In Acts chapter 16, I'd like
to look at the first five verses. And what we're beholding is the
guidance of the Spirit of God upon those that He's called to
preach the gospel. Paul was going to go and visit
the churches where he'd been. The Lord had raised up a church like this one. God raised it
up. God kept it. He chose Silas to go with him,
and they preached Christ and set forth. This is the gospel. And verse 1 of chapter 16 says,
Then came he to Derbe and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple
was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which
was a Jew, and believed. But his father was a Greek. There
was a certain disciple that always causes you to stop and look. something going to be said here
set his sight on a certain disciple you know every one of God's elect
are certain disciples all of God's people
are certain sheep Almighty God had compassion and
mercy on a certain group before the foundation of the world.
They were certain ones. He chose them, named them. The Lord Jesus Christ obeyed
the law of God as the federal head for certain elect those
that God chose. Almighty God deals with all men
in one of two representatives. Either God deals with a man in
Adam as being a sinner, a rebel against God, an unregenerate
rebel, or He deals with a man on the merit of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's it, one of two men. Christ
laid down His life for certain people, the sheep. He said, I
lay down my life for the sheep. Almighty God raised Him, the
Lord Jesus Christ, from the dead because God had justified certain
ones out of every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue. God has a people. They're everywhere. I believe that the vast majority
of them will be infants that died in infancy. Children, those
that did not sin after the similitude of Adam. That means openly, blatantly
rebelling against God. children are dying all over this
world and uh... this may sound hard to you and
i understand that to help and be a humanitarian is an honorable
thing i understand that i don't have a problem with that at all
i mean you see a especially a child in need give them some food you
see someone in need and you don't help them how how is how remain
with the love of god this this thing people you know seeing
somebody need they don't help them stuff like that i just understand
but these children that are dying over these foreign countries
poverty nine infancy dot little little kids the only thing i
can say is that does as he will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth is displaying the unmeasurable mercy of those that
die in infancy. That Almighty God would take
them out of this world, out of every nation, kindred, tribe,
and tongue. That God would have a people,
the vast majority. These children die and we say
that's the most pitiful thing in the world. What if God would
have left them to grow up? Never heard the gospel? Well, there was a certain disciple
there. His name was Timotheus, Timothy. He was a son of a certain
woman. And here's the or whatever i don't know how
long ago this woman would have been dead couple thousand years
right at it she was she was born raised he died and here's the
here's the epitaph this one I don't know what she did for
a living. She might have been a housewife. I don't know what
she did. But here's the bottom line. This
woman believed. God Almighty called this woman
out of darkness. Her name over in 2 Timothy, this
is 2 Timothy 1.5, this is what's said about this woman. 2 Timothy
1.5. Paul writing to Timothy said,
When I called to remembrance the unfeigned, the sincere faith
that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois,
and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. This certain fellow named Timothy
had a mama that was a believer. Man, what a blessing. What a blessing! My mother's a believer. Man,
what greater thing could I say about my mother? Believe God. And this woman was mercifully
called out of darkness by the Spirit of God, and therefore
she had a heart to read and to teach her little boy. Timothy taught him the Scriptures.
I know that. 2 Timothy 3.15, and Paul says,
And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which
are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which
is in Christ Jesus. What a blessing that a parent
would teach their kids the Scriptures. What else are you going to teach
them? That's more important. Oh, you say they don't understand.
Who knows, one of these days they might. How do you know? Keep them under the Gospel. Let
them hear the Scriptures. Teach them. Well, Almighty God who chose
the means of revelation, the Holy Scriptures, also chose the
vessel through which Timothy would first hear the Scriptures,
hear the message of Christ. It was his mother. Timothy was blessed of God, had
a mother, wasn't ashamed to read him the Scriptures and teach
him the Scriptures, what the Scriptures says in the latter
part of that first verse, but his father was a Greek. This is the bottom line. The
Lord is pleased to show mercy to one parent. and he wasn't
pleased to show mercy to the other. Now that's just the way
it is. That's just what he says. His
mother was a Jewess. She believed his father was a
Greek. Romans 9.21 says, Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor? The scripture says that men are
born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of
man, but of God." That's just the way it is. You'd say, well,
what do you account of this? Well, God called Timothy's mother
out of darkness, gave her heart to believe, and he left his dad
to himself. And all that we say is, Lord,
you've done that which is right in your sight. Well, Timothy
had been taught scriptures from his youth. And God was pleased
to bless that word to his heart. Now, not every person that has
ever heard the gospel, God has been pleased to bless the message
to their heart, give them a new heart and call them out of darkness.
Not everyone that hears. In fact, those that hear, the
scripture bears this out, those that hear, and refused. It would be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than it will be for
those that heard the Gospel and walked away from it, left it.
But God was pleased to bless this man, Timothy, through the
Scriptures that was taught. The Scripture says in verse 2,
concerning timothy which was well-reported of by the brethren
that were at lystra and iconium now he was well-reported of now
paul so i'll show you this in a minute paul came into this
these towns here and he saw this certain disciple named timothy
and timothy had a good report about it and this this is what
paul was based on turn over to first timothy three 1 Timothy
3, verse 1, this is a true saying, If a man desire the office of
a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop must be blameless,
honorable, trustworthy, husband of one wife, vigilant, watchful
over himself, sober-minded of good behavior, given to hospitality,
apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy a filthy
lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous, one that ruleth
well his own house, having his own children in subjection with
all gravity. For if a man know not how to
rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of
God? Not a novice, not a young convert, thus being lifted up
with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil. must have a good report of them
which are without lest you fall into reproach and the snare of
the devil. Now, without the church is what it's
talking about. Have a good report without. Now,
I can tell you for a fact most of the time you're going to find
this without exception. Most gospel preachers are not
well received for what they preach. Men hear what they're preaching.
and the reason they hate it is because they come to understand
this. If what you're saying, if what
a great preacher is saying is so, then you're saying that I'm
lost. Now, they're going to come to
that conclusion real fast. But what Paul's talking about
here, having a good report, he's honorable. Pays his bills. If he tells you he's going to
do something, he'll do it. You may not like what he says. but he's
well-respected in the sense, he's not going to lie to you.
I'm going to cheat you. I'm going to try to get to you.
And Timothy was well-reported of by the brethren that were
at Lystra and Iconium. He had a good report. And Paul
recognized the calling of God on him. Paul recognized that
God had qualified that man. God qualified him. God gave him
some gifts, and Paul saw it. And verse 3 says, "...him would
Paul have to go forth with him, and took him and circumcised
him because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they
knew all that his father was a Greek." Now, obviously, Paul
detected the leadership of the Spirit of God on this man he
knew that timothy's mama was a jew a believing jew and his
daddy was a greek and timothy was uncircumcised and he was
well reported of among the brethren they saw that god had done something
for him paul recognized that And while refusing to take John
Mark, here just a few verses before, because of a scriptural
basis, Paul refused to take one that had proven himself, as far
as Paul knew, to be unfaithful in the heat of battle. He was
quitter. That's all Paul knew. And Paul said, I don't think
it's a good idea. I'm just not going to take him.
But he saw this man, an uncircumcised, half-Jew, half-Greek. And Paul
said, under the leadership of the Spirit of God, I don't doubt
that for one second. I'll take you. But before Paul
took him, he did something that at first might seem to be confusing. He took him and circumcised him
because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they knew
all that his father was a Greek." Now you know the first verse
of the fifteenth chapter of the book of Acts. We find Paul and
Barnabas making a stand against certain men that came in, came
down from Judea and said this, except you be circumcised, you
can't be saved. unless you circumcise there's
no way in the world you can be saved. Paul said there is no
way. There's no way. He took a stand against that
and he said, I'll tell you what, in fact it got to be such a heated
discussion they had to go back to Jerusalem, had a conference
over it. Talked it through, Peter, Paul,
James, some of those other apostles stood up Might stand against
it. They wrote down some things that
was to be delivered back to the churches to settle them down.
And church there told them, said, listen, some guys came out of
here, out of this church, and said they were from us. We never
sent them. Saying you had to be circumcised to be saved. And they were not sent by us. We didn't send them. In fact,
Titus in Galatians 2, 3 wasn't circumcised either. It says,
but neither Titus, who was with me being a Greek, was compelled
to be circumcised. So here was two times that Paul
refused to circumcise somebody, and then he took Timothy and
circumcised him. Now Paul knew that after the
crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, there was no more need
of the observance of the law, the ordinances of the law. Let me show you that. Ephesians
2. Ephesians 2.10. After the Lord Jesus Christ was
crucified, the keeping of the law, the Lord
Jesus Christ kept the law. He kept the law. Faithful obeyed
the law, but he was the end of it for obedience. before God
for righteousness before Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
now Ephesians 2 10 for we are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them wherefore remember that ye being in time
past Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by
that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands that
at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope, and without God in the world, but now in Christ
Jesus, ye who sometime were far off, or made nigh by the blood
of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath
made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition
between us." Now look at verse 15, "...having abolished in his
flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making
peace." After the Lord Jesus Christ came, they didn't kill
any more animals, keeping to the law. They didn't circumcise
boys on the eighth day. No. Why? Christ was the end of
the law. So why did the Apostle Paul feel
it necessary to circumcise Timothy of Greek while refusing to circumcise
some others? Well, every time circumcision
was being made an issue and a requirement for salvation, every time unbelieving
Jews came and wanted to make an issue out of circumcision
for salvation. Paul would have absolutely nothing
to do with it, and it carries over to today. Every time someone
tries to make something that you do an issue of salvation,
an issue of an established righteousness before God, We have nothing to
do with it. They said you've got to be circumcised
to be saved. Some say you've got to be baptized
to be saved. Some say you've got to walk down
this aisle and give your heart to Jesus to be saved. You've
got to do something that you do. Paul would have absolutely
nothing to do with it. So why did he circumcise Timothy? Well, the first thing I want
you to notice is back there in Acts chapter 16 verse 3. Nobody approached Paul and made
an issue out of it with Paul. Paul did what he did based on
the leadership of the Spirit of God. Paul knew and was sensitive
to the weaknesses not of the unbelieving Jews who stood firm
on circumcision as being a necessity for salvation, but the weaknesses
of the believing Jews to whom Timothy was going to be a teacher. Paul knew that Timothy, on Paul's
constraint and invitation by the leadership of the Spirit
of God, was going to join Paul. in the work of the ministry.
There was going to be times that Timothy was going to be left
teaching Jewish believers. He was traveling with Paul. He'd
preach when there was going to be instruction to be given. And Paul circumcised him, the
Scripture says, because of the Jews which were in those quarters,
believing Jews in those quarters, not unbelieving Jews. Paul never
compromised on this thing of people trying to pressure him
to do anything. He never compromised. Paul referred
to this very act and justified his actions over in 1 Corinthians
9, verse 19 to 23. Turn over there with me. 1 Corinthians
9, 19 to 23. Paul says, For though I be free
from all men, I am not a slave, is what he just said. I looked
it up. He said, Though I be not a slave
from all men, yet I have enslaved myself. I have made myself servant
unto all that I might gain the more, that I might gain the better. Unto the Jews, I became as a
Jew, that I might gain the Jews. To them that are under the law,
as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the
law. To them that are without law, as without law, being not
without law to God, he said, but under the law to Christ,
that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became
I as weak, that I might gain the weak. I made all things to
all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do
for the gospel's sake, that I might be partakers thereof with you."
Now, Paul was absolutely one that would have been more lenient
in matters of indifference than anybody else. Paul was as lenient
and then some in things that did not matter. Did it matter? whether or not a man was circumcised
or not circumcised as far as salvation was concerned. Paul
was going to take Timothy, an uncircumcised Greek Jew that
was accepted of God, and Paul knew it. Paul would take him
with him, but Paul had him circumcised because of the weaknesses of
the believing Jews, the prejudices As long as something wasn't insisted
upon as being a matter necessary of salvation, Paul would accommodate
you. Believing Jews, long since, steeped
in Jewish tradition. Believing Jew would tell Paul,
well, I just don't feel right eating pork. Paul says, that's
all right. I won't offend you. I just don't
think that it's right, you see, to not circumcise. I just feel better circumcised.
Fine. As long as you don't make it
an issue of salvation. If you think that making that
an issue, well, I just like that little cap that we put on the
back of our heads, you know, kind of stuck on there. I just
feel better wearing that. As long as you don't make it
an issue of salvation and righteousness before God, you want to wear
a hat, that's fine. Wear it. But if you make this
an issue of salvation, Paul said, I'm opposing you. Circumcision
availeth nothing, uncircumcision availeth nothing. Christ was
the end of the law. The end of the law for righteousness
to them that believe. There was no more need, but there
were some weaknesses, And Paul knew it, and he would not make
an issue out of something that did not matter, as long as those
believing Jews wasn't making that issue of circumcision a
matter of righteousness before God. Paul said, I became all
things to all men. To the Jew, I became a Jew. To
the Greek, I became as a Greek. To those that are without the
law, Paul had no difficulty in not making an issue out of something
that did not matter. Well, I just don't think you
ought to have long hair. I'll cut it. But if you think
that your short hair establishes or maintains a righteousness
before God that you're more holy. Lord willing, next week we're
going to, Glendon, myself, Carl and I, we're going to go down
to Mexico. They don't, Cody, long since told me, they don't
wear, most of the times it's just going to be a pair of slacks
and just a little shirt, something nice. Cody said they just don't
wear. coats and ties may not have them. I'm just going to wear a pair
of slacks and a shirt. I'm not going to go up there
in a three-piece suit or a tuxedo or something like that. It doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter. Everybody has got prejudices. Everybody's got some things,
some hang-ups about them. I asked Brother Scott one time
about something I heard somebody say. It kind of bothered me.
I thought the person ought to know better. I asked Kim, I said,
will you think about that, Brother Scott? He said, God will teach
him. I thought, why didn't I think of that? Why make an issue out
of something that wasn't an issue? You say, can you back this up,
Marvin? Turn to Romans 14. Turn to Romans chapter 14. Paul knew, before I read this,
Paul knew if there's some of these fellows, and they've heard
the gospel, they're believing, they're young, they're weak,
and if here's a man teaching and uncircumcised, and they all
knew it. They knew he was a Greek, that's what it says. They circumcised
him because they knew he was a Greek. And Paul was not going
to have anything that didn't matter. Now, if it mattered,
You never found anybody that would jump on it faster than
Paul, the apostle. He didn't compromise on this.
What was he doing? He was using some wisdom. Somebody
comes up and makes an issue out of something. If it's not an
issue over the gospel, so what? I've said before, you're going
to have to choose your battles wisely. Because one day you're
going to have to make an issue over something. Look at Romans 14, verse 1, "...him
that is weak in the faith, receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations."
Look in the references there if you've got it in the middle.
It says, "...not to judge his doubtful thoughts." If it's not an issue over the
gospel, you know, I just think everybody ought to be wearing
white shirts every time they preach. Okay. Okay. One believeth that he may
eat all things. I like steak. I like fish. I like crawfish. I like boudin. I like, you know, another who
is weak eats herbs. And so I just feel that meat,
you know, man didn't start having his life shortened before Men
started eating meat. Before that, men ate herbs and
they just, you know, and meat, you know, it shortens your life
and it's too much protein. It's fine. Fine. Eat vegetables. It's good. Let
not him that eateth despise him that eateth not. Let not him
that eateth not judge him that eateth. God has received him.
Who art thou that judges another man's servant? He's God's servant. What he's saying, to his own
master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holding up,
for God's able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above
another, another esteemeth every day alike. You know, let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind. I don't think you ought
to do certain things on this day. Well, okay. Don't do them. I think it's okay to do that
on that day. Okay. He that regardeth the day, regardeth
it unto the Lord. He that regardeth not the day
to the Lord, he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to
the Lord, for he giveth God thanks. He that eateth not to the Lord,
he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth
to himself, and no man dies to himself. For whether we live,
we live to the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the
Lord. Whether we live, therefore die, we are the Lord's. Look at verse 21. Verse 21. It's good neither to eat flesh,
or drink wine, or anything whereby thy brother stumbleth. Notice
this, your brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Man, I'm going to tell you something.
It's hard to please a Pharisee. It's hard to please a Pharisee. but a brother, sensitive. Be sensitive. Here were some
believing Jews. And Paul knew that Timothy was
an uncircumcised male Greek Jew. And Paul thought it right to not let anything
be an issue that didn't matter. Did it matter to Paul that Timothy
was uncircumcised? Not a bit. Did it matter to God? Not a bit. Christ was the end
of the law. That was it. Circumcision, uncircumcision,
the bailiff, nothing. But rather than do something
that didn't matter and offend somebody Instead of listening
to Timothy preaching, Paul knew that God had called him to preach.
He'd be sitting there thinking, all I know is he's just not circumcised.
Paul said, I'll just remove that. And he circumcised him. It wasn't
an issue whether or not it was salvation. It was an issue of
discretion. He used some discretion. You've
got somebody and they don't If they don't think you ought to
eat beef, don't eat in front of them. You've got somebody
and they don't think you ought to have a glass of wine, don't have a
glass of wine. If it doesn't offend you, that's okay. If you
want to have one, have one. I'm not saying be a drunk. I'm
just saying if you have one, that's not the issue here. The
issue is don't do anything that is going to cause a brother to
stumble if it doesn't matter, if it's an issue of the gospel. If someone said to me, well,
I believe that salvation is by a man's free will, what do you
think, Marvin? Do you think that I'd tell him,
well, I don't want to offend him, so I'm just not going to
say anything? Do you think I'd go along with
him just to not offend him? No, it's an issue of the gospel.
It's an issue of truth. But if somebody asked me, do
you think it's okay if a man wears his hair a little bit longer?
If I had it, I'd do it. It doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter. Well, the Scripture says, and
this is how I know that what Almighty God impressed this man
to do, Paul the Apostle, that God blessed it. God didn't call
him on it in the Scriptures. If Paul would have done something
out of the fear of the Greeks, Do you think the scriptures would
have said this he did for the fear of the Jews? Because it
did before. Here's what the scripture says.
And as they, verse 4, went through the cities, they delivered them
the decrees for the keep that was ordained of the apostles
and elders which were at Jerusalem, and so were the churches established
in the faith and increased in numbers daily. What happened? God blessed them. God blessed
what they did. Churches were established. Paul would not have the issue
of circumcision drawn into question or let that be kind of a lingering
thing when it didn't matter. Those that tried to make an issue
over it, he took a stand on it. He said, no sir, no sir. But
when it didn't matter, it was fine. It wasn't an issue then. These churches established in
the faith, solid, firm, strengthened. Not in the observance of the
law, that wasn't the issue, but in the gospel. Paul didn't go
here, and I want you to notice this, Paul never brought up the
issue of circumcision. Look what it says, verse 4, And
as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees
for to keep that were ordained of the apostles and elders that
were at Jerusalem. You remember what the apostles
and elders had told them to tell them? Say, listen, we never sent
them and said that you had to be circumcised to be saved. They took a stand against it.
Paul took and read them the very things that they had said, and
the issue was never brought up. It was not an issue. They were confirmed. in their
opinion against imposing that ceremonial law on the Gentiles. And the Lord blessed it, and
the churches were established in the faith and increased in
numbers daily. The blessing of Almighty God
was upon the work of Paul and Timothy, sensitive to the weaknesses
of believers. sensitive to the weaknesses of
believers. I'm so thankful that people have
been patient with me and didn't just, you know, as old Bruce
Crabtree told me the other day, he said, you know, I stand right
on the brink of disaster all the time, just right on the edge
of the mountain of disaster. He said, if anybody just about
says anything to me, he said, I feel I've got to jump off,
you know. He said, I'm just right on that edge all the time. Be
patient. Be patient. If it's not an issue
over the gospel, be patient, people. Who knows? God may teach them. He may teach
you. I mean, are we all grounded so
in the faith that we don't grow in the grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ daily? Grow in grace. They didn't make an issue, or
an issue didn't need to be made, and the Lord blessed it. Paul
taught the message that was the issue. He preached the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9.16, Paul says,
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of for
necessity. is laid upon me, woe is unto
me if I preach not the gospel." You know, there's nothing that
is a greater evidence of God's blessing on a place where people
love one another, patient with one another, help one another,
teach one another, kind one to another. We learn together. We look into the scriptures.
The Spirit of God blesses it. The church has been blessed over
50 years because God was pleased to raise up a man that God taught
some things about teaching people. Patience. Endure it. You think
Brother Scott ever saw anything in any of us? I'm talking about
us. Sometimes I want to ask him something, but I'm afraid to.
He's just going to think I'm a nut. He's going to think, Marvin,
you should have known that. You know, just fearful of asking,
embarrassed to ask him. He's always so kind to me, always
so tender to me, just patient with me. Just give me an answer,
three or four words, and I thought, I should have known that. Don't
make an issue over something not worth making an issue over.
If it's worth making an issue over, it'll be the gospel. Outside of that, let it go.