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[Music] welcome to everyone we have just a couple of announcements before we begin this coming Saturday there is a church picnic Saturday the 15th if you want information please ask Mike Crowell and then there is a baptism next Sunday morning and our morning worship we're going to baptized wim kerkoff's or service at 11 and then we'll add our brother to the membership of the church through the waters of baptism and then you probably noticed on the calendar a joint service on the 30th essentially what that means is that everybody from Surrey is going to come here that afternoon and our service will start at 4:00 and then after the the worship service there'll be a time of fellowship and food upstairs so just a joint service with our brothers and sisters there in Surrey well for our call to worship this morning I want to read from psalm 118 psalm 118 I'll actually read the last several verses beginning in verse 19 so psalm 118 at verse 19 and I'll read to the end of the psalm open to me the gates of righteousness I will go through them and I will praise the Lord this is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous shall enter I will praise you for you have answered me and have become my salvation the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone this was the Lord's doing it is marvelous in our eyes this is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it save now I pray O Lord O Lord I pray send now prosperity blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord we have blessed you from the house of the Lord God is the Lord and He has given us light buying the sank a sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar you are my god and I will praise you you are my god I will exalt you o give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever amen well please turn in your Trinity Salter your red Trinity Salter to Psalm 93 Psalm 93 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] well let us pray father in heaven we thank you for the Sabbath rest we thank you for the mercy of God Almighty demonstrated to us in the gospel of your dear son we praise you for your graciousness we praise you for your majesty and your glory we confess that you are God most high even Father Son and Holy Spirit you are from everlasting to everlasting the God who is absolutely sovereign and and glorious and wondrous and worthy to be praised worthy to be feared and reverenced and a God worthy to be enjoyed and glorified we would ask today that you would be enthroned upon the praises of your people hear that as we gather in your midst we would be mindful of your holiness and of your righteousness and glory and that it would frame our hearts are right that we would approach you with that reverence that is fitting and do and with that joy that is consistent with those who have been saved by sovereign grace through faith in Jesus Christ may these things truly mark are characterized or described our hearts as we enter into the presence of God we ask they would guide us and direct us by the Holy Spirit our Lord Jesus taught us he said to us that apart from him we can do nothing and we confess the the greatest of things even the worship of God is something we stand in great need of and we pray that the spirit would guide us now that we would worship in spirit and in truth that God would be all in all in this place we confess our sins to you Lord we are mindful of your written law we're mindful of what it tells us concerning you you are a God who demands holiness and uprightness and we confess our waywardness and our proneness to wander Lord forgive us for transgressing your law forgive us for lacking conformity unto it and God forgive us in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and for any and all who've come here this morning that are not saved those who have not come to God through Christ Jesus we pray that today would be the day of salvation that they by grace would hear the word and would believe they would see that Jesus Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 in the one who alone is worthy to be trusted in for salvation God do this not only in this place but wherever the gospel is preached we pray with Paul that the Word of God would run swiftly and be glorified and that you would be pleased to save men women boys and girls from every tribe and tongue and people and nation we thank you for the promise of our Savior who said that he would build his church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it we know that that church will indeed go forth it will suffer persecution there will be trials there will be difficulties there will be afflictions in this lower world but we know that ultimately Christ is assembling according to the Father's plan a great and a comprehensive church that will indeed include a multitude that no man can number may you encourage our hearts as we consider this reality may you strengthen us as we see all the promises of God is yay and amen in Jesus and may these things produce in us hopefulness for the cause of God and truth throughout this earth we know that the nations are steeped and in bondage the nations are steeped in sin and depravity we look at our own country God and we know that ultimately though politics has a place it's not going to correct the hearts of men so we pray for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit we pray that he would revive the churches and that he would awaken those who are dead in their trespasses and sins and put the fear of God into the hearts of men in high places in terms of government authority we know ultimately they are answerable to you Christ speaking his wisdom and the proverb says by me Kings reign we know the Apostle said there is no authority except from God so we pray that they would bow the knee and confess Christ as Lord and Savior be merciful in a nation god almighty that is so wicked and so depraved to send forth your word we pray that in your wrath you would remember mercy and that multitudes would come out of darkness today in the marvelous light confessing the glory of Jesus Christ be merciful in this place Scott opened our eyes and our hearts to receive the Word of God give us grace to not only hear it but to act upon it for those again unsaved that they would believe that they would not make excuses that they would not listen to the devil's logic but rather they would look unto Christ and be saved and for your people God help us to shake off apathy and lethargy help us God not to be weighed down by the various concerns in the world that help us to earnestly and zealously pursue the glory of God in our lives as individuals as families as workers as citizens whatever we find or whatever our hand finds to do may we do it with our might and that for the glory of God be gracious and merciful to those in our midst who are suffering physically we ask God that you would bless them today she would encourage them that you would strengthen them that even on their sick beds they would be rejoicing in the goodness and in the mercy of God Almighty we asked you would continue with us now as we sing as we pray as we look to Holy Scripture and may all these things be glorifying and praising to our Father as we come through the son in the power of the Holy Spirit and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please turn with me in your Trinity hymnals to number 441 441 will stand as we sing together [Music] we can turn in your Bibles to the Gospel according to Luke for our scripture reading this morning we're in Luke chapter 21 Luke chapter 21 we'll pick up reading in verse 1 and he looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury and he saw also a certain poor Widow putting in two mites so he said truly I say to you that this poor Widow has put in more than all for all these for all of these all these rather out of their abundance have put in offerings for God but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had then as some spoke of the temple how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations he said these things which you see the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down so they asked him saying teacher but when will these things be and what sign will there be when these things are about to take place and he said take heed that you not be deceived for many will come in my name saying I am he and the time has drawn near therefore do not go after them but when you hear of wars and commotions do not be terrified for these things must come to pass first but the end will not come immediately then he said to them nation will rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom and there will be great earthquakes in various places and famines and pestilences and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven but before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons you will be brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake but it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony therefore settle it in your heart's not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers relatives and friends and they will put some of you to death and you will be hated by all for my name's sake but not a hair of your head she'll be lost by your patience possess your souls but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then know that it's desolation is near then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains let those who are in the midst of her depart and let not those who are in the country enter her for these are the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled but woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days for there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations and Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled and there will be signs in the Sun in the moon and in the stars and on the earth distress of Nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring men's hearts failing from failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of the heavens will be shaken then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory and when these things begin to happen look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near and he spoke to them a parable look at the fig tree and all the trees when they are already budding you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near so you also when you see these things happening know that the kingdom of God is near assuredly I say to you this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place heaven and earth will pass away but my words will by no means pass away but take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing drunkenness and cares of this life and that day come on you unexpectedly for it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man and in the daytime he was teaching in the temple but at night he went out and stayed on the Mount called all of that then early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him amen Luke 21 is what we call the all of that discourse the Lord Jesus gives this prophetic statement concerning the destruction of Jerusalem that would occur in AD 70 this chapter answers to or is parallel with Matthew chapter 24 mark chapter 13 and I would suggest the book of Revelation as a whole but specifically I want to direct our attention to the last parting application or words of our Lord Jesus to his disciples in light of the fact that these things are going to come verse 34 take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing drunkenness and cares of this life and that day come on you unexpectedly in other words live in light of these truths and may they not produce or promote in you sort of this deadening or sort of this lethargy or this apathy but rather you need to be a people that are serving God Most High he says it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face on all of the whole earth watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and then this last statement and to stand before the Son of man now ultimately that's what we're all heading whether it was the destruction in Jerusalem in AD 70 whether it's other temporal sorts of judgments from God but certainly on the day of judgment we will be summoned to stand before the Son of man and there's one of two ways that we can do that one not clothed in his righteousness or two clothed in his righteousness all those obviously clothed in his righteousness will hear those blessed words well done good and faithful servant they will hear enter into the joy of your rest they will be received into that glorious place where the spirits of just men are were all of the saints of Christ assemble and they will worship God Almighty world without end amen now I don't know how it is for you but the Lord's Day at times we wake up we come to church and we start to get with the people and we start to sing psalms and hymns and we start to get warmed up in terms of our affections for God that's that's good church worship ought to produce in all of us in earnestness and a longing to commune with God imagine the eternal state when that's all we'll ever do imagine the eternal state when we will do that without sin because even now when we are worshiping God we might be tempted to think about what we're gonna do on Thursday we're worshipping God and we might be tempted to think about what we're gonna eat when we get home but in that world to come there'll be no temptation to take our minds or our hearts away it'll be the full enjoyment of God Most High forever and ever and ever world without end amen that ought to produce a smile at least in our hearts if it doesn't on our face so those clothed in the righteousness of Christ will enter into that but those who stand before the Son of man not clothed in his righteousness in other words those who have not believed the word those who have rejected the truth of God's Holy Bible will be cast off by the Son of man he will say depart from me for I never knew you he will cast you off into that place that was created for the devil and his angels and that is the worst thing if the best thing to consider is to worship God and to enjoy him forever then the worst thing must be to be apart from the goodness of God and to be judged or punished by him forever now this isn't to try and threatened anybody this isn't to try to browbeat anybody or to scare you into the kingdom of God but rather it is to direct our attention to what Christ says and to stand before the Son of man how will you stand on that day will you be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus or will you be there in your filth and in your depravity and in all of that that demands the just and righteous judgment of God well the good news is that righteousness God willing is going to be preached in a few men and that righteousness is attainable not by your works not by your ability not by your merit but by grace through faith in the Son of God so I would encourage you to pay attention because one day you're gonna stand before the Son of Man well let us pray father we thank you for these words we thank you God that even in the midst of a statement concerning judgment our Lord Jesus encourages and comforts his disciples we thank you God for the gospel of our salvation we thank you for the truth of the Incarnation that Christ came down for us men and for our salvation and we pray that today everywhere sinners would hear the gospel and everywhere sinners would believe on him and know that righteousness that does avail with God and know that forgiveness which is such an encouragement and such a blessing to weary Souls and we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well you can turn in your Trinity hymnals again to 437 437 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you can turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts where in Acts chapter 4 Acts chapter 4 last week we saw the arrest of Peter and John and this morning will notice the Apostolic address to the council Peter speaks to the Sanhedrin in verses 5 to 12 and testifies concerning the source of power the authority behind the healing of the lame man in chapter 3 but I do want to begin reading in acts 4 at verse 1 now as they spoke to the people the priest the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead and they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening however many of those who heard the word believed and the number of the men came to be about 5,000 and it came to pass on the next day that their rulers elders and scribes as well as anise the high priest Caiaphas John and Alexander and as many as were of the family of the high priests were gathered together at Jerusalem and when they had set them in the midst they asked but what power or by what name have you done this then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them rulers of the people and elders of Israel if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man by what means he has been made well let it be known to you all 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 stands here before you whole this is the stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief Cornerstone nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men they marvel and they realized that they had been with Jesus and seeing the man who had been healed standing with them they could say nothing against it but when they had commanded them to go out aside out of the council they conferred among themselves saying what shall we do to these men for indeed that a notable miracle has been done through them as is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem and we cannot deny it but so that it spreads no further among the people let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to no man in this name so they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus but Peter and John answered and said to them whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God you judge for we cannot but Speak the things which we have seen and heard so when they had further threatened them they let them go finding no way of punishing that because of the people since they all glorified God for what had been done for the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed amen well let us pray thank you Father for your word thank you for this written record of the early church and its triumphs and its difficulties and ultimately for Christ the power that is giving them the ability to go forward we pray that you would help us now as we approach the Scriptures to find our hearts encouraged with the truth we pray for the Ministry of the Spirit to be at work in our minds and in our hearts and again we pray forgive us for our sins and anything that would darken our understanding and we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well to appreciate what's happening here in Chapter four just a bit of review from Chapter three remember that Peter and John went to the temple they meet this lame man on the way he asks for alms he held holds out his palm and Peter says I don't have silver or gold but what I do have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth be healed and this man was healed and everybody in town knew this man because it was his custom to sit by the gate called beautiful and to Bay so on on the heels of that Peter takes the opportunity Solomon's porch to preach the gospel to testify concerning the power of God Most High specifically with reference to the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ while having spoken in Solomon's porch having seen the power of God displayed further in that preaching the religious leaders the religious authority they become concerned as the early disciples multiply as they start to grow as the the gospel starts to permeate Jerusalem they fall under religious scrutiny and that's precisely what happens in chapter 4 verses 1 to 4 we saw the arrest of Peter and John they put them in jail for a night until the Sanhedrin could be convened so that they could indeed hear what they had been doing and as we read there it's an intriguing way that they deal with this we know that what they did was right but we don't want them to go out and speak anymore so let's just threaten that it's pretty a pretty sad state of affairs when the religious and political authority in your own country do that kind of stuff to you because you're a threat or a perceived threat for preaching the name of the Lord Jesus Christ but I want us to remember what Luke says in Luke I'm sorry in acts 4 notice in verses 1 to 3 he highlights the persecution affecting the church he highlights the trials affecting Peter and John and then in verse 4 he says however many of those who heard the word believed and the number of the men came to be about 5,000 john gill says for though they kept their persons in hold they could not stop the free course of the word which ran and was glorified that however is very encouraging while they lay hold on Peter and John while they put them in prison they cannot constrain or rather restrain the word of the Living God matthew henry said though the preachers were persecuted the word prevailed for sometimes the church is suffering days have been a growing days the days of her infancy were so we saw that not only confined to Acts chapter 4 but we'll see it also throughout the book of Acts because this is the break off persecution that's going to be duplicated and replicated many times after acts 4 but in Philippians chapter 1 remember that Paul is in prison and he wants to encourage the Philippians and he says the things that have happened to me have actually turned out for the progress of the gospel in other words they thought by ceasing Paul and throwing him into jail they would silence the gospel and he says no it's actually turned out the other way and then in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 Paul says for which my gospel I suffer trouble as an evildoer even to the point of Chains but the Word of God has not changed and I made the observation last week that that that very often the church grows best during times of persecution just like in your own private Christian walk you typically tend to grow more and I say typically because I don't doubt God can sanctify you while you're sitting on the beach and sipping your favorite beverage God has the power by a spirit to sanctify you but it's typically not there it's in the midst of trial in the midst of affliction in the midst of suffering one famous book title says grace grows best in winter and if that's the individual experience at times it is the corporate experience a whiff of persecution from time to time and Boldin's the Church of Jesus Christ to do what she has been called to do and that's what we see in this passage now notice the address before the council in verses 5 to 12 note first the question of the council in verses 5 to 7 now as I said this is the Sanhedrin it's the largest or rather the the the most powerful religious and political body within Israel at this particular time it's made up of 71 members most likely based on numbers 11 when God tells Moses to select seventy elders from Israel to help him to adjudicate the various affairs going on within Israel's polity at that's the model now it's made up of these very groups it was sad to see heavy and we noticed last time that the Sadducees got particularly upset about Peters preaching because he preached the resurrection and its association with Jesus Sadducees denied the resurrection so they wanted to silence the Apostles as they wanted to silence our Lord Jesus Christ remember we're not talking about a span of a hundred years between the Ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the apostles it's not a very long time at all just a couple of months and we see the same sort of things inflicted upon the Savior are the same sort of things inflicted upon the Apostles in this particular instance it was as I said made up of the 70 plus 1 members and then notice the text in verse 5 it says as well as an estate breeze now some non-believers say well Luke was ignorant Luke put an error in the pages of Holy Scripture because anise wasn't the high priest at that particular time how do we account for that anise was high priests from 86 to 14 and Caiaphas his son-in-law was high priest from 80 18 to 30 sets so technically Caiaphas was the high priest at this particular time but remember that anise was the patriarch of this high priestly family so Luke names him as high priest as he does in Luke 3 where both Anna's and Caiaphas are referred to as high priests it's not that Luke is ignorant it's that Luke is sympathetic to the prevailing cultural norms at the time you name the patriarch as the high priest but these men are gathered together the same Caiaphas that was instrumental in the the the trial the mock trial of our Lord Jesus Christ it was that Caiaphas according to John 10 that prophesy to John 11 that prophesied by the spirit that it was advantageous for one man to die rather than the whole nation it's that Caiaphas that fairs later in John's Gospel that leads the Sanhedrin as Jesus is called to testify so that Caiaphas as opposed to Christ as he was is now presently opposed to Peter and John because you see the master was right if they hate them master they will hate the disciple if they persecute the master they will persecute the disciple now I'm not suggesting we're going to be persecuted the way saying Lia in Nigeria is presently persecuted but brethren all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution if nobody's ever made fun of you if nobody's ever antagonized you if nobody's ever persecuted to any sense or any degree whatsoever concerning your profession and your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ you might want to take a look at yourself in other words if you're living faithfully in a godless wretched crooked and perverse generation at some point along the way now I'm not saying you're gonna be tarred and feathered at a Tim Horton's I am NOT suggesting you're gonna be pretty in prison at an RCMP by the RCMP I'm not suggesting that but if every step of your way you are only ever received by a godless world then one wonders what kind of testimony one is buried does that make sense again I'm not saying go get a bullhorn today and stand out at Wellington and say you wretched terrible people you're all gonna reap the consequences of the judgement of God I mean if you show so decide to go ahead but I'm not suggesting that's what you have to do but be faithful in your workplace don't steal from your employer show up on time don't whine and grumble and complain when they're all you know talking bad about the boss don't engage in that you're a woman in your neighbourhood and I'm picking on you women specifically because Paul does relative to the sin of gossip don't give your ears to it don't give your tongue to it by any means don't be an active participant in gossip but don't give your ears to it don't listen to it don't receive it that's going to offend people if you don't play the reindeer games with them abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul Peter tells us don't just run and riot an excess like the rest of the world around you if you're a kid or a young person a teenager boy there's a great opportunity for you to manifest your Christian faith by not being a knucklehead like the rest of the teenagers and kids that we see populating this earth you see these men followed the master and as a result they were persecuted you see when we read these prayer letters as we did last hour from voice of the martyrs concerning the sorts of persecution that is going on all over the world on the one hand it's very Grievous and very discouraging but in the other hand it's very encouraging why in the world does the Nigerian government have this axe to grind against this Lia because she's faithful and won't renounce her faith in Christ I'm encouraged by that yes I don't want it to be in prison yes I wanted to go back home yes I wanted to know the joys of family life but that there's a 15 year old girl somewhere on the face of this earth that is not willing to renounce Jesus and convert to Islam and thus continues to be detained by Boko Haram I say praise God Almighty from whom all blessings flow that he grants the grace to this young woman not to capitulate to Islam but rather to stand fast to her Savior yeah it's sad I wish he wasn't in prison but man I hope that if ever called upon in a similar situation God will sustain me with His grace the way that he does with Lia so everybody has celebrity preachers today you know impresses me in the church Lia you know what else impresses me in the church people that have difficult situations in their home lives that we don't know a whole lot about you know really impresses me the guy the girl the young guy the young girl that drags themselves out of bed every single day and does or seeks to do what's right I don't care how good these guys preach and I don't care how much they move a crowd my heroes are in this room brethren Peter and John followed Jesus therefore Peter and John were persecuted again the persecution is always going to look a bit deaf currently I don't suspect that today now it may be in the future that the RCMP will knock on your door and ask to see your Bible asked to know your religious affiliation ask to know where you stand with reference to the Messiah that day may come brethren we need to be faithful today now notice the question posed by the Sanhedrin verse 7 when they had set them in the midst they asked by what power or by what name have you done this again reminiscent of Luke's Gospel Luke 20 beginning in verse 2 they say to Jesus tell us by what authority are you doing these things or who is he who gave you this authority see the the Sanhedrin is in a bit of a predicament see it's easy to deny a religion that gets everything wrong is it it if guy says I'm here and I'm in the name of you know the whatever God and he tries to heal somebody and he doesn't heal them nobody feels threatened by that do they he's just you know I'm not that's what we would be tempted to say but see when Jesus walked the earth he actually did heal people when the disciples went to the temple to pray they did heal that lame man there's no denying that in fact when we next time get to the deliberation of the council they can't deny that I mean the guy was standing there according to verses 10 and 14 the man formerly lame that begged at the gate called beautiful that everybody knew is standing there as Exhibit A of the power of God demonstrated so it puts the Sanhedrin in this very awkward position I mean they've got to condemn the disciples for healing a lame man that's a thankless position to be in isn't it that's how they had to operate with Jesus but won't tell us by what authority do you do this we can't deny that you've healed we can't deny that you have power we can't deny that you're doing these great and glorious sayings but we have to go after the power ball find it we have to show that what you're doing is contrary to Torah it's contrary to the Old Testament it's contrary to the written word so Peter speaks like Jesus did notice the response of Peter verses 8 to 12 and I want to look at three things here that wasn't a long introduction but this is the bulk the three things with reference to verses 8 to 12 we have first the Declaration of the name in verses 8 to 10 second the prophetic witness to the name in verse 11 and then thirdly the exclusivity of the name in verse 12 but notice the Declaration of the name so the Sanhedrin asks the question by what power by what name have you done this remember back in chapter 3 at verse 16 Peter knew this Peter understood this and Peter addressed it very clearly in the porch it saw us almonds porch verse 16 his name through faith in his name has made this man strong whom you see and know fact go back to Acts chapter 2 verse 21 you see the the conspicuousness of the name named fair several times in chapters 3 and 4 but it's already introduced into 21 notice in 221 it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved and essentially what Peter does from then on in chapter 2 is define the Lord to find the name tells us that it's Jesus such that when we get to verse 37 he says be baptized in the name of verse 38 let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins name isn't hocus-pocus name isn't a magic word name is rather the authority or the power behind the particular activity so Peter understands that they've asked in in chapter 4 by what power or by what name have you done this now no with reference to the declaration the presence of the Spirit this is beautiful isn't it in verse 8 then Peter filled with the holy spirit now I think at times we universalize these sorts of passages and we say this is always going to happen every time that anybody ever asks me no I don't think it's always every time but in those key times and those crunch time in those times a specific need we can trust the Lord will supply the spirit sure you've all known something of that before you've testified to grandma you've testified to an uncle you've testified to a kid God owned it you don't know how you ever came up with the things that you were saying or somebody challenged you an atheist or a Muslim or a Mormon and God just gave you wisdom and the ability to draw from Scripture and declare the truth that's a blessed realization of what the spirits activity in the life of the believer does but this is a direct fulfillment of Jesus promise to his disciples in terms of the increasing persecution that we just read of in Luke 21 before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem there's gonna be persecution they're gonna drag you off to the synagogue's they're gonna haul you before the civil government they're going to haul you before their religious councils and don't worry about those times because the Spirit will aid you in what you're supposed to say now that idea as well certainly doesn't allow for lazy preachers well I'm not gonna study I'm gonna sit all week and then when I'm walking to that pulpit the Spirit will give me what I'm supposed to speak that is utter nonsense Paul tells Timothy study to show yourself approved a workman who need not be ashamed one who rightly divides the word of truth but in these times of persecution spoken of by Jesus prophesied by our Lord he promises protection to his disciples as they get hauled before the religious council this is a fulfillment of Luke 12 11 and 12 Luke 21 14 and 15 don't worry about it the Spirit will give you utterance the Spirit will give you the ability now when we look at this then Peter verse 8 filled with the Holy Spirit said to them the them is the Sanhedrin the vehm is the highest religious / political council serving or governing in Israel the them isn't a servant-girl see we students if the Gospels have gone through them and have seen that that Peter and crunch-time denied his master to a servant girl and yet here Peter's not denying anything here Peter by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit not only doesn't deny but testifies concerning the very name of Christ which is the power behind the healing of this lame man which is the very summon substance of the apostolic ministry which is why Peter and John actually exist at this particular time John Gill says the case was much altered with Peter he who but a little while ago was frightened by a servant maid now stands before the Jewish Sanhedrin with undaunted courage and resolution the notice goes on verse a filled with the Holy Spirit he said to them rulers of the people and elders of Israel if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man I wonder you know it's hard to exegete Cohen white you know internet debates are so difficult we say something and everybody flicks flips out because we can't exegete tone try with emojis and all that you just don't get what's behind a statement on on a blog post and and people just get upset and they so I kind of look at the law of Internet and debates on the Internet as if you know one party on the other side of Wellington and one party on this side of Wellington running in the opposite directions shouting at each other well a lot of it is because of this lack of tone we just don't know what tone Peter assumed at this particular time but imagine this we brought healing to a man we we saw a man by the name of Jesus Christ get up from his his malady what we saw this man his ankle bones strengthened we saw this man not only get up but remember what the man did he he walked and eat lat and he praised God remember somebody at the time would have said oh it's undignified to leap in the temple precincts the man would have rightly said it's undignified not to I have never walked not only am I gonna walk I'm gonna leap and all the while I'm gonna be praising God it's like telling a man who just got his sight oh don't enjoy read don't enjoy blue romaine who's just develop taste oh don't don't enjoy that mango this man was laid and Peter says we're on trial today we spent a night in jail for a good deed done to a helpless man is that what we've come to in the nation of Israel when two men have to stand before 71 to account for the healing of a lay man Oh Peter knows and Peter plays and Peter's going to submit because he goes on notice he says in verse 10 let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth so we see that Peter highlights the name behind it he highlights the fact that Jesus is the reason why this particular lame man is healed and notice verse 10 let it be known to you all 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 stands here before you whole yeah that's a pesky sort of thing for the Sanhedrin they can't deny it we don't think you healed this man they all knew the man remember he was 40 years old according to the end of the narrative he had been for you know his whole adult life at the gate called beautiful begging homes for persons that were going to the temple they can't deny it and Peter says this man but I think when he declares the name of Jesus he wants to highlight two aspects concerning Jesus power first Jesus power is seen in other words if you want to know the source of authority you wanted to know the name you want to know how this power issued forth well it's right here in Exhibit A it's right here in this man that's Exhibit A concerning Christ's power with reference to the healing of this particular man again you see the wisdom of Peter now was this man arrested along with Peter and John or was he summoned as a witness probably wasn't summoned as a witness because he certainly wouldn't made a witness favorable to the prosecution he's the kind of witness you want to fall down a well prior to him showing up on trial he is a witness that testifies that everything this Sanhedrin is alleging is false and bad so Peter says we're here because of the name of Jesus that healed this good friend of mine but the second element in terms of Christ's power the authority behind the helium this man is this Christ whom you crucified God raised up see Peter does that in chapter 2 twice and he does it in chapter 3 in terms of seeking to convict the sinners of their sins in his preaching at Solomon's porch and the the result is is that the power of Christ the power behind this name or the name rather behind this healing is one whom you crucified but God raised up so there's a contrast between the religious opposition to our Lord and God's favor toward our Lord but it does display his power doesn't it a man that is raised from the dead a man who is in the bosom of the Father a man who is what Jesus was in his earthly ministry and what he continues to be now in his current session that's power and Peter wants the Sanhedrin to know it fact as one reads through the narrative one might I think judicially judiciously wonder who's really on trial here is it Peter and John or is it the Sanhedrin it's like later on in Acts chapter 7 when they you know halt Stephen before the the religious leaders and and they want to know why he did what he did and they want to know everything and he testifies to them and he he speaks to them and he preaches to that and and he and he then says that you are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart you always resist the Holy Spirit again one wonders it's not Stephen that's on trial it's his persecutors so I think that's a good thing for us to remember and I know this is gonna sound proud and if you're an atheist this morning you've stumbled in here sorry but we're actually right years and years ago we had a young fellow in our church and he went to Simon Fraser University on clubs day we would go there and we'd pass out literature and we'd seek to challenge the prevailing thoughts and sort of ideas that were going on in that university setting and one time we had a sign and it said this is a marketplace of worldviews and we have the truth oh that's that's arrogant that's proud that's what the other Christian groups told us but but it's right now looking back it was there and getting proud I'm not I'm not gonna say that's necessarily that the only always way to do things but but there's a blessed bit later on in the book of Acts Paul is standing before Festus feelings and one of them says much learning is driving you mad well it's believed lost it you're off the reservation what once was true of you you're gone remember Paul was trained under Gamaliel Paul was a Pharisee Paul was a man who had a religious pedigree that was second to none according to Philippians 3 but in this instance Paul you're done it's gone what's Paul saying well I know that's how it may appear to you he says I'm not mad most noble Festus but I speak the words of truth and reason you see brethren when all is said and done we are right I know we feel apologetic now apologetics is a good thing we want to defend the faith but somehow apologetics has gone through the washing machine and today it means a feeble and weak I'm sorry that's not what apologia in the in the in the in the New Testament means it's not a weak and feeble I'm sorry that I'm a Christian it is a defense of the faith it is a testimony concerning the power of Jesus Christ and Peter uses the opportunity to highlight God's power with reference to Christ the one they crucified God raised him up it's that one God raised up that is responsible for this man standing here before you today so that power is seen in the healing of the man but the power is seen in the very fact of Christ the very fact that the one that you crucified is now sitting and thrown at the right hand of the Father on high - beautiful and a blessed and a wonderful thing that he does here and then notice we see the prophetic witness to the name and here again he follows his master last week we should have looked at this material it would have gone a lot better with our reading in Luke chapter 20 but it wasn't so long ago that I can't refresh your mind Jesus uses this particular text in the same way in his own ministry notice what Peter does in verse 11 he says this is the stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief Cornerstone we just read this at the outset of worship it's a messianic Psalm in other words it testifies concerning Jesus Christ understands it that way Christ invokes it in the end of the parable of the vineyard so Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard which is a history of Israel how it culminates in the rejection of the Messiah the the son sent by the the owner of the vineyard how they mock him they crucify and they scourge him they throw him off and Jesus then summarizes by citing psalm 118 22 and it's what Peter does here as well this is the stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief Cornerstone now the original context of the psalm is unique because while Jesus is the subject matter and Jesus is the antitype there is a type and it's King David and most likely the David is Psalm pand psalm 118 was the rejected king that would be the chief Cornerstone that would bring devastation upon the enemies of God now in the original Psalm the opponents of King David of Israel were probably the nations surrounding Israel so you have to appreciate now David as the type has this experience in terms of being the rejected king of Israel by the nations around them now geez is the anti-type he is the fulfillment he is the subject matter of David Psalm Christ is the rejected King not by the heathens around but by those in his own nation in a terrible twist that is very ironic it is the Jewish leadership that has assumed the posture of the enemy of God so you never forget that's going on in the book of Acts I've said it probably five times now by the end of our study in the book of Acts I'll probably have said it a lot more than that one of the other designs or themes or things we ought to appreciate when we finish Acts is this the Apostles got the Old Testament right the Jews did not again that's probably very offensive if somebody is here and they're committed to Judaism they'll say wait a minute you're wrong if you do not yield an interpretation where in Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the yeah and a man of all the promises of God then you have failed in your understanding of the Old Testament that sounds like a bold and brash statement but that's exactly what Jesus says you search the Scriptures for in them you think that that you have eternal life but these are they which testify of me not some undefined nebulous possible Messiah to come what does Jesus say to the Jewish opposition in John chapter 8 Abraham rejoiced to see what my day not just again this is a rebuke to us we have this idea of some nebulous undefined fuzzy concept of Messiah Abraham rejoiced to see my day how much did Abraham know I don't know but when he tells Isaac the Lord will provide he understands something a substitutionary atonement probably better than a lot of the church does today when he sees that ram caught in the thicket he knows that God has provided you see the Old Testament Saints weren't looking forward to a nebulous undefined on sort of realizable Messiah they're looking forward to Jesus of Nazareth so the Scriptures testify so the Jewish interpretation now notice I'm not an anti-semite saying that the Jewish people wrong it's pretty common today as long as somebody's a monotheistic okay no it's not Muslims are wrong and Jews are wrong even though they're monotheists Christians are right not not everyone and not to the same degree to be sure that the point is the Apostles got the scripture right and here specifically Peter and vote psalm 118 22 to highlight that what is occurring right before their eyes is according to the Word of God he does this similarly back in chapter 3 notice in verse 17 yet now brethren I know that you did it in ignorance as did also your rulers but those things which God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets that the Christ would suffer he has thus fulfilled what does Peter do there you and your ignorance rejected Jesus you and your ignorance rejecting Jesus is actually the means by which God fulfills the plan and Peter says essentially the same thing right here he says your opposition to me and your opposition to my master is something that King David penned about in psalm 118 22 but again it's very intriguing that Jesus uses the same song in the same way now if we look at the particular tax the stone which was rejected by you builders the religious leadership in Israel was with the builders they were tasked with building the temple not through architecture and carpentry there were certainly people that did that but in terms of temple building it was the religious leadership of Israel that would be the builders they would be the ones contributing to the maturation to the growth to the to the peopling of the temple of God that is their charge and then Peter says as Jesus had said before them the very stone which was rejected by you builders that's become the chief Cornerstone in other words you builders walked by the most beautiful stone that is ever crafted or ever I was made by God imagine that you're at a job site and you're in charge and you walk by the best thing that could ever be had with reference to that building and you just neglect it and somebody on the sides goes why don't we use that one it seems perfect well no no why don't we fit that in as the chief Cornerstone because it'll butt up both ends just right it'll provide the stability it'll pry it but provide you know the very structural support of everything we need and the builders say no no we're gonna find the worst and we're gonna throw it together that's the essence of the song you builders you had opportunity you builders should have interpreted the scripture properly you builders shouldn't walk by that cornerstone you builders shouldn't reject it in doesn't John announce his gospel this way that that Jesus came to his own in his own what they received him not there's a man of sorrows he was acquainted with grief he was despised he was forsaken instead of being praised by Jerusalem's leadership they led the charge in his crucifixion you see he's the chief Cornerstone you guys missed it but then notice what Peter goes on to say you've seen the declaration of the name we see the prophetic witness to the name but notice the exclusivity of the name in verse 12 now Peter is certainly in dieting and upbraiding excuse me these religious leaders for their culpability with reference to the rejection of Messiah but we see in verse 12 and that Peters holding out hope to these guys you see Peter does that with Jerusalem sinners sometimes people get this idea of Christianity say well you know it's for people that dress up on Sunday it's for you know people that live relatively you know nice lives it's kind of a middle-class thing some people think it's a white thing you know Christianity is for a certain type of demographic it's all about demographics I don't fit that demographic you see so so I can't become a Christian see I don't know where all that came but the Bible certainly doesn't tell us that and and then there's that that lack of people that say well you know you got to clean yourself up before you can become a Christian you got to go buy a suit you got a drive a minivan you you have to you know wash it on Saturday before you can yeah you have to clean up but even more than that you got to get better at your life you can't do this or you can't do that or you can't go here you can't watch that you got to get rid of all that before you can come to this Jesus again where that came from I'll never know see Peter is standing both before Jerusalem sinners Jerusalem sinners were they that were specifically responsible for the murder of Jesus Christ now there is a sense where our sins sent Jesus to the cross there is a sense to be sure where what you've done in your life if you're a believer in Jesus Christ contributed to that act of murder and aggression but there's an alts also a sense where in this generation of unbelievers that would ultimately reap the destruction of their fair city and temple did exceed to some degree the wickedness of others again that can be taken oh he's an anti-semite I'm not an anti-semite but I am Telling You that it was them that said away with him away with him crucify him see anti-semitism would be to say based on that no gospel for you that be anti-semitism it be anti-semitism as well for us to hold the death the crucifixion of Jesus against a modern Jew we certainly don't like that when people do that about us do we you're guilty for the sins of you know your grandfather's grandfather well what do you mean that just doesn't seem to be kind well we can't do that to the modern Jew I would suggest that to properly understand the Olivet discourse really does free one from that but that's a whole nother another thing so so if we said this is a particularly guilty generation so we're not going to preach the gospel to them that would seem to indicate indicate that we're targeting that the C Peter doesn't do that Peter preaches the gospel to that New Jerusalem sinners repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Acts chapter two where's Peter in acts 3 when he testifies after the healing of the lame man he's in Solomon's porch that's the Jewish temple and what does he tell them to you first God sent his son to turn everyone of you away from your iniquities you see anti-semitism is no gospel Peter is preaching the gospel and I suggest he is doing that in verse 12 the religious leaders put him in jail over the night the religious leaders are certainly opposed to him and his master and yet Peter says this in verse 12 he says nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved so we see here that the whole scope the whole direction the whole thrust of this healing of the lame man has as its focused the salvation of man from sin it's not just the physicality of this man coming to be able to walk and leap and praise but rather as Alexander says he gives them solemnly to understand that the mistake which they as builders of the temple had committed was not merely theoretical or exegetical but practical and if persevered in fatal to themselves and others see Peter does not make the point in verse 12 that I have made on several occasions my point has been the Apostles get the Old Testament right the Jewish leaders got the Old Testament wrong Peter doesn't spike the ball in verse 12 and say I'm right and you're wrong he says it in verse 11 when he pulls psalm 118 22 as the theological interpretation of what's happening right there in the Sanhedrin but instead of that he doesn't say your problem is theoretical your problem is exegetical your problem is you didn't comport with who Jesus is that's not what he's saying he's saying to them you got big problems bigger problems the next bigger problems than theoretical bigger problems than covenant all your biggest problem is that you're unsaved and there is no salvation apart from Christ so in essence what Peter is saying to these men at this time is stop forsake your wickedness and calm notice the way he couches or the way that he frames this he says nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved as I said the name referred to in 221 238 3:16 4:10 is the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved now this highlights something the Christians are accused of as well you're you know you're you're just not sympathetic other sort of religions no we're not God wasn't to bail ISM why are we to any competitors to Christianity I'm not saying we do harmful things or we we bomb their houses but brethren in a in a realm that is pluralistic to the core may we be found like they'll later be found in acts 17 when they're persecuted in Thessalonica why because they preached another King Jesus see pluralism was the order of the day in the Roman Empire you could have a whole pantheon of gods in fact that's what Pantheon means it means a whole bunch of gods all the gods that you could want you could have except the one who forbid the others the gods that way you'll have no other gods before me the God of the Bible isn't a competitor he Brooks no rivals he doesn't say you can have a little bit of me and a little bit of Bale no he says I am the Lord your God I'm the one who brought you out of the house of bondage therefore you shall have no other gods before me so it's very intriguing in the Empire you could have a whole degree of gods except if you had the God that actually condemned the other gods do you know that Christians were the atheists and the Roman Empire Christians were the atheists in the Roman Empire because they denied the Pantheon but they subscribed to the one true and living God who was their Son and Holy Spirit you see brethren that is the kind of way that the Christian Church responds to religious pluralism again please don't go home and say Butler's advocating violence on other types of relation no living that live in that regard but don't say they're all right don't say well that's just another way don't say that oh yeah there's there's truth in all the religions there's truth in atheism that doesn't mean it's valid for salvation and by that I mean atheists typically get two plus two equals four right see there's truth in atheism which they by the way strip from and rip from God's world they're living as Bahnson said with borrowed capital they're denying the very source of truth all the while they're balancing their checkbook how do you account for that how in the world can you legitimately do that but all that to say brethren Peter doesn't shrink back from declaring the truth of Christ and notice the particulars involved the fact that salvation is in Christ alone this is everywhere emphasized in the New Testament Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me that that's pretty difficult to mess up in terms of interpretation isn't it you can't even kind of imagine a group of people I mean I guess a government committee could mess it up but for most people they can't mess up John 14:6 it's so offensive because it's so clear I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the Father except through me isn't that as clear as anything could possibly be you have ever met those people oh the Bible's just so hard to understand what about John 14:6 oh I understand that and I hate it it's really intriguing the way that goes but also various other texts romans 1:16 and 17 I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it and in the context or in the sort of grant a grammatical syntax for it alone is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first also to the Greek for in it alone the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith that as it is written the just shall live by faith we see this emphasis in first Corinthians chapter 1 it's the message of the cross that's true it's the message of the cross which the world considers foolishness which is the wisdom of God Most High Galatians 1:6 2:10 what if the Apostle Paul say if I if we rather an angel out of heaven preaches to you another gospel which we did not preach before letting me down to hell strange language if there's a few approaches to get to Jesus strange language if all roads lead to heaven all roads do not lead to heaven there is one Road and it's Jesus the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through him and that's what Peter emphasizes nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven now I think that means he's no localized deity he's no ghetto deity he's no mascot of a particular tribe wherever under heaven is there's no other name than Jesus see that's why I say this idea that that Christianity is for middle class white people or Christianity is for this ethnic group or that demographic it has no truth in Scripture if we are giving the lie or giving validation to that lie then we need to stop because wherever under heaven is which is the entirety of the globe there's no other name so men from every tribe tongue people and nation the way to God Almighty is through Jesus Christ and then one other observation before we conclude notice what Peter says nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved I don't think that given is accidental remember we're not dealing with just recite a name hocus pocus Appl Jesus no no it's not the name it's the power it's the authority it's the person it's the work and that power that authority that person that work has been given by God you see Isaiah the prophet recognized this in Isaiah chapter and I a son is what he's given to us we see this in John 3:16 God so loved the world that he what vetti gave His only begotten Son brethren that's not just describing trajectory that the father gave the son so he comes from heaven to earth but it underscores grace man couldn't achieve man couldn't arrive man couldn't ascend to heaven if heaven is to reclaim guilty sinners heaven must seek them out heaven must initiate and that reflects God's pattern ever since the very beginning Adam and Eve sinned what do they do they run to God for salvation and for forgiveness no they they run and they hide who comes to whom in the garden God after that the Tower of Babel what do they do they build this great Tower why so that they can make a name for themselves God comes to Abram in Chapter 12 Genesis get out of early Chaldeans I'm gonna make a great name from you now that's ultimately realized in Jesus Christ but you see God comes heaven comes down that beautiful old hymn heaven came down and glory filled my soul filled my soul if you've never sang that find it and sing it it's beautiful is to sing it at the Bible Bible Tabernacle it was almost as if Heaven had come down and glory had filled our souls it was great and glorious to see God comes his name is given I want to end here because I think there are those in this place that are not believers in Jesus Christ and you need to understand that everything in the Bible argues for you to come I know that there's some sort of emphasis out there that say no don't don't don't come God's great God's glorious but don't come but everything in the Bible says God's great God's glorious you must come why did we do that oh yeah he's great he's glorious and he saves to the uttermost but he doesn't want you to come to him what do you mean he doesn't want you to come to him isn't that the purpose from Genesis to Revelation aren't useful to clean that when God comes to Adam and Eve aren't you supposed to surmise that when you come to see Genesis 12 and God initiates with Abram this massive programmatic plan to save a great multitude that no man can number aren't you supposed to glean that when you watch the life and Ministry of our Lord Jesus and his earthly sojourn when he actually says over and over not just once but he says it over and over and over and over again the Son of man did not come to call the righteous but but sinners to repentance when he says that that I didn't come III came to seek and to save that which was lost so why in the world we've got gospel not really gospel preaching out there that says God's gracious God's glorious God's wonderful God can save but don't come to him it's it's it's pathetic hope everyone who thirsts the prophet Isaiah says let him come you who have no money by by by water that refreshes and exhilarates by by milk that that sustains and puts meat on your bones and by wine that that exhilarates and again this is without money this is without price the Prophet even speaks to the people at that time and says why do you spend your money on that which does not satisfy come to me the father says come to me through the covenant mercies of David which is the Lord Jesus Christ come to me and your soul will find abundance and then lo and behold we get to the life in the earthly Ministry of our Lord Jesus and he uses that very language he says I came that they might have life and that they might have it one they might have it abundantly if you are operating under the false idea that god is great god is gracious god is good but you can't come to him may I just encourage you to go to scripture because that word says he's great he's good he's gracious and he everywhere tells you to come why would you sit why would you resist why would you reject you say well Butler what is it mean to come verse four tells us everyone who heard the word did what believed that's it that's all that's a bit offensive too isn't it you're gonna go to heaven because you believed on Jesus amen brother that's why I'm going to heaven it ain't no virtue in me it's no goodness in me you follow me around in the day and you're gonna go that guy's gonna go to heaven you ever thought that's gonna be the first initial phase in heaven we're all gonna be going you're here you're here wow you're here I didn't think you'd be here you know how many people are gonna say that to you sir well thanks you won't say well thanks you'll say blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ you see that's the emphasis of Scripture that's the reason you have scripture so that you'll hear it and that you'll believe it and notice they heard they believed and that day about 5,000 were the number of the men came to be 5,000 you mean there's not works plus there's not a whole sort of class there's not a whole sort of rigmarole I can just look to Christ and live yes remember when Moses lifted up that serpent in the wilderness and all those persons had been bitten by those fiery serpents and they were dying they never said Moses do we have to go to class first do we have to go to works first we have to go run around first a show just look and live and yet today we tell sinners to look and live what we'll do I have to go to works first do I have to pay money first do I have to join a church first or to buy a Bible you have to look and with everything the Bible says is true saving faith principally looks to what Christ has done Peter outlines that several times in acts two three and four he lived a perfect life of obedience to his father he died as a sacrifice on the cross he was raised the father on the third day he is now sitted or seated at the right hand of the Father where he says come and all those who by grace come will be saved not beautiful next time somebody says oh you Christian you're going to heaven because of what Jesus did yes that that's the very reason brethren are we silent about this and we saying to people at least in our in our outward way well I'm going to heaven because I I know how to be holy or I'm going to heaven because I go to the right church I go to have it because I read the right confession I read that it we're going to have it because of grace it's in grace amazing we sing it more often than than the not Amazing Grace how sweet the sound but sometimes it doesn't always seem like it's that amazing because if it was that amazing it'd probably be a lot happier a lot most of our lives as we pondered that reality that God is in Christ reconciling this world to himself well let us close in a word of Prayer father thank you for the scriptures thank you for the consistent testimony concerning Jesus Christ thank you for the boldness and the courage we see manifested here by the Apostles empowered by the spirit I mean you give us grace to be encouraged by these things maybe give grace to sinners to believe these things and may it be the case that all over the world today the church would be added to not because of every head bowed or eye closed but because of a sovereign God blessing the preaching of the gospel and sinners believing we ask that you would go with us now and we pray this through Christ Jesus our Lord amen well let's conclude our service this morning by standing and singing together the doxology in praise to our great and our triune God [Music] the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen father go with us now may these things be true in our hearts may we rejoice and our great and our triune God Father Son and spirit may we worship you may we praise you may we always stand amazed your great grace to us we thank you that you sought out Adam and Eve you sought out Abraham you sought us out and you gave us the son not because of anything good in us but because of everything glorious and gracious in you may these things encourage our hearts may they bid sinners to come and to taste and see that the Lord is good and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed