Salvation is Exclusively in Jesus Name

Transcript

GR 1587
01/09/11
Salvation Is Exclusively in Jesus' Name
Acts 4:1-12
Gil Rugh

We're going to Acts 4. The book of Acts opened up with Jesus Christ meeting for the final time with His disciples before His ascension to heaven. And there He again reiterated that He would be sending the Holy Spirit from heaven in a new and special ministry and the Holy Spirit would empower them in a new and greater way to testify of His finished work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. He told them in Acts 1:8, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses.” We noted when we looked at this section, remarkable, these are men who have been traveling Palestine, healing the sick, preaching the gospel of the kingdom. And now He says you will receive power. There is going to be a new and unique power bestowed upon them with the indwelling Holy Spirit to enable them to be witnesses of the finished work of Jesus Christ. And they'll witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. So remember for the first seven chapters of the book of Acts we really don't leave Jerusalem. Then as a result of persecution in chapter 8 we'll move out to Samaria and we'll be prepared then for the last part of the book of Acts where we'll be going to all the world, particularly with the Apostle Paul.

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost and He displayed His coming with visible evidences. Then Peter got up and preached the message of Jesus Christ. And that message was accompanied with great power. And 3000 people were saved on the Day of Pentecost. Then chapter 2 concluded telling us about the continued growth of the church as believers fellowshipped together. And verse 47 said, “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” So great days.

Now you understand at this point Peter and the other disciples don't really understand the momentous change that has taken place with the coming of the Holy Spirit. They are still focused on a ministry to the Jews and now they understand that it was necessary for the Messiah to come, to suffer and die, be raised from the dead, ascend to heaven, send the Holy Spirit so that the followers of Christ could now proclaim the message of Christ in power. And the expectation was that soon the Messiah would return and establish the kingdom. And certainly as a result of Peter's sermon and then subsequent events with numbers of Jews turning to Christ, it would seem here we are preparing the nation for the return of the Messiah.

And so in Acts 3 Peter and John are going up to the temple at the set time of prayers, still part of the temple activities, Jewish worship and so on. And there they confronted the lame man. The lame man was over 40 years of age, we're told later in chapter 4. He was born deformed in his feet and legs, so he had never walked a day in his entire 40+ years of life. And Peter and John are used of God to bring healing to the man. As they proceed to a portion of the temple a crowd gathers because everybody recognizes the beggar.

This is an occasion for Peter, verse 12, to stand up. And they were in the region that is called the Colonnade of Solomon, a portion of the temple where meetings and gatherings were held, and you could accommodate large numbers of people. And as a crowd gathers around, Peter stands and proclaims to the people what has happened. It has nothing to do with innate power in Peter or John, but it's the work of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Acts 3:13, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers has glorified His servant, Jesus.” You see how quickly Peter turns the focus to Jesus Christ and God's work in and through Him. It's because of Jesus Christ. God has glorified His servant, Jesus, the One whom you delivered and disowned in the presence if Pilate when he had decided to release Him. A Gentile political leader had decided to release the Jewish Messiah and you, the Jews, wouldn't let him do it. You wanted Him crucified.

“You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince, (or author), of life, the one whom God raised from the dead.” We are going to see this is a recurrent theme as we move on through most of the book of Acts. We'll see it again in chapter 4. You crucified the One that God raised from the dead, that puts you in opposition to God. He is God's servant, God's Messiah. You opposed Him and crucified Him, God raised Him from the dead, overcoming the deed that you had done. And it's on the basis of faith in His name that this man has been strengthened and is now in perfect health.

Then he encourages them, “I know you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did.” You didn't know, truly know that this was the Messiah. And so you just fulfilled what the scriptures had said would happen. It doesn't excuse them, but it gives them an opportunity to repent and be forgiven. So verse 19, “therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must received until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets in ancient time.” You see how he connects it with what God has done here through His Messiah; is what had to happen. And so this miracle is simply validating the message that Peter and John are preaching. The healing is not the focal point, the focal point is the message. But it's a new message. It continues the Old Testament but it is now brought with a clarity that was not there before. Peter didn't understand it, the other disciples, up until the crucifixion and then events following where Christ explained these things to them.

So that's what is going on. This great sermon is going on in the context of the temple and thousands of people have assembled. We're going to find out in chapter 4 that the crowd has grown that large. Now that doesn't happen without the leaders in the temple being aware something is going on. They are always sensitive to the fact that trouble could be caused. And so when you have a group gathering in the Portico of Solomon, that's not unusual. Groups gathered there, but now you have this large group assembling and you have someone standing there teaching.

Chapter 4 opens up, “as they were speaking to the people the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them.” So it's a continuation in chapter 4 of the events in chapter 3. The priests, the Levitical priesthood, are assembled here. The captain of the temple guard, he is the second highest person in the temple. The high priest is the highest authority in the temple setting. The captain of the temple guard is second in the hierarchy. He is part of the Levitical priesthood as well, and the temple guard are all of the tribe of Levi. So these are all key Jews. And the Sadducees. The high priest would be a Sadducee, and they are the dominant party power wise in Judaism at this point. The Pharisees are a larger group, but the Sadducees are the wealthier and more powerful group in Judaism.

The Sadducees as well as the Pharisees came into existence in the time of the Maccabees. Roughly around 150 B.C. these parties developed in Judaism. So when the Old Testament concludes we don't have Pharisees and Sadducees. But when we come into the New Testament they are there established and they have been in existence some 150-200 years. It happens in the inter-testament period, between the conclusion of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament.

The Sadducees were the powerful party, they were maybe what we would call the liberals because they only accepted the five books of Moses as Scripture. The rest of the Old Testament they did not accept. They denied the miraculous; they believed the soul died with the body so there was no resurrection. So that's why I say we might consider them the theological liberals from that sense—denying much of the Old Testament being the word of God, denying the miraculous events, denying the resurrection of the body and so on. They didn't believe in angels, demons, immortality. Amazing that the high priest in Israel and the most powerfully influential group deny immortality, they deny the existence of angels, they deny the reality of demons. That's why I say we consider them the liberals.

The Pharisees are a part here as well. But this key group, I mean, they come down—the temple guard, the Sadducees, other key leaders. They are greatly disturbed for two reasons. Peter and John are teaching the people, and particularly they are proclaiming Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Obviously they see the crowd, I'm sure some have come to make them aware of what is going on. These are people that had their ears out everywhere. Now you have someone standing up here and proclaiming and teaching to the people. That in and of itself is unacceptable here. It's one thing to have groups having their discussions and all going on, but now you have Peter and John teaching the people, in effect usurping the role of the Jewish leadership here. And particularly a problem is they are proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. They are not just proclaiming the resurrection of Christ, but they are proclaiming that resurrection of Christ that will provide for the resurrection for all who have faith in Him. A connection that Paul makes in I Corinthians 15 where the resurrection of Christ is a crucial doctrine. And when you proclaim the resurrection of Christ you are assuring the resurrection of all those who are in Christ. Because these people are now teaching doctrines that the Sadducees did not believe were true. And particularly all the Jewish leadership would be upset that they are proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a reality because they had been key in the crucifixion of Christ.
So they laid hands on them. No particular charge at this point, it's late in the day. They put them in jail because they'll have to wait until the next day until the formal leadership of Israel, the Sanhedrin, assembles and considers their case. So that's where it is left, except that verse 4 gives us a summary, “ But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about 5000.’ So here you have the mixture that takes place. In effect Peter and John are arrested, confined until the next day to appear before the Jewish court. But in that same context we are told the Word of God has had great impact on the people hearing, and great numbers have believed and been saved. The number of them came to be about 5000. And we're told the number of the men came to be about 5000. This is the last time we'll get a specific figure. We were told in chapter 2 verse 41 that “those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about 3000 souls,’ or 3000 people. They spoke to the men and women alike. Here we are told the number of the men. And this occasions a discussion. Is this limited to just the men? Are we counting just the number of men who were saved? Or are we using men more generically here, like souls were used in chapter 2 verse 41?

There are a variety of opinions here and another issue to be resolved is, is this adding to the 3000? Now we're up to 5000? Or is this 5000 in addition to those who have been saved before? Really there is no final resolution of it. Read the commentaries and men who have tried to sort through the material and you have good men on a variety of sides. The point here for sure is that the gospel is having an impact and the church is growing. Now whether it has grown with an additional 5000 men here, and you add to that women to the 3000 that we heard about and then those at the end of chapter 2 that were without a specific number, the church was continuing to grow as the Lord added to their number, we're just not sure. We are seeing good, significant growth in the believing population at Jerusalem at this point. At this point it is a totally Jewish church and it is happening through the simple proclamation of the word. But the word has a dual impact. We are a savor of life to life and death to death, and that becomes clearer as we move along in chapter 4. Some are further hardened as they hear the message of Christ, even as some are coming to believe. But you see the growth of the church here.

Now the next day comes, verse 5, “On the next day, the rulers, and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.” The impact of what has taken place has reached the highest levels in Judaism. And this results in a calling together of the Sanhedrin and the major leadership in Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin is the Supreme Court of Israel at that time, the governing body. The Romans obviously rule, but the Sanhedrin has authority in matters dealing with the Jews. So it comes to them here. The rulers, elders, scribes. The scribes are the experts in the Law, and primarily drawn from the Pharisees.

You have mentioned here specific individuals, and it's interesting that we know a little bit about them. Annas is said to be the high priest. He's not formally the high priest at this time, he was high priest from 6-15 A.D., then he gets deposed. But he still gets referred to as high priest because he maintains the power, in fact, for fifty years it's either Annas, one of his sons or grandsons or son-in-law that is in the high priestly office. So he becomes the dominant figure. In fact, the next person there, Caiaphas, would have been the official functioning high priest at this time, and he is the son-in-law of Annas. And he served as high priest from 18 A.D. to 36 A.D. So he had a long time as high priest. But during that time when Annas can't function formally as high priest, he is the power there and the influence there. So you can see here, Annas is here, Caiaphas, son-in-law who is the formal high priest. The next two we don't know for sure. John may be Jonathon, a son of Annas who will one day be high priest. We don't know who this John is and we don't know anything about Alexander. But obviously prominent people from the high priestly family.

The point is the Sanhedrin is meeting here and it is a top level assembly. It's not a bad thing from the standpoint. Remember in Deuteronomy 13 the Jews were instructed, if a miracle worker comes and does a mighty miracle and teaches something that leads you away from the true and living God, you are not to listen to him, you are to stone him. So it is a responsibility of the Sanhedrin to evaluate these men standing up and teaching. And they are teaching. So that in and of itself is an acceptable thing. The problem is this is the governing body assembling to meet who have already made up their mind. I mean, they led the way in the crucifixion of Christ. But they are going to be given the opportunity to hear the message again.

We're told in verse 7, the Sanhedrin, incidentally, first appears in Israel's history about 200 years before Christ. So in that inter-testament period these groups and this organization develop, like the synagogues and so on. So where did the Sanhedrin come from? Well during that inter-testament period it comes into existence as a governing body for the Jews. So it's been in existence for over 200 years at this point. It is comprised of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, basically. The Sadducees are the smaller number but they are most powerful, they are the most political, they are more influenced by maintaining their power. The Pharisees are more into the scripture, if you will. So the distinction there. The political divisions are nothing new, we had that here in the governing body of the Jews.

All right, verse 7 tells us “when they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire.” The center, the Sanhedrin would meet, and some of this we can find out from Josephus, the Jewish historian that wrote during this period of time and wrote the history. When the Sanhedrin met, they sat in a half-circle. And then the person who was appearing before them would stand in the middle, if you will. And so you are standing facing the Sanhedrin, you're in the middle in effect because that half-circle comes around and you stand there facing them.

And the Sanhedrin begins to inquire, “By what power, or in what name have you done this?” So that's a valid question in light of Deuteronomy 13. Are they proclaiming a God contrary to the God of Israel? Something contrary to what the Old Testament scriptures would say. “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them.” And here you have the Holy Spirit who indwells Peter now, now controls him and directs him in what he is to say.

Come back to Luke 12. Jesus had told his disciples this day would come. Verse 11, “when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you are to say.’ And here that is exactly what is happening. Peter is now filled with the Holy Spirit who takes control here and directs him in what he is to say.

Come back to Acts 4. He begins respectfully, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel’ that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.’ You can see he is setting them in opposition so clearly. This is the Spirit of God directing him. We might say this is not the most political thing to say, maybe you could say this without creating a conflict. But it's the Spirit of God who is in control of Peter and directing his speech at this time. The way he puts it, if we are on trial for a benefit done, a good work done for this man. And he puts it in the proper context. We are on trial for something good that we have done to this man. You see he's putting the Sanhedrin in an awkward spot. Judaism said you ought to do things. We've done something good for this man. We are on trial for a benefit, something good done to a sick man.

As to how this man has been made well. Now there is a word here that prepares for something that is going to come up. It's the word sozo. The Greek word sozo is the word for salvation. So you can read this, as to how this man has been saved. Now we're talking about his physical salvation, his healing here. But Peter will use that word with a spiritual sense in a moment. So he is preparing the case by saying we've done a good work for a sick man. Is the Sanhedrin going to condemn them for doing a good work for a sick man? And you want to know how he was saved, in other words, made well. But the Spirit of God is directing him for the full proclamation of the message of spiritual salvation.

“Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel.” We looked into II Timothy earlier today, and we were reminded that God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power, love and discipline. And here you see that boldness of Peter speaking before this august body in Israel. “By the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene.” No doubt about who I am talking about—Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, Jesus the Anointed One, the Messiah from Nazareth. Whom you crucified. Now we all know whom we are talking about, right? You crucified Him, God raised Him from the dead.

“By this name this man stands here before you in good health.” You see how the Spirit of God directed him to bring the clear message of Christ in before he even brings the final answer to the question. He just doesn't say this man stands before you in good health because Jesus raised him to health. No, he brings in the whole message. It's by the name of Jesus Christ. And it's not first name, last name. It's Jesus. Christ is the Christos, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the One you crucified, the One God raised from the dead. You have the crucifixion, the resurrection and the responsibilities here. You crucified Him, God raised Him.

Now this good work done to this man that brought him physical salvation, deliverance from his physical affliction, it was brought about by that very One, Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the One you crucified, the One God raised from the dead. The proof He raised Him from the dead, He's alive, He healed this man. That's a declaration of the reality of the resurrection. How are you going to answer that? Here is a man who has been healed and made well and Jesus did it. That's evidence He is alive, the resurrection has occurred.

Verse 11, “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone.” You know we sometimes think we are more effective with the gospel when we are softer, you know we're just going to work it in easily. But it's interesting to me to see when the Holy Spirit inspires, we're clearly told it is the Holy Spirit giving the gospel through Peter, there is a boldness and a clarity. That doesn't mean we have to hammer it in an unkind or bitter way, Peter is not doing that, he is just stating the facts clearly. And he supports it with the Old Testament. Psalm 118:22, one of the more often quoted Old Testament verses in the New Testament. This is exactly what the Scripture said. Remember this is the governing body of Israel to be examining whether what has happened here is true to what the Old Testament scriptures say. And this is what your scriptures say.” He was the stone which was rejected by you, the builders. Not just the stone rejected by the builders, but by you, the builders, the ones responsible. But He became the chief cornerstone. Again the conflict in these men with the God of Israel. You rejected Him, God made Him the chief stone in the building. We see he is making clear to them their guilt. They have opportunity here to repent because they are being shown clearly from their own scriptures that what they have done is what God said those who oppose Him would do. You have rejected this stone, you despised Him, you discarded Him. But God made Him the chief cornerstone, which is central to the whole rest of the building.

Now verse 12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Wow, what a way to drive that home. Here is who healed this man, here is what you did to that One who healed this man, here is what God did with that Man that you rejected and crucified. And now I tell you there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. That word to be saved at the end of verse 12—sozo. You see how he picked up from at the end of verse 9, this man has been made well, literally has been saved, physically delivered. But you understand what Jesus Christ the Nazarene has done for him physically demonstrates that He is the One who can bring salvation to you spiritually.

Back up to Matthew 9. Matthew 9 opens up, “Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city. And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, take courage son; your sins are forgiven. Some of the scribes said to themselves, this fellow blasphemes. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, why are you thinking evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, your sins are forgiven or to say, get up and walk? But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So you see this power to deliver from the physical affliction was to demonstrate His power to deliver from their spiritual affliction. That's the same thing Peter has done, the Spirit has used Peter as the mouthpiece. This man was saved from his physical affliction by the power of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. And He is the only One in whom there is salvation. The Spirit had him use the same word—salvation, sozo. It draws attention to the fact. I healed him, you can't deny he has been healed, everybody knows this is the man who was born crippled and for over forty years has been unable to walk and has lived his life as a beggar at the temple. And here he is, completely restored to health. Do you know what that says? Jesus Christ is alive and there is salvation in no one else.

Come back to Acts 4. You'll note the exclusiveness here. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven (do you see how exclusive this is?), that has been given among men.” The absolute exclusiveness of Jesus Christ is what is driven home here. This is consistent with the Old Testament—there is only one God, there is only one Savior. So” the stone which the builders have rejected has been made the chief cornerstone.” That is consistent. And” there is salvation in no one else.” That's what the Old Testament claimed, that God is the only Savior. There is no other name under heaven, no matter where you go anywhere in the world. We're getting an idea of the inclusiveness that is infiltrating into the church today and is so contrary to the word of God you wonder how it ever gets a hearing. There is no other name under heaven anywhere among men whereby we must be saved. That's how exclusive it is. That's it, there is only one Savior. Everyone in every other religion is lost and on their way to hell. That's not a popular message in our day of tolerance and inclusiveness. We need to be careful. We like to say, we're not against Muslims, we're not against Hindus. We're not against them but we believe and know they are lost. The Buddha cannot save them, the Mohammad cannot save them, that there is no Savior anywhere else under heaven. Only Jesus, Jesus Christ the Nazarene. He's the One by whom we must be saved.

That's the end of the message and they'll respond as they observe Peter and John. Do you see the simple clarity of the message? It's not going to result in the salvation of these who were hearing it at this time. God does with His word what He chooses to do. Peter preached the same basic message when he was preaching at the temple before he was arrested, and large numbers were saved. He preaches the same basic message here, and it's going to result in intensified persecution. You see what is happening. The word of God either is used by God to soften hearts and draw people to Himself, or harden hearts and turn them further against Him. And what we have waiting to take place in Acts 4 is now the outbreak of overt persecution against the followers of Christ. All in the plan of God.

Come back to John 15:18, a familiar passage, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word I said to you, a slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you also; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sinned, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin, but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, they hated Me without a cause.”

He moves right in now to talk about the coming of the Holy Spirit, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also.”

“Because you have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.” Satan wants them to be unsettled and stumble when the opposition and the difficulty come.

“They will make you outcasts from the synagogue. But an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you them. But these things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you. But now I am going to Him who sent Me;” and the Holy Spirit is going to come. So now you see the empowerment of the indwelling Spirit will come into their lives. But they will become the object of direct, overt persecution in a greater way than they have experienced before. So they are going to experience a greater power, but that is going to bring with it a greater persecution. And we see in Acts, that's exactly what is happening. The persecution now is going to start to build. They are proclaiming in the power of the Spirit the message of Christ, but now they stand in the place of Christ, as Paul told the Corinthians. We stand in the place of Christ and beg you, be reconciled to God. And now that opposition to Christ is directed directly to them. When Christ was on earth walking with them, it was directed to Him. But now He has ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit has come and taken up residence in them and now the word of Christ is given through them and they become the focus of the opposition.

Where are we today? In the same place. We go through the book of Acts, we're going to find the same message, the same message we have. What are we to do? Give out the message of Christ, to tell people they are lost and separated from God. You are under His condemnation, you are His enemy, you stand opposed to Him. His Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross and was raised from the dead. There is salvation in no one else, there is no other name. He is the person, the only name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. It's been demonstrated, it's been proven, it's recorded in the word. That's what we do. Think about it. Peter and John get to stand here, and be filled with the Spirit. And then Paul writes to the Ephesians and tells believers, be filled with the Spirit. We are to live under His control. And what will happen when the Spirit comes? God will send the Spirit and “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses.” And that is passed on to us. When we become believers in Jesus Christ, we receive that same Spirit, that same power. How remarkable that is. Wherever you go you are indwelt by the Spirit of God, sent from heaven to empower you as a witness for Jesus Christ. We're not apostles, certain things were unique to them, but the Holy Spirit they had is no different from the Holy Spirit I have, the Holy Spirit you have. The message entrusted to them is no different from the message entrusted to us.

We sometimes paddle around wondering, I just don’t know if I can do this. It's not self confidence, but it's full confidence in the Savior that I have, the work that He has done, the message He has given. We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that God, when He does the work that only He can do through us, all the glory will be given to Him. Wherever we go this week, whatever we do, we ought to have that in mind. I want to be like Peter, I want to be like John, I want to manifest that same boldness, that same clarity. I want the Spirit of God to fill me, to control me, to use me as a mouthpiece. If I do that will many people get saved? I don't know. You may deal with people like Peter is dealing with now. It just stirs their animosity and opposition. God has to do with His word what He determines, but we are the servants privileged to carry on and continue this same ministry.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for what you have recorded here in the early days of the church's history. How quickly opposition to You, the truth concerning Your Son builds, will intensify, will result very soon in great suffering for your people. But Your word will continue to go on in power. Lord, how privileged we are to be the recipients of that word, to be those who by Your grace have come to believe in the one and only Savior. And how gracious You are that we, undeserving sinners, should have experienced the wonder of Your salvation. We now have the indwelling presence of Your Holy Spirit to direct us, to control us, to use us as we speak forth the message of life. Lord, may we have a boldness that is not our own as we represent you in the days of the week before us, a courage that is not our own, a clarity that You give as we share this message of Jesus Christ with family, friends, strangers, acquaintances, fellow workers. Wherever we are, may we be clear and burning lights in the darkness. We pray in Christ's name, Amen.