Acts Chapter 2 (2009)

That all things will work together for good, not for everyone, but for those who love the Lord, who are called according to his purpose.

And so that's a happy or that's a very blessed state to be in.

And when Jesus Christ actually graced this earth some 2,000 years ago, he actually came to a people whose God was to be the Lord, was supposed to have been the Lord, and that was the nation of Israel.

And there was no such people on the face of the earth that was actually called Israelites or Hebrews.

But God took a one man, separated that man from his kindred, from his father's house, changed his name from Abram to Abraham, and made him the father of a great nation of people.

And of course, Abraham, once his name was changed, was named, had a son named Isaac, who produced a son named Jacob.

He actually had twins, but the younger son was named Jacob.

And his name, Jacob, means trickster, and the Lord actually changed his nature, uh, that he actually no longer was a supplanter or trickster, but he was one that actually prevailed with God and man.

He found favor.

And so God gave him the name of Israel.

And of course, Israel was a man, but he produced twelve sons.

And each of those sons became so numerous in population that it was called tribes.

And they're called the twelve tribes of Israel, or the twelve sons of Israel, or the sons of Jacob, or sometimes the synonym is just called Jacob, but that's all making reference to the household of Israel.

Or we use the term the Jewish nation or Hebrews, those are all synonyms.

And that people was not to be just any people, but they was literally to be a kingdom of priests on the earth.

It was to them that was given the statutes and the ordinances, the articles of God.

They actually had what no other nation of people on this globe had.

They had the priests that had the morning and evening sacrifice.

The fire never went out on the altar to make atonement for the sins of that people.

They had the law of Moses, which was the statutes of God that was written, I'm sorry, that was read daily.

They had a priest who was the uh interceder or the intercessor between God and man.

And he had a breastplate.

And on that breastplate, he had twelve jewels.

Uh each one of those jewels represented one of the tribes of Israel.

And he carried those people on his heart, ever praying for the people of God.

On his shoulder, he actually had uh two jewels, one on the right and one on his left, showing how that priest carried a burden of Israel on his shoulders.

And so there they were.

They were called to be the people of God.

There was a kingdom, the Bible uses that term, uh, there was a kingdom of priests.

And it was through that people, it was through that nation of people, that all of the earth was to be blessed.

But rather than propagate the gospel, uh, rather than live the standard the Lord had given them, they began to look around and despise everybody else.

They consider everyone else outcasts and dogs.

They became stiff-necked and hard-hardened.

And so here he is, Jesus Christ, when he actually came and he graced this earth 2,000 years after the call of Abraham.

Uh, do you realize when they looked at Jesus Christ, they didn't even know he was the Son of God?

They didn't have a revelation that he was the one that actually came to take away the sins of the world.

You begin to see how John, when he actually looked upon uh the dusty shores of Galilee and he saw him coming, he said, Behold the Lamb, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin.

He didn't say sins, S-I-N, S, he said the sin, singular, the sin of the world.

What was the sin of the world?

That was the great transgression that happened in the Garden of Eden.

That was the disobedience of one man.

The Bible said, by one man, by one man disobedient, many were made sinners.

And so here he is, as he began to grace this earth, that you realize that these people, who was to be the a priesthood of God, a holy nation, they was also to be a peculiar people.

But they were so rigid, they were so stiff-necked, they were so self-righteous, until when they saw the grace of God, they didn't even recognize him.

And so here he is.

He didn't come to everyone.

Uh he came first only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Uh there, why?

Uh, because the Bible led us to know that it's to the Jew first, and then the Gentiles.

God is a God of order.

And it was through them, it was through the nation of Israel that we have this holy writ.

This is the Jewish book.

You've heard us talk about these things.

It has 44 writers.

One author, the author is the Holy Ghost, we know that.

But there were 44 writers, and yet all of those writers was Hebrews.

Uh the first five books were written by, and which are?

Boy, you don't sound very strong.

Let's say it again.

Genesis.

Wonderful.

And they're called the books of the and law was given by Moses.

And then, of course, the next group of historical books of the Old Testament, and they are Esther.

And so they were written by various art, uh, various writers, uh, each one bearing a name.

The book of Job was written by Job.

Ezra wrote Ezra, Nehemiah, Nehemiah, so on and so forth.

And uh, and then of course there's the next category is five, and they are called the books of poetry, and they are Song of Solomon.

Uh okay, and then it's still ringing, and it's still ringing.

And then, of course, we can see from there there was a group that was called prophets.

The Lord Himself uh didn't have a class of people who was called prophets.

He didn't have a class of people who was called prophets.

He had the law and he had the um he had the priesthood.

But because the priesthood became so corrupt until the Lord would actually raise up men outside, outside of the posterity of uh Aaron, and they was called prophet.

And those men would actually begin to point those people back toward God.

And of course, uh we know that the Bible is broken up into two categories of prophets.

What are they?

And and how many books are in the major prophets?

How many is in the minor?

And what are the major?

And Daniel, and what are the minor?

Zachariah and Malachi.

And so there we have those great 39 books of the Bible uses this term, the old covenant.

The word covenant is a contract, it's a testament.

And so this is the covenant that God had made with his people.

Uh, there were statues in there, there was conditional promises.

Some promise was unconditional, but there was conditional promises.

Uh, that is, if they would hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord their God, the Lord was going to actually set them on high.

He was gonna make them a nation that was above every nation of the earth, not so much just in natural prosperity, but in wisdom, uh, uh in favor.

Do you realize as long as Israel, as long as Israel remained in order, as long as they didn't break rank, as long as they honored the men that God had used, there was no nation that could stand before Israel.

There was no adversary, there was no adversary that could withstand Israel.

But when they despised his laws, when they despised his word, when they abused his prophet, and they rejected his words, then God allowed his enemies to make havoc of them.

And of course, the same thing in our life.

As long as we can honor those whom God has honored, as long as we can uphold the hand of the one that God is upholding, then no one that is Hittite, Amekite, Perserite, there is no Ike that's able to overtake us.

But brother, if I begin, if I begin to despise God's word, despise his messengers, then surely these ike, Hittites, Amekites, Perserite, Jebusites, well, surely they will overrun me.

But thank God, and I'm glad about this.

Jesus Christ himself came and he came as the captain of the host.

And so he came to his own.

I'm getting to the book of Acts, bear with me here.

He came to his own, and that was the nation of Israel.

He came to his own.

Uh, he did not come to the Philistines, uh, he didn't come to the uh uh uh the Edomites, uh, he didn't come uh that is to the Cretans, but he came to his own, is how John put it.

But his own did what?

They received them not.

And here's the wonderful thing about God.

Do you know the Lord?

He's a God of order, but no one, no one can dictate your outcome.

If I reject the Lord, if you reject the Lord, uh Paul makes a statement, he said, the foundation of the Lord standeth sure, having the seal, the Lord knoweth those that are his.

If I reject the Lord, the Lord will raise up somebody else in my stead.

He said, He came to his own, and his own receive him not.

But as many as did receive him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God.

And so that word, that's the first introduction of it.

Uh let's go there.

And we head into the book of Acts.

It's wonderful books of Acts.

And Acts is the actions of those apostles, it's the activities of the early reign church after Jesus Christ preached his gospel, after Jesus Christ preached his gospel for three and a half years, he was actually cut off in the midst of the week.

He only preached for seven and a half years, prothetically speaking.

I'm sorry, three and a half years.

A prophetic week is seven years.

So he was cut off in the midst of that week.

And so who declared his generation?

Who finished that week out to that Jewish nation?

Well, it was the apostles.

And so we can begin to see here, let's pick it up.

First of all, and the Gospel of John, a wonderful book.

This is a great book for every person who's trying to find their way to the Lord or even getting a new start.

It's a wonderful place to start.

Uh here he is.

Here he is.

Uh verse uh chapter 1, verse 11.

Chapter 1, verse 11.

Let's read it together.

Let's read it together.

Came unto his own.

What own is that?

That's his own nationality.

That's his own people.

He was a Jew.

Jesus Christ Himself was a natural Jew.

And he makes a statement in the fourth chapter of John.

He said, salvation is of the Jews.

And absolutely it is.

Moses, he was a Jew.

All the prophets, they were Jews.

Matthew, Mark, all these writers, they're Jews.

Salvation is of the Jews.

This is a Jewish book.

Thank God, brother.

But Paul makes a statement, he is not a Jew which is one outwardly in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly.

And circumcision is of the heart.

It's not in the letter.

It's the letter that killeth.

We can read the Bible, we can understand some things naturally, but that won't produce life.

Do you know it takes the Spirit of God?

And we'll see that in the wonderful book of Acts.

Brother, this book of Acts is the activity of the early reign church, but brother, more than that, it's the activities of the apot of the Holy Ghost working in men.

There is no other book in the Bible that reveals the operation of the Holy Ghost as much as the book of Acts.

Do you know when that those men actually began to officiate in the kingdom of God?

The New Testament was not yet written.

All they had was just the Old Testament.

But brother, what they did have, and thank God we're people have to lean on that, they had that staff.

They had the Holy Ghost.

And it was the Holy Ghost that led those men, inspired those men, unctioned those men, even if it crossed their nationality, if it crossed the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and even their own concept, there was enough Holy Ghost in those men till they knew when the Lord had a bit in their mouth and he was turning them to the right and turning them to the left.

Brother, what glorious days those were.

Aren't you looking for those days again?

I'm looking for those days.

And so here he is.

He said he came, that's talking about Jesus, verse 11, to his own.

That's his own nation of people.

And his own did what?

They received them not.

They rejected him.

Do you know why they rejected him?

First of all, because he was not what they expected.

They were looking for a Messiah, that is a deliverer, that was going to save them from the oppression of the Gentile nations.

At this time, there was under oppression to Rome.

Prior to Rome, there was under oppression to the Grecians.

And prior to the Grecians, it was the Medes and the Persians.

And prior to that, it was Babylon.

Prior to that, it was the Assyrians.

And they thought the Messiah, when he came, was going to deliver them from all of their physical oppression.

That's what they were looking for.

Looking for a man who was going to be robust.

Maybe somebody like Saul.

He wasn't some mascular, muscular-built man.

But brother, no doubt, brother, he was a man just like you and I.

And we know he had to be somewhat scrounging because he oftentimes fasted.

Matthew is recorded after he fasted 40 days and 40 nights, how he was led into the willingness to be tempted.

And so just 40 days of not eating, but it'll reduce you down to be pretty thin, wouldn't it?

Absolutely so.

Then another time Jesus Christ makes a statement.

He said, Except you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, he said, You have no life in you.

No doubt they looked at this man, how scroungy he was looking, and say, Man, this man's got to be kidding.

Who wants to eat that flesh?

Thinking naturally.

But no doubt, uh, brother, here he is.

It was, his flesh was not natural flesh, it was the word of God.

And that's what he was, was the word of God in shoe leather.

Do you realize the word without the spirit can't minister life?

But thank God Jesus Christ, though he was the word of God, he was conceived.

He never received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, Sister Christine, but he was conceived of the Holy Ghost.

Everything he did was by the Spirit of God.

Though he was the word of God, that without the Spirit would only bring death.

Thank God, brother, he was conceived of the Holy Ghost.

And so here he is.

He was inspired by something working in him.

He was unctioned by something that was within him, that was the Spirit of God.

And so he knew only to go to the nation of Israel.

And so he came to his own, his own received him not.

But as many as received him, thank God, to them gave he what?

To them gave he power.

P-O-W-E-R.

That is a wonderful word.

You want to take note of that.

You want to take note of that word.

To them gave he power.

Listen to this.

To become the what?

The sons of God.

The Israelites were the sons of God by posterity.

That was the righteous lineage.

But he's not making reference to the sons of God in the earth.

He's making reference to the sons of God whose roots is going to be in heaven.

God the Father, he was the husbandman.

He's the one that planted this.

Jesus Christ Himself, he was the root of that tree.

And those apostles, they was called the branches, and thank God we are the fruits of the branches.

Two thousand years later, those branches, that is the teaching of those apostles, is still bearing fruit.

And see, that was the children of God or the sons of God that was in the earth.

That was the righteous lynches.

The problem with them is that their root, the root of that tree was the corner of mine.

The trunk of that tree was Adam, and Eve was the branches, and all she bare was a bunch of natural-minded people.

But thank God for the Spirit of God that's actually graphed us in into an upside-down tree.

But to many as received him, to them gave he what?

Power to become the sons of God.

And I love this.

He said, even, even to them that did what?

That believed on his name.

And so here he is.

Brother, he's coming to his nation of people.

As a matter of fact, I often say that, but let me give you a few scriptures, lest you think that we're just talking here.

Go to Matthew chapter 10, real briefly.

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

We head into the wonderful book of Acts, but it's always good to have a good foundation because we'll be persuaded because you hear something.

No, be persuaded because you have read it.

Be persuaded because the eyes of your understanding have been illuminated by the Spirit of God out of the Word of God.

Here he is in the 10th chapter.

Here he is in the 10th chapter and the fifth verse.

Okay, I'll read it.

Verse, what verse did I say?

Verse 5?

Ten and five.

These twelve, that's name of the apostles, the previous two verses, three verses.

These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them.

This is not an option, but commanded them saying, Go not into the way of the what?

Into the Gentile.

What is a Gentile?

Everyone that is not of Hebrew descent is a Gentile.

We break up into different sectarian groups and different races and different nationalities, but in the Bible, there's only two races of people.

Either you a Jew or you a Gentile.

It's just that simple.

And of course, we break up into Americans, Canadians, Mexicans.

But brother, in the eyes of God, you either a Jew or you a Gentile, both naturally and spiritually.

When you receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that's a circumcision that's been made without hand.

You become a spiritual Jew.

And that's just a synonym for being a child of God.

That's what it is.

A Gentile is those that are without, those that are without.

And so do you think God didn't have a love for those that was without?

You think God didn't love the Gentiles?

You think God didn't love the Samaritans?

Absolutely he loved the Samaritans.

Absolutely he loved the Gentiles.

But he's a God of order.

He is a God of order.

And see, this is the thing about it.

Right here in the kingdom of God, do you realize, brother, that if I harden my heart to the gospel, it's to me first, because I received the gospel.

I received Jesus.

I was given the power to become the sons of God.

But brother, if I harden my heart, if I fail to move on with God, do you know what the Lord would do?

The Lord would just simply do for me what He did with Israel.

And these are patterns for you and I.

That you and I, the Bible said by uh by the scriptures, uh, brother, that we may have a strong consolation.

If I continue, uh if I draw back, if I fail to continue on with God, the Lord will just simply leave me and give that grace to someone who's will who's worthy.

He'll simply take that grace and give it to somebody who's willing to go on.

And none of us, I want to remember this, we're all, as Brother Watson said, we're all pencil in.

There's nobody named that's etched in stone.

Though we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, our name is in the book of life, but that's not the Lamb's book of life.

It can be blotted out of the book of life.

And until we can make that great transformation from the book of life to the Lamb's book of life, brother, we got to keep moving.

We have to keep moving.

And so here he is.

Uh, here's the nation of Israel.

God loved the Gentiles, but before you go to the Gentiles, the children had to reject it.

They had to reject it.

Uh, they had to have their feel and say, I'm not going any further.

And then the gospel became open to the Gentiles.

And so it was to the Jew first.

Uh, let's read the scripture here.

I don't you think I'm just talking.

And uh Jesus, I'm sorry, verse 5 again.

These 12 Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the what?

Gentiles.

And into any city of the Samaritans.

What is the Samaritan?

That's a mixed breed people.

They were half Jews, they had intermingled in a marriage with the Gentiles, and they're called Samaritan.

That's the area they settled in.

And actually it wasn't their fault, it really wasn't their fault under the uh uh the rulership of the Assyrians.

Uh, when they actually overran those ten tribes of Israel, they took all the Israelites out and put them in a far a foreign country.

And they brought the Gentiles and put them in in the land of Israel.

But the Lord sent wild beasts to begin to devour those people, and they began to call upon the king and say, We don't know this God of the land of Israel.

He's different from our gods.

We don't know how to worship him.

And so they brought back some Jews to teach them how to worship the God of Israel in the intermarit.

And now that's how you get the term Samaritan.

That's what they were.

They were a mixed breed people.

Well, how does that apply to you and I?

Well, when you get someone that's half-worldly and they're half Christians, then that's what they are.

They're spiritual Samaritans.

They're a mingled people.

They're a mingled people.

And of course, you have people who are just staunch religious, then those are just uh that they're pitching the Bible by Jews.

Uh that's just a religion.

And you know what they'll do?

They'll forsake the righteousness of God.

This is what the Bible said about Israel.

They'll forsake the righteousness of God and go about to establish their own righteousness.

They won't lean on the Holy Ghost, they won't take heed to the word of God, they'll do what's right in their minds.

And that's just like in the book of Judges.

Every man does what's right in his own eyes.

Well, I don't mind doing what's right in my eyes as long as my eyes and the Lord's eyes are the same.

And that's not always the case.

So, what above all else, we have to be willing to find what is the mind of God.

Absolutely.

And interpretation is wonderful.

But brother, after you get interpretation, you have to have the proper application.

Because you can have the right interpretation, and if you don't apply it right, you still miss God.

You still miss God.

The letter kill it, but it's the spirit.

It's the spirit that gives it light.

And you'll see that throughout this wonderful book of Acts.

Thank God those men had more than just letter.

Those men had more than that.

More than just interpretation.

They knew how to apply the Word of God.

And when they didn't, sometimes they didn't, thank God the Holy Ghost will put them on the right path.

It'll check them, it'll restrain them, it'll unction them, it'll direct them.

And that's for you and I as well.

Regardless of how much we're taught, regardless of how much teaching that we have, how much understanding, it still takes the Holy Ghost to give you the proper application.

You can't do this in the flesh.

You absolutely cannot.

It would weary the flesh.

This would weary the flesh.

His ways are not, and we've quote these scriptures all the time.

His ways is not our ways.

His thoughts, they are not our thoughts.

And sometimes, if any man, Paul said, think he standeth, let him take heed lest he fall.

If any man think he know of anything, he knoweth nothing as he ought to.

We have to always remain a needy people.

Always need the Holy Ghost.

Always need the Lord to show you, Lord, what is your application of these particular principles?

What's your application of these truths?

And so here's this great people, Israel.

They had the goods.

Look what he says here, verse 6.

He said, but rather they weren't permitted to go into the Gentiles.

They was not permitted to go to the Samaritans, the half Jews and half Gentiles.

Verse 6 is a wonderful key.

He said, but rather go what?

But rather go to the lost sheep of the what?

House of Israel.

That's the only place they were permitted to preach is this gospel was just to the Jews.

Just to the Jews.

The time was going to come that he was going to reach out to the Samaritans.

He was going to reach out to the Gentiles, but God is the God of order.

Never want to lose maybe my cell phone.

It's me.

I'm sorry.

I didn't bring my watch, so I actually brought my cell phone.

No, it's not my cell phone.

It's not on me.

Yes, it is.

I suppose to use it on.

Okay, let me use your watch, please.

Okay, to go to uh while we're on this, let's just go over to uh Romans first real quick.

Romans um god, somebody I'm gonna have Romans chapter one.

Read your Bible.

Yeah.

Some pages are so good you just wear them right out the Bible.

Romans 1 is such a page as that.

Romans 1, I like to read this.

This is a wonderful verse.

And it helps you to see the order of God as we get into the wonderful book of Acts.

It's paramount that we have some foundation lest we be weary in the things we're reading.

Um go to verse uh 16, 1 and 16.

16 and 17 is two wonderful verses, and it's also a wonderful uh foundation to help understand the book of Acts, verse 16.

He said, If I'm not, are you that with me?

If I'm not uh for listen to this, it's the power, there he goes again, it's the what?

Unto salvation to who?

Here's the principle to the what?

Say it again to the what?

To the Jews first.

The gospel came to the Jews first.

He said, and also to the Greek.

A Greek is a Gentile, but it was to the Jew first.

Then also the Greek, the Jews had to reject it before the Gentiles, thank God we was ready to receive it.

And quote, you can begin to see here, verse 17, it's another wonderful key.

He says, For therein, what therein?

The gospel of Christ.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed.

And see, the laws of Moses didn't really give you the righteousness of God.

It gave you the statues, it gave you pictures and types and shadows, but it was not.

It was not the righteousness of God.

Uh do you know the law of Moses said, an eye for an eye, and a what?

A two for eight.

That's not the righteousness of God.

No.

Brother, but because God couldn't govern a man from within, there was nothing inside the Bible that said he covered the earth with gross darkness.

He had to govern him from without.

He gave them laws and commandments from without.

Thou shalt and thou shalt not.

That was just to govern you until the time of restitution came.

That's what it was for.

And so uh that wasn't the righteousness of God, but here's the righteousness of God is in the gospel.

Verse 17.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from heaven.

Get this from what?

Faith to faith.

What do you mean from faith to faith?

From the faith of the old covenant, the law of Moses to the faith of grace.

From the law of Moses to the law of Christ.

It's from one faith to another one.

Do you know that everybody couldn't make that great transition?

Brother, everybody couldn't move on with the Lord.

You have to know when the Lord is on the move and be willing to move with him.

And Israel couldn't do that.

They was too embedded, too entrenched, too rigid, too dogmatic, too drunk, too self-righteous and self-serving and self-seeking, too strong-willed, too self-willed to move on with God.

And just like they gave them a picture and type and they didn't see it, their bones bleached in the wilderness, and brother, the nation of Israel as a whole, their bones bleached, brother, when they rejected the teaching of those apostles.

And so here, uh now, as we can begin to see, let's go back to the book of Acts, and uh we'll try to pick it up where we stopped at.

But we can follow this wonderful order, and uh it's very, it's very necessary.

I want I want to enlarge upon it.

We've we've read it already.

Uh he said, let's verse verse for some of the newer people.

Verse 8.

Again.

Or verse, well, yes, verse 8.

He said, but you shall receive what?

1 and 8.

You shall receive what?

After that the Holy Ghost is, and you shall be, you shall be witnesses unto me, both in what?

Jerusalem was the capital, it was the capital of Judea.

It was the city of God.

That's the place where the Lord put his name.

That was the capital of the Jewish people.

That's the city.

He said, You shall be witnesses unto me in both Jerusalem, that's the city.

And in what?

All Judea, that was the country.

That was the country, Judea.

And so it's deal to the Jews first.

And now he reaches out to the half-Jews.

He said to an all Judeal, and in what?

Now that's the half Jews.

And then he says unto the order.

That's the Gentiles.

So you can see the Jews first, then you can see the half-Jus, then you can begin to see the Gentiles.

But before this gospel was actually panted out, the Lord, as we read this last week, he's a God of order.

There had to be 12 apostles.

Eleven wouldn't do.

Twelve is the number of government, and so you can begin to see that the Lord Himself, at the request of those apostles, two men was put forth who had met the criteria to be one of the foundational apostles, which had to be with Jesus Christ from the beginning of his ministry, the baptism of John, right unto the time he was taken up.

And that was two men.

There was two men, Jessus and Matthias.

And of course they asked the Lord, which of these two, Lord, which of these two have you chosen?

And the Bible said the lots fell on Matthias.

The lot mean that's whom the Holy Ghost spoke through those twelve men, eleven men.

And so here we are now in chapter two.

And I see if we can move a little farther.

Now here we are.

These men had actually been here together for 50 days.

Forty days they had been with Jesus Christ, being instructed in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God after his resurrection.

Ten days they spent.

Ten days, brother, every single day, three times a day, they went down to the temple at the hour of prayer.

Nine o'clock in the morning, noon, and three o'clock in the evening.

They did that repetitionally for three days.

I'm sorry, for 10 days.

They would go, they would pray.

And here they are.

Now in verse 1.

And when the day of Pentecost, that day of Pentecost, and we use that for the Pentecostal experience that occurred that day, but the word Pentecost just simply means 50th.

That's all it means.

It's 50 days after the Passover.

There were three great holy days.

We need to get this because uh Pentecost is not, and I know how we have we have involved the word, but Pentecost is not synonymous with the Holy Ghost.

We've made it to be so.

The word Pentecost means 50th.

That's the first fruits unto God.

And it occurred 50 days after the Passover.

Uh I don't know how far to go back.

Help me out.

Go to uh do Deuteronomy 16, 16, I think it is.

And Brother Michael is another one in uh Luke.

I'm sorry, and uh I'm sorry, uh good to see you, Brother Elton.

Exodus chapter 23, I think it is.

Exodus 23 · chapter mention

Let's do Deuteronomy first.

You have it when your brothers have it?

Deuteronomy uh chapter 16, verse 16.

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God.

Turn it down a little bit.

In the place which he shall choose, in the feast of unleavened bread.

Okay, the feast of unleavened bread.

Do you remember that that feast occurred right after the Passover?

That was a seven-day feast.

There was three great, there were seven feast days, but three of them, every male child had to go to Jerusalem every year.

Three of them.

And uh these three are significant where you and I are concerned.

The first one was unleavened bread.

Uh that's that supersedes the Passover.

And see, when you receive, uh when you are converted and you receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that's the blood applied to your lentils and your doposts that the death angel would actually pass over.

Fifty days from that.

50 days from that was called uh they didn't use the term Pentecost till he got to the New Testament, Brother Jeff.

I'm sorry, keep reading.

In the feast of unleavened bread, and then the feast of weeks.

The feast of weeks.

And that's that's synonymous with we call Pentecost.

That was 50 days later, that was the first fruits unto God.

First you received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and now you're working on being the first fruits.

What is the first fruits?

That's the bride members.

That's what it signifies.

That is the bride members.

There were two gatherings of fruits.

That was the first fruits we call Pentecost, or we call the uh the Feast of Wheats, and then that was the end gathering.

That's at the end of the Gentile world.

That's down through the thousand years.

Those are your three feasts.

The first you have to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that the death angel will pass over, but you can't stop there.

You have to work to become the first fruits unto God.

And for those who don't obtain to the first fruits, there's going to be an end gathering.

And that's what those three great uh holidays represented.

If I'm not getting too far out.

And so, what was the first fruits?

The first fruits was this church that came out on the day of Pentecost.

Those were the first fruits.

Brother, everyone, without exception, everyone that you see in Hebrews chapter 11, those names are written.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Those names are documented.

Those were first fruits.

They was in that first century church, though they had already died.

They got up in Matthew 27, 52, heard this wonderful message of overcoming that was preached by those apostles, finished their courses, and became first fruits unto God.

But it was not just them.

The first overcomer was Stephen.

He didn't get up in Matthew 27, 52, but brother, he was there.

He heard this message, and he had enough of God in him.

He had enough of the Holy Ghost in him that when he heard the word of God, it coupled with the Holy Ghost that he had received.

Thank God he was able to get out of here alive.

So am I getting ahead of myself?

But brother, you can see examples.

This was the first fruit.

That's what Pentecost represent.

It's not just the baptism of the Holy Ghost, brother, but it's being first fruits unto God.

I'm still trying to keep Pentecost.

I'm striving to be part of the first fruits.

There's going to be an in-gathering, but brother, that's not what we're striving for.

We're striving to be the first fruits.

Amen.

I'm sorry, Brother Jeff, I interrupted you.

And in the Feast of Tabernacles.

Feast of Tabernacles is synonymous with in-gathering.

Let's go over to Exodus 23, Brother Michael.

Help me out, one of you, real quickly.

2316.

There was a condition when you kept that.

You couldn't appear before the Lord empty-handed.

He said, Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, which he hath given thee.

What does it have to do with us?

They kept those feast days naturally.

When we come together, we can't come to the Lord empty-handed.

And that's not making a reference to your monetary gift, and that's wonderful.

But brother, every man should give as he's able.

If all you can do is lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting, give the Lord that.

If all you can do is give the lips give the Lord the fruit of your lips and just praise his name, give the Lord that.

If you're able, you know, I was trying tonight to clap, Brother Michael.

And I was, but it was hurting my arm tremendously.

But I was thinking, oh God, if I could just clap my hands without pain, I would be ever so grateful.

Just the simple things to be able to clap.

I had to start patting my leg.

But the simple things to be able to clap, brother, give the Lord that.

To be able to do something as simple as raise your hands.

One day you might not, I can't, I can't live but raise a hand and a hand.

But uh, my God, brother, just to be able to lift up holy hands without wrath and without doubting, to never come before the never come before the Lord empty-handed.

My God.

And so when they came before the Lord, that was the criteria.

They couldn't come empty-handed.

They had to give as every man was able.

You may not be able to sing, or you may not be able to teach, you may be able to preach, but brother, you can do something.

You can do something.

And uh I don't want to get too caught up in these feast days, but brother Michael Adam for two or three witnesses.

Let's get another witness.

And uh Exodus 23, please, 23-16.

We're gonna start at 14.

Uh yes, please.

Basically the same.

Yes.

Three times thou shalt, three times thou shalt keep the feast unto me in the year.

Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread.

That's the same thing as Passover.

Thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days as I commanded thee.

Go to verse 16 for the sake of time.

He said the feast of harvest and the first fruits of thy labor.

Which thou hast sown in the field and the feast of ingathering.

That's the feast of tabernacle, the feast of in-gathering.

The feast of in-gathering.

That represents the great moves, brother, where we all have to go through.

You have to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

That's your Passover.

That's your Passover.

That's how the deaf angel can pass over you.

You don't have to die.

You can actually grow to the point that your soul doesn't have to lose conscience.

Your body's gonna die, but your soul doesn't have to lose conscience.

And then, of course, we just went over it.

Pentecost is being a first fruits unto God.

But they kept these days in a natural way.

And so Jesus Christ, he was the Passover.

He was crucified and he died, and 50 days later, here they are.

They're in one place and one accord.

Let's go back to Acts 2 now.

Acts 2 and 1.

He said, and when the day of what?

When the day of Pentecost was fully come, that's not making reference to people speaking in tongues.

That was just one of the three holy days that they had to keep.

And you know why that day was so important, Brother Michael?

Because all the people from all over, wherever these Jews was dispersed, they had to come to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem actually had about a million inhabitants.

It had a million inhabitants.

But when these holy days would occur, it was swelled up sometimes to two, two and a half million people.

Brother, all the hotels and inns would be booked.

Everybody who had an uncle and a cousin, they was packed, that city was packed in.

They came to observe these three holy days.

They had to come there every single year, three times a year.

And so now here's all the dispersed Jews.

Brother, regardless of where they were.

If they was in Egypt, if they were in some foreign city, foreign country, they came to Jerusalem to keep these great days.

And this was a phenomenal that the Lord had actually picked this time because he wanted everyone to see it.

Now, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they was all, they was what?

And this is the only place in the book of Acts He used the term and one accord and don't tell you where.

Every other place it tells you where.

It tells you either in the temple or on Solomon's porch.

And you of course we went through that.

I won't take the time to repeat that.

And uh that is not what we were told it was, but this Bible let us know where it was.

Now here they are.

They're in one accord, and then they was in one place.

What do you mean one place?

Because they weren't all over the temple, they was in one place.

Now watch the verse 2.

And suddenly, that is, there was no building up.

I don't think they were singing, and uh they kept singing, and the pitch got higher and higher, and people began to dance.

I don't think there was music.

I think they was there praying.

And suddenly, and suddenly, there was no buildup to this, there came a sound from heaven as of a what?

Why did he do that?

Why was the significance of the Russian mighty wind?

And John chapter 2, Jesus Christ said, Listen.

John 2 · chapter mention

He said, The wind, it blew it where it listed.

You can hear the sound of it, but you can't tell from whence it came and from where it's going.

He says, so is everyone that's born of the Spirit.

The Bible oftentimes uses the Holy Ghost as a synonym for the wind.

You can feel it.

You can't deny the evidence of the wind, but you sure can't see it.

You can't smell it, but you can't deny his existence.

And that's the way the Holy Ghost is.

How do you explain it?

Did it knock on your door and actually come inside?

Do you hear some thunder in the air?

But you can't deny the real reality of it.

And he often uses that, and so the wind oftentimes it signifies the Holy Ghost.

Do you remember and uh if you're if you come from the bee church like I did, we used to hear this sermon at least once a year about uh Elijah and the dry bones in the valley.

The dry bones represent Israel.

When Israel stood upon their feet, brother, he prophesied to the four winds, and the winds began to come upon their bones, and those bones had life.

That's the Holy Ghost.

That's talking about the latter rain ministry speaking to the uh uh to the Jews in the four corners of the earth, and they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

It's another subject, but it's showing you the wind there.

Now watch, verse two, and suddenly came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and get this, and it filled what?

But don't stop there where they were sitting.

It didn't fill every place, but it fit the place where that 120 was sitting.

It filled all the house where they were sitting.

Then verse 3, it's another wonderful key.

And there appeared unto them what?

Clothing.

Clothing means two.

There appeared unto them clothing tongue, like as a fire, and it set upon what?

Why was it clothing tongues?

Because they had the dialect that they uh they knew, and then they were going to speak in another dialect that they did not know.

That was clothing tongues.

That was clothing in tongues, there was two dialects that each one of these people would have the ability to utter.

Two different dialects.

Then he said, like as a fire.

And of course, fire represents in the Bible, and we won't get into that tonight, but it represented either the presence of God, it represents the judgment of God, or the purification of God.

Here it represents the presence of God.

The presence of God, like as a fire.

And then look what happened.

And they were verse 4 saying they were all filled with the what?

And this is something that we need to take heed to.

This is something we want to consider.

There's not a place in the Bible that a person received the baptism of the Holy Ghost that there wasn't a manifestation, a physical oral manifestation that you knew they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

The Bible said, the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.

Here is a witness right here.

Let's see what happened when they were filled.

They began to speak with what?

Say it again with what?

Other tongues, as the Spirit of God did what?

Did the Spirit speak?

No, they spoke.

The Spirit just gave the utterance.

It was their mouth.

It was their tongue.

And it was their voice.

But the Spirit of God gave the utterance.

And an uh another I don't know if we should address it tonight.

I guess we can.

Tongues is one of the most misunderstood phenomena of God.

It really is.

Notice it used the term here, other tongues.

There's different tongues.

There's other tongues, which is the dialect of men that's not native to you.

It's a language that you haven't learned, but it's the tongues of men.

Then the Bible talks about unknown tongues.

Unknown tongue is an heavenly language.

That is, the Bible calls it the tongues of angels, third heaven angels.

He that speaks an unknown tongue, he edifies himself.

He that speaks in other tongues, it can be interpreted, he edifies the congregation, if there be an interpreter.

They're not to be confused.

Did I confuse you?

There's two types of tongues, and you will see this throughout the book of Acts.

There's other tongues.

Other tongues is a dialect that's you have not been taught, but it's a tongue of men.

It may be Spanish, it may be Creole, it may be Portuguese, but it is a dialect of a man, of men that you did not know.

That's called other tongues.

Unknown tongues is a heavenly language.

When these men received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they spoke in other tongues.

They didn't speak in unknown tongues, they spoke in other tongues.

Why?

Because they had all this great host of people, Jews, devout men from under heaven, that is, throughout the globe, had gathered to Jerusalem to keep this great feast.

And that this phenomenon was not going to be men just making noise, but they wouldn't be able to deny that these men are speaking in dialects and they're actually hearing them in their own language.

Let's read a little bit further.

Verse 5.

And there was dwelling at Jerusalem.

Why was they dwelling Jews?

Why was they there?

Because of the feast.

There was dwelling at Jerusalem Jews.

Not every kind of Jew, but what?

Devout men out of every nation under heaven.

Wherever these Jews were dispersed, if they was devout, they kept the ordinances that was delivered to them by Moses, and they came to Jerusalem three times a year.

So here they were.

He said, Now, now, when this was noised abroad, in other words, they was in one area speaking in other tongues, but other people began to hear him.

And they began to say, Listen to these people over here.

And they all began together.

When this was noised abroad, the multitude, multitude of who?

Devout Jews.

Men.

They came together and was confounded.

Because that every man heard them do what?

In his own language.

That is his native language in the country which he came out of.

That's a great phenomenon.

And they was all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilean?

How hear we, every man in our what?

Wherein we were born.

That was a great phenomenon.

And began to call some of the names of these different nations, Parthenons and Medes and Elodites, and dwellers of Mesopotania and Judea and Capedonia and Pontus and Asia and so on and so forth.

And go down to verse 11.

Creeks and Arabians, we do hear them speaking our what?

In our tongue, the wonderful works of God.

My God.

You think that's not a great phenomenon?

That was the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

It was the urge, it was the launching of the New Testament church.

Here's the Lord.

It's amazing, brother, when you receive the Holy Ghost, how the Lord gets a hold of the most unruly member we have.

That is that tongue.

And he said, it's a member that can't no man tame.

And the Holy Ghost get a hold to it.

What a phenomenon.

My God.

And then we can begin to see.

They was all amazed and was in doubt.

Saying one to another, what meaneth this?

But you're going to always have the gaysayers.

You're always going to have an insurrector, a rebel.

They're going to make mockery.

Other marking saying, these men are what?

Saying they was drunk.

But brother, here's the Holy Ghost.

Here's the Holy Ghost.

He touched the mind of Peter.

He touches this man's mind.

No doubt Peter was read.

This man reached back over there in Job chapter 2.

Job 2 · chapter mention

And the Holy Ghost, I don't think he had the Bible.

I don't think he had a scroll.

But I believe the Holy Ghost brought to his remembrance the things that Jesus Christ had said.

All the things came back to his remembrance.

No doubt Peter by the Holy Ghost remembered reading these things.

Look what he did.

And but Peter standing up with the 11, showing him, brother, they was one.

Those apostles were one.

Standing up with the 11, not just necessarily on their feet, but brother, they stood together.

They stood back to back.

They joined heart to heart.

You wasn't going to get a different answer from Peter than you would from James or John or Andrew.

But those men spoke with one voice.

Why?

Because they all had one teacher.

They all had one teacher, and they all was quickened by the same spirit.

Brother, I'm glad.

I'm glad when the Lord started the New Testament church, it wasn't a bunch of confusion, brother.

But that was one doctrine.

There was one master of the assemblies.

And so here you begin to see Peter standing with the 11, lifted up his voice and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, can you hear him talking?

And all ye that dwell at Jerusalem.

Brother, and this is the old country fisherman talking, but the Holy Ghost touched his mind.

He said, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words.

Brother, isn't that pretty eloquent?

Verse 15.

For these, talking about the 120, these are not drunken as you suppose.

He didn't deny they wasn't drunk, but brother, they was drunk off of wine that they knew not of.

The Bible said, How you put it, brother Michael?

He said, Be not drunken with wine, but be ye filled with what?

With the Spirit.

And so this is a wine that came down from heaven.

He said, These men are not drunk as you suppose.

Seeing that it's but the what?

The third hour of the day is nine o'clock in the morning.

They're down at the hour of prayer, brother.

Elton, like they've been going every morning.

Here they are, the third hour of the day.

Brother, you everybody knows the barroom doesn't open up to the evening time.

He said, but this is that.

Look how he began to pull the hus off those scriptures.

He said, This is that which was spoken by the what?

He reached back.

He reached back, brother, in his heart, and the Holy Ghost quickened these scriptures, and he began to let him know what was happening.

It was spoken by the prophet Job.

It shall come to pass in the last days.

And that term has to be explained.

There's many last days in the Bible.

It's last days of what you're talking about.

That was the last days of the world before the flood.

That's when Noah preached, and only eight souls were saved.

That was the last days of the Mosaic law.

That was the last days of the nation of Israel in favor with God.

That was the last days of the early reign church.

That was going to be the last days of the Gentile age.

And so which last days are you making reference to?

This was the last days of Israel being in favor with God.

It shall come to pass in the last days, said the Lord, I will do what?

I will pour out of my spirit upon.

Now this is something new.

Because prior to that, only the prophets, and only the priests had the spirit of God poured out upon them.

Only the prophets, the Bible says the scriptures are not given by any private interpretation, but holy men of old spake as they was moved by the what?

And so only the priests and only the prophet could actually feel the spirit of God unctioning them.

But not any longer.

He said he's going to pour out his spirit upon what?

All flesh.

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.

Didn't say there's going to be prophets, but shall prophesy.

Your young men, you shall do what?

The Lord's going to open their eyes.

And the old men shall and upon my servants and upon my handmaiden will I pour out of in those days of my spirit.

And they shall what?

They shall prophesy.

Verse 19 said I will show wonders in heaven above.

And thank God he did that, didn't he, when Jesus Christ came?

And signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor smoke.

He did that in 70 AD, didn't he?

And the sun, that's the understanding of the teaching of Jesus Christ, shall be turned into what?

And that happened in 70 AD.

And the moon, that's the law of Moses, into blood, before the what great and notable day of the Lord come.

And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be what?

Now, verse 22.

I want to get this message out.

Here's the greatest message that a man can preach.

Listen to these words.

You men of Israel.

He dealt with the phenomenon, now he's going to preach the gospel.

He if dispersed whether or not these men was uh intoxicated, now he's going to preach the gospel.

He laid a foundation, but brother, watch these words.

You men of Israel, hear these words.

Listen to this.

Jesus of Nazareth, a man.

Listen, I want you to get this word.

He wasn't God.

He was what?

Say it again.

He was what?

He was a man.

But not just any man.

He was a man, what?

He was a man that was approved of God.

He didn't say he was God.

He was a man that's approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and sign.

Which God did by him, showing you God and Jesus is two different ones.

Which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourself also know.

Now verse 23.

Him, that's the Son of God, that's Jesus, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God.

What is the determined counsel of God?

The determined counsel of God, the Bible said, by two immutable things it is impossible for God to lie.

He had already prophesied, brother, how one was going to actually perish that the nation wouldn't have to, one was going to die that the nation wouldn't have to perish.

The determined counsel of God is absolutely irresistible.

When you seen, when you seen a lamb that had been killed for 1,500 years, and that blood was actually put on the altar, that's the picture of Jesus Christ giving his life.

When they took two birds every year and they'll kill one bird and put the blood in a basin, they'll take the other bird and sprinkle that blood on that bird and let that bird go free.

That's a picture of your soul and my and Jesus' soul.

Jesus Christ gave his soul, he died, and his blood was put on our soul and he let us go free.

That was the determined counsel of God that could not be stopped.

There was nothing no one could do to stop Jesus Christ from being crucified.

That was the determined counsel of God.

And what did he use?

He used men that were reprobates, men who was rejected, men whom God had pulled the shades down on their eyes to work his will.

The Bible said he created all things, even the wicked for the day of evil.

He uses that, even vessel of dishonor.

He used uh Caiapas, he used Ananias, he used uh Judas Iscariot.

Somebody had to be a vessel of dishonor.

Lord help me to be a vessel of honor.

We have a choice.

We do have a choice, but I can harden my heart.

I absolutely can.

I don't have to be or remain a vessel of honor at any day, at any time, Brother Chad.

I can become a vessel of dishonor.

I sure I have to do it to me.

The Lord won't do it to me.

I have a choice.

He's going to use me.

I'm here now, Sister Christine.

He's going to use me for his glory one way or the other.

Lord, remember me for the good.

I like for it to be for good.

But I have a choice.

It's up to me.

It's up to me.

Now, these are sober words.

He said, Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, listen to this, and by what?

Wicked hands have crucified and slain.

Well, did God use the wicked?

Absolutely, he used the wicked to work his preordained plan.

But sure he did.

He said, Whom God, talking about Jesus, have raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he, that is Jesus, should be wholly of it.

For David spake concerning him.

I love this.

I foresaw the Lord always before my face.

When David wrote that, when I think that's Psalm 16, isn't it?

When David wrote that, he was in the spirit of Christ.

That was Christ talking through David.

Christ is saying, I always saw the Lord before my face.

Everything that I did, I saw God.

And I like to, I like to have this testimony, Sister Juju, that I can see the Lord before my face.

I like to know it's God, whatever I'm doing.

Whichever way He wants to turn me, I like to be pliable enough that I can see the Lord before my face.

That's the scripture.

I'll never want to forget this.

Do you brothers well to take heed to it as well?

I think it's uh Proverbs 21 and 1.

He said, the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord.

Like the rivers of water, he turns it wheresoever he pleases.

The king is talking about a ruler in the kingdom of God.

That heart, if God put that man there, it has to be in his hand.

That heart has to be.

He can turn that heart any way he wants to turn it.

He can harden his heart towards someone, or he can soften his heart towards someone.

I like to keep my heart in the hand of the king, in the hand of the Lord.

Is that correct?

Read it for me, please.

Proverbs chapter 21, verse 1.

Proverbs 21:1

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord.

The king's heart.

That's the ruler in the kingdom.

As the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will.

But whatsoever he pleased, whatsoever he will, he can turn it hard.

The Lord can take a man like God the Father took Jesus' heart and turned it to be solved toward a Syrophanesian woman.

Or he can harden a heart.

The Lord can do that.

The Lord can show you who's worthy and who's not worthy.

Aren't you glad the Lord found you worthy?

I'm glad.

And let's go on here.

Now, he said, For he is on my right hand that I should not be moved.

This is Jesus Christ speaking through David.

Verse 26.

Therefore, listen this out.

This is very wonderful.

Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad.

Moreover, also my flesh shall what?

That's talking about Jesus saying he's going to actually die, brother, but he's going to rest in hope.

He didn't believe he was going to stay in the grave.

Keep reading.

Verse 27, because thou, this is Jesus speaking through David in Psalm 16, because thou, talking to God the Father, thou wilt not leave what?

Say it again, thou wilt not leave what?

Neither will thou suffer thy holy one, talking by themselves, to do what?

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life.

Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Now he makes that statement.

He quoted that particular Psalms, and now he began to pull the hus out of it.

He squeezes the oil in verse 29.

He said, Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David.

He just quoted what David said, that he is both, and that's a mistranslation that was, but that's okay.

He is both dead and buried.

That's was dead and is buried.

And the sepulchre is with us until this day.

That's the place where he was.

He said, verse 30, therefore, being a what?

Being a prophet, and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruits of his loins, according to the flesh, that is his natural prosterity, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.

Verse 31.

He, talking about David, seeing this before, spake of the what?

Of the resurrection of Christ.

That his soul, not David, but whose soul?

Jesus Christ.

That his soul was not left where?

Neither did his flesh see corruption.

Jesus' soul go to hell.

It went to hell.

Jesus Christ said, don't fear him which is able to destroy the body.

Ain't no more.

But he said, fear, I'll tell you the fear.

Fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.

So wherever my body is, that's a hell.

He said, destroy both body and soul in hell.

Well, the hell Jesus went to was a grave.

I promise you, he wasn't roasted.

He was in the grave.

Let's keep reading.

He said, Neither does flesh see corruption.

Verse 32.

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we're all witnesses.

Verse uh 20 to 33.

What we is that?

That's the apostles.

They gave witness to the resurrection of Jesus.

Verse 33.

Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father, and don't get offended with the word for Father.

He is God the Father.

Some people hate that term, but the Bible calls him that.

He is God the Father.

I don't see a God the Son, but I see a God the Father, and I see his Son, Jesus Christ.

I don't see a God the Holy Ghost, but I see the Spirit of God, which is the Holy Ghost.

Is that all right, Sister Ellen?

I didn't say that again.

There's a God the Father, there's his Son and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then there's the Spirit of God, which is the Holy Ghost.

If you find me a scripture that calls him God the uh the Son, I'll give you the night before you leave.

I'll give you what you driving, Brother Elton?

You driving a Mercedes at night?

Oh, it's okay, it's gonna be safe.

I'll give you the keys to Brother Elton Mercedes.

It's not in here.

If you find me a scripture, call him God the Holy Ghost.

If you find me a God the Holy Ghost, I'll give you a job with state with our farm, state farm.

Yeah.

Mean an insurance adjuster, a claimer, uh seller.

But your job is safe, it's not in here.

The Holy Ghost is not called God the Holy Ghost.

Jesus Christ is not called God the Son.

There's God the Father, and there is his Son.

And there is the Spirit of God.

These three do agree.

And these three works as one.

Let's keep reading.

Now verse 34.

Where did it come out of?

Well, that that means three.

That means three.

It comes from the concept, brother, that uh uh God the Father, and there's a God the Son, and there's a God the Holy Ghost, and these three make up the what they call the triune being.

Well, I wouldn't argue with a person.

But all I would say is let God be true and every man a lie.

Show me out the scripture and I'll embrace that.

But I I'm having difficulties, I'm having difficulties finding God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.

They came from, I'm sorry, but it came from a church that came out in 538 AD called the Roman Catholic Church.

But the apostles didn't teach that.

Jesus Christ didn't teach that.

He said, My Father is greater than I.

He said, Father, to thy hand I commit my spirit.

He said, When the Spirit of God comes, he will not testify of himself.

He said, but he will take the things that might of me and show them unto you.

So I don't see that by being taught by Jesus.

I don't see that being taught by the apostles, and we'll built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being a chief cornerstone.

So I wouldn't argue.

I'm not interested in arguing.

I just want to be persuaded by a multitude of scriptures.

If it's doctrine, if it's doctrine, then it should be Bible.

If it's an application, then we should have some precedence in the Bible.

Either way, we still have to go back to the word of God.

Some things are not written in the Bible.

I agree with that, but there should be precedence for everything we do.

There should be precedent for why we do what we do.

If the Holy Ghost told me to do something, Brother Elton, and I don't have Bible precedents, brother, I'm gonna be concerned.

But if the Holy Ghost told me to do something or showed me something, I'm gonna pray.

And if it's the Holy Ghost, he'll quicken scriptures to my mind and let me see precedence of that.

That's what it's what uh two or three witnesses.

Absolutely.

You can't, you know, you can't try the Bible say, oh no, not the Bible, people say uh try the spirit by the spirit.

You can't try the spirit by the spirit, spirits lie.

You try the spirit by the word of God.

When the Bible said Believe not every spirit for uh how you put that for many false prophets going on into the world.

He said, but try the spirit, whether they be of God.

How do you try them?

You try them by two or three witnesses.

Find out whether or not that's the Bible.

And it's okay if it crosses my theology, if it crosses my ideology.

Brother, we all have to be willing to change.

I don't mean you, brother, and I don't have to.

We all have to be willing.

And if you can show me out of the word of God, I'll change.

I'll reconsider.

But you're gonna need some Bible.

You're not gonna persuade me.

You're not gonna persuade me by eloquence of speech.

You can't persuade me by raising your voice and stomp your feet and getting animate.

You're not gonna persuade me by getting indignant.

You're not gonna persuade me by being soft-spoken or being dogmatic.

That's not gonna move me.

We need the Bible.

A man, brother, who's who's panting after God, a woman, a boy, a girl, they have to have a foundation for their belief.

Their foundation should be the word of God.

Your foundation has to have substance.

Your faith has to have substance.

And the substance has to be the word of God.

Go ahead.

I'm sorry, brother Michael.

No, I was just about to uh say is it because the Holy Ghost is made reference to as a he that you know people will make him a part of the Godhead.

Well, if you use that uh line of thinking, what you gonna do with this scripture?

For the Holy Ghost itself, helping with our infirmity, Romans 8.

It don't just call him a he, it calls him an it.

So you're gonna make it a dog.

He calls him a he and he calls it a it.

It never called God a it.

It never called Jesus an it.

Did I make that up or did that scripture?

It's Romans 8.

I can let you read it.

He calls him an it.

And the reason we say him is because he came from God, who which is always in the masculine.

No offense, sisters.

But it comes from God to Father.

Don't you call my spirit no she?

I don't have a feminine spirit.

Oh, that's the spirit of Brother Brown.

She sure is something.

God forbid.

I'd put more bass in my voice if necessary, but we don't play that.

So it comes from God to Father, so he's called a he.

It calls the earth a her.

Do you think this earth is a woman?

But it just produces.

And so that's just a just a uh a grammar, if I may say so.

Let's finish this up.

I know time is far spent.

Verse by verse get kind of long, doesn't it?

Now let me finish this.

Listen.

Verse 35, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.

Verse 36.

Here we get down to it now.

Therefore, let all the house of Israel, listen to this, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same what?

Isn't that showing you too?

God has made that same Jesus.

God has made that same Jesus.

Whom you have crucified both what?

Now when they heard this, showing they were devout men, these were not just some fanatics.

When they heard this, they was pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?

I'm persuaded.

I can hear what you're saying.

That's the word of God.

What shall we do?

Here's the plan and the simplicity where salvation is concerned.

It is not Romans 8.

Confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus, believe in your heart that God raised from the dead and you shall be saved.

Well, that scripture is making reference, reading the subject, whether you Jew or Gentile, all have sinned.

Everybody got to confess Christ.

But here is the plan of salvation.

They asked him, What shall we do?

Peter tells them real plainly, verse 38, Peter said unto them, Do what?

He didn't say apologize.

He said, Do what?

That means turn.

Become godless now.

Repent.

That's the first step.

And be baptized, every one of you.

And what?

He didn't say sprinkle.

He didn't say sprinkle.

And he didn't say be baptized if you want to.

He said every one of you.

And he tells you how.

In the name of Jesus Christ, he tells you why.

For the what?

He said, and you shall, listen to this, and you shall receive the gift of the what?

He calls it a gift.

Verse 29, 39, he calls it something else.

He said, for the promise.

What is the promise?

The Holy Ghost.

For the promises unto you, that's the Jews.

And to your children, that's the next generation.

And to all those that are that's you and I, 2,000 years later and Gentiles, it's to us.

Even as many that shall, as the Lord our God shall what?

Let me finish this up real quickly.

He said, and with many other words did he testify and exhort.

That is, he preached, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

That means crooked and perverse.

Then they, not everybody, then they that gladly received this word, these were grown adults.

They weren't little babies.

Then they which gladly received this word was what?

Baptized.

Baptized.

Brother Brown, are you saying 30-year-old, 50-year-old men and women?

Yes.

60 and 70.

They that gladly received this word was baptized.

And the same day there was added unto them about what?

3,000 souls.

They went from 120 to 3,120 in one day.

Do you know what happens to Christine?

That 120 had so much God in them, they changed to 3,000.

The 3,000 did not change the 120.

They was that well taught.

They was that convinced of their doctrine and their order.

They didn't change.

Brother, if we get 100 people in here, we'll have problems.

But that New Testament church, they didn't just get 100, they got 3,000.

It wasn't but 120.

How did they do it?

The next verse tells you how they did it.

Keep reading.

And they did what?

They continued what?

Steadfastly in the Pharisees' teaching.

The Sadducees' belief.

The apostles' doctrine and fellowship and breaking bread and get this.

And in what?

And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

And all that believed were together and had all things common.

Don't you try this right here, verse 45?

And they sold their possessions and goods and imparted to all men as every man had.

Don't you try that?

Don't even think about it.

Do you know why they did it, brother?

Because that church had enough God that there was no greed.

It didn't say as every man had greed, it said that every man had need.

You sell your cars, give me one of yours, and I'm gonna ride in it.

But I'm gonna park mine in the garage.

You go to work, you make the money, and I'm just gonna take off and we'll spend your money.

They didn't have that kind of spirit.

Don't you try that?

There's people who did try it.

Jim Jones tried it.

Kevin Gates people tried it.

You end up in a cult.

There's too much cardinality in the saddle.

Don't try that.

That's alright, huh?

Yes.

We shall return as the first century church.

Will it get to the point when we are as such?

Well let me finish this chapter on out.

That church was born in the fire.

If you name the name of Christ, even while Jesus Christ was on the earth, you were ostracized.

The Jews sustained themselves, it was a nation within themselves.

All of their business came from their peers.

If you were ostracized and put out of the synagogue, you had no way to make a living.

Most of them, say for instance, Jesus' father, he was a carpenter.

And so he worked for other Jews.

If he was ostracized and put out of the synagogues, he couldn't sell his wares, his chairs, and his tables, and so he was starved.

Everybody who joined the New Testament church was put out of the synagogue.

The synagogue or the temple.

They had no way of making a living, making a living.

And so those who had houses and land, they sold them.

They laid it at the apostles' feet, you'll read that later, and distribution was made.

That's because there was such great persecution.

If I don't have any money today and I don't go to work, then that's the scripture I have to fulfill.

For man doesn't work, neither should he.

So that's my own doing.

But when the time comes that the church is under great persecution, and everything that you've lost is because you've named the name of Christ.

And now I have two cars, and I have two or three homes, and I have extra beds and so on and so forth.

Well, something that's wrong with me.

If the people of God is all suffering for the stand they take for Christ, and I'm over here consuming things up on my lust because maybe my life livelihood doesn't uh come from the local community.

Maybe my livelihood comes from outside the area.

And that's just a good example.

I can remember when the oil field went real bad in Homa, uh, I wasn't altogether affected because I worked outside of the area.

But everybody in Homer was suffering pretty badly.

Well, same thing here.

This church, when it was birthed, was under great persecution.

We'll read that in a few chapters later.

They was hated.

They was ostracized, they was put out of the synagogue, they was put out of the temple, and no Jews would have nothing to do with them.

They they paid a price to name the name of Christ.

And so they supported their own.

And the church is restored, and then you would actually feel this type of persecution again.

When all the religion will come against you, when all of the Gentile or the unsaved will come against you.

We'll have to support our own.

But that's that's the truth.

It will come back to that.

But don't you try it now.

Yeah, somebody called it practical.

You don't practice this, you just do it.

I remember a church that Brother Mike was affiliated with.

They started selling their homes and stuff and giving it to a man saying we we practice and putting it at his feet.

You don't practice that.

They practice, and guess what they learned?

They shouldn't have practiced.

That doesn't work.

Let me finish this up now.

Verse 46.

And they continue daily, get this, and they, what they?

All of them, the 120 plus the 3,000, and they continue what?

Daily with what?

Where?

Everywhere you see one accord, you're gonna see it identifies where, except Acts 2 and 1.

And they continue daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from what?

Did eat the meat with gladness and what?

Singingness of heart, praising God and much faith, and having favor with all the people.

That is the people of God.

We're gonna keep reading a little later.

And the Lord added to the church dealers such as what?

And brother, when you start reading the next chapter, you'll begin to really see what happened.

How the fire was on that church.

And boy, I'm glad to get through the second chapter.

We're gonna speed up.

Don't you be weary.

We're gonna get to the book of Acts.

Are you learning?

That's the main thing.

Are you getting this?

You want some oil in your vessel.

You want to understand the things of God.

Okay, time is far, far spent.

We'll move a little bit expeditiously here.

Continue to pray for me.

My arm has been doing better since we prayed Sunday.

I don't think I had to put it back in the slang.

It's not healed yet, but keep praying for me.

Keep praying for me.

I need my arm to uh to uh to be fully manifest the deliverance, but I want to make sure that God raises me up uh righteously.

I don't want to walk with a slump in my shoulder.