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[0:00] Well, we are going to continue our examination of the miracles in the book of Acts, and we just want to make sure that everybody understands the connecting link between the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, because if you omit or ignore the book of Acts, you are cutting away the bridge that provides us with understanding from the Gospels to the Epistles, and you need that 30 years of time that lapsed in between the ascension of our Lord and the closing of the book of Acts in order to understand what is taking place back then and how that impacts and affects us today.

[0:48] So we are going to remind ourselves of a few things that we've already considered, but repetition is the mother of learning, so I am going to be intentionally repetitive about some of these things.

[1:01] And what I'd like to start with is this. The Gospels and the book of Acts make a particular thing a very big deal, and what it is that they make a big deal is what virtually most of the Old Testament is about, also making a big deal.

[1:20] And that big deal has to do with the restoration, the reclamation, the revitalization of a lost and fallen planet.

[1:31] We became lost in Genesis chapter 3. Everything came crashing down on the dominion that God had entrusted to Adam and Eve, and it was forfeited to the adversary, Satan, who, by the way, remains the God of this age, according to 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

[1:53] So all of the rest of the Bible, from Genesis 3, where the fall took place, all the rest of the Bible, from Genesis 3 through Revelation, is about just one thing, and that is the reclamation, the restoring of the lost and fallen planet.

[2:15] The Bible opens with paradise created. Chapter 3 is paradise lost. And from chapter 3 all the way through, it is paradise regained.

[2:33] And the one who is responsible for regaining it is our Lord Jesus Christ, and He was prophesied and promised just as soon as the need existed.

[2:46] Right there in chapter 3, when He is identified as the seed of the woman who will deliver a final crushing blow to the head of the serpent.

[2:58] And that is what this whole Bible and present day is all about. Most people throughout the world do not have a clue.

[3:09] They have no idea of what is involved. You know, I was just thinking one day, one of the most tragic, tragic things that could ever happen in a person's life is to be born, grow up, mature, marry, have children, have grandchildren, have a job, retire, preparing to die and leave this world without ever having known what it was all about or why.

[3:49] Think of how many people live that kind of an existence day to day. Don't have a clue. Don't have a clue. And the evolutionists have not helped at all because they have provided a scene whereby everything is randomness.

[4:07] Oblivion is what lies ahead. No heaven, no hell, no God, no eternal life, just mindless existence. When you die, you die like a dog and it's all over and that's it.

[4:22] No meaning, no value, no purpose, no direction, just mindless randomness. That's all you have when you do not have a supreme creator who is in the picture.

[4:36] And the very first verse opens with, in the beginning, God. And from there on, that's what we stake absolutely everything on. So what this is all about is the restoration, is the remaking and remodeling of what was lost and fixing it, fixing this broken planet and God's fix it man is the Lord Jesus Christ.

[5:02] Two things I want you to keep in mind. You've heard them before and you'll hear them again and you'll hear them again and you'll hear them again. Two things are required before the planet can be what it's supposed to be and be restored.

[5:17] First thing is, Jesus the Messiah has to pay the price for the earth's fallenness. He did that as the Redeemer, as the Savior, came to save us from our sins.

[5:33] The Son of God has come to seek and to save that which was lost. And that's the whole planet and us people upon it. He paid the penalty that was due to satisfy the demands of a holy and righteous God.

[5:47] And in paying that penalty, Jesus balanced the moral scales of the universe so that God, in a just way, in a just way, was able to forgive us our sin because the penalty was paid.

[6:05] And it was paid in the person of the one in whom God was, came into the world and paid that price. Ultimate price. Ultimate payment.

[6:17] And that's the first thing that is required. The second thing is that that nation to whom God sent the Redeemer to activate the process has to be receptive to the Redeemer.

[6:36] So far, they've been in a mode of rejection. He came into his own nation of Israel, Israelites, his kinsmen, and his own received him not.

[6:50] But as many as received him, to them gave he the power or the right, the authority to become the sons of God because he paid that penalty for us. So this is kingdom content that we are talking about.

[7:02] And it is the big picture. It is Old Testament and it is New Testament. And when Jesus came and presented himself as the Messiah, what was it that he did to authenticate his claims?

[7:17] More than anything else. Anybody? Miracles. Miracles. And every time he performed a miracle, he was removing what had become an abnormality.

[7:35] An abnormality. And he made it normal. It was abnormal for a man to be blind. Jesus gave him sight.

[7:46] Abnormal for a man to be crippled. Jesus healed him. We find this all throughout the four Gospels, numbering some 33 that are recorded.

[7:58] And we are reminded that John closed out his Gospel by saying, And many other signs. And that word signs means miracles.

[8:09] Many other signs did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are recorded so that you may know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

[8:27] So the miracles were Christ's authentication as to who he was and what he came to do and his ability to do it. But Israel had to sign on.

[8:41] And the reason they did, the reason they had to sign on was because it was a reflection of the new covenant that takes the place of the old covenant. And that was the party of the first part, the party of the second part.

[8:55] And Moses and God were the party of the first part. And the people of Israel were the party of the second part. They signed on to that covenant with animal blood and ratified it when Jesus came to the last supper.

[9:08] He told the disciples, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. And it too was going to require party of the first part, party of the second part.

[9:22] Who's the party of the first part? Jesus is. He signed off. He shed his blood. The document was then passed to Israel. Israel is a nation.

[9:33] Here's your opportunity. Sign off. And when you do, the new covenant will be established and the kingdom of heaven will come to earth.

[9:44] And Israel said, nothing doing. There were many people who did receive him gladly and were regenerated and saved by it.

[9:56] But the majority, we would call it the deep state of Israel, those in charge, the shakers and movers said, we will not have this man to reign over us.

[10:08] And they rejected him, crucified him. And here is a really important point, fellows. One of the things Jesus said when he was on the cross was a prayer request.

[10:21] Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Well, the question then is, did he? Were they forgiven?

[10:34] And what did that entail? When he said, forgive them, plural, they don't know what they're doing. Who all makes up that them?

[10:45] Any idea? Who makes up the them? Forgive them. Who's the them? Everybody. Yeah, well, in essence, everybody. We could start really, we could start with the beginning.

[10:59] First of all, there was Judas. Judas was complicit. He set up the whole thing. And then secondly, there was a chief priest and the scribes.

[11:10] They were in on it. So they are the third. And then there was the execution squad, the Roman soldiers who actually carried it out. And then, who else?

[11:23] Pontius Pilate. He too was involved. And then, who else? You. Me.

[11:34] All of us were involved. Who else? Jesus was involved. What do you think he meant when he said, no man takes my life from me.

[11:50] I have power to lay it down. And I have power to take it up again. Jesus gave himself a sacrifice for our sins.

[12:04] Who else? His father. Jesus, we're told in that, I think it's the last verse of Romans 4, maybe 25, something like that.

[12:18] That Jesus was delivered for our offenses. Who delivered him? The father.

[12:31] The father delivered him. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. The father delivered. Fellas, we are talking about the romance for eternity.

[12:44] Romance of the ages that is just so exquisitely mind-boggling. There is no adequate description of it. And I have called it the centerpiece of all human history in the universe.

[13:01] Is when God became man and died a death that we deserve, that he did not deserve. The only person who did not deserve to die for their sin died for everybody else.

[13:16] That is, to this day, the world's best good news ever heard and it is the world's best kept secret. Isn't that something?

[13:28] So, now the question is this. When Jesus made that prayer, offered that request, Father, forgive them, did he? Personally, I cannot imagine, I cannot imagine that prayer not being answered because of who requested it, and because of who was in a position to grant it.

[13:50] And he had already made it quite clear that, Father, if there is any way that this cup, and he was talking about a drinking cup in a sense, he was talking about a cup of separation from his father, a cup of severity, a cup of death, if there is any way that this cup can pass from me, and we could still accomplish what needs to be done, I'd really prefer that.

[14:25] And listen, as agonizing as it was, the crown of thorns, the spear in the side, the nails, and all the rest, those things were all physical and they do not compare.

[14:42] As incredibly, incredibly painful as that must have been, that was not Jesus' greatest fear of being there.

[14:56] It was the separation that was going to occur between the Father and the Son in a way that had never existed before. We don't understand that.

[15:09] We cannot go there. We cannot go there. This is something that would take place in the sphere of deity far removed from humanity. And we just don't understand what was involved there.

[15:23] But I can assure you this, it was more horrendous than anything we could imagine. That's what it was that Jesus was shrinking back from more than the nails and the crown of thorns and all the rest.

[15:37] Because what death really is, is separation. And he was going to undergo separation from his Father in a way that Father and Son had never been separated throughout eternity.

[15:51] So we are taking the position that the prayer was answered that God did forgive them and what does that involve? As far as I can see, actually, what it means is it gives Israel a clean slate following the death and resurrection.

[16:15] So the kingdom is still on. It's still a possibility. the first increment has been made and that is Christ died for the sins of the world.

[16:33] The second is now still hanging in the balance. Will Israel sign on? And so many people look at this and they say, well, what's this thing with Israel anyway?

[16:44] What's that? Listen, you cannot avoid these people. You cannot avoid this nation. You cannot avoid this concept because it started way back with Abraham when God vested everything regarding the future in this people that he was calling Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and out of them the twelve tribes and one of which would be Judah and one of those would, down the line, would be none other than Yeshua, HaMashiach, Jesus, the Messiah.

[17:13] So anybody who thinks they can omit Israel than the Jews simply does not understand the plan and program of God because they are critical, absolutely critical to the whole thing.

[17:26] And do you know, isn't it interesting? No race of people on the planet have suffered the negativity, the rejection that the nation of Israel has in multiple ways all throughout the country, all throughout the world.

[17:42] They've been described as the wandering Jew because they've been persecuted just about everywhere they went and frankly, that too fits the picture because that's the work of the adversary.

[17:53] Satan's plan and program is to disrupt the plan and program of God any way that he can and whatever he can do to get at Israel, to get at the Jew, to get at the Messiah, that's what he's going to do and that's what he's been doing.

[18:05] So he uses the whole world that is blinded to reject and make pariahs out of the nation of Israel and persecute them and so on, try to eliminate them.

[18:17] So they are absolutely key and those who don't understand that, who don't understand that are just closing the whole plan and program of God to themselves.

[18:28] Now I am going to go into the book of Acts where we're going to continue the miracles because, fellas, if the chief characteristic of the kingdom is tied to the miracles that Jesus performed to authenticate his claims as to being the Messiah and to being Israel to being the chosen people and if he has prayed and received an answer that Israel has been forgiven then they, the kingdom is still on the table.

[19:02] That's the point. It's still on the table. So what is needed to pick up that theme then and continue it on in the book of Acts as it has been in the gospels?

[19:15] What is needed? More miracles. If the kingdom is still the thing then that which is going to authenticate it and validate it needs to accompany it and that's exactly what we find in the book of Acts.

[19:31] So it's almost like Acts is a real continuation of the four gospels and when you consider that the book of Acts opens with where the four gospels conclude the ascension of Christ and Acts 1 is the ascension of Christ and they ask that question penetrating question no idea that Jesus was going to be taken right up from them but the cross is over the resurrection is over and now Jesus is there on the Mount of Olives talking to his disciples they have no idea that he's soon going to be leaving them and they ask the question well Lord is it at this time now now are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel I want you to know Jesus did not say fellas

[20:33] Israel had their chance and it's over there's no kingdom for Israel they blew it I'm going to withdraw the opportunity from Israel because they rejected me and there isn't going to be any kingdom on this earth that is literal and it is not for you and by the way you read the record he didn't say that he didn't say well there isn't going to be any kingdom and he didn't say well it's going to be just spiritual or it's going to be the kingdom within you no no he said it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his own power but you will receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem Judea Samaria the uttermost parts of the earth and shortly after he said that he began ascending and he was right out of their sight and they stood there looking at each other with their mouths open and said what is this a couple of angels showed up and said men of

[21:39] Galilee why stand you here gazing up into heaven this same Jesus taken up from you into heaven shall so come again in like manner as you've seen him go and you are to tarry in Jerusalem Jesus told him until you are endued with power we know that's going to happen ten days later and that will be Acts chapter two when the spirit of God descends in a special way accompanied by that great noise the wind and everything and the manifestation of all of those people all Jews from all over the Mediterranean world unable to communicate with each other because they're from all of these different regions that are identified there in Acts two but they had a common religion and they were there for the feast of Pentecost and as a result of the spirit of God descending he took that phenomena that was imposed upon humanity at the

[22:45] Tower of Babel where all the languages were confounded and the people couldn't communicate with each other and they separated off in accordance with their languages to different parts of the world and it appears that in Acts chapter two God simply reversed that and allowed everyone to either speak or hear the message regarding Jesus of Nazareth and his death burial and resurrection in their own language and that's the miracle that is recorded in Acts chapter two and I've got some notes here I need to follow my notes I've had people ask me I don't know why I don't know why you make a big deal of the notes because you never pay any attention to them anyway but we're going to this morning so I want you to look at Acts chapter two Acts chapter two and verse thirty seven this is kind of a recap excuse me and as soon as things had died down a little bit and Peter stands up to speak and he gives his message and we are told in verse thirty seven that when they heard this that is Peter's whole explanation about Jesus death about his glorious resurrection about their being witnesses to it and everything and about it all falling into place with what the

[24:10] Old Testament had prophesied we are told in verse thirty seven that when they heard this they were pierced to the heart that's one of the best things that's the most important thing that can ever happen to a human being and that is you get it you get the message they were pierced to the heart this wasn't superficial stuff this means Peter's message got through to them penetrated them and they stunned looked at each other and said this man's right this all fits this all comes together that's exactly what happened what can we do about it now where can we go now and Peter says you can do what you should have done on the other side when John was baptizing and introducing the kingdom of heaven you could have gotten on board then and you could have believed then repented then and been baptized by John then but no you wouldn't do that and 3,000 of these people said that's right but we're ready to do it now and they believed

[25:19] Peter and his message and they submitted themselves to John's baptism I don't know how I guess it's just a natural kind of thing for people to say this is Christian baptism it's nothing of the kind this is John's baptism the only baptism they knew and it was logical and it was already established and there's no question about it and as you go on through the book of Acts you'll find more instances of being baptized by John's baptism such as the Ethiopian eunuch and so on so what we have here is a manifestation of miracles beginning with the tongues and the speaking in the languages they didn't know and I want you to look at verse 43 what is happening with this group of 3,000 we are told everyone kept feeling a sense of awe and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles these are miracles of plenty and they are going to come fast and furious why because the kingdom is still on the table and they are making that clear and I want you to note some other references if you look all the way down to well let's just continue on here

[26:48] Acts 2 43 44 and all those who had believed were together and had all things in common and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all as anyone might have need now fellas these people aren't doing this just because they're feeling good and have been smitten by a stroke of generosity they are doing this because they are attempting to get with the program what's the program it's the kingdom these people are beginning to act out the qualifications of the kingdom they are putting into practice this is put your money where your mouth is this is exactly what they're doing they had all things common and began selling their property possessions sharing them all with everyone as they had need day by day continuing with one mind in the temple breaking bread house to house taking their meals together with gladness sincerity of heart there is a dynamic an excitement a euphoria that is produced among these people and they are beside themselves with joy and generosity and all they are doing is trying to put into practice the formula that Jesus gave earlier remember and we won't go there but I'll give you the reference and it has to do with the rich young ruler and he was supposedly kept all the commandments and so on what do I lack yet and Jesus said well sell all your possessions give the money to the poor and come and follow me well that was the end of that conversation he went away sorrowful and Jesus then said how hard it is to enter into the kingdom what what's going on here this is kingdom stuff

[28:51] Jesus was giving him the qualifications for the kingdom and they're very legalistic it has to do with human effort and that is a complete contrast to the gospel of grace through faith without works that will be preached later but don't put the gospel of grace in the gospels doesn't belong there it belongs under the ministry of the apostle Paul which is an entirely different thing and Paul isn't preaching when he goes out with his message he isn't preaching okay all you people you need to sell your possessions and give the money to the poor and so on no no Paul Paul's saying believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved salvation was a gift of God it's not what you can give or do for God it's what God has already done for you that's the whole dynamic of grace and it is a complete contrast to the message of the gospels but today what we have so often is people are preaching the modern message the modern message making it into a kingdom message instead of a grace message and the point that needs to be made is listen the cross of Jesus

[30:18] Christ changed everything that moves us away from the kingdom program to the gospel of the grace of God and it not only includes Jews it includes Gentile it includes everybody Jesus died for the whole human race that's our message today but you know what so many people and so many preachers focus on the four gospels and the reason they do is because well that's where Jesus is but my dear brethren there isn't anywhere in this book that Jesus isn't the whole book centers on him old and new testament we are not short changing anybody we are saying because of the payment that Jesus Christ made full and free it is available to you as a gift because he picked up the tab and it is believe on the

[31:28] Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved you mean I don't have to sell all my possessions and give my money to the poor of course not of course not there are no conditions stipulated to this when you repent you change your mind what do you change your mind from you change your mind from thinking whatever it was you were thinking before well I guess I'll maybe I'll go to heaven because I'm as good as anybody else and I blah blah blah and I've never hurt anybody and I've always tried to do what's right and so on you got to change your mind about that and you've got to say nothing in my hands I bring simply to thy cross thy claim salvation is by grace through faith apart from all of these things and as we move on through the book of Acts look if you will at chapter five Ananias and Sapphira

[32:30] Acts chapter five and what do we find what we find is Peter the apostle Peter is using what is referred to by the prophets as Jesus exercising authority in the kingdom with what with a rod of iron what does that mean it means it's a no nonsense kind of thing and when Ananias and Sapphira came in with this big lie that they sold the land for so much and brought it brought money to the to the apostles to give to the poor and they gave the impression that they were giving the whole selling price and it was nothing but a scam they sold the land for a thousand dollars and they were bringing whatever five that were not given any amount five hundred we'll just say and Peter says that that's the price of the land that you got for the land yeah and we're giving it all and what was invoked here it was a supernatural knowledge that

[33:42] God gave to Peter that this was a lie this did not compute and Peter rebuked Ananias right on the spot that's the rod of iron coming down right then and there that's serious stuff and Ananias fell over dead and his wife came in not knowing what had happened and the same thing what's going on here that's a miracle it's not a very nice thing for Ananias and Sapphira but it evidenced the reality of the power and authority that was going to be granted to those twelve apostles when they sat on those thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel and Peter in a way that is undeniable in my estimation is beginning to put those things in practice and we've got kingdom principles just starting to get underway things are beginning to take hold these people are all excited the numbers are growing miracles are abundant all kinds of things have happened the healing of that man at the temple in Acts chapter 3 and then we've got here in

[34:50] Acts chapter 5 the miracle of Ananias and Sapphira Peter is put into prison and the angels come and release him all of this is kingdom stuff this is the miraculous that is unfolding and as you move on through the book of Acts what you find is fewer and fewer miracles are occurring 30 years of period of time taking place in the Acts of the Apostles and it opens with miracles continuing in abundance just like they were in the Gospels but as you move on through the book of Acts it is occurring less and less and about the last miracle we have of the Apostle Paul is on the Isle of Malta when that poisonous viper came out of the heat of that fire that had been started and bit Paul and the text says that he just shook it off well all those townspeople who were gathered around that campfire knew exactly what that snake was like and they said to themselves oh did you see that that viper got a hold of

[36:11] Paul's hand he's a goner won't be long his body will be swelling up and he'll be and Paul shook it off and continued his teaching that was nothing short of a miracle and later we find very interesting thing when he writes to Timothy and I think it's his second epistle he says gee I'm sorry senior moment I can't even think of the guy's name Tophimus Tophimus I want to bring Tophimus with me Paul said but I left Tophimus at Miletus because he was sick well I take it that that meant he was too sick to travel or Paul would have brought him with him and the question is why didn't he heal him now fellas these are not rocket science questions or answers but there's got to be something that's taking place here there's got to be something that's going on and I suggest what is going on is that a transition is taking place whereby like that diagram I gave you a couple of weeks ago from the diagram of the large to the small the kingdom thing is fading away because of the continued rejection of Israel even though they were given a blank slate and free to start all over again and it was still on the table

[37:53] Israel continued in a rejection mode and it may well be that the climax came and I'm not saying this is the case I once thought it was and maybe it was but I just don't know maybe the climax came in Acts chapter 7 and 8 because Stephen who had been also performing miracles is going to be framed by those who tell lies against him and he will be stoned to death but the thing that makes it so significant guys is who did the stoning because those who did the stoning in Acts chapter 7 are the deep state they are the shakers and movers of Israel they are the high priest the chief priest the scribes the Pharisees we don't know if all of them were there but there are 70 that belong to that group called the

[39:03] Sanhedrin sometimes called the council and it was presided over it was chaired by the high priest and it is extremely significant I think they were the ones to stone Stephen to death can you not see in that picture by these men being the leadership of Israel the official the final story the final vote this makes it very much look like Israel's final answer to Jesus being the Messiah and if that be true it makes perfectly good sense that you go into the next chapter and you find God raising up the most unlikely Jew to be the apostle to the

[40:05] Gentiles what what's happened to the Jew the Jew is set aside in unbelief Israel's final rejection has been noted and accepted by God and the commentary on that is Romans chapter 9 10 and 11 and that tells us where God is with the Jew and where Israel is with God the whole thing is spelled out in those three chapters and if that stoning of Stephen is what I thought it was we've got a picture of the kingdom and the opportunity for it is now being withdrawn and God has raised up a whole new thing that nobody had ever heard of or expected it isn't prophesied it isn't predicted it just seemingly came out of nowhere and of all things God is going to raise up a number of

[41:09] Gentiles uncircumcised if you will dogs if you will and he's going to manifest himself in them and to them throughout the whole world this is this is so amazing this is so critical and fellas all we've done all we've done is just go through the book of Acts and point out different things that occurred trying to note the significance that is attached to them and when you do that I trust that light bulbs are coming on all over the place and what we're trying to do is connect dots because when you connect the dots then you get a picture of what it is that is out there and now we've got a picture it is a picture of Messiah coming came coming presents himself rejected and the jilted lover

[42:14] Christ the jilted lover turns to the unlovable the gentile and embraces the gentile and it's a new relationship a new love bond relationship between God and gentile the dogs the off scouring the uncircumcised but they are also part of that body for whom Christ died and now he is collecting them so Paul is raised up to be the apostle to the gentiles and actually as chapter 9 of Acts goes on at Paul's conversion when Ananias is sent to him Paul sends Ananias I mean God sends Ananias to Paul and says you'll find him in Damascus in the street called straight and he's at the house of a man named Judas and there you will find him you lay hands on him and God says to Ananias

[43:16] I will show him what great things he must suffer why must he suffer them why is he going to suffer them because I am sending him to the same kind of world that I went to and I suffered and they rejected me and Saul of Tarsus is going to suffer because the world will not be happy to receive him any more than it was happy to receive me that's what goes with the fallen world a fallen world does not love the creator a fallen world is enmity against God we are self-centered and our self-centeredness wants to eject God from the picture so that we become our own

[44:18] God and Lucifer who had become Satan the adversary Lucifer says you can do that you can be your own God you can call your own shots you can make your own way and he has established something that is in place to this day and it is called evolution which means you don't need a God because the universe mysteriously created itself so there is no reason no objective no purpose behind anything you are just a blob of tissue and it's not a problem because there is not a creator abortion is no problem homosexuality is no problem evil is no problem because that's all part and parcel of humanity and it just kind of goes with the territory man is the measure of all things fellas that's where we are and it is becoming more and more intensely obvious as time goes on sometimes

[45:26] I think we ought to keep notes and have a calendar and you can almost count on it there will be a new insanity of the month and it's getting crazier and crazier as time goes on now we've got we've had for some time same-sex marriage and do you know what the big thing now is the big thing now is their demand for you to not only permit what's going on you are required to affirm it affirm it not shake your head and say well I can't do anything about it but I think it's all wrong you better change that you better change that you've got to start thinking it doesn't make any difference who you choose to love what sex they are or how you choose to love them it doesn't make any difference and fellas if there is no

[46:28] God they're right it doesn't make any difference each man becomes his own God and there was no king in Israel in those days so every man did what was right in his own eyes and woe be unto anybody who tells you that you're wrong about anything that's where we are today so it makes you wonder if maybe the end that we're speaking of and talking about maybe maybe the end of this thing is getting closer and closer all the time as I've often said I don't know how far away it is I'm not predicting anything but I will predict this we are closer than anybody has ever been and we're getting there day by day the wrap up may take place at any time in which case that means the first thing on the agenda is the body of Christ believers are removed from this age we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds so shall we ever be with the

[47:33] Lord and that may be a lot sooner than what we know so it behooves us Peter says writes his epistle and says seeing that these things are coming upon the world what manner of men we ought to be which is simply another way of saying Peter saying fellas get your ducks in a row focus on the things that matter spend your time and effort on things that really count the world is fleeting away and all of its pleasures and all of this stuff that we tend to put all of our marbles in that one basket is all coming to naught the world passes away and the lust thereof but he who does the will of God abides forever that's where we're going that's what any questions or comments anybody has to share anybody yes Larry I got to think about selling everything and giving to the poor and so everybody shared perhaps perhaps that was in anticipation of

[48:51] Christ's coming of his reign being established right then and it's going to be happening I think if you if we have an anticipation that if we knew when we were going to pass this earth would we could we just give up everything because we we know it's not going to mean anything yeah well and we just we would get rid of it and we don't know what when our time is that's true it's called living light yeah yeah and we probably ought to focus more on that you know you're absolutely right but you know the name of the game is the name of the game is for humanity for fallen humanity is garner all the toys and all the treasures you can and and amass all of the wealth that you can and all of the goodies that you can and he he who gains the most toys wins you know and that's that's the human that's the fallen way of thinking of it and that's the dog eat dog world that is created because the emphasis is on material materialism the physical what can I gain what can I what can I have what can I enjoy what can I own what can I and and we equate that with success the apostle

[50:23] Paul says that that godliness with contentment is great gain think of that godliness with contentment is great gain so we all probably ought to ask ourselves right now what what does it take and what would it take to make you really happy and feel fulfilled is it some trinket is it a car or truck is it a bigger home is it a bigger bank account is it better health how about that how about that how about better health and yet all of those things nobody's discounting them and saying they don't matter but they're all secondary what really really matters is the kind of person we are and the spiritual values that we have because there is a part of our being that is endless and as I've said before and we all need to keep this in mind there is no such thing as dead people there are no dead people there are only dead bodies everybody is alive somewhere and will be and are we are we thinking in terms of eternity or are we thinking just in terms of this world it's a it's a matter of a value system do you have a comment yeah

[52:06] I've been reading in the Romans and around chapter 7 in there he keeps speaking about the law I assume that he's not talking to Gentiles at this point in time when he talks law we don't care anything about law we wouldn't even do I'm talking about in those they wouldn't even know what the law was so was he talking only to the Jewish well I think I think I think that he's talking to both because earlier on in Romans earlier on in Romans when he talks and he does specify the law the law of Moses was never given to Gentiles still isn't never was was given to Israel but there is and Paul makes this quite clear in Romans 2 when he says that the Gentiles Gentiles who have not the law have a law unto themselves the law of God that is put that is resident within every human being and it is called a conscience and this conscience is either makes us guilty or it makes us innocent and we a conscience a conscience is an emotional prick of the pin that is stimulated when we know we have violated a known standard and that pin prick in the conscience is an ouch emotionally internally and it is an awakening thing that we have done something we shouldn't have done something wrong and that's called guilt and that is part of the divine provision because guilt is something that you don't have to live with guilt is designed to bring us to

[54:11] God really and guilt is condemning and it isn't releasing all guilt does is remind you and nag at you guilty guilty guilty hey is there anybody here besides me that would love to have some do overs oh boy I could bore you for the rest of the day listening my things I'd love to be able to do over again but you know something when you put your faith in Jesus Christ he not only gives you eternal life he removes the sting and the power of guilt so you don't have to live with that and you still have your regrets you can't undo what you did you can't go back and do over again what you didn't do that you should have and that you should have would have could have but in

[55:14] Christ Paul writes to the Colossians having forgiven you all trespasses not most of them all of them all of them and if you as a believer in Christ are still struggling with guilt you need to know you are not entitled to it you do not have that right because because if you have to bear your guilt and deal with that then Jesus Christ didn't do a very good job and he left you with something to pay and we have every reason to believe that in Christ we are if listen if the son sets you free you're free indeed and that is our legal status our legal status forensic status before God is one of absolute total complete freedom and he has given us a gift of forgiveness and if we still bear guilt and are intent on living with that we are casting aspersion and doing a disservice to the grace of

[56:30]  God and to the price that Jesus Christ paid so we are free and you know people live under that shadow of guilt and I've talked with them over the years and counseling for 50 years and some people just they just well sometimes it's difficult to make a distinction between what they cannot do and what they will not do but more often than not more often than not our problem doesn't lie with an inability it lies with an unwillingness and that's a big difference so it's something we all need to keep in mind so hey guys thank you for your presence this morning and ladies and gentlemen thank you thank you by the way there was a time when it wouldn't make any difference what you call anybody but I'm still old school and a girl is still a girl and a boy is still a boy and it's going to be that way thank you all for coming