Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Acts, chapter 16. Acts 16. I'd like to consider verses 30
and 31, but I want to read verses 25 through 31. Acts 16 verse 25, and at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang
praises unto God. The prisoners heard them and
suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken and immediately All the doors were opened, everyone's
bands were loosed, and the keeper of the prison, awaking out of
his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword,
would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, do thyself no harm, for
we are all here. And he called for a light, sprang
in, came trembling, fell down before Paul and Silas, brought
them out, said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said,
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy
house. At a time during the night when
most everybody would be sleeping, middle of the night. The scripture says that Paul
and Silas, two preachers, two men that God had called by grace
and power, the Lord gave them a heart to pray. moved on their
heart to pray. And they were singing praises
unto God, thanking God that they were where they were, who they
were in Christ. And while they were singing and
praising God and praying, God sent a great earthquake. And
the scriptures said that that earthquake was so great that
the very foundations of the prison were shaken. I'm talking about
the foundation of that building were just disrupted, shaken, and all the doors opened up and
everybody's bands hands, feet, neck, wherever they had them,
they just fell off. Almighty God, who moved in mysterious
ways, that night and always, who had moved on these two men
to pray, to sing praises unto Him, blessing God that Though
they were in a prison, they weren't bound. They were in that prison just
as long as God allowed them to be in that prison. They were
shackled just as long as God allowed them to be shackled. The Lord sent that earthquake
and loosed everybody. You know, carnal man thinks that
he's in control. You know, it's so ironic, you
know, you watch, you know, the kings of the earth, you know,
they raise up their arrogant hand, head, heart, think themselves to be something. God laughs. We read last week Man's less
than nothing. That just amazes me when I read
that. If man was nothing, that'd be,
you know, pretty nothing. But he's less than nothing. Almighty God moved in this place. Nahum 1.3 says, the Lord's slow
to anger, great in power. will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord hath his way in the
whirlwind, in the storm, in the clouds of the dust of his feet. The very foundation of everything
that that old prisoner, I mean that prison guard here, the one
that was in charge, keeper of the prison, thought everybody
was secure. God shook the very foundation
And he came in there, wakened out of his sleep, and he saw
the situation. All the doors were open. He looked
around and he saw prisoners there and nobody was in shackles. And
Paul and Silas had been put in the inner prison where they just
knew there ain't no way they're getting out of here. He saw everybody
else's shackles gone and just assumed, those two that have
been causing all the trouble are gone too. And my head is
going to roll. So he drew out his sword. He
was going to kill himself. And Paul, under the inspiration
of God's Spirit, said, do thyself no harm. for we're all here. I was going over my notes this
morning and I thought to myself, oh but the prevenient grace of
God, grace before grace, grace that God would show to just like
that thief we just looked at. So this Roman, Philippian, whatever he
was. He was a guard, a keeper of that
prison. And God was going to show mercy
to him. And Almighty God wouldn't let him die, wasn't going to
let him die before God called him out. I think back years and years
and years ago, when I was growing up, It was all my brothers and
sisters and we came up in a little old town in Louisiana and how
God Almighty was pleased. As silly and as rebellious as
I was. I'm not going to speak for them,
I'll just speak for me. Getting into some of the silliest
stuff you've ever heard of in your life. But God who is rich
in mercy, who would not let me die in my rebellion, my sin,
showed mercy to me. And in time, just like that keeper
right here of this prison, crossed paths with these two preachers.
God Almighty was pleased to cause this rebel to cross paths with
a preacher of the gospel. God that would put me where he
did, he who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will. I've told you so many times,
why are you here today? Well, I just decided to go to
church. No, you didn't. No, you didn't. You're here by
divine appointment. God Almighty put us here today. Paul said, don't do yourself
any harm. This was an object of God's mercy.
And just like the foundations of that prison were shaken, this
Philippian jailer had the very foundations of his security shaken. And they were shown there's nothing
that Almighty God can't break. There's nothing that God Almighty
Can't do. The false foundation and security,
false security of every rebel, which is every man, every woman,
born in Adam, every one of us, came forth from my mother's womb
liars and haters on God. And it's only by the grace of
God that God Almighty would move upon us in mercy and power and
grant us a heart. And that Philippian jailer, when
he came in there and saw what happened, brought that light in there,
make sure, I'm going to make sure you guys are here. And he
came in trembling. He fell down before Paul and
Silas, brought them out, said, sirs, what? must I do to be saved? And they said, and this is what
I want to talk about for just a few minutes, this statement. This is one of the statements. Everybody and their brother just
about standing in every pulpit, and I'm not talking about just pulpits where the grace of God
is being preached. I'm talking about free will,
I'm talking about men that are standing and lying on God are
making this statement right here. This is not a phrase that you
just hear in churches where God's free grace is preached, where
the gospel of sovereign grace. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Everybody's saying that. Isn't
that right? And you know that's so. Everybody's
saying it. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Well, I just want to consider
a couple of things here. Number one, what does that mean?
Because obviously, not everybody is preaching the same thing.
And I'm standing before you this morning in fear and trembling
because I know this, I am responsible. I'm responsible before God and
I'm responsible for you and myself to tell you the truth. Because brethren, we're going
to die and we're going to stand before God. Now you think about
that question, what? must I do to be saved? Now that's a question right there.
That's a question. And they said, I read that again
this morning, and they said, it's like neither one of them
had to even think about it. They both like answered simultaneously. There wasn't one of them speaking,
and they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved and thy house. True belief. What does that mean? What is that? Belief on the Lord
Jesus Christ. I know this. I know that believing
with a mental assent, acknowledgement of God's existence or power,
It's not belief unto salvation. I know that that is merely just
that. Now we've got a brain. You hear
what I'm saying and you're computing what I'm saying. You're understanding
the words. You understand, you know, we're going to look at
the word belief here. What does it mean? Believe. You hear the word I'm saying. I know this, I know that it's
more than just to believe in the Lord's existence or even
in His power. James 2.19 says, Thou believest
that there is one God. Thou doest well. The devils also
believe and tremble. Look this up, what I'm about
to tell you. The word believe, that the devils
believe, is the same word as believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Same word. But obviously, demons are not
saved. Obviously, there's something
that they're doing that even a believer also does that has
a common ground to it. But there's got to be something
different. What is it? Tell me what it is. Don't leave me hanging. Let me show you what demons believe
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 8, 28, 29, When he was
come to the other side of the country of the Gergeshins, there
met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding
fierce, so that no man might pass that way. And behold, they
cried out, saying, I want you to listen to what these demons
are going to say, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou
Son of God? They knew who he was. Art thou
come hither to torment us before the time? Let me tell you what
they believed. They believed that He was the
Son of God. And they believed in God's sovereignty. Are you here to torment us before
your time? Before our time? Before the time?
They believed in hell. They believed in eternal justice.
They believed in judgment. The scripture reveals that there
is a belief that is not unto salvation because they believed
that He was the Son of God. They believed that He was going
to judge them. He believed that He was going
to put them in the lake of fire. They knew that. They knew that.
Isn't it amazing how much devils know that man by nature doesn't? Men think they're so smart. I don't believe in judgment,
I don't believe in hell. There is a mental ascent, but
there was something that was lacking. There is, without a doubt, There
is some knowledge that is involved with believing. There is some
knowledge. Let me show you this, Romans
10, 14. I'll read it, or you can turn there, Romans 10, 14. Well, I'll read 13, 14, 15. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then
shall they call on Him in whom they've not believed? How shall they believe in Him
in whom they've not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent as it's written how beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings
of good things? How are they going to believe
in whom they've not heard? Man can hear of the existence,
just like devils do, of the existence of God and believe that there
is a God. Man, by nature, believes that
there's a God. There's a conscience in every
man, every woman, that knows something of right and wrong. But there's something that's
lacking. There is an understanding of
belief. But let me tell you the difference
between the belief of a devil and the belief of a believer. Both of them, Mark, have heard
something. They know something. They know something. And you
know that. We just read it. I've read this scripture so many
times, I want to read it again. Ezekiel chapter 36, verse 26. Let me tell you what it's going
to take. A new heart. A new heart. Also will I give
you. A new spirit will I put within
you. And I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh and I'll give you a heart of flesh. Let
me tell you what we must have in order to believe on salvation. I'm hearing some things right
now. But let me tell you something, until God Almighty gives me a
new heart for it, I don't need the one I'm hearing about. I
know, I know, I know that he's real because I've got a conscience
that tells me something. Devils know he's real. They believe
that. They believe that. I believe that chair right there
will hold me up. I believe it will. I believe it will. Now I believe it. There is a mental acknowledgement
that even the devil has, but he doesn't have a heart to commit. He has no heart of love for Christ. He has no heart that sees something
of himself. My friend, you must be born again. Everybody and their brother is
saying, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And let me tell you what they're
doing. They are leaving it in the hands of men to do something
what men cannot do for themselves. They're telling men, if you will
do so and so, God will then. They got to be born again. God
Almighty must make them willing in the day of His power. Well,
I believe in five points of Calvinism. Demons believe in five points
of Calvinism. You think a demon doesn't know
that man is depraved? Do you think that Satan doesn't
know that God has an elect? I can show you in the Scriptures. And I'm going to do it. It'll
take me a second to find it. Revelation 12, let me tell you
where all false religion and what the purpose of all false
religion is. This is the purpose, Jared, this
is the purpose of all false religion. Revelation 12, 15, and the serpent,
the devil, cast out of his mouth water. This is lying, false religion. Cast out of his mouth water as
a flood after the woman, after the bride. He knew, he knows
that God has an elect. He doesn't know who they are.
But he knows that God has an elect and he knows that faith
cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. He knows
that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. He knows
that. He knows that. But who are God's elect? He doesn't
know because he's not God. But he knows this. If they don't
hear the gospel, God's not going to save them. God's going to
save his elect under the preaching of the gospel. Why? Because Satan's
bound to be able to stop God from doing what God Almighty
has purposed that he's going to do. God is all-powerful and
Satan's not. So here's what to do. The serpent
cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman. He's
going after her, but he doesn't know where she is. So through
all the earth, all this false religion is being preached and
he raises up false preachers preaching lies on God and God's
people that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
He's after the bride. And the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened her mouth
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. and the dragon was wroth with
the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of
Jesus Christ." Satan knows that God has an elect. He knows that
God has a remnant. According to election, he's going
after her. Satan knows that Christ died
for his sheep. He knows that. Men say, well, I believe in five
points of Calvinism. Demons believe that. Friend, I'm telling you, demons
have no heart of love for Christ. No heart of commitment to the
Lord Jesus Christ of those truths. It's one thing to believe them.
It's another one to be committed to them. I've told people a lot
of times, I believe in communism, Chuck. I believe in communism.
I just have no heart for it. I'm just not committed to it,
Dave. I'm not committed to it. I know, I believe in it. I know
it's there. Faith. Faith. And don't tell me that demons
don't believe and that false religion doesn't produce false
faith. You listen to this scripture.
Faith, faith, if it hath not works, not works for salvation,
but the evidence of that salvation wrought by the Spirit of God,
the works of the Spirit, love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness,
meekness, kindness. Faith, if it hath not works,
is dead. It's there, but it's a dead faith. It believes that I'm doing something
in order to be saved. That's dead faith. God's going to have to give a
heart. Take that which this mind has
heard and understands. Devils have a mind that understands. They know, they believe, they
believe that there is a Lord Jesus Christ. I just read a scripture
that said they believe that. And they believe it, he's going
to judge. But they have no heart. God's got to give me a new heart.
a new heart of love for Christ, willing in the day of His power,
a heart that relies upon Him. This is the confidence, this
is the hope that Paul the Apostle spoke of in 2 Timothy 1.12, for
I know whom I have believed, trusted. And I'm persuaded that
He's able to keep that which I have committed unto Him. against that day. What's the
difference? A believer has a new heart. He's a new man. There's something that he's heard.
Two people can hear the same thing. Two thieves heard the
same thing. They heard the same thing. What
was the difference? God gave one of them a new heart. There wasn't any difference in
Him and the other one, but the grace of God. Both of them, both
of them heard the same. Both of them railed and all of
a sudden, God changed one of them. God's people, given a new heart,
are committed to Christ. They're committed to His gospel.
They're committed to Him because they love Him and they follow
Him. They hear His voice spiritually. Not audibly. When the Lord said,
My sheep hear My voice, you that believe, you hear it. You hear
it. You know. The voice of the Master's
truth. That's His voice. Truth. Listen
to Hebrews 11. Abraham, when he was called to
go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
what did he do? He obeyed. By faith, Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac. True faith. True faith. It hears. There is a mental assent. There is a mental understanding
of what I'm hearing. But if God doesn't give a new
heart, that mental belief is nothing more than the belief
of devils. They believe the same thing. The difference is God gives a
heart to love what they're hearing. Love the Christ that they're
hearing about, that they're hearing. And they commit to Him. They're
committed to Him. Christ who is our life, and lastly,
let me tell you the evidence of true belief. It stays. It stays. It doesn't leave. True faith
endures. True belief is evidenced in that
it endures. Ye shall be hated of all men
for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be
saved. Does that mean he that just stays
in a church? He that stays believing God,
trusting God. entrusting themselves to the
Lord. Brother Scott said, where the
Lord puts a man, he keeps that man. That's right. Where God puts a man, he keeps
him. Has the Lord eternally put his
people in the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes, he has. You know what he's
going to do? He's going to keep them. He who is able to keep you from
falling. Aren't you glad for that? Because
I'm going to tell you something. I know just enough about myself. I know what I would do. If he
didn't keep me, I'd leave. And you would too. There's no
way in the world kept by the power of God. What must I do
to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. What does that mean? That means
God's going to have to give me a new heart to entrust, to commit
unto Him of whom I've heard. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the Word of God and God's going to have to give you faith
to believe. Lord, have mercy on me for Christ's sake. Amen.