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All right, like I mentioned we are starting a brand new book this evening and that is the book of Acts Now the book of Acts better described as the Acts of the Apostles is written basically in the systematic as a systematic memoir From Luke to Theophilus and it's recording the achievements and exploits of the apostles themselves Of course namely the Apostle Paul the reason I say that is because from chapter 13 onward Really the limelight is on the Apostle Paul and the reason for that is because of the fact that he's really the one who's going out there and Reaching into the Gentiles and reaching people who are not part of the nation of Israel. They're not Jews He's actually out there fulfilling the Great Commission going on to all the world preaching the gospel to every creature not just Jews And so that's what we see and becomes basically like a show Highlighting who he is and the things that he's doing and his acts. Okay, of course, we know that he is the last apostle now it's generally agreed that Luke is the writer of the book of Acts Book of Acts and we know this because of the opening statement in verse number one. It says the former treaties have I made O Theophilus of all that Jesus began both to do and Teach and so really the book of Acts is almost like a sequel to the book of Luke Now go to Luke chapter number one, if you would just real quick We're gonna look at just four verses here in Luke chapter number one Just so we can see that there so it says the former treaties have I made O Theophilus Of course that is the the person this letter is being written to look at Luke chapter 1 verse number 1 is as far as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a Declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us even as they deliver them unto us which from the beginning where eyewitnesses And ministers of the word it seemed good to me Also having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee in order most excellent Theophilus That thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou has been Instructed so really the book of Luke one of the Gospels It focuses a lot on Jesus Christ and the works that he was doing and what he began to do and teach Then you have the book of Acts doing the same thing except for now It's gonna highlight the acts and the the exploits of the Apostles themselves Okay Now the book of Luke details all that Jesus began both to do and teach the book of Acts is just a sequel to that And it's detailing what the Apostles are doing as well says in verse go back to Acts chapter number one there Acts chapter number one it says in verse two until the day in which he was taken up after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the Apostles whom he had chosen to whom also he showed himself alive After his passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them 40 days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God Now there's a couple things I want you to notice in this verse right here in verse number three First of all, I want you to notice that it says that he showed himself alive after his passion Now this isn't referring to passion as in zeal, you know We often use passion today as a term to indicate Zeal and excitement will say man that person is passionate about painting passionate about music They're passionate about their line of work, you know, in other words, they're zealous over those things But that's not necessarily what the word passion originally meant nor is it being used here in this context? Okay, really when when the word passion is used and it's only used twice in the entire Bible It's referring to suffering. Okay, and you know, I hate to reference this but you Sure, you've seen the movie the Passion of the Christ. Okay, who I mean you've actually seen that movie be honest. Okay be honest Obviously, you know, it's it's a Catholic movie, but I'm referring to the actual title itself. It's referring to the sufferings of Christ It's not referring to his zeal or his you know excitement His enthusiasm it's referring to his suffering. Okay. Now, let me give you another example of this go to James chapter 5 If you would James chapter number 5 passion today is used in a different manner I think of passion as zeal but it's actually referring to his suffering That's why it says that he showed himself alive after his passion after his suffering his persecution After the fact that he died and was crucified on the cross, you know The Bible tells us that he was in hell for three days and three nights His soul was not left in hell neither that his flesh see corruption and at his resurrection after that He showed himself alive unto his disciples and apostles Look at James chapter 5 just to further validate this in regards to the word passion It says Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are now Does that mean that he was just he loved, you know, playing instruments like you do or you know He liked painting the way, you know He's referring to his sufferings because James chapter 5 really homes in and focuses on our sufferings You know the fact that we're gonna go through trials and tribulations We're gonna go through difficulties just as job did that's why job is referenced in James chapter number 5 and he's saying there that Elias Is a man who is subject to like passions such as we are so he's saying look there's no temptation taking you But such as is common to man So the same sufferings that you've experienced are the same sufferings of the prophets the Apostles The men of God of the Bible have experienced also Says he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained on the earth by the space of three years and six Months, so I would just want you to notice I go back to Acts chapter 1. I just want you to see that I remember reading that as a brand new Christian I never really understood what that meant until I recognized that Passion really and obviously, you know, you think of zeal means like you're burning with with fire. You're fired up right someone who's fired up They're zealous you can kind of see how they kind of go hand in hand and how that word has evolved over time to mean something else Such as zealousness and enthusiasm. Okay. Now the second detail that we notice here is that he's seen of them 40 days You know when you read through the Gospels, especially when you finish each and every gospel Matthew 28, you know mark 16 You think that you know, he gives the Great Commission and then all of a sudden or he resurrects gives a great commission Boom, he's out of there, but that's not necessarily how it happened The Bible actually says here that he was seen of the Apostles for 40 entire days. This is a long time. Okay And what is he doing there throughout these 40 days? Well, it tells us here that he's speaking things pertaining to the kingdom of God now the vast majority of his teachings and doctrines were prior to his crucifixion and resurrection now that he resurrected Now the main teaching he's gonna focus on is hey go preach the gospel This is why it says that he speaks things pertaining to the kingdom of God, you know repent ye and believe the gospel This is what he's referring to Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand so this explains why the Great Commission is Delegated to the Apostles for on four different occasions and three different locations I'm sure you've noticed that you see that in Matthew 28 mark And mark 16 they're both the Great Commission and acts one eight, but they're actually a little variation It's a little different right and the reason for that is not because you know Matthew interpreted the Great Commission differently than mark or interpreted differently than Luke and Then John and then later on Luke and acts in the book of Acts really what is stating is that he actually stated it four different times Okay Now why is that? Well, because they're not gonna get it the first time You know you get what you emphasize, right? I Mean think about this. How many times do we have to announce something in church? Before you actually start recognizing. Oh, we're gonna do that You know, I guarantee you someone What the next couple days is gonna say hey, we're gonna do anything for the fourth of July You know because often, you know announcements just kind of goes over everyone's head and look and no There's no new thing under the Sun, you know Man has always been man very forgetful and just you know Just not remembering these things and the reason I say that is because literally if you remember prior to his crucifixion Where did he tell the disciples to meet him in? Galilee Said meet me in Galilee meet me in Galilee and what happens after he resurrects. They don't meet him in Galilee. In fact They don't really they don't see him in Galilee until like way afterwards So wait after I mean they're they're in Jerusalem there and that's why he abrades them for their lack of faith For their doubt because of the fact that they're remaining in Jerusalem because they were scared of the Jews They're fearful of the Jews in spite of the fact that prior to his crucifixion and even after his resurrection The angels are telling them. Hey, he's gonna be in Galilee. He'll meet you in Galilee and they still don't go Okay So the reason the Gospels just reiterate or the Great Commission, excuse me is reiterated over and over again It's because sometimes it just goes over people's heads, you know, and you know a commandment a commission I mean look think about this we're in church, you know Really 365 days out of the year. We're reiterating a lot of same doctrines, right? Because of the fact that we have a tendency to forget how much more the disciples here, you know Even though they've been preaching the gospel, even though they understand that they're gonna be going into the Gentiles He's given them the Great Commission four different times and they still didn't get it. And in fact Even through the book of Acts The disciples still didn't get it. They were staying in Jerusalem preaching the gospel to Jews only You know and then they gave they gave to the Apostle Paul the right hands of fellowship and said yeah You're the apostles of the Gentiles. We to the circumcision you go handle them. We you specialize. That's your mission field No, that's that was supposed to be all of you guys's mission field you guys were all there Okay, when the Great Commission was given on these four separate occasions, right? And so that's why You see that they're separated there. Look at verse 4 it says and being assembled together with them. I'm sorry That's why you see that's what takes place within those 40 days. Okay, he's showing himself alive after his passions He's just telling them. Hey, make sure you go preach the gospel to every creature Make sure you go see people saved make sure you go to all nations and just to like Just to show you how you know important that was to Jesus. He said meet me in Galilee Which is not a Jewish location Kind of taking them there to cast vision. Hey, these are the people you guys got to be reaching and Yet even thereafter he they come back because acts 1 8 is the last time he declares The Great Commission before he ascends up into heaven, okay pretty crazy So verse 4 says and being assembled together with them commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem But wait for the promise of the Father which saith he ye have heard of me for John truly baptized with water But you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence So he's referring to the fact that he said look, okay Terry here at Jerusalem But once you Terry here Jerusalem, you're gonna wait for the promise of the Father Which is the power of the Holy Ghost that's gonna come upon you We see that later on in Acts chapter 2 where they receive Cloven tongues as a fire the Bible says and they're able to preach the gospel not just with boldness, but even in other languages Says in verse number 6 one day therefore were come together They asked of him saying Lord without this time restore again the kingdom to Israel It's almost as if they just completely ignored He's like hey You gonna be baptized with the Holy Ghost you're gonna go into all nations Here's the Great Commission once again, and then they're just like so are you taking over? Look by the way This verse right here completely debunks the foolishness of preterism Because preter is believed that these things are already passed that were already ruling and reigning You know This is the kingdom right here the kingdom of God is within you and they interpret that as be us ruling and reigning with Christ today Christ is ruling in our hearts Well, that's funny because here they say Lord without this time restored the kingdom to Israel and he said unto them It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father put in his own power in other words It's not time for that yet Kind of basically proving we're not ruling and reigning You know if Jesus taught preterism you would have been like we thought we're already raining man I'm ruling in your heart We're ruling a rainy. I'm ruling in your heart. You know, I've this is the kingdom. It's just like oh man All right, I guess you know He's telling them look it's not for you to know the times of the seasons Because no man know what the day or the hour right of the second coming of Christ We don't know exactly the day and hour that Jesus Christ is gonna come back We don't know when these things are gonna take place on the prophetic timetable We know the events are gonna take place but the actual days and seasons and when that's gonna happen. We don't know And So they had this mentality they're thinking oh you're resurrected All right Now you're gonna establish the kingdom because he had promised them that they were gonna rule over the twelve tribes of Israel, right? The thing is is that they have the timeline all mixed up You know, they're in heaven right now thinking like man we were wait we're like 2,000 years off of when the king the kingdom of God was gonna be established He says in verse number eight, but ye shall receive power After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you And he shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and into the uttermost parts of the earth I like what he says here because you know, they're saying hey, will you restore again the kingdom to Israel? And then he tells them it's not for you to know that But then he tells them hey But I'm gonna give you power and a synonym for power in the Bible is authority So it's like you don't have the authority to know When this is gonna happen, but guess what? You're not without authority. I'm gonna give you power to be a witness unto me So what's what's something that we could apply to our personal lives when it comes to that? You know, there's a lot of things in this lifetime that we don't know Right, and sometimes we pray God when is this gonna end or when is this gonna start what's gonna happen? When is this gonna finish and it's just like it's not in your power to know You don't know when this is gonna end or when it's gonna start but you know I'll tell you this you do have the power of the Holy Ghost That's gonna come upon you and you shall be a witness unto me. So in other words, hey, just do what you know You what you can't do Leave the rest unto God. We often try to focus so much on what's not important at the very moment and Neglect that which is most important at the very moment You know what God is basically saying hey be focused Do what you can use the authority that you do have use the power that you do have now and? Worry about what you can't control later when God gives you that authority to be able to do so Okay, it's very good principle there and he's telling them look the Holy Ghost is gonna come upon you You shall be witnesses now. Keep in mind that they're already in dwelt by the Holy Spirit, right? The Bible tells us it shows us in the book of John that you know, obviously prior to Christ's crucifixion That the Holy Ghost would come upon the prophets and believers But he did not indwell believers as of yet It wasn't until his resurrection that he breathed on them and they received the Holy Ghost and at that point they were in dwell And every believer from then on is in dwell by the Holy Spirit Ephesians 1, you know 13 through 14 tells us that that we're sealed with the Holy Spirit a promise unto the day of redemption However, that is a separate event from being filled with the Holy Spirit Okay, because you could have someone who is saved someone who has the Holy Spirit and dwelling in them But they just live a carnal life and they're not walking in the spirit They're fulfilling the lust of the flesh when the Bible tells us to be filled with the Spirit It's referring to the fact that we're dying to self. We're walking in the spirit. We're not fulfilling the love of the fulfilling the lust of the flesh We're obeying the spirit. We're reading the Bible. We're seeing people saved We're thinking upon things which are good and lovely enough good report and pure. Okay, and when we do that, we're filled with the Spirit and So here we see that they're waiting for that power to come upon them and it's very interesting because I'm telling you prior to this They're very afraid they're scared they're afraid of persecution They're afraid of the Jews and then all of a sudden the Spirit comes upon them and they're just like bold They start I mean, have you have you met someone who's very timid? They're just very timid But once they get filled with the Holy Spirit and they start preaching the gospel is just like they turn into another man you know like Saul and That power is available to everyone, you know, he said well, I'm really shy I have a hard time talking to people, you know, that's not my personality. Yeah, but that's God's personality You know the righteous are bold as a lion the wicked fleet when no man pursued But the righteous are as bold as a lion You see the spirit that dwells within you the Bible tells us, you know, it's a spirit of power and love and sound mind It's not a spirit of fear So we see that there Now I won't take too much time to talk about this But as I mentioned this is actually the last time that he gives that Great Commission that first time Was in John chapter 20 when he says, you know as the father sent me so send I you The second time is when he's actually sitting at me with them This is where did you see in Mark chapter 16 verse 14 and then he appears to the 11 at that point The third time is on a mountaintop in Galilee, which is what we see in Matthew chapter 28 The last time here is on the Mount of Olives Acts chapter 1 verse 8. I mean, he's basically covering all the bases He's making sure they understand every creature means every nation. What is every nation Jerusalem Judea Samaria and the other most parts of the earth I mean, he's becoming as thorough detailed as possible So that no stone is left unturned look at verse number 9 it says when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up and A cloud received them out of their sight and why they look steadfastly toward heaven as he went up Behold two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said he men of Galilee Why stand ye gazing up into heaven this same Jesus? Which is taken up from you into heaven? Look what it says shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven Now this verse provides a strong clue on how Christ is gonna be coming back It's one of the strongest proofs actually, okay because it specifically states that the manner in which he was taken up is the same exact manner that he will return and How is that? Well look at verse 9. He was taken up and a what cloud Received him out of their sight by the way key words here cloud sight Okay You say why because the Bible literally says the Bible tells us in Revelation 1 verse 7 behold he cometh with clouds and Every eye shall see him now should that come as a surprise to us? I mean you think these you think those those those men in white apparel went back to heaven and God was like You guys are actually talking about you know revelation 19 Okay, when he comes when he comes with the horses and stuff. That's actually referred. Oh, man. I gotta fix this you know No, they understood what they were talking about Okay, he's referring to his second coming which is referring to the rapture So well no no his second coming is Revelation chapter 19 How can that be his second coming? Even by your standards if you're a pre tribulation is if he comes back and he raptures his Saints I mean, what do you consider that you know well? He's not really he comes, but it's like an invisible coming. You know the clothes fall to the ground everyone is raptured naked, and it's just like The men in white apparel said it best folks the way you saw him go is the way he's gonna come back He was taken up in a white cloud in your sight and guess what every I shall see him when he comes back Okay, there is no such thing as the secret rapture folks and look the reason the pre tribulation rapture so dangerous You know obviously it's it's a it's a foolish doctrine. It's heresy But the reason it's such a dangerous doctrine is because it teaches that the coming of Jesus Christ is imminent Whereas if you're to study the prophetic timetable we know that The person who comes prior to Christ is the Antichrist His coming is imminent. You know and so what the pre tribulation rapture is gonna. Do is it's gonna. It's going to That like threw me off right he just did in the ruto. I just saw everyone What was I saying Oh the pre tribulation rapture is dangerous because it's really conditioning people for the Antichrist Okay, his coming the Antichrist coming is imminent not Jesus Christ his coming is a secret You know the Bible tells us that when he comes when that first seal is open That he that sat on him on the white horse had a crown upon his head He went forth conquering to conquer. He has a bow in his hand This is referring to the fact that his coming is gonna be imminent. Okay. No one no one's gonna know who he is Now The Bible tells us in Matthew 24 verse 30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven and Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and Great glory. So thank God for the book of Acts. Amen. Thank God for at chapter 1 that Specifically tells us how Jesus Christ is going to return. It's not gonna be a secret rapture He's not in the in the in the secret chambers. He's not in the desert if someone says lo Christ is here We know that's not true It's gonna be after the tribulation and there's specific elements that are involved with his coming The clouds every eye shall see him the Sun and Moon are gonna be darkened so on and so forth reference the revelation series look at verse number 12 By the way, I like what he says. Why are you standing gazing get to work? He's like He's not he's not coming tomorrow Like he's gonna be coming back in like manner, but it's time to get to work, you know And we want to make sure that we as Christians are also not doing the same thing that they were doing We don't want to just stand gazing right? We want to make sure that we get to work Look at verse 12 It says then returned day unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey And they were come in they went up into an upper room where abode both Peter and James and John and Andrew Philip and Thomas Bartholomew and Matthew James the son of alphaeus and Simon zilodesh and Judas the brother of James these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with women with the women and married the mother of Jesus and With his brethren and in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said the number of names together were about 120 men and brethren the scripture must needs have been fulfilled which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake Concerning Judas which was guide to them that took Jesus now We're gonna get into talking about Judas for a little bit and the Apostles Now first and foremost, I want you to notice that they're continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication They're waiting for the Holy Ghost to come upon them in order for them to receive the power to go and be a witness And I want you to notice that there's a hundred and twenty people who are meeting together. This is a good group You know our church basically has approximately about a hundred twenty to one hundred thirty people members in our church That's a big group Okay, and this group is waiting for the Holy Ghost to come upon them in order for them to go out and preach the gospel But before this is accomplished the leader of this group which seems to be Peter He gets up and he basically tells them. Hey, we need to make sure that we fulfill the scripture though before this happens Which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake concerning Judas which was guide to them that took Jesus He says in verse 17 for he was numbered with us and had obtained of this ministry now when you talk to those who are part of charismatic churches or Pentecostals they have this weird view they believe that Judas was actually saved but that he lost his salvation You know cuz no one's gonna deny that Judas is in hell But they think that he was saved at one point Whereas the Bible clearly teaches us in John chapter 6 that he was a devil Jesus said of him have not I've chosen you 12 and one of you is a devil referring to Judas Iscariot Okay, he knew those who were from the beginning that didn't believe the Bible says So this is not someone who lost their salvation because you can't lose your salvation This is not someone who was saved and then just fell from grace or you know They sinned willfully and therefore they got out of God's will and you know, this is proof that you can lose your salvation No, the Bible says that he didn't believe at all from the beginning Okay What does it actually say cuz we're gonna use biblical terms from what took place within this man's life It says in verse 17. He was numbered with us and had obtained part of this ministry Doesn't say he believed on Christ. It doesn't say that he trusted Jesus that he was a Christian It doesn't say anything of the sort it says that he was numbered with them now Who is he specifically referred to he's referring to the twelve disciples? Because look folks there's tons of apostles now there's this misconception that there's only twelve there's not only twelve apostles There's many more and in fact, there can pop approximately be a hundred and twenty apostles. Maybe even five hundred We don't know but as far as the twelve which we would consider to be the elite there was only twelve Okay that Jesus specifically chose as those twelve they and Judas was numbered among them He was numbered as one of the twelve he had obtained part of that ministry It's like someone coming in here. They're not saved, but they go soul-winning You know, they would say I'm part of first works Baptist Church This is the church that I'm a member of but then later we find out they're not even saved. Okay, and that happens Especially in our flavor type of church you have infiltrators that come or maybe they're not necessarily infiltrators But they come to our church and they play the part and you know what because our church teaches so much truth Their heart becomes hardened and then you know, they become a reprobate and that does happen folks Okay You know, there's people who have come to our church and they they talk to talk But then all of a sudden they start teaching this weird heresy You know, they start acting all weird and it's like they reach this breaking point where they begin to teach dandable heresy And then they begin to deny, you know salvation by grace through faith They start teaching all this weird stuff and it's just like oh this person basically never believed to begin with We don't think oh they lost their salvation. We just say oh when this person first came They actually lied Or they put up a front they say you don't want to say face You know, they they were following pastor Anderson for a while and then they came here They don't want they don't want people to think that they're not saying Look we've had people come here And I remember a guy he came to our church and he's like, yeah Found out about this church to pastor Anderson and I said great. He's like, but I'm not saved though he's like so Can you save me because I know I need another person to save me. I can't save myself I can't like just read the Bible get saved. I mean, I need another person Because I know the gospel but I want to get saved. I mean talk about the lowest hanging fruit I'm just like you want is there a particular request you have for the type of prayer you want me to say? He's one specific word. I mean like good night as you're as you're praying to trust Christ Do you want me to just dip you in the water and baptize you just to get that over with you or something or what? But you know he got saved, right? But there's others who come and it's just like and by the way, just because someone says they're part of the new IV Don't mean nothing folks Now he could mean one of two things actually it can actually mean something very good Which means hey, this person's probably grounded in the word, you know, they're probably already saved Obviously, we wouldn't if we never want to assume that or it can mean this person's just really wicked I'll just be honest with you. Okay, you say why well, I had a friend He used to tell me this the gospel light attract some weird bugs And it's true the new IV actually attracts some weird people and When I buy weird that's probably not the right term wicked people You know because they're that's why they're we refer to them as infiltrators. They're coming they're coming in to try to hinder the work of God and They want to go after the big dogs. They want to go after the big churches who are doing the work Therefore they try to infiltrate teach false doctrine heresy Slander rail do whatever they can in order to hinder the work of God, okay And here's an example and look folks. It's gonna happen in our church It's happened in our church and it's gonna continue to happen because it happened to Jesus One of the twelve disciples Judas who who I believe is just burning in the lowest hell In his own place according to the Bible, you know, cuz the Bible talks about That he has a place reserved for them well literally in Acts chapter 1 it tells us he went to his place Okay, you know Judas Was not saved and Judas was a reprobate. Okay, and he reached that point He wasn't believing in the Bible literally tells us that Satan himself not just some regular demon Satan himself possessed Judas Iscariot Okay in order to betray Jesus Christ, but he obtained part of that ministry He was he was numbered with them it goes on to say verse 18 now this man purchased the field with the reward of iniquity and Falling headlong. He burst the sunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out Who has a good imagination here I'm gonna talk about this. Okay. It's there for a reason so When it talks about that this man purchased the field with the reward of iniquity He's referring to the fact that he paid that wage basically he loved the wages of unrighteousness and This is what happened to him. Okay. Now. What does it mean when it says he fell down headlong? He burst the sunder in the midst and his bowels gushed out Well, let me read to you from Matthew 27 verse 4 is that saying I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood This is Judas speaking and they said what is that to us? See that to that and he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hanged himself Now some people would say well, there's a contradiction here because in Matthew 27, it says that he hung himself But in Acts chapter 1 it says that his bowels gushed out, you know that he fell down headlong He bursted a sunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out, you know, what's really going on here? You know that he hang himself or that he just blow up like what happened? Well, let me just say this acts 1 is simply the result of Matthew 27, okay Because you guys think about this if it says that he fell down headlong That's just another way of saying he fell down headfirst Okay, so the implication could be That Judas basically hung himself on a cliff of some sort that was very high off the ground Think about this, okay You know, and I'm not trying I'm not trying to get gory here, but I'm just trying to help you to understand this Okay, so when he hung himself, basically The moment when the force was applied to that rope if it snapped it would cause his body to turn and fall down headlong Now depending on how high he was Yeah The force of his body hitting the ground of how high it was he would burst a sunder and that's happened to people You know, they come off they commit suicide to jump off a building or they're thrown off of a building of some sort You know, they splattered. Okay, and So, you know the impact on the rocks could cause his bowels to basically gush out So a couple things is this is that either when he hung himself the rope snapped Causing his body to rotate falling down headlong burst and a sunder or you know, I've heard these Theories as well as that when it comes to execution and hanging someone they often say, you know If you if you hang the person too short You actually basically you'll snap the person's neck Okay If it's just right, you know, basically they strangled If you do it too low, you could actually decapitate the person. It's actually a science behind Hanging people. Okay, everyone's face is just like So It couldn't be any one of these with Judas So basically when he hung it would make sense that this is what happened to him now you say why? Would God put such a gory detail? You know in the Bible You know, why would he allow that that why couldn't you just say well he just hung himself Well, because I'll tell you why because he hates Judas That's why So his death and the manner in which he died will go down in history for all of eternity You Know the fact that he hung himself, but God didn't just let him hang himself. He allowed him to burst this I just blew him up You know just completely disintegrated his body when he hit the ground And look folks make no mistake about it. God hates He sold this I mean he basically betrayed his son he's the son of perdition You Know you know and in the spiritual application is this yeah, you know what when he burst asunder He bursts asunder meaning he split hell wide open Is what he did That's exactly what happened to Judas. So this is not a contradiction What's going on here Christians your Bible your book seems to contradict itself on one part It says he hanged himself and the other part it says that his bowels gushed out looks like there's a contradiction No, it's just one leads to the other You know Judas wasn't necessarily a professional Person who knew how to hang people. He's like, here's the rope. Here's my neck throw myself off and there you go and Look, I'm sure God wanted him to die in the most horrible death the horrible way With a lot of pain Cuz he hated him, okay Verse 19 Come on not even the most weakling of a Christian liberal watered-down Christian cannot deny that God hates Judas How would you deny how are you gonna deny that? The man who betrayed Jesus Christ sold them for 30 pieces of silver The guy's name is the son of perdition If I were to guess I would say yeah He got to decapitate because of the fact that Judas is a picture of the Antichrist He's known as the son of perdition and the Antichrist will also die by a deadly wound to the head So, I don't know if you ever make that parallel Maybe he got decapitated his body fell down headlong and burst asunder look at verse 19 It was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem in so much as that field is called in their proper tongue Alkadama, that is to say the field of blood for it is written in the book of Psalms Let his habitation be desolate and let no man dwell therein and his bishop prick Let another take oh man Peter messed up here This guy the rock nights are gonna get on this guy here Okay Now let me just say this is that verse 20 is actually two Psalms in one Okay What are you doing? Peter? You're not even quoting the first right? Psalm 69 25 says let their habitation be desolate and let none dwell in their tents Well, hold on a second Tense and you're adding to the Word of God Peter you're corrupting God's Word. Oh Let's not even get into the bishop prick Psalm 109 verse 8 says let his days be few by the way, this is what he's quoting from Let his days be few and let another take his office Corruption corruption corruption these guys need to like Watch some some Peter Ruckman videos and like get educated on how these words work How in the world could you use office instead of bishopric? you know shame on you for being so educated Peter and Deciding to use a synonym Knowing full well that maybe a lot of people wouldn't know what bishopric was Hey, thank God for how you know intelligent Peter was amen You know, he said bishopric, but he knew what that meant. And all we have to do is go back to the Old Testament to define What that means which is office. Oh No, it's corruption. It's corrupt. That's corrupt. I can't believe you just did that It's it's just it's just forbidden and it's taboo to use synonyms in order to describe other words folks This is done throughout the Bible and he didn't corrupt the Word of God by blending both verses together Okay By the way, if you're a rucktard in here You know Come talk to me after the service That's nonsense. No rucktard should ever be in a new IFP Church, right? Don't listen up here. What's the name Robert breaker go listen to the the dyke? What's his name? Sluder and Jean Kim and all these Lames oh no, how can you say that? You know, I just agree with them on this point. That's their point That's what ruckmanism is Folks even the old I have be I come from an old IFP Church. They even preached against this Folks They even preached against this topic right here. My brother-in-law whose old IFP is the day is long He doesn't mind me saying that cuz it's true Okay You know years ago. We got into the discussion of the king and he's King James only King James only he teach You know the college where he teaches that he teaches the King James Intensive and he talks about the history and all that Even he knows this He's like man. This is we're teaching. I remember years ago. He told me this He said this is weird teaching that they'll say like that the King James can can correct the Greek And he's like that makes zero sense And he's old I have be and I'm not trying to undermine him say that he's just less knowledgeable I'm just saying even though old I have be understands that Okay, but look folks We don't have to go very far in the Bible to see that even God himself even the apostles himself who were foundational who I believe All the people who wrote the New Testament were apostles. That's what I believe. They all wrote it even they understood Let's use synonyms because they're intelligent people folks, okay So, let's get back to this I just want to show you that okay this corruption of God's Word Unbelievable Peter unbelievable I'm just kidding. It's it's it's very believable because it's right It's facts. Okay, you know, you know, you can accept it by faith, but just understand that they're facts as well. Okay So He says there let his habitation be desolate Let it let no man dwell therein and let his bishopric excuse me and his bishopric. Let another take now When I was in Bible college The election of Matthias as the 12th apostle Was something that was just not correct. They would often say, you know the way they chose him That's not necessarily what God wanted, you know, and this is not what they wanted them to do You know, this is why you never hear about Matthias really ever again But that's not necessarily true okay, and the reason they're making that statement or the reason they believe that is because of the fact that Matthias isn't really mentioned but you know, there's tons of people who did a great work for God and They're unknown but yet well known Right, I mean just how about after the Bible is written, you know, how many Christians were able to do great exploits Right, and they're not necessarily known. So I believe Matthias is the 12th apostle Okay And I believe it was biblical to something that God actually wanted because of the fact that in Psalms it says Let another take his office So God is saying hey let no man dwell there and where he died and his office another person needs to take his office So God already knew this. Okay now fortunately they had a large pool of apostles to choose from This is why specifically explains that there's a hundred and twenty that are meeting together and that therefore he says hey That's why Peter's getting up and saying hey, this guy was numbered with us He obtained part of this ministry, but the dude hung himself his bowels burst asunder y'all saw it You know everyone knows what that field was all about and So we need to choose another person because God said that another person needs to take his office Another person needs to take his position now Why does another person need to take his position because there are specific promises that were given to the twelve apostles We just finished the book of Revelation if you remember one of them I mean the walls will be named after the twelve apostles of the New Jerusalem The twelve apostles will be ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel So if you're if you have one missing then there's a problem, right? He said well, what about Paul, you know, I thought wouldn't Paul be the 12th apostle Nor does it indicate that he was the 12th apostle it does indicate that he was the last apostle It does indicate that he was an apostle born out of due time But it doesn't necessarily mean that he was the 12th now you say what's the difference between the 12th and all these other apostles 120 Or let's say, you know In theory 500 apostles. Well here here here it is. Okay It's just an elite group And sometimes in the bible what you'll find is that god gives a specific privilege to a person That he gives no one else I mean think about the 24 elders in revelation chapter 4 Right think about the 144 000 in revelation chapter 7 Think about the fact that these guys just live during this time You know their hands have handled of the word of god, I mean have you ever thought to yourself like man That would have been a great time to be alive to see jesus in the flesh The word made flesh dwelling among us. Like why wasn't I born then? Why was I born now? You know They were just born at the right time and they're given that opportunity and they took it they seized upon it And now they're gonna reap the benefits of it, but it's like this it's like it's like this It's like this You know, there's been many christians who have lived throughout the centuries Who have done great exploits and suffered much right? But isn't there a group of christians? They're going to suffer the greatest suffering of all time during the great tribulation Not every christian is going to be there only that particular generation And in fact that particular generation If you think about it has the opportunity to do greater exploits than anybody in history Because it's the greatest tribulation And when you endure Tribulation period you receive a reward. But what if you just endure? I mean think about this if the rapture comes in our lifetime, for example Our generation is given the the privilege to see christ coming back If we endure to the end We actually have the privilege because you think about that like man, they were able to see christ leave Yeah, but if it comes in our generation we actually get to see him get to come back That's a great privilege It doesn't mean that anybody else is a lame christian or you know Oh too bad for you because you're born during this time or whatever. It's just how life works Okay The bible says in psalm 16 verse 33 regarding the the selection here It says the lot is cast into the lap of the whole disposing thereof is of the lord And so You know peter gets up and he's basically saying hey Look, we have a vacancy of an apostle of one of the 12 by the way of the 12 wasn't there an elite of three? Peter james and john I mean they did every was were the 12 apostles there at the mount of transfiguration. No That's a sight to see right To be able to see jesus christ, uh transfigured And moses and elijah there I mean people in those days did not see moses and elijah just like we didn't see we haven't seen moses and elijah But those three, you know, peter james and john were given that privilege you understand So there's a vacancy there. It needs to be filled. And so, um That's what they're going to do Now let me just say this is that What qualifies a person to be an apostle or what qualifies them to be part of one of the 12? Okay Now the words do not qualify them to be a part of the 12 But rather the inauguration of their service, okay and let me say this is that You know and the reason I say that is because really if you think about it People can use this as an argument and say oh, well, you know, there's apostles today You know the uh, the apostle of la luz del mundo that pedophile You know, he's an apostle but hold on a second the bible literally says that Christians are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the foundation is at the very bottom So what's he doing 2000 years later? in 2020 Here in los angeles or wherever he's at the wicked bastard Molesting people what's he doing at that point? He's supposed to be at the foundation if he's an apostle because the apostles were literally there for as as the catalyst of the local new testament church They were there to preach the word of god and to confirm the word with signs following you understand That's why the apostles not just the 12 But just all the apostles were giving special abilities to be able to resurrect people from the dead to you know, uh, uh, Exercise demons from people heal people etc. These were specific miracles. They were only subject to the apostles themselves. Okay Now you say what about the 12 though? What does it take for the 12 to be a part of? That go to luke chapter 22 hold your place there Go to luke 22 We'll see they they have to have been there from the baptism of john, okay So really they had to be eyewitnesses of christ now think about this One of the reasons the 12 were chosen if you think about it Is because they were with jesus when it wasn't popular to be with jesus Christianity really gained popularity in the book of acts right well, they're a part of that remnant When everyone thought who's jesus, you know Is the son of the carpenter or isn't this the carpenter's son and who is he and they're just kind of questioning him And even when everyone else forsook him And they left him He said will you also go away? He says to whom shall we go thou has the words of eternal life when we believe and assure That thou art the christ son of the living god Christ son of the living god They stuck it out. Look what it says in luke 22 verse 28. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations So let's be honest the 12 have a special place in the heart of jesus I mean, wouldn't you say that your heart is very closely tied to those who were there for you when you went through a difficult time or when you suffered together Don't mess with those people You know, you might have someone in your life that you're like You better not mess with this brother right here. I love this guy this person was with me through thick and thin He continued with me in my temptations Whereas others may have forsaken you, right? He says here they which have continued with me in my temptations and I appoint unto you a kingdom As my father has appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of israel So this is why the special privilege is given to the 12 he's like you guys have been there since the very beginning Go to matthew 19 matthew 19 So i'm talking about specifically The privileged okay, you know, you hear that word thrown around a lot right white privilege Well, yeah, they do have privileges Too bad for you You're born 2 000 years too late So, what are you gonna do about it you're gonna whine and complain about it or are you just gonna get to work now? Right. I don't want to be a part of the group that complains about white privilege I don't know any people who are white that are just privileged. What is that? That's you focusing on someone else's success wishing that you had it But you know what? You know what the reason you don't have that success is because you're too busy gazing at those who do Folks it's time to wake up This black lives matter movement is so nonsensical and stupid It's a generation that covets the success of others Let me give you a word of advice Okay to those who do that The time that you would use and utilize to covet someone else's success use it to be successful yourself Right I don't see any other apostle here complaining that they weren't part of the 12 In fact, think about this Matthias was here When he told that to the 12 You hear him like well, why not me jesus? I'm an apostle. Why does this guy get the privilege and I don't how come peter james and john got to see the mound of transfiguration Why are you only calling that to to see the miracle inside the house and you put everyone else out you guys are privileged You know, no instead we basically assume he's just laboring Content with where he's at and guess what acts one comes around and they choose him as the 12th apostle But you know, there's people today that all they want to do is complain and whine oh and oh man My mom fed me with a slingshot. She didn't love me. My daddy left me Look folks. There's someone out there with the worst situation than yours Who have succeeded who had gone forward and you know what? They didn't murmur whine and complain Nothing's worse than a murmur folks You know, you want to succeed stop gazing at those who are and and start making moves That's a sermon for another day. Oh, that's right. I preached that on sunday Look what it says in verse 27 them answered peter and said unto him behold We have forsaken all and follow thee and what shall we have there therefore so he's saying look we left everything So it's not like oh, you know, they're just privileged because they're in that generation no, they actually did something they left everything Jesus said and said i'm barely i say to you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration when the son of man Shall sit in his throne of his glory. Ye also shall sit upon the 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of israel Man, that that must have been like music to peter's ears I didn't expect all that. All right, sounds good Okay They were there for such a time as that now again The misconception is that there are only 12 apostles. Whereas the bible tells us that barnabas for example was an apostle Okay And the bible tells us in the book of luke that there were 70 also who were appointed of jesus They went out and cast out devils and did many mighty works as well The bible also talks about the the signs of an apostle. So anybody who wants to claim to be some modern-day apostle All right, let's put you through the ringer real quick Drink deadly stuff be bitten of a viper Let's see you resurrect people from the dead Let's see you do some great exploits the signs of an apostle and then we'll talk but you know what it's not going to happen So there are many apostles but there are specific 12 that jesus christ ordained So the the the apostles the the 12 and just the apostles in general They had to be ordained by jesus christ himself And look the apostle paul was the exception because jesus came back in a vision And ordained him right then and there he was one born out of due time. The bible says and yes, he was the last one Look at verse 21. So it tells us here How that ordination to places is wherefore in other words therefore because you know The command is to that another man should take his bishopric or his operas Of these men referring to those 120 that were present Which have come accompanied us All the time that jesus the lord jesus went in and out among us beginning from the baptism of john Unto that same day that he was taken up from us must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection So when he's talking about to be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection He's referring to he's saying this in order for them to be numbered with us to go and preach the gospel They have had to have been there from the very start Okay beginning of the baptism of john when jesus christ came in and out among us To the same day. He was taken up from us in order to be a part of the 12, okay Let's see here Verse 23 says and they appointed to joseph called barsabbas and whose surname was justice in mathias And they prayed and said thou lord which knowest the hearts of all men show whether of these two thou has chosen That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship from which judas by transgression fell that he might go to his own place Referring to hell and they gave forth their loss and the law fell upon mathias and he was numbered with the 11 apostles So what is chapter one really dealing with? Well, it's the last reiteration of the of the great commission And then it's the selection of the 12th apostle and then in chapter two we get into the actual Event where the holy ghost comes upon them and then boom they get to work. All right, so we'll go over that next week Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer father We thank you so much for the book of acts and it's the acts of the apostles and everything that the christians are doing during this time and it's What an exciting time and I believe that we're living in days such as these I pray god that you'd help us lord As your people to be content in whatever position is given to us whatever privileges were given May we utilize them to serve you and never covet someone else's privilege The bible calls that covetousness. It's sinful. It's wicked to covet someone else's spouse their home their vehicles their financial prosperity their position Lord, we ought to be content with whatever privilege we've been given And especially if we're saved we have heaven we have Eternity to look forward to and just from here on out lord. We can it really depends on us What kind of rewards we're going to receive when we get? There lord to the millennial reign and I just pray god that you'd help us to have that mindset And in jesus then we pray. Amen You