I'd like to give you all a warm
welcome to our worship here this morning, whether you're in the
chapel here or joining with us online. Let us ask the Lord's
blessing in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven
and of earth, we thank thee for the returning first day of the
week and the remembrance that it was on this day that thou
didst rise from the dead and appear to thy dear disciples.
You grant us those appearances through thy word, bless us with
the true spirit of worship, and do bless thy word to us. Help
us to sing thy worthy praise. We do seek this blessing through
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. Hymn, 1006. Tune, Abends 275. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God, the Acts of the Apostles and Chapter 26. The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter
26. If you're joining with one of
our free Bibles, the Ruby Bible, that is page 1014. The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter
26. Then Agrippa said unto Paul,
Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched
forth the hand and answered for himself, I think myself happy,
King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before
thee, touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews,
especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and
questions which are among the Jews. Wherefore I beseech thee
to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth
which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem,
know all the Jews, which knew me from the beginning, if they
would testify that after the most straightest sect of our
religion, I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged
for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers, unto
which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and
night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, King Agrippa,
I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing
incredible with you, that God should raise the dead, I verily
thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to
the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which thing I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints did I
shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests,
And when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every
synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme. And being exceedingly
mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon, as I went to Damascus,
With authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday,
O King, I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness
of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with
me. And when we were all fallen to
the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew
tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee
to kick against the bricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom
thou persecutest. but rise and stand upon thy feet,
for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee
a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast
seen and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee,
delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, and to
whom now I send thee, to open their eyes and to turn them from
darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that
they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I
was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but showed first
unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all
the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should
repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For this cause the Jews caught
me in the temple and went about to kill me. Having therefore
obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both
to small and great, saying none other things than those which
the prophets and Moses did say should come. that Christ should
suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from
the dead and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles. And as he thus spake for himself,
Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself. Much learning doth make thee
man. But he said, I am not mad, most
noble festers, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these
things, before whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that
none of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was
not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou
the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then
Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God,
that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were
both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. And when he had thus spoken,
the king rose up, and the governor, and Benici, and they that sat
with them. And when they were gone aside,
they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing
worthy of death or of bonds, Then said Agrippa unto Festus,
this man might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed
unto Caesar. Lord, bless to us that reading
of his holy word and help us as we come before him in prayer. Let us pray. Thou most merciful and gracious
Lord God, we seek to bow before Thy throne. Thou who controlest
all things, Thou hast the hearts of all men in Thy hand. Thou
hast made us and not we ourselves. Thou hast formed us, Thou hast
put the Spirit within us. Thou has given us life, and Lord,
we thank Thee that there are some of us that Thou has given
spiritual life as well. We do bow before Thee, who are
the Lord of heaven and of earth, the King of kings and Lord of
lords, the God of our salvation, and Thou before whom we must
stand at the last day. We do thank Thee that Thou hast
appointed the means of Thy grace and the gathering together of
Thy people. Thou hast appointed the means
whereby they are to be converted and saved and the means also
that we may present our petitions unto Thee. Lord, we do thank
Thee for the knowledge that nothing happens by chance, that thou
hast appointed all things. And O Lord, we do pray that thou
hast help and be with those who are affected by providences,
by losses, by crosses, by those taken from them, those who are
in bereavement, Lord, those who have suffered loss. We think
of those who through the winds and the weather at this time
have lost loved ones, that has greatly affected their lives,
we pray for them. We thank Thee, Lord, that though
we have the strong winds here, yet we are preserved and we have
many mercies. And we do pray for those that
have it very otherwise in the north of this country. Lord, do be pleased to grant
unto us to know Thee who are able to still the winds and the
waves, and to bring a blessing through these things. O Lord,
we do humble ourselves before Thee, as we gather in Thine earthly
courts, we would gather with an expectation of hearing from
Thee. Be not silent unto us, lest if
Thou be silent unto us, we become like them that go down into the
pit. When we view our own When we
see and feel and know what we are, we deserve nothing at thy
hand. We plead for mercy through the
precious blood of thy beloved son. We do seek Lord for his
grace and that we might be strengthened and helped through thy word this
morning. Be pleased to bless us as a church
and people and make us a blessing, build us up and do strengthen
us here Bless the people of Cranbrook and do bless those that are with
us here and those that join with us online. Do remember each of
our churches this day. Remember our dear friends in
Australia, those in America and Canada. Lord, do be with them,
be with our dear friends in Holland and do bless them there. Lord,
each of the churches in this land, Oh, do grant a real revival
and do grant help and remember each little cause of truth. And
Lord, may there be that persuasion that thou, God, knowest us, thou
seest us and does hear our prayers. Lord, as we begin another week,
we do commit that week unto thee. Remember those who have operations
before them. Be pleased to bring them safely
through and bless the treatment that they receive, those who
are receiving treatment, those who rely upon Thee to bless that
treatment that they are receiving. We pray, Lord, for each known
to us in this land and in Holland. Lord, we lovingly bring them
before Thee, that Thou would remember those in bereavement,
comfort them and help them. and who be with them. Be with
those hoping to come out of hospital today, and that thou hast helped
them be with them and their families. O Lord, thou knowest each case. Thou hast said that thy people
are poor and afflicted people, and that thou wilt be their God.
that they are chosen in the furnace of affliction. And Lord, we pray
that Thou who just knowest us through and through might send
those helps from the sanctuary and strength out of Zion. Lord,
we feel to need our faith strengthened, our hope in Thee strengthened,
that we might rest in Thee and rest in Thy word and rest in
what Thou hast done for us and perform for us Lord we are so
forgetful so often and we forget that of which Jonah said salvation
is of the Lord and oh Lord we do bless thee where we have been
made partakers of thy great salvation where we have seen others also
receive it they have lived they have died in faith they have
made a Good End, we thank Thee for such witnesses and such as
have gone before us. Do help us and do grant that
we might endure also unto the end, might also be kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. O Lord, we bless Thy word wherever
it goes. Those who have received Thy word
through the Bible boxes here and throughout this land, we
thank Thee for the kind provision given to this church to be able
to continue this ministry. And Lord, we would have that
expectation that Thou who has enabled us so to do will bless
Thy word wherever it goes. Lord, even if there was but one
soul blessed, one copy of thy word, may it affect you for the
salvation of one. Lord, we count it such a blessing
to be used in this way. We know that Thou does not need
men, Thou does not need ministers, Thou does not need us to do Thy
work. Thou art quite able to do it
on Thy own, and it is Thy work alone that does save a sinner.
But, Lord, thou hast given to poor sinners to proclaim thy
word, to be your ordained means. And, O Lord, we would be humbled
before thee, and especially though we would see that appointment
whenever we receive a blessing through thy word and through
the means, however small and insignificant they may be, that
we might trace above it a decreeing, appointing, gracious, merciful
God, a God too wise to err, too good to be unkind. O Lord, do wash and cleanse us
from our sin. Lord, we feel the burden of it
from day to day. Lord, the working of a deceitful
and evil heart. Lord, our old nature, The world,
it pulls, it has an effect. O Lord, do restore unto us that
joy of thy salvation, and bring us into the tender fear of God. Save us, Lord, from our wicked
hearts, and do grant that thou wouldst rule and reign there,
and that we might have thy word dwelling in us richly, and that
there might be the peace of God that passeth all understanding
to be in our hearts. O Lord, do remember us here below
and make us a prepared people for a prepared place. We pray
that Thou hast be with us through the ministries of this day and
that Thou hast help us and bless us as we come to Thy word to
open it up, to direct our footsteps in it. and Thou who knowest the
hearts of each that hear, do send Thy word and make it effectual
to the promised end. We thank Thee for every temporal
mercy and spiritual blessing, for the Gospel, for our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, for His precious blood shed at Calvary,
for the empty tomb, a risen Saviour, for every answer to prayer, every
hope raised up, every time we've been softened under thy word,
every time we've felt the real love to the brethren and been
drawn to them. We thank thee for thy goodness
and thy mercy and that which changes not and abides and gives
us that token and that evidence that thou dost live and rule
and reign above. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
and today and forever. So we ask Lord these mercies
through thine own Lord Jesus. Amen. The announcements, God willing,
I am expected to preach here this evening at 6.30pm. On Thursday at seven o'clock,
and next Lord's Day at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Hymn, 1130. Tune, Winchester 439 Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to Acts, the Apostles, chapter
26, And reading from our text, verse
18. To open their eyes and to turn
them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto
God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among
them, that are sanctified by faith that is in me. Acts 26 and verse 18. And what is upon my spirit is
ministers, in this case the Apostle Paul, sent to this end for a
purpose. Our text gives the reason why
not only the Apostle Paul, but why any minister is sent to a
people. Now before we come to some points
on this, I want to look at some of the verses that go before,
and firstly the making of a minister. The Apostle Paul here, he says
in verse 16, that I have, or this is what the Lord said to
him, I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to make thee
a minister and a witness, both of these things. Ministers do
not just happen. is not just a person just deciding
that they are going to be a minister of the gospel. Many that are
called, very often in the warmth of that first love and calling,
they have a desire to tell to sinners round what a dear saviour
they have found. It is right that they should
bear witness and should speak of what was done in their hearts. But that does not make them a
minister, nor does it indicate that God intends to use them
in that way. It is the Lord that sends forth
his servants. He sends the ministers. We have in Paul, when he writes
to the Romans, and he says there in Romans chapter 10, that how
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher? The Lord has seen fit to use
a minister, use a preacher, one that is to preach or authoritatively
declare the word of God, to be an ambassador to speak in the
Lord's name. But then we read in verse 15,
how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written,
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace and bring glad tidings of good things. It is vital that
when the ministry be sent, how do we know that we are? Well, the Lord will give a witness
in our heart. Every said minister must be persuaded
by the inward teaching of the Lord, by an inward call, that
he is called to declare the word of the Lord, to speak in the
Lord's name. Also, providence will shepherd
and be very clear to direct in this matter, in this making it
very clear that this is what the Lord intends for this person. Also, the Spirit's witness in
the hearts of those that he lives with and that he speaks with. Very often when a minister is
sent out, it is not a surprise to those that are sending him
out because they've already noticed in his prayers, in those things
that he has said, that the Lord has set apart that man for the
ministry. And it is vital that it be a
call in that way, not a man going on his own, but the church of
God looking into that matter, viewing that call, hearing his
testimony, seeing providence, seeing the fruits to the ministry
and the witness of the spirit with their spirit, and so then
being authoritatively sent forth by the Church. And that ministry
is what the Lord would bless. The Lord doesn't send forth a
minister with no aim in view, no people in view, no work in
view. He always has a purpose, a people,
a ministry for that minister, and many ministers have different
ministries. Some minister to large congregations,
some to a small, some are evangelists, some in far-off countries, some
amongst their own people. Every minister has a different. Some are sons of thunder, some
are those of consolation. Each has a different work to
do. And it is the Lord, the sender,
who does determine and does direct that work. Well, the apostle
here, he was to be sent to the Gentiles. And there's another
thing in the lead up to our text here, in that the Lord assures
of protection for his servants. If we are to be faithful, if
we are to be used, then the world will rise up against them, the
religious world, as was immediately the case with the Apostle Paul. I will show what great things
he must suffer for my name's sake. And the Lord has said,
I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them. We
think of Stephen, the first martyr, in testifying before the Jews,
and he was stoned to death. Yes, some of the Lord's servants
have suffered in that way, but they know that even in death,
they are in the Lord's will and his protection, like the three
Hebrew children, they were able to say to Nebuchadnezzar, the
Lord was able to deliver them from the burning fiery furnace,
but he would deliver them out of Nebuchadnezzar's hand, whether
it be through one way or another, if it was by death, The Lord
says, fear not them that kill the body. After that, they have
nothing more than they can do. Our minister not only has ascending,
but he also has a promised protection, and then he has the commission
and what the Lord will do with that ministry. Often it can be
very searching for us, very often the fruits are not abundantly
seen, especially in our day, we may not see it, and if a man's
ministry is to feed rather than to bring to faith and bring to
baptism, maybe it's not so clear that that work is being blessed
when souls are being fed and they're being cared for, they're
being nourished, they're being kept, because we are kept by
the power of God through faith, and faith cometh by hearing,
hearing by the word of the Lord. So we need to be careful in that,
not just measure a minister's success by the number of baptisms
he has or conversions, but that help that he is to the people
of God. Well, I want to confine our thoughts
to three points this morning. Firstly, the people God sends
a minister to with an end in view. With the Apostle it was
through sending him to the Gentiles, but I want to just look in that
first point at the people that the Lord sends a minister to. Then secondly, the end that God
would work in them, that is work in that people. In the first
part of our text, verse 18, we read the end as being this, to
open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from
the power of Satan unto God. That is the end that God would
work in them. And then thirdly, the end that
they might receive. Not only would there be a work
in them, but they would receive something. And her text tells
us at the end that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance
among them that are sanctified by faith that is in me. May the Lord really give us that
expectation every time we come unto the sound of the word that
there is a reason why the minister has been sent or appointed to
preach to us on this occasion and that there is an end of a
work in us and that which we would receive or should receive
at the Lord's hand. But firstly, the people that
God sends a minister to. Now, Here the Apostle says to Agrippa
and to Festus that the Lord had said that he would send him to
the Gentiles. Now of course to the Jews this
was a very offensive thing that God would send a man to the Gentiles. But God very clearly not only
did this in saying that he would send Paul there, but right through
the Old Testament, there was an expectation that the gospel,
the word of the Lord, would go forth right to the Gentile world. We think of Jonah. Jonah was sent to go to Nineveh,
and to preach to it that in 40 days it would be destroyed. Well, he ran away. He went down
to Joppa, he found a ship and he had the fare and he fled. He wasn't going to preach as
the Lord had bidden him to do, but the Lord would not send another
one. He was to send Jonah. So sent a wind into the sea and
the waves so that the mariners could not bring the ship to land
and only in the casting out of Jonah into the sea was the storm
settled and God prepared the fish to swallow up Jonah. Jonah was in that fish three
days and three nights and then he was given a fresh commission
as the fish vomited him out into dry land, that he should go to
Nineveh. And he went, and he preached.
And the Lord gave them repentance. They turned. And Jonah's word
in the fourth chapter of Jonah was that this was his saying
in his own country, why he fled. Because he knew that the Lord
was gracious and long-suffering and forbearing. He knew if God
sent a minister to a people, it was for an end. It was for mercy. It wasn't just
to destroy them. You might say in Jonah's case,
what part of his message? Was there any gospel? But there
was 40 days. There was a testing time. They
weren't just destroyed straight away. Really, at the fall, that
is the case as well. In the day that thou eatest thereof,
thou shalt surely die. But the whole human race wasn't
extinguished immediately. In dying, thou shalt die. And in that lengthening of time,
there is souls brought forth, there is the gospel. Where there
is life, there is hope. And so the Lord had this, and
Jonah knew. He knew this which was in our
text. He knew if a minister was sent
to a place, there was a purpose. God didn't just decide he'd send
a minister to a place and it be to no avail. Yes, in one way,
all the time the word is preached, it is a witness to those that
hear, whether they will be saved or not, but the Lord sends forth
his word, his gospel, his servants, in the same spirit that he himself
said, I came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. That is why the ministers are
sent forth, not to destroy, but to save. And wherever a minister
then comes to a people, there is to be an expectation of hope
that there is mercy, that there is intended by the Lord, that
souls will be blessed, people will come to the Lord. We think then with these gospel
days and with the Apostle Paul, All right, Paul, you're going
to the Gentiles. Is the Lord going to just leave
it to you to decide where to go, what Gentiles to go to? No, not at all. And we read in
the Acts of the Apostles how the Lord really guided Paul and
directed them where they should go. They went right through. Galatia. They assayed or they
tried to go into Bithynia but the spirit suffered them not.
They were forbidden to preach the word in Asia. And then a
vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man in Macedonia
and prayed him saying, come over into Macedonia and help us. And Paul, he immediately, he
gathers that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto
them. Immediately he goes unto them,
and what do we find? We find there Lydia is found,
the jailer, his whole household, the beginning of the Philippian
church. It is not that the Lord would
never go to Asia. We have in the Revelation, the
account of the seven letters to the churches in Asia. The Lord did preach there, but
not at that particular time. And so we have the Lord directing
a minister for a purpose. We find this with Peter going
back to Joppa, the very place that Jonah fled from and would
not preach to the Ninevites. There was Peter prepared with
a vision. And when Cornelius sends the
messengers to bring him, to preach the gospel to him, then he is
ready to go. And he goes and the Holy Spirit
is given to the Gentiles. They are blessed. A simple presentation
of the gospel of what the Lord Jesus Christ came to do and did
at Calvary was blessed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
fell upon them And Peter says, who can forbid water who have
received the Holy Ghost as we at the beginning? And they were
baptized. We have the same case with Philip
and the eunuch. There is the eunuch, and he is
coming back from worship. He's reading in his chariot,
and the spirit sends Philip into the desert. He brings together
a preacher and a hearer, and there's a purpose, there's a
reason for it. It's not just indiscriminately
going to a place hoping that there might be some hearers or
hoping that there might be some success. The Lord is the sender,
not just to the minister, but to where he goes and where he
actually ministers. We think of our Lord himself,
who must needs go through Samaria. Why? You say, well, in geography-wise,
he did need to, because his journey must pass through Samaria. But
there was a greater reason, a more important reason, because there
was the woman of Samaria that he meets with, and not only her,
but the Samaritans as well, were saying, come see a man that told
me all things that ever I did is not this, the Christ. And
so we have these examples of ministers, the Lord's servants,
being sent forth to specific people and for specific blessing. I wonder how many of us can look
at those times the Lord has blessed our souls, where the Lord has
put his servants in our hearts, we've been thankful to the Lord
that he has sent this one or that one who has been the instrument
of God for our souls. We've been able to see the providences
that have brought him and brought the word that he's brought to
us and the effect that has had upon us. The apostle, again in
Romans 10, he says of the ministers what it is, how beautiful are
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. You always must remember that.
Now in the ministry of the word there's two parts. There is the
law and there is the gospel. The law brings condemnation,
by the law is the knowledge of sin, but the gospel is the remedy. is the oil and wine to heal and
cherish. It is God's word to poor, hell-deserving
sinners, to the fearful, the tried, the afflicted. There's
nothing of terror in the gospel. The gospel must not be used like
the law. You must do this, you must do
that. If you don't accept it, if you
don't believe, you'll be lost, you'll be damned. While it is
true, if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall perish in your
sins. But to poor sinners, already
under condemnation, already under the law, already shaved in their
minds, troubled, know their own evil heart. The gospel is for
such. Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke,
upon you and learn of me from meek and lowly in heart, ye shall
find rest unto your souls. The ministers of the gospel are
not ministers that are bringing law and terrors that do but harden
all the while they work alone, but is bringing that to poor
sinners under condemnation, needing that precious malady healed through
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, healed by that blood shed on
Calvary's tree. A malady felt and is made the
means of making the Saviour precious. Sinners can say and none but
they, how precious is the Saviour. So the people God sends a minister
to, and he sends them with an end in view. On to look then,
secondly, at the end that God would work in them. The work of God is a work in
the heart. It's not just in the mind, it's
not just in the head, it is to work in a people. And there's three things that
are specifically told us in this verse. The first one is to open
their eyes. By nature, our eyes are closed. We are dead in trespasses and
sins. We do not see, we cannot see. The natural man received not
the things of God, neither can he know them. They are spiritually
discerned. Now, the Lord said to his disciples
that blessed are their eyes for what they saw. Many had desired
to see what they saw, but had not ever seen it. Of course,
he was speaking in a literal way of seeing the Lord Jesus
Christ. But when the Lord rose from the
dead, he only appeared to his dear disciples. Then were the
disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Going back to the eunuch,
when he was reading in Isaiah 53, he could not see the Lord
there. Of whom speaketh the prophet
this? Of himself, some other man. But when Philip began at
the same scripture and preached unto Jesus, he saw Jesus there. He believed in the Lord Jesus
Christ there. His eyes were open. Not to literally
see the Lord, but to see him through the lattice of the Word
and through the preaching of the Word. And this is what is
to be done through the preaching. And we may ask ourselves then,
what have we seen that we hadn't seen before? What had the Lord
opened our eyes to see when the Lord opened the eyes of the man
that had been born blind? He was persecuted by the Jews,
he said, one thing I know, whereas I was blind, now I see. That
was a real change that had been wrought. The Jews that were round
about, they said, are we blind? The Lord says, because you say
you see, then you are blind. Because they could not see that
the Lord Jesus Christ was the Christ, the Son of the living
God. The testimony right through the
Word of God, of those that are saved, is what they see and believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not a testimony of what they
believe they are, or even the forgiveness of sins, or even
that they are God's people or elect. Wherever you see a testimony
and wherever you see the aim, is to bring us to believe in
the name of the Son of God. These are written that ye might
believe, and that in believing ye might have life through his
name. And so those eyes that are open,
and you might say, well, under the preaching, eyes are open
to see our own sin, our own shame, to see our need of the Savior,
but then to view the Lord Jesus Christ. The man that had been
born blind, he didn't know who had opened his eyes at first,
until the Lord came and revealed himself to him. Who is he, Lord,
that I might believe? You see again, that I might believe. He that speaketh unto thee, am
I that speak unto thee, am he. And he worshipped him, he could
see him. And every true work of the Spirit
he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. He reveals
the Lord Jesus Christ unto you which believe he is precious. It's a blessed thing to be able
to say the Lord's over my eyes, to see the Lord Jesus Christ
by faith through the word of God, to see what I could not
see before, to know what I did not know before, a real difference. May we be really encouraged to
think, has the Lord opened my eyes? There may be many things
we see and will be in our own hearts and lives we're very ashamed
of, but if the Lord's opened our eyes to see some beauty and
loveliness in the Lord Jesus Christ, that is the most precious
thing. In Isaiah 53, we read of the
natural man that there is no form nor comeliness that we should
desire him. But once you have their eyes
opened, he is desired, he is precious. May we bless the Lord if this
end has been realised in us through the gospel. Their eyes have been
opened. The second thing is to turn,
to turn them from darkness, to light. The Lord Jesus Christ
is exalted to give repentance and remission of sins unto Israel. Repentance is a turning. Later on we read of what the
Apostle did when he preached, how he preached in verse 20 that
they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance. That is the message of the gospel,
not to continue going on in a way of sin, not to continue going
on after false gods. This was the message when Paul
was left in Acts 17 at Athens, and he finds them worshipping
all sorts of gods, and even had an altar to an unknown god. He doesn't say, well, you just
continue worshipping all these gods, that doesn't matter, you
don't need to turn from that, but I'll just let you know this
ignorant god you're ignorant of. No. No, he says, you turn
away from these gods, I'll make known unto you the true and the
living god, But he says to them that this ignorance God winked
at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. The word throughout the Gentile
world now is there is only one name given among men whereby
we must be saved. There is no other hope anywhere
else. If we are to have an expectation
of salvation, there is only one way we are to look. In Romans
10, the apostle desired his own people to be saved, and he saw
there they were looking to their own works. He knew they wouldn't
be saved that way. And we know they won't be saved
by looking to idols. But to look to the Lord alone,
the message of the people of God, the message of the ministers,
must point to Christ and Christ alone. And so this is the message,
but it is not in the power of the minister to turn a people. He can exhort, he can preach,
he can set forth God's will and purpose that they should do that,
but this end that is in view in our text, it is God's work. to turn them from darkness to
light. He is exalted to give repentance
and remission of sins. He is the one that gives light. Our Lord said most solemn word
in John 3, that because their deeds were evil, then they came
not unto the light, lest their deeds should be made manifest. He that cometh to the light,
he does so wanting that his heart be searched and be seen what
it is. Those I've spoken to in this
town, they try to shut me up. They don't want to hear. They
said, I'd rather not know. I'd rather just be in ignorance.
I do not want to have the light of anything of the truth of God
at all. They stop their ears. and is
a blessed thing where we return from darkness to the light of
the word of God and God does that. Why does anyone want to
have their lives searched, want to know that they're sinners,
want to look to that which is pure and holy when we're all
unholy and all unclean? This is God's work. And he uses
the ministry to do it. But it's his work to do this,
from darkness to light. Not just to nothing, but to the
light of the glorious gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. And then the third thing is,
and from the power of Satan unto God. What power is a poor minister
against the spiritual powers of darkness, against Satan? He has no might or no power. But a God-sent minister with
authority from God and in preaching the word of God with power from
above is like the Thessalonians who the word came unto them,
not in word only, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. Never minimise what God will
do through the preached word. You read of those accounts of
those bringing stones to throw at Whitfield and the stones fell
from their hands as they listened to the preached word. You read of those in the early
church, 3,000 that were saved and convicted of their crucifying
of the Lord and under Peter's preaching of Pentecost. and later
on the thousands that were saved through the preaching. Some believe
the word spoken, some believe not. As many as were ordained
unto life believed. The preaching goes forth and
there are those ordained, there are those that are blessed, there
are those that have this power wrought in them. And they're
taken from Satan's power, taken from his clutches, saved, delivered
from his power. I don't think we realize enough
how much Satan has control, binding our minds, holding us fast, holding
us in chains. I have a little picture of it
when our Lord comes to the Mad Gadarene and you see his impossible
case that no man could touch. We have another little Picture
of it with the man that had his son cast into the fire, into
the water. The disciples couldn't help,
they couldn't do anything, but the Lord Jesus Christ could,
and in both times, both places, what power he ruled. It's a blessed
thing to look past a minister, past the means, and to be able
to say, this is the work of God. This is God's hand, the thing
proceedeth from the Lord, they shall be all taught of God. It
is the crown placed on, not the messenger's head, but upon the
sender's head, upon the saviour's head, the one that is being lifted
up, the one that is being glorified. So this, this is the end in view,
may we in the ministry never lose sight of this. however hardened
sinners are before us, however much they're walking in darkness,
however much they may appear to be so much under Satan's power
and dominion. Paul himself is an example of
the real change that was wrought, change wrought by God. But not
every one of God's people are going to be arrested by the Lord
personally from heaven on the Damascus road, but they are going
to be through his said ministers of which Paul was one. To open their eyes and to turn
them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto
God. Want to look then thirdly at
the end that they might receive, the end that they might receive. A work that is done in us is
not the end in itself, but it is a step, a vital step, to receiving
something. And may we know this, may we
notice what is joined together And maybe the Lord, we can't
deny that he's opened our eyes, that he's turned us from darkness
to light, from the power of Satan unto God. But we may think, well,
what is joined to that? What have we? Well, here it is
very clear. The Lord doesn't do half of work. He always works fully. We think in Romans 8 of that
most glorious chain, knowing that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow. And you see this chain,
foreknowledge, predestination, called, justified, glorified. In the middle of that chain,
you have called. Where the Lord calls, you can
look back and say that called soul was foreknown by God and
predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son. That
soul that is called is justified, accounted free from condemnation,
and will be glorified. And you can say then with our
text, That soul where eyes are opened and turned from darkness
and from power of Satan unto God, it is that they might receive
forgiveness of sins. And so how can I see forgiveness
of sins? When our Lord said to the man
that was let down in front of him, that was impotent man, sick
of the palsy, he said, thy sins be forgiven thee. And they said,
who can forgive sins but God only? Those around they were
filled with indignation. He said that ye may know that
the Son of Man hath power to forgive sins on earth. He said
to the sick of the poles, ye take up thy bed and walk. And
he goes down to his house, he walks. They can see that, they
can see the difference. And where our eyes are opened
and where we've been turned and delivered from the power of Satan,
there is a difference. The Lord has made the difference.
And it is because the sins are forgiven. They've been blotted
out by our Lord on Calvary's tree. That is where sin was dealt
with. It laid on Him the iniquity of
us all. This is remembered at the ordinance
of the Lord's Supper. The Church is never to forget
that. It is Christ's broken body, his shed blood. There is our
hope of heaven. And because of that, because
of what the Lord has done for us, then he has sent forth his
spirit. Then he has called us and converted
us. So for every soul that is so
converted and blessed in that way, they receive the forgiveness
of sins. Sometimes it is in a very sweet,
blessed way, felt and known in their souls. Other times it is
not, it is more understood by faith in what the Lord has done
for them through words such as this, that the Lord would not
do these things and not deal with the sins that have been
made known to this soul and that the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered,
bled and died to put away. And there's another thing that
they might receive as well, and that is inheritance. Among them
that are sanctified by faith, that is in me." And there's a
lot bound up there in inheritance. Inheritance comes through the
death of another, through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he, as rising from the dead,
is the living executor of his own will. He says, I pray that
they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they
may behold my glory. It's a blessed hope beyond the
grave, an inheritance that we shall enter into, however poor,
however vile, however far off we are now. Yet one day, as the
hymn writer says, partner of my throne shall be. Say, poor
sinner, lovest thou me? And that inheritance is not just
on our own, is it? It's among them that are sanctified
by faith in me. It is through faith that cometh
through hearing, through the preaching of the word, and that
faith is not in us. What a mistake so many think
of this. We're not so dead. We can exercise
our own faith. The Lord is the author of faith.
The faith is in Christ. He gives that faith. And he is
the one that causes it to be exercised, that faith that is
in me. You think of dear Peter, and
there is Satan. Satan hath desire to have thee,
to sift thee of wheat. I prayed for thee. What? What
about Peter? What has the Lord prayed for?
That thy faith fail not. That which the Lord has given
he. sustains and keeps away. He is the author and finisher
of our faith. He sustains that faith. And so it is amongst them. We know that we pass from death
unto life because we love the brethren. Put amongst the brethren
here below that we shall be with in heaven forever and ever in
that innumerable multitude. With them may I be now. and to
eternity. And this then is the work, the
commission summed up by Paul as he speaks to Agrippa and Festus
here of the Lord's commission to him, what he was to do and
what was to be wrought in the people and what they were to
receive. May each of us in the ministry
be as clear as the Apostle Paul when he was sent out And may
each of you that hear be clear as well what the Lord intends
to do when he sends a minister and what the Lord has done when
he blesses us and what we have received and shall receive in
heaven at last. May the Lord bless this word
to us to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to
light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive
forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified
or set apart, cleansed by faith that is in me, in the Lord Jesus
Christ. May the Lord add his blessing. Hymn, 968. Tune, St Bees 494. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all now and evermore. Amen.