Sunday, July 17, 2022 AM

We have someone coming to make an announcement or I have an announcement this just in. We have a few extra copies of the church's 70th anniversary invitation if you would like one for your personal records.

If you would like one let Tristan call know and if you don't know who Tristan is she's the one who handed this to me. So hey welcome. It is good to see you this morning and good for us to be together and welcome to Sunnyside Baptist Church.

So we are glad that you are here grateful that we have the opportunity to unite our hearts and our voices in worship to the Lord this morning a couple of announcements that are in your bulletin that just want to kind of highlight quickly.

One is the preparing for Sunday email that you can get details about. That are in the probably the easiest way to subscribe would be to talk to Jana Brown and she can get you signed up for that but there are other specifics in there related to that.

The other is operation Christmas box. Christmas child is going on and this is a good opportunity to bring some summer items and those are listed there within that box in the bulletin. So just be mindful of that.

And if you can contribute that would be a great blessing to the kids that would receive those gifts. Several other things that are coming up Wednesday July 27th at 630 will be the children's choir program so that will be preceded of course by the Wednesday evening meal but encourage you to mark that on your calendar.

Wednesday July 27th for the children's choir program Friday July 29th so this is a bit of a change from how it normally occurs. But truth group will meet on Friday evening July 29th at the home of Jimmy and Kristen Barnett.

So be mindful of that. That's on a Friday Friday July 29th that weekend. On that following Sunday July 31st a couple of things will be happening on that day in the morning service. On Sunday July 31st Ryan mounts will be ordained as an elder here at Sunnyside and we are grateful for God's leading in his life and for God's provision for our church in all those who lead in various ways.

But we are grateful for Ryan and for the Lord's leading in his life and his sensitivity to that. So we he will be ordained in the morning service. We will have a communion that Sunday morning. And then also on that day July 31st flock groups will meet so if you haven't heard from your elder yet on that I'm sure they will be contacting you.

So be Sunday July 31st. Saturday August 6th mugs and muffins will be meeting that day. I don't have a time. Haley do you know at 10 o 'clock at the Browns. Okay James and Jana Brown's house. Saturday August 6th at 10 o 'clock mugs and muffins for the ladies.

And then on Sunday August 7th we will return to our regular Sunday school classes. So we've been so blessed by our summer session classes grateful for all those who have led in those classes. And we still have a couple of weeks left.

But the first Sunday in August we will return to our regular Sunday school class structure. So I know that's a lot of stuff and I'm sure you don't have it all down but it will it will come out over time as well.

But I did want to at least give you a heads up on those things that are coming up in the next few weeks before before we take some time just to be still before the Lord to pray and ask God to draw near to us.

And then Michael will come and lead us in prayer before our worship team comes to lead us in worship in song. I do want to draw your attention to our fighter verses for this week. Psalm 91 verses 3 4.

You find those in the bulletin. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence he will cover you with his pinions and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

How grateful we are for God's goodness and mercy. So if you would just take a moment to be still before the Lord to ask God to help you to worship him this morning. And then after a few moments Michael.

Will come and lead us in prayer. Heavenly father we come before you today.

And we confess before you in agreement with you that we come as needy children. And you are ever our providing father the one who sees and gives and sustains and answers me. Father we have your name here today your name above our name your glory not ours.

We ask that as we as we have gathered in obedience father we have we have come together knowing that this is what you desire of us. We have we have raised our sails upon the mast. Lord unless you send your spirit to blow in our midst nothing will happen.

We are dependent upon you. We are dependent upon you. What I pray that she would bless every effort of our obedience today. You have given us the grace to gather in the desire to gather and to worship you and to praise you and the Lord.

We look to you and ask for the grace to worship you. In spirit and in truth. We pray these things for Christ's sake. Amen. We.

Appreciate the elders our church here at Sunnyside and how they lead us in truth sure that Christ remains preeminent and that they pray and they lead us in prayer. If you notice in the quote in the bulletin today to pray is to enter the treasure house of God and to gather riches out of an inexhaustible storehouse.

Anyway at this time if you would stand for our call to worship we're excited that we're adding officially another elder to our flock as well. Our passage this morning is we're continuing in the book of Psalms 7 chapter 78.

Today we're reading verses 56 to 58. Read with me together. Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers.

They twisted like a deceitful bow for they provoked him to anger with their high places. They moved him to jealousy with their idols. So if you wouldn't turn your Psalms for worship hymnal page 78 I will sing verses 24 and 25.

Next song this morning on page 97 of our regular hymnals are of Jesus name. We'll sing all four verses but not with strong drink. For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes the prophets and he has covered your heads the seers.

The entire vision will be to you. Like the words of a sealed book which when they give it to the one who is literate saying please read this he will say I cannot for it is sealed. Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate saying please read this.

And he will say I cannot read. Then the Lord said because the people draw near with their words and honor me with their lip service. But they remove their hearts far from me. And their reverence for me consists of learned by tradition learned by wrote.

Therefore behold I will once again deal marvelous marvelously with this people wondrously marvelous. And the wisdom of their wise men will perish and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord and whose deeds are done in a dark place.

And they say who sees us or who knows us. You turn things around. Shall the Potter be considered as equal with the clay. That what is made would say to its maker. He did not make me. Or what is formed say to him who formed it he has no understanding.

Let's pray. We're thankful for once again another opportunity to spend time in your word. Spend time with your people. Just pray Lord that you would be among us. That our desire would be to serve and worship you.

And I pray Lord that you would be pleased with our worship. I just pray that you would help us to remain in your hands. And I pray that you would be with Michael as he brings your word to us. Pray that would be submissive to the truths that he presents.

And just pray that you would bless us for being here and allow us to have opportunities to share your word with others as we learn more about you in Christ's name. Amen. If you would turn in your regular hymnal to page 278 we'll sing glorious things of thee are spoken.

Saturday's ladies result that was a wonderful time there for the ladies. The ladies and singing. So one of those songs was your words are wonderful. You may be able to pick up a copy of the lyrics from the back there.

But Brooke and Haley are gonna get us started off on. Your words are wonderful together in.

Prayer. Heavenly Father we come again before you today and we give you praise for your many gifts toward us. Above all you have given us your son Jesus Christ and we know that with him you freely give us everything else.

And so we pray that she would bless our time here this morning as we gain instruction from your word you show us what the truth is. Show us how we need to correct our thinking and our affections and our behaviors.

And Lord we praise you that you are so faithful as Heavenly Father to conform us to the image of your son. We may know what it is to have eternal life to live as you truly have made us to live. We ask that you would bless our time in your word today that you would need us to worship you and that we would give the amen on this earth of your will which is forever established in heaven.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. I invite you to open your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Acts. We're going to be reading verses 15 through 26 Acts chapter 1 verses 15 through 26.

We have begun our study in Acts and we spent some time in the first 11 verses considering the the theme of the kingdom of heaven the kingdom of God the gospel of the kingdom and how this is centered upon the king.

And we want to know what the kingdom is all about. We just simply have to pay attention to who is the king what does he value what is he about what does he desire what is he accomplished and what has he promised to continue to do and to ultimately accomplish.

And we see how essential it is for us to pay attention to the king and to rely upon what he supplies for us having told his followers that they will be engaged in a multicultural multilingual multi-generational multinational endeavor.

Well you know who are we the few the weak not many noble not many just at this point not many at all. And so they have a prayer meeting to go wait upon the Lord and to wait for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.

And so now we come to another moment in their waiting upon the Lord as they've been praying and they've gathered together they recognize that once again they are in need. They are in need of their Lord's provision to see through and to continue to build upon the work that he has begun.

And so this morning we're going to be considering a city which has foundations. A city which has foundations. I invite you to stand with me as I read this word given to us by our Savior and Sovereign Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit through his servant Luke Acts 1 beginning in verse 15.

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples all together. The number of names was about a hundred and twenty and said men and brethren this scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

For he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity and falling headlong he burst open in the and all his entrails gushed out and it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem.

So that field is called in their own language akeldama that is field of blood for it is written in the book of Psalms let his dwelling place be desolate and let no one live in it and let another take his office.

Therefore of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us. One of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.

And they proposed to Joseph called Barsabbas who was surnamed justice and Matthias. And they prayed and said you O Lord know the hearts of all. Show which of these two you have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell that he might go to his own place.

And they cast their lots and the lot fell on Matthias and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God you may be seated. That's what we've talked about the book.

Of Acts is very unique and outside of the book of Revelation it's probably the most abused book in the New Testament. As folks try to take various selections from the book of Acts and insist upon everything being recreated for an authentic first century church which is of course not at all what Jesus wants.

He does not want us to be without the numbers that we have today and the spread of the gospel that we have today. He does not wish us to have less than a full and complete scripture. He does not wish us to be in such dire and difficult and mean straits as this church was.

It's a unique time period as Christ is ascended and he has established the new covenant to the promise of the new covenant the Holy Spirit he is about to descend. And there's this transitional period from the beginning of the new covenant toward the end of the old covenant.

The elements of the old covenant are still in play the temple is still standing that priests are still offering sacrifices many of the Jews are still pursuing their ceremonies and their and their feast days.

And we're going to see a lot of tension indeed conflict indeed persecution from the tenants of the old covenant as they rage against the followers of Jesus Christ those who are part of the new covenant.

And as we think about this transition there are several analogies that we may apply from the Old Testament that would help us to understand. I think one of them that is helpful is that of the connection between Solomon and David.

Remember that David was not allowed to build the temple. Was he now. He wanted to build a temple for the Lord but he was kept from doing that but he did not simply sit down and say oh well forget that David spent a long time gathering supplies and David drew up the plans for the temple and he he arranged everything the funding and the supplies and the plans so that now watch this that the son of David would build the temple.

And isn't that what Jesus said when he came as the son of David he came to build the temple. And in many ways we see this relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant that the Old Covenant is like the days of David in which many things were prepared the plans were all drawn out the supplies were all gathered in everything was set in readiness.

But only when the son of David came was everything brought together in splendor and in glory. And in many ways in the book of Acts we're seeing just how that transition takes place the the outflow of what happens that once the New Covenant has been established and the Old Covenant still sticks around what happens next.

What does this look like. And so we that's why we have very unique things happening in the book of Acts as we read our passage this morning I hope that you notice that there were some rather Old Testament themes as a part of it.

At the end they were casting lots. I mean how Old Testament is that now we also have several quotes from the Psalms. And it wouldn't be very Old Testament if we didn't have a strangely gruesome death right.

So it seems very Old Testament in a way. But here we have the followers of Christ working through a need and the need has to do with the foundation of the city that Christ builds. We are to rejoice in how Christ our King builds his city how he builds his church how he builds his kingdom.

These are all the metaphors that we have in the in the Bible for the for the New Covenant. And consider first of all consider Jesus and the foundation that he has chosen of his Apostles that when we read our text last week in verses 13 and 14 there were a list of names a list of names indeed here we are told it's a hundred and twenty names but absent from the list in verses 13 and 14 and definitely absent from the reference of a hundred and twenty names is one particular name.

And the name that's missing is one of Judas Iscariot. We have 11 Apostles listed 11 Apostles listed in verses and verse 13 and one is missing. And we have in verse 15 120 names. But somebody's missing.

And who is missing is Judas Iscariot. Now why is this important. Why is this important. We go look back in Luke chapter 6 and verses 12 through 16 we find a passage that comes just after Jesus has reinterpreted the Sabbath in terms of himself.

How significant is the Sabbath for the Pharisees and for those who believe that they were the the faithful conveyors of the Old Covenant. But Jesus it reinterprets the Sabbath and shows that true Sabbath is communion with him and that he's the true meaning of the Sabbath.

And he's teaching and showing how the New Covenant is different from the Old Covenant. And in this context he appoints 12 of his disciples to be his Apostles. 12 of his disciples move from simply being followers and learners to being those who are official those who carry the very authority of Christ.

They are like ambassadors who carry the full legal weight of a nation in and of themselves. The expression may be given as plenipotentiary that they have the full diplomatic national effect of a representative.

And Jesus selects 12 to be his Apostles who will go forth in his name and advance his kingdom. Why 12. Any ideas. Why did he pick 12. Well in this passage in Luke 6 where he is teaching how things are going to be different in the New Covenant.

What we remember about the Old Covenant wasn't there 12 in the Old Covenant 12 sons of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel and these were called the children of Israel the tribes of Israel. But now Christ has come and he is the true Israel and he has 12 as well and no longer will it be the scene in which Joshua brings the 12 tribes into the to the land of promised land and cast lots for their inheritance.

But the inheritance of nations has been given to Christ and he has 12 Apostles and he sends them forth in his name to declare his gospel of the kingdom to all the nations. And so we see that that what was placed in picture and in type and in shadow in the Old Testament is brought to its fruition in the New Covenant.

And the list of names are given there in Luke 6 verses 12 through 16. Now it came to pass in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day he called his disciples to himself and from them he chose 12 whom he also named Apostles at a very official authoritative title.

Simon whom he also named Peter and Andrew his brother James and John Philip and Bartholomew Matthew and Thomas James the son of Alpheus and Simon called the zealot Judas the son of James and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Now at the very we move forward in that text. And what else do we see. Not only do we find Jesus reinterpreting the Sabbath in terms of himself and picking a new 12 to represent the people of God and spread his the authority of his kingdom to all the nations.

But we also find in the very same context that he begins to give the kingdom beatitudes he begins to say this is what the kingdom looks like. Blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

And then the the chapter in Luke 6 is completed by Jesus reminding everyone that if there's anything going to be built it must be built upon the rock who is Christ. And so throughout that text we see that it's important to Jesus that he selected 12 in light of the new covenant.

But now we have a problem. Now we have a problem here in Acts chapter 1 one of the 12 is missing. One of the 12 has betrayed the faith. One of the 12 has betrayed Jesus Christ. And Jewish context. If you ever had a hundred and twenty men in the same area it was considered an official Jewish community.

And out of the hundred and twenty men a council would be formed. If you had ten Jewish men in an area you could have a synagogue. Each man would give a tithe and then you would have a rabbi who would serve the people.

If you had a hundred and twenty Jewish men as Peter addresses them men and brethren. If you had a hundred and twenty men then you would have a certified community. And then you would have a council in that community.

Well one of the one of the council is missing. One of the council isn't there. One of those that Jesus had chosen was a betrayer and he is gone. And they see the need. They see the biblical need. They see the need in light of the preeminence and the authority of Christ to replace the one who had fallen in sin.

And this is a recognition of the ways in which Christ provides for the building of his city. He's given these Apostles as foundations. Now if we turn in our Bibles over to Ephesians 4 and Ephesians 2 I think we will see this very plainly in Ephesians chapter 4 in verse 11 it says.

And he himself gave some to be Apostles some prophets some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the Saints for the work of ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ to be all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

So Christ is building something. And he gave including on all the lists he gave Apostles. Now how we'd understand these Apostles. Well back in chapter 2 in verse 19 we were told now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

So did you hear what Christ is building. He is building his body. He's building a temple. Other places we hear he's building a city. He's building his church. He's building a kingdom. And what's the foundation.

In the foundation are the Apostles. And the Apostles are all fitted to a cornerstone. The cornerstone was the perfect stone. The stone that was laid first the one that was perfectly straight in all of its angles against which every other part of the building would be measured to make sure that it was in perfect alignment.

And so we see that Christ is the cornerstone and he is accorded for these twelve Apostles to be the foundations of what he is building. We say all this because this this kind of passage when you read through it and we realize.

Okay so Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ. He's gone. But then by the end of the passage we see that another Apostle came in. What do we do understand about that. Are we just are we to think that there must be a perpetual council of twelve presiding over the entirety of Christendom that all the church must be united under the heading of twelve Apostles.

Or are we to think that that the office of Apostle is to be repeated and to be spread. And that there should always be Apostles everywhere. Well what is that. What does Jesus call his Apostles. Foundations.

Foundations. When you look at a picture of a building is it all foundation. Is their foundation halfway up the wall. Is their foundation somewhere around the roof. Come now. The foundations are at the very beginning and Christ is building his cities building his church.

He's building his temple and he's laid a foundation. He himself is the cornerstone and the Apostles whom he chose our foundation stones aligned to him. That's what we don't have Apostles today. Even though you can buy your Apostleship for $99 .95 online you can get your Apostleship from somebody.

I had a lady in a previous church come tell me that she had been anointed by an Apostle who could make fire come out of his fingertips and she watched him. Do it. I don't think you want that anointing people think today that you're supposed to have Apostles.

Why. Well Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ but then they replaced him. Didn't they about that. Isn't it interesting that Matthias having been accorded this place as part of the twelve and we see it later on in Acts chapter 6 he is numbered as one of the twelve.

It's an important number the twelve for the reasons we've already discussed. But in chapter 12 of Acts in verse 2 we read that James the brother of John one of the inner James the Apostle was murdered by Herod.

And you know what happened next. The church did not replace him. The church did not replace him. He served as a foundation stone of the city which Christ built. He was faithful to the end. He was faithful to his Lord.

He was a martyr. And they did not replace him. He served as that foundation stone and he did so well and he entered into the joy of his Lord. So when we think about the way that Jesus is building his city we should rejoice that he provides all that we need.

He's provided the Apostles. He has provided the prophets and he today he still provides pastors and teachers. He is building his city and we should rejoice in the way that he does. So consider also Judas and the character failure evident in his apostasy.

We read this in verses 16 and 17 of our text. Men and brethren this scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke before the mouth of David before by the mouth of David. Concerning Judas who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.

Now Judas Judas he remembered betrayed Christ. And in Luke's previous volume in the Gospel of Luke we read the following in chapter 22 verses three through six. Then Satan entered Judas surnamed Iscariot who was numbered among the twelve.

Here that again he was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him to them and they were glad. Remember they've been plotting and plotting of some way to kill Jesus.

They were fed up with him they were done with him. And now Judas is giving them an opportunity and they were glad and agreed to give him money. So he promised and saw opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of the multitude whom you remember the religious leaders feared the only reason they had never acted against Jesus.

They were afraid with the crowd might do to them. And then the moment came verse 47 of the same chapter. Luke 22 verse 47. And while he was still speaking behold a multitude and he who was called Judas one of the twelve went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss him.

But Jesus said him Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss. You remember Judas Iscariot was the one who controlled the money purse all the monies that were donated to the ministry of Christ.

Judas somehow became the treasurer. And he remember that the Bible tells us that he was greedy he would help himself from the pouch. You also remember that Judas once was very upset with a woman who came to anoint Jesus for his burial and she was worshipping him and she took her alabaster flask of pure spike nerd something that was very expensive and she broke it and anointed Christ in worship.

And Judas Iscariot rebuked her and was very upset for he was one who believed in human flourishing above all and he said this could have been sold and the money given to the poor right. He saw human flourishing is greater than the glory of Christ and Jesus rebuked him and said the matter of those glories in proper relationship.

But Judas Iscariot was greedy. He was deceptive he was power-hungry he was selfish. Judas was unfaithful. And in every possible way as we consider what Jesus said in Matthew 26 verse 24 the Son of Man indeed goes just as it was written of him but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

He would have been good for that man if he had not been born. When we consider what Judas Iscariot did and trading his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who one who came and and he was serving and he loved Judas and he served Judas and he did all these things for him.

When Judas Iscariot considered Christ and considered money and he considered Christ and he considered self-rule he chose himself over Christ. He sold Christ out for 30 pieces of silver in every possible in every possible way.

I mean this with every ounce of meaning. In this expression Judas Iscariot is the definition of a damned fool. He knew better he did it anyway. It makes him a fool. And he and he was damned to hell for his actions against Christ.

But you notice that he's not in the list verse in verse 13 Acts 1. He's absent from the list of names here in the hundred and twenty. He's particularly pointed out as yeah he's not here. You know why he's not there.

Because of the way that Jesus Christ builds his city. Because of the way he builds his city. Do you realize that not everybody gets in. And the city that Christ builds is not some kind of city where you know everybody no matter who you are what you do or what you affirm everybody gets to live here.

Not that kind of hellhole of a city. The city that Christ builds is exclusive to those whom he saves. Such were some of those who did horrible things and used to be known for their sins. But they've been changed they've been altered.

They've been born again they've been sanctified. And they're brought together into a city that doesn't have all this wickedness abundant in it. Revelation chapter 21. And verse 2 John says. Then I John saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Prepared as a bride in the white and the clean and the fresh in the joyous and the glorious. Here is a bride adorned for her husband. But you know who's not part of the bride. And who's not in this in this city.

Verse 8 of Revelation 21. But the cowardly unbelieving abominable murderers sexually immoral sorcerers idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is a second death.

They don't have their part in the bride. They have their part in the lake of fire. He said well you're talking about a bride in the city. Yes. Verses 9 and 10. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me saying come I will show you the bride.

The lambs wife. Everybody has in their mind now a beautiful woman in a white dress. Correct. Okay hold on to that thought. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the great city.

So I'm going to show you a bride. And then John saw a city. You following me. Follow the text. I will show you the bride. And he showed me the great city the Holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God having the glory of God.

And then the description of what the city looks like. Beloved. Who is the bride of Christ. The church is that's right. So the city that is described here is not the place we're going to live. It is who we are.

I will show you the bride. And he shows me a city. Right. I like the old spirituals. But we're not going to walk on streets of gold. The street of gold is part of the city of who we are. Follow the text.

This city is special. This city is pure. This city is glorious. This city has been prepared like a bride for the groom. And you know what's not there. Wickedness and sin. Verse 26 of Revelation 21. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie. But only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You see this city is pure. This city has no sin or wickedness in it.

It is made completely pure. Additionally in Revelation 22 verses 14 and 15. Blessed are those who do his commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life. And they may enter through the gates into the city.

But outside our dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters. And whoever loves and practices a lie outside are these. You say I thought dogs went to heaven. No it's not those types of dogs.

Look at your footnotes. So what are we seeing. Judas Iscariot did not go to heaven now. It was interesting as I was researching for this sermon. There's all sorts of people who really have some crazy theories about Judas Iscariot.

But they just don't like the idea that it's possible that somebody went to hell. Listen Judas Iscariot is is shown to us first of all as a warning and a reminder. Not everybody goes to heaven. Not everybody is a part of Christ's bride.

Not everybody gets in. Whoever does come in comes in by the blood of Jesus Christ alone by the grace of God. And the grace of God makes such an impact upon their lives that they are utterly different than what they used to be.

This is good news that Christ saves us from not only the punishment of sin but also from the power of sin. And ultimately we will be saved from the very presence of sin. Such is his salvation. Judas does not go to heaven.

And we're considering the city which has foundations. Also consider justice the curse foretold and applied. Verses 18 through 20. Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out and it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem.

So that field is called in their own language a that is healed of blood for it is written in the book of Psalms. Let his dwelling place be desolate and let no one live in it and let another take his office.

So Peter says we need to address this issue about Judas Iscariot and the way that he died and what we must do now because it was written in the Psalms we were told about this very thing and we're told what we were to do now.