Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to our second reading. Acts chapter
23 and reading for our text just part of verse 7, the last part
of verse 7. And the multitude was divided. The whole verse reads, when he
had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the
Sadducees, and the multitude was divided. The Apostle Paul, using the fact
that he knew those of his accusers were divided into two camps,
the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and that in those two camps,
the Pharisees, like he was, believed in the resurrection of the dead,
whereas the Sadducees didn't. So Paul used that fact to divide
his adversaries. He testified strongly that he
believed in the resurrection of the dead and that's why he
was accused. And that immediately put his
adversaries one against another. Division. Division in that case
used for good and we read at the end of that portion how the
Lord stood by Paul and said, be of good cheer, Paul, for as
thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear
witness also at Rome. But we would remember that division,
where did division begin? Though Paul used it for good
here, Yet where it began was in the garden of Eden, where
God had given to man that he had created a law, and he'd given
him his word. And Satan came in and said, hath
God said? Hath God said that he shall surely
die? And he accused God of having
an ulterior motive forbidding our first parents to partake
of the fruit of the garden. That God doth know in the day
that thou dost eat thereof, that thou shalt be as God, knowing
good and evil. And our first parents chose to
obey and to listen to Satan instead of to their Creator and to God. And so they fell, and under the
condemnation which we are under, in the day that thou eatest thereof,
thou shalt surely die. And that sentence of death is
upon all of mankind. It is only through our Lord Jesus
Christ coming and dying in the place of His people, enduring
the wrath of God in their place, that he has turned death, that
we must still go through, but turned it into good and a channel
and a way that we shall lose this sinful and mortal body and
have an immortal body and to be in heaven. We would remember
that Satan's aim there in the garden was to divide. and divide
he did because sin divides, sin separates between God and man
and it separates between man and man. Sin and the fruits and
effects of it right through the history of the human race has
caused divisions, divisions between Abraham and Lot, divisions between
Jacob and Esau twins, divisions between the ten tribes of Israel
and Judah and Benjamin, the visions that come into the Church of
God everywhere. May we remember that the Gospel
really is a healing of that breach. God and sinners reconciled. That is what our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ has accomplished in the Gospel, has brought us
and the fallen man, his people who were far off, brought them
nigh through the blood of Jesus Christ. And when that work is
done, then there will be a division in the fact that God's dear children
will lovingly and by command as well depart from the ways
of sin and evil and cleave to the Lord. And so really in the
history of mankind, it is a history of divisions, some good, some
vital, some necessary, some that are very evil, some very wrong
divisions, and a reconciling under the gospel, God and man. And so it is very important for
us to really be concerned about division. We read in Judges chapter
five of when Jabin the king of Canaan was overthrown by Deborah
and by Barak. And we read there in the Song
of Deliverance that for the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts
of heart and then in the next verse great searchings of heart. And it's a good thing for our
divisions in the world or in the church. we do have a lot
of thought about it, that we do have great searchings of heart,
especially when it affects us, and that we think of it in a
biblical way, knowing that sometimes those divisions are necessary
and right, sometimes they're sinful and wrong, and to be resisted,
sometimes same division may be rightly used, as Paul used it
here, sometimes wrongly used, and we can see Satan that is
at the root of it. And I don't think there has been
a time that I've known, looking at the things that are happening
in the church and in the world, where there's been so many divisions. Divisions today, we think of
the COVID pandemic and the restrictions on that and the views taken have
divided between believers and unbelievers, the unchurched and
churched alike. Very strong feelings on both
sides of things. and a lot of divisions. We think
of the jury's decision in the Kyle Rittenhouse
court case in America, how that suddenly divided America. And one issue after another,
various church divisions or decisions in our land, how they divide
amongst the churches. the freedom of speech, the woke
culture, as it were, looking at things in the past and deciding
whether they are right or wrong and then trying to erase them
from our history or knowledge now. And then Brexit itself,
how that's so divided this country and still has those ramifications,
of course, in this country. and across the channel. Many
things that are straining relationships and whether it is families or
peoples or nations or churches even and so a division is something
that should exercise us and we should really look at and be
very prayerful about how much we need discernment in this matter,
knowing that it can, depending on the circumstances, be either
good or bad. So I want to then look with the
Lord's Hell this evening. Just not really looking at three
points as I usually have, but several different headings and
areas in the scripture where we see division. I want to then begin where we
are here in our text that divided multitude here in Acts 23 and verse 7,
and the multitude was divided. What was the course or reason
of that division? Well, it was the Apostle Paul
clearly articulating what he believed and what he was being
condemned for, what he is being arrayed before this council for,
because as soon as he clearly set forth what he believed, then
it was very evident where his accusers stood. Now Paul did
it in a deliberate way, We may ask of this, well, in the first
place, when they were accusing him, they can't have had a very
clear knowledge of why they were actually bringing him before
their council. How could those that were of
such opposing thoughts act in that way? And what a case there
is for very clearly stating and setting forth where we stand,
what we believe. And when that is so, then it
will cause very clear parting of the ways and instead of a
mingling together of different beliefs like this council was
at the beginning, suddenly it is galvanised into the different
camps. Sometimes people and those in
the churches will think, well we mustn't be specific about
doctrine. Because if we're specific, then
exactly what will happen here will be division. You quite often
see statements of faith that deliberately are very, very vague
so that they can embrace under one umbrella and in one camp
actual doctrines and teaching that is totally opposite to each
other. And it's a good case for us to
be very clear where we stand, what we believe. Also, it is
to see how Paul rightly used division in separating his adversaries and
at the same time stating the truth. At the same time being
very clear, not in any way deceitful but clearly setting forth the
truth. There is another account actually
in the 14th of Acts that we have another mentioning of division
and This is in 14 and verse 4 and it is when Paul was preaching
from one city to another and we have the unbelieving Jews
stirring up the Gentiles and making their minds evil affected
against the brethren. And we read there, but the multitude
of the city was divided Part held with the Jews and part with
the apostles. Again, a multitude that is divided. Multitudes will always be divided
where the truth of God is set forth. Right at the very early
church, In the preaching of the gospel we read, some believe
the word spoken and some believe not. Then we read, as many as
were ordained to eternal life believed. And the Lord divides,
separates under the preaching of the word. We never must think
as preachers or those that are setting forth the truth, that
if our argument is very, very clear, and if we have truth on
our side, then there won't be any division. Everyone will see
it so clearly. They'll all say, yes, that is
the truth. That is not how it is. We have
our Lord Jesus Christ. working the same miracles before
those, some of them ascribing it to Satan, some of ascribing
it to the mighty power of God. Some are seeing it one way, some
are seeing it the other way, a division. Why a division? Some
yet blinded and in darkness, and some whose eyes are open.
You might think, well, if there's enough evidence, then all would
see, and all would understand. But there's the Lord, casting
out devils, healing the dumb. And they ascribe it to Satan,
and then ask him to show them a sign from heaven. What were
they thinking? The Lord said at one time, if
they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they
believe. even if one rose from the dead. And we really need, in every
day, in every generation, as time goes on, to be persuaded
of this, as the truth is set forth, and especially as it is
preached either in the streets or more openly, that there will
be those that really rise up against the word and others will
believe it and embrace it. And a preacher needs to be really
settled as to that kind of reaction from amongst his heroes. Sometimes
if we're preaching to regular congregation of all those that
are one with us in the church, we may go for a long while without
really experiencing much real opposition or division. And then
it comes as a shock when we do have it. But we would remember
the history of the early church. They had much opposition and
much divided. Divided multitude was something
that they saw again and again. You remember the Old Testament,
amongst the Lord's dear people in the days of Elijah, where
they turned away from the living and true God to bail worship. And God sent a famine, three
and a half years famine at Elijah's word to prepare them to listen
and to make trial of their God on Mount Carmel. And Elijah says,
he said, how long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be
God, then serve him. If Baal be God, then serve him. And the God that answered by
fire on the altars, he was the true God. And in answer to Elijah's
prayer, God sent that fire from heaven that not only burnt up
the sacrifice, but the stones, the dust, the water, everything
was consumed with fire from heaven. The people then were convinced
and convinced enough to slay the prophets of Baal. But we're
like that. Israel was like that, God's people
like that, to be halting between two opinions, a divided multitude. What a blessing in heaven, where
there is no division, where there is innumerable multitude. You
all speak the same thing, believe the same thing, completely of
one mind. How oft the apostles exhorted
his hearers that they be one mind in the Lord. It's a great testimony in the
Psalms we read that in his temple everyone doth speak of his glory. And that certainly is so in his
temple above, in heaven above. But then what about the church? A divided church. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
his first epistle to them, he writes to them as a people that
were divided. He says that there were those reports
of contentions among them. And in 1 Corinthians 1, verse
12, he says, Now this I say, that every one of you saith,
I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ,
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name
of Paul? Paul has to deal with this church
that we're following men, following ministers, following man, instead
of Christ. The Lord deliver us from that
type of dividing of the church of God. And may the ministers
May we be as nothing as the messenger and the Lord only be seen. They saw no man but Jesus only. Later on in that same epistle,
we have further divisions that are spoken of in the 11th chapter. He says in verse 17, now in this
I declare unto you, I praise you not, that ye come together
not for the better, but for the worse. What a solemn thing for
a church to gather together and instead of being for the better,
it's the worst. Why? For first of all, when ye
come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions
among you and I partly believe it and the reason why he says
he partly believes it he said for there must be also heresies
among you that they which are approved may be made manifest
among you now really what this means in the church of god god
has ordained that there be amongst them those that believe serious
error. And the reason why is that that
serious error be then counteracted and taught by those that are
clearly taught, but up until that time are hidden in the church. Maybe even despised in the church,
but when those errors are brought forth, suddenly they've got a
voice. And suddenly they bring forth
the word of God and are very clear because it's something
very important to them. Really, Paul himself is an example
of this at the end of this epistle in chapter 15 where the Corinthian
church had those that did not believe in the resurrection.
Going back to that very same division before the council. How say some among you that there
is no resurrection of the dead? And from that error comes that
beautiful chapter, chapter 15 in the first epistle to the Corinthians,
setting forth so clearly the resurrection from the dead and
the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So again, we should not be discouraged,
but really realise we're still in the Church in the right way,
when there are divisions over serious doctrines. We are to be able to clearly
set forth the truth of God. In the letters to the churches
in the revelation, two of the churches were reproved. One,
because they had those in their number that held error, and the
other, that not only held it, but they taught error. How was
that so in the church of God? There needed to be contending
for the truth and divisions if need be. And so again in this
11th chapter the Apostle is dealing with errors of abuse of the Lord's
Supper. We should not think, well this
may be an important doctrine but rather than have division
we'll keep silence about it. Where we must be very careful
is where it is things that are not of serious importance, where
it must be left to the conscience of each individual believer. In Romans 14 we have that dealt
with, and other chapters as well, where some believe that they
may eat this thing and some that, and the apostle says, let no
man judge you. in meat or drink, or even in
respect of the Sabbath days, where we have one that says,
well, we believe in keeping one day separate, apart, as a Sabbath
day. But how that day actually is
kept, yes, if one said, well, we just have an hour's worship
in the beginning of the day, and the rest of the day we have
for pleasure, you can clearly say, well, that is not sanctified
and separated unto the Lord. But where one says, well, we
prepare all of our meals the day before. We don't do any cooking
whatsoever on the Lord's Day. But another would say, well,
we prepare the meals, but we do a minimal of cooking. And
each one is interpreting and doing as they feel so that they
may have as much on the Lord's Day free. And we're not to judge
one another that in respect of exactly how a Sabbath day or
Lord's day is to be reserved. Really, it's a height of presumption
if we were to say, well, I am the standard and everyone else
must abide by me. Well, you get someone else will
say, well, we are the standard. Where it is vital doctrine that's
very clearly set forth in the word of God then that is, it
must be upheld. We have in John's gospel and
in the epistles of John, if any man come unto you, and not have
this doctrine, the doctrine of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Don't have him in your house,
don't bid him Godspeed. He that does so is partaker of
his evil deeds. Only one name given among men
whereby we must be saved, the Lord Jesus Christ. And those
truths that are central to the gospel must be stood for. Again, we mustn't have those
divisions where we'd say, stand by thyself, I am holier than
thou. or hiding ourselves from our
own flesh. No, we're not to separate in
that way. The people of God, even in a
marriage situation, where there is a believer and an unbeliever,
they may be married in unbelief, the Lord has called one, if they're
happy to dwell together, then the marriage is sanctified, and
the unbeliever is sanctified by the believer, the children,
have the benefit of the blessing of one fearing the Lord. And so we have these directions
in the Word of God where sometimes a division could be made by those
who may not understand the truth clearly and it's not a right,
not a good separation or division. But as regarding the church then,
the divided church, The Lord heal those divisions in Zion,
but may it not be at the expense of the truth, but there be that
humility, a teachable spirit, walking according to the word
of God. And if that is consistently taught
and walked in by the church, then those of contrary part will
soon separate themselves, unless, of course, they need to be separated
by way of discipline. The third thing I bring before
you is a divided person. This is why we read the portion
in the Gospel according to Luke and we have there the Lord teaching
and we have the opposition that he had against him. But then
later on in the following chapter, in chapter 12, we have it regarding
a person In verse 49 he says, I am come to send fire
on the earth and what will I if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized
with and how am I straight until it be accomplished? And he speaks
then of a house divided, a family divided. And I know I've mixed
this up a bit with the person, we'll go back to that in a moment.
But our Lord is saying, suppose ye that I am come to give peace
on earth, I tell you nay, but rather division. For from henceforth
there shall be five in one house divided, three against two and
two against three. The father shall be divided against
the son, the son against the father, the mother against the
daughter, the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law
against the daughter-in-law, the daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law. And he's speaking where the grace
of God comes. that there will be division. There will be a separation even
amongst families. God calls his people, he takes
them, two of a family and one of a city and brings them to
Zion. It is the sovereign work of God.
There's many of us that have siblings that do not fear the
Lord. The Lord has in great mercy chosen
one of us, and as yet, and I say that as yet, the others do not
know the Lord. That's very humbling, why the
Lord should do that, and there's much prayer needed that the Lord
would have mercy on those of our loved ones. But the Lord
clearly taught that those that believe and will follow Him as
a true disciple must not hold back from following him because
of unbelievers of near kindred drawing them back and preventing
them walking in the ways of the Lord. We are not to think that
just because they are one with us of flesh and blood, then we
can walk with them in everything, that there shouldn't be division.
It almost appears that that was the case with Jehoshaphat when
he dealt with Ahab. His reasoning probably went,
well, we have all of the children of Israel, of Jacob. I am over
Judah. You're over the other 10 tribes.
And he says to Ahab that my horses are thy horses, and my people
are my people. But it wasn't so, because Ahab
was a very wicked king. And Jehoshaphat was a godly king. He served the Lord. And those
two couldn't walk together. And the prophets reproved him
for trying to do so. And so we should look past in
that way as a right division, not according to flesh and blood. We may indeed, while we are exhorted
to live peaceably, as much as possible with all men, and especially
with those of her own household. But it shouldn't be so if then
they are put in front of our Lord. That's the thing, if we
can say as the head of a house as Joshua did, as will me and
my house, we will serve the Lord. But it may be that a child is
called and then is persecuted by their parents, or told if
you still persist in your belief, then you can't live under this
roof. And they have had a most solemn
choice to make, whether they still follow the Lord and cast
out of their own family. or whether they forsake the Lord
and cleave to the earth. What a beautiful thing the Lord
says of his people. A right separation, come ye out
from among them. Touch not the unclean thing and
I will receive you. And ye shall be my sons and my
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. That in the second epistle of
Corinthians, is taught, the separation, especially from those close unions,
whether it be of a marriage or whether it be of a business association,
a company, union, where we're joining together and the two
are making decisions. One is looking to the Lord for
guidance, the other has no concern for the Lord. You're not to enter
into those kind of close binding arrangements with those that
believe very different. That is like Ahab and Jehoshaphat
joining together. But the dividing of a person,
our Lord speaks of in Luke 16. and verse 12. And he says, no
servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise
the other. He cannot serve God and Mammon. That is Mammon, the things of
this world, You cannot serve them both. We often try to. We try to reconcile two things
that can't be. We try to have the Lord and to
have our lusts, our sins, things here below. Especially remember
when the Lord first began to work in my heart. There were
those things I didn't really want to let go. and struggled
and struggled with, tried to keep them going. But the more
I kept on, the more I realized that these things were a detriment
to my faith, as either them or the Lord, that they weren't any
friendship to the way that I wanted to go. You know, we can easily
understand if someone perhaps is trying to lose weight, And
we see them running day after day, miles and miles. You say,
well, they obviously really want to lose weight. But then we see
them sitting down to a great big meal and constantly eating. And you think, well, the one
is fighting against the other. You're doing your exercise well.
But by the eating, you're completely disannulling any benefit and
help that you've had for that. And we can be the same. We can
come into the house of God. We can have our private worship.
We can have our prayers. For the next minute, the company
we keep, what we read, what we see, what we do is completely
undermining any benefit and blessing. Always notice on a Monday, especially
Temptations of the adversary are so much more. What has he
got to gain? All that we've had on the Lord's
Day. If he could rob us on the Monday, if he could, instead
of having us go through the week strengthened by what we've heard
on the Lord's Day, if he can rob us of that, what a victory
is won. Often when I come to the study
and preparing the services of the Lord's House, What a battle
it often is. Why? If the adversary should
gain there, he's not only attacked me, but my congregation and people
as well. If he can turn away from the
word of God or the word that is to be brought, he will try
and do so. You cannot serve God and mammon. How the Apostle Paul exhorted
Timothy to give himself wholly unto the Lord. and we are to
run the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus. Let us
lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset
us and run the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus. Yes, we can be a divided person
and there are divided families, but a right separation The right
separation that we said was recorded in 2 Corinthians, coming out
from among them a bee separate. God's people are a called out
people. They all begin in the world,
all begin following the course of this world, and they're called
out. What a clear separation in the
days of Noah. Noah separated from the multitude
in the ark and Noah and those with him all saved and all other
perished. How vital that division and separation
was. What about with Lot? Lot didn't
want to separate. He lingered, no wonder, with
his family and loved ones there. But the angel had mercy upon
him and brought him out. Took him by the hand. The multitude was divided. Lot was taken out, the rest were
left, and then the rest were destroyed. You know, it would be like that at
the end of the world as well. The Lord shall come, shall separate,
shall divide the sheep, the goats, Sheep on his right hand, the
goats on his left. Believers on one side, unbelievers
the other. His people one side, those that
are not the other. The angels shall gather together
his elect from the four corners of the earth. They divided multitude at that
most solemn time. We read in the Revelation, and
I heard in Revelation 18 and verse 4, and I heard another
voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye
be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her
flanks. how necessary that we be given
a godly discernment as to what is a right dividing and what
is not. That we have the true spirit
of Christ and the spirit of the gospel, not in a self-righteous
and wrong way, but in a gracious way. Sometimes it will be taken
out of her hand. The Lord in John 17 said, I have
given them thy word, and the world hath hated them. And that
division then, Paul, he says, I am crucified unto the world
and the world unto me. In other words, the world, and the world does
not want me. And that brings about a division,
just again through the word, the same as where we started
in our text, a division through the teaching of the resurrection. Those that believed it, and those
that didn't believe it, it divided between them, right through history. Churches, denominations, local
churches formed in that way very often because there was doctrines,
some of them, it was rightly so, vital things in which there
had to be a separation. In this land of light there's
been major denominations that are so publicly taken up with
some of the most violent, contrary to scripture errors. No doubt
there's been many that have felt they could no longer walk with
those churches and that they've had to be divided off from them. Those are hard times, they're
difficult times. but their necessary times. The multitude was divided. I say again, what a blessed prospect
in heaven where there shall be no division of that innumerable
multitude. They shall all speak the one
thing. They all praise the same God
who has separated them unto himself, called them He has suffered in
their place, shed his precious blood on Calvary's tree, and
there he has redeemed them unto God, brought them unto himself. What a precious thing to be numbered
amongst that people, divided by the Lord from those that are
on the broad way to destruction. and brought to be in that narrow
way that leadeth unto life. How we will bless the Lord forever,
dividing and separating us unto Himself. The multitude was divided. The Lord will continue to do
that. But may we be found upon the
Lord's side. May we be found amongst those
that In Moses' day, Joshua's day, they claimed to the Lord
and they walked in His ways. May we be like Joshua and Caleb
and not like the other ten spies. That little multitude of twelve
spies was divided. Divided as to how they viewed
the promised land and the ability of the Lord to give it to them.
But the right was not with the ten, it was with the two. The
one like Caleb who followed the Lord fully. May we be those that
follow the Lord fully. The multitude was divided. Who is on the Lord's side? And may we be able to truly say
that we are by the grace of God. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen.