WEBVTT 00:00.171 --> 00:03.772 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, so Acts chapter 15 verses 1 through 35. 00:03.832 --> 00:05.712 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm tidling this morning's message. 00:05.992 --> 00:24.496 [SPEAKER_00]: Consider this and so consider this that the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe, the one who has created everything, knows everything about you, the things that are you're good at, the things that you struggle with, the things that you will do later in life, the things that you've done in past times. 00:24.536 --> 00:27.277 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, every sin of yours that you've ever committed, 00:27.697 --> 00:33.061 [SPEAKER_00]: every sin that you will commit in the future, and he chose to love you anyways. 00:33.842 --> 00:37.164 [SPEAKER_00]: Consider this that he knew the debt that you owed. 00:37.725 --> 00:44.810 [SPEAKER_00]: Right, he knew that you couldn't pay it, that your sin debt, and rather than leaving you to figure it out on your own, 00:45.310 --> 00:55.019 [SPEAKER_00]: He, God, y'all wait, Jesus stepped into His creation that He created in flesh, took on flesh, became a man, lived the perfect life that's you and I. 00:55.359 --> 00:59.543 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe we desire to live, but we can't live if you've lived life long enough. 00:59.563 --> 01:01.184 [SPEAKER_00]: You know that, hey, we're not perfect. 01:01.244 --> 01:06.809 [SPEAKER_00]: No one's perfect, but Jesus, He is and He died, the death that you and I deserve. 01:07.690 --> 01:08.790 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus paid your debt. 01:08.830 --> 01:15.073 [SPEAKER_00]: He took your punishment and he gave his life so that's you and I could have eternal life. 01:15.853 --> 01:24.136 [SPEAKER_00]: And as Jesus hung on the cross, many of you are familiar with this, but he declared he says to tell a style, which is to say it is, help me if you know. 01:25.336 --> 01:25.856 [SPEAKER_00]: finished. 01:26.457 --> 01:32.001 [SPEAKER_00]: It is finished, not it's almost finished, but you guys got a little bit you got to do as well. 01:32.401 --> 01:36.344 [SPEAKER_00]: Not that, oh I've done my part now, it's your turn to do yours. 01:36.404 --> 01:48.534 [SPEAKER_00]: No, Jesus says it is finished and get somehow we convince ourselves we might believe in Jesus and we follow Jesus, we come to church after all, we believe in Him, right? 01:48.574 --> 01:52.216 [SPEAKER_00]: But we convince ourselves that we have something that we got to do. 01:53.197 --> 01:58.440 [SPEAKER_00]: to earn God's love, to earn His forgiveness, to earn salvation, to earn His favor. 01:58.480 --> 02:12.428 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I don't know all of your stories and backgrounds where you came from, what your family life looked like, but maybe you grew up in ways where you felt like you had to earn people's trust and earn people's love and respect and favor and maybe that's part of just who you are. 02:12.448 --> 02:19.613 [SPEAKER_00]: You're just a hard worker because you want people to know that, hey, I'm here, I'm loyal, and I got your back. 02:20.393 --> 02:30.703 [SPEAKER_00]: But you just come from this background, you've got to do something to earn people's love, forgiveness, and with God, maybe it's the same, and you think you have to do something to earn a salvation. 02:31.364 --> 02:35.267 [SPEAKER_00]: We often think, well, if we attend church enough, well, maybe we could 02:36.008 --> 02:36.788 [SPEAKER_00]: be good enough. 02:37.228 --> 02:43.730 [SPEAKER_00]: If we serve a little more, if we give a little more, if we stop doing enough bad things, maybe God will love us. 02:43.810 --> 02:49.771 [SPEAKER_00]: If we start doing more good things to outweigh the bad things, maybe God will accept us in. 02:50.191 --> 02:52.572 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe we can finally be good enough for God. 02:52.592 --> 02:59.553 [SPEAKER_00]: But here's the problem that if you believe this or struggle with this today, that if you could earn your salvation, 03:02.783 --> 03:07.426 [SPEAKER_00]: If you could earn your salvation your way into heaven, Jesus didn't need to die. 03:08.547 --> 03:11.589 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is what we're going to see in Acts chapter 15 a little bit. 03:11.909 --> 03:16.673 [SPEAKER_00]: There's this wrestling or maybe this debate we could say between the early church. 03:16.693 --> 03:22.316 [SPEAKER_00]: There's those who think, well, you need Jesus and works to be saved. 03:22.336 --> 03:25.619 [SPEAKER_00]: And then there's the others who are like, no, I think it's just Jesus. 03:26.239 --> 03:27.400 [SPEAKER_00]: and it's a healthy debate. 03:27.420 --> 03:29.142 [SPEAKER_00]: I think this is good in church culture. 03:29.162 --> 03:34.948 [SPEAKER_00]: There's going to be some questions that come to my, hey, what do you think that this means in Scripture? 03:34.968 --> 03:36.009 [SPEAKER_00]: And these are good questions. 03:36.029 --> 03:37.170 [SPEAKER_00]: We ask each other, right? 03:37.230 --> 03:40.654 [SPEAKER_00]: The Bible says iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. 03:40.994 --> 03:49.402 [SPEAKER_00]: We can have healthy dialogue and debate and we can sometimes agree to disagree, but we see this in the early church that the gospel spreading. 03:50.123 --> 04:06.978 [SPEAKER_00]: We've seen and go to many different places throughout Jerusalem in Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth, Paul has gone on his first missionary journey throughout the Roman Empire, and now the Gentiles that is to say the non-Jewish people, they're coming to faith in Jesus. 04:06.998 --> 04:08.900 [SPEAKER_00]: This is miraculous and amazing. 04:08.960 --> 04:10.321 [SPEAKER_00]: It's good news for you and I. 04:10.802 --> 04:12.403 [SPEAKER_00]: If you're like me, I'm not Jewish. 04:12.443 --> 04:15.546 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm a Gentile, and whether or not you think that's maybe offensive. 04:15.566 --> 04:16.487 [SPEAKER_00]: That's what I am. 04:16.727 --> 04:17.528 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm happy. 04:18.068 --> 04:22.249 [SPEAKER_00]: That, hey, the gospel came to the Gentiles for people like me too, right? 04:22.629 --> 04:24.650 [SPEAKER_00]: The Gentiles were coming to faith in Jesus. 04:24.710 --> 04:28.610 [SPEAKER_00]: People are being say, but now there's going to be a group of religious guys. 04:28.650 --> 04:35.732 [SPEAKER_00]: They're known as the Pharisees, the religious leaders, and they want to add something to the gospel. 04:36.012 --> 04:37.373 [SPEAKER_00]: The gospel being the good news. 04:37.413 --> 04:39.233 [SPEAKER_00]: That, hey, Jesus died. 04:39.433 --> 04:43.914 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus said it is finished, and that your sins have been a tone for the debt. 04:48.355 --> 04:53.996 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, so there's this group, they're essentially, okay, you need Jesus and something else. 04:54.497 --> 05:16.522 [SPEAKER_00]: And these early apostles will see in our text today, they confront this question, and it's a question that we, and many wrestle with today, maybe you came, it came up in a religious culture where it was through works that you think that you're saved or something of that nature, but we're going to see today that Jesus plus anything else is no longer 05:18.322 --> 05:20.004 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't add to Jesus' work. 05:20.024 --> 05:22.506 [SPEAKER_00]: His work is finished and complete as is. 05:22.566 --> 05:28.050 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, if we have to do something to earn salvation, well then Jesus didn't need to die. 05:28.651 --> 05:31.153 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's check it out verse 1 chapter 15. 05:31.173 --> 05:36.277 [SPEAKER_00]: It says, but some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers. 05:36.377 --> 05:41.561 [SPEAKER_00]: Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot 05:42.382 --> 05:43.143 [SPEAKER_00]: be saved. 05:43.683 --> 05:48.906 [SPEAKER_00]: And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, right? 05:48.926 --> 05:50.247 [SPEAKER_00]: This was probably lengthy. 05:50.527 --> 05:52.468 [SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't just a quick conversation. 05:52.488 --> 05:53.709 [SPEAKER_00]: It's as Paul and Barnabas. 05:54.250 --> 06:00.694 [SPEAKER_00]: And some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and to the elders about this question. 06:01.474 --> 06:13.703 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse 3, so being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. 06:14.184 --> 06:18.447 [SPEAKER_00]: When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders. 06:18.887 --> 06:32.492 [SPEAKER_00]: and they declared all that God had done with them, verse 5, but some believers who belong to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, it is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the love Moses. 06:33.272 --> 06:38.994 [SPEAKER_00]: The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 06:39.774 --> 06:42.216 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, my message title is consider this. 06:42.716 --> 06:46.458 [SPEAKER_00]: Right now, their matter is an interesting one. 06:47.259 --> 06:52.862 [SPEAKER_00]: But really, essentially, what we have Paul and Barnabas, the context, they've returned from their missionary journey. 06:52.882 --> 06:53.043 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 06:53.063 --> 06:54.223 [SPEAKER_00]: They were in Antioch. 06:54.283 --> 06:56.185 [SPEAKER_00]: They were sent out by the Holy Spirit. 06:56.445 --> 06:57.926 [SPEAKER_00]: They went throughout the Roman Empire. 06:57.946 --> 06:58.986 [SPEAKER_00]: They'd come back home. 06:59.286 --> 07:05.951 [SPEAKER_00]: They're telling of the great things that God has done in them, through them, that they've seen, like, hey, Jesus loves the Gentiles, too. 07:06.051 --> 07:09.413 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus died for the Gentiles, too, and get this Gentiles. 07:09.833 --> 07:11.615 [SPEAKER_00]: are receiving Jesus. 07:11.655 --> 07:13.316 [SPEAKER_00]: They're telling them all about this, right? 07:14.877 --> 07:15.818 [SPEAKER_00]: Incredible news. 07:16.278 --> 07:23.704 [SPEAKER_00]: And it says, as we read, certain men from Judea begin teaching that Gentiles, well, they gotta be circumcised according to the law of Moses. 07:23.745 --> 07:26.166 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, that would have been an Old Testament requirement. 07:26.187 --> 07:27.768 [SPEAKER_00]: Today, I know you guys are like, this is weird. 07:28.628 --> 07:31.030 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, but this is Old Testament law. 07:31.070 --> 07:31.670 [SPEAKER_00]: Go read it. 07:31.690 --> 07:33.491 [SPEAKER_00]: This would be something they would have to do. 07:33.591 --> 07:38.134 [SPEAKER_00]: Every man, every male would be circumcised according to the law of Moses. 07:38.595 --> 07:43.398 [SPEAKER_00]: But in this text here, what we see is it's causing a major dispute. 07:44.362 --> 08:03.338 [SPEAKER_00]: right so much so that it prompts the church right they got this discussion and disagreement they're like hey Paul and Barnabas I think you guys should actually go to like Jerusalem like church headquarters and figure this thing out because we need to understand like do we need to hold to the Old Testament law or is Jesus 08:04.098 --> 08:05.439 [SPEAKER_00]: enough, right? 08:05.499 --> 08:12.182 [SPEAKER_00]: And so these men, they're teaching that you got to have Jesus and something else, and it is not even a question. 08:12.222 --> 08:13.603 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, well, maybe they didn't mean that. 08:13.643 --> 08:14.683 [SPEAKER_00]: No, it says they're teaching. 08:15.023 --> 08:18.485 [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't do this, you cannot be saved. 08:19.445 --> 08:22.207 [SPEAKER_00]: So you need Jesus and you need works. 08:23.187 --> 08:23.327 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 08:23.347 --> 08:27.409 [SPEAKER_00]: You need Jesus and you need, um, yeah, works. 08:27.449 --> 08:28.770 [SPEAKER_00]: I guess that's the best word, right? 08:30.131 --> 08:36.495 [SPEAKER_00]: And specifically for them, adherence to the Mosaic Law, religious performance there. 08:36.555 --> 08:39.938 [SPEAKER_00]: Now for us today, we do similar stuff. 08:39.958 --> 08:45.422 [SPEAKER_00]: Now we might not argue, oh, you need to be circumcised to be safe, but we still add things to salvation. 08:45.462 --> 08:45.802 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't we? 08:46.363 --> 08:51.747 [SPEAKER_00]: Right, hey, you need to believe in Jesus, and you need to be a good person. 08:52.207 --> 09:00.931 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to believe in Jesus and you need to come to church every single Sunday and maybe you grew up in a church like the church we came from at a Wednesday night and a Saturday night right. 09:00.971 --> 09:03.552 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to go church Wednesday Saturday and Sunday morning. 09:03.972 --> 09:04.752 [SPEAKER_00]: You want to be saved. 09:05.132 --> 09:07.533 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to believe in Jesus and you need to be generous. 09:07.553 --> 09:10.514 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to believe in Jesus and serve in ministry. 09:10.554 --> 09:16.317 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to believe in Jesus and you could fill on the blank with whatever you want. 09:18.083 --> 09:19.984 [SPEAKER_00]: Now are those things important? 09:20.565 --> 09:20.885 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes. 09:21.846 --> 09:22.066 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 09:22.106 --> 09:24.828 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of them are their essential. 09:25.528 --> 09:29.611 [SPEAKER_00]: But here's the thing, is that nothing that we can do saves us. 09:30.512 --> 09:31.252 [SPEAKER_00]: You understand that? 09:31.272 --> 09:34.334 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's the core argument. 09:34.855 --> 09:35.015 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 09:35.035 --> 09:42.420 [SPEAKER_00]: There's a big difference between doing good works because you're saved and doing good works to try to be saved. 09:43.268 --> 09:44.029 [SPEAKER_00]: You see what I'm saying? 09:44.049 --> 09:50.176 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, maybe that sounds so simple, but we really need to understand because sometimes we think, well, if I'm just a good person, right? 09:50.196 --> 09:53.079 [SPEAKER_00]: If I'm a good boy, my Heavenly Father, he's gonna reward me. 09:53.119 --> 09:59.126 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, no, it's like the only way to heaven is through Jesus, through His sacrifice and receiving it. 09:59.146 --> 10:01.428 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, if you remember John chapter one, 10:02.489 --> 10:12.377 [SPEAKER_00]: Forget what it is, John 1, 13, maybe it is, but says to all who received him, become sons, daughters, a part of the family, essentially. 10:13.218 --> 10:16.801 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's a gift given that we must receive. 10:17.201 --> 10:21.525 [SPEAKER_00]: And so there's again the big difference doing good works because you're saved. 10:22.937 --> 10:25.297 [SPEAKER_00]: or doing good works to try to be saved, right? 10:25.438 --> 10:27.678 [SPEAKER_00]: One is the fruit of salvation. 10:28.178 --> 10:30.859 [SPEAKER_00]: The other is the attempt to purchase it yourself. 10:31.519 --> 10:32.179 [SPEAKER_00]: See what I'm saying. 10:33.139 --> 10:34.959 [SPEAKER_00]: And so we see this happening. 10:35.680 --> 10:45.882 [SPEAKER_00]: This discussion here, it's not a small one as we see no small dissension and debates and it's so important that they send them to the other, to Jerusalem to find out more. 10:45.922 --> 10:50.983 [SPEAKER_00]: Now verse six, it says the apostles and elders were gathered together to consider this. 10:53.323 --> 10:54.464 [SPEAKER_00]: Important debate. 10:54.524 --> 10:55.764 [SPEAKER_00]: We should probably figure this out. 10:55.805 --> 10:58.266 [SPEAKER_00]: Now remember this is like first-century church. 10:58.286 --> 11:02.908 [SPEAKER_00]: This is the early church They don't know everything that we know today. 11:02.928 --> 11:06.970 [SPEAKER_00]: They can't Google it and do a quick deep dive like quickly Right? 11:07.010 --> 11:19.597 [SPEAKER_00]: They got the Old Testament scriptures for sure But like the New Testament part like it's still being written largely still being lived out Acts chapter 15 for example is happening in real time for them. 11:20.077 --> 11:22.138 [SPEAKER_00]: They can't go and say oh, let's see what they did 11:23.410 --> 11:25.691 [SPEAKER_00]: But they have this theological issue. 11:26.051 --> 11:27.091 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, what is the truth? 11:27.972 --> 11:32.734 [SPEAKER_00]: Is Jesus enough or is it Jesus and good works or Jesus and service? 11:33.054 --> 11:36.555 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus and this, what is the core issue? 11:36.575 --> 11:38.276 [SPEAKER_00]: And so they consider this matter. 11:38.696 --> 11:41.957 [SPEAKER_00]: And it says verse 7, and after there had been much debate. 11:41.977 --> 11:43.358 [SPEAKER_00]: So again, it's a big debate. 11:43.378 --> 11:47.099 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is again, they've gone to Jerusalem to talk about this. 11:47.779 --> 11:48.300 [SPEAKER_00]: And Peter, 11:49.380 --> 11:59.446 [SPEAKER_00]: stood up and said to them, brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 11:59.946 --> 12:06.329 [SPEAKER_00]: And God who knows the heart bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us. 12:06.930 --> 12:12.513 [SPEAKER_00]: And He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 12:12.993 --> 12:16.795 [SPEAKER_00]: So again, the argument that's happening here is Gentiles are coming to Jesus. 12:16.835 --> 12:18.336 [SPEAKER_00]: You think they'd be excited, right? 12:18.436 --> 12:18.836 [SPEAKER_00]: Amen. 12:18.876 --> 12:30.462 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, would you be excited if we had 50, 100, 1,000 people just coming in who never knew Jesus, all of a sudden like, hey, I believe when we'd be excited, I'd be pretty pumped to be like, yes, that's what we came here for. 12:30.482 --> 12:32.983 [SPEAKER_00]: That's what we're trying to do so that people may know Jesus. 12:33.363 --> 12:39.767 [SPEAKER_00]: Now it's happening in their day and they're like, okay, I mean, that's cool, but hey, chill out for a moment, you gotta keep the law. 12:40.698 --> 12:53.347 [SPEAKER_00]: right like what a bummer like way to second what i thought like if i i thought grace was freely given and if i receive i'm born again right the gentiles they've experienced the holy spirit but now they're being told no you gotta do more 12:55.393 --> 13:02.057 [SPEAKER_00]: That's not enough, that's cute, that's a good start, but no, you can need more if you really want to be saved. 13:02.117 --> 13:07.820 [SPEAKER_00]: And so Peter, he gets up there and basically says, hey, you guys know, you heard, I've told you about it. 13:07.860 --> 13:13.963 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of you probably even witnesses of me preaching to the Gentiles and they received the Holy Spirit. 13:14.623 --> 13:29.757 [SPEAKER_00]: there was nothing they had to do like oh hey wait sorry go um keep the mosaic law come back and then maybe got a pour out of spirit upon you know it was they believed God gave them their his holy spirit to them and they received 13:30.418 --> 13:46.611 [SPEAKER_00]: It's so Peter's say, and hey, God gave the Spirit when they believed their hearts were cleansed by faith, just like you and I, God doesn't save them because of performance or any of that, He saves them because they simply heard and they've responded, right? 13:46.651 --> 13:50.394 [SPEAKER_00]: They've received, here's the word that we can key in on today. 13:50.574 --> 13:55.518 [SPEAKER_00]: God saves them and us and anyone because of His grace. 13:56.419 --> 14:18.537 [SPEAKER_00]: all right show of hands if you know you could try to describe grace i think we understand it it's hard to explain sometimes but like the way most people say it's uh undeserved favor right and maybe that's the best way we can i don't know if that's the best way to describe it but i just think of my kids right if you give them something and like they didn't do anything to deserve it matter fact like the whole day they were kind of 14:19.017 --> 14:26.082 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, disobedient or pushing your buttons kind of thing, but then at the end of the day, maybe you do something to bless them because you just felt like it, right? 14:26.102 --> 14:27.744 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to get them ice cream. 14:27.764 --> 14:28.524 [SPEAKER_00]: Do they deserve it? 14:28.624 --> 14:29.205 [SPEAKER_00]: No, they don't. 14:29.465 --> 14:29.665 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 14:29.725 --> 14:32.147 [SPEAKER_00]: Should I, you know, I don't know, but just think of it this way. 14:32.167 --> 14:33.908 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, well, it's undeserved favor. 14:33.928 --> 14:36.770 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm giving you ice cream because I'm a good father. 14:37.271 --> 14:38.772 [SPEAKER_00]: You disobeyed, right? 14:38.792 --> 14:40.033 [SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe not, maybe we're good. 14:40.733 --> 14:42.313 [SPEAKER_00]: You know what we were award good behavior to you. 14:42.333 --> 14:43.514 [SPEAKER_00]: But I'm just giving you an example. 14:43.834 --> 14:45.834 [SPEAKER_00]: Now this is really happened. 14:46.414 --> 14:48.734 [SPEAKER_00]: But like think of it that way, our heavenly father. 14:48.774 --> 14:49.435 [SPEAKER_00]: He sees us. 14:49.475 --> 14:50.675 [SPEAKER_00]: He's like, do you deserve it? 14:51.515 --> 14:52.235 [SPEAKER_00]: Do I deserve it? 14:52.295 --> 14:52.515 [SPEAKER_00]: No. 14:53.255 --> 14:54.515 [SPEAKER_00]: We've blown it, right? 14:54.535 --> 14:55.656 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm gonna be like, no, I didn't blow it. 14:55.676 --> 14:56.776 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, we'll just think of your week. 14:56.796 --> 14:57.656 [SPEAKER_00]: What, how was your week? 14:57.696 --> 14:59.716 [SPEAKER_00]: I could tell you personally, my week at work. 14:59.736 --> 15:06.598 [SPEAKER_00]: There was one day in particular, which was very trying, where I'm like, okay, Lord, like, I really need you here. 15:09.805 --> 15:12.867 [SPEAKER_00]: not being a nice person, that's let's say that, right? 15:13.208 --> 15:15.109 [SPEAKER_00]: But like, do I deserve God's grace? 15:15.429 --> 15:18.031 [SPEAKER_00]: No, do you deserve God's grace, right? 15:18.051 --> 15:24.316 [SPEAKER_00]: His un-deserved favor, like, hey, he wants to give you ice cream, like where you a good boy, good girl, we're like, no, I wasn't. 15:25.117 --> 15:30.020 [SPEAKER_00]: I had thoughts in my mind of hatred, you know, towards certain things and whatnot. 15:30.521 --> 15:34.323 [SPEAKER_00]: I was upset, whatever it might be, yet God, 15:35.124 --> 15:53.964 [SPEAKER_00]: he gives graciously you don't deserve it that's the whole that's what grace is you can't earn it you don't deserve it yet he gives anyways and that's what grace is and so it's by grace we have been saved nothing that we can do of our own so what we can start to see here let's look at verse 10 15:54.825 --> 16:05.155 [SPEAKER_00]: Peter says now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 16:05.655 --> 16:07.157 [SPEAKER_00]: And so Peter brings up a good point. 16:08.041 --> 16:19.908 [SPEAKER_00]: He's like, why are you demanding them to hold to the law that both you and me and our ancestors could never hold to it and keep perfectly? 16:20.148 --> 16:21.088 [SPEAKER_00]: This is a good point, right? 16:21.689 --> 16:24.891 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, well, you're going to hold them to a standard that not even you can keep. 16:25.791 --> 16:26.371 [SPEAKER_00]: That's like us. 16:26.411 --> 16:31.573 [SPEAKER_00]: We're like, hey, no, we want you to come to Jesus, but you need to change your life first, and you do all this stuff. 16:31.633 --> 16:32.493 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, wait a minute. 16:33.053 --> 16:36.374 [SPEAKER_00]: I thought the gospel was like, hey, come to Jesus, and he cleans you up. 16:36.414 --> 16:37.534 [SPEAKER_00]: That's what it really is. 16:38.054 --> 16:43.256 [SPEAKER_00]: But sometimes we tell people, no, you got to act a certain way before you can belong at church. 16:43.276 --> 16:44.656 [SPEAKER_00]: You got to do certain things. 16:44.676 --> 16:48.657 [SPEAKER_00]: You got to clean your life up before you can start coming to small groups or something. 16:48.997 --> 16:50.538 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, no, just come as you are. 16:51.578 --> 16:52.639 [SPEAKER_00]: And Peter makes this point. 16:52.659 --> 16:55.884 [SPEAKER_00]: Why are you putting these burdens, essentially? 16:55.904 --> 16:58.247 [SPEAKER_00]: This is a yolk, right? 16:58.267 --> 17:02.011 [SPEAKER_00]: The yolk, the idea of the yolk is oxen or animals. 17:02.031 --> 17:02.672 [SPEAKER_00]: You could say, right? 17:02.892 --> 17:04.635 [SPEAKER_00]: They have a yolk that kind of keeps them together. 17:04.995 --> 17:06.116 [SPEAKER_00]: And they would do work together. 17:06.137 --> 17:08.620 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I think of a yolk if you guys are into fitness. 17:09.580 --> 17:16.223 [SPEAKER_00]: like strong man competitions, crossfit, even does it sometimes there's this yolk that they carry with all this weight if you guys seeing these things. 17:16.723 --> 17:19.904 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's what I picture when Peter's like, why are you placing a yolk on these people? 17:19.924 --> 17:25.406 [SPEAKER_00]: Like it's like you're putting 400 pounds on their bag and you think they can just carry it and keep carrying it for the rest of their life. 17:25.446 --> 17:26.386 [SPEAKER_00]: Like that's ridiculous. 17:26.406 --> 17:30.888 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's, I know that's not what Peter envisioned, you know, crossfit when he said it. 17:31.888 --> 17:34.089 [SPEAKER_00]: But it does kind of fit the picture, doesn't it? 17:34.949 --> 17:41.290 [SPEAKER_00]: Why do we put these burdens on people and expectations when Jesus doesn't do the same for us? 17:42.111 --> 17:45.892 [SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't require you to obey, then you can be saved. 17:45.912 --> 17:51.153 [SPEAKER_00]: No, he says, we repent, we surrender, and then he cleanses us. 17:51.833 --> 17:54.534 [SPEAKER_00]: Like we're saved by grace, through faith. 17:55.074 --> 17:56.994 [SPEAKER_00]: And Peter's, why are you doing these things? 17:57.054 --> 17:57.874 [SPEAKER_00]: It's not wise. 18:01.441 --> 18:02.362 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe not fair. 18:02.422 --> 18:04.003 [SPEAKER_00]: It's not even logical. 18:04.364 --> 18:12.271 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I imagine Peter could have went to many numerous Old Testament scriptures and say, hey, look at how many times the Israelites failed. 18:12.891 --> 18:13.072 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 18:13.092 --> 18:19.437 [SPEAKER_00]: They had the word of God come to them through Moses and they failed over and over and over. 18:20.243 --> 18:29.927 [SPEAKER_00]: and over again, so how do you expect these Gentiles to just all sudden be perfect when even God's people in the Old Testament couldn't do it? 18:30.627 --> 18:30.867 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 18:31.027 --> 18:34.228 [SPEAKER_00]: And here's something we could note, right? 18:34.268 --> 18:42.091 [SPEAKER_00]: Religion, and that's what these guys are base in this off of essentially, they're the Pharisees, they're the legalists, the religious leaders, right? 18:42.131 --> 18:44.392 [SPEAKER_00]: Religion says, you gotta do more. 18:45.292 --> 18:46.413 [SPEAKER_00]: you got to try harder. 18:46.893 --> 18:48.554 [SPEAKER_00]: You got to be better, right? 18:48.594 --> 18:53.098 [SPEAKER_00]: But the gospel says, again, Jesus has He's done it all. 18:53.138 --> 18:53.998 [SPEAKER_00]: It is finished. 18:54.699 --> 18:56.920 [SPEAKER_00]: That Jesus has done what you couldn't. 18:57.661 --> 19:02.684 [SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes we make following Jesus more difficult than Jesus made it. 19:03.085 --> 19:09.649 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, for ourselves at times, I don't know if you've had friends like this, even my own life, there'd been times where I thought, well, I've done too much. 19:10.530 --> 19:14.373 [SPEAKER_00]: God, I mean, I know God could forgive me, but I don't think I'll ever use me again. 19:14.393 --> 19:16.894 [SPEAKER_00]: This is just me being honest, vulnerable, my own life. 19:16.914 --> 19:17.935 [SPEAKER_00]: But I've also had friends. 19:18.455 --> 19:20.677 [SPEAKER_00]: I invite them to church, like, oh, man, I can't go to church. 19:21.157 --> 19:23.719 [SPEAKER_00]: I go to church, I'll probably catch on fire or I or something. 19:23.739 --> 19:25.760 [SPEAKER_00]: You guys have anyone there, maybe you've said that. 19:26.220 --> 19:29.042 [SPEAKER_00]: Find the basic premises, like, I don't belong there. 19:29.422 --> 19:31.704 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I can't go in there, because I've done too much. 19:31.764 --> 19:33.105 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm too bad. 19:34.125 --> 19:36.767 [SPEAKER_00]: And we make the gospel more difficult for our own self. 19:37.368 --> 19:38.348 [SPEAKER_00]: Make up excuses. 19:38.368 --> 19:40.490 [SPEAKER_00]: It's really just our flesh protecting our flesh. 19:41.231 --> 19:42.391 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't want to be exposed. 19:42.411 --> 19:47.215 [SPEAKER_00]: So if we actually do go to church, God's probably going to show up and speak to us and we're going to be convicted. 19:47.235 --> 19:50.618 [SPEAKER_00]: And then when we're convicted, like, well, now I think I need to do something about it. 19:51.959 --> 19:53.400 [SPEAKER_00]: So we'd make our own excuses. 19:54.240 --> 19:57.283 [SPEAKER_00]: But we make following Jesus more difficult than it needs to be. 19:58.098 --> 20:01.120 [SPEAKER_00]: When people want to come to Jesus, we make it sometimes more difficult. 20:01.140 --> 20:03.742 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, you know, you got to just clean yourself up. 20:03.782 --> 20:07.865 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if part of my, I guess, testimony, even today. 20:07.885 --> 20:09.546 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, sometimes I wear a hat when I preach. 20:09.566 --> 20:10.947 [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know how you guys feel about it. 20:11.008 --> 20:13.449 [SPEAKER_00]: And to be honest, I'm not super interested. 20:15.731 --> 20:25.816 [SPEAKER_00]: But there's been times when I played, I used to play the bass at our old church, you know, I mean our church was big and you know, a thousand people at each service, but I'd play the bass. 20:25.856 --> 20:32.800 [SPEAKER_00]: Just I'm in the background and I had a hat on, you know, and it was a red Texas Rangers hat, because we were about to come out to Texas. 20:32.840 --> 20:35.722 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna start to become all things, all people. 20:36.022 --> 20:36.982 [SPEAKER_00]: So they could reach all people. 20:37.202 --> 20:43.684 [SPEAKER_00]: So as a red hat with a T on it, which I mean someone who doesn't know anything about baseball might say, well, that's two sun. 20:43.724 --> 20:47.345 [SPEAKER_00]: And there was a gang that's like two sunbloods or whatever it is. 20:47.365 --> 20:49.265 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, Sam could probably tell you. 20:49.405 --> 20:50.865 [SPEAKER_00]: He's, you know, I don't know. 20:50.885 --> 20:52.666 [SPEAKER_00]: But there was a gang. 20:53.086 --> 20:58.427 [SPEAKER_00]: And so anyways, someone emails the church, which up with the base player wearing this red hat, like as he part of a gang. 20:58.447 --> 21:00.548 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, no, it's the Texas Rangers. 21:00.628 --> 21:01.008 [SPEAKER_00]: And so, 21:02.068 --> 21:07.890 [SPEAKER_00]: Anyways, it's like, oh, Nick, you need to hear to this if you want to be a part of what God's doing. 21:07.910 --> 21:11.472 [SPEAKER_00]: And I just felt like, like, I feel like God's like, just come to me and I don't know. 21:11.752 --> 21:12.052 [SPEAKER_00]: Sorry. 21:12.112 --> 21:14.233 [SPEAKER_00]: I just need to get that off my chest. 21:16.194 --> 21:17.514 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe someone can relate though. 21:17.534 --> 21:20.015 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe some of you are today, you're like, man, I just don't fit in. 21:20.035 --> 21:20.775 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't belong. 21:20.815 --> 21:25.257 [SPEAKER_00]: I've done too much or, you know, I need to conform and be like everybody else. 21:25.297 --> 21:27.258 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you need to be who God's created you to be. 21:27.818 --> 21:36.783 [SPEAKER_00]: If you gave you a certain style, you like a certain kind of music or art or fashion, whatever, it's like, you be who God creates you to be, and you surrender to Jesus. 21:36.803 --> 21:51.230 [SPEAKER_00]: You receive His gift of salvation just like anybody else, and then you just you start from there comes this heart of obedience to where I want to serve God with what He's given and gifted me with, right, whatever that may be. 21:52.595 --> 21:57.259 [SPEAKER_00]: And so Peter, again, saying, why are you making it harder than it needs to be? 21:57.839 --> 22:02.043 [SPEAKER_00]: First of the Lebanese says, but we believe that we will be saved through the grace. 22:02.103 --> 22:06.486 [SPEAKER_00]: There's the word again of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. 22:06.987 --> 22:07.227 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 22:07.247 --> 22:09.188 [SPEAKER_00]: Peter just levels the playing field. 22:09.208 --> 22:17.535 [SPEAKER_00]: He's like, it's not about doing more to achieve it, not being more religious or looking better or adhering to the Old Testament law. 22:17.555 --> 22:17.895 [SPEAKER_00]: He's like, 22:22.419 --> 22:46.153 [SPEAKER_00]: that we will be saved in anyone right for that matter he says for us he's talking about himself he's a Jewish man and the Gentile so anyone who comes to believe it's through grace and grace alone Ephesians 2 verse 8 through 10 if you want to jot it down it's just a good one to remember but Paul writes to the church at Ephesus and he says 22:52.256 --> 22:57.262 [SPEAKER_00]: of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 22:58.123 --> 23:01.567 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's interesting that we're kind of in this text and this theme today. 23:02.248 --> 23:07.274 [SPEAKER_00]: Yesterday was Halloween, you know, whatever you think about that, you know, that's a whole 23:10.858 --> 23:18.321 [SPEAKER_00]: Also in church history, October 31st, I believe, or maybe was the 30th, but Martin Luther, and this is, I mean, a long time ago. 23:18.361 --> 23:24.243 [SPEAKER_00]: Martin Luther nails what's known as the 95th thesis to the door of this church back then. 23:24.263 --> 23:26.664 [SPEAKER_00]: Basically, like, this is all of what you're doing wrong. 23:26.684 --> 23:32.826 [SPEAKER_00]: And back then, I mean, there's still this today, but it's like, you have to do works to be saved. 23:33.566 --> 23:34.467 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, imagine this. 23:34.487 --> 23:35.087 [SPEAKER_00]: This is real. 23:35.107 --> 23:37.528 [SPEAKER_00]: This wasn't just Martin Luther's day, but, um, 23:38.228 --> 23:39.149 [SPEAKER_00]: part of church history. 23:39.510 --> 23:45.458 [SPEAKER_00]: Part of I believe it was the Catholic church may were originated, but I mean, there was the, what do you call them? 23:47.300 --> 23:49.761 [SPEAKER_00]: condolences, is that the right word, is that it? 23:49.781 --> 23:50.941 [SPEAKER_00]: You know what I'm talking about? 23:51.802 --> 23:52.182 [SPEAKER_00]: Anybody? 23:53.022 --> 23:55.643 [SPEAKER_00]: Nobody, fact check, okay, well, we're just gonna roll with it. 23:56.283 --> 24:00.504 [SPEAKER_00]: It might be called something else, but the idea was, is that you purchase your salvation. 24:00.525 --> 24:13.349 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, you send yesterday, but hey, if you come here and you give me $20, I'll write this thing that basically says, hey, your sin is covered, you're good to go, and the eyes of God, like that was, this is legit, this happened. 24:13.829 --> 24:14.870 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, and how crazy is that? 24:14.950 --> 24:15.551 [SPEAKER_00]: Isn't that crazy? 24:16.031 --> 24:23.458 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh man, you messed up, and you got angry at somebody, and traffic, well, you know, come to Pastor Nick, and you know, that would be $20. 24:23.518 --> 24:25.960 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll see if God will accept it. 24:26.021 --> 24:32.347 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh no, he actually said it's $50 this time, you know, because the economy, I mean, like, it'd be crazy. 24:33.222 --> 24:34.802 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, but that's legit what happened. 24:34.822 --> 24:39.703 [SPEAKER_00]: And so anyways, Martin Luther nails this thing and his whole thing starts to reformation movement. 24:40.063 --> 24:43.524 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, maybe you like that or don't, and if maybe you don't know anything about it. 24:43.864 --> 24:47.545 [SPEAKER_00]: But really, it was like, hey, we're coming back to the basics, we're coming back to the word of God. 24:47.565 --> 24:52.126 [SPEAKER_00]: And it was all based through, hey, for by grace, you have been saved through faith. 24:52.726 --> 24:55.726 [SPEAKER_00]: That was kind of the main basis of his whole argument. 24:55.746 --> 24:58.107 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, there's nothing you or I can do. 24:58.867 --> 25:03.428 [SPEAKER_00]: It's all about Jesus and His grace, and we simply accept Him. 25:03.468 --> 25:11.270 [SPEAKER_00]: So this is the heart kind of of this message or this part of Acts, chapter 15, the argument, the debate going on. 25:12.550 --> 25:15.671 [SPEAKER_00]: And Peter simply saying, it's all about grace. 25:15.771 --> 25:20.392 [SPEAKER_00]: God's undeserved favor, and we receive it in faith. 25:20.952 --> 25:23.393 [SPEAKER_00]: Faith is just, we trust in what Jesus said. 25:23.433 --> 25:25.213 [SPEAKER_00]: We trust in what Jesus has done. 25:28.914 --> 25:39.118 [SPEAKER_00]: Rather than in ourselves, right, and our works, when we talk about works, while our works are a byproduct of faith, that's what it should be. 25:39.158 --> 25:41.459 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, it's not a means to faith. 25:41.499 --> 25:47.842 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, hey, if I obey and adhere and do good, then I'll have faith, then I'll have salvation. 25:47.882 --> 25:48.862 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you're saved. 25:49.262 --> 25:50.763 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus starts to work in your life. 25:50.783 --> 25:54.024 [SPEAKER_00]: You start to realize, man, his grace is sufficient. 25:54.064 --> 25:56.185 [SPEAKER_00]: His grace is amazing, right? 25:59.166 --> 26:05.490 [SPEAKER_00]: Paul writes to the people in Rome, he says, hey, wherever sin abounds, grace abounds even more. 26:05.590 --> 26:06.731 [SPEAKER_00]: Cause you're like, well, I've done too much. 26:06.751 --> 26:12.774 [SPEAKER_00]: He's like, actually, God's grace is so good that, hey, yeah, you've sinned, but God's like, hey, no, I'm better. 26:13.215 --> 26:16.977 [SPEAKER_00]: My grace is sufficient for anything and everything there. 26:17.357 --> 26:24.602 [SPEAKER_00]: And so when we realize his amazing grace, it should produce hopefully in us a heart of obedience where I want to serve him. 26:25.462 --> 26:28.623 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not serving to try to gain His favor. 26:28.683 --> 26:29.724 [SPEAKER_00]: I have already have it. 26:30.624 --> 26:37.166 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus has already died for me and He's risen for me and He's calling me to just follow him. 26:37.186 --> 26:42.368 [SPEAKER_00]: And now my my response is I just want to serve you God, whatever you want. 26:43.248 --> 26:47.090 [SPEAKER_00]: My life is yours and now I don't do that to try to gain favor with God. 26:47.130 --> 26:48.991 [SPEAKER_00]: I do it because I already have it. 26:49.491 --> 26:50.131 [SPEAKER_00]: You understand? 26:51.750 --> 26:53.253 [SPEAKER_00]: Ah, it's good stuff, huh? 26:54.115 --> 26:54.856 [SPEAKER_00]: Grace is good. 26:55.137 --> 26:56.460 [SPEAKER_00]: Praise God for his grace. 26:58.083 --> 26:58.404 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse 12, 27:00.729 --> 27:03.790 [SPEAKER_00]: It says it, and all the assembly fell silent. 27:04.030 --> 27:06.452 [SPEAKER_00]: So just picture the scene, Peter says what he said. 27:06.472 --> 27:08.092 [SPEAKER_00]: There's a debate going on. 27:08.112 --> 27:24.239 [SPEAKER_00]: They get quiet, which I mean, when people get quiet a little bit, either means like you've lost audience and they're not, you know, listening anymore, or they're considering what has been said, which I think that's what's happened because it says, and they listen to Barnabas and Paul. 27:25.180 --> 27:27.841 [SPEAKER_00]: So Peter spoke, what he would have been, 27:30.282 --> 27:50.350 [SPEAKER_00]: Then you've got Barnabas in Paul who are definitely significant leaders in the church at this point and now they come in and they start to tell them it says related what signs and wonders got had done through them among the Gentiles right it's almost like hey you don't believe me that Gentiles can be say let me tell you I've seen it with my own eyes 27:51.070 --> 27:52.492 [SPEAKER_00]: We've seen it with our own eyes. 27:52.512 --> 27:57.857 [SPEAKER_00]: It says verse 13, after they finished speaking, James, so another guy comes in. 27:57.917 --> 27:59.558 [SPEAKER_00]: James is another pillar of the church. 27:59.598 --> 28:00.579 [SPEAKER_00]: This would be James. 28:01.080 --> 28:05.724 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus is half brother, right, who at one point did not believe in Jesus. 28:06.625 --> 28:11.448 [SPEAKER_00]: Right, because if you're like, when I was in this, the Apostle James know if you remember, we've already seen an ax. 28:11.488 --> 28:13.129 [SPEAKER_00]: That James was killed already. 28:13.869 --> 28:17.171 [SPEAKER_00]: He was killed, so this is James Jesus' half brother. 28:17.251 --> 28:21.754 [SPEAKER_00]: He becomes a significant leader in the church in Jerusalem. 28:22.674 --> 28:28.197 [SPEAKER_00]: He's even maybe like the leader, which is interesting, because you'll see that he's the one who approves this. 28:29.358 --> 28:39.161 [SPEAKER_00]: says, James replied, brothers, listen to me, Simon, and I'm sure he's referring to Peter, has related how God first visited the Gentiles because Peter was part of it. 28:39.321 --> 28:44.723 [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, Peter just told you, God poured out his spirit, his spirit upon the Gentiles. 28:44.783 --> 28:46.023 [SPEAKER_00]: Just as he has to us. 28:46.703 --> 28:56.066 [SPEAKER_00]: So he's already related, you know, communicate how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for his name. 28:56.467 --> 28:57.707 [SPEAKER_00]: Now this would be somewhat 28:59.127 --> 29:03.068 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, controversial, but maybe offensive for Jewish audience to hear. 29:03.088 --> 29:07.970 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, wait a second, take the Gentile people to make a people for his name. 29:08.630 --> 29:09.891 [SPEAKER_00]: I thought that was our promise. 29:10.611 --> 29:15.172 [SPEAKER_00]: I thought it was just us, like the Jewish nation, the Israel, Israelite nation. 29:15.513 --> 29:22.955 [SPEAKER_00]: And so again, this is kind of blowing off the hinges of what they thought they knew and understood to realize like, hey, God, doesn't just want you. 29:23.315 --> 29:24.636 [SPEAKER_00]: It started with you guys. 29:25.796 --> 29:27.357 [SPEAKER_00]: But he wants to go to the ends of the earth. 29:27.917 --> 29:29.338 [SPEAKER_00]: Tell everyone has heard. 29:29.899 --> 29:33.501 [SPEAKER_00]: Tell everyone, hopefully, would come to repentance and belief in Jesus. 29:34.321 --> 29:45.428 [SPEAKER_00]: And then it says, verse 15, in with this, the words of the prophets agree as to what James is saying, quoting Old Testament scripture, just as it is written. 29:46.862 --> 29:52.483 [SPEAKER_00]: After this, I will return and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen. 29:52.543 --> 29:55.184 [SPEAKER_00]: I will rebuild its ruins and I will restore it. 29:55.564 --> 30:05.966 [SPEAKER_00]: That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by my name says the Lord who makes these things known from old verse 19. 30:06.007 --> 30:08.627 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, my judgment, this is James speaking again. 30:08.647 --> 30:13.128 [SPEAKER_00]: He's just quoted Old Testament scripture saying, hey, God's plan all along was to also 30:17.650 --> 30:21.492 [SPEAKER_00]: seeing hearing all of your guys' evidence and arguments. 30:21.592 --> 30:27.316 [SPEAKER_00]: My judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. 30:27.596 --> 30:30.038 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, how many of you here today agree that that's a good judgment? 30:31.019 --> 30:31.259 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 30:31.679 --> 30:32.600 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you, James. 30:32.980 --> 30:33.160 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 30:33.540 --> 30:36.843 [SPEAKER_00]: I think we shouldn't put any more heavy restrictions upon them. 30:37.323 --> 30:43.429 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think we should make any more stumbling blocks for them trying to come to Jesus to try to become God's people. 30:43.449 --> 30:44.830 [SPEAKER_00]: I think we should just let them come. 30:44.890 --> 30:46.311 [SPEAKER_00]: Now again, I think that's good news. 30:46.331 --> 30:49.094 [SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's something we got to agree with, too. 30:49.114 --> 30:52.076 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, I think we should just let people come to Jesus. 30:52.096 --> 30:53.898 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, someone comes in the door. 30:53.938 --> 31:00.424 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you might not like chose to sit next to them or you wouldn't have invited them to church, whatever, because we have our own 31:01.147 --> 31:08.492 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, internal thoughts and judgements and problems, but they come in and it's like, I think we should let them come to Jesus. 31:09.313 --> 31:14.196 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, like an atheist comes, I hope atheists, I maybe some of you here today are atheists or agnostic. 31:14.216 --> 31:14.897 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what to be. 31:14.937 --> 31:16.858 [SPEAKER_00]: I hope that you would come in. 31:16.898 --> 31:19.300 [SPEAKER_00]: I hope that they would come in because I want them to hear the gospel. 31:19.900 --> 31:21.421 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to hopefully change their minds. 31:21.441 --> 31:23.283 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, hey, here's the gospel, the good news. 31:23.343 --> 31:25.044 [SPEAKER_00]: I know an atheist is gonna save. 31:25.064 --> 31:26.525 [SPEAKER_00]: That's too easy, Nick. 31:27.735 --> 31:28.756 [SPEAKER_00]: That's because we're stupid. 31:29.676 --> 31:30.617 [SPEAKER_00]: It's too easy. 31:31.037 --> 31:36.340 [SPEAKER_00]: If I just believe in Jesus, my sins are going to be saved, and I'm going to have eternal life in heaven. 31:36.400 --> 31:38.441 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, that's what it is. 31:39.022 --> 31:40.563 [SPEAKER_00]: Wait, I don't need to do anything. 31:40.623 --> 31:44.565 [SPEAKER_00]: I give money to the church or start doing stuff to get to heaven. 31:44.605 --> 31:45.946 [SPEAKER_00]: No, it's just Jesus. 31:46.943 --> 31:48.766 [SPEAKER_00]: You just receive his grace, right? 31:48.786 --> 31:50.168 [SPEAKER_00]: Because God is that good. 31:50.568 --> 31:52.892 [SPEAKER_00]: Because we are again, we're kind of stupid, we're foolish. 31:52.912 --> 31:56.777 [SPEAKER_00]: We'll make it too hard and God's like, no, I need to put the cookies on the bottom shelf. 31:56.797 --> 31:58.760 [SPEAKER_00]: So even the kids can understand this. 31:58.800 --> 32:01.284 [SPEAKER_00]: Our kids ministry, it's amazing seeing some of the things. 32:01.985 --> 32:02.845 [SPEAKER_00]: that they learn, right? 32:02.865 --> 32:07.987 [SPEAKER_00]: My kids, they'll come in and start telling me about things in Joshua, you know, like, cause I've been reading through Joshua. 32:08.288 --> 32:10.268 [SPEAKER_00]: Which is cool, but I'm like, man, like, it's awesome. 32:10.288 --> 32:14.510 [SPEAKER_00]: Their eyes are being open to these scriptures where the kids can understand these things. 32:14.530 --> 32:16.251 [SPEAKER_00]: That's how good God is. 32:16.291 --> 32:19.012 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, as we get older, we get a little more stubborn, huh? 32:19.917 --> 32:21.238 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, don't tell me what to do. 32:21.758 --> 32:23.360 [SPEAKER_00]: I've lived some life, all right? 32:23.440 --> 32:25.782 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't, yeah, okay, that's cute, good for you, you know. 32:25.802 --> 32:29.184 [SPEAKER_00]: But just wait a while, Nick, and then you'll see, you'll understand, right? 32:29.204 --> 32:31.626 [SPEAKER_00]: Get a little experience, it's like, no, God is good. 32:31.686 --> 32:34.909 [SPEAKER_00]: He's so good that he says, hey, just receive me. 32:36.450 --> 32:40.472 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think, just as James says, we should let them come to Jesus. 32:40.592 --> 32:41.292 [SPEAKER_00]: Come to God. 32:41.812 --> 32:43.733 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't make it harder for people to come to God. 32:43.753 --> 32:45.854 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't say, oh, no, you got to do X, Y, and Z. 32:45.894 --> 32:48.295 [SPEAKER_00]: No, just come to Jesus and let Jesus do the rest. 32:48.315 --> 32:49.616 [SPEAKER_00]: Because he's pretty good at that, right? 32:50.356 --> 32:53.818 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like when I came to, again, part of my struggle was like, I've done too much. 32:54.932 --> 33:07.161 [SPEAKER_00]: And I believe in God, and this is when I, you know, backslid, and I guess we could say, but I'd come to church, and it's like, every time I come to church, like God would convict me, and it's like, I just gotta eventually, it was more, I just had to give up. 33:07.221 --> 33:11.684 [SPEAKER_00]: Some of you know, more of my testimony, but for sake of time today, I'll just keep that kind of what it is. 33:11.704 --> 33:14.726 [SPEAKER_00]: I just need to surrender unto the Lord, and say, here I am. 33:15.527 --> 33:18.469 [SPEAKER_00]: Because I felt like I need to be a good person. 33:19.198 --> 33:20.519 [SPEAKER_00]: before God's going to forgive me. 33:20.600 --> 33:26.386 [SPEAKER_00]: I felt like, well, I need to come to church a little more regularly before God will accept me, right? 33:26.426 --> 33:34.294 [SPEAKER_00]: I feel like if I'm ever going to be on fire for Jesus, like I gotta do something of my own because I've already made a mess of my life. 33:34.955 --> 33:36.376 [SPEAKER_00]: But again, that's not the gospel. 33:36.576 --> 33:37.257 [SPEAKER_00]: That's not the truth. 33:37.277 --> 33:38.438 [SPEAKER_00]: We just come to Jesus. 33:38.999 --> 33:40.440 [SPEAKER_00]: And then he starts to clean us up. 33:40.860 --> 33:43.781 [SPEAKER_00]: He starts to change you, starts to give you new desires, right? 33:43.821 --> 33:48.603 [SPEAKER_00]: I never wanted to be a pastor, church planter when I first came back to Jesus. 33:48.663 --> 33:50.163 [SPEAKER_00]: I just came to Jesus here I am. 33:50.624 --> 33:57.426 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, sins in all, mess in all, and God started to change me to where else then I started to love his word. 33:57.446 --> 33:58.707 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, I want to know more. 33:59.567 --> 34:11.583 [SPEAKER_00]: And then God starts to open doors and doors of which requires our obedience, but again, our obedience does not gain us salvation or eternal life. 34:11.663 --> 34:12.665 [SPEAKER_00]: Only Jesus does. 34:13.666 --> 34:14.928 [SPEAKER_00]: And so where did I leave off? 34:15.028 --> 34:16.309 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse 20, 34:18.863 --> 34:23.865 [SPEAKER_00]: He says, verse 19, my judgment, we should not not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. 34:24.425 --> 34:34.268 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse 20, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled and from blood. 34:34.308 --> 34:36.688 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, you might think, because I thought this too. 34:36.709 --> 34:37.949 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, isn't that a contradiction? 34:38.549 --> 34:40.870 [SPEAKER_00]: So, hey, shouldn't we shouldn't make it harder for them? 34:40.890 --> 34:46.792 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, let them come to God, but also let them know, like, hey, can you meet sacrifice to idols? 34:48.672 --> 34:53.816 [SPEAKER_00]: or sexual immorality, or any things that have been strangled or in blood. 34:53.856 --> 34:59.360 [SPEAKER_00]: Now this would be Old Testament stuff for the idle stuff and meet sacrifice to God's. 34:59.761 --> 35:01.002 [SPEAKER_00]: But understand the context. 35:01.062 --> 35:06.646 [SPEAKER_00]: Now number one, I need you to understand, because you're going to hear me today and say, oh, Nick said, I don't need to abide by the law anymore. 35:06.706 --> 35:12.731 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, that means I don't have to be sexually moral, because he says, we don't have to know that's not what I'm saying. 35:13.111 --> 35:13.772 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't hear that. 35:13.832 --> 35:15.053 [SPEAKER_00]: We want to be 35:15.993 --> 35:33.958 [SPEAKER_00]: More, and all that we do, all that we say, but the thing about eating food, sacrifice to idols, stuff that was strangle, stuff that had blood in it, now these might sound gruesome or whatever, but for the Israelite people, Old Testament, like they grew up, like that's part of the law, you cannot. 35:34.878 --> 35:35.979 [SPEAKER_00]: partaking those things. 35:36.359 --> 35:40.000 [SPEAKER_00]: But now if you remember earlier in Acts, Peter had a vision, right? 35:40.480 --> 35:48.504 [SPEAKER_00]: Remember this cloth looking thing comes down, filled with animals and reptiles and all kinds of stuff and God says, hey, rise, Peter, kill and eat. 35:49.184 --> 35:49.364 [SPEAKER_00]: Right? 35:49.404 --> 35:53.086 [SPEAKER_00]: Basically he says, hey, what you are saying is unclean. 35:53.966 --> 35:57.749 [SPEAKER_00]: God rebuked me says don't call unclean what I what I've made, right? 35:57.789 --> 36:10.559 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like it's all clean essentially now it was something for food for sure But it was even more for the Gentiles because like hey, you're saying the Gentiles are not clean and they cannot be saved God say no my gospel is for everyone 36:11.379 --> 36:21.667 [SPEAKER_00]: but you'll back to that, it's like the premise is like it's not about like eating food of that nature or any of the stuff that's going to necessarily defile you. 36:21.708 --> 36:29.934 [SPEAKER_00]: But what James is saying here in Acts chapter 15, don't eat these things because he's speaking to the Gentiles, right? 36:30.315 --> 36:33.957 [SPEAKER_00]: The gent just imagine again, you got the Jewish people who grew up in legalism. 36:34.458 --> 36:34.898 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm talking 36:40.100 --> 36:57.032 [SPEAKER_00]: Tell their mom on you about everything, you know, I don't know, you know, it's like they they obey the law Then you got the Gentiles you got the outcast, you know, the black sheep they come in right and they're like, oh, man We're safe we can you know, I don't know do whatever we want, but it's like just imagine they have a meal together 36:58.073 --> 37:03.217 [SPEAKER_00]: Now let's have, let's be together, like let's have a feast. 37:04.277 --> 37:07.820 [SPEAKER_00]: And the next thing you know, the Gentiles are eating, stuff that they shouldn't be eating. 37:07.860 --> 37:12.443 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, hey, I brought some stuff from, you know, the temple of that false God. 37:12.703 --> 37:16.366 [SPEAKER_00]: They're not gonna eat it, so I brought it over here because they're gonna get destroyed out, man. 37:16.706 --> 37:23.671 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's like, in one way, it's like, yes, you're free to have that, but just imagine bringing that into a feast with the Jews. 37:23.691 --> 37:26.593 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, now you're upsetting people that you don't need to upset. 37:27.233 --> 37:31.441 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, hey, abstain from those things, because we don't want to create a stumbling block. 37:31.461 --> 37:35.468 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't want to create more division than there might already even be. 37:35.488 --> 37:37.392 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's kind of the whole premise, like, don't. 37:38.603 --> 37:41.725 [SPEAKER_00]: upset the Jewish people got to care about them too. 37:42.506 --> 37:46.889 [SPEAKER_00]: We can't just come in reckless and say, well, whatever, you know, I don't care this, that and the other thing. 37:46.909 --> 37:49.571 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, no, have a little bit of understanding there. 37:49.591 --> 37:53.293 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like you're coming into the Jewish person's house. 37:53.333 --> 37:59.858 [SPEAKER_00]: Have some respect for what for their rituals, whether or not it's right, like you can try to hold to the law. 37:59.878 --> 38:01.019 [SPEAKER_00]: You can eat kosher, right? 38:01.039 --> 38:02.200 [SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing wrong with that. 38:02.860 --> 38:20.052 [SPEAKER_00]: you understand but it's like the premise is like that's not going to save you but like hey when the Gentiles comments like hey you do need to have this level of respect and you do need to understand like hey sexual immorality is not okay whatsoever and we can pull a lot of scriptures to talk about that but you get the idea. 38:21.173 --> 38:31.398 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse 21, he says, from ancient generations, Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues. 38:31.858 --> 38:41.182 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse 22, then it seemed good to the apostles and to the elders with the whole church to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. 38:41.582 --> 38:48.365 [SPEAKER_00]: They sent Judas, who is called Versabas and Silas, leading men among the brothers with the following letter. 38:50.946 --> 38:53.567 [SPEAKER_00]: It started in Antioch with the debate. 38:54.008 --> 38:54.528 [SPEAKER_00]: Is this right? 38:54.568 --> 38:55.288 [SPEAKER_00]: Is this wrong? 38:56.069 --> 38:56.949 [SPEAKER_00]: Why they debate over it? 38:56.969 --> 38:59.110 [SPEAKER_00]: They're like, okay, hey, why don't we go to Jerusalem? 38:59.431 --> 39:05.454 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk to like Peter, James, some of these guys who, you know, are a little more theological advanced. 39:05.474 --> 39:06.494 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's see what they say. 39:06.774 --> 39:10.536 [SPEAKER_00]: They have their whole disagreement and argument and James says, hey, this is what it is. 39:11.297 --> 39:13.098 [SPEAKER_00]: And now they're like, okay, now go back to them. 39:14.058 --> 39:18.401 [SPEAKER_00]: And I need to go back to Antioch, and so they write the following letter, which is interesting. 39:18.421 --> 39:20.662 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a letter within a book, right? 39:20.682 --> 39:26.506 [SPEAKER_00]: We could even say like if this might have been able to be another book of the Bible, right? 39:26.546 --> 39:30.028 [SPEAKER_00]: The epistle to Antioch or whatever. 39:30.388 --> 39:31.529 [SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, this says verse 23. 39:33.455 --> 39:43.462 [SPEAKER_00]: With the following letter, the brothers, both the apostles and the elders, too, the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, in Syria, and Celicia, greetings. 39:43.922 --> 39:59.432 [SPEAKER_00]: Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us having come to one accord to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul. 39:59.472 --> 40:00.373 [SPEAKER_00]: So, what's pause? 40:00.633 --> 40:03.494 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, he's like, hey, we heard about your guys' dispute. 40:03.514 --> 40:04.654 [SPEAKER_00]: There's guys who came in. 40:04.694 --> 40:08.615 [SPEAKER_00]: They're like, hey, we believe in Jesus, but hey, you need Jesus and works. 40:08.635 --> 40:10.516 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you need to earn your own salvation? 40:10.536 --> 40:12.316 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you need to hold to the Old Testament law? 40:12.356 --> 40:13.556 [SPEAKER_00]: You've got to be circumcised. 40:13.576 --> 40:15.577 [SPEAKER_00]: You've got to do X, Y and Z. 40:16.097 --> 40:17.557 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you don't, you can't be saved. 40:17.577 --> 40:18.838 [SPEAKER_00]: And they're like, we've heard of this. 40:19.518 --> 40:23.059 [SPEAKER_00]: And that they've upset you, that they've, you know, maybe confused you. 40:24.019 --> 40:26.640 [SPEAKER_00]: And they make it clear, like, hey, we didn't send them. 40:27.360 --> 40:36.353 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, we gave them no instructions to say those things, but verse 25, I love that they write, it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, right? 40:36.373 --> 40:38.616 [SPEAKER_00]: This was not just one person's decision. 40:38.656 --> 40:40.519 [SPEAKER_00]: This was a church decision. 40:40.539 --> 40:42.221 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's discuss the scriptures. 40:42.980 --> 40:50.703 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's discuss what did Jesus do, what did He accomplish, wasn't enough, and their overwhelming conclusion is, yes, it's enough. 40:51.583 --> 40:53.244 [SPEAKER_00]: No, you don't need anything more. 40:53.924 --> 40:58.866 [SPEAKER_00]: And so He says, we've come to one accord, we've chosen these men to send this letter. 40:59.426 --> 41:04.868 [SPEAKER_00]: With our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 41:04.908 --> 41:10.090 [SPEAKER_00]: We have therefore sent Judas and Silas who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 41:10.530 --> 41:23.374 [SPEAKER_00]: For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements, says that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled. 41:23.434 --> 41:25.955 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, this is like, hey, have some respect for the Jewish people. 41:29.436 --> 41:36.024 [SPEAKER_00]: He says, but, and from sexual immorality, if you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. 41:36.625 --> 41:48.639 [SPEAKER_00]: Farewell, now, but he doesn't say, though, hey, if you do these things that you're going to earn your salvation, I think what he's saying is like, hey, just understand now that you believe and you've received Jesus. 41:49.460 --> 41:50.521 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's some next steps. 41:51.382 --> 41:52.403 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's some next things. 41:52.443 --> 41:57.367 [SPEAKER_00]: Obstained from these, this food sacrifice to idols, and it's stained from sexual immorality. 41:57.427 --> 42:01.251 [SPEAKER_00]: If you do these two things, you're going to do, you're going to be all right. 42:02.732 --> 42:10.119 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse 30 says, So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation there, they delivered the letter. 42:11.318 --> 42:14.739 [SPEAKER_00]: And when they had read it, they rejoice because of its encouragement. 42:14.759 --> 42:16.200 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, just imagine the Gentiles. 42:16.240 --> 42:18.240 [SPEAKER_00]: I just imagine them on the edge of their seat, right? 42:18.261 --> 42:19.321 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, we got this debate. 42:19.401 --> 42:20.361 [SPEAKER_00]: Are we really saved? 42:20.421 --> 42:21.702 [SPEAKER_00]: Are we allowed to come in? 42:21.722 --> 42:22.922 [SPEAKER_00]: Do we have eternal life? 42:23.903 --> 42:24.463 [SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean? 42:24.503 --> 42:25.623 [SPEAKER_00]: And they're on the edge of their seat. 42:25.723 --> 42:27.424 [SPEAKER_00]: And they're just probably like, what did they say? 42:28.124 --> 42:45.092 [SPEAKER_00]: right just this is a day and age where like this would take probably weeks if not months like get this letter this response is answer right today we can just face time someone on the other side of the world hey what do you think about this right uh... i don't know let's get those phones someone else and we can do that with technology then it's going to take a while 42:46.499 --> 42:51.743 [SPEAKER_00]: And then when they finally get this letter, this news, their response is they rejoice. 42:52.764 --> 42:53.385 [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine that. 42:53.945 --> 42:54.786 [SPEAKER_00]: How we're relieved. 42:56.167 --> 42:58.349 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't have, I mean, for one, and I had to talk about circumstances. 42:58.389 --> 42:59.670 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, we don't gotta be circumcised. 42:59.690 --> 43:00.570 [SPEAKER_00]: Ooh, good. 43:00.951 --> 43:03.092 [SPEAKER_00]: But it's like, we don't gotta hold to a law of Moses. 43:04.073 --> 43:09.317 [SPEAKER_00]: Cause man, they're probably, you know, thinking, I don't know if we can, if I can do this. 43:10.117 --> 43:12.458 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think, if it's up to me, I'm gonna mess it up. 43:13.199 --> 43:14.660 [SPEAKER_00]: This is too much for me to bear. 43:14.920 --> 43:17.481 [SPEAKER_00]: And they hear this, like, nope, Jesus has done enough. 43:18.862 --> 43:23.505 [SPEAKER_00]: Just hate, keep yourself from food, sacrifice, I'll keep yourself from sexual immorality. 43:24.125 --> 43:24.906 [SPEAKER_00]: You're gonna be all right. 43:26.367 --> 43:33.491 [SPEAKER_00]: So they rejoice, this is verse 32, in Judas and Silas, who are themselves profits, encourage and strengthen the brothers with many words. 43:35.294 --> 43:40.935 [SPEAKER_00]: And after, after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 43:41.575 --> 43:46.817 [SPEAKER_00]: But Paul and Barnabes remain in anti-Oct teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others. 43:47.557 --> 43:54.338 [SPEAKER_00]: Also, so I want to start to wrap this message up this morning. 43:55.698 --> 44:02.760 [SPEAKER_00]: But I want you to see, and I hope that if you take away anything from this, it's that salvation is a gift. 44:04.063 --> 44:10.384 [SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing you can do to do enough to buy your favor with God. 44:11.004 --> 44:12.425 [SPEAKER_00]: God already loves you. 44:13.325 --> 44:15.805 [SPEAKER_00]: And he's died for you already. 44:15.965 --> 44:17.246 [SPEAKER_00]: The price has been paid. 44:18.146 --> 44:19.286 [SPEAKER_00]: I just think of it this way. 44:19.306 --> 44:22.947 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like it's a check that's been written to you. 44:23.807 --> 44:25.307 [SPEAKER_00]: Your name, too. 44:25.888 --> 44:26.488 [SPEAKER_00]: Nick Weiss. 44:27.228 --> 44:28.988 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, sign Jesus Christ. 44:29.088 --> 44:30.188 [SPEAKER_00]: God of heaven and earth. 44:30.708 --> 44:32.129 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, and to cover your sin. 44:33.329 --> 44:39.617 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, and all you need to do is to imagine if someone gives you a checklist while I bless you, like all you need to do is you receive it. 44:40.662 --> 44:43.163 [SPEAKER_00]: All right, that's what salvation is. 44:43.183 --> 44:44.763 [SPEAKER_00]: You can just simply receive it. 44:44.803 --> 44:47.963 [SPEAKER_00]: Now again, I know it seems too simple, but that's literally the gospels. 44:47.983 --> 44:51.764 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, hey, I've sinned and I recognize I'm a sinner. 44:52.484 --> 45:08.468 [SPEAKER_00]: I know my sin is separated me from you God and I understand though that Jesus has died in my place and that my sins can be a tone for because it's finished on the cross and we can turn to God and we can start to see him transform us 45:10.788 --> 45:26.671 [SPEAKER_00]: But again, the idea of this check, if you've ever had this experience, which I hope you don't, but I did one time, there's a check and there's this fine print on some checks that come from someplace and then says, you know, if not deposited within, you know, 30 days is no good. 45:26.691 --> 45:34.833 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if you ever tried this, there was one time, it was like, oh man, it's maybe got lost in the mail or it was under stack of mail and I found like, oh cool, let me deposit that. 45:35.346 --> 45:37.787 [SPEAKER_00]: Nope, it didn't work, you know, because it was too late. 45:38.648 --> 45:42.310 [SPEAKER_00]: And the idea here, it's like, God has a check with your sin written on it. 45:42.550 --> 45:43.390 [SPEAKER_00]: It's there for you. 45:44.071 --> 45:47.853 [SPEAKER_00]: And I might have said this last week, but I hate, like, time is running out. 45:48.873 --> 45:53.956 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't only have today, like, you know, we're like, oh, but I can get my life together next week. 45:53.976 --> 45:56.198 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, maybe you can, but also we don't know. 45:56.398 --> 45:57.559 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't know what life's gonna happen. 45:57.579 --> 46:00.481 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't know what God has later today or tomorrow. 46:00.801 --> 46:07.505 [SPEAKER_00]: And so it's like, if God has fallen you, he's knocking on the door of your heart and he's saying, hey, just receive me, like, receive him today. 46:07.945 --> 46:09.847 [SPEAKER_00]: Because one day it's gonna be too late. 46:10.467 --> 46:16.068 [SPEAKER_00]: And you're going to be like, well, I want to cash the check today and he's like, sorry, you know, like that time has passed. 46:16.468 --> 46:17.409 [SPEAKER_00]: You had your chance. 46:17.449 --> 46:21.510 [SPEAKER_00]: And so today, if you've never received Jesus, you've never received his grace. 46:21.550 --> 46:25.070 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you struggle with it because you think you're too flawed. 46:25.090 --> 46:25.851 [SPEAKER_00]: You've done too much. 46:25.891 --> 46:26.871 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to encourage you. 46:26.911 --> 46:31.512 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to ask you just to simply receive Jesus grace. 46:32.442 --> 46:33.082 [SPEAKER_00]: He loves you. 46:33.203 --> 46:34.864 [SPEAKER_00]: He has already died for you. 46:34.924 --> 46:36.765 [SPEAKER_00]: He is risen from the grave. 46:37.385 --> 46:38.666 [SPEAKER_00]: He's just, hey, receive me. 46:39.287 --> 46:42.208 [SPEAKER_00]: Follow me and you'll have true abundant life. 46:42.889 --> 46:43.249 [SPEAKER_00]: Amen. 46:44.290 --> 46:51.414 [SPEAKER_00]: So, Father, we thank you for your word this morning and the encouragement that it is, the challenge that it can be as well. 46:51.475 --> 46:54.216 [SPEAKER_00]: But I think that we can see a real life 46:56.249 --> 47:04.379 [SPEAKER_00]: The first century church argument, disagreement, debate about what doesn't mean to be saved. 47:04.439 --> 47:06.322 [SPEAKER_00]: What does it require to be saved? 47:06.342 --> 47:10.147 [SPEAKER_00]: Lord, I love that we just look through it, Lord, and that the overwhelming 47:11.958 --> 47:16.280 [SPEAKER_00]: response or conclusion is that you are enough. 47:17.421 --> 47:25.765 [SPEAKER_00]: I just pray for each and every man, woman, child that's come in here this morning or maybe they're joining online, but I just pray for wrestling with condemnation. 47:25.805 --> 47:29.787 [SPEAKER_00]: We feel like we've done too much, that we don't deserve your grace. 47:29.807 --> 47:37.552 [SPEAKER_00]: So I just pray that you would just pour out your spirit upon us, that you gently lead us to receive your grace, because it's not our works. 47:38.572 --> 47:41.095 [SPEAKER_00]: or what we've done or what we don't do that we're saved. 47:41.135 --> 47:43.757 [SPEAKER_00]: It's by your grace, by your mercy Lord. 47:43.777 --> 47:54.628 [SPEAKER_00]: So I pray that today we would just receive in faith, Lord, and that's you would plant a seed, and those who maybe have never received your gospel, your good news before, 47:55.328 --> 48:20.998 [SPEAKER_00]: And for those who have, I pray that you start to fan the flame, remind us of what you've done, remind us of how good you are, Lord, and that it would spark a flame Lord that would just be a fire that would ignite in our life's Lord to have a passion for you, a desire hunger thirst for righteousness, Lord, that we would want to obey and do things for you, not because we need to, but because we get to, 48:21.738 --> 48:23.839 [SPEAKER_00]: because we get to respond to you and your gospels. 48:23.859 --> 48:33.206 [SPEAKER_00]: So God, I just pray that you have your way with us, draw us in this morning and we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. 48:33.966 --> 48:37.709 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I just want to ask that we bow our heads just every eye close for a moment. 48:37.729 --> 48:44.433 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't do this every week, but I do want to give a time for those of you who maybe are like, man, I want to respond to that. 48:44.474 --> 48:44.934 [SPEAKER_00]: I hear your, 48:45.274 --> 49:07.720 [SPEAKER_00]: what you're saying, Nick, and I hear the gospel, and maybe you've never received the gospel, and maybe today, hopefully today, today's the day that you say, okay, I'm done fighting, I'm done condemning myself, I'm done talking negative to myself that I'm not enough, that I can't do it, or whatever it is, because the truth is, yeah, you can't, but the beauty of the gospel is that Jesus did. 49:08.500 --> 49:19.311 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus does love you and so if you want to just receive him maybe for the first time today I just want to ask you do some simple just raise your hand and I just want to pray for you And if there's anyone online same thing. 49:19.371 --> 49:26.658 [SPEAKER_00]: I know we can't see your hand, but Write it in the chat or go on our website, but we want to pray for you 49:28.600 --> 49:36.065 [SPEAKER_00]: And maybe there's some of you today, if you follow Jesus for a while, but maybe you've forgotten how good His grace is. 49:36.085 --> 49:38.346 [SPEAKER_00]: And maybe you just want to come back in a way today. 49:38.366 --> 49:44.129 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like, God, hey, I've back slid in a little bit, but hey, I'm coming back and I'm here. 49:44.169 --> 49:45.050 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe that's you today. 49:45.090 --> 49:48.372 [SPEAKER_00]: I just asked you raise your hand and I'd love to pray for you as well. 49:51.523 --> 50:04.714 [SPEAKER_00]: And so Father, we just thank you Lord for your grace, your mercy, your forgiveness, Lord, you're a good Father, that's who you are, and I just pray God that we would 50:06.395 --> 50:20.784 [SPEAKER_00]: be filled with joy, filled with peace, knowing that you do love us, and you have called us, and you've done everything necessary for us to have not only a relationship with you now, but eternal life with you as well. 50:21.625 --> 50:23.746 [SPEAKER_00]: So we thank you for these things in Jesus' name. 50:24.067 --> 50:24.407 [SPEAKER_00]: Amen. 50:24.887 --> 50:26.089 [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks again for joining us today. 50:26.129 --> 50:27.630 [SPEAKER_00]: We hope you're blessed by the message. 50:27.691 --> 50:34.359 [SPEAKER_00]: If you need to connect with us or you have prayer requests visit fervent.church and we love to hear from you and love to be praying for you. 50:34.619 --> 50:37.623 [SPEAKER_00]: Now go out there live a fervent life so that people may know Jesus. 50:37.703 --> 50:38.804 [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see you on the next one. 50:39.024 --> 50:39.265 [SPEAKER_00]: Peace.