The book of Acts chapter 4, the
book of Acts chapter 4, it tells us the results of the council
releasing those two disciples, Peter and John. And we'd like
to spend some time here. You know, as we look into the
scriptures, there is a verse of scripture that's two words
long. Jesus wept. And nobody has ever
come to the complete conclusion of all that that means. We also
find they shall call his name Jesus. What a message is found
in that name. For he shall save his people
from their sins. Now, I hope you don't think I'm
going too slow through here. But every word is so filled with
the glory and grace of God with regard to this incident. And
it tells us here that after the council of 71 had released Peter
and John from arrest with the threat to never preach in the
name of Jesus Christ again, where do they go? Well, we find right
here in verse 23, this is where they went, being let go. they went to their own company
and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto
them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to
God with one accord and said, now this morning in my study,
I read the prayer that they prayed and it took me 57 seconds to
read it. So it's not a very long prayer.
Now if I was from Louisiana, it'd probably take me two minutes.
But here it is, it's so succinct, so quick, and they pour out their
heart unto Almighty God with regards to this. We'll probably
not get to this point this morning, but it is such a statement that
is made here. They lifted up their voice with
one accord and said, now someone led in prayer and everybody else
agreed with it. Isn't that the way prayer is? If we pray honest
prayer, if we pray a God-honoring prayer, then people who know
God are going to agree with it. They're going to say, Hallelujah.
They're going to say, Amen. Well, they lifted up their voice
to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God, which has
made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is. Who by the mouth of thy servant
David hath said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people
imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood
up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and
against his Christ. For of a 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.
For to do whatsoever thy hand in thy counsel determined before
to be done. Always read just one more verse. And here it is. Why did this
all happen? At the fulfillment of the wise
counsel of almighty God. And now Lord behold their threatenings.
And grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may
speak thy word, by stretching forth thy hand to heal, and that
signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child
Jesus. We're gonna stop there and spend
our time mainly in verse 23. Where did they go? They went
to, what? Being let go. Now, We know what
that means to be let go. I remember my mother let me go
once in a while and I was so glad about that because she was
about to threaten me. Well, we find out that this 71-member
council let the Peter and John released them, threatened them,
but released them. Now, this word is so centered
in the redemptive work of Christ, most of all, and we're going
to look at that couple of verses that share with us that. But
in this sense, they are let go physically, and they're thankful
for that. They didn't suffer a great beating.
They were not cast into prison for a long time. They were let
go. But this word has so much significance
in it because it speaks about the redemptive work of Christ
and the results of the redemptive work of Christ. to be let go. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Matthew, chapter 18. In the book of Matthew, chapter
18, we have the same word used, but it's so significant here
because it has to do being loosed from a debt. Now, there's not
a person that's ever been saved that didn't realize that they've
been loosed from a sin debt. God in his great person of grace
went to the cross and he was wrapped up in some way with the
sin from the very first person to the very last person this
world will ever see that he's ever going to save. He was wrapped
up with their sin and God the Father poured out his wrath on
him and consumed the son. To such a point, he said, it
is finished, I give up the ghost. Now, if we go to the Old Testament,
we find a sacrifice was not finished until there were ashes that fell
through the great. That�s when that sacrifice was
finished. So, in every sense of the imagination,
He suffered like those things are pictured in the Old Testament.
Well, here in the book of Matthew, chapter 18, verse 27, we have
a way that the Holy Spirit reveals unto us the blessing of His redemptive
work on us, and it is illustrated by an illustration. In the book
of Matthew chapter 18 and verse 27 we read this, Then the Lord
of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him. Now read the rest of that verse.
It says there, And forgave him the debt. What a blessing to
have been loosed from our debt, to be forgiven of our sin. And so we can, in a spiritual
sense, appreciate what Peter and John went through when they
were loosed from the counsel. That counsel, as we find here,
as we've read through this section of chapter 4, they have no love
for God whatsoever. And we find out in our nature
we had no love for God. They had no love for His Word.
We had no love for His Word. They are caught up in their own
natural sin, born into the nature of sin, fallen in Adam, and that
s exactly where we start, too. And yet we find out that the
Lord Jesus Christ, by His own grace and by His mercy and death
upon the cross, LOOSES us from that. He unbinds us from that. He takes away our sin as far
as the east is from the west. Well, turn with me, if you would,
just a little farther in the book of Luke, Chapter 2, and
we find another benefit, spiritually speaking, of this word that we
find here in the book of Acts, Chapter 4. In the book of Luke,
Chapter 2. Now, in the book of Luke, Chapter
2, we're introduced to an interesting thing about the Lord Jesus Christ,
and it�s by an old man by the name of Simeon. Now, I�ll tell
you my friends, you do this in public today, you�re going to
be arrested. You walk up to a baby and take it out of its mother's
arms and raise it up to the sky, there's going to be problems.
In this day and time, God prevented, protected, overrode all of that
because He intended for this old man by the name of Simeon
to come in and see His Savior. That's what it's all about. Luke
chapter 2, and it begins here. Verse 25, thank you. I was going
to start too soon here, too late. Verse 25, ìAnd behold, there
was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same
man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel.î
Now, he wasnít waiting for the reestablishment of the kingdom
of Israel. Thatís not consolation. To have
a political reign again? To have a political kingdom?
And you know, if we look at it from an Old Testament standpoint,
national Israel had a very short time as a kingdom. David, Solomon. Now Saul had some. But David
united all of the tribes. And when he was gone, Solomon
came on. And when he was gone, it's divided
into two and ten. So what a short period of time,
80 years. And now they're looking for it.
We want the kingdom back. We want the kingdom back. They
don't even know what it is. Well, that's not the consolation that
Simeon is talking about. He's talking about the fulfillment
of God's Word towards spiritual Israel. There's a consolation
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has put away sin for His people.
He has raised His people from the spiritual dead. We get to
sit around His throne and praise Him for being God Almighty. Well, here He goes on to tell
us here He's waiting for the consolation of Israel, and that
consolation of Israel is the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He goes on to say, and he received unto him by the
Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen
the Lord's Christ. What a revelation had he had. You know what? Every sheep has
that promise. Now we don't know about it. We
don't know that that's a promise that God has given to us, but
every sheep will not die before they have seen the Lord's Christ.
It goes on to say, When the parents brought in the
child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law They took
him up in his arms and blessed God and said then he that he
took then took he him up in his arms and blessed God and said
Lord now let us thy servant depart in peace according to thy word
in verse 27 Now, excuse me, verse 29, Lord,
now let us, thou servant, depart in peace. What he is saying here,
Lord, I can leave this world now. After seeing the consolation
of Israel, I can leave this world without fear. After seeing salvation
in Christ Jesus, I can leave this world without fear. And
that's what God's people do. Now, I've mentioned this before,
and you may have this problem right now. Do you have dying
grace? I was asked that one time. And
I says, are you dying? Oh, I don't think so. He says, well, you don't need
it right now. but at the appointed time. God gives His grace. So this word lettuce, it's Simeon's
words here about being set free from this binding of this world
and being permitted to go into the presence of God, I can depart
in peace now. Thou lettest. Thou shalt let
us me depart in peace. I am departing. And I don't think
it was very long and he departed. God set him free from the bindings
of this world. We are stuck in gravity. Now we think it's a great thing,
but there are times it's not. I'd like to be on the moon sometimes
and weigh one-sixth of what I weigh. It is binding, and it is just
like our sin. It is binding. We cannot escape
it, but the Lord Jesus Christ has paid for the sin of His people,
and now He can let us, what did Simeon say? Depart in peace. Now, let's go back to the book
of Acts chapter 4, and we follow this from a physical context.
It's such a spiritual blessing to us, And the text is meant
to be released from the hands of the court, no longer detained.
They were free to go with only a warning. Notice with me where
they went. Where did they go? It tells us
they went to their own company. Now, I almost passed over that
and said, well, we'd go to our friends too. But there's so much
wrapped up in this. Why did they go to their own
company? You know, no doubt many places
where they might have gone, you know, they were mostly fishermen.
They could have all gone back to their work, to their job.
We find that they could have gone to someone to get some counseling
because their lives had been threatened. Or they could have
went and got some forgetful juice at the bar. How many people do
that? Get their forgetful juice. Or
they could have went and got some drugs because they had a
headache over it. Well, we find out they did none
of those things and they went to their own company. They went back to their companions.
They went to their own people. They went to their fellow believers.
They went to their friends. They went back to the church
at Jerusalem. They went to their spiritual
family, to assembly of other Christians, a company of Christians,
spiritual fellowship. And why did they go back to their
own company? Why did they go back to their
own people? Some time ago in the book of Judges, we ran smack
doodly dab into a verse of scripture that I'd like to read right now.
It's the book of Judges chapter five. In the book of Judges chapter
five, we find after there was a great battle won and Deborah
and Barak are singing a song, no greater words could be mentioned
in a song than this. In the book of Judges chapter
five, verse 11. Now I think as we sing the great
hymns of the faith, we find that we do this. The songs that we
sing are so powerful, so important, so scriptural. I'll never forget
a young lady that we used to visit with from Japan, and we
sent her one of these blue books, the hymn book. And she read through
that hymn book, and we're doing this through Zoom, and one of
the Wednesday nights she says, Norm, we can't sing all the songs
in this book. And I said, you're right there.
How perceptive that was that we cannot sing all the songs
in this hymn book. Some of them are so pregnant
with lies and unscripturalness that been incorporated and people
call them the great hymns of the faith, but they're not great
hymns of the faith. They're great hymns of human
worship, great hymns of free will, of works-oriented salvation,
but they're not great hymns of the faith. So I'm thankful that
we get to sing the great hymns of the faith. We have to pick
and choose. That's true. We very seldom, if we're going
to an apple orchard and we find some rotten apples on that tree,
we're not going to pick those rotten apples and pay full price
for them. We're going to pick the good
apples. Well, thank you that we can pick the good songs. Well,
here is a song, and in the middle of this song is what we read
in verse 11 of Judges chapter 5. Judges chapter 5 and verse
11, it says, they that are delivered from the noise of the archers
in places of drawing water, there shall, now notice this, There
shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord. Why did these
people go back to their own company? Because it is there they get
to rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord. God's righteousness
exemplified, God's righteousness in salvation, God's righteousness
as a robe. And here, these people, so many
years ago, over here in Israel, after a great battle was won,
and they began to sing about what God had done for them, they
rehearsed not their righteous acts, they rehearsed not their
good works, they rehearsed not their doings, but they rehearsed
the righteous acts of God. Oh my goodness, how delightful
it is to go to a place and get to rehearse the righteous acts
of God without fear. You know, many of you travel
for a great distance to be here. And I had a man tell me one time
after he found out that several people travel for quite a distance,
he said, I would never do that. You know, he said, more in those
words. than most people do in a lifetime. The Gospel is not
that important. How is? Well, another verse of
Scripture I want to turn to is found over in the book of Matthew
chapter 16 and verse 16, and you know this verse of Scripture
because we've read it so much, but it's so important This is
what salvation will do for somebody. And that's why we will go to
our own people. That's why we'll assemble with
the church. That's why we'll assemble with
God's people wherever they are. How we read in history, how valuable
it was in those days when those who loved the gospel were hounded
from town to town that they might meet one other person and fellowship
in the gospel. And they rejoiced in that. It
was such a blessing to them to find one other person. How they
met under oak trees, how they met in the woods, how they met
in the catacombs, how they met together because they had agreement
in the gospel together on this. In the book of Matthew chapter
16, there in verse 16, we find that the apostle Peter makes
his confession and this is why God's people meet together. This
is why those two, Peter and John, went back to their folks. And
there they rejoiced in prayer and thanksgiving to God. And
it says in John, excuse me, Matthew. I'm in John. Let me get back
to Matthew chapter 16 and verse 16. The apostle Peter is asked
a direct question. Now the Lord brings up In here,
who are people saying I am? Well, I'll tell you what, if
we sent a reporter around to ask people, who's Jesus? We'd
probably get a different view from every person that we ask.
But if you ask Peter, if you ask the church, if you ask believers,
This is who Jesus is. Matthew chapter 16 and verse
16, and Simon Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ,
the son of the living God. And you know, before he could
ever think about, well, that's a good statement. I'm glad that
came to my mind. I'm glad that came up. I'm glad
that I came to that conclusion. Jesus came up and said, you didn't
get this by cogitating. flesh and blood hath not revealed
this unto you, but my Father which is in heaven." And so that's
why we find these folks are coming together, they're coming to the,
they're in Acts chapter 4 and verse 23, they went to their
own company. There was their A praise of God,
even though they had just been threatened, even though they
could have been in prison, even though they didn't have a good
time there. They were thrown into jail overnight,
and they kept bringing up the subject of Christ, even in all
of that. They were able to say this is
all fallen out for the furtherance of the gospel That's what we're
going to find in their prayer. This is all according to the
counsel of Almighty God You know in Luke chapter 1 verse 1 There's
an interesting statement made in Luke chapter 1 the reason
that the Apostle Luke Felt in his heart at least now we know
that Because it was of God's purpose to have the book of Luke
in our Bible. That's why we have it God intended
for it to be there and in the book of Luke Luke gives this
reason for writing We know He gave that reason for writing
because He was led of the Holy Spirit. Holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So in Luke chapter 1
and verse 1 it says, and this is another reason, they went
to their own company. It says here, for as much as
many have set, taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration
of those things which, notice the rest of that, are most surely
believed among us. There was agreement on what was
believed among us. And you know where that agreement
came from? By revelation of Jesus Christ. Every truth that the
Bible has to declare is revealed to His people. We never can come
to the conclusion of it on our own. We find that the natural
man receiveth not the things of God, because they are spiritually
discerned. So these people that they're
going to go meet, Peter and John, going back to a host of people,
How many were there? It doesn't say. We'll read pretty
soon that there was 120 together before the day of Pentecost.
Maybe that's who they went to. But they went back to their folks,
and they went back because here is where the truth is. They went
back to their folks because here there's agreement. Here is where
I can sit down and agree with other folks that God worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will. We can agree
on God's great sovereign plan, and that's what they bring out
in that prayer. The folks trusted God. They had faith in God. Turn
with me to the book of Hebrews, if you would. Where did they
get this faith to trust God in this matter? They could go to
their own folks, and they understood this. about where their faith
came from. In the book of Hebrews chapter
12 and verse 2, the scriptures share this, looking unto Jesus,
Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2, looking unto Jesus, the author,
and where did your faith come from? Where does a believer's
faith come from? It doesn't come out of our bucket,
it comes out of the wells of salvation. We're carrying a canteen
through this world. It doesn't come out of a canteen.
We're carrying a bucket of water through this world so we can
survive the desert. It doesn't come out of a bucket of water.
It comes out of the wells of salvation. It is a thing that
God gives us in salvation. It says, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross. Now, he went to the cross so
that he could give us his faith. Despising the shame and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God who for the joy
That was set before him. No Yesterday I had a meeting
with a young man and we kind of concluded That if we were
in a position that we had everybody in town Wanting us dead. We might go to do for Let's get out of here let's put
a special covering over us so that cannot be recognized by
the authority. Let's get out of here. But for
the joy that was set before the Lord Jesus Christ, He endured
the cross. What's that joy? Welcoming many
children into His family. All that he laid down his life
of ransom for will be welcomed into the family and will be enjoying
fellowship for eternity. So it says there, looking unto
Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. This is why they
came to their company. This is why they came to him.
You know, in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, just backing up just
a little bit, we find that Abraham was tried in some ways like these
disciples were. They did a good work and they're
arrested for it. A man that had been on the welfare
rolls for years is now able to go to work. Why would they fuss
over that? And yet they do because he was
raised in the name of Jesus of Nazareth and we cannot have that. In the book of Hebrews 11, verse
17, it says this, By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, he was tested, when Abraham was tested, he said here, he
offered up Isaac. Isn't that an interesting word,
the word offered? Now when we go back to the book
of Genesis, he has his son tied up, he's laying him on the altar,
he's ready to take his life, but there's no fire yet. He hasn't
been offered. But in the mind of God, we have
the Holy Spirit giving us the conclusion of it. He says, He
was offered. Abraham offered up his son, and
it says, goes on to tell us, and that had received the promises,
offered up his only begotten son, of whom it is said that
in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Now, Abraham understood that
his son Isaac was going to bring the seed of the Lamb of God into
this world. All the nations of the world
would be blessed through Isaac. You're in direct line. And so
when he was asked to go up on that mountain and offer his son
as an offering, he understood something's going to have to
happen here because this son is going to carry the seed. He
goes on to say, accounting that God was able to raise him up
even from the dead. From whence also he received
him in a figure. Now he did receive him in a type,
in a shadow, in a picture. A substitute went to that altar
and the substitute was burned and a substitute felt the fire.
But we find here Isaac was unscathed, but in type and shadow and picture.
And so these folks could come together when they are tried,
knowing full well that their trial was an act of Almighty
God, a request of Him. Whether He verbally told them
or whether He led them into it, it makes no difference. When
God calls on His people to be tried, they shall be tried. And
what is what God's people have? Faith in the trial. He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will. In the book of John chapter 3
verse 19. Turn with me to the book of John
chapter 3. Now there are two places to go. John chapter 3 and verse 19. We read these words. There are
two places to go. In John chapter 3 and verse 19
it says these words. John chapter 3 verse 19. And this is the condemnation
that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. So we have two places
to go. We have a whole group going to
the darkness. When the light comes, the darkness
just flees. I think I've shared this one
time, but my dad used to fall timber, and he lived in a tent
out in the woods, and that's where my first sister was born,
in that tent. And Dad called for the alturas,
which was 20 miles away, for a doctor to come help, and by
the time the doctor got there, everything had taken place. Dad
had delivered his daughter. The doctor still charged him
$5. I don't blame him. Had to drive that distance. Anyway,
Dad said in that tent, it was a miserable thing to go to bed.
Why? He said, bed bugs. We were infested
with bed bugs. He said, you'd have that lamp
out there, that gas lantern. out there, and they disappeared. They hid themselves wherever
they hide themselves. But as soon as you turned out
the light, they came and feasted on you. So what a story this
tells us about loving the darkness rather than the light. And God
has said that the natural man in darkness wants more darkness. And it takes the light of the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring the lost sheep out of
the darkness. And then we find believers love
light rather than darkness, and they will go where light is. what fellowship hath unrighteousness
with righteousness." It's what we find over in the book of 2
Corinthians chapter 4. Now, these, as we think about
this, these, their own company, believed together what we know
as Romans 8.28. Now, Romans 8.28 hadn't even
been written yet, but the principle of it, they understood. Romans
chapter 8 verse 28, I remember the pastor that brought me the
gospel was called on by brother Roth Barnard to quote that verse
of scripture. And Henry at the time, who didn't
know the gospel, he was just called there to be a youth pastor,
he quoted, and we know that all things work together for good.
Sat down. Brother Roth Barnard said, isn't
there some more to that verse? So Henry opened his Bible and
read it. And we know that all things work together for the
good of them that love God to those who are the called according
to his purpose. And Brother Rolfe told Henry,
he said, if you ever understand purpose, it will change your
life. Well, it wasn't very long, the
Lord revealed Christ into him and he became a preacher of righteousness
and he's asked to leave the church he's pastoring. Well, they just
went down the street and started another one, still there. Well, here we have this truth
and we know it is a comfort to go to a place, it is to go to
a people that are comforted by the word of God, even those words. And that�s why these people could
go to the place where they were comforted. These people believe
this. They�re living it. It�s part
of their lifestyle that all things work together for the good of
them that love God. You know, also, Romans chapter
9, if you turn there, they believe together this. They had no problem
with this. There was no arguing about this.
They read it in the scriptures. The Holy Spirit had revealed
it unto them, and there was no problem with it. There was no
argument with it. I think I've shared with you
that I've spoke to a young preacher, and several times he says, well,
what is so different now after you say you've been saved than
over on the other side? And I says, I quit arguing with
God. When I read Romans 9, I can say,
Lord, I don't understand it all, but I absolutely believe every
word of it. God makes a distinction here.
And those people who are Peter and John are going, they know
the distinction that is here, that there is never in this world
been a goat saved. God does not take goats and make
them into sheep. He takes sheep and calls them
out of darkness. He calls dead sheep to life. He calls blind sheep to see. He calls deaf sheep to hear.
He calls his sheep out of darkness. And in this passage of scripture,
he said there are two elements in this world. There are sheep
and there are goats. There are Jacob's and there are
Esau's. Now I am convinced that it is my responsibility to preach
everyone that will hear as if they are Jacob's. I can't tell. Can you imagine the church preaching
to Saul of Tarsus? I know that guy's not one of
them. Man, he's too mean for that. And then find out he came
to them and Barnabas had to come to his aid and say, Come on,
brother, let me introduce you to the other apostles. What a
blessing that was that Barnabas was there when Saul showed up.
Alright, Romans chapter 9, and beginning there with verse 13.
Romans chapter 9, verse 13, it says, this is why we can get
together. This is why Peter and John went
to their own company. They went there, they'd been
released, they'd been set free, and they made a beeline trail
to the folks that God had revealed the truth to, and said here in
Romans 9, verse 13, as it is written, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated. Now you can do all the research
you want to, and you'll never come up with that word meaning
loved less. That's just a cop out. I don't understand it. You know,
as Charles Spurgeon said, I can understand very clearly Why he
hated Esau, he was not saved. He was a sinner. He went to his
death as a sinner. But I cannot understand in any
way how God could love Jacob. In many respects, he's worse
than his brother Esau. He's a liar and a thief and a
conniver. He's not a good person to be
around. And yet in eternity past, God said, I love him and hate
him. Goes on to tell us here, and
that's why they could get together. There was no argument over this
God's purpose of grace. They didn't discuss it as something
that was to be angry about. They came together and fellowshiped
over the truth that God is an absolute sovereign. Just as Nebuchadnezzar
said many, many years ago, he rules in the army of heaven and
among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his
hand or say, what doest thou? That's the God of heaven, and
that's why we can fellowship, they said. Here in the book of
Romans chapter 9 again, verse 14, what shall we say then? Is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Well, if we argue
with God over this, we're saying God's unrighteous. He's not fair.
God is fair. He is right to condemn all people. He's gracious to save many people. For he saith to Moses, I'll have
mercy on whom I will have mercy. You know, these folks, as they
gathered together, they had many things in common. You know, some people might say, well,
they all liked apple pie. They all loved that stuff we
just had there in the, boy, that was good today. You know what
they had in common? We're all sinners. That's what
they had in common. They were all in a city of refuge
called Jesus Christ the Lord. And you didn't have to ask anybody,
why are you in the city of refuge? And they didn't have to tell
him what great act they went through to get there because
it was their life was on the line. So God never asked us,
why are you in the cities of refuge? He knows full well we're
sinners. They were all saved by grace. There was no discussion over
this. Nobody stood up and says, you know, I'm the exception to
the rule. I had a whole bunch of righteousness
that I brought to the Lord. You know, there were those who
were going to bring that subject up. And Paul and Peter both said,
you're in the gall of bitterness. You don't know the gospel. All these folks, they were ransomed. They had been bought with a ransom
price, and they had great respect for the ransomer, the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's why they could get together.
Why did they make a beeline back to this place? because they had
all things common. They understood the gospel together.
They understood some of the purpose of God. They understood that
God was in charge, that he was the ruler and reigner of all
this. And you know what? This was not the first time that
these people had all been together. Quickly turn with me to the book
of Acts chapter one, if you would. Acts chapter one, verse 13 and
14. In the book of Acts, there's several times that they all get
together. In the book of Acts, chapter
1, verse 13, we have these wonderful words left to us. And so it was
not a new thing for them to go to their folks, to their own
people, to the church, to those who believe the gospel, to the
Christians, those who had been forgiven. Everyone in that whole
group admitted right up front, I'm a sinner. say by grace. And you know, I'm convinced that
every one of those admitted, I'm the chiefest of sinner. And
like one preacher said, Paul was the chiefest until I came
along. Here in the book of Acts 1, verse 13, the scriptures say,
and when they were come in, they went up into an upper room where
abode both Peter and James and John and Andrew, Philip, Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James, the son of Alphaeus, Simon, Zelotus,
and Judas, the brother of James. These all continued with one
accord in prayer, supplication with the women and the Mary,
the mother of Jesus, with his brethren. They were glad to get
together. Now, at this time, they were
probably getting together because their lives were on the line.
Was Peter and John's life on the line? Let's get back together.
Chapter 2, verse 44. Join me in chapter 2 and verse
44. The scripture says, And all that
believed were together and had all things common. It's a common
thing for God's people to get together with those they have
common things with. The gospel. ruined by the fall,
redeemed by Jesus Christ, regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We have that
common. And another place is in Acts
chapter 12, Acts chapter 12 verse 11, Acts chapter 12 and verse
11, it says, and when Peter was come to himself, he has spent
some time in prison, and he's released in a miraculous
way. When Peter was come to himself
and said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel,
and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all
the expectation of the people of the Jews, when he had considered
the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose
surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
It was a common thing. to go where people were that
agreed on the gospel. It's a common feeling, common
belief, common. And finally, one other verse
over in the book of Malachi. Malachi chapter 3. Last book of the Old Testament.
Malachi chapter 3 and verse 16. Why did they go to their own
folks? They didn't leave town. They
didn't go to another place. They didn't put in for a airline
ticket to Zimbabwe. They went to their own folks. And here in Malachi chapter 3
and verse 16, it says, Then they that feared the Lord spake often
one to another. And the Lord hearkened and heard
it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them
that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." What's
our book of remembrance? The Word of God. He wrote a book
of remembrance. What does it say there? They
that feared the Lord speak often one to another, and then And
what was written before him for them that feared the Lord and
that thought upon his name. Well, we know that they were
thinking about his name because the very next thing that happened
is they pray. And Lord willing, we'll pick
that up at the next appointed time. Brother Mike, if you'll
come.