O the love of Christ the Shepherd, to see love come everywhere. For all the angry, proudest sinners, long before the world began, Overwhelmed with deep compassion for His sheep, the slave and ox, He guides the rescue mission that would take Him to the cross. With the love of Christ constrained, He will live for Him who died, Till His name among all nations be renowned and glorified. O call of Christ the Savior to compassion, and so on, to afford the gospel power to our faithful tribes and nones. We strive with no salvation at the world's old and lost. Folding home across the nations, as we stand in awe of the cross. With the love of Christ constraining, we will live for him who died. Till his name among all nations, he may know name glorified. Oh, the grace of Christ the Sovereign, to be seated around His throne, gifts and souls from every nation, once His strength, but now His own. Bound by blood we'll stand together, there to live by Thy love's great cause. With more voice we'll sing forever. Thank you, Jesus, for the cross. With the love of Christ you're taking, we will live for Him with pride. Till His name among all nations, we will know Him glorified. Till it came among all nations, We made our end glorified. Amen. All right. Thank you, family. And some of you know Andy Gleiser, I think. He was here about two years ago. He wrote that. He's an evangelist and a friend of ours. He was over here preaching for us. And like I said, I think it was two years ago, and he'll be back, all right? I think 2022. Andy and Bryn will be with us again, Lord willing, and we look forward to that ministry. All right. You know, it can be interesting at times, having an American accent in Scotland, all right? It can be, as you go up. Some people just assume that because you don't sound like you're from here, that you're not from here. We've been here a decade. We enjoyed sharing the film this morning, and it shows a picture of us getting citizenship, buying our house and getting settled and things, and we're very much used to life here. Sometimes people might speak to us as if the climate's unfamiliar, you know, having lived here 10 years, or, you know, the driving, you know, wondering how you're doing with the driving. I struggle when I go back to the States, you know, trying to figure out how to get back on the other side of the car, the other side of the We can understand a lot better than when we first got here. When I first got here, the first week I was here, I remember going to the mechanic and having to get something sorted on the vehicle. I sat there in the office and another mechanic came in and speak to this mechanic. And I understood, honestly, like one-fourth of what they were saying. I don't even think about that now, but that's how much my American ears had to get in tune with some of the Scottish accent. You understand there's broad Scottish accents. And so if we ask the question, sometimes we'll get answered again like we're from a different country. So I visited Alan this past week in hospital, and again, as I go up to the nurse's station, I'd say – because they had changed his room. And so I had to ask again. I said, can you tell me Alan McGrath's room? They kind of look at one another. And one of them says, McGrath. And so, OK, McGrath. And you kind of see what they're thinking. It's kind of something like, without being unkind, dumb American. And so then they go walking off. But the thing is, the thing is, Alan's surname is McGrave, alright? I say, Alan, Alan, tell me again your surname. McGrave. He said I have to tell him all. It has an I in it, alright? But anyway, I get this stupid American, or crazy American thing, alright? Sometimes, and I'm glad, we don't get to hear what people are thinking. When we come up to them, they might think something, but it's not said. But in the Bible, in Acts chapter four, as we come to it, Peter and John have been before the Sanhedrin, and as the Sanhedrin, these men, look at Peter and John, the Bible tells us what they're thinking. And what they're thinking, out loud, is something like, dumb fishermen? Well, man, are these guys gold. I think they've spent time with Jesus. And that's what the Word of God says in Acts chapter 4 verse 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Okay, boldness is to be outspoken, all right? It's to have assurance or confidence. And it's a great thing for us as a believer to have. It ought to be something that we cultivate in our life. It was something that was in this chapter 4, Acts chapter 4 story of the church. And really it's kind of a theme that runs through Acts chapter 4 is that they were bold. We see it in the verse I just shared in verse 13, but also verse 31. It says, when they had prayed, the place was shaking, where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And so they were a bold church. I want to challenge us this morning that we need to be outspoken for God. We need to be outspoken for God. People when they see us, they might think other things about us, but that they would identify that inside of us as a bold person that stands for God. How bold are you as a Christian? Are you outspoken for God? No, it's easy not to be. The disciples in our texts, they had to pray. They had to ask God for it. But God gave it. And so, let's ask God this morning. God help us be bold people and ask God to bless our study. This is a two-part message, by the way. I'll preach the second half next Sunday, Lord willing. Alright, so we're going to start the first kind of part of this chapter. We're going to go straight through chapter four on this theme of boldness. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for the Word of God, I thank you for the privilege that we have of coming to it. And Father, as we consider a theme of boldness, it's something that we all need. Lord, I was privileged to preach to the teens on Friday night about fear, but as I spoke to them about fear, I could say to them that we all struggle with fear, because that's reality. And Father, it's also true that we all struggle to be as bold, rightly, as we ought to be for the Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, I pray that as we consider this theme of this chapter, the next two Sundays, I pray that the Spirit of God would give us some practical ways that we could be emboldened to stand for God. And that the Spirit of God would help us. To be like the early church, it wasn't an easy day for them to be bold. It's not an easy day for us to be bold. And I don't know that it's ever been easy to be bold. And so I pray, Spirit of God, give us grace to be bold. I can't be bold to preach this message as I ought to preach it without the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Father, I ask that the Spirit of God will guide me, help me as I preach, Father, to preach in a way that rightly communicates this text. Father, help me to preach clearly. Father, I'm going to preach in a loving and gracious way, and I pray, God, give us ears to hear. Help us to take in the precious truth of the Word of God and let it change our lives. We commit this message to you now to your glory. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Okay, so Acts chapter 4 is going to be an example. We're only going to get to two main points with some sub points today under them, but two main points about boldness and three, Lord willing, next week. And so the first this morning, speak out boldly in persecution. All right? Speak out boldly in persecution. Persecution is pursuing someone to cause them to suffer. In other words, that is an aggressive behavior that is going after somebody to cause them to have suffering. It's like a bully. A bully goes after somebody and we don't like persecution. We care very much about somebody that's wrongly being tormented by a bully that comes to them and provokes them and tries to anger them. and makes their life difficult. It might be bullying online, like trolling, where you get into a thread, if you understand what a thread is, where there's a conversation taking place online, and somebody gets on there just to upset the apple carton, to say something mean, try to cause contention, derail the thread, and it's called trolling. Something like that. We look at that and say, that's not right, they shouldn't do that. And we're right. But sometimes because we think that they shouldn't do that, that when it happens to us as a believer, we think it's wrong that it happened, and therefore it should not happen. Does that make sense? In other words, we're kind of surprised by persecution, and what's happening, this shouldn't happen, it's not fair. But the Bible says that rather than to be surprised by persecution, that as a believer, I ought to expect persecution. Because persecution will come to a believer. 2 Timothy 3 verse 12 says, "...yea, and all that will of God." We talked about it in Sunday School this morning. It's not just being doctrinally correct, it's being practically correct. Practical correctness is Godliness. And so all that will of godly in Christ Jesus, this person is genuinely saved, and they've got a true relationship with God, and are living for God, obeying God, pleasing God, all that will of godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Now the Bible says something, I think we ought to, as a statement of fact, encompassing all of that, that we ought to expect that if I, by the grace of God, am saved, if by the grace of God I'm godly, that I ought not be surprised when persecution, someone pursuing me to cause me to suffer, takes place. The captain of our salvation was a persecuted creature, Jesus. Hebrews 2 verse 10, for it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Jesus Christ came. He wasn't embraced. He wasn't loved. He had people that didn't fall down and bow down except for that one day in the triumphant victory of Jerusalem. They acknowledged him then. But other than that, his life was a life of persecution culminating in the persecution of the cross and his death. And again in verse 9, but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Jesus Christ was persecuted. God's preachers historically have been persecuted. And James chapter 5, verse 10 says, take my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction, and impatience. And as James is challenging the Jewish believers to stand for God in the persecution that's going to come. He said, hey, look back at those preachers in the Old Testament. They stood and they were persecuted for their stand, but they stood for God. You know, I've had people tell me, in evangelism as you're seeking to witness to them, they'll say Christianity is a crutch. Do you need it? I don't. It bothered me at first, I didn't quite know what to say, and I thought, you know what, I'm going to say it next time someone says it. Christianity is not a crutch, it's a cross. Jesus Christ was persecuted. The whole idea that modern day Christianity ought to be protected and we ought to have some sign that says, do not touch because we believe in God, is totally contrary to Biblical Christianity. Biblical Christianity will be persecuted. It will be persecuted. And so we ought to expect this idea this morning as we think about it, we ought to be bold in the face of persecution. And this is an appropriate message in our day. Why? Because if we stand for God in our day practically and biblically, it's an absolute fact that it's going to not just be persecution, but it's going to be evident persecution. It's happening. And it's not going to get better right now, it's going to get worse unless God saves us with a revival, a spiritual awakening of some sort that changes the government and changes the hearts and minds of people towards God. And so what can I do in these days of persecution? Well, in these days of persecution, let's be bold in it, so let's be bold when opposed. Be bold when opposed. And again, in Exodus 4, as Peter and John, we read about it already, as they're walking into the temple, the lame man is there. Peter says, I don't have any money, but in the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk. And he goes in, at the end of the story this morning, as the people come together around this lame man that's been healed, that's sleeping and praising God, and as they come, Peter begins to preach, and he's preaching to a crowd of thousands. And as they spake unto the people, verse 1, the priests and the captains of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. Alright, being grieved, they came upon them and they're bothered by the fact that these men are standing in the temple preaching Jesus Christ. You know, when the enemies of Jesus are upset, you're doing something right. Opposition comes to those who are obeying Jesus. Paul spoke about it in 1 Corinthians 16, 9. He said, For a great door and effectual is open unto me, and there are many adversaries. It's like God has just blown open this big door to walk through, and it's a great door, and I know it's the door God wants me to walk through. And I'm walking through it in obedience to God. I'm walking through it preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But as I go through this wide open door, there are many adversaries. Why? Because you're going through the door God wants you to go through, and Satan doesn't want you to go through that door. We've put out thousands of flyers. I've shared probably, just to give you an idea, close to 30,000 a year for the last 10 years. Okay, average probably. So, hundreds of thousands of flyers. I've often lamented to Pastor Don Dummidge, who he and I, every week we go out, on Wednesday generally, together, and put out flyers to nail spots. I've lamented the fact that we haven't more often, or actually even almost at all, had any believers write to us, or email us, and say, you know what, hey, praise God you're out there. Keep it up, this is good, I got this, I just want you to know, I'm a believer, and I accept you Christ as my Savior. Good on you, keep it up. We don't often get that, but Pastor Gilman did, finally, about a month ago, he got a beautiful email back from a Christian young couple that had recently been saved. And it said basically that, good for you. If we can get saved, anybody can get saved. Keep it up. Encouragement. But you know the week after that, he got one of those flyers that we have gotten before that is the flyer and it's all edited and crossed out and everything's written on it. It's opposition of people that are against what we stand for and against what we do. We get that sometimes. So I've gotten those letters here at the church, and come in and have them here myself, where somebody is opposing. I've had phone calls from people that will call. And I shared the last name one that I got was from a man that I call the farmer of Skirley, because that's where he's from, that village out by Bigger. And he called, complained, and I spoke with him 45 minutes and he felt like I should have put that flyer out into people's mail slots and told me why he thought that. But you know, when I got off the phone, Rather than discouraging me from putting out that flyer, I was almost out of that flyer. I actually ordered another 10,000. Why? Because if Satan resists it, and we have gotten some flack from that flyer supplier that's back there on the back table that says the answer to unbelief is faith. But when you get opposition, and it's right what you're doing, then that can be an encouragement to us to stand for God. But you know a lot of times we assume the opposite. If we're not bold for the Lord, we could assume that, oh, it's tough, and people are getting upset. If I speak about God, they're getting upset, and we can let it discourage us from continuing to obey God. And so when Satan opposes you, ask God for boldness. God help me to continue to speak out despite the opposition that I'm facing. So be bold in the persecution of opposition. But then be bold also when losing liberty. Verse 3 says, And they laid hands on them and put them in the hold until the next day, for it was now eventide. Howbeit, many of them which heard the word believed, and the number of the men was about five thousand. And so, they're preaching, and all of a sudden, in the middle of the sermon, here comes the chief priest and everybody. They take them away, and they put them into a prison. They lose their liberty. But the Bible says that as that message was declared, that 5,000 men, plus women and children, accepted Christ as their Savior. But 5,000 men, at least, accepted Christ. You know persecution and gospel victory go together? They do, they go together. Jesus put them together in his Sermon on the Mount as he preached on persecution in Matthew 5 verse 11. He said, blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Jesus, I mean, certainly now, this is like, the birth of the church hasn't even taken place yet, and he's saying ahead of time, hey, be expecting this, that there is going to be opposition that's going to come. But as he preaches on that, he speaks about that opposition, he reminds them, he reminds us in verse 13, ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall ye salt it? If the salt isn't salty, it's no longer effective. And so he spoke about persecution, then he said what? Keep salt. What's that mean? In our text, what we're looking at, it means be bold. Be bold, be salty, that'll stand for God. But salt that is no longer salt is good for nothing. It's to be cast out, to be trodden underfoot of men. Then he says, you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. We talked about salt, now he talks about light. And he's talking about, you're to be bright, you're to shine. And again, in the context of what we're looking at, a dim bulb is an unbold bulb. It's a Christian that has let their light go out because the opposition that they face, they're no longer brilliantly shining for God. And again, they become ineffective in that. Not even do men light a candle, put it under a bushel, but they put it on a candlestick, bold, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men. Again, what is he saying? He's saying, be bold, be the light, let the light shine, be so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. What's the only way they could truly glorify our Father which is in heaven? It's through their salvation. Right? Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Here we have Peter and John. They've lost their liberty. They're preaching, doing what they're supposed to do. They've lost their liberty. They've been put in prison. They could have looked at each other and said, well, I guess we can't preach Jesus. If we do, we'll lose our liberty. Right? And we can do that in our day. We can look around and say, but if we take a stand like we ought to take a stand, it is coming to the day where we may lose our liberty. There may be very real incarceration consequences to somebody that will stand up for God and obey God. We have seen it this past year in the sign that was put on the bus stops by Police Scotland, which said this. Dear bigots, division seems to be what you believe in. We don't want your religious hate on our buses, on our streets, and in our communities. We don't want you spreading your intolerance or making people's lives a misery because of their religious dress. You may not have faith and respect and love, but we do. That's why if we see or hear your hate, we're reporting you. End of sermon. Yours, Scottman. Hate crime? Report it to stop it. Report it to stop it. What are they seeking to do? They're seeking to silence those that would stand up for God, For the truth of the word of God, for the creator of God that designed everything, that gave the law, that gave his mercy, that gave his son, that gives the hope in all the truth that God is. And they're seeking the silence. How? By incarceration. Because the threat is, okay, if I do this as a hate crime, what's the punishment for a hate crime? Possibly jail time. Right? So, what will we do? Well, by God's grace, as a generation coming and not preaching this to us, even if it's 10 years future, even if it's 20 years future, we ought to get in our hearts and minds to say, by the grace of God, even if it is to incarceration, by the grace of God, I will be bold for God. Be bold when losing liberty. Be bold when facing opposition. And then be bold when questioned. Be bold when questioning. If Peter and John are cast into that prison, they've got all night to think about the fact that the next day they're on trial. They got to stand in front of the Sanhedrin and give an account to these, not just earthly religious leaders, but also the rulers of the Jews, those that were in authority as well, that had jurisdiction, not just responsibility in religious matters, but authority in religious matters. And so they're going to be standing in front of these men. Last time these men had come together, the Sanhedrin, these 70 rabbis, they had given Jesus a mock trial and had crucified him. See, it's got to be a little bit in the minds of these men, Peter and John, as they get ready to stand before these and face their questioning. And I imagine that the Holy Spirit Came to them as with the words of Jesus in Matthew 10 in verse 18 When it says and you shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake For a testimony against them and the Gentiles But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what he shall speak for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak for it's not he that speak but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you and And I'm sure that Holy Spirit was coming and encouraging them as they're contemplating standing before these earthly judges and giving an account for what they have done. Now the cell door opens, they're ordered to their feet, and they go to face the earthly judges. And so verse 5, it says, and it came to pass on the morrow that the rulers and elders and scribes and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander. And as many as were of the kindred of the high priest were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had sent them in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name have you done this? What is the source of your power? The miracle that took place, what is the source of your miraculous power? And in whose name have you done this? And we know that Sanhedrin didn't believe that the power was from God. Just like with Jesus in Matthew 12, verse 24, when the Pharisees heard it, they said, this fellow does not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. And you know, there's going to be a time where we'll face interrogation from an earthly authority who does not accept the authority of God behind us. They're not going to accept the fact that, you know, the power or the command that we follow is a legitimate authority that is, by their minds, allowed to be followed. And they're going to question that. One of my favorite biographies I've shared from her several times, but, is Darlene Diablo Rose. Darlene and Dr. Rose was a missionary in Papua New Guinea with her husband Russell. They're a young couple. They're just in the mission field. They're working with an older missionary couple, the Jaffreys. And World War II takes place, and Japan is invading, and they stay there. And so then they're imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp. Darlene became kind of a key person there, a female prisoner of war camp, but then the Japanese interrogators came and took her away to Camp Pelee. And in her autobiography she says, If an answer didn't please the guy she called the brain, the one that was behind it, he would snap an order to the interrogator, the questioner, who struck me a swift karate chop with the cutting edge of his hand. He was skilled in striking with great force and precision, that very tender spot close to the shoulder at the base of the neck. A well-placed blow was excruciatingly painful and paralyzing. Other times the interrogator used his middle finger, flicking it from behind his thumb. He felt me repeatedly between the eyes until I thought my nerves would explode. My forehead became bruised and swollen. Often I felt I couldn't endure to be touched again, but the Lord comforted me and strengthened me. I remember Dr. Jaffrey's injunction. One of the last things he said to her was, Whatever you do, be a good soldier for Jesus Christ. And then she says, I prayed that God would help me. And she was. She was faithful in that interrogation. You and I read it and say, how could she stand that to go again and again before these interrogators? But this woman so lived her life for the Lord through that time of testing that Mr. Imagi, the camp commander, came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the man that she had watched kick the life out of another man that was a prisoner or a man that had been found close to the women's campground. And so praise God, she was a bull for the Lord. She witnessed a good confession. 1 Peter 3.15 says, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks of you, a reason and a hope that's in you with meekness and fear. And there might be a time where we're called into questions and it might be just a coworker, it might be a peer, it might be family, it might be socially, or it could be government asking us and saying, what right do you have to say this? But by the grace of God, if it's persecution for us standing with Jesus Christ, with the truth of the word of God, by the grace of God we need to stand true even through that questioning. And just be faithful to God and obey. Again, that persecution is going to come. Paul, in Acts 14 verse 22, it says that he came back comforting the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. Paul comes back and he says to the early church, he said, look guys, it's going to be tough at times, but you just got to stand for God. So said a man that the night before, or a couple nights before, had been stoned to death. They left him as dead. But he comes to them and says, look, I just want you to remember that we're going to face it. And so let's not be surprised. Let's ask God, by your grace, God, help me to be bold. Help me to be outspoken. Even when facing opposition. Even if losing liberty. Even if I'm questioned. Help me to be bold. And speak out boldly in persecution. And then secondly, speak out boldly in preaching. declaring, speak out boldly in preaching. Verse 8 says, then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, ye rulers of the people and elders of Israel. Far from being silenced, the preacher gets up and it's just a pulpit in front of him, it seems, as he stands to face the Sanhedrin and he just begins to declare unto them God's truth. How different from the Peter that we see at the last time he was near the Sanhedrin, as he and John snuck into that assembly hall at Caiaphas' house, where Peter denied the Lord three times, but now that Peter has been restored by the Lord, he's been filled with the Spirit of God, and Peter's going to stand, and he's going to boldly preach to them. Speak out boldly in preaching. He boldly declares, first of all, the goodness of God. He boldly declares the goodness of God. Verse 9 says, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole? Peter, at the beginning of his message, begins to show them the folly of their position as he says, what are we on trial for? For the good work that was done to this man, that his life has been transformed, that's been gloriously changed. And so he emphasizes to them, this is God's goodness. I shared about a man that I met several years ago. God's allowed me to remember his name, but he lives. I can show you where he lives. I still remember him. His name's Peter. And Peter, when I met him, he's an atheist, and I began to speak to him about the Lord, and I said, do you know anybody that's been born again? And he kind of goes, huh. And he says, you know, yeah, I had a good girlfriend that we would go to the pub together, and drink together, and tell stories together, and then she was born again. And I said, I can tell you, kind of upset by that, what happened? She stopped drinking, she stopped telling filthy stories. And I said, and you're upset at that? That God in his grace changed their life, and for the better, and that upsets you? In a book that is about Charlottesville Chapel and the revival that took place there, there's an article that speaks about the editor of the Edinburgh Citizen wrote an article that said, the body of the chapel was well filled with many drunks having been induced to attend. The service was somewhat lively. The redeemed drunkard's band gave short, pointed testimonies. The life story of some of these men is simply marvelous and is proof positive that the day of miracles has not yet passed. A religion that can change such men and make them loving husbands and respectable citizens is a religion worth having. Praise God, I mean, the gospel can change a man's life and take him from a drunkard and an alcoholic and bring him to Christ and set him free from the bondage of his sin. It's a good work, praise God, that the gospel does. So there's hope for mankind. It's a life-changing gospel. And so Peter begins with that. He boldly declares the goodness of God. And then secondly, he boldly declares the good son of God. The Good Son of God. And he starts with Jesus is the Christ. Christ, as we study Christology on Sunday nights, Christ means Messiah. And so he says to them in verse 10, be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus, Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Now, do you know the phrase, skirt the issue? Is that a familiar phrase? It needs to go around controversy, alright? Somebody brings something up, and rather than dealing with a controversial thing, we'll just kind of skirt the issue. Just kind of go around the outside of it, and hoping to get past it without causing a problem. Peter doesn't skirt the issue. As he stands, he's been rejected Christ. They denied the Christ. And Peter gets up, he's going to preach. He goes, OK, I'll tell you by whose name this man is made whole. It's Jesus Messiah, he says to these Jews. Praise God he didn't skirt that controversy. Neither did other great preachers that were converted. The Apostle Paul, immediately after his conversion, Acts chapter 9, verse 20. It says, in a straight way, he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed and said, is not he that destroyed them, which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them down unto the chief priest? But Saul increased them more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ, very Messiah. And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him. But their laying awake was known of Saul, and they watched the gates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and led him down by the wall in a basket. And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way they had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And so these preachers, as they got saved, it was controversy. I mean, for them to stand up to Jewish men and declare a Jewish Messiah that was Jesus whom the Jews had despised. was not to avoid controversy. It was to wade into controversy and stand up for God's truth. You know, in our day, we have a lot of controversy. There's so many things that are controversial today from man's perspective, not from God. God said it's clear. His word stands, but men have controversy with it. And so we have a chance to stand up for truth. Truth like, this book is God's word from beginning to end. It's absolute truth. It's the word of God. 2 Timothy 3, 16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. And because it's God's Word from beginning to end, as a Bible-believing Christian, I stand for it every word, every verse, every chapter, every book. Right? Because it's God's Word. No, the world doesn't like that. That's going to cause controversy. There are going to be people that think that idea of absolute authority is something that they cannot abide. Right? But that's the Word of God. Another controversy, God didn't create evolution, the devil did, the theory of it, right? But God created everything in six days. God created everything in six days. We've got schools that are teaching millions and millions of years, and this explosion that made incredible intelligence, and incredible beauty, and incredible light, and all these things. And you know the word of God says, Genesis 1.1, in the beginning God created that and the earth. That's controversial. We may not feel like facing that with people and saying, you know what the Bible teaches? Six day literal creation. That this world is only 6,500 years old. That God designed us with a purpose that we are sinners. And all that, I mean that is the foundation for the gospel. If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do? We have to stand up with this controversy and say, you know what? This is what God says. Life begins at conception. It's controversial to the world. Jeremiah 1 verse 5, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. He's talking to Jeremiah, the prophet. And before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. But who is in the womb of Jeremiah's mother? The answer? Jeremiah. Before God brought it out of the womb, God had a plan for his life, and God's referring to it as the, not it, not a substance, but the very person, Jeremiah, was in the womb of his mother. Marriage, obviously, very controversial in our day, is a covenant relationship between one man, one woman, for life. It's not cohabitation, it's a covenant, and it's one man, one woman, for life. Genesis 2.24, Therefore shall man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. End of argument. That's what God says. God is the creator. God is the designer. God established marriage. Man cannot redefine it. It has not changed. Put it in the law books. Put it wherever you want. There is no difference now between someone who is married now and somebody back then. It is the same. Why? Because God defines marriage, not man. And then only God's way of salvation is the way, and all other religion is false. Again, our world can't abide that, they reject that, they despise that, and yet the word of God is clear. John 14 verse 6, Jesus said unto him, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. He's the only way. We've seen the verse in our text here, neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. He's the only way. And then another controversy, men who reject God's way will be cast into hell for all eternity. Men who reject God's way are going to face eternally the wrath of God. Revelation 20 verse 15, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And it's not annihilation because the Bible speaks about everlasting destruction, eternal destruction, from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power. One more controversy, if I may. Women are forbidden by God to pastor and preach. Titus 1 verse 6, if any man be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly, and what is that? That is the requirements of a minister, and minister is referred to in 1 Timothy 3 as he, he, he, and it says a husband of one wife is a man. We know that. The word of God is clear. 1 Timothy 2 verse 12, I suffer not a woman to teach, nor do you assert authority over the man, but to be in silence. See, we begin to make excuses and say, but I can't stand up for God, because that's going to cause controversy. Listen, the Word of God is a controversial book, but let me ask you, what truth of God is worthy to be discarded by men? That's sobering, isn't it? And so, I'm going to be bold. I'm going to have to preach a message that is a controversy, and I can't avoid it. Anywhere that Peter can avoid the fact that he's looking at people that do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, he wades into it, he says, Jesus is the Christ. He's the Christ. By the way, Jesus is the way, the? Truth. If I discard one word of one verse, who have I discarded? He's the living word. This is the written word. This represents His thought. We looked at last Sunday night, the Holy Spirit will bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. Jesus is the authority. And so to discard truth is to discard Jesus. We gotta stand up and say, you know, I know it's not popular, and I know this may bother you, but I gotta tell you what the word of God says. This is what God says, and He's the authority. So he boldly preaches that Jesus is a Christ. Secondly, he boldly says that the blood of the Messiah is on your hands. Verse 10, he says, Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucify. Wow. I mean, he's looking at the murders of Christ and saying, it's you guys. It's you guys. Who's on trial? Peter or these guys? It's the second time Peter's had an opportunity to preach this message to the murderers of Jesus. Acts 2 verse 23, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Praise God, a man who denied the Lord Jesus Christ before these people gets to stand before the same people and say, you know what, Jesus is the Messiah, He killed them. His blood is on your hands. You know, part of our preaching, especially our evangelism, declaring the Gospel, is going to be facing those who have the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on their hands. In reality, all of us did, but when we got saved, that blood was taken away as the blood cleansed us, right? We're no longer guilty of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, because by the grace of God, we've been forgiven. Something that has not had the mercy of God applied still has the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on their hands. Isaiah 53, verse 5. It says, but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment of our peace was upon Him, and with His strikes we are healed. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. What put Christ on the cross? It was our sin that crucified Christ. Oh, that's gonna be hard at times as we seek to win somebody to the Lord, to help them to understand that they're a sinner and that that sin put Jesus Christ on the cross. But that's a good part of the gospel, isn't it? That you're guilty, that you need the mercy of God, that you've got the blood of Christ on your hands. And then thirdly, as he preaches, he preaches, but you know what? God brought Jesus back to life. God brought Jesus back to life. And you murdered him whom God raised from the dead. Now the Sanhedrin was in denial. They're in denial that Jesus Christ is alive. They're in denial that he has come back from the dead. We know that because they were some of the first that were told about his resurrection. Remember the watch that was there guarding that place, the tomb, and then the angel comes and they fall down like dead men. They get up, they come to their senses, they run in, and they go to the chief priests. Same people. And they tell them about it. Matthew 28 verse 11, Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, his disciples came by night, and stole him away while he slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you. So they took the money and did as they were taught. And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. And so they came and they told him, they gave him hush money. They said, all right, just be quiet about it. Don't tell anybody. But they knew about Jesus Christ rising from the dead. Now, if you killed somebody, would you really want to know that they had risen from the dead? I mean, they were no longer in the attunement, especially if that person was not just a person that they killed in the victim, but was their judge. You know, last week we enjoyed door-to-door, and again, we've had poor weather on Sundays, but last week was okay. We were able to get out. But as I knocked on the door, it got me to find an appointment with a man that I know, that I've known for a few years, and so we had a good conversation. And I just started talking to him about the Bible, that it's the book, not a book, it's the book. And why that is, and what religions believe. And I told him, you know, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God. Islam rejects that. Mormons reject that. Jehovah's Witnesses reject that. He said, well, how do you know Jesus is God? And I could have gone to the biblical proofs, but it was a quick conversation. I said, well, let me just give you a secular proof, all right? I said, when people take God's name in vain, one of the Ten Commandments, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, he will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. I said, whose name do they use when they take God's name in vain? Do you want to know the first one he said? And he said it without thinking, Jesus Christ. And I said, right, and then the light went on. They got it, right. Why did they take the name of Jesus Christ in vain? Because Jesus Christ is God. And so if somebody was here today in their sin, having never received Jesus Christ as their Savior, then you are guilty of crucifying the Christ. He's not dead. He's risen from the dead and He is your judge. So it's a very sobering truth, again, the boldness of these preachers as they stand before these men and say, He is alive. And then he says to them, Jesus is the power and name which made this man whole. Verse 10, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, even by him, Jesus, doth this man stand here before evil. At a trial, you might have somebody bring up different exhibits. That's the thing that they put on display and say, exhibit A, exhibit B, or whatever. Peter, I guess, is kind of a good lawyer. So he steps out and he says, exhibit A, as we come to this part in the trial. And he turns and he points at a man that had been a cripple that everybody knew. And he points at him and points out that by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that man stands there before you whole. Let me ask this morning, what kind of hard-hearted person would want a man to continue in bondage rather than to let Jesus help that man? You think any logical person would rejoice and say, hey, that's great, that man couldn't walk all those years. He can walk, that's great! And with a big smile, tell me by what power you did that. Not a condemnation, tell me by what power you did that. And it's a bad thing that this person was healed. Bad because it had to do with God, bad because it had to do with Jesus Christ. So let's ask the question again, what kind of hard-hearted person would want a man to continue in bondage rather than to let Jesus help that man? And can I say our world? Our world. Rather than let Jesus help somebody that's a sinner, our world would rather they stay in bondage. Let me give you an example. Do you know that God can forgive all sexual sin? Yeah. God has the power to forgive all sin. 1 Corinthians 6 verse 9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, that's sexual sinners, nor idolaters, nor adulterers. You understand what adultery is? Somebody's married, there's infidelity, that's adultery, that's sexual sin. Nor effeminate, that is a feminine male that is involved in sexual sin. And then it says, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. That is somebody that is in a same-sex sinful relationship. And then it says this. Well, first of all, and then it lists other sins. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. But then it says this, and such were some of you. Such were some of you. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, declared righteous, praised God, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. There's hope. Why? Because it's sin, it's not a condition. See, back in the day, they came out and said, drunkards are drunkards because it's biological. No, drunkards are drunkards because they made a bad decision. They might have had help making that bad decision. They might have had influence making the bad decision. And it's the same with sexual sin. Somebody could have been abused. They could have been exposed to pornography. They could have had all sorts of wickedness that has come into their life that is not their fault, in a sense. See, if you understand what I'm saying, their innocence was taken away. But then there's been decisions that have been made contrary to what God sends. And they've broken God's law. But because they have broken God's law, it's sin, it's not a condition, therefore God by His grace and by His glorious power can make them and all sinners Sinners, by the way, like you, and sinners like me, whether I've participated in any of those sins that God listed. Right? Because it's common to man. We know that today. Our world wants to paint it bad to say it's sin, as if we're saying we're not sinners. No, we're not saying we're sinners. We're just saying because it's a sin, there's a cure, and God's grace is sufficient, and Jesus Christ can cleanse them, and they can have victory. Now, God can restore these broken lives just like he did with this man in our story. Let me say this. I know a man in Scotland that was involved in sexual sin with men, but by the grace of God, he's been forgiven. God has cleansed his heart, and God has changed his life. And as believers, we say, praise God. What does the world say? They despise that. If they listen to this message, they hate it. They can't abide that. And yet, may I just point out that those that are involved in sexual sin have difficulties and burdens that are hard to bear? The Trevor Project is secular help for people who have sexual sin in their life and are contemplating suicide. On their website it says suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24. LGB youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth. LGB youth are almost five times as likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual youth. Of all the suicide attempts made by youth, LGB youth suicide attempts were almost five times as likely to require medical treatment than those of heterosexual youth. Suicide attempts by LGBT youth and questioning youth are four to six times more likely to result in injury, poisoning, or overdose that requires treatment from a doctor or nurse compared to their straight peers. In a national study, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25. That's transgender, and let me say this about that. I saw a news article, and I was pleased that I saw it on BBC that was from a transgender person saying, I regret the decision that I made. I want to go back. I wish somebody had counseled me differently. And guess what? There's a lot of people like that. They just want to promote that, let that be known that they're struggling, even though they thought it solved the problem by getting a different gender. By the way, just generally speaking, one out of six students nationwide are seriously considering suicide in the past year. It's not just sexual sinners that have problems. Which, by the way, with internet the way it is, and pornography the way it is, all of our youth are struggling with sexual sin. That's a fact. And so this problem is causing problems in their life. They're burdened. They have burdens in their life. Burdens that by the grace of God could be taken away through Jesus Christ. God can give victory. But our world doesn't like that. They don't want to see the side of hope. They don't want to see the side of the grace of God. They don't want to see the side of the mercy of God because they refuse to acknowledge that what the Word of God says is true. And yet that's the answer. And then Peter boldly declares the good work of God. He says in verse 11, this is the stone which is set not of you builders, which has become the head of the corner. The head of the corner is the cornerstone. That's the principle thing. For sake of time, let me say this. Jesus Christ was the answer and they rejected it. Let me say again about sin, not just sexual sin, but all sin. Jesus Christ is the answer, but our world despises it. Our world has rejected it. But that's me. And the preacher, as he finishes his bold message, he doesn't leave without an invitation. He doesn't leave without an application. He boldly declares to them the good plan of God. He's told them, Jesus is the Messiah. He's told them, you killed him. He's told them, you've rejected God's good work. But now he tells them, you need to repent and come to Jesus, or there's no hope. Verse 12, neither is there salvation in any other, for there's none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. That's controversial. I mean, he's telling the guys that killed Jesus Christ, not only did you kill him, he's the Messiah, and he's risen, but you gotta repent. You gotta admit you're wrong. Why? Because if you don't, you'll die without Christ. And see, when I look at Peter, and you look at it, man, that's a bold message. But he's preaching to the Sanhedrin. Do you know I don't see in his message, condemnation, you're so bad, you're awful. No. He's being truthful. He's saying, look, this is what happened. You did it, but now let me tell you this. Jesus Christ is the way. And praise God, some of us are going to get saved. Some high ups in the scripture you read in the book of Acts. Some high ups in false religion got saved by the grace of God. You know what, as I preach this message and I name sexual sin, I name it specifically because that's the illustration the world looks at and says, I want nothing to do with that. A God that can fix somebody's life that is in sexual sin. Somebody that can fix somebody's life that's in alcoholic sin. I don't like that because I don't really believe in God. I don't believe God's the answer. I don't believe sin's the problem. Right? But in saying that, I am seeking to let them know that Jesus Christ is the answer, that God loves them, that God loves them the same as He loves me, that they are not worse than anybody else, but that the mercy of God is sufficient, and that they can be saved, and that Jesus Christ is the only way. He's the only way. And so what happens is this, I'm not bold in persecution, I'm not bold in preaching, I'm not the soul, I'm not the light, they don't get saved. Satan has succeeded. Why? Because we're no longer bold. So what do we need? When you say to God, God of your grace, we need to be bold. Why? Because the opposition has come. It's present. We're starting to lose liberty. We're going to be questioned, and they're going to ask those questions. But by the grace of God, we just got to answer and say, I'm going to stay obedient to God, even if I'm cold on the carpet. We're standing up for Jesus Christ. I will stand. Then ask God, God, help me preach that message. Controversial truth. Here it is. Jesus is the Christ. And I'm not going to discard what the Bible says about male creatures. I'm not going to discard what the Bible says about creation. I'm not going to discard what the Bible says about the only way, Jesus Christ. Why? Because in discarding this, I discard Him. And I'll stand with Him. And I'll stand for Him. And I'll let the world know, you know what? You killed Jesus just like I did. Our sin put Him on the cross. But what God wants to do, God is good. And God can do that good work. Jesus is a cornerstone. Don't reject Him. He's the way. Get it. You can have it today because Jesus is the only way of salvation. You know, as we conclude the message, probably all of us, I think all of us can say, you know what? Pastor, I need to be more bold. I do. Satan doesn't want me to. Satan can impose, and that's what persecution is, and it's not fair, and it's not right, but I know it's gonna happen if I stand for God, if I stand in the Word of God, I know it'll happen with God helping me. I'm gonna ask God, God, help me be bold in persecution, and help me be bold in preaching. I'm gonna open my mouth. I'm gonna talk about who Jesus is, God's truth. Next week, three more points, okay? But God helping us, we need to be bold people. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would write these truths upon our hearts. Father, we need boldness. And Father, it's only by the Spirit of God. That's why when we get to boldness in prayer, we're going to see where this comes from. And Father, we really do need to bow our heads before you. We might need to say, God forgive me, I haven't been bold. I let opposition, I let questioning, I let losing liberty keep me from speaking truly. And Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would help us to preach. And we might have to confess, you know what, I haven't opened my mouth for the Lord Jesus Christ in a long time. God help me to do that. So Spirit of God, would you help us to make these decisions today that honor you, and God bless as we stand and sing, it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Hymn 380, Faithful Men. 380, right? 380. And then stand with me.