ACTS I & II | The Spirit Poured Out | Acts 2:14-21 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

As we sing in that song about the holiness of God, I'm reminded of a young man around 20 years of age, your soul. His name was Isaiah. He had a open vision of the pre-incarnate Christ and what he saw him for all of his holiness and grander and splendor. And in the moment he saw the pre-incarnate Christ and all of his holiness, he saw himself for what he really was. Not righteous but a sinner. And he saw his nation for what his nation really was. Sinners. And that's he just sat there in God's presence, grieving over his sinful nature and the sinful nature of his nation. Burned him in his lips and in his heart as a symbol of his redemption and sent him out to proclaim the word to a hostile generation. And I just prayed in moments when we sing about the holiness of God and we'll be beyond a song that we will get a glimpse of the grander and the magnitude if we can't in our finite mind of his supreme characteristic, which is his holiness. And we wouldn't be in this presence with arrogance and pride. We would not think that he's unworthy of us kneeling, or bowing our face to the floor. We would not think that he's not unworthy of anything but all of us in moments like that. In humility and loneliness. Sometimes, sometimes I wish that we didn't live in a country that had clocks. I hated it sometimes. Everything in America is like this so heavily regimented that we can't even linger in God's presence because we got reservations to get to restaurants. This whole country just ran on a clock. Everything. Sometimes I just wish in moments like that we could just stay there and then I'd be awkward to you. And that we could just enjoy his presence so much. I mean, those moments are four tastes of glory divine. And I'm going to speak for myself and then I'm going to get to God's word. I'm going to speak for me. This is me. I pray some of you get to where I have gotten. But I am in place right now in my life. I'm going to say this over and over and over until someone you just be inspired by this. I would rather be alone with Christ in my prayer room than on this platform. I am so content just being alone with Christ and just sitting there and shutting tears there and letting wash my soul of my sinful nature there. And I just bleed there and I can envision him sitting across the room from me. And I just want to stay there. And I think because of the responsibilities of this world I have to come out. And I have to engage people and I have to engage family and I have to prepare sermons and I have to lead meetings and I have to go to the office. And sometimes I just want to stay there. And if that makes me awkward, I'm content to be misunderstood. And I'm growing in such an intimacy with him that I enjoy just being with him. And nothing satisfied my soul. I'm talking too much right now. My time is running out. Now I can't take my time because you got to get to your restaurant because it's Mother's Day. And if you got another 2,000 people coming behind you in 30 something minutes. And somebody will fall asleep because they don't have spiritual stamina because they don't enjoy just sitting in this presence. This is awkward. But nobody's told us to just enjoy him. We enjoy men and we enjoy sermons but we don't enjoy him. Like there's anything else in this life is going to be more satisfying to your soul. Not money, not a relationship, not a job, not your 401k going up to the right. Not an opportunity, not a platform, not a preaching moment, not marriage, not a wedding. There is nothing we're going to experience in this life. That's more satisfying to the soul than the intimate, deep abiding, powerful presence. I'm talking too much. You can see, look behind you, it's counting down. Because of that is why we have no revival. That's America. The day is going to come when we're going to have a room big enough. I won't be changed to a clock. I have to do what I want. I pray a day come when we have a room big enough. I have to be a slave to a clock. And then all of us can fit in a room together. And I ain't got to worry about 2,000 people coming behind you. And we can sit in God's presence as long as we need to get up and hear proclamation and not be tired. [Applause] I'm serious. [Music] One day, for now, we want to wish happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers. And grandmother's. And spiritual mothers. And we honor all of you who have given birth to children. And spiritual children, whether you are biological children or children, by the spirit, we honor every mother and grandmother. We honor every mother and mother for your sacrifice, for your nurture, for your love, for your pain, for your suffering, for your enduring. We see you and we honor you in this room across America and around the world. And we want to also acknowledge those of you who are for today. This day is not a day of joy. It is a day of pain and sadness. Because maybe your mother failed you. Maybe your mother abandoned you. Maybe you've never met your mother. Maybe today is a day that's very emotional for you. It's not a day of joy. And we want to pray for those of you who feel that pain, that today the God of all comfort will be near you. And you would feel his presence comforting you. And as he draws near you, maybe we will hand to you in this moment by the spirit a key called grace. That you would forgive that mother who disappeared. You would forgive that mother who failed you. You would forgive that mother that was a crackhead. You would forgive that mother that did the best she can but what she had. And that maybe you would let her go today in this moment. For that unforgiveness is not keeping her in a prison. It's keeping you in a prison. And maybe this is the day grace gives you a key to unlock that prison. And you let her go for her mistakes. And you walk out of that prison. Maybe tonight will be the night you pillow your head and rest. After years of holding her an unforgiveness in your heart. She's a human being like you and I. A sinner like you and I. So maybe we would just say, "Man, we just let her go." We open the prison door called grace. And we walk out, call forgiveness. You move on into the future of the path of healing. And that's my point. prayer for some of you who maybe today is a day emotional. Now I know if you brought your mother or grandmother, I know. I know your mother grandmother sitting in the room in the overflow watching me. You're curting up around the television to hear your mother's day message. She's not gonna get one. What she is gonna get is a message in the book of Acts. And I'm not against mother's day message. I just right now we're just not gonna let the calendar dictate anything to us. Right? So if you brought your mom, grandma, I'm sitting around, shout out to your mom or grandma, but you're not getting a mother's day message today, but you will get the word of God. We are in a brand new series almost at the end of a series called Acts 1 and 2, in which we are walking through the first two chapters of Acts together as a church. Acts, a book of origin that records for us the formation of the Christian church and the first 30 years of its glorious history written by a man named Luke, a doctor, a historian, a travel companion of the Apostle Paul. He wrote for us all of the things that are recorded in the book of Acts and we are journeying through the first two chapters together. Our text today is coming from Acts chapter 2 verses 14 through 21. Like that baby crying out Lord, I pray that we will cry out for you. Every guest, every digital disciple, even every unbeliever gathered under the sound of my voice. I pray like that baby cries Lord, we will cry out for you all the more. We will desire you more than anything else in this life. We will abandon our idols and our idolatry and our high places and our altars has been set up God to every other God other than you, every lower KG spirit of the living God we feel you in this moment. Move throughout this room, move throughout these overflows, move across that camera and homes across America and around the world. Have your way today spirit of the living God through this vessel of clay. We ask in the mighty and the majestic and the mattress name of our soon coming King the Lord Jesus Christ and all God's people said amen and amen and amen. Family, I think it's not strange that last week as we journeyed into the text about Pentecost Sunday that the Holy Spirit took over two of three gatherings last week. And if you were in this room last week then you did not see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and I will aid a cloud gathering and I want a cloud gathering where we could not even preach the word of God because the Holy Spirit hijacked the entire gathering for himself and we was in tears and we was on the floor and we was at the altar and we prayed and we hugged one another. I mean it was a mighty outpouring of God spirit eight o'clock in the morning a mighty outpouring of God spirit one o'clock in the afternoon. I only got an opportunity to preach last week's message once because the Holy Spirit took over the entire gathering two of them. I don't think that happened by accident. We will always remember that in the day we came upon the text about Pentecost the Holy Spirit flexed his muscle in the room. And the reason he flexed his muscle in the room because I want to remind you of what I said to you last week that you are I am a part of the most powerful organism on the planet that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the most powerful organism on the planet. There is no organism on the planet more powerful than the Lord Jesus Christ more powerful than a fortune 500 company more powerful than a business. There is no gathering of people anywhere on the earth who are more powerful than the people of God. Not because we are perfect but because at the center of the Christian church is the third person of the God had the Holy Spirit who has been forever united to the church. He is not united to corporate America. He is not united to politics. He is forever united to the people of God. United to the church. Therefore wherever the church is power is there. Wherever the church is the Holy Spirit is there. If it's 10,000 of us or 10 of us in a room wherever we show up the power of the Holy Spirit show up. It could be two of us at Starbucks and the power of the Holy Spirit is there. You can show it by yourself on your job and the power of the Holy Spirit is there. You can be walking through Walmart by yourself and the power of the Holy Spirit is there. You can be in the back of the upper or the left and the power of the Holy Spirit is there. Wherever we are, we are powerful. Wherever you are, you are powerful. If you are saved, you are not normal for the Scripture calls you and put you, your people. You are different on your job, different on social media, different in traffic. You are different wherever you show up because the power of the Holy Spirit is in you. You are black and powerful. You are white and powerful. You are Asian and powerful. You are Hispanic and powerful. You are mixed and powerful. It's like my wife, what are you? She's half black, half Asian, half Holy Spirit. But everybody's mixed. I'm telling you after today, everybody's mixed and don't matter if you have no melanin or you crispy like me. Everybody's mixed. We have black, half Holy Spirit, half white, half Holy Spirit, half Asian, half Holy Spirit, half Indian, half Holy Spirit, half Hispanic, half Holy Spirit. Somebody say, "I'm mixed." Everybody's mixed after today. You are whatever you are and half Holy Spirit. And that wherever you are, you are never without help. For you having Greek, the parakeet, he's always with you to help you, guide you, speak to you and power you, annoy you. You are always full of power and the help because the Holy Spirit lives in you. Like a light at the center of the church is the third person of the Godhead, the person of the Holy Spirit. So wherever the people of God are on any city, any nation, any continent, we are a powerful people wherever we are. Where did that begin? That began with our texts right here in Acts. Our text gives us the origin of the day. The Holy Spirit was forever joined to the church. I want to reread to you Luke's account of that great day, that great moment when the Holy Spirit came from heaven after Christ was ascended to heaven and forever united Himself to us, to you, to me, the people of God. Acts chapter 2 going back to verse 1, "When the day of Pentecost arrived, Pentecost was the Jewish festival. It means 50. This festival happened 50 days after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ came, lived, died, rose, ascended, 50 days later. Pentecost was this feast. They were all together in one room, 120 followers of Christ who stayed in the city waiting for the promise of the Spirit. And then suddenly while they were in that room, there came from heaven a sound like a mighty Russian wind which represents the presence of God and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. We taught this last week. And divided tongues like fire, appeared in the room and came down and rested on all of them and they began to speak as they were filled with the Spirit. They spoke in other tongues meaning languages. As the Spirit gave them other words that there was a divine miracle. The Holy Spirit came down like fiery tongues rested on their mouth, burned their hearts. There was a miracle of the mind and because of the miracle of the mind, they all began to speak in other languages that they did not know. Galilee and who was not trained in foreign languages by the power of the Spirit began to speak foreign languages that did not know. This is like the Holy Spirit coming upon me if I travel to Brazil and I start to speak in Portuguese by the power of the Spirit. This is you going to Mexico, the Spirit comes upon you and you begin to speak and speak. Spanish by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes upon 120 disciples. They begin to speak in foreign languages. Verse 5. Now they were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews. "Devout men from every nation on the heaven." And at the sound of these men speaking, 120 of them men and women, a multitude came together and they will be wilder. Because each one was hearing them speak in his own language and they were amazed and astonished saying, "Are not these all Galileans? How was it that we hear each one of us in our own native language? Partians and meads and alamites, residents of Mesopotamia and Judea, Cappadocia and Pontius and Asia, Fran Fregia and Pamphilia, Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. Creans, which is the island and Arabians, we all hear them telling our own tongues, the mighty works of God. So Luke records on a day of pentecost, 120 disciples are baptized with the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, miracle of the mind, speaking in foreign languages, burst out of the room, 120 in the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in foreign languages, Jerusalem is packed with thousands of people because of the festival. They hear the sound of all of these languages, a large crowd of thousands of people gather around the first church, 120 of them, they are shocked. We hear them speaking, the wonders of God in our own language and they are amazed. All are amazed, some are complex, they say, what does this mean? But others mark and said, these men are filled with new wine. So they hear the miracle. All are amazed. Hundreds in that crowd said, man, these Galileans, they must be drunk. All that babble coming out their mouth, they are full of new wine. And family where we go next is Luke's recording of what happened on that day as a response to that moment. Verse 14, the first verse of our text, but Peter, standing with the 11, lifted up his voice and addressed them, stop. Notice who responded to the crowd. Peter, the same young man who followed Jesus for three and a half years and had a mouth that said, Lord, wherever you go, I will go. And I am prepared to die for you if you die. But when Christ is in a jam at the end of his life, he is being headed to be executed, led out of the garden of Eden. Where is God in the, where is Peter then? Peter now, the young man afraid to look prophesized in before this night is over, you will deny me three times. Peter thinks that's never going to happen. Peter now was in the street. He gets jammed up by a little girl in the street who hears this accent said, this man was with Jesus. No, I don't know him. He gets jammed up a second time. Yo, you was with Jesus. Now, I don't know him. We saw you. You was with that dude. They're about to crucify. Oh, I don't know him three times. Peter denies Jesus the night before he's crucified. Peter feels the guilt of that. He runs out of that city. Watch. He's so guilty in his heart because of his betrayal. He abandons the ministry. Goes back to being a fisherman. He sees himself as unworthy to follow after Christ. But history tells us Jesus, I love this part. After he's raised, find Peter on a seat shore. Walks up to him on a seat shore of Galilee and looks him in his eyes. Peter, do you love me? He says, feed my lambs, which is a baby sheep. He talks about the little disciples first. That's why we should care about children's ministry and formation. We do all of this for adults. Nobody cares about those little kids. Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep? Adults. Ten my sheep. He's prophesied that you will be the pastor of the first church. Now, Jesus never reminded Peter of his mistake. But what he does when he rolls up on a seat shore, watch this word. He restores him back to fellowship, back to the ministry. Dust off your pain, your shame and your hurt. We got work to do. We got a world to change. I only point this out in the text. I'm the person who's talking first to remind every person under the sound of my voice. Like me, who has made mistakes, who has failed God, who has fallen, who has had bad seasons and felt like you was unusable because of your mistakes. The devil is a liar. I want to remind somebody who feels crushed under the weight of self-condemnition and guilt and shame or because of your past. You feel like God can't use somebody like you or you can't use a boot from Queens, New York, a knucklehead from the street. No, but if God finds a humble and contrite heart, man, he can restore anybody. I said, anybody. Listen to me. You have not outsinned his grace. There is nothing you have done that is stronger than the blood. If your sin were stronger than the blood, the cross was not enough. But the cross is enough. And from the cross, he's able to grace, to restore you back to fellowship again. It doesn't matter how far you have gone, how many mistakes you have made or how much you condemn yourself. And think of restore Peter. He can restore you. I'm talking for my own pain. He restored me when I failed him early in my walk, when I let him down, when I felt when I turned away from him. He restored me. This ministry I have right now is called a second chance. That's why I don't play games. They could talk trash about me all they want. Don't know me. You know why I don't play games? This is called a second chance. And only a fool does not make good with their second chance. So Peter stands up. He is restored. But watch what else he does. He hears the mockery of the spirit and he chooses not to remain silent. The reason this means nothing to you because you are desensitized by the things you have seen and the paintings of the disciples. You see the disciples painting with great here and long bands. And so you think he's a grown man. He should have courage. You have not read the scriptures right. Jesus was 30 when he started his ministry. As a Jewish rabbi, the men he would have called would have been teenagers or 20 year old. And he's Peter was a young man. Probably not older than 21 or 22. And America, the number one family in the country, death, the number two fair public speaking. And yet there is a crowd. Thousands of people and this little boy. Not an old man. A young man. He is the mockery of God and chooses not to remain silent. He says somebody must say something about this. And the scripture says God Peter means he refused to remain. He stood up to say something. I wish we had the spirit of Peter was fall on the church in America. Man, we, we, we suck. I don't care. We live in a culture and a generation that has no respect for God. No respect for the church. No respect for Jesus. And the people he sent here to be a witness for him. We have no courage at all. So we will not stand up. We will not say anything. We let people try. We won't post. We won't post a scripture. We won't speak. We won't talk to the overdra. Come on man. Come on man. The Lord ain't sending no angels down here to do that work. He sent the church down here to do that work. And we got to give set up with with with ideologies and policies and everything. That's trying to that's trying to silence the church and change biblical laws and all these things. We got to care about that stuff. This is me saying you will not change the definition of marriage on my watch. I'll pray you out and vote you out. [Applause] You will not let kids remain confused and gender and tell them they can mutilate themselves. [Applause] See, you don't want to hit that. Don't want to hit that. We're so soft. We-- [Applause] You will not be louder than me with your false religion when we serve the only true God. [Applause] You will not have more discipline than me. You will not be more sold out than me. You will not be more passionate than me. How we got people serve more-- false gods with more passion than the people of God who serve the true and living God. [Applause] Won't post, won't vote right, won't pray, won't take a stand, won't say anything, won't say at the family barbit you know, we will not remain silent. We will not. [Applause] What you're trying to protect. Look at me. We're trying to protect your reputation. You're trying to protect your-- You're trying to protect things Peter says in his letters is going to burn up anyway. Let me help some of you stop being cowards. Let me help unshain you from being addicted to approval of people. We're trying to protect things that's going to burn up anyway. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] You think if I was trying to protect my platform, I would be preaching like this? I was preaching like this when I was on park benches. Twenty something years ago when nobody knew my name. I was standing on park benches preaching like this to two people standing in front of me. The platform only revealed who I always was. [Applause] And I'm going to protect it now by dumbing down the gospel, to keep sinners comfortable and chairs. [Applause] Or to protect myself from persecution and social media. I'm going to be quiet because I'm afraid. [Applause] Some of you wouldn't even put a script on your social media because you worried about all the unbelievers who might feel offended that you posted about Jesus. Man, some of you all need to be like, listen man, after today you might as well unfollow me now because I'm about to go crazy on my social media f- [Applause] You might as well unfollow me now. [Applause] You might as well unfollow me now because from this day off it's going to be me and twice on this social media feed. [Applause] Sorry, it's going to be scriptures in the morning and devotions in the evening and I'm testifying about what Jesus did last week. [Applause] Girl, you change. But you change. I don't like your social media. It used to be. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] What happened to you? You're not even the same person you used to be here. I'm filled with the Holy Spirit now. [Applause] Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! [Applause] I'm filled with the Holy Spirit now! [Applause] Somebody give a praise on the place! [Applause] [Applause] Hallelujah, God! [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Of course I'm different. I'm filled with the Spirit! [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Why you don't because I'm filled? How come you because I'm filled? You stop because I'm filled? You don't even talk like because I'm filled? You don't even go because I'm filled! Because I'm filled! [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] God, Jesus! [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Washes. You see how we always on our feet just a moment ago? Yes. You know so dover about that? You see the text? Peter stood up with the 11. [Applause] He did not stand up by himself. [Applause] He stood up with. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] This is me saying, man, I'm shy when I was out there alone by myself. I'm in 2018 now. I got community now. They don't fire now. I'm where I'm supposed to be now. We stand up together now! Man, come on, man! [Applause] We stand up together now! [Applause] [Applause] One stand, all stand! [Applause] Now we know we are here by ourselves. Ain't suffering by myself. Ain't standing for Jesus by myself. [Applause] We got help now. [Applause] (audience cheering) Woo! Hey! (audience cheering) One could chase a thousand. (audience cheering) Woo! Two could put ten thousand of flight. Hey! (audience cheering) We prayed together. We re-together. We fast together. We sacrifice together. We suffer together. We gather together. We ride together. Bad boys for life. (audience cheering) (audience cheering) (audience cheering) (audience cheering) Woo! Hey, John! Woo! Hey! Woo! Hey! Woo! Hey! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Hey, yeah, man. Woo! You know how good it feels? (audience cheering) To being a jam. And, like, I'm not in this jam by myself. (audience cheering) To be battling medical issues in my own body. (audience cheering) And to see thousands of people praying for you. To my we in this together. (audience cheering) Peter stood up with the 11. It's the power of community. (audience applauding) It's demonic. It's the thing that we're gonna make it by ourselves. And nobody's standing by themselves. We're standing on the shoulders of others and we're standing with others. All be it imperfect, the church is. - That is good. - She is, she's imperfect, she is. And she will hurt you every now and then. And she will upset you every now and then. And you will have beef for people every now and then. And you will get offended every now and then. (audience applauding) It'll be worked through that. - Yeah. - We come out on the other side with testimonies of stronger relationships. - Yeah. - As we watch this word continue to stand together. (audience applauding) (audience applauding) (audience applauding) (audience applauding) (audience applauding) And the Holy Spirit, and teach me that. (audience applauding) (audience applauding) (audience applauding) (audience applauding) (audience applauding) - We're my T corner. (audience applauding) (audience applauding) Now, cannot proceed. (audience applauding) (audience applauding) Now, listen to me carefully. You got stamina for me to finish? (audience applauding) Now, Peter stands up with the 11. He refuses to be silent. He hears the mockery of Christ. What Luke records next from part B of the verse all the way to the end of this chapter, what he records next. What I'm about to read to you today and next week. Watch, is the recording of the very first Christian sermon (audience applauding) long before there was a Philip Anthony Mitchell. What we have right here is the first pastor what we're about to read today and next week is the recording of the very first Christian sermon. (audience applauding) Verse 14, part B. Men of Judea, he preaches. In all who dwell in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you and give air to my words. Pay attention is what he's saying. See that? He says, pay attention. I wasn't the first one to say to people, pay attention. Peter said to them, pay attention. For these people are not drunk as you suppose, since it's only the third hour of the day. But this is what was other through the prophet Joe. Stop right there. Notice the first thing the first pastor does when he sees the mockery. He opens up his sermon and the first thing he does is defend his church. (audience applauding) Now you're not going to keep lying on my church. He says these men are not drunk. They are you, you're not going to keep lying on my church. You're not going to keep lying on my pastor. No, he defends his church. Man, you don't even know my pastor. You ain't even been in the room. This is you in the comments. You ain't going to keep calling my pastor, demon. Oh no. Ain't no demon telling people to read the scriptures for themselves. Ain't no demon telling people to ring out their sin. Ain't no demon challenging people to be holy. Ain't no demon telling people to be pure. Ain't no demon calling people to pray at access. (audience applauding) Demons don't do that. (audience applauding) Demons are not exulting Christ and walking people through the scriptures exogenically, exositorially, first by verse, lined by line, exulting Jesus and walking on platforms in humility. Demons don't do that. (audience applauding) There's a whole Philip Anthony Mitchell's, Philip with demon. (audience applauding) No demons attack. People God has raised up. There was doing that in the days of Jesus. They still do that today. (audience applauding) The problem with the churches, we don't have discernment. So we call good evil and evil good. (audience applauding) We do that false prophets, Rome, and you crucified Godly, Godly prophets. (audience applauding) The first thing he did is defend his church. These men are not drunk. How could they be? It's nine o'clock in the morning. It's pentha-cause. Jews did not get bent at nine a.m. and they did not get bent on religious holidays. So Peter first defends his church. Like you better believe I'm gonna defend mine. I'm gonna stand up for 28.19. The global family. I'm gonna say we are a mission for the spread of the gospel. We are serious about multiplying disciples. We are serious about prayer, presence, proclamation. (audience applauding) We're gonna do access. We're gonna do crusades. We're gonna do everything we can to take the gospel to the end of the earth. We understand that time is running out. And we are end time church on mission for Jesus. (audience applauding) Peter defended his church. And then the first thing he does, watch this. Notice he's filled with the spirit and he does not use his platform for miracles. He does not use his platform for himself. He does not go download an article from Google for his first sermon. He says, "This is the words that were spoken by the prophet Joel." So what the first pastor does of the first church is go, "He takes the church to the what?" Scriptures. This is a lesson for you and not that the church should be anchored in the word of God. Not anchored in opinions. Not anchored in man-made doctrines. Not anchored in man-made dogga. The word. The word. This is why I disdain that we live in a country where we love entertainment. We love hearing sermons that make you feel fluffy and make you feel awesome. Never convict you for sin. Never walk you through the scriptures. They put you at the center of every text, which is secular, humanistic doctrine. They make you think that God is a genie who exists for you. Not you exist for him. So you never want to be confronted as sin. Never want your toll. Step on. Don't bring your boyfriend to 2018. He might get convicted. He might change. He might stop trying to have sex with you. He might start being a spiritual leader. They don't want no parts of that. (Applause) Already no. You want to go down to compromise bedside Baptist church, but you hear weak, wack sermons that never confront you in your sin. (Applause) Peter uses his first platform. He's talking to an international audience of thousands of people. And he leads them to Joe. And look what he says, "Men of Jerusalem and men of Judea." He's talking to an international audience, but who does he address first? "Men of Jerusalem, men of Judea." He's addressing Orthodox Jews who know the Old Testament. He understands his audience. That whenever you talk, one-to-one, one-to-group, one-to-crowd, you need to understand your audience. So you know how to understand your message. Anytime you talk, just remember, three M's are always being exchanged. Method, motive, message. Every time you communicate one-to-one, one-to-crowd, one-to-group, three M's are being exchanged. Your message when you talk should always be true. Your motive when you talk should always be pure. Your message should always be a way that is receivable. His message is about to be the strictest. His motive is he is defending the resurrection of Christ. His methodology is I'm going to take these Jews back to the Scriptures. They know have memorized, submitted to. They should understand the Scriptures. And then look at the very first sermon. But this is what was uttered through the Prophet Joel, verse 17. And in the last days, it shall be, God the clear is that I will pull out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. even on my male servants and my female servants. In those days, I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy. So there is Peter in AD 33, taking these Orthodox Jews back to Joel the prophet. Joel was a prophet who lived 800 years before Christ was born. And Joel lived during the days when the people of God, the people of Israel was in rebellion towards God. You remember him. It was through Joel that God said to his people, "Return to me. Rend your heart and not your garment." And that in the Old Testament, Joel was one of the prophets who delivered one of the most important prophecies in the Old Testament. Pay attention. The number one prophecy in the Old Testament is the coming of Christ. The second greatest prophecy in the Old Testament, perhaps, is the coming of the Spirit. Joel was prophesied in the coming of the Spirit 800 years before Pentecost. That means the Jews have been anticipating this for hundreds of years. Peter pulls a text from the Old Testament to explain what they're hearing on Pentecost. Let me use the scriptures to explain so that you will not be ignorant. He uses the scripture to destroy their ignorance. He uses the word to tear down the strongholds in their mind. God. So he preached to them that what you're hearing now is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. This is men, family. We've been waiting for this for hundreds of years and finally today it has come. This is what Joel said 800 years ago. The Spirit now is being poured out on all humanity on men, women, young, old. That's why they are prophesying and speaking. He is confirming what happened at Pentecost was prophesied in the Old Scriptures, which means the Scriptures can be trusted. Now why was this prophecy so important? Listen to me. This prophecy was important because God was prophesying about the coming of the Spirit to fix one of the greatest problems men ever had. 300 years after Joel, another prophet emerges named Ezekiel, who God uses to explain the problem of man and why he had to send the Spirit. After you read this, you will be more thankful for the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 25, 300 years after Joel, 500 years before Christ, another man of God prophesied about the coming of the Spirit. The difference with his prophecy, he tells us why the Spirit was necessary. Verse 25, God speaks through Ezekiel says, "I will sprinkle clean water upon you." Talking to his people, you and I, covenant people, Israel, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness and from all of your idols. And I will cleanse you now, watch the next two verses. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. And I will, God says, put within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and watch this word cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey all of my rules. Philip, I don't understand. Watch, I'm almost done. For thousands of years, we've seen the people of Israel delivered from Egypt. Man, serve God, run away from God, serve God, run away from God. And then you crucified them and you read the Old Testament. How could a people that saw bread fall from heaven, cloud, leave them by day, fire by night, signs when there's a miracle's water from Iraq? You say to yourself, if I was there, there's no way I would have not believed in God. The devil is alive. We'd be looking at them in the Old Testament. Like, how could these people not obey? Right. So let me help you. Let's take you back to before you were saved when the Holy Spirit wasn't there. And then what, let's go back to when you wasn't saved. And then here's the command. Be holy. Okay, so you missed that. I want you to think what it would be like to try to serve God. Obey his commands. Be holy. Pray fast. Be faithful without the Holy Spirit. Amen. (audience laughing) Let me talk for me. Form a number different, not possible. There's no way, just go check my, I'll post some pictures. Go check my life before I was saved. No way I'm praying, fast and being faithful. Look what I was doing to women. Look what I was doing in the street. Look how I was wallowing out. You think of somebody rolled up on me and said, "Sir, God faithfully, I could have did that faithfully without help." Why do you read the vocials today? Why do you open the Bible? Why do you pray? Why do you cry? Why do you hear the words holy as we're singing that? And you fall down to your weight? Why? Because now you have help. God took His Spirit and He put Himself. (audience cheering) He put Himself in you and because He's in you, He causes you to want to obey. He causes you to want to pray. He causes you to cry. He causes you to want to gather. He causes you to want to give. He causes you to want to serve. The Holy Spirit is the one causing you to listen to me right now. (audience cheering) How was you going to serve a holy God in a sinful body without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? So God is looking at people for thousands of years who can't obey Him. He says, "I'm going to fix this. I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to take myself and put myself in them." (audience cheering) So Joel explains the outporn of the Spirit. And then last thing is, he uses a text. This is so profound. He pulls a text from the Old Testament that explains what happened on Pentecost. What explains was going to happen in the end. Why? Because he says, "Joel said in the last days, God said, I will pour up my Spirit. Fill up, I don't get it." The last days began at Pentecost. A clock was started at Pentecost. Joel said, "When the Spirit is poured out, you have entered into the last days." That means when you hear me saying, "Time is running out, you should take that more serious." That's why, if the last days began 2026 years ago, how much time we think you have left now? (audience laughing) I am telling you, not because of something I saw on Google, I'm telling you because of what I read that we are living in the last days. This is the final iteration of God's plan of redemption. The church age, this age will give way to the return of Christ. The age that you and I are living in right now sitting in this room will give way to the return of Christ. This is the end, this is the church age. After this age is the millennial kingdom of Christ. (audience laughing) We are living in the end. (audience laughing) This ain't some scare-tactic eschatology. This is what the Scripture says. In the last days, the Spirit will be poured out. Now that the Holy Spirit has been poured out, a clock was started, we are living in the last days. (audience laughing) Hold on. We're living in the last days. So he uses a text to explain what has happened on Pentecost and he uses a text to explain why they need to be serious. The last part of his sermon, verse 19. And I will show God says wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. Fire, vapor of smoke, and the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the day the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. So in the same text that Joel prophesied, the coming of the Spirit was the same text Joel prophesied with the endists. The preacher, I don't get it. One text shows the beginning of the church age and the end of the church age. All prophecy, all coming to pass as you and I are talking right now. While people are playing a church in America, playing conference, playing this. While we're playing around, we are living in biblical prophecy. We are in the middle of the beginning of the church age and the end of the church age. And I think we're at the very end. I think we're living in the last seconds of the church age. I look at politics, I look at what governments are doing around the world. I look at what's happening in China and in Russia. I'm looking at what's happening in the news. I'm looking at all the global headlines. I see them reading right out of the picture of the Bible. And we are aware to say we don't have that much time left. We're living near the end of the church age. It's time out for wax sermons. It's time out for just messages we download from Google. It's time out for playing church. It's time out for living like a sinner or a week and then fooling people on Sunday. It's time out for not doing this for real. It's time out for not having a prayer life. Not bringing out just sin from your heart. Not pursuing holiness. Not reconciling broken relationships. Not being faithful in your church. It's time out for that. Don't nobody being a fourth quarter of a game down by ten. Act like they have all this time in school. If they were talking about the last days in the first century, how much more urgent is it right now? Do you not understand? that every biblical prophecy needed for Christ to crack the sky has already is happening right now all around you. I mean you and I could be living in the generation with Jesus cracks the sky and as people said that thousands of years ago is very real right now. I mean you've heard language like this before family you forgot I just spent three years walking you through the book of Matthew and was in the book of Matthew your Lord and mine Jesus talked about his own return you remember what he said in Matthew chapter 24 verse 29 you remember what Jesus prophesied immediately after the tribulation of those days that's what's coming next the tribulation period many anti Christ signs of seven year peace treaty with Israel which means that the anti Christ is gonna come Israel must be in conflict if the anti Christ is gonna come people must be hating Israel you think it's an accident there is an increase of hatred for Israel you think that's my accident you think that's an accident that Israel's in war somebody's gonna hear this and call me a Christian nationalist and say all this you know what that is foolest people that don't read the scriptures the scriptures tell when the anti Christ comes to power he signs a seven year peace treaty with Israel there is no need for peace treaty if Israel's not in conflict he protects Israel for three and a half years before he breaks that treaty there's no need to protect the nation if everybody does not hate them they gonna persecute me until I'm gone and then they're gonna be searching for YouTube for my sermons when all hell breaks loose in the United States the same people that call me a false prophet are gonna be searching for my sermons on YouTube trying to figure out what's going on but we've been preaching as truth to you right now while you don't listen let those who have ears to air here and eyes to see he let them see the global headlines as prophesying we're in the end Jesus had immediately after the days of the tribulation as darken the sun will be darkened the moon will not give us light the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken then will appear in heaven the sign of the sun of man when Jesus breaks the clouds there'll be no more arguments about theology no more arguments about who is God no more arguments between Muslims and Christians and Buddhists and Hindus and Jews no more when Jesus cracks the sky all about theology will be agreed everybody will know that Christ is king some will mourn others will celebrate there'll be no more difference in theology when the when the sky opens up we all will know who was real and who was not and all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the sun of man coming on the clouds of heaven the first born of the dead riding in upon the clouds how with power and great glory and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four corners from one end of heaven to the other that is when he cracks the sky everybody's fate is sealed no more second chance no purgatory if he cracks the sky five years from now everybody's fate is sealed no second chance no purgatory I wish he come on a Sunday to separate the real from the fake and because this is coming because we're living in the last days what is the only right response to what is happening right now the only right response is the last verse of the text act chapter 2 and verse 21 the only right response is the last verse of the text and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved this family right now if you're not a follower of Christ the wisest thing you would do with your life right now was called on the name of the Lord not become a member of this church not try to mask that with good behavior and morality the wisest thing anybody watching me right now can do right now as time is running out the wisest thing you could do right now was called on the name of the Lord confess your sin tell him your sin ask him to forgive you for your sin surrender your life to him receive the Holy Spirit run after Christ with all of your heart that is the only hope for humanity not church services regeneration the only hope for the unbeliever is salvation the only hope for the world is salvation the only hope for those outside of Christ is salvation this is why family I end this message by saying to you since time is running out should we not be more serious about the way that we pray should we not be more serious about how we give should we not be more serious about how we serve should we not be more serious about how we live should we not be more serious about our witness for Christ is this not the hour for the church to be omission for us together to work together for the spread of the gospel and the multiplying disciples is this not the hour for us to say you know what enough is enough is the loss and dying world out there and we have the light all of us reflecting from Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to win as many people as possible for the sky opens up may we be a church omission for Christ put away all of our foolishness on all of our ancillary ambitions and rally together around what he gave us to do spread the gospel make disciples be a witness hear me hear me time is running out so far that I pray right now over the unbeliever first that they will tremble under the weight of the gospel and hurl themselves at the foot of the cross confessing their sin and surrendering themselves right now to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and I pray for the brothers and sisters under the side of my voice the global family of 2019 the global family of the church that they would be revival there will be an awakening our eyes will be open our hearts will be burned we would recognize we're living in the last days in the final seconds of the church age and it would affect the way that we pray the way that we talk the way that we move the way that we live the way that we spend our money the way that we do relationships disciple our children the way that we show up the way that we serve the way that we sacrifice the way that we suffer and suffer well may we be men and women on fire in our mouths in our hearts and on mission for the Lord Jesus Christ I pray that over us right now in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our soon coming king the Lord Jesus Christ now would everybody take the roof off and give God praise in this house right now