Open your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Acts, chapter 25, and we will stand up together and read verses 13 to 17 together. Acts, chapter 25, verses 13 to 17. Now, we'll be going through the whole chapter, but I just thought we'd read these first few verses for an introduction. So let's stand up and read these verses.

And after certain days, King Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus. And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix, about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him. To whom I answered, it is not manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die. Before that he be accursed, have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the moral, I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be bought forth.

Now last week's sermon, we looked at the first 12 verses of Acts chapter 25. We looked at God's sovereign protection over Paul. His providential guidance in the life of Paul. As the Lord had told Paul, remember, he must go to Rome.

Well, last week we saw Paul appeal to Caesar. And being a Roman, he couldn't be bought into judgment by the Jews. And so Festus said, you appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.

Now something interesting here too, that's showing, is at one time, remember when the Jews stoned Peter? They didn't seek permission. One commentator said, time has passed now, and the Roman grip on Jerusalem and Israel has become even more, so much so that they can't put someone to death without the Romans knowing about it. Because they came, remember, to ask permission to slay Paul, to bring him into judgment.

So I thought it was interesting, the commentator said, now the Romans grip on especially Israel here, has tightened, tightened. And it just shows you how they're in bondage to the Romans. And Paul's appeal to Caesar is not just a legal maneuver, right? Somebody will say, well, that was a genius maneuver. Well, it all came about because of the providence of God. according to the purpose of God. Paul must go to Rome. He must. So God has it where he appeals to Caesar. Paul did it, right? He appealed to Caesar, but the Lord moved and made it all possible, didn't he? It's amazing. Never forget the providential hand of God as we're reading these texts. That he is the one orchestrating what's coming to pass. It's absolutely incredible.

Remember, he's the one who orchestrated that Felix, who was keeping Paul hostage, basically, looking for money. For two years, we read, right? And he moves, and out goes Felix, and in comes Festus. Now, Festus is going to send him to Rome. But why couldn't he go when he desired to, when he was before Felix? Because the time of love for those who would hear the gospel through Paul going to Rome was not that time yet. Isn't that amazing? I remember when we first came here, Zane, you remember that? You said it wasn't time last year. But now it's time. So true. So true. And here we are 10 years later.

The Jewish leaders plotted to kill Paul by luring him to Jerusalem, and the unsaved Roman governor, Festus, under God's sovereign hand, refuses their request. He refuses their request. Instead, allows Paul to appeal to Caesar, thereby preserving the life of Paul, and Paul being used now for the furtherance of the gospel, which we saw last week at the end of our study Right? Remember how he went to Philippi or he's in Rome writing to the Philippians and he says, some of the Praetorian guard the Lord saved and even some of Nero's household. My oh my.

We also looked at the fact that salvation is entirely of God's grace with Christ's blood cleansing believers from all our sins. He came to save us from our sins. And the gospel power is evident even in the most hot, think of this, look how the gospel power is evident even in the most hostile environments. It's still going forth with power, power of God the Holy Spirit. It's absolutely amazing. Absolutely amazing.

We see this in the conversion of the soldiers of the Leperturian Guard, and again, even members of Nero's household. Paul's under house arrest in Rome. Gospel's still going forward. You can't change the gospel, can you? Can't. People try to stamp it out, it just grows even more. I've said many times, I got this from Spurgeon, what happens when you go like this to a fire? Sparks just go. That's what happens when persecution comes to the church. Out goes the gospel. All by God's providence.

Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. My, that's true in our lives, isn't it? Oh yeah, it's amazing. And we looked at the fact salvation's entirely a work of God's grace. Christ's blood cleanses us and the gospel goes forth. We've seen in this study how God uses both the righteous and the unrighteous to accomplish his will and purpose. Right? He does. He's using an unsaved governor here to accomplish his purpose. and his eternal purpose will come to pass. As every born-again, blood-washed believer, we know.

That's why we're called to rest in Christ. We're called to rest in the one who holds everything going on in this world in his hand. Look at the chaos we see. In our eyes, we see chaos, right? The world sees real chaos. The world's freaking out. Right? You know, when I was younger, I've talked to my son about this. This is so funny. When I was younger, first, when I was little, it was a fear of a nuclear bomb. Right? Oh, the world's going to end with a nuclear bomb. Right? Didn't, did it? And then, when I was in my 10 or 12 years old, there's going to be an IC. And they got all worked up, didn't they? So worked up. Oh my gosh. And then how did they go from an ice age to global warming? It's all about money. That's all it's about. And it creates fear.

Well, for us, we know who's in control. We already know how it's gonna end. The Lord's gonna burn this whole world up, isn't he? So we rest in his sovereignty. We trust in him. My, and he's glorious. We don't have to fear, beloved Paul. He's standing before someone who has the ability, the power to lop his head off. But Paul appeals to Caesar. He has the power to hand him over to the Jews. But God and the sovereignty, it's not his plan. It's not his purpose.

Now, when the time came for Paul to die, he died. Just like when the time comes for us to die, we're gonna die. And there's no doctor in the world that can save us, but for us, it's an ushering into glory. My.

Let's look at verses 13 all the way to verse 23. Let's read this section here. Most of what we're gonna read here is a repeat of what we've already studied. And it plainly declares that Paul was bought before governors and kings. Now think of that. He's bought before various governors and various kings, and they're hearing the gospel. That's all ordained by God. Remember the guys that you read about, brother? Well, I got an oxen I gotta take care of. I got this. I gotta do this. Remember Felix? I'll call for you when it's convenient. That's the same thing.

And the Lord says to his gospel preachers and his people, go and compel those in the world to come. Compel them to come. Come, you needy sinners. Join voices with we sinners who've been saved by grace in the praise and mercy of God. because that's all we are, is sinners saved by grace.

Look at this, verses 13 to 23. After certain days, King Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus. Oh my, and when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, there's a certain man left in bonds by Felix. We know from two studies ago he's there for two years. About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him. To whom I answered, it's not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die. Before that, he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. Therefore, when they were come hither without any delay on the morrow, I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought forth, against whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusations of such things as I supposed. but had certain questions against him of their own superstition and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. So Paul's testifying of the resurrection of Christ, that he died, and he was buried, and he rose again. My.

And because I doubted of such manner of questions, oh, yeah, see, that's a natural man, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem and be there judge of these matters. But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear this man myself tomorrow, said he. Thou shalt hear him. And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come in Bernice with a great pomp, all great pomp and circumstances, here comes King Agrippa. You know what our king? He didn't come with great pomp and circumstances, did he? No. Man loved man's praise. Oh my. Our king came and says, there was no beauty in him that would cause you to go to him. Here they come with great pomp. Pomp and circumstances. And entered into the palace of hearing with the chief captains and principal men of the city at festus commandment, Paul was brought forth. Oh, here's all these folks. All the who's who. of Caesarea. Oh, my.

Again, what we read there is a repeat of what we've already studied, most of it. Paul was bought before governors and kings. Why? For Christ's sake, for the furtherance of the gospel. all according to the will and purpose of God. Why are you here today, and why are you saved if you're a born-again, blood-washed believer? Because it happened according to the purpose and will of God. That's why. Why are you here and you love the gospel? Because it pleased God to make it so. Why are we not driving by here and ignoring the sign like so many do? because God made us to differ. No wonder Paul said, blessed be God the Father in Ephesians 1, 3, which means praise be to God the Father. And all this has happened according to the will of God. Left to ourselves, we'd be driving right by here. You ever think of that? Without a care in the world. Just like those who Brian read about, who said, well, I got a bunch of oxen I gotta take care of, I got a field, I just bought a chunk of land, I need to take care of that land. And here we are, Brother Exodus, loving the Lord. Loving the gospel. Because God made us differ. It's amazing. It's absolutely incredible, I'll tell you. God is so merciful. He's so good. And all we see here is a fulfillment of God's will.

Because again, Paul was told he's got to go to Rome. To Rome he will go. Remember it said must in that text? You must be a witness. Well, if God says you must, something's going to happen, isn't it? Remember Jonah? Oh, Jonah's supposed to go to Nineveh. I ain't going to Nineveh. He gets on a ship. I ain't going to Nineveh. God has a huge storm come up. That boat's being tossed to and fro. Right? They start pitching stuff over and praying to their false gods. And they said, there's someone on here. Someone. The gods are angry with him. And Jonah says, well, I serve the true and living God. Throw me over. And God had a big whale, didn't he? Right there at that right, you ever think of that? Right at that exact time. What happened if we get thrown into the sea in the raging storm? No one would ever find our body, would they? All that whale swallowed him and he didn't die. And in the belly of the whale, he says, salvation's of the Lord. So the Lord told him, you have to go to Nineveh, right? What happened to him afterwards? He went to Nineveh, didn't he? God's will will be accomplished.

And all that happened, all that, remember too, all that happened to Jonah for our learning. It's wonderful. Remember old Jonah? He preaches the gospel. He doesn't want any of them to be saved. How remarkable. As a gospel preacher, man, you rejoice in when the Lord saves people. He's so angry, and then the Lord saves a bunch of Ninevites, and he gets mad about it. Oh, my gosh. But he's still one of God's preachers, isn't he? And then Lord has a gourd come up to shadow him from the hot sun, and he's still grumbling and it dies. Oh my, we never learn, do we? We're just like Jonah. But God's grace is merciful.

As I said in Sunday school, I was listening to a song this morning called, I can't remember what the name of it, but one of the lines in it was, love that will never let me go. That's the everlasting love of God. They never let us go. People's love may fade, but God's love never fades. It's the same yesterday, today, and forever, beloved. It'll never change. It's unchanging. Isn't that remarkable? It's remarkable. Why? We could inquire, why does God, the Holy Spirit, have us see this reviewed again? Why is this being reviewed again? Well, because, as I mentioned in Sunday school, we need to hear the gospel, right sister, again and again and again and again. And we don't ever get tired, do we, Sister Barb? We love hearing the gospel. We love it. It fills us with joy. It fills us with joy. It's amazing. And have you ever noticed it's just as amazing now? It's becoming more amazing to us as we grow in grace. The gospel becomes more amazing, that Christ died for my sins, that God himself gave his life for me. My God. And it fills us with awe. There's such a sweetness to the gospel, isn't it? Such a sweetness. As I said earlier, in Sunday school, we can get a job, it gets old. We get a house, yeah, nice, but it gets old. Certain things, you get clothes, they get old. But the gospel to the believer never, ever, ever gets old. That's amazing, isn't it, sister? That's amazing. My!

So we need to have these things repeated to us. We need to see the wonders of God's providence at work. You know, someone said one time, all you do is preach Christ. Yeah, because he's the one thing needful for sinners. He's the one thing needful. And God sends his preachers to preach Christ, to preach his gospel. And every person who hears us, whether we have the honor of preaching to an assembly or one individual, it's ordained by God. You know, it's ordained by God that you'd be here listening today. Isn't that amazing? My oh my.

As someone said, the same rays of the sun that warms hardens clay. So the gospel goes forth, and it warms the soul of God's people, and it hardens the hearts of unbelievers, such as Pharaoh, remember? Scripture says his heart was hardened against the Lord. And God's preachers, We don't know what the results of our preaching are, what they might be, but we do know that Jesus Christ is the one who determined the results. No preacher worth his weight in salt will ever brag about anything he does. Because all the results, all the blessings you guys get from the messages I preach is from the Lord. Glory to his name.

You often hear me say, if you come by and say, that was a wonderful message, praise God. I know my place. Just an instrument. Doctors use scalpels, right? Carpenters use hammers. Tile makers, they use all kinds of instruments. Right? Farmers use tractors. All kinds of instruments they use. That's how we are. We're just instruments in the hands of the Lord. It's amazing.

Preaching the God's gospel will harden the hearts of some and will melt the hearts of others. And it all happens according to God's will and purpose. We preach salvation through Christ alone, by the sovereign power of God, the Holy Spirit. These words of truth have established our new hearts with sovereign grace, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His, that's God's sovereign mercy, He saved us by the washing of the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. which he shed on us abundantly through Christ Jesus, our Savior, that being justified by his grace, not by anything we do, justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We're made heirs by Christ and in and through Christ according to the will of God by his grace. My! It's amazing. That's why God's preachers, that's why we preach the total depravity of man, that there's no way we can even come to Christ without him making us well in. No. When sovereign grace came to us, and when we were born again, before that, we were dead, spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. We did not seek God. We were not good. Now we still aren't, we're just safe sinners now, right? None of us were righteous. Now we're made righteous in Christ, which is absolutely incredible.

That's why we preach unconditional election too, because there's no way we could have saved ourselves or save anyone else. And God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and saved us. God the Son saved us 2,000 years ago. The work's done. He shed His blood. And it was God's sovereign grace that chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. And that's why we preachers preach particular redemption. It was according to God's sovereign grace that we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Why if, as some universalists say, that Christ died for everyone, then why are people in hell? Scripture says he shall not fail. You know why? You know why people are in hell? Because they're sinners just like we are. And the only one who made us to differ from them is God. The mercy and grace of God. Christ died for a particular people. He said, my sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. He said, I lay down my life for the sheep.

Now you can say, well, I don't like that. Well, it doesn't change the fact, it's true. I didn't like it the first time I heard it, before the Lord saved me. You know why? You know why? Because my salvation in religion was based on a refuge of lies. And that lie, those lies were, I chose to come to Christ. I did it. I, I, I. When grace says, Christ, Christ, Christ, it is, let's say it, finished. My, it's wondrous. Christ died for his sheep.

Now think of this, okay, here's a good analogy from the Old Testament to prove particular redemption. When Israel offered the sacrifices to God, were they for the Hittites? Nope. Were they for the Assyrians? Nope. Were they for the Egyptians? Nope. Were they for any other nations that existed at that time? Nope. And people say, well, no, they were for Israel. And you say to them, well, why do you say it's not fair then that God chooses whom he will when he chose Israel and gave them the oracles of God? And those sacrifices were only for them. That's a picture of the church, beloved. And those atonement, those sacrifices, we know the scripture says could never take away sin, but they were pointing to the one who could take away the sins of all the people, all the elect of all the ages, the church.

Had someone tell me, well, the Old Testament saints, they're not part of the church. Yes, they are. They're called the elect of God. Yeah, they were looking to Christ. We look back to Christ. Isn't it wondrous? When did the church have its beginning? In eternity. You ever think of that? When God chose a people in Christ? Isn't that amazing? And the scripture says Christ is a lamb slain from the foundation of the world, doesn't it, Brother Zane? Man, he knew his people way, way back, didn't he? In eternity. And here we are, sinners, saved by the grace of God and the mercy of God. Because it pleased God to do so. I am not going to get over that. I'll tell you what, it's amazing.

And we also preach redemption by the precious blood of Christ, that Christ died for people, and he redeemed them from all their sins, and not one of them will be in hell for eternity. Not one. As a matter of fact, every single sheep, lost sheep that Christ died for, shall be found. They'll be found by the shepherd. He knows where they are. And when their time of love comes, they'll hear the gospel, of God's grace and the Holy Spirit will regenerate them. And when that last sheep is saved, it's all over, beloved. It's all over.

Why do we preach irresistible grace? Well, because it's God's sovereign grace that moved us to come to Christ. The scripture says, there's none that seeketh after God. So that means, that means there's none that seeketh after God. Right? He said, well, what about my will? Well, your will's bound to your nature. And if you're dead, I had a talk with a guy a couple weeks ago, I told you guys. I said, let's go to the graveyard, and I'll give $100 to any corpse that can fly out of those graves, I'll give him $100. And he says, well, they can't. And I said, well, can't they be willing to come out of those graves? Well, no, they're dead. I said, that's what the Greek says about us and our natural state.

He says, well, the well didn't fall. Yes, it did. Man totally fell. That's why irresistible grace is so wonderful, because here we are, unwilling to come to Christ. I mean, heels dug in. And he loves, draws us with cords of love. Makes us willing. And what do we do, Brian? We run, don't we? We run to Christ. Oh my. Isn't that wonderful? So here, the unwilling are made willing. The ungodly become holy in Christ, even though we're still sinners.

Do you know we're as secure, we believers, are as secure in Christ right here as the believers in heaven? Love that will not let me go, the everlasting love of Christ. Grace, mercy, show unto sinners such as we. So that's why we proclaim these wonderful truths.

And then we also preach the final preservation of the saints. We remind God's people of our natural depravity, that God elected us in Christ, that we're totally depraved. We can't come to Christ. It's by irresistible grace that we're drawn to Christ. And then we're preserved by Christ, otherwise we'd fall away.

Well, how do we know that? Because our faith is like this. Right? One day we'll be on a high, next day we'll be like down here. Some of you may be constant. Some of us are like this. But I guarantee you, even the constant ones need Christ just as much as the ones that are going up and down. Right? And we need him every day. And he preserves us, he keeps us. He keeps us.

Spurgeon used to say, I mentioned this in Sunday school, that if we could fall away, we'd fall away a thousand times in a day. But we can't, because he keeps us. Wonder of wonders. As I mentioned in Sunday school, why don't we just quit and throw up our hands and say, I've had enough? Because God keeps us. I'm sure there's circumstances we've all went through where we could have thrown our hands up. I remember Donnie Bell told me, he said, man, I want to quit preaching five times at least since I started preaching, but God won't let me. Now, one who's not called can quit, but if you're called, you can't quit preaching. You just can't, and you don't want to. Because God reminds you of his faithfulness.

God reminds us that he upholds us when we hear the gospel, right? He keeps us. It's wondrous, I'll tell you what, it's absolutely amazing. Because we go through a lot of things in this life, don't we? But I like what Paul said, and I'll tell you what, it doesn't feel like this. It does not feel like this. And I'm not negating anyone going through anything. But Paul says that what we go through are light afflictions. I'd hate to see hard ones. But you know why the afflictions are light? Because we have Christ. That's why, beloved.

But I'm not negating anything we go through because we go through heartbreaking things. I mean, absolutely gut-wrenching things. but let us keep remembering, remind each other that Christ got us. He'll never leave us. He'll never forsake us. I gotta keep reminding myself that. And we who are the people of God, we've been taught by God, the Holy Spirit, that the preaching of the true gospel of God's sovereign grace is the instrument that God uses. It's the instrument God uses to enlighten or regenerate, to be born again, the minds of His chosen blood-bought people, to reveal Christ to us. And that comes by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Let it be proclaimed that absolutely no one will enter eternal glory who does not have a genuine saving interest in the gospel of God's sovereign grace, which is through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate in the flesh.

You ever talk to people and say, well, I know God. I've been a Christian my whole life. Well, that's not biblical. No one's been a Christian their whole life. You may have been exposed to the preaching of the gospel. You may have been exposed to religion. But I guarantee you, if you're a born-again, blood-washed believer, there was a time when God regenerated you. He gave you faith to believe. It's wondrous.

I was talking to a fella, he goes, I can't understand, I took my girls to church, all three girls, I took them to church, and now none of them are in church, but they all prayed a prayer, and they all, they gave their life to Jesus. I said, well, you might not like this, but the reason they might not be in church is because they might not be saved.

My, see the false sense of assurance, this praying the prayer gifts. Jim, you probably experienced this. People say, well, you guys are a bunch of antinomians. We say, no, we're not. We desire to live a holy life. But if someone says that someone prayed a prayer years ago, right? And oh, they're still a believer even though they haven't darkened the door of a church. Chances are that person's not saved.

No, it's hard. It's hard. I know. My kids, both of them prayed a prayer. You know, Crystal, I believe the Lord's working in her life. May have even regenerated her. But my son, he's still lost. has no care for the gospel. Pray for him, now pray for your kids, too. It's heartbreaking, isn't it?

But if they're one of the Lord's sheep, take heart. He's gonna get them. I told my son that the other day. I said, if you're one of the Lord's sheep, he's gonna get you. He didn't know what to say. It's true, though, isn't it? It's true. So there's always hope for our kids. There's always hope for our family members, because if they're one of the Lord's sheep, you're going to get them. No doubt.

It's amazing. God's sovereign grace always makes a difference. Turn, if you would, to John chapter 3. John chapter 3. God's sovereign grace always makes the difference between those who are saved and those who are unsaved. And again, God has made us to differ by his sovereign mercy and his grace. He makes the believer with his cleansing blood faultless before God.

Can we grasp that? Because we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And the only difference between us and those who perish in their sins is God himself. God's sovereign grace always makes the difference.

You know, remember too, remember this. Every one of us who God's called, we were in darkness. That was where we were. Look at this in John chapter three, verses 19 to 20. And this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world, and man loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Why did those men that Brother Brian read about in Luke 14, why didn't they want to come? Because their deeds were evil. Now this shines light on our natural depravity. We come out of the womb speaking lies. My, we're sinners to the core. My, look at this. Man loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil, for everyone that doeth evil hateth the light. I used to hate the Bible. Now, I wouldn't say that, but if someone come and start talking to me about Christ, I hated it. I really did, I admit that. It was, my mind was enmity with God.

Remember Felix? I'll call you another time. Oh, I don't want to hear this right now. I'll call you another time, Paul. And that time never came, did it? Let us be thankful for sovereign mercy that he came to us and saved us.

My, look at this, John 3.20, for everyone that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved. See, it wounds the pride of man when God shows us that we're sinners, because we think we're pretty good, but we're not. That's our natural state.

Now the believer's in Christ. Taken from the kingdom of darkness. Do you see how dark that is? To the kingdom of God's dear son. Rejoice, beloved. If you have a knowledge and an interest in Christ, rejoice. God gave you that. And keep praying for your family members. Just keep lifting them up. Encourage them to come to church with you.

My. And a genuine God-given saving interest in Christ Jesus by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and by the preaching of the gospel. of God's amazing grace always makes the difference between vessels of mercy and those who were predestinated unto the adoption of children, and those who are the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction.

Every God-ordained preacher is encouraged, and rightly so, when those who hear us preach seem to show a genuine interest in Christ. We get excited. We get excited. We get excited when someone takes an interest in the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And every believer, I like this, I got this quote from an old timer. Every believer came into this world as an obnoxious, ungodly, hell-deserving sinner, and we rebel against God as our sin is against him, and we have no desire for Christ in our natural state, and no desire to be around Christians. Jack, that's how I was. Was that how you were? Oh, my. My, oh, my. I'm so thankful God saved my soul. Are you? Isn't it amazing?

Again, we're dead in Christ. We're blind to the things of Christ. We stop our ears. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. But by God's irresistible grace, And isn't it mercy? I was just thinking about that. Isn't it mercy that God doesn't leave us in that state? That He saves us by His grace, through the Lord Jesus Christ, by His blood and righteousness, because Christ came to save us from our sins, and He already accomplished that, didn't He?

Therefore, God sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, whereby now we have a Father. Oh, Father, praise Your name. Thank You for saving me. What a difference. It's God who did the difference, made the difference. And God the Holy Spirit raises us up from a state of spiritual darkness. When we're born again and at our death, he ushers us home to glory. Because it pleased him to do so.

Now we mourn when a saint of God dies, but they're not mourning no more. As I was talking to Charlie about Denise, they're in eternal bliss, praising the Savior. We will be one day, not too long. Life's like a vapor, isn't it? We know what a vapor is now in the wintertime. We go out and go, and that vapor comes out and then it's gone. That's what our life is like, beloved. My. Paul, despite persecution and being wrongfully arrested, he did not waver in preaching Christ. We're going to see next week that he, he preaches to Agrippa and to Bernice the gospel of salvation through Christ in him alone.

And think of this, God will never let, God will never let his born again, blood washed saints ever turn away from him. or have anyone turn us away from him.

Why do we love the gospel when there's so many other false gospels out there? Why do we love the gospel? Because God's given us ears to hear and eyes to hear. And then when we hear someone else preach the gospel, we get so excited, don't we? Oh, there's another one. It's wondrous.

In this area alone, I count five or six different churches, and I've listened to their preachers. I've listened to them. They're not preaching the gospel. Mine. They preach morality. One guy doesn't even preach on the blood of Christ. They've torn it out of their hymnals, and he never, ever mentioned it. I went through multiple PDFs doing a search for blood. Nothing. How can you have a gospel of good news without the blood of Christ? You can't. You can't. That's why you keep hearing me say, we're saved through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is all of Him. He accomplished it. God the Father planned it, Christ executed it, and the Holy Spirit applies it. Glory be to God the Father, glory be to God the Son, and glory be to God the Holy Spirit.

My, oh my. And hearing the gospel truths over and over again, God's people are assured that Jesus Christ is our sovereign Lord. He will never allow anything or anyone, again, to turn our eye of faith away from Him.

Listen to this. How do we know this? Listen to these words. How do we know this to be true? Well, praise be to God. He gives us this blessed assurance in His Word. He says, Christ says, He'll never leave us nor forsake us. And then Paul writes, being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That's Philippians 1, 6. And then there's this fact that if God before us, who can be against us? Romans 8, 31. And then, that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Romans 8, 39.

What beautiful promises. What assurance. And do you notice? It's God keeping us. And if God before us, I ask you, who can be against us? No one. No one.

There was a well-known atheist in Europe. I remember reading about this, and oh, he spread it off all the time. You know what God did when he died? He had his house become a publishing area for the Bibles. Isn't that neat? Oh, my.

Once again, true saving faith will evidence itself in genuine saving interest in the true gospel of Christ. Saving faith worships Christ. Saving faith looks to Christ. It doesn't look to self, it looks to Christ. Saving faith loves the gospel of salvation through Christ alone. Salvation in Christ, true salvation, praises God for His mercy and thanks the Messiah for His precious blood. with which he's redeemed us. We praise God for the resurrection of Christ, which was for our justification. And we praise God for the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by God's sovereign mercy the Father sent to save us from our sins. And he shall not fail. And he cried, it is finished.

Oh my, we are commanded by God to come to his table on a regular basis, right? What do we do? Why do we come to the table? It's written right there, do this in remembrance of me. To remember the sacrifice that Christ made for us. That's what the table's for. It's for us to remember what he's done, to rejoice in the glorious salvation we have in Christ.

We'll take communion next week. We'll remember what Christ done for us. how he saved us from all our sins with the shedding of his blood.

Now let's read verses 24 to 27 of Acts chapter 25. And Festus said, King Agrippa and all men which are here present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem and here also crying that he ought not to live any longer.

Look how plainly the Lord reveals to us in scripture, they wanted Paul dead. They didn't want to spare him, they wanted him graveyard dead. And they let it, no one. They let it be no one. Look at verse 25, but when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, remember that all the accusations were false. There was nothing that could cling to him. and that he himself appealed to Augustus, he appealed to Caesar, I have determined to send him.

God uses this unsaved man, Festus, to protect Paul and to send him to where? Rome, where Caesar is. It's amazing to see the unfolding of God's will and purpose, isn't it? For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him. So he's saying there at the end there, it seems foolishness for me to send Paul to Jerusalem when these charges aren't real. There's no basis for them. See how the Lord even gave Festus some discernment there?

We'll take a closer look at those verses next week.

Think of this too. There's all these people of pomp and circumstance there. Men and women who were appointed to stumble at the word of God. whose hearts would be hardened by the preaching of Christ. And some of them will turn a deaf ear. Some of them will turn a deaf ear to the gospel.

And let us remember, who's the one who bought them all together? They've come up with their own accord, right? But who really bought them together to hear the gospel? God did, didn't he? And the same gospel that saves is the same gospel that hardens. Henry Mahan used to say, the one problem in America is America's become gospel hardened. Heard the gospel so much, they become hardened to it. And they'd rather have somebody tickle their ears and tell them what they have to do. And they even call They even call the gospel evil. They call it heresy. They call the truth evil.

If I could get a knuckle for every one time someone's called me a false preacher, because I preach the gospel of God's grace, I'd be a millionaire. Religious people are just like these Jews. They hate the gospel. And if you don't believe me, start talking to someone about election, and irresistible grace, and preservation of the saints, and the total depravity of man, and watch what happens. Unless God's working on their soul, they're gonna get mad.

My oh my. I had two Mormon boys one time knock on my door. And I didn't think anything about these guys with, they're already in a cult, and I thought, well, I'll just mention election to them. They about lost their, their gaskets sprung right up right away. You know why? Because they pray for the dead. And I said, well, God chooses a people in eternity, and Christ redeemed them from their blood, by his blood, from their sins, because he chose them. Oh, boom. And they don't even know the truth. Why do people react that way? Why did I react that way when someone told me about election and I stormed out their office? You know why? Because I didn't know the gospel. I didn't know the Christ or the gospel. Praise God, he saved me. And salvation doesn't come by learning and knowledge. Salvation comes through Christ, the true Redeemer, by revelation of the Holy Spirit of God.

I've met Calvinists who know all kinds of stuff. I mean, tons of stuff. I was a Calvinist. Five-point Calvinist. And I was lost as a white goose in a snowstorm. I didn't have any clue. I was religious. I was pharisaical. But I had no grace. And I treated people like that, too. Man, I was like a dog with a bone. I think you all know I was so critical of even people in my life. This all was in Oregon before the Lord, and Oregon, and I was so religious, and then you know who I heard preach the gospel? Henry Mahan. And he preached about a Christ who's already finished the work. My life's never been the same since. Born again. Religious but lost now saved by the grace of God My oh my

And God's preachers we've been sent to preach the gospel to all right Oh Come take of the water of life freely

Some people say, I remember Bruce Crabtree had told me, he said, some people complain they think I'm too, that I'm leaning to Arminianism. And I said, what do you mean? He goes, because I tell people to come to Christ. I said, keep telling them, brother, I do the same thing. Come, come, come to Christ. I know if you come, you're made willing. But come to Christ, sinner friend. The only salvation is in Him. The only way we can be saved from our sins is in Christ. That's it. There's no other hope outside of Christ.

Our Lord said, All things are delivered unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son. And he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. See, we're dead. We've got to be made alive. You must be born again. It's a necessity, isn't it, Brother Zane? It's a necessity, you must be born again. My, oh my, aren't you thankful God saved you? Aren't you thankful God revealed Christ to you?

Next week we're gonna see a whole group of people listening to Paul preach the gospel. Now we don't know what the results were of that, but I guarantee you some of them, their hearts were hardened. You even see Festus here, he's like, yeah, I heard him. And Grebber says, well, I'd like to hear him. And Bernice, I'd like to hear him. Okay. My oh my.

Brother Scott Richardson once said this precious truth. God will not speak to nor be spoken to any man apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. as the whole of our salvation is in Christ and Jesus Christ is made of God unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The only way we can approach God is through Christ. That's why Paul kept preaching Christ, through salvation in no other, through the merits and mediation of Christ through his blood and righteousness, we are saved from all our sins. And everything done for God and offered to God must be performed and offered in the name of Jesus Christ and for his glory.

Why do we serve? Why do we do things around the church? Why do I preach the gospel? For the glory of the God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Out of love, don't we? Out of love for him. Not for any visual things, but because we love him. My. Has God not been merciful to us? in and through Christ. Has God not blessed us with all spiritual blessings as we looked at this morning in Sunday school? Through Christ, justification, wisdom, sanctification, redemption, atonement. You can just keep going on.

And in the everyday blessings we receive from our King, why are things repeated in the scripture for our learning? You know why too? Because we'll go out that door and we'll forget some of the things we heard, won't we? We will. We'll forget some of the things we heard.

That's why we need the gospel again, and again, and again, and again. Keep putting Christ before me. And you know, when I'm preaching to you, I was telling someone this week, when I'm preaching to you, I hear my own voice, I'm preaching to myself. Right, Brother Brian? We're all getting preached to.

My, look to Christ, my dear brethren. Look to Christ. Sinner friend, if you do not know Christ, flee to him. He's the only hope for sinners. And you'll find out that the people of God are just a bunch of safe sinners.

Praise and worship in our great King who saved us from all our sins. Amen and amen.