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Acts 2:22-33 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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True evangelism is genuine persuasion.
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! You make reasonable arguments from God's Word
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! and ask the Holy Spirit to apply His Word to the person's heart.
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! And so, He proves, by the Scriptures, and by the resurrection, and other things in this time that Jesus was the Messiah.
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And then at the end of this, 3,000 people are saved and added to the church.
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So, we're going to pick up today in verse 22 of chapter 2.
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After explaining Pentecost, Peter then moves on.
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Verse 22, he says,
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Men of Israel, hear these words.
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Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God,
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with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst,
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as you yourselves know.
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This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.
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You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
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God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death,
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because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.
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For David says concerning Him,
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now he's going back to Scripture again,
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I saw the Lord always before me,
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for He is in my right hand,
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that I may not be shaken.
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Therefore, my heart was glad,
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and my tongue rejoiced.
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My flesh also will dwell in hope,
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for You will not abandon my soul to Hades,
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or let Your Holy One see corruption.
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You have made known to me the path of life.
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You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.
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Brothers, I must say to you with confidence about the patriarch David,
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that he both died and was buried,
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and in his tomb is with us to this day.
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Being therefore a prophet,
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and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him,
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that he would set one of his descendants on the throne,
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he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of Christ,
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that he was not abandoned to Hades,
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nor did his flesh see corruption.
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This Jesus God raised up,
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and that we all are witnesses,
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being therefore exalted at the right hand of God,
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and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
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he has poured out this,
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that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
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We'll stop there.
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So, just join me in a word of prayer before we go further.
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Father, we have come to worship You tonight,
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today, this morning, Lord,
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and I pray that we would do so in spirit and in truth.
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We are gathered this morning,
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not for any other reason.
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We are wasting our time, Lord,
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if we are not here to see Jesus lifted up,
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and to be transformed by His presence in our lives.
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I pray that we would listen to Your Word as an act of worship,
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that we would be ready to apply it in our lives.
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Lord, we love it,
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and we respect it.
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And God, we bow to what You say this morning.
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So, encourage our hearts,
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meet each one of us where we are,
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those who are broken and battered and beaten down,
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as well as those who are full of joy and gladness now.
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Lord, I pray You would be glorified in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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So,
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I had a hard time trimming this down.
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I got it down to barely over four pages,
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so I'm going to do my best.
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to move through this.
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But,
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we're going to move through our text today
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with four points.
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And they're all about,
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like, who the Messiah was.
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Like, who is Jesus as the Messiah?
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Because that's what Peter's trying to do.
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He's trying to preach and persuade
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and show this gathered crowd
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that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah,
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not only for Israel,
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but of the whole world,
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of all the nations that He came to save.
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And so,
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so,
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so,
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three or four things about the Messiah.
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And we'll see them very clearly in our text,
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but,
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number one is,
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the identity of the Messiah.
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The identity of the Messiah.
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Verse 22,
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it says,
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men of Israel,
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hear these words,
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Jesus of Nazareth,
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a man attested to you by God.
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So,
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he uses the phrase,
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men of Israel.
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And,
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that is a gracious title for Peter to use with this crowd.
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Such incredibly kind words to address this crowd with.
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Why?
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Because,
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this is the most guilty people
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in the most guilty city on earth at this point.
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God manifested Himself to the nation of Israel
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like no other nation.
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He had a whole,
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they had a whole history with God.
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They had the prophets.
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They had the law.
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They had God revealing Himself to them
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by divine revelation.
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And at this point,
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they even had the scriptures of Moses
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and the prophets and others.
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They had so much given to them.
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And they were to be a light for all the nations
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to know God.
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And in many ways,
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they failed to do so.
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So,
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yet,
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though they had all this revelation,
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they constantly turned against God,
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constantly rebelled against God
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and worshipped idols,
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killed the prophets
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who were calling them to turn back to God,
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and the prophets who foretold of the Messiah
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to come.
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And then finally,
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when the Messiah came,
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when Jesus came,
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they rejected Him as well.
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They cursed Him,
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they spat on Him,
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and eventually they crucified Him.
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So they killed the very Messiah
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that God had promised to send.
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That's what's going on here.
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And so you would think that Peter
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would address all the non-Jews in the crowd
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and say like,
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people of Israel,
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you've lost,
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you know,
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your chance is over.
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If you're not a Jew,
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listen to me.
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But that's not what he says.
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Instead of cursing them
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and cutting them off
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from God's salvation,
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Peter speaks immense grace to them
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by calling them
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men of Israel.
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It's as if he's saying,
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draw close to me,
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listen carefully to what I'm saying,
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you descendants of Abraham,
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Isaac,
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Jacob,
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you children of the covenant,
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those whom God has bound Himself to
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in covenant love,
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who constantly rebel,
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but God is always faithful,
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you guys,
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you descendants of Jacob,
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of Israel,
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listen to me.
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And that's such amazing grace
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offered to this crowd
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that he addresses them in that way.
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And that should encourage us.
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Are you encouraged
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that God offers such this?
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This is the very crowd
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that crucified the Lord.
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He's offering them
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a chance
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to believe and repent.
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Men of Israel,
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grace upon grace,
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to those people in the crowd.
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Then he goes on,
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he says,
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Jesus of Nazareth.
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This is the identity
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of the Messiah.
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He,
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all throughout the book of Acts,
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Peter loved to use
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the title
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Jesus of Nazareth.
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It's used multiple times
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throughout the book of Acts,
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specifically by Peter.
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And you may ask,
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why that title
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when Jesus has
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so many other titles?
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But,
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if you think about it,
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many days before this,
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this was the name
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that they hung
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above Jesus
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on the cross
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to scorn him
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and mock him
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and make fun of him.
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And now,
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it's like,
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Peter's saying,
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that Jesus of Nazareth
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that you guys
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rejected and killed,
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he was
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the long-expected Messiah.
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Yeah,
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you know,
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Jesus,
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from that no-name,
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dirty little town
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of Nazareth
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in Galilee.
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Yeah,
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he is God's Messiah.
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So,
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he's taking that name
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that they used
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to keep scorn upon Jesus
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and pushing it
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right back in their face
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in a way.
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And so,
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it goes on,
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he says,
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this was a man
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attested to you
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by God.
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And last week,
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we talked about
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how the word attested
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is implied in a lot of ways,
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but it means
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to put something
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on display.
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To put something
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on exhibition.
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To give evidence
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to something
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and to proclaim something.
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That's like what
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this means.
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And Jesus,
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he did this.
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God took Jesus
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and presented him
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like nothing,
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trying to hide nothing.
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Here he is.
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Look at him.
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He put Jesus
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on exhibition
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as the true Messiah.
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The true and living Messiah.
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His birth,
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his life,
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his death,
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and his resurrection
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overwhelmingly prove
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that he is
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who he said he was.
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He was their Messiah
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and he is our Messiah
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today.
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So how did
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God lift him up?
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How did God
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put him on exhibition?
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And a lot of this
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is the rest of the message.
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But it goes
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to the second point.
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Number two
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is,
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so the first one
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was the identity
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of the Messiah.
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Number two
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is the life
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of the Messiah.
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verse 22 again.
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Jesus of Nazareth,
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a man attested
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to you by God
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with mighty works
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and wonders
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and signs
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that God did
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through him
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in your midst.
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You yourselves
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know.
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So,
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a massive amount
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of proof
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or evidence
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to show that
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Jesus was
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the true Messiah.
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God validated him.
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his life
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was no
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ordinary life
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at all.
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Even compared
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to other great men.
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If you just
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Google at some point,
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like,
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I'm a big history nerd
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but like,
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I love studying
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military history,
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but
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Napoleon Bonaparte,
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an incredible guy
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but also
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a little crazy,
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who conquered
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a lot of Europe
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and
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set the hearts
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of his country
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men on fire,
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he recognizes
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something very
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unique about Jesus.
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You just Google
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Jesus Christ,
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Napoleon Bonaparte
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and this long
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extended quote
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about how
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Jesus was far
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greater than him
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and any other
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great military leader
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ever.
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So,
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something that
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just stands out
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about Jesus,
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no one can really
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escape that reality.
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Jesus is not
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ordinary at all.
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He's not just
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a prophet.
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He's not just
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a good moral teacher.
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Jesus made claims
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and said things
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that you just
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do not say
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unless
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either he was crazy
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or he was telling
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you the truth.
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Alright,
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so,
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Jesus claimed
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to be the only
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Son of God
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and that he alone
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had descended
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from the Father.
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Very big deal.
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He also claimed
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to be God
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in human flesh
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and that to see him
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was to see
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the Father.
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And he allowed
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people to worship
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him as God.
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As God
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is only worthy
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to be worshipped.
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Jesus also claimed
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to be the only
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Savior of the world
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and the only way
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to God.
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And he had the power
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to forgive sins.
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He claimed
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to possess authority
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in heaven
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and on earth.
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Right?
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So many things
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he said.
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He claimed
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that he would,
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one of the most
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outrageous ones,
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was not,
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he predicted
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his own death
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but then he also
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said that death
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would not keep
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his hold on him.
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That he would
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rise from
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the dead.
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Yet,
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those highly
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exclusive claims
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that he made
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don't subtract
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from his compassion,
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his wisdom,
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his mercy,
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his humility
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to a broken
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world.
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So,
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on your bulletin
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there's a quote
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by a historian
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named Philip Schaaf.
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If you want to look
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at it,
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it says,
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Jesus of Nazareth
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without money
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and arms
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conquered more
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millions
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than Alexander
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the Great,
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Caesar,
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Muhammad,
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and Napoleon.
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Without science
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and learning,
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he shed more
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light on things
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human and divine
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than all philosophers
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and scholars
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combined.
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He spoke such
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words of life
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as were never
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spoken before
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or since
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and produced effects
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which lie beyond
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the reach of an
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orator or poet.
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Without writing
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a single line,
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he set more
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pins in motion
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and furnished
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themes for more
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sermons,
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orations,
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discussions,
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learned volumes,
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works of art,
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songs of praise
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than the whole
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army of great men
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of the ancient
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and modern times.
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It's true.
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Even people who
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hate Jesus,
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they can't escape
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him.
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He's always there
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haunting their
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memories and
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their minds.
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His was no
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ordinary life.
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And so God
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held him up
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and put him
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on exhibition.
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We have nothing
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to hide as
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believers,
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okay?
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Jesus,
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when he was
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here,
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he used terms
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like,
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come,
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look,
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see,
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listen to me,
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follow me.
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He wasn't
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trying to hide
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anything.
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He was always
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inviting people
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to check out
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who he was.
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Right?
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So he offered
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them in this
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text for three
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years.
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Jesus taught
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from the
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scriptures.
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He explained
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who he was
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from the Old
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Testament
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scriptures,
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displayed great
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acts of
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kindness and
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compassion.
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And so,
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but in our
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text here,
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as we just
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read,
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it says
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there were
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some specific
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things that gave
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insight to who
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the Messiah
14:28
was.
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He used
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the term
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mighty works.
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And this
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just means
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that they
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were miraculous
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in nature
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and appearance.
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Like,
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they were not
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normal.
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They were
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miraculous in
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their nature
14:39
and appearance.
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Then he
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used the
14:42
word wonders.
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And this
14:44
word speaks
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of something
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that's shocking,
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startling,
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that catches
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your attention
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and is
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completely out
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of the
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ordinary.
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This is
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what wonders
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means.
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And then
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later on,
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so what's
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the intention,
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what's the
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purpose of
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wonders?
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And it's
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to point
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to signs.
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Okay?
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Signs that
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are pointing
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to a
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spiritual
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reality of
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who Jesus
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claimed to
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be.
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And all
15:08
we know,
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like he
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healed the
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sick,
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he,
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all throughout
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the Old
15:13
Testament
15:13
Levitical
15:14
laws,
15:15
like it
15:15
was,
15:16
it made
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someone
15:18
unclean
15:19
to touch
15:19
a leopard,
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to touch
15:20
someone who
15:21
had a bodily
15:22
discharge.
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If you
15:23
touched
15:23
them,
15:23
you were
15:24
considered
15:24
unclean,
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and then
15:25
you were
15:26
kicked out
15:26
of the
15:26
camp.
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But Jesus
15:27
came,
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and he
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touched
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the leopard,
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touched
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the people
15:31
who were
15:31
untouchable,
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and they
15:33
were healed.
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Pretty
15:35
incredible.
15:37
He walked
15:37
on the
15:37
water,
15:38
he calmed
15:38
storms,
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and unlike
15:40
anything else,
15:41
he raised
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the dead.
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Right?
15:44
All of
15:45
this,
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Jesus did,
15:47
if you
15:47
notice this,
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a lot of
15:49
people have
15:49
this idea
15:50
that Jesus
15:50
was using
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his divinity,
15:54
to kind
15:55
of prove
15:55
who he
15:56
was.
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Jesus
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was fully
15:59
divine,
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but when
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he came
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here,
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he yielded
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that to
16:02
the power
16:02
of the
16:02
Father.
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He came
16:03
to show
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us what
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a life
16:05
was like
16:05
yielded
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to the
16:07
Holy Spirit.
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That's why
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he was
16:09
baptized,
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and the
16:10
Holy Spirit
16:10
came down.
16:11
And as
16:12
John says,
16:12
the Spirit
16:13
rested on
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Jesus without
16:14
measure.
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But do you
16:17
see that in
16:17
the text?
16:18
It said all
16:18
these things
16:19
that God
16:19
did through
16:20
him to
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validate who
16:22
he was.
16:24
These
16:24
miraculous
16:25
manifestations
16:26
of God's
16:27
power,
16:27
they created
16:28
wonder.
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So just
16:31
so you
16:31
know,
16:31
Scripture
16:32
does teach
16:32
that even
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forces of
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evil can
16:37
perform some
16:38
sorts of
16:39
miracles.
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But one
16:41
major difference
16:42
is they can't
16:42
raise people
16:43
from the
16:43
dead.
16:44
Only God
16:45
has that
16:45
power.
16:45
And as we
16:46
see,
16:46
Jesus went
16:47
further,
16:48
and he was
16:48
the one
16:48
who was
16:49
raised from
16:50
dead.
16:50
And so
16:51
all these
16:52
things
16:52
proclaimed,
16:54
proved,
16:54
and pointed
16:55
to Jesus
16:55
being the
16:56
Messiah.
16:56
And he
16:56
was like,
16:57
you yourselves
16:58
know this
16:58
happened.
16:59
You guys
16:59
were here.
17:00
You saw
17:00
this.
17:02
You saw
17:02
this.
17:03
You saw
17:03
Jesus do
17:03
these things.
17:04
And you
17:04
still harden
17:05
your heart.
17:07
Seeing is
17:08
not believing.
17:09
Okay?
17:09
That's not what
17:09
the Bible
17:10
teaches.
17:11
Seeing is
17:11
not believing.
17:12
These people
17:12
saw this,
17:13
and they
17:13
still denied
17:14
it.
17:16
Okay?
17:17
So number
17:18
three,
17:18
the third
17:20
point that
17:22
he used to
17:22
talk about
17:23
the Messiah
17:23
is the
17:24
death of
17:25
the Messiah.
17:26
The death
17:27
of the
17:27
Messiah.
17:28
Verse 23.
17:30
Check this
17:31
one out.
17:32
This is a
17:32
big one.
17:33
It says,
17:34
This Jesus
17:35
delivered up
17:36
according to
17:38
the definite
17:39
plan and
17:40
foreknowledge
17:41
of God.
17:42
You crucified
17:43
and killed
17:44
by the hands
17:45
of lawless
17:45
men.
17:47
So just as
17:48
Jesus of
17:48
Nazareth
17:48
was no
17:49
ordinary
17:49
man.
17:50
His death
17:51
was no
17:52
ordinary
17:52
death.
17:53
The death
17:54
of the
17:54
Son of
17:54
God and
17:55
the resurrection
17:55
are the
17:56
two most
17:56
important
17:57
events in
17:57
human history.
17:58
And they
17:58
demand your
18:00
attention.
18:01
They do.
18:02
To miss
18:03
this is
18:04
pretty
18:05
dangerous to
18:06
your soul.
18:08
It's an
18:09
event of
18:10
cosmic
18:11
proportions
18:12
throughout all
18:13
eternity.
18:14
It demands
18:14
your reverent
18:15
attention.
18:15
So Jesus
18:17
came to
18:17
die on
18:18
the cross
18:18
to honor
18:20
his father,
18:21
to glorify
18:22
his father,
18:22
but also to
18:23
meet our
18:23
greatest need,
18:24
which was to
18:25
be redeemed,
18:26
to be saved,
18:27
to be reconciled
18:28
to God.
18:31
Okay, so
18:32
our entire
18:33
being before
18:34
Christ,
18:35
okay,
18:35
BC,
18:37
your entire
18:37
being is
18:38
enslaved to
18:39
sin.
18:40
Your mind,
18:41
your heart,
18:42
are corrupted
18:43
by evil.
18:43
This is what
18:44
scripture teaches,
18:45
and your
18:45
will is in
18:46
bondage to
18:47
sin.
18:48
Ever since
18:49
Eden, man
18:50
has been a
18:50
fugitive running
18:52
from the
18:53
presence of
18:53
God.
18:54
That's why
18:55
when we
18:55
commit sin,
18:56
that's why
18:56
we like to
18:57
do it in
18:57
private.
18:59
That's why
19:00
we don't
19:00
like things
19:00
like the
19:01
holiness of
19:01
God,
19:02
because it
19:02
exposes
19:03
who we
19:04
are.
19:05
As John
19:05
said,
19:06
men love
19:06
darkness,
19:07
and they
19:07
hate the
19:08
light,
19:08
because they
19:09
don't want
19:09
themselves to
19:10
be seen.
19:12
Right?
19:12
So we
19:14
run.
19:15
We are
19:15
cosmic
19:16
fugitives
19:16
from the
19:18
presence of
19:18
the Lord
19:20
God Almighty.
19:22
But Peter's
19:23
words here
19:24
beg a
19:24
question.
19:26
Okay?
19:26
It leads us
19:27
to ask this
19:27
question.
19:28
Did God
19:29
see the
19:31
disaster that
19:33
was coming in
19:33
the Garden of
19:34
Eden?
19:35
Was He
19:36
totally cut
19:37
off guard
19:37
by our sin?
19:39
Did God
19:40
begin to
19:40
devise a
19:41
plan after
19:41
the fall?
19:42
Like He
19:43
created the
19:43
world,
19:44
and then
19:44
after Eden
19:44
He was
19:45
like,
19:45
oh no,
19:46
I'm in
19:46
trouble.
19:48
Some people
19:49
believe in
19:50
the church,
19:51
even some
19:52
good people
19:52
just misled.
19:54
They believe
19:55
that redemption
19:56
was a plan
19:57
that was conceived
19:58
in the Garden
19:59
of Eden.
20:00
And that goes
20:00
against everything
20:01
we know about
20:02
God.
20:04
You know,
20:05
you've got the
20:05
little drama
20:06
teams performing
20:07
a skit of the
20:08
Garden of Eden,
20:09
and they're
20:09
playing,
20:09
you know,
20:10
Total Eclipse
20:11
of the Heart
20:11
in the
20:12
background,
20:13
and God
20:15
is like,
20:16
the whole
20:16
time like,
20:16
no,
20:17
don't do
20:17
that.
20:18
And it
20:19
portrays this
20:21
idea that God
20:22
was just
20:23
caught off
20:23
guard.
20:25
What happened?
20:27
So many in
20:27
the church,
20:28
many people
20:29
will say
20:30
that God
20:31
does not,
20:32
they believe
20:32
that God
20:33
is sovereign,
20:33
but He does
20:34
not ordain
20:35
and know
20:36
every single
20:36
event that's
20:37
going to
20:37
happen.
20:37
but He
20:38
leaves it
20:39
open to
20:40
a lot of
20:41
the stuff
20:41
in the future
20:41
to be determined
20:42
by man's
20:44
will,
20:45
man's choices,
20:46
or Satan's,
20:47
and God
20:48
is reactionary
20:49
to those
20:50
events.
20:51
He reacts,
20:53
but He
20:53
didn't plan.
20:55
So,
20:56
this is a
20:56
theological
20:58
idea called
20:59
open theism,
21:00
and it's
21:01
completely
21:01
untrue
21:02
and unbiblical,
21:03
that it
21:04
implies like
21:05
God has a
21:05
plan A,
21:06
and if that
21:07
doesn't work
21:07
out,
21:07
He has a
21:08
plan B,
21:09
and a
21:09
plan C,
21:10
and then
21:11
that's what
21:11
just goes on
21:12
the whole
21:12
time.
21:14
So,
21:15
you should
21:16
know this,
21:16
guys,
21:18
bad doctrine
21:19
hurts people
21:21
and it
21:22
dishonors God.
21:24
Alright,
21:25
it goes against
21:25
everything we
21:26
know about
21:27
the person
21:27
of God
21:28
to believe
21:28
that that's
21:29
true.
21:29
our God
21:32
is by
21:33
very nature
21:33
a planning
21:34
God.
21:36
What we
21:37
know about
21:37
God,
21:38
Scripture
21:38
teaches,
21:40
He's
21:40
omniscient,
21:41
He literally
21:41
knows all
21:42
things,
21:43
He has
21:43
perfect
21:43
knowledge
21:44
set before
21:45
Him.
21:46
He's
21:46
omnipotent,
21:47
He possesses
21:48
all the
21:49
power to
21:50
carry out
21:51
His perfect
21:51
will.
21:52
It's not
21:52
that He
21:53
has a lot
21:54
of power
21:54
and there's
21:56
some other
21:56
powers out
21:57
there,
21:57
like all
21:57
the power
21:58
that they
21:58
have is
21:59
delegated
21:59
by God
22:00
that He
22:01
could take
22:01
at any
22:02
moment.
22:04
God is
22:04
immutable,
22:05
He is
22:05
unchanging
22:06
in His
22:07
person,
22:07
in His
22:07
character,
22:08
He does
22:08
not change.
22:10
He's
22:10
unaffected
22:11
by things
22:12
we do.
22:14
So,
22:14
nothing sneaks
22:15
up on Him
22:15
or catches
22:16
Him off
22:16
guard.
22:17
So,
22:17
in one way,
22:18
the answer
22:18
is no,
22:19
God was
22:19
not caught
22:20
off guard
22:20
because it
22:20
goes against
22:21
what we
22:21
know about
22:22
the very
22:22
nature
22:22
of God
22:24
Himself.
22:25
It's
22:26
not there.
22:28
So,
22:29
I know
22:29
that as a
22:29
whole,
22:30
our church
22:30
rejoices in
22:31
and embraces
22:32
the sovereignty
22:34
of God
22:34
over all
22:35
things,
22:36
but I
22:36
know that
22:37
with a
22:38
crowd this
22:39
big,
22:39
it might
22:39
not sit
22:40
right with
22:41
some of
22:41
you,
22:42
but I'm
22:43
going to
22:43
tell you,
22:43
you can
22:44
kick and
22:44
punch and
22:45
hate that
22:46
truth that
22:48
God literally
22:48
reigns over
22:49
everything,
22:50
including the
22:50
air you breathe
22:51
and the grass
22:52
that grows,
22:53
or you can
22:54
embrace it and
22:54
let it be your
22:55
biggest joy and
22:56
your biggest
22:56
comfort.
22:57
my mom's
23:00
here today,
23:00
and we
23:01
all have
23:02
walked through
23:02
some very
23:03
difficult trials
23:04
in our lives,
23:06
most of them
23:06
my fault,
23:07
being sick and
23:08
being in the
23:09
hospital,
23:10
and right now
23:10
my dad is in
23:11
the hospital,
23:12
and she will
23:13
tell you,
23:13
I will tell you
23:14
that this
23:16
has been the
23:16
number one
23:17
truth that
23:18
has comforted
23:19
us throughout
23:20
all that time,
23:23
and so you
23:24
can mock that
23:25
or you can
23:25
embrace it and
23:26
experience the
23:27
same reality.
23:30
So, it's no
23:31
different in the
23:33
language used of
23:34
the death of
23:34
Christ.
23:35
Here it is
23:36
before us.
23:38
After the
23:39
disaster in
23:40
Eden, God
23:40
did not begin
23:41
devising a
23:42
plan, saying
23:44
darn, I
23:44
messed up,
23:45
oh I know
23:45
what I'll do,
23:46
I'll send
23:46
Jesus, Jesus
23:47
are you cool
23:47
with that?
23:47
Okay, I'll
23:48
go.
23:49
That's not
23:50
what happened.
23:50
God has
23:53
written the
23:55
pages of
23:55
history according
23:56
to His
23:57
plan, and
23:58
including, this
23:59
should give you
24:00
chills, like
24:00
including the
24:01
cross of
24:02
Christ.
24:03
It says in
24:04
23, Jesus
24:06
delivered up
24:07
according to
24:08
the definite
24:09
plan and
24:10
foreknowledge of
24:11
God.
24:13
The word
24:13
definite means
24:15
predetermined,
24:17
appointed,
24:17
designed,
24:19
decreed.
24:20
It literally
24:21
means to set
24:22
out boundaries
24:23
for which
24:24
something is
24:24
going to
24:24
happen.
24:26
And so the
24:27
word foreknowledge,
24:28
I don't know
24:29
why maybe some
24:31
other guys here
24:32
who have been
24:34
seminaried and
24:36
studied Greek
24:37
can explain
24:39
better than
24:40
me, like
24:41
why our
24:41
English
24:41
translations
24:42
really use
24:42
the word
24:43
foreknowledge.
24:44
Because most
24:45
of us think
24:46
it means to
24:47
look down
24:48
throughout
24:48
history and
24:48
observe something
24:49
that's going
24:49
to happen.
24:50
We look down
24:51
and we see
24:51
what's going
24:51
to happen,
24:52
and then we
24:53
react accordingly.
24:55
But it's not
24:55
really how the
24:57
Bible uses it
24:58
at all.
24:59
It means to
25:00
be foreknown
25:01
or foreordained.
25:04
So certainly
25:05
God knows
25:06
what's going to
25:07
happen in the
25:07
future.
25:08
He certainly
25:09
knows that,
25:09
but that's not
25:10
what this is
25:10
saying.
25:11
Foreknowledge
25:12
is in Bible
25:13
terms means
25:13
that in
25:14
eternity past,
25:15
God looked
25:17
down and
25:18
decided what
25:19
He was going
25:19
to do.
25:21
He planned
25:21
it.
25:23
He executed
25:23
it.
25:24
It means that
25:25
God planned
25:27
before, but
25:28
not that He
25:28
observed before.
25:30
So later on,
25:31
you see down in
25:32
where is it?
25:33
Let me find this.
25:33
It just came to
25:34
my mind.
25:35
It says that
25:36
David foresaw.
25:37
See that in
25:38
our text?
25:39
This is a
25:40
different word.
25:40
It does mean
25:42
that David in
25:43
his finite
25:44
human way
25:45
could look
25:46
ahead and see
25:46
what was going
25:47
to happen,
25:47
knowing that
25:48
the Christ
25:48
would come.
25:49
That's not
25:50
the same word
25:50
as foreknowledge.
25:52
God had a
25:53
plan before
25:55
the foundation
25:55
of the world.
25:56
Read Ephesians
25:56
1.
25:58
It says before
25:58
the foundation
25:59
of the world
26:00
this was planned.
26:02
Before reading,
26:04
Christ was
26:05
foreordained to
26:06
come before
26:06
the foundation
26:07
of the world
26:07
to be the
26:08
sacrifice for
26:09
our sins.
26:10
But wait a
26:11
minute.
26:12
In our text,
26:13
it says that
26:15
men crucified
26:17
him.
26:17
Men killed
26:18
him.
26:19
Okay, well
26:19
whose plan
26:20
was it?
26:20
Was it man's
26:21
plan to kill
26:22
Christ or was
26:23
it God's
26:23
plan?
26:24
The answer
26:25
is yes.
26:27
Alright?
26:29
So here's
26:30
something so
26:30
chilling.
26:32
Hold your
26:32
hand in Acts
26:33
2, but look
26:33
over two
26:34
chapters to
26:35
Acts 4.
26:37
I'm going to
26:37
show you
26:37
something here.
26:39
And I'm
26:39
going to take
26:40
a sip of
26:40
water.
26:50
Alright, so
26:51
Peter, he
26:53
says that
26:54
Christ's death
26:55
was planned,
26:56
it was
26:56
foreordained
26:57
by Almighty
26:59
God.
27:00
But then he
27:00
adds, you
27:02
crucified him
27:03
and you
27:03
killed him
27:03
by the
27:04
hands of
27:04
lawless
27:04
men.
27:05
What?
27:06
Okay, so
27:06
which one
27:06
is it?
27:07
God or
27:08
man?
27:08
The answer
27:08
is yes.
27:09
Jesus was
27:13
killed by
27:14
lawless,
27:15
wicked,
27:15
sinful men
27:16
who hated
27:17
him and
27:18
rejected him
27:18
as the
27:19
Messiah.
27:20
The very
27:20
crowd that
27:21
Peter is
27:21
addressing are
27:22
those men.
27:24
At the
27:24
same time
27:25
though,
27:26
Peter tells
27:27
them that
27:28
what they
27:28
did was in
27:29
the boundaries
27:30
of what God
27:32
had accomplished
27:33
and preordained
27:34
to bring
27:36
salvation.
27:37
Here's another
27:38
parallel text.
27:39
This one's
27:40
even more
27:40
startling to
27:42
me.
27:43
Acts 4
27:43
verse 24.
27:47
It says,
27:49
and when they
27:49
heard it,
27:50
they lifted
27:50
their voices
27:51
together to
27:51
God and
27:52
said,
27:53
Sovereign
27:54
Lord,
27:55
who made
27:56
the heaven
27:56
and the
27:56
earth,
27:57
the sea,
27:58
and everything
27:58
is in
27:59
them.
28:00
Alright,
28:01
so he
28:01
begins by
28:01
saying God
28:02
is sovereign.
28:03
He is
28:03
Lord over
28:04
all.
28:05
But we're
28:05
trying to
28:06
communicate
28:06
now.
28:08
He says,
28:09
Who threw
28:09
the mouth
28:10
of our
28:10
father David,
28:11
your servant,
28:13
said by the
28:14
Holy Spirit,
28:15
and he quotes
28:16
Psalm 2,
28:17
the second
28:18
Psalm,
28:19
Why did
28:20
the Gentiles
28:20
rage in
28:22
the people's
28:22
plot in
28:23
vain?
28:24
The kings
28:24
of the earth
28:25
set themselves
28:26
and their
28:27
rulers were
28:28
gathered together
28:29
against the
28:29
Lord and
28:31
against his
28:31
anointed.
28:32
That's
28:32
Jesus.
28:33
For
28:34
truly in
28:35
this city
28:35
they were
28:36
gathered
28:36
together
28:37
against
28:38
your
28:38
holy
28:38
servant
28:38
Jesus,
28:40
whom you
28:40
appointed,
28:41
both Herod
28:42
and Pontius
28:43
Pilate,
28:45
along with
28:45
the Gentiles
28:46
and the
28:46
peoples of
28:46
Israel,
28:47
and here
28:47
it is,
28:48
to do
28:49
whatever
28:49
your hand
28:50
and your
28:50
plan
28:51
had
28:52
predestined
28:52
to take
28:53
place.
28:56
Startling
28:56
words.
28:58
The
28:58
American
28:59
Standard
29:00
Version
29:00
says,
29:01
to do
29:01
whatever
29:02
thy
29:02
hand
29:02
and thy
29:03
counsel
29:03
foreordained
29:04
to come
29:05
to pass.
29:07
So do you
29:07
hear that?
29:08
Like,
29:08
Herod,
29:09
Pontius Pilate,
29:10
the Gentiles,
29:11
the people of
29:12
Israel,
29:12
they all
29:12
gather together.
29:13
He was
29:13
fulfilling this
29:14
prophecy in
29:16
the second
29:16
psalm.
29:17
They gather
29:17
together to
29:18
put an end
29:19
to God's
29:20
Messiah.
29:21
Like,
29:21
this is not
29:22
going to
29:23
happen.
29:23
He is not
29:24
going to
29:24
rule over
29:25
us.
29:25
and their
29:27
vile
29:27
actions,
29:28
literally
29:29
they know,
29:30
fulfilling
29:30
prophecy.
29:32
Right?
29:33
They were
29:33
fulfilling
29:34
what God
29:35
had planned
29:35
before creation
29:36
and predestined
29:37
to take
29:38
place to
29:39
accomplish
29:39
salvation
29:40
for His
29:41
people.
29:42
So the
29:43
cross was
29:43
not an
29:44
emergency
29:46
reactionary
29:48
plan of
29:49
God to
29:50
save man.
29:51
That would
29:52
scare you.
29:52
Can you
29:52
imagine walking
29:53
throughout your
29:53
life not
29:54
knowing that
29:54
God was in
29:55
control?
29:56
That anybody
29:57
could come
29:57
and do
29:58
something to
29:58
you and
29:58
God was
29:59
like,
29:59
oh,
29:59
I'm sorry,
30:00
I was too
30:00
late to
30:01
fix this.
30:03
It's not
30:04
true.
30:05
In Ephesians
30:06
1 it says
30:07
God works
30:07
all things
30:08
after the
30:09
counsel of
30:10
His will.
30:11
All things
30:12
after the
30:12
counsel of
30:13
His will.
30:15
Job later
30:15
on says,
30:16
I know
30:16
that no
30:17
purpose of
30:18
yours can
30:19
be thwarted.
30:20
This is
30:21
God.
30:23
So here's
30:23
an insight
30:24
into this
30:25
event that
30:26
we're talking
30:26
about,
30:26
the death
30:27
of Christ.
30:29
One of
30:29
the books
30:30
that I've
30:30
read in
30:31
the past
30:31
and facing
30:32
stuff I've
30:32
faced is a
30:34
book by
30:34
John Piper
30:35
called
30:35
Suffering and
30:37
the Sovereignty
30:37
of God.
30:39
And he
30:39
uses this
30:41
text and
30:41
the ones
30:42
that we're
30:42
looking at
30:43
to describe
30:44
the cross
30:45
and what
30:45
happened at
30:46
the cross
30:46
to give
30:46
people who
30:47
are reading
30:48
that
30:48
encouragement.
30:49
But he
30:50
says,
30:50
this is a
30:51
quote,
30:51
he says,
30:52
God did
30:55
not just
30:56
overcome evil
30:56
at the
30:57
cross.
30:58
He made
30:59
evil serve
31:00
the overcoming
31:02
of evil.
31:04
He made
31:05
evil commit
31:06
suicide in
31:07
doing its
31:08
worst evil.
31:09
In the death
31:10
of Christ,
31:10
the powers of
31:11
darkness did
31:12
their best to
31:13
destroy the
31:14
glory of the
31:15
Son of God.
31:16
But this is
31:17
the apex of
31:18
evil.
31:18
evil.
31:19
Instead,
31:20
they found
31:21
themselves
31:22
quoting the
31:22
script of
31:23
ancient
31:23
prophecy and
31:24
acting their
31:25
part assigned
31:26
by God.
31:27
Precisely in
31:28
putting Christ
31:29
to death,
31:30
they put his
31:31
glory on
31:31
display.
31:32
The very
31:33
glory that
31:34
they aimed
31:35
to destroy.
31:36
The apex of
31:37
evil achieved
31:39
the apex of
31:40
the glory of
31:40
Christ,
31:41
the glory of
31:42
his grace.
31:44
So do you
31:44
hear that?
31:45
Like, I'll
31:45
summarize it.
31:47
Yes, Jesus
31:48
was brutally
31:48
killed by
31:50
lawless,
31:51
sinful men
31:51
who hated
31:52
him.
31:52
And they
31:52
did it
31:53
freely.
31:54
They acted
31:55
in accordance
31:55
to their
31:57
own will,
31:58
which was
31:58
evil.
32:00
They put
32:01
him to
32:01
death.
32:02
They designed
32:02
that to
32:04
destroy Christ.
32:06
And there's
32:06
no greater
32:07
evil than
32:08
crucifying the
32:09
innocent Son
32:10
of God.
32:12
Okay?
32:13
So do you
32:13
hear what he's
32:13
saying,
32:14
though?
32:15
Man killed
32:16
him, but
32:16
listen to
32:16
this.
32:17
700 years
32:18
before this
32:19
happened, God
32:19
spoke to
32:20
Isaiah and
32:20
it says,
32:21
it was the
32:21
will of
32:22
the Lord
32:22
to crush
32:25
him and
32:26
to put him
32:26
to grief.
32:27
They were
32:27
fulfilling
32:27
prophecy.
32:29
This was
32:29
God's plan.
32:31
So here it
32:31
is.
32:32
Listen carefully.
32:33
Scripture
32:33
clearly,
32:36
unashamedly,
32:37
irrevocably,
32:38
says that
32:39
God
32:39
sovereignly
32:41
uses,
32:42
okay, all
32:42
these things.
32:43
He even
32:44
uses the
32:45
free and
32:46
willful acts
32:47
of evil
32:48
men to
32:49
play right
32:50
into what
32:50
he wants
32:51
every time.
32:53
Like the
32:53
Psalms say,
32:54
or the
32:54
Proverbs,
32:55
the wicked
32:55
fall into
32:56
their own
32:56
traps.
32:57
God uses
32:58
their evil
32:59
to accomplish
33:00
good.
33:01
It echoes
33:02
of Genesis,
33:03
right, with
33:03
Joseph and
33:04
his brothers.
33:05
You meant
33:06
this, you
33:06
designed this
33:07
for evil,
33:09
but God
33:09
designed this
33:10
and meant
33:10
this for
33:11
good.
33:11
That's the
33:12
story of
33:12
the Scripture.
33:14
It's not
33:14
God had a
33:15
plan B,
33:15
this was
33:16
plan A,
33:16
and he
33:16
used these
33:17
free and
33:18
willful evil
33:19
actions of
33:20
men to
33:21
commit the
33:23
greatest good.
33:25
That should
33:25
just bring us
33:26
chills.
33:28
All right,
33:28
in doing
33:28
this, the
33:30
greatest act
33:30
of evil
33:31
destroyed evil.
33:33
That's what
33:34
Piper's saying.
33:36
And God
33:37
uses the
33:38
greatest sin
33:39
ever in
33:40
crucifying the
33:40
Son of
33:41
God as
33:41
the means
33:42
for overcoming
33:43
sin forever.
33:45
So how
33:45
great is
33:46
our God?
33:46
How glorious
33:47
is He?
33:49
Christ was
33:50
delivered to
33:50
death because
33:51
God planned
33:52
it, God
33:52
ordained it,
33:53
and He did
33:54
it to bring
33:54
salvation to
33:56
His people
33:56
and to
33:57
display the
33:58
infinite majesty
33:59
and glory of
34:00
Christ.
34:02
God uses
34:03
evil to
34:03
destroy evil.
34:05
And that
34:05
was, this
34:06
is it, this
34:06
was the apex
34:07
of that.
34:08
The cross,
34:09
preordained,
34:12
predestined to
34:13
take place,
34:14
to bring us
34:15
salvation.
34:17
All right,
34:18
so the
34:19
fourth thing
34:20
is number
34:23
four, the
34:23
resurrection
34:24
of the
34:25
Messiah.
34:27
Look at
34:27
24 through
34:28
33.
34:31
It's a big
34:32
text, so just
34:32
for time's sake,
34:33
I'm not going to
34:34
read it all to you
34:34
again, but it's
34:35
24 through
34:36
33.
34:38
And through
34:39
the death of
34:40
Christ, okay,
34:42
one of the
34:42
greatest ways
34:43
that God
34:43
displayed and
34:44
proved that He
34:45
was the
34:45
Messiah was
34:46
that He
34:47
raised Him
34:47
from the
34:48
dead.
34:49
That's the
34:49
greatest validation
34:50
that Jesus was
34:51
not just kidding
34:52
around, that He
34:53
wasn't just
34:53
joking around
34:55
and saying
34:55
things, making
34:57
these outrageous
34:57
claims.
34:59
Because if He
35:00
had died and
35:01
He was in the
35:02
grave, then it
35:03
would be no
35:03
different than
35:04
any other
35:04
self-proclaimed
35:05
Messiah.
35:06
No different
35:07
than Muhammad.
35:08
No different
35:08
than Buddha.
35:11
There's nothing
35:11
good about a
35:12
dead Messiah.
35:15
And as Paul
35:16
said later on,
35:17
we're going to
35:17
look at the
35:17
resurrection some
35:19
more next week,
35:20
but as Paul
35:21
said, like if
35:21
Christ is not
35:22
risen, then you
35:23
are still dead
35:23
in your sin.
35:25
It's so
35:26
important.
35:27
And I love,
35:28
love just the
35:29
looking at the
35:31
resurrection of
35:32
Christ and how
35:33
it almost can
35:33
be proven in
35:35
the courtroom
35:35
how Jesus
35:36
actually did
35:37
rise from
35:38
the dead.
35:39
It's just
35:40
indisputable.
35:42
Right?
35:43
So, it goes
35:44
on and it
35:45
says that
35:46
Christ raised
35:47
Him from the
35:47
dead.
35:48
It wasn't
35:48
possible for
35:49
Him to be
35:50
held by
35:50
death.
35:50
And then He
35:51
uses Scripture
35:52
again to
35:53
prove what
35:54
He's saying.
35:55
He uses
35:55
David again
35:57
saying David
35:58
was a prophet
35:59
and David
35:59
foretold of
36:01
this event
36:02
of the
36:03
resurrection
36:04
of the
36:04
Messiah.
36:06
Okay?
36:07
This is Psalm
36:08
16 that
36:09
he's quoting.
36:10
It says,
36:11
David foresaw,
36:12
different than
36:13
foreknowledge,
36:14
about God
36:15
raising Jesus
36:15
from the
36:16
dead.
36:17
And it
36:17
made it
36:17
clear.
36:18
So, a lot
36:18
of people may
36:19
read Psalm
36:19
16 and
36:20
think that
36:20
David is
36:20
referring to
36:21
himself when
36:23
he wrote
36:23
that.
36:24
He's not.
36:25
And the
36:25
reason why is
36:26
right here,
36:27
Peter says,
36:27
oh, it
36:28
wasn't about
36:28
David because
36:29
David's body
36:29
did see
36:30
corruption.
36:31
He did
36:31
die.
36:32
He's buried
36:32
right over
36:33
there.
36:34
Going, look,
36:35
this wasn't
36:35
about David.
36:36
David was
36:36
prophesying about
36:38
the descendant
36:40
that God
36:40
had promised
36:41
to raise up
36:43
to be ruler
36:44
over all.
36:45
And he was
36:45
saying this
36:46
was Jesus,
36:47
the Messiah.
36:47
He did not
36:48
see corruption.
36:49
He lives.
36:51
David's body
36:51
is here,
36:52
but Christ's
36:52
body is not
36:53
here.
36:55
David knew
36:56
what would
36:57
happen.
36:58
Jesus was
36:59
the direct
36:59
descendant
37:00
of King
37:00
David.
37:02
Look in
37:02
the Gospel
37:02
of Matthew,
37:03
the Gospel
37:03
of Luke,
37:04
and you see
37:04
the genealogies
37:05
there.
37:06
Jesus was
37:07
the Messiah,
37:08
and one day
37:09
he would be
37:09
the eternal
37:10
ruler,
37:11
not just of
37:12
Israel,
37:12
but of the
37:13
nations again.
37:14
So God
37:15
raised Christ
37:15
by the power
37:17
of God,
37:17
and now it
37:18
says he's
37:18
seated at
37:18
the right
37:19
hand of
37:19
the Father,
37:20
ruling and
37:21
reigning.
37:21
We'll talk
37:21
more about
37:22
that next
37:22
week as
37:23
well.
37:24
But then
37:24
he adds,
37:24
we're witness
37:25
to these
37:25
things.
37:25
We saw
37:26
these things.
37:27
We who
37:29
were hiding
37:29
and scared
37:30
and cowering
37:31
in the
37:31
corner after
37:32
this happened,
37:33
now we're
37:34
on the streets
37:34
telling you
37:35
that we
37:35
don't care
37:36
anymore.
37:36
Like,
37:36
Jesus is
37:37
alive,
37:38
and we're
37:39
going to
37:40
proclaim that
37:40
to you.
37:42
So the
37:42
greatest
37:42
validation or
37:43
proof of
37:44
Jesus as
37:45
the Messiah
37:45
was he
37:46
is alive.
37:48
He has
37:48
risen from
37:49
the dead.
37:51
So,
37:52
in conclusion,
37:53
religion,
37:55
if you're
37:55
without
37:55
Christ
37:56
today,
37:57
know that
37:58
God will
37:59
allow you
38:00
to go
38:00
on pursuing
38:02
money,
38:03
success,
38:04
all the
38:04
things of
38:05
this world,
38:05
like just
38:06
go hard
38:06
at it as
38:07
you want.
38:08
But one
38:08
day,
38:09
this Christ
38:10
whom God
38:11
raised from
38:12
the dead,
38:12
you will
38:12
have to
38:13
reckon
38:13
with him
38:13
one day.
38:15
You will
38:15
have to
38:15
face him
38:16
one day.
38:17
And if
38:18
he's dead,
38:18
no worry.
38:19
But if
38:19
he's alive,
38:20
you better
38:20
make sure.
38:21
He's alive
38:22
and he's
38:22
going to
38:22
come back
38:23
to judge
38:25
and to
38:26
make war
38:27
and to
38:27
give life
38:28
to those
38:28
who have
38:28
put their
38:29
total trust,
38:30
who have
38:30
given them
38:31
their lives.
38:33
Peter says,
38:34
we saw
38:34
these things
38:35
and we
38:35
know it's
38:36
true.
38:38
Only then
38:39
that will
38:39
be too
38:39
late.
38:40
So flee
38:40
to Christ
38:41
and accept
38:41
the free
38:42
gift of
38:43
his grace.
38:44
Turn away
38:44
from your
38:44
sins and
38:46
don't look
38:46
back.
38:47
Follow
38:47
Christ.
38:48
He's
38:49
worthy.
38:49
He's
38:50
good.
38:51
He will
38:52
treat you
38:52
so well.
38:53
The world
38:54
and sin
38:54
is a brutal
38:55
taskmaster.
38:57
Flee to
38:57
Christ.
38:58
He is
38:58
alive and
38:59
he is
38:59
here.
39:00
You don't
39:00
have to
39:00
look him
39:01
up.
39:02
He's
39:02
right here.
39:04
And we
39:04
don't need
39:04
an altar
39:05
call because
39:05
you can
39:06
deal with
39:06
God
39:06
sitting
39:06
right
39:07
where
39:07
you
39:07
are.
39:10
And
39:10
believer,
39:12
brother,
39:13
sister in
39:13
Christ,
39:15
rejoice that
39:15
your
39:16
sovereign
39:17
father
39:17
has
39:18
got it.
39:19
He's
39:20
got it.
39:20
He's
39:21
holding
39:21
you.
39:22
He has
39:23
saved you.
39:23
No one
39:24
can snatch
39:24
you from
39:25
his hand.
39:26
And he's
39:26
used the
39:27
greatest act
39:27
of evil
39:28
to destroy
39:28
evil.
39:29
Evil will
39:30
one day
39:30
be no
39:31
more.
39:31
And our
39:32
savior is
39:32
living and
39:34
is here
39:34
with us
39:34
today.
39:35
and he
39:36
reigns for
39:36
our
39:37
good and
39:37
for
39:37
his
39:38
glory.
39:40
And so
39:40
next week
39:41
we'll
39:41
finish
39:42
this part
39:43
of Peter's
39:44
sermon.
39:45
But I
39:46
hope that
39:46
you've been
39:46
encouraged.
39:47
Just know
39:47
that your
39:48
God is
39:48
in control,
39:50
that he is
39:50
sovereign,
39:52
and that
39:52
Christ has
39:54
died on
39:54
your behalf.
39:56
Let's pray
39:57
together.
39:57
here.