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welcome to everyone it's good to be in the house of our God on this Lord's day we have just a few announcements before we begin our worship of course the first is that Pastor agallo is with us this morning from eldoret Kenya he'll also be with us God willing this evening and then he'll be in Surrey next Sunday for the Lord's day and also we're going to take him up to Armstrong so that he can give them a presentation that'll be on Thursday night so please pray for his time amongst us and amongst the churches that he would be encouraged and helped and and edified as he continues his ministry among us and then we will have our Lord's Supper service next Sunday evening that'll be the October 8th in our evening worship of course Wednesday night bible study this week at 7 30 and then on the 29th of October we hope to have a joint service we try to do that occasionally with the Saints in Surrey so they will come here we'll move the evening service to 4 P.M and then we'll have a time of of worship and then we'll have some food and fellowship additionally Pastor Ryan maljars from our church plant in Armstrong will be preaching morning and evening that day so October 29th and then as well we hope to have two baptisms on October 22nd we are pleased to announce Tibet and Benjamin Hall have applied for baptism I met with them recently it was very edifying and very encouraging so I commend them heartily to the membership of the church good to see young people growing up in the context of the church confessing faith in Jesus Christ and then actually wanting to stay here it's a very very good thing so we praise God very much for that and then the final announcement is that Kristoff and Ashley van maren are expecting their third baby so we can rejoice in that so the new birth and its representation through baptism and then physical birth so good announcements to make on this Lord's Day morning well for our call to worship you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 100 A fitting and appropriate Psalm to read at the outset of worship on a beautiful day that God has indeed made for his glory and honor psalm 100. a Psalm of Thanksgiving Make a Joyful Shout to the Lord all you lands serve the Lord with gladness come before his presence with singing know that the Lord he is God it is he who has made us and not we ourselves we are his people and the Sheep of his pasture enter into his gates with Thanksgiving and into his courts with praise be thankful to him and bless his name for the Lord is good his Mercy is Everlasting and his truth endures to all generations amen well please turn in your hymn book to Psalm 145 Psalm 145 d as in delta and will stand together as we sing 145 d [Music] oh my God foreign [Music] oh baby [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] God [Music] let us pray our great and glorious God and Father we gather together on the Lord's day and we confess that you are most high we acknowledge that you are from Everlasting to Everlasting that you are Father Son and Holy Spirit glorious God worthy of praise and adoration as the prophet and the Apostle asked who would not fear thee O King of the Nations for indeed it is thy do and yet father we know and acknowledge that man does not fear you a right as Paul says in Romans 3 there is no fear of God before their eyes so we thank you that it was Grace that taught our hearts to fear it was Grace that called us out of Darkness into Marvelous Light and you have given us the desire to gather together as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to praise your awesome name and we pray that you would receive our worship that we would come to you in a spirit of reverence and with great joy that we would come to the father through the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit confessing that God is all in all we ask that you would be pleased to look with favor upon us she would encourage and strengthen us and build us up in our Most Holy Faith she would conform us ever more under the image of your beloved Son our blessed Lord Jesus Christ and God we thank you for the gospel of our Salvation we thank you for his life of obedience to The Father's Law we thank you for his death on Calvary it's a substitute and a sacrifice on our behalf and we thank you for that Resurrection again the third day and his Ascension on high in a session now at your right hand and we do look forward to his return again in glory to judge the living and the dead we ask that you would be pleased to bless our brother who's come these many miles we pray that you would fill him with your Holy Spirit and use him to speak the truth in love to it to us and give us Hearts receptive and and eager to receive what you would have for us we confess our sin and our transgression unto you we know God that we have that remaining corruption the apostle speaks of and the good that we don't the good that we want to do we don't always find ourselves doing and the wickedness that we want to avoid we find ourselves at times falling falling prey to that so God cleanse Us in the precious blood of Jesus Christ your son we thank you for the promise that that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so may that be the case even now and for any and all who've come here dead in their trespasses and sins we do not appeal to them to make good decisions but we appeal to a sovereign God to make men willing in the day of his power Lord be merciful and Open Hearts and cause that word to find its Mark and may it be the case that Sinners here and throughout this Earth would confess faith in our Lord Jesus Christ we ask that you would bless our our Brethren and other churches we thank you for the Saints and sorry we ask God that you would bless them as they gather together look with favor upon Pastor Mike we pray for our brothers and sisters is in Armstrong may you blast Pastor Ryan and use him to to promo preach the truth and God bless the Brethren and Dryden we thank you for the work there and pray that you would further it and Advance it and may they indeed be a faithful witness in their community and God be with John and Milena and Honduras we ask that you would heal her back we pray that you would just Comfort them we pray for the church that they're involved with that you would just continue to bless that local body and cause it to abound in the love of Christ and may they indeed see more and more people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus we pray for the church and eldoret we thank you for the the faithfulness of the Saints there we thank you God that they are a a witness in their community and we pray God in heaven that you would use the word that goes from that Pulpit to save Sinners and to strengthen and and sanctify the people of God and in our community here we thank you for those churches we have alliance with we pray God for them today a she would be with these brothers that you would use them to Pro preach your word boldly and may it be the case that you would be pleased to dwell in their midst as they gather for corporate worship and God we are mindful that we have many blessings from you not only the spiritual blessing every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places that certainly load us daily with benefit and God we thank you for the Liberty that we presently enjoy and we pray that it would be preserved that we would be enabled to come each and every Lord's day into this place to worship our great and our holy God we pray that you would turn the hearts of the magistrate the government in a direction of righteousness and if not converted if not God fears may you restrain them by your grace and may you cause them to function in such a way that the Church of Christ can can lead a Peaceable and a quiet life we pray for our brothers and sisters throughout the Earth that suffer Fierce persecution and oppression from their governments and we just commend them unto you and to the word of your grace and pray that you would sustain your people and God sent forth this gospel throughout the Earth we have the promise of revelation we have the promise of the Psalms that the word of God Will Conquer and that men women boys and girls from every tribe and tongue and people and Nation will come to the father through the son and that in the power of the spirit so bless your word today and may it not return unto you void may it always accomplish the purpose for which you sent it and father thank you for this good news about these young people that want to want to be baptized and join the church we just praise you for that thank you as well for this good news in the van maren home and God we just pray that all things would go well for them and that you would watch over them and we bless you and we praise you now and we pray through Jesus Christ Our glorious Lord amen we can turn with me again in your hymn books to number 425 425 will stand as we sing together [Music] foreign [Music] answer my purpose [Music] our best friends please [Music] we are amazing [Music] we love this is your service forever we can turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts we are normally in the Book of Matthew for our scripture reading this morning in the mornings but Pastor naftali asked me to read from Acts chapter 4. so Acts chapter Acts chapter I'm sorry two sorry chapter 2 verses 14 to 41. I wrote down two but I thought four so I let my mind overrule what I wrote so Acts chapter 2 beginning in verse 14 and I'll read to verse 41. but Peter standing up with the eleven raised his voice and said to them men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem let this be known to you and heed my words for these are not drunk as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel and it shall come to pass in the last day says God that I will pour out my spirit on All Flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy your young men shall see Visions your old men shall dream dreams and on my men servants and on my maidservants I will pour out my spirit in those days and they shall prophesy I will show wonders in Heaven above and signs in the earth beneath blood and fire and Vapor of smoke the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man attested by God to you by Miracles wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by Lawless hands have crucified and put to death whom God raised up having loosed the Pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it for David says concerning him I foresaw the lord always before my face for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad moreover My Flesh also will rest in Hope for you will not leave my soul in Hades nor will allow your Holy One to see corruption you have made known to me the ways of life you will make me full of joy in your presence men and Brethren let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David that he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day therefore being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body according to the flesh he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne he foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ that his soul was not left in Hades nor did his flesh see corruption this Jesus God has raised up of which we are all Witnesses therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit he poured out this which you now see and hear for David did not Ascend into the heavens but he says himself the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ now when they heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles men and Brethren what shall we do then Peter said to them repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the holy spirit for the promises to you and to your children and to all who are afar off as many as the Lord Our God will call and with many other words he testified and exhorted them saying be saved from this perverse generation than those who gladly received his word were baptized and that day about three thousand Souls were added to them amen well let us pray Our God it is a great encouragement to read this concerning the day of Pentecost and the outboard spirit in according with Joel 2 we thank you for the fact that the Lord Jesus is at the right hand of God that he is not an absentee King but he is active in the midst of his church we see his blessing upon the people of God gathered there in Jerusalem and we see the glory of the Gospel that extends even to Jerusalem Sinners we give you praise that you are so kind and so merciful to needy ones we give praise to you Lord God Almighty that you have shown us Christ that you have shown us the fact that he is Prophet priest and King that is a real Savior for real Sinners and again we pray that you'd bless this word as it goes forth today all over the Earth and we pray that you would be glorified through it and we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well for our final hymn before the preaching you can turn to Psalm 22. Psalm 22 d as in delta and again will stand as we sing together 22 d he is [Music] always [Music] before you again [Music] is today foreign [Music] foreign [Music] ers [Music] what's up what we have for many years prayed for our brother there in eldoret Kenya it was a blessing for us to be able to find out he was going to visit I picked him up late Thursday night so he might still have a bit of jet lag it was a long journey to get from Kenya to or from Nairobi here to British Columbia God I think has knit our hearts together we've had some very encouraging times of Fellowship since picking him up and certainly he has my heart I hope he has the heart of the Brethren here and then he's able to bring back a good report to the Saints in El Dorado brother come and preach foreign I am sincerely glad to be among you and to bring God's word is true it's been a number of years that we've been in contact with the uh the leaders of this church and I'm very very grateful for that uh Fellowship that we have had over the years I really would have been here last year what I'm calling a stopover that was last September October but I wasn't able to secure a Visa um last year and so the Lord was good that I should be able to secure the Visa this year to come and be with you um for this number of days and thank you that you'd allow me to occupy your Pulpit bringing God's word and I I want to bring God's word indeed my dear brother Pastor is not wrong when he mentioned that he was turning us to chapter four because yesterday when we were talking I hinted to him that I could preach from chapter four but then later I said well is it too late or we can actually make it I preach from chapter 2 and he said no problem so still in his mind it's chapter four however I would like to bring God's word from chapter 2 of the book of Acts now if my accent throws you a little up you know a Sunday place after I preach note down some of the things that I say which you don't somehow understand and I'll be able to explain later but I hope that I will be able to speak in a way that you'd be able to follow um do a ton therefore in that passage Acts chapter 2. now why Acts for a number of years I preached through in in eldoret I preached the through the the the gospel of Matthew and when I was finished or as I was finishing I thought to myself what should I feed my church on and after Consulting with my fellow Elder at that time um then we did agree that I should think of moving to the book of Acts just to show how the Lord Jesus continued to to carry out his work building his kingdom building his church and and so uh we did agree that I would preach through the gospel of Max and and um I at the moment back at home I preached last Sunday I preached near the end of chapter four and I thought I could preach there but I said no let me back off and preach from chapter two why um it is giving us a record of the first recorded um Apostles preaching Apostles summon and and when we know something about these Apostles they just 50 days or so they were very fearful in fact Peter himself ran away um from his master and equally the others were fearful but here when we come to chapter 2 and we read of what happened during the Pentacles there is an amazing change in these men and the old group and and so he stands and and and preaches his first summon so can we learn something from this sermon which really will help us ourselves as preachers but really God's people what is unique about this summon and I want us to then look at this um Peter Simon has an interesting at least according to me interesting uh how he set it out remember it was not something that he had thought through at least we are not shown here he had not thought through it and arranged how he would make his first summon appear but really they were challenged they they were mocked uh wrong ideas were thrown out about them and now he responds to what has been said and in his response we see this beautiful um someone said before us here and and really the first verses verses 1 to 13 uh really is just declaring that we have here a lord of promise what he says he will do and so uh he has bring to pass the the promise that he he said he is the ruler he rules the whole the whole art and beautiful hymns we have sun to to show that indeed his ruler and now that the rest of the the world should come in and and know him and serve him because he is the ruler well let's look at his summon and and the way I want us to look at it this will help us first he deals with the wrong perception uh so he says what is Pentecost he helps these people to answer that question they got it wrong and so what is uh Pentecost and then number two we are going to see something about who is Christ because he spends quite a bit of this passage mentioning who the Messiah is and then in the third place we will ask the question why always you know why all this Peter why are you bothering to to say all this and then finally this will lead us to see something about Amazing Grace well so let's let's just look at this then uh in a short uh you know period that we have the first thing is he deals with what is Pentecost and that is verses 14 to 21. he is correcting their their wrong view by telling them they're in verse 15. these people are not drunk okay I need to just adjust myself um recently I had a surgery in my eyes and I'm very grateful sincerely to you as a church because you played a very significant role in making sure that the surgery was done and done promptly now I have to adjust a lot the pulpit I'm using at home is way up so I'm able to see my notes very easily but at the moment I'm learning then to adjust I hope that you'll be seeing my forehead a little not because I don't want to see you but because I want to make sure I read the scriptures clearly and look at my notes also but look at verse 15. for these people are not drunk as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day and and so that's the first thing he tells them he explains what is happening by correcting their wrong view his explanation then immediately uh takes him to the Old Testament scriptures on and that's beautiful in his sermon he anchors what he wants to teach us in the scriptures and there right from verse 16 all the way to 21 he takes us to the Book of Joel now this passage in Joel chapter 2 unfortunately so often is referred to uh just when people want to false some teaching on Prophecy you know in our church we prophesy well how do you get that in the scriptures then they take us to Dani you know to to Joel but actually these prophecy in Daniel is in in jail It's a Wonderful peace piece of God's word and we are seeing its proper fulfillment here before us in acts so Peter brings Joel to Bear upon his what he's saying about the Pentecost and he's saying what Joel said has come to be fulfilled the Pentecost then is the Fulfillment of what Joel had said and what did he say it had been read out beautifully let me just read quickly um that passage but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel I'm reading from ESV verse 17. in the last days it shall be God declares that I will pour out my spirit on All Flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see vision and your old men shall dream dreams even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy and I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below blood and fire and vapor and smoke the sun shall be turned to Darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes the Great and the magnificent day it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and so Peter tells us that Joel chapter 2 verses 20 to 32 has its fulfillment on the Pentecost experience God's promise of the last day is in poured out before our very eyes you know be in in this very passage his holy spirit comes to all and uh there is one thing there many things are said there but if we are to reduce into one statement or into one word when the holy spirit of God comes upon his people as he had promised and it is this prophecy people will prophesy basically that means declaring the words and deeds of God and that's what they did actually because the people who are in Jerusalem when they saw um what happened the experience that came upon the apostles and and they began to hear the apostles declaring the mighty works of God prophecy is bringing God's word to the people well and of course that this was going to happen Joel says and and Peter picks it in in verse 19 will show wonders in Heavens and signs on Earth and honestly these were were visible things look at verse 22 just drop to verse 22 we will look at it again but what are these signs and wonders verse 22 tells us men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth Amana tested to you by God with mighty words and wonders and signs and and so these Mighty works of God have taken place of course in the life of the Lord Jesus we'll see that in a moment but indeed signs and wonders have come to pass the Messiah is being declared to us then there in verse 20 no we we can't get into each and every detail otherwise we will be here for so long but first went the sun shall be turned to Darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes the great and magnificent day the day of the Lord the magnificent day the the day when the Lord will do what all along he's been preparing to do what is it you know this is when the Lord Jesus ball the punishment of his people born all that God had demanded and we could not pay the Lord Jesus Paid It could you just turn with me to the Book of Luke please and see how I believe this ties together Luke chapter 23 Luke chapter 23 and let's look at two verses Luke 23 the passage that talks about the death of Christ and if you look at verse 44 and verse 45 let's see how this works out verse 44 it was now about the sixth hour and there was Darkness over the whole land and the until the ninth hour while the Sun's light failed and then the next statement and the curtain of the temple was torn into so they there are at least a couple of things happening this this wonders in the heavens the darkness upon the land but then there is also the work symbolized here by the splitting of the curtain from top to bottom and what does that teach us it teaches us that the Lord Jesus is opening a way now men sinful men can reach God can have dealings with God through the open curtain from top to bottom ordinarily we would have to tear such a thing from bottom going up but no it is God's work splitting it from top to bottom but in the context where then on the one hand there is this Darkness covering the land yet the Lord Jesus is mightily at work bearing this last judgment upon himself so people can meet with God now from Heaven Comes This Mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire um and making the great in my version here back to Acts chapter 2 The Great and magnificent day of the Lord to what end why is all this happening is it just so that we can build a Theology of of Prophecy in our church no actually if that's what we are rushing to um to to see in Joel chapter 2 we miss it there we are told the end of verse 21 I'll read verse 21. and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be [Music] shall be so salvation is what really in the mind of of God here and and Peter wants us that we don't miss that those who call upon the name of the Lord will be made right with God that's God's desire as we have sung a number of hymns that the Nations will come and acknowledge and know and serve this God and Joel tells us his aim of that prophecy was to the end that people would get to know the Lord and so Peter is explaining the whole matter of Pentecost this way and so it's nothing to do with getting too much wine or alcohol in one's system as they accuse the Believers no it is God artwork the scriptures being fulfilled but then it doesn't stop there in the second place Peter then moves to explain who is the Messiah who is the Christ who is this anointed one and this is how he shows it as Peter builds this Peter really wants to exalt Christ wants to lift Christ by showing various um details or various aspects of of um of Christ uh uh and and he uses a word that Jesus was attested look at verse 22. men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man attested to you by God okay in other words foreign God brought various proofs which are Beyond doubt that indeed he is the Christ he is the anointed one he's the one that men have to deal with if they are to be saved and be brought into this relationship with God and so as Peter then begins to bring the various evidences Peter is like a lawyer a well-trained lawyer he wants to win his case and so he brings one point and bears it there and then another Point pleases it there my mother and he piles them then at the end he says listen I have demonstrated now have dealings with this and that's what we are going to see now let's let's begin he begins by saying something about his life the life of the Lord Jesus there in verse 22. so we read it again men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man who can be located where he is I've come from eldoret and thank you that you my president now know oh there's a place we've been praying for this man and here he is today and on the map we saw ah that is Hillary here we are talking of one who could be located where he indeed recited where he grew up Nazareth was his place a man attested to you by God with Mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst as you yourselves know so that first point is is amazing his life is well known to you you cannot deny it can we just turn back briefly to the Book of Luke Luke chapter 24. and see how this comes out Luke 24 verse 19. uh this is um the record of those who were on the road to Mars and they were disheartened that the one they had hoped in um died and and reports were coming well then he engages them in conversation but verse 19 is what we want this is what we read and he said to them what things and he said they said it to him concerning Jesus of Nazareth a man who was a prophet Mighty indeed and word before God and listen to this and all the people so it's not just someone people had about no it was truly he was mighty before God evidence or attested by the things that happened but equally before all the people so he's a person people knew people cannot say anything else but yeah we know Jesus whether they had dealings they have dealings with him or Not by this time but they know him they know him later by the way they will be able to say when the two Apostles Joan and Peter and John heals a man and the authorities hearing that these people are talking about Resurrection they won Peter and John don't you talk about this man anymore and then uh The Story Goes the boldness of Peter and John that is in Acts chapter 4 these people say well their boldness made them conclude they have been with Jesus the authorities knew Jesus as much as they didn't want anything to do with him they knew him well friends his life is before all and everyone knew him his life but then who is this Jesus in the second place we see something about his death he not only lived there in Nazareth and did Mighty works but his death verse 23 we are back to Acts chapter 2 verse 23. plan and plan and foreknowledge of God you crucified and killed by the hands of Lawless men well and so there in verse 23 we read a record of his death and and it reminds it should remind us of that beautiful verse in the Book of Psalms that our times are in his hand the Lord Jesus his times are in The Sovereign hands of God really Sovereign hand of God however the wicked people um voluntarily they were not forced they voluntarily according to the wickedness of their hands they killed him they killed him but just remember because we will see this again uh his times are in God's hand that that teaching dear friends is a great encouragement that our times are in God's hand whatever we pass through as a church you know that and I'm just raising it to encourage you your times are in God's hand you went through a very very difficult time during the covet and so many tickets were given to you you know as a church but you stood faithful and we we didn't know what the end will be but we know someone who knew he is Sovereign and our times are in his hand the Lord Jesus his times in the hand of this Sovereign God so that's about his death there in verse 23. let's just look at it again just one more time this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God some people don't like this whole business of predestination but honestly it is there any sensible reading of God's word as you you go on ah again and again it appears God is in control God is in control Wicked Man yes we'll do what they think they are doing with all the you know their cleverness but he's like well they're only carrying out what the hand of God had all alone planned we we see that as we read through the book of Acts coming up again and again well um we see his life we see his death but then in the third place we see his resurrection Peter is building a case Peter is showing the Messiah um in through whom Pentecost has meaning that now God can relate with sinus through this verse 24 talks about his resurrection look at it verse 24 and God raised him up losing the pants of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it wow they killed him but God raised him because death had no power over him and and then Peter right from verse 23 to 20 or verse 25 to 28 Peter then brings beautifully from scripture Old Testament scriptures to show how the raising up of the Lord Jesus was not an or afterthought it's not that God sees his son killed and for him to to to fulfill the things that he had said let him work out what he's going to do to raise his son Peter is telling us that even that is anchored in the scriptures verse 25 to 28 let me just quickly read that so he appeals to uh to to David for David verse 25 saying concerning him I so the lord always before me for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced my flesh also will dwell in Hope for you will not abandon my soul to hates or let your Holy One see corruption verse 28 you have made known to me the paths of life you will make me full of gladness with your presence here Peter brings in this great proofs that Jesus indeed is the Messiah that God talked about in the Old Testament now David who uttered these words but then in the very passage Peter says honestly the Fulfillment of these things are far greater than the things that David himself experienced because in what he's quoting he's talking there of gladness and rejoicing and Hope why why because of course the father would not let the death have power or Reign Over his son this fulfillment can only be seen in the Lord Jesus Christ and there we are told David spoke now from verse 29 on David spoke as a prophet he saw the Lord enabled him to see the future and that his own descendant will be on the throne and so verse 30 being there for prophet and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his Descendants on his throne he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of Christ amen and and so friends we are seeing therefore Christ even his own Resurrection is all within the control of God death is not the final thing about Jesus so peace life his death his resurrection and he doesn't stop there Peter then goes on to talk about his Ascension there in verse 33 verse 33 being therefore exalted at the right hand of God having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing arguing bringing one's you know points here and there here and there and now he ties this with what we have which is there in verses 1 to 13. this is what God had promised and what the Lord Jesus as he was going back to Heaven said will happen but then a little bit is added as we're thinking about his Ascension there in verse 33 something is added a quotation from Psalm 110 110 but he ate appears for us in um in verse 35 verse 34 yes 34 and 35 4 David did not Ascend into the heavens but he himself says the Lord said to my Lord sat at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool I don't know what you make of that but um this is actually very Messianic Psalm it's quoted several times even by Christ himself the father calls the son and says to the son my son if I may paraphrase it my son for the work you have done sit now sit at my feet sit here and I will deal with all your enemies and defeat them I will defeat your enemies just sit wait and see as it were no and that makes me say it this way it's a loss to fight against the Living God no one will win now you again I appeal to these uh Brethren you stood from you stood firm and and represented the Living God against the the powers of the day and may you continue to stand from under some 110 verse 1. let that be a constant source of encouragement the Lord say to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your food store what's the conclusion what is the conclusion remember we are I'm imagining or I'm trying to help us imagine Peter as a good lawyer and he brings cases and now he's his final submission there in verse 36. verse 36. let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain assuredly that God has made him him who the one we have seen about here God has made him both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified so it's like I rest my case that's what Peter would be saying here you killed the Messiah but God raised him he ascended God enthroned him and made him Lord one would ask and of course that brings us to our third point Peter why all this so what one may ask and in fact we see how that is dealt with or the impact of what he said by what we read now in verse 37. has Peter's case brought anything to Bear upon these people verse 37 now when they heard this they were cut to their heart and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles Brothers what shall we do so indeed all this labor of Peter has borne the fruit Peter has brought these people to a point that they cannot ignore the word of God they cannot ignore the scriptures they cannot ignore the Messiah who has been explained before them here what shall we do they ask and and when you consider why they reached there honestly is is because they have in their own mind they have worked out the various things but one of them is they have come to realize the long-awaited Messiah is the very one we put to death Peter has shown us here and and they feel guilty about that and and verse 35 seemed to Crown it all when the Lord basically said my son you wait let me demonstrate my wrath upon the enemies just just sit and wait let see what I'm going to do and those things are entering into the the very consciousness of these people and you know I've said to Crown it all but yet another thing to Crown it all these man is alive this month they put to death they didn't want him they put him to death and God is saying yes you have risen and I want you to see what I'm going to do to to your enemies so the judge is alive he's alive and uh very little I mean not little actually there's nothing they can do that's why they asked is there any hope is there any hope they were cut to the heart what shall we do well friends um as we have seen Peter explains what Pentecost is from scripture and then takes a long portion of his sermon to explain Christ and then shows his hearers that these things are not just to fill their ideas these things are supposed to enter into their very being and to have dealings with them and you know friends are not I'm not just stalking and making reference to those of us who preach but honestly to all this is the state that all of us must come if we are to be saved we must come to have dealings with the Christ scripturally speaking and and see that we have terribly fallen in sin and a state that we cannot change by ourselves and so it's a conviction that only the Holy Spirit can bring us into of course there are those who feel terribly convicted when they realize they have done wrong but their conviction does not lead them to to surrender or confess and Trust the savior they are them like that and the book of Acts itself tells us if you just stand ahead to chapter 5 Chapter 5 Verse 30 and particularly we want 33 but we pick it in in its context where in Chapter 5 we read from verse 33 this is what the apostles went through when they were arrested and freed verse 30. the god of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on the tree God exalted him at the right hand uh sir lead us and say Elite and savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin and we Are Witnesses of these things and so is the holy spirit whom God has given to those who obey him they should have been obeyed but did they obey verse 33 when they heard this they were enraged and wanted to kill them and and we find the same kind of negative reaction to a people who are face to face with with Biblical truths of of of uh and Saints are exposed and they are challenged and instead of humbling themselves and making reference to Stephen's speech chapter 7 if you read near at the end verse 54 their reaction was not the right thing they did not respond in the right way so friends when we read God's word and definitely because this was someone when we preach God's word for us as preachers we we want to labor and bring each and every of our hearers to to see beyond doubt that we are dealing with scriptures and we are dealing with the promises of God and that Christ is the only hope and we have sinned and it's to the end that people would find help though as I've said some people um get enraged and and walk away want to have nothing to do with that ever again but what about our passage here how did Peter handling the scriptures and and setting forth Christ and and therefore accusing these people of their terrible misdeed how did this work out in their lives let's look then at verses 38 to 41. and here is really what I'm calling Amazing Grace While others would be filled with rage here we see something about amazing grace verse 38. so they have asked Peter what shall we do 38 and Peter said to them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit so Peter then shows them what they need to do and of course verse 39 then tells us for the promise is for you and your children and for all who are afar off everyone whom the Lord Our God calls to himself this is the Lord's work it's the Lord's work what we can do is only to expose bring God's word to bear and people have must have dealings with it but you know what that's never enough we have seen some people turn away in Rage but those who God brings it's all the work of God those who God calls to himself thing will happen to them verse 40. and with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them saying save yourself from this crooked generation so those who received his word were baptized and they were added that day about 3 000 Souls wow this is a beautiful ending and an ending honestly that I'm just calling an Amazing Grace um when they ask is there any hope Peter says yes you repent and believe in the name of the Lord Jesus of course repentance repentance is the change of mind and heart um we're going this way that's that's what we want that's that's where the world is moving and and so the influence of the world and the remaining corrupt you know our sinful heart we are going with the world then we hear God's word the scriptures brought to us and it rests us and we think about it and then we come to realize no I'm on the wrong way I'm on the wrong way I'm stubbornly just been going my own way and then you turn so you turn by changing your mind by changing your heart your liking now is a different route altogether you turn towards God from evil and that's powerful by the way left to ourselves we don't want to be Lonas so everyone and Mars people are just going the sinful way but God didn't come and interrupts and and interjects and and puts roadblocks through the preaching of his word and and when we listen to that when we see that then we are made to turn by faith unto the Lord Jesus Christ and of course there is a promise held there beautifully why did Peter add this actually is to show us the way of Salvation is not narrow um he says verse 39 for the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are afar off so it's not only Jerusalem and Judea but the ends of the Earth and Friends none of us should ever think or say well he's talking about the the natives of the Jewish natives the people of Israel no he says even to those who are afar off everyone whom the Lord Our God calls to himself now you don't sit back and say well I don't know whether the Lord has called me to himself no you you obey repent believe and when you do so lo and behold like Spigen I believe is you know the illustration he gives dumb oh welcome come in and when you walk in to this great banquet of Salvation And so as you rejoice and and drink all the the the blessings and then you as you look behind the door is like well you entered because it's God who drew you in but I thought I entered because I chose to enter well no one forced you but actually God made you and it is God who makes us to enter all who the Lord Our God calls to himself will enter well friends this is a beautiful salmon indeed scriptural and Christ is lifted ever so clearly and sin is not quoted sin is not just talked about lightly no he brings out the sins of these people and yet he says there is hope for any and for all who will repent well was there any result to be seen was this someone successful as we may say well there was true success because we are told right at the end so those who received his word as much as we would say so Those whom God called and that would be right but here the responsibility that is upon everyone who hears the word is that they receive the word that they believe the word that they obey the word so those who received the word were baptized and were added that day about three thousand Souls baptizing many people well in the last two months I've baptized just over 10 people about seven people in One Church five people in the other and you know I ended up with a um sprained elbow and I'm still treating honestly up to now I have some medicine to to take and cream to ointment to to massage and because we've got a med shift baptistry and and these people obviously it's always strange experience so as I baptize you in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit there are those who when they go in they can't come out so I have to just bring them up and doing that at the end but here 3 000 Souls baptized in Jerusalem wow the Lord's work friends what can we carry home a few things that we can remember from this passage by way of application one Jesus Christ is risen and exalted his his little he's gone above he's the Lord he's the savior he reigns above all have you admitted who submitted to him have you the the hymns are beautiful we sang a number of hymns there and the Nations need to know him and come to him but have you known him have you submitted yourself to him because honestly he is the Lord he is reigning Peter has proved that right from his birth all true to his Ascension don't delay don't delay have dealings with the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and do so urgently but you see that takes place in the second place you must come to a true conviction of the horror of your sins if you do not see the the their horror their terribleness the wickedness of your own sin you won't genuinely repent it's only when you see the context of who this one exalted by the father and you realize you missed him all along you mistreated him badly if you are there in Jerusalem you would have been one of those who would have said crucify him crucify him and so friends there must be a true conviction that sin is horrible God would not go through all these arraignments through Joel and at the right time through his son coming to be born and allowing his son to go through all these miserable things they did if sin is just something he can wish away no sin is bad sin is wicked and God hates it and so each one must come to a true conviction of the horror of sin and then friends that would lead to genuine abundant men of sin and saying no saying I do not want you and I turn the other way friends that's what I pray even yesterday as I joined a number of uh you my brothers as we were out there in town and as we were seeking to show listen life is precious you cannot just decide and say I don't want this kid will cause me unnecessary disturbance I have the rights to to to to destroy life no you don't have the right and so our prayer even as I return home will be Lord bring the awareness to these people who were butchering murdering um babies that they would come to realize the horror of their sins that they may repent genuinely well friends let's on end on a beautiful note baptism follows repentance and faith in my own experience sadly I grew up in a church where it wasn't done sin for what it is and need to repent than to be baptized I was taken some through Catechism classes and because I was able to answer even though I was a hypocrite I answered well and I was told you're fit for the water and so I was you know put under the water lest you call it baptized I was baptized but I wasn't a believer it's only later when I saw what the scriptures clearly teach everywhere that it is believers who should be baptized then the Lord in his goodness give me a piece of of heart peace of mind my conscience came to be at peace when then as a Believer then I was baptized and I I call upon those who have truly um repented and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ the whole place come forward the two young men who have declared their interest to be baptized may the Lord so give you Assurance when you obey him in the waters of baptism and others who may be are through the whole process wondering should I should I not well they they had put some bit of water on my forehead when was a baby should that not be enough please read the scriptures it's those who believed then they were baptized May that happen to you otherwise those who claim to be saved but not baptized that's a contradiction and finally surely there is no secret believer no secret believer you need to identify yourself with God's people if the Lord has saved you I identify yourself take that step count the coast and say I want to be a member of this biblical church because the Lord has saved me I want to be baptized I want to be a member so that I may serve the Lord I say that because the last of us shows us verse 41 so those who received his word were baptized and listened to this and they were added that day about three thousand Souls they were are dead they it was known where now they belonged and and beautifully how their life worked out in verses 42 to 47 and my last sermon last week at home versus 32 to 37 another demonstration that they were really United and Brethren may the Lord bless your labors here as the scriptures are taught in this place may you pray that sin will be revealed for what it is will be exposed for what it is and the Holy Spirit of God will work so that through that God will call to himself Those whom he is um saving well may the Lord be glorified are you such that needs to turn to the Lord don't wait turn to the Lord if now if not if not you will find such a blessing he actually forgives and please the people who are forgiven here who themselves then ended up being baptized were in this lot many of them had previously said crucify him we don't want this one man to Reign Over Us so whatever anyone's sins may be religious because it was a time of Pentecost even those who were in Jerusalem because of just the Pentecost religious and the wicked anyone who turns to the Lord will be saved turn to the Lord and you will be saved when you repent of your sins let's pray Lord Our God thank you thank you for your word thank you for this first recorded sermon of the Apostles uh Lord previously there were people who the things the Lord Jesus Christ taught were just passing over their heads um and and they were just getting things upside down but here Christ had risen and His holy spirit Then Came Upon them and surely now we see their perspectives were set right and the resurrection of Christ became very Central to them and now they were able to say yes God has made him both Lord and savior and therefore Sinners must repent must believe in him and great was the outcome great was the result of their preaching Cena's was saved Lord do so even in our day do so in this church bring many more to the sound of the word that they would be forgiven their sins and be saved and join the membership and be taught Lord hear our prayer for these things we pray in Jesus name amen I've heard of tennis elbow I've not ever heard of baptism elbow so thank you for that brother you can turn in your hymn books to Psalm 67 as we conclude our service Psalm 67 a as in Alpha will sing the third stanza praise you through that tomorrow [Music] and all right [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 thank you for this good word thank you for this emphasis on the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and we pray that all over the Earth today there would be those who call upon the name of the Lord we know that you are merciful we know that you are gracious we know that you have determined to save a great multitude that no man can number so bless your holy word and we pray this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation