WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:06.020 I want to invite you this morning, then to Acts chapter two, as we're going to be at together today in Acts chapter two. 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:09.560 And we're continuing on in this book. 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:11.680 We've really we've really come to the book of Acts. 00:00:11.680 --> 00:00:18.680 We wanted to do this intentionally and where we were in our church and our history and realizing God's got a beautiful work he 00:00:18.680 --> 00:00:19.950 wants to do in your life personally. 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:22.790 He's got a beautiful work he wants to do in our lives as a community. 00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:28.270 And the book of Acts, as we think about the future of ABC, is a very inspiring book. 00:00:28.380 --> 00:00:35.480 As we think about how we live out, what God desires to do in us and through us as individuals and as a community in Jesus. 00:00:35.580 --> 00:00:42.200 Because when you look at this book, we're reminded the book of Acts picks up really at the tail end of the Gospel of Luke. 00:00:42.300 --> 00:00:44.110 Luke wrote both of these books. 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:51.700 And as Luke ends the book, the Gospel of Luke, and he comes into the book of Acts, he's picking up for us the story of after 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:57.180 Jesus's ascension and the next 30 years of the early church, what took place. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:03.990 And if you remember the theme verse of the book of Acts is Acts one eight, which is a portion of that up here on the stage. 00:01:04.019 --> 00:01:07.360 But God tells you, you're going to be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. 00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:10.900 He says, from Jerusalem to Judea to the uttermost parts of the earth. 00:01:10.940 --> 00:01:12.300 That's Acts chapter one, verse eight. 00:01:12.300 --> 00:01:15.260 That kind of it carries the theme idea of what Acts is about. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:22.080 God's desire is for God's people to take the gospel throughout this world in a transforming way. 00:01:22.080 --> 00:01:29.420 And when you read about the early church, you see how this took place from the city of Jerusalem and all the way to the capital of Rome, 00:01:29.520 --> 00:01:34.120 it took about you read in the gospel of Acts about 30 years as that transpired. 00:01:34.440 --> 00:01:36.660 Incredible how God's people given over to him. 00:01:36.660 --> 00:01:39.600 They saw this powerful work taking place. 00:01:39.600 --> 00:01:44.850 And as we look at this story, we realize it's the same God who's at work in us today. 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:51.340 And so the way God made a difference in this in the in the first century world, is the same desire he has to make a difference in this world today. 00:01:52.060 --> 00:01:56.400 I looked at the population just for fun before I came down here today. 00:01:56.460 --> 00:02:03.760 What was the population of Rome during this time, and they estimated somewhere between 50 to 60 million people, which is like basically 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:08.520 the equivalent of kind of like Oregon, Washington, California and Utah. 00:02:08.580 --> 00:02:09.400 Throw all those in. 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:09.960 Right. 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:14.720 It's if we're to think about the known world at the time, that's about the size of the population. 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:18.800 And we think, wow, 30 years and look how the gospel went forward. 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:20.620 And it's the same God at work today. 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:28.180 And in fact, when you look at the book of Acts, it's how the Spirit of God worked into the people of God to accomplish the will of 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:28.900 God. 00:02:29.040 --> 00:02:31.140 And then God invites us in. 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:38.400 And I told you one of the kind of unsettling things about this book, the book of Acts, is when you get to the end of Acts, it doesn't really have a conclusion. 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:42.920 It just kind of stops, like Paul is in Rome and he's preaching the gospel and that's it. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:43.580 And you're like, what? 00:02:43.640 --> 00:02:44.520 How does the. 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:47.620 He's in jail and it doesn't even tell you what happens with him, right? 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:48.300 It's so frustrating. 00:02:48.660 --> 00:02:55.760 And then but then you realize perhaps Acts doesn't really end because the story is 00:02:55.760 --> 00:02:57.060 continuing to be told. 00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:05.290 I mean, even today, God has you in a particular place for a particular reason to make a difference for the Lord in this world. 00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:12.190 I can't think of a better place to live in your own relationship with Jesus and the impact you can make than right here in Utah. 00:03:13.200 --> 00:03:17.120 And so what is it that God desires to do in us and through us? 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:24.400 And as we read about this book, we recognize and Acts chapter one, that this event 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:30.020 is really a significant event as we get from chapter one into chapter two of what God desires to do. 00:03:30.160 --> 00:03:34.280 We would say in Christianity the most critical event is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:34.980 Right? 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:42.020 So the most critical event that we find ourselves shaped as God's people is in Jesus and specifically his death, burial 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:42.440 and resurrection. 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:43.570 That's where we find freedom. 00:03:44.220 --> 00:03:48.920 But the thing that empowered us to accomplish this is the Spirit of God. 00:03:49.760 --> 00:03:52.980 It's the Spirit of God and the way that he works in our life. 00:03:53.040 --> 00:03:56.680 And so when we think about the reason we're here today as God's people. 00:03:56.700 --> 00:04:02.960 Or at least my hope that we grab Ahold of is the reason is the mission God desires for us is to reach people. 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:04.280 God's heart is for people. 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:05.490 He made people in his image. 00:04:05.860 --> 00:04:12.960 He gave his life for us, that we could find freedom in him so that the mission is people and the means is the Holy 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:17.560 Spirit, that the Spirit of God would empower the people of God to accomplish his will. 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:19.100 And the method then is the church. 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:25.890 The church becomes the catalyst to seeing God's will made known in this world, because you're the place that heaven and earth collide. 00:04:26.100 --> 00:04:31.610 To see God accomplish his purpose in this world, as he works in you and through you to see that take place. 00:04:32.280 --> 00:04:39.380 And it's a beautiful thing to think that God loves you so much that he pursued you to give his life for you, that you could find freedom in him, and that you could know 00:04:39.380 --> 00:04:40.460 him in a personal way. 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:47.500 But then to discover in the depth of that relationship, God wants to do so much more to make an impact in the relationships around you. 00:04:47.520 --> 00:04:50.470 Begin in your own home, in your church, and through the community. 00:04:51.460 --> 00:04:54.420 And so what does that look like for us in Acts chapter two? 00:04:54.460 --> 00:04:55.650 That's where we discover this. 00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:59.600 We're talking about this morning being empowered for a mission. 00:04:59.640 --> 00:05:06.780 And so what does that mean for you and for me is as you look at the notes, if you grab some notes this morning, you can find it in the bulletin if you click or if you 00:05:06.780 --> 00:05:12.140 if you click on our app and you click on notes, you can discover that there but empowered for a mission. 00:05:12.140 --> 00:05:13.830 What does that look like in our lives? 00:05:14.140 --> 00:05:15.660 And there's a lot of misunderstanding. 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:23.500 As I say in Acts chapter two, I find some people, they undermine the power of the Holy Spirit, other people, they do some weird things 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:25.170 and then call it the Holy Spirit. 00:05:25.280 --> 00:05:32.450 But what does that look like for us to live on mission for Jesus in this world, knowing that God has given us His Spirit for this? 00:05:32.840 --> 00:05:37.680 Let me give you point number one in your notes, and we'll read some of this section of Acts two together. 00:05:38.300 --> 00:05:41.530 But number one is this understand how God works. 00:05:42.760 --> 00:05:44.260 Understand how God works. 00:05:44.260 --> 00:05:46.420 God, what is it that you desire to do? 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:47.200 Really? 00:05:47.200 --> 00:05:54.600 When you look at Acts chapter two, the first four verses explain this to us and then the rest of chapter two kind of is the outworking of 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:55.080 that. 00:05:55.180 --> 00:05:59.940 So the first four verses really lay that foundation, and then you kind of see the outworking flow from there. 00:06:00.320 --> 00:06:07.360 But if we read this together, it says this when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 00:06:07.380 --> 00:06:12.880 And if you remember up to this point what Jesus said to his disciples after his resurrection, he said, I'm alive, baby, right? 00:06:12.880 --> 00:06:17.400 I didn't say quite like that, but I mean, they went from the pit of despair, right? 00:06:17.400 --> 00:06:20.680 And seeing the death of Jesus and all of a sudden everything came untrue. 00:06:21.260 --> 00:06:24.080 Jesus is resurrected and they are pumped, right? 00:06:24.140 --> 00:06:27.760 It's like, oh my goodness, everything we thought was going to be finished. 00:06:27.760 --> 00:06:32.140 And now we're seeing Jesus among us, and they're trying to wrap their heads around it and what that means. 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:37.440 But then before Jesus can turn them loose, he says, but I want you to wait, right? 00:06:37.520 --> 00:06:38.350 And they go to the upper room. 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:44.420 And the Bible tells us in chapter one, about 120 of them are waiting, and they're waiting for this day of Pentecost, right? 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:45.220 The day of Pentecost arrived. 00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:50.500 They were all together in one place, and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:57.660 And it filled the entire house where they were sitting, and divided tongues as a fire appeared to them and rested on each of them, and they were all 00:06:57.660 --> 00:07:02.270 filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance. 00:07:03.140 --> 00:07:10.260 And so here in these four verses, it's really explaining to us that the description of what the Spirit of God desires to do. 00:07:10.340 --> 00:07:16.700 In fact, in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 16, verse 18, Jesus gave us this powerful statement about his church. 00:07:16.760 --> 00:07:21.090 He said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:23.140 And the idea is like this. 00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:27.000 There had been a gathering of God's people throughout the centuries, no doubt. 00:07:27.140 --> 00:07:33.060 But Jesus is speaking to the uniqueness of what his body he desires to see among his people moving forward. 00:07:33.200 --> 00:07:40.600 And so when he says, I will build my church, Jesus is recognizing that what's going to make the New Testament church is something different than what's existed 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:42.840 before, because it doesn't exist yet. 00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:44.820 That's why Jesus is going to build it. 00:07:44.880 --> 00:07:50.970 I will build my church, and what you're seeing take place is that it's happening now through the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:57.080 And so the day of Pentecost is 50 days after Jesus's death and resurrection. 00:07:57.080 --> 00:08:02.700 And this is a very symbolic picture of things being fulfilled in Christ. 00:08:02.760 --> 00:08:10.080 In fact, when you read the Old Testament, you discover there's a lot of foreshadows established for us of ultimately what Jesus 00:08:10.080 --> 00:08:11.220 would fulfill. 00:08:11.820 --> 00:08:18.860 Meaning there's this, these rituals and practices of the Old Testament followers of God that all of it came 00:08:18.860 --> 00:08:20.100 to fruition. 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:26.540 It culminated in Christ for example, when the Passover was celebrated, they would sacrifice a lamb. 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:33.600 And then we read in the Gospel of John, chapter one verse 29, you discover Jesus is the Lamb of God, that the 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:39.820 Passover was ultimately pointing to what Jesus would fulfill for us, that we would no longer sacrifice lambs. 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:43.549 But the lamb has been sacrificed for you and for me. 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:45.240 All of that pointing to Jesus. 00:08:45.880 --> 00:08:47.660 Same thing in John chapter one. 00:08:47.660 --> 00:08:51.250 It tells us that Jesus tabernacled or dwelt among us. 00:08:51.380 --> 00:08:58.760 That he was the walking temple, the presence of God, that wherever Jesus went, that was God in the flesh, and you could be connected to him and 00:08:58.760 --> 00:09:01.760 walk with him, that Jesus was that tabernacle. 00:09:01.760 --> 00:09:07.020 As you read in the rest of the New Testament, you discover God's presence now dwells in his people, that we become that tabernacle. 00:09:07.020 --> 00:09:14.240 So the Old Testament temple was ultimately a picture of what Jesus would accomplish for us, or even the idea of the law, the Old Testament 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:15.040 law. 00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:19.080 We discover in the Gospels that Jesus is the fulfillment of that law. 00:09:19.160 --> 00:09:22.110 He lived it perfectly so he could atone for our sins. 00:09:22.760 --> 00:09:29.920 And so it's this incredible sacrifice that Jesus made for us to bring us freedom, that some people today will look at religious law and 00:09:29.920 --> 00:09:32.980 think, oh, this is the law I have to fulfill in order to make God happy. 00:09:33.540 --> 00:09:39.550 But what you discover with the Old Testament law is out of the 613 commandments, none of us could fulfill those things. 00:09:40.180 --> 00:09:41.480 The law didn't free us. 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:42.460 It didn't liberate us. 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:43.560 It condemned us. 00:09:44.060 --> 00:09:45.490 And so we needed a rescue. 00:09:46.260 --> 00:09:48.440 And Jesus becomes the fulfillment of those things. 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:49.720 And it's the same with Pentecost. 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:58.020 Jewish tradition says that Pentecost was first celebrated, and in the book of Exodus, chapter 19, when God gave his law at Mount Sinai. 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:05.170 But it's incredible that this particular holiday, known as Pentecost, was a day of harvesting crops. 00:10:05.640 --> 00:10:10.860 And God tells them to celebrate this day of harvesting when they just left Egypt as slaves. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:14.460 And they've had no time to even plant crops in order to harvest them. 00:10:15.280 --> 00:10:23.050 And so this was an ultimate picture of the great harvest that Jesus would achieve for you and for me, that we would find new life in him. 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:27.480 And so on Pentecost, we find it fulfilled in Christ what he has accomplished for us. 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:33.000 And it says, as this day of Pentecost comes, that the Spirit of God moves like a mighty rushing wind. 00:10:34.060 --> 00:10:39.560 And when you study the concept of this throughout the Old Testament, you recognize that this is the presence of the Holy Spirit. 00:10:40.700 --> 00:10:46.820 In fact, even in the book of Genesis, chapter one, it tells you at the very beginning of Genesis one verse three. 00:10:46.860 --> 00:10:49.610 That the Spirit of God hovered above the waters. 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:52.060 As if the presence of wind is there. 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:55.840 In fact, the Hebrew word ruach can be translated as spirit or wind. 00:10:56.680 --> 00:11:02.750 In Genesis chapter two, when God created us, it tells us he breathed into us the breath of life, and we became a living being. 00:11:03.040 --> 00:11:07.410 The Spirit of God made known to you and to me that we could be connected to him. 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:12.300 But then when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, it tells us that they run from God. 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:15.880 But they knew his presence was there in chapter three by the coolness of the day. 00:11:16.580 --> 00:11:20.620 And it's again describing the idea of wind that they recognized God's presence. 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:26.040 But what we discover in Genesis three is that they're cut off from their relationship with God because of sin. 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:34.520 And from that point, mankind has been waiting to be brought back into that fellowship with the Lord, to be restored, to 00:11:34.520 --> 00:11:37.860 be reconciled to him, to find that life. 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:46.220 And in Genesis chapter three, you see Jesus in that chapter talking to Nicodemus, Us, and he compares the Spirit 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:48.640 of God who's coming to give us new life. 00:11:48.860 --> 00:11:55.560 As Jesus says in John three, to be born again and the way that Spirit of God is told about us. 00:11:55.580 --> 00:11:56.580 It's as if it was. 00:11:56.600 --> 00:12:01.300 When Jesus compares it like this, he says, when the wind comes, we don't see it coming or going. 00:12:01.300 --> 00:12:03.500 You can't physically see the wind, but you feel its presence. 00:12:03.660 --> 00:12:04.520 You know it's there. 00:12:05.260 --> 00:12:05.880 And so it is. 00:12:05.880 --> 00:12:10.880 He compares it to the Holy Spirit that Jesus would renew us in him. 00:12:10.880 --> 00:12:13.860 He would restore us and reconcile us in him. 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:16.380 And the Spirit of God would be made known in our lives. 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:22.200 And recognizing that he then goes on to describes it as divided tongues. 00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:30.100 And this is an interesting phrase Jesus uses in comparing the spirit, because this idea of divided tongues is literally recognizing there's 00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:34.680 120 people in this upper room, and each of them is getting a particular language. 00:12:35.140 --> 00:12:37.660 This idea of tongues is where we get the English word for glossary. 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:40.600 It's a it's a specific language. 00:12:40.640 --> 00:12:42.540 And so they're speaking languages. 00:12:42.540 --> 00:12:49.860 In fact, when you look at verse five, you will see that there's different people, groups from all over the world coming to Jerusalem 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:51.620 to celebrate Pentecost. 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:59.300 And now God is making his message known in all these different languages, so that every tribe and tongue hears the message of the 00:12:59.660 --> 00:13:01.900 gospel to find deliverance in Jesus. 00:13:01.920 --> 00:13:09.220 And so these divided tongues are appearing on people so that they at the early church, they could proclaim the gospel 00:13:09.220 --> 00:13:11.160 message to those around the world. 00:13:12.400 --> 00:13:19.580 And when you study the idea of tongues, the Bible gives us in first Corinthians chapter 12 to chapter 14 really gives 00:13:19.580 --> 00:13:26.100 you the description of how tongues are to operate and why God's given them for us. 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:32.770 But if you look in first Corinthians 12, verse 30, it tells you, for example, that the tongues are not for everyone. 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:41.060 Meaning here in Acts, in chapter two, you're seeing the early church and it's telling us in the upper 00:13:41.060 --> 00:13:45.520 room that they're all all these tongues are divided among that early church of just 120 people. 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:53.020 But I want you to know, when you read certain portions of Scripture, it's important to recognize what type of what type of literature am I 00:13:53.020 --> 00:13:54.020 reading? 00:13:54.280 --> 00:13:59.080 And here in the book of Acts, this is categorized as narrative literature, meaning it's telling you a story. 00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:05.340 And so when the Bible gives you narrative stories, it's not necessarily prescriptive for everyone all the time. 00:14:06.420 --> 00:14:11.700 And what that means is just because it happens once doesn't mean it happens for everyone all the time. 00:14:12.520 --> 00:14:19.600 And so if you want to discover more prescriptive passages of the Bible, you would see that more in the New Testament and say, the epistles. 00:14:19.640 --> 00:14:22.030 Because what does God desire for the church? 00:14:22.760 --> 00:14:22.920 Right. 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:28.660 And so when you're reading Acts chapter two in this narrative story, it's not saying this is this is the case for everyone all the time, forever. 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:29.260 Right? 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:32.500 It's like it's like assuming because Jonah got swallowed by a whale. 00:14:32.540 --> 00:14:38.380 If I ever go visit the beach and I'm not walking with Jesus, I gotta be careful because I might become shark bait, right? 00:14:38.380 --> 00:14:38.860 That's like. 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:40.060 That's not what that's saying. 00:14:40.060 --> 00:14:42.070 It's just giving you a story of what took place. 00:14:42.460 --> 00:14:44.240 And this is what it's saying for the early church. 00:14:45.400 --> 00:14:52.480 Now, if you want to read more of a descriptor of how tongues played itself out in the first century, First Corinthians 12 to 14 is that section 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:53.020 of Scripture. 00:14:53.040 --> 00:14:59.340 If I just highlighted a few of those for you in chapter 14, verse 22, it tells you that the purpose of tongues are for unbelievers. 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:03.270 Meaning, as you're seeing here in Acts, it's so that unbelievers hear the gospel. 00:15:03.420 --> 00:15:08.530 It's not necessarily a practice that for believers, but rather for reaching unbelievers. 00:15:08.540 --> 00:15:11.600 It's in verse, chapter 14, verse 19. 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:12.560 It's better to speak. 00:15:12.560 --> 00:15:19.150 It says five known words in a language you can comprehend than 10,000 words in a language you can't, I mean God's. 00:15:20.280 --> 00:15:28.020 When we hear God's Word, we want to hear it in a way that we can comprehend it or in verse 27 to 29, 00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:35.530 it talks about when tongues were practiced in the early church, that they were to only have 2 or 3 people do it, and there was always to be an interpreter present. 00:15:36.420 --> 00:15:40.750 But at the same time, in verse 39, it tells you don't forbid the speaking of tongues. 00:15:41.660 --> 00:15:48.680 And so there's certainly a laid structure and first Corinthians 14, I don't have a whole lot of time to dissect 00:15:48.680 --> 00:15:51.090 all of 14 for you because we're in Acts two today. 00:15:51.520 --> 00:15:59.160 But I want you to know that the primary focus of this is not to get fixated on the thought of tongues, but 00:15:59.160 --> 00:16:00.900 rather God's heart behind it all. 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:03.700 What's God doing in this moment? 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:10.700 In fact, this was a question the early church was thinking about as the individuals coming to Jerusalem start to hear this gospel message. 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:11.570 Look at this verse five. 00:16:12.460 --> 00:16:16.960 Now they were dwelling in Jerusalem, Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 00:16:17.620 --> 00:16:20.170 And at this sound the multitude came together. 00:16:20.260 --> 00:16:24.470 And they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:29.370 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, are not all these who were speaking Galileans? 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:34.280 How is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:41.720 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:48.640 and Egypt, and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians. 00:16:48.640 --> 00:16:52.080 We hear them telling in our own tongue the mighty works of God. 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:57.860 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, what does this mean? 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:02.960 This incredible movement of God as God sharing his Word? 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:08.000 And can I just tell you, as they're thinking about what this means, can I just explain to us what this means? 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:15.940 Like if you go to the book of Genesis and you were to read just the first 11 chapters of Genesis, I know we went through Genesis not too long 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:23.160 ago as a church, but when you look at the first 11 chapters, really what it's showing you is the debacle that 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:26.040 humanity is made of God's creation. 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:28.240 You read the first few chapters. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:31.770 You see the demise of Adam and Eve when they partake of the fruit after God tells them no. 00:17:32.840 --> 00:17:40.060 And then God comes in and promises them deliverance in Genesis 315, but then the very next generation, the very next generation discovered 00:17:40.060 --> 00:17:41.850 Cain killing Abel. 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:47.140 And then after that, you discover the world getting so bad in Genesis six that there's the Noahic flood. 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:54.420 And every time something like this happens, it's like mankind's reminded of the reason their creation is to find themselves in their creator God. 00:17:54.560 --> 00:17:58.610 And so they come back to the Lord, but then they quickly leave God again and it comes up to the flood. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:17:59.940 It happens again. 00:18:00.260 --> 00:18:07.300 And then when you get to chapter 11 of Genesis, you find the Tower of Babel, the first nine verses of Genesis 11, the Tower of Babel, where mankind 00:18:07.300 --> 00:18:13.100 says, let's build these towers for our glory, because we see ourselves as if we were gods. 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:17.440 And in those moments, God's confuses the earth with languages. 00:18:18.320 --> 00:18:24.700 And out of that, some 70 plus people groups come forth and there's different dialects, different languages in this world. 00:18:25.760 --> 00:18:28.780 And then when you get to Genesis 12, you're introduced to a man named Abraham. 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:31.420 Abraham was from the ur of the Chaldeans. 00:18:31.620 --> 00:18:33.410 He was a pagan man and a pagan land. 00:18:34.320 --> 00:18:40.870 But God by his grace rescued Abraham and said, through you there will come one who will bless all people groups. 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:50.420 And then when you turn to the Gospels, you see in Luke chapter ten, Jesus calls 70 disciples. 00:18:51.320 --> 00:18:58.620 And his reasoning for doing that was to declare to the people groups all the way back from Genesis 11 that 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:02.940 the promise of that Messiah who was to come to reach all people groups is here. 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:11.660 And so when you get to the book of Acts and you see the Spirit of God empowering the people of God to accomplish the will of God, giving them that special 00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:18.860 gift of speaking in different languages, it's to get the message of God to this world, to demonstrate to them the Messiah 00:19:18.860 --> 00:19:20.410 is here. 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:25.160 The Messiah who's whose heart is for people is made known. 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:29.170 So understanding how God works is critical for us so that you can get the point. 00:19:29.320 --> 00:19:30.250 Number two, which is this. 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:31.940 You can join him. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:41.480 You can join him, because the same God who's moving in the first century is the same God who desires to move 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:43.180 today in you and me. 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:51.520 And when you look at this book of Acts, it says again, and these divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on 00:19:51.520 --> 00:19:52.540 each of them. 00:19:53.340 --> 00:19:56.600 And again, this is a beautiful picture of the Spirit of God made known. 00:19:56.620 --> 00:20:02.180 Because when you look in the Old Testament, you see God's presence made known through the idea of fire. 00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:05.560 Meaning when, for example, you read in the book of Exodus. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:11.100 Book of Exodus when Moses is called by God, the Bible tells you. 00:20:11.100 --> 00:20:14.380 In Exodus chapter three, a burning bush is speaking to him. 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:18.760 By the way, if a burning bush ever speaks to you should maybe listen or get your head checked. 00:20:19.120 --> 00:20:26.200 But in this particular instance, this bush is speaking to him, and Moses goes to the bush and God is speaking to him through fire, and it's not consuming the bush. 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:29.320 If you remember the story, God tells Moses to take his sandals off. 00:20:29.320 --> 00:20:30.470 He's standing on holy ground. 00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:33.500 And as if to say to Moses, don't think of yourself as something great. 00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:37.200 I want your feet to touch the soil from where you came to remember yourself. 00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:38.420 You're made of dirt, right? 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:39.720 It's not because you're impressive. 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:41.060 It's because I'm impressive. 00:20:41.060 --> 00:20:41.980 God saying so. 00:20:42.300 --> 00:20:43.750 He speaks to him through this bush. 00:20:43.780 --> 00:20:50.980 And then when you get to Exodus 13, you see that as the children of Israel are rescued from slavery, that when they're called 00:20:50.980 --> 00:20:57.920 out of slavery in Egypt, that God guides them by a pillar of fire at night and by his glory cloud in the day. 00:20:57.940 --> 00:21:00.440 And so God's presence still made known by fire. 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:06.360 And then Exodus 19, when at Mount Sinai, when God gives his commandments to them. 00:21:06.360 --> 00:21:10.620 It is a cloud that covers Mount Sinai and God's fire made known in that cloud. 00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:15.440 And so for Israel this was incredible, that God became personal to them. 00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:19.040 And if they wanted to know God, God's presence dwelled at the temple. 00:21:19.040 --> 00:21:21.220 And so they could go to the temple and discover God. 00:21:21.260 --> 00:21:26.920 But there was something interesting about their connection to the temple that Israel built this place of worship called the temple. 00:21:27.120 --> 00:21:28.870 But they can never actually go into the building. 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:32.520 Only the priests could go in to do ministry for them. 00:21:32.820 --> 00:21:33.870 And so here was God's presence. 00:21:34.100 --> 00:21:41.500 But there was always this distance between them and God until the New Testament, when 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:48.520 the Spirit of God came upon each individual in the Lord to empower them to accomplish what God 00:21:48.520 --> 00:21:49.900 desired for them to do. 00:21:51.280 --> 00:21:58.320 In fact, in the book of Joel, chapter two, there's a story told here that says, when it came to pass afterward, that I will pour out 00:21:58.320 --> 00:22:05.180 my spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:11.090 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my spirit. 00:22:12.340 --> 00:22:13.310 You know, when you read the book of Joel. 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:14.240 It's an interesting book. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:17.040 It talks about a locust plague as a curse on God's people. 00:22:17.080 --> 00:22:23.900 And some, some read it and think it's a literal locust plague, and it's destroyed them, and it's come against them as judgment for disobeying God. 00:22:24.080 --> 00:22:31.240 And others think, well, it could be a literal locust plague, or it could be symbolic that the locusts represent a people group that's attacked God's people. 00:22:31.280 --> 00:22:34.650 But either either way, it's judgment because of their disobedience. 00:22:35.860 --> 00:22:43.140 And, anytime we go through something difficult in life, our tendency sometimes, as people is to immediately think, Has God abandoned me? 00:22:43.140 --> 00:22:44.990 You know, has God not love me? 00:22:45.300 --> 00:22:49.220 You know, have I finally done the sin where he's like, oh, you know what, I gotta forget you. 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:51.040 I'm going to tend to the rest of the world. 00:22:51.100 --> 00:22:51.260 Now. 00:22:51.300 --> 00:22:58.160 We kind of feel like we start to get in this place of maybe spiraling depression, like, oh, no, I'm all by myself here. 00:22:58.360 --> 00:22:59.280 You start to feel isolated. 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:03.520 And in Joel chapter two, no doubt Israel is feeling this way. 00:23:03.520 --> 00:23:08.740 They've been disobedient, there's been judgment, and they're wondering, God, do you not love us anymore? 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:11.960 Have we completely forsaken you to the point you've forgotten us? 00:23:12.840 --> 00:23:15.680 In Joel chapter two, God's reminding him that's not the case at all. 00:23:16.780 --> 00:23:24.180 And one day there is coming a time where and he talks about the women prophesying, daughters prophesying, and the 00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:26.780 old men dreaming dreams and young men seeing visions. 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:29.990 And I want you to think for a minute just how incredible this is. 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:36.800 Some people come to this verse and they really fixate on the idea of visions and dreams. 00:23:36.860 --> 00:23:40.640 They're like, man, I can't wait for that day, because I'm going to have my dreams and my visions. 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:41.400 It's going to be pretty awesome. 00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:43.380 And people just kind of focus on that. 00:23:43.380 --> 00:23:44.580 Like, that's the point of the verse. 00:23:44.580 --> 00:23:46.770 And can I just tell you that is not the point of the verse. 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:48.660 That's not the primary point of this verse at all. 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:52.120 But rather he's teaching us something greater in this story. 00:23:52.800 --> 00:23:59.820 In fact, if you were to take the idea of dreams and visions and just look at it in terms of the New Testament, like what is the New Testament say to me in 00:23:59.820 --> 00:24:01.550 terms of dreams and visions? 00:24:02.020 --> 00:24:06.580 Can I tell you there's very few verses on it outside of Acts and Revelation? 00:24:06.620 --> 00:24:12.760 When you get to the epistles, which is the prescriptive part of the New Testament for the church, very few verses on it. 00:24:12.780 --> 00:24:13.820 In fact, there's only a couple. 00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:21.940 And when it comes the idea of dreams and visions, when it's mentioned in the New Testament, it actually comes in terms of a warning, and it tells 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:25.880 you be wary of people that talk about dreams and visions. 00:24:26.020 --> 00:24:26.630 Look at this. 00:24:26.800 --> 00:24:28.280 And Jude one eight it says. 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:35.840 Yet in like manner, these people, also relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 00:24:36.080 --> 00:24:38.860 So it's actually a warning on people that just focus on that. 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:42.100 Or in Colossians two verse 18, let no one disqualify you. 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:47.760 Insisting on asceticism, worship of angels going on in details about visions. 00:24:49.760 --> 00:24:53.670 Rather, can I tell you really the driving point of what God is saying in Joel chapter two? 00:24:55.400 --> 00:25:01.810 You think in the Old Testament when God spoke to his people, he would do it through a prophet. 00:25:02.620 --> 00:25:03.620 He would do it through a priest. 00:25:04.860 --> 00:25:06.160 And look at this, ladies. 00:25:07.260 --> 00:25:09.760 Priests were just men, right? 00:25:09.760 --> 00:25:12.090 So you were dependent on men in that sense. 00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:18.780 And all of us were dependent on a figure, right, to be kind of our liaison between God and us. 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:27.500 But when you come to the New Testament, what it's saying in the New Testament is when God's Spirit is made known on his people. 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:31.720 All of us, men and women, will become royal priests for the Lord. 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:40.000 All of us will have direct access to God, because the Spirit of God will empower the people of God to accomplish the will of God. 00:25:41.320 --> 00:25:44.340 God has made known on all of his people. 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:46.920 It's the point of Joel chapter two. 00:25:46.940 --> 00:25:54.020 In the early church in the Old Testament, when they would read this, they would be amazed by this, because in the Old Testament, in their practice, 00:25:54.280 --> 00:25:55.210 they would have to go to the priest. 00:25:56.500 --> 00:26:02.720 But now what God is saying is the intimacy of a relationship with God would be made known in all of them. 00:26:03.700 --> 00:26:10.820 What an incredible gift for you and for me, that we would have the privilege to be able to join with God and the reason for which 00:26:10.820 --> 00:26:16.400 he has created us to know him in the most intimate of ways is Jesus has given his life for us, that the Spirit of God. 00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:20.800 Get this would fill the people of God to accomplish the will of God in this world. 00:26:21.040 --> 00:26:28.100 Like what a sacred gift that is for us to gather as God's people, to know him in such intimate way, and then represent him in the way that we live in this 00:26:28.100 --> 00:26:30.900 world, to understand the power of what. 00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:38.020 Acts chapter two is saying to God's people to live intentionally and purposefully in this world, as we represent the gift 00:26:38.020 --> 00:26:45.100 and the privilege it is to have this relationship with God and the way we carry ourselves among one 00:26:45.100 --> 00:26:45.500 another. 00:26:47.340 --> 00:26:51.560 And this is an opportunity for God's people to say, God, thank you. 00:26:52.560 --> 00:26:53.060 Thank you. 00:26:53.060 --> 00:26:54.110 You have not abandoned me. 00:26:54.880 --> 00:27:02.820 God, thank you that you love me even in the darkness of my life and the things that I regret that you did not stop pursuing me, that 00:27:02.820 --> 00:27:05.700 I could find freedom in you and relationship with you. 00:27:05.700 --> 00:27:08.330 And when other people may not see the worth of who I am. 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:09.080 God, you. 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:16.360 You've given me worth by giving your life for me that I could, I could respond, and loving you in return, in the way I carry myself in 00:27:16.360 --> 00:27:21.020 this world to make a difference in how I live my life in a very intentional way. 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:25.120 Because I know, regardless of what other people say, I've been made for a purpose. 00:27:25.340 --> 00:27:26.740 I've been redeemed in Jesus. 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:29.480 And I get the opportunity to live for his glory in this world. 00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:37.640 I mean, Joel chapter two is painting a picture that would have been incredible for God's people in the Old Testament, even dream about. 00:27:38.580 --> 00:27:45.720 To think that I can walk with Jesus every day of my life and have that connection to him at any moment, because he is with me 00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:46.950 wherever I go. 00:27:48.380 --> 00:27:49.900 And so this is what it's saying in Acts. 00:27:50.080 --> 00:27:57.280 Acts two, it's saying verse four, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as 00:27:57.280 --> 00:27:58.720 the spirit gave them utterance. 00:28:00.040 --> 00:28:06.970 And so the idea of being filled, Ephesians chapter five, verse verse 18, actually gives it to you as a commandment be filled with the spirit. 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:11.400 Meaning this is not something that we always walk in. 00:28:11.420 --> 00:28:16.910 Meaning you're filling as God's people, as is seen in your surrender to the Lord. 00:28:18.120 --> 00:28:25.260 And this is very critical for us as God's people to understand, because this is Counterintuitive to the way our culture teaches us today, meaning 00:28:25.260 --> 00:28:30.730 we are directly opposed as a culture to what Scripture says and how we conduct our lives. 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:34.650 Because typically in our culture today, we tend to say things like this. 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:36.100 You want to find the purpose of your existence. 00:28:36.300 --> 00:28:41.460 You got to look deep within you and ask yourself, whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you happy, you got to pursue it. 00:28:41.820 --> 00:28:45.830 And if anyone thwarts you from doing that, well, they're holding you back from your happiness. 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:47.220 And it's not you that's the problem. 00:28:47.220 --> 00:28:47.620 It's them. 00:28:47.620 --> 00:28:48.190 That's the problem. 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:49.380 Right? 00:28:49.380 --> 00:28:55.280 And so you got to look deeper within you in order to discover the peace for which you were created, because only you can tell you how you can be happy. 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:59.090 But can I tell you that is not the biblical message at all? 00:29:00.660 --> 00:29:07.580 Because the very first words Jesus said to us in the gospel of Mark, chapter one verse 15, it says this repent. 00:29:11.350 --> 00:29:13.250 Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. 00:29:14.600 --> 00:29:18.940 And here's what it's saying to you and me, that the problem, honestly, is not outside of us. 00:29:19.060 --> 00:29:20.690 Certainly life can have some complexity. 00:29:22.320 --> 00:29:24.080 But the problem is not outside of us. 00:29:24.100 --> 00:29:24.740 Get this. 00:29:25.700 --> 00:29:27.900 The problem rests within us. 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:33.300 That's why Jesus's first message to us is repent. 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:38.880 The idea of repenting carries a similar thought to what it means to be filled by the spirit. 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:40.310 And that means this that we recognize. 00:29:41.340 --> 00:29:48.580 I didn't make me, and I'm not going to discover the purpose for which I was created until I'm willing to surrender my life 00:29:48.580 --> 00:29:51.180 to the one who created me for his purposes. 00:29:52.420 --> 00:29:54.270 And then I say to God, God fill me. 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:56.300 God use me. 00:29:57.140 --> 00:30:04.160 God, help me to discover the reason for which I am created in you, that I could walk in the beauty of that relationship and discover that as my 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:07.800 life is surrendered to you, that I might join you. 00:30:08.420 --> 00:30:09.530 And the reason for which you created. 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:13.860 So let me give you this last.22 evidences of the spirit working in my life. 00:30:15.040 --> 00:30:20.950 When you read the book of Acts, especially the second chapter, what's the big idea God has for you. 00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:24.760 How do I really know that God's Spirit's working in my life? 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:25.960 Verse 13 says this. 00:30:26.600 --> 00:30:31.220 But others mocking said they are filled with new wine. 00:30:31.620 --> 00:30:35.620 And you think as these 120 people, now the Spirit of God is indwelling them. 00:30:35.620 --> 00:30:37.070 They're going out and they're sharing this message. 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:40.010 Everyone's hearing their native tongue and they're like, wait a minute, these are Galileans. 00:30:40.700 --> 00:30:43.260 How do they know all these languages, right. 00:30:43.260 --> 00:30:44.240 They're just kind of blown away. 00:30:44.360 --> 00:30:47.080 They're trying to make sense of this because these people are doing it with passion. 00:30:47.360 --> 00:30:48.770 They're like, are they drunk? 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:50.120 What's happening here? 00:30:50.180 --> 00:30:50.720 That's what they're trying. 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:52.020 They're just trying to just compute. 00:30:52.280 --> 00:30:53.530 We tend to do that as people. 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:58.360 We in order to understand things, we kind of want to categorize it, put it on a, on a shelf so that we understand it. 00:30:58.360 --> 00:31:00.330 We're like this is this must be what this means. 00:31:00.560 --> 00:31:02.940 And so there's summations like, they got to be drunk, right. 00:31:02.940 --> 00:31:06.940 Like and what it's saying in this passage is not they're just out of control. 00:31:07.100 --> 00:31:07.560 Insane. 00:31:08.300 --> 00:31:15.420 Like, I think they're more in control than they've ever been because it's becoming crystal clear to them what Jesus came to this earth 00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:15.980 to do. 00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:18.240 So I think they're completely in their mind. 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:19.580 But here's what I think took place. 00:31:20.740 --> 00:31:24.120 Remember, they were utterly devastated by the death of Jesus. 00:31:24.200 --> 00:31:25.480 They had followed him for three years. 00:31:25.540 --> 00:31:28.760 They thought the Messiah setting up his kingdom, and suddenly it was over. 00:31:29.740 --> 00:31:30.540 At least they thought. 00:31:31.780 --> 00:31:33.500 And then they saw the resurrection of Jesus. 00:31:34.760 --> 00:31:38.050 And they thought all those terrible things they thought were true have become untrue. 00:31:38.580 --> 00:31:40.150 And now they're just blown away. 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:43.340 They are blown away by what God has done. 00:31:43.340 --> 00:31:45.020 But now God has told them to wait. 00:31:45.880 --> 00:31:46.520 Wait. 00:31:47.840 --> 00:31:52.200 And then suddenly the Holy Spirit empowers them to accomplish God's will in this world. 00:31:52.580 --> 00:31:56.700 And they are ecstatic, and they are going through this world. 00:31:56.700 --> 00:32:03.780 And even though Rome had just killed Jesus, and they aren't afraid anymore because they've seen the resurrection of Jesus, and 00:32:03.780 --> 00:32:11.020 they're moving through this world with such boldness and power, with such joy that people are looking at them thinking, what is going on? 00:32:11.020 --> 00:32:11.930 Are these people drunk? 00:32:11.980 --> 00:32:12.560 Like what? 00:32:12.560 --> 00:32:13.690 How is this even happening? 00:32:15.320 --> 00:32:19.040 But they're demonstrating what happens when the Spirit of God transforms our life. 00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:21.600 And when we see this through two ways. 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:24.900 One is this number one, you make much of Jesus. 00:32:26.260 --> 00:32:28.260 You make much of Jesus. 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:34.740 I'm so thankful for the way Jesus has worked in your life and mine. 00:32:35.940 --> 00:32:42.620 God, you didn't have to do this for me, but you gave me everything so that I could find freedom in you. 00:32:42.780 --> 00:32:47.180 You gave me your life the most sacred gift that could ever be given. 00:32:47.700 --> 00:32:50.890 And now it's my privilege to respond and love in return. 00:32:50.940 --> 00:32:52.250 We make much of Jesus. 00:32:52.560 --> 00:32:54.490 And number two is this we bless others. 00:32:55.700 --> 00:32:56.540 We bless others. 00:32:56.540 --> 00:33:03.390 In fact, when the Holy Spirit was working in the early church in John 15, Jesus told us this is what the spirit would do. 00:33:03.540 --> 00:33:10.700 Verse 26 but when the helper comes talking about the Holy Spirit, whom I will send to you from the father, the spirit of truth, 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:14.420 who proceeds from the father, he will bear witness. 00:33:14.420 --> 00:33:16.160 Jesus says about me. 00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:20.160 How do I know the Spirit of God is really working in my life? 00:33:21.040 --> 00:33:25.990 I want to make much of Jesus because I've come to understand who I was without Jesus. 00:33:27.080 --> 00:33:30.680 But thank God for who I am because of Jesus. 00:33:32.120 --> 00:33:34.400 And in so doing, I want to share that with others. 00:33:34.540 --> 00:33:41.860 I mean, Acts one eight you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, to the uttermost 00:33:41.860 --> 00:33:42.560 parts of the earth. 00:33:43.540 --> 00:33:49.740 Jesus is saying, when that spirit empowers your life, not only do you make much of Jesus, but you share that with the world around you. 00:33:50.820 --> 00:33:57.980 You want other people to discover the richness of who Christ is, so that transforming work of God could be made known in the hearts of other people too. 00:33:59.220 --> 00:34:03.220 So what does it look like when the Spirit of God empowers God's people? 00:34:04.580 --> 00:34:10.880 It really it's about community being built in the sacred privilege of knowing Christ, that the glory of God would be made known through us. 00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:17.179 Guys, can I tell you that's one of the most fantastic things about just seeing ABC over these last few years. 00:34:17.880 --> 00:34:19.800 It's like again and again we come before us as a church. 00:34:19.940 --> 00:34:23.659 This is the sixth location we've been in and we do three services now. 00:34:24.820 --> 00:34:32.000 But seeing God's story continuing to be told in the hearts of God's people as God's transforming our life over and over again, 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:36.580 the story of Acts continues to unfold our story. 00:34:36.580 --> 00:34:39.739 Who was the president of Moody Bible Institute after D.L. 00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:40.560 Moody passed away? 00:34:40.580 --> 00:34:43.040 The founder of that Bible college in Chicago. 00:34:43.040 --> 00:34:50.230 He said this if we think we can do God's work without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are foolish indeed. 00:34:51.080 --> 00:34:51.600 And A.W. 00:34:51.600 --> 00:34:53.980 Tozer, who lived about the same time as R.A. 00:34:53.980 --> 00:34:56.440 Torrey, just a little bit after him, A.W. 00:34:56.480 --> 00:34:58.740 Tozer said it like this kind of as a warning to the church. 00:34:58.880 --> 00:35:06.100 He said If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and 00:35:06.100 --> 00:35:07.650 no one would know the difference. 00:35:09.300 --> 00:35:10.980 It's kind of a scary thought to think about. 00:35:10.980 --> 00:35:18.120 In fact, Jesus warns us about that in revelation chapter two, that if we really don't follow Jesus, he'll come and remove our candle stand, 00:35:18.120 --> 00:35:19.570 which is a picture of the Holy Spirit. 00:35:20.700 --> 00:35:24.260 And I think sometimes there are churches that meet today that really aren't surrendered to God. 00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:25.440 They call themselves a church. 00:35:25.540 --> 00:35:28.340 But it's not about laying your life down for what God desires to do. 00:35:29.480 --> 00:35:36.760 But one of the things I just so thankful for being here at ABC is seeing God's hand and again and again transform life, 00:35:37.880 --> 00:35:41.820 because it's been a beautiful work and what God's done in us and through us. 00:35:42.580 --> 00:35:46.440 But can I say and remind us again, the best days are still in front of us. 00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:47.640 And how do I know? 00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:54.300 Because of the power of God's Spirit in Jesus, our best days are always in front of us. 00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:58.720 And as we surrender ourselves to the Lord, we get to see the beauty of that made known.