Acts Chapter 3 & 4:1-4

Damn it, covenant.

He did make a covenant, it was unilateral.

Adam didn't have to do anything except for one thing he was not to do, was to eat of the tree of knowledge, good and evil.

And God gave him dominion, authority, or all the works of his hand.

Of course, he uh he did transgress and therefore was cast into outer darkness.

Paul said, by one man, that man is Adam.

Uh, by one man, a sin entered into the world and death by sin.

That one man is Adam, and it passed upon all men because we were in the lawns of Adam.

And then we see again he established a covenant even yet a second time.

He established a covenant, uh, we call it the Novidic covenant with Noah, uh, that he would never destroy the earth again by water.

He put a rainbow in the sky to remind uh that is mankind of his covenant, that he would not destroy the earth again with water.

And then, of course, we can see it wasn't much longer after that, he made yet another covenant, and this covenant with Abraham, and we call the Abrahamic covenant.

And that covenant was very simple and plain, that he would bless those that bless him, that is, who bless Abraham, and he would make him the father of many nations, and and the promises to him and to his seed.

We get to Galatians, he tells it it's not seeds as many, but seed which is in Christ.

And so when you're in Christ, all the blessing of Abraham becomes yours.

And then, of course, he made yet another covenant, but this one was quite different.

Rather than make a covenant with a particular man, he made a covenant with a nation of people, and that nation was the descendants of Abraham naturally.

Abraham had a son named Isaac, he had two sons, but Isaac was, he said, In Isaac shall that seed be called.

That's the lineage which Christ would come.

And then, of course, Isaac had two sons, and then, of course, God chose Jacob and rejected Esau.

And of course, Jacob had 12 sons, and they were called the sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, uh, which is synonymous.

The 12 sons of Jacob, each son became such large in population, they became the 12 tribes or the 12 sons of the children of Jacob or Israel.

By the way, he did have a daughter named Dana, so he actually had 13 by natural posterity.

But in the fullness of time, they went into Egypt 70 souls, and he came out millions.

And so God established a covenant with his descendants, uh, that is the nation of Israel, because now they're a nation.

And in the 19th and the 20th chapter of the book of Exodus, is where God enjoined himself to them, or he gave them a covenant.

And it's called the uh Ozaic Covenant.

And that covenant was in operation, it was in effect for uh almost 1600 years, and the covenant was very plain, but it was bilateral.

All the promise of God was predicated upon Israel keeping his commandments, and of course, they did not keep them, and so uh they kept rebelling against God until the wrath of God, he says in Second Chronicle, rose up to them, uh rose up against them, and there was no remedy, so he had to cast them out of his sight.

But the point I was making in bringing back to history is God has always had a witness, he has never ever been without a witness on the earth from the time he made Adam.

Uh he's never been without a witness.

And Adam had two sons, he had Cain and Abel.

Abel was the righteous, but when Cain killed him, God's never been without a witness.

He raised up another name, Seth.

So God has always had a witness of people in the earth.

He've never been without a witness, not ever.

And so some things are prevalent.

One is this one truth.

God never destroyed the righteous with the wicked.

He's always to separate the precious from the vile before there's destruction.

And before he would destroy the nation of Israel, that will be a term that's used quite frequently in the Bible called a remnant.

Like that's all, God has always had a remnant.

He's never ever destroyed the people without a remnant.

They keep a seed, a holy seed, a righteous seed in the earth.

And before he destroyed the nation of Israel, and he prophesied that he would, uh, 490 years uh after he gave the vision to Daniel in Daniel chapter 9, verse 24, on down to like 27.

Daniel 9:24

And but he made a he made a promise.

Uh I think I should read that promise.

I was about to quote it, but in Ezekiel chapter 5, if you may, just that's an interesting place to start, but it's necessary that we can appreciate the book of Acts.

Ezekiel 5 · chapter mention

And uh it won't be too long, but I do want to point out how God has always had a plan, He's never been without a plan, ever.

And doesn't matter how many people do wrong, God always has a remnant He's going to preserve.

Uh and this is talking about the nation of Israel.

He's going to use a metaphor.

It's very intriguing because at the time that Ezekiel writes, he's in Babylon because God was judging the southern kingdom for correction.

The northern kingdom, he judged them eternally.

He discattered them uh to the nations and brought in Gentiles' people through the king of Assyria to replace the northern kingdom.

And so they've been dispersed.

Only a remnant of the ten tribes that escaped to the southern tribe was still in existence.

Well, here it is.

So he's in captivity, right along with Daniel and all the princes, and God gives them this wonderful word of prophecy, chapter 5, verse 1.

And thou, son of man, this term son of man is only used the two, a use of Christ and of course Ezekiel.

Thou son of man, take a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor.

That's how sharp it is.

Cause it to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard, and then take balances to weigh.

What are you going to weigh?

The hair and divide the hair.

And thou shalt burn.

Wow, thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city.

One third was going to burnt with fire as the judgment of God would be destroyed.

Well, the I'm gonna use the word nation, but the tribe of Judah of the southern kingdom, when the days of the siege are fulfilled.

And this happened back in 530, uh, I'm sorry, 586, 586 BC.

And thou shalt take a third part and smite it about with a knife.

Wow.

And a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind, and I will draw the sword, that's judgment, out after.

So he's taking Israel, uh, the southern kingdom, still calling them Israel, but it's a southern kingdom, Jerusalem, Judea, and the region round about.

A third was destroyed, a third was scattered, and another third, he's going to go to the scatter to the wind and draw the sword after them.

But watch this very very carefully.

And thou shalt also take a few in number.

This is not a third, this is just a few in numbers, and bind them in thy skirt.

Wow.

So he's gonna hide a third, he's gonna protect a third.

Let me explain to this to you, if I may.

A third was destroyed in uh 586 BC, when Nizhanezer actually destroyed Jerusalem.

Another third was destroyed in 70 AD.

And then, of course, another was scattered to the wind, and he drew the sword after them.

But there were still a few.

He always had a remnant.

Thou shalt take a few in numbers and bind them in thy skirts.

And that's a picture of the New Testament church, the kingdom of heaven.

We're gonna take a few of the Israelites and bring them in.

That's he used the words Israelite, but those of Judah, the righteous.

And uh, I think I'll just, well, I'll keep reading.

And thou shalt take them again and cast them in the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire.

I see there'll be nothing left when he finishes where the nation of Israel is concerned.

For thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.

Thus saith the Lord, this is Jerusalem.

I have set in the midst of the nations, that's Gentile nations, and the countries around about.

And she has changed my judgments into wickedness more than the heathens, more than the nations, more than the Gentiles, and my statues more than the countries that are round about her.

For they have refused my judgments and my statues.

That making reference to his measurements for correction.

They have not walked in them, and that's for you read on.

This is why he's going to judge them.

Uh verse 8.

Wherefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I, even I, am against thee, and I will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.

Wow.

And of course, you can keep reading, but this is showing God had already predestined in his mind eternal judgment upon a rebellious and stubborn people.

As he said all day long, have I spread forth my hand to a stiff neck and a gain-sand people.

And so I'm just kind of thinking as I'm talking here, uh, if you may, and this is a key scripture that you can see God has a plan.

And of course, I think I I won't read it, but I can reference it and quote it because Paul does quite frequently in Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 31.

Jeremiah 31:31

And he began to tell you, uh, that is the nation of Israel are Judah and the descendants, how that he's going to make a new covenant, not the covenant of Moses, but there's going to be a new covenant that he's going to make, even with the house of Israel.

That's the rhythm.

And uh, not like the covenant he made when he took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt, which laws and statutes he wrote on tables of stone.

But he's going to write them in the fleshly tables of men's heart.

And no one has to say, teach the Lord.

You have to go to the Levite, because that's going to be a teaching ministry, and everyone would know the Lord from the least until the greatest.

That day he prophesied about and occurred or was implemented on the day of Pentecost.

One more passage, and we'll we'll make this transition of 1600 years.

I mean, you read uh the old covenant of the old Bible.

It was a Bible.

Word Bible means books.

And of course, it was the books of the old covenant.

Uh it was the law, it was the prophets, it was the poetry, it was minor prophets, major prophets.

This is the old covenant.

And the old covenant prophesied, appointed about the day to come or the day of grace under the New Testament.

Uh, at any point, you may need to stop me.

I'm going too fast.

I'm just trying to make sure we can at least conclude this third chapter.

But I want to make sure we get the transition because there is a transit transition.

Question was asked.

He said, if the foundation be broken, what shall the righteous do?

Well, it's simple.

It goes from the foundation of the old covenant to the foundation of the new.

The glory of God is revealed from glory to glory.

And the old testament did have a glory, but it's uh is minute.

It pells the comparison of the glory of the New Testament.

And here is why.

The Old Testament was just natural commandments, it was a natural kingdom, it had natural laws, it governed from without because men's heart was too hard.

He could not write his statutes upon the tables of their hearts.

Well, there was going to be a day when he's going to give them, and I won't read it in Ezekiel 38, 6, he's going to give them a new heart, not a stony heart, but a heart of flesh, that he could actually write his statutes, commandments, and judgments on the tables of men's heart.

This is prophesying about a day to come.

That is the day of grace.

He prophesied about that day.

Uh, two days, the day he was going to judge Israel and the day of grace, the day the New Testament church will be launched.

It was called paradise, back in favor with God.

Uh, that's what paradise means.

Or it was likened unto Eden.

Uh, it's a fruitful garden.

He prophesied about that.

And if you can remember, even uh when Christ was hanging on the cross, there were two manifactors, one to his left and one to his right.

And the one to his left relled on him.

I say, if you be Christ, come down off the cross and save us.

But the one on his right, that manufactor, say, do you not fear God?

Uh we're receiving just punishment for our deed.

But this man did nothing amiss.

And he looked at Christ and he said, Master, when you come into your kingdom, remembered me.

And so was he saved?

Well, he was saved from wrath, but he wasn't saved.

And I'll explain that in a minute.

Jesus looked at him and said, I say unto you today, you shall be with me in paradise.

Well, when Jesus died, he didn't go to the paradise, he went to the grave.

When he said, I say unto you today, that means I'm saying this to you now, that you will be with me in paradise.

So when Jesus resurrected, many of the Old Testament faithfuls, or many of those who had been faithful even prior to the law of Moses, got up out of the grave.

The graves was open, and they actually gave up.

And that thief that died on the cross with Christ, repenting, he got up.

Don't mean he had eternal life, but he had a chance to hear that New Testament church, began to hear the everlasting gospel.

And no doubt his heart was right, he would have received the word of God, and he would have received, no doubt, the baptism of the Holy Ghost and went on to perfection, went on to maturity.

That's a mouthful.

But until Christ came, there was no man, not one, that could actually escape death.

And I know religion tells you that Elijah went up to heaven.

He just went up in the atmosphere.

He didn't go to heaven.

I'm sorry, he died.

And I know some tell you that Enoch walked with the Lord and he was not.

He went to heaven.

No, he died.

I'm sorry.

He didn't see death, he didn't feel the sting of death, but he was not.

He was translated from life to death.

Where do you get this from?

We get it from the Bible.

Because until Christ came and rent the veil of the temple, the way into the holy was not even possible.

No man was able to go to heaven.

Not one man.

I'm gonna deviate for a moment, but all this is imperative so we can appreciate the book of Acts.

This is where the door was opened in the order in which Christ said it would be.

It was first to the Jews, and then it was to uh Judea, and then it was to the people who was Gentiles practicing Judea, which is practicing Judaism, which was Samaritans, and then it went out to the uttermost parts of the earth, which is the Gentile nations.

So let me establish, first of all, that not one man, no exception, no man had actually been able to go to heaven until Christ came.

Uh go to Hebrews real quick.

Uh maybe look like I'm scattering, but I'm not.

I'm just trying to show the importance of this wonderful church, this wonderful community, this fellowship that was launched on the day of Pentecost, and it opened a door that had never been opened before.

If you go to the 7th chapter of uh of the book of Hebrews, and this is a hall of faith that named great men, noble and white and righteous men.

But these men, these men did not, they did not ascend to heaven, regardless of what you may have been told in the religious world, the church world, they bamboozled you, they duke you, swindle you, hookwink you.

That's not the truth.

And I'll or you know that from.

I know it from the Bible.

Read.

Uh verse one, verse four.

By faith, Abel, that was the first righteous man, offered to God a more excellent sacrifice.

Okay, that's wonderful.

Verse 5, by faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found.

Don't mean that he went to heaven.

He was translated.

I can show you that's on life to death.

But go down a little bit further.

Verse 7, by faith, Noah, and then by verse 8, by faith Abraham.

And that's wonderful.

But look at this key verse, and never forget this.

Verse 13 said, These all died in faith, having not received the prompts.

These all died.

And so, no, I'm sorry, Elijah didn't go to heaven.

I'm sorry, uh Abel didn't go to heaven, these all died.

Why is that so imperative?

Why is that so important?

Because without this new testament, my robot is on.

Let me turn it off.

It's all too much noise.

The reason that's so imperative, because the new covenant was going to do something the old covenant couldn't.

It would give man a right to the tree of life, it would give man access to the truth of the word of God, not in pictures and types, but clearly enough that a man can actually eat off of the tree of life, which is the hidden word of God and live forever.

And so this is a greater light, it's a greater covenant, establishing one of greater promises.

And uh, and I'm gonna look at to the close of this chapter to make my point.

Uh, he names all these wonderful people and the great things they did.

Um, I won't take time to read them all, but go down a little bit.

Uh verse 20.

Um, by faith, Isaac blessed Jacob.

By faith, Jacob uh he blessed both the sons of Joseph.

Um verse 22, by faith Joseph.

Verse 23, by faith Noah, I mean Moses.

You can see all these great men.

Then he goes down other ones.

He said, verse 32.

Well, let me touch a few more.

Um, 31, by faith, Rahab.

These people all under the old covenant.

Um verse 32 is the key.

And what shall I more say?

For time would fail me to tell of Gileon, of Barak, of Samson, of Japha, and David also, and Samuel and of the prophet.

These were great people who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteous, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lying.

They did all these great things.

Listen, uh, quench the violence of fire, verse 34, quench the violence of fire, escaped the edge of swords.

Verse 35, women received their dead, raised to life again.

Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a, here's a key word, a better resurrection.

A better resurrection.

That is making reference to not just getting from the grave.

Many people got from came up from the grave to die again.

But this is a resurrection that can bring eternal life.

I'll let you read it while you're yet living.

Uh uh, I won't I won't read them all, but read verse 39 and 40.

These all, every one of them, these great, we call it a hall of faith, people who did things by faith, not just by the letter of the law, but by faith.

These all, every one of them, having obtained a good report through faith, receive not the promise.

You want to underline that word, promise.

He keeps emphasizing the promise, and he defines what the promise is.

The promise that God gave man was the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is eternal life for the soul.

That's where it starts.

Now that has to be clarified.

Eternal life is not immortality, eternal means that you can live forever under certain conditions.

Immortality means that you cannot die.

Adam could have lived forever in the garden, but he had to eat of the tree of life.

And so when you receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that's the beginning of eternal life, but that's not immortality.

To obtain to immortality, if you, Paul said, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, then you shall live.

Then you have immortality.

This was not possible before the New Testament.

Uh, let's go a little bit further.

Marie verse 39 and 40.

These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.

Here's why.

Verse 40.

God having provided some better thing for us, who was the Us?

That's the New Testament ministry.

That day, that's everyone who lived before the New Testament ministry, without us, that is the New Testament ministry, should not be made complete, whole, perfect, entire.

And so without the New Testament ministry, everyone had to die.

Go to a natural grave.

But if they were faithful, Lord remembered them, and He actually resurrected them after Jesus Christ resurrected.

The graves was open, and not all the bodies, but many of the bodies of the saints were slept arose.

And they went into this New Testament city, the spiritual Jerusalem, heaven Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost.

One more verse, because I want you to see the importance.

So without the book of Acts, this transition from the old covenant to the new covenant, you would not have seen its implementations.

Even the Davidic covenant, he made great covenants with David.

He promised David one thing that it will always be a seed, a son to sit upon his throne.

And Jesus Christ was called the Son of David.

And he sits upon this spiritual throne forever in fulfillment of his promise he made to David.

So all the promises of the old covenant, all the old covenants is fulfilled in Christ in his kingdom.

Outside of his kingdom, none of those promises can be, shall be, whatever be fulfilled.

Matthew, I know you know this, but for the benefit of some who do not, this is the gospel that we're taught.

Go to Matthew 27, just in confirmation, and I'll take your questions because if you without an appreciation for this book of Acts, we would read it with the attitude that is just history, so much more than history.

Though it is the history of the New Testament church, it explains the order and the fulfillment of his promise.

Go to uh 28 chapter of Matthew.

I say 28, 2752.

And this is Christ, he's on the cross.

Verse 50.

Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, yield up the ghost.

The word ghost and the word spirit are synonymous.

The same word, just translated differently.

And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain or in hat from the top to the bottom.

And watch this, the earth did quake when Christ died.

And the rocks rent means they tore.

And the graves, listen this, were open, and many bodies of the saints were slept arose.

They didn't rise till after his resurrection.

The next verse to clarify that.

But the graves was open because it's going to be a natural resurrection.

And so the earthquake, the graves was open, and it said, many bodies, just the ones that you read about, who was faithful.

Many bodies of the saints were slept, arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.

He wasn't talking about natural Jerusalem.

Natural Jerusalem had just murdered Christ.

It wasn't a holy city.

The holy city was the church that was inside that city.

And they got in through the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

And I'll stop just trying to make some things palatable and plain because God remembered them.

He remembered them.

He did not forget them.

And so he did resurrect them so they could receive a better resurrection.

The resurrection that they received there is not a better resurrection.

The better resurrection is the first our spiritual resurrection.

Now, what brought this to pass is the fulfillment of the old covenant and the launching of the bringing forth of the new.

And as he promised, he was going to do a magnificent thing that ears had never heard and eyes had never seen, with stammering lips and another tongue, he was going to speak to this people.

He said, And yet they was not going to bleed.

And so this tongue was a sign of that the Lord had fulfilled his promise.

And so, as you can go back down to the book of Acts, we'll open it up.

One other key verse, you can write it down.

I won't take the time to read it, but I can just I'll just quote it to you for brevity's sake, just to be brief.

When John the Baptist, which was the last prophet of the old covenant, when he was came, he was a forerunner of Christ.

And his message was very simple.

Repent, Israel, because there was rebellious, they were stuff, stiff-hearted.

Repent and be baptized.

That's what he told them.

Nothing else.

He's preparing the way of the Lord.

And so when men of the Pharisees and Sadducees came, religious leaders came to his baptism, who say, Who has warned you to flee or to run from the wrath?

That's the wrath of God that's going to be poured upon this nation.

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

This is Matthew 3, verse 11, 12, 13.

Matthew 3:11

I'm going to quote these verses for you.

You can read them if you like.

Because he knew this prophecy that you read in Ezekiel chapter 5, that he was going to take another third, and he was going to draw the sword after them.

Ezekiel 5 · chapter mention

And the other third would be scattered into the wind.

Okay, here we go.

He says, say not to yourself, don't boast in the fact that you have Abraham to your father.

Say, if God is able these stones to raise up seed unto Abraham.

And so he said, Now, right now, this is the last span of time that God was given to Israel.

Now it's the acts.

That's the word of God.

It's laid to the root of the trees.

He's making reference to Sadducees, Essenes, Zillah, all the denominations.

And every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit is going to be cut down, hewn down, and cast into the fire.

That's what God's wrath that was going to come upon the nation of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel in 70 AD.

But he said he never destroyed the righteous with the wicked.

The righteous, he put them into his garner.

That was the New Testament church, the kingdom of heaven.

It was the kingdom of heaven.

Remember when God gave Israel His laws and statutes, it was the kingdom of God.

But it wasn't a heavenly kingdom, it was a natural kingdom on the earth.

A kingdom of heaven is a spiritual kingdom.

We have a spiritual king.

Jesus said, He told Pontus Pilate, he said, If my kingdom was of this world, then my disciples would fight.

My kingdom is not of this world, it's not natural, it's spiritual.

But Israel was a natural kingdom.

You remember what the disciples asked Christ uh after he resurrected?

Will thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?

They were saying about a natural kingdom.

But the kingdom Christ was establishing was a spiritual kingdom, not a natural one.

There's a reason for that.

Paul teaches us things that are seen are temporal.

If it's a natural kingdom, it's temporal.

But the things that are not seen, they are eternal.

So this is an eternal kingdom with an eternal king, with eternal citizens, with eternal laws and statutes and commandments.

And so hence is why we don't get into social ills and politics.

That's not what we're here for.

Uh, brother Michael, Bola.

Uh God bless you, sir.

Take your liberty on the Bible study.

And anything we say that needs clarification, this is for your edifications for the people of God, it's not for the speaker.

Okay.

All right.

Uh, you mentioned the kingdom of heaven, and you you distinguished it from the kingdom of God.

I recall Let me clarify that.

Let me let me clarify the kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God.

Okay.

But the kingdom of God is not always the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of God in the old covenant was not a spiritual kingdom, it was a natural kingdom.

But because God's laws were being instituted, it was his kingdom.

If you go to Exodus chapter 29, he told them, I will make you a kingdom of priests.

Exodus 29 · chapter mention

So it was a kingdom.

And he put that he established a priesthood, so it was his kingdom, but it wasn't a spiritual kingdom.

All he had to do is be born of a Levite, and then you was in the uh Levitical priesthood.

If you were born a son of Aaron, then you was a high priest.

But in the new kingdom, it's something altogether different.

It's not by posterity, it's by God's making choice.

And now the kingdom that God gave Israel has passed away.

And now his eternal kingdom, starting with the day of Pentecost, is in operation.

Uh, to clarify that just a little bit more, and this is what the book of Acts is bridging the gap between the old covenant and the new.

Look to the book of Hebrews real quickly.

I'm really glad you even asked that question, sir.

Um this brings, all this brings to bear the importance of understanding where we're sitting and how this transition uh shall be made.

Well, go stop at 2 Corinthians first, on the way to Hebrews, everyone.

Uh, this is essential.

I need to show this because without it, we won't have the right appreciation for the things that we're about to read in the book of Acts.

Uh uh look at chapter 3.

And this is Paul right into a church he established, and unfortunately, some of these people was Jews who still trying to bring back the Mosaic laws into the kingdom of God.

When you go into a church, a New Testament church, supposed to be, and they have the laws of Moses written on the wall.

The law of the Ten Commandments was never given to the church.

That was given to Israel, the church in the wilderness.

The laws that God gives us is written upon the tables of our hearts.

And so when you put the Ten Commandments on the wall, you're honoring something that God has done away with that.

But you say, but the laws of God is good.

They are.

Jesus teaches you how to fulfill the Ten Commandments.

He said, The first commandment is love the Lord with your heart, with all your heart, your mind, and your soul.

When you do that, you will not take the name of the Lord in vain, you will not worship any false God, you would not, you will not do anything, you will keep his reverence or his holy day, thus every day is holy.

And then he said the second commandments like unto the first, which fulfilled the last six.

Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery.

You in doing that, if you love your neighbors yourself, you just fulfill the last six.

And so Jesus said upon these two laws, which are spiritual, putting them in your heart, paints all the law Moses and all the teachings of the prophets.

So putting the laws on the wall is showing that you're without understanding.

And I'll let you read it for yourself right here.

And this is why the book of Acts is so important.

And when people don't get an appreciation or an understanding of the Acts of the Apostles, the transition, they're still trying to live on a covenant that God has done away with it.

It couldn't save those who was under it.

As Paul called it returning to the weak and the beggarly elements.

And so people trying to do things naturally in the flesh.

You're trying to do things cornally, and that never please God.

Paul said they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

You can't do it.

So here we go.

Watch these words, they're not mine.

Verse uh chapter 3, 2 Corinthians.

Let's start in the first, the sixth verse for the sake of time.

Okay.

That wouldn't be good.

I'll start in the third verse so you see the context real quickly.

For as much as you are manifested, that means revealed, declared to be the epistles of Christ, ministered by us, not written with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not in table of stones.

He's making reference to the Old Testament, but in the fles and fleshly tables of our heart.

Wow.

Verse 4.

And such trust we have through Christ to Godward, if we just keep obeying.

Verse 5.

Not that we're sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency of God.

Meaning it's God that working us both to will and do of his good pleasure.

Verse 6.

Now watch, he's going to get very clear.

And I want everyone on this on this uh this platform, this medium, to please learn these scriptures and keep you out of the beggar and base things of this world, do's and don'ts.

Verse 6.

Who?

This is God who made us.

That's the New Testament ministers, able ministers of the New Testament.

Get that?

Able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, like in the old covenant, but of the spirit.

So we are spirit-led, spirit-fed, spirit-word-fed, spirit-taught people.

Listen, for the letter, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, it killeth, but the spirit, it giveth life.

Now look what he calls the old testament.

But if the ministration of death, he calls it the old testament, do's and don'ts, the ministration of death, written and engraved in stones.

Remember the Ten Commandments on stone.

If that was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, because he was getting the Ten Commandments from God on the table of stone, which glory was to be done away.

How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?

So he calls the Old Testament the ministration of death.

Then he used another word in verse 9.

He calls it a ministration of condemnation.

If it be glory, much more than the much more do the ministration of righteousness exceed, that's a key word.

This exceeds in glory.

And even that which was made glorious had no glories in this respect.

By reason of the glory, that's the New Testament that excels it.

So that's been done away.

Watch.

For the that which is done away, underline those words.

Paul, this is Paul's speech, this is the apostle Paul talking.

For if that which is done away, that's the Old Testament, was glorious, much more that which remaineth, that's the New Testament, is glorious.

Wow, saying then we have such hope of this great glory, we use great plainness of speech, not as Moses, that was the ministration of death, that's the ministration of condemnation, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.

They're still looking at the Ten Commandments, they're still welling at the wall.

They can't see past it.

And unfortunately, even people, even people and churches still trying to keep the law of Moses.

So sad.

Let's keep reading.

But their mind, that's people who was religious in Jewish laws, their minds was blinded.

For until this day remained the same veil, not untaken away in the reading of the old testament, which veil is done away in Christ.

Wow.

And so I'm trying to get to a point here, and I'm gonna read it.

But until this day, when Moses is read, that's the Old Testament, the veil is still upon their heart.

They can't see to the end of that.

Nevertheless, when it that is their heart turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.

Now let's go over a little bit further to the book of Jesus.

Because the reason I'm doing you this is because even in that New Testament church that came out on the day of Pentecost, there was people who were still contaminated with the teaching of the law of Moses.

And they couldn't just walk in the grace of the New Testament ministry, and they kept looking back.

And so when he writes this, the writer of the book of Hebrews is trying to emphasize the key word in the book of Hebrews is better.

It's better all the way around.

And he'll use that terminology.

I won't do the whole book, but just enough so you can see that this is a better covenant, establish upon better promises.

Everything about it, we have a better ministry, we have a better priesthood, we have a better reward.

Everything here is better.

Look at um, and of course, it's talking about Christ initially, but I'll just start the first chapter.

And this is verse 4, it's talking about Christ being made so much better.

That's the first time he uses this word, and it's gonna ring throughout the whole book.

He being made so much better than the angels.

Plus, by he by inheritance and better, has more obtained a better, more excellent name.

That's another term, better and more excellent.

Those words can be used over and over.

Then you go to the second chapter, just a little bit.

I just want you to see it just a little bit.

Uh go down to uh all this is good.

I'm gonna go ahead and read the first two verses.

Therefore, we ought to give more earnestly, pay more close attention to the things which we have heard, that is the teaching of the New Testament, lest at any time we let them slip or we forget.

For in the Old Testament, if the word spoken by angels in the Old Testament and every transgression this will be to receive a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?

To show you the difference, he said, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, showing you before Matthew 5, 6, and 7, no one heard these truths, and then was confirmed to us by them that heard them, that's the apostles.

And he goes on to show you that this is so much better.

Uh go to chapter 3.

Watch this real careful, real careful.

Uh verse 3, talking about Christ.

For this man was counted worthy of more glory, a better, more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he that built the house has more honor than the house.

Wow.

For every house is built by some man.

Verse 5 for Moses verily was faithful in all his house, that's the house of Israel as a servant.

But verse 6, but Christ as a son over his own house, whose house we are, whose house are we?

Listen to this.

If you want to underline that, and so it's not one state's always saying, if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope confirm until the end, that's the end of the old life.

You can see this over and over, and the key word is better and better and more, and all the way through.

But listen, I just want to touch it.

So this New Testament that came out on the day of Pentecost is where you and I are a part of, and we have to value it.

We have to appreciate it as we let it slip.

We can't let this slip, and we can't turn back to the weak and beggar elements.

Uh go down to chapter four, just real, just real quickly.

Um to verse 14.

Seeing we have a great high priest that's not talking about Aaron, it's talking about Jesus, which has passed into the heaven.

Jesus, the Son of God.

Let us hold our profession.

Why you keep saying, Hope is you can let them slip.

You can let them slip.

Now go down to chapter 5.

Uh look at so I'm just just just real briefly, I'm just touching a few things because you have to see this.

Now, look, uh, this is Christ.

Verse 8.

Though he was a son, he learned obedience by the things he suffered.

He suffered being tempted, but he stayed faithful to the end.

You and I have to suffer being tempted, and we have to be like Christ and stay faithful to the end.

What?

Being made perfect, being made perfect, being made better, being made great, being made complete.

Now, uh let me go speak this pace up just a little bit faster.

Um go down to chapter seven, just real quick.

Verse 11.

If therefore perfection or completion was by the Levitical priesthood, that's on the old testament.

For under it the people received the law.

Just keep showing, don't go back to that.

What further need we have of another priest that's just Arise after the order of Machesedek, that's Christ.

Wow.

Wow.

Well, listen, verse 17.

Verse 16, who is made?

That's Christ.

Not after the law of a look what he called it, a carnal commandment, natural, carnal, but after the power of an endless light.

For he, God the Father, testified, Thou art priest forever after the order of Melchazade.

Now in verse 18, is what I was trying to get you to.

For verify, for there is verily, a truly a disannuling of the commandments, going before for the weakness and prosperity of it.

That's been done away.

Verse 19.

For the law, that's the law of Moses, made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a, here we go, underlined it, a better hope, which started on the day of Pentecost, dead, by which we draw nigh to God.

And it that word keep bringing over and over and over.

Look at verse 22.

I'll read verse 21.

I want you to get this.

For those priests were made without an oath.

That's that too, just born a priest, but this with an oath, by him that is God, which said unto him, that's Christ.

The Lord squared, and is he bowed and will not repent, will not change.

Thou art priest forever after the order of Machedah.

For by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament, better, better, better, better.

And he goes on and on and on.

Now I think I'll I'll stop and we'll go through the book another day.

Um one more passage.

Go to the ninth chapter.

For the first covenant, nine and one.

For the first covenant have ordinances of a divine service and a worldly or natural sanctuary.

That was a natural one, but this is an eternal or a spiritual one.

Uh go down a little bit further so you can actually see.

Look at verse 13.

For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the sprinkling and the ashes of a health of sprinkling unto the unclean, that's trying to forgive the unsaved, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh.

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from evil works to serve the living God?

This is verse.

And for this cause, he is the mediator of the New Testament, a better testament, a better covenant, better promises.

I think I'll stop because it won't go, it won't stop.

It goes on and on and on.

So how does this happen?

Back in the book of Acts.

How much time do I have?

I can't let it get away.

Okay, let me pick up this pace here.

I hope I answered your question.

So the kingdom of God, but that was a natural kingdom that was temporary until Christ would come.

It served a natural purpose until Christ would come.

Paul says it's a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.

When Christ came, that was all done away with.

Vanished, waxed old, put away.

Brother Michael, got any other comments or questions?

No, I'm good for right now.

Write them down.

We can we got all night, sir.

If it's all night, it's all right.

I'll finish this class and and you and I we can we can split the hoof and chew the cud all night.

Okay.

Yes, sir.

Because what I want you to get is I want for all of God's people is understanding, not just facts, not just scripture, but understanding.

Because this is what caused the heart to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save our soul.

But we have to value it.

Remember the scriptures over in Hebrews 2.

Take more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest at any time we let them slip, lest we forget them.

And the cares of this world of the seedness of riches and the lust of other things will constantly flood your mind and distract you until we lose focus of what we're really here for.

What we're really here for is the saving of our souls.

That's why we're into this kingdom that God established through the day of Pentecost.

So, these wonderful people at the end of their covenant.

This is their last span of time.

And Christ came to get a remnant of his people.

He wasn't trying to save any Gentiles at first, wasn't trying to save any Samaritans.

As he told them, go not uh into the house of Samaritans.

We went over that last week.

I can quote it for you.

You can go back and read it if you like to.

But he tells them in Matthew 10, don't go into the uh ways of the Samaritan, don't go to the Gentile, but go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

He's trying to get as elemental righteous people and make them a goner.

And a goner will be the New Testament church on the day of Pentecost.

So all of the good wheat, all the people want to do right, could come into the kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, but it's the kingdom of heaven, and be saved.

And everything else, he's going to burn them with fire.

He's going to draw the sword after the ones who even ran.

Whereas whoever the cork is, that's a body without life.

The eagles shall be gathered together.

When Rome came in, the insignia was an eagle.

Gentile powers.

Eagle is a bird of prey, but it's also a vulture.

And it ate Israel to annihilate them.

That's all in the Bible.

And so Jesus Christ himself told them, okay, listen, after you resurrected, you go wait in Jerusalem until you redeem, be endued with power from on high.

This was the promise of the Father is to give you spiritual life while you're yet on the earth.

And that is the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

And so as they went, as they went and obeyed the Lord, there are 11 apostles.

Realize 11 is not God's number, it has to be 12.

And so the qualification of the New Testament apostles or the foundation apostles, not necessarily New Testament, but the foundation of the 12 apostles, it had to be one who was present from Jesus Christ being baptized of John until the day he was taken up.

And you read that in Acts chapter 2, Acts chapter 1, I'm sorry.

Acts 2 · chapter mention Acts 1 · chapter mention

The last from the verse 2 to verse, I'm sorry, 20 to verse 26.

And so they chose Matthias, and he was numbered with 11.

Now they have the 12.

And then, of course, chapter 2 is when the New Testament church was birthed.

And it was 50 days after, it was 50 days after Christ was put to death and resurrected.

Christ was put together at the Passover.

If you can remember in the book of Exodus, and write these chapters down, chapter 12 and chapter 13.

For the people of God, the nation of Israel who was in captivity, for them to escape, a lamb had to be killed in the evening.

That was Christ.

He died in the evening time of the Jewish world.

The blood had to be applied on the lindles and on the doorposts.

The blood of Christ is the baptism of the Holy Ghost, has to be applied to your life.

So the death angel would actually pass over.

And it happened on Pentecost.

And the day after Pentecost is when they offered up the first fruit.

It's the first fruit offering.

And that was Christ.

After he was put to death, he resurrected three days later, and he was the first fruits that was weighed.

And he count 49 days, blocks one, or seven weeks.

And so you can see in chapter 2, verse 1, when the day of Pentecost was fully come.

What do you mean, fully come?

Because there's 12 hours in the day, that's 12 hours at the night.

The Jewish day starts at 6 a.m.

Fully come, it'll tell you later it was 9 o'clock in the morning when these things occurred.

It was in full operation.

It was when the day had fully come.

It starts at night.

A Jewish day starts at sunset.

That's the start of a day.

And a start of the night, which is that 24-hour day.

And in the morning, and you got 12 hours of light.

The third hour of the day, 9 o'clock in the morning, everybody can see what's happening.

It's when this phenomenon took place.

It was the birth of a nation, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a chosen generation.

That was the birth of the New Testament church.

And we read about that last week.

I would encourage everyone if you weren't present, get the recording.

I won't take the time to read it all over, but there's two essential things.

Let me point this out before time gets away.

I want you to take note of this.

And you'll see this throughout this book, was to bear witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That's number one.

They had to bear witness because they handled him, they saw him after his resurrection.

They ate with him, and it was to bear witness of his resurrection.

Because remember when Jesus appeared in one, the door was yet shut.

But Thomas said, unless I put my hands on his side and behold the hole in his hand, I'm not going to believe.

When he appeared, he said, Thomas, take your hand, put it in my side, put it in my hand.

And he so then he believed.

He said, You believe because you've seen.

He said, But blessed are they which believe and have not seen.

These men bear witness, and because of their testimony is where you and I get into the kingdom.

We believe that Jesus died, he resurrected, ascended back to heaven, and sent back the Holy Ghost, like he promised he would.

And so they had to bear record.

Uh that was their main purpose.

Uh, one of the things they had to do.

Let me just show you this real quick, if I may.

Um go down to uh Acts 1.

This is why they had to have the 12.

I'm gonna point out two essential points.

Um verse 22.

This is the qualification to be one of the foundation apostles.

Well, to be one, I'll read it, verse 21.

Wherefore these men which has company with us all the time, all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning, verse 22, from the baptism of John until the same day which he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be listen to this, to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

And you're gonna see that running repetitively, because that's what the apostles had to do.

And once you receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is the promise of the Spirit, then you can bear witness that Christ actually resurrected because he said if he resurrects and go back to his father, he'll send back the Holy Ghost.

When you receive it, you know he did it.

And anyway, that's just the introduction, and then of course, chapter two, he does the same thing again.

Uh he's bearing witness of the resurrection.

Go to uh chapter 2, uh, verse 31.

He's talking about David.

I read verse 30.

Therefore, being a prophet, talking about David, and knowing that God has sworn with an oath unto him, that's God to David, that of the fruit of his lawns, his natural posterity, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ and sit on his throne.

He, that is David, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in the grave or hell, neither did his flesh seek corruption.

This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses.

He's bearing witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Okay, chapter three is going to be a continuation of the same thing.

And that's the first point, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The second point, essential, because we get mystic ideals and let people uh shape your thinking falsely.

The meeting place of this New Testament church, and you will see this redundantly, though they met in homes, that's where they continue to break bread a little bit finer.

Like I told you, Brother Michael, when we're in this uh uh this Zoom meeting, you and I can talk.

That's breaking bread uh in a smaller setting.

They gathered daily at the temple.

And let me explain this to you, everyone, real carefully, and you can you can fact-check this.

The temple was the center of all Judea worship, all the Jews.

And the temple had a sanctuary, but then it had what was called porches.

The biggest porch was Solomon's porch on the east side.

It stood that whole temple was on the temple mile, which is very massive.

It was like uh 1,500 feet long and over a thousand feet wide, was the temple mile.

And on the top of the temple mile was the temple.

The temple had a holy place and holy of holies, but it had porches, one of which was called the women's court.

This is where the women could go in.

Another one was which is limited in size, but the biggest court they had, what was called Solomon's Porch.

This was massive.

Thousands of people, you can check fact this, a fact check it.

Thousands of people, some estimated up to eight to ten thousand people could gather.

And by the way, Christ preached there, Christ himself went there because this was a common place where people gathered by the thousands every day.

Until the temple itself could no one go but the priest.

But the Solomon Porch, men and women could go there, and it was there by the thousands.

On the day of Pentecost, if you watch it very carefully, and just bear with me, dear people of God, it is imperative, because I know what you've heard, but what you heard don't mean it was true.

Search the scriptures and see for yourself.

You can't get 120 people in an upper room.

You can't put 120 people in a room.

That's not what it said.

It tells you this is where the apostles are bored.

Uh I have to give you this for a reason, because the temple, not inside the temple, but Solomon Porch is where the continue the disciples continued.

This is where they taught, this is where they preached, this is where uh I see someone put that up, LJ.

The temple mound equals 35 football fields.

That's exactly correct.

It's massive.

And Solomon Porch could hold thousands of people.

And this is where the apostles continue, this is where they went every single day.

And this is where they went on the day of Pentecost.

This is where they went when Peter preached his first sermon.

This is where they went when Peter got in trouble.

They always went because that's where the Lord's gathering the people and the book of John, I think it's the 10th chapter.

This is where this is where Jesus went.

Um the 10th chapter.

Um he uses that term.

I hope I'm not giving you too much.

I'm not trying to choke you, but I want to illuminate your understanding.

Look at verse 22.

10 chapter of John, write it down.

And this is and and uh it was at Jerusalem at the feast of dedication.

It was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

Then came the Jews all about him.

This is where thousands of people heard him talk.

It was on Solomon's temple.

That's where he preached, that's where he went into the temple at.

Okay, now the reason I'm giving you that, that affect let me give you a little bit more.

Look at the uh second chapter.

On the day of Pentecost, when people stood in preach, they didn't disperse while he's preaching, they heard his message.

And uh, look at verse 41.

Acts chapter 2, verse 41.

Acts 2:41

And when they that when they gladly, when they that gladly received his word was baptized, the same day that was edited to them, 3,000 souls.

So more than 3,000 people heard Peter.

Well, you can't hear nobody in the upper room.

3,000 people can't hear you in an upper room?

That's ludicrous, and that's how people make the word of God of no effect.

That's literally people can't take, they can't take you serious.

First, you can't get 120 men and women in one room.

You can't do that.

And then you can't open your mouth and talk to 3,000 people in the upper room.

Well, were they in the closet somewhere?

Or you open the windows?

You think you open the windows and talk to 3,000?

He was in the same place Christ had talked.

Let me just see this.

Watch.

And they continue steadfast in the apostles' doctrine of fellowship and breaking the bread and prayer.

And go down a little bit further.

Verse 46.

And they continually daily, on around this, daily with one accord.

This time it tells you whether one accord were.

Continue daily with one accord in the temple and breaking the bread from house to house.

And in the temple, it tells you it was in Solomon's porch.

Why is that significant?

Because I don't want you to believe in myths.

I want you to understand the truth, embrace it.

You don't have to tell everybody if they say, uh, the upper room, you have to argue with them, but don't you know, don't I want you to know that's not realistic.

And if you start believing myth, where would you stop?

Everything matters, truth matters.

Okay, so get that.

Now, chapter three.

This is what they did every day.

Now, Peter and John went up together.

Here it is, it's another day.

Went up together into the temple.

It's a continuation.

Remember verse 46?

They continued, one accord in the temple.

Verse 1 tells you there was one accord.

Verse 46 tells you where there was one accord at.

It was in the temple.

And in chapter 3 continues.

Peter and John went up together into the temple, at the hour of prayer being the ninth hour.

There were three hours of prayer.

The third hour, which is 9 a.m.

Uh, the sixth hour, which is noon, and third hour is three o'clock in the evening.

So they at the evening of prayer.

Someone get me uh Psalms, oh, what is it, 55?

Someone get Psalm 55 and 7.

This is Jews was taught to pray three times a day: morning, noon, and evening.

Morning was at the third hour, noon is at 12 o'clock, and the evening prayer was at three.

And they went to the temple.

That's what they always did.

Uh just write it out.

Okay, in a certain man, is there any question before I go any further?

I'm trying to show you first where these things transpire is in the temple.

Yes, I have a question.

Go ahead.

Okay, uh the Pentecost.

Uh, that was one of the major feasts, right?

That would that meant that everybody from all over uh Christendom uh had come to the temple.

So it was almost like they had a captive audience because everybody was there anyway.

So I'm just gonna I guess God signed that so that all the people would be there.

That's exactly correct.

Every male had to appear three times uh a year, and he couldn't appear empty-handed, every male was compelled to, and of course, oftentimes they brought their spouses, but every male had to, and that's the feast of Pentecost, uh, that's the feast of Passover, and the feast of engaging, and the feast of weeks, three times.

And so uh you correctly had a capture audience, and now, and that's the birth of the church, and now this is after that.

This is after that, but he's showing you the same order.

Now, Peter and John went up together into the temple at the ninth hour, being the hour of prayer, three o'clock in the evening.

And a certain man, the reason the time is important later on in this chapter, uh uh, and a certain man.

From his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily, daily.

Look at these words at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful.

Beautiful was the entrance unto the different, we call them uh uh they call them the pavilions.

And he had to go through the gate.

Warm allegiance to the women's temple.

This is where the women prayed, a women's court, then they had a court of Gentiles, and they had Solomon's porch.

This was a massive one, to ask armor of them that was entering to the temple.

Now watch this carefully, who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked an arms, an offering.

And Peter fastened his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

And he gave, he being an important man who was lame, gave heed or paid attention to them, expecting to receive something.

He looked for something natural.

And now Peter began to proclaim a gospel again.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none.

And what he mean by that is, I don't have natural riches.

That's what you're looking for.

But such as I have, that's the power of God.

Give I thee.

Everything is done in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

In the name of Jesus Christ, that's whose power he's operating in.

That's whose authority he's operating in.

Not in his own.

He's not bringing glory to himself.

He didn't call himself the great apostle Peter and the great apostle John.

Everything they did was in the name of Jesus.

Everything, deeds and words.

And now these are words in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

Rise up and walk.

And he took him up, watch this carefully, by the hand, lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

And he leaping up, he leaping up, stood, and walked.

Now watch this, and entered in with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.

Here's the problem.

This is the hour of prayer.

People in that praying.

This man comes in leaping and shouting and praising God.

He busts up the prayer meeting.

This is a sacred time.

Hour of prayer.

He breaks up the prayer meeting.

A wonderful thing he did.

Listen to this.

And when they knew that it was he, who sat at arms at the beautiful gates of the temple, they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which was done.

Because they seen this man had been there many, many days, many months.

What's interesting also, I'm going to point this out, Jesus went to the Solomon's porch 50 some days earlier.

No more than 60.

The man was there then.

There's no doubt in my mind he left that man there for Peter and John to raise up, to bear witness of the resurrection of Christ.

Watch this.

And as the man which was uh was healed, he helped Peter and John.

All the people, they forgot this hour of prayer.

They ran together unto him.

Look at this, and the porch that is called Solomon's.

There you go again.

I don't know why people reject the scriptures to keep traditions.

The scripture is too plain on that.

But let's keep reading.

Greatly wondering.

And Peter saw it.

He answered to the people, ye men of Israel, this is the key.

I want you to listen to this.

When Jesus told them how the gospel was to be used, it was going to first be in Jerusalem.

And this is what Peter is doing.

And Acts 2 is in Jerusalem.

Acts 3 is Jerusalem.

And then he says, in Judea, that's Acts 4 and Acts 5.

When you get to Acts chapter, all the way up to Acts chapter 7, that's Judea.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

And then he goes over to Acts 8.

Now that's Samaritan.

That's where he said it would happen.

And then he goes to Acts 10, that's the Gentiles.

Just as Jesus told them, you shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and Judea and Samarita and the uttermost parts of the earth.

And remember this, dear people of God.

No one else, not another soul, could get anyone filled with the Holy Ghost until Peter had opened the doors.

On the day of Pentecost, remember Jesus said, Thou art Peter, I gave unto thee the keys of the kingdom.

The keys is the gospel.

And Peter rattled those keys.

He used those keys on the day of Pentecost.

And in chapter 2, that's how the 3,000 were saved.

Acts chapter uh 3 and 4, you're going to see 5,000.

That's Peter again.

Go down to Samaritan.

Philip went down, people believed and was baptized.

But until Peter came and opened the keys, nobody received the Holy Ghost.

Acts chapter 10, the Gentiles, again, Peter goes down and opened the doors.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Now the door is opened.

So everyone is able to receive this wonderful gift.

It's never been closed.

Okay.

Any questions on that?

Now, verse 12.

I'm going to make it.

I'm going to pick up the pace.

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, you men of Israel, that's who he's talking to.

No Gentiles, Israel.

No Samaritans, Israel.

There might have been proselytes or people who were converted to Judaism, but he's talking to these people now, Israel and those that are converted.

Why marvel you at this?

And why look so earnest upon us?

Boy, if he was not, if he was a preacher today, he'd be taking look on us.

Why look so earnest upon us as though by our own power or holiness we have made this man to walk?

Now he's preaching the gospel again.

Listen to this gospel, it gets very deep.

This gospel that he's about to preach is going to cause 5,000 people to be added.

And by the way, to tell you where he is, he's on Solomon's porch.

Listen, just like he was on the day of Pentecost, he's on Solomon's porch.

That's where the 3,000.

He went back again a few days, 5,000.

Let's read.

The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our father, has glorified his son Jesus, whom ye, you just a few days earlier, whom you delivered and denied, delivered up and denied him in the presence of Polly when he was determined to let him go.

But you denied the Holy One and the just and desired a murderer could be granted to you.

That's an interesting term.

That's look if it's two guys in the Bible whose speech is raw in the New Testament, Luke and John.

Nobody calls nobody calls Barnabas or Bessabus.

Nobody calls him a barbass.

I'm sorry.

Nobody calls him a murderer but Luke and uh and John.

They call him a robber, uh, they call him uh insurrector, but they didn't call him a murderer.

And so Luke calls him as he saw it, as he understood it, and so does John.

So he used it.

The reason I'm pointing that out, this is the way Luke writes.

He's very raw in his speech, and you'll see that as you read.

He's very plain.

He's eloquent, but he's quite plain.

Anyway, he's saying you desired a murder to be granted unto you, and you killed the prince of life, whom here you go, he's bearing witness again, whom God has raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses.

You've seen it in chapter, you see it in chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three, and you'll see it throughout.

There was witnesses of the resurrection of Christ.

That's the first beginning of the gospel.

A person don't believe that Jesus raised from the dead, then there's no seed, no need to go any farther.

You're casting your pearls before swines.

This is what he's bearing record.

Listen, verse 16.

And his name, through faith in his name, and everything centers around that name.

Not names, but that name.

And in his name, through faith in his name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know.

You've seen him, you've known him for months.

Yea, faith, the faith which is by him, has given him that is this man, is perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

And now, brethren, I know I wrought that through ignorance you did it, as did your rulers.

But those things which God has shown by the mouth of all his prophets in the old testament, that Christ or the Messiah should suffer, he has so fulfilled.

Now, this is the key verse.

Repent ye therefore.

He's talking to the rest because in Acts chapter 2, 37, we already had some to repent.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

This is another group who is mingling also.

Repent, therefore, and be converted.

Converted from what?

From the law of Moses to the law of grace, from Moses to Christ, be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, when the Lord has sent his spirit again, as on your individual.

And he shall send Jesus Christ as a revelation, which were, which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the restitution of all things.

He will not step foot on this earth until the restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the beginning of the world.

For Moses truly said unto the Father, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethrons, like unto me, like unto Moses.

Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say.

I want to give you this.

And so the body of Moses was the nation of people whom he was the head of.

And the body of Christ is a spiritual people whom Christ is the head of.

You got the body of Moses, and you have the body of Christ.

There is a third body in the Bible, it's the body of the beast.

And you can't be in two of them at the same time.

You're either in the body of Moses, which is the nation of Israel, which has been judged, or you're in the body of the beast as a religious system that won't be redeemed, or you're in the body of Christ.

Okay, let's keep moving.

And so it shall come to pass, verse 23, still talking out of Deuteronomy 18, chapter 15, verses what he's quoting.

And by the way, he's quoting this.

This is the fulfillment of that.

And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.

That is in 70 AD, every Jewish person in Jerusalem and Judea who rejected the Messiah was destroyed in 70 AD.

As you read about in Ezekiel 5.

Then he said, Yeah, yeah, means yes.

All the prophets, Old Testament, from Samuel, who was the first man who had the office of a prophet, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold you of these days.

What these days, the day of Pentecost and this first century church, these days that fulfills the Old Testament.

You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers.

Yes, saying unto Abraham and thy seed, shall all kindred, as all nations of the earth, be blessed, until you, until you first, it starts with Jerusalem.

Have God, here bearing witness again, have have have until you first, God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, and turning every one of you from his iniquity.

I want to read the first, I want to read the first four verses of this so you can on the fourth chapter to bring this to the proper conclusion.

And as he spake unto the people, because he was right there on Solomon's porch, right there at the temple, and they got an audience, everybody is listening.

And as they spake unto the people, the priests, because they're teaching something new, something different, and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

They upset because you're preaching a new thing, a new gospel.

You're teaching the resurrection from the dead, and the law of Moses has no more effect.

Albeit, many of them which heard the word believe, and the number of the men were about 5,000.

That's not even counting the women.

Again, is in the temple.

I'll pause here.

But you're seeing the first message was preached on the day of Pentecost was Peter.

The second message preached after the day of Pentecost, again on Solomon's porch, was Peter.

And you see, both times, thousands of people come in.

One man standing preach, thousands of people.

Why did that happen?

Because God was confirming his word with signs and wonders.

Miracles was being done.

You could not deny it.

And then, of course, they didn't get everything, just like what we teach you.

Whether it's a Bible class or it's a Sunday meeting or Friday night, you have to break bread from house to house.

If you don't get together and go from house to house and discussing things, the word of God, then you're just a churchgoer.

You have to break bread.

You have to go over these things.

This is how you get it.

And without doing it, you cannot get it.

It'll always be over your head.

You'll always forget and you can't connect the dots.

And so if you can remember, uh, back to Acts 2, 46, they continue with one accord in the temple, but that's going to church meetings, a place set aside to have meetings, and breaking bread from house to house.

This is how you have to get it.

Uh, Paul's, I did make it with four minutes to spare.

Is there any questions?

I know I went a move a little bit fast because I wanted to give you proper background that you can see the significance of understanding this book, is fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies.

This is the birth of the New Testament church, and watch how they operated.

They gathered together, yes, at the temple, but they went from house to house.

Oh, by the way, there was no need for them to even build a building because they went to Solomon's porch.

Once persecution breaks out, then there was something different.

But at first, there was peace and quiet for three and a half years until they stoned Stephen.

That's when persecution broke after, broke out.

So the first three and a half years they had perfect peace.

So God does give the people in the kingdom of God give us time to build before you turn before he turned the walls loose and see whether or not we'll be faithful.

And those men will stay faithful.

Okay, any questions on anything I said?

I did a lot of talking.

Anything need clarification?

Any comments of consideration?

The elder with the white jacket on.

Brother Greg, brother Kenny Patton, brother Michael, brother LJ, any comments?

No, sir.

I think um I I know I'm speaking, so I guess this is a comment.

But I think the biggest thing is to always keep in mind.

I did send it on WhatsApp umce you finished because we get it locked in our mind.

Um you hear something so much you can accept it as truth and the importance of them staying together.

Um, it wasn't just at Solomon's porch.

Uh, I know we people you just went over the upper room and whatnot, but it wasn't just at Solomon's temple that they stayed together, even though there was a central meeting place when they dispersed because once you, as you said, it was mentioned, um it was customary just before the day of Pentecost, that three hours of prayer, and so they kept that.

And uh, even when you read the book of Daniel, uh that's something his accusers had against him, and it was time to pray three times a day.

It tells you that in the book of Daniel, he prayed three.

That's what he was keeping.

Uh, what is that?

Uh Psalms 55.

The reason that's important 55 55, 17, yes, sir.

And the reason that's important is they wasn't just together to pray.

Um, they even talked there, communicate there, preach there, but then even when they dispersed, they still found a way to get together.

And excuse my uh, I'm gonna use the term uh natural, I don't think it's cornal, but it's amazing to me how the spirit of the Lord led them because they knew where each other was without telephones, but they would always end up being together, they would stay together.

They knew who when Peter came when he was released, like we didn't get to it yet, but when when Peter went, he knew where to go.

When he when he got out of jail, when the angel freed him, the spirit of the Lord let him know where to go, and there they was praying, and so it's just it's a community.

We don't want to get away from that.

Uh uh, another word is fellowship.

But when Jesus Christ he established, it really was a fellowship, it was their community, and they kept that.

And so I stopped there.

Uh that's what makes that's what makes it a church.

A church is an assembly of people, but it's not just to go to a church meeting.

Uh I was talking today.

The church is not the building, you all know that.

But if we don't stay in communication, we don't stay in fellowship, and we're not we might be association, maybe an affiliation, but that's not the church.

When you're all together on Sundays and Bible study, that is not the church.

It is not.

You have to be connected.

And uh by the way, one more caveat on your way out.

Go to Acts chapter 5.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

This verse came from while you were talking about LJ.

Verse 12.

I think I gave you four, we didn't give you five.

Acts five and twelve.

And by the hands of the apostles was many signs and one was wroth among the people.

Here it is again, and they was and they were all with one accord, here it is, in Solomon's porch.

And why a thousand of people was there, but keep reading, and of the rest, does no man join himself to them, but the people magnified.

Do you know why?

Anonizes the fire dropped dead on that porch.

It was in the back room, so that happened right on Solomon's porch.

This is where they congregate.

There's thousands of people, but the people God was in a different place.

And the ones who who saw the power of God, no, don't join yourself to those people, don't play with them.

They're serious about God, they're serious about the order of God.

So hence, yes, I guess you can say we're in this Christian world, but everybody should join themselves to us if you're not serious.

I like the accusation that uh I haven't heard of late, but people are scorn us and say we're Bible college.

No, we're not a Bible college, we're the people of God, make the Bible serious, and so that's that's a good reproach.

I'll stop.

It's 10 o'clock, brother.

Uh 9 o'clock, brother LJ.

So if there's no questions, uh let's keep up with our reading.

Um, you know, study, do your reading, but this is studying, and so we'll do next week.

We'll try to do four and five together.

We'll pick up the pace a little bit.

Uh you won't be here next week, sir.

Oh, that's true.

That's right.

I'll be in a ministers meeting on the West Coast.

Okay, I concur.

Are we going to do corporate next week or are we going to do back to home meetings?

And it probably need to be due corporate because I won't be here next week either.

I'll be in California also.

Okay, well, uh, some of the other elders can pick up the fifth chapter.

I want a fourth chapter.

I won't rush you.

You don't have to try to do both.

Just do the fourth chapter and press the alay, make sure people get good understanding.

But keep this in your mind when the people are meeting, they're meeting in a large central place where there's thousands and thousands of people.

We meet today, we don't have places that large, a common meeting place.

And so they didn't just go out just testifying.

There was already thousands and thousands of Jews, uh, many thousands, was together in one place.

So when they preach the gospel, people are hearing it.

And so we don't have any such custom today in a place that we can just meet freely.

Uh so hence our operation has to change.

We have to go out and do what Jesus said to the highways and hedges and compel men to come into the kingdom.

Okay, I'll stop.

I won't say anything else, Brother LJ.

Yes, sir.

Well, just a two quick announcements, please.

Um, one is we love keep testifying, um, keep reaching out, but please let brother Sean know because uh who you invited, because he's wondering who people are in the waiting room, and I don't know either.

So please communicate with Brother Sean.

Uh, he is security.

Also, um, we kind of we mentioned it, but we we don't we haven't been pushing it, but we have to start pushing it again.

If you're planning on going to North Carolina, please let me know.

Um, it's about two and a half months away, or roughly about two months away.

So if you're planning on going to North Carolina, I need to start getting a list.

I do have some names.

If you're considering it, haven't brought tickets yet, please let me know.

You're at least considering it.

That's the two announcements I have, sir.

Um, any others?

That's nice.

Love you all, God bless you all.

Have a great night.