Pastor Mac v.20 "I'm Still Here!" Acts 5:35-42

words of encouragement and inspiration

"A Few Minutes with Pastor Mac"
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SPEAKER_00 0:18

Whatever you want to get on this fucking book. If you can't make service donations and fresh fruits giving up and um if you can't make it to service, so don't forget about that. We always want to make sure we give opportunity to uh associate into God's ministry. And if you can't make it again, our website as well, uh Give the website and on our app uh Gibbilify. Thank God for another chance to uh share with you this morning, and uh praying that God keeps you in his perfect peace, his care, has kept you this past week on his new week upon us Sunday morning, 19th of April, already middle of the month, before the month. So we head toward spring and summer, and spring, ahead into summer. Son be out in Texas and hot as usual. Thank God for whatever weather he gives us another day the chance to enjoy and uh be in his presence, giving thanks for all he is done. So I hope the Lord has blessed you and is keeping you. This is our prayer. Let's pray. Oh God, we thank you for another chance. This podcast, broadcast, or a few minutes will pass the back. We hope something is here to uplift, to embolden, Lord, to make encourage hearts and lifted minds to do what the kingdom needs, Lord. And that's to share the gospel about Jesus. We love you and we thank you, Lord. We don't let the enemy swag a jack our praise, we don't let the enemy choke our praise. We give you praise no matter what. His praises shall continually be in. We thank you, Lord, for that chance to worship and praise you, God. We ask you to bless the word. Bless those on the sound of my voice. You were ear to hear, and a heart to feel. What you are doing for us, right? We love you, we lift you up. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to that saint. Oh my Savior, my redeemer, in Jesus the Christ's name, we pray it all. Amen. Last thing I gave you the text of Acts, chapter 5, 35 to 42, as we uh begin back with the Acts on last Sunday, the first Sunday. Uh yeah, not the first second Sunday. Second Sunday, Easter Sunday. I mean behind uh Easter Sunday, the first Sunday went in. The crucifixion, resurrection, and uh second, second Sunday back in Acts. I mean the same as third Sunday. Acts five, thirty-five through forty-two. As I tell you all the time, oh, we read the entirety of that chapter five. We had one through eleven last week, twelve through forty-two, and I'm gonna highlight thirty-five through forty-two. Uh as there is a look here. Uh a lot of a lot of material here. Uh in twelve, I mean five chapter five, verse twelve. Uh all the way down. So that even such as uh the church increased, the Lord blessed became powerful in the spirit so much so that Peter came by at least a shadow might follow one of them with healing power. Verse 15. He said the people in towns that were cents of Jews came coming together, bringing the sick of those who were tormented by unclean spirits, they were being uh healed. They were preaching and teaching the gospel of the law was a blessing. And they got caught with a high court sent Idra. Jewish high counts. Place in jail. This is where we are now at verse 34 from the story of 34, just introduced this. 34 and uh onward, 42 translation, translation now, as you follow. But a Pharisee named Gamelia, teacher of the law of Moses, highly esteemed by all the people, stood up in the council at the Sanhedrin Jewish High Cal court, and ordered that the men be taken outside for a little while. Then he said to the council, men of Israel, be careful in regard to what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago, the author rose up, claiming to be somebody of importance, and a group of about four hundred men aligned themselves with him, but he was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas the Galilean Galilean rose up and led an uprising during the time of the Simpsons and drew people after him, and he was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. So in the present case I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone. If this plan of action is of men, merely human in origin, it will fail and be destroyed. But if it is of God and appears that it is, you will not be able to stop them, or else you may even be found fighting against God. Council. Sanhedrin Jewish High Council took his advice, and after summoning the apostles, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. So they left the council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy, dignified by Higgins dignity, to suffer shame for the sake of his name. And every single day in the temple area and home, they did not stop teaching and telling the good news of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. The appointed Word of God for the people of God for the edifying God of God. Next Sunday. Chapter six. Extolling. Um from there on next Sunday. Chapter six. So next up today we wanna tag this tags I'm still here. I'm still here I just wanna begin. Uh with this. Have you ever been through something that uh should have taken you out? Something that should have broke your mind and crushed your spirit, shut your life down, but somehow you're still standing, still breathing, still praising. Look at somebody and tell them, I'm still here. That's the testimony of uh the apostles in this text. Uh the apostles are preaching with power, miracles are happening, lives are changing, but and the religious leaders are mad. Uh they've been arrested, threatened, beaten, and now they're trying to decide um do we shut this down for good? Yet the apostles they walk out still preaching. Because when God has his hand on your life, you won't go down, you just go through. Um that's the story of of our lives this today, this morning, the testimony that we had a chance to testify is that uh you don't look like what you've been through. I know that cliche has said many moons and and times, and uh but you don't look like you've gone through hell. Uh you've gone through the mountains high and the valleys low. You've gone through the storm and the rain, but you're still here. So you don't go down, you just go through. And the apostles have come through, they uh uh just witnessed the act at the church, Ananias and Sapphira. So now they're emboldened, they're saying the Holy Spirit is real, God is real, we've seen enough. So now they're extolling the scriptures, teaching and preaching out in the streets, out wherever people are listening, and the Lord is blessing and bringing them in and uh increasing the church. And uh, but now the leaders are mad. Opposition is starting to swell, and uh they're not happy with what's going on with the church and people. And it's like in your life, some people are not happy, God is blessing you. Uh they put on good ads. I tell you all the time, folk pat you on the back, don't mean well. But uh everybody not glad you're being blessed, everybody's not glad that God's favor is on you. So the first point is I'm still here despite the opposition, um, despite them hating on me. And and and and and the brother Gameliel, a Pharisee, matter of fact, Saul said under him and was taught. Um he stands up, basically said, If this is of men, it'll fail. But if it's of God, you can't stop it. Now he's a sinner. Everybody needs a gameliel in their life that can tell uh that something is no cap. He's trying to tell them, check yourself before you wreck yourself. And y'all better slow down before you mess around and get in trouble. And and he starts bringing the history. The outers rose up, had followers, then failed. Uh Judas of Galilee rose up, had influence, then collapsed. And everybody that rises ain't sent. Uh everybody that gathers a crowd ain't anointed. Some stuff looks good, but it ain't God. And here's the flip. Gamellian said, before you touch this, you better make sure this ain't God. Matter of fact, uh, before you open your mouth, people should see the difference in your life because of your praise. They should see the difference in your life because of the way you carry yourself, what you talk about. There should be a difference in your response when life gets to lifing. And everybody needs a uh gamelia in their life to recognize they're not like us. My response is different uh when things start happening. I don't respond the same. In other words, um, there was an attempt to shut them down, there was an organized opposition against them, there were powerful people trying to silence them, but what it did not work. That's just like some of us. Uh the plots go against us, the plans go against us, but it won't work. Uh, great is he that's in me than he that is in the world. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. It won't work. The attack is real, but it would it didn't win. The pressure was heavy, but it didn't crush you. Um the resistance was strong, but it didn't stop you. You ought to thank God. And what tried to end you fail. Uh, you've been attacked in your mind, attacked in your relationships, attacked in your purpose. Some folks walked away from you, talked about you, tried to shut you down, and didn't even realize they were fighting what God placed on your life. Opposition didn't erase you, it revealed that God is sustaining you. That's what the pressure does. It just reminds us that we're being held by God, that I'm standing in the promises of God. And if God is for me, who can be against me? That's good news to know that if God is for me, who can be against me? David said, He's my enemies, but they ain't they can't stop what God got for me. Well, number two, I'm still here despite the pain. Yeah, opposition will lead to pain. That 40 verse, the the counselor, the counsel, Sanhedrin Jewish court took his advice when Gamelia told him to leave and said, just let them don't kill him, don't bother him. He flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and release them. The Bible says they beat them, not talked about, not criticized, but beat them. And here's the truth: most people don't preach. Most people don't preach. Sometimes God doesn't stop the pain. Sometimes God allows the pressure. Sometimes you feel the hit, but here's the shout. Here, here's the shout. You felt it, but it didn't finish you. Ah, because every opposition means there's maybe some pain. You cry, but you didn't quit. You hurt, but you didn't walk away. You bent but you didn't break. Somebody needs to decline the sound of my voice. I'm still here, even after what I felt. And what I felt didn't feel good. What I felt made me feel bad. What I felt made me almost want to quit and throw in the town. But I had to stand the ground because I'm with Jesus. Jesus didn't quit on the cross, Jesus didn't quit at crucifixion. I can't quit. We still here. There's gonna be some pain. But somebody declare, I'm still here. Despite all I'm going through. Well, I hope somebody is understanding that what I'm all I'm trying to tell you is that just hang on in there. The apostles beaten, they were still preaching the word, they were tortured, they were beaten, they were slapped, they were uh criticized, they were flawed, but they they they they kept on doing the work of the king, they kept on serving. Uh because that's what God commanded. And every time you quick and somebody look at you funny, you may have to check check yourself because uh somebody looking at you funny shouldn't stop you from doing what God has commanded you to do, predestine you to do. You you may need to check yourself because uh you're gonna have some pain sometimes. You're gonna have your highs and your lows, you're gonna have your ups and downs, but uh the shout again, I'm still here. It didn't finish me. You you felt it, but it didn't finish you. You cried, but you didn't quit. Tell somebody in the house, touch your neighbor, say, I'm still in here to win it. I'm in it to win it. We already won. So I'm staying around trying to praise God for all he's done. Then lastly, first, I'm still here despite the opposition. Second, I'm still here despite the pain. And then thirdly, I'm still here with the praise. Verse 41 through 42. So they left the council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy, meaning dignified by indignity, to suffer shame for the sake of his name. Every single day in the temple and homes, they did not stop doing what teaching and telling the good news of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one. This is where it turned. They leave beaten, but they rejoicing. That don't even make sense, unless you understand they weren't praising because it felt good, they were praising because God was with them. Repeat, repress play. They they weren't praising because it felt good. They were praising because God was still with them. Matter of fact, God is good. The Bible says daily they did not cease. They didn't let pain silence the praise. They didn't let opposition stop the obedience, they didn't let suffering shut down the assignment, not just surviving, but still serving. You've been through hell. Uh but look at you. Uh you're still here. You because the enemy had his way, uh, you wouldn't made it this far. If your past had had the final say, you would have been stuck a long time ago. If the pain could have killed you, you would have died in what you went through. But look at you. You're not here still because you're strong. You're still here because God is sustaining you. Still here, still standing, and still praising. I need somebody in this room who's got a still here testimony. To open up your mouth and shout, I'm still here. Still after the sickness, I'm still here. Still after the heartbreak, I'm still here. After all the disappointments, I'm still here. And if God kept you, he didn't keep you just a still. He kept you to praise him. He kept you to serve him, he kept you to testify. Somebody ought to shout right now. I'm still here. You picked the wrong one because God is backing me up. You messed with the wrong one because Jesus is in my life. Do you mind if I talk about him? Born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, baptized in the Jordan, and one Friday on the hill called Caleb, he died. Didn't he die? But early Sunday morning he got up from the grave with all power in his hands, and so now with his power, I'm still here. They can't take me out. So I double dog dad ya just one time wherever you are. Lift up your hands, open up your mouth, and cause praise to break out chase to break off doors to open because of all he's done. But as long as I got breath, I'm gonna praise him right now because he's worthy to be praised. Don't let it slip by. You're getting a chance to praise through all the tears, through all the heartbreak, through all the disappointments. I'm ready to go all the way.

unknown 21:25

Won't he do it?

SPEAKER_00 21:27

Invitation is extended now. If you don't know Jesus and the pardon of your sins, if you would like to get to know him better, uh get saved, allow him to come into your life, simply say this prayer Jesus, I need you in my life. I believe you died and rose again on the third day. I trust you to control my life and to enhance my future. If you said that prayer, uh it's as simple as A B C accept, believe, and commit. If you did that. We would love to hear from you. You may contact us through our email, get praise on at house of praisep.org. Or you may go simply to our website, www.houseofpraisepp.org. Contact us, and someone from our discipleship team will get back with you with all the information you need in order to begin this new life in Christ. We love you to life. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you again for listening to our podcast. We hope something was said and be a blessing for you and be a blessing for you this week. We know that we are still in the hands of God and we will trust Him to keep and deliver us. Bless you. God bless you. County Line, we love you to life, and you can't do anything about it. Look forward to next week. The Lord says the same. We hope that you are praying and reading the word and staying true and standing on the promises of the Lord. God bless you, and we'll see you next week, Pastor Mac.