:01:56.580 --> 00:02:02.620 It's something that you can draw a lot from. It's something that makes me think of Martin Luther King 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:13.180 Jr. in April of 1963, sitting in a Birmingham jail, arrested for his attempts to end segregation. 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:23.240 And while he's there, after his arrest, his peers in the city, the white clergy from the city churches, 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:29.819 had written a newspaper article telling him that he needed to stop, that he had gone too far, 00:02:29.819 --> 00:02:36.219 that segregation was bad, but come on, this is too much disturbing the peace. 00:02:37.340 --> 00:02:42.579 And in response, Martin Luther King wrote his famous letter in which he said, essentially, 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:55.099 we must obey God rather than men. Or, it makes me think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor 00:02:55.099 --> 00:03:02.539 from the 1930s who stood up to the Nazi evil that was going on in his country. While many of the 00:03:02.539 --> 00:03:08.840 Protestants joined with the state church, which was complicit with the Nazi evil, which refused to 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:16.579 criticize it, Dietrich Bonhoeffer led a number, a small group of Christians who started a confessing 00:03:16.579 --> 00:03:24.340 church where they said, Christ is Lord, not the Fuhrer, but Christ is Lord. And in April, 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:33.340 April of 1943, Bonhoeffer was arrested in a plot to depose Hitler because he believed strongly enough 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:46.759 that we must obey God rather than men. Or, it makes me think of Martin Luther in the 16th century, 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:55.000 standing up for the gospel that he believed in, for the work that Christ had done, not only in his heart, 00:03:55.219 --> 00:04:02.599 but in so many Christians before, which had been stifled by centuries of a decaying, decrepit church 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:10.539 that could no longer care for the souls of many millions of people. And in April, again April, 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:17.779 it's a good month, it's a good month, April of 1521, at the Diet of Worms, in front of an emperor, 00:04:18.039 --> 00:04:24.719 in front of the prelates of the church, Martin Luther defended his stand. Here I stand, he said, 00:04:25.159 --> 00:04:33.480 I can do no other, so help me God. We must obey God rather than men. 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:40.120 And the encouragement that I want to bring to you today, the encouragement that I want to share 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:48.860 with you, is that the spirit that was in these powerful people, the spirit that was in them 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:55.520 is the spirit that was in Peter and the apostles in this passage that we're reading, 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:05.180 which is the spirit that is in us who trust in the power of Jesus. That is my encouragement. So take 00:05:05.180 --> 00:05:16.479 courage. Rally to Christ this night. We must obey God rather than men. Now, that's powerful. That's 00:05:16.479 --> 00:05:24.560 high talk. And let me assure you, by day I'm actually a mild-mannered accountant. I stand up giving you the 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:31.160 religious message here, but by day I'm a mild-mannered accountant, and I hope you will spare me some 00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:37.860 mathematical eccentricity, which I've worked into my points. So we'll work through this passage to unpack 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:43.840 this powerful statement, we must obey God rather than men. And here's how we're going to look at it. 00:05:43.839 --> 00:06:00.079 First, God is greater than the world. Second, I am not greater than the world. And finally, here's the real 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:11.379 algebra. Me plus the Holy Spirit equals awesome. I'm glad I caught you at that third point. You'll pay 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:18.459 attention for the rest of the sermon. I can get into that. So break out your pocket calculators, 00:06:19.159 --> 00:06:26.699 and let's look at this passage. Acts 5, 27 to 32. So this is a funny passage because we're cutting right 00:06:26.699 --> 00:06:34.399 into the middle of a scene. So let's give a little bit of backdrop. Jesus of Nazareth preached and healed 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:40.759 and went about Israel preaching the kingdom of God, telling people they needed to repent, but also that 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:48.980 there was good news of healing and life for them. Jesus was crucified unjustly and raised from the 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:57.000 dead by the power of God. He showed himself to many people and ascended to the right hand of God the 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:05.379 Father. And after this, the Holy Spirit comes down and falls on the apostles at Pentecost and all the 00:07:05.379 --> 00:07:10.600 believers at Pentecost. And suddenly they are empowered for an unbelievably successful ministry, 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:18.199 continuing the work of Jesus in the world, telling people about the kingdom of God, telling them about 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:25.219 the life that God wants to give them, if only they will die to sin. And this is where we come to here. 00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:33.560 After all this great success, the apostles are unjustly arrested, just like Jesus was unjustly 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:40.760 crucified. And they're brought here before the Sanhedrin or the council, the ruling people of the 00:07:40.760 --> 00:07:45.800 city, made up of the religious rulers and the political rulers, who came together and said, 00:07:46.320 --> 00:07:51.580 they accused them. And this is where we get to the passage. The high priest then questioned them, 00:07:51.579 --> 00:08:00.099 saying, and here's the accusation, we strictly charged you not to teach in this name. Yet here 00:08:00.099 --> 00:08:08.339 you have filled Jerusalem with this teaching. Pretty open and shut case. Don't do X, you did X. 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:17.699 How could you not be more wrong? You have brought public disorder. Here we, the guardians of public order, 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:25.500 charge you. We said, do not do it. And here you did it. There is a case here that makes a lot of sense 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:34.379 by law. Intellectually, by the head, if someone is tempted to give into this and say, this is too much 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:40.600 for me, there is something that you could satisfy yourself intellectually and said, ah, that's right. 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:44.819 They said not to teach, and here we taught. There was a disobedience. 00:08:44.820 --> 00:08:51.520 But there was something more going on with the council who rejects this message. They go on and 00:08:51.520 --> 00:09:02.820 they say, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. So they reject this teaching because 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:11.940 you don't do X and here you have done it. But they also know that their own hearts are in grave danger 00:09:11.940 --> 00:09:17.620 by what the apostles are doing. Let me give you an analogy, an example, 00:09:18.420 --> 00:09:23.440 from everyday life that you and I may share. Say you go out with your co-workers 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:28.000 for a happy hour, and you are out, and you are talking with your co-workers 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:35.100 and getting drinks, and your co-workers go on, and they are talking terrible things about your boss. 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:42.500 And they talk about how this boss has treated them poorly, but then they go on, and they talk about 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:51.120 how this boss is not cleanly, how this boss has done various things inappropriately in certain 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:56.980 relationships. They just go on and on and talk about things that may or may not be true about your boss. 00:09:56.980 --> 00:10:04.100 And in that moment, you'll be tempted to be on the inside or to be on the outside. 00:10:05.420 --> 00:10:08.560 And you'll be tempted to add something to that conversation 00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:17.500 or to not be part of what's going on. And in that moment, you'll have a question about obeying God 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:24.440 rather than men. And on the intellectual side, you could say to yourself, this has been a bad man. 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:31.740 I can follow along. There is something to hang your hat on if you want to give in. But on the heart 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:39.760 side, there is also a deeper aspect there. You know that your co-workers will not like it if you 00:10:39.760 --> 00:10:48.120 rain on their parade. You know that your co-workers may feel hurt or may reject you if you take a stand. 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:57.240 All right. We've started with something grand here. Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the pages of a 00:10:57.240 --> 00:11:04.600 world history textbook. And here I am taking it small. However, I think you can understand this. 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:11.320 Certainly, people like Martin Luther King did not just say, we must obey God rather than men 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:17.340 when he was in a jail. He had gotten to that place because he was doing this day in and day out. 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:24.600 And this is what I hope we can learn together today. All right. The response of Peter in the passage here. 00:11:26.180 --> 00:11:30.879 Peter and the apostles answer, we must obey God rather than men. And then he teases it out 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:36.440 in three ways here. And here's the first way. He says, the God of our fathers raised Jesus, 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:45.860 whom you killed by hanging on a tree. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging 00:11:45.860 --> 00:11:53.980 on a tree. There was an ancient Jewish tradition going way back to the beginning of the Hebrew Bible, 00:11:54.780 --> 00:12:01.660 back toward the beginning, that had said that if a person is hanged on a tree, which is implicitly a 00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:08.419 lawbreaker, someone who is being executed, that person becomes a kind of curse. Why? Because when 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:14.719 their body comes down and falls on the ground, if you do not bury it quickly enough, it literally 00:12:14.719 --> 00:12:21.419 pollutes the ground in a certain way because it is so bad and so accursed. It is bringing something so 00:12:21.419 --> 00:12:27.419 bad among the people. So Peter is saying, first of all, you have tried to lay this heavy curse 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:36.379 on Jesus. But not only that, you are the ones who have killed him. Now, did the high priest, 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:43.719 did the council actually kill Jesus? Could they be convicted? Because an accusation is going back 00:12:43.719 --> 00:12:50.479 against them now. No, no, they didn't really do it. It was the Roman soldiers. They just, they sent him 00:12:50.479 --> 00:12:56.620 in a certain direction. They knew what was going on, but they were not the killers. Now, in our language, 00:12:56.620 --> 00:13:03.639 as in many others, there are many words for something like killing. If you want to say kill, 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:10.799 you can say something like murder or slay or execute. I'm sorry for being a little over the top here, 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:18.120 but you could even go further. And the word that Peter and the apostles use here is a little more 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:27.639 intense. It's something more like, you laid your hands upon him. Your fingerprints are on that man. 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:39.460 His blood is under your fingernails. The accusation is that intense. How is it now? How is it that they 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:47.840 could be so complicit that it is as if their very hands were the ones nailing Jesus to the cross? 00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:56.940 How is it? Now, what's underlying Peter's thought here, as he says this, is a deeper system the Bible 00:13:56.940 --> 00:14:04.940 testifies to. And there is a system that it talks about of behaviors, a system of bad to morally 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:11.560 questionable behaviors that work together, that all work together in kind of a crazy knot. And they work 00:14:11.560 --> 00:14:21.880 together to exclude and to put down and to injure, to dehumanize, and sometimes to kill. 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:30.200 And if you're someone who wants to trust in God, you will be constantly asked to rationalize 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:36.580 and use this system, this system of behaviors that among us all works together. You'll be asked to 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:45.240 use it when it benefits you. Inflict pain, but avoid blame. Inflict pain, but avoid blame. 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:53.280 Because as much as this system hurts you, you can also use it. It is available to you. And the Bible 00:14:53.279 --> 00:15:05.079 has a name for this system. The Bible calls this the world. The world is what this is called. If you 00:15:05.079 --> 00:15:11.819 read some part of the pages in the Bible before and has said something negative about the world, 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:20.699 perhaps you've had it in your mind that the God of the Bible does not like trees or cities or parks. 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:29.360 In fact, let me assure you today, and you don't have to take my word for it, many could talk about this, 00:15:29.560 --> 00:15:36.640 and we can talk later, that the Bible has wonderful things to say about trees and parks and cities. But 00:15:36.640 --> 00:15:46.300 when it talks about the world, it is talking about a system of behaviors. For myself, I scoff. 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:57.919 I avoid blame. I roll my eyes at my wife or my children. Sorry, Casey. I create just enough distance 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:08.219 to make them hurt and to disburden myself of responsibility. Inflict pain, avoid blame. 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:19.139 And it's at this point, when we see this in the world system, we must say that God is greater than 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:30.000 the world. The work of God is greater than the world system. And so we must obey God rather than men, 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:40.299 because God is greater than the world. When will we give up the usefulness of spite and jabbing little 00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:47.539 remarks? When will we give that up? Here's what the text says. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:55.399 whom you killed by hanging on a tree. The very one that you tried to make a curse is the one 00:16:55.399 --> 00:17:07.779 that has been exalted by God as Jesus. When the risen Jesus exposes the world, when the risen Jesus 00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:18.599 exposes our little jabs and spite and world behaviors as unjust curses. Unjust curses. 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:29.119 This is what motivated Martin Luther King to say, segregation is not only politically and economically 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:43.259 and sociologically unsound. It is morally wrong and sinful. It is an unjust curse placed upon people. 00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:56.039 The world system avoids blame and inflicts pain. But God has raised Jesus to take away blame and to 00:17:56.039 --> 00:18:05.400 heal pain. And so we must obey God rather than men, because God is greater than the world through the 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:12.900 resurrection of Jesus. So that's the first angle that we have here. Let's go on. Peter had said, 00:18:12.900 --> 00:18:20.140 we must obey God rather than men. He goes on here. He says, God exalted him as leader and savior to give 00:18:20.140 --> 00:18:28.580 repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. So we had just said that God the father raised Jesus from 00:18:28.580 --> 00:18:38.540 death to show that God's blessing is greater than killing. God's blessing is greater than gossip and a 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:44.720 manipulative system. How is it greater? Well, that is what we're getting into here. How is it greater? 00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:54.279 God exalted him as leader and savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. To all who are stuck 00:18:54.279 --> 00:19:00.299 in this system, to you and I who get stuck in these behavioral patterns that all work together, 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:08.200 there is a way out. There is a way out and it is repentance and forgiveness. Because I am constantly 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:19.379 invited into this one-upmanship, this hiding and blame avoidance. And at this point, we must say, 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:28.220 I am not greater than the world. This is the essence of repentance. I am not greater than the world. 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:31.079 I am part of the problem. 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:37.180 This is where Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when he was opposing 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:45.740 the German state church that was going along with the Nazi regime, hoping, even the good people 00:19:45.740 --> 00:19:49.039 in there, hoping to outlast it, outlast the evil in some way, 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:51.740 Bonhoeffer resisted and said, 00:19:51.740 --> 00:20:06.380 If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction. 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:15.880 You will never make it. But for us, the work of Jesus has given us a train that shows up right at 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:19.060 our stop to take the right direction. 00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:22.860 And the only thing that we can do 00:20:22.860 --> 00:20:24.680 to get on that train, 00:20:24.840 --> 00:20:27.860 the only thing that we can bring, 00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:30.000 the only thing that we can say for ourselves 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:31.120 is, 00:20:31.380 --> 00:20:33.680 Most merciful God, 00:20:34.080 --> 00:20:36.860 we confess that we have sinned against you 00:20:36.860 --> 00:20:39.460 in thought, word, and deed 00:20:39.460 --> 00:20:41.340 by what we have done 00:20:41.340 --> 00:20:43.440 and by what we have left undone. 00:20:44.420 --> 00:20:46.700 We have not loved you with our whole hearts. 00:20:47.340 --> 00:20:49.660 We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:51.700 We are truly sorry 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:53.559 and we humbly repent. 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:56.720 For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, 00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:59.100 have mercy on us and forgive us 00:20:59.100 --> 00:21:01.440 that we may delight in your will 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:03.000 and walk in your ways. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:08.660 Why? Because I am not greater than the world. 00:21:10.779 --> 00:21:11.960 We'll continue on here. 00:21:12.140 --> 00:21:12.839 Here's our third point. 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:14.599 This is what you've been waiting for. 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:17.019 Why must we obey God rather than men? 00:21:17.099 --> 00:21:17.900 Here's the third point. 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:20.900 Because we are witnesses to these things. 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:21.900 The apostles go on. 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:23.740 We are witnesses to these things. 00:21:24.180 --> 00:21:25.480 What thing is the resurrection 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:27.240 and ascension of Jesus? 00:21:27.779 --> 00:21:31.000 And so is the Holy Spirit 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:35.099 whom God has given to those who obey him. 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:38.519 And obey here is basically like 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:40.519 listen or follow. 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:44.440 To those who will be the Jesus followers, 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:47.039 the Holy Spirit is given. 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:49.180 There is a question 00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:51.579 that maybe has entered some of your minds. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:54.039 Peter and the apostles, 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:56.059 we had a gospel reading 00:21:56.059 --> 00:21:58.000 from the book of John 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:01.960 where people who saw Jesus rose from the dead 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:03.140 came around 00:22:03.140 --> 00:22:05.579 and they eventually not only believed, 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:07.940 but again, we get to this passage in Acts, 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:09.799 and they are filled with power. 00:22:10.700 --> 00:22:11.980 And you might think to yourself, 00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:16.420 I could do that if I saw that. 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:17.160 But you know what? 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:18.000 I didn't. 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:20.119 And this is hard for me to believe. 00:22:20.119 --> 00:22:23.759 It's hard for me to take this much courage 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:26.400 and something that is so distant 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:28.160 and so difficult to prove. 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:30.799 And I hear that. 00:22:31.379 --> 00:22:32.940 That is an important thought. 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:37.319 Let me give an analogy here 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:41.859 from a venerable textbook of psychology, 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:44.700 the Disney Pixar movie Inside Out. 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:48.840 Those of you with children under five or six 00:22:48.840 --> 00:22:50.059 may have seen it, 00:22:50.120 --> 00:22:53.220 or maybe you are an amateur personality theorist. 00:22:53.580 --> 00:22:56.340 Either way, the way the movie works 00:22:56.340 --> 00:22:59.180 is that there is a girl 00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:00.700 that the movie follows around 00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:03.559 and abstracts out what's going on in her head. 00:23:03.600 --> 00:23:05.259 And as she goes through her life, 00:23:05.360 --> 00:23:06.620 she experiences things, 00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:09.160 and when she experiences something, 00:23:09.259 --> 00:23:10.420 a memory forms. 00:23:10.620 --> 00:23:11.840 It looks in the movie 00:23:11.840 --> 00:23:14.480 like a crystal bowling ball that comes down. 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:17.080 And it forms a memory that is deposited in her. 00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:19.400 And it's something that can be projected out 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:21.620 onto her mind she can see later on. 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:23.299 And the really important memories 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:24.799 are the core memories. 00:23:24.900 --> 00:23:26.920 And those are the ones that are really saved. 00:23:27.420 --> 00:23:28.680 And they're not just important 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:31.259 because you remember a core memory 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:32.360 again and again. 00:23:33.160 --> 00:23:34.220 They're really important 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:38.120 because they form the basis for personality. 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:39.200 In the movie, they call them 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.580 the islands of personality. 00:23:40.580 --> 00:23:44.140 And so the girl has these core memories 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:45.140 of playing hockey, 00:23:45.340 --> 00:23:47.680 and that forms a part of her personality 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:49.560 that identifies with hockey 00:23:49.560 --> 00:23:51.200 or with fun or family. 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:56.240 And this is the analogy. 00:23:58.120 --> 00:24:00.600 That for those who would receive it, 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:02.040 for those who would ask for it, 00:24:02.660 --> 00:24:03.759 the Holy Spirit, 00:24:04.600 --> 00:24:05.780 God's Holy Spirit, 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:07.840 imports into us 00:24:07.840 --> 00:24:09.259 a core memory 00:24:09.259 --> 00:24:11.340 that we did not previously have. 00:24:11.339 --> 00:24:15.039 God's Holy Spirit will import into us 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:16.679 a core memory 00:24:16.679 --> 00:24:20.279 of Jesus' resurrection and ascension 00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:23.000 that we did not previously have 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:25.059 because the Holy Spirit, too, 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:28.000 was a witness to those things 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:29.679 many years ago. 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:31.519 And so the Holy Spirit 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:33.500 will give to us 00:24:33.500 --> 00:24:35.759 faith and repentance 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:37.660 and courage 00:24:37.660 --> 00:24:38.720 so that 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:40.879 we can obey God 00:24:40.879 --> 00:24:43.259 rather than men. 00:24:45.900 --> 00:24:48.059 This is how Martin Luther put it 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:48.960 back in the Reformation. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:51.140 Before we can enjoy 00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:52.660 Jesus' work for us, 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:54.799 the Holy Spirit comes 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:56.619 and communicates it 00:24:56.619 --> 00:24:57.680 to the heart, 00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:59.839 enabling us to believe 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:00.740 and say, 00:25:00.740 --> 00:25:02.500 I, too, 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:04.299 am one who shall have 00:25:04.299 --> 00:25:04.819 the blessing. 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:07.339 Again, 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:08.700 Martin Luther said, 00:25:08.940 --> 00:25:10.120 before we can enjoy 00:25:10.120 --> 00:25:12.099 Jesus' work for us, 00:25:12.359 --> 00:25:13.740 the Holy Spirit comes 00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:15.460 and communicates it 00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:16.440 to the heart, 00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:18.539 enabling us to believe 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:19.359 and say, 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:20.599 I, too, 00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:22.259 am one who shall have 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:23.559 the blessing. 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:25.799 Because the Holy Spirit 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:26.599 is able 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:27.720 to import 00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:28.940 that core memory 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:30.420 of Jesus' death 00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:31.240 and resurrection 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:32.360 and ascension, 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:33.580 his work for us 00:25:33.580 --> 00:25:35.700 to form a new part 00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:37.240 of our own personality, 00:25:37.900 --> 00:25:38.960 to have courage 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:39.720 and trust 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:40.779 in Jesus. 00:25:41.420 --> 00:25:42.299 And with this new 00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:42.980 core memory 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:43.740 in place, 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:45.279 Martin Luther 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:46.400 could stand 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:48.440 and so can you and I 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:50.160 and say 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:51.600 that we must obey God 00:25:51.600 --> 00:25:52.380 rather than men 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:52.720 because 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:54.360 me 00:25:54.360 --> 00:25:55.059 plus 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:56.480 the Holy Spirit 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:58.019 equals awesome. 00:25:58.019 --> 00:25:59.559 It really is amazing 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:00.779 because what we are 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:01.779 talking about here 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:03.279 is not just 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:04.500 a system 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:05.339 of doctrines. 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:05.980 What we are talking 00:26:05.980 --> 00:26:06.539 about here 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:07.900 is not just something 00:26:07.900 --> 00:26:09.440 that we do together 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:11.599 and we kind of 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:12.779 convince each other of. 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:16.019 If you are here 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:16.740 and you are 00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:17.660 unsure 00:26:17.660 --> 00:26:19.519 of all of this, 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:21.119 all of this stuff, 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:22.319 these songs, 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:23.139 if you are unsure 00:26:23.139 --> 00:26:24.000 of these songs 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:24.579 that other people 00:26:24.579 --> 00:26:25.440 around you are singing 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:27.680 and all of this stuff 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:28.519 that we are doing, 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:29.559 if you don't know 00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:30.200 what you think 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:31.000 about all of that, 00:26:31.320 --> 00:26:32.680 let me encourage you 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:35.120 that if you want 00:26:35.120 --> 00:26:35.740 out 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:38.320 of the world system 00:26:38.320 --> 00:26:39.779 of jabbing 00:26:39.779 --> 00:26:40.600 behaviors 00:26:40.600 --> 00:26:41.600 that are constantly 00:26:41.600 --> 00:26:42.920 tying together 00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:44.100 in a knot 00:26:44.100 --> 00:26:45.039 that you cannot 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:45.779 get out of, 00:26:45.840 --> 00:26:46.660 if you admit 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:48.039 that only God, 00:26:48.120 --> 00:26:49.279 only God's blessing 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:50.460 is greater 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:51.920 than that world system, 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:54.080 then you will do 00:26:54.080 --> 00:26:55.019 more than just 00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:56.460 make a decision. 00:26:56.660 --> 00:26:57.640 You will do more 00:26:57.640 --> 00:26:59.340 than attend church 00:26:59.340 --> 00:27:00.120 on Sundays. 00:27:00.860 --> 00:27:01.900 You will do more 00:27:01.900 --> 00:27:03.560 in these things. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:05.200 You will get 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:06.940 God's Holy Spirit. 00:27:08.060 --> 00:27:09.880 This is part of 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:10.480 the essence 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:11.420 of our faith, 00:27:11.580 --> 00:27:13.120 that it is God's 00:27:13.120 --> 00:27:13.680 Holy Spirit 00:27:13.680 --> 00:27:14.560 who will come 00:27:14.560 --> 00:27:15.759 to us. 00:27:16.779 --> 00:27:18.160 And if you do believe, 00:27:19.080 --> 00:27:20.200 let me remind you 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:22.460 that you can say 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:24.779 that we must obey 00:27:24.779 --> 00:27:26.000 God rather than men 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:27.620 because God's Holy Spirit 00:27:27.620 --> 00:27:28.799 has come in you. 00:27:29.180 --> 00:27:29.440 Please, 00:27:29.539 --> 00:27:30.259 let me encourage you 00:27:30.259 --> 00:27:30.559 of that. 00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:32.100 And we have this, 00:27:32.220 --> 00:27:33.279 we have this as 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:34.740 a witness within ourselves, 00:27:34.980 --> 00:27:35.840 a core memory 00:27:35.840 --> 00:27:36.519 that we remember, 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:38.360 but God 00:27:38.360 --> 00:27:40.580 in his wonderful plan 00:27:40.580 --> 00:27:41.799 has placed 00:27:41.799 --> 00:27:42.559 that core memory 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:43.240 not only 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:44.360 in our own heads, 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:45.700 but in many other 00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:46.900 places as well. 00:27:48.080 --> 00:27:49.920 These passages 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:51.039 that we're reading, 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:52.420 this is also 00:27:52.420 --> 00:27:53.920 a place 00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:55.039 where the core memory 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:56.360 of the Holy Spirit 00:27:56.360 --> 00:27:57.340 resides, 00:27:57.420 --> 00:27:58.300 the core memory 00:27:58.300 --> 00:27:59.840 of Jesus' death 00:27:59.840 --> 00:28:00.680 and resurrection. 00:28:02.120 --> 00:28:03.360 A foundation 00:28:03.360 --> 00:28:04.740 for our personality 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:05.440 in Jesus 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:06.600 to have faith 00:28:06.600 --> 00:28:07.300 and courage 00:28:07.300 --> 00:28:08.519 is in these pages 00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:09.900 and it is also 00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:10.740 in places 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.519 like the Eucharist 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:13.480 that we will come toward 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:14.300 in a few minutes. 00:28:14.860 --> 00:28:16.360 Listen to the words. 00:28:17.300 --> 00:28:18.480 When you receive it, 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:20.380 think of what you are doing 00:28:20.380 --> 00:28:21.599 and receive it 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:22.599 as a testimony 00:28:22.599 --> 00:28:24.599 to what Jesus 00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:25.599 has done. 00:28:27.240 --> 00:28:27.819 Or, 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:30.039 it is simply 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:31.539 us together, 00:28:32.140 --> 00:28:33.480 we who have decided 00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:35.660 we are not 00:28:35.660 --> 00:28:36.860 greater than the world 00:28:36.860 --> 00:28:38.079 and we need Jesus. 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:39.180 This, 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:40.740 this is the same 00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:41.480 core memory 00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:43.059 that we all share together. 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.440 It is the same 00:28:44.440 --> 00:28:45.140 Holy Spirit. 00:28:45.140 --> 00:28:46.900 and so we can 00:28:46.900 --> 00:28:48.320 have God 00:28:48.320 --> 00:28:49.759 through and with 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:50.340 each other 00:28:50.340 --> 00:28:51.400 and we can have 00:28:51.400 --> 00:28:52.259 courage 00:28:52.259 --> 00:28:53.220 through and with 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:53.780 each other. 00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:55.200 So, 00:28:55.660 --> 00:28:55.960 you know, 00:28:56.180 --> 00:28:56.880 perhaps we should 00:28:56.880 --> 00:28:58.460 modify this point 00:28:58.460 --> 00:28:59.640 that we 00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:00.920 plus the Holy Spirit 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:01.800 equals 00:29:01.800 --> 00:29:03.200 awesome. 00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:05.200 It really is 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:06.140 amazing. 00:29:07.580 --> 00:29:08.180 So, 00:29:08.340 --> 00:29:09.000 so please, 00:29:09.100 --> 00:29:09.480 let me, 00:29:09.560 --> 00:29:11.220 let me encourage you, 00:29:11.840 --> 00:29:12.640 you who have joined me 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:13.120 here today, 00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:14.219 let me encourage you 00:29:14.219 --> 00:29:15.559 that the Holy Spirit 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:17.459 that was in Peter 00:29:17.459 --> 00:29:19.159 and the apostles 00:29:19.159 --> 00:29:21.119 is the same 00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:21.919 Holy Spirit 00:29:21.919 --> 00:29:23.199 who is in 00:29:23.199 --> 00:29:24.619 Martin Luther King 00:29:24.619 --> 00:29:26.119 and Dietrich Bonhoeffer 00:29:26.679 --> 00:29:28.259 and Martin Luther 00:29:28.259 --> 00:29:29.239 back at the Reformation 00:29:29.239 --> 00:29:31.519 who is the same 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:32.299 Holy Spirit 00:29:32.299 --> 00:29:34.139 who is in us. 00:29:34.859 --> 00:29:35.859 It is the same. 00:29:35.979 --> 00:29:37.159 Let me encourage you, 00:29:37.739 --> 00:29:38.579 after all, 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:40.079 it is April, 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:42.259 which is a good month 00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:43.759 to obey God 00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:44.799 rather than men. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:46.939 Please pray with me. 00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:53.480 Oh God of power 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:54.599 and strength 00:29:54.599 --> 00:29:55.519 and courage, 00:29:55.919 --> 00:29:57.220 you have done 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:58.439 what is necessary. 00:29:59.399 --> 00:30:00.379 You have done 00:30:00.379 --> 00:30:01.359 what is necessary 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:03.159 to pull us out 00:30:03.159 --> 00:30:05.339 of behaviors 00:30:05.339 --> 00:30:06.319 that trap us 00:30:06.319 --> 00:30:07.240 and hurt us 00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:09.299 and you have brought us 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:09.940 the repentance, 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:10.779 the train 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:11.900 that is necessary 00:30:11.900 --> 00:30:13.500 to get us back 00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:14.460 to the right place. 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:16.220 Fill us anew 00:30:16.220 --> 00:30:17.519 with your Holy Spirit 00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:19.680 so that we can have 00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:20.319 courage 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:21.299 in you. 00:30:22.099 --> 00:30:22.420 Amen.