The Gospel of Grace Defended - Acts 15:1-35

0:46Our goal has been to understand the gospel he preached, the scriptures that moved him, and the things that impacted him. And so I want to spend some time today just summarizing what happens in Acts chapter 15, which is where Peter defends the gospel of grace that he has been proclaiming. And it's the last time we see Peter in the book of Acts. For that matter, the whole history of the New Testament comes to the close and we hear Peter's last speech here in this chapter. Of course, he'll speak to us again in 1 Peter 19. 2 Peter by way of letter, but here the historical narrative of his life ends, and that with a strong defense of the gospel of grace. I want to give you an idea just to summarize where his thoughts have been and where we have been, and really where my mind has been as I've worked through studying Peter and the thoughts that were on his mind. But to get an idea of what's going on in Peter's mind, the early chapters of Genesis are on his mind as he ministers in the book of Acts. And he makes some connections to Genesis that just aren't made by anybody else. We owe a lot to Peter and what he connected for us. You know, you know, the story, Genesis 1, 2, and 3, God makes man, puts him in paradise, gives him one criteria: oh, do not eat from this tree. In the day you eat it, you will surely die. What does man do? He eats of the fruit. He raises his own throne, says, I will not live by God's word. I myself am completely adequate to determine what is right and what is wrong. I am completely adequate to take what God has to say and make up my own mind based on what I want. And so man followed his fleshly desire, ultimately a revolt against God's word, and set himself on a course where he would be the master of what is right and what is wrong and what is worth pursuing. Well, it leads to disaster. Right out of the gate in chapter 4 of Genesis, Cain kills Abel. Something sinister had taken hold in the heart of man, and it set man on a course, a course of doing what he wanted to do, regardless who got in the way. And you go through, and the wickedness multiplies upon the earth. And in chapter 6 and verse 5, we read these very summarizing words and startling words. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Listen to that again. Every intent of the thoughts of his heart, only evil continually. That was the course of mankind.

4:25You want to know why there's violence on the earth? You want to know why there's organized violence? Crime? You want to know why there's gang-related crime and unorganized crime? It's right here. Man sitting in judgment upon God's word and living not by God's standard, but by what he thinks is best. So, what does God do? He sends a flood, basically utterly destroying all life. And might I add this that today we look at the fossil record as a testament of evolution, or some would like to make us think that. No, it is a testament of God's judgment.

5:08He wipes out the earth because of man's wickedness. Few are spared, those who are in the ark. You know the story very well. So you'd think, okay, now God has dealt with this, taught man a lesson, so from now on, man is going to go the right way. He's learned his lesson, right? Well, as you move, as you move through Genesis, you realize, no, it's not the case. You get to chapter 11, and what do they do? Tower of Babel. Let's make a name for ourselves. So you see that even after this worldwide catastrophic flood that utterly destroyed the life of everything except for that which was in the ark, man hasn't learned his lesson. Still going astray. And you see this. Growing wickedness. And it's like, is man just, are we just destined to a cycle of man becoming bad, horribly bad, judgment, and then reset, and we get to go through that whole thing again? Is there anything that's going to stop this cycle? Because man is obviously going exactly down the same path that he did before the flood. Well, then it's through the faith of one individual that God focuses on. Man by the name of Abram, Abraham. And then in Genesis chapter 22, you know the account? God says to Abram, take your son, your only son, only begotten son, your only special, unique son of promise, take him and offer him up there on the Mount Moriah as a sacrifice.

6:59Abraham obeys. You know the story? He is stopped before he does. God provides the sacrifice. But then he says this, in Genesis 22, 18, he says this, in your seed, Abraham, individual seed, in your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. Abraham, one through you is going to come the blessing of the nations. And so, throughout the Old Testament, the rest of the Old Testament, there's this question: who is this seed and what kind of blessing is he going to bring? And it's Peter in Acts chapter 3 that gives us the answer. You know, we spent some time in this chapter. You remember the crippled man by the beautiful gate, whose legs were strengthened and feet were strengthened. And Peter uses him as an object lesson and preaches and says, Look, don't look at us as if we healed this man. No, it is the name of Jesus Christ, the one you crucified. It is through his name that this man stands whole. Therefore, repent so that your sins may be washed away, and that he may send Jesus. As Moses said, There will be a, the Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brethren, to him you shall give heed. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from the people. So God has inserted an individual into the stream of humanity that he expects to. Be heard, and those who do not listen to him, like the flood of old, will be utterly destroyed from among the people. Because God has a purpose and a future for humanity, and it doesn't involve the pattern of sin.

9:19And he sent this one individual. Peter goes on to say, and he quotes Genesis 22:18, speaking, he says, it is Jesus. And he quotes this, and in your seed, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. For to you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways. So God's purpose, he raised up this individual, Jesus Christ, the one from Nazareth, and he sent them to bless you. How does he bless? By turning every one of you from your crooked ways. That is the blessing of the ages. That God has inserted an individual into the human stream whose name is greater than any others, who has the power to do what hasn't been done, and that is change the heart of man. And that is the blessing that you need today, that you and I need. That is the Age-old blessing. That is what was promised, prophesied.

10:36It's this change of heart, this change of heart. And then in Acts chapter 10, well, he, let me just say in Acts chapter 5, as Peter is giving an account before the rulers, he tells them that God, in verse 31, he says, Jesus is the one whom God exalted to his right hand as prince and savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. So he grants repentance. That is what he does. That changing, he grants it. It's a gift. It's a blessing. Today, if you hear a desire to change your ways, that's a blessing. Because it doesn't come from man, it comes from our heavenly Father, comes specifically through Jesus Christ, a gift to you. So that is why, if you hear his voice today, you do not harden your heart, but you welcome his changing work in you, because that is what he seeks to give. Then in chapter 10, something incredible happens. Peter gets a call, gets summoned to Cornelius' house, and he preaches. He doesn't even get a chance. He doesn't. Even get to finish his sermon, and all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit cleanses their hearts, and an incredible thing happens.

12:12Gentiles here, having not come from an avenue of obeying the law, from completely from a Gentile frame of life, they too are granted repentance. And in chapter 11, verse 18, after Peter defending, baptizing these new believers into the body of Christ, he defends it, and then they say, and he says this in verse 18: when they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, Well, then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life. So, Christ, they're watching what Christ is doing. He has granted repentance to the Gentiles, to the nations. And listen, there is a paradigm shift here in the pattern of humanity. The nations are no longer going after that which is futile, but are turning to that which is eternal. The pattern in Genesis has been reversed. The nations are. Seeking God.

13:32A pattern, paradigm shift. And throughout, Peter is it's granted. This whole enterprise is Christ. He has been exalted to the right hand of God. Forgiveness is in his hand, and he grants it, and he changes hearts. That is what he does. And so, when you see a person who hears the gospel and turns to God, connected to what's going on in the heavenlies, there is Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, granting repentance, a new creation. This is his work in the world. It's a glorious picture.

14:20And then in Acts chapter 15, Peter is called upon to defend this grace. After Acts chapter 10, there is just a remarkable turning of the Gentiles to God. And then we'll pick up this narrative in chapter 15. There are two threats. There are three speeches, and there is one verdict that comes out. But the issue, you can bet that Satan inserts himself. Into this pattern because it's a pattern that runs contrary to his whole kingdom. Nations are turning to God, to the gospel of grace. They are responding. And so he sends out emissaries, if you will, to trip them up. And the way he does that is by teaching them or by asserting that their salvation is not valid unless they obey Moses. We'll pick up the narrative. Pick up the narrative just in verse 15. First, I want you to just look at the two threats. We'll look at those first. Verse 15, verse 1. And I'll call this first threat the ominous threat. Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren: unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Now, think about what's going on in the Gentile world. They are turning. They are turning to God. They're excited about what God is doing. They are experienced true forgiveness. They are closer to God. They feel a connection with God. They're seeing God in their lives like never before. Now, here comes someone saying, whatever you experienced is not real salvation because the only way you can get saved is by works, by obeying. The law of Moses. You cannot be saved. See that there? Very strong. In fact, whatever good feelings you are experiencing are just that. They're happy thoughts, but there's no reality to them. Talk about undercunning the joy of these Gentiles.

16:50In Galatians 2:4, Paul speaks about these, that calls them false brethren. These aren't misinformed brethren. They went down there without the authority of the church, the Jerusalem church. They went in, false brethren, secretly who came in to spy out the liberty that they had in Christ in order to bring them into bondage. That's the way Paul refers to them. They had a definite purpose, and that is, we want you Gentiles under our thumb. And you're going to have to come under the law to do that. Well, look at verse 2. And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with him, the word for great dissension is uproar. This created a stir, as you can imagine. Great dissension and debate with him. The brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. So severe that it's like, okay, we've got to get some resolution to this. We want to make sure that we're teaching the same gospel, that the Jerusalem church would support big debate with. Need for the first church council. So, in verse 3, therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. So, the Gentiles, he's describing this conversion. There's that word, that change, that reversal of direction for the nations.

18:25Great rejoicing, great excitement, what God is doing among the nations. So, the first threat was an attack on the gospel of grace, and it was asserting that salvation was dependent upon human works. That some ritual, something you must do, something that must be performed before you can be saved. Of course, very different from what the gospel being proclaimed by Peter and Paul. It's because of these things, it's because God has changed a heart that one seeks to join the church or to join the body of believers.

19:13Sometimes we roll the whole thing down to a sacramental system, joining the right group. That's what's necessary for salvation. Contrary the gospel of Paul and the gospel. Of Peter that had been preached. So that's the first threat. Now, I want you to see that there's a second threat, and this one I'm going to call a misguided threat, though its results are just as devastating in many ways. In verse 4, when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the law of Moses. So these were Pharisees that were believers. It says they were believers.

20:09They thought that the Gentiles, they wouldn't say that they needed to obey the law to be saved, but they would say as an expression of obedience to Christ, they need to obey the law. So it's an issue dealing with what do we do with all these Gentile converts? Okay, there's the party that Paul puts outside the church, false teachers that would say, you must obey the law in order to be saved. And then there is that party within the church that was saying, well, they need to obey the law post-conversion as sort of a, as part of their sanctification process.

20:52But the issue, and this is something that the church hasn't dealt with at this time, is what do we do with all these Gentiles? This is a new phenomenon. God is changing the heart of Gentiles, and what is their role? How are they to interact in the church? I mean, the idea in Judaism, Old Testament Judaism, you had to become a convert to Judaism. That was simply, that was the law. So they're dealing with an issue. Do they have to become Jewish proselytes in order to join? So two threats. And these threats sought to destroy the gospel of grace because they both basically accomplished the same thing, obligating the believer to obedience to the law. That that is the specific manifestation of what it means to be saved and to follow Christ. Well, three speeches take place. So that's a very important church council. In fact, the most important church council because it deals with what man must do to be saved. And it deals with the critical issue of how do we relate to the Old Testament law.

22:08Very important moment in the church. So three speeches, and we'll walk through them. Verse 6. First one is Peter. The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, Brethren, you know that in the earth. Days, God made a choice among you that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. Now he's speaking, of course, to that encounter in Acts chapter 10, dealing with Cornelius. It was God made a choice. God summoned Peter. Peter went there. By his mouth, he proclaimed, and the Gentiles heard the gospel and believed. In verse 8, and God who knows the heart testified to them, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did us. And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Notice, here's Peter saying, Look, God testified to them. I was there. We can testify whatever we want, but God Himself testified to them. And who are we now to step in with a testimony that runs contrary to what God has already communicated to them? He gave them the Holy Spirit just as he also did to us.

23:40And he made no distinction, none whatsoever, distinction between us and them, cleansing their heart by faith. In other words, Peter is saying, Look, there was no distinction between us and them. The law that we had obeyed accomplished nothing. In terms of this gift of the Holy Spirit, they came from a background totally different from ours. It brought nothing to the table. God gave His Spirit to them, and He cleansed their hearts by faith. And we could write in there alone and not miss the point at all. In fact, underscore what Peter is saying. Cleanse their hearts by faith. That's what this whole thing is about. It wasn't the work, it wasn't a ritual, it wasn't anything.

24:42And he uses that phrase, he cleansed their hearts by faith. The same thing is used, the same word is used in 10:15 when he takes away the uncleanness of their heart. You remember that he saw this sheet come down three times. Get up, Peter, kill and eat. Finally, he gets the message: What I have called clean, what God has cleansed, you do not call unholy. And no doubt, these words are going on in Peter's mind as he is standing there at this Jerusalem Council giving his speech. What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy. In other words, Peter is saying, We can't consider them unholy because God Himself. Has cleansed them. It's not our ritual.

25:36It's what God has done, and he has cleansed them by faith. And then in verse 10, here comes his strong exhortation. Now, therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? Put another way, Peter is saying, Why are you tempting God? Why are you tempting God by placing on them a big burden, a heavy yoke? Why are you weighting them down?

26:11It was in Exodus 17, 6. You remember when Israel complained, Is God among us or not? And Moses had to strike the rock, and water came out. And they named that place Masa and Meribah because it was a place of testing. And in Deuteronomy 16, 6, 16, Moses makes it very clear, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Masa. You do not put him. If there's one thing you don't do, you're testing. Those Israelites didn't believe God, and so they tested him. Is God really with us? And so what Peter is saying is, look, you guys who are arguing that they must be saved.

27:00By performing ritual are putting God to the test. Those of you who are putting the law upon them are testing God. Don't go there, is what he's saying. In fact, Jesus described the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees, and he says, you know what they do? They tie up heavy loads and they lay them on men's shoulders. And no doubt Peter is recalling those words as well. Look, what are you guys doing? You are trying to strap this whole burden of the law upon the backs of these people. And what is the yoke? Well, the yoke of fulfilling the law. Galatians 5:1 says, it's for freedom that Christ has set us free. Therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. They're putting a yoke of slavery upon them, which is very different from Christ's yoke. Matthew 11:30, he said, My yoke is easy and my burden is light. And what these disciples or what these individuals were doing, false teachers and some perhaps well-meaning individuals, were strapping a heavy load upon followers of Christ. And Peter is saying, you don't do that. Verse 11, but we believe that we are saved. Through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are also. In fact, the emphasis is, but through the grace of the Lord Jesus, we are believing we are saved. That's the emphasis. Through grace.

28:46So as you get to this first church council, they deal very emphatically with two very important or cardinal doctrines of biblical theology: grace alone, faith alone. And it's only a shame that these are often tied to the Reformation because this is biblical theology from day one. This is what Peter went to the mat on and will spend the rest of his life preaching and defending. Well, that's Peter. That's the last time we're going to hear of Peter in the narrative. Well, there, here comes Paul and Barnabas. Verse 12, second round of speech. Really, then Barnabas and Paul stand up. Probably they put Barnabas' name first because he's more well known than Paul is. But in verse 12, all the people kept silent and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. Signs and wonders had accomplished, had accompanied the preaching ministry of Barnabas and Paul. I can assure you, the false teachers could not. Make no assertions. That's kind of quiets things down pretty well at that.

30:07They could make no assertions. Oh, yeah, you know, we circumcise this individual, and all of a sudden, wow, seven lepers were healed. No, they can make no claim because the law doesn't do that. Well, then there's a third round of speeches, James. Look at verse 13. After they had stopped speaking, this would be Parnabas and Paul. James answered, saying, Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for his name. So he's saying, Simeon has said God has called out some Gentiles to his name. And then James says this: With this, the words of the prophets agree. And he brings scripture to bear on this. In verse 16, he quotes a portion of Amos chapter 9. After these things, after what things? Well, in this context, he's speaking of this taking in a group of Gentiles from among a people, from among the nations, for his name. After these things, I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it. So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.

31:42I'm not going to get into this a whole lot right now, but I encourage you that this is what we will be doing in Sunday school. We are going through and spending a little more in-depth look at the scriptures that Peter used in his sermons and speeches. But here's the idea: God is going to go through the nations and take out a group of people from the Gentiles for himself, and afterwards, after he's run his gamble, he will return to the fallen tent of David and rebuild its ruins and restore it. So God is at work, is what James is saying, in drawing these Gentiles to himself, and it doesn't involve them becoming Jewish proselytes.

32:35Verse 19. Therefore, it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles. So James settles the issue, or at least this is his recommendation. The law of Moses is not necessary for salvation, nor is the law of Moses something we strap on them as a definition of obedience to Christ. But in verse Verse 20. He then goes down another direction, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is in the synagogues every Sabbath. You see, he starts dealing with the fellowship issue. It's like he doesn't want the Jews troubling the Gentiles, but on the flip side, he doesn't want the Gentiles troubling the Jews. And so he said there's four basic things that he lays out here. The idea of abstain means to put some distance between you, refrain from, keep free from. These are Jewish Gentile congregations. And there's some things that he sets forth. First of all, things contaminated by idols. The idea is meat sold in the marketplace after being sacrificed to an idol. That was customary for animals to be sacrificed to the pagan temples and then for their meat to get put on the meat market. And Gentiles felt liberty to go and bite. That didn't mean just food. It doesn't mean anything. For a Jew, it was a big deal. And the nation had been hit very hard. Judged very hard because of idolatry. And so James is saying, keep separate, keep distance between you and every form of idolatry for the sake of the Jewish believers. That's what he says in verse 40. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath. So there is a body of Jewish individuals there that the Gentiles were to be mindful of. Second thing, there's fornication.

35:08The idea here is sexual sin in general. May involve something specifically with the temple prostitutes that had been there, but certainly this is a moral requirement. And certainly the intention here is that there would be in the fellowship that there would be absolutely no hint of sexual immorality among the Gentiles. I mean, it goes without saying, yes, because it's a moral issue. And if you're following Christ, you're not going to satisfy those. But the idea is to create an environment that is open to Jewish sensibilities. And we would say the same today.

35:57Obviously, good. We're having a Passover Seder, right? Pork is not on the menu. You know, not because we're under law, but because of sensibilities. Then there's items three and four: abstain from things strangled and from blood. Those items deal with the dietary restrictions that would come to bear upon those Jewish believers. So you've got this sensitivity. Don't do anything, Gentiles, that's going to cause your brother to stumble and be mindful of them. So, what James is dealing with here is like, hey, you've got these new churches now, Jewish, Gentile, and the Jews are thinking, a good portion of them, they need to obey the law of Moses. Gentiles are saying, no, we're not. And certainly Paul and Peter are saying, yeah, it's not a condition of salvation nor sanctification. But there is a consideration about those they are worshiping with and being considerate. So we've looked at two threats, looked at three speeches. There's really one verdict. And James has already stated it. It is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from the Gentiles. You trouble them by heaping up all. Them the law, which neither the disciples could carry, nor their forefathers. In fact, Peter is saying, we believe we're saved like this. Even we don't believe we're saved by the law.

37:47The verdict. So then, verse 22 through 29, they write this letter, which basically summarizes James's position. Seemed good to the apostles in verse 22 and the elders with the whole church to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, Judas called Barsabas and Silas, leading men among the brethren. And they sent this letter by them, and they sent this letter by them, the apostles and the brethren who are elders to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, who are from the what? Gentiles. So he's speaking to these churches, three churches, and he's speaking specifically to brethren who are Gentiles. And he goes on in verse 24. Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become one of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives. For the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials, that you abstain from the things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. So it seemed good to the Holy Spirit to lay no greater burden on this. And there are some today that speak about trajectory hermeneutics. I don't know if you've ever heard that term, but the idea is that really the ultimate goal of the first council was to bring the Gentiles in under the law, but this was too much at this time, so set them on a course. Many of my Seventh-day Adventist friends would fall under this category. In fact, I remember a time when I spoke to a young man who was really struggling with God and really had denied God, become an atheist. And after much time in discussion with him and talking about scriptures, he came to the point. He said, you know what? I said, you do believe in God because the Bible says you believe in God. And he says, you know what? I grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist home, and I could not bear the load, and I rejected it all. And I said, okay, that's what. Makes sense. Your parents strapped upon you a burden that neither the apostles nor the fathers could carry, and it crushed you. This is big stuff. It's important because it sucks the life out of the Christian to think you have to.

40:53You're saved for the purpose, as if the whole thing is about obeying the things of Moses when really Moses was given for us. So the last scene in chapter, in verse 30 and 35. So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, there they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out. But it seemed good to Silas to remain there. But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others the word of the Lord. So you get this whole account begins in Antioch with the dissension and the great disturbance, and it ends in Antioch with the joy returned because of the truth that no, your salvation is genuine. It is by faith, and it is real.

42:00Many think that because the Christian is not under the obligation to obey the Mosaic law, that we are somehow without the law, without law. It's not true. 1 Corinthians 9:21 makes it very clear that we are under the law of Christ. And I promise you, the one who changed your heart and gave you a desire to follow him will himself lead you into that which is perfectly beautiful before God. In fact, that's the only place he can take you because that's all he knows. And it's not just about not killing, but it's about not being angry and even more, putting on a heart of love. He takes the law to its positive conclusion. He's interested in what's going on in the heart. He's interested in the murder and the sin and the covetedness and the wrong things that are in the heart.

43:05So those who follow Christ have a law, for sure. The law of perfect holiness, a law of perfect righteousness, and it can take us no other place. So looking back to Genesis chapter 6, verse 5, reread those words that. The course of man is on. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. He can change that. When Christ has finished his work, let me tell you what's going to be true of humanity. Then the Lord saw that the goodness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only beautiful and holy and perfect and kind always.

44:04That's the work of Christ. That is what the gospel of grace does. And can you imagine what the world will be like when every individual has had their heart turned and they live to please the Father and that every intent of their heart is only beautiful always? That's the world that Christ envisions. And he invites you to join for you to be one of his. And there is a promise. Those who will not listen to him will be utterly destroyed from the face of the earth because God has a purpose for earth and it's not to go the pattern that the nations have gone formerly. In your seed, Abraham. Him, all the nations will be blessed. And this is the message that Peter has proclaimed and defended. And this is the cause for hope, optimism, and joy. Let's bow our hearts. Heavenly Father, we just marvel at the work of your Son. We thank you for inserting him into this diseased and death-destructive path that humanity has set itself on by raising ourselves above your word. And I would ask this day, Father, that you would continue that sanctifying and changing work. Father, please turn our hearts. Turn our hearts all the more. And Father, may we truly rejoice that, Father, if you have turned our hearts, Father, you will complete the work. Father, despite our failures, we can rejoice because you live to turn and to keep turning our hearts to you. Father, please have your perfect work in our lives. We ask you to do so. In Jesus' name.