Human societies have never been a monolith in terms of ideas and religion.
There have always been multiple and often conflicting belief systems
that have been tolerated so long as they are subservient to the prevailing religion or philosophy.
So, example, in ancient Rome, there were many different religions,
but there was only one state religion that was connected to the gods and the cult of Caesar.
But the other religions, the other ones that were on the periphery,
were tolerated unless they messed with the temple economy or with peace or the sacredness of Caesar.
In many Muslim countries today and throughout history,
there have been Christians and Jews that have been tolerated so long as they pay a tax
and ensure that their churches or synagogues or places of worship are not higher than the local mosques,
and especially if proselytizing doesn't happen, evangelizing doesn't happen.
And here in the post-Christian West, we seem to tolerate all religions only if they are kept private.
They remain in a closeted state not to infringe upon our individualism and expressive personhood.
Or, to put it another way, as long as your religion doesn't interfere with me living my truth.
So the idea of living one's truth, by and large, has been seen as a positive idea in our day.
Folks who may have been excluded or marginalized or don't find themselves fitting
can find, in a sense, meaning and belonging that would be elusive otherwise.
But the problem with living your truth, as it often is expressed,
causes people to ignore the truth.
Truth becomes relativized.
This moral compromise due to moral relativism seeps in and allows this permissibility of all things
as long as it allows me to reach my goal.
As long as I have happiness or perceived happiness
or people look at me as a happy or fulfilled person.
In many ways, this is the folk religion of our day.
And the reason why all religions are tolerated as long as they don't infringe upon me living my truth
is because living my truth is, in fact, our state religion.
Peter and John will be arrested.
If you remember last week,
this man, he was a lame beggar from birth.
Acts chapter 3, he was at the beautiful gate begging for money.
And Peter and John walk by him.
He's looking for coins.
Peter and John get his gaze, look at him,
and command him in the name of Jesus to rise up and walk.
And he certainly does.
Peter takes the opportunity to proclaim that it wasn't by his hand,
but Christ who healed the man.
In fact, Jesus, whom you crucified, he says to the people,
in ignorance along with your leaders,
he bids you to repent.
And by the way, if you repent and turn to him,
your sins will be blotted out.
You will have times of refreshing, it says,
and then there will be a promise of the return of Christ to right all wrongs.
This is what we learned about last week in Acts chapter 3.
Well, Acts chapter 4 begins with them being arrested for this very act.
They will be interrogated.
And yet in this interrogation,
they will be bold as well as they proclaim
that there is no other name by which salvation can come apart from Christ.
But they're not arrested by just any old group.
It is by the Sanhedrin,
the religious and civic leaders of their time.
In fact, it's going to be by the hand of the very people
that arrested and sought the crucifixion of Christ.
Peter's sermon that he will preach to these people
will obliterate the idea of living your truth.
Something that was incredibly provocative in his day,
but it also is incredibly provocative in our day as well.
But Peter doesn't simply tear down something
without offering a better option,
because he certainly does that.
In fact, he will proclaim the gospel of Christ
to the Sanhedrin,
and they will be left with a decision to make.
What Peter will do is he will proclaim the truth,
not a truth.
If Peter is correct,
then moral relativism is completely wrong.
And if Peter is correct,
then other religious traditions
that do not confess Christ as Savior and Lord are wrong.
And if Peter is correct,
then the ethos that informs much of our political
and cultural leaders in this post-Christian Canada,
they're wrong.
Not just wrong in the here and now,
but eternally wrong.
So this is a hot take.
This is a hot take.
But the scriptures tell us that it is true,
and that it is good news for us today.
So our commitment to the scriptures
is to always walk towards the difficult passages,
the uncomfortable passages.
And this morning,
we'll break our text into three sections,
asking the question,
how does the gospel of Christ
free us from living our truth?
So before we jump into it,
let me pray and ask the Lord's blessing.
Lord, we come to your word this morning,
and we ask that you help us to come to it humbly.
Lord, that we would be curious people,
the curiosity that leads to truth.
And by your Holy Spirit,
that you would open our eyes if they need opening.
Lord, help us to receive
if we are struggling to receive.
We pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
So I alluded to the arrest.
Let's read it.
Acts chapter 4, verses 1 to 6.
And as they were speaking to the people,
that is the apostles, Peter and John,
the priests and the captain of the temple
and the Sadducees came upon them,
greatly annoyed
because they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus
the resurrection from the dead.
If you remember,
the Sadducees were this Jewish sect
that did not believe in the resurrection at all.
They had their power base in the temple.
They were a very powerful group.
In addition to the Sadducees,
there were priests as well and scribes,
people that would comprise this Sanhedrin,
this ruling body.
Let's continue reading.
Verse 3.
And they arrested them
and put them in custody until the next day,
for it was already evening.
But many of those who had heard the word believed
and the number of the men came to about 5,000.
So 3,000 from the Pentecost sermon.
Not sure how much time has elapsed
between then and Acts chapter 3,
but another 2,000.
It says men.
Presumably there were more.
But here Luke tells us
that 5,000 people have come to faith,
if not more,
since the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
Verse 5 and 6.
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes
gathered together in Jerusalem
with Annas, the high priest,
and Caiaphas, that's his son-in-law,
and John and Alexander,
and all who were of the high priestly family.
The religious and civic leaders and authorities,
they have heard this proclamation of Christ
rising from the grave,
and they are greatly annoyed.
They're greatly annoyed
because they are people that are in power
and this message threatens that.
So we'll pick up in verse 7
and we'll look first at our first point.
I didn't tell you guys my points.
That's a bit of a faux pas.
So we'll look at the first point
and the first point is the good news
of the name of Christ.
So we'll look at verse 7 to 12.
We'll start in verse 7 here.
And when they had set them,
that is Peter and John,
in their midst,
they inquired,
by what power or by what name
did you do this?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,
said to them,
rulers of the people and elders,
if we are being examined today
concerning a good deed done to a crippled man,
by what means this man has been healed,
let it be known to all of you
and to all the people of Israel
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead,
by him this man is standing before you well.
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you,
the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
Much like in Mark chapter 2,
if you remember the story of the paralytic
who was lowered through the roof,
who was healed by Jesus,
much like the paralytic
who was healed in a way
to proclaim the divinity of Jesus,
so too the healing of the lame beggar
in Acts 3 testifies to Jesus' power
and authority over all things
as the conqueror of death
and the redeemer of mankind.
I mean, wonderful that the man got healed.
We find out at the end of this section,
in verse 22,
it was 40 years,
good for that guy.
I'm not downplaying it.
But it was used, in a sense,
to proclaim that this Christ,
this Jesus,
has risen from the grave
and all authority is his.
So, in a sense,
the crippled man
is not a prop, so to speak,
but a means by which
Christ's power and authority
is testified.
In fact, Peter says that
Jesus is the chief cornerstone,
the very foundation
upon which all of salvation rests.
Christ is the only one
who could win salvation,
for he alone
could both atone for the sins
of the world
and offer new life.
He is fully man and fully God,
and in the incarnation,
he bridges the gap
between sinful humanity
and the perfect,
all-powerful God.
This is what Jesus does.
Verse 12 hammers this home
all the more.
This is what it says,
and there is salvation
in no one else,
for there is no other name
under heaven
given among men
by which we must be saved.
There's no other name.
That's what they say.
No other system of belief,
no amount of financial
or career success,
no amount of charitable giving,
no amount of good,
important self-help,
no other vision of utopia,
no other religion,
no other truth,
no other Savior,
nothing under the sun
apart from Christ
can win us salvation.
That's what Peter is saying.
Very provocative thing to say.
He's saying to the Sanhedrin,
all of the hard work,
in a sense,
that you have done
to secure your family
as a high priestly family
in the temple,
all of the hard work
you've done
to consolidate your power,
to know the Scriptures
inside and out,
to devote your life to it,
it's not going to save you.
Only the name of Christ
can bring salvation.
This is an uncomfortable truth
for a city like ours,
is it not?
Ours is a city
made up of multiple religions,
multiple spiritualities,
multiple belief systems.
So to say that it is only
Jesus' name and no other,
I mean,
that's a very uncomfortable
thing to say.
I maybe caution you
from going around
and just blurting it out
everywhere,
tact is an important aspect
of being a respectable
human being,
but nevertheless,
there is only one name
that brings salvation.
So to say that,
in a sense,
it's only Jesus' name
is to claim that
everything else
that claims salvation
or some kind of salvific
end or some kind of utopia
like heaven
is false.
but as uncomfortable
as this is,
it's still very good news.
How?
To say that there is no hope
of salvation
apart from Christ
is to recognize
that although humanity
is capable of great things,
it's this doctrine
of common grace,
it's very important.
Humanity's capable
of many great things.
The one thing
that we are incapable of
is solving the problem
of evil,
the prevalence
of disease and death
and the problem
of sin and shame.
We are incapable
of solving this problem.
We put balm on it.
We deal with the symptoms
and that's not a bad thing
necessarily,
but we can't deal
with the root issue.
We just can't get clear
of these things
no matter how hard we try,
no matter how ingenious
our innovations are,
we can't conquer
the unconquerable.
The idea isn't unique
to Christianity.
Other faiths
can recognize this,
that there's a big problem
in a sense.
Maybe they think
that they see it
as a glaring issue.
There's some similarities.
However,
only Christianity
contends that
the solution
for this
unconquerable issue
does not reside in us,
in our willpower,
our strength,
our ability
to pull up our bootstraps,
to manifest it
if we speak it
into the universe.
We cannot do it
and only Christianity
contends
that salvation
must be
from Christ alone.
And this salvation
in a sense
is this marriage
between justice
and mercy.
It's an expression
of God's divine love
and only something
that God himself
can do
so that God,
the Son of God,
he unites himself
to mankind
in the person of Jesus,
fully man
and fully God
so that in Christ
all the justice
is poured out
on mankind
as our representative,
fully man.
And all of the mercy
that ought to be
extended
in a sense
to us
is given.
That we get
the place of Christ
even though
we don't deserve it.
Friends,
this is called
the doctrine of grace.
This is what
Peter is referring to
when he calls Christ
the chief cornerstone.
And he's the chief
cornerstone
because he can withstand
the weight
of our sin
and our fear
and our self-righteousness
and the pride
that bubbles up
inside of us
every single day.
Imagine a home
whose foundation
is made
of reinforced concrete
with rebar,
the best materials,
for that foundation.
It's built strong
and to last.
In many ways
this building
is a testament
to a good foundation.
It has lasted.
The capstone
says 1888.
It's capable
of withstanding
many tons
of material,
many years
of wear.
And consider
a foundation
that's built of
and I'm trying
to think of something
that is brittle,
like the most brittle.
Imagine a foundation
that is made
of dried
angel hair pasta.
Is there something
more brittle?
One brick,
the thing,
crack,
it's done,
it's gone.
Our best efforts,
our best attempts
at perfect religion
and modern visions
of utopia
brought about
by our own hand
are as capable
of extending
eternal salvation
to us
as the angel hair
foundation
is capable
of supporting
brick and mortar.
Christ and Christ
alone is the
cornerstone.
He is the foundation.
He is the only one
that can withstand
life.
He is the only one
who can extend
salvation.
This is what Peter
is sharing
with the religious
establishment.
The very ones
who control
religious life
in Jerusalem
and all of Israel.
Peter isn't just
exposing them
in a sense
to how
misguided
they are.
He's not just
tearing down
their worldview
but he is inviting
them into the truth
to trust in Christ,
the hope of Israel,
the prophesied Messiah
that they would have
heard about
and read about
and in a sense
devoted their life
to seeing.
And if you remember
in Acts chapter 3
Peter,
speaking to
the crowd,
said that
the crowd
crucified
Jesus
and their leaders
but it was done
in ignorance.
That's what he says.
I believe it's
verse 16
of Acts chapter 3.
It was done
in ignorance.
Well now
they know
and now
they have proof
in a sense
because this man
is standing right there.
Who else
can heal
a man
that everybody
in the temple
precinct
would have known?
40 years crippled,
how long
he was begging,
now he's standing
there and he's
strong.
How can they
deny it?
And Peter and John
are attributing it
to Jesus
because he rose
from the dead
because he's
the creator
of life
because this man
is also God
and salvation
has come.
They're not
ignorant anymore,
are they?
They're not
ignorant anymore,
are they?
Verse 13 and 14
says this,
Now when they,
that is,
the members
of the council
or the Sanhedrin,
Now when they
saw the boldness
of Peter and John
and perceived
that they were
uneducated common men,
they were astonished
and they recognized
that they had been
with Jesus.
But seeing the man
who was healed
standing beside them,
they had nothing
to say in opposition.
What will they do?
This brings us
to the second point,
the problem of pride.
If the members
of the Sanhedrin
were to believe
in Christ,
it would undoubtedly
mean a loss
of their prestige.
It would mean
that they would
have to admit
that they were wrong
in putting Christ
to death
because you don't
crucify the Messiah.
They would have
to, in a sense,
lose their standing
in the community,
their perks,
their money,
everything,
in a sense,
that they held
dear,
not to mention
that their religious
and civic duties
would likely
cease to be.
It would cost them
a lot.
No more kickbacks,
no more honor.
Instead,
they would have
to follow the leadership
of these uneducated
commoners.
Whether or not
they could read,
I mean,
it's flip a coin,
maybe,
maybe not.
Unlikely
that these fishermen
could read.
They would likely
have heard
the Bible
read,
maybe they could.
The text doesn't say it,
it just says that
they are uneducated
commoners.
But Jesus chose
them,
he saved them,
he chose them,
and he chose them
also to lead
his church.
And in a sense,
worse than all
of the things
that they would
have to lose,
they would have
to follow
those guys.
These were the
religious
and civic elites,
these were the
educated folk,
and they would
have to follow
fishermen from
the Galilee.
If you remember
in Acts chapter 2,
they were made
fun of because
they were Galileans,
they're low status,
and yet these
are the people
that we would
have to follow,
let alone
follow Christ
who we had
crucified.
So what
did they do?
Let's look at
verse 15 to 18.
But when they
had commanded
them to leave
the council,
they conferred
with one another,
saying,
What shall we
do with these
men?
For that a
notable sign
has been
performed through
them is evident
to all the
inhabitants of
Jerusalem,
and we cannot
deny it.
But in order
that it may
spread no further
among the
people,
let us warn
them to speak
no more to
anyone in
this name.
So they called
them and charged
them not to
speak or teach
at all in the
name of Jesus.
this little bit
from verse 15
to 18,
it helps us
to understand
a very important
truth.
Unbelief
is not
an issue
merely
of
considering
facts
and then
making
decisions,
weighing
truth
and lies
or
likelihoods
or
rationality.
Unbelief
isn't
an issue
of just
confronting,
in a sense,
our
presuppositions.
But rather,
unbelief
is the
decision
to forsake
Christ and
hold fast
to one's
belief and
way of life.
The evidence
is here.
These are
educated people.
Maybe they
would have
known the
scriptures
that would
have said,
in a sense,
when the
Messiah would
come,
that the
lame would
walk.
Or they
would know
that Jesus
would open
the eyes
of the blind
and remember
the scriptures
that prophesied
the blind
would see.
Or they
would have
in their
minds
the four
servant
songs of
Isaiah
culminating
in Isaiah
53,
that it
pleased God
to pour
out his
wrath on
his servant.
They have
the evidence
and yet
evidence is
not enough.
Evidence is
important.
It's very
important.
Many people
have come to
faith through
excellent
ministries of
apologetics,
looking at
the legitimacy
of the
Bible and
the facts
on the
ground of
the eyewitnesses
of the
resurrection of
the Christ.
But facts
clearly
aren't
enough.
unbelief
here
is the
decision to
forsake
Christ and
hold fast
to one's
beliefs,
one's
worldview
and way
of life,
to remain
on, in
a sense,
the throne
of our
own little
mini-kingdom,
to not let
Christ himself
take his
rightful spot.
Unbelief is
the result of
pride and
it's a
dangerous,
dangerous
thing.
If the
Sanhedrin,
like I
mentioned,
admitted that
Jesus was
truly the
Messiah,
they would
admit,
have to admit
to take
the blame
and put
Christ on
the cross.
But if
they did
that,
they would
have understood
that this
was God's
plan all
along and
that forgiveness
was offered to
them if they
would have only
repented.
But they
would have had
to eat crow.
They would
have had to
take a humble
position.
They would
lose the
things that
they held
on to.
You see,
unbelief is
a result of
pride,
primarily.
They do
not understand
the grandeur
and the
great benefit
of God
and especially
not in
Jesus Christ
for all
they see
is loss.
It's loss.
It costs
too much.
I will
not,
it might
even sound
good,
but I'm
not going
to go
for it
because I'm
going to
lose too
much.
I'm
going to
have to
confess
too much.
Do we
not struggle
with this
kind of
unbelief?
Do we
not,
as Christians,
in a sense,
want to
submit our
lives to
Christ and
to follow
him,
but there's
a pride
that wells
up in
us that
says,
surely he's
not good
enough.
Whatever I
will lose,
he will not
give me
more.
He will not
fulfill me in
the ways that I
need to be
fulfilled.
If I confess
my sins,
I will be
exposed as a
sinner.
Friends,
this is my
heart.
This is what's
going on inside
of your
pastor.
I'm sure it's
going on inside
of you.
There's a
pride that is
inherent in
humanity.
We struggle
with unbelief.
It's because
of pride.
We may think
Jesus is a
great leader
and a moral
authority,
but if he
isn't the
Christ,
then he is
nothing and
has no claim
on our lives.
But if he
is,
friends,
he requires
everything.
That is hard.
And it
is a
hard thing,
especially if
we are
enjoying the
bliss and
benefit of
false saviors.
Not bad
things,
but things
that are
improperly
ordered in
our lives,
that take
precedent,
that take
priority over
Christ.
But these
things are
momentary and
fleeting,
and I'll
tell you,
according to
the scriptures,
and I'm
sure if we
had a time
of testimony,
people could
stand up and
share.
Whatever you
have lost for
Christ,
where you
say in
humility,
by God's
strength,
I'm giving
this to
you,
has he
not given
you abundantly
more than
whatever you
have lost?
And once
again,
friends,
it is hard,
we understand
this,
but I
want to
share with
you another
religious leader
who,
unlike the
Sanhedrin,
encountered
Christ and
laid his
life down
for his
Savior.
And this
is the
Apostle Paul
in Philippians
chapter 3,
4 to 11.
This is what
he says,
Though I
myself have
reason for
confidence in
the flesh,
if anyone
else thinks he
has reason for
confidence in
the flesh,
I have more.
Here's his
religious
credentials.
Circumcised on
the eighth day
of the people
of Israel,
the tribe of
Benjamin,
a Hebrew of
Hebrews,
as to the
law of
Pharisee,
as to
zeal,
a persecutor
of the
church,
as to
righteousness
under the
law,
blameless,
but whatever
gain I
had I
counted as
lost for
the sake
of Christ.
Verse 8,
Indeed I
count everything
as lost
because of
the surpassing
worth of
knowing Christ
Jesus my
Lord.
For his
sake I
have suffered
the loss
of all
things and
count them
as rubbish
in order
that I
may gain
Christ and
be found
in him.
not having
a righteousness
of my
own that
comes from
the law
but that
which comes
through faith
in Christ,
the righteous,
the righteousness
from God
that depends
on faith,
that I
may know
him and
the power
of his
resurrection
and may
share his
sufferings
becoming like
him in
his death,
that by any
means possible
I may attain
the resurrection
from the
dead.
Verse 8,
Indeed I
count everything
as lost
because of
the surpassing
worth of
knowing Christ
Jesus my
Lord.
Whatever you
lose,
you gain
in Christ
because you
are now
connected to
the very
one who
created
everything
and it
does not
have an
expiry date.
It doesn't
rust,
it doesn't
grow mold,
your relationship
with Christ
is eternal.
His grip
on you
is way
stronger than
your grip
on him
and he
will not
let you
go.
Pride
is a
killer
for it
ignores
the truth
but if
we receive
the message
with humility
ours is
the kingdom.
It really
truly is.
So how
then do
we overcome
our pride?
How does
Peter,
John,
and now
we see
the Apostle
Paul,
how do
they say
yes to
Christ
even though
it costs
them greatly
but the
members of
the Sanhedrin
they say
no at
their eternal
peril.
This is
the last
point.
This is
the spirit
of truth.
Look with
me.
At the
text once
more,
verse 18
and following.
So they
called them
and charged
them not
to speak
or teach
at all
in the
name of
Jesus.
But Peter
and John
answered them,
whether it
is right
in the sight
of God
to listen
to you
rather than
to God
you must
judge
for we
cannot
but speak
of what
we have
seen
and heard.
And when
they had
further
threatened
them
they let
them go
finding
no way
to punish
them
because of
the people
for all
were praising
God for
what had
happened.
Look at
that boldness.
You judge
whether it
is right
for us
to listen
to you
or God
Peter
says to
them.
That takes
some chutzpah
that takes
some real
boldness.
But we
must remember
this is the
same Peter
okay just
pause for a
second think
about this.
Peter and
John are
before the
entire
religious
establishment
and they
are saying
listen
if it's
between
you
or God
I'm
listening
to God.
This is
the same
Peter who
a few
weeks prior
couldn't
muster up
enough courage
to confront
and stand
for Christ
in the face
of a servant
girl in
the high
priest's
courtyard.
How on
earth is
this the
same person?
How does
Peter have
this kind
of boldness?
Remember
this isn't
just the
scary
Sanhedrin
who has
a lot
of power
this is
the scary
Sanhedrin
that crucified
Christ.
Would they
be crucified
as well?
I mean
we have
the second
part of
chapter 4
we know
that they
don't get
crucified
but what
would stop
the Sanhedrin
from stringing
these guys
up as well?
They had
no idea
what was
going to
happen
yet we
see this
incredible
boldness
confidence
so much
so that it
says that
the leaders
were astonished
what accounts
for this
change?
Verse 7
if you want
to turn
back
verses 7
and 8
it says
this
and when
they had
set them
in the
midst
they inquired
by what
power
or by
what
name
did you
do this?
Then Peter
filled with
the Holy
Spirit
said to
them
and then
he goes
on
the act
of coming
to faith
is a gift
of God
himself
and when
that happens
the Holy
Spirit
sets up
shop inside
of our
very soul
resides
inside of
us
enlivening
us to
grow
in our
love and
affection of
Christ
teaching us
truth
properly
ordering
the other
good things
in our
lives
in such
a way
that they
don't
impede
on the
throne
of
Christ
in our
lives
we
begin
to
live
rightly
ordered
lives
and it
means that
our lives
begin to
live
according
to truth
truthful
living
becomes a
thing
of the
Christian
not
perfectly
we grow
in this
but the
Holy
Spirit
given
to us
gives us
great
confidence
in the
truth
so that
we can
be bold
in the
face of
opposition
so that
we can
take hold
of
Christ
when the
other
things
in our
lives
that are
jockeying
for the
throne of
our
heart
seem
wonderful
and good
but we
know that
Christ
is better
Jesus
said
that the
Holy Spirit
actually is the
spirit of
truth
and he
says it
in
John 16
verse 13
and following
when the
spirit of
truth
comes
he will
guide you
into
all the
truth
why
how
for he
will
not
speak
on his
own
authority
but
whatever
he
hears
he
will
speak
and he
will
declare
to you
the
things
that
are
to
come
this
is
what
happened
to the
church
at
Pentecost
bearing
fruit
in
Peter
so that
this
coward
became
this
bold
proclaimer
of the
resurrection
friends
it's
our
reality
as
well
we
will
fight
pride
if we
look
to
God
and
ask
him
for
strength
we
say
in a
sense
to
God's
word
I'm
choosing
to
believe
you
God
help
my
unbelief
and
we
will
see
growth
because
he
has
promised
as
much
that
we
walk
in
the
truth
he
is
going
to
help
us
to
walk
in
the
truth
Christ
says
in
John
chapter
8
that
the
truth
will
set
you
free
that
there
is
freedom
awaiting
us
that
we
can
walk
in
so
to
wrap
things
up
to
live
according
to
the
truth
of
God
that
there
is
no
other
salvation
under
heaven
by
which
we
may
be
saved
is
good
news
and
it
is
a
life
of
freedom
and
it
is
a
life
of
truth
let
us
by
God's
spirit
see
our
pride
grow
smaller
and
smaller
and
let
us
trust
in
the
risen
Lord
Jesus
Christ
for
only
in
him
and
through
him
we
can
be
saved
let
us
pray
Lord
we
thank
you
for
the
boldness
of
your
saints
Peter
and
John
and
Lord
help
us
to
remember
that
same
Holy
Spirit
that
you
gave
them
at
Pentecost
is
residing
in
all
of
us
who
have
confessed
faith
and
trust
in
you
Lord
refresh
us
this
morning
give
us
great
confidence
in
your
word
this
morning
help
us
to
be
bold
and
to
trust
that
your
ways
are
always
the
right
ways
and
that
all
the
other
ways
do
not
lead
to
truth
but
they
lead
to
lies
and
confusion
and
ultimately
to
their
end
damnation
but
Lord
you
have
promised
to
hold
fast
to
your
people
and
Lord
we
cling
to
that
promise
this
morning
thank
you
for
your
blessed
son
thank
you
for
his
name
by
which
we
can
be
saved
amen
if
you
have
children
now
is
the
time
to
collect
them