You will be My Witnesses
Series: Abundant Life
Speaker: Paul Sampson (BCA)
Date: 1st September 2024
Passage: Acts 1:1-11
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 We've just had the Paris Olympics 2024.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:08 I wonder if anyone in this room went to the Sydney Olympics 2000.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:08 Raise your hand.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 Quite a few of you actually were there.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:17 Keep your hand up if you actually saw Cathy Freeman win the 400.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:18 You were there to see that.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 I am so jealous.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:26 It was really quite difficult actually in days gone by,
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 if I may speak as looking back, to witness something.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 You had to kind of be there in person in order to witness it.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:41 But then with the advent of television of course and more recently with now,
00:00:41 --> 00:00:45 in fact we have a phone in our pockets that has a camera and a video camera in it
00:00:45 --> 00:00:46 and we've got the internet,
00:00:47 --> 00:00:51 it's almost impossible not to see something that happened
00:00:51 --> 00:00:55 because it gets filmed and goes up online.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:00 Not much can happen these days without someone recording it.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:16 The emergence of this technology means that we have an enhanced capacity to be witnesses.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 But really that's just one side of witnessing,
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 being the observer, the one who sees an event.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:26 Acts 1 describes for us Jesus' instruction to his disciples,
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 and we'll see it there in verse 8.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 I'll put it up on the screen there for you.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 It says,
00:01:31 --> 00:01:43 This is the other side of disciples simply witnessing an event.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:45 They did that.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 But they are now not just to be the witnesses of,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 but to witness to others.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 Telling others of what they have seen and heard.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 This morning I want us to see two things.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:02 Firstly, how the disciples were to be witnesses
00:02:02 --> 00:02:06 in both the observing and the telling of what they'd seen.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:08 And secondly, significantly,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 what it means for us to be witnesses today,
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 here in Chatswood 2024.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 Firstly though, let's have a look with you
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 at what disciples are to be witnesses of.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 Luke wrote a big chunk of the New Testament.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 He wrote what we call Luke's Gospel,
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 but then he wrote his volume 2,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:31 which is Acts.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 And in fact, Luke's Gospel
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 and the beginning of Acts kind of overlap.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 The events at the very end of Luke's Gospel
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 and the events at the very beginning of Acts overlap.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 Jesus, we read, had suffered,
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 he'd died, he'd been buried,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 and then he rose again from the grave.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 And then for about 40 days,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 there was a period before he was taken up into heaven.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:59 Luke 24 describes how after Jesus' resurrection,
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 he met with various disciples.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 He met with two disciples on the road to Emmaus,
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 and then he asked them about the things they had witnessed.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:10 Jesus explained to them
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 how he was the fulfillment
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 of all the Old Testament scriptures.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 Jesus then appeared in the very midst of the disciples.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 He showed them his hands and his feet.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 He even ate broiled fish with them.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 In other words, he proved that he was alive.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:34 He had physically, bodily risen from the dead.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 We read then in the end of Luke's Gospel,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 and I'll put it up on the screen there
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 where you can open your own Bibles.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 Luke 24 from verse 44,
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 Jesus said to the disciples,
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 This is what I told you while I was still with you.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 Everything must be fulfilled
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 that is written about me in the law of Moses,
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 the prophets, and the Psalms.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:55 In other words,
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 everything must be fulfilled about me
00:03:57 --> 00:03:58 that is written in the whole of the Bible.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 And then he opened their minds
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 so they could understand the scriptures.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:04 Jesus told them,
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 This is what is written.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 The Messiah will suffer
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 and rise from the dead on the third day,
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins
00:04:14 --> 00:04:18 will be preached in his name to all nations,
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 beginning at Jerusalem.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 And then there's that word again,
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 You are witnesses of these things,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 see what he told them.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 Notice the reminder here
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 that the disciples,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 they are witnesses,
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 and they are to be witnesses.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Then we read in Acts chapter 1,
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 the very first verse we read just a moment ago,
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 Luke writes,
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 In my former book, Theophilus,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 that is, he's referring to Luke's gospel,
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 I wrote about all that Jesus began to do
00:04:50 --> 00:04:51 and to teach
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 until the day he was taken up into heaven,
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 to the apostles he had chosen.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 But don't you think that's a curious expression?
00:05:04 --> 00:05:04 It says,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:08 All that Jesus began to do and to teach
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 until he is taken up into heaven.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:14 That implies that Jesus is going to continue to do
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 and to teach
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 after he's been taken up into heaven.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 How can that be?
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 Well, Acts 1 gives us the answer.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 In Acts chapter 1, verse 3,
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 we are reminded
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 that the risen Jesus
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 presented himself to many people
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 and gave many convincing proofs
00:05:37 --> 00:05:38 that he was alive.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 So for 40 days,
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 Jesus appeared to people
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 to confirm that he had physically,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:44 bodily,
00:05:45 --> 00:05:46 risen from the dead.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 They witnessed that.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 They saw that with their own eyes.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 And they were in turn then
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 to be witnesses of the things they had seen.
00:05:56 --> 00:06:01 Jesus then went on to speak about the what next.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 Not a kind of a five-year plan
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 or a strategic plan
00:06:07 --> 00:06:08 or a governance plan.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 No, and not a modest plan either.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 But a plan that was entirely in accord
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 with God's promises
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 from the beginning of time.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 The Jesus plan
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 is about the coming
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 of the kingdom of God.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 Now, here in Chatswood
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 and all around the place
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 on a couple of weeks' time,
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 14th September,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 the New South Wales
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 local government elections will occur.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 And probably in your letterbox,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 like mine,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:40 you've been getting outlines
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 of what candidates are promising to do
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 if they are elected.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 And they're quite often
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 ambitious aims
00:06:49 --> 00:06:53 that these candidates are suggesting.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 Ambitious aims
00:06:55 --> 00:06:59 but for the local area.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 The Jesus plan
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 is entirely different.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 It's on another level altogether.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 It doesn't just pertain to
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 one part of one city
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 in one period of time.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 But the Jesus plan
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 is for all people
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 for all time
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 in every part of the world.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:20 So,
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 look again at verse 4
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 of chapter 1 of Acts.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 Jesus,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 Luke reminds us rather
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 that while Jesus
00:07:28 --> 00:07:29 was having a meal
00:07:29 --> 00:07:30 with his disciples,
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 he outlined
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 his plan.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:34 Notice, of course,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 it wasn't a suggestion.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:37 It wasn't something
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 he was putting out there
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 to be kind of workshopped.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 No, this was
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 a command.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 It was to be understood
00:07:46 --> 00:07:47 and obeyed.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 Verse 4,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 Do not leave Jerusalem,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 said Jesus,
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 but wait.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 And here I think we have
00:07:57 --> 00:07:57 in what
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 at first blush
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 looks like a very
00:08:00 --> 00:08:00 odd
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 plan.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 In former days,
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 I worked for a couple
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 of large
00:08:06 --> 00:08:07 multinationals,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 including in the food industry.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 And when a food manufacturer,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 a global food manufacturer,
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 finds a product
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 that they believe
00:08:14 --> 00:08:14 is going to
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 just go gangbusters
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 across the whole world,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 then they work out
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 a strategic plan
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 in order to do
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 a global rollout
00:08:21 --> 00:08:21 of this.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:22 I was working
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 for the Mars group
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 at the time
00:08:24 --> 00:08:24 they were going
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 to roll out
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 the Mars ice cream bars
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 around the world.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 Now, I cannot imagine
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 for one moment
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 the director of sales
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 and marketing
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 saying to his
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 sales managers
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 that, hey,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:37 we've got this
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 fantastic product
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 ready to go
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 and here's what
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 I want you to do.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 Stay here in Chatswood
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 and wait.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 You think,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 that doesn't make sense.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 Why would...
00:08:55 --> 00:08:55 And you see,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 but that's what
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 Jesus' command was.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 I want you to see
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 the stark difference
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 between the Jesus plan
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 and the corporate world.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 Why would Jesus
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 say to his disciples,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 wait,
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 stay in Jerusalem?
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 Well, the answer
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 is found in the second
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 part of the verse.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 Jesus' disciples
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 are called
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 to trust in him
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 and to wait
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 for the gift
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 that his father
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 had promised,
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 the gift of the Holy Spirit,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 the gift that heard him
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 speak so much about.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 Do not leave Jerusalem,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:40 he says,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 but wait for the gifts
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 my father promised.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:44 You see,
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 if they were to charge off
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 and try and fulfill
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 the great commission
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 without waiting
00:09:49 --> 00:09:49 for the Holy Spirit,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 then they'll be doing it
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 in their own strength.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 They'll be doing it
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 in their own capacities,
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 in their own power.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 That's not the Jesus plan.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:57 The Jesus plan
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 is that they will be
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 witnesses around the globe,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 but not in their own strength.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 They'll be doing it
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 in the power
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 of the Holy Spirit.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 God's people
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 are to obey
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 his commands
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 and not witness
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 in their own strength,
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 but to receive
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 the power
00:10:15 --> 00:10:15 of the Holy Spirit
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 and Jesus promised
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 in verse 5,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 in a few days
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 they would be baptized
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 with the Holy Spirit.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 That event,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:22 which we know
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 as Pentecost,
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 did happen
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 just 10 days later.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 We read in Acts chapter 2
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 that at that time
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 the apostles
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 were enabled
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 to do that,
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 which is humanly speaking
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 quite impossible.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:33 They had people
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 from around the world
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 gathered there
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 and they were able
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 to preach the gospel
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 and be understood,
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 each person understood it
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 in their native language.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 Now I did a little bit
00:10:43 --> 00:10:43 of research
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 during the week
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 about Chatswood
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 and the census data
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 says that these
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 are the top languages
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 spoken at homes
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 in Chatswood.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 English creeps in
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 at number one,
00:10:56 --> 00:10:56 Mandarin,
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 Cantonese,
00:10:57 --> 00:10:57 Korean,
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 Japanese and Hindi.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 Now I'd be surprised
00:11:02 --> 00:11:02 if there weren't people
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 in this room
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 this morning
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 who speak
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 these languages.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 Imagine if I was then
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 preaching as I am
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 in English
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 and you were actually
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 hearing it
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 in Mandarin
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 or Cantonese
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 or Korean.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 That's what was happening
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 at Pentecost.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 That was the power
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 of the Holy Spirit.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 Jesus promised them
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 that they would receive
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 power
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 when the Holy Spirit
00:11:28 --> 00:11:28 came.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:29 That word power,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:30 the Greek word
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 is dynamon,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 dunamon,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:32 from which we get
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 the English word dynamite.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:34 We're talking about
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 an extraordinary power
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 that came upon them
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 that they're able
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 to do that.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 And it is in that
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 extraordinary power
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 that they are
00:11:43 --> 00:11:43 to proceed
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 to be witnesses,
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 Jesus' witnesses
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 in Judea and Samaria
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 and then
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 to the ends
00:11:52 --> 00:11:52 of the earth.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 in the early chapters
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 of Acts,
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 we see that the world
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 was coming
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 to Jerusalem.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 The model was
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 an attractional one.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 People came
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 to the city of David
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 to Mount Zion.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 Jerusalem was a very
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 attractive city
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 to go to.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 Maybe not at the moment
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 but I imagine,
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 raise your hand
00:12:15 --> 00:12:15 if you've been to Jerusalem.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 Anyone here in the room
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 been to Jerusalem?
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 It's a really
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 interesting city.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 People came
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 from around the world
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 to Jerusalem.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 And when they came,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 they heard the gospel
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 in the power
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 of the Holy Spirit.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 Thousands of people
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 heard the gospel
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 in their own mother tongue
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 and responded
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 in repentance
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 and faith.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:42 And then
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 those people
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 returned
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 to their
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 places of origin.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 The Copernican
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 revolution
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 of global mission
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 came a short while later.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 We read in Acts chapter 7,
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 so just a few chapters on,
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 of Stephen
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 speaks to the Sanhedrin.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 Now Stephen
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 was asked
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 to come
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 and speak
00:13:07 --> 00:13:07 to the
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 legal councils
00:13:09 --> 00:13:09 of the day,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 the heavies of the day.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 And he delivered
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 what was an absolute
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 cracker of a sermon.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 He drew on
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 a lot of Old Testament
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 references
00:13:17 --> 00:13:17 and showed
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 how Jesus
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 was the fulfillment
00:13:19 --> 00:13:19 of the promises
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 of the Old Testament.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 It was an amazing sermon.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 So at the end of that,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:24 they decided
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 they would take
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 Stephen
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 on a road trip
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 to all the biggest
00:13:28 --> 00:13:28 stadia
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 and all the
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 major synagogues
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 all around the world
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 so that more people
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 could...
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 No, they didn't do that.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:36 Do you know
00:13:36 --> 00:13:36 what they did?
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 They took him out
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 after he delivered
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 this incredible sermon
00:13:41 --> 00:13:41 and they
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 stoned him.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 And again,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 we're kind of left
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 scratching our head
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 thinking,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 how can this
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 be part of God's plan?
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 How can it be part
00:13:53 --> 00:13:53 of God's plan
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 to take out
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 a man who
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 had the capacity,
00:13:58 --> 00:13:58 one of the few
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 on the planet
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 at that moment
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 who had the capacity
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 to preach the gospel
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 clearly
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 and faithfully
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 and boldly
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 and after he
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 does so,
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 he's stoned
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 to death.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 How can that
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 be part of God's
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 plan?
00:14:15 --> 00:14:15 Well, we actually
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 see it in the next
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 verse,
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 the beginning of
00:14:18 --> 00:14:18 chapter 8,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:19 verse 1
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 and we read there
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 on that day,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 the day when
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 Stephen was
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 stoned to death,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 a great persecution
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 broke out
00:14:28 --> 00:14:28 and all except
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 the apostles
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 were scattered
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 throughout Judea
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 and Samaria.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 You see,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 in God's economy,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 the tragic
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 martyrdom
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 of Stephen
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 led to the
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 spread of the
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 gospel
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 across the
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 known world.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 The model
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 of mission
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 moved from being,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 if I remember
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 my school of
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 science correctly
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 here,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 from being a
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 centripetal one,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 that is the force
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 of kind of coming
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 in,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 to it becoming
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 a centrifugal one,
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 the force then
00:14:58 --> 00:14:58 the gospel
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 going out,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 going out to
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 take the gospel
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 to the ends
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 of the earth.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 Now,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 over the centuries,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:05 the church
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 has fallen
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 into this
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 era of
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 operating as
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 if our
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 mission mandate
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 is fulfilled
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 if we simply
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 build churches
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 on hills
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 and then expect
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 people to come.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 Building churches
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 is important,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 but friends,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 our mission mandate
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 is to go out,
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 to be
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 witnesses.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 witnesses.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 Did the
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 first century
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 disciples do
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 that which
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 they were
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 commissioned
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 to do?
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 Yes,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 they did.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 How do I
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 know that?
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 Because we are
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 sitting here in
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 Chatswood,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 two millennia
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 later,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 and Chatswood,
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 beautiful place,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 but if I may say
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 from a first century
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 perspective,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:54 Jerusalem perspective
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 is the ends
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 of the earth.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 The gospel
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 has come
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 to the ends
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 of the earth.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 Verse 8,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 Jesus said,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 they were to be
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 witnesses in
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 Jerusalem
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 and all Judea
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 and Samaria
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 and to the
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 ends of the earth.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 Let's consider
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 our context
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 here.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 In Sydney
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 2024,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 we do a
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 pretty good
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 job of
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 being witnesses
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 of Jesus
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 in our
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 Jerusalem,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 our Judea,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:33 that is,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 in the Sydney
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 Diocese.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 And we do a
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 pretty good job
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 of supporting
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 ministries that
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 go out from
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 here to the
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 ends of the
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 earth.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 So organizations
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 like CMS
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 are supporting
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 ministries to
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 the nations.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 nations.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 But what
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 about our
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 Samaria?
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 What about
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 the 7 million
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 people who
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 live in regional,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 rural and remote
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 parts of
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 Australia?
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 They're often
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 forgotten.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 The BCA
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 mission is
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 entirely in
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 accord with
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 the Jesus
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 mission.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 The BCA
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 strategic plan
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 is entirely
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 in accord
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 with Jesus
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 strategic plan.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 That is,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 to go the
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 distance,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 to take
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 the gospel,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 not just
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 to the
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 cities,
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 not just
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 to the
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 nation,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 but to the
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 original rural
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 and remote
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 parts,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 to all
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 people.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 To places
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 like, and
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 you can see
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 them on the
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 map there,
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 Exmouth and
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 Roxby Downs
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 and Cobar,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 Cobar,
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 and what I was
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 speaking about
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 before,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 in the western
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 part of New
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 South Wales,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 and Newman
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 and Kununurra,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 right up there
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 in the north,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 in the western
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 Australia,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 north of western
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 Australia.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 I mentioned
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 before that
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 we have
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 more than
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 10
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 prayer supporters
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 in
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 New South
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 Wales,
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 diligently
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 upholding
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 these ministries
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 in prayer
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 using the
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 BCA prayer
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 notes.
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 Now,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 last Thursday
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 in the
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 prayer notes,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 if you
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 looked there,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 last Thursday,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 I remember
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 the date,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 it was my
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 wife's birthday,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 on the 29th,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 George and
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 Carmel Ferguson
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 are listed.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 Now,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 they're in
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 Walgett and
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 Colorado,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 and you read
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 there,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 it's a little
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 bit too small
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 on the screen,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 but you can
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 read it in
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 your prayer
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 notes later,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 that George
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 and Carmel
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 are committed
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 to preaching
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 the gospel
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 and spreading
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 the good news
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 of salvation.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 We might add
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 to the ends
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 of the earth,
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 or we could
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 use the language
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 of Acts,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 chapter 1,
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 verse 8,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 to Samaria.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 They're out
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 there in
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 Walgett and
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 Colorado,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 and I,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 trusting in
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 the Holy Spirit,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 thousands of
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 people across
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 the country
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 pray regularly
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 to support
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 the BCA
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 mission.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 Not because
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 it's the
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 BCA mission
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 per se,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 because that
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 mission aligns
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 with the
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 Jesus mission.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 So let me
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 ask you this
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 morning,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 will you
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 please join
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 us in
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 this part
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 of the
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 mission,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 and pray
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 and give
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 to support
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 the gospel
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 going to
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 our Samaria.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 As disciples
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 of Jesus,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 our mission
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 and our plans
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 need to
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 continue to
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 be aligned
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 with Jesus'
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 plan,
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 to bring
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 people across
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 the globe
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 under the
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 sound of
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 the gospel,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 so that
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 people in
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 the cities,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 people in
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 the suburbs
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 of Chatswood
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 and beyond,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 people right
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 across Australia
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 and across
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 the nations,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 come under
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 the sound
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 of the gospel.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 That is our
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 privilege,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 and that is
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 our responsibility
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 as witnesses
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 of the gospel.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 So,
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 here at
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 St.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 Paul's,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 you must
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 continue to
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 strategize as
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 to how to
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 reach the
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 many people
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 of Chatswood
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 who do
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 not yet know
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 Jesus as
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 their Lord
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 and Savior.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 You must
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 continue to
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 strategize,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 but if I
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 may say,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 not rely
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 upon those
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 strategies,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 but rather
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 rely upon the
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 power of the
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 Holy Spirit
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 that the Lord
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 has promised
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 to us before
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 his ascension.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 salvation.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 We've seen
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 how the
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 first disciples
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 were to be
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 witnesses of
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 the gospel,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 and what
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 Jesus'
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 command is
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 for us
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 to in turn
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 be witnesses
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 of the gospel.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 We've seen
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 the what.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 Let me finish
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 this morning
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 with the why.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 Why are we
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 to press on
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 to seek to
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 bring all
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 people under
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 the sound
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 of the gospel?
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 The compelling
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 reason is
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 found in the
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 final verse
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 of today's
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 passage.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 After Jesus
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 had given
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 this command
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 to witness
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 to the
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 world,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 he ascended
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 to heaven,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 and then the
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 angels gave
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 those who
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 were standing
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 there this
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 reminder.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 This is the
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 why.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 Jesus is
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 coming back.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 Why do we
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 keep going
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 the distance
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 to witness
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 the gospel
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 to all
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 people?
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 Who is my
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 friends?
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 Jesus is
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 coming back.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 Let's pray.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 Our
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 gracious God
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 and heavenly
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 Father, we
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 do thank you
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 that in your
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 love and
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 mercy you
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 sent your
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 son, the
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 Lord Jesus,
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 to be born
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 as a man,
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 to live among
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 us with all
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 the struggles
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 and temptations
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 of life,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 but to live
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 without sin.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 Thank you
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 that Jesus
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 so loved us
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 that he
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 willingly
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 suffered and
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 died to
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 pay the
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 price for
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 our sins.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 God
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 and
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 thank you
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 that just
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 as predicted
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 Jesus rose
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 again from
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 the grave
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 and proved
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 that he
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 was alive.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 Thank you
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 that Jesus
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 promised the
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 gift of the
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Holy Spirit
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 and we
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 thank you
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 that in your
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 plan for the
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 salvation of
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 all mankind,
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 you've chosen
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 to include
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 us.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 Father, we
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 praise you
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 that we do
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 not have to
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 proceed in
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 our own
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 strength,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 but rather in
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 the power of
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 your Holy
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 Spirit.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 As we
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 seek to
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 continue to
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 take the
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 good news
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 of the
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 gospel to
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 the ends
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 of the
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 earth, to
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 the remote
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 places of
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 Australia and
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 here in
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 Chatswood,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 give us
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 courage and
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 a deep
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 trust in
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 you and
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 the power
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 of your
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 spirit.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 We pray
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 this in
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 Jesus'
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 name as
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 we await
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 his return.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 Amen.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 Amen.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 Amen.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 Amen.