Praise, Lord, that's exalt and bless His name always for it's seemly, it's a good thing to do, it's right to do. Why? Why? The Lord our God is good. What is good? His mercy is forever sure. His truth His mercy and His truth at all times firmly stood, shall from age to age endure." Great hymns. Two great hymns. We need not sing any of this. Acts chapter 2 now. Go there with me. Acts chapter 2. Peter, as we read, was preaching at Pentecost, at Passover. And the last words that he spoke after, at the end of all of his preaching was this, verse 40. It says, With many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves. And I'm quite sure he said it loud enough for thousands of people to hear him. Save yourselves from this untold generation. That's his last word. A generation means an age or a time. And our Lord Jesus Christ said this. He said, This generation shall not pass away till all these things be fulfilled. In other words, this is the last generation. And Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3, Don't be ignorant of this one thing. A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. And he talked about our Lord coming back. 2 Peter 3. You need to read that constantly. Knowing that, he says, what manner of persons we ought to be in all holy conversation. That is our mindset on things above our heart, our affection, thinking about this, waiting, hastening his coming. That's what he said. And so our Lord, don't be ignorant of this. The world is not billions of years old. That's man's imagination to try to do away with God. The world is 6,000 years old. God created everything in six days. That's what it said. That's what God's Word said. We believe God, don't we? The seventh day, He rested. So that is a prophecy. And Peter said that. Don't be ignorant of that. God rested. He created the world. Well, after 6,000 years, He's going to destroy the world. And in all of His people, there remaineth a rest. All of his people will go to be with him eternally, to rest, R.I.P. Rest in peace in Christ forever. Peter said, this is not a fable. This is the word of God. It's a sure and certain promise. Though the world scoffs and mocks and says, where's the promise of his coming? Everything continues as it always did. That's second Peter three. Don't be ignorant, he said. So Peter says at the end of his message, this age, this age is an untoward generation. Save yourself from it. Untoward means warped. Untoward means twisted. Untoward means perverted. I want you to turn with me to Jeremiah 6, okay? Jeremiah 6. I almost read this with you for the Scripture reading. Jeremiah chapter 6. Now, the world has always been sinful and evil. Our Lord called it, didn't He? This present evil world. Now, that's what the Lord says about them. Jeremiah 6. It's always been sinful. It's always been evil. But as time goes by, as the population grows, it gets worse. It gets worse. And in Genesis 5, the Lord talked about the world full of giants, beautiful women, people skilled in this and that and the other. That's these last days. And in chapter 6, our Lord said this, the whole world had corrupted His way, meaning it's all over the globe. And as time went by, there were more and more people living on the earth, so it was everywhere, this corruption, this twisted, untoward generation. And God destroyed the world then by flood. Do you believe that? And Peter wrote there in 2 Peter, this same world that was destroyed by flood is reserved unto fire for the day of perdition. As time goes by and more and more people, there are about 8 billion people on this earth now. And this whole world that we live in is perverted, isn't it? Look around. Look at chapter 6 of Jeremiah, verse 16. Stand ye in the ways and see. Look around. Open your eyes. That's what he said. Look around you. Look at all the ways of mankind. And Scripture over and over says there is a way that seems right to man, but man's ways are not God's way. God said that. Your ways are not my ways. And the ways of man lead to what? Instruction. Stand and look and see. Do you see? Ask for the old paths. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, such as keep His covenant that lay hold of His gospel. Ask for the old paths wherein is the good way, Christ the way. Ask and you will see. I hope everybody's listening to this. Peter preached, you men and brethren, listen to me, hearken to me. The good way, it's Christ, the way. Walk there and walk by faith and you'll find rest for your soul. Are you still reading verse 16? But they said, we will not. Verse 17, I said, watchmen over you, those that watch for your soul. Hebrews 13, they watch for your souls. It's those that must give an account. Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. That's the Gospel. But they said, we will not hearken. They won't hear this. Oh, hear, verse 18, he went on, hear ye nations, O congregation. Hear, O earth, verse 19, I'm going to bring evil upon this people. Look down at verse 26, O daughter of my people, Oh, daughter. We have some daughters in here. Oh, my. Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet. Oh, daughter. Oh, son. Gird yourself with sackcloth and mourn. Jeremiah said to the women, At ease, he said, teach your daughters weeping. Save yourselves from this untold regeneration. I'm going to try not to raise my voice this morning. You don't need to if the Spirit of God will move. Now, the Scriptures declare salvations of the Lord, don't they? That's what we preach. Why? Because it's so. Because God gets all the glory. This is what you must proclaim first, isn't it? To the praise of the glory of His great. Peter quoted Acts 2, 32. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's true. It's a wonderful promise. Isn't that wonderful? And he concluded by saying, as many as the Lord our God shall call, that's who we'll call. Because He's going to get the glory if anybody calls. You, I, we will not call unless He calls us. That must be said first of all, shouldn't it? Because God gets the glory. Because salvation's up for the Lord. It begins with Him. And it ends with Him. And it's performed by Him. However, he says, Save yourselves. Doesn't it? Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Jeremiah in another chapter, he said, why will you die? Isaiah, our Lord said in Isaiah, he said, come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they'll be white as snow. Let the unrighteous man forsake his His unrighteousness. Listen to Proverbs 8. Don't you love Proverbs 8? You know who that's speaking of, don't you? Our Lord, whose wisdom. Listen to this. He says, Unto you, O men, I call, my boy, O you simple... Understand wisdom. Understand. Here, I'll speak excellent things. All the words of my mouth are righteousness. There's nothing perverse, twisted, In them, untoward ends. It's all plain to him to understand. Counsel is mine. I understand him. I reign and I rule. I love them that love me. Those that seek me, early shall find me. Listen. He said, Blessed is the man that heareth me. Are you hearing this message? He speaks through a man. I'm a poor vessel, but He said, I'm all you've got right now. Blessed is the man, the woman, the young person, the daughter, the son who heareth me, who heareth this message, not just the ear but the heart, watching daily at my gates. Watching for what? The coming of our Lord. Waiting at the post of his doors. Whoso findeth me findeth life and shall obtain favor of the Lord. He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me, Love death. That's something. Jonah 2.9, salvations of the Lord, the verse before it says, They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. What's a lying vanity? Everything in this world. Vanity of vanity. We may look, our sister has asked me to preach from Ecclesiastes 3. The whole book of Ecclesiastes is a book of life. It talks about everything you have in this life. Everyone, children, houses, lands, all these things. And it begins and ends this way. Vanity. Preacher. Vanity. It ends that way. Vanity. Vanity. Let's hear the conclusion. Fear God. That's what it said. Because it's all going to end. So, this is my last message. So be it. Salvations of the Lord. But the Lord mercifully says, come now. Come. Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden. I'll give you rest. Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Let me give you an illustration. A drowning man. He's drowning. He cannot save himself, can he? If he's drowning, truly. Like Simon Peter. Simon Peter was going down, wasn't he? And he cried out, didn't he? Lord, save me. Three words. Lord, save me. Lord, your Lord, save. I need saving. Me. Who saved him? Christ did. He reached down and pulled him up. Did Peter lay hold of the Lord? Did Peter, when our Lord laid hold of him, what do you reckon he did? Who saved who? How was he saved? He cried. He called. Christ is our life. The gospel is the power of God and the salvation. It's his words, his voice. It's what he uses to save dead sinners, lost sinners. It's his will. It's his work. It's his choice. It's his call. It's his glory. It's his honor. All who are saved will someday be giving Him, as they do now, giving Him all the honor and the glory for their salvation, all of it. But if anyone perishes, it's their fault. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to say, The Lord is still saving people by preaching the gospel, not this other gospel, the gospel. Here I go again. Woe is unto me if I don't. Gospel is Christ. Look at chapter 2, Acts chapter 2. The gospel is Christ and Him crucified. And here, my text and the thing I want to keep in your hearts and mine, save yourselves. Don't go down with this world, with anybody in it. Don't do it. Call on the Lord. Acts chapter 2, verse 22, here's Peter, the preacher's message. You men of Israel, you men, women, young people of Franklin County, of the Rocky Mountain of Central, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know. You know, Paul one time preached and said this thing wasn't done in a corner. These people that were at Jerusalem at this time were from all over the world. all over the world. And Simon Peter said, you know this. Now this was just a few years after our Lord went back to glory, but it spread all over the world. Have they not all heard? Yes, barely. The sound has gone throughout the world. Nobody hasn't heard it. By the way, that's when the Lord said He's coming, when the gospel is preached everywhere. And we have the means now, the medium, to preach the gospel to every creature on earth, and they've heard it now. So they all heard that this Jesus of Nazareth had lived upon this earth. In verse 23, he said, Him, Jesus of Nazareth, clearly showed that God was with Him, in Verse 23, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Now Simon Peter is preaching this message. You cannot perceive of him smiling while he's preaching this again. Can you? He's warning everybody. He's exhorting everyone. The time is short. He's crying out, save yourselves from this wicked, perverse generation. The serious message is life or death. He's not playing games here. He's not smiling. He's not trying to win friends and influence people. Not trying to get anybody impressed with him. He wants them to be bowed to and fall down before the Lord Jesus Christ before it's too late. That's what he's doing. That's what I'm doing. And that's what I want to do and what every true preacher tries to do every time he stands up. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel of the foreknowledge of God, Jesus Christ. God the Father. chose the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world. He made him the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He made him the burnt offering, the blood atonement, the only salvation for sinners. Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin. God said to all the children of Israel, He's bringing out of Egypt, like God's people are bringing out of this world, It's the blood that makes the atonement for the soul. He said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Not when I see your reform, your reformation. Not when I see your sincerity. Not when I see your new life that you've turned over. When I see the blood, it's the blood. It's Christ crucified. Do you understand? We've got to preach this every time. This determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God was a covenant that God made with Christ, with the Holy Spirit, concerning the salvation of all of God's elect people. We weren't born then. We weren't involved then. We had nothing to do with that. This was of the Lord. OK? This was all determined before the determinate counsel. It was all purposed and determined by God before the world began. God, and I have to smile when I say this, God in great love and mercy and grace purposed to save a people as the stars of the sky, as the sands of the seashore, Chose those people? None of them deserved it. We don't. There's not a person in this room who deserves a chance to be saved. Salvation's not by chance. It's not by us deserving it. Salvation's by mercy. Sovereign mercy. And sovereign grace. You cannot preach the gospel without saying that. The determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. He said, I've purposed it. I will do it. I've spoken it. I'll bring it to pass. And he did. And he said in verse 23, you have taken and by wicked hands crucified the Lord of glory. You. Now when the Lord was here on this earth, multitudes heard his words as now. Multitudes were somewhat interested as they are now. Listen to me. But that generation and our generation shows that they haven't really heard or been converted because this is the most corrupt and wicked and vile and perverted generation in the history of the world. This is the very last of the last day. Look around you. Look at what people are doing to themselves and everybody is now calling it normal. What do you think God, who is of two pure eyes, to look upon iniquity? Holy, holy, holy. What do you think God Almighty thinks about this perverted world? What do you think? I heard somebody recently, a sister, said something about in God's eyes they're married or whatever. In God's eyes, everybody is guilty and deserving to be destroyed. That's in God's eyes. If you're not in Christ, in God's eyes, you're perverted. Everybody. Now everybody heard the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. And many were interested. They were religious. But the religious people, the vast majority, Our Lord never said anything good to the religious people that day. Nothing. In fact, He warned the publicans and the harlots and the sinners about this religious generation. He said they draw near. Well did Isaiah say they draw near with their lips and all this excitement and enthusiasm. Their hearts are far from it. Their hearts are not broken over sin. They don't believe with the heart that their salvation is of the Lord, of His mercy. of His grace, of His will. They believe it's man's will. They don't believe it's by the blood of Christ. They believe it's by us accepting it. Our Lord didn't say anything good about the religious generation of His day. He said it's corrupt. It's perverted. The way is backwards. They've got God being a man and man being God. They've got God hoping you'll exercise your will and accept Him rather than vice versa. Isn't it? Look around. Is that this corrupt, perverted, twisted generation? And so they conspired to do away with Him back then. Religion and the government. They conspired to do away with this Christ, this sovereign Christ and all those who preached Him. This one way. Salvation by blood and righteousness. Salvation by another. Salvation by His will, by His power. Salvation through preaching. Nothing else. And they just conspired to do away with it. And thousands gathered, I'm raising my voice now, thousands gathered to watch Him being crucified. And no one tried to stop it. No one. There were a few women, blessed of Christ, Mary Magdalene, other Marys, Mary, who were weeping. They were weeping over what? Over Christ crucified. Over what we have done to God's Son. But most were laughing. Most were mocking. Most were scoffing. Just like this perverted generation. And religion is making a mockery of it. Most wanted him dead. Wanted him silenced. Why did they want him silenced? He exposed them. Everybody. Religion. He exposed religion. So religion hated this sovereign cry. They hated it. Others were indifferent. Thousands watched him being crucified. Some were indifferent, but they went out to see it. Like many come to services all over the land. And then when it was over, it's over, they went home. They went their way back to their life to eat and drink and have sex. And that's their life. And that's the life of people on this earth. Isn't it? Christ is not their life. It's your life. And as now there are indifferent people, And they don't really care. They don't cry out. When the gospel is being preached, when Christ is being set forth as the only hope of salvation for sinners, they're not crying out for mercy and grace and salvation. Crying out in sorrow and mourning and repentance. Holy God, have mercy upon me. I have despised your son. I didn't care a thing about him. All this time I haven't cared one thing about Jesus Christ. All this time you have fed me and clothed me and given me children and houses and lands. I haven't worshipped you and called upon you. I haven't served you. I haven't thanked you. I said, Lord, God, please be merciful to me. I don't deserve to live one more day and encumber your earth. Do you feel that way? Repentance is the goodness of God. I'm sorry, Lord God. I'm sorry. Please forgive me for Christ's sake. So the indifferent people were just as guilty about killing Jesus Christ as those who took the sword, as a soldier who took the sword and pierced his side. Those who are indifferent are just as guilty. And this is what God holds this whole world accountable for. You killed my son. That's it. And you don't care. You're indifferent. That's right. Would you love all the people who took your son and brutally killed him and laughed while they were doing it? Would you? No, you wouldn't. But God. He doesn't love everybody. That's a lie. But the fact that He loves anybody is great mercy. It's great grace. Who does He love? All who call. All who repent. Repent of what? Against thee and thee only have I sinned. I've done this in your sight. All my life I've lived in your sight. The things you've given me, the things you've done for me, you've fed me and clothed me, you've protected me all these years. I didn't know it. Surrounded by danger. You've given me my house, my family, my children. You've given me all these things. Riches untold. You've given me all these things. And I might give you a thought. I might not. Please forgive me. Please have mercy upon me. Please, for Christ's sake. I know you sent Christ to the cross to die for sinners such as I. Oh, Lord God, may it be pleasing unto you that the blood of Jesus Christ make remission for my sins on Calvary's tree. I deserve to die. I pray that he died in my stead. That's repentance, and that's faith. Have you done that? Have you? You're guilty. I'm guilty. You understand? He's preaching to everybody. And I am too. And he says in the closing, save yourself. And here's what he said. He said, God, at verse 36, let all the house of Israel know, his first words were, this man you know, He was delivered by the counsel of God, the determinate counsel of God, and you have wicked hands taken and crucified and slain Him. Verse 36, He said, Let everybody know God hath made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, whom you don't care about, whom you might give a little time to and might not. He's Lord. You are in His hands. You, your children, your life, everything about you is in His sovereign hands to do with as He pleases. The keys of hell and death, he said. And Christ. He's a just God and a Savior. So here's what Peter said. Save yourself. Save yourself. Repent. They all cried out. They were pricked. Everybody that heard it was pricked. Has this pricked your heart? Pricked mine. What are we going to do? What shall we do? You see, Simon Peter is a true preacher. And true preachers don't ask people to do anything. They command it. God hath commanded all men everywhere to repent. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, not a request. Peter did not say God offers you salvation. Peter did not say God wants you to accept Him as your personal Savior. Peter did not say let Him be Lord. No, he said God made Him Lord. He said, God hath made this Christ whom you rejected, Lord. He's right now, Lord, on the throne right now. And your soul and everything about you and your life, your future, is completely in His hands. It's not up to you. It's completely up to Him. He's Lord. You don't make Him Lord. You don't let Him be Lord. Peter didn't say that. He didn't ask anybody anything. He didn't have an altar call. He didn't say, won't you please? No, no, no, no, no. He sat down after declaring Christ. Crucified, buried, risen, and seated on the throne, reigning and ruling over all flesh. He sat down, that's it. How's anybody going to be saved by that? If you don't give them a chance. I already told you, it's not by chance. It's by the power of God. And this is what God uses to convict sinners of their rebellion against the Holy God. To convince unthankful, ungrateful, perverted sinners that they've sinned against the holy God and they've killed his son, not cared about his son. And he might save, he might not. That's the message that pricks people's heart. That's the message that strikes fear in people. That's the beginning of wisdom, the fear of the Lord. That's the message. This is the message. There is no other. Anything less is not the message. Anything other, in addition to, is not the message. The message is Christ crucified, risen, reigning and ruling, seated, about to make his enemies his footstool. That's the message. Let it be known, he said. God did this, and it's done. God said, I will work, Isaiah 43, and who's going to stop me? That man 2,000 years ago was crucified on that cross. That same Jesus now reigns and rules. He's good to all. But He's coming today, very soon. He's going to gather His elect from the four corners of the earth. His elect, that's what He said. And that's what I said. He's going to gather His elect whom He loved before the world began. Those who love Him, how do you know? They worship Him. They glorify Him. He's going to gather them from the four corners of the earth like He's gathered us now. There are those who are gathered right now waiting on Him, waiting on a word from Him, waiting to worship Him, sing His praise and His glory, not with the lips but from the heart. A broken heart over sin, a heart made grateful over mercy. A heart that's looking to Christ and Him crucified and nowhere else. A people that worship Him in spirit and in truth. The people that worship Him and waiting on Him, that stand for Him, stand for His honor, stand for His glory, who come out from among this mess, who go forth unto Him without the camp bearing His reproach, who stand for Him, His glory, His honor, against those who would bring Him down from His glory and honor, who have forsaken all, houses, family, Friends, everyone who does not worship their God, they've forsaken them all, stand for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who purchased them, who died for them, who saved them. And that same Jesus they're waiting on, He will come, He's going to split the heavens wide open and every eye shall see Him then. And in great anger, destroy this world and take his people, his precious jewels, out of this perverted world to be with him forever, which they'll be doing then what they love to do now, worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ. What about you? Peter said in verse 38, they asked, what shall we do? He said, repent. Psalm 51, have mercy upon me, O God. Be baptized, every one of you. Every one of you. Is everyone in here who professes faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, have you been baptized? Have you confessed Him in believers baptism? If not, If you deny Him, this is the public confession of faith in Christ. This is the way our Lord said, go into all the world and preach the gospel, which I just did. And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. That's what He said. If you do not stand for Him, and He said, this is a wicked and perverse and adulterous generation. If you do not stand for Me, if you do not confess Me, if you deny Me, if you don't confess Me before Me, I will deny you when I come. That's what He said. So I'm telling you, every one of you, repent, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved, and confess Him in believers' baptism. Take a stand for Him, or you'll stand in the judgment before Him. And you'll have the remission of sins. All of them. I've got to smile now. His sins are gone. But He's going to open the books of life to everyone who does not, and expose every single sin. Well, here He is. But God, those who simply, powerfully, graciously by His power, by gift of salvation, believe Him, He wipes it out. All forgiven. Confess Him. Confess Him. And look at it. He says in verse 40, save yourselves from this wicked generation of people. Why go down? You know how the people were taken up with the movie The Titanic? Isn't that ironic? Isn't that ironic they made that a romantic thing? That's ironic, isn't it? That's ignorance. That's how foolish people are. Like an ark of Noah, they made it an amusement park, a tourist That was the wrath of God killing thousands. You and I need to be in the ark, not the Titanic. So he says in closing, save yourselves from this perverted generation. It's so backward. It's so corrupt. Religion, government, Everybody across the board, all flesh corrupted his way. It's very plain, isn't it? Look around. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized. Every time somebody gets in this pool, I want to do it too. Don't you? And the same day they were added, added to where? To God's church. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. You couldn't get them away from the church house. Christ is their life man. They've got to hear this message. Why? They're still sinners. Fear. See verse 43? Fear. Fear. They all feared God. They all feared God. Save yourself from this untold regeneration. Oh, may God Have mercy on us and our children. Number 235. 235. We sang the first hymn was, Come Thou, Almighty King, come. This last message. And He did. Christ came. The Gospel is here this morning. Christ said we're two of three, didn't He? Didn't He? Not in theory, that's actually. So now we're going to sing, Don't Pass Me By. Pass me not. He's come. Now sing from the heart. Pass me not. Pass me not. Number 235. Let's stand.