The Conquest

Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth, simply stated.

Thanks for joining us for this message. Here's Adrian Rogers. Pastor Rogers is a teacher. He is Christ.

The teacher said this is a wonderful essay, but you misunderstood. I said the greatest living man. And that student rightly answered that teacher, he is alive. He is alive.

stay dead. Jesus died and He rose again. I was reading about Harry Houdini. Harry Houdini was an escape artist.

Actually he died in 1936 on November the 29th. But I have read about him. This man was a genius. He could get out of anything. They said that he had the flexibility of an eel. He had the lives of a cat.

They tried all kinds of ways to keep Harry Houdini locked up. Sometimes they would put him in a coffin, bury the coffin. He would get out. Sometimes they would sew him up in canvas bags and throw him in the river. He would come out.

They would seal him in metal milk cans and weld the top. And yet somehow he would escape. One time they put him in a federal prison in Washington.

Maximum security. He was in there less than a half an hour and he walked out and in the meanwhile he had moved most of the prisoners from one cell to another. An incredible individual. His biographer said he could escape from anything except your memory. And yet there came a day when Harry Houdini died and friend, he did not escape. No trickery there. No skill there.

No flexibility there. Harry Houdini died. But friend, I want to tell you there was another who died. His name was Jesus and he made the great escape. Jesus came out of that grave and he arose. Now I want us to think about some things that are true because he arose. Five resurrection facts that you're going to find here in the fourth chapter of the book of Acts. Look if you will now beginning in Acts chapter 4 verse 1.

And as they spake unto the people and the priest and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. What is the first fact? Because he lives. The first fact is this, that his persecution continues. His persecution continues. Did you know that because Jesus Christ is alive he is still being persecuted? Now here we are in Acts chapter 4. You're going to find out that it was the apostles who were persecuted. But in the truest sense it was the Lord Jesus who was being persecuted. Now the reasons the apostles were being persecuted is that they had done a miracle. Look very carefully. Look in chapter 3 and verse 12.

Peter refuses to take credit for the miracle. And when Peter saw it he answered unto the people, ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us? As though by our own power, our holiness we had made this man to walk. And then look if you will in chapter 4 and verse 10. Be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you hold.

Do you get it? A miracle had been done. The high muckety mucks didn't like it. The people were beginning to follow the Lord Jesus. They thought they had been done with Jesus. But now here is a man who is healed.

And Peter said, hey, we didn't do it. Jesus did it. Jesus did it. And when they were persecuting these apostles, who were they truly persecuting? Jesus.

Because the apostles were just the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus. He has a new body now. His new body is called the church. But he's still alive. When you persecute the church, you're persecuting Jesus. Jesus is not dead.

He is alive. You persecute a dead man. And because he lives, his persecution continues.

Put it down big, plain, and straight. When you love this Jesus, when you stand for this Jesus, as these apostles did here in the fourth chapter of the book of Acts, this world is going to come down on you like a hammer and all of the artillery of hell is going to be aimed at you just like it was aimed at the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you're not getting any persecution, don't boast about it, for the Bible says they and all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Don't get the idea that the world has gotten more churchy if there's no persecution. It's only because the church has gotten more worldly. When we begin to let the living Christ live in us, you're going to find out number one, the first fact of these resurrection facts is this, his persecution continues.

But I want you to see something else. Preaching convinces. Look, if you will, in verse 4, how be it many of them which heard the word believed and the number of men was about 5,000. One of these days I'd like to preach when 5,000 men get saved. Now, how did these men, fishermen, unlettered, uneducated, how was it that they were able to stand up and preach and 5,000 come to Jesus Christ?

I'll tell you why. Because he lives and they were not dependent upon their power of oratory, their power of logic, their winsomeness to bring these people to Christ. There was a living Christ inside of them.

I've told you before and I'll tell you again, anything I can talk you into, somebody else can talk you out of. We are not preaching today facts about a dead Christ of history. We present a living Christ to you. I am not dependent upon talking you into believing in Jesus Christ. If 11 apostles who had seen him with their own eyes could not convince Thomas, I'll not be able to convince you.

Do you know what convinced Thomas? He had an encounter with a living Lord. And when he had an encounter with the living Christ, he was convinced.

Do you know what you need today? An encounter with Jesus Christ, not with the church, not with Adrian, not with choirs. You need to meet the living Christ. These people were brought in contact by the Holy Spirit with the living Christ and they were totally, absolutely convinced.

You see, other leaders, they come and they go, they die. I visited Lenin's tomb on an Easter. I was in Moscow, the first Easter. I said to my wife, we will not be in Moscow without visiting Lenin's tomb. Now, in Lenin's tomb, Lenin is there in a crystal cicar, cicar, a crystal case.

He's there. He is beautifully embalmed. There is his waxen face.

His beard is trimmed just so. There is a soldier here, and a soldier there, and a soldier here, and a soldier there, and they're guarding Lenin. And on that tomb, these words are written.

I want you to listen to it. He was the greatest leader of all peoples, of all countries, of all times. He was the Lord of the new humanity. He was the Savior of the world, and there lies that dead rascal. He was the Savior of the world. Do you notice it's all past tense? He was, he was, he was, he was. Jesus said, I am he that liveth and am alive forevermore. Friend, I want to tell you, that makes a difference.

My little old wife who is a rule keeper, I mean, she's one of the greatest rule keepers in the world, and in that time you're not supposed to whistle, talk, laugh, not even put your hands in your pocket. You're not supposed to say anything, but when Joyce walked past each of those guards, she just leaned in and whispered, Christos vas Christ. That means Christ is risen. Christ is risen. Christ is risen. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. You see, it is the living Christ. It is an encounter with the living Christ that convinces people, and that's the reason I don't have to depend on my ability as a preacher to cause you to believe. My ability, my job, my joy, my responsibility is just to bring you to an encounter with Jesus Christ. You see, there is a difference because we are preaching a living Christ.

Here's a third thing I want you to see. Not only does his persecution continue, not only does his preaching convince, but his power confronts. Now, they thought they were done with him. They'd put him in that grave.

They'd set a seal upon it. They said, he is finished, but he wasn't finished. It was finished. The plan of salvation was finished, and they said, if you're the Son of God, come down from the cross.

That was the wrong question. They should have gone to the tomb and said, if you're the Son of God, come out. He's shown to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, and now he's still alive, and he's on the loose.

They thought, we're finished with him. But Peter said, you crucified him, but it's the same one that you crucified who has just healed this man. And now they are confronted with the power of a living Christ, and so are you in the world today. His power confronts us today.

Now, here is the fourth of these resurrection facts I want you to notice. Not only does his persecution continue, not only does his preaching convince, not only does his power confront all of these things because he lives, but his presence compels. His presence compels. Look, if you will, in verse 13, and when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. They had been in his presence.

Now, who is it? Peter and John. Well, Peter wasn't known for boldness a little while back. He had cringed before a little maid. Had said he never even knew the Lord Jesus. Curse, swore, denied the Lord Jesus. But now he had seen the risen Lord, and he was compelled you could not shut him up. You see, when you're in the presence of Jesus Christ, something happens to you.

When you're in the presence of the risen Lord, just as you put an iron in the fire and leave it in the fire before long, that piece of iron gets red hot, and not only is the iron in the fire, but the fire is in the iron. And you spend time with the Lord Jesus, and you're going to be as bold as these people are, and his presence will compel you. Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, what was it that set them on their ear?

What was it that caused them to marvel? It was the boldness of these men for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what is boldness? What is holy boldness? Friend, it's knowing that Jesus is alive. I mean, listen, if you are truly, truly convinced that Jesus Christ walked out of that grave, could you ever be intimidated?

Think about it. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they marveled. They took knowledge of them. They're ignorant and unlearned and they said, hey, they have been with Jesus. They have been with Jesus.

We need an epidemic, I say, of holy boldness, not to be ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, these men, if you think about it, they're facing the equivalency of the Supreme Court. They're a couple of country bumpkins. They're from Galilee. They're from the hill country.

They're fishermen. They should have been standing there just kind of shuffling their heads down, just kind of afraid. But there they are.

I mean in front of the highest rulers of the land. They're in the magnificent temple. They are absolutely, absolutely uninhibited with a face like the noonday sun. They take a stand for the Lord Jesus Christ.

They would not shut up, let up, back up. They are preaching Jesus. I want some of that boldness in my own life. You need it.

I tell you the way that you get it is to spend some time with the living Lord Jesus Christ. Friend, His presence compels us. We cannot be ashamed.

We cannot back off. What happens when we know that He's alive? Well, His persecution continues. His preaching convinces. His power confronts. His presence compels.

And here's the last. His people confess. His people confess. Look if you will now in verse 14.

Look at it. And beholding the man which was healed, standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they, that is the religious leaders, conferred among themselves saying, What shall we do to these men?

For that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all or to teach in the name of Jesus.

But now watch this. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. Now verse 20, here's the key. But we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Friend, they said, You can't preach, a risen Lord. We don't want you to tell this message. We don't want this message out. Why didn't they want the message out? Because of the power of that message. I'm told that one demon said to another demon, If those liberal theologians ever really let Jesus out of this grave, hell help us, all heaven will break loose.

That's true. They knew that all heaven was about to break loose. They said, You can't preach this message anymore. You might as well have told the sun not to shine as to tell these men that they could not preach a risen Christ.

Why? Because they had seen Him. They had seen Him.

You could not shut them up. Because He lives, His people confess. Anybody who has known that Christ is alive cannot keep quiet. Do you know what a witness is? A witness tells what he's seen and heard. Do you know why some of you don't witness? You haven't seen or heard anything.

That's it. You haven't seen or heard anything. A person who has seen and heard that Jesus Christ is alive cannot be made to shut up. His people confess. If you're not sharing Jesus Christ, if you're not telling people about Jesus Christ, very frankly, I don't think you understand that He's alive. I don't think you've seen anything. I don't think you've heard anything. Evangelism in the New Testament was not an eight-day meeting where they brought in some revivalist or some evangelist.

I'm not opposed to that. But in the New Testament these Christians were all at it, and they were always at it. Do you know why? They'd seen Him. They knew He was alive. You could not shut them up. His people confess.

His people confess. Think about what that early church did. They had no printing presses. They had no buses. They had no radio, no television, no loudspeaker systems.

They had no church buildings. And yet they turned that early world upside down and inside out for Jesus Christ. They did so much with so little.

We do so little with so much. He is alive. Let's get that in our hearts.

Let's get that in our mind. He is alive. And because He's alive, His persecution will continue. People will still persecute Him.

And the way they are going to persecute Him is by persecuting you. Wear that persecution like a badge of honor, like a badge of honor because He's alive, He's alive. His preaching convinces. Don't feel like when you teach or preach or witness that it's up to you.

All you do is to bring them into an encounter with the living Christ. It is Jesus that convinces. His power confronts. His power is real in the world today. Jesus Christ is still alive and well. And the Christ that walked the shores of Galilee is alive through His new body, the church today. And His power confronts.

His presence compels. Stay in the presence of Jesus like you put iron in the fire and the fire gets in the iron and there will be a holy boldness about you. You'll not be ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as people confess they'll say, we cannot but speak and tell and preach the things that we've seen and heard. Let me tell you what New Testament Christianity is, friend.

It is supernatural. It cannot be explained and it cannot be denied. It will not be intimidated and it must not be ignored. Christ lives. Christ lives.

Now here's the big question. Christ lives. Do you?

Do you? You say, well pastor, yes, sure. I'm alive. I'm hearing you. I'm listening to you.

No, no, no, no, no. I didn't say, do you exist? I said, do you live? Jesus said to people whose hearts were already pumping, I've come that you might have life and have it abundant. How do you get this life? Well, the risen Lord imparts it when you trust Him. Remember that verse, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

And today if you've not yet made the wonderful discovery of Christ in your heart, let me lead you in a prayer right now where you can invite Christ into your heart. Pray a prayer like this, dear God, I know that you love me and I know that you want to save me. Jesus, you died to save me and you promised to save me if I would trust you. I do trust you. I believe that you are the Son of God.

I believe that God raised you from the dead. I confess you as Lord. I trust you as Savior.

Come into my heart. Forgive my sin. Save me, Lord Jesus. Save me today.

Did you ask Him? Then thank Him. Pray this way. Thank you for saving me, Jesus. I don't deserve it, but I receive it by faith like a child. You're now my Lord, my Savior, my God, and my friend. And Lord Jesus, because you died for me, help me to live for you and not to be ashamed of you. In your name I pray. Amen. If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with Him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.