But God Raised Him!

Well, it had been an awful weekend for the followers of Jesus as they watched the events unfold.

First, Jesus' betrayal and capture in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Then the corrupt and humiliating proceedings of Jesus' trials before the religious leaders,

before King Herod, before Pilate.

Then came the brutal treatment of Jesus by the soldiers as he was beaten and mocked.

After that came the grueling procession of Jesus with criminals to the place of the skull, Golgotha.

And finally came the agony and pinnacle of his suffering as Jesus was nailed alive to a Roman cross

and hung up to die.

And die he did.

After his death, his followers helped with the burial of his body in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

But then came the morning of the first day of the week.

Listen to the account from Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground.

But the men said to them,

Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the others.

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.

Bending over, he saw the strips of linen laying by themselves.

And he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Later that same evening, Jesus appeared to his followers when they were all together.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them,

Peace be with you.

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.

He said to them,

Why are you troubled?

And why do doubts rise in your minds?

Look at my hands and my feet.

It is I myself.

Touch me and see.

A ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

And while they still did, they still did not believe it, because of joy and amusement.

He asked them, Do you have anything here to eat?

They gave him a piece of boiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.

He said to them,

This is what I told you.

This is what I told you while I was still with you.

Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms.

Then he opened their minds so that they could understand the scriptures.

He told them,

This is what is written.

The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.

And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

I am going to send you what my father has promised,

but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

Well, Jesus continued to appear to his disciples for a period of about 40 days.

And he continued to perform signs and miracles to prove that he was alive.

At the end of this period, his disciples watched as he was taken up to heaven before their very eyes.

And it went like this.

On one occasion while he was eating with them, he gave them this command.

Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Then they gathered around him and asked him,

Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?

He said to them,

It is not for you to know the times or dates the father has set by his own authority,

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes,

and a cloud hid him from their sight.

So the sadness and grief of Jesus' death was very quickly replaced with the triumphant joy

in the hearts of all Jesus' followers who saw him alive.

But 40 days later,

Jesus, the risen Savior, was gone,

taken up to heaven by God.

And there his disciples sat in a house in Jerusalem,

waiting for the promised Spirit of God to come.

And come he did,

just as Jesus said.

The moment was spectacular.

There they sat,

in the room,

when suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind

came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit

and began to speak in other tongues,

as the Spirit enabled them.

Can you imagine this?

The sound of this ferocious wind.

And at the same moment,

this bright, glowing something.

And out of that something,

these licks like fire,

tongues like fire,

coming out and resting on each of them in the room.

The Spirit of God himself

came upon them.

And as evidence,

he enabled them to speak in other known languages.

Well, at some point,

they moved outside the house

and these followers of Jesus

begin declaring the wonders of God

in many different languages,

such that people from all over the Mediterranean world

who had come to Jerusalem for the festival

could hear and understand

what they were saying in each their native tongue.

And it caused quite the commotion.

Many were amazed

and recognized it as a sign from God,

while others doubted and accused them of being drunk.

The Apostle Peter stood up in this moment

and he addressed the crowd

that had gathered there in Jerusalem.

And he first began by explaining,

No, we are not drunk.

It's nine o'clock in the morning.

How could we be?

No.

And he explained to them

what was really happening.

that just as God had promised long ago,

so now he was doing.

God had poured out his Holy Spirit upon them

and he was enabling them

to speak prophetic words

on his behalf.

Now, at this point of the story,

you might wonder

if I've got the wrong sermon for this morning.

If, I mean, it's Resurrection Sunday.

This all happened 50 days after

Jesus rose from the dead.

But now let's consider for a moment

what it was like for many of the Jews

who weren't believers

or followers of Jesus

before this day.

They knew very well about Jesus.

They knew what had happened with him

just over a month ago.

Many of them had been at his trials.

Some of them had even shouted,

Crucify him.

Some of them had probably witnessed

and seen him dying on the cross.

And everybody since then

knew the stories that had been going around

about how he had risen from the dead

just a few days after.

And the religious leaders

and the Roman soldiers,

they were saying that his disciples

had stolen the body in the night.

And the followers of Jesus were saying,

No, he's alive.

Some of us have seen him alive.

Even as far away as Galilee in the north,

reports were coming in from there

that Jesus had been seen alive.

Well, for those Jews who hadn't believed

or followed Jesus before his death,

this probably sounded and felt absurd.

And where were those disciples of his now?

Those 12 men who had been traveling with him

all over the place.

They must be sneaking around or hiding

because we can't seem to find them

after all this.

Why don't they show their faces

now that Jesus is gone?

And if Jesus is alive, prove it.

This is probably how many felt

in the days following Jesus' death

and resurrection.

And now this here

was the annual festival of Pentecost.

And countless thousands

came from all over the Mediterranean world

to observe the feast.

And perhaps they were also eager

to catch up on what had happened

since they were last there for Passover.

To hear the news about this Jesus,

the one called Messiah,

whom some were claiming

had risen from the dead.

Could it be true?

The rarest and greatest of all miracles.

Something God only ever did

in connection with a prophet.

Or perhaps Jesus is the Messiah

that we've all been waiting for.

This may have been some of the feeling

and the wonder of those days.

Until finally this day of the feast

when the silence was broken

and Peter, one of the 12 disciples,

emerged and spoke on the heels

of this great sign and said this.

No, we're not drunk.

It's nine o'clock in the morning.

How could we be?

No, this is what God promised long ago.

He's poured out His Spirit on us.

He's enabling us to speak on His behalf.

And this day God has something to say

to all of you about what happened

50 days ago.

Fellow Israelites,

listen to this.

Jesus of Nazareth

was a man accredited by God

to you

by miracles,

wonders,

and signs

which God did among you

through Him

as you yourselves know.

This man was handed over to you

by God's deliberate plan

and foreknowledge.

And you,

with the help of wicked men,

put Him to death

by nailing Him

to the cross.

It's as if Peter is telling them

and us

that this is what really happened

at Passover.

Let's set the record straight.

Jesus,

the man from Nazareth,

God Himself

made it clear

to all of you

who Jesus was.

He gave proof of it.

He put His stamp

of authenticity

upon Jesus

by performing

all kinds of signs

and miracles

and wonders

through Him.

Things that only God

could do.

And you all know it.

You witnessed it.

He did these things among you.

Some of you tasted

in your mouths

the very bread and fish

that He made

out of thin air.

Others of you

were healed

or knew someone

healed by Him.

These things

God did among you

right here

in your midst.

You know it.

You were witnesses

of it.

And this man,

Jesus,

was handed over

to you.

But make no mistake,

this happened

according to

the very plan

of God.

God knew

that it would go

this way

even before it did.

in fact,

He deliberately

brought it about

that it should happen

this way.

This man,

Jesus,

was handed over

to you

and you,

with the help

of wicked men,

you killed Him.

You put Him

to death

by nailing Him

to the cross.

Yes,

Jesus,

the man

accredited by God

Himself,

did die.

You put Him

to death,

but

God

raised Him

from the dead,

freeing Him

from the agony

of death

because it was

impossible

for death

to keep its hold

on Him.

Here it is.

This is the moment

where God chooses

to break the silence

and puts it on

public record

for all to hear

from the lips

of the official

spokesperson,

the Apostle Peter

himself,

yes,

I did

raise Jesus

from the dead.

I imagine

that this was

quite the moment

for Peter.

Peter,

the man

who couldn't

even bring himself

to admit

to the servant girl

at the door

that he was

a disciple

of Jesus

on the night

that Jesus

was betrayed.

Peter,

the man

who had been

huddling quietly

in the house

with the doors

locked

even after

meeting Jesus

alive for the

first time.

Peter,

the fearful

one who cared

too much

about what others

thought of Him.

Yes,

I saw Jesus

alive,

but if I say

that out loud

to anybody,

they're going

to think

I'm crazy.

just like

I thought

the women

were the day

that they

came running

back from

the tomb.

But here's

Peter now,

and God's

Spirit has

come upon

him with

power,

and he's

declaring for

the first

time to

this huge

crowd in

public,

despite what

the religious

leaders may

think or

may do,

you killed

Jesus,

but God

raised him

from the

dead.

dead.

And Peter

has some

specific things

to say

about this

to them.

He says,

by raising

Jesus from

the dead,

God freed

him from

the agony

of death.

Now,

this is a

bit of a

tricky phrase

here.

A very

literal

translation

of this

is given

by the

New King

James Version.

It says,

whom God

raised up

having loosed

the pains

of death,

or having

released or

set him

free from

the pains

of death.

And

interestingly,

that word

pains is

the same

word that's

used to

describe the

pains of

childbirth.

I thought

this was

surprising,

and apparently

there's a

whole bunch

of connections

to the

Old Testament

and how

this word

was used.

We're not

going to get

into that

this morning.

I think

it's sufficient

to say

that Peter

wants us

to think

of labor

pains,

even as

we think

of the

end-of-life

dying pains

that Jesus

suffered.

There are

similarities

between them.

End-of-life

dying pains

and labor

pains.

Both may

come upon

a person

suddenly

and forcefully.

Both may

be rhythmic

and part

of a

drawn-out

process.

loss.

The outcome

of both

is inevitable

and

uncontrollable.

Labor

pains

and end-of-life

dying pains,

both of them

take hold

of you

and they

don't let

go

until the

end result

comes.

And in the

case of Jesus

dying on the

cross,

the end result

of those

pains

came.

He died.

He wasn't

loosed or

set free

from actually

dying.

He did

die.

Yet

amazingly,

by God's

intervention,

just as labor

pains lead

to new

life,

so Jesus'

dying pains

led to new

life for

him as well

because God

raised him

from the

dead.

And Peter

explains this a

little bit

further.

here.

He says,

God freed

him from

the pains

of death,

the agony

of death,

because it

was impossible

for death

to keep

its hold

on him.

This is the

interesting part

about Peter's

choice of word

here.

Just as

eventually,

the pains

of childbirth

must give

way to

something good,

the new

life of the

baby,

in the same

way the

pains of

death that

Jesus suffered

had to give

way to

something good

as well,

to the

resurrection

that God

had prepared

for Jesus.

And I love

this last

phrase here

in verse

24,

it was

impossible

for death

to keep

its hold

on him.

Death is

personified

here as

that which

holds us

and doesn't

let go.

And once

it's got

us,

that's it.

It's got

us.

But in the

case of

Jesus,

Peter says

it was

impossible

for death

to keep

its hold

on him.

As powerful

as death

is,

God's

life-giving

power

is greater.

And so

through Peter,

God declares,

yes,

I raised

Jesus back

to life

from the

dead.

I set

him free

from the

clutches

of death

itself on

that first

day of the

week,

resurrection

morning.

God

will

be

going to

go on

and he's

going to

add to

this.

He's

going to

speak

about

this

shocking

to many

and perhaps

unexpected

truth that

this was

God's plan

all along.

Not just

the death

of Jesus,

his chosen

one,

but also

the raising

of Jesus

back to

life from

the dead.

And basically

in the next

number of

verses,

to sum

it up,

Peter says

that God

hinted,

God

foreshadowed,

God foretold

that he was

going to do

this long

ago.

And what

Peter does

is remind

the people

of the

words of

David

from Psalm

16.

If you

know the

story of

David,

he lived

about a

thousand years

before Jesus

was born.

And God

specially

chose David

to be

the king

of Israel.

And David

was a

musician

and a

songwriter.

And more

than that,

he himself,

David,

was a

prophet.

Peter says

as much

in verse

30 of

chapter 2

in Acts,

but David

was a

prophet.

And so

David's

psalms

and poems

and songs

and prayers

were very

special.

They were

his words,

but by

the Spirit

of God

speaking

through David,

they were

also

God's

words.

And so

that's what

Psalm 16

is.

It's a

God-inspired

utterance

of David,

a psalm,

a prayer

in which

David was

speaking to

God

and expressing

at the same

time the

very words

of God.

And Peter

wants all

of his

hearers

in this

moment

in public

to reflect

back on

Psalm 16.

Now,

they would

have been

much more

familiar with

this psalm

in their

culture and

day in

Israel than

probably most

of us are,

so we're

going to go

back and

just look at

it for a

couple minutes

here,

Psalm 16,

and see

what it

says.

I'll just

read through

it for us.

These are

David's words

to God.

He says,

Keep me

safe,

my God,

for in you

I take

refuge.

I say to

the Lord,

you are

my Lord.

apart from

you I

have no

good thing.

I say of

the holy

people who

are in

the land,

they are

the noble

ones in

whom is

all my

delight.

Those who

run after

other gods

will suffer

more and

more.

I will

not pour

out libations

of blood

to such

gods or

take up

their names

on my

lips.

Lord,

you alone

are my

portion

and my

cup.

You

make my

lot

secure.

The

boundary

lines have

fallen for

me in

pleasant

places.

Surely,

I have

a delightful

inheritance.

I will

praise the

Lord who

counsels me.

Even at

night,

my heart

instructs me.

I keep

my eyes

always on

the Lord.

With

him at

my right

hand,

I will

not be

shaken.

Therefore,

my heart

is glad

and my

tongue

rejoices.

My body

also will

rest secure

because you

will not

abandon me

to the

realm of

the dead.

Nor will

you let

your faithful

one see

decay.

You make

known to

me the

path of

life.

You will

fill me

with joy

in your

presence.

With

eternal

pleasures,

at your

right

hand.

So David

had a

confidence

in God

that his

life was

secure.

Even though

all throughout

his life he

was surrounded

by enemies,

he was able

to rest.

He was able

to have

peace.

Even as

his father-in-law,

King Saul,

hunted him

all over the

Judean

wilderness,

David knew

with confidence

that even if

he was

captured by

Saul,

he could

not be

killed.

Why?

Because God

had chosen

him to be

the next

king of

Israel,

and nothing

can stand

against the

choice and

plan of

God.

But eventually,

David did

become the

king,

and he got

old,

and death

drew near

for him.

And yet here,

David expresses

something that's

quite remarkable

in this

prayer.

He says

to God,

my heart

is glad

and my

tongue

rejoices.

My body

also will

rest secure.

Why?

Because

you,

God,

will not

abandon

me to

the realm

of the

dead,

nor will

you let

your faithful

one or

your holy

one see

decay.

This is

maybe a

surprising

statement from

King David.

He expresses

this confidence

that God

will not

leave him

to stay

in the

place of

death,

the realm

of the

dead.

And we

notice,

it's not

that he'll

never go

to the

realm of

the dead,

not that

he'll never

die,

but that

God won't

abandon

him there.

He's

expressing

a hope

in God

for life

after

his death.

He's saying,

I'm happy.

my heart

is glad

because you

won't let

death have

me in

the end,

nor will

you let

your faithful

one,

your holy

one see

decay.

And so

David expresses

this confidence

in God

that God

will not

allow his

body to

decay or

to rot

in his

burial tomb.

God

will not

raise him

to

him.

He says,

you make

known to me

in your

presence,

with eternal

pleasures

at your

right hand.

What is

David saying

here?

This is what

Peter is trying

to get his

audience to

see there in

Jerusalem on

the day of

Pentecost.

David was

expressing

confidence

that God

would raise

him from

the dead.

He was

saying,

there is a

path to

life.

There is a

path to

joy in

the presence

of God.

There is a

way to get

eternal

pleasures.

That word

eternal is a

dead giveaway.

David is

thinking about

heaven,

life after

death,

and he has

this confidence

that he

himself will

enjoy good

things with

God forever.

God will

not allow

his body

to decay,

to rot

in the

grave.

He will

not leave

him for

dead after

he dies.

Now let's

look back to

what Peter

is saying.

He is

quoting

these words

of David.

Let's see

how Peter

applies these

words to

Jesus back

in Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

Peter says,

David said

about Jesus,

because I

saw the

Lord always

before me.

Because he

is at my

right hand,

I will not

be shaken.

Therefore,

my heart is

glad and my

tongue rejoices.

My body

also will

rest in hope

because you

will not

abandon me

to the realm

of the dead.

You will not

let your

Holy One

see decay.

You have

made known

to me the

paths of

life.

You will

fill me with

joy in

your

presence.

Fellow

Israelites,

I can tell

you confidently

that the

patriarch David

died and

was buried.

And his

tomb is here

to this day.

But he

was a

prophet.

And he

knew that

God had

promised him

on oath

that he

would place

one of his

descendants

on his

throne.

Seeing

what was

to come,

he spoke

of the

resurrection

of the

Messiah.

That he

was not

abandoned to

the realm

of the

dead,

nor did

his body

see decay.

God has

raised this

Jesus to

life,

and we

are all

witnesses

of it.

What is

Peter saying

here?

He's saying

that David

was not just

talking about

himself and

the confidence

that he

had that

God would

raise him

from the

dead.

He was

speaking as

a prophet

by the

Spirit of

God about

something that

was to come,

something he

saw coming.

God revealed

it to him.

David spoke

of what he

saw, and

what he saw

was the

resurrection

of the

Messiah.

A thousand

years before

it happened.

What he

saw was that

there was

coming one

of his

descendants

after him

who would

receive his

throne,

who would

die,

but who

God would

raise to

life,

whose body

would not

be allowed

even to

see decay.

David was

speaking

prophetically

about Jesus

all those

years ago,

says Peter,

which means

that God

intended and

planned all

of this

right from

the start

to raise

Jesus,

the son of

David,

back to

life.

And I love

how Peter

concludes this

section.

He just

declares it.

God has

raised this

Jesus to

life.

And we

are all

witnesses of

it.

Do you

hear how

unashamed

and bold

Peter is

in this

moment?

He puts

himself and

others forward

as eyewitnesses.

We've seen

him alive,

all of us.

Let it be

known,

let it be

heard,

God really

has raised

him from

the dead.

Now at

this point,

perhaps some

people in

the crowd

that day

were wondering,

well then

where is

Jesus right

now?

Peter's

next portion

here explains

this a little

bit.

Peter says,

exalted to

the right

hand of

God,

he has

received,

that's

Jesus,

from the

Father,

the promised

Holy Spirit

and has

poured out

what you

now see

and hear.

For David

did not

ascend to

heaven,

and yet he

said,

the Lord

said to

my Lord,

sit at

my right

hand until

I make

your enemies

a footstool

for your

feet.

Therefore,

let all

Israel be

assured of

this,

God has

made this

Jesus,

whom you

crucify,

both Lord

and Messiah.

we're not

going to

dig too

deeply

into this

piece here,

but basically

Peter is

telling them

what happened

after Jesus'

resurrection.

He's

explaining,

Jesus was

exalted,

he was

lifted up,

he ascended

to heaven,

to the

right hand

of God.

He's

telling them

that his

ascension is

proof that he

is greater

than King

David was.

It's

proof that

this descendant

of David,

Jesus,

is in

fact the

Lord of

David.

The one

whom God

will allow

to sit

at his

right hand

until he

has fully

established

his kingdom.

Peter's

saying that

God himself

has already

installed

Jesus on

the throne,

in heaven,

at his

right hand.

He has

made him

king,

he's made

him Messiah

and Lord

over all.

Well,

how do the

people respond

to this?

It seems

that God

had been

working in

their hearts

already,

even as

they were

listening to

this.

They don't

laugh at

Peter,

they don't

think that

he's crazy.

This is

their response.

Verse 37,

when the

people heard

this,

they were

cut to

the heart

and said

to Peter

and the

other

apostles,

brothers,

what shall

we do?

Peter replied,

repent and

be baptized,

every one

of you,

in the name

of Jesus

Christ for

the forgiveness

of your

sins.

And you

will receive

the gift

of the

Holy Spirit.

The promise

is for you

and for

your children

and for

all who

are far

off,

for all

whom the

Lord,

our God,

will call.

with many

other words

he warned

them and

he pleaded

with them,

save yourselves

from this

corrupt

generation.

Those who

accepted his

message were

baptized and

about 3,000

were added to

their number

that day.

So many

listened to

Peter and

believed.

They were

cut to the

heart,

it says.

The message

of Peter

struck a

chord deep

within them.

They realized

that what

Peter was

saying was

true.

That yes,

they had

done a

wicked thing.

They had

killed the

Messiah,

the one

that God

had sent.

And in

this moment

they're somewhat

at a loss

for what to

do next.

Brothers,

what shall

we do?

Amazingly,

God's

mercy and

forgiveness

is so

great that

yes,

these Jews

who had

participated

in the

murder of

his son,

God is

willing to

forgive them.

What must

they do?

Repent,

says Peter.

Turn to

God with a

contrite heart,

confess your

sin to him,

and ask for

his forgiveness.

That's what

repent means.

repent,

repent,

and be

baptized in

the name of

Jesus Christ.

Baptism is

the outward,

tangible act

that Jesus

gave his

followers to

do, which

marks their

repentance and

their belief

in him.

And the

call is to

everyone,

every person in

the crowd,

every single

one of you,

do this,

repent,

repent,

and be

baptized in

the name of

Jesus Christ

for the

forgiveness of

your sins.

And not

only that,

but you too

will receive

the gift of

the Holy Spirit.

He's not just

for us,

says Peter,

he's for

everyone,

for all who

God will

call,

for all who

will believe.

And Peter

tells us that

3,000 people

accepted his

message and

were baptized

that day.

or Luke,

I should say

rather.

I love this

story.

Yes, it had

been 50 days

already since

the first day

of the week

when Jesus

had risen,

but it's

this day

where we

start to

see the

impact of

this glorious

reality going

public and

spreading.

No more

was this just

a wonderful,

cherished reality

that his

faithful followers

kept to

themselves behind

closed doors.

Jesus is

alive.

now they

began to

declare what

they had

witnessed to

the world.

God has

raised this

Jesus to

life and

we are all

witnesses of

it.

This is

precisely what

we're celebrating

today, over

2,000 years

later.

Our Lord

Jesus died,

yes, to

atone for

our sins,

but God

raised him

from the

dead.

God set

him free

from the

clutches of

death.

It was

impossible for

death to

keep its

hold on

him because

Jesus is

the Son of

God.

He is

the Messiah.

He is the

King of

Kings and

the Lord of

Lords.

Right now

he's seated

on heaven's

throne at

the right

hand of

God waiting

for his

enemies to

be made a

footstool for

his feet.

It's as

true today

as it was

back then.

And through

Jesus Christ

we too

can say

with David

in confidence

therefore

my heart

is glad

and my

tongue

rejoices.

My body

also will

rest secure

because you

will not

abandon

me to

the realm

of the

dead.

nor will

you let

your faithful

one see

decay.

You make

known to

me the

path of

life.

You will

fill me

with joy

in your

presence

with eternal

pleasures

at your

right hand.

The

resurrection

of Jesus

is wonderful

all by

itself

but it's

also wonderful

in that it

opens the

way for

our

resurrection

from the

dead.

Listen

one more

time to

the words

of Jesus.

This is

what he

said on

one occasion

John 6

John 6:40

verse 40

he said

for my

father's

will

is that

everyone

who looks

to the

son

and believes

in him

shall have

eternal

life

and I

will

raise them

up

at the

last day.

Have you

believed

this good

news

for yourself?

It's only

those who

believe in

him

that

receive

this

eternal

life.

It's

only

those

who

believe

in

him

that

will

enjoy

these

eternal

pleasures

at the

right hand

of God

forever.

Have you

been cut

to the

heart

because of

your sins

against

God?

Have you

repented?

Have you

received the

wonderful

forgiveness

forgiveness

of God

for your

sins?

Do you

believe

that God

raised Jesus

from the

dead?

If not,

I want to

extend these

words to you

today.

Repent

and be

baptized,

every one

of you,

in the name