Latest / HBCWestminster / 5.5.24 Acts 9:32-43 Pastor Danny Gardner

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5.5.24 Acts 9:32-43 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

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  Church, would you pray with me?
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  And Lord, your word says that the man is blessed
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  who walks not in the counsel of the wicked
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  and nor stands in the way of sinners
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  nor sits in the seat of scoffers,
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  but his delight is in the law of the Lord.
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  And on his law he meditates day and night
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  and he will be like a tree planted by streams of water
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  that yields its fruit in its seasons
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  and whose leaf does not wither.
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  In all that he does, he will prosper.
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  And Lord God in heaven, would you make us fruitful,
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  abounding and green as we commit our way to your word
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  in Jesus' name, amen.
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  Amen, thank you, church.
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  Well, as we look again to our open Bibles
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  and specifically to the book of Acts,
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  we're reminded that the book of Acts
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  is called Acts for a reason.
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  It's a book of action.
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  More properly, the book is titled
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  The Acts of Acts.
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  The Acts of the Apostles.
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  But even that's kind of a misnomer
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  seeing as how the apostles are not
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  the focus and attention of the book.
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  They're just a sidebar.
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  If anything, the book should be titled
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  The Acts of the Resurrected and Ascended Jesus Christ,
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  Savior and Lord,
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  because it is he who is at work on every page.
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  Christ is working.
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  Even today, he is teaching.
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  He is performing miracles.
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  He is equipping his people.
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  He is advancing his church.
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  One soul at a time.
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  And as he does,
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  we are also reminded
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  that the enemy is at work as well.
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  Do you ever find
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  that the enemy of your soul
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  puts up roadblocks,
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  obstacles, and hurdles
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  to make your spiritual journey more difficult?
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  He certainly does.
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  The King James Version of 1 John 5 and verse 18
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  says it this way,
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  He that is begotten of God
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  keeps himself.
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  And in his commentary on that text,
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  J.C. Ryle words it this way.
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  He says,
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  A man born again or regenerate
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  is very careful of his own soul.
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  He desires to live like a soldier
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  in an enemy's country,
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  to wear his armor continually,
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  and to be prepared for temptation.
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  He finds by experience
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  that his soul is ever moving among enemies.
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  Have you noticed that?
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  He studies to be a watchful,
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  humble, and prayerful man.
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  What Ryle is saying
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  and what we have the privilege
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  of studying this morning
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  is that we are actually embroiled
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  in a cosmic battle
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  for nothing less than the souls
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  of men and women.
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  We are in a spiritual war
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  and it seems like most people
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  don't realize that there is war.
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  And it's certainly true
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  that most people, many people,
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  and they may be not most,
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  but many people
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  are not winning the war.
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  But the good news
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  is that the one who is for us
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  is greater.
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  Greater than the one
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  who is against us.
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  And throughout the book of Acts,
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  we see the enemy of our souls
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  throwing up roadblocks
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  to the gospel's advance
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  anywhere and any way he can.
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  Have you ever been chased
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  by a FedEx guy?
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  Like the black shorts
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  and the purple shirt,
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  the white truck?
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  Have you ever been chased by one?
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  I was chased by one this week.
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  This week,
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  one of those nice mornings
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  where the weather was warm enough
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  to go outside
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  and whatever,
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  we took a nice walk.
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  Hallie and I,
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  my wife and I,
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  my youngest son, Chase,
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  who was 14,
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  went on a walk.
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  The same loop we always make
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  in our neighborhood.
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  As we were walking,
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  enjoying one another,
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  talking to each other,
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  I could hear a larger truck
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  pull up behind me,
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  several houses back.
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  I kind of took a glance behind
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  and saw that it was just
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  a FedEx truck
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  and a FedEx guy jumped out.
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  I was surprised
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  as he yelled at us,
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  hailing us,
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  like, hey, hey, wait up.
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  So I stopped
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  and I thought maybe
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  he needs directions.
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  Our neighborhood is confusing.
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  Every single street
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  is 103rd, right?
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  Every single one.
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  You go straight on 103rd,
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  then you hang a right on 103rd,
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  then you go left on 103rd.
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  Like, maybe he needs directions
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  and he can't find an address.
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  I thought,
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  that's got to be what it is.
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  But he comes running up to us
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  and he had parked
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  several houses back.
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  He obviously had a delivery
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  to make at that house
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  because he pulled over
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  in front of it,
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  but he got out
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  and started chasing after us
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  and he said,
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  hey, my church
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  is having a Bible study.
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  Would you guys like to come?
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  And I thought,
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  well, that's a weird thing
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  for a guy in a unit.
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  Okay, that's pretty bold.
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  You know, like, good for you.
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  The pastor's message
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  must have been
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  share your faith, you know?
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  Whatever.
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  So I thought,
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  well, I thought,
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  I'll commend him
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  for his courage.
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  Hallie just responded with,
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  well, we're Christians.
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  And he said, that's okay.
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  You can come to our Bible study.
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  And I said, well,
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  I'm actually the pastor
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  of a church here in town
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  and I said,
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  part of my job description
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  actually says I have to attend.
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  You know, so I said,
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  we've already got a church
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  that we're happy with.
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  Thank you so much.
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  And he just said this,
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  will your church
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  be celebrating
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  the Passover?
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  And I thought,
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  that's an interesting question.
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  Will your church
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  be celebrating the Passover?
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  And I said, well,
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  it depends on what you mean
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  by Passover.
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  Because we believe
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  that the Lord Jesus Christ
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  on that last Passover
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  actually took the Passover,
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  translated it,
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  transformed it,
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  fulfilled it,
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  and turned it into communion.
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  So if that's what you mean,
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  then yes,
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  we celebrate it regularly.
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  We do it all the time together
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  as we remember
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  the sacrifice of our Lord.
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  We just did it again
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  this morning.
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  And he says,
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  that's not what I mean.
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  The Bible doesn't say
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  to celebrate communion.
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  The Bible says
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  to celebrate the Passover
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  by which we can be saved.
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  And I went, whoa.
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  Whoa.
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  I said, so you believe
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  that you have to take
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  the Passover
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  in order to be saved?
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  Yes, that's what the Bible says.
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  And I said,
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  that's not what the Bible says.
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  I said, you Jehovah's Witness?
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  And he goes, no.
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  And I said,
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  you're not Watchtower?
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  And he goes, no.
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  But as he started talking,
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  I just started getting
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  all of these little flags like,
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  there is something not right.
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  There's something not right.
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  And eventually I just said,
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  listen, what church
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  are you going to?
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  Are you Catholic?
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  Do you believe
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  in transubstantiation?
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  I started asking him about that.
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  Are you Catholic?
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  No.
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  I said, what church
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  do you go to?
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  It's just a non-denominational
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  church in town.
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  And I said, well,
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  give me the name of it.
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  I want the name of it.
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  He gave me the name.
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  It turns out,
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  I went back and looked
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  and I had had a conversation
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  with a guy,
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  similar things,
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  but I couldn't remember
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  15 years ago.
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  15 years ago,
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  I ran into one of these guys.
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  But I thought,
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  I couldn't really bring it up.
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  You know?
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  So I went back home.
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  I started to Google
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  the name of the church
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  and all of that.
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  And it turns out,
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  yeah, it's a cult.
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  They deny Trinitarianism.
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  They believe that God
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  does not exist in three persons,
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  that God exists
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  sometimes as the Father,
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  sometimes as the Son,
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  sometimes as the Holy Spirit.
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  The latest,
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  most modern iteration
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  of the Holy Spirit,
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  according to this cult,
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  was some Korean guy
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  who claimed to be
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  the Holy Spirit in 1953.
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  Now, that's bizarre.
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  I mean, it just got weirder
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  and weirder and weirder.
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  As we're talking,
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  you know, Chase is standing there
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  and he's just like,
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  what is going on?
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  Like, what is this guy
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  talking about?
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  And I'm like,
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  honestly, I don't totally know.
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  I can't put my finger on it.
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  I eventually just said,
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  you know what?
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  There's no point in us talking.
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  We're just going to keep on walking.
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  You should probably
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  get back to work, you know?
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  They're waiting for their stuff.
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  He goes and jumps back
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  in his truck.
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  And it was kind of funny
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  as we're making our turns
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  in the neighborhood,
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  his route must have been
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  our same route
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  because he was stopping
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  at houses and dropping off stuff.
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  And I thought,
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  that is funny.
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  As we're walking away,
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  my wife, my lovely wife, Hallie,
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  leans over to me
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  and she says,
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  Danny, sermon illustrations
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  literally chase you down.
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  She's like,
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  how does that happen?
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  I'm like, I don't know,
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  but Hallie, you can attest,
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  you were a witness.
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  I didn't do anything.
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  The guy literally chased after me
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  to try to get me to believe
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  in what is a false gospel.
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  The enemy, as the Lord works
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  and as the Lord advances
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  the gospel,
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  the enemy is also at work
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  throwing up roadblocks,
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  putting up hurdles
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  and obstacles
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  trying to deceive.
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  I mean, this guy,
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  the FedEx guy,
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  the purple shirt guy,
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  was talking about Jesus
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  and he's talking about Passover
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  and probably to most people,
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  they wouldn't be able
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  to tell the difference.
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  He says, Father, Son,
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  and Holy Spirit,
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  just like we do.
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  But when you keep on looking,
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  you realize that is not the truth.
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  I actually told him at one point
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  when he said,
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  you take Passover
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  for the salvation of your sins.
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  I said, that is not true.
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  It is by the crucifixion
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  and resurrection
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  of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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  by his grace
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  and through our faith,
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  that we are saved.
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  It is nothing else.
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  And he says,
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  that's not what the Bible says.
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  We just try to stick to the Bible.
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  And I was like, okay.
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  This morning's roadblocks
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  are interesting.
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  We're transitioning now
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  from Saul, right,
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  who would become
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  the Apostle Paul,
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  to Simon,
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  who became the Apostle Peter.
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  And as we make this transition
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  for the next couple of chapters,
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  looking at Peter's ministry
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  instead of Saul's ministry,
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  we're going to realize
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  that everywhere Peter goes,
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  the enemy of our souls
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  is continuing
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  to spring up these obstacles
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  and overcome them.
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  And over the Lord
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  hurdles these things.
• 9:07
  As we conclude Acts chapter 9,
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  and our attention is turning
• 9:10
  from one apostle to another,
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  we remember that due
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  to the mega persecution
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  in Jerusalem,
• 9:15
  the church has scattered.
• 9:16
  As they scattered,
• 9:17
  they are spreading the word.
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  Believers were moving
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  into all of the villages,
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  the cities,
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  inhabiting the major regions
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  of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee.
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  You'll recall from last Sunday
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  that due to the heat in Jerusalem,
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  Saul was sent by boat to Tarsus
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  for a period of time.
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  And it turns out
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  that in that interim,
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  as Saul leaves,
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  the apostle Peter
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  begins traveling throughout
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  all of those same regions
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  to visit and encouraging
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  those fledgling congregations.
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  And notice verse 32.
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  It says,
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  Now as Peter went here and there,
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  so you can imagine time is passing.
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  In fact, some translations even say
• 9:54
  in the meantime, all right?
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  In the meantime.
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  Now, as Peter went here and there
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  among them all,
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  these congregations scattered
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  throughout the region,
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  he came down also to the saints
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  who lived at Lydda.
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  And this kind of poses
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  our first question
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  that we're going to answer this morning.
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  The question is,
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  what is a saint?
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  Now, depending on the Christian tradition
• 10:16
  in which you were raised,
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  you may have a varied definition
• 10:20
  for that word saint.
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  On this point,
• 10:25
  other branches of the Christian tree,
• 10:27
  I believe,
• 10:29
  have paid the church
• 10:30
  a horrible disservice.
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  By elevating certain of their members
• 10:35
  to sainthood,
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  they would call them that,
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  for varying reasons.
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  Maybe for their charity,
• 10:40
  maybe for miracles,
• 10:41
  maybe for piety or asceticism,
• 10:43
  their ability to detach from the world
• 10:46
  and so on.
• 10:47
  And so they would say,
• 10:47
  well, that person was so good
• 10:49
  or so giving or whatever,
• 10:51
  so holy that they are a saint.
• 10:53
  Now this has left others
• 10:55
  to feel like maybe
• 10:56
  they are just commonplace,
• 10:57
  thinking perhaps that,
• 10:58
  yes, I'm a Christian,
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  but I'm certainly not a saint.
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  And so our tendency may be
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  to view saints as super Christian
• 11:07
  and ourselves as below them
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  for some reason,
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  but this is false.
• 11:13
  The New Testament says
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  that all believers are saints.
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  If you have put your faith
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  in Jesus Christ,
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  then guess what?
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  You are a saint.
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  And you may be thinking,
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  well, I'm married to the guy
• 11:27
  and believe me,
• 11:27
  he ain't no saint.
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  And listen,
• 11:30
  that could very well be true.
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  But your sainthood
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  is not based on your faithfulness,
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  nor is it based on your giving.
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  It is not based on your attendance.
• 11:40
  It is not a base
• 11:41
  on your spiritual giftings.
• 11:43
  If you are in Christ,
• 11:44
  the scriptures say
• 11:45
  you are sanctified,
• 11:46
  made holy.
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  And if you are sanctified,
• 11:49
  then guess what?
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  You're a saint.
• 11:51
  It's the same word.
• 11:54
  And not only are you sanctified in Christ,
• 11:56
  but you are empowered
• 11:58
  by his Holy Spirit.
• 12:01
  No one's calling
• 12:03
  is any greater
• 12:06
  than yours
• 12:08
  for you.
• 12:11
  Let me say that again.
• 12:13
  No one's calling,
• 12:15
  not the pastor's calling,
• 12:16
  not the pastor's wife,
• 12:17
  not the worship director,
• 12:18
  not missionaries.
• 12:20
  No one's calling
• 12:21
  is any greater
• 12:23
  than your calling is
• 12:24
  for you.
• 12:26
  And no one's ability
• 12:28
  to fulfill that calling
• 12:30
  is any greater than your calling.
• 12:30
  It's not any greater either.
• 12:32
  You maybe look at your own talents,
• 12:34
  your own skills,
• 12:35
  your own spiritual gifts,
• 12:36
  and maybe you feel inadequate.
• 12:38
  Maybe you feel like,
• 12:39
  you know what?
• 12:40
  The Lord should have chose
• 12:41
  somebody else.
• 12:43
  He should have called
• 12:44
  somebody else to that task.
• 12:45
  I can't do it.
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  And that also is not true.
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  Because the Holy Spirit
• 12:51
  has given you everything you need
• 12:53
  in order to fulfill
• 12:54
  the Lord's calling on your life.
• 12:55
  You are simply called
• 12:56
  to run the race
• 12:57
  that the Lord has marked out
• 12:59
  for you.
• 13:00
  Hebrews chapter 12 says this.
• 13:02
  Therefore, since we are surrounded
• 13:03
  by so great a cloud of witnesses,
• 13:05
  that is chapter 11's hall of faith.
• 13:08
  He's listing all of these people
• 13:09
  who did all these crazy things by faith.
• 13:10
  He says we're surrounded
• 13:11
  by all of those people.
• 13:13
  He says, therefore,
• 13:13
  let us also lay aside every weight
• 13:16
  and sin which clings closely,
• 13:18
  so closely.
• 13:19
  And then he says,
• 13:20
  and let us run with endurance
• 13:21
  the race that is set,
• 13:23
  what does it say?
• 13:25
  Before us.
• 13:26
  Did you know you are not called
• 13:28
  to run somebody else's race?
• 13:31
  You're called to run your own race
• 13:33
  for the race that is marked
• 13:34
  or set out before you.
• 13:38
  And you can, as you're doing this,
• 13:39
  constantly look to Jesus
• 13:40
  who is the author and perfecter
• 13:42
  of your faith.
• 13:43
  And so you needn't compare yourself
• 13:45
  with anyone else.
• 13:46
  The Lord loves you.
• 13:49
  You are important to him.
• 13:51
  You have value in Jesus Christ.
• 13:54
  He has given you a calling
• 13:56
  in Jesus Christ.
• 13:57
  And by his Holy Spirit,
• 13:59
  he has empowered you
• 14:00
  to fulfill.
• 14:01
  That calling.
• 14:03
  And so he goes to the saints
• 14:05
  and verse 32 says
• 14:06
  that he goes to the saints
• 14:07
  who live in a city called Lydda.
• 14:10
  Now we have been talking
• 14:11
  a lot about geography here.
• 14:13
  Okay, so here is just
• 14:14
  a kind of zoomed in
• 14:15
  little map of Israel.
• 14:17
  All right, here's Judea down here,
• 14:19
  Jerusalem, where the temple was.
• 14:20
  This was also where
• 14:21
  all of the apostles were stationed.
• 14:24
  And so Peter normally
• 14:25
  stayed in Jerusalem.
• 14:26
  This is where Saul was from
• 14:28
  until he started cruising
• 14:29
  toward Damascus up here.
• 14:30
  In order to be saved.
• 14:31
  That's when he ran into Jesus.
• 14:33
  Remember, Philip was sent out
• 14:35
  from Jerusalem up into Samaria.
• 14:36
  He starts doing all of these crazy things.
• 14:39
  He's healing people.
• 14:40
  He runs into the Ethiopian eunuch.
• 14:42
  He runs into Simon, the magician, right?
• 14:44
  All of that is going on up here.
• 14:45
  But people are coming to faith
• 14:46
  like crazy in Samaria.
• 14:48
  And so a couple of apostles,
• 14:49
  including Peter,
• 14:50
  go down to Samaria
• 14:51
  in order to see
• 14:52
  if all of that is legitimate.
• 14:53
  Peter says, yes, it's legitimate.
• 14:55
  He cruises back home to Jerusalem.
• 14:57
  In Acts chapter nine,
• 14:58
  now Peter is sent
• 15:00
  out and he's now taking
• 15:02
  this ridge route down
• 15:03
  to a town called Lydda.
• 15:05
  There is Lydda.
• 15:06
  He is moving directly
• 15:07
  toward the Mediterranean Sea.
• 15:09
  It is in the village.
• 15:11
  It's a small village at the time
• 15:12
  on the plain of Sharon,
• 15:14
  which is like a coastal plain
• 15:15
  north of Gaza.
• 15:17
  So Gaza is down here.
• 15:19
  OK, that's where all of the fighting
• 15:20
  is happening right now.
• 15:21
  This side is Jordan.
• 15:23
  Up here is Lebanon.
• 15:24
  All right.
• 15:25
  So he is cruising down
• 15:27
  onto the plain of Sharon
• 15:28
  into this town.
• 15:30
  This town is called Lydda.
• 15:32
  In 1900, this picture was taken.
• 15:36
  That's what it looked like
• 15:37
  in the year 1900.
• 15:38
  In the Old Testament,
• 15:39
  it was called Lod.
• 15:41
  If you've ever been to Israel,
• 15:43
  and I would recommend
• 15:43
  that you join me in Israel,
• 15:45
  June of 2025.
• 15:47
  We're going next year,
• 15:48
  Lord willing, of course,
• 15:50
  if it's safe to travel.
• 15:51
  And I believe that it will be by then.
• 15:53
  But if you've ever flown into Israel,
• 15:55
  then you have been to Lydda, Lod.
• 15:58
  That's what it looked like in 1900.
• 16:00
  That's what it looked like in 1900.
• 16:00
  This is what it looks like today.
• 16:02
  There is the Ben-Gurion
• 16:04
  International Airport.
• 16:05
  If you ever fly in and out of Israel,
• 16:07
  that's the airport you will fly into.
• 16:09
  That's the line of buses
• 16:10
  that you will eventually jump into with me
• 16:11
  to go and take our tour of Israel.
• 16:13
  OK, so there it is.
• 16:14
  It's mostly airport now.
• 16:16
  But if you've been to Israel,
• 16:17
  you've been to Lydda,
• 16:18
  you've been to Lod.
• 16:20
  And don't you find it interesting?
• 16:22
  I do.
• 16:23
  That the same city,
• 16:25
  which is used for runways today,
• 16:27
  there it is,
• 16:28
  was used by God
• 16:29
  as a refuge.
• 16:30
  As a runway for the gospel
• 16:31
  2,000 years ago.
• 16:33
  This becomes the runway
• 16:35
  that Peter would use
• 16:36
  to expand the gospel
• 16:38
  all the way to Caesarea
• 16:41
  in chapter 10
• 16:42
  and to the first
• 16:43
  genuinely Gentile convert.
• 16:46
  That's what we're going to look at
• 16:47
  next year.
• 16:48
  It is the runway for the gospel.
• 16:50
  But Peter, we find,
• 16:51
  is confronted upon his arrival
• 16:52
  with a man who was disabled.
• 16:54
  Look at verse 33.
• 16:56
  It says,
• 16:57
  He found a man
• 16:58
  who was,
• 16:59
  a man named Aeneas,
• 17:00
  bedridden for eight years
• 17:02
  who was paralyzed.
• 17:04
  Now, surely the gospel
• 17:06
  is no match for paralysis, right?
• 17:10
  Surely this will be
• 17:11
  where the gospel falls short.
• 17:12
  From the beginning of chapter 8,
• 17:14
  we have studied how the gospel
• 17:15
  has been victorious
• 17:15
  over and over.
• 17:17
  But surely here,
• 17:18
  we will encounter
• 17:19
  the gospel's first defeat.
• 17:22
  But we're going to read
• 17:23
  that paralysis is no obstacle
• 17:25
  for the power of the gospel
• 17:26
  in Jesus' name.
• 17:27
  In fact,
• 17:30
  disability is no obstacle.
• 17:33
  Disease is no obstacle.
• 17:36
  Demonic activity is no obstacle.
• 17:38
  As we're going to see
• 17:39
  in our next passage,
• 17:40
  even death is no obstacle
• 17:42
  for the power of the gospel
• 17:43
  in Jesus' name
• 17:44
  because the power of death
• 17:45
  was broken by the cross.
• 17:48
  And so death really has lost
• 17:50
  its, what?
• 17:52
  Sting.
• 17:54
  It has lost its sting.
• 17:58
  Remember the conversation
• 17:59
  that the angel Gabriel had
• 18:01
  with the Virgin Mary
• 18:02
  as he's communicating to her,
• 18:04
  you're going to give birth
• 18:05
  to the Messiah.
• 18:05
  She's like, that's impossible.
• 18:07
  All right?
• 18:08
  And then he just says,
• 18:09
  nothing's impossible with God.
• 18:12
  One author words it this way,
• 18:14
  the gospel is a message
• 18:15
  for everyone, everywhere,
• 18:16
  under any circumstance.
• 18:19
  So don't think,
• 18:20
  well, I'm preaching this morning
• 18:21
  that I'm preaching to someone else.
• 18:22
  This morning, I'm preaching to you.
• 18:25
  Whatever your struggles,
• 18:27
  whatever your trappings,
• 18:28
  whatever sickness
• 18:29
  you may be enduring,
• 18:31
  whatever failings,
• 18:31
  whatever bondage you have,
• 18:35
  whatever addictions you have,
• 18:37
  there is freedom
• 18:38
  in the power of the gospel
• 18:39
  in Jesus' name.
• 18:41
  And observe how quickly
• 18:42
  that healing can come.
• 18:43
  Look at how simply it's stated.
• 18:44
  Verse 34,
• 18:45
  Peter said to him,
• 18:46
  so you've got this paralyzed man,
• 18:48
  paralyzed for eight years.
• 18:49
  Peter says to him,
• 18:50
  Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you.
• 18:53
  Boom.
• 18:55
  Jesus Christ heals you.
• 18:56
  It's over.
• 18:58
  Whatever you do,
• 18:58
  you've been enduring
• 18:59
  for the past decade.
• 19:01
  It's done.
• 19:02
  Now, depending on the accent,
• 19:04
  the text could literally read,
• 19:05
  Jesus Christ has healed you
• 19:07
  this very moment.
• 19:08
  It could also read,
• 19:09
  Jesus Christ makes you whole.
• 19:11
  But either way,
• 19:12
  the dude was broken
• 19:13
  and he got repaired.
• 19:14
  And so notice also
• 19:15
  that Peter never names himself.
• 19:17
  It's not like he says,
• 19:19
  I heal you
• 19:20
  in the name of Jesus Christ.
• 19:22
  He skips himself altogether.
• 19:25
  Peter was quick to identify
• 19:26
  that the miracle was wrought by Jesus,
• 19:28
  and so no one else,
• 19:30
  even himself,
• 19:30
  should get the credit.
• 19:32
  He recognized that he was merely
• 19:34
  the conduit of God's blessing.
• 19:37
  Let me ask you, church,
• 19:38
  because there's some confusion
• 19:39
  on this sometime.
• 19:41
  Could Peter heal?
• 19:43
  No.
• 19:45
  Peter couldn't heal
• 19:47
  anybody miraculously
• 19:48
  any better than you and I can.
• 19:50
  But can God heal?
• 19:52
  Yes.
• 19:53
  And in the power of Jesus' name,
• 19:55
  can he not heal?
• 19:56
  Can he not command?
• 19:58
  Can he not command diseases
• 19:59
  and demons
• 20:00
  and even death itself?
• 20:02
  Yes.
• 20:02
  And so Peter is very quick
• 20:04
  just to say,
• 20:05
  Jesus Christ is the one
• 20:07
  who heals you.
• 20:08
  He understood
• 20:08
  that he was merely the cord,
• 20:11
  and unless he was plugged
• 20:12
  into the power source
• 20:13
  of Jesus Christ,
• 20:14
  he was powerless
• 20:15
  to accomplish anything.
• 20:17
  And so friends,
• 20:18
  have you recognized
• 20:19
  that same truth
• 20:20
  in your own life?
• 20:23
  That you really are powerless
• 20:24
  to accomplish anything.
• 20:27
  Powerless to bring
• 20:28
  about spiritual change
• 20:29
  in your own heart.
• 20:31
  Completely dependent upon God
• 20:32
  for every good thing,
• 20:34
  every pure and whole thing
• 20:35
  in your life.
• 20:36
  Now let me encourage you, friends,
• 20:38
  that there is such freedom
• 20:41
  when you come to the end of yourself
• 20:44
  and realize God will catch you.
• 20:47
  There's such freedom
• 20:48
  in coming to the end
• 20:49
  of your own abilities
• 20:50
  and honestly getting to that place
• 20:52
  where you just feel overwhelmed,
• 20:53
  getting to that place
• 20:54
  where you feel like I'm sinking.
• 20:55
  Remember Peter in the waves?
• 20:57
  And he looks away from Jesus,
• 20:58
  and he begins to sink.
• 20:59
  You get that feeling
• 21:00
  that you're just like,
• 21:01
  I cannot do all of this.
• 21:02
  I can't handle all of this.
• 21:04
  And as the water is just coming up
• 21:07
  above your eyebrows,
• 21:08
  realizing, oh no, wait,
• 21:09
  all I gotta do is call
• 21:10
  on the name of the Lord?
• 21:12
  Lord Jesus, help me, save me.
• 21:15
  And that's exactly what he will do.
• 21:19
  There's a phrase
• 21:20
  that the reformers adopted
• 21:21
  some five centuries ago,
• 21:22
  which should become
• 21:24
  our repeated prayer.
• 21:26
  They said it very simply,
• 21:27
  soli deo gloriae,
• 21:28
  to the glory of God alone.
• 21:31
  God alone does the healing.
• 21:35
  And so God alone receives the glory.
• 21:40
  Aeneas, he says,
• 21:41
  Jesus Christ heals you.
• 21:42
  And then he says,
• 21:43
  rise and make your bed.
• 21:44
  And immediately he rose.
• 21:45
  Proof was now being offered
• 21:47
  that the man's total healing
• 21:48
  had indeed been accomplished
• 21:50
  as he was able to perform
• 21:52
  this simple but hitherto
• 21:53
  impossible task.
• 21:55
  He'd never been able
• 21:56
  to do this before.
• 21:56
  And everybody in town,
• 21:58
  knew it.
• 21:58
  And so as proof
• 21:59
  that it really was a healing,
• 22:02
  he says, get up.
• 22:03
  Do what you could never do before.
• 22:05
  And so we're left
• 22:06
  with another question.
• 22:07
  Why?
• 22:08
  Why did the Lord perform
• 22:10
  that healing?
• 22:11
  And the answer is given
• 22:12
  in the next verse.
• 22:13
  Verse 35,
• 22:14
  and all the residents of Lydda
• 22:16
  and the entire plain of Sharon,
• 22:19
  all of that coastal plain,
• 22:20
  saw this guy
• 22:22
  and they turned to the Lord.
• 22:25
  The man's malady was public.
• 22:27
  And so his healing
• 22:28
  was equally public.
• 22:30
  And because his healing
• 22:31
  was unmistakable,
• 22:34
  the people who heard the story
• 22:35
  and verified its truth
• 22:37
  were left with no choice
• 22:38
  but to believe.
• 22:41
  You remember a few months ago
• 22:42
  when we were studying Acts chapter 4.
• 22:45
  Right in chapter 1,
• 22:46
  the Lord ascends.
• 22:47
  In chapter 2,
• 22:47
  the Holy Spirit comes.
• 22:49
  The church is born.
• 22:50
  In chapter 3,
• 22:51
  Peter and John
• 22:52
  make this very public healing.
• 22:54
  There's a man sitting outside
• 22:56
  of the city gates.
• 22:56
  He'd been there for four days.
• 22:57
  He'd been there for decades.
• 22:59
  Sitting outside the city gates
• 23:00
  and the Temple Mount
• 23:01
  actually is what it says.
• 23:02
  And so a very public place.
• 23:04
  Everybody in the city
• 23:05
  is going by this guy
• 23:06
  over and over.
• 23:07
  Everybody knew
• 23:07
  who that guy was.
• 23:09
  He stops.
• 23:09
  Peter and John say,
• 23:10
  look at me.
• 23:11
  He stops.
• 23:11
  He's thinking he's going to get
• 23:12
  some money from them.
• 23:13
  Peter says,
• 23:13
  I don't have any silver or gold,
• 23:15
  but what I have,
• 23:16
  I will give to you for free
• 23:17
  in the name of Jesus Christ,
• 23:19
  stand and walk.
• 23:19
  Do you remember this?
• 23:21
  And for that tremendous sin,
• 23:24
  Peter and John
• 23:25
  are hauled before the Sanhedrin,
• 23:26
  the religious,
• 23:27
  religious,
• 23:27
  ruling class,
• 23:28
  the most powerful men
• 23:29
  in the country,
• 23:29
  the same exact man
• 23:31
  who had crucified the Lord.
• 23:34
  And Acts chapter four
• 23:35
  words it this way.
• 23:36
  When they had set them
• 23:37
  in the midst,
• 23:37
  they inquired,
• 23:38
  by what power
• 23:40
  or by what name
• 23:41
  did you do this?
• 23:43
  How'd you do this?
• 23:45
  Peter,
• 23:45
  filled with the Holy Spirit,
• 23:47
  said to them,
• 23:47
  rulers of the people
• 23:48
  and elders,
• 23:49
  if we're being examined today
• 23:51
  concerning a good deed
• 23:52
  done to a crippled man,
• 23:53
  by what means
• 23:54
  this man has been healed,
• 23:56
  right?
• 23:56
  Okay.
• 23:57
  If that's really
• 23:58
  what you're asking,
• 23:58
  let it be known to all of you.
• 24:00
  It was by the name
• 24:01
  of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
• 24:02
  whom you crucified,
• 24:03
  whom God raised from the dead.
• 24:05
  By him,
• 24:06
  this man is standing
• 24:06
  before you well.
• 24:08
  You want to know
• 24:08
  how we did it?
• 24:09
  Yes.
• 24:10
  How'd you do it?
• 24:10
  It was by the name
• 24:11
  of Jesus Christ.
• 24:13
  And you're like,
• 24:14
  well,
• 24:14
  why wouldn't they just deny
• 24:15
  that the miracle ever happened?
• 24:18
  Why wouldn't they just
• 24:19
  sweep it under the rug?
• 24:21
  Just a few verses later
• 24:22
  answers that.
• 24:23
  It says,
• 24:23
  seeing the man
• 24:24
  who was healed
• 24:25
  standing beside them,
• 24:26
  they asked,
• 24:27
  actually brought
• 24:27
  the healed man in.
• 24:29
  And listen,
• 24:30
  everybody in the Sanhedrin
• 24:31
  knew who this guy was
• 24:31
  because they had seen him
• 24:32
  every day on their way
• 24:33
  to the temple.
• 24:35
  Seeing the man
• 24:36
  who was healed
• 24:36
  standing beside them,
• 24:37
  they had nothing
• 24:38
  to say
• 24:40
  in opposition.
• 24:42
  All they could kind of
• 24:43
  stammer out
• 24:43
  was an empty threat.
• 24:45
  Well,
• 24:46
  stop.
• 24:47
  Stop doing what?
• 24:49
  Stop preaching in the name.
• 24:52
  Or you'll do what?
• 24:54
  Remember,
• 24:55
  our God can heal.
• 24:57
  Disabled people.
• 24:58
  Here he is.
• 25:00
  Our God has the power
• 25:01
  over life and death.
• 25:02
  He can actually bring people
• 25:03
  back from the dead.
• 25:03
  Remember Lazarus?
• 25:05
  It was only a few weeks ago.
• 25:06
  Word has spread.
• 25:08
  Remember Lazarus?
• 25:09
  What are you going to do
• 25:11
  if I don't stop?
• 25:15
  Maybe you had it plugged
• 25:16
  into your calendars
• 25:16
  or maybe not,
• 25:17
  but last Thursday,
• 25:18
  the first Thursday every day
• 25:20
  was the National Day of Prayer.
• 25:23
  I had the privilege of praying
• 25:24
  at the Westminster Mayor's
• 25:25
  prayer breakfast.
• 25:27
  A number of representatives
• 25:28
  from various fields
• 25:29
  were invited to pray,
• 25:30
  but I was up first.
• 25:31
  I was representing
• 25:32
  the churches.
• 25:33
  The churches of Westminster,
• 25:35
  the churches of Colorado,
• 25:36
  the churches of our nation.
• 25:37
  And I prayed
• 25:37
  over those churches.
• 25:39
  The mayor,
• 25:40
  who is herself a believer,
• 25:41
  Nancy McNally,
• 25:42
  made a comment
• 25:43
  as she was kind of invoking
• 25:45
  and giving the invocation
• 25:46
  as we were beginning.
• 25:47
  She was reading
• 25:48
  this national declaration
• 25:49
  about the Day of Prayer
• 25:50
  and she made this comment.
• 25:51
  She said,
• 25:52
  you know,
• 25:52
  we don't know how many of these
• 25:53
  we're going to be able
• 25:54
  to continue to have.
• 25:57
  The tide,
• 25:58
  the tide is turning
• 25:59
  against the church.
• 26:01
  We don't know
• 26:02
  how many nationally recognized
• 26:03
  days of prayer.
• 26:06
  And so when I got up after her,
• 26:07
  I simply introduced myself.
• 26:08
  I introduced my prayer
• 26:10
  by quoting Peter's statement
• 26:13
  to that statement.
• 26:15
  Just a few verses later,
• 26:16
  Peter says,
• 26:17
  listen,
• 26:17
  whether it's right
• 26:18
  in the sight of God
• 26:19
  to listen to you
• 26:19
  rather than to God,
• 26:20
  you be the judge,
• 26:22
  but we won't stop.
• 26:24
  We cannot but speak
• 26:26
  of what we have seen
• 26:27
  and heard.
• 26:29
  And so I said,
• 26:30
  you know what?
• 26:30
  It doesn't matter
• 26:31
  if they nationally recognize us
• 26:32
  or not.
• 26:34
  We're going to keep praying.
• 26:35
  Amen, church.
• 26:36
  We're going to keep preaching
• 26:37
  and they can make it
• 26:39
  really, really hard on us.
• 26:41
  They can make it against the law
• 26:43
  if they want,
• 26:45
  but we're not going to stop.
• 26:47
  Why?
• 26:48
  Because the power of the gospel
• 26:49
  in the name of Jesus
• 26:50
  can make the disabled abled.
• 26:54
  And it doesn't matter
• 26:55
  what is recognized
• 26:56
  or what is prohibited.
• 26:57
  We will continue
• 26:58
  to pray.
• 26:59
  We will continue
• 27:00
  to preach the good news
• 27:01
  and to hold the word of God high.
• 27:04
  Amen.
• 27:06
  Continue with me
• 27:07
  into our second story.
• 27:08
  Look at verse 36.
• 27:10
  That's the first guy.
• 27:11
  The disabled guy is abled.
• 27:12
  Now look at the dispatched woman
• 27:15
  becomes patched, right?
• 27:17
  There was in Joppa.
• 27:18
  Okay, let's go back to our map.
• 27:21
  Joppa,
• 27:22
  you just continue down
• 27:23
  that same runway road
• 27:24
  all the way down
• 27:25
  to the coastal plain.
• 27:26
  There it is, Joppa.
• 27:27
  Joppa was known
• 27:28
  for two things.
• 27:29
  Joppa was famous
• 27:29
  for two things.
• 27:30
  First, it was the hometown
• 27:32
  of Jonah.
• 27:33
  Jonah was commanded
• 27:34
  to go inland to Nineveh.
• 27:37
  He instead got on a boat
• 27:38
  and dared God to find him.
• 27:40
  Good luck finding me, right?
• 27:42
  God did find him.
• 27:44
  It was also the only
• 27:45
  southern harbor city
• 27:46
  along the ancient coast of Israel.
• 27:49
  But the harbor was a bad one.
• 27:51
  Here's a picture of modern Joppa.
• 27:53
  The word actually means
• 27:55
  beautiful, beautiful city.
• 27:57
  And indeed,
• 27:58
  it is.
• 27:58
  I mean, it is a glorious city.
• 28:00
  So there's modern Joppa.
• 28:02
  All of this, however,
• 28:03
  this big marina,
• 28:05
  all of the harbor,
• 28:06
  all of this breakwater,
• 28:07
  that's all new.
• 28:08
  That's all modern.
• 28:08
  None of that was there
• 28:10
  in ancient times.
• 28:11
  Here's a picture,
• 28:12
  an artist's rendition
• 28:13
  of the same town from 1843.
• 28:16
  You see there
• 28:17
  just how harsh the tides are,
• 28:20
  how harsh the waves are.
• 28:21
  It was the only southern port city,
• 28:24
  but it was a bad one.
• 28:25
  And so Herod the Great,
• 28:26
  just before Christ,
• 28:27
  Christ is born.
• 28:28
  Same Herod the Great
• 28:29
  who tried to kill Jesus
• 28:30
  in Bethlehem.
• 28:31
  Herod the Great decided
• 28:32
  that what Israel needed
• 28:33
  was a better port city.
• 28:35
  And so he decided
• 28:36
  with great pains,
• 28:37
  I might add,
• 28:37
  to construct his own harbor
• 28:39
  in a town called Caesarea.
• 28:41
  Caesarea is what we're going
• 28:42
  to talk about more next Sunday.
• 28:44
  It is unbelievable.
• 28:46
  And if you're able
• 28:47
  to come with me next year,
• 28:48
  it is my favorite
• 28:49
  archaeological site.
• 28:50
  It is glorious.
• 28:51
  It's incredible.
• 28:52
  An incredible place.
• 28:54
  But Joppa was this coastal town.
• 28:56
  And notice in Joppa,
• 28:57
  there was a disciple
• 28:58
  named Tabitha,
• 29:00
  which translated means Dorcas.
• 29:02
  I always think,
• 29:03
  thanks for the translation.
• 29:04
  It doesn't help much.
• 29:05
  You made it so much worse.
• 29:08
  We're going to stick with Tabitha.
• 29:10
  The actual translation
• 29:11
  of Tabitha and Dorcas,
• 29:13
  the actual translation is Gazelle.
• 29:15
  Gazelle, that was her name.
• 29:16
  And so I think she probably
• 29:18
  was as beautiful on the outside
• 29:20
  as she was on the inside.
• 29:22
  That's my guess.
• 29:24
  The text calls her a disciple,
• 29:25
  meaning she was already a believer.
• 29:27
  The text continues by saying
• 29:28
  she was full of good works
• 29:31
  and charity,
• 29:33
  meaning she was known
• 29:34
  for her continual generosity.
• 29:35
  When it came to giving
• 29:37
  and loving and caring
• 29:38
  and consideration of others,
• 29:40
  Tabitha was full.
• 29:43
  She opened her home.
• 29:45
  She gave of her money.
• 29:47
  In fact, verse 39 even says
• 29:48
  that she made clothes
• 29:49
  for those in the church
• 29:51
  who had need.
• 29:52
  A bunch of widows
• 29:52
  start showing up
• 29:54
  and show Peter,
• 29:54
  look at all of these things
• 29:55
  she sewed for us.
• 29:57
  So giving was she
• 29:58
  that she had endeared herself
• 29:59
  to her friends,
• 30:00
  her neighbors,
• 30:01
  to the leaders in the church.
• 30:03
  She was one of those people
• 30:04
  who everyone loved.
• 30:07
  Everybody loved her.
• 30:08
  In fact, they loved her so much
• 30:09
  that the leaders of the church
• 30:11
  couldn't imagine the church
• 30:12
  at Joppa without her.
• 30:14
  And so they send a couple of guys,
• 30:16
  a couple of delegates.
• 30:17
  Look at verse 38.
• 30:18
  Elitta was near Joppa.
• 30:19
  The disciples,
• 30:20
  hearing that Peter was there,
• 30:21
  sent two men to him,
• 30:22
  urging him,
• 30:23
  please come to us
• 30:24
  without delay.
• 30:25
  Please come to us without delay.
• 30:27
  Such a godly
• 30:28
  and honestly just awesome saint
• 30:29
  this lady was.
• 30:30
  They said, you know what?
• 30:32
  There are some people
• 30:33
  who are not allowed
• 30:34
  to get ill and die.
• 30:36
  And Gazelle is one.
• 30:38
  So we've heard Peter
• 30:39
  might be able to help.
• 30:40
  Go get him and bring him.
• 30:42
  Verse 39,
• 30:43
  so Peter rose and went with them.
• 30:44
  And when he arrived,
• 30:45
  they took him to the upper room
• 30:47
  and all of those widows
• 30:48
  stood beside him weeping
• 30:49
  and showing him tunics
• 30:50
  and other garments
• 30:51
  that Dorcas made
• 30:52
  while she was with them.
• 30:54
  It's interesting that
• 30:57
  verse 37 says
• 30:57
  she became ill and died.
• 31:01
  There is a certain theology,
• 31:02
  even within churches,
• 31:03
  within Christian circles,
• 31:05
  a certain theology
• 31:06
  which teaches that
• 31:07
  physical healing
• 31:08
  comes by faith.
• 31:13
  And that if one simply
• 31:14
  has enough faith,
• 31:17
  one will be healed.
• 31:18
  It's almost like a guarantee.
• 31:20
  Some of these theologies
• 31:22
  will teach.
• 31:23
  This same theology
• 31:25
  teaches the obverse,
• 31:26
  that if you are not
• 31:27
  healed,
• 31:28
  you therefore must not
• 31:29
  have enough.
• 31:31
  What?
• 31:32
  Faith.
• 31:34
  And so your physical body,
• 31:35
  according to this
• 31:36
  specific theology,
• 31:37
  is a reflection
• 31:38
  of your spiritual state.
• 31:40
  If you are spiritually healthy,
• 31:42
  you will be physically healthy.
• 31:46
  If you've ever struggled
• 31:48
  against that kind of teaching,
• 31:50
  thinking somehow
• 31:50
  that your physical plight
• 31:52
  is a result of your own
• 31:54
  spiritual inadequacy,
• 31:56
  then blessed Tabitha's
• 31:57
  story is included for you.
• 32:00
  Even if the rest of the story
• 32:01
  were not included,
• 32:02
  even if she never raised
• 32:03
  from the dead,
• 32:04
  these several verses
• 32:05
  would be enough
• 32:06
  to encourage the troubled heart.
• 32:08
  Why?
• 32:08
  Because Tabitha was righteous.
• 32:11
  She was full of good works.
• 32:14
  She was full of faith.
• 32:16
  And yet, verse 37 says,
• 32:18
  she became ill and died.
• 32:21
  Do you see that?
• 32:21
  It was not because
• 32:22
  of a lack of faith.
• 32:24
  I've also heard,
• 32:25
  in fact, Hallie and I
• 32:26
  have several,
• 32:27
  very good friend,
• 32:29
  couple friends
• 32:30
  who were never able
• 32:31
  to get pregnant.
• 32:32
  I know that there are
• 32:33
  some couples worshiping with us,
• 32:34
  dear friends,
• 32:35
  this morning,
• 32:36
  who are in that same situation.
• 32:39
  Our friends assumed
• 32:40
  that their lack
• 32:41
  of being able to have this baby
• 32:43
  was because of something
• 32:44
  they had done.
• 32:45
  In fact, at one point,
• 32:46
  this is years ago now,
• 32:47
  they confessed to us
• 32:48
  their struggle
• 32:49
  against the false belief.
• 32:50
  He even said,
• 32:51
  Danny, I know that it's not right,
• 32:53
  but I struggle
• 32:54
  in my heart and mind
• 32:55
  feeling like this lack
• 32:57
  must be due to some sin
• 32:59
  in my past.
• 33:02
  Look with me, though,
• 33:03
  at Luke chapter 1.
• 33:05
  Luke chapter 1 says this,
• 33:07
  in the days of Herod,
• 33:08
  king of Judea,
• 33:10
  there was a priest
• 33:11
  named Zechariah
• 33:12
  of the division of Abijah,
• 33:13
  and he had a wife
• 33:14
  from the daughters of Aaron,
• 33:16
  and her name was Elizabeth.
• 33:17
  And they were both
• 33:18
  righteous before God,
• 33:19
  walking blamelessly
• 33:20
  in all the commandments
• 33:21
  and statutes of the Lord,
• 33:22
  but they had no child.
• 33:26
  Notice it says,
• 33:27
  they were both righteous
• 33:28
  before God
• 33:29
  and blameless before Him,
• 33:31
  and yet could not have kids.
• 33:34
  And if you're sick this morning,
• 33:38
  if you're hurting,
• 33:39
  if you're lonely,
• 33:41
  if you're unable to have kids,
• 33:43
  it does not mean
• 33:44
  the Lord is punishing you.
• 33:46
  It does not mean
• 33:47
  the Lord has neglected you
• 33:48
  or forgotten you.
• 33:50
  The truth is
• 33:51
  that there will be a day
• 33:52
  when we are healed
• 33:53
  from every disease.
• 33:54
  Amen?
• 33:56
  There will be a day
• 33:57
  when we are fully restored.
• 33:58
  Yes, and amen.
• 34:00
  But that day might not be today.
• 34:03
  Now, that doesn't mean
• 34:04
  that the Lord can't heal you
• 34:06
  through doctors and medicine,
• 34:08
  and yes, absolutely,
• 34:10
  even miraculously,
• 34:11
  through prayer.
• 34:12
  Absolutely, you should pray
• 34:14
  for healing.
• 34:15
  But our weakness
• 34:17
  forces us to look forward
• 34:19
  to the healing
• 34:20
  which can only come in heaven.
• 34:22
  Think of it this way.
• 34:23
  If we never get sick
• 34:25
  in this life,
• 34:27
  then what is there
• 34:28
  to look forward to
• 34:28
  in the life to come?
• 34:31
  If we're never tired
• 34:32
  in this life,
• 34:33
  then how can we look forward
• 34:35
  to the rest
• 34:35
  which Christ offers?
• 34:37
  If we never lack,
• 34:40
  then how is heaven gain?
• 34:42
  Does that make sense?
• 34:43
  Remember when Jesus said
• 34:44
  to live is Christ,
• 34:44
  to die is gain?
• 34:45
  How can it be gain
• 34:46
  if we never lack?
• 34:49
  And so this godly woman,
• 34:50
  this faith-filled woman
• 34:52
  has become ill and died,
• 34:53
  but pick up in verse 40.
• 34:57
  Peter put them all outside.
• 34:58
  He had seen Jesus do this before
• 34:59
  with Tabitha.
• 35:00
  There's only a one-letter difference there,
• 35:02
  Tabitha and Talitha.
• 35:04
  Peter put them all outside
• 35:05
  and knelt down and prayed
• 35:06
  and turning to the body,
• 35:07
  he said,
• 35:08
  Tabitha, arise.
• 35:10
  She opened her eyes.
• 35:11
  She saw Peter and sat up
• 35:13
  and he gave her his hand
• 35:14
  and raised her up
• 35:15
  and calling the saints and widows,
• 35:16
  he presented her alive.
• 35:18
  And it became known
• 35:19
  throughout all Joppa
• 35:20
  and many believed in the Lord.
• 35:21
  I'll bet that's true.
• 35:23
  Everybody knew her.
• 35:24
  Everybody loved her.
• 35:27
  So everybody who had gathered
• 35:28
  in this home for mourning
• 35:29
  is now shocked and surprised
• 35:31
  to find her alive
• 35:33
  as they begin to hear
• 35:36
  her own testimony.
• 35:37
  When she told her story,
• 35:39
  imagine how many inhabitants of Joppa
• 35:41
  joined the followers of Jesus.
• 35:44
  Verse 43 simply ties it off
• 35:46
  by saying Peter stayed there
• 35:47
  for a while.
• 35:48
  For many days,
• 35:49
  he lived with one Simon
• 35:51
  who was a tanner.
• 35:52
  Now, I believe that this text
• 35:55
  is included, dear friends,
• 35:56
  to remind us that we are at war.
• 35:59
  Not everyone realizes it.
• 36:01
  Not everyone is winning,
• 36:02
  but the good news is
• 36:03
  that the one who is for us
• 36:04
  is greater than the one
• 36:05
  who is against us.
• 36:07
  The enemy of your soul
• 36:09
  will try to put up obstacles,
• 36:12
  roadblocks,
• 36:13
  sometimes really hard ones
• 36:15
  like paralysis,
• 36:17
  even death,
• 36:18
  maybe a FedEx guy.
• 36:21
  But as we've just read,
• 36:22
  the gospel's advance
• 36:24
  cannot and will not
• 36:25
  be stopped.
• 36:27
  And this is where we will pick up
• 36:28
  the story next Sunday.
• 36:29
  Lord, thank you for your word
• 36:31
  which never fails.
• 36:33
  Lord, may we be encouraged
• 36:34
  as we leave today
• 36:35
  knowing that although
• 36:37
  the enemy puts up obstacles,
• 36:38
  Lord, by your spirit
• 36:39
  and by the power in Jesus' name,
• 36:41
  we can cross, clear, jump,
• 36:44
  hurdle any obstacle.
• 36:46
  Lord, thank you
• 36:47
  for the calling we have in Christ
• 36:49
  and thank you that your spirit
• 36:50
  has given us the power
• 36:52
  to accomplish that calling
• 36:53
  in Jesus' name.
• 36:54
  Amen.