complete dependence upon the
Lord for all needed help this evening. I wish to direct your
very prayerful attention to the chapter that was read in your
hearing, namely the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 10. I'm reading
for our text this evening, verses 44 and to the end. I wish to
consider by context the previous content in the chapter but our
text is found in verses 44 and to the end, while Peter yet speak
these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision
which believed were astonished As many as came with Peter, because
that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy
Ghost, for they had heard them speak with tongues and magnify
God. Then answered Peter, Can any
man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which
have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we? and he commanded
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they
him to tarry certain days." On the 8th of July 1741, I believe
it is or was Jonathan Edwards' sermon sinners in the hands of
an angry God was published. And the effect of that sermon
has been known ever since. It's been the subject of much
scrutiny. It's been the subject of much
ridicule from some. But dear soul, it doesn't matter
what men say. The Lord accompanied the word
that was preached by Jonathan Edwards and the effects were
to be seen. Now, what we have before us is
most interesting. For we have those things which
are the permanent state of the New Testament Church and those
that distinctly belong to the apostolic age. And we must never
confuse the two. But these things are laid down
for our benefit that we may receive them. Now, by way of context, by necessity,
we must understand what has taken place in the previous chapters. The well-known chapter, that
chapter 2, the Holy Ghost being poured forth upon Pentecost,
was that which was not to take us by surprise. It was no accident. Indeed, it was certainly no parenthesis. It was that which was intended.
That which was intended that we may come into the fullness
of these things. They were known. They were prophesied. We will come to that in a moment.
But we are coming to the fullness of truth and Paul bears this
out so wonderfully. in Romans at the end of chapter
16 when he said, now to him that is of power to establish you
according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according
to the revelation of the mystery. We considered that on Thursday
evening. These things are a revelation which was kept secret since the
world began but is now made manifest and by the scriptures of the
prophets prophesied, you see, according to the commandment
of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience
of faith. Yes, mighty things were done. The Spirit poured out, the healings,
the lame man being healed by Peter and John. We have the sin
of Ananias and Sapphira laid forth, the Apostles delivered
from prison, and of course that first well-known martyr, Stephen. I mentioned the other day to
our friends Foxe's Book of Martyrs. not completed the reading of
that book. It's something I dip into from
time to time. Very harrowing reading, but gracious
dealings of the Lord unto His Church, nonetheless. We come
to Saul of Tarsus and his conversion. And the preaching forth of the
Gospel of Christ to the Gentile world. The Gentile world. Here, in this chapter, the first
Gentile, Cornelius, we read of, to be dealt with by the Lord
in this way. We read that he was of the Italian
band, that meant he was a general in the military. He would have
had something like a hundred soldiers under his command. Certainly
a senior figure. We read here that he was a devout
man and one that feared God with all his house. What was meant
here was that he was a proselyte Jew, as it were. And we must
remember, and this is key, we must remember that the Old Testament
saints always believed in the same Christ. They always looked
to the same place and they believed in the very reality of the Lord
Jesus, the Messiah coming to the earth as a substitute. We come back to it many times,
those glorious words in Job, probably the oldest words, the
oldest book known to living man. For I know that my Redeemer liveth
and that He shall stand on the latter day upon the earth. Job knew where his hope lied. And here, what do we have? A glorious setting forth of all
of these things. This man Cornelius saw a vision
and I would mark this, we're looking at the apostolic days but whenever Old Testament or
New a vision came onto the people there was always that reverential
fear quite opposite to what men profess today it's all noise and show this
brought Cornelius to his knees. What is it Lord? That was what
he said. But you see, divine providence
was at work. The Spirit of the Lord is at
work here. And he would bring Cornelius
into the fullness of the Gospel and indeed the fullness of the
Gospel ordinances. And how did he do it? Or how
did he come to it? How did these things take place?
I should say. Well, the Lord spoke unto Peter,
didn't he? You know when the Lord is working,
he works at both ends of the matter, as it were. He works
in the soul of the believer, but he also works upon the ministry. You see, faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God. The Lord puts us, or He will
put us, under a ministry that feeds our souls, and that does
us good. And this was the case with Cornelius. Peter being sent to this man,
rebuked in respect of his own prejudices. We have to remember
that the Apostles, all 12 of them, they were Jews and they
would have held this view that the Gospel was really only for
them. The truth was only really for them. We read quite the opposite
in respect of the Old Testament saints. We think particularly,
it always strikes me very hard that those words in Hosea, when
the Lord says that He will call a people who are not a people. I will have mercy. upon her that
had not obtained mercy. And I will say unto them, which
were not my people, thou art my people. And they shall say,
thou art my God." They heard these things as the prophets
preached them. They didn't receive them. We
think of Joel who said he would pour out his Spirit upon all
flesh. This should not have been a surprise. unto them. Indeed, it was certainly
not a secret. These things were preached. They
were set forth. But you see, the blasphemy of
the Jew, even today, who denies the person of Christ. I can never
understand these people who have this kind of sympathy with Jewish
religion, today's heathen religion. Heathen religion. heathen religion. To deny the person of Christ
is blasphemy. This is what we have today. Dear
soul, the Jew does not worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. We do. For he is not a Jew who
is one outwardly, but one who is a Jew inwardly. Dear soul,
circumcision was never meant for anything physical. It was
spiritual. It represents a new heart in
the Gospel. And we would notice this, to
my shame and ignorance, I'd never really considered it before,
but consider Abraham's father, a man from Ur of the Chaldees,
Babylonian place. It's very searching, isn't it?
That these things are so. Consider the lineage of our Lord
Jesus, in that first chapter in Matthew, Rehoboam. There we see they are so very
offensive to the Jew, these things. Ah, but here we have the fullness
of the Lord Jesus who came, suffered, bled and died for his elect. Oh, what we have here is the
glory. of the gospel of free, sovereign, discriminating and
distinguishing grace. Peter opened his mouth and said,
at verse 34, of a truth I perceive God is no respecter of persons.
He learnt these things because he'd been taught them by divine
experience. But in every nation, he that
feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him. The Word which God sent unto
the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. So here we
can see New Testament saints and old are indeed all but one. And indeed we have that glorious
truth of the church as it is found in the Old Testament in
the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 7. It's remarkable. Verse 37, this is that Moses
which said unto the children of Israel, a prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you. of your brethren, like unto me,
him ye shall hear." Not ye might hear, ye shall hear. This is
he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel
which spake to him in the Mount Sinai and with our fathers who
received the lively oracles to give unto us. We saw it with
Rahab the harlot, we see it with Naaman the leper. There is that
these foreshadowings of things to come but here we see Cornelius a subject of God's free sovereign
and distinguishing love and Peter goes on in his preaching
And he says, we are witnesses of all things which he did, both
in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and
hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the third day
and showed him openly. The Lord, our pastor said it
recently, did not live a private ministry. His ministry was public.
It's that public ministry. everything he did was public. He went about doing good. He says, not to all the people
see the providence of God at work but unto witnesses, I love
this, chosen before of God even to us who did eat and drink with
him after he rose from the dead. All these things were in order. Peter can here see that they
were in order. At the time was there not that
lack of faith and you and I cannot point the finger. No doubt we
would be much the same. The disciples fearing the game
was up as it were. But no, here we have an absolute
victory. And the same dear man now sits
at the right hand of the Father in heaven ever interceding for
His own. You see, that's the glory of
the free grace gospel, isn't it? The Lord Jesus interceding
for His people. His death was certainly no vain
death. He's interceding for His elect
at this very moment. And He commanded us to preach
unto the people. and to testify that it is He
which was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and
the dead. We know that the Lord Jesus said,
all power is given unto Me. He will purge His floor. He comes with the fan to purge
His floor and this is what He does. This is what He does. to Him give all the prophets
witnesses that through Him, that through His name there is no
other name under heaven by which we can be saved. We find it amazing,
perhaps I was negligent in not mentioning this account of Cornelius
falling before Peter. Quite remarkable, really. Peter himself saying, stand up
I myself am also a man." He didn't desire to be worshipped, did
he? Didn't desire to be worshipped? Peter knew where he stood. He certainly never wore a robe
as a Romish priest, did he? He certainly never desired or
said that he had any power to forgive sins, which is the claim,
of course, of Rome today. But, we read quite the opposite,
that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive
remission of sins. Now, of course, that word whosoever
is probably one of the most badly abused words in all of Scripture. Occasionally, I come across someone
in an evangelical church who says, you people at Portsmouth
Chapel, you don't believe in the whosoever. I say, I certainly
do. I believe in the whosoever will.
I don't believe in the whosoever won't. That's the difference,
isn't it? That's the difference. Whosoever
does not mean all men indiscriminately. Dear soul, it simply means, as
it meant in the case of Cornelius here, it could be anyone, from
any nation, from any tribe, from any tongue, from any generation. The Lord has His people and He
has them in all places. When the Lord said He would have
all men to be saved, He did not mean all men indiscriminately.
He meant all types of men, all conditions of men, all stations
of men, in different places, here and there. That's the whosoever. You see, it's whosoever believeth
in Him. You see, all the Lord's people
are brought to a position of saving faith. We have to be. We have to be. And we can't take
this in any free will sense, can we? When we consider Scripture
with Scripture. We consider this glorious truth. When the Lord said, labor not
for the meat which perisheth, He said, when they asked him
what shall we do that we might work the works of God he said
unto them this is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he
hath sent this is the work of God indeed believing is the operation
of grace in the soul, isn't it? To be sweetly drawn by the Lord's
constraining power. The love of God constraineth
us. You won't resist it, dear soul.
You'll try. You may try. You'll go to the
law. You might, in your ignorance,
go to the Pope. You might, in your ignorance,
attempt to go to a preacher. But dear soul, no hope is found
there. We can't believe on those things,
they're faulty ground. But when we're taught the right,
when we're taught the right, indeed, we are brought to the
mercy seat. Yes, this is the Lord's operation
of words of our text are glorious. While Peter yet spake these words,
the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." I mentioned
that account of Jonathan Edwards preaching there in Connecticut,
that famous sermon It had such an effect upon the
people that they gripped the very pillars of the chapel because
they feared falling into hell. Dear soul, that was no aberration.
That was the Lord at work. And is that not what we need
in our day? Peter, through the preaching
of these solemn yet real things, the Lord dealt with the people,
the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. Notice, it was the word that had the effect. What is the pattern of our preaching? What is the pattern of our preaching?
Well we can only preach as we are instructed. And we read that
the Lord, beginning at Moses, we heard of Moses this morning,
expounded unto them all the things concerning himself. A sermon
is not a lecture. It's not a lecture. A sermon
must, by necessity, have the Lord Jesus in the very centre. And this is the word that He
spoke. was the Gospel of Christ. You see, unto you who believe
He is precious, not those who don't. As we heard this morning,
there is much opposition. You speak the name of Christ. I know a lot of people talk about
witnessing and this sort of thing and we are to be a witness and
of course in salt and light in this present world, but you'll
find the result of most of it is opposition. And you don't
have to say a lot, necessarily, most of the time. People soon
pick up where you stand. There was opposition to the apostles'
preaching, wasn't there? That's why many of the services
that they had were broken up, cast out of the temple. They
had to make from house to house. But it all fell out unto the
furtherance of the gospel. And here we have this very truth,
that they of the circumcision which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter, because
that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy
Ghost. This went against all their prejudices. It went against all the things
that they'd thought. Yes, they'd heard the preaching
of the prophets. They expected the Gospel to come
unto the Gentiles. That was always God's purpose.
Always was God's purpose. We're not to look to any physical
nation. for the blessings of God. Indeed,
if you do, you'll be disappointed. You see, what we have before
us is a spiritual seed. If ye be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed. This flew in the face of everything
that they believed or desired. That's why the Lord Jesus, when
He preached unto them, again, remarkable. In John chapter 10,
we read of the Christ and his sheep speaks unto the disciples
and he says unto them, other sheep have I which are not of
this fault. In other words, they're not all
Jews. All the apostles, of course,
were Jews. But here and there again, a glorious
prophecy that the gospel would come unto these people. For they heard them speak with tongues
and magnify God. Now, here again, I won't dwell
on this for too long, but there was the speaking of tongues. These tongues we understand to
be languages and to be languages that could be understood. It
wasn't Babel And we notice that it magnified the Lord. It magnified the Lord. It gave
glory and honor unto Him. Again, an amazing, amazing thing to see. Amazing
thing to see. This gave authority to the apostles'
preaching. which have received the Holy
Ghost as well. As we come out to that in a moment. They heard them speak with tongues
and magnify God. He was Jew and Gentile coming
together in the one olive branch that we read of in Romans 11. We, of course, know through that
chapter in Romans 11 that the Jew is actually a small element
of the olive branch. Just at the end of Revelation,
when we have the tribes which are set forth, we can see that
is a representative of the whole of God's elect, the whole of
his church, being 12 squared, 144,000. The Jews only fall from
a small part. And they're not heathen Jews,
friends, they are converted Jews. Converted Jews. Converted Jews. Called by God's grace. You see, there is no other way
and there never has been any other way. But what is so glorious
here is we can see Cornelius, walking in the Lord's
ways. The Acts of the Apostles, going
back to chapter 2, I know we considered them not all that
long ago, but set forth the biblical pattern for a gospel church. And they
that were gladly received his word, in verse 41, were baptized. And the same day there were added
unto them about 3,000 souls. So we can see in the previous
verses there were those that were pricked in their hearts,
there was repentance, faith, conversion, and then there was that putting
on the Lord by open profession. And that was by baptism. There was no baptism prior to
conversion. It was always after conversion.
But the point is there, and there same day they were added unto
them about 3,000 souls. There was an establishing there
of a church. There was a membership of a church.
You can't be added onto something that doesn't exist. And they
continued steadfastly. Here we have the establishing
of the function of a gospel church. The apostles doctrine and fellowship. The doctrine, the preaching.
What we have now. Preaching and fellowship. We
can only be in real fellowship with those of whom we embrace
the preaching. If we can't sit under the preaching,
then there's no basis for fellowship. And in the breaking of bread,
the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, and in prayers, prayer meetings.
So we have preaching, we have the ordinance of the table, and
we have prayer meetings. And as soon As we move outside
of those services, we are moving outside of the New Testament
pattern, and we cannot expect any favor upon our activities. Therefore, we have to continue
steadfastly in these things. And this is reinforced, I bring
this out because this is reinforced in chapter 10 here, with Cornelius. Reinforced here, and knowing that this work of
grace had taken place in his soul, we have this question. Can any man forbid water that
these should not be baptized which have received the Holy
Ghost as well as we? Can any man forbid water? Notice
here the inquiry is coming from an exercised soul. I mention that because I hope that
I've been consistent in never ever haranguing or raising the
subject of baptism with anybody unless they raise it with me
first. And I say that and it's no good
pointing the finger at the grace people. Some of our people do
it. They harangue people and try
and get them to put on a profession and so it's folly, it's folly.
Dear soul, the ministry of the Word should speak for itself. I looked and I noted that it
is approximately three years since I preached upon this subject
of believers baptism. It was just interesting to see
when it was I say that because there are some men and they can
hardly get through, I heard them growing up, they could hardly
get through a sermon without mentioning it. Dear soul, is there an inquiring
hearer tonight? I can't force the ordinances
down you and I wouldn't attempt to. But if the Lord is working
in your soul, you'll have to follow Him. You'll have to follow
Him. You won't resist it. You won't resist it. And if you
do, you're walking in disobedience. You're walking in disobedience.
If He's called you by His grace, He's dealt with you graciously
and mercifully, what we read here is an inquiring soul. Can any man forbid water? that these should not be baptized
which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we. Concerned, you see, for the Gospel
ordinances. It's right that we should be
concerned for the Gospel ordinances. I preach in chapels where there
are no members. Where the chapel is run by the
trustees. If the men that built those causes saw what was going
on today, no doubt they would weep. They would weep. I trust from time to time we're
moved by such a situation. Can any man forbid water? That
these should not be baptized. Notice this, that have received
the Holy Ghost as well as we. These were converted people.
These were converted, it wasn't just anybody. These were converted
souls, those of whom the Lord had dealt with. now I would mention this by necessity
not by partisan and that is the word baptized here means to plunge,
to immerse, to dip in water that's the meaning of the word
and this is the pattern to be called by grace, to be baptized
by full immersion on profession of faith, and then to join a
gospel church, to be added unto the church. We don't read actually
anywhere, and it's implicit even within our final verse here,
there was a tarrying. We don't read anywhere of people
being baptized and then left in limbo, as it were. There was always a coming together,
there was a uniting with the people. We'll desire to unite with them.
We'll desire to unite with them. We read here, and He commanded
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. You see, baptism
here is not an indifferent thing. Now I must be clear, and I say
this because we don't want to be misunderstood. There have been those in our
churches, ministers, I won't name them but I could, who have
fallen into this error of believing that baptism is essential to
salvation. That is grotesque. It is little
more than superstition. No better than potpourri, really.
To think water can improve anything. It can't. It doesn't. And it
won't. But we can't say that these things
are indifferent. No. No. No. They're right. They're right. He commanded them
to be baptised. If ye love me, keep my commandments,
the Lord says. And that's not simply speaking,
that's not speaking of the moral law. That's speaking of the higher
law than the moral law. The moral law won't bring you
to repentance and faith in a place to be baptized. The Gospel will.
The Gospel will. And that's what it does. If you
love me, keep my commandments. We are living in active disobedience
to refrain from joining the church if we are a fit person to do
so. If we don't possess any living
faith, if we don't possess reality in the soul, then believer's
baptism is not for you and indeed as a candidate this ought to
be identified by the church. We do inevitably find those who
do put on a profession who in the end turn out to be apostates
or fall away. Judas Iscariot was no different indeed you only have to read
Acts chapter 8 the beginning of the chapter Simon the sorcerer
was such a character it's a solemn reality but dear soul He was
dealt with. And there's a gospel church,
that's what we are commanded to do. If one walketh disorderly,
withdraw from such an one. That's what we read. That's what
we read. But here to refrain, to hold
back deliberately, without good reason, Does it not display a spirit
of rebellion in the heart against the Lord's ways? You see, baptism is indeed, it's
a command of the Lord. He commanded them to be baptised
in the name of the Lord. Now, that's what that means is
that this was commanded by the Lord Jesus Himself. the time been very close to just
over 10 years ago when Mr. Tyler himself baptized me. I mention him as he's known to
almost, if not all of you, if not all of you, and he preached
from those words at the end of Matthew, Go ye therefore and
teach all nations. The gospel there isn't going
to the Gentiles. Baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. I say that
because there are those who simply believe in baptizing in the name
of the Lord Jesus. How we believe in a Trinitarian
baptism and anything less than that will not do. It will not do. I'll say this, friends. If we don't believe the Trinity
by faith, I have no hope for you. No hope for you. See me
at the door at the end if you disagree. I dare you. Dear soul,
it's such a solemn truth, but it's a real truth. The glorious
truth of the Trinity. To be baptised on profession
of our faith. Them that honour me, I will honour. I will honour. And I never forget those words
John Green the late pastor at Shaftesbury Avenue probably read
his sermons at one time or another said before at the end of his
life that he'd regretted many things in his life he'd never
regretted being baptised I can say that. Can you? Can you? There's
things I regret. Never regret being baptised. Never regret being baptised.
The Lord honours us because these are His ways. These are His ways. And notice here. Then prayed
they Him to tarry certain days. If the Lord has dealt with us
We'll desire to be instructed in God's ways. We'll desire to
have our souls fed by living preaching and that's what Peter's
preaching was. It was living bread to the people. And if we can't get on under
a ministry, we must go and find a faithful ministry. One that
feeds our souls and does us good. It does us good to unite with God's people. I
can say it. I trust I can say it. Uniting
with God's people does no such thing as a perfect church. We
won't find one. We won't find one anywhere. But
if you can unite with the people in doctrine, experience and practice,
you will love them. You will love them. This we know that we have passed
from death unto life because we love the brethren. If there
is a love to the brethren we have to unite with them. This is the truth. He commanded
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. This is not an option. I know of one man described himself,
he would have professed to have been a believing soul. But he
said, I'm a dry Baptist. I'm a dry Baptist. It's pitiful,
isn't it? Disobedient. Can't expect the
Lord's favour walking that way. No. No, but the Lord does honour. He does honour us. and he commanded them to be baptised
in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry
certain days. How do we wake up on the Lord's
day morning? Do we desire to be fed? Do we
desire to sit under a ministry that is God honouring, Christ
exalting, I trust it so. I'll leave it there for this
evening. May the Lord add his blessing. Amen.