Acts 5:17-42: You Blind You

Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful

that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either

by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray

for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself?

The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really,

I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible,

they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will

do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a

non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't

hesitate to send us questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the

types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless.

Father, we confess before you, because we're sort of in a bit of a good space, we confess before you,

Father, that we are prone to sometimes see specks in other people's eyes and not notice the log in our

own eyes, that we are sometimes not at all self-aware of who we are. We thank you, Father,

that your Word is both a mirror that helps us to see ourselves, a light that helps us to see ourselves,

and it's also a window, and that by your light we can look out that window and learn more of you

and more of ourselves. So Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would gently bring your Word

deeply into our hearts this morning, and we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated.

So some of you know that I was a priest, a presbyter, in the Anglican Church of Canada for over 22 years,

and one of the things that you did as a presbyter is you'd have a meeting once a month called

Clericus. It was where all of the clergy in a certain region would get together. You'd do that

like you wouldn't meet in July and August and maybe not meet in December or something like that. So

you know, it'd be eight, nine, ten times a year. And when I was in Ottawa Centre, that was where I was

last, you might wonder what did we do when we all got together once a month? Well, what we did

or what happened is they mainly talked about politics, and namely at the time about how bad

the government was or how bad this policy was or whatever. And they probably would have said,

I didn't join in very much. I was usually in a minority position when it came to what they thought

was terrible or what they thought was spectacularly good. They would have seen it as being, of course,

prophetic and biblical and, you know, blah, blah, woof, woof. But that's what we talked about.

We didn't talk about the Bible, or if we did, it would quickly veer into political issues of the day.

I mention this because the text that we're going to be looking at this morning, if I'm not careful

with myself, I could talk a lot about politics. This would be one of those texts that could be used

as a springboard to talk about all sorts of political things. And given that a lot of the

people in this room have political opinions, it might very well be that in coffee time afterwards,

you can talk about some of these political things, but you can pray that I don't, that we'll look at

some other things in the text which are very important. But by the way, let's look at the text.

So if you have your Bibles, it's Acts chapter 5, verses 17 and following. Acts chapter 5, verses 17 and

Acts 5:17 Acts 5:17

following. And what's just happened, you know, there was a, we spent several weeks, a story of God uses,

you know, Peter and John have a man healed in the name of Jesus who's never been able to walk. It draws a

crowd. They do a sermon. They go and they get thrown in jail. They get let out. They, you know, and then after

they get let out, they tell everybody about what happened in the congregation, rather than being

frightened, is encouraged, the people. And then last week we looked at the terrifying story of God

striking Ananias and Sapphira dead. But despite that, that the church grew. And now this is the next

story. Now, the book of Acts is an eyewitness-based history of the first 30-some-odd years of the

Christmas, the Christmas, the Christmas movement, the Jesus movement. And we don't know how long after

the last event, this event happened. It might have just been a couple of weeks. It might have been a

couple of months. Most scholars think that the person that we now know of as Paul, but at the time

was called Saul, and we're going to meet him in a couple of weeks, that he probably became a Christian

probably in the year 34. It might be 35, might even be the end of 33. It depends a little bit on when

the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus happened, whether it was the year 30 or 33.

But if Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead in the year 33,

then, you know, maybe within about a year of that, Paul becomes a Christian. And so this, we know that

this isn't like two or three or four or five years after, because Paul is still not in the picture.

But a couple of months later, it's not specific, this particular event happens, and here's how it

goes. Verse 17. But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him, that is the party of the

Sadducees, and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.

Now, just a couple of things here. I read a lot of novels with cops and all of that, and one of the

things they talk about in those American novels, I don't know how many of you are familiar with it,

is this idea of the perp walk. And if you don't know what a perp walk is, there's two different

versions of it. But what happens is, if the police want to embarrass you, or somebody in the police,

you know, community wants to embarrass you, it would be as if they were going to arrest me for some

reason. And they don't want to just arrest me, they don't want to pull up to my house at 10 o'clock

at night and arrest me, just privately. They'd come into the service. And not only would they come

into the service to arrest me, they'd make sure that Global News and CTV and CFRA and other groups

like that knew that I was going to be arrested, and the reporters would be all there. Or after I'd

been charged, as I'm leaving the court, after having been charged, the police would have leaked to

people that I'm being, when I'm leaving, so that the press could take pictures of me. And it's a way

to further embarrass the people who've been charged, type of a power play. And that's what's going on

here. It's more obvious in the original language that it's not just that they arrest the apostles

and put them in jail, but they do it in a very public way to show their power. Now, a couple of

things that are going on here in the text, and it's one of the reasons that Canadians have a hard

time with understanding books like Acts and what's just happened, is, well, I think if you were to

look, I bet that Gaza, under Hamas, has laws. I bet they're all written down. I bet if you went to

Syria, and you looked, they have laws. How many people think that Hamas cares what the laws say?

Or in Syria, that they care what the laws say? Or in China? I could keep naming countries.

The fact of the matter is that there might be laws, but the real law is that the powerful do

whatever they want. And if you piss off the powerful, they'll arrest you. That's, in fact,

how it is for the majority of the people who live on this planet today, and it's how most people

throughout history have lived, where basically if you upset the powerful, they'll arrest you.

It doesn't matter what the laws are, and that's what's going on here. They're powerful people.

The apostles representing the Christians are massively, massively, massively bothering them.

In fact, it's even more than that in a moment. And so they just go ahead and arrest them.

And one of the things that we have problems with when we look at it, we think, okay, well,

what law did they break? In fact, even when I read commentaries, they talk about whether they've

broken law. No, no, you guys don't understand it. They didn't break any laws. They just said,

you're not allowed to do this. Why? Well, you're not allowed to do this. The why is because I'm the

boss. That's why. And because I'm the boss, you're not allowed to do it. Like, it's as simple as that.

It doesn't matter what the laws say. Now, what this says here in this particular text,

so here, that's the world they're living in. So it's very likely that, for instance, we might have

a bit of a problem with it. And if we have commentators writing from our perspective,

they try to look at what laws might or might not have been broken. And I'm reading them and think,

you guys don't know anything. You know, I can be opinionated when I'm reading commentaries.

I just think to myself, I bet a commentator in China wouldn't ask that question,

because they just know how the world works. But here's the other part, and it's really important

for the rest of the story. You'll notice again in verse 17, they were filled with jealousy. Now,

that word in the original language is sort of a, it includes three or a couple of different areas,

and there's no really proper English word for it. It's a sort of a rare word. It only occurs one

other place in the New Testament. What it's talking about is religiously or ideologically motivated rage.

Religiously or ideologically motivated rage. They're not just jealous. They are consumed

with rage. And the rage is driven by religious and or ideological purposes. Another way to understand

it is that they are filled with a punitive zeal. They are filled with zeal to punish.

Another way to understand it is they have been consumed with fierceness of indignation.

Another way to understand it is they are filled with envy. An envy that wants to punish.

And that's what's all being captured with this simple word, jealousy, but what's there in the

original language. Now, this is very, very, this is a profound human problem.

And it's made worse when you have power. It doesn't matter whether it's political power, social power,

religious power, cultural power, family power, maybe a power of a husband over a wife, or in some cases a

wife over a husband. And so what is envy? Envy is,

envy is one of those sins that we don't often recognize that we have, and it's not talked about very much in our culture.

It's sort of a perversion of good ambition.

So good ambition would be,

you know, one of you is a lawyer.

And you look at some other lawyer, and you just marvel at how skilled she is.

And you think to yourself, I'd love, like that, she's such a good lawyer.

Like the way she handles questions, her knowledge of the case law, that her knowledge of the law,

the way she handles things, the way she handles things in court.

Or, I'd love to be a lawyer like that someday.

Or maybe somebody in the civil service, and you, you know, you see your boss's boss's boss,

and you see how they handle meetings, and how they handle conflict, and how they handle staff.

And you say to yourself, you know, I'd really like to be like that.

I'd really like to be like him someday.

You know, maybe even, you know, could I call them or talk to them and maybe get some pointers.

But I'm just going to be like that person someday.

Or maybe you know, I'd really like to be like that person someday.

You know, for me, it would be like, I'd really like to be able to preach like that man,

or lead like that man, or counsel like that person.

But instead, I'd look at that person, and I say,

I'm just as good as him.

I'm just as good as her

and the fact that I think I'm just as good as them

and they're getting those things that I don't have

fills me with envy

and at the heart of envy

I want to bring them down

I want to knock them down

not just one peg or two peg

I'd love to see them humiliated

I can get to the point where I'd like to see them lose everything

you see it's not even a zero something

that I could take their position and they could be down

it wouldn't matter if I get any type of position

or get any better as long as they get destroyed

as long as they get completely and utterly gone

and those are very powerful things

and obviously those are extreme things

but it's what envy can grow into

and so what we see here

it's in a sense a combination of envy and anger

and anger is the same type of thing

and one of the things about both envy and anger

is that one of the reasons there's such profound human problems

is we often don't recognize them in ourselves

I've had talks with people who have been angry

and gosh

I mean you don't have to be a rocket scientist

to figure out that they're angry

their face is red

they're gripping the seat or whatever

or maybe their hands are shaking

and you say you know I think you're angry

they say no I'm not

in a really angry way

I yell it right back at you

no I'm not angry

you know

by the way I always recognize my envy and my anger

and I'm just joking

I'm you know

here's the thing about this text

which is so powerful

and it's

if you remember this

especially for the book of Acts

but all the way through narratives

is that the book of Acts

every text in the book of Acts

is both a mirror

and a window

it's a mirror and a window

it's a way to see ourselves

but it's also a way to see hope

to see who God is

and it's always both at the same time

and what we need to understand

and one of the reasons that the Bible

and the biblical

one of the reasons I love Christianity

it's so beautiful

and it's so powerful

is that the Bible doesn't other

other people

so it's not here

the way to interpret this text

is not to say

oh yeah

look at those bad people

look at those bad people

we're the good people

look at those bad people

that's what happens when you have power

that you know

look at those

you know whatever

look at those Jewish people

or look at those millionaires

or there were billionaires

or those deputy ministers

no

the fact of the matter is

is that when we're reading the text of the story

we're not just to say

how bad these people in power are

we are to ask ourselves

is it me Lord

like do I have an anger problem

do I have an envy problem

I might think that I'm concerned with justice

I'm concerned with

I'm concerned with the good running of the organization

but is it in fact that

that's not really the case

that what really is going on

is that I have envy

and I would be just as happy

if things didn't work very well

as long as that person gets kicked out of their position

is that me

and the text doesn't just dump on you

you see that's what was so wonderful

that when you read the biblical narratives

and you read them in light of the gospel

then you see because on one hand

I am sometimes these people

I am sometimes angry and envious

and I am sometimes blind to it

but I'm also sometimes like the apostles

you see and that's why the thing

which is so powerful about these biblical narratives

is that they

when you understand them as a mirror and a window

and when as you read them in light of the gospel

the comfort that the gospel gives you

you can look at those different aspects of yourself

and not just get caught in othering people

or just patting yourself on the back

as if you're just unbelievably brilliant all of the time

and that's just the way it has to be

or both

but what's going on here

is a very powerful case

of anger and envy

and we'll see that as the text goes on

and we'll see how it works as the text goes on

so

and so actually

what's going to happen next is

you can ask me about it over coffee

or if you're watching this online

you can send me an email

maybe I could have a chat with you

I'm not going to defend it

I believe the next bit happened

I don't think there's anything problematic

with the next thing happening

but what happens next

let's look

verse 19

so the apostles are arrested

they're put in public prison

verse 19

but during the night

but during the night

an angel of the Lord

opened the prison doors

and brought them out

the angels obviously also

made the guards fall asleep

or whatever

and said

the angel says to the apostles

go and stand in the temple

and speak to the people

all the words of this life

this life

and that's really interesting

because it shows

that one of the ways

that the early Christians

understood themselves

is that they were followers

of the life

and it's really important

to understand

that that's what Christianity offers us

it offers us life

it offers us a perspective

to be thankful

for the gift of life

for ourselves

the gift of life

for others

it's a way for us

to understand

that when Jesus

comes into our lives

that what he offers us

is life

that we begin to get

his life

eternal life

life of the future

in our lives right now

and that when we die

it is not the end of us

but that we walk

into greater life

in a sense

a greater life

overwhelms

and swallows us

from the world's point of view

death has swallowed us

but when we are in Christ

life has swallowed us

and we enter into

greater life

and

and that's

that's what the message is

now

what happens

as a result

now

this whole bit

by the way

is filled

the whole story

is filled with irony

and sort of sarcasm

in fact

Monty Python

would be the perfect people

to act this out

they would probably

nail it perfectly

in terms of getting

how the different

the soldiers

and others

are reacting

to everything

that happens

and just see

what happens next

so the angels

let them out

verse 21

and when they heard this

that's the apostles

they entered the temple

at daybreak

and began to teach

now when the high priest

came

and those who were with him

they called together

the council

all the senate

of the people of Israel

and sent to the prison

to have them brought

but when the officers

came

they did not find

the apostles

in the prison

so they returned

and reported

we found the prison

securely locked

and the guards

standing at the doors

but when

we opened

the doors

we found no one inside

now when the captain

of the temple

and the chief priest

heard these words

they were greatly

perplexed about them

wondering what

this would come to

and someone came

and told them

look

the men

whom you put in prison

are standing

in the temple

and teaching

the people

are teaching

the people

and the captain

with the officers

went and brought them

that's the apostles

but not by force

for they were afraid

of being stoned

by the people

and when they had

brought them

they set them

before the council

and the high priest

questioned them

now

you know

as I said

I'm not

well

here's the

here's the impact

of envy

and anger

in our lives

when you are

filled with

envy and anger

when I am

filled with

envy or anger

I am not

interested in the

truth

and I'm not

interested in

justice

now I would

deny it

when I'm

caught with

envy

and I would

deny it

when I'm

caught up

with anger

but the fact

of the matter

is

we can see

it in

others

when they're

filled with

envy

or when

they're

filled with

anger

that their

interest

in the

truth

vanishes

as envy

goes up

anger

goes up

a concern

for truth

goes down

it goes

down

and down

and down

you'd think

that what

the high priest

is going to

ask the

guys is

how did

you get

out

now they

said

well an

angel got

us out

I mean

these guys

are in

the religious

business

they should

say like

really an

angel

like gosh

like maybe

I should

reconsider

my anger

or or

maybe they

could say

wow I

mean that's

a bit of a

justification

that maybe

God's on

your side

and I

we should

maybe not

have arrested

you

maybe we

should

reconsider

that whole

resurrection

thing

could we

go back

I'd just

like to

ask you

some

questions

like I'm

just really

stuck now

with the

fact that you

got out in

such a

fashion

and

we haven't

been able to

find the

body

Peter

and all

and so

did you

really see

Jesus

like you

really didn't

steal the

body

did you

really see

Jesus

alive

did you

really see

him ascend

into

heaven

like and

what about

that thing

with Pentecost

did that

really happen

we've heard

rumors that

like there

was something

that looked

like fire

and there's

the wind

and like

did that

really happen

and

and

you know

we

we want

to

obviously

we want

to have

people

worship

the God

of Israel

and you

keep saying

that the

God of

Israel

is the

one doing

all of

these

things

and

and you

preach

with a

type of

power

that we

just

don't

have

and you

have

an

attractiveness

that we

don't

have

like could

you tell

us a little

bit more

about

that

well no

they could

have done

all of

those things

but they

are filled

with envy

they are

filled

with anger

they would

be happier

to have

the apostles

destroyed

and people

be less

observant

Jews

than for

them to

thrive

they'd be

happy

to see

these

Christians

destroyed

even if

it means

less people

come to

the temple

than before

because

they're filled

with envy

and envy

wants to

tear the

other down

anger

wants to

tear the

other down

and envy

and anger

aren't

concerned

with the

truth

and you

see this

perfectly

modeled

in the

story

look at

the question

that he

asks

in verse

28

we strictly

charge you

not to

teach in

this name

yet here

you have

filled

Jerusalem

with your

teaching

and you

intend

to bring

this man's

blood

upon us

well there's

no law

that says

you can't

do these

things

the only

law

is

I'm

the boss

I have

the hold

of power

you

guys are

nobodies

do what

I say

and you

see

here's the

other thing

about the

power of

this story

what did

they say

again

you're trying

to make

it look

like we

had this

person

killed

well actually

they did

have this

person

killed

like that's

the truth

you see

once again

this is

not a

story

where we

other

people

I bet

every one

of us

would have

a friend

or a

husband

or a

wife

who would

say to

us

that there

had been

times in

our lives

when we've

been wrong

or done

something

and we've

denied it

refused to

acknowledge it

was true

it's a

human

problem

some of

us are

maybe far

more prone

to it

than others

and we're

definitely

far more

prone to

others

to do

this

when we're

filled with

envy or

anger

and we get

completely and

utterly blind

to what we've

in fact

actually done

and you see

this is also

going to be

one of the

things which

helps to

show the

real beauty

and the

wonder of

the gospel

because you

see if

you being

made right

with God

or if you

trying to

reach your

ideal self

or if you

trying to

reach these

types of

you know

we want to

have the

applause and

the acclaim

and the

well doing

of people

thinking certain

things about

us

and if

that's our

goal

then to

have people

point out

the things

in our

lives which

are wrong

it's sort

of an

unbearable

type of

thing

because we

need to

achieve

and we

need to

maintain

these

things

and it's

only when

the gospel

helps us

to understand

that God

knows every

bad thing

we've done

and still

he loves

us and he

loves us

we're going to

see this in a

moment and that

starts to begin

as the gospel

becomes more

true and real

to our heart

a place for me

to actually say

actually it is me

oh Lord who did

that

it's still going

against our

human nature

our fallen

human nature

but there begins

to be a

place

that we

can stand

and see

ourselves

as God

has seen

us and

both see

the grace

that he's

offered to

us in

Christ

which is

so deep

and so

broad and

extensive

that everything

has been

forgiven

every sin

has been

forgiven

and then

maybe to be

able to say

well actually

I did

kill

I was

responsible

for killing

Jesus

I was

and see

one of the

things which

is so

wonderful

about the

gospel

look what

happens

here we

see what's

so wonderful

about the

many of the

things that

are so

wonderful

about the

gospel

how does

Peter respond

verse 29

he says

but Peter

and the

apostles

answered

we must

obey God

rather than

men

the God

of our

fathers

no other

thing

you guys

who

you're

Jewish

people

like us

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

the God

of Abraham

and Isaac

and Jacob

your God

and my

God

he raised

Jesus

he raised

Jesus

whom you

killed

by hanging

him on a

tree

God

exalted

him

verse 31

at his

right hand

as leader

or prince

and savior

and here's

this wonderful

thing

he's saying

this to the

men who

literally

were responsible

for the

killing of

Jesus

now

one of the

things every

well instructed

Christian has

to understand

is that it

could have

been my

hands that

nailed

Jesus'

hands to

the cross

it could

have been

me who

put the

crown of

thorns

on his

brow

that I

am complicit

that was

me

doing it

but even

these men

who literally

were responsible

for his

death

Peter says

God

God exalted

him at his

right hand

as leader

and savior

to give

repentance

to Israel

and forgiveness

of sins

he's saying

it to the

man who

actually killed

Jesus

you meant

this for

great harm

but actually

God vindicated

Jesus

and he

rose Jesus

and he

brought

Jesus

made Jesus

resurrected

and all of this

was done so

you could have

repentance

forgiveness

and the

forgiveness

of sins

this is a

very powerful

thing

and in fact

as well as that

here there's another

thing look at verse

30 again

the God of our

fathers raised

Jesus whom you

killed by

hanging him

on a tree

now those of you

who know the

Bible a little bit

well know that

what happened

is that the

death that

these people

conspired with

the Romans to

do was a

death that

by the

Tanakh

what we call

the Old

Testament

was a

cursed

death

and this is

profound good

news

I don't know

probably some of

you even here

today

and if not

right at this

moment

at times in

your life

and if not

us right now

or times in

our life

there are

people we

know

who walk

around feeling

as if

they're

cursed

their failure

in marriage

their failures

maybe in

singleness

or in

parenting

or in

their

economic

life

maybe because

of the

color of

your skin

your educational

level

your caste

life

if you're

in

India

things that

you've

done

wrong

ways

that

you've

been

shamed

or

embarrassed

by

others

you feel

like you're

under a

curse

there's

something

cursed

about you

and it's a

very powerful

human

experience

and I

don't wish

it upon

any of

you

and anybody

I have

I have

lived under

that feeling

and this

is profoundly

profoundly

good news

for those

of us

who feel

or have

gone through

a season

or are

going through

a season

of feeling

cursed

because the

message of

the cross

is

you know

whether the

curses

are

it's

whether that's

actually true

or it's just

something imaginary

but the curse

that was on

you

when Jesus

dies on the

cross

he didn't do

anything

so it's

he's taking

your curse

upon himself

and as

he takes

your curse

upon himself

he's

extending

to you

blessedness

he's

extending

to you

life

undeserved

blessedness

undeserved

life

is offered

to you

so if

you here

or you there

are watching

this and you

feel under

a curse

I want to

tell you

that

that curse

if you put

your hands

in the hands

of Jesus

or if you

have done

that in the

past

and you

just haven't

realized it

that curse

is on him

he took

that curse

because he

loves you

he loves

you

and he

offers you

blessedness

undeserved

blessedness

and so here

it says

when God

in verse 31

that God

exalted him

in his right

hand

his leader

and savior

to give

repentance

to Israel

and forgiveness

of sins

this is a

very very

powerful image

like how can

he give

repentance

well all of

us have had

experiences

similar to

feeling cursed

and this

sometimes be

part of the

reason why

we feel

cursed

is that

when we

have wronged

somebody

and this

goes the

other way

too by the

way but

I'm going to

use the

example of

us we

have wronged

somebody

and the

other person

shuts us

out

shuts us

out

shuts us

out forever

forever

there's

no amount

of amendment

of life

no amount

of saying

you're sorry

no amount

of reparations

no amount

of counseling

will make that

other person

forgive you

or make them

interested in having

anything to do

with you again

for the rest of

their lives

you've been

completely and

utterly

shut out

and if we

love them

we wish

we could

repent

we wish

we could

repent

I mean we

can repent

but repent

is actually

going to work

because the

other person

will say

you know

I'm open

I'm open

to that

I'm offering

that as an

option to

you

and so

what we

see here

is

this phrase

repentance

and the

forgiveness

of sins

because they

go together

there's no

point to say

yeah yeah

I'll allow

you to repent

and then once

you repent

they say

I'm joking

I'm never

going to

forgive you

you worm

no there's

this dual

promise

and it's so

powerful

and so

beautiful

it's so

emotionally

beautiful

and powerful

that's what

I wish

that people

outside the

faith would

understand

that as you

begin to

understand the

gospel and

text like this

it's so

beautiful

it's so

beautiful

and so one

of the ways

that we can

understand what

the gospel

is it's the

gospel is

the Jesus

comes to

George

he comes

to you

and he

says I'm

going to

offer you

a coin

of

uncompare

unfathomable

unfathomable

value

and it

means you'll

be reconciled

to me

it means

you have

life

it means

you're

forgiven

it means

you have

the Holy

Spirit

I'm offering

you this

thing

and when

it says

that you

have to

obey

obey

just means

that God

is making

this offer

to you

I'm going

to give

you this

coin of

unbelievable

value

I just

hope you

take it

I want

you to

take it

you know

and so

so we

do and

when we

get the

coin

we look

at the

coin

and on

one side

of the

coin

it says

repent

and believe

and trust

into Jesus

the Messiah

that's what it

says on one

side of the

coin

repent and

believe

and trust

into Jesus

the Messiah

and then we

look at the

other side

of the

coin

and the

other side

of the

coin

says your

sins

are forgiven

and life

is given

to you

in Jesus

the Messiah

just one coin

we take that coin in our hands

of unfathomable value

and that's what the coin says on both sides

you see

the teaching of envy

and the teacher of anger

to play with a modern slogan

there's a modern slogan that you do you

but the bible says

you blind you

you blind you

through your envy and your anger

and refusal to repent

and one of the things which is so wonderful about the gospel

you see you have here the picture of the opposite of envy and anger

envy wants to pull down

Jesus comes down to lift you up

envy wants you to

what leads you to pull down others

Jesus calls you to look up to him

and by looking up to him

to see goodness and beauty and excellence in others

that anger

makes you want to hurt and kill

but Jesus takes

that proper anger that God has

towards the wrongdoing you've done

and that we have towards wrongdoing it's done

and he has that

he has that anger fall on him

so that we might know life and love

and our anger begins to see that

that allows us to look at why other people might be angry at ourselves

and why we're even angry at ourselves

and to understand that Jesus has dealt with all that's

really properly anger causing

by having all that sin fall on himself

and we begin to have a place

where we can so hear the scriptures in light of Jesus

that rather than having you blind you

we can see that the scriptures bring light

they bring a mirror

for me to see myself

and I can start to see myself

and I can only do that in the comfort

that anything I see in myself

which is so ugly

and so terrible

and so deserving of shame

and anger

that Jesus knew that about me

when he died for me on the cross

that there's nothing in my past

and nothing in my future

that Jesus didn't know about

when he died on the cross for me

and still he loved me

and loves me

and died for me

and so it's not just that I have a story

that changes how I can understand myself

and begin to see myself

but I have Jesus with me

I have the Holy Spirit with me

to bring their light and their truth

into my life

and I can begin to look

and acknowledge these things

and begin to accept

that I don't have to be ashamed

and I'm not cursed

that that fell on him

my shame fell on him

that I might have honor in life

and that's the beauty

and the power of the gospel

that's the beauty

and the power

of the gospel

there's a text in the book of Hebrews

Hebrews 12:1

chapter 12

verses 1 and 2

it's not going to be on your screen

because I didn't think of it

early enough to send it

and it goes like this

therefore since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud of witnesses

that's partially by the witnesses

we learn in the Bible

let us also lay aside

every weight and sin

which clings so closely

and let us run with endurance

the race that is set before us

looking to Jesus

the founder and perfecter

of our faith

who for the joy

that was set before him

endured the cross

despising the shame

and is seated

at the right hand

of the throne of God

and in Christ

our destiny

is to be before

the throne of God

above

without shame

without cursedness

without sin

made righteous in him

and nothing

nothing

can shake us

from his hand

when we put our trust

in him

invite you to stand

please

bow our heads in prayer

father we thank you

that your word

is a mirror

and a window

we thank you father

that it's not just

that the Bible

says there were always

exactly like these

people caught up

with envy

and anger

and untruths

that sometimes

father as well

we are able to speak

the truth

we are able to bear witness

and we give you

thanks and praise

father that when we

bear witness to Jesus

it's not just us

bearing witness

but the Holy Spirit

bearing witness as well

that it's not just

up to our ability

to persuade

or the power

of our eloquence

or the lack of it

and we thank

and praise you

father for Jesus

and what he did

and for his mighty

death upon the cross

and mighty resurrection

and his great love

for us

and we ask father

that you would make

these truths

more and more real

to us

so that we might

begin to see us

as we really are

that your word

would be that mirror

into our lives

but not just a mirror

that it would also

be that window

by which we might

understand how just

beautiful and loving

you are

and how beautiful

and loving Christ is

and how beautiful

and powerful

the gospel is

and that we might

father live out

of that beauty

that we might walk

in the beauty

of holiness

after we have put

our hands

in the hands

of Jesus

our Savior

and Lord

and we ask this

father in the name

of Jesus

your son

and our Savior

Amen

and we ask

you