The Budding of Aaron’s Rod & Christ’s Resurrection | Easter Sunday | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

This afternoon, I want to draw your attention to a story from the word of God that at first may seem totally irrelevant to the very subject and the reason why we are celebrating today. And it could be for some that what you are about to hear is something familiar to you, while for others, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the first time you've ever heard the story shared from the Bible. An account that I'm speaking of, as you know, is found here in the book of Numbers in the seventeenth chapter. And what you're gonna read here with me is one of the most monumental miracles that has taken place in Israel's history. Monumental because the outcome of this supernatural occurrence was asked of the people to be preserved and guarded as a testimony for future generations.

There was something being communicated through this miracle that had to be held and remembered for the ages to come. But before you and I expound on what this miracle is and what it is saying, we have to have a simple background behind it. We have to understand the context of it, and here it is. And God wanting to deliver the nation of Israel from the tyrannical oppression of pharaoh, he raised up two men. These two men were brothers.

Their names, Moses and Aaron. He sent them with assurance of his power and of his presence that they would be successful in seeing the people of Israel released from captivity. And after a series of amazing, powerful, glorious interventions from God, eventually, Pharaoh gave in. And the people of Israel were in fact released. They were sent out and not only were they sent out, they went through the Red Sea and they were brought safely into the wilderness.

But the wilderness was not the final destination for this people. There was a land that God had in mind. There was a broad place that the Lord had promised and prepared for this people group. A place flowing with milk and honey. A place filled with joy and security.

It was theirs. He had sought it out for them and he had given them the exact blueprint of what to do when they got there. But unfortunately, the student of the Bible knows that the same people who were saved from slavery, through a series of events disobeyed and rebelled against the very same God who saved them. One after the other, different episodes, different tests of faith were were failed because of their stubbornness and because of their unbelief. And one of the most serious offenses, one of the most stumbling decisions that they've ever made was here in this neighborhood of the book of numbers.

And this is what happened. At some point, unfortunately, you had a group of men within the camp who had prominent positions by the way, that allowed jealousy to take over their hearts, envy to rise up, and they began to challenge the authority that God had established over them through Moses and Aaron. And so this this band of rebels attempted to cause an uprising, and they specifically challenged the priestly duty that has been exclusively assigned to Aaron and his descendants. Only Aaron and his descendants were called by God to be the mediators between the people and God himself. They were the connecting factor between these two parties.

And and these men, Korah and others, were disturbed by that. And so they attempted to bring division within the camp. And it wasn't very soon after, God intervened in a very frightening way toward these instigators and their supporters. What did he do? He opened up the earth beneath them and swallowed them alive.

Now you would think after witnessing such a spectacle, such a terrifying ordeal, that that would convince you that that God is really backing up backing up this Aaronic priesthood and we have no right to challenge God. We're gonna trust God and we're gonna be content with whatever lot he has assigned to us. But no, the Israelites are like you and me. We're stubborn. No matter how many warnings God gives us, no matter how many sermons we hear, no matter how many providential events occur to get our attention, we're still headstrong, head towards our will.

And so, what does God do? Well, he brings another event of judgment and there is still, believe it or not, murmurings in the camp. You still had people talking whether or not Moses and Aaron were really the ones who are called by God. We're holy too. We're we're we're a called people too.

So how is the Lord gonna settle this dispute? How is he gonna put this to rest? Well, he's going to do something that we're gonna read here in number 17. Instead of coming in judgment, he's gonna provide another miracle, but, oh, he's gonna come in great gentleness. And though it is going to be a gentle demonstration of his power, it is nonetheless powerful.

I want you to read with me the first few verses. Number 17 verse one. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the people of Israel and get from them staffs, one for each father's house, from all their chiefs according to their father's houses, 12 staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each father's house, then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with you.

And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus, I will make to cease for me the grumblings of the people of Israel which they grumble against you. Trust me. This is going somewhere. The instructions are straightforward, are they not?

God tells Moses to call for each chief of the tribes to bring forth a staff. A staff with the name of the chief on the staff itself. And when it came to the tribe of Levi, Aaron was to put his name on his rod. Now why would the Lord demand these kind of instruments? Because again, if you're familiar with the bible, you understand that a staff, a rod was a symbol of authority.

You see it being exercised throughout the exodus where many many of the miracles were used through what Moses would wield when that was the staff. And God honored that. And even the staff, early on in the Exodus journey or at least the attempt to bring about an Exodus, swallowed up the other staffs of the servants of Pharaoh. And so you see this picture in the context, the wider context that a staff speaks of dominance and superiority. You see it even in some of the Psalms, the famous Psalms, Psalm 23, where the shepherd has a staff.

And that staff also speaks of authority, of leadership, comforting, and guiding the sheep. You read also in prophecies and in different examples and scenarios where there are rulers and commanders of clans and kingdoms who had a scepter. And that scepter again speaks of authority. So this was not a strange thing for the Lord to request from these leaders of these 12 tribes. He was asked them to bring these emblems of authority to bring about a demonstration that would prove which one was in fact chosen by him to be the priestly line.

And so they come forward with these staffs. And before exploring that concept further, let's understand the nature of these staffs, their branches. They weren't very sophisticated, but they were a part of a life source at one point. And obviously, they were cut off from that life source. They dried up and they withered, and they were used as as these kind of instruments.

So in essence, when you realize what these staffs are, they're just dead sticks. But they hold so much representation especially in this moment. And so these sticks are gonna be brought and they are going to be in the presence of God and overnight, we reread it, the Lord will choose one of those staffs to sprout. And the one that would sprout would indicate his will, his consecration, his purpose for this nation. Now you're beginning hopefully to see the universal application of this truth though it is a unique incidence.

Essentially what the Lord is saying to this nation is I'm going to take a rootless, sapless, lifeless stick, and I'm gonna resurrect it. And when I bring it back to life, then you will know my will. You will know whom I have chosen. And though God raised the dead on many occasions throughout the word of God, there is something about this particular resurrection. It doesn't it doesn't seem like there's a connection.

It seems insignificant. It seems like a random miracle, but no, it points to the resurrection that you and I are singing and celebrating about today. Would you believe it? Yes. Christ is the theme of the bible.

And look here again in in chapter 17 verse six. Moses spoke to the people of Israel and all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief according to their father's houses, 12 staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. I love that phrase. The staff of Aaron was among their staffs.

It's not very difficult to see how this points to some measure of the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. That Jesus, the one that we worship, the one that we adore became like one of us and physically dwelt among us. He was in our midst. And what the people saw with Aaron's rod at this point is what most men witness and beheld while Jesus was on the earth. A Jewish man who carried the physical features of of a human, who operated as a true man, who ate, who grew, who worked, who was weary, who thirsted, who eventually died.

And he had no former majesty that we should look at him and he was tempted in every respect though without sin. But Christ not only had a human life, Christ actually died a very human death. He was nailed with real nails and it penetrated real flesh. He did sweat. He did shed blood.

He was bruised. He was beaten. And eventually, he was laid bodily in a real tomb. And so like Aaron's rod among the other staffs, the physical expiration of Christ's body was not really perceived as any different of someone else's. His greatest enemies and his most faithful followers really believed that that he died.

That he died. Until a short amount of time has passed. Come here and read what happens in verse seven of this chapter. And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony. Remember that was the the place of worship that did not have an open entrance for just anybody to come in.

No. There were priests who can come in only. And among the priests, there was only the high priest who can go to the most holy place. Moses takes these staffs, these dead dry withered sticks, and he brings them into the very presence of God as close as he can get, and he just laid them there. He walked out.

Look what happens in verse eight. On the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms and it bore ripe almonds. What was Moses' face like? When he realized that early morning that there weren't just little sprouts that came out, but you had the full maturation of an almond branch right there, fully developed in one night. And yet, you see here that these branches were brought into the tent of the meeting and in secret, in seclusion, an intervention of God took place.

No eye beheld it. There was no external elements that influenced it. And in like manner when Christ was buried and sealed from the outside world, the exact moments of animation entering into his frame. The precise details of him removing those burial cloths. Him standing up from that slab that they placed him on was not observed by any human eye, though the evidence of his resurrection was perceived very clearly afterwards.

All that the people knew with those rods that entered in is that those rods went in as dead rods and one came out back to life. And someone already observed the God who worked in the sanctuary to bring life to this staff is the same God who worked in that tomb to bring Jesus back to life. Resurrection life. Is there more to say about this miracle? Oh, you better believe it.

Out of all the manifestations that could have occurred, out of all the fruits, out of all the vegetation, we are told very plainly and clearly that it bore ripe almonds. Almonds. And if you come here on Friday, you know that there's no detail in the Bible that's by accident. I looked at this and I thought almonds. Of all things almonds.

And there is scriptural evidence of of what that reveals, but want to go a little deeper and think almonds? Of all things, why almonds? So I decided to look up almond trees. And I realized that almond trees, and I confirmed it with pastor Daniel, who's very familiar with the agriculture there in Israel, that the almond tree was special in this, that it would blossom very late into the winter. The almond tree was in essence one of the first plants that would reveal life in a very unusual time of the year.

And on average, you would see the almond trees begin to show their beautiful white and pinkish colors in February of all times of the year. And this has become for many of the Jews an a symbol, an ancient symbol of hope. Because what this almond tree would do is bring about some reminder that spring is soon coming. That this this harsh and cruel winter is soon over. And that there is something to come and there is something to look forward to and there's something to anticipate.

And the joy that this almond tree would bring was not just the obvious fruit that it would offer at some point, but it's very presence in the midst of, again, a very bleak and gloomy time of the year. The almond tree at that time and in this time even, not part of the world was God's natural signpost that spring is on its way. You can endure a little longer. You can believe that there is more to come. And do you think that the resurrection of Jesus has a different message?

It has the very same message for you and I. In first Corinthians fifteen twenty, Paul tells us this, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. That's that's the Holy Spirit giving language to a very practical thing that we should adopt in our own thinking. The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, meaning what?

That Jesus dying and rising again should create the same kind of anticipation that the Israelite would know when they would begin to see the first fruits of their crop in their harvest. And they've been called by God in the law to bring that first fruits to the house of God and to dedicate it, to recognize God for it, but also in faith to believe that there is more to come. That there is a harvest to be expected, and they would celebrate God for that. And this is the language that the Holy Spirit has given Paul to ascribe to Jesus' resurrection. His resurrection is the first fruits.

And so you and I also have to understand that when we meditate and rehearse and reflect and sing about the resurrection, we are also believing for something to come. For something to arrive. And what is it that is arriving? Well, again, the first fruits predicted and pledged a harvest to come and it is no different for resurrection life. Jesus died and rose again indicating what?

There is a great resurrection to arrive. Among whom? The redeemed. And so here's the thing, we look at the resurrection, we hear about the resurrection, we preach the resurrection not as a past event, but also as a promise for something tomorrow. And in the same way that almond tree promised during a cruel time of the year, a wet time, very difficult time for just even daily activity, it promised there's a season coming.

Spring is coming. Christ's resurrection promises an eternal spring. Christ's resurrection assures us that there is a time coming in which you and I will be able to escape the brutality of this broken world, that this long chapter of human history will eventually come to an end and we will enter into a new age with new bodies. And we will be delivered from all time and for all time, the very things that we try to weather and endure day after day. That is what Christ's resurrection does.

And so when you see this concept of an almond tree, you are seeing something that these people would have been very familiar with. There is something ahead. Something happened. Yes. But there is something also ahead.

If you're in Christ, you can believe that. If you're in Christ, that's what the resurrection means to you. How can you say you 66% of Americans that there is no practical implication of the resurrection? It is the very anchor of your hope. It is the very source that you refer to moment by moment saying, this is not it.

There is more to come. There is something that I have in terms of a future, and a future that is secure, and a future that delivers, and a future that promises spring. Paul uses this language. And so what you see here with number 17 is a miracle of resurrection. Yes, of a staff, but preparing us for a greater resurrection.

Preparing us for something more significant than an almond tree promising warm weather and bright scenery. No. There is heaven to come. There is a saving from this body that is fractured and broken by the fall. And where do we look to that?

Not a staff, but a savior. Jesus Christ. But remember, God called for Aaron's staff to be inscribed with his name that represented the tribe of Levi for for a specific purpose in this context. These people in every single tribe apparently were not content with one what God had put them in in terms of their position of leadership, in terms of their service. And they they wanted to usurp.

They wanted what these men had, specifically Aaron. And so God was coming to his defense because it wasn't about Aaron, it was about God's election over Aaron as a priest. And so God is doing this whole thing to authenticate the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants. Now, in reading into this and looking into this, I'm aware that we're we're now getting into deeper waters. So if you have questions, see pastor Daniel after the service.

And he'll be more than willing to answer these questions. I feel like the author of Hebrews, when he began to speak about what I'm about to speak about, was hesitant because, again, we're now going into meat. This is not milk. So I will try to present it in in the form of milk as milky as possible, but if you're gonna get it, it will bless you. Remember, we see here that God wants to put his mark of approval on the priesthood of Aaron.

And it worked. It worked. You read at the end of it, you realize that these people were were humbled, they were broken, and they stopped with the rebellion. They just they were satisfied with what they have seen. Okay.

Aaron and his descendants, their priesthood, that that's God's choice and that they were silenced and the murmuring ceased. But something happens as you read on throughout the bible. As you progress throughout the narrative, you also see that there is greater divine revelation being granted to this people group called Israel. And one of the revelations that's given to this people Israel is that there is another priesthood to come. As binding as the Aaronic priesthood was, this nation was told of a Messiah to come.

And they were told that a king would arrive on the scene and he would bring an eternal dominion. But when you read and explore this in detail, you realize that this king would also be a priest. That was contradictory to the system here of Israel. You didn't have kings who were priests or priests or kings. They were either a priest or you're a king and those were two different two different roles altogether.

And yet, in Psalm one ten, we are told about the Messiah and at one point in verse four, we are told that he would be priest forever. Priest forever according the order of who? Not Aaron. Melchizedek. Now you see my my struggle here.

Now I gotta tell you who Melchizedek is and I have to keep you here. You're gonna have to miss lunch. I won't do that. Melchizedek. Not a foreign idea to the old testament.

Though his appearance is rare, it is absolutely significant. It held prophetic power and prediction. After the order of Melchizedek, and I believe that God knew the difficulty that his own people at this time would have in embracing this idea of a priesthood apart from Aaron. I mean this is the system that they've known for hundreds and hundreds of years. The Levites, the sacrifices, the offerings, the order, the furnishings.

And now God is telling us that there is a Messiah to come. And when this Messiah comes, he will not just sit on a throne, but he will assume the role of a mediator? If you don't believe that there was a struggle, oh, there was a struggle because we have a whole book about that struggle. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament. The whole point of the book of Hebrews is you had Jewish Christians who did acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, but were being tempted now to revert back to the judicial the Jewish system.

They wanted to to go back to the law, go back to acknowledging Aaron as a superior priesthood. And they were experiencing persecution and there was internal strife, and so this author inspired by the Holy Spirit comes in. And he makes this glorious case in the book of Hebrews of why Jesus is greater than Moses. An amazing study. Maybe you didn't know this, I'll just throw it in there.

People believe that the book of Hebrews was actually a sermon. It's actually a sermon. And so if you read the book of Hebrews out loud, it is estimated that you can complete it around sixty minutes. When I learned that, I I was very comforted because I learned that I have sixty minutes to preach a sermon, and nobody can say anything. It's in the bible.

It's this rich in-depth study where the author is using what they were understanding to be their authority, and it is authority. The the the Hebrew scriptures and he showed Jesus being superior from the Hebrew scriptures. And this is one of the arguments he makes to persuade these believers to be concrete in their faith that Jesus as their mediator sufficed and not only sufficed was superior to any other priesthood. Hebrews seven. Look at this in verse 22.

I want you to see it. Turn your pages there. Hebrews seven twenty two. Hebrews seven twenty two reads, this makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.

But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Yes. Hallelujah indeed. I love the rumbling of your amens this afternoon. Is it not true?

And why does Jesus continue forever? Because he has been raised to life never to die again. And so here's what the author is saying, why would you, you Jewish Christians, go back to a system in which the priest cannot continue and hold office when you now have in the new covenant a priest who remains the same priest, the same high priest with the one single offering sufficient for all of eternity. Why would you go back to that? Why?

And do you see the connection that I'm trying to make here with number 17? In what way did God in this covenant authenticate to a skeptical and critical crowd that the Aaronic priesthood was his choice? Resurrection. He raised a staff to life and it silenced them. And now we come to the new covenant.

A covenant that was predicted in the old. And Jesus, oh our God, consistent with his ways, now looks to a skeptical crowd, Jew and Gentile. How am I going to authenticate that the priesthood of Jesus is superior to that even of Aaron's resurrection? I've raised him from the dead. And because he is risen, he is greater than all.

And not just greater than the Aaronic priesthood. There are many staffs. There are many rods. There are many expressions and ideologies and even faiths that attempt to challenge the exclusive message of the gospel. And they are laid out there and many attempt to say, look like Aronn's staff, he is numbered among others.

They all look the same. They all point to the same reality. They all share authority. But may I add this afternoon boldly without fear, with the courage that I have here in the scriptures and by the Holy Spirit, no matter what kind of authority claims whatever they want, none of them have risen from the dead. Not Muhammad.

Not Buddha, not Joseph Smith. No one has risen from the dead except our God, our Christ, our Messiah Jesus. And so let them claim all they want. They're in the tomb still. They did not come out sprouting with life.

They did not predict their own death and not just their own death, but their rising from the dead. And Christ not only predicted it, he says, I have the authority to lay it down and I have the authority to rise it up again. That's our Christ. And so we see here that in the same way, this staff coming to life authenticated a priesthood of the past. That priesthood is now obsolete because a greater resurrection has taken place.

The resurrection of our Lord and savior. And we look at this and we think this is glorious. Yes, it is glorious. But there's even more. We come here to verse 10 of our text and what do we read?

Let's actually read verse nine. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel and they looked and each man took his staff. I love that. I love that the Holy Spirit included that. Moses goes in that next morning, he gathers all these sticks and he brings it out and publicly displays them before all the people and they all with their own eyes recognized as they looked at the names on each staff, Aaron's staff has come to life.

And we have our Christ who resurrected. Yeah. Although it was secluded and the the immediate infusion of that animation and energy that brought his body up again, Although that was concealed, he came out. And when he did come out, he showed himself publicly. And when he showed himself publicly, there was no denying, this is the same man that I saw crucified.

This is the same man that was buried in Joseph's tomb. Why? Did he like Aaron's staff have his name inscribed on him? No. He had marks.

And he came to a doubting disciple and he says, put your finger here. Touch my side. And so these apostles and many other disciples, as Paul said, 500 at one time beheld him. He came out of the tomb like how Aaron came out, his staff came out of this tent. And there was no denying this is God's choice.

This is God's doing. This is a miracle from heaven. We read on and what do we see in verse 10, and the Lord said to Moses, put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony to be kept as a sign for the rebels that you may make an end of their grumblings against me lest they die. So Moses was called to take that one staff, that miraculous rod, and to return it into the tent of meeting and to place it in the very presence of God. And now it's not difficult to see how that applies to our understanding of the resurrection.

Does it? Yes. Jesus, in a tomb hidden, new resurrection. And Jesus left that tomb and he showed his marks and and people saw and believed that he is indeed raised from the dead. His identity cannot be mistaken.

But Jesus just like this rod returned into the presence of God. And he did not just resurrect, but he ascended on high. And as he ascended, he entered into the very throne room of God and is seated at the right hand of majesty. And though he is hidden from our sight, we believe he is coming back again. And so we see this staff, it goes back into the very throne room of God at that time, which was the ark of the covenant and it was in close proximity to him.

Isn't the bible amazing? But this is what I wanna bring your attention to in closing. Something happens to these people as they witness this miracle. What did they witness? We read here, and the people, verse 12 of Israel said to Moses, behold we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.

Everyone who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord shall die. Are we all to perish? And that's how the story ends. And so you obviously see a contrition here. There is a humbling that's taken place with these rebels that were very bold in accusing God and questioning his ways.

But after this particular miracle, they had this overwhelming sense that they were going to be judged. They realized their fault, they realized their mistake, they realized their error and now they're living with this anticipation that God is gonna do something to us. And I wanna make this point and it might be contrary to what you might hear on Easter weekend. This is not an unreasonable reaction. Because there is an element of the resurrection that we must consider and that is the return of Jesus in judgment.

Now that's not my own idea. It's not because I love preaching judgment. It's because in the minds of the apostle, they could not disassociate the doctrine of the resurrection and the reality of a returning king who has come to vindicate. Can I prove that to you in closing? Meet with me here in Acts 17.

And as you turn there, I want you to see something that Paul preached to gentiles in verse 30. Acts seventeen thirty, here's what the apostle says. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. So you understand here that the the idea of a coming judgment is fixed and assured upon the resurrection. So the disciples understood Christ rising bodily, They've been promised he's returning bodily and he's not returning bodily to die for sins again.

He is returning bodily to judge sin especially the sin of those who have not repented when they had the chance. So here's how they're thinking. Because the resurrection is true, you 66% of Americans who don't understand the practical implications. Listen. Because the resurrection is true, repentance is necessary.

Amen. That's the idea. So Easter is not about, figuring out that week what kind of cute dress you're gonna wear for that Sunday. It's not what Easter is about. It's not about wearing bright colors.

It's not about singing more lively songs. It's not about having a special potluck after the service. No. Because the resurrection is true, repentance must be declared. And that's what these men preached.

Do we wanna be like the New Testament church? We need to get back to the New Testament church. Okay. Then let's see how they preached. This passage might ruffle some feathers, especially our traditional view of what Easter is all about, but Paul shares another dimension of what the resurrection is proof of and that is a future coming judgment.

The world, both Jew and Gentile, small and great, will be examined and evaluated in righteousness by a man whom God has chosen. And the evidence of this universal ruling being a certainty is that God exalted him and will be the judge of the earth. And that is why they emphasized the resurrection because it is again inseparable from repentance. That's the pattern of preaching throughout the book of Acts. They preached resurrection and in the same breath they could say, repent.

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Now repent. You don't hear that second part usually. But that's how they preached.

That's how they preached. The grave is empty. Hallelujah. So surrender to the Lord who has the keys of death and Hades. So when we go about telling others Christ has resurrected, which we should, we are also informing them of a returning judge.

And now, we hear that and we think to ourselves, in closing, what are the practical implications of that? Well, you heard it and unfortunately, you're gonna get different responses to it. And I wanna show you the three different responses that Paul experienced when he preached this very same message that I'm preaching to you. So you're there in acts 17. Right?

Now look here in verse 32. Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. K. Pause. Some here, I'm fully aware.

Though my prayer is not for this, I am a realist, and I understand that there are different soils in this place this afternoon. I I would not be surprised if leaving this place, some will mock, and maybe not outright blaspheme, but you're you're just you're indifferent to this. You could care less. You you see this as a silly myth. This is just a tradition.

You're just no different than any other religion with their high holidays in the year. So, yeah, the resurrection, okay. Judgment, man, we've developed. We're past that. K?

Let's move on here. Let's catch up with the times. Raising of the dead, what are you what are you speaking about? So I'm fully aware that there could be some, God forbid, but there can be some who who will mock. You will walk and leave right out of here with with no hint of conviction, and you'll be just fine.

And you might show up again next year, and the same thing will happen. But God forbid, some mocked. Look at the second part of the verse. But others said, we will hear you again about this. So unlike the first crowd, you had some where their interest were sparked.

Resurrection from the dead. A coming judgment. Fascinating. You know, you have people like that today who are who are just caught up in philosophy and love debate and and and try to reason everything and and so they're intrigued by this kind of conversation and that's what you have here. Whether they were sincerely skeptical or they were just trying to be nicer than the first crowd, I don't know.

But here's the one thing that I can say for certain, this kind of attitude as much as it is more honorable than the former is dangerous because it's a delay. This is delaying. And as one person said, procrastination is the recruiting sergeant of hell. We will hear you again about this. But here's the problem with that, as much as they intended to have this conversation again, conversations about your soul, the truth about eternity may never happen again.

And that's what happened here. Verse 33, so Paul went out from their midst. The preacher left town. He went on. He moved on with his missionary endeavors.

No indication that he came to the same group of people at all. And so there is a sense in which people understand the urgency and perhaps even in in this time of history more than ever realizing that all the promises of this life are in fact lies. And so there are existential questions being asked and so may God use this weekend to really stir hearts, but if your heart is stirred, would you please not leave this place delaying what this means for your soul? Would you instead stay? Would you would you instead talk to the person who invited you that you know is a Christian?

Would you meet with some of the leaders here and and deal with those skeptical things? And have some clarity on where there might be confusion? Because your soul is at stake. Your eternal destination is at stake. Not church membership.

Not you doing something on Sunday afternoon. Your soul. Your eternal soul. And what do we see here? Verse 34, but some men joined him and believed.

Joined him and believed among whom were also Dionysius and Areopagite and a woman named Demerus and others with them. Some joined him and believed. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. Do you want to be in that number?

Do you wanna be able to look at the resurrection not just as some cultural American tradition that 66% of people believe in and observe year round? Do you wanna go beyond that and say, I wanna see the resurrection of Jesus as the first fruits of my future? That even though I may die, and I'll tell you this, death is promised to all of us. It is a plague with a hundred percent fatality rate. Though that is my inescapable future, that will not be my final destination.

I'll tell you what you need to do. Repent and believe. That's what you need to do. Say, what what what is demanded of me? I'll tell you what's demanded of you.

Give up. Give up what? Stop trying to make your way to heaven. Release your self righteous tendencies and come to the foot of the cross and surrender and acknowledge that what Christ has done, he did on your behalf. And that you cannot attain eternal life by your own merit, but that you have been forgiven freely by God.

That in his love, he extended his son to you to live a life that you could not live and to die the death that you deserve to die. And you come into that place of faith and you acknowledge my sin, put him on that cross. And yet, because he's on that cross, his righteousness can now be mine. That's the gospel. It's not do this and hopefully you will make it to heaven.

It's not inshallah. It's not I hope. It's not maybe. It's not when I stand there I'll figure it out. You will know I am saved.

It's a free gift. It's a free gift onto eternal life. And I wanna extend that gift to you today. You don't have to come to a priest. You don't have to jump through hoops.

You need to stand on your head. You need to believe in your heart and confess in your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised them from the dead. And the moment that your heart truly believes that, God will justify you. In that very second, you will be seen as forgiven the sight of a holy God, and you will have your name inscribed in the lamb's book of life. You will have a hope for tomorrow.

And even though tomorrow is not promised, there is a promise for your tomorrow and it is this, that you will have eternal life with God in Christ Jesus. That's it. This is why we Christians call the gospel good news. It's not kind of good news nor is it old news. It's good news for today.

And I wanna tell you this, that he has risen from the dead and he will return. But when he returns, will he find you waiting for him? Will he find you expecting him? Will he find you washed by his blood? Oh, I pray that today you would make that decision.

I want this Jesus to be my Lord and my savior. I want to be forgiven. I'm a sinner. I've done so much. I've grieved God.

I've grieved men. I've grieved the law of God. I've grieved the law of man. And I know that if I were to stand before God, I would be judged. No matter what you've done, name that sin, and I can tell you with confidence in return, it can be forgiven.

And you can be restored and reconciled to a holy God where you walk with him no longer as your judge but as your father. Can I pray with you? Lord, we thank you for the glorious the glorious gospel. Even seeing a glimpse, a shadow of the resurrection in numbers chapter 17. Lord, we ask that the joy of our salvation would not just be renewed for this afternoon, but that it would be taken to a new height that we can live in.

We realize that spring is coming. That the warmth of your presence over us will remain forever. And everything, all the pain, all the scars, all the hurt, all the betrayal, all the trauma will be a memory of the past, and a memory that will not really haunt us anymore. It will be swallowed up by the bliss of heaven. The joy of your presence.

And, Lord, we just ask that for the the believer, they would be strengthened again in their faith and that they would be anchored in the truth of the first fruits of the resurrection. For the person in this place that we are so happy is visiting, but perhaps does not know you or have the assurance of knowing you. May they not be like those first two groups who mocked or delayed what to do with their souls and whose hand to place their souls in, may today be the day of salvation. And may they realize that in your goodness, you have set them up to be here to hear this news because you love them and you want them. Lord, we sing to you because we believe this is true.

And we sing to you because you are worthy of glory. Give us eyes to see that you are the resurrected king and that you are the returning judge. To redeem your bride and to vindicate your name. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.

Let's stand together and sing to the Lord.