Well good morning everyone If you would open your Bibles with me to Titus chapter 2 Titus chapter 2 and as you're turning this is in the bulletin, but I Always feel like it's best to to be able to say it out loud I want to thank you all for your generous gift and your faithfulness, your generosity and faithfulness, not just in a Christmas gift, but all through the year. I thank God for you.

Also, we'll have our New Year's Eve service on Wednesday. We'll have a time of fellowship afterwards. We'll observe the Lord's table. Hope you all can make a special effort to be here. I think it'll be a good time for us to be together. As I understand it, I might not be right, but as I understand it, the sign-up sheet out there is for drinks. And if you've got any questions, just text Janie. I guess they're still in Tennessee today, but she'll be able to tell us for sure what's going on for that.

But like Chris and I were talking about earlier, we can bring some crackers and a jar of peanut butter. I don't care. Just something to snack on and have a few minutes to spend together before everybody goes home to see the ball drop.

All right. Titus chapter two, I wanna read the whole chapter. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, that the aged men be sober, they be vigilant, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity and patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviors become with holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Young men, likewise, exhort to be sober-minded, in all things showing thyself a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient under their own masters and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

Four. Here's why we're to do all these things and have these attitudes and conduct before men. Four. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.

These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. And that doesn't mean just don't let somebody hate you. What Paul means is don't give somebody a reason to despise you. That's what he means there.

All right, let's stand together. Shawn leads us in singing our call to worship.

Glory to God the Father's name who from our sinful race chose out his people to proclaim the glory of his grace. Glory to God, the Son be praised, who dwelt in human clay, and to redeem us from the dead, gave his own life away. Glory to God, the Spirit give from whose almighty power our souls their heavenly birth derive. Oh, bless the happy hour. Glory to God that reigns above the eternal three in one, who by the wonders of his love has made his nature known. God's mercy is forever sure, eternal is his name. As long as life and speech endure, my tongue this truth proclaim.

Okay, if you would, turn in your hymnal to song number 223, Arise My Soul, Arise.

223. Arise, my soul, arise. Shake off thy guilty fears. The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears. Before the throne my surety stands. My name is written on his hands. My name is written on his hands.

He ever lives above For me to intercede His all-redeeming love His precious blood to plead His blood atoned all his race and sprinkles now the throne of grace and sprinkles now the throne of grace five bleeding wounds he bears received on Calvary They pour effectual prayers. They strongly plead for me. Forgive him, O forgive, they cry, nor let that ransom sinner die, nor let that ransom sinner die.

The father hears him pray, his dear anointed one. He cannot turn away the presence of his son. His spirit answers to the blood and tells me I am born of God and tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled. His pardoning voice I hear. He owns me for his child I can no longer fear With confidence I now draw nigh And Father, Abba, Father, cry And Father, Abba, Fa

Turn with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 9. Acts, the ninth chapter, our pastors ask us to read these verses together. Acts chapter 9, we'll start in verse 32.

And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ, maketh thee whole. Arise, make thy bed, and he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Leda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

We'll end our reading there. Let's pray together.

Our Holy Heavenly Father, we pray that you exalt your name among your people here in this place this morning. that we hear word from you, that you'd be so gracious to us to reveal yourself to us in Christ. We pray that you bless our pastor and give him a message and words from you, strengthen him. Father, together we pray for him because we know no man's sufficient for these things. We pray that you send your word through him. Bless this time together today. Send your spirit that we may truly worship in spirit and truth. Otherwise, all is all is vanity. We pray for your presence with us this morning as we pray and hope because you've you've promised where two or three are gathered. There you are in the midst of them. We we pray and hope that you're in the midst of us this morning. Pray that. Your message be blessed and that. Since in centers and Saints alike, see Christ and. and come again to the throne of mercy. We pray that you be with us.

Our father, we have so very much to be thankful for. And we do. We thank you that from your hand, all good and perfect things flow, that you have seen fit to elect a people and call a people, redeem and give life. and bring your children to become sons. We thank you that because of your goodness, you've seen fit because of who you are, because of your character, because of your mercy, because of your power, and that because of you, all things exist. And we have much to be thankful for. We thank you for today and pray that you be with us. Well, we pray for ourselves. We pray for other congregations that are meeting in your name even this morning. Pray that you be with them and bless those that are traveling. We pray that you bring them home to us safely. Those that are suffering from from different ailments that that you make your presence known and be with them and comfort according to your will. Father, once again, we thank you. We thank you for life. We thank you for Christ. We thank you for the full remission of sin, that they are gone indeed, as the scripture says, from the east to the west, that you remember them no more. And we bow and say, thank you. We bow humbly and thankfully in Christ's name. Amen.

Keep your Bibles open there at Acts chapter nine. That will be our text this morning. I've titled the message, The Gospel Command. Verse 32 says, and it came to pass as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints, which dwelt at Leda. Now Peter is off preaching on this missionary trip. He's gone out from Jerusalem and in all quarters, everywhere he went, he went preaching Christ. And when he came to this town named Leda, he came to the saints there, the saints. I know when we think of saints, the thing that immediately comes to our mind is somebody that's on a higher spiritual plane, you know, than me, you know, they're saints. But you know, a saint is every believer, every believer. At least 98 times in scripture, believers are called saints. It's the most common word used in scripture to describe believers, more often than believers or Christians, saints. And the word means one who's been set apart, one who's holy and sanctified in Christ Jesus. So every believer is a saint. That's right. Saint Matt, Saint Ralph, Saint Charlotte, every believer is a saint. And I know we don't really think of ourselves that way, but that's what we are in Christ Jesus.

And I want us to look at how the gospel, how this command of the gospel comes to the saints. And number one, the gospel comes in power. Jonathan could already tell where I was going. He stressed the word certain. The gospel comes in power to certain sinners.

Verse 33 says, and there he found a certain man named Aeneas. Now this certain man, all the certain people in scripture are God's elect. Those that the Father chose to save in Christ before the foundation of the world. They have been eternal, eternally chosen objects of God Almighty's mercy.

Verse 32 begins, and it came to pass. It always comes to pass. I should have looked up how many times that phrase is used in scripture. It came to pass. It came to pass because God's will always comes to pass. You know, everything that happens in God's creation comes to pass because it's God's will. It's not because it was random happenstance. It's not because the devil did it. Everything that happens in God's creation happens because it's God's will that it happens. God's will coming to pass. And it always comes to pass.

You know, I don't know what's going to come to pass, you know, in the future. Here we're getting on the verge of a new year. I have no idea what's going to come to pass in 2026. Charlie, I think it's going to be a lot like 2025. I don't think much is going to change, but I don't know what's going to come to pass. But this is what I know always comes to pass. God's grace always finds certain sinners. Those sinners that God chose to save. His grace always finds those sinners.

And God's preacher came to town, and it's no surprise he found a certain man. Look over at 2 Thessalonians 2. Here's another time that this happened. The gospel came to town, and it came and it found certain people.

2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13. But we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, Beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. God elected you. He chose you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. And here's how I know that this is so. How do I know that God has elected you? He's chosen you from the beginning to save.

Verse 14, whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what God does for all of his saints. He finds them with his gospel and calls them to Christ through the preaching of his gospel. And the gospel here came to a certain man. Now, it came to all the saints there, but on this day, we have a picture of God's saving power, his saving grace coming to a certain man.

From what we read now, I mean, I don't know what else happened while Peter was there, but from what we read, there was one man healed in that town, Aeneas, a certain man. God sent Peter to that town to preach to a certain man. And scripture is full of times that certain people were healed, that certain people were saved. It never happened on accident. It was always something that's been appointed by God from all of eternity.

And we won't turn to them all for time's sake, but let me read these to you. In Mark 17, verse 14, the Lord cast a demon out of the son of a certain man who came begging the Lord to be merciful to his son. In Mark 5, verse 25, the Lord healed a certain woman. She had an issue of blood. She came crawling up behind the Lord, and she thought, if I can just touch with the hem of his garment, I'll be made whole. And the Lord healed that certain woman.

Remember, he told his disciples, somebody touched me. And they said, Lord, there's a crowd just thronging, everybody just crushed up against you. Of course, somebody touched you. And he said, no, somebody touched me. Virtue went out from me. And he turned and looked at that woman. And the one and only time in our Lord's earthly ministry, he called it someone daughter was that poor woman down there in the dust who just touched the hem of his garments. Daughter, daughter, by faith it may be a certain woman who the Lord had intended to show mercy to from the foundation of the world.

In Mark 7 verse 25, the Lord cast a devil out of a daughter of a certain woman who came begging. I mean, she is begging, Lord, I'm a dog. She said, you're right, I'm a dog. But dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table. I'm just begging for a crumb. And the Lord healed the daughter of that certain woman that he called to him to reveal himself to her.

In Luke 8, verse 27, the Lord cast a legion of demons out of a certain man who had his dwelling in the tombs. That man had been living in those tombs for all that time, cutting himself, and they couldn't bind him with chains. He's a wild man. Why do you reckon the Lord came and got off the boat at that particular town on that particular day? He was coming for a certain man, a certain man. And the Lord did more than cast those demons out. That man believed Jesus of Nazareth. He said, Lord, I'm going with you. Don't make me stay here. These people are crazy. I'm going with you. These people told the Lord, leave our coast. Then this man said, Lord, I'm coming with you. I'm following you.

In Luke 18, verse 35, the Lord gave sight to a certain man. who sat by the wayside begging. He was there begging. And I'm sure there were other beggars, other blind people, other people in need as he's going out of Jericho. But there was a certain man who was begging and they kept crying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Lord stopped and commanded that man to be called to him. And they went to that poor blind beggar and said, Bartimaeus, you be of good cheer. The Lord's calling you. He's calling for you. He healed that certain beggar.

In John five, verse five, the Lord healed a certain man. He'd had an infirmity 38 years. And the Lord came by the pool that day, the pool of Bethesda to heal a certain man. There are many, many, many people in the porches. I mean, there's so many people that were laying there sick and had such need. And the Lord came to a certain man and he healed him.

And I tell you, I can't think of anything better than hearing, I'm a certain sinner. I mean, I certainly am a sinner, but to be a certain sinner that the Lord has set his affection on, that the Lord sent his son to die for. If I'm a certain sinner, this is what I know about my time here on earth. The Lord's going to find me. He's gonna find me in mercy, he's gonna find me in grace, and he's gonna reveal his son to me through the preaching of the gospel. And it just could be, it just could be, that you're here this morning because you're a certain sinner. Oh, you don't know how much I pray that so, that you're a certain sinner. And it could be today is the day that the Lord's gonna reveal himself to you a certain sinner. And you're gonna believe him. You're gonna believe him.

Then number two, the gospel always comes to certain people who cannot help themselves. Verse 33 says, and there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which he kept his bed eight years and was sick of the palsy. This man was paralyzed. That's what that word palsy means. He was paralyzed. But now it's interesting to note, this man wasn't paralyzed from birth. He'd only been paralyzed eight years. Before that, he could move and walk and work and do all the things, you know, that he had to do in life.

But something very traumatic must have happened. Wouldn't surprise me that this man, he was in full health and strength and vigor and worked his job and took care of his family. And it just wouldn't surprise me that one day he fell. Could be he was working on his roof and he fell off the roof. and he landed and he injured himself and now he's paralyzed. And I say it wouldn't surprise me that this man fell off the roof because that's what happened to you and me. Adam was created upright and he fell. He fell and when Adam fell, you and I fell. We fell into sin and death and depravity and rebellion and Death in sin, blindness, spiritual blindness, spiritual deafness. We became sinners when Adam fell. We died in sin when Adam fell. We didn't become a sinner the first time we told our mama a lie. We told our mama a lie because we became a sinner a long time ago in Adam.

Let me show you that in Romans chapter five. Romans chapter five. Verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man, Adam, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. And that phrase, for that all have sinned, means in whom all sinned. It's not that, well, death passed on us too when we sinned, No, death passed upon us because we sinned in Adam. When Adam sinned, that's the moment you and I became sinners. We fell, and just like this man who's been paralyzed for these past eight years, he's paralyzed. I mean, can you think of somebody more helpless than somebody that's paralyzed? He can't go where he wants to go. He can't wash himself. He can't dress himself. He can't feed himself. He can't do anything for himself because he's paralyzed. Somebody else has to do everything for him.

That's what happened to you and me spiritually when Adam died. When Adam fell, you and I just didn't fall and become injured. We broke an arm or we broke a leg and we could still limp around and we could still do something. No, when Adam fell, we died. And we have died such a long time ago, we're not freshly dead. We're dead and stinking and rotting in the decay of death. And we can't do anything spiritually for ourselves. We cannot come to Christ. There's no point in any preacher trying to talk anybody into doing something and and doing something for Jesus because we cannot come to Christ.

And more, what's more, we will not come to Christ. Our Lord said both of those things to the Pharisees. You cannot come to me and you will not come to me. We will not come to Christ because we can't come to Christ. And we can't come to Christ because we won't come to Christ. Both are equally true. We've got a dead sin nature that will not come to Christ, that will not believe Christ. We don't have the capacity to do it because we're dead.

And I stress that point because we have to be told who and what we are before the gospel will ever be good news to us. The gospel I mentioned this in the class this morning. I grew up hearing the gospel. And up here I knew it. And I really did believe it. It's true. There can't be any other way of salvation. But the gospel that I've heard, it just can't be. And when I was a freshman in college, all of us, we had a suite of rooms that were 16, 18-year-olds. And we'd sit in our, it had a living room area, we'd sit out in that living room area most evenings and we're gonna debate because we're all so smart now, we're in college, we're gonna debate. And I could debate the doctrines of grace with just as much enthusiasm as I could debate who's the greatest first baseman that ever played Major League Baseball.

Dead, dead. The gospel was not good news to me until God made me hear it as a sinner. And if I hear the gospel, and it's not a blessing to me today, how many years later that that's been, and it's not a blessing to me, I can tell you why. It's because I'm not hearing it as a sinner. If I hear it as somebody that, yeah, I know that, I believe that, I've heard that before, you know, oh, whatever goodness I think is in me, And I come in that spirit, the gospel will be a blessing to me. But if I come here, the gospel is a sinner. It'll bless my heart every single time. And that's why I major on this.

You and me are sinners. We are completely helpless to do anything for ourselves. We're completely dependent on God. to do something for us that we can't do for ourselves. Just like that paralyzed man depended on his family and friends to take him to wherever he went, you know, to beg, or he depended on them to dress him and bathe him. He was completely dependent. You and I are completely dependent on God to be gracious to us and do something for us we can't do for ourselves. Then thirdly, the gospel comes to certain sinners in the power of God. It's not a new and different doctrine, it's the power of God.

Verse 34, and Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. Arise and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. You notice Peter didn't say, now if you want, Jesus Christ will make you whole. He didn't tell Aeneas, now Aeneas, if you'll just kind of, you know, roll over or move a finger or move a toe and kind of make some movement toward Jesus, he'll make you whole. He doesn't say if you do, you know, follow all of our catechism here. He said, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. And that is the declaration of the gospel. Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. He's made all of his people whole. It's not he will make you whole someday. He makes you whole right now. He makes his people whole.

The gospel is the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's who he is and what he's done for his people. It's the declaration of his glory, and here's his glory. He's done something nobody else could ever do. Save sinners. I mean injustice. Injustice. Make it right for God to show mercy to you. Nobody else could do that. Jesus Christ has done that. The gospel is a declaration of what Christ has done for you and in you. It's not trying to talk you into doing something, it's a declaration of what Christ has done for his people and in his people.

Let me show you that back in John chapter five. John five, verse 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed, is already passed from death unto life. And what's the Lord saying there? Here's what he's saying. Do you believe God? Do you believe Christ? Do you trust Christ? When you hear Christ preach, do you say, that's, he's my hope. He's my only hope. I believe him. I trust him. You know why? You know why you believe him? Because God's already saved you. He's already caused you to be born again. That's why you believe him. We don't look for evidence to say, oh, I'm one of the elect. Well, I see that I'm one of the elect, so now I believe Christ. No, the one and only evidence in this life you will ever have that you're one of God's elect is this. God's given you faith in Christ. Do you believe Christ? I mean, do you cast your soul on him? Is all of your hope of eternal life in Christ and Christ alone? Do you believe him? If so, you're one of God's elect. He has already saved you. That's why you believe him. You don't believe him in order to be saved. You believe Christ because he's already saved you.

Let me show you that again, Ephesians chapter two. Ephesians two, verse five. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace you're saved. He's already, even when we were dead in sins, he hath quickened us together with Christ.

Verse eight, for by grace are ye saved through faith. and that is not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. It's not you're saved because you have grace or because you have faith. By grace you are saved through faith.

The gospel is telling people what God's already done for them. He's already done it. God is just now letting us in on it through the preaching of the gospel. He's telling us what he's already done for his people. That's what, this is the salvation that Christ has already accomplished. And you know why you believe it? Because the gospel came to you in power. In power. So that you, the power of the Holy Ghost, which enabled you to believe it.

Look at Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 10, verse 10. By the which will, we are sanctified. Not you will be sanctified someday. Not you will be sanctified and made holy someday when you appear in glory. By the which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Christ is already sanctified his people.

Verse 14, for by one offering, he hath perfected. This is already accomplished. He hath perfected forever. them that are sanctified. Christ has already perfected his people by his obedience and by his death as their substitute. And if you believe that, I'll tell you why you believe it. It's because the gospel came to you in power. It's not because the preacher did such an eloquent job of convincing you to do something, it's because God the Holy Spirit brought it to you in power.

Then look back at our text, Acts chapter nine, The gospel comes to certain sinners as a commandment from God. Verse 34, Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole, arise and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.

Now again, Peter didn't ask him, do you wanna be healed? He didn't say, do you wanna take up your bed? You wanna get up and make your bed? He didn't say that. He said, get up and make your bed. Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. It was a commandment. My friends, we can never get past this. And this is, I know it sounds, it might sound hard to the unbeliever, but now think about this for a second.

The gospel is not an offer. If the gospel was an offer, that's not good news to a dead sinner, is it? A sinner that cannot come to Christ? a sinner that will not come to Christ, it's cruel to that person to give them an offer. Just like it would be cruel to give poor Aeneas laying there, well, wiggle your toe and we'll do something for you. I mean, it's an offer, but that's cruel. It is God's grace that he sends his gospel out as a commandment. And every certain man and certain woman that hears that commandment is going to obey it. They won't have a choice. They have to obey it.

The gospel is a command. And I looked and looked at this at first. He said, Aeneas arise. And he didn't say arise and go about your business. He said, arise and make your bed. When I was, uh, when I was little, Whenever I rose up out of the bed, my mother made me make my bed every day. She made me. This is not Peter just saying, make your bed, because this is a good habit I learned from my mama. He says, arise and make your bed. You're not going to need it ever again.

This is bed maybe that they carried around so he could, it's not the bed he's going to go to sleep in every night. It's the bed that they carry like a couch or a you know, something they carried him around in, to set him down where he could bag it certain places or whatever. You're not gonna need that ever again, because you're never gonna be paralyzed again. Jesus Christ make it the whole. You're completely healed and you'll never need that bed again.

Now that was a commandment, the commandment of the gospel. And the commandment of the gospel is this, believe. on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a commandment. The same thing as come to Christ. Coming to Christ is believing Christ. I don't know why it took me so long to get that through my thick head. Because I remember this so clearly. Henry would say, come to Christ. I hear him preach. I hear all these men. It's come to Christ. And I'm just confident of this, that they said coming to Christ is believing Christ. I know they said that, but somehow I didn't hear it. And this is what I would think. Well, if you'll tell me where he's at, I will. If you'll tell me, I mean, coming to Christ is sitting right where you're sitting and not moving a muscle. It's believing Christ. The commandment of the gospel is come to Christ.

Let me, again, read you some scriptures. We won't turn to them for time's sake. Matthew 11, verse 28. Now this is the Lord speaking. This is his commandment. Come unto me. Come unto me. All you that labor and are heavy laden, all you that are under the burden of the law that you can't keep, you come to me. I'll give you rest. Now come. Do you need rest from the law? Do you need rest from trying to do something you can't do? Come to Christ, believe on Christ. He'll give you rest. He'll give you rest because he's already fulfilled all the laws commandments.

In Matthew 19 verse 14, Jesus said, suffer the little children to come unto me, forbid them not. Don't prevent the little children from coming unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And that doesn't mean just little children. It means you and me coming to Christ as a little child. I don't know nothing. I can't do anything. I can't take care of myself. I'm just like a little child that's constantly asking, why? I don't, I got no understanding of anything by myself. I've got to be taught. If you come to Christ as a little child, he's gonna set you up on his knee and give you a hug and say, welcome home. Come, come.

Our Lord said, John 7, verse 37, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. You know, the reason that we thirst is we don't have something in our body that we need. I remember having basketball practice when I was in school and they'd always last two hours. And this time of year when you're not in school, they might last a little longer. And I don't ever remember being as thirsty as I was during those practices. You know why? Because the coach was running our legs off, and we're sweating and sweating and sweating, and all that fluid came out of our body, and I needed fluid in my body. That's my body's way of telling me, you need fluid in you. You know why a sinner will thirst for righteousness? Because I don't have any in me. Why do I hunger? and thirst after Christ, because he's everything that I need that I don't have in me. That's why. And the Lord said, are you thirsty? Come. The only requirement is that you be thirsty, that you empty, come, he said.

In Revelation 22, verse 17, this is the song of heaven. And the Spirit, the Holy Spirit and the bride, you know what they say? Come, come. And let him that heareth say, come. And him that is a thirst, come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. Come. Now, I know those sound like invitations, don't they? And they're mighty sweet. I mean, if you're thirsty, if you're a little child, if you're under the heavy, heavy, heavy burden of the sin and the law that you cannot Get off your back. It sounds like an invitation, but don't be mistaken. It's a commandment. But oh, it's a mighty sweet commandment. It's the commandment of grace. Come to Christ.

And with that command, when the gospel comes in power, with that command comes the ability to do something you couldn't do before. Aeneas cannot get up, arise, and make his bed. He's paralyzed. He'd been paralyzed for eight years. Everybody in town knows it. He knows it better than everybody else. He cannot get up and make his bed, but he arose and made his bed because with the commandment comes the power to obey. That's the effectual call of the spirit, what we call the effectual call. When the Holy Spirit makes us hear the gospel, not just hearing the preacher, but when the Holy Spirit makes us hear the gospel, we will do something that we could not do before.

Remember when our Lord said, you cannot come to me? When the gospel comes to certain sinners in power, you know what we do? We do something we couldn't do before. We come to Christ. When the gospel comes in power, we believe Christ. I tell you how many years I spent trying to make myself believe Christ and I couldn't do it. I could not do it. But when the Holy Spirit came in power and said believe, I did something I couldn't do before. I believed. The gospel, the power of the Holy Spirit came to me in power and I did something I didn't do before. I loved Christ. I love Him. I follow him, I come to him, I need him because I love him and I'll never leave him because he won't let me. That's the power of the Holy Spirit.

And here's something else that shows you the power of the Holy Spirit. We hear the gospel always. The only place we ever hear the gospel from is from the lips of a sinful man. Angels don't preach the gospel. They don't know anything about substitution. They don't know anything about having this representative to come and save them. They don't know anything about it. If we're gonna hear the gospel, we're gonna hear it from the lips of a sinful man. Just as sinful, more sinful than you are. And even though he's so sinful, all he is is sin. You're gonna hear the gospel from the lips of a sinful man, and you're gonna believe Christ. That's power. to see past the man, to hear past the man and hear Christ speak so that you believe him. That's power. That's how the gospel comes to certain people.

And then when the gospel comes in power, certain sinners are always immediately made whole. In our text is where Peter said unto him, arise and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. He was immediately, physically whole. You think of eight years laying there on that bed, how his muscles atrophied. I mean, his legs and arms were just that big around probably, but immediately he arose. There's no physical therapy. There's no lifting weights to make yourself stronger. There's no getting braces for your knees and ankles and giving you a walker. He didn't eat it because he was immediately made whole. And that, what a blessing that was to that man. I mean, for however, the rest of his time here on earth, what a blessing that was that he could get up every day, make his bed and walk and do the things necessary, you know, to earn a living and so forth. I mean, that was a real blessing.

But the gospel is so much better. Because when the gospel comes to us in power, the believer is made immediately spiritually whole. Not just physically. And he has died one day. But if you hear the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, you're made spiritually whole. So that you will never die. You're instantly holy. Instantly righteous. Instantly saved. Instantly as accepted with the Father. as you will ever be. You're perfect in Christ. I'm looking at a bunch of believers, and I know we're in sinful bodies, but Shawn, you're as perfect right now as you ever will be. Now, I know that takes faith to believe, but that's true. You'd never be more holy, more righteous, more accepted than you are right now if you believe Christ. Now, we will grow in grace, won't we? We'll grow in grace and in knowledge of Christ. We'll grow in humility. There's an article in the Bulletin today about humility. The more we grow in grace, the more we grow in knowledge, the more we learn of Christ, the more we're gonna grow down in humility. We will grow that way, but we won't grow in holiness.

This thing of sanctification is not progressive, where you get more and more and more holy, That's a sham people use to try to get you to act better. You know, just keep trying to act better. That's not holiness. You can't grow in holiness because it's already perfect. As perfect and as righteous as you ever will be, Christ makes you instantly whole.

And here's the last thing. When the gospel comes in power, it's not uncommon to find that others believe it too. It says there in verse 35, and all that dwelled at Leda and Saron saw him, and they turned to the Lord. They turned to the Lord too. They saw this man was healed, and they turned to Christ too. You know why? They saw there's no place else to turn. There's no place else to turn but this gospel that Peter's preaching. There's no savior to trust other than this gospel that Peter's preaching. And I see that for me, too. I hope you see it for you. I turn to Christ because I got no other hope. And I don't want any other hope. I don't want any other hope but Christ.

I turn to Him because there's no place I'd rather be. The only place I want to be found is in Christ. And I turn to Him because there's no place else to go. And if the Spirit ever comes in power and shows us our condition, We'll see, there's no hope in myself. There's no hope in any of you. The only place I can find any hope is in Christ, and I'll turn to him. And I'm never gonna turn away from him.

All right, I hope the Lord bless that to us. Let's bow together. Our Father, we thank you for this time together. Father, I pray that the name of your son has been glorified and magnified here today. And Father, enable us to see him. Enable us to see something of his glory. Father, send your gospel to us in power this morning that each one of us can leave here this morning made fully whole, trusting in Christ, in Christ alone. Father, how we thank you for your gospel. How we thank you that you've given us the gospel that reveals your darling son, the savior of sinners. How we thank you that it's a commandment. Father, I pray that you give each of us here this morning the faith to obey that commandment, to come to Christ, trusting him as our all and in all. Father, it's in his name, for his sake and his glory, we pray. Amen.

All right, Sean. OK, if you would turn in your hymnal. to song number 235, and stand as we sing Pass Me Not.

235. Pass me not, O gentle

Savior,
hear my humble cry.

While on others Thou art calling,

do not pass me by. Savior, hear my humble cry.

While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by.

Let me at a throne of mercy
find a sweet relief.
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
help my unbelief.

Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Trusting only in thy merit,
would I seek thy face.
Heal my wounded, broken spirit.
Save me by thy grace.

Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.

Thou the spring of all my comfort,
more than life to me.
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heaven but Thee?

Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.