If we cannot rejoice in worthy
is the lamb, here, heaven's gonna be a very, well, we won't be
there. I shouldn't even say heaven will be a boiling place, we won't
even be there. That is the song of eternity. Worthy is the lamb. I've entitled the message for
this evening These signs shall follow them. The Lord says in verse 17, and
these signs shall follow them that believe. In my name, by
my authority, shall they cast out devils. In my power shall
they cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents. And if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick,
and they shall recover. Now he does not say these signs
will usually follow them. He says they shall. He doesn't
say most of the time they shall follow them. They shall. And they shall follow them that
believe. Don't miss that. They shall follow
them that believe. Now all the world is divided
into two separate groups, and you and I are in one of those
groups tonight, those who believe and those who do not believe. Those who believe the gospel,
those who believe the word of God, and those who do not believe,
they really do not believe that Jesus Christ is all in salvation.
They do not believe in the absolute necessity of his precious blood. They really do not believe. Now,
they're the true groups. Those who believe and those who
do not believe. And notice it says, or our Lord
says, and these signs shall follow them that believe. They're not
going to go out front. You know what goes out front? The preaching
of the gospel. Remember when he said in verse
15, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. That's what goes out in front,
the preaching of the gospel. And don't miss this. He said,
in my name, this is so important. And these signs shall follow
them that believe in my name shall they do these five different
things he mentions, in my name. Hold your finger there and turn
with me to Acts chapter four for just a moment. Now Peter had been used by God
to raise up, to be able to walk a man who was born lame. And
that caused a stir. People were upset about it because
he said, this has been done in the name of Christ. And that's
what they were upset with. So we read beginning in verse
5 of Acts chapter 4, it came to pass on the morrow that the
rulers and elders and scribes and Annas the high priest and
Caiaphas and John and Alexander and as many as were of the kindred
of the high priest were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when
they had set them in the midst, they asked by what power or by
what name have you done this? Then Peter filled with the Holy
Ghost said unto them, you rulers of the people and elders of Israel,
if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent
man, by what means he's made whole, be it known unto you all
and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of the God of
heaven. He didn't say that, did he? It
would have been true if he said that. It would have been true. But he would have been denying
the gospel. Be it known unto you and to all
the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by
him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the
stone which was set at nought of you builders. which has become
the head of the corner, and let me tell you something about his
name, neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved. That's the name that is used
for these miracles. Now, there are five miracles
that he says will follow them that believe. Five signs that
say this is the work of God and not our own. First, there will
be the casting out of demons. Secondly, there will be speaking
in new languages. Now, I realize that the charismatic
movement has this heavenly language where you don't even know what
you're saying. You're giving the different words
and you don't understand what you're saying, but you're still
edified and God knows what you're saying. That's not what the gift
of tongues is. The gift of tongues, remember
he told them to go into all the world, countries that didn't
know the languages that they knew. And they were given these
gifts to go into another country and speak in another language
fluently and the people would understand what they said. If
I had the gift of tongues, I could go into China And maybe all I
hear is English, but it's gonna come out in fluent Chinese and
everyone will know exactly what I'm saying. And they had to have
that to go all over the world and preach the gospel. And look what it says next. It
says in verse 18, they shall take up serpents, copperheads,
rattlesnakes, cobras, poisonous snakes, They'll take up serpents. And it says fourth, if they drink
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. I mean, these fellows
could drink, I've referred to this last week, they could drink
a bottle of Drano and they would digest it and it wouldn't hurt
them. I think it's interesting when people claim these supernatural
gifts, I want to always say, here's a bottle of Drano, prove
it. Because it says if they take any deadly thing, they can drink
it and it will not hurt them. And then it says they'll lay
hands on the sick and they shall recover them. Now these men could
go into a cancer ward in a hospital and they could lay their hands
on those people and they would be healed. They could go into
hospice where death is imminent. No hope of them being recovered. And they could lay their hands
on these people in hospice and they would be healed. All of them. were able to do
this. And this is what the Lord worked
through. Verse 19, so then after the Lord had spoken unto them,
he was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of
God. I want to talk about that next week. I just love the thought
of that. Sitting at the right hand of
God. And they went forth and preached
everywhere. The Lord working with them and
confirming the word with signs following. Amen. Now, somebody
is thinking, well, why aren't you doing that? And that's a
good, legitimate thought. I can remember on numerous occasions,
particularly when I was in college, I would be around these people
who had, they claimed, the gift of speaking in tongues. That
was the main thing they emphasized. And they would say, you need
this gift. There's something wrong with
you if you don't have this gift. And I can remember praying that the
Lord would give me that gift, if it was real. I did that on
numerous occasions, praying that I might have the ability to do
these things that I read of in the New Testament. And nothing
happened. Was it lack of faith on my part?
Well, that's what I was told is lack of faith on your part. Well, why am I not doing these
things today? There's some who claim all of
these things, except I've never heard anybody claiming I can
drink poison. Now, I haven't heard that. I've heard being
able to speak in tongues and healing services and so on. There are even some people who
practice handling snakes, and quite often they get bit with
them, but they try to prove that they have that ability to do
that, to demonstrate to us their authenticity. But you know, I
don't claim to have any of these gifts. I'm not an exorcist. I can't
cast out demons. I cannot speak in other languages. I'm scared to death of poisonous
snakes. I don't even like snakes, period. let alone poisonous ones. I wouldn't be picking up a copperhead
or a rattlesnake or a python or some poisonous, venomous snake. You know, it happened with Paul
earlier in Acts chapter 28. Remember when that snake fastened
onto his hand and nothing happened. Well, I'm not going to pick up
any snakes like that, and I'm sure going to avoid trying to
drink anything that's poison. Don't want to do it. And I don't
have the ability to lay my hands on the sick and see them healed. I do not have that ability. The apostles did, and they went
all over the globe with the gospel message with these five signs
that did follow them. They really did cast out demons
in the name of the Lord by the power of God. They could speak
in many different languages. Whatever country they went into,
whatever that dialect was, they would go into that country and
preach the gospel to those people. They were able to pick up snakes. They were able
to drink poison and it wouldn't hurt them. If they drunk any
deadly thing, it wouldn't hurt them. And they could lay their
hands on the sick and they would be healed. Why are we not doing
that today? The scripture gives an answer.
The scripture does, in fact, give an answer. These gifts were
transferred through the laying on of the apostles' hands. There were 11 men that had the
ability to lay their hands on somebody and transfer these gifts
so that they could, in fact, heal the sick. speak in other
languages, drink deadly things, pick up serpents, cast out demons. They literally did those things. So when the last apostle died,
these gifts that were authentic that God really had given to
them ceased. No one that had the gift given
to him by the apostles was able to transfer it to somebody else.
That's what the scripture teaches. Let me show you that in Acts
chapter eight, because I want you to understand, uh, with regard,
because there's, I've, I've read with where, um, most of what
is called Christianity, uh, is Pentecostal charismatic, you
know, throughout the world. That could be the case. I don't
know, but let's look at this passage of scripture in Acts
chapter eight. Verse 5, Then Philip went down
to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people, with one accord,
gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing
the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with
a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them.
And many, taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
And there was great joy in that city. Can you imagine the joy
that was going on with all of these things taking place? But
there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in the
city used sorcery. and bewitched the people of Samaria,
giving out that himself was one great one. I've got power that
you don't have. That's basically what he's saying.
I have power that you don't have. I'm some great one. To whom they
all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, this
man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because
for a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip,
preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God in the name
of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon
himself believed also. He wasn't saving faith, as we're
gonna see, but he observed these miracles and said, I can't deny
that this is taking place. Then Simon himself believed also,
and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and wondered,
beholding the miracles and the signs which were done. Now, when
the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, heard that Sir Mary had received
the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who, when
they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive
the Holy Ghost. Now, why couldn't Philip do it? Because Philip
didn't have the ability to do it. James and John, the apostles,
were sent to this place to pray for them that they might receive
the Holy Ghost. And that's not talking about
regeneration, that's talking about the ability to perform
these miracles. For as yet he was fallen upon
none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the
Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through
the laying on of the apostles' hands. It was only the apostles
that could transfer these gifts. When Simon saw that through the
laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he
offered them money saying, Give me also this power that on whomsoever
I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost. Peter said unto him,
Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift
of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part
nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight
of God. Repent therefore of this thy
wickedness, and pray, God, if perhaps the thought of thine
heart might be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art
in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity." The gift ceased because they
were no longer needed. 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse
10. I'd like you to see this with
me. 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 10. And I remember the canon of the New
Testament, the canon of scripture had not yet been completed when
this statement was made. But when that which is perfect
is come. What is the one thing that's
perfect? The word of God. It's without error. Now I realize
we have translations, but the inspired original word is without
error. Now let me remind you. Everybody
here knows that God created the universe. Anything less than
that is irrational, it doesn't make sense, it's illogical. I
know people convince themselves that it didn't happen if you
go to atheism, but everybody's born knowing that God created
the universe. He's so powerful that He can
create the universe from nothing. You believe that? Now, if you
believe that God created the universe, You can believe that
God inspired a perfect book. Holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and He can preserve it throughout the centuries. He
has done that. Now, it had not yet been completed,
but when that which is perfect has come, the full canon of Scripture,
all this that is in part should be done away with. It is no longer
needed. You know, I would like, wouldn't
you like it if I could heal people? But I can't. And evidently, it's
not necessary. You see, all we need is the word
of God. All we need is God to bless his
own word, and that's all it takes. And if I think I need something
else, I show I don't really believe. that the scriptures alone are
enough, nor do I believe in the power of God in taking His word
and applying it to the hearts of the people and making it effectual.
We don't need miracles no one's ever believed by a miracle anyway
there's never been if I could get up here and start doing one
miracle after another it wouldn't make any of you believe the gospel
you might be impressed with me you'd think I'd like to tap into
the power he has but it wouldn't cause anybody to believe so in
that sense miracles are not needed now A man who claims to have
these gifts is lying. He's lying. Let me repeat that. He's lying. He doesn't have those
gifts. Well, do they think they have
them? I don't think they even think they have them, because
if they did, they'd go into hospitals and heal people, wouldn't they?
If you have the gift of healings, wouldn't you go to the Markey
Cancer Center right now and heal everybody in there to show you're
able to do that through the power of God? So maybe somebody, you
would. There's no doubt you would do
that. But these folks who claim these gifts, they don't have
them. They're liars. That whole charismatic
movement, the Pentecostal movement, is not of God. It's of another
spirit. And I know what spirit it is,
too. Now, look what, all that being said, all five of these
still follow the preaching of the gospel. Demons really are
cast out. There is a new language preached
that was not understood that is now understood. Isn't that
so? Back to our text in Mark chapter
16. These signs still follow the
preaching of the gospel, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Demons are cast out. A new language
is spoken. The effects of the serpent, they
don't affect the believer. Remember, Satan represents sin. He's the one who brought sin
into the world. And do you know a believer cannot be affected
by the effects of the serpent because they've been justified.
They stand before God without guilt. There's nothing that can
kill them. They're preserved by God. They
drink any deadly thing, it's not gonna kill them because they're
preserved by God. And in the preaching of the gospel
through what the laying on of hands represents, the gospels,
we're gonna see that, the diseased are healed. You see, all of these
things are still taking place in the preaching of the gospel. These signs shall follow them. And if we're preaching the gospel,
these signs shall follow us. It will show that this is God's
work, God's Word, God's message, and not the message of man. Now, briefly, Satan controls
the minds of all men by nature. If you are an unbeliever, Satan
has complete dominion over your mind. You can't think right. You can't act right. And that
is what the scripture teaches. Now let's look at the Ephesians
chapter two. And see if this is what the word
of God teaches. You know, Satan's called the
god of this world, isn't he? He's called the prince of the
power of the air. And in Ephesians chapter two,
we read, beginning in verse one, and you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins." That describes the unbeliever.
Dead. Dead. Spiritually dead. You can't believe. You can't
repent. You can't love God. You're dead. Graveyard dead, as far as spiritual
ability goes. No man can come to me except
the Father which has set me drawing. Look what verse 2 says, wherein
in times past you walked according to the course of this world.
According to the prince of the power of the air, Satan, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, but God. There's the difference. You were
under the control. I was under the control of the
devil. And somebody says, I wasn't. Well, you prove you are now by
saying that. If you think, well, I'm not under the control of
Satan. Yeah, you are. And you prove that by making
that statement. Sin doesn't reign over me. It's got complete dominion
over you. If you even think something like
that, you have no understanding. But God, here's the difference,
who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ. By grace are you saved. You see
how demons are cast out? Every unbeliever, if you're without
Christ right now, you are under the control of Satan. Even if
you don't understand it, even if you don't believe it, You
are, you'd believe the gospel if you weren't. You'd bow the
knee to Christ right now if you weren't. You'd see Christ as
all if you weren't. But if you are not seeing Christ
as everything and the gospel of God's grace, then you are
under the dominion of Satan. Satan controls you. But God,
through the preaching of the gospel by his spirit, casts him
out. The example I thought of was
that demonic in Mark chapter 5. The scripture says he had
his residence among the tombs. He was naked. He would cut himself
with stones. People were afraid to pass by. They tried to chain him down
many times. Tried to tame him, the scripture
says. And that's what religion does, tries to tame men. Nature
is not giving a new nature, just tame him, chain him down. But
as soon as it happened, he'd break the bands asunder, cast
off the cords. But by the grace of God, when
he saw Jesus so far off, he recognized him. And that's something that somebody
God saves. That's what they do. They know
who he is. They hear he he'd never come across him before
but as soon as he saw he knew who he was He said what have
I to do with thee You're light. I'm darkness. You're holy. I'm
evil. You're good. I'm bad. What what? Do I have to do with you? And the Lord cast out those demons
He didn't even ask him to do it and the Lord did it anyway,
didn't he? And how did the people find him?
After those demons went into the herd of swine and ran off
the cliff? The scripture says they found
him sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed in the righteousness
of Christ, is what that's referring to, and in his right mind. You see, a lost man's crazy.
But when God saves somebody, they're in their right mind.
They look to Christ alone. Listen to me. If you don't look
to Christ alone right now, is all you have that would recommend
you to God, you're crazy. You're deceived. May the Lord
put us all in our right mind. And then the next thing is a
new language is spoken. Now, when I hear the gospel as an unbeliever,
it's a foreign language to me. It doesn't connect. It doesn't
really make sense. I don't see what's being said,
but when God gives me hearing ears, The language that I didn't
understand is a new language, the language of grace, the language
of the gospel. It lines up with the character
of God. It lines up with my own character.
It shows me the only way of salvation. Now, I might've heard that before
and it meant nothing. Many of you, when you heard the
gospel first, then God gave you hearing ears.
A new language was spoken. Number three, to those who believe,
the effects of the serpent, the fall, sin, has no power. No power. All that Satan did has been undone,
and every believer stands before God, listen to me, having never
sinned. That's better than being forgiven,
isn't it? I love being forgiven. I love
being forgiven. I don't want to say something
that's not right. I love being forgiven. But let
me tell you something's better, being justified. See, the reason
God forgives is because you're justified. There's nothing you
need to be forgiven of. I don't need forgiveness in that sense.
I've been justified. I stand righteous before God.
That's why I'm forgiven. because I'm just before God.
All the effects of sin, the believer doesn't deal with. The effects
of the serpent, it can bite me. No, it's not gonna hurt me because
I stand before God without guilt. Sinless, holy, listen, holy and
unblameable. and unreprovable in the sight
of God. What does sin have to say to
me? Who is he that condemns? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather that's risen again, who's even
at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
I can't be condemned. Sin has nothing to say to me.
Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive unto
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that serpent, That creature
in the garden that tempted our first parents and brought through
that brought sin into the world. You know, a believer can say
this, the wicked would say it was coming and found nothing
in me he could work with in the new man. He doesn't find anything
in the new man he can even work with. The effects of the serpent
are done with, for the believer. And then nothing deadly can destroy
them. You see, if God's for me, no deadly thing
can be against me. Because God spared not His own
Son, but delivered Him up. No deadly thing can prevent Him
from freely giving me all things. No deadly thing can be laid to
my charge. I'm not guilty. I'm righteous. Nothing can kill
me. Nothing can, I'm in his hand. I'm in my shepherd's hand. Nothing
deadly can affect the believer. And this thing of laying on of
hands, they shall lay their hands on the sick and they'll be healed.
They'll be recovered. Now, this is so important. Yes, they did lay their hands
on the sick. But it was given to teach not
just some kind of religious ceremony that took place. You've got to
go back to Leviticus chapter 16, when the great high priest
laid his hands on that scapegoat's head. And what took place? The sins and the iniquities and
the transgressions of Israel. Who could name the billions of
them up to that point? They were all symbolically transferred
to that scapegoat. And he was led by a fit man into
the wilderness to never be seen again. But the Lord had that
happen to him. God purposed it. I don't even
like using the word had that happened to him. No, God did
this to him. The sins of all the elect, He was made to bear in his own
body on the tree. And when he said it is finished,
all of those sins were made not to be. And every believer stands
before God without sin. I repeat, that's better than
being forgiven. I love being forgiven. But if all I am is forgiven, somehow what I did is gonna come
back up at some point. At some point, somebody's gonna,
but God says their sins and their iniquities, I will remember no
more. Why? Because there's nothing
there to remember. My sins were transferred to the
Lord Jesus Christ by God. God's the one who did that. You
know, I never will forget hearing a preacher one time, and this
has stuck in my mind, I've told it to you several times, I know,
but I heard a preacher that was caught up in a scandal, and he
looked at his people who were bringing accusations against
him, and he said, I put those sins under the blood. Oh, you've
got the authority to do that? You can just up and take your
sins and put them under the blood. You don't have the authority
to do that. That's not something you can just up and do. The only
one who can do that is God himself. And he did it. He did it. So while we do not exercise demons the way, you
know, exorcist or something like that, We don't speak in other
languages. It's not even needed now. We don't pick up snakes. We don't drink deadly things. We don't lay our hands on the
sick and they're healed. That doesn't happen. And somebody
that claims those physical things, they're phummies. They're frauds.
Call them what they are. Don't give them, say that's not
loving. I remember one time somebody
said, you better watch out, you're about to attribute things to
the Holy Spirit that are, you're getting close to sinning against
the Holy Spirit. I said, I'm not worried about that, babe. I'm not, I'm preaching the gospel.
I'm preaching the gospel. And in the gospel, These things
always follow, don't they? And I pray that they will follow
right now by his grace in the heart of everyone listening to
this message. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
power of your gospel that delivers us from the dominion of Satan,
that gives us ears to hear and rejoice in the language of the
gospel. Lord, that delivers us from the
effects of the serpent. Lord, that causes us to where
we can't be killed because we have eternal life, a life that
cannot die. And Lord, how we thank You that
through the work of the Lord Jesus, taking
on our sins in His own body on the tree, we are healed. We give thanks. Lord, bless this
message for Your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we
pray, Amen. Let's close with number 474,
Only a Sinner. In the first verse, we're going
to change the word since to now at the very beginning. Number
474. Not have I gotten, but what I
received. Grace hath bestowed it, now I
have believed. Boasting excluded, pride I abase. I'm only a sinner, saved by grace. Only a sinner, saved by grace. Only a sinner saved by grace. This is my story. To God be the glory. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Once I was foolish and sin ruled
my heart. causing my footsteps from God
to depart. Jesus hath found me, happy my
case. I now am a sinner, saved by grace. Only a sinner, saved by grace. Only a sinner, saved by grace. This is my story, to God be the
glory. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Tears unavailing, no merit had
I. Mercy had saved me, for else
I must die. Sin had alarmed me, fearing God's
face. But now I'm a sinner, saved by
grace. Only a sinner, saved by grace. Only a sinner saved by grace. This is my story. To God be the glory. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows. Loving His Savior to tell what
He knows Once more to tell it would I embrace I'm only a sinner
saved by grace I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Only a sinner saved by grace. This is my story. To God be the glory. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Yeah.