Acts 4:1-22: No Other Name

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.

Let's just bow our heads in prayer, just before we open God's Word. Father, we are Canadian Christians,

and sometimes, Father, we're very Canadian, and sometimes, Father, we're very Christian,

and we often get them confused. Father, the text before us is good news from you,

but it is good news that troubles many Canadians. We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would work

a work of healing in our hearts, that we might love this good news, that we might trust it,

that we might be willing to share it, and that you would use us, Father, so that many would come

to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, Father, we ask that you would do this gentle but

powerful work in our lives today, and we ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Please be seated.

Just setting my timer, not checking Instagram or anything like that, just setting the timer.

So I know that some people will be watching this service downstream, and they didn't hear any of

the other service, and so what I'd like to do is I want to read that the passage that we're going to

be looking at today is very un-Canadian and makes Canadians squirm. What Victor read just earlier,

at sort of the very center of the text, is we read,

Now, as I said, this is a very un-Canadian text, and if you're here and you're maybe outside of the

Christian faith or you're trying to figure out whether you'll stay within the Christian faith,

or if you're watching this and you're just trying to figure things out, a lot of Christians feel a

little bit uncomfortable with a text like this. So let's walk towards it. We're going to look at the

text. It's in the Bible, but we're going to look at it sort of in the whole context. And by the way,

just so you know, the context doesn't mean that we can undermine the text. The context is going to make

the text even more precious and even more important. So we're not looking at the context so we can go,

Oh, okay, we don't have to care about. No, no, no, no. When you look at the context, the verse becomes even

more important and even more precious. So let's look. It begins Acts chapter 4, verse 1. And what we're doing

Acts 4:1

is the book of Acts is an ancient eyewitness-based history of the early Jesus movement.

It was probably written in the mid-60s. If you go on Wikipedia and Google when Luke was written,

they're going to tell you that it was written like 80s or 90s. There's actually no evidence at all that

the text was written that late. All of the evidence is that the text was written sort of when I'm

describing it, which is in the mid-60s. So it's been written. It's describing the first 30 years or so

of the Jesus movement. And Luke, as a historian, is telling you true stories. But he's, of course,

selecting. He can't tell everything that happened throughout the Mediterranean over 30 years.

And so in the flow of the book, we don't have a precise time marker here. But it's probably,

I don't know, a couple of weeks, maybe a month or so after Pentecost. And so the other way to look

at it is it's maybe somewhere between three to four months after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus. And the story is taking place in Jerusalem. And what we just looked at last week, the part just

before this, is that Peter and James go to the temple to pray. And on their way, they see a regular

beggar, a beggar who's sort of a local, a guy who begs there all the time. And he's been crippled from

birth. And they heal him. In the name of Jesus, he gets healed. He stands up. He walks around and

draws a huge crowd. And then Peter gives an impromptu speech. He's filled with the Holy Spirit,

gives an impromptu speech. And now the story takes place immediately as the speech is coming to an end.

And here's what happens. Chapter 4, verse 1.

And as they, that's Peter and John, were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the

temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and

proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until

the next day, for it was already evening. But note this. But many of those who had heard the word

believed. And the number of the men came to about 5,000. We don't really know why he only counts

men in this case. It could just be that in the ancient world, it's a bit of a mark of strength,

either in terms of religious strength to set up synagogues or military strength.

But that means if there's 5,000 men, if you include then children and women, there's well over 10,000

people who've become Christians, who've come to believe that Jesus actually did rise from the dead,

and he is the Savior. And this is in Jerusalem, and this is in the city where that entire thing,

as we're going to see in a moment, could have been put to death if they just showed the body.

You know, one of the things I'll say time and time and time again, and it's because it's true,

is that most Canadians don't look at the evidence for the resurrection. If they did, they would be

shocked at how the best explanation for how the Jesus movement gets going and is underway is found in

this text. Now, many Canadians will say, you know, well, those people were a bit primitive. They

didn't understand science and stuff like that. It's actually, unlike us, the Jewish people had two

reasons why they didn't think the resurrection happened. We only have one. So the ancient people

back then, they would have had the same reason that we do. They would have had unbroken human

experience. We would try to mistakenly call it things like scientific laws. Scientific laws just

express regularities. That's actually basically just what they do. These things regularly happen.

And so we would just have, they would say in the ancient world that they had unbroken human

experience that what happens after death is decomposition of the body, not resurrection.

They have unbroken human experience, and they have face-to-face experience with this.

We often don't see death because, you know, funeral homes handle it and all of that type of stuff.

But the Jewish people in the day had two, another reason why they didn't believe that the resurrection

of Jesus was possible. It depends on which denomination you're part of. If you were part of the Sadducees,

you would say, well, not only do we have unbroken human experience that Jesus didn't rise from the dead,

that dead people don't rise. The second thing is that the Bible teaches us that there is no such

thing as resurrection. That's the Sadducees. If you were in a different denomination, they have a different

few, and they would just say, the Bible teaches that when the resurrection happens, everybody gets

resurrected at the same time. So why would people have been uncurious about the fact that the grave

was empty? They would just say, hey, listen, you say that Jesus rose from the dead and you see him,

but if that's the case, then why is it that two weeks ago your Aunt Sarah, she died? Why is it that a

month ago, you know, your Uncle Moishe, he died? He didn't come back to life. So therefore,

the resurrection is impossible. The Bible tells us that. That's what they would think.

And that's one of the things why, if you'll notice, if you now go back and you read the book of Acts,

you'll see that when Peter and others talk about the resurrection of Jewish people, they'll always

bring in Bible texts to help show them that they've misread the Bible, that in fact the Bible points

to the fact that the Messiah would die and rise from the dead. But a bit of an aside. What happened

in this story here right now? Remember the whole thing begins, a man's healed, there's a speech,

Peter and John say it's because of Jesus that the man is healed, and now they're arrested. So what we

actually see here, it's a very helpful thing to remember. What that Peter and John are experiencing

is what most of the world experiences today, and what most human beings have experienced throughout

history, which is, you get arrested if you annoy the powerful. Like, just be very honest,

if you were in Gaza under Hamas, they don't care about what's legal. I mean, if they have laws,

the laws are completely and utterly empty. If you annoy Hamas, you get arrested. It's as simple as

that. And that's how it's been throughout most of human history, and it's still true for most of

the world cultures today. It's still basically true in Canada that you can't get arrested just

because you annoy powerful people. But some of us have come from countries where we know that's just

what happens. You annoy the powerful people, you get arrested. So Peter and John haven't done anything

wrong, but they've annoyed the powerful people. And so even though there's this wonderful miracle,

they get arrested, and they spend the night in jail. So what happens next? Well, verse 5.

On the next day, their rulers, their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem

with Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high priestly

family. And when they had set them, that is Peter and John, in their midst, they inquired,

by what power or by what name did you do this? Now, I just sort of have to pause for a second.

Peter and John are two lower working class, uneducated guys. I mean, they might have known

how to read. They probably did know how to read. But they were basically fundamentally uneducated.

Most people in the ancient world at that time were not educated. And the language that he has used

is to describe what we now know of as the Sanhedrin. And so there were 71 people. So Peter and John are

crammed into a relatively small room. There's 71 people made up of the educational and wealth elite

of the country. And the Sanhedrin met in a semicircle. So literally, Peter and John are in the middle of

this semicircle, 71 people plus guards and secretaries and scribes. And Peter and John are in the middle.

They've just spent a night in jail. And one of the things which they would have been very, very conscious

of is that these are the very same men who three or four months earlier sentenced Jesus to death.

And that's where they are. They're surrounded by the powerful. And these are the same guys that's

charged, had Jesus put to death. And Jesus was innocent. He was not guilty of any crime.

Now, so one of the things that's very helpful for you when you're reading a biblical narrative is to ask

yourself a question. For those of you who are watching and you're maybe not familiar with the Bible,

you don't know that this is a bit of a problem that Christians who know the Bible very well can start to have.

And the problem is this. We're so familiar with the story, some of us, that we just assume that everything

that happens is necessary, but it's not necessary. Imagine for a moment, not knowing what's going to happen next,

we got to go back in time. We were able to speak Aramaic and speak to Peter and John. What advice would we give them?

Like, what advice would we give them?

Let's say it was me. A similar type of situation.

Probably some of you would be shaking your head and saying, you know that Sinclair,

he should have known that if he said that in the temple, they're going to arrest him.

Like, that was a bit foolish on George's part, don't you think?

And probably many of you would have said, yeah, it's a little bit foolish.

You know, he should have had a lawyer with him.

And so if you got a chance to be with me just before I went out, you might say, you know, George,

don't lie, but why don't you put a little bit of, figure out if there's a way to have some oil on troubled

waters, like, you know, to maybe just dampen the fire, like, don't get people excited.

You wouldn't say this to me because I'm ancient of days.

You know, John was probably only about 15, and Peter was maybe 30-ish.

And so you might say to them, you know, John, listen, you have years ahead of you.

Peter, you have years ahead of you.

Peter, you have a wife and kids.

John, you'd like to have a wife and kids.

Like, this isn't a time to do something that's going to get you into further trouble.

That's probably what we'd say.

Maybe not, but my guess is that's what we tell them to do.

That would be our advice.

So what do Peter and John do?

Well, let's look.

Verse 8.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,

Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man,

and by what means this man has been healed,

let it be known but to all of you and to all the people of Israel

that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,

whom God raised from the dead,

by him this man is standing before you well.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders,

which has become the cornerstone.

It's an Old Testament reference.

And there is salvation in no one else,

for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

In other words, we would have counseled them to do something and they would have ignored us.

They were filled with the Holy Spirit and they were very, very, very bold.

Now, I'm going to talk about this text,

but what I want to do is I want to look at what happens after it,

because actually what happens after it helps us to understand the text better

and helps us to understand why we have problems.

Some Christians have problems with this text.

When I say that, I mean,

no well-trained Christian is going to publicly say they have problems with it.

The problems come when we live it in Canada.

Not what we'd say in church, but when we're outside of church.

That's when we start to have problems with texts like this.

If we're honest with ourselves, we can have problems with it.

So let's see what happens,

because actually what happens next helps us to understand the text.

And one of the things which is so brilliant about what goes on in the text

is we all know that in Canada there's a very growing number of nuns,

not like nuns in a religious order,

but nuns, N-O-N-E.

They'd say that they have no religious affiliation whatsoever.

And it's very commonplace to critique religion.

And what you're seeing in this story is a very profound critique of religion

that would outstory whatever a nun would tell you

about why they don't believe in any type of religion or spirituality.

There's a very profound critique of religion in this text.

So see how it works.

Verse 13.

Now when they saw the...

Actually it already comes the mere fact that they've arrested them.

Because you see, if you think about it,

like...

And this would probably be what the average Canadian would say about religion.

They'd say they're just hypocrites.

They're just giving you their opinions.

It's just about power.

It's just about trying to get other people to do what you want.

They give themselves a pass.

It makes them feel better about themselves than other people.

And in this story, you'd think that the Jewish leaders would like God to show up.

Like you'd think they'd like that.

Like they're in the God showing up business.

And now God shows up.

Like you'd think that if this was in modern day and age,

they'd be hoping that hopefully they'd say,

going around saying,

I hope a couple of you got this on camera.

On video.

So we can put it on our webpage.

And so we can put it on X.

Used to be called Twitter.

And we can put it on Instagram and TikTok.

And hopefully it'll go viral.

And everybody will want to come.

That's what they'd be hoping.

But instead, they want to shut them up.

Right?

Well, look what happens.

Verse 13.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John

and perceived that they were uneducated common men,

they were astonished.

And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

But by the way, you know,

one of the reasons many people in our culture

dismiss the evidence of the apostles and Luke

is because we think they're uneducated common men.

I mean, good grief, they didn't even have flush toilets.

Definitely didn't have an iPhone.

We all know that flush toilets and iPhones

are a sign of profound intelligence and wisdom.

And, but we dismiss them

because we think they're uneducated in common.

They don't know science.

Verse 14.

But seeing the man who had been healed standing beside them,

they had nothing to say in opposition.

But when they had commanded them to leave the council,

they conferred with one another, saying,

what shall we do with these men?

For that a notable sign has been performed through them

as evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and we cannot deny it.

But in order that it may spread no further among the people,

let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.

So they called them together.

They called them and charged them not to speak

or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

And just sort of pause there for a second.

Now, as I said, you know, to many,

I mean, it might very well be

that a person who would describe themselves as a nun

who's given up on religion and spirituality,

who's articulated why religion and spirituality

isn't good and valid.

They might look at this story and go,

that's actually pretty surprising,

although it sort of contradicts

there's no other name under Jesus to be saved.

But here's the thing.

What this Bible text reveals to us is a profound human problem.

And the profound human problem is this,

that you and I often confuse calculating

how something affects our power or prestige.

and we confuse that with thinking

about whether it's true or right or just.

It's a very common human problem.

So we get some information

and we start to calculate

how this situation or this information or this idea,

how this will affect my power, my prestige,

my reputation, my place.

I calculate that.

But I think I'm thinking

about whether it's true or right.

It's a very, very common human problem.

We don't recognize that we actually aren't thinking,

we're just calculating.

And that's a human problem.

It happens to Christians.

Why do Christians get uncomfortable

with the statement,

and there is salvation in no one else,

for there is no other name under heaven

given among men by which we must be saved?

We get uncomfortable with it,

not because we think about the text,

whether it's true or false,

but because we calculate

how that text being revealed

will affect our power,

our prestige,

our influence,

our place in work

and in our community.

We don't sort of think about it

and say,

well, actually, that's true, isn't it?

You know, I guess it's really true

and it's right

and it's good news

so I should do something about it.

No, we think about

what would it be like

if our neighbors found this out?

What would it be like

if our coworkers found this out?

Like, what would it be like

if our parents found out

that this is what we believe and think?

And then we do the calculation

and it's not going to help our power,

it's not going to help our prestige,

it's not going to help us in society,

so we are silent.

We've engaged in calculation,

not thinking.

It's a human problem.

It's a human problem.

See, one of the reasons,

there's lots of reasons

why I,

the more I learn about Christianity,

the more I learn about the Bible,

the more I learn about Jesus,

the more I love it

and the more I believe it's true

and the more I believe it's good news.

And you know one of the things

which is so brilliantly illustrated

in this short story?

No religion,

no philosophy,

no spirituality,

no system of human thought

is able to capture the wretchedness

and the glory of human beings

like Christianity does.

And this story brilliantly captures that.

You see, that's the fact the matter is,

is that the fact the matter is

that there's something wretched

about human beings

and there's also something

very glorious about human beings.

And Christianity doesn't say

that human beings are only wretched

and it doesn't say

that human beings are only glorious.

It says,

it has this profound message

that there's something

that human beings

are this mixture

of wretchedness and glory.

This, by the way,

was discovered,

this idea was discovered

in the lining of Blaise Pascal's coat

after he died.

And it goes back to the 1600s.

So what do I mean?

Well, surely,

isn't it part of the wretchedness

of human beings

that we can't even recognize

that we don't think sometimes

that all we're doing

is calculating our own advantage

and we don't even recognize

that we're not thinking

about whether something

is true or good

or just or beautiful or moral?

Like, that surely shows

something wretched

about human beings

that we can't even see

that about ourselves.

We can maybe often see it

in other people,

but we can't see it

in ourselves.

And we would all want to say

that if we went back in time,

we wouldn't be like Caiaphas

and these guys,

that we would want

to celebrate the miracle,

but the fact of the matter is

is that there is something

in human beings

which is broken,

which is wretched,

which causes all sorts of trouble.

What goes on in the world

that causes trouble

all of the time?

So why is it that people

don't want to say in Canada

something strong about Hamas?

They're doing electoral politics.

They're thinking about

how it's going to affect

their electoral chances.

And they think that thinking

about that,

calculating what's going

to help them is thinking.

But it's not.

There's something wretched

about human beings.

On the other hand,

there's something glorious

about human beings.

And it's perfectly seen

in the text.

A 15-year-old,

working-class,

uneducated kid

and a 30-something,

uneducated,

working-class guy

stand in front

of the intellectual

and religious

and cultural

and political

and financial elite.

And they give

a clear,

unambiguous testimony

to the truth.

And that's glorious.

I mean, we'd all say,

make me more and more

like Peter and John,

not just about this,

but about everything.

And make me less

and less like them.

And we see both

of these things

about human beings

in the same story

with the gospel

in the center.

You see,

because only the gospel

helps us to see that

and only the gospel.

It's only if you've grasped

that there is salvation

in no one else.

There's no salvation in me.

There's no salvation

in my accomplishments.

There's no salvation in me

because of my economic status

or my class

or my culture

or because I'm a victim

or because I'm able

to beat other people up.

There is salvation

in no one else

for there is no other name

under heaven

given among men

by which we must be saved.

I'm saved by what Jesus

has done for me.

And God has vindicated this

by raising Jesus

from the dead.

What could be

a more electrifying sign

that there is a God

that does exist

who loves you

than the resurrection

from the dead?

what's a more electrifying

sign than that?

And we need that salvation.

Why?

Because there's something

wretched about me.

There's something wretched

about me

and broken and crooked

and in every human being.

And it's only as I start

to have the security

of knowing

that I actually

can be made right

with the living God

my creator

my sustainer

the one who is sovereign

over all of history

and the entire universe

who will bring all things

to the end

that he determines

when that end should be

in such a way

and who will judge

the living and the dead.

And it's only as I have

the security

that I have been made right

with him

not because of anything

that I have done

but because of what

Jesus has done for me.

And he does that for me

knowing my wretchedness

and still he does it for me

and when I put my faith

and trust in Christ

I am made right with God

that I start to have

the type of security

as that truth

becomes more real to me

that I start to have

the security

that I can look

and say you know what

that thing that was going on

in my denomination

that thing that was going on

in my church

that thing that's going on

with my family

that way that I'm thinking

about my kids

that way that I'm thinking

about my wife

that way that I'm thinking

about my neighbors

that way that I'm thinking

about politics

you know really what I'm doing

is I'm not actually

trying to think what's right

and what's good

and what's beautiful

and true and trust

really I'm just calculating

whether it's going to make me

look good

or give me more power

or help me to keep my position

and I don't trust

that if these things happen

that I'll

God can have some other

good thing for me

and you know

it's only as the gospel

becomes more real to our heart

that we can start

to look at these things

and it's only as the stories

like this

the stories like this form us

see the fact of the matter is

is in the story

I am both Caiaphas

and those guys

and I am Peter and John

it's not been that

I've always had my life

just calculating

see that's what's so wrong

about most philosophies

and it's not like

I've always been like

Peter and John

no I've done both

in my life

so have you

only the gospel

makes it clear

that you have a glory

about you

because you are made

in the image of God

you're not a result

of accident

God designed you

and he made you

something to be

something glorious

and there's something

about human beings

that can be so glorious

that God

the son of God

could take human flesh

into himself

there is a profound glory

about being a human being

but there's also

something deeply wretched

because I want to be

like God

and there's something

in me fundamentally

crooked and bent

and broken

that I cannot fix myself

and only the gospel

makes that clear

only the gospel

is the key

that fits that

so let's look back

there is no

there is salvation

in no one else

for there is no other name

under heaven

given among men

by which we must be saved

and we look at it

and we say okay

George

you've maybe convicted me

that I look at texts

like that

and I don't want

to live like this

and talk like this

and think like this

and pray like this

and spend our church's

budget like this

because I feel a bit

uncomfortable about that

and how it's going

to make me feel

but maybe I should look

and see how it's true

George

you do realize

that a text like this

most Canadians

find it deeply offensive

they think it's foolish

they think it's arrogant

they think it shows

that you're uneducated

they think it encourages

violence

violence

and we go on

and on

and on

well I mean

the first thing

about it is

Peter and John

knew there were

lots of other

religions and gods

I mean they saw

the Romans all the time

they weren't ignorant

of that

and when they're saying

to the Sanhedrin

and there is salvation

in no one else

for there's no other name

under heaven

given among men

by which we must be saved

they were challenging

them and their authority

well you see

the problem we have

with it

is that our culture

has formed us

to believe that

statements like this

aren't real

they're not true

they're a statement

of personal preference

they're a statement

of a taste

and so it's alright

if we have a preference

for something

or a taste for something

or something that gives us

peace or security

but as long as we keep

that very private

then people will maybe

be alright with us

but as soon as it becomes

public in such a way

that our faith

is going to affect

how we think about

medically assisted dying

how it affects

how we think about abortion

how we think about sexuality

how we think about

the transgender issue

at that point in time

our culture gets

very very very uncomfortable

and in fact

increasingly wants

to persecute us

because we

our personal

type of thing

we think

is not just personal

but is leading us

to these ways

that Canadians think

well

in fact actually

most Canadians

haven't actually thought

whether their positions

on these things

are true or false

they've done a calculation

and so

that's a problematic thing

for us

but you see

what Peter and John

are saying is

we all saw Jesus

die by crucifixion

on the cross

and every single one of you

all of you who are out

out there

you know that Jesus

said he was going to die

a particular way

and he said he was going to

rise from the dead

and Peter and John

can say listen

we didn't think Jesus

was going to rise

from the dead either

we thought it was all over

when he died on the cross

and we were hiding

and in fear

and there was

no one more surprised

than us

when on the third day

we went to the grave

and found out

that the grave was empty

and that the grave clothes

were still there

there was no one more surprised

than us

and we can tell you

we've seen Jesus alive

and we've eaten with him

and we've touched him

and we've smelt him

we know he's alive

and listen for you guys

you want to disagree with it

well show us the body

and you can't find the body

you can't find the body

because it really happened

see the fact of the matter is

that if we think

that statements

like there's salvation

and if we think

that there is salvation

and no one else

for there is no other name

under heaven

given among men

by which we must be saved

if we just think

that that's a type of statement

about our preference

our aesthetics

something that just gives me

personal hope

if that's all we think it is

then of course it's arrogant

and foolish

but Paul is saying

this is just as real

as the Rockies

it's as real as the Atlantic Ocean

or the Pacific Ocean

it's as real

as the Grand Canyon

it's as real

as income tax

and as your bank balance

it's as real

as all of that

that's what they're claiming

and now if you're claiming that

then you've got to think about it

because if we think about it

for a second

if for instance

it was announced today

that some group of

some group of doctors

doctors in Kenya

have found a cure

for Alzheimer's

and for a variety of reasons

you can't get that cure

anywhere else

but it's now been documented

you can get a cure

from Alzheimer's

you can't get it in Manhattan

you can't get it in Singapore

you can't get it in Ottawa

you can only get it

if you go to Nairobi

and you can only get

that's the only treatment

that saves it

we wouldn't think

that was arrogant

if it worked

if it's real

it's not arrogant

doesn't matter

you can't say

well it can't possibly be true

because I have my own cures

for Alzheimer's

you do?

no you don't

that's ridiculous

if it was to be announced today

that there was a place

in Sri Lanka

where cancer can be cured

and it's the only place

you can go

and if it's real

and if it's real news

it would be understood

as good news

because it's true

and you wouldn't say

well it can't be a cure there

because I don't know

because it's from Sri Lanka

because it didn't come

from Oxford

or Cambridge

or from the University of Toronto

or because the Supreme Court

of Canada

doesn't agree with it

that would all be viewed

as being completely

and utterly ridiculous

and nonsense

if it's true

and the claim

of Peter and John

is that Jesus really

did rise from the dead

and he did it

because God sent him

so that you could have salvation

and be made right with him

and he proved

that this is not just a fantasy

by raising him from the dead

and it's real

it's as real

as the Rockies

as the Atlantic

as the Pacific

as the moon

and the sun

and the stars

and it's good news

it's news to you

that today

you can be made right

with God

and you can live your life

from the rest of your life

on today

and into eternity

made right with God

God knows every single thing

about you

and still he loved you

and loves you

and sent his son

to die for you

and you receive that

empty handed by faith

and when you receive it

empty handed by faith

he really comes in

and he really saves you

you know the end

of your story

the end of your story

isn't had Alzheimer's

or died poor

or died friendless

or died without children

the end of your story

is made right with God

and come in to live

with him for eternity

and it can begin today

if you put your faith

and trust in Christ

that's unbelievably good news

for us

we need to live

we need to do some honest work

with God

and ask that God

would help us to live

as if this matters

and pray as if this matters

that's what we need

to learn how to do

I want to encourage you

just as I bring this

to a close

I'll be up front with you

and you guys know this

I don't have the gift

of an evangelist

I tell people the gospel

but I'm not

you know

Bishop Charlie

used to be the diocesan bishop

he was that guy

who could sit

go on a plane

and by the end of the plane

lead somebody to Christ

like he was that guy

but God doesn't tell everybody

give that gift to everybody

but he does give to everybody

that we have an obligation

to pray for our loved ones

why?

because it's true

there is salvation

in no other name

other than Christ

there's no other salvation

other than in Christ

no other salvation

but there is

the wonderful news

is there is salvation

and we need to pray about it

and pray for our loved ones

and our family

and our friend

and pray for opportunities

to bear witness to Jesus

and don't worry about

being an evangelist

what we just need to think about

is the fact that

God has called us

to plant seeds

and to place pebbles

in people's shoes

that's what he's called us to do

you know

as I think back

to how I became a Christian

there's different seeds

that came into my life

that began to make me think

that maybe Christianity

was true

and there began to be

it's as if almost

there was like a

you know how you get a pebble

in your shoe

and you can't

you maybe try to walk on it

a little bit

because it's sort of irritating

and then you maybe hope

it moves out of the way

and then eventually

you have to try to take

the pebble out of your shoe

well that's what happened to me

I started to have

these little pebbles

in my shoe

about Christianity

that made me think about it

and we're just called

to bear witness to Jesus

in simple ways

it might be something

just as simple

as when people ask you

on Monday

what you did on Sunday

you said

well I did what I normally do

I go to church

on Sunday morning

and then you know

I did this and that

and people might go after

like you went to church

like people still do that

like in Canada

in Ottawa

people go to church

and then they might say

to each other

he seems normal

like that's really weird

like that's a weird thing to do

but you know what

that's putting a seed

or a stone

a pebble

that they have to think about

in their shoe

it might just be

that you have some opportunity

I'll just share one thing

in closing

I was sharing

on Monday

there's a fellow

that I know

he knows I'm a pastor

and he was complaining

about the fact

that the woman

he's going to be marrying

and this man

is a very very

very hard working man

he's become a very

successful business person

and the woman

he's going to marry

she has a teenage son

and the teenage son

doesn't care about working

and the teenage son

had said to

this fellow

who's going to become

his stepdad

what's the point of working

you just work

and you work

and you work

and you work

and then you die

like what's the point

of working

and so I almost

said his name

so this fellow

we'll call him Bob

he said you know

I don't know

I don't know what to say to him

like I sort of know

what to say to him

but I don't know

what to say to him

what do you say to him

I'd say two things to him

and unlike you

one of those things

I think would be something

you would say as well

but unlike you

you don't have the second thing

to say

and by the way

this is somebody

was praying for me

at this time

because I'm not that clever

I had had my second cup of coffee

which means I had sort of

three quarters of my brain

working

but

and he said

well what do you say to him

and I'd say

well I'd say to him

that

I'd say to him

that especially for men

work matters

that you get your dignity

and self-worth

and a sense of accomplishment

from working

and that it matters

it matters just to how

you understand yourself

as a person

it gives you dignity

and

and I said

you'd probably say

something like that

and he said

yeah actually

I would say that

I agree with what

Ronald Reagan said

the best welfare treatment

the best welfare program

in the world

is a job

and

that there is something about it

the dignity of work

and I said

but you see

what I'd also say

that you can't say

is this

that

he's right

that you die

and you lose everything

and unless there's a meaning

to your life

and a meaning to work

that goes beyond death

it all just comes crashing down

and it's like

it's worth nothing

and

he said

well I was hoping

you'd give me better advice

but he said it with a big smile

he said

yeah you know

yeah yeah

you know

he sort of knows

because we've talked about

some of those things before

now did I convert him

no I didn't convert him

hopefully I planted

a bit of a seed

maybe a bit of a stone

that

you know

because I also know

that he does think

a little bit about

the meaning of his life

and having all that money

anyway

friends

I just want to really

encourage you

yes it can be

very difficult

and awkward

to reveal to people

that you

that you're a Christian

I'm very Canadian

I know it

but God has placed you

in your situation

God has placed you

in your job

he's placed you

in your neighborhood

he's placed you

to be a regular

at that Tim Hortons

or that Starbucks

or that restaurant

he's placed you there

for a reason

and part of that reason

is that you will pray

that people come

to a saving faith

in Jesus

and he's placed you there

with a purpose

that maybe at some point

in time

an opportunity will come

that you can just

bear witness to Jesus

in some very simple way

or maybe invite them

to church

or invite them

to look at the Bible

together or something

and God is the one

who's in control

and he uses ordinary people

like you and me

but one of the things

which is so important

is we need to know

at a very

we need to know

that it's true

it's good news

it's unembarrassed news

to know

to know that there is

salvation in no one else

for there is no other name

under heaven

given among men

by which we must be saved

but the important thing

is to know

there is a name

you can be saved

there is a name

just one

not 53

not 175

just one

but there is one

one way to be made

right with your creator

and to begin to be made

right on this side

of the grave

and made right

in a way

that goes into

all of eternity

I invite you to stand

please stand

bow our heads

father if

there are any here

or watching

who have not yet

come to know Jesus

I ask father

your holy spirit

would move in their minds

and their hearts

and even at this moment

lead them

to call out to Jesus

that Jesus would become

their savior

and their lord

and I ask father

that you would do

that work in their hearts

to move them

to call out

to Jesus

to be their savior

and lord

and father

for us

help us father

to

to know

that you love us

and care for us

and that the good news

is good

and it's

good news

and put it on our hearts

father

to pray for our friends

and our neighbors

and family members

who do not yet know

Jesus as savior

and lord

and help us

to pray for them

and father

in your kindness

help us to recognize

those opportunities

those open doors

that you will give us

to bear witness

to Jesus

and help us father

to have the courage

to do that

and we ask these things

in the name of Jesus

your son

and our savior

amen