1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Let's pray. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Let's pray. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Let's pray. 4 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Are you going to do a lecture on that? 5 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:10,000 You doing okay? Okay. 6 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:23,000 He doesn't want anything except for me to hold him, which isn't working out. 7 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Okay. Good morning, everybody. We'll power through together. 8 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:42,000 Maybe. Okay. 9 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:51,000 Today, as we begin our worship together, I wanted to read the beginning of the psalm that we'll be reading together and talk about it. 10 00:02:51,000 --> 00:03:06,000 We're going to be reading from Psalm 111 today. So I'm going to read the first six verses of that. If you want to follow along, you can. 11 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:18,000 "Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the company of the upright in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. 12 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:24,000 Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. 13 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:30,000 He has caused His wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and merciful. 14 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:36,000 He provides food for those who fear Him. He remembers His covenant forever. 15 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:42,000 He has shown His people the power of His works and giving them the inheritance of the nations." 16 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,000 And we'll read the rest together here in a little bit. 17 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:52,000 This is referencing the promises of God and how He keeps them. 18 00:03:52,000 --> 00:04:00,000 And this week, one night this week, Penelope was asking me for about an hour to draw her a dragon. 19 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,000 And I have no idea how to draw anything well. 20 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,000 And she kept asking me and asking me and asking me, and it was right before bed. 21 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:11,000 And I said, "I promise you I will draw one when you go to sleep." 22 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:21,000 And so, they went to bed, they went to sleep. I was getting ready for bed, crawling into bed, and then I went, "Oh, I have to draw a dragon." 23 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:35,000 So, luckily we live at a time of YouTube, and I got on Art Hub, yes, this one site that we go for school, and stayed up for 30 extra minutes to draw a dragon. 24 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:40,000 And when I was done, I put it on her dresser so she would have it when she woke up in the morning. 25 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:59,000 And it made me feel happy to keep my promise. And when I think about that, and I think about how God delights in keeping his promises in verse 4, where he says, "He's caused his wondrous works to be remembered." 26 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:09,000 You know, he delights in giving us the things that he's promised. 27 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:19,000 And so, as I read verse 1 this morning, where it starts out with, "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart." 28 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:26,000 I think about that phrase, "my whole heart," and I just think about all the things that my whole heart is not into. 29 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Especially when it feels like he's not remembering his promises. So, when I contemplate times in my life, the hurts in my life, 30 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:48,000 you know, where I feel like those have broken me or shaped me. One I'll share is when I experienced our miscarriage. 31 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:57,000 And it was really difficult, and it's hard to give thanks with your whole heart when it feels like it's in multiple pieces. 32 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:07,000 And I was just so thankful just to remember the promises of God and the Word of God. And when we think about the last verse 33 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:14,000 of this psalm that we'll read together, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding." 34 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:22,000 And sometimes it feels like the hurts in our life make no sense, like anything that's happened in our life, 35 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:29,000 anything that's happening around us in our world. But the one steady thing is the covenant that God has promised us. 36 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:36,000 And you see it from the beginning to the end of the Bible. You know, brothers are murdering each other. 37 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:44,000 Women are treated horribly. Women are barren that want kids. Children die. Husbands die. There's wars. There's famine. 38 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:50,000 But the one thing we see throughout Scripture through studying it is that his covenant remains steady. 39 00:06:50,000 --> 00:07:01,000 And I wanted to share a quote from the devotional that's in this in this psalm study that I have. 40 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,000 It says, "The Bible is a message of gracious redemption from start to finish. 41 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Scripture is not an advice column at the back of a newspaper. It's the front page declaring news of what God has done. 42 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,000 He sent redemption to his people," referencing verse 9. 43 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,000 Yes, he did far more than the writer of Psalm 111 knew. 44 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:26,000 The good news of the gospel is that God sent redemption in the tangible form of his own son as a fully human person 45 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:33,000 to launch the renewal and consummation of all things through his life, death, and resurrection. 46 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:40,000 And so, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. 47 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,000 His praise endures forever." 48 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:47,000 I would just encourage you, as we read together today the verses we're going to read, 49 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:54,000 just focus on that verse 10 because it doesn't say just blindly follow what someone says is truth. 50 00:07:54,000 --> 00:08:02,000 It says to practice, to know that you understand the wisdom of the Lord and what the Bible says that he's going to do what he says he's going to do. 51 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:10,000 So, if we want to stand together, we're going to be reading verses 7 through 10. 52 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:24,000 If you want to join in reading that with me. If not, I would just encourage you to think about the words and encourage you this week to just focus on how understanding the Lord is the beginning of wisdom for anybody. 53 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,000 So, we're going to start in verse 7. 54 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:42,000 The works of His hand are faithful and just. All His precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 55 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:52,000 He sent redemption to His people. He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name. 56 00:08:52,000 --> 00:09:03,000 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. 57 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:17,000 This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. God, we thank you that we're able to gather here today to worship you, and we thank you that we can constantly be reminded of how your promises 58 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:26,000 are always kept and how your mighty works are remembered, not just written down in Scripture, but in our own lives. 59 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:34,000 And we thank you for these reminders that help us when we are in the pit, and then they help us to just remind us to glorify you when we're on top of the mountain. 60 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:46,000 And we thank you again that we can gather. I ask that you bless this service, help to glorify you, and just help us to just continue to worship you in Jesus' name. 61 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:54,000 In Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Our first Song we're going to sing today is going to be "Behold Our God." 62 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:34,000 Who has held the oceans in His hands? Who has numbered every grain of sand? Kings and nations tremble at His voice. All creation rises to 63 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:58,000 rejoice. Behold our God, seated on His throne. Come let us adore Him. Behold our King, nothing can compare. 64 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Come let us adore Him. 65 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:22,000 Who has given counsel to the Lord? 66 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:29,000 Who can question any of His words? 67 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:35,000 Who can teach the one who knows all things? 68 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:42,000 Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds? 69 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:56,000 Behold our God, seated on His throne. Come, let us adore Him. 70 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:11,000 Behold our King, nothing can compare. Come, let us adore Him. 71 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:40,000 Who has felt the nails upon His hands, bearing all the guilt of sinful man? God eternal, humble to the Lord. 72 00:12:40,000 --> 00:13:09,000 Jesus, Savior, is in mount to reign. Behold our God, seated on His throne. Come, let us adore Him. Behold our King. Nothing can come from Him. 73 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:19,000 Nothing can compare. Come, let us adore Him. 74 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:46,000 If you have something you want to share, just send us a message or comment or text the number that Brandon's going to post up on the screen. 75 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:15,000 Let's pray. 76 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:19,000 Let's pray. 77 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:24,000 Let's pray. 78 00:14:37,000 --> 00:15:05,000 My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus' name. 79 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:33,000 Christ alone, cornerstone, weak made strong in the Savior's love. Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all. 80 00:15:33,000 --> 00:16:01,000 When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. 81 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:29,000 My anchor holds within the veil. Christ alone, call us Lord. Weak made strong in the Savior's light. Through the storm, He is Lord. 82 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:57,000 Lord, I love. Christ alone, call us Lord. Weak made strong in the Savior's light. Through the storm, He is Lord. Lord, I love. 83 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:25,000 When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone. 84 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:53,000 Faultless than before the throne. Christ alone. Call us though weak and strong. In the same as love through the storm. He is Lord. 85 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:59,000 Lord I hope. 86 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:52,980 God bless you. 87 00:18:53,000 --> 00:19:22,980 God bless you. 88 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:52,980 God bless you. 89 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:51,300 We're back. As we prepare for our time of communion, I just wanted to share from this book that I purchased, Valley of Vision, 90 00:25:51,920 --> 00:26:20,840 this Puritan prayer to just kind of think about as we sing our song together and just have a moment of quiet with the Lord. It's a prayer that starts with, "Life-giving God, quicken me to call upon thy name, for my mind is ignorant, my thoughts vagrant, my affections earthly, my heart unbelieving, and only thy spirit can help my infirmities. I approach thee as father and 91 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:49,760 friend, my portion forever, my exceeding joy, my strength of my heart. I believe in thee as the God of nature, the ordainer of providence, the sender of Jesus, my Savior. My guilty fears discourage and approach to thee, but I praise thee for the blessed news that Jesus reconciles thee to me. May the truth that is in him illuminate in me all that is dark, establish in me all that is wavering, comfort in me all that is wretched, accomplish in me all that is of thy goodness, 92 00:26:49,760 --> 00:27:19,740 and glorify in me the name of Jesus. I pass through a veil of tears, but bless thee for the opening gate of glory at its end. Enable me to realize as mine the better heavenly country. Prepare me for every part of my pilgrimage. Uphold my steps by thy word. Let no iniquity dominate me. Teach me that Christ cannot be the way if I am the end, that he cannot be redeemer if I am my own savior, that there can be no true union with 93 00:27:19,740 --> 00:27:49,720 him while the creature has my heart, that faith accepts him as redeemer and Lord or not at all. And so as we just focus on that truth in Jesus, and there was a line here about his name that I'm trying to find again. Just that that truth about Jesus, just hearing his name can bring us encouragement. The next song we're going to be doing is what a beautiful name it is. And it just describes how 94 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:56,720 just hearing his name helps us through these times. So just focus on that as we continue to worship today. 95 00:28:19,700 --> 00:28:49,680 God, the Lord most high. Your hidden glory in creation. Now revealed in you, our Christ. What a beautiful name it is. What a beautiful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ, my name. 96 00:28:49,680 --> 00:29:19,660 What a beautiful name it is. Nothing compares to this. What a beautiful name it is. The name of Jesus. 97 00:29:19,660 --> 00:29:49,640 Heaven down. My sin was great. Your love was greater. What could separate us now? What a wonderful name it is. What a wonderful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ, my King. 98 00:29:49,640 --> 00:30:05,920 What a wonderful name it is. Nothing compares to this. What a wonderful name it is. The name of Jesus. 99 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:19,620 Death could not hold you. The veil tore before you. Your silence, the boast of sin and grace. 100 00:30:19,620 --> 00:30:49,600 The heavens are rolling. The praise of your glory. For you are raised to life again. You have no rival. You have no equal. Now and forever, God, you reign. 101 00:30:49,600 --> 00:31:19,580 Your kingdom. Yours is the glory. Yours is the name above all names. What a powerful name it is. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ, my King. What a powerful name it is. 102 00:31:19,580 --> 00:31:49,560 The name of Jesus. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. 103 00:31:49,560 --> 00:32:19,540 The name of Jesus. If you didn't get a chance to pick up communion elements, they are on the table right next to the door. So there is a tendency that I think probably most of us have, and that is to focus on our 104 00:32:19,540 --> 00:32:49,520 ourselves. So last night, Derek and Chrissy were over, and we were sitting there, and Evelyn asked for a lifesaver, and so I tossed her a lifesaver, and she says, "Dad, that was a good throw," and I said, "Of course it is," right? Because I am the best. That's our tendency, right? When we do something good, when we think we have something figured out, we have this tendency to praise ourselves, right? It's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way. 105 00:32:49,520 --> 00:33:19,500 In a few minutes, we'll be in Acts chapter 1, or Acts chapter 2, and one of the things that I love about these first verses in Acts chapter 2, where we'll be, is that there is something amazing happening. The disciples are proclaiming the goodness of God, and I think that's so important to notice. They're speaking not of their power, not of what the Spirit is doing through them, but rather they're pointing their way to God. 106 00:33:19,500 --> 00:33:32,840 And so when we come to the communion table this morning, it's not a time to pat ourselves on the back, but rather look to the greatness and the goodness and the mercy of God. 107 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:49,480 I guess it's Puritan Sunday, because I want to share with you a quote from John Owen. He says, "The purpose of our holy and righteous God was to save His church, but their sin could not go unpunished. It was therefore necessary that 108 00:33:49,480 --> 00:34:03,000 the punishment for that sin be transferred from those who deserved it, but could not bear it, to the one who did not deserve it, but was able to bear it." 109 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:19,460 I want us to point our eyes toward Jesus this morning in this bread and in this cup, that our pride would be humbled, that our spirits would be encouraged, that our fear would be taken away, that our guilt and our shame, if you are a Christian, you would be reminded 110 00:34:19,460 --> 00:34:49,440 that those are paid for by the blood of Christ, that he has given you his righteousness. And so to direct our minds and our hearts in that direction, I want to read from Romans, the fifth chapter, "For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 111 00:34:49,440 --> 00:35:19,420 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God? For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received reconciliation." 112 00:35:19,420 --> 00:35:49,400 Our lives, as we consider your greatness and your goodness, may you shift our focus from us to you. We may see that our hope is in you, that it is not the work of our hands or our strength that provides our salvation, but rather it is your work through the gift of your Son, and through the empowering of your Spirit. 113 00:35:49,400 --> 00:36:08,400 of your mercy, of your grace, and how it's been poured into our lives. May we be reminded of the strengthening of your Spirit for your people. I ask that you bless this bread and bless this cup. May we proclaim your Son until He comes again. It's in His name we pray. Amen. 114 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:31,400 In 1 Corinthians, the 11th chapter, Paul says that when Jesus had given thanks, He took bread, and He broke it, and He said, "This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. Would you partake with Me?" 115 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:45,400 In the same way, also, He took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me." 116 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:58,400 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. 117 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:22,400 Our Scripture reading this morning is from Acts, the second chapter. I'm going to go ahead and be reading Acts chapter 2, 1 through 13, if you'd like to follow along. 118 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:30,400 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place, and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like the mighty rushing wind. 119 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:43,400 And it filled the entire house where they were sitting, and divided tongues as a fire appeared to them, rested on each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 120 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:51,400 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem devout men from every nation under heaven, and at this sound a multitude came together, and they were bewildered, 121 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:59,400 because each one was hearing them speak in their own language, and they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" 122 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:18,400 How is it that we hear each in our own native language, Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Perga, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs, 123 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:27,400 we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 124 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:35,400 But others mocked, saying, "They are filled with new wine." This is the word of the Lord. 125 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:55,400 Father in heaven, we do thank you and praise you for your word. We thank you for how it instructs, how it helps, how it empowers, how it convicts, and how, most of all, it points us to your goodness. 126 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:07,400 So may you encourage our hearts. May you strengthen our hands. May you help us this morning as we look at this wonderful text. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 127 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:15,400 So there are some recipes that when you see them being made, doubts begin to arise in your mind. 128 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:23,400 And if you've ever had kids, you understand this, because you'll be cooking dinner, and they will come in and they go, "Oh, what's for dinner? A bunch of glop?" 129 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:31,400 So they look at the recipe and what you're making, and immediately doubts begin to form as to how good it's going to be. 130 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:40,400 Now, then there are other kinds of recipes that as you see the meal being made, or the item being made, you know that it is going to be good. 131 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:46,400 And so this week we were talking with some friends about different recipes for bread and things like that. 132 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:53,400 And I said, "Rachel, you should give them the recipes for your cinnamon rolls, because her cinnamon rolls are amazing." 133 00:39:53,400 --> 00:40:01,400 And I remember it as if it was yesterday, and I kind of wish it was yesterday, the first time she made them. 134 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:10,400 And what happens is that as I saw what she was doing, you know, it went from curiosity to attention as I watched her make these cinnamon rolls. 135 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:13,400 Because there are certain things you know that are going to be good. 136 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:24,400 And so when the recipe calls not for sticks of butter, but for the boxes of butter that you need, you know that these are going to be amazing. 137 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:33,400 And so as the process of making these cinnamon rolls progress, you could just, I could taste the anticipation. 138 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:37,400 And it was wonderful. 139 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:45,400 This text that we're going to be in this morning has had a similar impact on me over the past few weeks of preparation. 140 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:50,400 It starts as, in my mind, as kind of a sort of an interesting historical note. 141 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:56,400 But as you dive into the words that Luke records here in Acts chapter 2 in the very beginning, 142 00:40:56,400 --> 00:41:06,400 well, you find it's not just an interesting historical note, but rather this is something wonderful. 143 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:14,400 And so I want to start this morning by taking a look at God's wonderful work in these first 13 verses. 144 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:20,400 And I'm going to refresh your mind and your memory of what we have just read by reading the first three verses. 145 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:25,400 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place, 146 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:29,400 and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, 147 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:35,400 and it filled the entire house where they were sitting, and divided tongues as a fire appeared to them, 148 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,400 and rested on each one of them. 149 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:43,400 And so if you've ever watched Bob Ross paint, 150 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:46,400 it's one of the things sometimes when the kids need some calming, 151 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:49,400 we put it on because, you know, he's so soothing. 152 00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:55,400 At the beginning of every one of his paintings, he'll say, "Well, here's our palette for today," right? 153 00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:59,400 And he lists a bunch of different colors, and then he manages to take those colors 154 00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:03,400 and turn them into a bunch of happy little trees, right? 155 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:08,400 One of the things I want to do in this text is show you three of the colors in God's palette 156 00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:14,400 that he takes and he turns into this wondrous masterpiece. 157 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:18,400 And the first thing I want you to notice, and the first color in our palette is this, 158 00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:21,400 the timing of what is happening. 159 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,400 So it says the day of Pentecost. 160 00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:28,400 And so what this is in the Jewish calendar is the Feast of Weeks. 161 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:31,400 The word Pentecost literally means 50th. 162 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:36,400 And so it's 50 days from the Feast of the Firstfruits, 163 00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:40,400 which takes place at the same time as Passover. 164 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:45,400 And just as a side note, to see how God works and to get a glimpse of what he's going to do here, 165 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:52,400 I want you to go back to Passover and the Feast of Firstfruits. 166 00:42:52,400 --> 00:43:00,400 Because Paul in Corinthians will say that as the Jewish people celebrated the Feast of the Firstfruits, 167 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,400 Jesus rises from the dead. 168 00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:06,400 And what does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 15:20? 169 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:11,400 The fact that Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 170 00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:16,400 That God takes this picture of this Passover, of the sacrifice of Jesus, 171 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:19,400 the Feast of the Firstfruits that points to his resurrection, 172 00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:24,400 and God uses it as a powerful picture for the Gospel. 173 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:28,400 And so we come now to the Feast of Weeks 50 days later, 174 00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:34,400 and this is one of three solemn feasts that takes place in the Jewish feast. 175 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:38,400 So you have the Feast of Firstfruits that coincides with Passover, 176 00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:40,400 the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Tabernacles, 177 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:44,400 and the requirement was that if you were an able-bodied Jewish man, 178 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:48,400 you needed to go to Jerusalem, stand before God, make your sacrifices, 179 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:52,400 and be present for these feasts. 180 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:55,400 Exodus 33 says this: 181 00:43:55,400 --> 00:44:02,400 "Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel." 182 00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:07,400 Now, there are two reasons why this is so important and so wonderful. 183 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:11,400 The first is that it's a perfect time for the church to begin. 184 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:17,400 Three times a year, God calls all the Jewish men to come to Jerusalem. 185 00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:20,400 Three times a year. 186 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:24,400 And so, as this feast dawns, there's a whole lot of extra people in town. 187 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:28,400 We read about it a little later in Acts chapter 2. 188 00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:35,400 We have Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Perga, Asia, Pamphylia, Egypt, 189 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:42,400 the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, visitors from Rome, Jews, proselytes, Cretans, Arabians. 190 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:44,400 All of these people are coming. 191 00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:51,400 And if you remember back to Acts chapter 1, Jesus says, "You're going to be my witnesses in Judea and Jerusalem and Samaria 192 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:57,400 and to the ends of the earth." And here, on the day that the church starts, they are instructed to go to all the world. 193 00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:00,400 But on the day that the church starts, what does God do? 194 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:05,400 He brings the entire world to Jerusalem. 195 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:10,400 Isn't that a wonderful picture? Jesus has said, "You're going to go out to all the world." 196 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:19,400 But on the day the church starts, God, in His providential planning and in His law, brings the world to Jerusalem. 197 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:25,400 The second thing we see is that this feast of weeks is a picture of the harvest. 198 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:31,400 It's when you would gather in the end of your harvest, you would come, you would bring your offerings before God. 199 00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,400 It's a picture of what God is doing here. 200 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:40,400 Just as the people are bringing their harvest, God is bringing a harvest into the kingdom. 201 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:47,400 It says that 3,000 souls were added this day. 202 00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:52,400 And if you think about this, and you see lots of interesting historical and biblical facts, 203 00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:54,400 it's bigger than that. 204 00:45:54,400 --> 00:46:00,400 Because remember when God in Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy is setting forth these feats, 205 00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:03,400 and He's making the rules and the plan, what is He doing? 206 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:05,400 He's preparing for this day. 207 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:10,400 The day when all of these people would gather together, hear the good news of the gospel, 208 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:13,400 and be gathered into the kingdom. 209 00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:20,400 It's a marvelous, wonderful, and encouraging picture of how God works. 210 00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:28,400 They heard next, and this is the second color in our palette, the sound of a mighty rushing wind. 211 00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:32,400 And so wind in the Old Testament often sort of pictures the presence of God. 212 00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:37,400 Remember Job as he's asking God questions, and he wants to ask God questions. 213 00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:42,400 In Job 38, God will answer Job out of the whirlwind. 214 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:47,400 And when Elijah goes to heaven in 2 Kings, remember what happens? 215 00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:53,400 There's a chariot of fire, and there is a whirlwind as he is taken into God's presence. 216 00:46:53,400 --> 00:47:01,400 But wind, or breath, as this can also be translated in the Old Testament, is more than just the presence of God. 217 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:05,400 It can depict life-giving power. 218 00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:12,400 In Genesis chapter 2, as we have that detailed creation account of mankind, remember what it says? 219 00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:20,400 The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living thing. 220 00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:24,400 Man only becomes a living thing by the breath of God. 221 00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:32,400 And if you remember Ezekiel, the 23rd chapter, Ezekiel has this vision, right? 222 00:47:32,400 --> 00:47:36,400 And it's a valley full of dry, dead bones. 223 00:47:36,400 --> 00:47:42,400 And he speaks to them under the command of God, and they begin to have flesh and skin, but they have no life into them. 224 00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:48,400 And so God says, "Prophesy over the dead bones." And so he begins to speak. 225 00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:54,400 And what happens? Those bones, as the wind begins to touch them, fill with life. 226 00:47:54,400 --> 00:48:02,400 And the promise in Ezekiel 23:14 is this, "And I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in my land. 227 00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:08,400 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, I have spoken, and I will do it," declares the Lord. 228 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:17,400 It's not just that God is present, but that God is empowering through this wind. 229 00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:21,400 And then take a look at what they saw. 230 00:48:21,400 --> 00:48:25,400 It says they saw tongues of fire, so little flames of fire. 231 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:29,400 In fact, you often see pictures of Pentecost depicted with little flames of fire 232 00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:33,400 descending onto the heads of the disciples. 233 00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:38,400 Once again, fire in the Old Testament is used to depict the presence of God. 234 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:44,400 Remember where Moses first meets God? It's in a burning bush. 235 00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:49,400 And when God leads His people out of Egypt, do you remember what He does at night? 236 00:48:49,400 --> 00:48:55,400 A pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of what by night that He leads His people? A pillar of fire. 237 00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:59,400 And when He comes to Mount Sinai to deliver the law, 238 00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:05,400 Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. 239 00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:12,400 Do you remember Solomon as he dedicates the temple and as he prays? 240 00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:16,400 In 2 Chronicles 7, as soon as Solomon finished his prayer, 241 00:49:16,400 --> 00:49:20,400 fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the sacrifice, 242 00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:23,400 and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 243 00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:27,400 And so fire comes down from heaven, takes the sacrifices, 244 00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:33,400 and the brightness and the glory and the goodness and the justice of God fills the temple. 245 00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:40,400 And so fire isn't just the presence of God, but it's His arrival, it's His filling. 246 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:45,400 And what do you see for us? 247 00:49:45,400 --> 00:49:50,400 1 Corinthians says, "Do you not know your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? 248 00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:55,400 You are not your own. You were bought with a price." 249 00:49:55,400 --> 00:49:58,400 So you say, "Well, what is the purpose of all of these things? 250 00:49:58,400 --> 00:50:02,400 The day and the sound and the sight, what is the purpose?" 251 00:50:02,400 --> 00:50:09,400 So, I remember the first time there was a rocket facility for NASA on Wallops Island, 252 00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:12,400 a little bit to our north and to our east. 253 00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:18,400 And so when they launch a rocket, sometimes the trajectory of the rocket will take them over this part of Virginia. 254 00:50:18,400 --> 00:50:20,400 And so you'll see, you know, the rocket's going to be launched. 255 00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:25,400 And they say, "Well, you know, your area will be 25 seconds from the time the rocket launches." 256 00:50:25,400 --> 00:50:29,400 And so we'll watch the rocket launch, and then we run outside, 257 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:34,400 and you begin to try to find the little tiny pinprick of light that is the rocket launch. 258 00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:35,400 Is that it? No. Is that it? 259 00:50:35,400 --> 00:50:38,400 And so you're trying to guess and try to see what it looks like. 260 00:50:38,400 --> 00:50:42,400 That's not what's happening with God's promised power. 261 00:50:42,400 --> 00:50:46,400 He does not leave the church uncertain of what He is doing. 262 00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:50,400 But in fact, He comes in a way that is unmistakable. 263 00:50:50,400 --> 00:50:54,400 And one of the wonders of this passage is that God works in a way, 264 00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:59,400 and He fulfills His promises in such a way that it is unmistakable. 265 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:03,400 They can't mistake it for anything else. 266 00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:07,400 It's also a picture of what God is doing through the work of the Spirit. 267 00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:11,400 He's bringing in a harvest. 268 00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:15,400 He's saying to the disciples, "I'm with you. 269 00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:20,400 I'm breathing life into you. I'm leading you. I'm dwelling with you." 270 00:51:20,400 --> 00:51:26,400 And Christians, the same Spirit that empowered them empowers us. 271 00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:28,400 He brings in the harvest. 272 00:51:28,400 --> 00:51:29,400 He is with us. 273 00:51:29,400 --> 00:51:31,400 He breathed life into us. 274 00:51:31,400 --> 00:51:32,400 He leads us. 275 00:51:32,400 --> 00:51:34,400 He dwells with us. 276 00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:43,400 This isn't just an interesting historical note, but a powerful encouragement to all of God's people. 277 00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:51,400 And in verse 4, it says, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." 278 00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:55,400 And one of the things I love about this is you see that God keeps His promises. 279 00:51:55,400 --> 00:52:01,400 And we can go to passage after passage in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but I'll just give you two, one from each. 280 00:52:01,400 --> 00:52:09,400 In Joel 2, Peter will use this in his sermon, "It shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, 281 00:52:09,400 --> 00:52:15,400 and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see vision, 282 00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:20,400 even on the male and female servants in those days, I will pour out My Spirit." 283 00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:27,400 And so in Joel, as God makes that promise, it is kept and fulfilled here in Acts chapter 2. 284 00:52:27,400 --> 00:52:36,400 And if you remember Jesus in Acts chapter 1, He says, "Don't depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father." 285 00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:44,400 John, "Baptized with water, you shall be baptized with the Spirit not many days from now." 286 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:50,400 And Jesus promises power for the mission that He has given. 287 00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:54,400 And that's just two examples of how God keeps His promises. 288 00:52:54,400 --> 00:53:04,400 And I want you to think about this in terms of your life and in terms of my life when we consider the fact that God keeps His promises in regards to the Spirit. 289 00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:13,400 And in Romans 8, what you find is the Spirit and the blessings of the Spirit are unpacked in a whole lot of different ways. I'll just give you a few. 290 00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:21,400 One is that the Spirit brings life. Secondly, the Spirit leads us. The Spirit reminds us. 291 00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:29,400 So in those moments where we are doubtful and we look at our lives and say, "Can God really, really love me?" 292 00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:38,400 And we probably all felt that way in a relationship or even in our faith. "Can God really love someone as broken as me?" 293 00:53:38,400 --> 00:53:48,400 The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. He helps us in our weakness, especially in our prayers. 294 00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:54,400 That God keeps His promises regarding the Spirit. 295 00:53:54,400 --> 00:53:58,400 So do you know the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge? 296 00:53:58,400 --> 00:54:08,400 So last night when Luke gets really, really tired, like a lot of kids, he gets really, really rambunctious. 297 00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:12,400 And so at one point, he was like a trampoline, right? 298 00:54:12,400 --> 00:54:20,400 He's like, "I'm gonna bounce." I was like, "Stop jumping on this couch," in part because I think Mom loves the couch more than she loves the kids. 299 00:54:20,400 --> 00:54:25,400 And so he just bounced on the couch. I was like, "Luke, stop jumping on the couch!" 300 00:54:25,400 --> 00:54:30,400 He looks at me, kind of sits there for a minute, and then you can kind of see his eyes looking around, and then what happens? 301 00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:38,400 Right back to jumping on the couch. Because intellectually in his head, right, he knew that he wasn't supposed to jump on the couch. 302 00:54:38,400 --> 00:54:49,400 But in his heart of hearts, right, he didn't have that knowledge, right? All he wanted to do was bounce on the couch and try to keep himself from going to sleep. 303 00:54:49,400 --> 00:55:04,400 And when it comes to our lives, there is a difference in our faith between knowing intellectually that the Spirit indwells us, and lives with us, and leads us, and helps us, and testifies with our spirit, and breathes life into us. 304 00:55:04,400 --> 00:55:23,400 There's a difference between intellectually knowing that, and seeing it brought down into the depths of our heart. And it is my prayer that God wouldn't just implant these truths in our head, but he would bury them deep in our hearts. 305 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:42,400 What would change in your life, in my life, in the life of the church, if this reality wasn't simply head knowledge? What would change if this was embedded in the depths of your heart? 306 00:55:42,400 --> 00:56:00,400 I want you to see next both a picture and a promise of redemption. Now dwelling in Jerusalem were Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. At the sound, the multitude came together, and they were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in their own language. 307 00:56:00,400 --> 00:56:09,400 Now, we've seen brokenness in our world. I can't tell you how many times that I will come home, and one of the kids will be like, "Hey Dad, can you glue this back together?" 308 00:56:09,400 --> 00:56:22,400 As a dad, part of my job is evidently to glue things back together. I never really thought that I would be doing as much gluing after I graduated from, you know, kindergarten as I do right now. 309 00:56:22,400 --> 00:56:33,400 So part of a job of a dad is to put things back together, and we look, and we don't have to look very far to see the brokenness and the hurt and the heartache in this world. 310 00:56:33,400 --> 00:56:40,400 And one of the remarkable promises of the gospel and of the cross is that God is putting things back together. 311 00:56:40,400 --> 00:56:48,400 If you read Sally Lloyd-Jones' "The Jesus Storybook Bible," she will say it this way, that he is making all the sad things come untrue. 312 00:56:48,400 --> 00:56:55,400 And if you remember in Genesis the 11th chapter, God's people, instead of spreading out, they clump together. 313 00:56:55,400 --> 00:57:00,400 And instead of worshiping God, they begin to build a tower to make themselves God. 314 00:57:00,400 --> 00:57:08,400 And so what does God do to limit evil in the earth? What he does is he takes and he scrambles all of their languages. 315 00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:14,400 Now what does he do here in Acts the second chapter with the good news of the gospel? 316 00:57:14,400 --> 00:57:18,400 All of these different languages. And what does he do? He brings it back together. 317 00:57:18,400 --> 00:57:24,400 It's a picture of how God redeems his broken world. 318 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:33,400 What was once separated, and what was once distant, and once was mired in conflict, God is bringing back together through the good news of the gospel. 319 00:57:33,400 --> 00:57:44,400 And it's a wonderful picture of God's work in redemption, but it's also a wonderful promise of God's redemption. 320 00:57:44,400 --> 00:57:51,400 Remember in Revelation chapter 7, as everyone is gathered before the throne, what does it say? 321 00:57:51,400 --> 00:58:06,400 A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, crying out loud, 322 00:58:06,400 --> 00:58:12,400 "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 323 00:58:12,400 --> 00:58:27,400 And you see the church in heaven, in one language, with no suffering, and no sorrow, and no brokenness, and no hurt, and no struggles, proclaiming together from all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations, the goodness of God. 324 00:58:27,400 --> 00:58:41,400 So not only is this a picture of how God is taking the broken and making it come untrue, it's also a picture of what is in store for the church of God in the future. 325 00:58:41,400 --> 00:58:46,400 There are three responses in this text to the work of God. 326 00:58:46,400 --> 00:58:53,400 At the end of verse 11, we hear them telling in our own tongue the mighty works of God. 327 00:58:53,400 --> 00:58:57,400 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 328 00:58:57,400 --> 00:59:02,400 But others mocked and said, "They are filled with new wine." 329 00:59:02,400 --> 00:59:09,400 First of all, you see that for those who truly see, they proclaim the goodness of God. 330 00:59:09,400 --> 00:59:17,400 One of the ways in which we can examine and evaluate our hearts as to where we stand in regard to God, 331 00:59:17,400 --> 00:59:19,400 is what are we proclaiming? 332 00:59:19,400 --> 00:59:25,400 Are we proclaiming our own goodness, our own strength, our own ability, or are we proclaiming the mighty works of God 333 00:59:25,400 --> 00:59:32,400 with our words and with our actions in this broken and hurting world that is longing for a Redeemer? 334 00:59:32,400 --> 00:59:35,400 What are we proclaiming? 335 00:59:35,400 --> 00:59:42,400 The second is for those who are outside of the faith, and there's two responses. 336 00:59:42,400 --> 00:59:49,400 One is the response of investigation, because they were amazed and perplexed. 337 00:59:49,400 --> 00:59:54,400 The picture of amazement is literally beside themselves, that they have sort of stepped out of themselves 338 00:59:54,400 --> 01:00:02,400 and kind of looking going, "What is happening?" And they are amazed, and they're saying, "What does this mean?" 339 01:00:02,400 --> 01:00:07,400 They don't reject it, they don't mock it, they don't make fun of it, but rather they investigate it. 340 01:00:07,400 --> 01:00:12,400 And one of the things that I love about the Bible and the Christian faith 341 01:00:12,400 --> 01:00:17,400 is that God calls and says, "Come investigate. Come and see." 342 01:00:17,400 --> 01:00:22,400 Like the Bereans who heard the teaching, and they said, "Well, let's go back and search the Scriptures." 343 01:00:22,400 --> 01:00:31,400 God is not afraid of your questions. In fact, He invites you to examine the truth of the good news. 344 01:00:31,400 --> 01:00:39,400 The other response is less exciting. They begin to mock. 345 01:00:39,400 --> 01:00:44,400 They could have asked questions, they could have sought to understand, but instead they said, 346 01:00:44,400 --> 01:00:49,400 "These guys are really broken into the breakfast wine this morning." 347 01:00:49,400 --> 01:00:55,400 So three responses. One, people who know God proclaim His mighty works. 348 01:00:55,400 --> 01:01:00,400 And I would encourage you between these last two responses, the response of mockery, 349 01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:08,400 and the response of investigation, to ask your questions, to ask your hard questions, to look at the facts, 350 01:01:08,400 --> 01:01:13,400 to see the good news of the Gospel, how God is restoring, how He keeps His promises, 351 01:01:13,400 --> 01:01:19,400 how He empowers His people, how He leads, and He can do that in your life as well. 352 01:01:19,400 --> 01:01:29,400 Let's pray. Father, strengthen us, encourage us with this wonderful news that we see 353 01:01:29,400 --> 01:01:36,400 how Your plan unfolds through the Old Testament, how these pictures that encouraged Your people, 354 01:01:36,400 --> 01:01:44,400 and these events that encouraged Your people were used to point to this wonderful moment in the birth of the Church. 355 01:01:44,400 --> 01:01:51,400 Help us to be a people who proclaim Your mighty works. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 356 01:01:51,400 --> 01:01:54,400 Let's stand and sing our hymn of invitation. 357 01:01:59,400 --> 01:02:28,400 The splendor of the King, of the majesty. Let all the earth rejoice. All the earth rejoice. 358 01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:46,400 He wraps himself in light. His darkness tries to hide. He trembles at his voice. He trembles at his voice. 359 01:02:46,400 --> 01:03:08,400 How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God. Oh, see how great. How great is our God. 360 01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:32,400 And age to age He stands. And time is in His hands. Beginning and the end. Beginning and the end. The God had dreamed and won. 361 01:03:32,400 --> 01:03:56,400 Father, Spirit, Son. The Lion and the Lamb. The Lion and the Lamb. How great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God. 362 01:03:56,400 --> 01:04:20,400 Oh, see how great, how great is our God. How great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God. 363 01:04:20,400 --> 01:04:29,400 Oh, see how great, how great is our God. 364 01:04:29,400 --> 01:04:46,400 I want to thank you all for joining us here this morning. Whether you are joining us here in person, you're one of the folks watching online, we are thankful that you are here with us. 365 01:04:46,400 --> 01:05:03,400 Just a few announcements, and I'll just have Derek put them up on the screen. First of all, tomorrow on Facebook, YouTube, and our website, we've been going through the book of Psalms, just a short video, and a reading from the Psalms to sort of start us off by encouraging our hearts and our minds in the goodness of God. 366 01:05:03,400 --> 01:05:15,400 Tomorrow is Psalm 3, where David is in the midst of, it seems like his life is falling apart, but he points to the goodness of God and ultimately says, "You're the reason I can go to sleep at night." 367 01:05:15,400 --> 01:05:22,400 Even when everything falls apart. So you can join us on Facebook, YouTube, or our website for that. 368 01:05:22,400 --> 01:05:41,400 Alright, next. If you haven't signed up to our email list, I encourage you to do so. You can do so by just giving me your email address, or you can go on our Facebook page and click the link that says, "Sign Up," or your website about halfway down. I encourage you to sign up for our email list. 369 01:05:41,400 --> 01:05:56,400 Next. We'll be here Wednesday night studying the parables. If you want to read ahead on the parables of Jesus, there's a handout on the information table. Go ahead and pick one of those up, and we'll be here 7:00 p.m. in person and online. 370 01:05:56,400 --> 01:06:17,400 In our next, I think we have Ladies Bible Study this week. I don't know if we have a slide for that because we had it a few weeks ago. Ladies Bible Study this Thursday, 1:00 p.m., studying Saul's daughter, Michael. So if you want to join the ladies, be here at 1:00 p.m. for that encouraging time. 371 01:06:17,400 --> 01:06:46,400 Additionally, I don't know if we have a slide for this or not, but you can find our sermon audio in several different places. The video is on YouTube. We put up a clip video, so instead of the whole live service, we put up a video of the message. Also, if you use Apple Podcasts, it's available there. Just go there and find it and click five stars because that helps our viewing and helps people to be able to find it. Also, if you use Spotify, you can find it there. 372 01:06:46,400 --> 01:07:13,400 We're going to go ahead and have a word of prayer, sing the doxology, and be dismissed. Father in heaven, thank you for your goodness. Thank you for your people. Thank you that you bring people together from all different places and all different backgrounds and all different lives, and you bring them together into your kingdom, and we thank you for your work in salvation. We thank you for the gift of the Spirit. We ask that you would encourage us and strengthen us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 373 01:07:15,400 --> 01:07:44,400 "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." 374 01:07:44,400 --> 01:07:46,400 Amen. 375 01:08:14,400 --> 01:08:16,400 Amen. 376 01:08:44,400 --> 01:08:46,400 Amen.