WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:10.800 And we'll trust that that uh tees us up nicely uh for the book of Acts as you uh grab your Bibles and uh get yourself turned there uh right now. 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:17.519 Well, um I think every one of us here uh have asked the rather simple question at some point. 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:19.280 Uh, what's the plan? 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:20.079 Right? 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:21.199 You asked that question. 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:22.239 Uh of course you have. 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.399 You've maybe even asked it this morning already, right? 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:28.239 You wake up and you're like, all right, we're we're going to church, but then it kind of dawns on you. 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:31.359 Oh yeah, we uh we don't have any gas in the car, right? 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:37.439 So how are we going to uh kind of make this work so that we, you know, are we gonna make it to church without running out of gas? 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:38.079 Do we have to stop? 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:39.840 Do we have to adjust our our schedule? 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:43.600 Some of you are smiling, maybe that was literally your story uh here this morning. 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:49.840 But we we you know we want to know the plan with things like those mundane kind of daily tasks, right? 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:53.200 But sometimes we want to know them with things like uh our vacation, right? 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:58.960 Angie and I are talking uh a little bit about this right now and then and kind of trying to think through our our summer vacation. 00:00:59.039 --> 00:01:00.560 You know, what weeks are we gonna take off? 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:02.640 Which which you know in which month? 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:04.319 And you know, are we gonna go somewhere? 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:06.319 Are we gonna save money and stay home? 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:08.640 Like, what's the plan uh with that? 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:13.599 Uh you might experience this uh in your workplace where you've been asking that question. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:15.519 Like, what's the what's the plan? 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:18.560 What's the kind of the vision behind this company, right? 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:24.400 You know, where are we going and and and how are we getting there? 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:31.599 Hey, bottom line, no matter what, is that we uh like to and really need to know what's going on, right? 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:35.439 We we love to kind of uh have that understanding. 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:42.480 We want to know what what's the schedule today, what's the strategy for this, what is the plan uh going forward? 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:58.480 It helps us kind of just understand the circumstance or the situation uh that we find ourselves in, whatever that may be, so that we can you know make necessary adjustments, so that we can respond or act uh accordingly. 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:16.960 Now, when you become a Christian, all right, and you know, you you've you find a local church, and for you that's here, and you know, you you get yourself involved and you get serving and you're growing and all of that, you realize and and you're reminded at certain points along the way that that God has a plan. 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:17.439 Right? 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:25.439 God has a plan that he has called you and I uh to join in on and see through uh to completion. 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:27.520 Okay, well, the book of Acts, love it. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:36.240 The book of Acts is is where we see really the origins of God's great plan for his church uh for us, right? 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:36.719 For us. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:42.560 It's in Acts that we see uh what a church uh is, right? 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:45.120 You heard the word uh ecclesiology before. 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:48.080 It's the study of the church, right? 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:56.879 What the church is uh to be like, what what the purpose of the church is, how how do we go about uh all of this? 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:10.879 And and it's in this first chapter here, in the first 11 verses, that that God gives us this overarching view, if you will, of what that plan is. 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:20.800 All right, he gives us the broad strokes, kind of a snapshot of what he has in store uh for his church. 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:32.800 And so today begins what will uh be a uh multi-year project for us as we go through the book of Acts uh verse by verse. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:35.599 Now you might be like, well, multi-year, that sounds intense. 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:38.400 Well, on one hand, I mean the book of Acts is long, right? 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:46.560 It's 28 chapters, and we're gonna go through uh verse by verse, gonna be around 70 uh messages or so, and so that, as you can imagine, that takes time, right? 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:50.159 But on top of that, you know, we're gonna take breaks uh from time to time as well. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.599 We've got Easter coming up, we're gonna take four weeks uh to go into that. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:55.039 We'll do a different summer series. 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:56.879 We've got some other series that we'll kind of plug in. 00:03:56.960 --> 00:03:58.800 And so we'll we'll kind of leave it and come back to it. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:02.800 We're gonna work uh our way uh through the book of Acts. 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:04.879 Uh, so excited about this. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:26.720 I mean, we just came through uh what are the you know the six defining characteristics or distinctives uh our church is committed to and about, and and through Acts uh we're gonna see what happens as the very first churches devoted themselves to these uh very things, these same things. 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:39.360 And we're gonna look at this so that by God's grace, uh you and I, all of us together, can unify and and really galvanize around uh the plan that God has for us. 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:49.680 And so before we uh get too much further here, I just want to give this time over to the Lord and invite him to do a mighty work through this amazing uh book in the New Testament. 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.399 So why don't you join me as we give this to the Lord? 00:04:52.560 --> 00:05:00.879 Christ, we could we pray uh to you, the great God and uh king over all, uh, Lord, and ask you to move in our church, Lord. 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:04.639 We just sang about how we long uh for revival, Lord. 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:10.160 We we long to see you do a work in Newmarket and in this surrounding area, Lord. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:14.240 And and as John even mentioned and led us, Lord, it begins with us, Lord. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:23.360 It begins with you doing a work in our hearts, uh, us being uh receptive to this and humble and broken and and repentant. 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:27.360 And so, Lord, I pray that you would do whatever it takes. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:32.639 God, I pray that you would break down strongholds in our hearts. 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:39.920 God, I pray that you would uh just show us how worthless our idols are that we worship, Lord. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:52.959 We all have idols of the heart, things that that we love more than we should, that we that we overlove, that we love more than you, they have taken uh your spot on the throne of our hearts. 00:05:53.040 --> 00:06:08.560 And so, God, I pray that as we look at what your plan is for each of us, uh, your plan for the church, Lord, I pray that as as we unpack this a little bit here this morning, and certainly over the course of this series, Father, I pray uh that you uh would be glorified. 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:13.680 I pray that you would transform, I pray that you would save, Lord, I pray that you would heal. 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:21.279 Lord, we pray uh that you would do all of these things in the name, the matchless name of Jesus Christ. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:22.240 Amen. 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:23.120 Amen. 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:27.439 All right, so God has a plan for his church. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:32.240 Again, we're talking like high-level view here today, okay? 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:34.959 But I think that's that's that's very important for us. 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:42.480 We're gonna get plenty of time to really mind down into the details of all of these things over the next months and all of that. 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:50.399 But I think it's really good for us to just kind of take a simple look at the basics, the foundations, the the building blocks of this today. 00:06:50.480 --> 00:07:00.319 And I just want to kind of encourage you here to not miss how all of what we're gonna talk about here today is is directly applicable to each one of us. 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:09.199 Okay, because God's plan for you and I as individuals is synonymous with his plan for the church. 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:12.079 Because if you think about it, we are the church, right? 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:13.360 People are the church. 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:17.439 I think we get very caught up with in with, you know, church is the building, right? 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:21.120 Church are, you know, the four walls that we meet in right now. 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:25.759 And there's a sense where, yeah, that's a church building, but the people are the church. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:30.480 And so uh it's very important for us that we understand what is God's plan for all of this, right? 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:31.680 What is his plan? 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:35.600 Well, the first step here today, three three things. 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.879 First thing is get saved through Christ. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:41.600 Okay, that's the first step in the plan. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:46.959 And we see this as we flesh out verse one a bit here in Acts chapter one. 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:47.920 Look at what he says. 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:56.639 He says, In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. 00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:59.199 Now you may be thinking, like, well, who's he? 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:00.480 Who's the guy that wrote this? 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:01.600 Who's speaking here? 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:05.120 Well, the author of this is Luke. 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:08.800 Okay, now Luke was uh he was a doctor, okay? 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:17.439 He was a doctor, he was uh he was a companion of the apostle Paul on some of his uh missionary journeys. 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:27.839 Uh Luke is considered a historian, okay, so he gives us uh a record of uh the early days of the church. 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:31.600 You know, understand though that this is uh this is a selective history. 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:41.759 So he by by no means goes through every single story of every single thing that ever happened as the church uh was getting its uh its start. 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:48.559 It's it's not that, it's selective, uh, not every detail, but you better believe that uh there is detail in this. 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:56.240 Okay, uh Luke uh was a doctor, of course, and we would probably hope that our doctors would be kind of detail-oriented guys, right? 00:08:56.320 --> 00:09:04.639 And so that was him, and he gives us uh plenty uh to go here on as we look at the various stories throughout uh this book. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:09.120 And then obviously he's writing to a man named uh Theophilus. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:13.600 A Theophilus uh literally means lover of God. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:18.559 And Theophilus is a man, I'll be honest with you, we know like nothing about this guy. 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:18.960 Right? 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:19.600 We really don't. 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:33.200 Some people have kind of speculated, well, maybe he was a wealthy Christian and and and financed uh Luke and and his trips and and asked for uh uh you know a record of of his uh his journeys and his stories. 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:44.480 Uh I guess that's possible, but um, but when Luke mentions uh the first book there, you see that in verse one that he wrote, he's actually referring to the gospel of Luke. 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.120 Okay, so that Luke, same Luke, okay? 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:54.399 And in the Gospel of Luke, in chapter 1, verse 3, he he writes to the most excellent, Theophilus. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:56.399 Alright, so he's writing to the same guide. 00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:59.200 And so, really, I think this is helpful for us to think about it this way. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:12.480 You can think of the Gospel of Luke, okay, and and the book of Acts as kind of one total volume broken down into two kind of mini, if you will, maybe those aren't the right words, but mini volumes. 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:24.480 Okay, so in the first book, the first volume, which is Luke's gospel, uh, he says, Okay, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:27.120 Okay, we see that in Acts chapter 1, verse 1. 00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:28.480 Now just think about that. 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:36.000 Okay, if he's referring to his first book, if he's referring to the Gospel of Luke, what is the Gospel of Luke really all about? 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:39.919 If you were to boil her right down, I mean, even just generally, right? 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:50.559 It's about it's about an account of the life and in the ministry, uh, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, right? 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:56.320 And, and this is really crucial, obviously, how salvation is found in his name. 00:10:56.559 --> 00:11:18.240 Okay, so so right out of the gate here in in Acts, as as Luke begins to just kind of lay that groundwork for us that that is God's plan for his church, he's letting us know here that a massive part of this plan, God's heart for for all people, is that we would get saved through Christ. 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:24.320 Okay, so Luke's like Theophilus, like in the first book that I wrote you, okay, you know this. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:41.919 I told you about all the incredible things uh that Jesus did, all the things that that he taught, how he is the you know the fulfillment of God's century-old promises to send a Messiah uh to send a Savior. 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:50.399 And he's like, I detailed in that first volume how how Jesus lived a sinless life, and yet he was killed, right? 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:53.360 Killed by sinners for sinners. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:12:17.919 He's like in that first volume I elaborated on how he rose again bodily on the third day, right, right, defeating the grave, crushing sin, crushing death, and how how salvation uh that he earned paid our sin debt and brings us forgiveness. 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:23.919 Right now, now does Luke elaborate on all of that here in in verse one? 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:25.919 No, no, he doesn't, right? 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:29.200 He doesn't, but but he certainly implies it, right? 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:39.840 He implies that the foundations of God's plan for his church, as he's about to expand on in his second book, is salvation. 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:40.320 Right? 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:41.679 That that's the foundation of it. 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:49.600 Salvation for broken and and and lost people, that you and I, we're we're those broken and lost people, right? 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:58.879 That we would turn away from our sin, that we would, that we would confess our rebellion against God and embrace Christ as Lord. 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:12.879 Now, when you think about God's plan for your life, when you think about his plan for the global church or or our church, it really starts here, right? 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:14.159 Get saved. 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:14.799 Right? 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:16.480 That that that's it. 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:19.360 And so so just let me ask you the question. 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:22.799 I I I could breeze by this, but I but I don't want to, and I can't. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:26.080 I think the scriptures really beg the question here. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:27.679 Have you done this? 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:30.799 Have you gotten saved? 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:36.080 Have you given your heart, surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:38.720 Are you are you sure? 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:44.080 Are you are you confident that you are in fact a Christ follower? 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:45.759 Are you sure about that? 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.039 Now know that that you can be. 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:49.519 Right? 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:59.120 Know that you you should be confident in your salvation, and and you and I, we will be confident in our salvation when we see when we see what? 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.639 Well, when we see we see fruit in our lives, right? 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:08.879 When we see evidence that God has in fact saved us and and transformed us. 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:15.440 And so as you just kind of think about your own life and your your own salvation, where are you at with that? 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:16.000 Right? 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.720 Do you see fruit in your life? 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:23.759 Do you see evidence that that the Lord is at work in you? 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:24.639 Right? 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:28.799 Can I just challenge you to really process that? 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:29.440 Right? 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:37.519 And and maybe even to directly, not to let other people off the hook, but even directly at some of our young people, our our students, our our young adults. 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:41.759 Do you see evidence that you are in fact a follower of Jesus? 00:14:42.399 --> 00:14:42.559 Right? 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:51.200 Because I think sometimes it's it's very easy for us to think that that getting saved is is kind of just about you know saying some magic words. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:51.759 Right? 00:14:52.399 --> 00:15:01.519 I'll say these these words as you know outlined here, and then okay, I've kind of done my part, I've got my my fire insurance, if you will. 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:07.360 I I will escape hell, I've said all of those words, and now I can just kind of live life however I want. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:09.279 Is that you? 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:14.159 Does that does that sum up kind of your approach and your whole attitude towards life? 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:20.080 Yeah, I said some words, but but if you're honest, you're not really, really living for the Lord. 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:23.919 You're not being transformed from from the inside out. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:27.039 Are you actually saved? 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:51.759 Hey, if not, and maybe you're feeling some conviction about that, or or or if you're kind of searching this whole thing out and you're kind of wondering, and that's part of why you're here and you're exploring and and and trying to know, or or or someone has like dragged you by the collar to church today, right, and and you're and you're here and you're hearing this uh for the first uh time. 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:58.720 Allow me to urge you to surrender to Christ, to get saved. 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:03.759 Listen, there is nothing, nothing more important than this decision. 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:04.320 Right? 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.639 That that's not hyperbole, right? 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:09.360 That that that's no exaggeration whatsoever. 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:14.559 I remember as a as an eight-year-old kid giving my life to the Lord and getting saved at church. 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:28.480 I remember my dad on the car ride home, I may have shared this with you before, but he just kind of I told him about this, and he paused, and he kind of, you know, he had this moment where he was like, you know what, this is the most important decision you will ever make in your life. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:32.000 Remember as an eight-year-old being like, okay. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:38.879 And over time, I came to see that he was right. 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:56.159 And so listen, maybe you're sitting here and you're kind of wondering, and you're thinking, and and and you're you're interested, and you sense maybe the the Lord even drawing you, and he's he's kind of tugging on your heart, and you're feeling even uncomfortable in all of this, and you're wondering, all right, what is the process here? 00:16:56.320 --> 00:17:01.200 Like, like, like how do I uh get saved as you say it, Pastor? 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:02.639 Like, like what do I do here? 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:07.759 What's my responsibility or response to the things that I have heard? 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:12.319 Well, I really want to get this up on the screen for us. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:14.960 Have you ever heard of the Romans Road before? 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:31.359 It's a very uh common little pathway that uh comes right out of the book of Romans, and that's why it is called this, that I think really just kind of really well defines the process of salvation and things that we need to understand and believe in our hearts and act upon here. 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:36.240 And so let's let's look at this first thing here Romans uh chapter 3, verse 23. 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:41.440 We have to understand this that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:48.799 Now, if you're looking at uh at and maybe becoming a Christian and you're considering all of these things, it starts with understanding this. 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:52.079 It starts with knowing that at the end of the day you're not a good person. 00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:54.160 Hey, Pastor, that's kind of harsh. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:54.720 Really? 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:55.599 You're gonna say that? 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:56.960 You don't even know me, man. 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.680 Well, the the scriptures say that that no one is good. 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:02.319 We all fall short of God's glory. 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.240 We're all broken deep down at our very core. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:08.240 We are we are worked by sin. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:11.839 Another place in Romans says that no one is righteous, no, not one. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.480 Right? 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:17.039 We have all sinned, every single person has has sinned against God. 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:20.720 We fall short of his glory, his excellence, his perfection. 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:24.480 We are not on the same level as God whatsoever. 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:28.799 We have sinned against him, and let me tell you, that is trouble. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:35.440 That is bad news, but it all kind of leads us to the second part of the Romans road here, Romans 6, 23. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:39.359 For the wages of sin uh is death. 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:43.279 Yeah, I was talking about this uh with my son just the other day. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:46.160 The wages of sin is death. 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:47.599 It means what's a wage? 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:49.839 Uh a wage is like a paycheck, right? 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:54.880 A paycheck that you that you earn uh when you do a job for an employer. 00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:01.839 And so this is saying the the wage, the paycheck that you earn for sinning, it's death. 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:08.480 It's death, and and much worse than physical death, which is bad enough. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:10.880 It's actually spiritual death. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:22.799 When you and I sin, uh it causes spiritual death in you and I, and and that means separation from a holy and righteous and just God. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:31.039 When you and I sin, it it creates this gap between us and the God who made us, and we cannot cross that gap. 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:39.200 We are not good enough, we cannot behave enough, we are there there's nothing in us that is good enough to bridge that gap. 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:40.799 But look at the second part of that verse. 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:46.960 The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:55.440 You might be thinking, well, okay, I've got this gap and and and I've been I've been separated from from God and and and my sin has earned me death. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:57.599 Like, how do I earn this back with God? 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:00.240 How do I get back into his good graces and his good books? 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:04.240 Well, we see here that his salvation is a gift. 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:06.559 It's not something that you can earn. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:11.680 It's not something that you can behave your way into, it's it's it's a gift of God. 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:13.119 How amazing is that? 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:13.599 Right? 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:24.400 That the Lord just bestows this upon us eternal life, where we can avoid the horrors of hell and live with with God forever, in eternity, in heaven. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:29.680 The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:34.160 This all leads to the next step in the Romans road, Romans 5, verse 8. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:41.920 But God shows his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:49.039 Because you might be thinking, well, I need to, you know, I'm kind of bad, and and you know, I kind of recognize that and I and I see that I've got sin in my life. 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:57.279 I guess I gotta kind of pretty myself up a little bit here before I come to church, before the Lord is going to accept me uh into his family. 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:59.039 The answer to that is wrong. 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:00.079 You do not do that. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:15.920 See how there, how God shows his love for us that while we were still sinners, right, on our worst day ever, the the the the the most egregious sin that's hiding in your heart, the most egregious sin that you have have done, God loved you on that day. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:20.000 He showed his love to us that while we were still sinners, we haven't done anything good, right? 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:22.319 While we were still sinners, he died for us. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:24.400 That's how he showed his love. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:31.920 He died on the cross 2,000 years ago, and in that moment, God the Father punished him. 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:42.799 He poured out his wrath for all of your sin, for all of my sin, and he punished Jesus so that you and I could receive the free gift of eternal life and not go punished. 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:44.400 How amazing is that? 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:47.920 While we were still sinners, God died for us. 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.640 Let's look at the fourth step here in the Romans row. 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:52.880 This is Romans 10, 9, and 10. 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:54.640 And here's our response here. 00:21:54.799 --> 00:22:00.559 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your Heart. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:01.680 This is the heart thing. 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:06.000 If you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead three days later, what does it say? 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:07.839 You will be saved. 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:08.240 Right? 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:09.440 There's the promise. 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:13.200 And it says, For with the heart one believes and is justified. 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:14.960 That word justified is incredible. 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:17.599 It means declared righteous. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:18.319 Right? 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:19.359 You don't earn that. 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:20.799 You can't make yourself righteous. 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:22.319 God just declares you that now. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:25.759 When you trust in Jesus Christ by faith, right? 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:30.480 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:35.519 That word confesses there means to confirm what has taken place in the heart. 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:36.000 Right? 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:36.799 I love that. 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.839 When you do that, you are saved. 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:42.160 What an amazing reality. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:43.359 That is our response. 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:46.319 Do you believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross for you? 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:52.079 Do you believe that Jesus did everything that it took to secure your salvation? 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:53.599 You can't add to that. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:55.599 Not at all. 00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:56.960 He did it all. 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:58.160 We do nothing. 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:00.960 We merely believe and receive. 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:07.359 Which leads us here to the last step, the final step of the Romans road from chapter 10, verse 13. 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:12.400 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:13.680 Everyone. 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:20.720 I think for the vast majority, well, really all of us, we have so much pride, right? 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:24.559 That it's hard for us to face the facts of our depravity. 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:26.880 It's really hard for us to do that. 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:31.119 And we like to think of ourselves as better better than we really are. 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:36.880 But I can only imagine that there are some people right now, and you're kind of at the other end of the spectrum right now. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:40.000 And you're like, man, I know that I'm that I'm broken. 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:41.039 I know that I'm sinful. 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:43.119 In fact, I know it way worse than you do, Pastor. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:48.319 And I'm so far gone that there is no way that the Lord would ever save me. 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:51.200 Again, I gotta toss up a wrong for that. 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:52.400 Incorrect. 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:53.440 Look what it says. 00:23:53.680 --> 00:24:00.400 Everyone, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:04.240 You are not so far gone that the Lord cannot rescue you. 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:05.200 Right? 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:09.200 All of us, we're all on the same level when we sin. 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:12.480 We are all lost, we are all broken. 00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:16.880 It doesn't matter how how far your sin took you. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:20.160 We're all on the same page, but the Lord saved. 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:22.960 So, question church, are you saved? 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:24.319 Are you saved? 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:27.440 Have you responded to these truths? 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:30.799 Okay, if not, will you do that right now? 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:34.079 Do that right now in your seat. 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:35.839 Confess your sin. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:42.880 Admit where you're at, admit your neediness, and believe that the Lord did what it took to save you. 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:44.799 Trust in his name. 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:57.839 Now, as we continue on here through Acts 1, there's actually even more that Luke implies here in the very first verse alone, right? 00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:59.519 When he says there, look at it again. 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:05.039 When he says in the first book, uh, it's about what Jesus began to do. 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:15.680 It's an indication that that his second book, the second book of Acts now, is all about what Jesus continues to do, right? 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:22.960 What he continues to do in his church even after his ascension, what we'll get which we'll get into here in just a moment. 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:23.359 Right? 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:30.240 And what he continues to do in the life of his church will be through his Holy Spirit. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:38.480 Now, there's a lot about his Holy Spirit, even in the verses that we're gonna look at uh here today, but we're gonna do a deeper dive into all of that, especially in chapter two. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:43.440 There's a lot of Holy Spirit discussion that we're gonna have and look into what that is all about. 00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:49.759 But the Holy Spirit here uh will be sent to us, uh the church, believers, as a gift, right? 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:59.200 Another gift, as our as our helper, okay, for the building up and maturing of believers everywhere. 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:01.680 God gives us the gift of his spirit. 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:10.960 And then, of course, the spirit is instrumental in the explosion of uh and the expansion of the global church all across the world. 00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:17.359 Okay, so this really gets into uh what's next in God's plan uh for his church. 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:22.720 First, of course, is that foundational step that we get saved through Christ. 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:27.440 The second step here is that we get discipled in Christ. 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:39.680 Okay, so as Luke writes again to Theophilus here, okay, he reminds him, he he points to what Jesus has accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection. 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:42.000 Remember, that was in his first book. 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:43.519 Now verse 2. 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:48.799 Until the day when he was taken up, okay, again, that's that's the ascension. 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:49.599 We see a lot of that. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:55.839 Luke wrote about that in Luke chapter 24, and he's gonna get to it here even in a second in Acts 1. 00:26:55.920 --> 00:27:05.599 Okay, so until the day that he was taken up, after he had been after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:24.640 An extremely uh important uh theme that develops all through uh the book of Acts is that as Christ was guided by uh the Holy Spirit, hey, Christians are likewise uh guided uh by the same Spirit, right? 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:29.119 As we are discipled, right, as we grow in Christ. 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:33.680 And of course, as we engage in the mission, which again he'll expand on here in a second, we'll get to it. 00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:35.839 But for now, verse three, take a look. 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:43.440 Says he, this is Jesus, he presented himself alive to them, that's the disciples, after his suffering. 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:46.640 Okay, so what's the suffering specifically talking about? 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:48.000 It's his death, right? 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:53.119 So he presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs. 00:27:53.279 --> 00:28:01.680 Remember, Luke is uh is a detailed guy, and he was very interested in showing proof of the resurrection in his gospel, okay? 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:08.480 Appearing, it says, to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:15.759 Okay, now Luke himself, again, records some of these appearances and some of these proofs uh in his gospel account. 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:24.880 Again, that's in Luke chapter 24, and there we see, and you might remember this, how how Jesus uh would appear, this is after his death, after his resurrection. 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:31.039 Remember he would just kind of appear out of thin air uh to his uh to his disciples? 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:31.440 Right? 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:32.160 You remember that? 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:36.559 And and maybe you remember that one occasion on the road to uh Emmaus, right? 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:46.640 And they were talking and they were talking about some of the things that they have they have seen and and and what was happening uh in Jerusalem at this time, and he he shows up to them, and remember they didn't recognize him at the time. 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:53.599 Their eyes were kept from uh realizing who he was, and he's speaking to them and asking them about what they're talking about. 00:28:53.680 --> 00:29:00.400 And then in verse 27, there, this is Luke 24 again, it says, The beginning with Moses and all the prophets. 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:03.440 Okay, so he's referring to the to the Old Testament, okay? 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:12.720 Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he this is this is incredible, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:13.359 Right? 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:19.039 So as he's walking along with the disciples on this road, he's starting to fill in the gaps for them. 00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:19.759 You see that? 00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:22.880 He's teaching them, he's instructing them. 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:24.640 This is their discipleship. 00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:24.960 Right? 00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:33.279 He's discipling them about how the entire Old Testament, really all of it, points to him. 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:33.839 Right? 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:37.920 How he would come and he would save his people from their sin. 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:40.000 Okay, and then check this out. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:41.039 We're gonna have this on the screen. 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:44.240 This is from Luke 24 as well, starting in verse uh 44. 00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:58.559 Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms, okay, again, the Old Testament, must be fulfilled. 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:00.000 Okay, then look at this. 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:05.599 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:07.200 What a verse. 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:09.759 You need to underline that in your Bible church. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:27.599 He opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, Thus it is written that the Christ, the Messiah, should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:33.519 You are witnesses of these things, and behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:35.119 That's a reference to the Holy Spirit. 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:43.599 Okay, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high, again, from the Holy Spirit. 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:52.960 Okay, so back to Acts 1 here, we see Luke refer to this 40-day time period, right? 00:30:53.119 --> 00:31:08.880 After he rose from the grave and before he ascended, just over uh a month, where the the apostles they had these these moments like this with Jesus, where he prepared them for their upcoming kingdom work. 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:14.079 He spoke to them about all the things concerning the kingdom of God. 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:19.200 He explained what they hadn't uh yet understood, right? 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:23.440 Many of the truths that he had taught them that just kind of gone over their head. 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:28.799 Remember, we were in the book of Mark not too long ago, and we saw that Jesus would teach them and be like, huh? 00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:30.400 Like they didn't get it, right? 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:32.640 And then their minds weren't opened yet. 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:33.839 And so he was doing that. 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:36.799 He was opening their minds during this 40-day period. 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:39.680 Again, this was their discipleship. 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:45.759 They were growing in knowledge and understanding and passion, right? 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:51.599 For for all that God had done and all that he had in store for them. 00:31:52.480 --> 00:32:01.440 I I once heard somebody, I can't even remember who it was, refer to this time period that the disciples had with Jesus as Jesus' seminary. 00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:03.680 I kind of like that. 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:13.519 Probably way better than any seminary, any m-div, any any demon that you could ever get in any earthly seminary. 00:32:13.599 --> 00:32:17.359 Just, I mean, imagine what that would have been like. 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:18.000 Right? 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:30.720 Just walking with the Lord, and all of a sudden he shows up, kind of like out of thin air, and and he and he's speaking to them, and they're seeing him alive, and and and he's giving them them comprehension, right? 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:36.319 As he fills in those missing puzzle pieces in their understanding up to that point. 00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:38.799 I mean, do you ever, it's so healthy. 00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:42.880 Do you ever, do you ever kind of like put yourself at the scene when you read the Bible? 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:45.039 Can I encourage you to do that as you read? 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:48.000 Acts is a wonderful book to be able to do that. 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:57.039 And you try to imagine that the sights and the sounds and and the smells, and how would how would this have struck me hearing this for the first time? 00:32:57.279 --> 00:33:02.960 I think sometimes we've read these verses so many times that we've got they've kind of lost the impact. 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:15.200 I think that's on us because we don't do a deep enough job of kind of thinking on these things and marveling in these things and meditating on the scriptures and praising the Lord for them and for him and what he's done. 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:26.240 Just imagine the spiritual growth that they would have gone through as they spent time with Christ, just being intentionally discipled by him. 00:33:26.559 --> 00:33:27.440