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Please turn in your Bibles to 
Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2, we'll pick up 
reading in verse 14, Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. 
Remember the specific scene, the Spirit of God had come upon 
the church. They spoke in other languages 
and communicated the great works of God Most High. Some mocked 
and said that the people were full of new wine. So Peter stands 
amongst the disciples and preaches this particular sermon. I'll 
just pick up reading in Acts 2 at verse 14. 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 days, 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 menservants 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 you 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we come before you now and we thank you that he is risen. We thank you that the tomb is 
empty, that our Lord Jesus is enthroned at your right hand, 
where he ever lives to make intercession for his people. We thank you 
that he is the one that sends the Spirit in powerful ways, 
as we see described in the book of Acts. We pray that even now 
he would send the Spirit to guide us and to direct us and to lead 
us into all truth. We pray again that you would 
wash us and cleanse us in the precious blood of Jesus from 
all of our sin and all of our unrighteousness. We confess, 
Lord God, that we have sinned against you in all manner of 
wickedness, and we just plead now the merit and mercy of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. And we ask this in his most blessed 
name. Amen. Well, as Pastor Cam read 
in Psalm 16, and as Peter quotes here, we can rejoice that Jesus 
Christ has, in fact, risen from the grave. And as reformed Christians, 
we get the privilege of celebrating this 52 days a year. Every Lord's Day is a remembrance 
that he is, in fact, risen as well with reference to his death. 
It's not just once a year, but as often as we eat this bread 
and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death. until he comes. We are not bound to some man-made 
liturgical calendar. God has given us these blessed 
events to recall recurringly and repetitively. And so this 
morning, we're going to take up this great theme of the resurrection 
of our Lord Jesus in the book of Acts. And I want to accomplish 
three things this morning. First, I want to see that the 
resurrection is the fulfillment of God's covenantal promises. Secondly, it is the application 
of God's redemptive blessings. And then thirdly, It brings on 
the culmination of God's plan for the world. So it'll be a 
topical survey. We won't look at every resurrection 
passage in the book of Acts, but we'll sample a few. And these 
particular categories, the fulfillment of God's covenantal promises, 
the application of God's redemptive blessings and the culmination 
of God's plan for the world. Well, let's first take up the 
fulfillment of God's covenantal promises. We saw this in the 
Gospel of Matthew, that prior to giving the genealogy, Matthew, 
the apostle, announces his theme. He speaks of Jesus Christ being 
the son of David and the son of Abraham. And Luke does precisely 
the same thing in this book of Acts. He links the Lord Jesus 
to David's covenant, and he links the Lord Jesus to Abraham's covenant. And I believe this is foundational. It's not something we should 
bypass, but it's something we should appreciate, that the coming 
of the Lord Jesus wasn't some brand new thing in redemptive 
history, but it was where the Old Testament was going. It was 
where these promises were going. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment. 
He is, in fact, the day and a man of God most high. So let's look 
at this specifically. He is the one who was promised 
to come from David. See, notice in verse twenty nine 
of chapter two, he says, men and brethren, let me speak freely 
to you. of the Patriarch David. He takes 
this up because he's just quoted and cited Psalm 16. He's applying 
this to the Lord of Glory. He is saying that this has fulfillment 
in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. That's why he is differentiating 
here. He says that he is both dead 
and buried, and his tomb is with us today. To this day, as great 
a man as David was, he is dead And he was buried. His tomb is 
among us to this day. Notice in verse 30, it says, 
therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God is 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. What a great ascription. What 
a great testimony. What great news for the people 
of God in the church of Jesus today. We're not waiting for 
the Lord Jesus to take his rightful place on the throne of David. 
Jesus Christ has ascended on high. He's led captivity captive. He's given gifts to men. He has 
assumed his position of reign at the right hand of God. on 
David's throne. Peter most certainly has in his 
mind here. Second Samuel chapter seven. What we call the Davidic covenant. Remember, the second Samuel seven 
starts off this way. David wants to build a house 
for God. That's a good and noble thing, 
isn't it? David is reflecting upon the 
privilege that he currently possesses. He sees the mansion that he is 
living in and his thought process goes something like this. How 
is it that I am living in such a splendid place and God dwells 
in a tent? He has this desire to build a 
house for the Lord. He expresses this desire to Nathan, 
the prophet. And then God, through the prophet, 
tells David, you're not going to build a house for my name. 
It would come ultimately through Solomon, David's son. But it 
is very intriguing the flow of 2 Samuel 7. David wants to build 
a house for God, but God says, No, David, I'm going to build 
a house from you. I'm going to build a dynasty 
from your particular line. And this is the Davidic covenant. 
He makes a promise of Messiah. Notice in 2 Samuel 7 at verse 
12, it says, When your days are fulfilled, then you rest with 
your fathers. I will set up your seat after 
you. who will come from your body, and I will establish his 
kingdom. He shall build a house for my 
name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits 
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with 
the blows of the sons of men. But my mercy shall not depart 
from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 
And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever 
before you. Your throne shall be established 
forever." This is the promise of the kingdom made to David. We need to notice here that death 
is not a novice promise. David died. Solomon died. Godly kings and ungodly kings 
died afterwards. But Jesus comes ultimately in 
fulfillment of this gracious promise of God. Sin itself cannot 
destroy it. Even though it looked as if Judah 
was trying to, God ultimately sends them into exile, but he 
brings them back. He keeps the people together 
so that in the fullness of the time, he would send forth his 
son born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those 
under the law. And then time will not exhaust 
this promise. His kingdom will be forever. Luke, the apostle, writing in 
the book of Acts, recording Peter's sermon, sounds just like what 
Luke had recorded in his gospel account when the angel comes 
to Joseph and Mary. It says, Then the angel said 
to her, Do not be afraid, Mary. Luke 1, verse 30. For you have 
found favor with God. And, behold, you will conceive 
in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name 
Jesus. He will be great and will be 
called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give him 
the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house 
of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 
The temptation is in us at times to read through these Old Testament 
books. Wow, that's pretty neat. And 
then just sort of forget about it. Do you realize that the King 
of Kings and Lord of Lords is stationed at the right hand of 
God Most High, based on this promise made to David so many 
years ago? Our King is the royal heir of 
the Davidic throne, and this is what Peter declares in Acts 
chapter 2. He, foreseeing this, spoke concerning 
the resurrection of the Christ. But not only the Davidic covenant, 
the Abrahamic. Look over at Acts 3 for just 
a moment. Acts chapter 3. I believe this 
is crucial to understanding the remaining portions of the book 
of Acts, that covenantal framework, the fulfillment of God's promise, 
the reality that Jesus is, in fact, the rightful heir of David 
and the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise. Notice, in Acts chapter 
3, beginning in verse 19, repent therefore and be converted that 
your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may 
come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus 
Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive 
until the times of restoration of all things, which God has 
spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world 
began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, 
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me 
from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, 
whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul 
who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from 
among the people. Yes, and all the prophets from 
Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have 
also foretold these days. You are the sons of the prophets 
and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying 
to Abraham and in your seed, all the families of the earth 
shall be blessed. To you first, God, having raised 
up his servant Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away 
every one of you from your iniquities. When God made that promise to 
Abraham that he would save by him a multitude, or would save 
in him all the families of the earth. Remember specifically 
that promise given in Genesis 15. Abraham says, Lord, how do 
I know that this will come to pass? And there's that great 
ratification ceremony. I toyed with bringing this again, 
because I know we've looked at this a lot. And I'm convinced 
Genesis 15 is the Romans 8, 28 of the Old Testament. And we 
love that, Romans 8, 28. God promises to work all things 
for good, those who love him, to the called according to his 
purposes. We put that on our refrigerator. We put that in 
our heads. We put that in our hearts. I 
submit the old covenant saints put Genesis 15 on their refrigerators. They put Genesis 15 in their 
hearts. When Abraham says, Lord, how do I know that this is going 
to take place? God engages in that beautiful 
ceremony, not beautiful in terms of the spectacle was quite a 
bloody right. But God separates these animals 
and he puts them into two separate sides. And then he puts Moses 
into a deep sleep or Abraham into a deep sleep. And as Abraham 
comes out of it, he sees the smoking torch passing between 
these animals. The significance of this is that 
the party of the covenant is swearing, is calling down upon 
himself the wrath of God. If he reneges on the promise, 
he is saying essentially that what has been done to these animals, 
let it be done to me if I fail in my covenant obligations. Well, 
the beauty and the glory and the majesty of that promise is 
that it's the smoking torch alone that passes between the animals. 
It is in Abraham's fidelity. It is in Abraham's covenantal 
faithfulness. It is God most high swearing 
to save his people from their sins. Palmer Robertson says, 
by dividing animals and passing between the pieces, participants 
in a covenant pledge themselves to life and death. This is what 
God is doing with Abraham. Remember, Abraham says, Lord, 
how do I know? God says, let me show you. These 
actions established an oath of self-malediction. We all know 
what a benediction is. It's a good word spoken. Malediction 
is a bad word spoken. It is to call down the wrath 
of God. It says, or Robertson says, if 
they should break the commitment involved in the covenant, they 
were asking that their own bodies be torn in pieces just as the 
animals had been divided ceremonially. You see, Peter wants to connect 
the Lord Jesus with the throne of David and the promise of Abraham. This is the fulfillment of God's 
covenantal promises and the foundation for the mission of Jesus Christ 
throughout his church. Well, let's look, secondly, at 
the application of God's redemptive blessings. Because Jesus did 
this, because Jesus ascended on high, Jesus blesses his people. Remember how Paul puts it in 
Ephesians chapter one. He says, just as he has blessed 
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Do you ever think about that? 
Do you ever stop to ponder that? Do you ever consider that you've 
been blessed, not just partially, not just a little bit, not just 
in a miserly sense, but he has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now, I have five things 
from the book of Acts. There are several others to be 
sure. Because we're not going to be here all day, I've just 
sort of confined ourselves to five specific redemptive blessings 
that we see flowing out of Christ's finished work, which culminated 
in his resurrection from the dead and his ascension on high. 
The first is the revelation of Jesus' acts. The revelation of 
Jesus' acts. And you wonder, how in the world 
is that a blessing to me? Because faith comes by hearing, 
and hearing by the word of Christ. If we don't have revelation, 
if we don't have a written record, if we don't have the word of 
truth, the gospel of free and sovereign grace, we die in our 
sins. General revelation never leads 
us to consider our sin before God and the sacrifice and surety, 
which is Jesus. But the fact is that Jesus apostles 
served as his representatives to record the theology and the 
implications of his life, death and resurrection. Go back for 
just a moment to Acts chapter one. I want you to notice something 
about the book of Acts that I hope will encourage you in your study 
of this great account. Notice, in chapter one, verse 
one, the former account I made of Theophilus. Doesn't Luke write 
his gospel account to Theophilus? Doesn't Luke refer to this man 
as his audience in Luke one, one to four? Well, here he is 
referring to that. He says the former account I 
made, O Theophilus. Now, notice of all that Jesus 
began both to do and teach. What's the implication here? 
The former account records all those things that Jesus began 
to do and teach. This Book of Acts is the written 
narrative, the written record, the revelation of all that Jesus 
continues to do and teach from his position of glory at the 
right hand of God Most High. In some senses, Acts of the Apostles 
isn't precise. It is the Acts of the Ascended 
Lord Jesus. He is risen, he's on the throne, 
and this records what he continues to do and teach with reference 
to the church. Luke goes on in summary fashion 
to highlight that these events were accomplished, these events 
were witnessed to, these events were transmitted, these events 
were investigated, and these events were recorded. We can 
bless God that he's given us the revelation of Jesus' acts. We can bless God that one of 
those spiritual blessings that we have in Christ is our Bible 
is the Scripture. is the Word of God. You need 
to see it as the gift of God. You need to not take your Bibles 
for granted. You need to use the Scripture. 
You need to study the Scripture. You need to compare 2 Samuel 
7 with Acts chapter 2. You need to get that scene of 
Genesis 15 in your heart and head. You need to not take these 
things lightly. I mean, God has orchestrated 
these things for the good of His people. The second thing, 
the second blessing that we receive is the sovereignty of Jesus reign. Notice at the end of the sermon 
in Acts 2, verse 36. Where does Peter bring this home? 
He doesn't just give them a Bible study. It's the difference between 
preaching and a lecture. He's not just presenting them 
with information so that they'll scratch their heads and wander 
home and say, wow, that's a pretty unique approach to the Scripture. 
Wow, that's a pretty unique approach to Psalm 16. Wow, that's a pretty 
unique approach to how David functioned in the role of redemptive 
history. No, he says all that to be sure. He wants them to 
be instructed to be sure. But how does verse 36 begin? 
Therefore, therefore, you need to act upon this. You need to 
understand this. You need to realize there are 
implications built into this gospel for your life. Therefore, 
he says, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God 
has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ, 
not just simply knowledge for knowledge sake. But it is knowledge 
designed to affect the will, as under the blessing of the 
Spirit we see that it does, because they're caught to the heart and 
they say, men and brethren, what must we do? That's the kind of 
preaching we ought to pray, that would be an activity through 
God's Spirit, that men's hearts would be moved, their minds would 
be instructed, but their hearts would be moved. to repentance, 
to faith, to laying hold of the Lord Jesus. The resurrection 
led to the ascension, which led to the current session of Jesus 
Christ. He rules at the right hand of 
the Father and he has absolute authority in heaven and on earth. 
So what does that mean for us as individuals? It means my king 
can beat up your king. It means my king has all authority. The religions of the earth, the 
philosophies of men, at best, produce heroic sorts of beings. At best, produce men worthy of 
some degree of emulation and imitation. But this empty tomb 
resulted in the Son of God enthroned at the right hand of the Father, 
where he has all authority in heaven and on earth. Michael 
Horton says, from His incarnation to His reign at the Father's 
right hand, Jesus is not only the Lord who became the servant, 
but the servant who is Lord and continues, even in this exalted 
state, to serve His Father's will and His people's good. We have Christ in our corner. We have Christ on our side. That means when you get to Revelation 
19 and you see the King of kings and Lord of Lords riding on that 
white horse. You can rejoice and be glad because 
he's for you. And that leads us, thirdly, to 
consider a redemptive blessing that, again, I think we often 
take for granted, but it is conspicuously played out in the book of Acts. 
The direction of Jesus' church. Paul in Ephesians 1 says that 
Jesus has authority. He is head over all things. And then he says this for the 
church. Great price has absolute authority 
over everything. So what he says in Matthew 28, 
all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Remember, 
the devil took him up in that place and he showed him the kingdoms 
of the earth and all their glory. He says, you can have all these 
kingdoms of the earth and their glory if you'll bow down and 
worship me. The devil says or Jesus says 
away with you, Satan. It is written you shall serve 
and worship the Lord your God alone. The devil could only promise 
that. But by virtue of Jesus death 
and resurrection, he has given all authority, not just on earth, 
but in heaven as well. So whatever happens, brethren, 
is according to the will and purpose of Him who has all authority. You ought not to forget that. 
Nothing happens by chance. There's no haphazard events in 
this world. They are all a part of the plan 
and decree and the determined purpose of God Most High. He 
has stationed His Son at the right hand and He has given Him 
the reins of the universe where He has absolute authority over 
all things. But as Paul says, for the church. He has all authority. He has 
His special eye on His church. Consider Jesus' activity in the 
church in the book of Acts. He's not an absentee king. He's 
not a deistic sort of a Savior that just throws the church into 
being and then lets it go. Jesus is right there in the midst 
of His church. In fact, isn't that one of the 
thrilling things about the book of Revelation, specifically in 
chapter one, John turns and he sees one like the son of man 
in the midst of the lampstands, one of the lampstands and the 
churches. You see, when you come to church 
on the Lord's Day, it's not just to see your buddies. It's not 
just to see if you're me, the grandkids. It's not just to see 
brethren that are connected to this local church. You ought 
to have an earnest expectation and a sincere desire of communing 
with Jesus. One of the most misinterpreted 
passages in all of the Bible is an invitation to the church 
to commune with Jesus. Revelation, chapter three, verse 
20. Everybody has taken that and sort of pictured it as a 
private invitation to the sinner to open up the door to his heart 
and let Jesus in. I mean, you've probably seen 
the picture before. As much as you want to get it 
out of your head, it lives on. But it's Jesus standing there 
at this door and he's about to rap on it. And if you note the 
picture and you're very attentive, you'll notice there's no door 
handle on Jesus side. You see, the implication is that 
Jesus is an Arminian at best, a Pelagian at worst. He's just 
got to gently wrap on the door of your heart. And hopefully 
you and your free will, hopefully you're in your undilutedness 
will open the door to your heart and let Jesus come in and suck 
with you. That's not the picture of salvation. I like the idea of Jesus taking 
a battering ram. and blasting down the door to 
your hardened and rebellious heart, ripping out that old stony 
heart, casting it away and putting in a new fleshly heart that is 
compliant to His law, that is compliant to His will, that has 
the Spirit as the enabling factor in it. Revelation 3.20 is not 
a private invitation to the needy sinner. It is to the church of 
Laodicea, no less. You know that church that Jesus 
had threatened to spit out from his mouth because they were neither 
hot nor cold? Jesus says, Behold, I stand at 
the door and not of the gathered church. When you come into this 
place open to Christ, that he may come and sup with us, that 
he may have free course in our midst, that he may rule in our 
hearts by his spirit. That's the promise of the Bible. That's the beauty of new covenant 
worship. Preaching isn't simply the impartation 
of truth. It is a means of grace by which 
Jesus comes. Jesus is here by his spirit. Pastor Barcelos put it in a good 
way at this conference that I was at recently, says that Jesus 
is the one mediator between God and men. The spirit is the mediator 
between the risen Christ and men. What does Paul pray in Ephesians 
3? That you would have the spirit, 
that he would fill your heart so that Christ may dwell in you 
through faith. Christ is present. His sovereignty 
is conspicuous. And then he directs his church. It's interesting in chapter one, 
we'll just rehearse this direction of Jesus Church in a few particulars. Chapter one, the apostles prayed 
to Christ to provide a replacement for Judas. They pray to Jesus. They pray to the head of the 
church. Doesn't that make sense? We need elders or deacons. To 
whom shall we go to that guy who's accomplished in the congregation? 
We go to the risen Christ. We lay out our petitions before 
the risen Christ, trusting that by his spirit he will make it 
plain what man or man we are to pursue for office. We notice 
that Jesus is involved in the addition to the church. What 
happens in Acts chapter 2? Then 3,000 were added to their 
number. Well, who's responsible for that? 
Peter? His preaching? His power? His 
ability? It is Jesus, through the Spirit, 
adding to the church. Acts chapter 4, you will see 
it multiply again. Several places in the book of 
Acts, you'll see what are summary statements or summary reports 
that Luke records. And the word of the Lord prevailed. The word of the Lord grew mightily. What is that? But Jesus saving 
out of the world and adding to the church. the empowering of 
the disciples to speak the Word of God with all boldness. In Acts 4, they pray. It says, 
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled 
together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy 
Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness. Dropping 
down into verse 33, And with great power the apostles gave 
witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace 
was upon them all. Jesus is an absentee king. Jesus is involved. Jesus is blessing 
every step of the way. The generosity of the church 
toward one another in chapters four and five. Some people have 
wrongly implied a Christian communism from chapters four and five and 
even chapter two. Do you notice it's not the state 
mandating benevolence? It's not the government putting 
a gun to your head saying you have to give. It is Jesus, by 
a spirit, moving the hearts of materialistic people to part 
with their bounty. Christ gives the spirit so that 
we're generous. What happens when the church 
has need? Do we engage in guilt manipulation? Do we pray to Jesus 
to move the hearts of his people so that they would freely give 
as they have received? Christ is active here. The discipline 
of the church in Acts chapter five. You see, some people just 
don't get it. Ananias and Sapphira thought 
it OK to lie to the Holy Spirit. And so what happens? They are 
killed. They are destroyed in an act 
of discipline. The church is purged from the 
evil that is in her midst. The presence of God during times 
of trial. Look at what happens in the book 
of Acts. Look at how God is for you. Look at how Jesus does not 
turn his back upon you. I know that past reporter has 
preached on this before, as have I. Stephen, when Stephen is pressed 
to the edge, when Stephen is being poured out, when Stephen 
has everybody against him. I mean, you think you've got 
it bad? Look at Stephen. Here's a man 
who at one time his face shone like a holy angel. Nobody was 
able to respond to the wisdom and the spirit that he had. He 
constructs this biblical theology using Israel's history to show 
how it inevitably leads to Christ. And what happens? They gnash 
their teeth at him. They drive him out of the city. 
Presumably, they don't want to kill him and get his polluted 
blood on their holy city. So in that time, when he is pressed 
to the uttermost, what happens? But he, it says, being filled 
with the Holy Spirit, looked into heaven and he saw the glory 
of God. And who else? Jesus standing 
at his right hand. John Gill has the best explanation 
on that section. Says Jesus is standing. Don't 
we learn in the book of Hebrews, after Jesus accomplished his 
work, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. 
Why is he standing? Kids, have you ever wondered 
that? In Acts 7, Stephen's filled with the Spirit and he sees Jesus 
standing at the right hand of the glory of God. Hill explains 
it with two specific effects. One, to indicate his ready reception 
of his beloved Stephen. It's about to die a most horrific 
death, and what's Jesus doing? You're coming home. You're coming 
to be with me. How else could Luke record, and 
then he fell asleep? I'm sorry, but the brutality 
of being stoned to death probably doesn't yield itself normally 
to the idea of sleep. But not only is Jesus standing 
to indicate his ready reception of this beloved saint, but he 
is showing who the judge is in this account. The Sanhedrin has 
Stephen on trial. Jesus standing at the right hand 
of God the Father is saying, it's you on trial. It's the judge 
Christ presiding over this affair that he will one day vindicate, 
one day punish those wrongdoers with judgment from on high. We 
see the commission of Paul the Apostle. What happens to this 
man, Saul of Tarsus? I mean, the worst enemy of the 
church. You see how great our God is, 
so glorious our Lord is. Saul is breathing out threats 
and violence against the church in response to Stephen's prayer. 
Lord, do not charge them with this sin. Jesus comes to fetch 
Saul of Tarsus. That is a beautiful declaration 
of the involvement of the Lord in the church. Remember that 
when Paul, the apostle, first comes to the church, people are 
afraid. Why are they afraid? Because 
he formerly persecuted the church. Right. Imagine if there was some 
big mean guy that lived in this town that took out a few of us. that persecuted, that tortured, 
that hurt, that imprisoned, that enslaved, that brutalized, that 
murdered. And then, lo and behold, we see 
him sitting in the front row on Sunday. We're probably all 
going to be like, wait a minute now. Barnabas had to explain. No, he's good now. Jesus has 
saved him. He's good now. He preaches the 
Christ. He one time attacked. You see, 
Jesus is present. Jesus directs his church. Jesus 
uses Peter in the first half of the book of Acts, and then 
he uses Paul. The spotlight, as it were, was 
on this particular man who was a blasphemer, a persecutor, an 
insolent man who at one time tried to destroy the church. 
And now he's become the hero of the Christian faith. Christ 
is lord of the church, the calling of the Gentiles. The progress 
of the church during persecution turned for just a moment to ask, 
well, can we just sketching a few of these things here? But this 
is a beautiful thing. What happens in Acts 12? Herod 
kills James. Remember, the sons of Zebedee 
wanted to sit at the right hand and the left hand of Jesus. Jesus 
says, you don't understand the baptism with which I have to 
go through. He doesn't say, you will learn 
later. Well, here's James's baptism. He has his head chopped off by 
Herod. And then what happens? Peter gets thrown in the slammer, 
doesn't he? I mean, it starts off pretty 
bad here. James loses his head. Peter ends 
up in prison. But how does the chapter end? John Stott summarizes beautifully. He says the chapter opens with 
James dead, Peter in prison, and Herod triumphing. It closes 
with Herod dead. Remember, in a pretty nasty sort 
of way as well. The voice of a God and not a 
man. What does Herod do? Does he deflect 
that praise? No, he soaks it in. And what 
happens? He dies before that, eaten by 
worms. Starts off with James dead, Peter 
in prison, and Herod triumphing. It closes with Herod dead, Peter 
free, and the Word of God triumphing. Such is the power of God to overthrow 
hostile human plans and to establish his own in their place. Tyrants 
may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster, oppressing 
the church and hindering the gospel, but they will not last. In the end, their empire will 
be broken and their pride abased. Christ is Lord. of all. You need to understand that he 
directs the church. He initiates by his spirit, the 
missionary enterprise. He assembles the church in fifteen 
to deal with theological controversy. It's not as if when the apostles 
meet, it's some sort of other worldly concern. No, it's at 
the direction of the most high Christ. He strengthens his servants. Remember, Paul, the apostle, 
is afraid when he's in Corinth. And what does Jesus say to him? 
Do not fear. I have many people in this city. He buoys his spirit. He keeps 
him going. He enables him to press onward 
and he preserves his servants. The latter portion of the book 
of Acts from chapter 19 all the way to chapter 28. What happens? 
Paul needs constant preservation and Jesus affords it. So the 
redemptive blessings, the revelation of Jesus acts. Secondly, the 
sovereignty of Jesus reign. Thirdly, the direction of Jesus 
Church. Fourthly, the outpouring of Jesus 
spirit. We need the spirit of God. It's 
an unfortunate reality that because the Pentecostals or the charismatics 
emphasize the person of the spirit, we have a tendency to let the 
pendulum swing the other way. Brethren, the Reformed emphasize 
the Spirit. The Reformed understand their 
dependence upon God the Spirit. As I said, one mediator between 
God and man is Jesus. Jesus is locally present at the 
right hand of the Father where he mediates his blessings to 
us by the Spirit. We need the Spirit. Jesus tells 
his church, Terry, in Jerusalem, until you are endued with power 
from on high. Peter ascribes the outpouring 
of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost to Jesus. 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. The Spirit is Jesus' gift to 
his church. Notice in Acts chapter 5 verse 
29. Remember, in the Upper Room, we have every reason to believe 
and expect this. Jesus says, I will not leave 
you as orphans. I will send another Comforter, even the Spirit, who 
will take all things that are mine and make them plain unto 
you. Notice in Acts 5, 29, But Peter and the other apostles 
answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The 
God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging 
on a tree. Him, God has exalted to his right 
hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel 
and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses to these 
things. And so also is the Holy Spirit 
whom God has given to those who obey him. What a blessed gift 
we have from the person of the Ascended Lord Jesus Christ. And then the fifth and the final 
blessing, I want to just sketch briefly, is the remission of 
sins by Jesus blood. The forgiveness of sins by Jesus 
blood. This is that one that I hope 
you're all. Praise God. And while Pastor Kim was reading 
that Luke 18 commenting on the Pharisee and the tax collector 
there. I got a little reading in my or a little note in my 
Bible there from J.C. Ryle speaks about pride. Speaks about pride, he says, 
we are all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all 
the children of Adam from the highest to the lowest. We think 
more highly of ourselves than we ought to do. We secretly flatter 
ourselves that we are not so bad as some and that we have 
something to recommend us to the favor of God. I submit that 
this idea of the remission of sins by Jesus blood is a piece 
of wonderful news to the sons of Adam. To the children, even 
of God, as we struggle, as we battle, as we fight, as we hopefully 
wage war against that remaining corruption. We need to understand, 
brethren, our status, our acceptance, our place before God is not connected 
in our performance. It is connected to Jesus' performance. The Apostles everywhere through 
the book of Acts highlight the forgiveness of sins through the 
redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Acts 2.37, 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? And Peter said 
to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the 
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. It's that 
name of Christ that brings pardon. It is that name of Christ that 
brings healing. It is that fountain open for 
sin and uncleanness that Zechariah prophesied in chapter 13. To 
love the fact that we live in those days We live in the days 
of the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us from all sin. Acts chapter three. We already 
saw this in verse twenty six to you. First, God, having raised 
up his servant Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away 
every one of you from your iniquities. You see, if you're here this 
morning and you don't know Jesus and you're not a Christian, your 
problem is not that you don't understand enough. Your problem 
isn't that you just don't, you know, have the desire. Your problem 
is sin. It's all of our problem. It's 
the great leveler of man. It takes white men, black men, 
yellow men, brown men, and puts them on the same playing field. 
What does Paul the Apostle say? All have sinned and fall short 
of the glory of God. If you are here this morning, and you are 
not in Christ, it's because you prefer your sin. That's the issue. That's it. Oh, wait a minute. I don't like the way you pray. 
I don't like this church. Fine. But at the heart, at the 
root, at the core, is that instead of Jesus, instead of pardon, 
instead of cleansing, you'd rather be in the sin. You see, that's what Jesus came 
to do, to die for sinners and to rise again so that we might 
receive pardon and the imputation of righteousness. That's why 
Christianity alone is a redemptive religion. All about redemption. All about him purchasing us back. It's all about him dying in our 
stead. He didn't come to make us happy. 
He didn't come to make us healthy. He didn't come to make us wise. 
He is not Benjamin Franklin. He is the Savior of sinners. That's the whole purpose. He 
was delivered up because of our sins. He was raised up because 
of our justification. Listen to me. Hear this. Understand. These first four 
redemptive blessings, you may say, I don't really understand 
too much about that. But listen to this. You are a 
sinner. You need cleansing. And there's 
one place to go. The hymn writer says, fall like 
to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. He 
says, nothing in my hands I break. Simply to thy cross I cling. That's the confession of every 
saint of Christ on that day of judgment. It's not going to be 
like this Pharisee. Well, I'm not like other men. 
I'm not unjust. I'm not an adulterer. No, it's 
going to be just the opposite. I am unjust. I am an adulterer. I am a wicked man. Foul I to 
the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. You 
hold to Christ. Acts 5.31. We saw this. Him God has exalted to his right 
hand to be prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel 
and notice forgiveness of sins. You see, if you start tracking with 
what the Bible says, you say, God's a holy God. Wow. He's awesome. He's amazing. Then you start 
to connect the dots and say, wow, the Bible says I'm pretty 
bad. You know, my own experience teaches that I'm pretty bad. 
See, when I try to fake it and I try to put on a good front 
in front of my wife or in front of my husband, in front of my 
kids or in front of my parents, you know, they all look at me 
and they think I'm a pretty decent guy. I do what I'm supposed to 
do. I go where I'm supposed to go. 
I don't do what I'm not supposed to do. But you know, in my heart, 
it's all a sham. Who deals with that? Who cleanses 
that? Who washes that? Ask that publican. who couldn't even look up into 
heaven, but he beat his breast and he said, God, be propitious 
to me. God, be merciful to me. For you 
Greek students, it's articular, the sinner in the world of man, 
that's not his concern right now. He sees himself before a 
holy God and he says, be merciful, be merciful. Acts 10, 43, when 
Peter is brought to the household of Cornelius. Again, he traces 
the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in verse 
43 of Acts 10, he says to him, all the prophets witness that 
through his name, whoever believes in him will receive remission 
of sins. Have you believed? Have you received 
remission? Do you know what it is to be 
cleansed in the blood of the Lamb? I suspect that a whole 
bunch of people yesterday washed their cars. The first sunny day 
in however long. I didn't have a whole lot of 
time, a little bit of a sickness, so I paid the eight bucks to 
drive it through the car wash. Comes out on the other side, 
it looks beautiful. It's an older car, but it looks 
pretty. It's nice. Now I'm cruising, 
I've got a little bit of pride. Hopefully not sinful pride. Got 
my arm out. My car's playing. You know what that is? Not in 
your car, but in your heart. Do you know what it is to have 
pardon for iniquity? Do you know what it is to have 
the remission of sins? This is what Peter brings them 
to consider. To him, all the prophets witness. So I think we need to see that 
covenantal framework. All the prophets stood, testifying, 
pointing their fingers at the Son of God who saves his people 
from their sins. And take Peter. Take Peter, for 
instance. What happens? Who does God raise 
up on the day of Pentecost? The man who denied Jesus three 
times. You would never think that to 
go from the end of the gospel accounts to the early sections 
of the book of Acts, that Peter would be there. Certainly, after 
Jesus forgave him of having denied him with oaths and curses three 
times, Peter's just going to fade off into the background, 
isn't he? Peter's going to be saved because Jesus is gracious 
and merciful and will cleanse him. But we're not going to hear 
any more of this guy. Who's God raised up on the day of Pentecost 
to say, this is what the prophet Joel spoke. You see, when Peter 
says repent and let every one of you be baptized for the remission 
of sins, he knows what he's talking about. And when he calls Cornelius's 
household, whoever believes in him will receive remission of 
sins. He knows what he's talking about. 
He's a standing testimony to the grace and mercy and forgiveness 
of almighty God. You see, it's not just Peter 
at all. Who needed forgiveness with Saul 
of Tarsus? His first sermon is in Pasadena Antioch in a synagogue 
of the Jews. His first recorded sermon. I 
realized that when he first got. He went and preached the gospel. 
He went preaching in Damascus. He was preaching already. But 
Acts 13 is that first missionary journey. He is sent out. He goes 
into a synagogue of the Jews. He brings his sermon to a head. 
Verse 36, For David, after he had served his own generation 
by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, 
and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up saw 
no corruption. Therefore, here's the point. You see, they didn't preach the 
resurrection. as a supernatural oddity. They 
didn't preach the resurrection as just a unique event in the 
history of man. They didn't want people to scratch 
their heads and walk away saying, well, this is a crazy world. 
Sometimes chickens are born with two heads and sometimes men raise 
from the dead. Imagine that. That's not what 
they're doing. Why did he die? Why was he raised? Therefore, let it be known to 
you, brethren, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness 
of sins. And by him, everyone who believes 
is justified from all things from which you could not be justified 
by the law of Moses. He's in a synagogue of the Jews. He's in the churches of Galatia. Sounds just like what you'll 
later write to these churches in Galatia. You're not justified 
by the law. You're not justified by your 
work. You're not justified by anything 
save belief alone in Christ alone. That is where the pardon of sins 
comes and that is where you get righteousness. Those are some 
blessings. Those are some great truths that 
the scripture sets before us in rehearsing his conversion. 
Paul says, this is what Jesus sent me to do. I will deliver 
you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles to 
whom I now send you. to open their eyes in order to 
turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to 
God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among 
those who are sanctified by faith in me." It's about forgiveness. I think we're going to look tonight 
at the culmination of God's plan for the world. I want to end 
on this most blessed note, this most wondrous truth. If you have 
come here this morning, heavy laden and burdened, weighed down. Isn't that what sin does? I know 
there's some brazen wretches out there that seem like they're 
beyond all conscience for their sin. But for most people, conscience 
is still functioning according to Romans chapter 2. Sin doesn't 
bring liberty. Sin doesn't bring joy. Sin doesn't 
make you a happy, well-adjusted person. Sin certainly doesn't 
make you a better husband. Sin doesn't make you a better 
father. Sin doesn't make you a better parent or a child. Sin 
doesn't make you a better student. Sin doesn't make you a better 
citizen. Sin doesn't make you more whole. W. H. O. L. E. Sin is destructive. Sin is a burden. Sin is a hardship. Sin is horrible. Sin is terrible. What did Jesus say in John chapter 
eight? Whoever commits sin is what? Free? Has liberty? It's part of the Hollywood act? Whoever commits sin is a slave 
of sin. Notice what he attaches freedom 
to. If the sun shall set you free, you will be free indeed. The earnest prayer of every Christian 
in this room is that those who have yet to come to this liberty, 
those who have yet to come to this fountain, those who have 
yet to come to this pardon for iniquity would come, would believe, 
would listen to the Apostle Paul. would hear this great statement 
that it is through this man the forgiveness of sins is preached. If you believe on him, you will 
be cleansed. You believe on him, you will 
be forgiven. If you believe on him, you will 
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I connect 
this as one of the chief boons to that empty tomb. That empty 
tomb speaks of the power of sin broken. That empty tomb screams 
forgiveness through Christ the Lord. That empty tomb demonstrates 
His power, His triumph, His victory, His ability, and His willingness 
to cleanse sinners from their sins. Don't miss that. Learn that lesson from the empty 
tomb this morning. Believe on him and you will be 
forgiven. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the fact that 
that tomb is indeed empty. We thank You that sin had no 
dominion over Jesus Christ. We thank You, Father, that He 
died, that He rose again, that He ascended to Your right hand, 
and that He is active in the lives of people. He is active 
in the midst of the Church. And we pray that even now, Lord 
Jesus, You would send the Spirit to bring conviction. Send the 
Spirit to show men their place before You. and cause them to 
confess Christ as Lord and Savior, to the glory of God the Father, 
and for the good of their own never-dying souls. We just rejoice 
in these truths. We thank you, God, that He has 
risen, and I pray that we would live in light of these truths, 
God. And go with us now. Watch over us, we pray. In Jesus' 
holy name, amen.