AD Norris – The Apostles, Their Acts and Their Words – Class 1

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This is the 1981 Texas Christian
Delphin Bible School.

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This is the first in a series of
classes for Brother Alfred

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Norris.
His subject Apostles, their

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Acts, and their words.
Good morning, brothers and

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sisters.
I have to give notice that it

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will be necessary to extend the
school.

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For the next 11 and three
quarter months to finish, all

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that has to be said and each
class will have to last two

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hours.
However, just in case it’s not

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possible to do that, I’ll give
you a selection of the various

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things that are to be said and
hope that the appetite will be

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wetted.
Apostle is not a very common

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word in Scripture and it’s most
common in the Gospels and the

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Acts, especially the Acts.
It’s found once in Matthew and

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once in Mark.
Half a dozen times or so in

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Luke, not at all in John, some
dozens of times in the Acts, and

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once or more in almost every
letter, there’s some four or

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five that don’t use it.
It means a person who is sent is

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usually simply rendered into
English by a variation of the

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Greek letters apostle instead of
Apostolos, but just occasionally

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it’s translated in other ways.
It’s almost always used of the

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special company of 12 whom the
Lord appointed, except that

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after the suicide of Judas,
Matthias takes his place, only

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referred to once and later the
Apostle Paul specially chosen is

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given that title.
And here and there you find the

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word used of Barnabas, say, and
perhaps another or so, once the

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Word is used of the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, the Apostle and

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High Priest of our profession.
In Hebrews chapter 13, in its

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original form, it represents a
selection from the body of the

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disciples and disciple. 2 is a
somewhat specialised word in

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Scripture.
You’ll find it in the Gospels

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and in the Acts, and then you’ll
lose it all together.

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It’s never used again after
that.

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The Lord Jesus Christ has
learners who come to him to be

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taught, for the word matatez
means a learner.

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They’re called by that name
almost invariably in the Gospels

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and commonly in the Acts.
But by the time the ACT is over,

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and by the time the letters are
written, the words that seem to

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take their place are brethren, I
suppose, and Saints.

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The learning period isn’t
exactly over, but the

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instruction is now complete.
The available material for the

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preparation of the Saints of the
Lord is there, and perhaps

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that’s why the word disciple
goes, and words denoting

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sanctified people or people in
brotherly fellowship, one with

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another, take their place.
I want to begin by telling

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retelling A brief story found in
Matthew, Mark and Luke and

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letting it hang in the air until
we find it later again in the

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act of the apostles themselves.
And that’s the story given in

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Matthew chapter 19 and Mark
chapter 10 of a certain rich

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young man who came to Jesus and
said good master, what good

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thing must I do that I may
inherit eternal life?

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And he’s told that he knows the
commandments and invites the

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Lord to tell him which.
And the Lord gives him an

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abbreviated list and some of the
most important commandments and

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then professes.
All these things have I observed

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from my youth up, whereupon
Jesus, looking at him and did

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not record loving him, says, If
thou wouldst be perfect, go and

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sell all that thou hast, and
gifts to the poor, and the young

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man goes away sorrowful, for he
has great possession, a man who

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apparently wanted to be a
disciple.

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So perhaps that wasn’t in the
1st place quite what he wanted,

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but found the conditions of
discipleship at that time at

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least too hard to be accepted.
He was rich.

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The records tell us that he was
young, that also he was a ruler,

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says Luke.
He came and bowed the knee

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before Jesus, says Mark.
And as I said, the Lord loved

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him when he saw him.
What there was to be loved in

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that man may perhaps only later
appear, for his behaviour at

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that stage was at least short of
lovable in some particulars.

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He seemed to want more, shall we
say, a pass on the head, than

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loving.
He came to ask the Lord what

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were the conditions of eternal
life, hoping it would appear

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that the Lord would lay down
conditions he was already

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keeping.
All these things have I observed

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from my youth up.
What lack I yet?

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He came evaluating goodness in
terms of the good things you

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did, the commandments you kept
well, the bad deeds you avoided.

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All these things have I kept
from my youth up.

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He wanted to judge the Lord in
the same way as he judged

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himself.
Good Master, what good things

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shall I do?
And was, it seems, not at once

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deterred by the fact that the
Lord wouldn’t accept the title

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for himself?
Why call us now me good?

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There is none good but one that
is God.

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And the Lord, who had done no
evil and was to do none who did

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no sin.
Neither was guile found in his

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mouth, yet still would not take
to himself a title which he

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would have to share with God.
There is none good, but one that

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is God.
God’s goodness is inherent.

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Is inseparable from him.
He could never be anything else.

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He’s under no peril of attack.
There is no danger attaching to

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God’s goodness.
He would never be anything

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otherwise.
But Jesus had behaved well with

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the fragile goodness of a man
who could be tempted in all

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points like as we are, who
wasn’t.

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It were in his behaviour good
from moment to moment, and no

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bad moment had come.
Nor would it come.

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But it could.
He was one who must fight his

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way to goodness by assimilating
his mind to the mind of God and

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finally laying down his life.
Only thus would goodness be his,

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perfectly so when the Lord would
not allow himself to be so

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described.
This young man might perhaps,

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had he been more sensitive, and
perhaps Lisa did when he became

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more sensitive.
Recognize that you don’t measure

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goodness in a balance.
You don’t pour your good deeds

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into a scale and weighs and see
how much you’ve got.

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What you do is pour the goodness
of God into a scale and see how

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light is the other pan and how
impossible it is for you to

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weigh it down.
And then learn to seek your

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goodness in another way.
So the young man went away,

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sorrowful, perhaps even
resentful.

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Certainly frustrated in whatever
it was that brought him there,

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for the time being at least, and
is lost to our sight, yet lost

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with that question mark hanging
invitingly and there.

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And Jesus, beholding him, loved
him.

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What was to become of a man whom
the Lord loved, we wonder.

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At that time there were 12
apostles.

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The Lord had selected them
carefully from amongst his own

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disciples, had prayed the whole
night through the previous night

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that his choice might be the
right choice, went up to the

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mountain in prayer.
And when it was dawned, he chose

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His 12 apostles.
And if particular attention

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attaches to the 1st and the last
of these, we’re not surprised.

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The first Simon Peter and Judas
Iscariot.

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Which also betrayed him.
The latter of these chosen no

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doubt in the full knowledge of
what that man would do when the

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time came to do it.
Have not I chosen you?

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12 And one of you is a devil.
For Jesus knew from the

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beginning who it was that
believed, not, who they were

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that believed not, and who it
was that should betray him, the

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other the 1st.
Chosen in the knowledge of the

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hard travail through which that
man must pass, before he became

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the fit vessel to introduce the
gospel to Jews and Samaritans

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and Gentiles.
Before he was the man to be

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trusted, and relied upon the
rock layer of the firm

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foundation upon which the
community would be built.

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A man who would be a great
support, a loyal follower, a

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keen learner, an ardent
spokesman.

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And yet a man who would have his
catastrophic failures not

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because he was weaker than any
other, we assure he was stronger

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than most, but because he
ventured into situations where

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failure was possible and
conspicuous.

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Other disciples did not sink in
the waters because they did not

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walk on them.
Other disciples were not seen to

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deny Christ because they were
not there when the time for

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denial came.
Peter walked on water, and

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therefore also sank when his
faith faltered.

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But great faith it was.
Peter denied the Lord three

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times, but Peter was alone in
the room with the pile in it.

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When they placed his Lord on
trial, the others were far away,

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fleeing.
Peter was a man whom the Lord

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prayed for, and for whom the
Lord’s prayers were effectively

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answered.
Simon.

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Simon.
Satan have desired to have you

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all, that he may sift you all as
weak, but I have prayed for thee

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that thy faith fail not, and
when thou art converted,

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strengthen thy brethren.
There should be no poor Peter in

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our thinking, no weak, impulsive
Peter in the way we speak.

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No, that’s Peter.
Pudding is put in it again in

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the way we think.
Peter amongst disciples was

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great, and in the Lord’s faith
strong speaking words of faith,

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when no other would speak them.
Saying, We believe and are sure

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that that the Christ the Son of
the living God, when the

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disciples were forsaking him in
their multitudes.

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And when it looks as though a
movement even amongst the 12 was

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beginning, will ye also go away?
Said the Lord, with Judas

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perhaps as the role of leader in
the retreat.

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Peter it was who, when they
reached the coasts of Caesarea

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Philippi, near to down on the
extreme northern border of the

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ancient territory, from Dan to
Beersheba alone spoke up when

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the Lord said, Whom say ye that
I am and answered, Thou art the

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Christ, the Son of the living
God, and earnt from the Lord the

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commendation.
Blessed art thou, Simon bar

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Jonah.
For flesh and blood hath not

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revealed this unto thee, but my
Father, which is in heaven.

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If it were not patronizing to
say so, we would have to say the

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Lord chose well when he chose
Peter.

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As we follow that man’s life as
we shall in some degree, we see

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he could hardly have chosen
better.

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We leave the Peter of The
Walking on the water and the

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sinking.
The Peter of the half shekel and

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the fish’s mouth, the Peter of
the threefold denial, the Peter

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of the Simon son of Jonas,
Lovest thou me more than these

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of John 21 passed through the
travel and the bitter tears of

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the rejection of the Lord, to
the time when the Lord was risen

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again again, when this bold man
goes inside the tomb and sees

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the signs that later would be
seen by him to mean that Jesus

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was risen from the dead.
We leave the Peter of the

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company of 11 who survived the
suicide of Judas, and were with

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the Lord for 40 days when he
showed himself alive after his

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fashion by many infallible
proofs.

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And we come to the occasion we
read about in the chapter in

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Acts, chapter one.
There are by now but eleven of

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the original apostles left.
By an inspiration of God that

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must surely have come even
before the outpouring of

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Pentecost on Peter, at least he
stands up amongst the disciples

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and announces the change that
must now be made.

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There are but eleven of them, I
said, and there should be 12.

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How will they define the 12th?
He lays down carefully

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calculated conditions.
Wherefore are these men?

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Which have companied with us all
the days that the Lord Jesus

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went in and out among us,
beginning from the baptism of

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John until the day that he was
taken up promise into heaven,

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Must one be ordained to be a
witness with us of his

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resurrection?
Jesus did not choose his

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apostles for their looks or
their learning or their virtue.

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The next apostle was not to be
chosen for any such reason

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either.
They were witnesses by virtue of

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their experience.
They had been with him during

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all his ministry, had known the
preaching of John, and had

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followed him to the day when he
was received up out of their

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sight into heaven.
They wanted another man like

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that.
No other could be the kind of

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witness they were.
Nothing less was to be asked of

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them.
So they started with the baptism

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of John.
They went on to the teaching of

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the Lord.
They continued to the death and

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the resurrection and the
ascension.

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00:14:10,080 –> 00:14:12,760
And they said that’s the kind of
man we must have.

220
00:14:14,800 –> 00:14:16,360
There couldn’t have been many
around.

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00:14:17,840 –> 00:14:22,200
We find they put forth too, and
it’s an open speculation as to

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00:14:22,200 –> 00:14:24,640
whether they put forth too,
because there only were two

223
00:14:25,400 –> 00:14:27,760
persons eligible in other
respects and having the

224
00:14:27,760 –> 00:14:32,240
necessary experience, and we’re
given the names of those two.

225
00:14:33,440 –> 00:14:38,800
They are Joseph called
Barsabbas, and also Justice.

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00:14:39,800 –> 00:14:42,520
That’s one.
And Matthias.

227
00:14:44,400 –> 00:14:46,640
And they cast lots to select
which one.

228
00:14:48,440 –> 00:14:51,320
So the question arises, is that
the way to make our choices?

229
00:14:52,480 –> 00:14:56,680
Do we put pieces of paper into a
hat and the one who draws the

230
00:14:56,680 –> 00:15:00,360
longest one get the job?
Is that how the Scripture

231
00:15:00,360 –> 00:15:02,760
invites us to select the elders
for our communities?

232
00:15:03,000 –> 00:15:05,880
Is this the biblical method of
making appointments?

233
00:15:07,360 –> 00:15:12,440
And the answer would be yes, if
we’re choosing an apostle, but

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00:15:12,480 –> 00:15:16,480
otherwise no.
The apostles were doing

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00:15:16,480 –> 00:15:20,280
something that required that
they should take this course.

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00:15:21,960 –> 00:15:24,680
The eligible candidates?
They could bring them forward,

237
00:15:24,680 –> 00:15:27,560
but the choice of an apostle
must be Jesus, not theirs.

238
00:15:29,160 –> 00:15:31,200
For they were not there to
choose Jesus’s man.

239
00:15:32,160 –> 00:15:34,800
The Lord had chosen the other 11
and the suicide too.

240
00:15:34,960 –> 00:15:38,240
He must choose this one as well.
So they prayed, and they said,

241
00:15:38,240 –> 00:15:41,720
Lord, that not the hearts of men
show which of these two thou

242
00:15:41,720 –> 00:15:47,280
hast chosen.
It was Jesus Job, not theirs.

243
00:15:48,680 –> 00:15:51,800
And so they made a homemade orim
and Thummim, and they made their

244
00:15:51,800 –> 00:15:55,800
choice, and the lot fell upon
Matthias.

245
00:15:57,160 –> 00:16:03,080
As Jesus, man chosen by Jesus.
And at that point another

246
00:16:03,080 –> 00:16:05,160
question crops up.
Should they have done it at all?

247
00:16:06,920 –> 00:16:09,640
Jesus would in due course select
Paul for the work to which he

248
00:16:09,640 –> 00:16:11,880
had designed him.
Then shouldn’t they have left it

249
00:16:11,880 –> 00:16:16,280
till the Lord gave the sign?
After all, we hear nothing more

250
00:16:16,280 –> 00:16:19,560
about Matthias.
He comes into the picture and he

251
00:16:19,560 –> 00:16:21,480
leaves again.
He’s totally lost to sight.

252
00:16:21,680 –> 00:16:25,880
He’s just a name taking a piece
of paper and getting an

253
00:16:25,880 –> 00:16:28,520
appointment.
Out of which, as far as we can

254
00:16:28,520 –> 00:16:32,200
see, nothing comes.
Was that a condemnation of what

255
00:16:32,200 –> 00:16:36,000
the apostles did?
No, of course it wasn’t.

256
00:16:37,680 –> 00:16:40,840
It would be impossible to
believe that men making such a

257
00:16:40,840 –> 00:16:43,760
choice as that in such
circumstances as that standing

258
00:16:43,760 –> 00:16:46,600
up with the boldness and the
reason that Peter showed as

259
00:16:46,600 –> 00:16:49,960
having exceeded their office.
It’s our own thinking that tends

260
00:16:49,960 –> 00:16:52,880
perhaps to make the apostles no
better men than we are.

261
00:16:53,360 –> 00:16:56,600
Our own mistakes, which tends to
make us like to think that even

262
00:16:56,600 –> 00:16:58,840
the 12 themselves could make
mistakes like ours.

263
00:16:59,440 –> 00:17:02,600
That leads us to think of them
as doing what they shouldn’t

264
00:17:02,600 –> 00:17:05,440
have been doing here.
It’s an irrational thought that

265
00:17:05,440 –> 00:17:08,640
that record would be set out
with no word of condemnation,

266
00:17:09,440 –> 00:17:12,240
with every indication that the
Lord answered the prayer that

267
00:17:12,240 –> 00:17:14,359
was given to him.
It’s the way in which this

268
00:17:14,359 –> 00:17:17,119
record stands before us that
convinces me, and I would think

269
00:17:17,119 –> 00:17:19,800
would convince you that the
apostles were doing the right

270
00:17:19,800 –> 00:17:23,119
thing when they made that.
Opportunity for the Lord.

271
00:17:23,599 –> 00:17:28,319
And the Lord chose Matthias.
Oh, it’s true, we don’t hear of

272
00:17:28,319 –> 00:17:30,680
Matthias again, that’s a
perfectly fair statement.

273
00:17:31,880 –> 00:17:34,040
But then of the 12 whom do we
hear of again?

274
00:17:34,720 –> 00:17:37,040
Peter.
John.

275
00:17:38,360 –> 00:17:40,840
James the brother of John, but
only because he was slain by the

276
00:17:40,840 –> 00:17:43,840
sword for no other reason and
nobody else.

277
00:17:45,160 –> 00:17:48,520
So Matthias joins the company of
eight others, of whom we hear no

278
00:17:48,520 –> 00:17:50,760
more as the Acts of the Apostles
go their way.

279
00:17:51,600 –> 00:17:54,640
It’s no condemnation of their
choice of him that he fades from

280
00:17:54,640 –> 00:17:59,080
the picture.
All the same, the picture does

281
00:17:59,560 –> 00:18:02,920
present an intriguing little
speculation for us.

282
00:18:04,080 –> 00:18:06,760
Two men are put forward and both
their names are given.

283
00:18:08,280 –> 00:18:12,520
Matthias is 1, he’s the one
who’s chosen, and the other is

284
00:18:12,520 –> 00:18:13,680
Joseph.
Bar Sabas.

285
00:18:13,680 –> 00:18:19,280
Justice, it seems, doesn’t it at
first sight to lack a certain

286
00:18:19,280 –> 00:18:22,520
sense of proportion.
Why do you name the two

287
00:18:22,520 –> 00:18:24,520
candidates?
And knowing now by the time you

288
00:18:24,520 –> 00:18:28,320
write your record which one has
been selected, give that 3

289
00:18:28,320 –> 00:18:30,400
handles to the name of the man
who’s not going to get chosen

290
00:18:30,400 –> 00:18:33,920
anyway, and only one for the
name of the man who is.

291
00:18:34,360 –> 00:18:38,360
Why this elaboration of the name
of the second in the election

292
00:18:38,360 –> 00:18:45,960
who never takes up the office?
Joseph Bossabus Justice Luke is

293
00:18:45,960 –> 00:18:48,560
a shrewd, historic apart from
being an inspired man.

294
00:18:49,280 –> 00:18:52,640
He writes in a carefully
calculated way, and also under

295
00:18:52,640 –> 00:18:55,080
the guidance of the spirits.
And we would think there was

296
00:18:55,080 –> 00:18:58,840
some reason that may have lain
behind that elaboration of the

297
00:18:58,840 –> 00:19:00,520
name of the man who wasn’t
chosen.

298
00:19:01,960 –> 00:19:05,600
Well, perhaps there was.
But can I leave that hanging

299
00:19:05,600 –> 00:19:08,520
there too for a moment, and
continue?

300
00:19:09,240 –> 00:19:10,920
We shall return to it, if God be
willing.

301
00:19:14,120 –> 00:19:16,040
And now the day of Pentecost
comes.

302
00:19:17,720 –> 00:19:20,040
The Lord has left the earth some
seven weeks ago.

303
00:19:21,800 –> 00:19:24,200
This is the day when they gather
in their in gatherings.

304
00:19:24,200 –> 00:19:28,640
This is the day of celebration,
and at this time the Lord sends

305
00:19:28,640 –> 00:19:33,400
down his power from on high, and
the trolls speak with tongues.

306
00:19:34,400 –> 00:19:37,840
And the first, if not the only,
fulfilment of the prophecy of

307
00:19:37,840 –> 00:19:41,640
Joel, It shall come to pass in
the last days, that I will pour

308
00:19:41,640 –> 00:19:46,480
out of my spirit upon all flesh.
Your young men shall see visions

309
00:19:46,480 –> 00:19:49,480
and your old mental dream
dreams, and your sons and your

310
00:19:49,480 –> 00:19:52,720
daughters shall prophecy came
about.

311
00:19:54,200 –> 00:19:57,320
These men are not drunken, as
you suppose, seeing it is about

312
00:19:57,320 –> 00:20:00,240
9:00 in the morning.
But this is that that was spoken

313
00:20:00,240 –> 00:20:04,400
by the prophet Joel.
They heard them speak with

314
00:20:04,400 –> 00:20:08,680
tongues wherever they came from.
They heard them speak with

315
00:20:08,680 –> 00:20:11,480
tongues, and they came.
If, we may turn to the second of

316
00:20:11,480 –> 00:20:14,480
the acts.
From these places at least,

317
00:20:15,040 –> 00:20:23,760
Acts, chapter 2, verse 8, verse
seven, They were all amazed and

318
00:20:23,760 –> 00:20:27,360
marveled, saying one to another,
Behold, are not all these which

319
00:20:27,360 –> 00:20:31,320
speak Galileans, and how here we
every man in our own tongue,

320
00:20:31,320 –> 00:20:35,120
wherein we were born Parthians
and Medes, and Elamites, and the

321
00:20:35,120 –> 00:20:39,400
dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in
Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus

322
00:20:39,400 –> 00:20:42,920
and Asia, in Phrygia and
Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the

323
00:20:42,920 –> 00:20:46,760
parts of Libya about Sarini and
strangers from Rome, Jews and

324
00:20:46,760 –> 00:20:50,120
proselytes, Cretans and
Arabians, We do hear them speak

325
00:20:50,120 –> 00:20:52,840
in our tongues the wonderful
works of God, and they were all

326
00:20:52,840 –> 00:20:55,680
amazed.
And we’re in doubt saying one to

327
00:20:55,680 –> 00:20:58,040
another.
What meaneth this?

328
00:21:01,040 –> 00:21:04,000
I would think they were all in
Jerusalem with a purpose that

329
00:21:04,000 –> 00:21:07,120
would not have been frustrated
by the fact that they had a

330
00:21:07,120 –> 00:21:09,560
different language from the
Jewish language.

331
00:21:11,000 –> 00:21:14,200
I would think they came there
perfectly able to get around and

332
00:21:14,480 –> 00:21:17,040
do what they came for and hear
what they came to hear, and

333
00:21:17,040 –> 00:21:22,240
speak with whom they came to
speak in either Aramaic or more

334
00:21:22,240 –> 00:21:25,200
probably, Greek.
These people who came to

335
00:21:25,200 –> 00:21:29,600
Jerusalem at this time, they
wouldn’t be bewildered by not

336
00:21:29,600 –> 00:21:31,320
knowing the language of the
place.

337
00:21:32,600 –> 00:21:36,720
So they wouldn’t, I think, have
needed for the sake of witness

338
00:21:37,400 –> 00:21:39,680
that Peter and the other should
speak to them in their own

339
00:21:39,680 –> 00:21:43,680
native dialects.
But they would have recognized

340
00:21:43,680 –> 00:21:46,480
them.
They would have known that it

341
00:21:46,480 –> 00:21:50,320
was a very surprising thing that
these Galileans an indication

342
00:21:50,320 –> 00:21:53,080
they did know the language they
were talking about, an

343
00:21:53,080 –> 00:21:55,640
indication that these Galileans
were able to do things that

344
00:21:55,640 –> 00:21:57,920
Galileans shouldn’t do, couldn’t
do.

345
00:21:57,960 –> 00:22:00,920
Galileans were Rustics.
They knew their own dialects.

346
00:22:00,920 –> 00:22:03,640
They could speak with their own
country tongue, But these

347
00:22:03,640 –> 00:22:08,320
foreign languages not Galileans.
So the wonder lay not in the

348
00:22:08,320 –> 00:22:10,520
tongues being needed for
understanding, but in the

349
00:22:10,520 –> 00:22:13,920
tongues being a sign, a sign
that they were doing things that

350
00:22:13,920 –> 00:22:17,520
man couldn’t do, left to
himself, given a gift from God

351
00:22:17,520 –> 00:22:19,400
that no man could have
simulated.

352
00:22:20,160 –> 00:22:24,000
And they were amazed, and the
best of them believed.

353
00:22:25,080 –> 00:22:28,880
And the same day they were added
unto the Lord about 3000 souls.

354
00:22:32,120 –> 00:22:36,360
Peter’s message fully responded
to the prayers the Lord had

355
00:22:36,360 –> 00:22:40,560
prayed for him.
Here was no Peter, bold up to

356
00:22:40,560 –> 00:22:43,600
the last moment.
And then fleeing as the others

357
00:22:43,600 –> 00:22:48,600
had, here was a Peter who would
see it through, preach him

358
00:22:48,600 –> 00:22:53,800
whatever company, go to prison
if need be, and ultimately faced

359
00:22:53,800 –> 00:22:55,720
calm with the death that he
would have to die.

360
00:22:57,800 –> 00:23:01,760
The Lord whom Peter had denied,
when the Lord was on trial for

361
00:23:01,760 –> 00:23:06,080
his life.
And should I know him not with

362
00:23:06,080 –> 00:23:08,920
an oath, I know not.
The man cursing and swearing, I

363
00:23:08,920 –> 00:23:10,560
know not.
The man of whom thou speakest

364
00:23:12,280 –> 00:23:15,240
was a Peter, whom the Lord had
spoken to, and said, Simon, son

365
00:23:15,240 –> 00:23:18,280
of Jonas, Lovestar me more than
these others.

366
00:23:19,760 –> 00:23:23,800
And Peter don’t say that there
was no longer, though all men

367
00:23:23,800 –> 00:23:26,640
shall deny thee, yet will not I
He was not going to make

368
00:23:26,640 –> 00:23:31,280
comparisons anymore.
Peter wouldn’t even say he loved

369
00:23:31,280 –> 00:23:35,000
Jesus in the word the Lord used.
He would choose a lesser word,

370
00:23:35,000 –> 00:23:41,280
and say, Lord, thou knowest that
I am thy friend, that would

371
00:23:41,280 –> 00:23:45,800
taste the first denial.
Then the Lord came back to

372
00:23:45,800 –> 00:23:48,760
Peter, and said, Simon.
So the Jonas lovest thou me.

373
00:23:49,920 –> 00:23:54,760
Leave the others out of it.
Answer yourself, do you love me?

374
00:23:56,280 –> 00:24:00,080
And Peter would not budget.
The Lord might climb down the

375
00:24:00,080 –> 00:24:03,400
ladder of his exaltation to
stand a little closer to Peter’s

376
00:24:03,400 –> 00:24:05,120
level.
But Peter was not climbing up.

377
00:24:06,480 –> 00:24:09,160
He’s staying just where he was.
He would make no claims.

378
00:24:09,400 –> 00:24:11,200
Lord, thou knowest that I am thy
friend.

379
00:24:13,200 –> 00:24:17,040
So the Lord comes right down and
stands by Peter’s side, Speaks

380
00:24:17,040 –> 00:24:19,400
Peter’s language, and says,
Simon, son of Jones.

381
00:24:19,560 –> 00:24:24,320
Art thou my friend?
And Peter was grieved because

382
00:24:24,320 –> 00:24:27,000
the Lord said to him, the third
time, art thou my friend?

383
00:24:27,560 –> 00:24:32,000
The third time was too painful,
too reminiscent that I know him

384
00:24:32,000 –> 00:24:33,760
not.
I know not the man.

385
00:24:33,920 –> 00:24:36,840
And the third time I know not
the man of whom thou speakers

386
00:24:37,200 –> 00:24:41,080
too painful a reminding of the
going out and sobbing that Peter

387
00:24:41,080 –> 00:24:43,400
did when he realized what he’d
done.

388
00:24:44,320 –> 00:24:47,880
No wonder he was grieved.
But there was nothing more he

389
00:24:47,880 –> 00:24:52,320
could say, Nothing more he would
say, Lord, thou knowest all

390
00:24:52,320 –> 00:24:53,760
things.
Thou knowest that I am thy

391
00:24:53,760 –> 00:24:58,920
friend, and the feed my sheep,
and the tend my lambs, and the

392
00:24:58,920 –> 00:25:02,040
tend my sheep, which the Lord
gave to Peter after each of the

393
00:25:02,040 –> 00:25:05,680
successive threefold
restorations, took Peter on the

394
00:25:05,680 –> 00:25:08,480
path of service that was to take
him to his triumphant death.

395
00:25:11,160 –> 00:25:14,240
So Peter stood up and preached
to the murderers of the Lord,

396
00:25:15,800 –> 00:25:18,280
and had no hesitation in
labelling them for what they

397
00:25:18,280 –> 00:25:21,360
were.
Hear the closing parts of

398
00:25:21,360 –> 00:25:26,120
Peter’s speech, Acts chapter 2,
verse 29.

399
00:25:28,760 –> 00:25:31,760
Men and brethren, let me freely
speak unto you, the patriarch

400
00:25:31,760 –> 00:25:37,000
David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his sepulchre is

401
00:25:37,000 –> 00:25:41,480
with us until this day.
Therefore, being a prophet, and

402
00:25:41,480 –> 00:25:44,840
knowing that God had sworn with
an oath to him that of the fruit

403
00:25:44,840 –> 00:25:47,960
of his loins, according to the
flesh, he would raise up Christ

404
00:25:47,960 –> 00:25:52,200
to sit on his throne.
He seeing this before, speak of

405
00:25:52,200 –> 00:25:55,680
the resurrection of Christ, that
his soul was not left in hell,

406
00:25:56,640 –> 00:25:58,760
neither his flesh did see
corruption.

407
00:25:59,040 –> 00:26:04,600
This Jesus did God raise up,
whereof we all are witnesses.

408
00:26:06,840 –> 00:26:11,360
He just quoted Psalm 16 to them
thou and not leave my soul in

409
00:26:11,360 –> 00:26:13,400
hell, neither would thou suffer
thine holy one to seek

410
00:26:13,400 –> 00:26:16,360
corruption.
And Psalm 16 was written by

411
00:26:16,360 –> 00:26:19,200
David, and Peter was concerned
to show it couldn’t have been

412
00:26:19,200 –> 00:26:20,800
about himself, that he was
writing.

413
00:26:22,280 –> 00:26:27,320
And just see what Peter did that
day, Men and brethren, the

414
00:26:27,320 –> 00:26:30,040
patriarch David.
He is both dead and buried.

415
00:26:30,160 –> 00:26:34,720
There’s his grave.
His sepulchre is with us until

416
00:26:34,720 –> 00:26:36,920
this day.
If they let you look inside it,

417
00:26:36,920 –> 00:26:41,800
you’ll see only dust.
His flesh did seek corruption,

418
00:26:43,160 –> 00:26:46,080
But being a prophet and knowing
that God had sworn about his

419
00:26:46,080 –> 00:26:50,080
coming, seed men and brethren,
there’s another grave.

420
00:26:51,880 –> 00:26:54,480
They probably won’t let you look
inside it now.

421
00:26:55,280 –> 00:26:59,520
They’ll have taken precautions.
But we know and they know and

422
00:26:59,520 –> 00:27:00,920
you know that there’s nobody in
it.

423
00:27:00,920 –> 00:27:07,560
And there’s only one reason why
this Jesus did God raise up.

424
00:27:07,720 –> 00:27:09,080
Where are we?
Are witnesses?

425
00:27:09,160 –> 00:27:14,560
We’ve looked in, we’ve seen and
we know.

426
00:27:16,720 –> 00:27:20,120
And so Peter stood before them
as the chief of the ambassadors

427
00:27:20,400 –> 00:27:23,800
of the Lord Jesus Christ, to use
the first of the keys the Lord

428
00:27:23,800 –> 00:27:25,720
gave him.
The keys of the Kingdom of

429
00:27:25,720 –> 00:27:29,280
heaven now are given to thee and
open the door of salvation to

430
00:27:29,280 –> 00:27:32,160
repentant Jews.
And with these words he

431
00:27:32,160 –> 00:27:38,680
challenged them to repentance.
Verse 33 Therefore being by the

432
00:27:38,680 –> 00:27:42,720
right hand of God exalted, and
having received of the Father

433
00:27:42,720 –> 00:27:46,600
the promise of the Holy Spirit,
he has said forth this which ye

434
00:27:46,600 –> 00:27:51,120
now see and hear What David is
not ascended into the heavens,

435
00:27:51,760 –> 00:27:55,400
But he said himself, The Lord
said unto my Lord, Sit down my

436
00:27:55,400 –> 00:27:58,560
right hand, until I make thy
foes the footstool of thy feet.

437
00:28:00,160 –> 00:28:04,360
Therefore let all the House of
Israel know assuredly the God

438
00:28:04,360 –> 00:28:10,240
hath made that same Jesus whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and

439
00:28:10,240 –> 00:28:14,920
Christ.
Oh, what a different Peter is

440
00:28:14,920 –> 00:28:20,000
this.
That place of trial where rulers

441
00:28:20,000 –> 00:28:24,360
were examining the apostles for
their faith, suddenly became a

442
00:28:24,360 –> 00:28:29,240
court in which they stood in the
dock waiting to be condemned.

443
00:28:31,480 –> 00:28:37,920
God hath made this same Jesus
which ye have truthified both

444
00:28:37,920 –> 00:28:41,640
Lord and Christ.
Not just He is now alive, and

445
00:28:41,640 –> 00:28:43,720
we’re glad, but he’s now alive
and you killed him.

446
00:28:45,520 –> 00:28:47,160
What are you going to do about
that?

447
00:28:49,200 –> 00:28:51,680
That was Peter’s call to
repentance.

448
00:28:52,400 –> 00:28:54,840
He did it later.
Not very much later either.

449
00:28:54,840 –> 00:29:00,120
Still in Jerusalem, where he
said, ye refused the Prince of

450
00:29:00,120 –> 00:29:06,960
life and desired A murderer to
be granted unto you, There you

451
00:29:06,960 –> 00:29:09,960
had in front of you Jesus of
Nazareth and Barabbas.

452
00:29:11,080 –> 00:29:15,320
Now Barabbas was a robber and
had committed murder during the

453
00:29:15,320 –> 00:29:18,000
rebellion.
And what did you do?

454
00:29:19,400 –> 00:29:23,360
You saw before you Abel, who was
to be killed, and Cain, who

455
00:29:23,360 –> 00:29:25,160
killed him?
And he said, we don’t want Abel,

456
00:29:26,200 –> 00:29:29,960
we want Cain.
You’ve turned the course of

457
00:29:29,960 –> 00:29:31,880
justice and common sense upside
down.

458
00:29:32,240 –> 00:29:36,120
You desired A murderer.
You said give life to the killer

459
00:29:37,600 –> 00:29:39,520
and you refused.
The Prince of life, you said

460
00:29:39,680 –> 00:29:43,480
kill the life giver.
That was how wicked and stupid

461
00:29:43,480 –> 00:29:50,440
you were, said Peter.
The Cain and Abel record is a

462
00:29:50,480 –> 00:29:56,600
universal record for all time
not ask Cain who wasn’t the

463
00:29:56,600 –> 00:30:00,560
wicked one, and slew his
brother, and wherefore still he

464
00:30:00,560 –> 00:30:04,160
him, because his own works were
even and his brothers righteous.

465
00:30:04,440 –> 00:30:07,480
The world had allied itself with
the cause of Cain, so that, as

466
00:30:07,480 –> 00:30:10,480
the Lord said, the blood of all
the righteous men shed from the

467
00:30:10,480 –> 00:30:13,160
foundation of the world, should
be required of this generation.

468
00:30:13,360 –> 00:30:19,040
From the blood of Abel, whom
Cain slew, to the blood blood of

469
00:30:19,040 –> 00:30:22,560
Zacharias, the son of Barachias,
whom he slew between the temple

470
00:30:22,560 –> 00:30:34,960
and the altar.
And they needed to be told, and

471
00:30:34,960 –> 00:30:37,880
they needed to be convicted, and
they must forswear the things

472
00:30:37,880 –> 00:30:40,600
their fathers had done, they
themselves that connived, that

473
00:30:40,760 –> 00:30:43,840
not this man but Barabba, some
of them perhaps, had shouted,

474
00:30:45,480 –> 00:30:49,840
and turn again.
Therefore let all the House of

475
00:30:49,840 –> 00:30:54,920
Israel know assuredly that God
hath made the same Jesus whom ye

476
00:30:54,920 –> 00:30:57,040
have crucified, both Lord and
Christ.

477
00:30:57,640 –> 00:31:02,040
When they heard this, they were
pricked in their hearts, and

478
00:31:02,040 –> 00:31:04,400
said, Men and brethren, what
shall we do?

479
00:31:06,680 –> 00:31:10,120
You can say it calmly.
When they heard this, they were

480
00:31:10,120 –> 00:31:12,240
pricked in their hearts, and
said, Men and brethren, what

481
00:31:12,240 –> 00:31:14,480
shall we do?
Or you can say it with the sense

482
00:31:14,480 –> 00:31:16,920
it surely must have and say,
When they heard this, they were

483
00:31:17,160 –> 00:31:20,160
pricked in their hearts, and
said, men and brethren, whatever

484
00:31:20,160 –> 00:31:24,000
shall we do?
What can be done for the likes

485
00:31:24,000 –> 00:31:27,520
of us who did so wicked a deed?
How can we be restored to God?

486
00:31:30,520 –> 00:31:33,880
And just as at an earlier stage
men had come to Jesus and said,

487
00:31:34,000 –> 00:31:36,720
What shall we do that we may
work the works of God?

488
00:31:36,880 –> 00:31:41,640
What works must we do?
And Jesus had answered, This is

489
00:31:41,640 –> 00:31:43,600
the work of God.
That you believe on him who he

490
00:31:43,600 –> 00:31:49,120
has sent faith is what you need.
So said Peter.

491
00:31:49,120 –> 00:31:52,720
Now men and brethren, what shall
we do?

492
00:31:53,680 –> 00:31:57,520
And the answer is not much,
physically.

493
00:31:58,800 –> 00:32:02,320
To bring about your entry into
the way of salvation, you are to

494
00:32:02,320 –> 00:32:05,400
repent.
You have to think differently.

495
00:32:05,760 –> 00:32:08,920
You have to turn around and want
to go another way.

496
00:32:09,680 –> 00:32:13,320
You have to change your mind.
You have to be baptized.

497
00:32:14,120 –> 00:32:16,360
And then of course, means that
you’ll have to take the trouble

498
00:32:16,360 –> 00:32:19,240
to step down into the water.
But it only becomes baptism

499
00:32:19,240 –> 00:32:22,680
because God accepts it as such.
It’s his baptism.

500
00:32:23,880 –> 00:32:29,200
And then, well, the help will
come from God, and the promises

501
00:32:29,200 –> 00:32:31,520
unto you, and to your children,
and to all that be afar off,

502
00:32:32,840 –> 00:32:35,080
even as many as the Lord our God
shall call.

503
00:32:35,080 –> 00:32:38,280
And with many other words did
Peter testify and exhort,

504
00:32:38,280 –> 00:32:41,560
saying, save yourselves from his
untoward generation.

505
00:32:43,600 –> 00:32:47,640
So that’s what they had to do.
Accept the verdict of the

506
00:32:47,640 –> 00:32:50,320
pricking of their hearts when
their conscience was touched

507
00:32:50,320 –> 00:32:51,680
with the horror of what they had
done.

508
00:32:53,320 –> 00:32:55,560
And with the repentance of that
and the knowledge of the Lord

509
00:32:55,560 –> 00:32:57,240
Jesus.
Which in some ways they would

510
00:32:57,240 –> 00:32:59,400
have had already and Peter would
have filled up for them.

511
00:33:00,560 –> 00:33:06,240
Go down and die to an old life,
later, to be described as being

512
00:33:06,240 –> 00:33:10,560
crucified with Christ.
Instead of calling out, crucify

513
00:33:10,560 –> 00:33:14,760
him, saying what the repentant
robber had said.

514
00:33:15,040 –> 00:33:17,880
We indeed justly, for we
received the due reward of our

515
00:33:17,880 –> 00:33:19,800
deeds.
But this man hath done nothing

516
00:33:19,800 –> 00:33:21,920
amiss.
Lord, Remember Me when I’ll come

517
00:33:21,920 –> 00:33:24,200
into thy Kingdom.
This is what they must do.

518
00:33:26,240 –> 00:33:30,840
And more than 3000 did it.
The outcome for a while was a

519
00:33:30,840 –> 00:33:36,240
church marked by matchless
harmony, unlimited generosity,

520
00:33:36,240 –> 00:33:39,120
and giving and joy and
fellowship.

521
00:33:40,320 –> 00:33:46,280
Verse 41 Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized,

522
00:33:46,520 –> 00:33:50,120
and the same day they were only
done to them about 3000 souls.

523
00:33:50,400 –> 00:33:53,760
And they continued steadfastly
in the apostles doctrine and

524
00:33:53,760 –> 00:33:58,200
fellowship, and in the breaking
of bread, and in the prayers and

525
00:33:58,200 –> 00:34:02,160
fear came upon every soul.
And many wonders and signs were

526
00:34:02,160 –> 00:34:05,120
done by the apostles, and all
that believed were together, and

527
00:34:05,120 –> 00:34:08,199
had all things common.
And they sold their possessions

528
00:34:08,199 –> 00:34:11,920
and goods, and parted them to
all men, as every man had need.

529
00:34:13,239 –> 00:34:16,880
And they, continuing daily with
one accord in the temple, and

530
00:34:16,880 –> 00:34:19,600
breaking bread from house to
house, did eat there meet with

531
00:34:19,600 –> 00:34:23,239
gladness and singleness of
heart, praising God and having

532
00:34:23,239 –> 00:34:27,159
favour with all the people.
And the Lord added to them day

533
00:34:27,159 –> 00:34:29,159
by day those that were being
saved.

534
00:34:29,600 –> 00:34:35,920
As the revised version puts it,
This turns out from that at

535
00:34:35,920 –> 00:34:39,679
least this point that the
miraculous gifts of the Holy

536
00:34:39,679 –> 00:34:44,080
Spirit were not very widespread.
Not at that time, perhaps.

537
00:34:44,120 –> 00:34:47,560
Not at any time at least, I mean
not placed in many people’s

538
00:34:47,560 –> 00:34:50,760
hands.
For the speaking with tongues

539
00:34:50,760 –> 00:34:53,440
was certainly done by some
members of the original company.

540
00:34:53,600 –> 00:34:55,560
The multitude was not involved
in that.

541
00:34:56,560 –> 00:35:00,680
And though thousands repented
and were baptized, we find that

542
00:35:00,680 –> 00:35:04,800
when that had happened many
signs and wonders were done by

543
00:35:04,800 –> 00:35:08,760
the apostles hands.
And no other miracle worker is

544
00:35:08,760 –> 00:35:13,240
name either there or in any
chapter until we come to chapter

545
00:35:13,240 –> 00:35:16,280
6, where in very special
circumstances similar powers are

546
00:35:16,280 –> 00:35:19,800
exercised by Stephen and by
Philip in Chapter 7 or chapter 8

547
00:35:19,800 –> 00:35:22,840
rather.
So it does look as though God’s

548
00:35:22,840 –> 00:35:26,680
work in salvation did not
empower by any means all,

549
00:35:26,680 –> 00:35:31,200
perhaps not most, possibly only
a small minority of his servants

550
00:35:31,200 –> 00:35:35,200
with the power to work mighty
gifts and the apostles were

551
00:35:35,200 –> 00:35:42,080
prominent and 1st amongst them.
What else emerges from this is

552
00:35:42,080 –> 00:35:46,000
this matter of having all things
common they’re selling of their

553
00:35:46,000 –> 00:35:48,120
property and their distribution
of it to others.

554
00:35:48,440 –> 00:35:50,800
A first and abortive attempt in
communism.

555
00:35:50,800 –> 00:35:56,360
Do I hear you saying people have
said that, but I don’t think it

556
00:35:56,360 –> 00:36:00,920
was.
That was a very poor church,

557
00:36:02,000 –> 00:36:06,160
that congregation in Jerusalem.
Maybe they were poor in any

558
00:36:06,160 –> 00:36:08,760
case, but they seem to be cut
off from public relief at this

559
00:36:08,760 –> 00:36:11,200
time.
We learned later of the widows

560
00:36:11,200 –> 00:36:13,640
who were neglected or whom they
thought were neglected in the

561
00:36:13,640 –> 00:36:16,080
daily ministrations.
In chapter six we learned of

562
00:36:16,080 –> 00:36:19,240
relief parties and funds and
goods being sent from Antioch

563
00:36:19,240 –> 00:36:22,520
and elsewhere throughout Asia
Minor too, for the relief of the

564
00:36:22,520 –> 00:36:24,120
poor Saints that were in
Jerusalem.

565
00:36:24,320 –> 00:36:28,840
They needed money badly.
There they were destitute and so

566
00:36:28,840 –> 00:36:32,640
those who had resources couldn’t
see their brethren starve and

567
00:36:32,640 –> 00:36:34,600
they sold them and they gave the
money and laid it at the

568
00:36:34,600 –> 00:36:39,040
apostles feet.
That was what they were doing.

569
00:36:39,040 –> 00:36:41,760
They were sharing their goods
because somebody would have died

570
00:36:41,760 –> 00:36:45,240
if they hadn’t, and they got
help from an outside because it

571
00:36:45,240 –> 00:36:47,680
was still needed and it kept on
being needed.

572
00:36:48,000 –> 00:36:50,400
This was no philosophy of
communism.

573
00:36:51,320 –> 00:36:55,720
This was an urgent and brotherly
response to need and it stayed

574
00:36:55,720 –> 00:36:58,160
like that throughout the whole
period of the New Testament as

575
00:36:58,200 –> 00:37:03,040
far as we can tell.
So then this company meets

576
00:37:03,040 –> 00:37:05,520
together and they need help and
they keep on needing.

577
00:37:05,520 –> 00:37:09,200
And a little bit later a bit
more help is forthcoming, as you

578
00:37:09,200 –> 00:37:16,720
will see, if we turn to Chapter
4, Chapter 4, verse 36.

579
00:37:18,200 –> 00:37:22,400
Now we start earlier, verse 34.
Neither was there any among them

580
00:37:22,400 –> 00:37:25,440
that lacked for as many as were
possessors of lands or houses,

581
00:37:25,440 –> 00:37:28,520
sold them and brought the prices
of the things that were sold,

582
00:37:28,680 –> 00:37:31,120
and laid them down at the
apostles Feet, and distribution

583
00:37:31,120 –> 00:37:33,600
was made to every man according
as he had need.

584
00:37:34,800 –> 00:37:38,600
And Joseph who by the apostles
were surnamed Barnabas, which is

585
00:37:38,600 –> 00:37:41,680
being interpreted the Son of
Consolation A Levite and a

586
00:37:41,880 –> 00:37:45,320
country of Cyprus having land
sold it and brought the money

587
00:37:45,520 –> 00:37:50,840
and ladies at the apostles feet.
Well, there’s some reason one

588
00:37:50,840 –> 00:37:53,080
would think for picking this
particular man out.

589
00:37:54,320 –> 00:37:57,680
He joins the procession of those
who give generously to the cause

590
00:37:57,880 –> 00:38:00,800
of seeing to it that the poor
are housed and clothed and fed,

591
00:38:01,400 –> 00:38:04,200
and his name is given to us.
And it is well, the authorized

592
00:38:04,200 –> 00:38:06,400
version, the King James version
says Joseph.

593
00:38:07,680 –> 00:38:09,880
The revised and later versions
say Joseph.

594
00:38:10,840 –> 00:38:15,720
So his first name was Joseph and
his second name was Barnabas.

595
00:38:17,320 –> 00:38:21,680
Ah, but not originally.
We don’t know what his father’s

596
00:38:21,680 –> 00:38:25,600
name was.
Who by the apostles were

597
00:38:25,600 –> 00:38:31,680
surnamed Barnabas.
They do what the Lord Jesus did

598
00:38:31,680 –> 00:38:36,400
say, with Thomas or with Simon
and gave him a new name.

599
00:38:38,200 –> 00:38:40,600
And their new name for him was
Barnabas.

600
00:38:40,800 –> 00:38:46,000
He was previously called Joseph.
Well, we’ve met one Joseph

601
00:38:46,000 –> 00:38:49,040
already, haven’t we?
The man with the three handles

602
00:38:49,040 –> 00:38:54,720
to his name, Joseph Barsabbas,
Justice, given those names.

603
00:38:54,720 –> 00:38:58,040
Surprisingly, when he wasn’t
going to be chosen, the man

604
00:38:58,040 –> 00:39:02,320
whose only claim to fame was the
didn’t become an apostle so far.

605
00:39:04,120 –> 00:39:06,200
And now we have Joseph
introduced to us again.

606
00:39:06,280 –> 00:39:07,680
It doesn’t have to be the same
Joseph.

607
00:39:07,680 –> 00:39:11,600
It’s quite a common name.
And now we have a new name given

608
00:39:11,600 –> 00:39:13,560
to him, and we’re told the
apostles gave it to him, so it

609
00:39:13,560 –> 00:39:18,080
wasn’t his before.
Well, one can never prove it,

610
00:39:18,080 –> 00:39:23,200
but how attractive is the
thought that Joseph’s son of

611
00:39:23,200 –> 00:39:28,200
Saba, Joseph Bar Sabas?
Who wouldn’t want to claim the

612
00:39:28,200 –> 00:39:30,760
word justice for himself?
For there is none good but one

613
00:39:30,760 –> 00:39:33,280
that is God.
He’d be glad to get rid of that

614
00:39:33,280 –> 00:39:35,200
game name when he became a
disciple, I’m sure.

615
00:39:35,840 –> 00:39:41,200
So Joseph bar Sabas doesn’t get
elected to the apostleship, but

616
00:39:41,200 –> 00:39:44,080
was considered eminently worthy
of the job by the apostles.

617
00:39:46,000 –> 00:39:48,040
And the apostles find him out of
the same name.

618
00:39:48,760 –> 00:39:52,800
Why not the same man?
And say not Barsabbas but

619
00:39:52,800 –> 00:39:59,200
Barabbas, Not the son of Sabbah,
but the son of consolation, the

620
00:39:59,200 –> 00:40:04,080
son of comfort, the son of
exitation, because of his renown

621
00:40:04,080 –> 00:40:07,440
for the good deeds he did.
He’s doing 1 here.

622
00:40:08,520 –> 00:40:12,440
There are plenty more to come.
Before we finally lose sight of

623
00:40:12,440 –> 00:40:15,920
Barabbas, we have met a very
remarkable and wonderful man.

624
00:40:17,160 –> 00:40:19,000
And this is where we meet him
for the first time.

625
00:40:20,320 –> 00:40:25,080
Not saying anything, not
claiming anything for himself,

626
00:40:25,080 –> 00:40:28,720
not gaining a name of renown for
his deeds or his words, but

627
00:40:28,720 –> 00:40:32,320
giving something away, letting
other people help by what he

628
00:40:32,320 –> 00:40:36,200
gives them.
So Joseph Barsabbas, just as

629
00:40:36,200 –> 00:40:40,040
perhaps, becomes Joseph the son
of consolation and comfort, and

630
00:40:40,040 –> 00:40:45,320
gives his goods for the poor.
We shall have once more to put

631
00:40:45,320 –> 00:40:47,560
him on the shelf for a little
while, for we’re going more or

632
00:40:47,560 –> 00:40:50,600
less chronologically through
those parts of the acts that we

633
00:40:50,600 –> 00:40:55,000
do touch.
And now we move on to Chapter 6.

634
00:40:58,400 –> 00:41:03,840
In Chapter 6, as I’ve intimated
already, a problem arose about

635
00:41:03,840 –> 00:41:06,280
the distribution of the urgently
needed relief.

636
00:41:07,440 –> 00:41:11,720
We read verse one, and in those
days when the number of the

637
00:41:11,720 –> 00:41:14,720
disciples was multiplied, there
arose A murmuring of the

638
00:41:14,720 –> 00:41:17,560
Grecians against the Hebrews,
because their widows were

639
00:41:17,560 –> 00:41:19,640
neglected in the daily
administration.

640
00:41:21,800 –> 00:41:26,560
Grecians and Hebrews, meaning
Jews who spoke naturally Greek

641
00:41:26,560 –> 00:41:31,120
and Jews who spoke naturally
Aramaic, or perhaps even more

642
00:41:31,120 –> 00:41:34,400
exactly, Jews coming in from the
foreign world, and Jews who

643
00:41:34,400 –> 00:41:39,560
lived in Judea or Galilee.
Home born Jews and Jews from

644
00:41:39,560 –> 00:41:41,880
afar.
Jews of the land and the

645
00:41:41,880 –> 00:41:43,480
dispersion.
The Diaspora.

646
00:41:45,040 –> 00:41:49,680
Fellow Jews grouped together
against the Gentiles, no doubt.

647
00:41:49,680 –> 00:41:52,360
But when they got together and
there weren’t any Gentiles

648
00:41:52,360 –> 00:41:56,920
around, not always getting on
very well, they had their

649
00:41:56,920 –> 00:42:02,200
language relations problems even
then, and either the Grecian

650
00:42:02,200 –> 00:42:05,600
widows were being neglected or
the Grecians thought they were.

651
00:42:07,200 –> 00:42:09,440
Somebody had hard feelings
against the others.

652
00:42:10,000 –> 00:42:13,280
A rift was developing within the
congregation in Jerusalem.

653
00:42:15,240 –> 00:42:19,280
They brought the message to the
Apostles and the Apostles said

654
00:42:19,280 –> 00:42:22,360
at first sight with a a seeming,
but I’m sure quite unreal

655
00:42:22,360 –> 00:42:25,000
appearance of arrogance.
It is not meat that we should

656
00:42:25,000 –> 00:42:26,640
leave the word of God and serf
tables.

657
00:42:27,880 –> 00:42:30,040
We will give ourselves to the
word of God and prayer.

658
00:42:30,240 –> 00:42:32,720
Look out for yourselves. 7 Men
of honest report.

659
00:42:34,320 –> 00:42:37,880
I’m sure they were too busy to
be able to spend time on such

660
00:42:37,880 –> 00:42:41,920
minor matters of administration.
Just as Jethro said to Moses he

661
00:42:41,920 –> 00:42:43,880
ought to be too busy to do that
kind of thing, but should

662
00:42:43,880 –> 00:42:46,240
delegate the job.
They were right to delegate,

663
00:42:47,480 –> 00:42:51,280
right perhaps to convey
responsibility, and proved very

664
00:42:51,280 –> 00:42:55,040
right by what happened for that
congregation.

665
00:42:55,040 –> 00:42:57,000
In which Grecians were they
aggrieved?

666
00:42:58,320 –> 00:43:02,000
And if there was a grievance,
the Aramaic speaking, Hebrews

667
00:43:02,000 –> 00:43:05,080
were the aggressors.
Chose seven people with Greek

668
00:43:05,080 –> 00:43:08,440
names to resolve the problem.
Isn’t that remarkable?

669
00:43:09,400 –> 00:43:13,720
And they sought out 12, seven.
I mean Stephen, a man full of

670
00:43:13,720 –> 00:43:16,800
faith under the Holy Spirit, and
Philip, and Procorus, and

671
00:43:16,800 –> 00:43:20,000
Nikanor, and Timon, and
Parmenas, and Nicholas a

672
00:43:20,000 –> 00:43:21,880
proselyte, Nicholas a proselyte
of Antioch.

673
00:43:22,080 –> 00:43:24,680
They chose those seven, and they
brought them to the apostles,

674
00:43:24,760 –> 00:43:27,000
And the apostles laid their
hands on them, and they got on

675
00:43:27,000 –> 00:43:29,280
with the job.
What a marvellous act of

676
00:43:29,280 –> 00:43:32,480
generosity it was to say.
We will await the dice.

677
00:43:32,480 –> 00:43:36,040
We will load the dice in favour
of those who are dear grief

678
00:43:36,040 –> 00:43:38,480
persons.
They will then have surely no

679
00:43:38,480 –> 00:43:42,000
’cause to complain.
And the seven people with Greek

680
00:43:42,000 –> 00:43:45,120
names were given their job and
did their job, we presume, and

681
00:43:45,120 –> 00:43:46,080
we don’t know what the answer
is.

682
00:43:46,080 –> 00:43:48,280
We don’t need to know.
That’s of no importance to us at

683
00:43:48,400 –> 00:43:50,800
all.
But they must have done it well,

684
00:43:52,160 –> 00:43:53,880
and they didn’t stop when
they’ve done it.

685
00:43:55,920 –> 00:43:57,640
They had gone before the
apostles and received the

686
00:43:57,640 –> 00:44:00,200
Commission.
The apostles had laid their

687
00:44:00,200 –> 00:44:02,400
hands on them.
By what means we do not know.

688
00:44:02,400 –> 00:44:04,800
But at least two of them,
Stephen and Philip, as I’ve

689
00:44:04,800 –> 00:44:07,400
said, subsequently became
workers of miracles.

690
00:44:08,080 –> 00:44:09,680
There’s no evidence that they
were before.

691
00:44:10,320 –> 00:44:12,760
The company of those who could
work miracles had to that extent

692
00:44:12,760 –> 00:44:17,320
apparently been increased, and
neither Stephen, nor Philip, nor

693
00:44:17,320 –> 00:44:19,960
the others, perhaps that we
don’t hear about them, wasted

694
00:44:19,960 –> 00:44:21,640
the opportunities which this
gave them.

695
00:44:22,880 –> 00:44:27,800
Stephen is first in the field,
as we learn in verse 8, and

696
00:44:27,800 –> 00:44:30,680
Stephen, full of faith and
power, did great wonders and

697
00:44:30,680 –> 00:44:34,520
miracles among the people.
Then there arose certain of the

698
00:44:34,520 –> 00:44:38,000
synagogue, which is called the
Synagogue of the Libertines, and

699
00:44:38,000 –> 00:44:41,480
of the Ceridians, and of the
Alexandrians, and of them of

700
00:44:41,480 –> 00:44:45,400
Silesia and Asia, disputing with
Stephen, and they were not able

701
00:44:45,400 –> 00:44:47,680
to withstand the wisdom with
which he spoke.

702
00:44:50,160 –> 00:44:52,480
The outcome of that we’ll hope
to consider tomorrow.

703
00:44:52,480 –> 00:44:55,920
But just notice what that
synagogue was, or those

704
00:44:55,920 –> 00:44:57,800
synagogues were.
If there were more than one

705
00:44:57,800 –> 00:45:03,520
involved, it included amongst
its members Libertines, which

706
00:45:03,520 –> 00:45:05,440
means, one will think, freed
slaves.

707
00:45:07,160 –> 00:45:13,040
It include people who came from
Sirenia, North Africa, part of

708
00:45:13,040 –> 00:45:19,080
the modern Libya, Alexandria,
Egypt, the city of Learning,

709
00:45:19,080 –> 00:45:23,360
where there was even then a
university, the them of Asia.

710
00:45:23,880 –> 00:45:26,840
Well, that’s the southwestern
part of Asia Minor as we now

711
00:45:26,840 –> 00:45:31,400
know it.
And Cilicia, where’s that?

712
00:45:32,880 –> 00:45:37,200
Cilicia, can you picture it?
The map of Asia Minor like that,

713
00:45:37,680 –> 00:45:42,600
and your way around Palestine
down there and here, a bump in

714
00:45:42,600 –> 00:45:46,040
the map.
That’s Cilicia, Southwest Asia

715
00:45:46,040 –> 00:45:49,280
Minor.
And what was its capital city?

716
00:45:51,200 –> 00:45:54,560
Anyone know?
Tarsus is right.

717
00:45:55,640 –> 00:45:59,680
So Stephen was in dispute with
those who included members of

718
00:45:59,680 –> 00:46:04,240
the Jewish community exiled in
Cilicia, whose capital city was

719
00:46:04,240 –> 00:46:06,920
Tarsus.
And when events ran their

720
00:46:06,920 –> 00:46:11,400
dreadful course, and Stephen was
lynched the end of the chapter,

721
00:46:12,440 –> 00:46:18,720
and they laid down their clothes
at the feet of a young man whose

722
00:46:18,720 –> 00:46:25,080
name was Saul.
Saul of Tarsus, a citizen of no

723
00:46:25,080 –> 00:46:29,160
mean city, was chief amongst the
witnesses who murdered Stephen.

724
00:46:31,160 –> 00:46:33,400
Would not Saul of Tarsus have
been chief amongst the

725
00:46:33,400 –> 00:46:38,080
protagonists who stood in all
his arrogant Gamaliel, taught

726
00:46:38,080 –> 00:46:43,080
Pharisaic wisdom, and watched
Stephen knock down his argument

727
00:46:43,080 –> 00:46:48,000
like 9 pins, and they were not
able to withstand the wisdom

728
00:46:48,000 –> 00:46:52,920
with which he spake?
That’s how we first meet Saul,

729
00:46:53,840 –> 00:46:57,600
the defeated Judaizer, the men
who couldn’t stand up to a

730
00:46:57,600 –> 00:47:03,040
common Greek speaking Christian
and hated him for it and saw

731
00:47:03,120 –> 00:47:04,040
that he was murdered.