Acts chapter 18. Let's read this together. Acts 18 verse
1. After these things, Paul departed
from Athens and came to Corinth. and found a certain Jew named
Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, and his wife
Priscilla, because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart
from Rome. And Paul came unto them. And
because he was of the same craft, had the same occupation, he abode
with them and worked, for by their occupation they were tent
makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded
the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus
were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and
testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ or is Christ.
You can take the that and the was out. He testified to the
Jews, Jesus Christ. And when they opposed themselves
and blasphemed, he shook his raiment and said unto them, Your
blood be upon your own heads. I am clean. From henceforth I'll
go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence and entered
into a certain man's house named Justice, one that worshipped
God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus,
the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all
his house. And many of the Corinthians hearing
believed and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in
the night by vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace. For I am with thee, and no man
shall set on thee to hurt thee. For I have much people in this
city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching
the word of God among them. I want to talk to you tonight
about this Everything that took place here, but especially this
verse right here, when Silas and Timotheus, verse 5, when
Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed
in the Spirit and testified to the Jews, Jesus Christ. And then down there in verse
9, after some things happened, the Lord spoke to Paul in the
night by vision, and He said, Be not afraid. But speak, Paul,
and hold not thy peace." Now, back there in Thessalonica, in
Macedonia, when Paul preached, the Lord Jesus Christ, through
the Spirit, revealed Himself in some folks there, some Jews
and some Gentiles. But Paul was persecuted out of
Thessalonica to Berea. Then he was persecuted out of
Berea to Athens. And back in Acts 17.14, we read
there that immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go, as it were,
to the sea. But Silas and Timotheus abode
there still. They stayed at Berea when Paul
was taken to Athens. And they that conducted Paul
brought him unto Athens, and receiving a commandment unto
Silas and Timotheus, for to come to him with all speed they departed.
So Timothy and Silas go from Berea to Athens to meet Paul
there. But when they get there, Paul
sends Timothy back to Thessalonica. Hold your place here in Acts
and turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. Now we're going to be in 1
Thessalonians and Acts 18 tonight, so I want you to hold your place
in both these places. We have a lot of Scripture to
look into, but the good news is it's all right here in Acts
18 and in 1 Thessalonians. But when Timothy and Silas came,
Paul sends Timothy back. Now here he says why. He says,
wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to
be left at Athens alone and sent Timotheus, our brother and minister
of God and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ to establish
you and to comfort you concerning your faith. That's why he sent
him back. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse
1. That's why he sent Timothy back
to establish them, to preach the gospel to them. Paul was
concerned about them in Thessalonica. Then down in verse 5. He says,
for this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to
know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted
you and our labor be in vain. Now, I believe at that second
point there in verse 5, this is probably when he sent Silas
there. At the first, he sent Timothy
there to preach to him. And then verse 5 says, when I
could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith. And I think
there's where he sent Timothy at first, and then he sent Silas
there. So, Paul goes to Athens. And he leaves Athens and he gets
to Corinth. Verse 1 of our text holds your
place in 1 Thessalonians. But Acts 18.1 says, after these
things, Paul had experienced much contention. He had experienced
much persecution. He had been stoned and left for
dead. He had been beaten, stripped
naked and beaten at Philippi and thrown into prison. He had
went to Thessalonica and he had been persecuted out of there.
He got to Athens and he saw all this city wholly given to idolatry. And he heard all the best that
the wise men could come up with. All their philosophy. And it
was all just vanity. Vanity and idolatry. And then
now he leaves there and he comes to Corinth. And Corinth is a
business center. It's an economic center in Achaia. And Corinth, the name Korintheia
means here are whores is what it means. It was a place of prostitution. It was a place of business, of
economic boom, a place of materialism, and a place of vain religion.
This prostitution went on in the temple where Athena was.
And so he comes there now and he sees this. And Paul is having
to work He's having it. There's nobody there. There's
no church there. There's none of the other churches supporting
him. And he comes there and he's having to work to build tents
all through the week and then try to go and preach the gospel
every Sabbath. And not only this, but all this
is taking place and he don't have any of his companions with
him. He's all alone. He's there by
himself. Now, I can tell you from my own
experience, I can tell you from my own experience, that when
you get in a situation like that, you start thinking about everything
that's taking place. You start thinking about what
you've preached, how you've preached, what the result of your preaching's
been, how it's gone pretty much. There had been a lot going on
there when Paul preached. A little bit, but not a whole
lot. And you start thinking about whether it's for the good or
for the bad that you think about those things, you start thinking
about them. And you start thinking about how you were mistreated,
how you've been mistreated in the cause of the gospel. And
then you start thinking about how you've labored so much, and
you're laboring and laboring while it appears like the whole
world's just living the high life and having a big time. And
nobody, it seems to be having no effect on anybody. That'll get you down. That'll
discourage you. Now I'm going to say something
to Clay Curtis, and you listen. Listen to me. The moment that you begin to
look to the runners in the race, and the moment that you begin
to look to the clouds in the sky, and the moment that you
begin to look at your own feet, you cease to press toward the
mark that's set before you. And that mark's Christ. And you
get discouraged. And for good reason. There's
nothing in us but discouragement. Nothing in us to do anything
but discourages. Whether we look at ourselves
or we look at those around us. And sin besets us. And all those
weights that we've put on ourselves cumber us to where we can't run
the race. We just can't run the race. And
it will bring you to the point of almost feeling like you just
want to pull over to the side and sit down and watch the runners
go by. But the Lord said this, He said,
Which of you consider the Lord Jesus Christ who endured such
contradiction against Himself? And He said, Which of you, you've
not resisted unto blood striving against sin? I haven't. And he said, And you've forgotten
the exhortation that speaks to you as children, saying, My son,
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou
art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth, he chastened. And
he scourges every son that cometh unto him. So that's Paul's discouragement. That's where he is at Corinth.
And that's sort of the spirit that's about him there. Now we
come to Paul's strength. This is the second thing. The
Lord does something to teach Paul. Now look here in verse
5. It says Silas and Timotheus came
to him from Macedonia and Paul was pressed in spirit. Now we
don't have to wonder what he means by that. We don't even
have to speculate about what he means by that. Turn back over
to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3, back there again, and look at
verse 6. Paul says, but now when Timotheus
came from you unto us and brought us good tidings of your faith
and love and charity. They may have sent Paul some
sort of gift to help him out. But it says here, and that ye
have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us as
we also you. Therefore, brethren, we were
comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your
faith. For now we live if ye stand fast
in the Lord. For what thanks can we render
to God for you? For all the joy wherewith we
joy for your sakes before our God. Now the Lord, turn back
now to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, the Lord used His work in
these saints, brought the news to Paul to turn his eyes from
his own discouragement, from the waves and from all the weights
and the sin that so easily besets us, to God. That's what the Lord
did here through this news that he brought from Thessalonica.
He turned Paul's eyes from the race and from what he was doing
to God. And he used him, he used this
to renew Paul's inward man. And Paul wrote this letter to
the Thessalonians. Some say that he wrote this from
Athens, but if you read it, most of the writers agree he wrote
it from Corinth because the time don't match up. but he writes
this letter here to him and listen to this now this is what gave
him this renewed pressing of the Spirit. This renewed, renewing
of the Spirit in his inward man to where he was revitalized. He was renewed. This is where
it was right here. Look at 1 Thessalonians 1. Paul
and Silvanus and Timotheus unto the church of the Thessalonians
which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace
be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention
of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of
faith, These folks were, they gave themselves to the gospel.
They gave themselves to hearing it. They gave themselves to the
furtherance of it. They gave themselves to it. And
that's a work of faith, brethren. And he says, we remember that.
And your labor of love, it's hard work. They labored in this
thing because the love of God was in them. They labored because
they had a love for Christ. They labored because they had
a love for his brethren. And this was their labor. It became
their occupation. It became their Life is what
this became and Patience of hope and our Lord Jesus Christ in
the sight of God and our Father they did this waiting knowing
The Lord's coming back and we're waiting on Him. And while we're
waiting on Him, what we're going to do is trust Him. We're going
to assemble to hear Him. We're going to be a witness to
Him in this world and we're going to labor because we love Him
and we love our brethren and we love those that He's going
to call. We know He's going to call some folks. And we're going
to do this and we're just going to wait on Him as we do this. And Paul said, And that right
there is manifest evidence of something. And this is where
Paul got his joy. Verse 4. Knowing, brethren beloved,
your election of God. Your election of God. We have
the greatest assurance. We have the greatest assurance
and the greatest strength and the greatest confidence in the
fact that God elected a people. that God elected a people, and
in spite of all opposition, He's going to call that people out.
You know Ephesians 1-4. It says, According as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. in
choosing us in Christ and predestinating us into the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ wherein He made us accepted in Christ. Now listen
to this. In eternity, the eternal God
put His people in the eternal Son and an eternal covenant between
the eternal three and one wherein He made us accepted in the beloved.
Romans 8. Look over there with me. Romans
chapter 8. This is where Paul finds his
confidence and his assurance that God's going to use him in
spite of him, and He's going to call out His people in spite
of him, and there won't be any doubt about it. This is where
he goes to for his confidence in every one of his epistles
to the churches. Now look here at Romans 8. But
verse 28 says, And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to purpose. For, because, whom He did foreknow,
there is election. He also did predestinate, conformed
to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. You see this election and this
predestination in and by His Son and for His Son. Now look
at what He says, verse 30, Moreover, You might as well put there,
where in? Where in? Whom He did predestinate, them
He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom
He justified, them He also glorified. Where did He do all that? In
heavenly places in Christ when He put us in the Beloved. He's
the eternal God. When He put us in Christ, He
did this, brethren. And Paul says, what are we going
to say about that? What shall we then say to these
things? If God is for us, who can be against us? And not only
this, but He sent His Son into the world. He sent His Son into
the world. And He didn't spare Him, but
delivered Him up for us all. How shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? Who's going to lay anything to
the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who's
going to condemn? It's Christ that died. You going
to condemn someone who condemned the condemnation? Christ condemned
the condemnation. He died that death might die.
You can't lay any charge to his elect anymore. And then back
up there in verse 26, this is what the Spirit has to help us
with because of our infirmities. This is what we're constantly
reminded of. And Paul was reminded of this. And he breaks forth
when he goes to writing that letter. Back over there at 1
Thessalonians now. Get back over there with me.
And he goes to writing that letter. He sets down, now I want you
to get the picture now. I picture Paul getting this news
from Timothy and Silas about what's taking place back there
at Thessalonica. And Paul sits down, his heart's
overjoyed, he's just thrilled because he has this manifest
evidence that this is truly the elect of God and God's working
mightily in him. And he sits down and starts writing him a
letter. This one who'd been discouraged and been downcast, he sits down
and starts writing him this letter. Listen to what he writes. 1 Thessalonians
1.5. Now here's the marks of God's
elect. It's not manifest merely in knowing
the doctrine of election. This is the marks of God's elect
right here. It's one thing to know something.
It's another thing to know it by experience. Now look right
here. 1 Thessalonians 1.5. He said, Our gospel came not
unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance. As you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. Paul didn't come in there trying
to make anything happen. They came in there, and they
behaved themselves, and they were honest with those fellows,
and they didn't do anything to where they could be chargeable
or blamable. But they came in there as just men preaching the
Gospel. And Paul said, this Word didn't
come unto you in word only. It came unto you in power. And
it came unto you in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance. Now look, those born of the Spirit
of God, in power, they're going to part with everybody. They're
going to part with all their prior company, and they're going
to follow those who teach them the truth of Christ. Not a doubt
about it. There's no doubt about it. Look
at verse 6. And ye became followers of us and of the Lord. He's talking
about the power of God. He's talking about God's effectual
working. The Son of God working effectually
in His people. He said, You cut off ties with
everybody you were with and you started following us who were
preaching the gospel to you because you're following the Lord Jesus
Christ. And there's going to be affliction when this happens.
The gospel brings affliction. But it's not going to stop this
work from being done. Look at verse 6. And ye became
followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much
affliction. But ye received it with joy of
the Holy Ghost. The gospel brings affliction.
It always does. It goes against our own flesh,
and it goes against the world. It goes against everything that
an actual man believes, understands, thinks, imagines about God. It goes against every bit of
it. Because our gospel says there is none good but one, and that's
God. And men don't like that. Men
don't like to hear that there's none good but one, and that's
God. And that's going to cause affliction.
That's going to cause some stress amongst folks when that word
comes forth. None righteous, no not one. None that understandeth. None
that seeketh after God. And not only is there none good
but God, there's none that doeth good. Now that's our Gospel. That's you and me before and
after conversion. That's us, brethren. That's us. That's all we got to offer. End
of story. That's it. The law of Moses is
this do and live. And man in that state of having
none, none, none, none thinks, I can do it and I can live. But
the message of the gospel is, God will and you shall. altogether different. It's not
what you must do, it's what Christ has done and is doing and shall
continue to do. The gospel doesn't change for
the person prior to conversion and the person after conversion.
The same gospel that brings him into obedience of faith when
he first hears the gospel is the same gospel that makes him
obedient and follow Christ from then on, from then on. And the
Lord said emphatically, He said that this power that works peace
in His saints, because it works peace in His saints, and it causes
them without any reservation to follow after the Sovereign
Lord, That same gospel, because it doesn't create peace in everybody
else, and because everybody else thinks they can do good and live
by what they've done, it's going to be a sword, and it's going
to create division, and it's going to do that. The Lord said, and a man's foes
will be they of his own household. But you know why the Lord says
that, brethren? If this gospel is not powerful enough to separate
you and me from our very chief loved ones, it's not powerful
enough to do anything else. It's not powerful enough to separate
us from anything else. It's got to be that powerful
to separate us into Christ our sanctification or it's not powerful
at all. It's got to be that powerful.
And that's what he said. They heard this Gospel, and it
went contrary to everything they'd ever heard. Those in Thessalonica,
everything they'd ever heard, everything they'd ever practiced,
everything they'd ever thought, everything they'd ever imagined.
And Paul said, and you received it with joy. Even though all
this affliction took place, he said, you received it with joy.
Why? Because they received it of the
Holy Spirit. When the Lord came to Lazarus
and he said, Lazarus, Lazarus in the tomb, he's dead. He said,
Lazarus, come forth. Lazarus said, well, I don't necessarily
agree with you. This grave's not all that. How dare you call this a grave?
You think this abodes any different from where you're abiding? You
think my doctrine here that I'm wrapped up in, these clothes
I'm wrapped up in, what makes it different from that? What
you're calling me to. Oh, when he called him, Lazarus
came out of the grave, didn't he? He didn't waste any time.
Immediately he came out of the grave. And when he called those
in Thessalonica, they came out immediately. They were severed
and they left. And Paul said, because this came
to you of the Holy Ghost. That's what power does. And he
said, and not only that, but he said, you're examples. You're
examples that nothing can stop God from making a sinner renounce
his former self and to turn to God. Look at verse 7. 1 Thessalonians
1. He said, You were examples to
all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded
out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia,
but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad. These fellas, they don't only
believe God, they committed themselves to God and started following
after Christ and spreading His Word all through Macedonia and
Achaia. And Paul said, I don't even have
to tell people that you believe God, that this work was mighty
in you. They know it. It's obvious. And look here. He says, "...so
that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves show of us
what manner of entering in we had unto you." These things show
what manner of entering in we had unto you. How you turn to
God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for
His Son from heaven whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, which delivered
us from the wrath to come. Do you see this power? Paul is
sitting there writing this. Well, now he comes back to this
again over in chapter 2 and verse 13. I just want to go over this
with you because it just was a joy to me to see this. Now
look here at verse 13. He's still talking about this
power, what God does. And he says, And for this cause
also we thank we God without ceasing. Paul's always attributed
in this one place to God, not to his preaching, not to their
will, not to anything about man. He said, we thank God for this. He's the only one we can thank
for this. He did this. Now look, because when you receive
the Word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as
the Word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which,
underline this in your Bible, which effectually worketh. That means it effectually works
and works and works and works in you that believe. This is
God working in you that believe. And He continues to do it. And
He accomplishes it. He does it. For ye, brethren,
became followers of the churches of God, which in Judea are in
Christ Jesus. For ye also suffered like things
of your own countrymen, even as they of the Jews. Those Jews
killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and they persecuted
us, Paul said, and they don't please God. They're contrary
to all men. And he said, and you suffered the same thing of
your Gentile countrymen. The same thing. Well, we've got
to go to bed so early at night and get up so early in the morning
to get there on time. Well, it's hard to sit in those
chairs. They're so uncomfortable. Well, we just had something planned. Well, it's in the middle of the
week, and you work a long day during the week, and it's so
hard to come there and to worship. And there's a church right where
we live. They preach the same thing y'all do. The Thessalonians had members
of their families killed for trust in Christ. They had members
of their families killed for trust in Christ. They were beaten,
they were reviled, they had their names drug through the mud for
worshiping Christ. They were told they were forbidden
to say a word or they'd die and they did it anyway. And I say
that to you brethren for this reason. The fact that the Thessalonians
trusted God, preached the gospel of Christ, assembled to hear
Christ preach, gave all their time and their resources to further
the name of Christ and provide for his people in spite of all
that men did against him, is a manifest token that nothing
can stop the power of God from effectually making his saints
to joy in him and forsake everything else. And the pretenders can
make all the excuses they want to. Make all the excuses they
want to. And they ain't fooling nobody.
Ain't fooling nobody. This is what God does. This is
what God does in his saints. Now, Paul heard this and he sits
down and he's writing this letter and he's pressed in the Spirit.
He's pressed in the Spirit. He's excited about this. He knows
that this is what... and then something else happens
to him. He remembers how he came to them. He's just writing these things
out, saying, you know, you remember how we came to y'all in the first,
and look what he says there now, back up there in verse 1 of chapter
2. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 1. He says, this is talking about
when he said, you know what manner of men we were when we came to
you? Now look right here. For yourselves, brethren, know
our entrance in unto you, it was not in vain. There's Paul
sitting in Corinth, all downcast, and he's thinking about everything
he's done. He's thinking, he's just standing, he's writing this
letter now, and he says, you remember when we came to you
in the first, it wasn't in vain. God's Word don't return unto
him vain. But even after that we had suffered before and were
so shamefully entreated at Philippi, he said, we were still bold in
our God to speak unto you the Gospel of God, even though we
faced much contention. Look down at chapter 3 and verse
3. I read this to you a minute ago,
but look what he says. This is why he sent Timothy to
him. He's reminding him of all these things, and he's just writing
this down while he's there quarreling. And he says, No man should be
moved by these afflictions. Verse 3. For yourselves know
that we're appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with
you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation,
even as it came to pass, and you know. And for this cause,
that's why I sent, because I was afraid the tempter had tempted
you and our labor was in vain. And Paul's sitting there writing
all this to them. thrilled over what he's heard
about them and just encouraging them and writing this out. And
the more he writes this out, as he's encouraging them because
of this word he's heard about them and what God's done in them,
Paul's saying, wait a minute. Why am I discouraged? Why am
I discouraged? Look at the power of God. Look
at what God did in them. Look at what God did with me
when He brought me there. And look at what God did in them. And look what He's continued
to do in them. Now, here's the result of God's power. What did
it make Paul do back there in Acts 18 and 5? Acts 18 and 5. Hold the phones. And when Silas
and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the Spirit,
and he testified to the Jews, Jesus Christ. He got up and preached
Christ. He got up and went, pressed in
the Spirit, and preached Jesus Christ. Don't you wish you could
have been sitting there? I wish I could have heard that one.
That would have been a good sermon to hear. After all this, sin,
just being reminded of God's power, That's what the effectual
result of God's work is. It makes a man forget everything
else, all his discouragements, everything that opposes him,
all the afflictions that he's gone through, everything. And
he's got one thing on his mind, being a witness of Jesus Christ.
That's the one first thing it'll do. Here's the second thing it'll
do, verse 6. And when they oppose themselves
and blaspheme, he didn't get discouraged. He just shook his
raiment off. Said unto them, your blood be
upon your own heads. I'm clean. From henceforth I'll
go unto the Gentiles. I'll preach the gospel to you.
You know what this second thing is? It makes a man obedient to
Christ and stop fearing men. This is what the Lord told him
to do. The Lord said, when you go into a place, preach the gospel
to them, and if they blaspheme you, they don't hear it, they're
rebellious, shake the dust off your feet and move on. It's like
what Jeremiah said. When you go preach, when he told
Jeremiah, don't regard their faces, don't look at their faces,
don't listen to the excuses, don't pay attention to whether
they're there or they're not there, just go preach the gospel. That's all you're supposed to
do. And if they won't hear you, shake the dust off your feet
and go on. Don't worry about it. You're doing what you're
supposed to do. Just keep doing it. Just keep
doing it. And then, here's the third thing. Verse 7. And he departed thence,
and entered into a certain house. Now he didn't leave Corinth.
He just went to the Gentiles. He went to this man Justice.
One that worshipped God. And his house was joined right
there, connected to the synagogue. and Crispus, the chief ruler
of the synagogue. Believed all the Lord with all
his house and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized
First he makes a man Be a witness of Christ by this effectual power
and that secondly he makes him not regard me He makes him obedient
to Christ He does what Christ would have him to do and the
third thing is when God does that he saved sinners. I He uses
him to save sinners. He's profitable unto men. And
he uses that man to save sinners. And that's what he did here with
Paul. Now, we come down to the application
of the whole message. Look here in Acts 18.9. Then,
all this went on. And then, spake the Lord to Paul
in the night by vision. Here's what the Lord said to
him. Paul, be not afraid. Be not afraid, but speak and
hold not thy peace. You remember what the Lord said.
You might want to look at this, Matthew 10 verse 26. I want you to see this because
we're going to be looking at this in some upcoming messages. But he said, verse 26, Fear them
not, therefore. He told them, he said, if they
call me Beelzebub, they're going to call you that. But he said,
Fear them not, therefore, for there's nothing covered that
shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known. What
I tell you in darkness, speak ye in light. Speak ye in light. And what ye hear in the ear,
preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear
him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are
not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall
on the ground without your father. The very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are
of more value than many sparrows. Now, back in our text, here's
the wisdom and the power and the assurance of the believer,
right here. Acts 18, verse 10. He said, now don't be afraid,
speak and hold not thy peace. Now look at verse 10. For I am
with thee. Who was the only one who could
arrest Saul of Tarsus and make him lift up his head and say,
what would you have me do? Who was the only one who could
send him forth with the gospel of salvation? Who was the only
one who could renew him right here in this place when he was
so cast down? Who was the only one that could
affect obedience in Paul so that he knew what to say and what
to do as he went forth? I am. I am. That's who did it. I am. I am with thee. And then here's the second thing.
No man shall sit on thee to hurt thee. Who's the only one who
conquered your sin and put it away? Who's the only one who
conquered Satan and all your enemies, including you? Who's the only one that conquered
death and gave you victory over death and will raise you to be
with Him in glory? I am. I am with thee. I am with thee
is how all those things were accomplished. And he says, for
I have much people in this city. Fear not. He said, I'm with thee. No man shall set on thee to hurt
thee, for I have much people in this city. What's the reason
he's left you in this city? What's the reason he gives you
this great assurance? What's the reason he renews you
in spirit and in truth? I am, has much people in this
city. Now I got a question. Now what
you gonna do? What you gonna do? What you gonna do now? This one has done everything
so that his elect are more than conquerors through him. And all He's given for you and
me to do is to go speak about what He's done, what He's doing,
and what He shall yet do. Now what you gonna do? What are
we gonna do? Are we gonna live for the world? We're gonna heap up treasures
for ourselves? Are we going to laze around watching
TV like we did yesterday and the day before and every day
since we can remember? Are we going to wallow in self-pity,
how sick we are and how we can't do anything? The Lord doesn't
require us to do anything but what we can. Are we going to
go on making lame excuses to cover our sin? If I Am is with thee, here's
what you shall do. Look at verse 11. And he continued
there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among
them. He did exactly what he was sent
to do. Because the power of the great
I Am works effectually in the hearts of his people. And in
everything he does, he brings his people to obedience. He gives
us great manifest tokens of what it is that he's accomplished.
And he continues to renew his people day by day. And the weaker
Paul got, the weaker he saw himself, and the more that he saw there
was no weakness in him, did it stop him from preaching the gospel?
No. That's how God made him bold
to go preach the gospel. Now, I want to read this to you.
And you can turn with me if you want. I'll give you some homework.
Go home tonight before you go to bed and read 1 Corinthians
chapter 1 and chapter 2. But listen to chapter 2 and verse
1. This is later on when Paul wrote
a letter then to the Corinthians and talked about how while he
was there, at this time we're reading about in Acts 18, how
he preached Jesus Christ. Verse 1. And I, brethren, when
I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not
to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling."
You know, Art, you read that there in Jeremiah, was it Jeremiah
23? Did you read that? Did you catch that one verse?
I was thinking about this, so I caught this verse. But he said,
when I've procured all this to my people and shown them what
I've done, they're going to rejoice in fear and trembling. Paul might
have been fearing and trembling men when he was all discouraged,
but when he was pressed in the Spirit and God said, Paul, I
am as with thee, he wasn't fearing and trembling men anymore. He
was fearing and trembling God they I am. That's who. And he
said, I went forth and my speech and my preaching was not with
enticing words of man's wisdom. You didn't have to leave there
wondering. Well, I wonder what Paul meant.
But was in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God. Now, that's how Paul was pressed
in the spirit. And that's the result of it.
I wonder if we preached and we bore witness of Christ and we've
seen what he does and what he's promised to do. Brethren, we
can trust he'll do it. We can trust he'll do it. And
I trust this. I trust this. I trust that his
power is so effectual in the hearts of his people that he'll
make his people forsake everything else. in the hour tomorrow when
there's something to do for the Lord, in the day that there's
something to do for the Lord, in the month that there's something
to work to be done for the Lord, and over the whole predominance of our lives, that
He will work in us effectually to give ourselves for this Gospel,
for His brethren, and further this thing, because He's got
people here. And as long as He's got people
here, He's with us. And He'll do this. And I don't
have to strive to use some sort of wisdom
to get you to do it, or to get other men to do it. And if I
did, I would always wonder, is there faith in what I've done
and how I've squeezed this out of them, or is this of God? But
if you just preach Christ in whom crucified, you don't have
to wonder. If God makes His people obedient, you just trust the
Lord has to do this. And He'll bring us into some
serious, serious situations, like He did the Thessalonians,
like He did Paul, like we've seen throughout the book of Acts,
where He's going to prove. He'll prove it. He gives the
trial. It's the trial of our faith,
and it's precious. The faith is precious, and the
trial that tries it's precious. And they're both the gift of
God. Because he's going to prove where his power is working. And
you won't have to doubt it. You just won't have to doubt
it. You won't have to wonder. And you can find great encouragement
from that. I do. I do. All right. Eric.