Thank you, Marvin. Yeah, I'm
home, West Virginia. Your pastor called me one day
last week. I think on my way to my mother's
in Oak Hill last Monday, this past Monday. And he started humming,
singing to me that song, West Virginia, take me home, country
roads, something like that. But I told him, I'll buy into
all that except the part where it says almost heaven, West Virginia. I can't go that far. It's good
to be home. It's good to be here. But I do
believe heaven will be much more. Will you turn with me to Acts
chapter 20? Acts chapter 20. In verse 16 we read, For Paul
had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend a
time in Asia, for he hastened, if it were possible for him to
be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. Paul didn't want to be there
at that time in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost to observe
that day, no, Paul knew that he was free from those legal
holidays. He wanted to be there because
much people would be there. It would be an opportunity for
Paul to preach the gospel. Verse 17, And from Miletus he
sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when
they were come to him, he said unto them, You know from the
first day that I came into Asia, after what manner have been with
you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind,
and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying
in wait of the Jews, and how I kept back nothing that was
profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you
publicly and from house to house, testifying to the Jews and also
to the Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ. And now behold, can you just
picture the faithful servant of God as he speaks these words?
And now behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the
Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions
abide me. But none of these things move
me. None of these things move me.
Neither can I my life gear unto myself so that I might finish
my course with joy in the ministry which I have received of the
Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now,
behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the
kingdom of God shall see my face no more. and they didn't. Wherefore, I take you to record
this day that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have
not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." Verse
24 sums up Paul's ambition, his ministry, to testify the gospel
of the grace of God. In 1 Timothy He wrote, describing
the gospel this way, the glorious gospel of the blessed God. Cody referred to this verse from
Ephesians chapter 1 last night, the gospel of your salvation. And in Romans chapter 1, Paul
tells us this glorious gospel, the gospel of your salvation,
is that gospel concerning his son. the Lord Jesus Christ. No gospel without him. In 1 Corinthians
15, Paul said this, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you
the gospel. That's refreshing. Paul said,
I declare unto you the gospel. It occurred to me, I hadn't really
thought about it until I was driving up here yesterday. I
hadn't gone but a few miles from my mother's house. And I looked
across the interstate and there was quite a crowd of people walking
that way. And I thought it's kind of dangerous
to be on the interstate. Then I noticed a couple of them
had crosses, carrying crosses, with all the nonsense going on. Especially this weekend, isn't
it? People, they'll just be coming out of the woodwork, carrying
crosses, wearing crosses, giving the sign of the cross and all
of that. How refreshing in the midst of
that religious nonsense to hear the apostle say, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel, the glorious gospel of the blessed
God. As I said in this verse, Paul
sums up his life's goal, his obsession, and that's not too
strong a word. Paul was consumed with the message
of the gospel. That's what he told them. None
of these afflictions that are waiting for me, these imprisonments, None of these things moved me.
I'm not deterred. I'm not going to take a detour
in order to avoid these things." Paul said, I can't do that because
I received this precious treasure. It's been committed into my hands
from the Lord Jesus Christ who loved me and gave himself for
me. I'm determined to go there also
and preach the gospel before experiencing the grace that Paul
speaks of. He was consumed in the very opposite
direction, wasn't he? So far from the gospel of Christ,
he was determined, he said. He was determined before that
glorious event on the Damascus Road. He was determined to do
all within his power. to stamp out the white from the
face of the earth, the very mention, the very memory of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth. Paul considered him the greatest
imposter, the greatest deceiver who ever lived. That's so. Turn, if you will, back a few
pages to Acts chapter 7. The first time we meet Saul of
Tarsus, they say first in Our first meeting are usually the
lasting impressions that we have of someone. Well, the first introduction
we have of Saul of Tarsus is anything but impressive. He's standing while a group of
men are stoning to death Stephen, one of those who, Believed on
Christ, one of Christ's sheep. And while they're stoning to
death that faithful man, there's a young man standing by, guarding
their cloaks. And he's saying, yes, do it. He's got it coming. Throw the
stone. Murder him. That's the first
glimpse we have of Saul of Parsis. Look at verse 58. They cast him
out of the city, that is Stephen. and stoned him. And the witnesses
laid their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. Saul. That's the same fellow
we just read about in Acts 20. Look in verse 1 of chapter 8. And Saul was consenting unto
his death, and at that time there was a great persecution against
the church which was at Jerusalem, and Paul was the ringleader.
And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea
and Samaria except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen
to his burial and made great lamentation over him. As for
Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, hailing
men and women, committed them to prison." Look down in chapter
9 as we continue. This introduction to Saul of
Tarsus, verse 1 of chapter 9 we read,
and Saul yet, yet, just as he had been doing, still doing it,
breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord. You've heard the expression concerning
an individual, that man can open his mouth without cursing. Saul
couldn't open his mouth without cursing the name of Jesus of
Nazareth. Yet, breathing out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, when it is the high
priest and desired of him letters, authority warns to Damascus,
to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether
they were men or women, it didn't matter, he might bring them bound
unto Jerusalem. Then something happened. This proud religious Pharisee,
can you just picture him as he rides out on his horse through
the Damascus gate on his way to Jerusalem and he thinks, oh,
I'll put a stop to this, Messiah indeed. Son of God indeed! I'll stamp all that out that
I possibly can. I'll spend my life doing this,
Saul thought. There he rides on this high horse. But then, then, he who saideth in the heavens,
He who has his way in the whirlwind and the clouds are but the dust
of his feet. He who is king of kings and Lord
of lords," said Saul of Tarsus, not one step further. Sovereign
grace, arrest that man. And Saul of Tarsus, that proud
rebel, that hater, despiser of Jesus Christ, came down. came down off his high horse,"
are you still in Acts 9? And as he journeyed, right in
the midst of his rebellion, he came near Damascus. Oh, he came
so close, didn't he? And suddenly there shined round
about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth, come
down sinner, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saw, saw, why
persecutest thou me? Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus. Can you imagine? I'm Jesus. I'm Jesus. Not the deceiver. Not the imposter. I'm Jesus. I'm Jehovah. I'm the salvation
of the Lord. I'm everything you thought I
wasn't. I'm everything I claim to be. I'm Jesus, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father. Whom thou persecutest, it is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks." And Saul of Tarsus
would never be the same again. He would never be the same again. From that moment on, he was a
changed man. He himself was right afterwards.
If any man, not only himself, but if any man is in Christ Jesus,
he's a new creation. If any man experiences the grace
that Paul experienced, he'll never be the same again. Now,
that's just a fact. Thank God that is so. When I
was a young boy at home and didn't have good sense, my father sometimes
would tell me to do something, and I would buck against it.
I'd say, well, Dad, I'd rather not. I don't want to. And he
would say, I'll tell you what, son, I'll bet I can change your
tune. You ever heard that? He didn't
say go stand in the corner, and he didn't start counting. He said, I'll bet I can change
your tune. And he could, Marvin. I was so
dumb, on one occasion I said, I bet you can't. in a New York minute, the grace of God changed the
tune of Saul of Tarsus. Once he said he's an imposter,
he's a deceiver. I'll imprison and kill everybody
that thinks otherwise. And now he stands up and says,
I don't want to know anything. or hear anything or learn anything
or preach anything but Jesus Christ of Nazareth and Him crucified. Oh yes, grace definitely changed
his tune. The true grace of God does that,
doesn't it? There in verse 24 that we read
a moment ago, Paul says, Oh that I might finish my course with
joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus. that
testify the gospel of the grace of God. The curtain, turning
if you will to the last book, chapter 28. Here we have a picture
where we're able to get a glimpse. The curtain
is closing on the last scene of Paul's life and as it does
we get a final look at this faithful servant of God in his last hours. Sometime after this, he sits
in a prison cell and he says, Timothy, it's cold
here and I'm all alone. He's poor. He doesn't even have a cloak
to warm himself. Timothy tried to come before
winter and bring the cloak. It's cold here. Was it worth it, Paul? Was it
worth all that? All that suffering? Being hated? Being despised? Being hounded? Being tortured? being imprisoned
over and over again. And now you say you can hear
the footsteps of the executioner at the door. Timothy, my departure,
my exodus is at hand. Was it worth it? We see here
in the last verse of Acts, Paul preaching the kingdom of God
and teaching those things that concern the Lord Jesus Christ. Was it worth it, Paul? Listen to his answer. In 2 Timothy
1, concerning the gospel, Paul says in verse 11, Whereunto I
am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of
the Gentiles, for the which cause, for the gospel's sake, I also
suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. I am not ashamed, for I know whom." The gospel is about a person,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, for I know whom I
have believed. And I'm persuaded, I'm convinced
that he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day. Yes, it's worth it. To preach
the glorious gospel of the blessed God. The sum and substance of
Paul's message and ministry is summed up in this one verse,
verse 24. To testify the gospel of the
glorious God, the gospel of the grace of God, nothing else. The gospel of God's grace, no
grace without him, without the God of all grace. First of all,
consider this. Remember, and I know we probably
all know this, but the gospel defined, the gospel we call glad
tidings, good news, good news. It's a message of God's grace
to sinners. As Cody mentioned a moment ago,
real sinners. Not sham sinners. Not pretend
sinners. Oh, but real sinners. Sinners
that have nothing to pay. Sinners bankrupt before the throne
of God. Real sinners. Oh, the gospel
is good news. Those without strength, without
life, without hope. Those that are so lost that they
can't find themselves out of the darkness they're in. They
need finding. Those that are so dead, they
need life. They're hopeless and they need
grace. There's such sinners as that.
The gospel is good news, good news. If the gospel is not the
glad tidings of real grace to real sinners, it wouldn't be
good news, would it? If the gospel, if the salvation
of a sinner in any way, in any way, depends upon anything good
in them or anything done by them, then it's not good news. It's
not good news anymore. Ask any real sinner. Remember
that leopard that came to our Lord, that outcast? That man
had been declared by the priest to be unclean. You're in that
class of unclean. Leave your family. Leave your
home. Live with other leopards, but
don't you dare go back home. You're unclean. You're filthy. You can't live with other people. And if there's a stranger in
the land that's not familiar with our law and they begin to
approach you, you'd better warn them. You better cry out, I'm
unclean. Don't come near me. I'm unclean. That man came to the Lord Jesus
Christ and he fell down before him and
said, if you will, you can make me clean. I won't be unclean
anymore. I'll be clean. Would it have
been good news to that poor man if our Lord said, well, I'll
tell you what, you do your part first and then I'll do mine.
Oh no, that's not good news. If the gospel is only an offer
of grace or tales of a mere attempt by God Almighty to be gracious,
it's not good news. It's not good news. That which
makes this the glorious gospel of the blessed God is that it's
the message that says salvation is of the Lord. And it's by grace
alone. Any other message, especially
one that tells sinners salvation depends on them, is not the gospel. And it's not good news. Paul
was willing to suffer and to die, and he did for the gospel's
sake. Not for another gospel, not for
a message of free will. Paul wasn't across the street
for that, much less suffered. My dear mother mentioned she
listens to the messages I give her and we mail her the messages
preached for our pastor and others. And she says, Larry, I just can't
find the place to hear the gospel. And she mentioned the place and
said she went and heard something. And I said, Mom, don't even get
out of bed for that. Don't even get up out of bed
for that. If you can't, there's nowhere
to hear, just listen to those. Paul said he suffered for the
gospel. not of self-salvation, not of
free will. That's bad news. That's bad news. You know, people hear the verse
where Paul is speaking of salvation in Romans 9. You remember when
folks used to try to drag you down the Romans road? Why did
they always take a detour at Romans 9? I mean, let's just detour. But Paul says, concerning salvation,
that it's not of him that wills it. It's not of him that runs
it. But it's of God that showeth
mercy. And people hear that and say,
whoo, I just can't stand that. You mean my will's not the reason? You mean my will's not the determining
factor? No. God's will's the determining
factor. God will salvation, and every
sinner that's made to realize they're a sinner, they're glad
that it's so. I'm so glad God didn't leave
me to my will, because if he had, I'd still be lost and lifting
up perhaps my eyes in hell this morning if God had left me to
my will. I'm so glad it's not of him that
will us, aren't you? Why did some of you? drive so
far this weekend to gather here to hear the gospel by Larry Criss
and Cody Gruber. I can understand Cody. Larry
Criss, had you ever heard of me before? I've been told often,
Larry Criss, when I first meet somebody, you got two first names. Larry and Criss, you got two
first names. I know it. I know it. I'm aware
of it. Nothing memorial about it. But why would you come and drive
so far? Because the message of the grace
of God suits you. You want it. Like the pastor
said, it's food for our soul. Just can't get enough. And the
gospel of God's free grace suits this sinner. It just fits me
perfectly, Mike. Nothing else does. Nothing else
does. I find as I get older that I
need this not less but more as the years fly by. I'm made to
feel and to experience the reality that this is the only thing that
gives this sinner hope before God. Nothing else does. Nothing else does. I've not arrived
at that state that I've heard some people talk about, that
plateau where they've gotten above the world and above sin. And the old nature is eradicated. What they mean is I touch not
and I taste not and I wear not and I go not. No, no, I with
the Apostle Paul confess wretched man that I used to be, no, wretched
man that I am right now. I need the grace of God as much
right now as I ever did. Don't you? And this message declares
the good news of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing else does. Nothing else
does. I recall reading a sermon by
Mr. Spurgeon. I think it was Mr. Spurgeon. And he was telling
the story about a man who was dying. And he was a woodworker, a very
good one. And the village priest came in
to this poor man's hut as he lay in his bed dying. and held
up a wooden crucifix, Cody, and said, Behold, your God. And the
poor dying man looked at it and said, My God, I made that. I made that. David in Psalm 115 said, They
that make them, their idols, are like unto them. So is everyone
that trusteth in them. When Paul said, God forbid that
I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, he
did not mean the literal piece of wood. That's not what he meant.
He didn't mean something on my lapel or around my neck. When Paul said, God forbid that
I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, he
said, I'm glory in the atonement that the Son of God made on my
behalf. I glory in the fact that my Redeemer
redeemed me from all my sins. I glory in what he accomplished
on the cross, and he himself said concerning the accomplishment
Not the attempt, no, the accomplishment. It is finished. It is finished. And those words of redemption
of pain still echo through the halls of eternity where they
sing worthy is the Lamb. He has redeemed us with his own
blood out of every tribe and kindred and tongue. Oh, what
a blessing it is to know that the gospel of the grace of God
is that message that speaks of Him who is able to save to the
uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Anyone here this
morning questioning that, anyone that God has stripped, and for
the first time in your life now, You realize your righteousness
that you once thought were so pretty was so pretty, so acceptable. Saul of Tarsus did. Now it's
withered. It's withered. And you see it
as filthy rags. And you're crying in your heart,
oh, depth of mercy, can there be mercy still reserved for me? Can my God? His wrath forbear,
and me the chief of sinners spare? Is it possible? Will God save
me?" Listen, He is able to save to the uttermost all, all that
come unto God by Him. Dear dying lamb, thy precious
blood will never lose its power. To all the ransomed church of
God, be saved to sin no more. Paul says his goal was to testify
the gospel of the grace of God, to proclaim this message to all
men everywhere. To the Apostle Paul, the gospel
was not something to be debated, and it wasn't a matter of speculation
but proclamation. It's certainly not up for a vote,
is it? This is the message those men
of God preach whether men receive it or not, whether they believe
it or not, whether they bow to it or not. Let me give you three
reasons and I'll be done. Why was Paul so committed to
this message that God had committed into his hands to testify the
gospel of the grace of God because he was doing so as we mentioned
at the outset, in obedience to Christ the Lord. I received of
the Lord Jesus. Christ called Paul. Only he can
make a preacher. And this gospel concerns him. It's a sacred trust, Paul told
Timothy, that he committed into my hands. The church of the living
God is not an entertainment center. with pastors that are no more
than motivational speakers. No, cheerleaders. But a place
to send forth the gospel of the grace of God. It's not a platform
for social reform, is it, Marvin? Or to focus on the family. No,
but to declare the gospel. Our commander-in-chief, the Lord
Jesus Christ himself, Told his disciples to go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. And his brother
Henry said, he told them, you stay right here till I get back. Don't move an inch from this
till I get back. Just keep preaching the gospel
of God's grace. So we do it because he commanded
us to do it. And secondly, this message, the
gospel of the grace of God, honors God, doesn't it? It honors God. It's the everlasting gospel,
and it honors him. The gospel of free grace declares,
not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory
for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. This is the means that
God has ordained. Once, when David was fleeing
from Saul, He left in such a hurry he didn't even carry a weapon
with him. He asked the priest where he
was, is there a weapon in this place? Do you have a weapon here? And he was told there's nothing
here but the sword of Goliath. Mike, you remember what David
said? Give it me. There's none like it. There's
none like it. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, there is none like it, nothing like it. And Paul knew
that this was true by personal experience. And last of all,
this message of the grace of God proclaims the only hope,
the only hope for sinners, the only hope, nothing else. It strips away pride and it gives
the sinner It gives this center a sure foundation, excuse me,
a sure foundation of confident assurance built on Christ and
God's grace in him. And Cody, like you said, like
Jacob said, that's enough. That's enough. I don't need any
more. This popular message of free
will, easy believism. It gives sinners no hope. That's
right. It gives sinners no hope at all. It's not true. It's not true. And it leaves you with nothing. With nothing. Oh, but the gospel
of the grace of God, this message, tells sinners, come to Christ. Come to He who is mighty to save. All that come unto the Father
by him he will in no wise cast out. And that's good news, isn't
it? Isn't that good news? Our Lord
said concerning that Pharisee in Luke 18, that man, not the
Pharisee rather but the public, the Pharisee went out just like
he came in. He came in in his self-righteousness
and he went out in self-righteousness. But our Lord said to the public,
it's going home justified. Going home justified. Not guilty. Righteous. Before the very sight
of God Almighty. Going home justified. Paul in Philippians chapter 3
says, In that day, in that day when
God shall judge the world in absolute righteousness, He said,
in that day, I want to be found in Him. Our Lord said in Matthew 7 that
in that day, many shall stand before Him and say, Lord, we
did thus and thus and thus. And He said, I never knew. Men
and women would stand before God Almighty without a mediator. Without a mediator. Without Jesus
Christ, the only mediator. No wonder Paul said, I want to
be found in him. I'm in West Virginia now. Most
of you, I think, will recognize My illustration in closing. When
I was a young boy, I lived up a hollow. Holler. That's what
it is, isn't it? It's a holler. Lived in the last
house in the holler. Very last house. My young friends and I would
go to the movies. We'd see some scary movies. The werewolf didn't have all
them special effects. I'd have probably died on the
spot if it had, but it was scary enough with Lon Chaney. And we'd
be walking home, no problem, after dark. But when we come
to the mouth of the hollow, my friends would go back, would
walk on down into the camp, the coal camp. And I had to walk
up that hollow all by myself, Mike. Ooh, man. They'd say, Larry,
don't let the wolf man get you. I'd say, the wolf man will have
one of those laid across his lips. Big talk, until we parted
company. And I'm walking up that hall.
Man, I'm scared. I'm scared. And I hear a leaf
rustle, and I'm gone. I'm beating them down. I'm laying
them down. And I make the last turn in the hall. And there's
that house. Mom's got the porch light on
for me. Oh, it's good to be home. And
I go in, go upstairs, and Mom comes up to tuck me in. And she would throw up that old
bedspread. And here it comes. I don't know
how she could do it, but it would just come floating down. I wasn't scared anymore. I wasn't afraid anymore. I felt
so safe, so secure. And in that day, when God Almighty
ushers this sinner into the presence of God, I'm going to be so safe
and so secure Because I'm going to be wrapped
in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Are you? Are you? God help you to look to Christ. Thank you for your attention.