Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Mark 1:12:20

Transcript

Mark 1:12:20 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
We left off last week in verse 12, Mark 1.
0:05
It says,
0:05
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
0:10
! And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.
0:14
! And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
0:20
Now, after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
0:25
and saying,
0:26
The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.
0:34
Passing along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon,
0:40
casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
0:43
And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
0:49
And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
0:52
And going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother,
0:59
who were in their boat, mending their nets.
1:01
And immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
1:09
Just pray with me.
1:10
Holy Father, we just want to express our great need for you this morning,
1:18
that we have nothing to offer in and of ourselves.
1:21
We can't bring anything to the table.
1:25
Lord, we need your help to, not just to understand your word, Lord,
1:29
but to let it resonate in our hearts.
1:31
And God, I just pray that your word would have its desired effect today in the hearts of the people here.
1:40
We love you.
1:41
We just lift you up in Christ's name.
1:43
Amen.
1:44
So, if you just noticed, we just read through...
1:48
I've been walking around a lot just because I can't see.
1:51
If you noticed, we just read through like three major parts in this all together at once.
1:57
We read through the temptation of Christ.
2:00
We read through the start of Christ's ministry.
2:04
And then we read through the calling of the first disciples, just all back to back.
2:08
And it'd be very easy to turn each one of these into like a five-week sermon, each section on this.
2:15
Because in the other Gospels, Matthew and Luke, they give you a lot more detailed accounts of these events,
2:20
like the temptation in Matthew 4.
2:24
You could just go on and on.
2:25
And so, instead of doing that, we could have done that.
2:29
But instead of doing that, if you really read carefully, like in the Gospel of Mark,
2:34
and you're really praying that the Spirit kind of like shows you what's going on,
2:39
you'll see that that's not really Mark's intent.
2:42
He doesn't want you to get stuck or just stay on these places.
2:46
He wants you to kind of keep moving on.
2:48
And if you don't do that, you'll sometimes miss the purpose for why the author wrote something a certain way.
2:56
So that's why we're trying to like bring it all together into one thing, to get a wider view of what's going on.
3:03
So Mark even uses the word immediately, I think nine times almost, in chapter one.
3:08
It gets you to kind of keep moving on.
3:10
So we're just going to take a wider view of things.
3:14
Mark skipped over the initial ministry that Jesus had in South Judea.
3:19
He missed the cleansing of the temple and the Samaritan woman at the well, like all that.
3:25
Kind of like he doesn't mention that, but that would have happened.
3:28
You can see it in the other Gospels in between these things.
3:32
So he's going into Galilee.
3:35
It goes from the temptation right into his ministry in Galilee.
3:39
So why?
3:42
Why does Mark do this?
3:43
Why the speed in which Mark does this?
3:46
And really the answer is that Mark seems to be wanting to establish that Jesus is the king.
3:53
Jesus is like the new king who has arrived on the scene.
3:57
If you look at verse one in chapter one, it says the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
4:05
Just proclaiming that like the king of kings has arrived.
4:08
The long-awaited Messiah is here.
4:10
And if he's going to be the new king, he has to establish his authority.
4:15
He has to show that he is who he says he is.
4:19
And that's what these three things, three sections that we're going to look at, talk about.
4:23
So I guess if you had to call this message something, it would be like the authority of our Christ,
4:28
like the authority of Christ and how he demonstrates it.
4:33
So we see last week when we talked about baptism that this is when Christ was, I guess,
4:43
you could say it was his coronation as the king who's come.
4:47
He was filled with the Holy Spirit.
4:48
The Holy Spirit descended on him and the Father spoke from above that this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.
4:55
So all three members of the Trinity, they are at work together at Christ's baptism.
5:01
And really awesome, awesome picture.
5:04
And Christ was going to fulfill all the Old Testament roles that the new king was going to fulfill.
5:10
And if you, I'll just read this in John 3 to you real quick.
5:13
John 3, verse 34, talking about Jesus, says,
5:19
For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.
5:25
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
5:29
So it says here that Jesus was given the Holy Spirit without measure.
5:34
That's incredible.
5:35
That's awesome.
5:37
He's saying that, like he had this measureless anointing of the Holy Spirit, Christ did.
5:42
And that's what happened at the baptism.
5:45
Christ then just jumps right into his earthly ministry.
5:51
So he wants to demonstrate.
5:54
I'll say I'll just kind of give you the three points in advance and then we can kind of unpack them.
5:58
But Christ is going to demonstrate his authority in three different realms.
6:02
He's going to demonstrate his authority over Satan in his realm.
6:07
So he's going to have to show that he is the new king who's going to overthrow the usurper, Satan.
6:14
He's got to prove that he can destroy the works of the devil like it's been spoken of.
6:19
And that will be in the temptation.
6:22
Secondly, he shows his authority over sin and its dominion.
6:26
So Satan, then sin itself.
6:31
And then thirdly, he shows his authority over sinners.
6:34
People like you and me, he shows authority over them.
6:38
So that's just kind of the rightful conclusion.
6:40
If he has authority over Satan, authority over sin, then he definitely would have authority over sinners.
6:47
So he's going to establish his rule in our hearts.
6:51
So we'll look at the first point.
6:54
This is point one.
6:55
And so the authority of Christ over Satan.
6:58
And we see this in verse 12 and 13.
7:01
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
7:05
And he was in the wilderness for 40 days, being tempted by Satan.
7:10
And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
7:15
So that's Mark's shot, like right there, a snapshot of what happened at the temptation.
7:21
So we could go to Matthew, we could go to Luke, but we're not going to.
7:24
We were going to just talk about what Mark gives us here, for the most part, and add in a little bit of what the other authors say.
7:32
But immediately following his empowerment by the Spirit, it says he was driven into the wilderness.
7:40
And this is like a very, very strong verb.
7:42
It literally means like to impel someone, to throw them out.
7:46
Like Jesus was literally thrown out, led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.
7:53
And it was the will of the Father.
7:55
It wasn't the will of Satan.
7:56
It wasn't the will of anything else.
7:58
This is what God desired.
8:00
And so Christ had this strong compulsion to go into the wilderness.
8:05
And so don't misunderstand that.
8:08
James tells us that temptation does not come from God.
8:11
God tempts no one, nor can he be tempted by evil.
8:15
But what is true is that God will allow his own people to go through temptation
8:21
in order that they can have victory through it and become stronger.
8:25
If you remember at the Last Supper, Jesus told Peter,
8:30
Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.
8:33
Like he's asked.
8:35
And we're giving him permission, you know.
8:37
But in the end, he was going to be strengthened through what happened to him.
8:40
And so he has the same idea here is that Christ is going to be sifted,
8:46
be tempted by Satan himself.
8:49
So it wasn't by chance.
8:51
It wasn't by a whim.
8:52
Christ deliberately was set out into the wilderness.
8:57
And he was going.
8:57
So why the wilderness?
8:58
You ever thought, like, why couldn't it just be somewhere else?
9:03
Personally, when I think of like, like if someone like said,
9:06
just the Spirit drove me immediately into the mountains,
9:09
I'd be like, all right, the mountains, you know.
9:13
But I would think like temptation would be a lot stronger,
9:16
like in a city setting for me.
9:19
But with Jesus, this wasn't a lush mountain paradise.
9:23
It was a barren wasteland.
9:26
It really was.
9:27
It was the wilderness.
9:28
And so why was he driven there?
9:30
Because he's going to have to face Satan by himself.
9:34
Like he can't, he's not going to have anybody there to support him.
9:38
At all.
9:39
He's going to be by himself.
9:42
And so this area, a lot of historians say, is called Yashinam.
9:48
It means like the devastation.
9:49
That's what they call this area, the devastation.
9:52
And it's around 35 by 15 miles.
9:55
It's wild, uninhabited.
9:57
It's near Jericho Road going through Jerusalem.
10:01
I looked up pictures of it, just kind of see what it looked like.
10:03
And it is really quite, quite barren.
10:06
Very desolate place.
10:08
There's certain cliffs and ravines that plunge hundreds of feet down.
10:12
It's not a place you just want to go and hang out at all.
10:16
And Deuteronomy talks about this area.
10:19
And it says, it speaks of a great wilderness.
10:23
Fiery serpents, scorpions, and a thirsty ground with no water.
10:27
That's what it talks about in Deuteronomy.
10:30
So, also in the Old Testament, we know that, like, lions were prevalent.
10:35
We know that jackals were.
10:37
So this is all the stuff that he's surrounded with.
10:40
Have any of you ever, like, probably not, but, like, camped out by yourself, out in the woods?
10:48
It's, I've done that before.
10:49
I actually kind of enjoy it.
10:50
But usually it freaks a lot of people out just because you've seen too many movies, probably.
10:54
But, like, you start hearing noises and you're just like, like every little thing, you're just all wired up about.
11:01
Thinking, like, what could that be?
11:03
But, like, Christ was literally surrounded by this for 40 days and 40 nights.
11:08
And by himself.
11:11
And a very terrifying aspect.
11:14
So you think about this.
11:15
Adam, our father, Adam, he was tempted in a lush, green paradise, right?
11:23
And he was tempted with a companion, Eve, who was with him.
11:26
So he wasn't alone.
11:27
But Christ is completely opposite.
11:30
He's in a barren wasteland, a desolate wilderness, and he's all alone by himself.
11:36
So, man, just think about that.
11:40
And so, Satan comes after him.
11:43
And so who is Satan?
11:45
You know, like we, so many misconceptions about who Satan really is, even in the church.
11:50
But he's the ruler of darkness.
11:52
And Satan, Satan, just means like the adversary or the opponent of our soul.
11:58
Just who he is.
11:59
The devil, the other name for him, it means like to throw, really.
12:04
It means to, in the sense of throwing up slandering against somebody.
12:08
And this is what he's done.
12:10
He takes the wonderful, beautiful things that God has given us and he twists them and perverts them and does all he can to, like, destroy the beauty of them.
12:19
And he hates them with great malice.
12:21
And so, up until this point, right, no one in Adam's race has been able to, like, withstand Satan.
12:34
No way.
12:35
No one has.
12:36
None of Israel's great heroes have.
12:38
You think about it, like, Samson, who was the strongest.
12:42
Satan overthrew him, right?
12:45
He took down Solomon, who was the wisest, made him look like a fool.
12:50
And then he overcame David, who was the most passionate and zealous with grievous temptation.
12:55
So, like, it doesn't matter.
12:57
Like, all of Adam's race, who's gone, has not been able to withstand Satan.
13:03
And so he's, Christ has to establish that he is the new king, that he has the power to rule and the power to remain that way over his formidable adversary, Satan.
13:15
So, think about this.
13:17
Can you imagine, just pretend you don't know, like, what's going to happen in the long-awaited Messiah that we've been waiting for,
13:23
where he's finally going to have, like, a showdown, if you want to call it that, in the arena with Satan himself.
13:29
Is he going to prove that he is sovereign, or is he going to prove that, like, Satan is his equal?
13:37
You know, like, Christianity is not a, we talked about this on Thursday night,
13:41
it's not a dualistic thing where you have good and evil bowing it out, and both are equally matched, and it's like a fight.
13:47
Is it going to prove to be that, or is it going to show that Christ has complete control and complete sovereignty in this situation?
13:54
And Christ, our older brother, he's called in Hebrews, Christ is called our older brother.
14:01
I don't know how many of you have older brothers, but my parents are here today.
14:05
I love my older brother.
14:07
He's a knucklehead sometimes, I want to punch him sometimes, but he's a good guy.
14:14
And I have a really vague memory of, like, being in elementary school,
14:18
and, like, these kids were, these older kids were picking on my buddies,
14:24
and I, like, stood up to them, I said, you know, get lost or whatever,
14:28
and, like, I'm going to take no stuff, you know, so I, like, stood up to them.
14:34
But I remember thinking, like, oh, man, like, I'm going to get it from these guys.
14:38
There's, like, three of them, and, like, they're all bigger than me,
14:41
but I'm going down with a fight, you know, kind of thought.
14:43
But then I remember, like, walking up to them, and, like, they just kind of went like this,
14:48
and they started, like, walking away.
14:50
Then they started running, and then I was like, man, what happened?
14:54
And then, like, I saw my older brother, like, running, like, past me,
14:57
and he just, like, pummeled one of them, like, on the back, and I was like, get away.
15:03
So, yeah, then I came by and, like, did the little on the ground.
15:09
And so, like, Christ, our older brother is, like, entering the arena with Satan here.
15:17
And if you can imagine, just, like, watching this on a big screen,
15:22
just not knowing, like, what was going to happen.
15:24
But if he really was a long way in Messiah, he was going to be able to overthrow Satan.
15:32
And he's going to be able to prove that he was the one in Genesis 3 who was spoken about,
15:37
who would crush the head of the serpent.
15:40
So, 40 days, that is a long time.
15:44
But just so you're aware, like, a 40-day fast is not an uncommon thing in the Old Testament.
15:49
Moses in Exodus 34 had a 40-day fast.
15:54
Elijah in 1 Kings, he had a 40-day fast.
15:58
So you would be near, like, almost physical depletion by that time.
16:01
You really would be.
16:03
It only would be if God was in it would you almost survive.
16:06
And so, what was Christ's temptation?
16:11
Like, have you ever thought about that?
16:12
Like, what was he being tempted with?
16:15
It really could be kind of several things with all the same aim, I guess, or the same goal.
16:21
But one was, like, Satan might not have been trying to tempt him to give up his sovereignty or his royalty,
16:29
but he was trying to tempt him to abandon his humiliation.
16:34
Like, you're the Son of God.
16:35
Don't put up with this.
16:36
You should have the right to eat.
16:38
You should be doing this.
16:40
Why are you doing this to yourself?
16:42
So, definitely a strong assault of, like, you don't have to do this.
16:46
You're the Son of God.
16:47
Abandon this humiliation.
16:50
Because he was trying to prevent Christ from getting to the cross, right?
16:54
So, that's one.
16:56
And then the other hand, he actually was trying to get Jesus to commit sin and disobedience
17:01
so that he wouldn't be the perfect sacrifice for our sins anymore.
17:06
But on both attempts, though, really,
17:08
it was just trying to subvert God's plan and God's redemptive purpose on the cross.
17:14
So, Christ had to remain true to the Father,
17:18
and he had to remain sinless if that was going to happen.
17:22
So, that was his goal.
17:23
But if you ever thought about this, like Christ, the Scripture said,
17:27
has been tempted in every way, just like us.
17:29
It says that he was a child and that he grew in wisdom and stature with God.
17:35
He was a teenager, and he was a man, and he never sinned.
17:41
Peter said this,
17:43
He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
17:48
And then towards the end of Luke's Gospel,
17:50
Jesus tells his disciples,
17:52
You have been with me through many temptations.
17:54
So, don't mistake this as also being the only temptation that Christ faced.
18:00
It probably was one of the most intense times,
18:02
but he was tempted in every way, just like we were.
18:06
So, what's the outcome of the temptation?
18:11
In his weakest and the most isolated circumstances imaginable,
18:15
Christ remains steadfast.
18:18
Through total dependence on the Father,
18:21
through prayer,
18:22
he remained that way.
18:24
He quoted the Scripture.
18:25
We know that from the other Gospels, right?
18:27
He quoted from Torah, from Deuteronomy,
18:30
three different times.
18:31
And just the Word of God is powerful.
18:35
Psalm 119 says this,
18:38
Great peace have those who love your law.
18:41
Nothing can make them stumble.
18:43
You see that?
18:44
That's what Christ was holding on to.
18:46
So, Christ overcame.
18:49
And he remained like the sinless sacrifice.
18:54
And just think about it.
18:56
Like, finally, remember like the last words he said in the temptation?
19:00
When Satan goes after him, he says,
19:03
Away with you, Satan.
19:04
Like, he commands him, like, sovereignly,
19:05
to get out of my face.
19:06
Like, you are done.
19:08
And he slithered away like the snake he is
19:11
from the holy presence of Jesus.
19:14
And he did this all by himself,
19:17
with total dependence on the Father.
19:19
Now, don't make the mistake.
19:20
Like, Jesus didn't have some kind of upper hand, okay?
19:24
If he did, then he wouldn't,
19:25
his temptations would not have been real.
19:28
To be the sinless, perfect sacrifice,
19:31
he had to be tempted every way,
19:33
just like we were.
19:35
So, it wasn't like he had some kind of supernatural juice
19:37
that just kind of got him through this.
19:39
Like, he was utterly dependent on the Father.
19:41
You see that in Gethsemane, too.
19:43
He's going to the Father.
19:44
He's showing us how to overcome.
19:47
So, he did it.
19:50
And he did it for us,
19:51
and for the salvation and the glory of his Father.
19:55
And then, all that Mark says is,
19:57
like, angels minister to him.
19:59
How cool is that?
20:00
Like, right after the temptation,
20:01
angels come from heaven and minister to him.
20:05
So, what do you think that could have been?
20:08
Well, the phrase is used, like ministering.
20:12
It means to serve food.
20:13
Pretty cool.
20:14
So, like, I bet it was some special,
20:16
awesome concoction from food from heaven
20:19
that God, like, brought him partially,
20:21
like to restore him back to physical health
20:24
after all that was over.
20:26
So, what's the point?
20:28
Flip to Hebrews 4 real quick.
20:32
Hebrews 4, verse 14.
20:34
So, Christ has exercised,
20:45
and he's proved his total authority over Satan.
20:49
And he overcame him.
20:51
Okay?
20:53
Check this out.
20:54
Awesome stuff.
20:55
Verse 14.
20:58
Since then, we have a great high priest
21:00
who has passed through the heavens,
21:03
Jesus, the Son of God,
21:05
let us hold fast our confession.
21:08
For we do not have a high priest
21:10
who is unable to sympathize with our weakness.
21:13
See that?
21:14
But one who in every respect
21:16
has been tempted as we are,
21:18
yet without sin.
21:20
So, every way we were.
21:22
Every way.
21:24
It says then,
21:25
let us then with confidence
21:27
draw near to the throne of grace,
21:29
that we may receive mercy
21:31
and find grace to help
21:33
in time of need.
21:34
So,
21:35
Christ suffered
21:36
far greater temptations
21:38
than we were,
21:39
to be honest,
21:40
I believe,
21:40
because he never gave in.
21:42
If you ever, like,
21:43
arm wrestled someone really strong before,
21:45
and like maybe,
21:46
like you resisted for a while,
21:48
but then you broke,
21:49
like,
21:50
you didn't really feel
21:50
the full force of that guy,
21:52
did you?
21:52
Like,
21:53
you capitulated and broke
21:54
before you really felt
21:56
the full onslaught
21:57
of what that big dude
21:58
had to offer you,
21:59
but Jesus didn't break.
22:01
You see that?
22:02
Like,
22:02
he was stood the full force
22:04
of what temptation
22:05
had to offer.
22:06
So,
22:06
Christ,
22:07
our older brother,
22:08
has conquered,
22:09
and he's cleared the way
22:10
for us,
22:11
and because he is overcome,
22:13
now we can overcome.
22:14
He's cleared the way
22:15
to the Father
22:16
and provided all we need.
22:18
So,
22:19
flip back to Mark again.
22:22
We'll go on to
22:23
the second point.
22:28
And the second point,
22:30
number two,
22:31
so we have the authority
22:32
of Christ over Satan,
22:34
and now we have the authority
22:35
of Christ over sin.
22:38
Alright,
22:38
we see this in verse 14 and 15.
22:41
Now,
22:41
after John was arrested,
22:43
John the Baptist,
22:45
Jesus came into Galilee
22:46
proclaiming the gospel of God
22:48
and saying,
22:50
the time is fulfilled
22:50
and the kingdom of God
22:51
is at hand.
22:53
Repent and believe
22:54
the gospel.
22:55
And this phrase
22:56
kind of summarizes
22:57
Christ's preaching ministry.
23:00
If you ever wonder,
23:01
like,
23:01
what do I say?
23:02
Like,
23:02
what's the message
23:03
that we bring to
23:04
a lost world?
23:05
Like,
23:06
in the most simple way,
23:08
like,
23:08
this is it.
23:08
Like,
23:09
this is the gospel message.
23:12
And,
23:12
so,
23:14
God's establishing,
23:16
or Christ is establishing
23:17
His authority over sin
23:19
and in the lives
23:20
of Adam's fallen race.
23:23
So,
23:23
in response to this,
23:24
we're to repent
23:25
and believe the gospel.
23:26
So,
23:27
the kingdom of God,
23:28
let's just look at that
23:28
just for one second.
23:30
Well,
23:30
most people,
23:32
most theologians would say
23:33
that the kingdom of God
23:34
should be,
23:35
can be understood
23:36
in three different ways.
23:38
But,
23:39
one is
23:40
the spiritual kingdom,
23:41
the invisible kingdom.
23:43
And that is,
23:44
like,
23:45
when Christ comes to rule,
23:46
like,
23:46
in the hearts of mankind.
23:49
We can't see it with our eyes,
23:50
but it's there
23:51
and it's worldwide.
23:53
It goes all over the world.
23:54
So,
23:55
that's the kingdom of God,
23:56
at least the spiritual kingdom,
23:58
is happening,
23:59
like,
23:59
right now.
24:00
And then,
24:01
there's a future millennial kingdom
24:02
with the new earth
24:03
that's talked about
24:04
in Revelation 20.
24:05
And that's to come
24:06
where Christ will fulfill
24:08
all the Old Testament prophecies
24:09
about the Messiah.
24:11
And then,
24:11
following that,
24:12
the last aspect of the kingdom
24:14
is the eternal kingdom.
24:15
And that's when we all
24:16
accumulate,
24:18
finally,
24:19
with the new heaven,
24:20
with the Father.
24:22
That's all,
24:24
it's in Daniel,
24:25
it's in Isaiah,
24:25
it's Revelation,
24:27
all that.
24:28
So,
24:29
when Jesus says
24:30
the kingdom of God
24:31
is here,
24:32
it is here
24:33
because the king is there.
24:34
You see that?
24:35
Christ has brought
24:36
the kingdom.
24:38
And,
24:39
if you want to think about it
24:40
this way,
24:40
like,
24:41
the kingdom of God
24:42
is already here,
24:43
but it's not yet
24:44
fully here.
24:46
And,
24:46
for a long time,
24:47
people have described
24:48
that as like,
24:49
if you can picture
24:50
like the sun
24:51
kind of coming up
24:52
over the horizon,
24:53
it's kind of piercing
24:54
through the darkness,
24:55
but the sun's not
24:56
completely up yet.
24:58
Like,
24:58
that's kind of what
24:59
the kingdom is right now.
25:00
Like,
25:00
it's breaking through
25:02
the darkness,
25:03
but it is here,
25:04
but it's not yet
25:05
fully here.
25:06
So,
25:07
where it says,
25:07
where Jesus says
25:08
the time is fulfilled,
25:10
really cool.
25:12
Like,
25:12
I'll always be encouraged
25:13
that God is a
25:14
planning God.
25:15
He's not making
25:16
stuff up.
25:16
This is stuff
25:17
that He's ordained
25:18
before the foundation
25:19
of the world.
25:21
Jesus says
25:22
the time is fulfilled,
25:23
the keros,
25:25
which means like,
25:26
it doesn't mean like
25:26
clock time,
25:28
or calendar time,
25:30
or anything like that.
25:31
It has to do with
25:32
the idea of
25:33
a fixed point
25:34
in history
25:35
for an event
25:35
to happen.
25:36
That's what He's
25:37
talking about.
25:39
So,
25:39
Galatians 4,
25:40
for instance,
25:40
says,
25:41
like,
25:41
in the fullness
25:41
of time,
25:42
God sent forth
25:43
His Son.
25:45
So,
25:45
this is like
25:45
the fixed time
25:46
when God was
25:47
to do this.
25:48
So,
25:48
Jesus is saying,
25:49
like,
25:49
that time
25:50
is now,
25:51
like,
25:51
I am here,
25:52
and the kingdom
25:53
is here.
25:54
It's the most
25:54
significant error
25:55
in history,
25:57
and where the Messiah
25:58
would come and pay
25:59
the penalty for sin
26:00
and save sinners.
26:03
So,
26:03
like,
26:03
that's the kingdom.
26:05
So,
26:05
how do we get
26:05
into the kingdom?
26:06
how does one
26:08
take part
26:09
of this new
26:10
reign
26:10
that's now
26:11
coming
26:12
or being
26:13
reestablished,
26:14
I should say?
26:15
Well,
26:16
repent and
26:17
believe the
26:18
gospel.
26:18
Like,
26:18
that's how we
26:21
do it.
26:22
So,
26:23
let's just look at
26:23
these,
26:23
like,
26:24
repent.
26:25
It really
26:25
means,
26:26
some people say
26:27
it means,
26:28
like,
26:28
to just turn
26:28
around,
26:29
but it
26:30
implies a lot
26:31
more than that.
26:31
It means,
26:32
like,
26:32
to change
26:33
one's mind
26:34
for the
26:35
better.
26:36
A total
26:37
turning away
26:38
from sin,
26:39
hating it,
26:40
and resolving
26:41
by God's
26:41
power to be
26:42
completely free
26:43
of it,
26:44
to completely
26:44
fight against
26:45
it,
26:46
to forsake
26:47
it.
26:48
So,
26:48
it's not just,
26:49
if you notice
26:49
this too,
26:50
when you read
26:51
this language,
26:51
you'll see that
26:52
repent and
26:53
believe is not
26:54
like an
26:55
invitation,
26:56
it's not
26:57
like a
26:58
suggestion,
26:59
it's a
26:59
command,
27:00
like from
27:00
Jesus,
27:01
like repent
27:01
and believe
27:03
the gospel.
27:04
It's not
27:04
like,
27:05
come on,
27:05
you can
27:05
repent and
27:06
you can
27:06
believe if
27:07
you just
27:07
want to
27:08
do that,
27:08
it's a
27:09
command.
27:10
He's
27:10
exercising
27:11
his authority
27:11
here,
27:12
and he's
27:13
commanding all
27:14
men to
27:14
turn away
27:15
from their
27:15
sin and
27:16
to come
27:17
to him
27:17
because he
27:18
knows that
27:18
he is
27:19
their only
27:19
hope.
27:20
Have you
27:20
ever noticed
27:21
that some
27:21
commands can
27:22
be loving
27:22
things,
27:23
right?
27:24
Like,
27:25
your kids
27:25
running out
27:26
to the road
27:27
where there's
27:27
a lot of
27:28
traffic,
27:28
and you're
27:28
like,
27:29
come back
27:29
right now,
27:30
like I
27:30
command you
27:31
to come
27:31
back.
27:32
Like,
27:32
that's a
27:33
loving
27:33
command.
27:34
He's
27:34
saying,
27:35
like,
27:36
repent and
27:37
believe the
27:37
gospel as
27:38
a command.
27:40
So,
27:40
believe.
27:42
Got repent,
27:42
and what about
27:43
believe?
27:44
It doesn't
27:45
just mean,
27:45
like,
27:46
a mental
27:47
assent to
27:48
who God
27:49
is.
27:50
A lot of
27:50
people can
27:51
do that.
27:51
Unbelievers
27:52
can do that.
27:53
It means to
27:54
be persuaded.
27:55
It means to
27:55
be convicted
27:56
strongly,
27:57
and to throw
27:58
your total
27:58
trust into
27:59
something.
27:59
It's like
28:00
a belief
28:01
that's so
28:02
strong that
28:03
it actually
28:03
changes your
28:04
actions.
28:05
Notice that?
28:06
Like,
28:06
it's not just
28:07
like,
28:07
I believe
28:07
that.
28:08
It's like
28:08
it really
28:09
does affect
28:10
how you
28:11
live.
28:11
That's the
28:12
kind of
28:12
word that's
28:13
used here.
28:14
And then
28:14
the word
28:14
gospel,
28:16
glad tithing,
28:16
it's good
28:17
news.
28:18
The good
28:18
news about
28:19
the Messiah,
28:19
the new
28:20
king coming
28:21
to redeem
28:22
mankind.
28:23
That's what,
28:24
so,
28:24
repent and
28:25
believe the
28:25
gospel.
28:26
Throw
28:26
yourself
28:27
completely
28:27
into
28:27
Jesus
28:28
and depend
28:28
on him
28:29
only for
28:30
salvation.
28:31
Turn away
28:32
from your
28:32
sin and
28:33
forsake it
28:34
and resolve
28:34
by God's
28:35
power to
28:36
put it to
28:37
death.
28:38
So,
28:38
that's how
28:40
they get
28:40
into the
28:40
kingdom.
28:41
So,
28:42
the gospel
28:43
though,
28:44
was how
28:45
God plans
28:46
to destroy
28:47
the power
28:48
of the devil,
28:49
the power
28:50
of sin.
28:51
So,
28:52
flip to
28:53
Colossians 2
28:53
real fast.
28:57
John said,
29:01
for this
29:01
reason,
29:02
the Son of
29:02
God appeared
29:03
to destroy
29:04
the works
29:05
of the
29:05
devil.
29:05
It's not
29:06
just to
29:06
destroy
29:06
Satan,
29:08
but also
29:08
to destroy
29:09
the works
29:10
of Satan,
29:11
to destroy
29:12
sin itself.
29:14
So,
29:15
by his
29:16
death and
29:16
resurrection,
29:17
he would
29:17
destroy
29:18
the power
29:19
of sin
29:19
to rule
29:20
over us.
29:22
I'm so
29:22
glad,
29:23
because I
29:23
can't do
29:23
it by
29:23
myself.
29:24
Like,
29:24
guys who
29:24
live with me,
29:25
they would
29:26
know.
29:26
Like,
29:27
I can't
29:27
put sin
29:27
to death
29:28
by myself.
29:29
We would
29:29
just be
29:30
utterly
29:30
lost.
29:31
So,
29:31
let's
29:32
just look
29:32
at this.
29:33
Colossians 2
29:33
verse 13
29:36
says this,
29:38
And when
29:40
you were
29:40
dead in
29:40
your
29:41
trespasses,
29:42
and in
29:42
the uncircumcision
29:43
of your
29:44
flesh,
29:45
you were
29:47
made alive
29:47
together with
29:48
him,
29:49
having
29:49
forgiven
29:50
us all
29:50
our
29:50
trespasses,
29:51
by
29:52
canceling
29:52
the record
29:53
of debt
29:54
that stood
29:55
against us,
29:55
with his
29:57
legal demands,
29:58
and this
29:59
he set
29:59
aside,
30:00
nailing it
30:01
to the
30:01
cross.
30:03
And then
30:03
I'll read
30:03
just this
30:04
next verse.
30:05
It says,
30:06
When he
30:06
had disarmed
30:07
the rulers
30:07
and authorities,
30:08
he made
30:09
a public
30:09
display of
30:10
them,
30:11
having triumphed
30:12
over them
30:12
through him.
30:14
So,
30:15
there's a lot
30:15
in that.
30:16
But,
30:17
we were in
30:18
a desperate
30:18
state.
30:19
Like,
30:20
our sinful
30:20
condition was
30:21
not just
30:21
like a
30:22
kind of
30:22
bad thing,
30:23
we're sick,
30:24
and we just
30:24
need some
30:24
medicine.
30:25
We were
30:26
utterly
30:26
just a
30:26
corpse
30:27
spiritually,
30:28
and we
30:28
needed a
30:29
sovereign
30:29
God to
30:30
resurrect us
30:31
from the
30:31
dead,
30:32
and we
30:33
were not
30:33
a part
30:33
of the
30:35
people of
30:35
God at
30:36
all.
30:37
But then
30:37
it says,
30:38
God made
30:38
you alive
30:39
together with
30:40
Christ,
30:41
with him.
30:42
And then
30:42
it says that
30:43
the cross
30:43
canceled the
30:45
record of
30:45
death that
30:46
stood against
30:46
us.
30:47
See that?
30:48
Like,
30:48
we have
30:48
this record
30:50
of everything,
30:51
every thought,
30:52
every motive,
30:53
every action
30:54
that we
30:54
ever have
30:55
committed
30:55
against
30:55
God.
30:56
And it
30:56
would be
30:57
this endless
30:58
list,
30:58
like,
30:59
forever
30:59
long,
31:01
but Christ
31:01
canceled it,
31:03
or he blotted
31:03
it out,
31:04
as some
31:04
other good
31:05
translations say.
31:06
He literally
31:07
blotted out
31:08
what you
31:08
did by what
31:10
he did on
31:10
the cross.
31:11
He paid the
31:11
penalty for
31:12
it.
31:13
He canceled
31:13
the record
31:14
of debt,
31:15
and he
31:15
nailed it
31:16
to the
31:16
cross.
31:18
So,
31:19
what's really
31:19
cool here,
31:20
though,
31:20
is what
31:22
happened?
31:23
What happened?
31:24
Then it
31:24
mentions,
31:25
like,
31:25
the spiritual
31:25
enemies of
31:27
our souls
31:27
in verse
31:28
15,
31:28
if you see
31:28
that.
31:29
He disarmed
31:30
the rulers
31:30
and authorities.
31:32
Then he
31:32
uses the
31:33
word triumph
31:33
over them.
31:35
Now,
31:35
just indulge
31:36
me.
31:36
Those of you
31:36
who know
31:37
me know
31:37
I really
31:37
like ancient
31:39
history a lot.
31:39
I love,
31:40
like,
31:40
Roman history,
31:41
Greek history.
31:42
But,
31:42
in the time
31:44
of the Roman
31:44
Republic,
31:45
this is before,
31:46
like,
31:46
all the
31:47
emperors,
31:48
before the
31:48
Caesars,
31:49
there was
31:50
two men
31:50
elected every
31:51
year called
31:52
consuls,
31:52
and they
31:53
were more
31:53
or less
31:54
like generals.
31:56
And,
31:56
like,
31:57
the ones
31:57
who fought
31:58
against Hannibal,
31:58
they were
31:59
consuls,
31:59
they were
32:00
all that.
32:01
So,
32:01
but if a
32:02
consul won
32:03
a major
32:03
battle or
32:04
major victory,
32:05
the Republic,
32:07
the Senate,
32:08
allowed him
32:08
a parade
32:10
to come
32:11
through
32:11
Rome itself.
32:14
It was
32:14
called a
32:14
triumph.
32:15
And he
32:16
would ride
32:16
in a
32:16
chariot,
32:17
and he
32:18
would have
32:18
this big,
32:19
you know,
32:19
pomp and
32:20
celebration
32:20
for the
32:21
people of
32:21
Rome.
32:23
But behind
32:23
the consul
32:26
would be
32:27
like prisoners
32:29
that they had
32:29
taken from
32:30
the battle.
32:31
They would
32:31
have these
32:32
big things
32:34
that they
32:34
would carry,
32:35
like some
32:36
of the
32:36
prisoners on
32:37
top of,
32:37
these platforms
32:38
that kind
32:38
of put them
32:39
on display
32:39
for the
32:40
people of
32:41
Rome to
32:41
see.
32:42
And they
32:42
also would
32:43
have like
32:43
armor and
32:44
weapons that
32:44
the enemy
32:45
fought with.
32:46
And at
32:47
least in
32:48
the ancient
32:48
world,
32:48
if you
32:49
were a
32:49
warrior,
32:49
if you
32:50
were a
32:50
soldier,
32:52
to have
32:52
your weapons
32:52
taken away
32:53
from you
32:53
was like
32:54
the greatest
32:54
act of
32:55
shame ever.
32:56
Like it
32:56
was like
32:56
you were
32:57
naked,
32:57
really.
32:58
Like you
32:58
just didn't
32:58
have anything
32:59
to offer.
33:00
So to be
33:00
disarmed was
33:01
complete,
33:03
total humiliation.
33:05
And this
33:06
is what it's
33:06
saying,
33:07
like Christ
33:07
did.
33:08
You see
33:08
that?
33:09
Like he
33:09
is the
33:10
triumphator
33:11
over Satan,
33:13
over evil.
33:14
and he's
33:15
put Satan
33:15
on public
33:16
display.
33:17
You see
33:17
that?
33:17
Like he's
33:18
made a
33:19
mockery of
33:19
him.
33:20
So like
33:20
what was
33:21
Satan's
33:22
weapon?
33:23
Like what
33:24
was,
33:25
what did
33:25
the cross
33:26
take care
33:26
of?
33:27
If you
33:27
notice,
33:28
the cross
33:28
didn't destroy
33:29
Satan,
33:29
did it?
33:30
Like Satan's
33:30
still alive
33:31
and active
33:31
today.
33:33
He will
33:33
ultimately be
33:34
destroyed.
33:35
We know
33:36
from what
33:37
scripture says
33:38
he will
33:38
ultimately be
33:38
destroyed.
33:39
But what
33:40
happened at
33:40
the cross?
33:41
And this
33:41
is something
33:41
John Piper
33:43
said.
33:43
He said
33:43
about this
33:44
verse,
33:45
when the
33:45
record of
33:46
our law
33:46
breaking
33:47
is nailed
33:47
to the
33:48
cross
33:48
and
33:49
canceled,
33:49
the power
33:50
of Satan
33:50
to destroy
33:52
us is
33:52
broken.
33:54
Satan
33:54
has only
33:55
one weapon
33:56
that can
33:56
damn us
33:57
to hell,
33:58
unforgiven
33:59
sin.
34:00
And this
34:01
weapon,
34:01
Christ stripped
34:02
from Satan's
34:03
hand on
34:04
the cross.
34:05
So like
34:06
he's disarmed
34:06
him,
34:07
like he
34:07
doesn't have
34:08
any power
34:08
over us
34:09
anymore
34:09
because of
34:10
what Christ
34:11
did at
34:12
the cross.
34:12
And that's
34:13
the gospel.
34:13
Like in
34:14
this present
34:15
life,
34:16
we can
34:16
be delivered
34:17
from the
34:17
power of
34:17
sin and
34:18
the power
34:19
of Satan
34:19
through what
34:20
Christ has
34:21
done and
34:22
be saved
34:22
from the
34:23
wrath of
34:23
God.
34:25
So,
34:25
awesome stuff.
34:27
Lastly,
34:28
the third
34:29
thing,
34:31
the authority
34:32
of Christ
34:32
over sinners
34:33
is now
34:34
demonstrated.
34:36
So,
34:36
authority of
34:37
Christ over
34:37
Satan,
34:38
authority of
34:39
Christ over
34:39
sin.
34:40
sin,
34:40
the obvious
34:41
outcome of
34:42
that would
34:42
be Christ's
34:43
authority over
34:43
sinners,
34:44
people like
34:44
you and
34:45
me.
34:46
Back in
34:46
Mark,
34:47
verse 12,
34:49
passing along
34:50
the Sea of
34:50
Galilee,
34:51
he saw
34:51
Simon and
34:52
Andrew,
34:53
the brother of
34:54
Simon,
34:55
casting a
34:55
net into the
34:56
sea,
34:57
for they
34:57
were fishermen.
34:58
And Jesus
34:59
said to them,
34:59
follow me,
35:00
and I will
35:01
make you
35:01
become fishers
35:02
of men.
35:03
And
35:03
immediately,
35:05
there's that
35:05
word again,
35:06
they left
35:06
their nets
35:07
and followed
35:07
him.
35:08
And going
35:09
on a little
35:09
farther,
35:09
he saw
35:10
James,
35:10
the son of
35:11
Zebedee,
35:12
and John,
35:12
his brother,
35:14
who were in
35:14
their boat
35:14
mending the
35:15
nets.
35:16
And immediately
35:16
he called
35:17
them,
35:17
and they
35:17
left their
35:18
father Zebedee
35:18
in the boat
35:19
with the
35:20
higher servants
35:21
and followed
35:21
him.
35:22
So,
35:23
Christ shows
35:23
that he has
35:24
the power
35:25
to rule in
35:26
the hearts
35:26
of men here.
35:27
And in the
35:28
same way,
35:29
you should
35:30
know,
35:30
these are
35:31
just ordinary
35:32
guys.
35:32
These are
35:32
blue-collar,
35:34
not your
35:35
most sophisticated
35:36
kind of guys.
35:38
Like,
35:39
I don't
35:39
consider myself
35:40
a decent
35:40
fisherman.
35:41
I don't
35:41
really go
35:41
much anymore.
35:43
But,
35:43
like,
35:43
I know
35:43
some guys
35:44
who are
35:44
just straight
35:44
out blue-collar,
35:46
chill dudes
35:46
who just love
35:47
to fish,
35:47
you know.
35:48
And,
35:48
like,
35:48
the Lord
35:49
picks these
35:50
ordinary men
35:51
to display
35:51
his power
35:52
in them.
35:53
They were
35:54
fishers on
35:54
the Sea of
35:55
Galilee.
35:56
Galilee had
35:56
a huge
35:57
fishing industry.
35:58
That was the
35:59
main industry
35:59
for meat
36:00
in the
36:01
Mediterranean
36:01
world.
36:02
It was fish.
36:03
And so,
36:03
they were also
36:04
exporters of
36:05
the fish they
36:05
had.
36:06
as well.
36:07
And,
36:08
really cool,
36:09
when we see
36:10
this though,
36:11
when Jesus
36:11
came to them,
36:13
it's important
36:13
to know that
36:13
he already
36:14
knew who
36:14
they were.
36:15
Like,
36:15
from other
36:16
gospels,
36:17
they were at
36:17
John's baptism
36:18
where they saw
36:19
Jesus come,
36:19
and John
36:20
said,
36:21
there's the
36:21
Lamb of God.
36:22
So,
36:22
they already
36:22
knew who
36:23
Jesus was.
36:24
Jesus knew
36:25
who they
36:25
were.
36:26
But then he
36:27
came up to
36:27
them and did
36:28
something very
36:28
unusual.
36:29
He commanded
36:30
them to come
36:31
to him.
36:33
Right?
36:33
Rabbis didn't
36:33
do that.
36:34
There's no
36:34
record in
36:35
any Old
36:38
Testament or
36:39
ancient Hebrew
36:40
writings at all
36:41
that ever said,
36:42
like a
36:42
rabbi,
36:43
would come and
36:44
say,
36:45
come to me,
36:46
like,
36:46
follow me.
36:47
Never
36:48
happened.
36:49
Even the
36:49
prophet said,
36:50
turn to God,
36:52
follow God,
36:52
but like Christ
36:53
actually commands
36:54
them to come,
36:56
follow me,
36:56
and I'll make
36:57
you fishers of
36:57
men.
36:58
very unusual.
37:00
So,
37:01
he did this
37:02
in the most
37:02
extreme way
37:03
possible.
37:03
He's asking
37:04
them to
37:05
abandon their
37:07
way of life,
37:07
to abandon
37:08
their fishing
37:09
industry,
37:11
to leave
37:11
their family,
37:12
and to
37:13
become heralds
37:14
of the gospel,
37:15
to become heralds
37:16
of the good
37:16
news.
37:17
I will teach
37:18
you how to
37:18
do these
37:18
things.
37:20
And they
37:20
came.
37:21
It was a
37:22
sovereign
37:23
enabling.
37:25
God has the
37:25
power over our
37:26
hearts.
37:26
I don't know
37:27
if you know
37:27
that or not.
37:29
Some of us
37:29
like to think
37:30
that we
37:31
have the
37:31
power,
37:32
but like the
37:32
God who
37:33
created the
37:33
universe has
37:34
the power
37:34
to create
37:35
in us a
37:36
new heart.
37:37
And that's
37:37
what being
37:38
born again
37:38
is.
37:39
That's what
37:39
regeneration
37:40
is, is the
37:41
Holy Spirit
37:42
giving us a
37:43
new heart
37:43
that can love
37:45
God and
37:45
follow God.
37:47
And so,
37:48
he commands
37:49
them and they
37:49
come.
37:50
And later on
37:51
in chapter 8,
37:52
we'll get there
37:52
in a few
37:54
months,
37:55
probably.
37:56
He,
37:57
yeah,
37:58
right.
37:59
It says,
38:00
if any man
38:01
come after
38:01
me,
38:02
let him
38:02
deny himself,
38:04
take up his
38:05
cross and
38:05
follow me.
38:06
Basically,
38:07
come and die.
38:09
That's what he's
38:09
saying,
38:09
come and die.
38:11
And to us,
38:12
it may be like,
38:14
you know what,
38:14
following Christ
38:15
may not cost us
38:16
our lives,
38:17
some of us it
38:18
might,
38:19
but he is saying
38:20
like,
38:21
if you knew
38:22
that following
38:22
me would cost
38:24
you your life,
38:25
would you come
38:25
anyway?
38:27
Are you that
38:27
desperate for
38:28
me?
38:29
Do you really
38:29
know who I
38:30
am?
38:30
And if you
38:31
really do
38:31
believe that,
38:33
it's not going
38:33
to matter.
38:34
You're going
38:34
to be willing
38:34
to cast aside
38:35
anything to
38:36
be with Christ,
38:38
family,
38:38
friends.
38:39
And he says
38:40
those kind of
38:40
things.
38:41
Luke 14,
38:42
Matthew 10,
38:43
he says that
38:43
kind of stuff.
38:44
You have to
38:44
love me more
38:46
than your life
38:46
itself.
38:48
He says that.
38:49
So they put
38:50
an end to the
38:50
family business
38:51
right there.
38:51
and they
38:53
headed out
38:53
to follow
38:53
Jesus.
38:54
And he
38:55
trained them
38:56
to preach
38:56
the gospel.
38:57
So he
38:58
established his
39:00
follow this,
39:02
okay?
39:02
Jesus established
39:03
the means
39:04
by calling
39:05
these men,
39:06
he established
39:07
the means
39:07
by which his
39:09
kingdom would
39:09
advance to
39:11
transform broken
39:12
sinners.
39:13
That's how he
39:13
chose to do it,
39:15
through us.
39:15
In other words,
39:16
like,
39:17
how awesome is
39:18
that?
39:18
He sovereignly
39:20
identifies these
39:21
guys,
39:21
and he sovereignly
39:22
calls these
39:22
guys.
39:23
And he's done
39:24
the same to
39:25
us.
39:26
So these are
39:26
just simple
39:27
men.
39:28
I wanted just
39:29
to show you
39:29
one other
39:30
passage.
39:31
And look at
39:32
Acts chapter 4
39:33
real quick.
39:34
Acts chapter 4,
39:37
verse 13.
39:44
Okay.
39:45
So just think
39:46
about this.
39:47
This is after
39:48
Christ has
39:49
gone back
39:50
to the
39:51
Father.
39:52
This is after
39:52
the disciples
39:53
have spent
39:53
years following
39:55
Jesus and
39:56
watching Jesus.
39:57
And now
39:57
they've been
39:58
empowered by
39:58
the Holy
39:59
Spirit to
40:00
preach the
40:02
good news.
40:04
And so what
40:05
about these
40:06
ordinary,
40:06
simple men?
40:07
What kind of
40:08
power did
40:09
Christ have in
40:09
their lives?
40:11
And because
40:12
you remember
40:12
before the
40:15
resurrection,
40:16
they were
40:16
scared.
40:16
They were
40:17
running.
40:18
They were
40:18
trying to
40:18
hide.
40:19
They were
40:20
terrified.
40:21
But after
40:21
they saw
40:22
Jesus,
40:22
they were
40:23
completely
40:23
bold and
40:24
empowered by
40:25
the Spirit.
40:25
And verse
40:26
13 says
40:26
this,
40:28
Now when
40:28
they saw
40:28
the boldness
40:29
of Peter
40:30
and John,
40:31
and they
40:31
perceived that
40:33
they were
40:33
uneducated,
40:35
common men,
40:36
they were
40:36
astonished,
40:38
and they
40:38
recognized that
40:39
they had been
40:40
with Jesus.
40:41
See that?
40:42
It doesn't
40:43
matter who
40:44
we are.
40:44
If we
40:45
know Christ
40:46
and we
40:46
walk with
40:46
Christ,
40:47
commune with
40:48
Christ,
40:50
what He can
40:52
use us for
40:52
is the sky's
40:54
the limit.
40:56
William
40:57
Carey, a
40:57
great missionary,
40:58
he said,
40:59
expect
41:00
extraordinary
41:01
things from
41:02
God and
41:02
attempt
41:03
extraordinary
41:03
things for
41:04
God.
41:04
Ask God to
41:05
empower you
41:06
to advance
41:07
the kingdom
41:07
for His
41:08
glory.
41:09
I'll read
41:10
you one
41:10
other text
41:11
in Acts
41:11
17.
41:13
Just go
41:13
ahead and
41:13
turn there.
41:14
You're already
41:14
in Acts.
41:14
Acts 17,
41:15
verse 6.
41:22
You can
41:23
see that
41:23
like the
41:24
followers of
41:24
Christ are
41:25
calling like
41:25
a big
41:25
uproar,
41:27
these
41:28
uneducated
41:28
and common
41:29
men.
41:31
And
41:31
verse 6
41:32
says,
41:34
When they
41:34
could not
41:34
find them,
41:35
they dragged
41:35
Jason and
41:36
some of the
41:37
brothers before
41:37
the city
41:38
authorities.
41:39
So,
41:39
they're
41:40
arresting
41:40
them and
41:40
they're
41:40
saying,
41:41
These men
41:42
have turned
41:42
the world
41:43
upside down,
41:44
have come
41:45
here also.
41:46
So,
41:47
again,
41:48
the power
41:48
of Christ
41:49
and the
41:49
authority
41:49
of Christ
41:50
was enabling
41:50
these guys
41:51
to literally
41:52
turn the
41:53
world upside
41:53
down for
41:54
the kingdom
41:55
and for
41:55
the glory
41:56
of God,
41:56
for the
41:57
gospel.
41:58
So,
41:58
if we have
41:59
fellowship
41:59
with Christ,
42:00
no matter
42:01
how simple
42:01
we are,
42:03
He can
42:03
empower us
42:04
and we can
42:05
advance His
42:06
kingdom.
42:06
nothing to
42:07
fear either
42:08
because Christ
42:09
has overcome
42:10
Satan,
42:10
He's overcome
42:11
the power
42:11
of sin,
42:13
He's overcome
42:13
us.
42:14
So,
42:15
He has the
42:15
complete authority
42:16
to do that.
42:18
He's a king
42:18
worth living
42:19
for and
42:20
worth dying
42:21
for.
42:22
So,
42:23
let's just
42:23
rejoice that
42:24
He doesn't
42:25
have some
42:25
kind of
42:25
puny
42:26
authority.
42:26
It's like
42:27
a sovereign,
42:28
God-endowed,
42:29
awesome authority
42:30
that one day
42:32
He will come
42:32
back and
42:33
reestablish
42:34
complete authority
42:35
over all
42:36
things.
42:36
So,
42:37
let's pray
42:38
together.
42:38
Let's pray
42:39
together.
42:38
Let's pray
42:39
together.