Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Acts chapter 20. I was thinking a moment ago,
the way we have been studying these Scriptures, the book of
Acts on Wednesday, the Revelation Sunday morning,
the book of Romans Sunday morning, is taking it verse by verse,
line by line. And I think the good thing about
that is that you just take it as the Spirit of God wrote it.
That's the way He wrote it. So therefore, it's not up for
debate whether or not it's profitable to study it. We know it is. But also, as we read, I think
to myself, I pray the Lord would teach me the gospel. In every Scripture, if we see
not the glory of God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
haven't seen the message of that Scripture. But this evening we are going
to pick up, starting in verse 20, kind of as a reminder, in verse
23 of the 19th chapter, the Apostle Paul has been preaching and it
is said there, at the same time there arose no small stir. about
that way. Knowing something about man,
whenever the gospel is preached, I know that we've got to know
something about man. You know something about God
Almighty. You know something about God's
Christ, the Son of God. You know something about salvation,
how God saves sinners. Well, here's something about
man right here. Man by nature has got an attitude
that despises the gospel of free grace. And though that man in his heart
hates the gospel, he's going to make things or try to make
things hear that the issue is something else. No one wants to admit. They don't
want to say. They just find it hard to bring
themselves to come out and say, I don't believe the Word of God. They'll say, I believe the Word
of God cover to cover. Boy, that sure does flow easy,
doesn't it? The way. That's what the stir. That way. That way was the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I am the way. I am the
truth. I'm the life. Now, there was
a fellow in verse 25. Well, it actually started in
verse 24. His name was Demetrius. He was a silversmith. And this
is what he was going to make the issue to be. He said, well,
the issue is our livelihood. Verse 25, "...whom he called
together with the workmen of like occupation and said, Sirs,
you know that by this craft we have our wealth." Don't get on our livelihood now.
Be careful. Don't try to get into my wallet. Don't get in my pocketbook now.
If you start getting on my wallet, well, men by and large will think
that through real fast. And that doesn't sound very good. That sounds a little squirrely.
when you first hear it. So he had to also kind of clarify
what he was having a problem with. Verse 27, and he said,
it's not just our livelihood, not just our money. It's not
our craft. That's not the issue also. Verse
27, so that not only this our craft is in danger to be said
it not, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana should
be despised and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all
Asia and the world worshipeth. You know, yeah, I don't get on
my money, but now you've offended my God too, which is one and
the same thing, really. Well, the true issue, when there
is no small stir, When there is an issue, when a person hears
the gospel of free grace, sovereign, saving, distinguishing, predestinating
grace, the issue really is a man's love for spiritual darkness. That's the issue. John 3, 19.
This is the condemnation. This is what the Lord said. This
is the condemnation. This is the sentence. This is
where we levy the charge right here. This is the condemnation.
Light is coming to the world and men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. Turn to Luke 14 for
just a second. Luke 14. Starting in verse 16,
Luke 14, 16. A certain man made a great supper and bade
many, and sent his servant at suppertime to say to them that
were bidding come, for all things are now ready." Now listen. Let
me tell you what this parable, this story is all about. When
the gospel of free grace is preached, we preach it. We just preach
the gospel. This is what we're commanded
to do. Now, I know this, that only those that Almighty God
by His Spirit gives a new heart in power to call out of darkness,
gives them a new will, a new mind, only those will come. I know that. All that my Father
has given me shall come to me. Those that come to me, I will
in no wise cast them out. I know this. I know that God's
elect, God's sheep are going to be saved. I'm convinced of
that. But here's my problem. I don't know who they are. So
what do we do? We preach the gospel. We preach
a message of grace, a message of salvation, hope and peace
in Christ. And we trust God, that God's
going to do whatever God's pleased to do. He promised, my word shall
not return unto me void. It's going to accomplish the
will, the purpose that he sent. Well, here's a king, a certain
man, a certain man. Grand supper, bade many. Here's
what I'm going to do. We're going to bid many. Bid
many tonight. Send a servant suppertime to
say to them that we're bidding come. All things are ready. Folks will say, well, you don't
believe in whosoever will may come. Oh, yes, we do. Oh, yes,
we do. Whosoever will, let him come. Who said that? The bride said
that. Spirit said that. Whosoever will. The problem is a man left to
himself won't. He won't come. He will not come. When will a man come? When God
gives him a new heart. When God gives him life, that's
when he'll come. But what do we do? We say, we
say, come. Come. And it says in verse 18,
And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first
one said, well, I'd come, but I bought a piece of ground, and
I must needs go and see it. And I'd have seen it before I
bought it if it had been me, but, you know, I pray they have
me excused. I would come to your supper,
but I'll be honest with you. I've got this piece of property.
Another one said, I bought five yoke of oxen. And I got approval,
I pray thee, have me excused. Another said, I married a wife,
and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, showed
the Lord these things to the master of the house, being angry,
said to his servant, Go out quickly in the streets and lanes of the
city. Bring in hither the poor and lame, halt, blind, lame. Look down at verse 23, 24. And
the Lord said to the servant, Go out in the highways and hedges
and compel them. to come in that my house may
be full." Now let me tell you something, that word right there,
compel, that's not a word that's just ask them and see if they
come. That's what that word means powerfully. You compel them to
come. For I say unto you that none
of those which were bidden shall taste of my supper. You know,
we preach a message of hope. This message of free grace, the
gospel, is the power of God unto salvation. I'm convinced of that. It's the message that honors
God and it abases man and it tells man, you cannot unless
God. Now, who said that? The Lord Jesus Christ. No man
can come. Now, that's a word that has to
do with ability. No man can come. You know, we
used to mess up, you know. Can I get up? Yes, you can, but
you may not. That's what your teachers were
telling you. You don't want to prove a point. Can I get up? Yeah,
you have the ability to, but you're not able to do it because
I'm telling you, you're not able to. I don't want you to. Don't
have my permission. No man can come. Men will tell
other men, you can if you will. The Lord says you cannot. unless
God. Men will make excuses for that
which they will not be pleased to do. Why will a man not come
to Christ? He doesn't want to. He doesn't
want to. Listen to a man's excuses. It's
amazing, Brother Scott, the excuses a man will give. Well, the Scripture says back
in Acts 20. Let's go ahead and start. A few
minutes. I can tell I probably won't get as far as I thought.
Acts 20, verse 1. After the uproar was ceased,
Paul called unto him the disciples and embraced them and departed
for to go unto Macedonia. Here's the first lesson that
we learn from this passage. Our love for Christ is exhibited
by our love and our concern for the brethren. Our love for Christ is exhibited
by our love and our concern for the brethren. John 13, 35 says,
by this, by this, that passage has always intrigued me, by this,
shall all men know that you are my disciples. How? You have love,
one for another, for the brethren. We love the brethren. I was thinking
just a moment ago, thinking about Brother Clay, a young fellow,
mid-30s. Two small children. He's up there,
he's trying to, you know, small group of people. I think
it's five, six families. I don't know, Carl, how many,
but it's just a handful. Sold his house in Tennessee. Moved up there trying to buy
a house. I thought things were expensive
in Tennessee. Dropping a bucket. Trying to
see if the Lord was going to raise up a work. Sold everything. Moved up there. Gave it all. Between a rock and a hard place
now. It would be absolutely, totally
disrespectful, dishonorable if we failed to help Him. Love for the brethren. Turn over, we'll look at this,
Lord willing, in the next few weeks, but I just I got to read
this passage of Scripture, talking about the love for the brethren.
Look at Acts 20, verse 32. I'll just read the Scripture
now and then, Lord willing, we'll look at it later. And now, brethren,
Paul is talking to them. He's getting ready to leave.
He's taught them. He's been their friend. He's
preached to them. He's studied. He's got to go. Now, brethren, I commend you
to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build
you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I've coveted no man's silver
or gold or apparel. I'm going to say something right
here, and I'm going to say it. I've thought it, and I'll just
say it. Now, this man, this was Paul
the Apostle. He was a man. He was a sinner
saved by the grace of God. God called him out of darkness. What did he have to glory in
save the grace of God? That's all he had. He was on
the road to Damascus. Take some of them of the way.
And he just, the Lord stopped him. Stopped him in his tracks. Stopped him for what he was doing.
Spoke to him and asked him, why are you persecuting me? Who are
you? Who are you, Lord? He said, I'm
Jesus that you're persecuting. Called that man, gave him a new
heart. Sent him up. Sent a man named
Ananias over there to preach to him. And the Lord took that
man Saul and taught him and blessed him, blessed his ministry, pleased
to teach millions and millions and millions since that time
through this man. What was the difference in Saul
of Tarsus or Scott Richardson? What's the difference? No difference. Took the same grace. Here's a
man that God raised up, you know. Well, Scott, I appreciate you.
These people appreciate you, love you. Well, Paul's come to
a place, and he's going to have to go. He's talking to them. He's just reminding them what
the Lord's done. Starting over, I, brethren, commend
you to God, to the Word of His grace. It's
hard. It's hard. It's hard for a pastor
who loves the people, cares for them, loves them, appreciates
them. What are you going to do? You're
going to commend them to God. That's what you're going to do.
What are you going to do? What are you going to do? You're going
to commend them to the Lord, which is able to build you up
and give you an inheritance among all of them which are sanctified.
I've covered in no man's silver or gold or parable, yea, ye yourselves
know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them
which were with me. I have shown you all things how
that so laboring you ought to support the weak. Remember the
words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to
give than to receive. When He had thus spoken, He kneeled
down and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore and fell
on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the
words which he spake, that they should see his face no more,
and they accompanied him. unto the ship. That's the distinguishing
mark of a believer is that he loves God's people. He appreciates
them. Thankful for them. Thankful that
they're here. And the thing is, they're thankful
that the others are here. It's a family. We're brethren. That's what Abraham told Lot.
There was a kind of a rift between Abraham's men and Lot's men, arguing over who got the sheep
and who got to eat the best. And it became a kind of a problem. And Abraham came to Lot and he
said, we're brethren. You take whatever you want. You look around, and you pick
what you want. You take the best of whatever
is available, and I'll take the rest. Now, there was a man that
was meek. You know what meekness is? Bowing
to God's providence. Abraham told Lot, he said, You
take whatever you want. I'll take what's left. And Lot
set his eyes toward Sodom. Widow watered. What did Lot get? He got the worst of it. What
did God? What did Abraham get? He got
the mercy of God. God's people love God's people. The brethren of Christ, that's
the body of Christ. I look around and I see some
brethren. There's people here that Christ
died for. There's people here that He came
and walked this earth in perfect obedience to God's command and
lived far and laid down His life far. And I've got the blessed
privilege to be in the presence of Him, be able to talk with
Him, fellowship with Him, love Him. No man, Ephesians 5, 29
and 30, ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth it and
cherisheth it even as the Lord the Church, for we are members
of His body, His flesh, His bone. Paul, the first verse says, after
the uproar, he called unto Him the disciples, and He embraced
them, and He departed for to go into Macedonia. And the Scripture
says in verse 2, And when He had gone over those parts, had
given them much exhortation, He came unto Greece. Now, the
apostle though persecuted on all sides, he was carried, directed,
led by the Spirit of God under divine constraint. Paul said
in 1 Corinthians 9, 16, For necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is
unto me if I preach not the gospel. I read of a very wise, learned
educated professor that was at a very small university in the
northeastern part of the country. And he was top of the line. In his field, he was number one
at this very small place that really didn't have the funds
and finances that some of the other larger universities had. But this man was on staff there
and a friend of his came to him and asked him, he said, you know,
as wise, as taught, as learned, as educated as you are. And he
said, knowing what you're making here at this little small university,
why are you spending your time doing this. Why are you not, you know, aspirations
for greater? And he told him this. He said,
I just don't have time to go out and to go after and to strive
after the things of this world. I don't have time for it. He
had a heart to do what he was doing. I thank God for men he
raised up and give them a heart for the gospel of God's grace.
Scripture says when He had gone over, given them much exhortation,
He came to grace. He taught them. Here is the second
lesson we learn from this. The first lesson is that God's
people are loved by God's people. That is how the love of Christ
is exhibited. You love the brethren. Secondly,
the Lord knows how to preserve His own. You know, last week
we looked at how Paul was delivered, you know, just by the law. I
mean, by the laws of the land. Remember that? A fellow got up
and he said, fellows, these guys haven't done anything. Leave
them alone. They haven't done anything to
our goddess. They haven't stolen anything from the church. Leave
them alone. Just leave them alone. If it
becomes a civil issue, then the law was going to deal with it.
The Lord delivered Paul. That's how He delivered him.
By that means. Well, the Scripture says here,
here is another way. It says, verse 3, "...there abode
three months, when the Jews laid wait for him, and he was about
to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia."
See, the Scripture sets forth that they that are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Paul was going to go. He was going to go to Syria,
but he purposed. His heart was turned. Why did
He go the way He goes? Well, the Scripture says that
God directed Him. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. We are sent into this world. The Lord said in Matthew 10,
13, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be you
therefore wise as serpents, harmless as doves. We never deviate. from the course of our mission
to preach Christ. This is the message. Salvation
by grace. We know that the offense of the
cross, that is, the preaching of the sovereignty of God in
salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, is offensive. I know
that because it destroys a man's God. It makes a man's God of
his imagination that's trying to get him to do something, it
makes that God to be nothing. The God of this world that's
trying to save people, if they will let Him, is an imp. He's
a nobody. He's a nothing. He's a nothing.
He's nothing. God Almighty does as He will,
and He saves as He will. That makes men mad. I know that
we are oppressed on all sides, and we are to wisely use all
providential means to preserve ourselves from the insults and
rage of men, but never at the expense of faithfulness to the
preaching of the gospel. The Lord sent this man, Paul. He sent him on the way that he
was going to go, and being a man, he needed comfort of brethren. some brethren, look at verses
4 to 6, and there accompanied him into Asia. So Pacter of Berea
and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus, Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe,
and Timotheus of Asia, and Tychicus, and Trophimus, these going before
tarried for us at Troas. And we sailed away from Philippi
after the days of unleavened bread and came unto them to Troas
in five days where we abode seven days. Now, God Almighty wisely
sends His people with people. It's comforting. The Lord Jesus
Christ, I saw something tonight and I know I've read this before
but it just never hit me of the companionship even of the Lord
Jesus Christ. John 8. Just listen. Let me read
this to you. John 8, 29. And He that sent
me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone,
for I do always those things that please me. Let me ask you
this. You that believe. You that trust
Christ. Is it not comforting? I know
the comfort that you have, firstly, to just pray, knowing that the
Spirit of God dwells in you. You're not comfortless. You're
not without hope. You're not without peace. But
let me tell you something. Do you have any idea the peace
and the comfort that you have with a brethren, with a companion,
someone you've talked to? I've told you how many times,
numerous times, I've been able to just sit down, talk with Scott,
ask him something. You know why I have confidence
in what I ask him and his answer? Because I know he didn't get
off a watermelon truck yesterday. It's wise counsel that believers
desire. Whenever a believer asks somebody
else something, they want to know, what does the Scripture
say? Your opinion? You tell me what the Word of
God says. Companions. Companions. The first day of
the week, verse 7, when the disciples came together to break bread,
Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and
continued his speech until midnight. Here's the third lesson we learned. The Lord's people are obedient
to Christ in their worship. How do they worship the Lord?
They worship the Lord the way the Lord ordained them to worship
Him. Now, do you know why we're meeting
here tonight? You say, well, we just decided,
you know, years ago to start meeting on Wednesday night. Well,
that's true. That's true. No, as often as
you come together. They observed the Lord's table
too this night. But when you come together, the
preaching of the gospel naturally lends itself, an explanation
is that there's going to be somebody to hear. Where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there is something about the
assembly of God's people. that is precious, that's blessed.
Like I said, I wouldn't want to give up listening to a CD
or a tape or something like this. If I'm riding, I enjoy popping
one in, listening to it. But let me tell you something,
it never replaces meeting together with God's people. Never. Never. Never. There is something that
is special about meeting together with the brethren. The Lord's
presence is there. Two or three are gathered together
in my name. I'm in the midst of you. How do God's people worship? They worship by coming together. Paul got to Troas on Sunday. That's when he got there. First
day of the week. That's Sunday. First day. That day, believers
started meeting together. See, for a while there, it was
a Sabbath day. It was the last day. It was a Jewish Sabbath
day. And the Scripture set forth that
the Lord rose on the first day of the week. That's the day that
believers started meeting together. The Scripture says in Matthew
28, 1, in the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
to see the sepulcher. The Lord rose on that day. Believers
do not have a Sabbath day. I understand people will We call
it the Sabbath day. Christ is our Sabbath. Christ is our rest. Christ is our Sabbath day. We
meet together in worshiping on Sunday, the first day of the
week. We cease from our old works and
we rest in Him. The disciples came together,
Scripture says, first day to hear the preaching of the Gospel
to observe the Lord's table. The Scripture says they came
together on that first day to break bread. For as often Paul
said, 1 Corinthians 11.26, as you eat this bread, drink this
cup, you do show the Lord's death till He come. They break bread. No restrictions on who could
eat except They'd be believers. Believers. No one was to examine
who was worthy to participate. Each man examined himself. I'm
going to show you this, and we're going to wrap this thing up.
1 Corinthians 11. Let me show you something. 1
Corinthians 11, verse 27, 28. This is the latter part of a
scripture that we usually always read when we have the Lord's
Supper. Now, listen to the words of the scripture. 1 Corinthians
11, 27, Wherefore, and it just followed that verse 26, As often
as ye eat this bread, drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death
that he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink
this cup of the Lord, unworthily shall be guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself,
so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." Now,
the Scripture says in verse 27, "...whosoever shall eat unworthily."
irreverently is what the Word is interpreted. Let me tell you
what it doesn't mean. It does not mean that if a man
eats because of the sin, gross sin, that he sees in his flesh,
for Paul the Apostle says, I see in me, that is, in my flesh,
there dwells no good thing. Seeing that actually makes a
man a prime candidate for the taking of a supper. To eat unworthily actually is
to eat in a sense that despises the precious blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Actually, what it means, it's
for an unbeliever. to eat of the Lord's table, unworthily. Now, the apostle said, examine
yourself. Let me ask you a few questions
here. Do you believe that God Almighty is trying to save the
whole world without exception? He's trying to save everybody. But he can't do it unless they
exercise their free will and let him. Do you believe that
God is trying? Do you believe that Christ died
for all men without distinction to make salvation possible? Do you believe that salvation
is in the decision of man and is his free will? Do you believe
that? Don't eat. Don't eat. Do not eat and do not drink.
You are eating and drinking unworthily. You don't discern the Lord's
body. That's what he said right there. Not discerning the Lord's
body. What he's saying is you do not
discern what God purposed to do and accomplished. You're not
discerning it. Don't eat. You don't believe
what he finished. Do you believe that salvation
is by grace apart from any works of righteousness that you can
do? That salvation is by grace through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that God Almighty, before
the foundation of the world, chose a people that He had everlastingly
set His affection on. And He said, I love you and I
love you And I love you, and I choose you, and I choose you,
and I choose you. And I will not allow those that
I have chosen to show my affection on. I will not let you perish. They brought our precious Savior
before a mock trial. And they took a crown of thorns
and they put it on his head. And he said, you can have my
brow. They took his coat off and they
took a cat of nine tails. And they whipped him and beat
him. And he said, you can have my
back. They took his beard, and they
grabbed a handful of it, and they jerked it off his face,
and he said, you can have my beard. They spit on him like he was
a dog, and he said, you can have my face. They took him to the Calvary,
took him to Golgotha, and he laid down his life. And he stretched
his hands out and he said, you can have my hands, you can have
my feet. They took a spear and they stuck
it in his side and he said, you can have my side. And they came to break his legs. And because we are bone of his
bone, chosen in him just like that
rib that was taken out of Adam that Eve was made. She was made
out of His bones. That's what He said. This is
bone of My bone. We are His bones. And they came
to break His bones. And He said, you can't have those. And He was dead. They couldn't
break Him. He said, I'll give you everything
else, but you can't have them. They're Mine. I bought them. I paid for them. Nobody is going
to touch them. Do you believe that Almighty
God was made sin that you might be the righteousness of God,
made the righteousness of God in Him? Then eat, eat, drink. You discern. You've heard by
the grace of God, the distinguishing grace of Almighty God in the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Drink freely. Yeah, you're worthy. Why? Because you need Him.