I'm pleased, Lord, to bless us
as we continue our meditation in the Acts of the Apostles,
chapter 16. And last week we took the first five verses of
this chapter, so we'll continue this evening from verse six.
And we read now, when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the
region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the
word in Asia, we immediately see how the apostles life and
their journeys were directed very clearly by the Holy Spirit
and that they were not allowed to go into Asia and it would
appear therefore at that time there was not that need but we
know of course that there were and there would be Christians
in Asia but at this time the apostle was forbidden to go that
way and we Note that the Apostle didn't argue or didn't disagree.
He heard what God spoke to him and therefore he did not go in
that journey. And after they would come to
Mycenae, they were saved to go into Bithynia. But the Spirit
suffered them not. And here we see another place
that they were not allowed to go and preach the Gospel. We
see really how their way was hedged up, wasn't it? The Apostle
desired to spread the word as far as he could and as far as
he was able, but the Lord directed him. The Lord told him to go
to certain places and not to others. And so we find him passing
by Mysia and came down to Troas. And it was in this place that
he had a vision. The Lord came and appeared to
him. We're not told if it was daytime or night, or night time
rather. We're not told how he was, how
the vision was. But nonetheless there was a vision
which appeared to Paul in the night. And he tells us, there
stood a man in Macedonia and prayed him saying, come over
into Macedonia and help us. Well, Clearly they needed help
in Macedonia. Clearly there was a work for
the Apostle to do and the Lord had directed him so clearly in
this matter and had caused him to have this vision so that he
saw this person from Macedonia who gave him this exaltation
to come over into Macedonia and help us. Now of course Paul wasn't
aware of just what help was required. But the Lord knew what he was
doing, he knew what help was necessary, and therefore Paul
was willing, and more than willing we might say, to do what God
directed him in. And we need to notice these things
in our lives, that we may be willing at all times to be directed
by the Holy Spirit of God. And we know that that direction
will be good and right even if it becomes difficult and painful
in the following and carrying out of the instructions from
Almighty God. And so we read, and after he
had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia. There was no hesitation. He had heard the Word of God,
the Word had spoken to him very clearly, and therefore He tells
us that having had this vision, immediately we endeavoured to
go into Macedonia. And of course, when we read this
word, endeavoured, it would appear therefore that it wasn't necessarily
easy, and there was a need for Endeavour to pursue this way. Perhaps, we're not told, there
were those of his friends perhaps didn't really approve of taking
this journey. But nevertheless, the Apostle,
we're told, we endeavoured to go into Macedonia. He was endeavouring
to follow the word of the Lord. And that's a good instruction
for us, isn't it? To endeavour, endeavour to follow
the word of the Lord. even if it might prove to be,
and appear to be, a difficult decision, a difficult thing to
do. Yet, if the Lord has spoken, then may we, like the Apostle,
endeavour to go into that place the Lord has spoken to us of,
to do that which the Lord commands us to do. And so here was the
Apostle, endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering
that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them. He had that assurance, he had
that knowledge that God was with him, God had called him to preach,
God had given him that commission and now here was this position
set before him that he was going to Macedonia and therefore he
endeavored and he had this assurance that it was God that had spoken
and therefore that was a great encouragement. and he tells us,
assuredly gathering, that the Lord had called us for to preach
the Gospel unto them. And so we can imagine, can we
not, Paul's willingness to follow this course. Therefore, loosing
from Troas, we came with a straight course to Thammothracia, and
the next day to Neapolis, from thence to Philippi, which is
the chief city of that part of Macedonia. So it wasn't a very
short journey. You had to go a good many miles
and through a good many places to actually arrive at this place,
Macedonia, in Philippi. But the length of the journey,
the difficulty of the journey, wasn't anything to inhibit him
and therefore he endeavoured to walk this way and to go to
Macedonia. And from thence to Philippi where
is the chief city of that part of Macedonia and a colony and
we were in that city abiding certain days. Now the apostle
didn't realise exactly what he had to do when he got there.
the Lord didn't direct him and say, well, this is the person
you have to go to, or this is the street you have to go to.
No, he was in that place for several days, and no doubt wandering
about. And it would appear to be a pretty
ungodly place, and therefore it wasn't no doubt a place which
appeared to be conducive receiving the Word of God. But God was
with him, and he was assured that God was with him, and therefore
he was willing to do that which God directed him in. And so they
were in that city abiding certain days, and we're not told how
many, but it was obviously a few. And then on the Sabbath, the
Lord's Day as we call it now, it would have been the Saturday
then, They went out of the city, by a riverside, where prayer
was wont to be made. And clearly, he'd come into contact
with some people, some women, that had spoken to him, or to
his colleagues, and he was aware that here was a place of worship. Here was a place where the women
were going to gather for prayer. And so, he went. The Spirit no
doubt directed him in that way. And we sat down and spake unto
the women which resorted thither. Now then it was very clear the
Apostle was now able to preach the Gospel. These women had come
together. They may have been Gentiles,
they may have been Jews, who'd come to pray. Most likely they
were Jews. And they'd come to pray and they
spoke unto the women which were resorted thither. We're not told
how many women, but there were obviously several. But the Spirit
of God had directed the Apostle in a very direct way and for
a long journey. And he'd come to this place for
a specific purpose. And that specific purpose was
to make a blessing to a certain woman. And a certain woman named
Lydia. There were many, many women,
no doubt, in Macedonia. But God's sovereign grace had
directed the Apostle to come and to preach the Gospel to this
company. And there was this certain woman,
a person who God had prepared, whose heart God had prepared
on this particular occasion to go there and to hear the Apostle's
words and to receive what the Apostle's words were and to be
blessed under those words. And so we're told, a certain
woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, in the city of Thyatira. Again, she was a seller of purple.
We're not sure whether that was a dye or whether that was a purple
silk. It's irrelevant, really. The
fact is that she was a seller. She was, if you like, a merchant.
And she was earning her living. She wasn't idle. And she came,
and it says, which worshipped God. She worshipped God. But, you see, she didn't know
the Gospel, she worshipped God, heard us, and this is the wonderful
thing now, whose heart the Lord opened. And my friends, God opens
the heart of every true believer. Until that time, we are really
dead in trespasses and in sins. Until the appointed time, And
when that time draws on a pace, not to propose but call by grace. And here it was in this woman's
case, the appointed time had come that her heart, the spirit
of God had opened her heart to receive the word. Had heard us,
whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things
which were spoken of Paul. Well, isn't it a wonderful blessing
if you and I can realise that there has been a time when the
Holy Spirit has opened our hearts. Our hearts have been closed.
There's been no receiving of the Word of God, perhaps in our
mind, but not in our heart. And here now is a wonderful occasion
that the Spirit moves this woman, moves her, moves her heart, opens
her heart, gives her a new heart to receive the Word of God, to
receive the words which were spoken of Paul. And now the apostles
have clearly proclaimed the whole counsel of God. He'd no doubt
spoken to them about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, no
doubt about his birth, and about his baptism, and about his life,
and about his crucifixion, and resurrection, and ascension,
and no doubt intercession. And so he'd clearly spoken to
them about the example the Lord Jesus Christ had set before them,
and the necessity of true Christians to follow that example. And so we read, and when she
was baptised, and her household, her household also believed,
they had heard the gospel, they had received the Word of God.
They had been blessed in their souls. Their hearts had been
opened to receive the Word of God. Well, we now see, do we
not, the wonderful sovereign grace of God in directing the
Apostle to stop him going to other places so that this woman
and a household should be mightily blessed of the Lord and be found
to be a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we
read, and when she was baptised and her household. Now then,
there was an effect, an effect on obedience to do that which
God had spoken and God had commanded, but not only that, She besought
us, saying, if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord,
that means a true follower, an obedient servant, then, she said,
come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us. Well, here was a new family,
as it were, a new glorious work of the Spirit come into these
people's hearts. come into Lydia's heart. And
you see, what did it do? It affected her. She wanted to
entertain Paul and those that were with him. She realised they
were the children of God. There was that union, immediately,
which had sprung up. And how true it is, in the world
today, when Christians meet together, may have never have met before,
But very shortly, there's that great and glorious link, and
that link and that union is in Christ. And there is that drawing
one to another, and that willingness, and that desire to be with one
another. Not to go into the world, but
to abide with the people of God. And so in this little account,
short as it is, yet how telling it is, how precious it is, how
real it is, how it spells out to us so very wonderfully and
very clearly the sovereign grace of God and the wonderful effect
of that grace of God as the Holy Spirit had moved Lydia and her
household. And may we have known it in our
own souls and be able to rejoice in God our Saviour and the great
work of his Spirit and to glory in the sovereign Grace of God. Amen.