Well, I'm glad I'm back. I always
enjoy coming to Rocky Mountain. We drove away this morning from
the house to come out here. It's a beautiful place. Claudia
always says if she ever left Texas, she'd like to live in
Virginia. I told her she left Texas and
went to Mexico, you know. She had to go to Virginia, yeah. I want to sing this hymn for
you, when he reached down his hand for me. Once my soul was
astray from the heavenly grace, and I was wretched and vile as
can be. But my Savior and I Can't be
pleased from above He reached out His hand for me When Christ Jesus reached down
for me. me. I was lost and undone without
God or His Son when He reached out His hands for me. I was near to despair when Christ
came to me there, and he told me that I was free. He set me up, He gave me madness
complete When He reached out His hand for me Now my heart does rejoice, since
I heard thy sweet voice. And now the tempest through tears
I can flee. There I lean on His arm, safe,
secure, from all harm, since He reached out His hand for me. Sing it with me. When Christ Jesus reached out
for me, When He reached way down for
peace I was lost and undone Without God or His Son When He reached
down His hand for peace Let's sing one more and let Brother
Milton have time to... I always wonder if I'm really
going to need a microphone to preach with. Where I usually
preach, you're usually preaching over everything—the dogs, the
birds, The birds come in about dark into those trees. I'm telling
you, it's really a scandal. And then about—get started in
the message, and the village radio station will come on the
air. Now, that radio station is a big—one of these big metal
horn-type speakers that's run up on a pole about 30 feet up
in the air, as long as they can cut a tree trunk, that's how
high it's run up. And if you've killed a cow, or
a hog, or just anything, you know, you go down and this man
in town's going to have a little record player, and you buy so
many songs, and between every song and During the song, he'll
advertise that you have fresh meat for sale over this speaker.
And he turns it all the way around and it makes 360 degrees. And
it's like that out there, just turns the pole, you know, until
they can get it all over town, all over that village. So that
time, I tell you, if you listen to some of my messages in Spanish
that I've recorded, you'd be amazed at the different sounds
that you hear. It's not quiet. So you learn
to preach over all these things. I was in a church here just last
week, and a man turned the fan off. They didn't have air conditioning.
He turned the ceiling fans off. He said, they make too much noise.
Well, I got started, and I said, if you don't mind, turn it back
on. I've never seen a fan. I couldn't talk over. So sometimes
I worry about a microphone. But I want to invite your attention
this morning to Acts chapter four, verse twelve. And while
you're looking, I'd like to say that I'll reserve my comments
on the work until tonight, lest I repeat myself, but I did talk
to Claudia yesterday on the phone. She's in Houston, Texas, and
she sends her regards. Acts chapter four, verse twelve.
I know that you can quote this verse of Scripture. You have
been able to quote it for a long time, one we're very familiar
with. Peter says, neither is there
salvation in any other. For there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Our Lord will not allow his servants, his preachers, his messengers,
to stand around, wring their hands, begging, fighting, and
compromising just so that people will listen to them. We can not
do that. We have a message to deliver. and we can't change it. Suppose, I don't know how you
receive telegrams now. The last time I got one in the
States, they called me on the telephone and read the message
to me, Western Union called me. In Mexico, you receive a telegram,
Brother who's the pastor of the church in Tuxla, is a telegraph
operator in town. When a message comes in, he receives
this message in code. He writes down the message, and
he takes it out and hands it to a man who will get on his
motorbike or his bicycle and will ride to your house, and
he'll knock on the or the gate. Nobody comes in
your gate. That's just like walking into
your living room. They'll knock on your metal gate, and he'll hand you this telegram
for which you sign. Well, suppose you open that telegram,
and you begin to read that telegram, and you don't like what it says.
Well, you pick up the nearest rock available And you chunk
it at that telegraph man, that messenger. You know, it's not
his fault what it says. He's just delivering a message. He's just faithful to deliver
what he's received. Why would we get upset with that
poor guy on that bicycle, on that motorbike? He's doing his
job. He's doing what he's paid to
do. He's doing what he's been sent to do. That he is just delivering
that message to you. Well, suppose, just suppose, when this
message came in, and he saw that message, and he read this message,
He said, now I know those folks, and they're not going to like
what I've written down here. But let's see, I believe I could
change a few words here and it wouldn't be quite so offensive.
Your Aunt Lizzy died. Now that's going to upset them,
the fact that Aunt Lizzy died. I'm going to change died. Scratch
that out. And I'm going to write down that
Aunt Lizzie's alive and doing well. Now, that's going to make
you happy, is it not? But the only thing is, Aunt Lizzie
died. Now, you might like this telegraph operator much better
when you read this message. But the only thing, he's told
you a lie. Now, he only changed one word, didn't he not? You
know, you think, well, everybody ought to be allowed to change
one word to keep that message from being so offensive. Would you ever trust him again
if you found out that he'd changed it? Well, could you ever have
any confidence in that messenger if he ever changed one word? I've read about people that got
telegrams and they really got upset because the operator, the
telegraph operator made a mistake. And they really got upset with
him. But I guarantee you, our God has sent us a messenger. And this messenger must be faithful. in the message that he's to deliver.
He can't change one word to make that message less offensive.
He can't do it. So don't get upset with him when
he delivers the message. You know what we get upset with?
Peter will have told them these words in verse twelve, and it's
an absolute. Neither Is there salvation in
any other? And we hate absolutes unless
we control those absolutes. We want nothing to do with them.
But it says, neither is there salvation in any other, for there
is no other name on the given among men, whereby ye must be
saved." Well, what is this saved? What is it? We know that it's
not found anywhere else. Well, what is this saved? Well,
the Word includes so much. All the blessings of of grace,
all the blessings of glory. Salvation is the washing of our
consciences from guilt, the redemption of our souls from the curse of
the Lord, the removing of our heart by the Spirit of God, the
freedom of our spirits from the power, the dominion, the bondage,
the slavery of sin. To be saved is to be loved. To
be saved is to be chosen by God, justified in the Lord Jesus Christ. born again by the Holy Spirit
of God, pardoned of all wrongdoing, received into the family of God,
accepted into the beloved. If I'm saved, I'm an heir of
God, I'm a joint heir with Christ. If I have salvation, I have all
wisdom, I have all righteousness, I have all sanctification, I
have all redemption in Christ. Salvation is Christ establishing
us to a more secure state than we ever enjoyed before the fall
in the garden. It puts our feet on the rock
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, it raises us up
higher than all principalities. powers, and he crowns us with
glory, and the Lord the King of glory." Some people, when
they hear about this salvation, they think, well, salvation is
nothing more than just a fire escape out of hell and a ladder
to climb into heaven. Well, deliverance from hell and
an entrance into glory are results, but they are not salvation. They're not salvation, but they
are results of it. Well, where does it come from?
Well, he says here, it's in no other. No other. Neither is there
salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven
given among men whereby we must be saved. Let's go back to Acts
chapter two, and let's link up to where to this verse to see
how serious this is, how absolute this is, that there is salvation
in no other. In chapter two, verse fourteen,
you know that the day of Pentecost had come, that men stood and
preached in their own language. Every man heard the gospel preached
in his own language, in his own tongue. They spake in their own
tongues the wonderful works of God and said, they were amazed
and they marveled. And some said, these men must
be drunk. Verse fourteen, But Peter, standing
up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them,
You men of Judea, and all you that dwell at Jerusalem, be this
known unto you, and hearten to my words. For these men are not
drunk, as you think they are, seeing it is but the third hour
of the day." It's only nine o'clock in the morning. But this is that
which was spoken by the prophet Joel, and he told about the prophecy
of Joel, that their sons and their daughters would prophesy,
the men would see vision, the old men would would dream dreams. They come down to verse 20, and
he said, The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood. For before that great and notable
day of the Lord come, and, verse 21, it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Well, what's his name? What's
his name? Look at verse 22. You men of
Israel, hear this word. This word, Jesus. You want to
know what his name is? His name is Jesus. You want to
know what his last name is? Of Nazareth. That's his name.
That's his name. Well, Jesus of Nazareth, a man
that was appointed by God, a man that was revealed by God among
you by miracles, and wonders and signs which God did by him
in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." He wasn't someone
that just came into this world, that came out of Nazareth and
claimed to be something that he was not, but he was revealed
unto you. He was approved But by God before
you, with miracles, He worked, God worked them by this Jesus
of Nazareth. He worked them by wonders through
this Jesus of Nazareth. He showed you signs in this Jesus
of Nazareth that no one else could have been that Lord. No
one. Don't call up on the name of
the Lord. Everybody's calling up on the name of the Lord, but
they won't call up on His name. Everybody has put a substitute
in for their Lord. Everybody calls him something
different. Everybody has a new name. Well, there's only one,
and his name is Jesus of Nazareth. Well, let's see. And he says
in verse twenty-three, Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain whom God raised up, having loosed
the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should
be hold of it. Death had no claims on him. He
paid that sin debt for you and I. Death could no longer hold
him. In three days, he paid an infinite
price, and God showed that the price was paid, the debt was
paid in full. He accepted the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ as finished when he raised him up. When he raised
him up, David spoke about him. Now, y'all all know David. You
men of Israel. Y'all know who David is. You
reverence David. Well, he spoke concerning David. Spoken, I could just hear in
their mind. You mean, King David spoke about
Jesus of Nazareth? Sure he did. He said, I foresaw
the Lord always before my face, for he was on my right hand,
that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice,
and my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh shall
rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither
wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou hast
made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full
of joy, with thy countenance." Now, men and brethren, I can
freely speak. It says, let me, but if you're
reading your margin, it says, I can or I may freely speak.
You won't get upset with me as long as I talk about David. That's
what he said. I can freely speak to you about
the patriarch David, but we know that he's both dead and buried,
and we know where he's buried. His sepulcher is with us to this
day, and you know that. We can go see his sepulcher. We can go see his bones still
in that grave. Whatever's left of him, it's
still there. Therefore, being a prophet, verse
30, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to that of
the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise
up the Christ, the anointed one, to sit on his throne." We're
in agreement so far, right? You're not mad at me yet, are
you? You're still listening. We're all in agreement about
what David said, OK? Well, look at verse thirty-one.
He's seen this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ.
Well, we know that. We know David spoke with a Messiah,
and we know that all these things would transpire, that his soul
was not left in hell, neither his flesh did seek corruption.
You're all in agreement up to that point, right? Well, look
at verse thirty-two. This Jesus hath God raised up. What Jesus? That Jesus of Nazareth? That one that you took? By wicked
hands, your wicked hands, you crucified, you hung on a cross,
you killed him. God raised up that same Jesus. Well, therefore, he said, not
only had God raised him up, but we of us saw it. We saw it. You know, they put him in the
tomb. You see, Peter, this is his logic, talking with these
people. You know, he was put in a tomb. He was taken down
from that cross, and he was put in a tomb. He was wrapped according
to custom and placed in this cave. And a great stone was rolled
over the opening. But there were rumors going around
that somebody was going to steal his body and claim that he was
raised from the dead. So they sent guards and placed
them there. The tomb was sealed by the authorities
so that no one could go in there, and they would know if someone
broke those seals and went in. Guards were placed, but you remember
God raised him up. He wasn't there. We all saw that. We know that no one stole his
body. and claim you raised him. We're
all witnesses that God raised him up. If you took a dead man,
you wouldn't leave those burial clothes folded up there. You'd take him, obviously, and
all of these burial clothes so that you wouldn't have to touch
his dead flesh, his rotting flesh, that putrefying flesh. You wouldn't
have left those things laid up there. We know. We've witnessed
it. being by the right hand of God
exalted. If God raised him up, he must
have been talking about the one David talked about. And having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed
forth this which you now see and hear." He made all this to
happen, that you saw here at Pentecost. For David's not ascended. We know where David is. his sepulchre
is with us. But he said himself, the Lord
said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy
foes upwards too. Therefore, let all the house
of Israel know assuredly, know for a fact, that God hath made
that same Jesus of Nazareth. that you crucified, hung on that
cross, that was placed in that tomb, and then God raised him
up. God hath made that same Jesus
that you're going to have to call on in order to be saved,
both Lord and Christ. I like what Brother Barnard said,
make your—he said, you say you're going to make Jesus your Lord.
Well, honey, he said, God's beat you to it. God made him Lord. God made him Lord. Well, when
they heard this, oh, they were pricked in their hearts, and
said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren,
what shall we do? And Peter won't let them get
away from it. Well, you know, I'm sorry if I got a little bit
too hard on you. No, verse thirty-eight, Peter said unto them, Repent,
all of you, and be baptized, those of you that do repent.
in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Anointed
One of God, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now let's get down to chapter
three. Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at
the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a man, a certain
man, lame from his mother's womb, was carried whom they laid daily
at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, the name
of the gate was called Beautiful, and it was on Solomon's porch,
to ask alms, handouts, from them that entered into the temple,
who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asking
alms, so that way they had to eat. Nobody would feed them,
so they took them and laid them there, and whatever they got
that day, they could buy food or eat what they got. We don't
see so much of that going on here in the U.S. But we see it
all over the streets of Mexico. The cripples, the lame, the halt,
the blind, all over the streets. That's only where they live.
Nobody will take care of them. And Peter fastening his eyes
upon him with John said, look on us. Look me straight in the
eye because I'm fixing to tell you something you better never
forget. Look on us. Well, he did look on them. He
said, boy, these guys are really going to give me something. He
expected to receive something of them. We seem to expect to
receive something all the time from man. You look at this preacher. You look at your pastor. Well,
surely these men can give us something. All we can do is just
hand you that telegram, hand you that message. We can't do
anything for you. All we are is a messenger. Well,
if you get anything, it's going to be from God. And Peter told
them that. He said, verse 6, silver and
gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee in the name,
that is, the kin, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Don't want any doubt about who's
doing this. Rise up and walk. And he took
him by the hand and lifted him up. And his bones received strength,
he leaped up and down, he walked, he went in with them into the
temple, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people
saw him walking and praising God, and they knew it was one
that sat at the gate called Beautiful there, and asked for handouts
of the people that came around. And as the land man which was
healed hailed Peter and John, he wouldn't let them go. Oh,
he said, look what you've done for me today. I tell you, a person
that's heard the gospel, he loves the messenger that brings that
good news. He'll embrace it, love it, love
a person. He held on to Peter and John.
All the people ran together. unto them in the porch that is
called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw him, he answered
unto the people, You men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why
do you look on us so earnestly, as though by our own power, or
our own holiness, we had made this man the world? The God of
Abraham? the God of Isaac, and of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son." He didn't
stop there, did he? He wanted to know who that was.
He said, His Son, Jesus. Now, he could have left that
word out, and that would have been fine. No, he wanted them
to know, His Son, Jesus. We got the right word? that you
delivered up. Well, let's see, we've crucified
and robbed. Well, I'm talking about the one you denied in the
presence of Pilate when he was determined to let him go, and
you said, we want blacks. You know, you wanted a crook.
But you know who you denied? You denied the Holy One. You
denied the Just One. and you desired a murder to be
granted unto you. But you know who you... the giver of life. But God raised
him up. God raised him up from the dead,
whereof were witnesses. And his name, name, through faith
in his name, confidence, trust in that name, hath made this
man strong, whom he see and know. Yea, the faith which is by him
hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all, the
faith which is by Jesus of Nazareth, where that faith which is by
God hath given to this man this perfect soundness in the presence
of you all. And now, brethren, I know that
what you did, you did it in ignorance. You may not have known what you
were doing. You may not have known who it
was, but you know now. I've just told you. I've just
told you. But those things which God before
had showed by the mouth of all of his prophets, that Christ
should suffer, that the Messiah should suffer, he has so fulfilled
in Jesus of Nazareth. Read that in there. That's what
he's telling us. He's fulfilled everything that the Messiah,
everything that the Anointed One was to suffer. He's fulfilled
it all in this Jesus of Nazareth that I've told you about. "...Repent
ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence
of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus the Christ, which before
was preached unto you." Well, we heard about him before. Moses
was a prophet. And he said, A prophet shall
the Lord our God, or your God, raise up unto you of your brethren. And it shall come to pass that
every soul which will not hear that prophet, you may not hear
Moses, you may not hear some of these others, but this prophet
that God's going to raise up, everyone that will not hear that
prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. Yet all the
prophets from Samuel and those that follow after As many as
have spoken have likewise foretold of those days. Ye are the children
of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers,
saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of
the earth be blessed." And I'm sure you've passed over this
in your Sunday school lessons, especially if you were in chapter
5 of Galatians. too many weeks since you saw
this in chapter three of Galatians. Listen to it, don't turn to it.
Now to Abraham and his seed, singular, his seed were the promises
made. He saith not, and to seeds as
many, plural, but as one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. Who is Christ? Jesus of Nazareth. Well, he says here, "...and in
thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto
you, first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, send him to
bless you, and turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
Now look at chapter four. And as they spoke unto the people,
the priest and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees
came upon them. Why? They were grieved that they
taught the people and preached the resurrection from the dead.
Is that what that says? No. They loved the resurrection
from the dead. They loved the thought that they
wouldn't spend whatever is after death rotting in some grave. You know what killed them? That
they preached through Jesus. That's what got him, the resurrection
from the dead. Oh, I can preach the new birth
as long as you and I born ourselves. Poor English, but you know what
I'm talking about. As long as you and I can lift
ourselves up by our own bootstraps, nobody's going to get upset with
me on preaching on the new birth. Well, he's a born-again Christian.
What other kind are there? Well, he's one of those kind
that born himself again. That's a different kind. We're
born of God. We're born of God. Well, I tell
you what, I can preach on creation as long as I don't preach on,
in the beginning, God creating the heavens and the earth. I
can preach on redemption as long as I redeem myself, as long as
I have the ability and everything that I need to purchase myself
back. Don't preach redemption through
the Lord Jesus Christ. preach on justification as long
as I'm doing it. Maybe I'm not doing it myself
directly, but as long as maybe this church building that I built
is going to justify me, or what I give is going to justify me,
just don't preach on justification through Jesus. I can preach on
sanctification. People love that. Well, that
gives me an opportunity to be better than somebody else. That's
sanctification. in our minds. Never as good as
God. That's sanctified. But it's to
be better than you, Paul. And if I can do that, I've accomplished. I have to compare it to somebody
or I don't see progress. But I won't compare it to God.
I'll just compare it to you. And as long as I'm better than
you, as long as I don't do what you do, you know, I'm pretty
good. Just don't preach on sanctification
through Jesus. That upsets people. But he's
all that I need. And they laid hands on him, verse
3, and they put him in hold unto 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 it came to pass from the morrow that the rulers and the
elders and the scribes and Annas the high priest and Cephas and
John and Alexander and as many as were the kindred of the high
priest were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had
set them, that is, Peter and John, when they had brought them
together and set them in the midst, they asked, by what power? They're talking about this man
that was healed, this man that was raised up, that had been
laying there at the gate of that temple that was called beautiful
on Solomon's porch. And he said, by what power? Then
they really got, this is what we really want to know, what
name? Or by what name have you done
this? Has this man been raised up?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers
of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be interrogated. Now, that's what they were doing.
They was interrogating them. If we this day be interrogated
of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means is
made whole. I'm going to give you just a
little bit more than my name, rank, and serial number, but
I'm going to give you the basics right now. Be it known. I don't
want you to ever have a doubt after I finish what I'm fixing
to say. I'm going to tell you who did it. Now, whether you
believe it or not, it's on your back. It's on your heart. It's on your conscience. But
I'm going to tell you. Be it known unto you all. and
to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus the Christ." Well, okay,
we'll accept that. Maybe it's kind of like Mexico,
where half the male population is named Jesus, you know. Well,
all you got to do is get that last name in there, and that
narrows it down. Which one? The one that came from Nazareth.
Now, you know who I'm talking about. Well, let's see, there's
four or five maybe that came out of Nazareth. Well, I'm talking
about the one that you crucified. Well, I wonder how many of them
we crucified. Well, I'm telling you it's the one that God raised
from the dead, even by Him. And no other does this man stand
before you whole. You want to know who he is? He's
the foundation of everything. He's the stone which was set
in all of you builders. He's the stone upon which all
of us rest, but you said it's no good. And you cast it aside. But I'm telling you, God made
him the chief stone, the head of the corner. And you take him
out, the whole thing will fall in on you. And let me tell you
this while I'm at it, neither is there salvation in any other,
for there is none other name, none other, that's it, Jesus
of Nazareth, the Christ, none other name, under heaven, given
among men, whereby you must be saved. Well, I've got to finish
this. Now, when they saw Peter and
John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men,
well, they weren't anything but fishermen. You know, they were
just a carpenter. They were just a cabinet maker.
You know, all they did was stay at home and, you know, keep kids
and wash dishes and mop floors and things like that. Who are
they? Work on trucks. Unlearned! You don't have a Donald
Duck degree, a D.D. No, just unlearned and ignorant. They perceived that. But they marveled. And they took
knowledge of Him. They wrote it down. These guys
have been walking with Jesus. They've been with Jesus. And
beholding the man which was healed, standing with Him, they couldn't
say anything against Him. I mean, here's living proof that
there is salvation in no other. They believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. We that have called upon the
name of the Lord, we are living proof. How many of us tried before
we called upon the name of the Lord? How many of us? I know
every one of us in here. We tried. We, every one of us,
caught everything that we were doing. I broke every record in
my house. I didn't tear up my TV, but I
was told I was supposed to. I stuck in the closet, and it
slept there for about six months before I found a buyer for it.
I was told that's where my problem was. I quit this, I quit that,
I quit the other, and I had no peace. I had no peace. I did everything I was supposed
to do, but I never called up on the name of the Lord. I never
did. Well, we're proof. We're living
proof. Nobody can say anything about
that. They won't ever attack that. No, they'll attack something
you do or don't do, something you say or don't say, something
you touch or don't touch. Well, listen to it. And when
they had commanded them to go out, they all said, you know,
y'all step in this room over here. We're going to confer among
ourselves. saying, verse 16, what shall
we do to these men? Did you notice that back over
here when Peter first preached to them, back over in chapter
2, verse 37, those that heard, they were pricked in their hearts,
and they said, men and brethren, what shall we do? And over here,
these old religious people, they hadn't heard anything. They conferred
among themselves, and they said, what shall we do to these men?
That's the two responses. When the Gospels preach, some
say, what shall we do? And some say, boy, what are we
going to do with this guy? We're going to fire him. We're going
to run him off, you know. But those are the responses that
are usually followed, the preaching of the Gospel. Oh, that indeed
a notable miracle has been done by them, as manifest to all that
dwell in Jerusalem. We cannot deny it. We love miracles,
and this is another one added to, you know, our repertoire.
We don't want it to go any further. It's getting a little out of
hand now. That it spread no further among the people, let us straightly
teach them, or threaten them, that they speak henceforth to
no man. No, that they speak henceforth
to no man in this name. And they called them back into
the room, and they commanded them not to speak or to teach
in the name of Jesus. or that Peter and John answered
and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God
to hearken unto you more than unto God, you'd be the judge.
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding
nothing how they might punish them because of the people. For
I am in glorified God for that which was done." And they went
and told, it says in verse 23, they went to their own company
and reported all that had been done. And then when they heard
that, They lifted up their voice to God, with one accord, and
said, Lord thy God, which hath made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that is in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David
hath said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine
vain things? Or were they just telling the
truth? Why did they rage? The kings of the earth stood
up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and
against his Christ. For the truth against thy holy
child Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
hating them, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined
for to be done." They weren't going to surprise you, God. We
know that. They were only going to do what
you before determined. And now, Lord, you call their
threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that with thy boldness
they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal and
that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the Holy
Child, the Holy Child, Jesus." Well, they went on. Come on to
chapter 5. You know the story of how they
were. Everybody was in harmony. They
were working together. There was a couple of them that
did the thing. It wasn't anything wrong with
what they did. It's what they had to say about it. Great fear, verse 11,
chapter 5, verse 11, great fear came upon all the church, and
upon as many as heard these things. And by the hands of the apostles
were many signs and wonders brought among the people, and they were
all with one accord in Solomon's porch. And of the rest, all that
other bunch, there wasn't anybody joined to them. Those that hated
it, there wasn't one of them joined themselves to them. But
the people magnified them, and believers were the more added
to the Lord, multitudes both the men and women. And these
high priests didn't like it. They were getting scared. They're
taking away everybody. They're proselyting everybody we have.
People have gone over there because that's where they hear the truth
of the gospel proclaimed. People have gone over there because
there's a hope proclaimed over there. Here there's no hope for
me. If I have to spit to be saved, I'll suddenly dry up. Dry up. Come dry on this piece of paper
here before me. Well, the high priest rose up,
verse 17, chapter 5, verse 17, and all that were with him, which
is the sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled with envy,
envy. And they laid their hands on
the apostles. Oh, here they are again. Oh,
God, they're in trouble all the time, and they put them in prison.
But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors
and brought them forth and said, in the temple to the people are
the words of this life." Oh, when they heard that, they entered
into the temple early in the morning and talked. But the high
priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council
together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and
sent to the prison to have Peter and John brought before him.
Oh, but the officers came, and they found them not in the prison,
and they returned and told Saying, the prison, well, we truly found
it shut with all safety, all the locks were on it. And the
keepers standing without before the doors. But when we had opened,
we found no man within. Now, when the high priest and
the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these
things, they doubted of them. Well, until this would grow,
they said, boy, we got to keep this quiet. This will really
get out. It's going to really cause us problems now. Then came
one and told them, saying, you know those guys that you threw
in prison? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we know, we know which
ones you're talking about. You don't know where they are? Yeah,
come on, where are they? They're in the temple, and they're teaching
the people. You thought they were in prison,
but they're in the temple teaching the people. Then went the captain
with the officers and brought them without balance. For they
feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And
when they had brought them, they set them before the council and
the high priest, asked them, saying, Did we not straightly
command you that you should not teach in this name? And behold, you fill Jerusalem
with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon
us." Then Mr. Nascai, Peter was no
longer Mr. Nazca. There were no flowery
words in his forthcoming speech. He got it down to bare facts. Then Peter and the other apostles
answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The
God of our fathers We're Israelites, just like you. And we're waiting
for the same Messiah, just like you. We're waiting for God to
send his Christ, just like you. It's the same God. The God of our fathers raised
up Jesus. and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance
to Israel, and forgiveness of sin. And we are his witnesses
of these things. And so is also the Holy Ghost,
whom God hath given to them that obey him, that hear him, that
believe him, and that trust him. And when they heard that, that
is those chief rulers, oh, they were cut to the heart. It's just like you took a knife
and just sliced their bodies. They were cut to the heart and
they took counsel to slay them. Then there stood up one in the
council of Pharisee named Amaliel, a doctor of the law, had a reputation
among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little
space. And he said to them, you know,
put some of that in that other room again. Let's have a talk. And
he said unto them, you men of Israel, take heed to yourselves
what you intend to do is touching these men. For before these days
there was another one that rose up, boasting himself to be somebody,
to whom a number of men, about four hundred, they joined themselves,
and they followed him around, but he was killed. And as many
as followed him around, as obeyed him, and believed in this God,
and followed him around. They were scattered and brought
to naught. Then after that, there rose up another one, Judas of
Galilee, in the days of the taxi. And a lot of people followed
him, but he died also. And all of his followers, they
were just scattered about, too. It came to nothing. Verse 38,
Now I say unto you, refrain from these men. Just let them along.
Let them along. For if this counts But this work,
be of men, it'll also come to nothing. It'll end. It'll end. But if it be of God, there's
not a thing you can do. You cannot stop it. You cannot
overthrow it. lest haply he be found even to
fight against God." And to him they agreed. And when they had
called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they
should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. And so the apostles departed
from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple
and in every house they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus
the Christ. You know why? There is no other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
And if this salvation is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ,
then it must be something that's pretty important to me. I mean,
if I have to go to the Lord Jehovah for it, then it must be pretty important.
If I need something and I can't find it at these court annexes,
the only place I can find it is go to the state capitol building
and talk to the governor of the state. It must be pretty important.
It must be a document that's pretty important that I need.
Can you see, if we must go to him for, if it's not found anywhere
else, but in him, it must be something pretty important. And
I tell you what, it must be something that's so important, I can't
get a hold of it by something that I do, if it must come from
him. But I tell you what, I promise
you, on the authority of the Word of God, if it is found in
him, it is found in him. There is salvation in him. Neither is there salvation in
any other. Quit looking for it in the church.
Quit looking for it in the messenger. He's just a delivery boy. I say
just. He is God's messenger. But he
can't help you, will he? Silver and gold. We have none. But such as we have given to
you in the name of Jesus. that's all we can give to you.
There's nothing anywhere else. May the Lord bless you. Thank
you, Paul. I enjoyed that so much, as it truly
was. You men of Israel, hear these
words. Jesus of Nazareth, I hope we
heard those words, the word of the gospel. Let's
sing number 443, 443. Stand with me, we'll sing the
first and the last verses and come down and greet brother Meek.
443. There is no name so sweet on
earth, no name so sweet in heaven, a name before His wondrous birth. You're given. We love to sing of Christ our
King. Hail Him, blessed Jesus. For there's no word here ever
heard, dear, so sweet as Jesus. We sing that verse there, it
says, we love to sing of Christ our King and hail Him, blessed
Jesus. I hope so. I hope we don't just love to
sing this so we can get to the last song. Somebody accused me
of being very direct. We need some directness. Do we
love to sing of this Christ our King in whose name there is no
one? I hope so. I hope so. Last verse. To Jesus
every knee shall bow and every tongue confess Him. And we unite with saints in light,
our only Lord to bless Him. We love to sing of Christ our
King, and hail Him blessed, Jesus, for there's a word here ever
heard.