"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye hath taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." (Acts 2:23-24)

I would draw your attention dear friends, to the passage of scripture which we have before us: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye hath taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that He should be holden of it."

It is reported my friends that Peter proclaimed these words whilst he was standing approximately 200 yards from where they had buried the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter's words were a glorious statement of confirmation of the resurrection. The Lord Jesus Christ was no longer in the grave for God had raised Him from the dead. God had raised Him from the dead! The truth before us dear friends teaches, and highlights to us the great doctrinal truth that Christ's sacrifice was fully completed and therefore fully accepted by God the Father. Now a suitable illustration we may find by imagining a man in prison serving a sentence, and this man by his own efforts and strength breaks out, but he is not finished his sentence and when the authorities therefore catch up with him back he goes to prison. On the other hand, think of that same man completing his sentence and the authorities opening the prison and setting him free. He has paid the penalty - the law has no further hold on him. Now the Lord Jesus Christ my friends did not just force His way out of the tomb. God brought Him out! Calvary was a finished work! The resurrection proves that His work was fully completed and fully accepted by God the Father. "Him ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain whom God hath raised up." The message we have before us is a message of victory. Victory over sin, evil, suffering, death and the grave. My prayer is that this message of victory and it's encouraging implications, God will enable you to grasp fully - not just acknowledge dear friends - but grasp fully that your whole thinking, your whole attitude and your whole outlook on life may be radically altered.

Now the first truth we have before us is that God can be trusted! God, my friends, can be trusted! Now this truth, my friends, may not always seem so evident at times, but what we must never do is judge God so to speak by appearances. There is an account of a servant of the Lord by the name of A. J. Gossip. This man was one of Scotland's most respected and loved pastors in the 1920's. He was pastor of Beachgrove Church in Aberdeen. Thus sadly, one day his wife died suddenly. The one he loved, his companion, his friend, his wife, suddenly died and this dear man of God was heart broken and devastated. When he next came to the pulpit to preach his first message after his wife's death, he preached on the question - When Life Tumbles In. His text he took from the book of Ezekiel 24:16: "Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desires of thine eyes with a stroke." Notice the force of the words - with a stroke. Now life treats many people like this at times doesn't it? At times their life seems to tumble in. Things go wrong, things come to an end, and at times it happens so suddenly - with a stroke - life tumbles in. Black clouds appear on your horizons, the rays of the sun which once warmed you are blocked out, despair may come and it may seem as if God has forsaken you - God has forgotten you. The experience can be so devastating that you cry with the Psalmist, "How long will you forget me O Lord? Forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" My friends, I want to encourage you when such time comes, to set your experience in the light of the resurrection. I want you to set your experience against the victory of the Lord's resurrection. Do you recall what the situation was like when the Lord Jesus Christ was laid in the tomb? Life had tumbled in for the disciples after Calvary. They had been with the Lord, they had left home and families to be with Him, they had marvelled at His teaching and miracles, they had seen evidence of divine power. They were amazed at many of the things the Lord had said and done. He was different, they had not met the like before. He was a man and yet, He was more than a man. Surely, this was the promised Messiah, but then came the black cloud. His arrest, His trial, His scourging, His crowning with thorns, His crucifixion, His death, His burial. Can we imagine their despair? Can you sense their devastation? Can you see as they sorely saw the dark clouds? The Lord of course had spoken about his death, yes, but they did not really think that such a thing could happen. Surely God would prevent such a thing but no, the Lord Jesus Christ had been nailed to a tree, He had been buried in the tomb, He had lived the very best of lives, He had suffered the worst of deaths. Was there no justice in this world? Where was God to permit such a thing? But my friends, we must never judge God by appearances. The crucifixion seemed a disaster...but the resurrection brought divine light to bear. It was all in God's plan. Listen to the words of verse 23 of this chapter, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Do you see my friends, it was all in the purpose of God. The Lord Jesus Christ was only taken by men, because He was given by God. The crucifixion, yes, was man's act, and man was responsible, but it was also God's act in that it was part of the redemptive plan. It was part of His plan of salvation. We must never judge God by appearances. Life may tumble in for you dear friends, but that does not mean that God has forsaken or forgotten you. God did not forget or forsake His Son in the tomb, because he raised Him from the dead, and God did not forget or forsake the disciples because they became witnesses of the Lord's victorious resurrection whereof we are witnesses.

Sometimes, the Lord's people may go through difficult periods. Sometimes, problems or trials may come with a stroke, but my friends, there is always light at the other end. You know this. There is always light at the other end, just like going through a tunnel. Or perhaps for some this day, it may seem dark. There are clouds hanging over you. Perhaps you don't understand what is happening to you. You are finding it so difficult to understand God's purpose in it all. Your heart rending prayer is "Lord, please help me." Or it may be that as you look to the future, you may see dark clouds gathering, some trial or problem looming ahead, and in truth you want to cry, "Lord, I don't think I can cope with this, please don't leave me with this problem." Life has tumbled in for you or you feel it's about to. Listen my friends, God can be trusted! In Psalm 30 David said, "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Rejoicing comes in the morning! This great truth touches our every need. It reaches down to the very depths of our hearts and souls. Whatever your circumstances, whatever your problem, whatever troubles you have, whatever your need, whatever difficulties there are in the world - rejoicing will come in the morning. God is in control. God can be trusted. And this wonderful sustaining truth is seen in the victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also see from these verses before us that sin can be pardoned. I have been asked many times as I'm sure you have, "Why did the Lord Jesus Christ have to die? Why did God allow it?" Well the Word of God gives us the answer - the Lord Jesus Christ was standing in for God's elected people. Is there someone here today who has never fully grasped this truth? Someone who has never fully understood this truth? Then what of you who know this truth? Is it all just a head knowledge, is it all just a matter of fact? I am not asking whether you have assented to a certain truth, I am not asking whether your theology is sound, or whether you have performed certain functions. I ask the question, do you know as a living reality the Christ of Jehovah who stood in your place? The Lord Jesus Christ was standing in for you and for me. He Himself was sinless. He shed His precious blood at Calvary, not for His sins, but for yours and for mine. Seven hundred years before, the prophet Isaiah wrote, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) His death was no accident, it was no mistake, it was all in the predetermined plan of God. Before this world came into being, before time itself began, Jehovah in the blessed Trinity of His persons, planned our salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb gave Himself freely. He came into this fallen world, to shed His precious blood on the tree at Calvary for a people given to Him by the Father in eternity past. Listen to these great truths my friends, from God's holy Word. Listen to the word that links them together. Christ died for our sins. He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree. He is the Propitiation, the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Nothing could be clearer could it? Our unbelief, our rebellion against God, our selfishness, our envy, our pride, our impurity, all of it was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ and He paid for it all by His shed blood at Calvary.

Saved - nor can I be condemned,
Jesus Christ the sinner's friend,
Took my place and vengeance bore,
Me to save for evermore.

My friends, I speak to you plainly. In particular, I speak to those who have never known forgiveness. To those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, my directness is to impress upon you the urgency of your situation. Why have you not come to the Lord? Do you think you are alright? Do you? There is a saying that people used to use years ago - do you remember it? "I'm alright, Jack." Is that your attitude? You need help to come into this world, you need help with a variety of things as you journey through this world. Do you think for a moment that you don't need help to go out into eternity? Do you think you are good enough to stand before the Lord at judgment? If you have never sought forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ, you are in great danger dear friend. You are like the fool who goes swimming after being warned not to go. We read about them every year don't we? Warnings go out about the dangers of swimming in unsafe waters. The warning flags are flying, but out goes the swimmer. "I'm alright", says the swimmer. But you know what it is when you look at the sea, don't you? It may look alright, it may look calm on the surface, but there are undercurrents, and you cannot see the danger. The people on the shoreline may see the danger, they call, "Come back quickly, you're in danger!" but it is too late. The swimmer is sucked under, lost and swept away! And life is just like that for many people with regards to their salvation. They hear the gospel message, they hear that their only hope is in Christ Jesus, they hear that their most urgent need is to get right with God, that without salvation they will be swept away to a lost eternity in Hell, but they say, "I'm alright. Perhaps one day, but not just now, I'm alright." Soon it will be too late! Is there someone here like that? Let me urge you, let me impress upon you - another opportunity for you may never come. The gospel call comes to you today. Now is the day of salvation saith the Lord. Seek ye the Lord while He still may be found. The victorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is proof that God has accepted the atoning work of His Son. Therefore, sin can be pardoned. Your sin, my sin, can be pardoned. Salvation you see is rooted in Christ's finished work at Calvary. Victory and a blessed assurance of sins forgiven is rooted in His victorious resurrection.

You know my friends, many countries from time to time issue notice for pardon of illegal immigrants. A few years ago the Australian government issued such a notice. All that any illegal immigrants needed to do was to apply to the appropriate office. They would then receive the Crown's pardon for legal entry. A date was set for the illegal immigrants to comply with. When this date had passed, the authorities were still discovering illegal immigrants. They had simply not come forward to receive the Crown's pardon. Were they pardoned? No, they were not! For it was no good arguing, just because a person was told of a pardon, that he should be left off the penalty because he did not apply for the pardon. Any sensible person would say they have only themselves to blame. They refused to come forward for the pardon. Therefore in the eyes of the law, they are still liable to the punishment. And when the Australian authorities found these illegal immigrants, they were deported. My friends, the living God Jehovah, has declared a pardon. A full, free pardon for sins to all who confess their sins, and call upon Christ to come into their lives. The pardon, this pardon is sealed by the Lord Jesus Christ's precious blood. Have you seen your need of this pardon? Is there someone here who is still a stranger to God's pardon? Let me assure you then, He will receive you. He will forgive you! He will grant peace to your soul. The Lord Himself hath declared, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)

Today, His mercy calls you
To wash away your sins,
However great your trespass,
Whatever you have been,

However long from mercy
Your hearts have turned away.
The blood of Christ can cleanse you,
And make you white today.

This great truth seen in the victorious resurrection in the Lord Jesus Christ, is that God can be trusted, sin can be pardoned, and as we look at the victory found in the Lord Jesus Christ, we see that evil can be defeated. When the Lord Jesus Christ was brought down from Calvary's tree, and laid in the tomb, it must have looked as if evil had triumphed. The forces you see of darkness, had masked themselves against the Christ of Jehovah at Calvary. It was there our Lord Jesus Christ had said to His enemies, "This is your hour when darkness reigns." They had done their worst you see. He was crowned with thorns, mocked, stripped, nailed to a tree, pierced in His side - surely the forces of evil had won, and the sealed and guarded tomb seemed to spell defeat. Evil had done it's worst, but the Lord was and is my friends, the Victor.

Up from grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o'er His foes
He arose , a victor o'er the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign.
He arose, He arose,
Hallelujah, Christ arose!

God brought Him out of the borrowed tomb. He triumphed! Evil can be defeated! Evil my friends - the power of evil is so strong isn't it? But the Lord Jesus Christ has routed the forces of evil my friends. He conquered evil and is coming again to establish Jehovah's righteous kingdom. We're not looking today at a helpless man. We are not looking at someone who has failed. That's how some see Him, but that's not the truth. He is the Lord. He reigns in glory. He is the victor over the devil, sin, death and the grave. He lives my friends, He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! And through Him, God promises the ultimate triumph of righteousness. God can be trusted. Sin can be pardoned. Evil can be defeated. Yes, my friend - evil - the evil in your hearts. You've only got to try to live a holy life to discover this evil. It's not just outside of us, it's inside of us. It's in our very hearts. Are you living a defeated life? Are you finding sin so strong within you? You, who profess Jesus as Lord and Saviour, have you become gripped by guilt and sin? Gripped by selfishness, pride, jealousy, impurity, or some unforgiving spirit? Or some other sin? Listen my friends, the Lord Jesus Christ broke the power of evil, and through His victory, the power of evil within you can be defeated. I'm not preaching perfectionism here. No! I'm talking about living a victorious life where sin does not dominate you. I heard the story - you may have heard it - it's quite common, of a painting. The artist had depicted a young man sitting in front of a chess board. Opposite him sat the devil. And he is depicted as sitting back in his chair with a leer upon his face. He had the young man in his grip. And there was a look of agony and despair upon the young man's face. There was no way out. Underneath the painting was just one phrase. "Check mate." Now a famous chess player seen this painting, got out his own chess pieces, and arranged them in the same place as the artist had depicted. After studying the chess board for a while, he suddenly jumped to his two feet and declared, "He's wrong! The artist has got it wrong! There is a way out!" My friends, evil can be defeated!

The risen victorious Lord Jesus Christ is the victor! He is the way out! He sets the prisoner free! If sin has gripped you, if the devil has some hold on you - come again - come again to the Lord. You do not have to remain gripped by sin and the devil. Ask the Lord afresh to impart His grace and mercy, to break the power of sin that has crept into your life. Ask Him to lead you on again from one victory to another. And to you who have never called upon the Lord Jesus Christ to come in to your life, do so now. Do so today. You do not have to remain at enmity toward God.

God can be trusted, sin can be pardoned, evil can be defeated. And from our text we see also that suffering can be used. Suffering can be used! The Lord Jesus Christ suffered terribly. What death can be so appalling as crucifixion? And as the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ looked on, they must have asked - Why? Surely the thoughts in their mind was, Why did He have to suffer? But if we set His suffering in the light of His victory over the grave, we then begin to understand. The Lord Jesus Christ's suffering not only purchased our pardon by His shed blood, but His suffering also qualified Him to help us in our discipleship today. All our trials, all our infirmities and difficulties, all our broken hearts He can use. In Hebrews 2:10, we read: "For it became Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering." He through His suffering was fully qualified and this word "captain" can be interpreted, "file leader" or "trail blazer." He blazed the trail of personal suffering for His people and all who follow Him, He can help through His own personal experience in suffering. No one wants to suffer do they? No one in their right mind looks to suffer. Yet it is true to say that the fires of affliction are often the place where Christian qualities are forged - perhaps more than in any other place. One only has to read the Bible, and also the lives of many saints now in glory to see how true this is. My friends, the Lord's victory over the grave demonstrates that His suffering and all that followed was not the pointless, purposeless thing it seemed to be. Suffering can be used. Now in the old town of Conway, in North Wales, stands a beautiful suspension bridge. Why was it built? Was it because the ferry's were old or because people wanted to travel faster? No. It was because on Christmas Day in the year 1606, the mail ferry crossing the River Conway, capsized and thirteen people lost their lives. Then the authorities built the bridge. Lighthouses are built were ships are wrecked. Roads are widened where accidents occurred. Through suffering many things are achieved. That is the truth of it isn't it? When nobody suffers, nobody cares. But for suffering, this world would be an even harder place in which to live. Suffering my friends, is not the meaningless thing it so often seems to be. When people begin to die from some illness which could be detected by some sort of scanner, people begin to raise finances for such. When famine occurs because of some blight to crops, research begins to find out blight-resistant crops. Others you see, are so often helped or given a chance to live because of another's suffering. Isn't this true about the Lord?

You may have heard of Dr. Barnardo? Do you know that he had a nine year old boy whom he loved more than life itself? Sadly, one day his son contracted diphtheria, and died in his father's arms. What did Dr. Bernardo say? He did not say, "God has forgotten me, I 'm finished with it all!" That's what some people may say. But this is what Dr. Bernardo said, "This loss has intensified my desire that the work of child rescue in England may be continued. As my dear boy lay gasping in my arms and I gazed into his little pinched face already growing cold in death, hundreds of other child's faces appeared through his face. While other wistful eyes looked at me through the waning light of his dear eyes, I could but resolve as I then did, that by God's grace I would consecrate myself to the blessed task of rescuing little ones from the misery of a neglected, sinful life. Now that I know that the bonds of God are upon me, I dare not turn aside from His work." This is an example my friends, of how suffering can be used, and the supreme example is in the victorious Lord Jesus Christ. His suffering left a permanent mark upon Him in His hands, feet and side. Most of us will know something about suffering before our lives are over. Some know suffering now. Loneliness is a form of suffering. Endless hours of sitting alone with no one to talk with - that's a form of suffering. The heartbreak of a loss of a loved one is a form of suffering as you contemplate the many hours you spent together, and as your heart aches for them. Some also have illness and painÄillness which is debilitating, pain which is agonizing. What can we do when suffering comes or is upon us now? Surely, it is to remember this, the Lord Jesus Christ knows. He knows all about your suffering. Every heartbreak, every tear, the illness, the pain, He knows about it. He has tread the path of suffering before you, and just as His suffering was used, so also can your suffering be used. Let me commend the Saviour to you. Surrender yourselves into the hands of Christ the Victor.

God can be trusted! Sin can be pardoned! Evil can be defeated! Suffering can be used! And finally, from our text, we see that death can be transformed. In the presence of the victorious Lord Jesus Christ, fears of death melt away. He has taken the sting of death away from His people. His people need not be afraid of death. Death does not come like a policeman to drag the soul to some eternal prison house. But for those who know and love the Lord as their personal Saviour, death comes as a gentle hand that opens the door to a fuller, richer life in glory. Inscribed on a certain tombstone are the words, "Gone Home With a Friend". Death for the believer, will be just like going home to their friend, their Saviour, their Lord.

When the godly man, Dr. F. B. Meyer, found out he was dying, he wrote a brief note to a friend of his and it said, "I just heard to my surprise that I've only a few more days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered the King's palace. Don't trouble to write, we shall meet in the morning." Without doubt, my friends, there shall be a grand meeting on that blessed morning. There shall be no more problems, no more heart-ache, no more pain, there shall be no more suffering, no more crying.

There's a place in heaven prepared for me,
When the toils of this life are o'er,
Where the saint's robed in white shall ever be,
Singing praises for evermore.

Is this your certainty my friends? A mere knowledge of theology won't get you there. Mere fruitless empty professions of faith won't get you there. Judas was one of His disciples and he was not suspected by any of the other disciples of being a hypocrite, not even when the Lord Jesus Christ had initially exposed him. And here we see a person who walked with the Lord for three years, yet in actual fact he was far from the Lord. And from Judas we learn a solemn lesson dear friends. We learn that it is very possible to kiss the door of heaven and yet go straight to hell. Fruitless, empty professions of faith may deceive others, but those who are in this situation fail to realize just how dangerous a situation they have placed themselves in. They are in terrible danger. Only knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour will give you security. Not just knowing about Him - that is mere, cold, academic theology - but knowing Him personally as a living reality in your life - then and only then are you able to say,

"All that remains for me
Is but to love and sing,
And wait until the angels come
To bear me to the King."

My friends, victory over death is only found in the victorious Lord Jesus Christ. The Scottish covenanter, James Skeen, after being cruelly tortured for his faith, was sentenced to be executed. James wrote these words, "I got my summons for eternity but the Lord helped me not to be afraid. I'm going to a mansion of glory, that my Lord has prepared for me. I shall have a crown of life." If death holds you in fear dear friends, set it in the light of this certain truth: Christ Jesus the Lord is the victor! Let His victory urge any fear of death from your heart. "Him, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain but God raised Him up."

My friends,

God can be trusted!
Sin can be pardoned!
Evil can be defeated!
Suffering can be used!
Death can be transformed!
Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is Lord!

Triumphant, Christ ascends on high,
The glorious work complete;
Sin, death and hell low vanquished lie
Beneath His awful feet.

There, with eternal glory crowned,
The Lord, the Conqueror reigns,
His praise the heavenly choirs resound,
In their immortal strains.

Amid the splendours of His throne
Unchanging love appears;
The names He purchased for His own
Still on His breast He bears.

O the rich depths of love Divine!
Of bliss, a boundless store:
Dear Saviour, let me call Thee mine,
I cannot wish for more.

On thee alone my hope relies,
Beneath Thy cross I fall,
My Lord, my life, my sacrifice,
My Saviour, and my all.

- Anne Steele (1717-1778)