1 00:00:04,740 --> 00:00:04,880 ... 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:07,780 ways in which our blessed Lord is referred 3 00:00:07,780 --> 00:00:08,780 to in this book. 4 00:00:09,900 --> 00:00:13,260 And we've already found wonderful pictures of him, 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,260 the man who was taken up, the ascended 6 00:00:16,260 --> 00:00:17,700 man, in the first chapter. 7 00:00:18,820 --> 00:00:20,900 And in the second chapter, again, a very 8 00:00:20,900 --> 00:00:22,700 unique thing in the coming of the Holy 9 00:00:22,700 --> 00:00:27,400 Spirit to bear witness to his, shall I 10 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,560 say, his welcome in heaven, and coming down 11 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:31,659 here to represent him. 12 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:34,620 And then we were looking at him again 13 00:00:34,620 --> 00:00:38,420 in chapter three, as the Prince of Life, 14 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:39,940 last night. 15 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,780 This evening I'm skipping over the rest of 16 00:00:43,780 --> 00:00:47,060 chapter three, and coming into chapter four. 17 00:00:49,860 --> 00:00:53,080 In the presence of the people, that is, 18 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,620 the apostles, the priests and the captain of 19 00:00:56,620 --> 00:01:01,000 the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 20 00:01:02,180 --> 00:01:06,220 being grieved or distressed that they taught the 21 00:01:06,220 --> 00:01:10,660 people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from 22 00:01:10,660 --> 00:01:11,340 the dead. 23 00:01:12,380 --> 00:01:14,340 And they laid hands on them and put 24 00:01:14,340 --> 00:01:18,100 them in hold until the next day, for 25 00:01:18,100 --> 00:01:19,820 it was now eventide. 26 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,620 Howbeit many of them which heard the word 27 00:01:23,620 --> 00:01:26,900 believed, and the number of the men was 28 00:01:26,900 --> 00:01:28,440 about five thousand. 29 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:31,740 And it came to pass on the morrow 30 00:01:31,740 --> 00:01:35,360 that their rulers and elders and scribes, and 31 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,980 Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, 32 00:01:38,100 --> 00:01:41,000 and Alexander, and as many as were of 33 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,040 the kindred of the high priest, were gathered 34 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:44,280 together at Jerusalem. 35 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,260 And when they had set them in the 36 00:01:47,260 --> 00:01:51,220 midst, they asked, By what power, or by 37 00:01:51,220 --> 00:01:55,460 what name, have ye done this? 38 00:01:56,780 --> 00:01:59,420 Then Peter filled with the Holy Ghost said 39 00:01:59,420 --> 00:02:03,460 unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and 40 00:02:03,460 --> 00:02:06,840 elders of Israel, if we this day be 41 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,080 examined of the good deed done to the 42 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,200 impotent man, by what means he is made 43 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,400 whole, be it known unto you all, and 44 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,420 to all the people of Israel, that by 45 00:02:18,420 --> 00:02:21,260 the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom 46 00:02:21,260 --> 00:02:24,640 ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, 47 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,200 even by him, doth this man stand here 48 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:29,260 before you whole. 49 00:02:30,620 --> 00:02:32,880 And now we come to a fresh revelation 50 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:34,240 concerning our Lord. 51 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,200 In this eleventh verse, this is the stone 52 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,080 which was set at naught of you builders, 53 00:02:43,020 --> 00:02:45,300 which is become the head of the corner. 54 00:02:46,540 --> 00:02:49,960 Neither is there salvation in any other, for 55 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,000 there is none other name under heaven given 56 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,980 among men, whereby we must be saved. 57 00:02:58,910 --> 00:03:01,290 I suppose most of us are familiar with 58 00:03:01,290 --> 00:03:04,570 the fact that Christendom, as we know it, 59 00:03:04,610 --> 00:03:08,630 is divided into, broadly, into two schools of 60 00:03:08,630 --> 00:03:09,150 thought. 61 00:03:10,070 --> 00:03:14,470 Those who are known as conservatives or fundamentalists, 62 00:03:14,870 --> 00:03:17,470 and those who are known as liberals or 63 00:03:17,470 --> 00:03:18,530 modernists. 64 00:03:19,570 --> 00:03:22,210 Sometimes we get the idea that this is 65 00:03:22,210 --> 00:03:26,090 something rather new, something rather recent. 66 00:03:27,050 --> 00:03:28,570 But as we look back in the book 67 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:30,990 here, we find that they had similar divisions 68 00:03:30,990 --> 00:03:33,910 back in the days of our Lord and 69 00:03:33,910 --> 00:03:35,210 in the days of the apostles. 70 00:03:36,590 --> 00:03:39,050 And these Sadducees mentioned here in the first 71 00:03:39,050 --> 00:03:42,330 verse of our chapter tonight, they represent one 72 00:03:42,330 --> 00:03:45,730 of these schools of thought opposed to that 73 00:03:45,730 --> 00:03:47,310 of the Pharisees. 74 00:03:48,150 --> 00:03:50,450 The Pharisees might be what we would call 75 00:03:50,450 --> 00:03:52,950 the fundamentalists of that day. 76 00:03:53,130 --> 00:03:56,550 They believed in the literal word of God. 77 00:03:57,410 --> 00:03:59,810 But the Sadducees were the rationalists. 78 00:04:00,750 --> 00:04:02,570 They did not believe in a resurrection. 79 00:04:03,810 --> 00:04:05,450 They did not believe in an angel or 80 00:04:05,450 --> 00:04:08,090 spirit, as we are told later on in 81 00:04:08,090 --> 00:04:09,490 this same book of the Acts. 82 00:04:10,070 --> 00:04:11,570 They had no use for that. 83 00:04:13,030 --> 00:04:16,450 My friend Sidlow Baxter has very aptly noticed 84 00:04:16,450 --> 00:04:21,570 that that's why they're sad, you see, because 85 00:04:21,570 --> 00:04:23,470 they have no hope beyond this. 86 00:04:24,780 --> 00:04:28,060 But these people are never content to keep 87 00:04:28,060 --> 00:04:30,700 their beliefs to themselves, nor to let other 88 00:04:30,700 --> 00:04:32,480 people believe what they want to believe. 89 00:04:33,820 --> 00:04:36,900 And so we find that they're out to 90 00:04:36,900 --> 00:04:39,540 get these people who believe in the resurrection, 91 00:04:39,740 --> 00:04:42,500 and not only the resurrection, but you notice 92 00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:44,600 it's a special kind of resurrection. 93 00:04:45,580 --> 00:04:47,320 Did you notice as we were reading this 94 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:48,860 in the second verse it says, and they 95 00:04:48,860 --> 00:04:53,440 preach through Jesus, the resurrection not merely of 96 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,760 the dead, but from the dead. 97 00:04:56,300 --> 00:04:58,040 That is, from among the dead. 98 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,440 This was something which perplexed the disciples when 99 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,360 the Lord Jesus made reference to this in 100 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:05,900 his ministry here on earth. 101 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,820 This is something which is still not understood 102 00:05:08,820 --> 00:05:10,080 by a good many people. 103 00:05:10,900 --> 00:05:12,760 A lot of people still have the notion 104 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,320 that one of these days there's going to 105 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,340 be a general resurrection when everybody that's died 106 00:05:18,340 --> 00:05:19,820 is going to be raised again. 107 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,020 And they don't seem to know that the 108 00:05:23,020 --> 00:05:25,580 Scripture has taught us that there's going to 109 00:05:25,580 --> 00:05:30,060 be a special resurrection from among the dead 110 00:05:30,060 --> 00:05:33,560 before the great resurrection when men will stand 111 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:35,140 before the great white throne. 112 00:05:36,380 --> 00:05:39,100 The time when the Lord Jesus Christ will 113 00:05:39,100 --> 00:05:42,680 come, and the dead in Christ. 114 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,380 And I take that to refer to all 115 00:05:46,380 --> 00:05:46,860 the saints. 116 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:49,980 I know that a very recent edition of 117 00:05:49,980 --> 00:05:52,780 a very popular edition of the Bible now 118 00:05:52,780 --> 00:05:55,220 restricts this to New Testament saints. 119 00:05:56,300 --> 00:05:58,200 But in the older note of the Schofield 120 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:01,660 Reference Bible, you will find that Dr. Schofield 121 00:06:01,660 --> 00:06:04,960 believed that this included all the saints of 122 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:06,740 the Old Testament as well as the New. 123 00:06:07,820 --> 00:06:09,440 And for the life of me, as I 124 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:14,560 read 1 Corinthians 15, where I read that 125 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:16,560 the resurrection of Christ was on this order, 126 00:06:17,300 --> 00:06:21,620 Christ the firstfruits, and afterward they that are 127 00:06:21,620 --> 00:06:23,380 Christ at his coming. 128 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,000 Now if you can eliminate anybody from that 129 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,300 statement, then you've got a system of hermeneutics 130 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:32,440 or interpretation that I don't know about. 131 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:35,860 But to me this means that all those 132 00:06:35,860 --> 00:06:38,700 who are his, and he claimed them in 133 00:06:38,700 --> 00:06:40,740 his day when he was here, for he 134 00:06:40,740 --> 00:06:43,880 said, All thine are mine, and mine are 135 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,560 thine, and I am glorified in them. 136 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,720 These are my simple reasons for believing as 137 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:51,780 I do about this. 138 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:53,840 But getting back to this matter of the 139 00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:57,100 out-resurrection from among the dead, this is 140 00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:58,020 going to be tremendous. 141 00:06:58,900 --> 00:07:01,240 Not every grave will be opened when the 142 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:03,460 Lord Jesus Christ comes for his church. 143 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,300 The dead in Christ shall rise first, and 144 00:07:07,300 --> 00:07:08,980 we who are alive and remain shall be 145 00:07:08,980 --> 00:07:10,760 caught up together with them in clouds to 146 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,100 meet the Lord in the air, and so 147 00:07:13,100 --> 00:07:15,840 shall we ever be with the Lord. 148 00:07:16,780 --> 00:07:19,000 Now I'm sorry to say that there are 149 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,340 many professing Christians, I've already noticed, who don't 150 00:07:22,340 --> 00:07:23,260 know about this. 151 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:25,100 They're greatly surprised. 152 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,760 They think you're twisting the scripture when you 153 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:29,780 show them this, but here it is. 154 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,560 And this little difference in the preposition here 155 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:33,180 is important. 156 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,180 We're going to see how the Apostle stresses 157 00:07:36,180 --> 00:07:38,500 this again a little later on in his 158 00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:41,100 trial the next day, in the trial before 159 00:07:41,100 --> 00:07:46,200 these Sadducees, this resurrection from among the dead. 160 00:07:47,260 --> 00:07:50,140 And so in order to keep this thing 161 00:07:50,140 --> 00:07:53,180 from spreading, we find that these Sadducees had 162 00:07:53,180 --> 00:07:55,380 these men thrown into prison for overnight. 163 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,360 But it's wonderful to read the fourth verse 164 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,200 of this chapter and to find that the 165 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,580 church actually thrives on this kind of persecution. 166 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,880 Because in this fourth verse we read, many 167 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,480 of them that heard the word believed, and 168 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:13,380 the number of the men was about five 169 00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:13,840 thousand. 170 00:08:15,020 --> 00:08:17,500 You know, sometimes we get in such a 171 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:20,800 hurry and pray to God to relieve our 172 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:22,020 brethren of persecution. 173 00:08:23,060 --> 00:08:25,040 And of course, one says, yes, it's easy 174 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:26,720 enough for you to say what you're about 175 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,240 to say, because you're living in a land 176 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,520 where it's comparatively easy to be a Christian. 177 00:08:32,799 --> 00:08:34,960 But no, I've been in countries where it 178 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:36,320 isn't easy to be a Christian. 179 00:08:37,100 --> 00:08:39,700 I've known what it means on two occasions 180 00:08:39,700 --> 00:08:42,640 to face my would-be assassins on the 181 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:43,360 mission field. 182 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,860 So I speak feelingly on this subject. 183 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,420 And so sometimes when I hear of persecution, 184 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:53,200 and there's plenty of it, there's lots of 185 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:54,620 persecution in the world today. 186 00:08:55,500 --> 00:08:58,460 I have repeatedly called attention to the fact 187 00:08:58,460 --> 00:09:01,360 that some years ago the United States Press 188 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:05,040 Agency sent out a report to the effect 189 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,980 that 175,000 Chinese had been done to 190 00:09:09,980 --> 00:09:12,580 death in West China for no other reason 191 00:09:12,580 --> 00:09:14,000 except that they were Christians. 192 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,440 We have reason to believe that in the 193 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,060 years that have rolled by since that report 194 00:09:20,060 --> 00:09:23,140 was made, that that number has grown to 195 00:09:23,140 --> 00:09:26,620 somewhere between two and three millions of people. 196 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,240 And on the basis of this, one makes 197 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,880 the statement that we believe there are more 198 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,160 martyrs to the Christian faith in this twentieth 199 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,580 century in which we live than there were 200 00:09:38,580 --> 00:09:41,140 in all the previous nineteen centuries. 201 00:09:42,540 --> 00:09:44,380 Men and women are being put to death 202 00:09:44,380 --> 00:09:46,100 for Christ's sake. 203 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,560 But you know, this is one of those 204 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:52,960 things that proves again the old statement that 205 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,100 the blood of the martyrs is the seed 206 00:09:55,100 --> 00:09:55,820 of the Church. 207 00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:58,680 And wherever we see this, we find there's 208 00:09:58,680 --> 00:09:59,140 progress. 209 00:10:00,260 --> 00:10:03,500 God seems to use this very thing in 210 00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:05,400 bringing about growth in the Church. 211 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:07,520 And here we have a sample of it 212 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,840 right here in this fourth chapter of Acts 213 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:10,320 tonight. 214 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:13,720 There are about 5,000 men who believe. 215 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:15,320 This is a tremendous revival. 216 00:10:16,340 --> 00:10:19,440 Yes, I was looking over the report of 217 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:23,320 the results of the meeting up in Montreal 218 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,580 this last summer in the Sermons from Science. 219 00:10:26,820 --> 00:10:29,380 And you know, that was quite an undertaking. 220 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:32,400 And it cost a good deal of money, 221 00:10:33,060 --> 00:10:34,700 something like two-thirds of a million. 222 00:10:35,820 --> 00:10:38,100 And the Brethren are still some $40,000 223 00:10:38,100 --> 00:10:41,060 in debt, as was according to the last 224 00:10:41,060 --> 00:10:41,960 report I had. 225 00:10:42,340 --> 00:10:44,580 And yet they're thinking growing head again next 226 00:10:44,580 --> 00:10:44,880 year. 227 00:10:45,060 --> 00:10:48,380 But so far as I can tell, they 228 00:10:48,380 --> 00:10:51,020 have brought out the number of about 3 229 00:10:51,020 --> 00:10:54,460 ,500, which is 1,500 less than this. 230 00:10:55,860 --> 00:10:57,700 And all summer to do it. 231 00:10:59,180 --> 00:11:01,920 You see, friends, we don't even begin to 232 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,460 match what they did in those early days 233 00:11:04,460 --> 00:11:05,140 in the Church. 234 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,080 They're wonderful results, these were. 235 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,340 And so now we come to the trial 236 00:11:11,340 --> 00:11:12,140 the next day. 237 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,020 And what an array of names we have 238 00:11:15,020 --> 00:11:15,400 here. 239 00:11:16,100 --> 00:11:19,120 Here's Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and 240 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,140 John, and Alexander, and all those who were 241 00:11:21,140 --> 00:11:23,200 the high priestly family, were all there. 242 00:11:23,940 --> 00:11:25,160 It must have been a sort of a 243 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:27,880 family affair as well as a political situation. 244 00:11:28,780 --> 00:11:30,880 The high ecclesiastical court. 245 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:34,100 I'm no doubt that this was intended to 246 00:11:34,100 --> 00:11:37,580 overawe these poor ignorant men as they are 247 00:11:37,580 --> 00:11:39,180 described later on in the chapter. 248 00:11:39,300 --> 00:11:41,240 You'll notice down the 13th verse, which we 249 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,600 didn't read, it says, He and I, when 250 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,320 they saw the boldness of Peter and John, 251 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:48,740 and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant 252 00:11:48,740 --> 00:11:49,320 men. 253 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:52,300 And you can imagine how they would try 254 00:11:52,300 --> 00:11:56,020 to overawe them with this great ecclesiastical power. 255 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:58,780 I don't know whether they were wearing their 256 00:11:58,780 --> 00:12:01,940 vestments on this occasion or not, but I 257 00:12:01,940 --> 00:12:03,180 wouldn't put it past them. 258 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:06,280 You know, to put on their doctor's hoods 259 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:08,600 and what have you, in order to impress 260 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,780 these poor fishermen with the grandeur and the 261 00:12:11,780 --> 00:12:13,160 glory of what you have. 262 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,660 And now they begin to inquire. 263 00:12:17,340 --> 00:12:19,980 And there are two things in this inquiry 264 00:12:19,980 --> 00:12:21,440 which intrigue me tonight. 265 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:22,540 It's this. 266 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:25,000 You'll notice it says here in verse 7, 267 00:12:25,140 --> 00:12:26,360 when they had set them in the midst, 268 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,000 they asked, by what power? 269 00:12:30,660 --> 00:12:31,920 Now that's interesting. 270 00:12:34,210 --> 00:12:36,210 And this word for power is the strong 271 00:12:36,210 --> 00:12:38,050 word for power that we have in the 272 00:12:38,050 --> 00:12:38,650 New Testament. 273 00:12:39,450 --> 00:12:40,750 This is the word from which we get 274 00:12:40,750 --> 00:12:41,870 our word, dynamite. 275 00:12:43,210 --> 00:12:45,650 It wasn't this simply the authority. 276 00:12:47,270 --> 00:12:48,530 But this is a power. 277 00:12:49,430 --> 00:12:50,410 It was an impact. 278 00:12:50,510 --> 00:12:51,950 This made an impact. 279 00:12:52,090 --> 00:12:54,590 And here they're tacitly admitting that there was 280 00:12:54,590 --> 00:12:56,290 something powerful about this. 281 00:12:56,850 --> 00:12:58,130 They couldn't deny it. 282 00:12:58,750 --> 00:13:00,710 Because here's a man over forty years of 283 00:13:00,710 --> 00:13:03,590 age, born a cripple, lying helpless at the 284 00:13:03,590 --> 00:13:05,650 gate of the temple, begging day after day, 285 00:13:06,010 --> 00:13:08,330 and now they see him leaping and praising 286 00:13:08,330 --> 00:13:08,810 God. 287 00:13:09,150 --> 00:13:11,090 This is evidence of a power that they 288 00:13:11,090 --> 00:13:12,170 didn't have before. 289 00:13:13,390 --> 00:13:15,390 And we like to draw a parallel between 290 00:13:15,390 --> 00:13:17,510 that and the power of the gospel of 291 00:13:17,510 --> 00:13:18,730 the Lord Jesus Christ. 292 00:13:19,310 --> 00:13:21,450 You know, sometimes when I hear people talking 293 00:13:21,450 --> 00:13:24,830 about the gospel being obsolete, and that we're 294 00:13:24,830 --> 00:13:26,610 living in a post-Christian era and all 295 00:13:26,610 --> 00:13:29,490 this sort of thing, I just remind you, 296 00:13:29,530 --> 00:13:31,170 dear friends, of something we said the other 297 00:13:31,170 --> 00:13:35,730 day, that nothing is obsolete which is doing 298 00:13:35,730 --> 00:13:37,690 a job that nothing else can do. 299 00:13:38,390 --> 00:13:40,430 And the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ 300 00:13:40,430 --> 00:13:43,410 is doing a job tonight that nothing, no 301 00:13:43,410 --> 00:13:46,910 other school of philosophy can even touch, can 302 00:13:46,910 --> 00:13:47,690 even approach. 303 00:13:48,190 --> 00:13:49,270 It's doing it. 304 00:13:50,030 --> 00:13:53,270 And in spite of all their pretense to 305 00:13:53,270 --> 00:13:55,250 knowledge and all this sort of thing these 306 00:13:55,250 --> 00:13:58,350 days, they have to admit that with all 307 00:13:58,350 --> 00:14:00,730 their counseling and their psychiatry and what have 308 00:14:00,730 --> 00:14:03,490 they, they have not yet matched what the 309 00:14:03,490 --> 00:14:05,930 simple gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ can 310 00:14:05,930 --> 00:14:08,210 do, for it's the power of God and 311 00:14:08,210 --> 00:14:10,890 the salvation to everyone they believe in. 312 00:14:12,030 --> 00:14:12,610 The power. 313 00:14:13,690 --> 00:14:15,590 Then the second thing that intrigues me in 314 00:14:15,590 --> 00:14:17,150 this verse is the name. 315 00:14:18,050 --> 00:14:20,130 You notice it says, By what power or 316 00:14:20,130 --> 00:14:23,410 by what name have ye done this? 317 00:14:24,090 --> 00:14:25,850 And already we've been looking at some of 318 00:14:25,850 --> 00:14:28,230 the names of our Lord, and what a 319 00:14:28,230 --> 00:14:31,430 unique personality he is and was when he 320 00:14:31,430 --> 00:14:32,310 was here on earth. 321 00:14:33,250 --> 00:14:35,230 And they've had to recognize that there's some 322 00:14:35,230 --> 00:14:36,490 power in this name. 323 00:14:37,010 --> 00:14:37,830 This is different. 324 00:14:38,390 --> 00:14:40,530 And we've already seen that he bears names 325 00:14:40,530 --> 00:14:41,830 that no one else could bear. 326 00:14:42,930 --> 00:14:45,910 Yes, that one we were talking about last 327 00:14:45,910 --> 00:14:48,190 night, the Prince of Life. 328 00:14:49,110 --> 00:14:51,090 He's the only one who could rightly bear 329 00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:51,770 that title. 330 00:14:52,690 --> 00:14:54,690 And perhaps in the subsequent study we'll look 331 00:14:54,690 --> 00:14:57,190 at some other names which only he can 332 00:14:57,190 --> 00:14:57,590 bear. 333 00:14:58,690 --> 00:14:59,730 They're his names. 334 00:15:00,550 --> 00:15:01,830 By what name? 335 00:15:02,790 --> 00:15:05,310 Oh, the power of the name of Jesus. 336 00:15:06,090 --> 00:15:08,070 The name that you and I plead every 337 00:15:08,070 --> 00:15:09,450 time we'll really pray. 338 00:15:10,330 --> 00:15:12,670 Praying in the name of Jesus, what power 339 00:15:12,670 --> 00:15:13,410 this has. 340 00:15:14,410 --> 00:15:16,050 As I speak to you about this, I'm 341 00:15:16,050 --> 00:15:18,590 thinking about an incident that took place on 342 00:15:18,590 --> 00:15:19,530 the West Coast. 343 00:15:20,790 --> 00:15:23,710 A spiritist medium came into the office of 344 00:15:23,710 --> 00:15:24,590 Mr. Robert T. 345 00:15:24,690 --> 00:15:27,750 Grant, who was the originator of a little 346 00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:31,750 Spanish gospel paper called Las Buenas Nuevas, The 347 00:15:31,750 --> 00:15:32,570 Good News. 348 00:15:33,630 --> 00:15:36,750 And this spiritist came in and was trying 349 00:15:36,750 --> 00:15:40,530 to argue against Mr. Grant's simple presentation of 350 00:15:40,530 --> 00:15:43,330 the gospel in his little gospel paper, which 351 00:15:43,330 --> 00:15:46,310 is still going out in thousands and hundreds 352 00:15:46,310 --> 00:15:48,850 of thousands of numbers in all of Latin 353 00:15:48,850 --> 00:15:50,410 America and even in Spain. 354 00:15:52,810 --> 00:15:57,270 And finally, the question came, as to which 355 00:15:57,270 --> 00:15:59,290 of the two had the most powerful thing. 356 00:16:00,770 --> 00:16:02,550 And this man was boasting of what he 357 00:16:02,550 --> 00:16:03,110 could do. 358 00:16:03,910 --> 00:16:05,750 He could do this and he could do 359 00:16:05,750 --> 00:16:06,270 that. 360 00:16:07,650 --> 00:16:09,110 And then he looked at Mr. Grant and 361 00:16:09,110 --> 00:16:10,270 said, and what have you got to say 362 00:16:10,270 --> 00:16:10,730 to that? 363 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:14,660 And Mr. Grant says, there's one thing you 364 00:16:14,660 --> 00:16:15,560 can't do. 365 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:17,360 What's that? 366 00:16:18,540 --> 00:16:22,180 You can't say, Lord Jesus. 367 00:16:24,220 --> 00:16:25,040 And he couldn't. 368 00:16:26,580 --> 00:16:28,220 Turned on his heel and left the office. 369 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:30,700 He couldn't say it. 370 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,040 Because the wicked spirit that was possessing him 371 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,460 had no use for the Lord Jesus and 372 00:16:36,460 --> 00:16:39,220 he would never allow this man to frame 373 00:16:39,220 --> 00:16:42,840 that honorable title and call the Lord Jesus 374 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:43,980 the Lord Jesus. 375 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:47,580 There's something in this name. 376 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:51,800 And it's remarkable, isn't it, that even the 377 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,380 ungodly today, when they really want to swear, 378 00:16:56,660 --> 00:16:58,220 this is the name they use. 379 00:16:59,180 --> 00:17:01,040 Why don't they swear by George Washington? 380 00:17:02,180 --> 00:17:04,900 Or a little more modern, by LBJ? 381 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:07,319 Or Hubert Humphrey? 382 00:17:11,980 --> 00:17:13,540 No, they don't swear by them. 383 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:16,060 They swear at them, but they don't swear 384 00:17:16,060 --> 00:17:16,579 by them. 385 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,200 And this is remarkable, isn't it, that men 386 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:24,099 seem to feel that there's something about this 387 00:17:24,099 --> 00:17:25,880 name which will add to what they've got 388 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:26,420 to say. 389 00:17:28,570 --> 00:17:29,970 That wonderful name. 390 00:17:30,990 --> 00:17:32,290 The name of Jesus. 391 00:17:33,370 --> 00:17:35,210 Now it's time for Peter to answer. 392 00:17:35,670 --> 00:17:37,990 And you'll notice, friends, that Peter is here 393 00:17:37,990 --> 00:17:39,210 filled with the Holy Ghost. 394 00:17:39,330 --> 00:17:41,130 Remember we talked about that the other night, 395 00:17:41,210 --> 00:17:43,210 how to get filled with the Holy Ghost. 396 00:17:44,150 --> 00:17:46,130 We get filled by the Holy Ghost by 397 00:17:46,130 --> 00:17:48,530 letting the word of Christ dwell in us 398 00:17:48,530 --> 00:17:52,930 richly in all wisdom, speaking in psalms and 399 00:17:52,930 --> 00:17:55,110 hymns and spiritual songs and so on. 400 00:17:55,850 --> 00:17:58,230 Yes, Peter was really filled with the Holy 401 00:17:58,230 --> 00:17:58,550 Spirit. 402 00:17:59,010 --> 00:18:00,670 And because he was filled with the Holy 403 00:18:00,670 --> 00:18:02,250 Spirit, he was more than a match for 404 00:18:02,250 --> 00:18:04,990 them, because greater is he that is in 405 00:18:04,990 --> 00:18:07,070 you than he that is in the world. 406 00:18:07,570 --> 00:18:09,790 That's a great text in 1 John 4. 407 00:18:10,970 --> 00:18:12,630 Greater is he that is in you. 408 00:18:12,890 --> 00:18:15,810 That's the Holy Spirit in the believer, is 409 00:18:15,810 --> 00:18:17,210 greater than he that is in the world. 410 00:18:17,310 --> 00:18:17,950 That's the devil. 411 00:18:19,190 --> 00:18:22,110 Yes, the blessed Holy Spirit who is present 412 00:18:22,110 --> 00:18:24,790 in this meeting tonight, and who indwells every 413 00:18:24,790 --> 00:18:27,470 true believer here tonight, and who has taken 414 00:18:27,470 --> 00:18:29,410 every true believer in here tonight, and all 415 00:18:29,410 --> 00:18:32,250 other believers, and baptized them into one body, 416 00:18:32,750 --> 00:18:35,210 this one is greater than he that is 417 00:18:35,210 --> 00:18:35,790 in the world. 418 00:18:37,490 --> 00:18:39,430 Even though he's the prince of this world 419 00:18:39,430 --> 00:18:41,770 and the god of this age, the Holy 420 00:18:41,770 --> 00:18:43,130 Spirit is greater than he. 421 00:18:43,650 --> 00:18:46,110 And here's Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. 422 00:18:46,830 --> 00:18:47,910 And notice how he talks. 423 00:18:47,970 --> 00:18:50,570 This man who was afraid to confess his 424 00:18:50,570 --> 00:18:53,210 Lord before a couple of women, just before 425 00:18:53,210 --> 00:18:56,930 our Lord was crucified, look at him now. 426 00:18:56,930 --> 00:18:59,530 Oh, what a different person he is now. 427 00:19:00,730 --> 00:19:03,030 This always gives me a great deal of 428 00:19:03,030 --> 00:19:06,030 encouragement to know that even though we may 429 00:19:06,030 --> 00:19:09,330 have failed the Lord, how wonderful it is 430 00:19:09,330 --> 00:19:12,150 to be restored to him, and then to 431 00:19:12,150 --> 00:19:14,110 be filled with his Holy Spirit to speak 432 00:19:14,110 --> 00:19:16,990 as he does, when he says, ye rulers 433 00:19:16,990 --> 00:19:18,770 of the people and elders of Israel. 434 00:19:20,110 --> 00:19:22,710 You notice he doesn't say, Your Holiness, the 435 00:19:22,710 --> 00:19:24,450 High Priest, and say anything like that. 436 00:19:26,790 --> 00:19:29,070 No, he'll admit that they're rulers of the 437 00:19:29,070 --> 00:19:31,950 people and elders, but that's it, not giving 438 00:19:31,950 --> 00:19:33,210 them any flattering titles. 439 00:19:34,950 --> 00:19:36,430 He could have done so, you know. 440 00:19:37,870 --> 00:19:39,550 We have an example of this later on 441 00:19:39,550 --> 00:19:40,310 in the book, haven't we? 442 00:19:41,350 --> 00:19:43,670 Most noble festers and so on. 443 00:19:44,250 --> 00:19:46,370 But Peter doesn't, he doesn't use any of 444 00:19:46,370 --> 00:19:47,070 this flattery. 445 00:19:47,790 --> 00:19:50,750 He just acknowledges that they're in a place 446 00:19:50,750 --> 00:19:53,070 of superiority as far as rule is concerned. 447 00:19:53,490 --> 00:19:55,030 He says, if you really want to know, 448 00:19:55,170 --> 00:19:55,830 I can tell you. 449 00:19:56,410 --> 00:19:58,830 He says, if we this day be examined, 450 00:19:58,990 --> 00:20:01,370 and notice how he uses the adjectives. 451 00:20:02,390 --> 00:20:05,450 I like adjectives used in the right place 452 00:20:05,450 --> 00:20:06,310 in the right way. 453 00:20:06,730 --> 00:20:09,010 If we be examined because of the good 454 00:20:09,010 --> 00:20:12,250 deed, put emphasis on that word good. 455 00:20:14,770 --> 00:20:17,290 The good deed done to the impotent, another 456 00:20:17,290 --> 00:20:21,370 adjective, a different category, isn't it? 457 00:20:21,910 --> 00:20:24,270 The good deed done to this impotent man. 458 00:20:25,470 --> 00:20:27,450 Emphasizing on the one hand what God did 459 00:20:27,450 --> 00:20:29,890 for him, emphasizing on the other hand what 460 00:20:29,890 --> 00:20:30,510 he was. 461 00:20:33,660 --> 00:20:35,880 You can see that this unlearned, ignorant man 462 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:36,680 is no fool. 463 00:20:37,700 --> 00:20:40,880 He knows how to use language, because he's 464 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:42,700 filled with the Holy Spirit of God. 465 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:45,260 It's amazing what the Spirit of God can 466 00:20:45,260 --> 00:20:47,400 give you, dear friends, in a time like 467 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,400 this, if you're dependent upon him, you'll do 468 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:50,620 it. 469 00:20:51,260 --> 00:20:53,000 That's exactly what he's doing here with Peter 470 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,720 tonight, as he uses him to put emphasis 471 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,460 on these two adjectives here, that the deed 472 00:20:59,460 --> 00:21:01,260 which was done, and nobody could deny it, 473 00:21:01,260 --> 00:21:02,140 it was a good thing. 474 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,800 And they couldn't deny that the man upon 475 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:07,740 whom it was done was an impotent man, 476 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:09,180 absolutely helpless. 477 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:11,360 Absolutely helpless. 478 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:14,200 Then he says, if you want to know 479 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,240 by what name this was done, you notice 480 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:20,520 he says in the tenth verse, Be it 481 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:21,940 known unto you and all the people of 482 00:21:21,940 --> 00:21:24,420 Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ 483 00:21:24,420 --> 00:21:28,080 of Nazareth, he links this wonderful power with 484 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,920 this name, and then he goes on to 485 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:32,400 speak again of the power when he says, 486 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:36,420 Whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the 487 00:21:36,420 --> 00:21:36,720 dead. 488 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:41,060 Notice he's got that same phrase again, Even 489 00:21:41,060 --> 00:21:43,140 by him doth this man stand here before 490 00:21:43,140 --> 00:21:43,700 you all. 491 00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:45,580 Now, that would have been enough. 492 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,300 That would have answered their questions. 493 00:21:49,300 --> 00:21:51,300 And sometimes in a court of law, it's 494 00:21:51,300 --> 00:21:54,000 a wise thing to stop when you have 495 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,780 satisfied the question that's been put to you. 496 00:21:57,920 --> 00:21:58,760 But this is different. 497 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:01,440 The apostle now is going to begin to 498 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:02,940 give them a little more than they bargained 499 00:22:02,940 --> 00:22:03,420 for. 500 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,840 And here's where we come to this new 501 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:09,100 introduction of our Lord Jesus Christ tonight, when 502 00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:11,460 he's introduced here as the stone. 503 00:22:12,580 --> 00:22:14,700 Now, this is an old idea. 504 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,200 This goes way back. 505 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,000 Yes, this really goes back to creation itself. 506 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,240 You turn to the 48th chapter of the 507 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,260 book of Job, and as some of you 508 00:22:26,260 --> 00:22:28,500 doubtless know, the book of Job is considered 509 00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:30,500 to be the oldest book in the Bible, 510 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,120 probably written by Moses, but we don't know. 511 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:38,380 But generally conceded to be the oldest book 512 00:22:38,380 --> 00:22:40,280 in the Bible, and here we get a 513 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,000 statement concerning the creation. 514 00:22:42,620 --> 00:22:45,840 God is asking one question after another of 515 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,740 Job in that 40th chapter of Job. 516 00:22:49,220 --> 00:22:51,620 He's asking one, 38th chapter of Job, rather. 517 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:53,780 He's asking one question after another. 518 00:22:56,510 --> 00:22:58,910 And one of the questions is, Where were 519 00:22:58,910 --> 00:23:02,610 you when I laid the foundation of the 520 00:23:02,610 --> 00:23:05,190 earth and the cornerstone thereof? 521 00:23:06,750 --> 00:23:08,770 Did you ever realize that creation had a 522 00:23:08,770 --> 00:23:09,410 cornerstone? 523 00:23:10,970 --> 00:23:13,070 And it must have been a wonderful celebration, 524 00:23:13,250 --> 00:23:15,010 because the next verse says, And all the 525 00:23:15,010 --> 00:23:17,670 sons of God shouted for joy, they sang, 526 00:23:18,330 --> 00:23:20,310 when God laid the cornerstone. 527 00:23:21,490 --> 00:23:23,710 Well, you know what God does has significance. 528 00:23:24,670 --> 00:23:27,070 And I wouldn't be surprised, dear friends, that 529 00:23:27,070 --> 00:23:29,490 when God laid the cornerstone of this creation, 530 00:23:29,890 --> 00:23:32,150 He was putting down a figure at that 531 00:23:32,150 --> 00:23:34,190 time which was going to speak of His 532 00:23:34,190 --> 00:23:35,130 beloved Son. 533 00:23:36,310 --> 00:23:38,390 That's exactly the way Peter refers to Him 534 00:23:38,390 --> 00:23:38,570 later. 535 00:23:38,990 --> 00:23:40,530 He says He's become the head of the 536 00:23:40,530 --> 00:23:40,850 corner. 537 00:23:41,170 --> 00:23:42,830 He's really that cornerstone. 538 00:23:44,190 --> 00:23:46,150 Jacob referred to Him when he spoke of 539 00:23:46,150 --> 00:23:48,670 Him as the stone and the shepherd of 540 00:23:48,670 --> 00:23:49,090 Israel. 541 00:23:50,090 --> 00:23:52,150 The prophet Isaiah speaks of Him as the 542 00:23:52,150 --> 00:23:52,510 stone. 543 00:23:52,670 --> 00:23:54,810 The prophet Zechariah speaks of Him as the 544 00:23:54,810 --> 00:23:55,210 stone. 545 00:23:56,330 --> 00:23:59,670 And Peter himself enlarges on this in his 546 00:23:59,670 --> 00:24:02,070 epistle, in the first epistle in chapter 2, 547 00:24:02,450 --> 00:24:05,690 when he calls Him the living stone. 548 00:24:06,550 --> 00:24:09,350 Now, that's a contradiction, a natural contradiction, isn't 549 00:24:09,350 --> 00:24:09,530 it? 550 00:24:10,150 --> 00:24:12,310 You ever see a stone alive? 551 00:24:14,780 --> 00:24:15,080 No? 552 00:24:15,180 --> 00:24:16,440 Somebody says, Come to think of it, I 553 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:17,120 never have. 554 00:24:18,780 --> 00:24:21,180 Maybe you've seen one, but you haven't recognized 555 00:24:21,180 --> 00:24:21,840 it as such. 556 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:24,960 I'm going to take some of you younger 557 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,580 men back, you know, to those days when 558 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,620 you had already, as the Scotch would say, 559 00:24:32,420 --> 00:24:36,660 you had her Gidwell de Promise, and you 560 00:24:36,660 --> 00:24:39,980 went out and you bought that ring with 561 00:24:42,190 --> 00:24:43,390 the solitaire in it. 562 00:24:45,150 --> 00:24:47,010 And, of course, it was a great ceremony 563 00:24:47,010 --> 00:24:49,250 that the evening it was put on, and 564 00:24:49,250 --> 00:24:51,870 they had a great time to celebrate the 565 00:24:51,870 --> 00:24:52,790 engagement party. 566 00:24:53,810 --> 00:24:56,150 And after everybody's gone home, and he himself 567 00:24:56,150 --> 00:24:58,870 has bidden her farewell for the 33rd time, 568 00:25:00,050 --> 00:25:02,290 and now they come and look it over, 569 00:25:02,770 --> 00:25:04,810 and they're standing there under the light, and 570 00:25:04,810 --> 00:25:08,650 somebody says, It fairly lives. 571 00:25:10,820 --> 00:25:11,940 What makes it live? 572 00:25:13,060 --> 00:25:15,000 The light that shines in it. 573 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:19,480 And that's exactly the way the Spirit of 574 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,340 God puts these two things together in the 575 00:25:21,340 --> 00:25:22,760 first chapter of John's Gospel. 576 00:25:22,980 --> 00:25:25,780 In him was life, and the life was 577 00:25:25,780 --> 00:25:27,480 the light of men. 578 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:29,660 This is the living stone. 579 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,700 Disallowed indeed of men, as Peter tells us. 580 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:36,360 Disallowed indeed of men. 581 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:38,240 Or, as he puts it here in this 582 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,260 passage of Scripture in verse 11, set it 583 00:25:40,260 --> 00:25:42,280 not by you builders. 584 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:44,760 You thought you could get along without him. 585 00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:49,720 There's a legend connected with this verse. 586 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:52,420 We just referred to it for what it 587 00:25:52,420 --> 00:25:52,960 is worth. 588 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,060 The legend says that when they were building 589 00:25:56,060 --> 00:25:58,840 the temple, a very queer-shaped stone was 590 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:00,440 sent up to the builders, and they looked 591 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:01,580 at it and said, We don't know where 592 00:26:01,580 --> 00:26:02,220 this goes. 593 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:04,260 So they just threw it out. 594 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,560 But later on, they got on with the 595 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,740 building, and somebody says, We need a stone 596 00:26:11,740 --> 00:26:12,940 of such and such a shape. 597 00:26:13,420 --> 00:26:15,780 And they discovered it was the stone that 598 00:26:15,780 --> 00:26:16,940 they had cast out. 599 00:26:19,090 --> 00:26:20,810 The stone that was set at nought of 600 00:26:20,810 --> 00:26:21,330 you builders. 601 00:26:22,150 --> 00:26:24,750 And this very thing is incorporated into that 602 00:26:24,750 --> 00:26:28,250 classic passage in Psalm 118. 603 00:26:29,370 --> 00:26:31,190 The stone which was set at nought of 604 00:26:31,190 --> 00:26:31,630 the builders. 605 00:26:32,550 --> 00:26:34,430 The same has become the head of the 606 00:26:34,430 --> 00:26:34,710 corner. 607 00:26:36,070 --> 00:26:38,950 And how Peter, who is generally referred to 608 00:26:38,950 --> 00:26:41,330 as the rock on which the church is 609 00:26:41,330 --> 00:26:42,150 built, you know. 610 00:26:43,130 --> 00:26:44,910 Oh yeah, how they love to wring the 611 00:26:44,910 --> 00:26:45,830 changes on everyone. 612 00:26:46,790 --> 00:26:48,550 And here the Spirit of God uses this 613 00:26:48,550 --> 00:26:51,150 very man to tell us that it was 614 00:26:51,150 --> 00:26:52,450 not himself at all. 615 00:26:52,970 --> 00:26:55,550 It was the Lord Jesus Christ, the foundation 616 00:26:55,550 --> 00:27:00,050 upon whom these other living stones are being 617 00:27:00,050 --> 00:27:00,370 built. 618 00:27:01,590 --> 00:27:03,310 The stone which was set at nought of 619 00:27:03,310 --> 00:27:03,690 you builders. 620 00:27:05,030 --> 00:27:07,050 But he's coming back again to this name. 621 00:27:07,190 --> 00:27:09,630 You know, he hasn't forgotten that in their 622 00:27:09,630 --> 00:27:11,610 question, they wanted to know by what power 623 00:27:11,610 --> 00:27:12,670 or by what name. 624 00:27:13,930 --> 00:27:15,490 All right, here we have it in verse 625 00:27:15,490 --> 00:27:15,970 12. 626 00:27:16,730 --> 00:27:18,990 Neither is there salvation in any other. 627 00:27:20,230 --> 00:27:22,650 For there is none other name under heaven, 628 00:27:23,770 --> 00:27:26,150 given among men whereby we must be saved. 629 00:27:27,330 --> 00:27:30,010 You see, dear friends, in this matter of 630 00:27:30,010 --> 00:27:32,410 salvation, it's not a question of choice or 631 00:27:32,410 --> 00:27:32,910 option. 632 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:37,860 God doesn't say, Now if you don't like 633 00:27:37,860 --> 00:27:39,360 this, you can have something else. 634 00:27:42,270 --> 00:27:44,170 God is saying to us here, dear friends, 635 00:27:44,250 --> 00:27:45,850 that either this or else. 636 00:27:47,470 --> 00:27:49,570 And this is after the manner of scripture. 637 00:27:51,410 --> 00:27:52,890 I'd like to give you a couple of 638 00:27:52,890 --> 00:27:54,510 examples in the Old Testament. 639 00:27:55,790 --> 00:27:57,350 Would you like to turn back first of 640 00:27:57,350 --> 00:28:00,510 all to the book of Joshua, chapter 24? 641 00:28:01,990 --> 00:28:03,990 For an example, shall I say, of this 642 00:28:03,990 --> 00:28:05,350 very idea? 643 00:28:06,230 --> 00:28:08,070 The 24th chapter of Joshua. 644 00:28:10,180 --> 00:28:13,080 Here Joshua is talking, giving his valedictory to 645 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,320 these people at whom he has led into 646 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:18,740 the land and finally got them settled in 647 00:28:18,740 --> 00:28:20,380 their respective places. 648 00:28:21,100 --> 00:28:24,260 You notice it says here in verse 14, 649 00:28:24,460 --> 00:28:28,660 Joshua 24, verse 14, Now therefore fear the 650 00:28:28,660 --> 00:28:30,700 Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth, 651 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,120 and put away the gods which your father 652 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,500 served on the other side of the flood. 653 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:38,780 The flood there refers to the Euphrates River, 654 00:28:39,300 --> 00:28:43,700 and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord. 655 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,580 And if it seem evil unto you to 656 00:28:47,580 --> 00:28:52,340 serve the Lord, then you have your choice. 657 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,560 You can choose this day whom you will 658 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:57,940 serve, whether the gods which your father served 659 00:28:57,940 --> 00:28:59,320 were on the other side of the flood 660 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:01,740 or the river, or the gods of the 661 00:29:01,740 --> 00:29:02,300 Amorites. 662 00:29:03,380 --> 00:29:05,060 If you want a choice, you can have 663 00:29:05,060 --> 00:29:07,020 either one of these groups of gods, these 664 00:29:07,020 --> 00:29:07,360 idols. 665 00:29:08,860 --> 00:29:10,660 But this is only if it's evil to 666 00:29:10,660 --> 00:29:11,640 you to serve the Lord. 667 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:13,880 You notice he doesn't make it a matter 668 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:15,480 of choice here between the Lord and the 669 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:15,760 idols. 670 00:29:17,980 --> 00:29:19,440 If you want to choose, you can choose 671 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:20,960 between any of these other idols, because it 672 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:22,640 won't make very much difference, they're all alike. 673 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:27,100 No, the Lord never puts himself on a 674 00:29:27,100 --> 00:29:28,760 level with these idols and said, now I 675 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:29,580 hope you'll choose me. 676 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:33,620 There is no option here, dear friends. 677 00:29:35,970 --> 00:29:37,310 There is no option here. 678 00:29:37,630 --> 00:29:40,790 It's not this, or something you may like 679 00:29:40,790 --> 00:29:41,090 better. 680 00:29:43,540 --> 00:29:46,100 As our text of this evening says, there 681 00:29:46,100 --> 00:29:48,200 is no other name under heaven among men 682 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,200 whereby we must be saved. 683 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:51,040 It's imperative. 684 00:29:52,940 --> 00:29:55,380 I give you another example in 1 Kings, 685 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:56,380 the 18th chapter. 686 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,020 1 Kings, chapter 18. 687 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:03,700 An incident in the life of one of 688 00:30:03,700 --> 00:30:05,300 the great prophets, Elijah. 689 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:08,240 How I love this passage of scripture. 690 00:30:09,420 --> 00:30:11,480 I think I like it mostly because of 691 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:14,720 the sarcasm in it, but we're not talking 692 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:15,920 about that so much tonight. 693 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:17,340 But let's look at this. 694 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:20,840 1 Kings 18, verse 21. 695 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:23,820 And Elijah came unto all the people and 696 00:30:23,820 --> 00:30:26,700 said, How long halt ye between two opinions? 697 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:33,240 If the Lord be God, follow him. 698 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:40,040 But if Baal, if Baal be God, then 699 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:40,640 follow him. 700 00:30:41,620 --> 00:30:44,260 Notice his statement carefully. 701 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:46,260 He doesn't say now you can have either 702 00:30:46,260 --> 00:30:47,160 God or Baal. 703 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:48,540 He doesn't say that. 704 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,440 If the Lord is God, follow him. 705 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:56,700 If Baal be God, follow him. 706 00:30:59,470 --> 00:31:01,330 You see, dear friends, God never puts himself 707 00:31:01,330 --> 00:31:02,490 on a level with these idols. 708 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:06,960 And so, coming back to our text here 709 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,380 in Acts 4, the Lord doesn't put himself 710 00:31:10,380 --> 00:31:11,500 on a level with others. 711 00:31:12,580 --> 00:31:13,320 He doesn't now. 712 00:31:14,060 --> 00:31:15,840 You know, all roads lead to the same 713 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:16,320 place. 714 00:31:16,580 --> 00:31:18,340 You can be a Buddhist or a Confucianist 715 00:31:18,340 --> 00:31:19,020 or a Muslim. 716 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:20,980 It doesn't make any difference, just so you're 717 00:31:20,980 --> 00:31:21,480 sincere. 718 00:31:23,100 --> 00:31:24,900 No, dear friends, that's not it. 719 00:31:26,340 --> 00:31:27,120 That's not it. 720 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:30,060 It's not optional. 721 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:32,460 It's imperative. 722 00:31:32,460 --> 00:31:36,020 And if I'm speaking here tonight to anyone 723 00:31:36,020 --> 00:31:38,900 who has never yet trusted the Lord Jesus 724 00:31:38,900 --> 00:31:42,240 Christ as a personal Savior, remember, dear friends, 725 00:31:42,340 --> 00:31:42,980 this is it. 726 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:46,860 There is no other name unto heaven among 727 00:31:46,860 --> 00:31:51,480 men whereby we must be saved but the 728 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,400 name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 729 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:56,740 And so we leave the subject tonight. 730 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:01,100 We trust, dear friends, that this answer from 731 00:32:01,100 --> 00:32:04,640 the Apostle Peter will stand out in your 732 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:06,880 mind as something which God can give to 733 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:07,180 you. 734 00:32:08,540 --> 00:32:11,060 These Sadducees had to admit that a mighty 735 00:32:11,060 --> 00:32:12,180 miracle had been wrought. 736 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:13,660 If we'd read the rest of the chapter, 737 00:32:13,780 --> 00:32:16,500 which I hope you will, you will find 738 00:32:16,500 --> 00:32:18,960 that when they get behind the scenes, they 739 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:19,640 talk about it. 740 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,320 They say, We can't deny that this has 741 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:22,420 been a notable miracle. 742 00:32:23,020 --> 00:32:24,180 We can't deny it. 743 00:32:25,140 --> 00:32:26,420 But let's shut them up. 744 00:32:27,900 --> 00:32:30,500 And so they tell them, Now you get 745 00:32:30,500 --> 00:32:32,280 out of here, but don't you talk anymore 746 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:33,600 about the name of Jesus. 747 00:32:33,900 --> 00:32:36,420 And Peter says, You can do as you 748 00:32:36,420 --> 00:32:36,700 like. 749 00:32:37,380 --> 00:32:39,360 We're going to do what we know to 750 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:39,840 be true. 751 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:42,680 And so, dear friends, God give us the 752 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:45,800 courage in these days, these days of apostasy, 753 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,340 when the name of our blessed Lord is 754 00:32:47,340 --> 00:32:49,120 being put on a level with other names. 755 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:51,820 Let us remember, dear friends, that He's in 756 00:32:51,820 --> 00:32:53,140 a class by Himself. 757 00:32:54,180 --> 00:32:55,980 He is, as we've been saying here from 758 00:32:55,980 --> 00:32:57,820 night to night, He is unique. 759 00:32:58,940 --> 00:33:00,460 And this is one of the things that 760 00:33:00,460 --> 00:33:03,320 gives one great boldness as he faces these 761 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:05,960 so-called intellectuals these days who try to 762 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:07,900 tell us this, that, and the other, and 763 00:33:07,900 --> 00:33:10,080 that Christianity has outlived its usefulness. 764 00:33:10,180 --> 00:33:11,560 We're living in a post-Christian era. 765 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,080 Don't you believe it. 766 00:33:13,940 --> 00:33:17,260 This name will never lose its power until 767 00:33:17,260 --> 00:33:20,920 all the ransomed saints of God are safe 768 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:21,680 home in glory. 769 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:24,620 In keeping with that, let's turn to hymn 770 00:33:24,620 --> 00:33:26,160 number 121. 771 00:33:27,740 --> 00:33:29,860 Hymn number 121. 772 00:33:31,740 --> 00:33:35,180 My hope is built on nothing less than 773 00:33:35,180 --> 00:33:36,800 Jesus' blood and righteousness. 774 00:33:37,060 --> 00:33:40,480 I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but 775 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,080 wholly lean on Jesus' name. 776 00:33:43,860 --> 00:33:46,400 Number 121. 777 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:48,700 Shall we rise? 778 00:33:55,990 --> 00:36:06,540 We thank 779 00:36:06,540 --> 00:36:08,920 Thee for reassuring our faith tonight as we 780 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,700 look into Thy holy word, and see what 781 00:36:11,700 --> 00:36:13,600 Thou couldst do with men who were counted 782 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:17,240 ignorant and unlearned, and yet who were recognized 783 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,120 as those who had been with Jesus. 784 00:36:20,260 --> 00:36:22,700 O our Father, we pray that we and 785 00:36:22,700 --> 00:36:24,760 these our day and time may also have 786 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:28,520 similar courage as we stand up before those 787 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:31,040 who claim to be superior to us religiously, 788 00:36:31,100 --> 00:36:34,380 ecclesiastically, intellectually, and so on. 789 00:36:34,580 --> 00:36:37,240 But we thank Thee, our Father, that there 790 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:39,640 is nothing that can match the simple faith 791 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:41,660 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 792 00:36:41,860 --> 00:36:44,200 Nothing can match the omnipotence of Thy blessed 793 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:45,100 Holy Spirit. 794 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:47,700 And we just pray, O Lord, that we 795 00:36:47,700 --> 00:36:50,500 who claim to be Thine here tonight may 796 00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:52,840 go from this meeting strengthened in our hearts 797 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:56,580 and souls, and determined to bear a more 798 00:36:56,580 --> 00:36:58,880 faithful witness to Him who loved us and 799 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:00,220 gave Himself for us. 800 00:37:00,980 --> 00:37:03,320 These things we ask as we commit ourselves 801 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,400 now to Thy loving hand, in His most 802 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:07,420 precious name. 803 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:08,700 Amen. 804 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:10,540 You are dismissed.