Well for a few moments may it
bless the Lord to be with us as we consider his word further
in the Acts of the Apostles and we're commencing this evening
on the beginning of chapter 16. Chapter 16 in the Acts of the
Apostles and we'll just read the first five verses. Then came he to Darby and to
Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple was there called Timotheus,
the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed. But his father was a Greek, which
was well reported of by his brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth
with him, and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which
were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was
a Greek. And as they went through the
cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were
ordained of the apostles and elders, which were Jerusalem. And so were the churches established
in the faith and increased in number daily. we surely see the benefit of
really going through a book and meditating on it as we're doing,
but in any event to read through a book at a time and perhaps
especially the Acts of the Apostles in which we see the accounts
as they follow on. And we come now to this 16th
chapter where Paul and Silas were traveling and they'd come
to Derby and Lystra and behold a certain disciple was there. Now we may remember of course
Lystra was one of the places that Paul was stoned And so we
see how he was willing to go back and to go to those places. And we might perhaps naturally
think, well, I don't want to bring myself into any time of
danger or situation. I must avoid that scene or avoid
that. Well, Paul's great concern was to declare the gospel. His great concern was to see
how the church is fared. and therefore he didn't count
his life dear unto him. And it's a good example, a good
testimony for us today to not worry about our skin, our lives,
but to desire to do the Lord's will and that which is for his
honour and glory. So we read and behold a certain
disciple was there named Timotheus. Now this he was a young man and
he was the son of a certain woman which was a Jewess and when the
apostle wrote to his son in a faith Timothy and in the second epistle
and the first chapter we read who this person was because he
tells us when he wrote to Timothy says, when I called remembrance
the unfeigned faith that is in thee which was first in thy grandmother
Lois and thy mother Eunice and I am persuaded that in thee also.
So he's wonderfully blessed to have a godly mother Eunice and
also a godly grandmother Lois. And therefore he refers to that
certain woman, the son of a certain woman who we know was Eunice,
which was a godly woman and she was a Jewess and believed. But his father was a Greek, so
we're not told really anything more about his father. But we
read on about Timothy, and this is what it says, which was well
reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Well, it's a wonderful blessing
to be able to walk a path, a godly path, a path which is without
guile, and a path which is God-honouring, so that there is that evidence
of us being well-reported of. Timothy here was well-reported
of. But I hope if other people spoke
about us, they would give a good report. They wouldn't give a
bad report. Indeed, might they give a God-honouring
report. And so, here was his statement which was well-reported
of by the brethren. by the Church of God. This was
the report that he needed, that's the report that we need. It's
not how well we appear in the world, it's how well we appear
to the people of God, and of course to the world through that,
but not to impress the world in worldly things, but indeed
to follow the blessed example of our Lord and Saviour. And
so we read then, him, Timothy, would Paul have to go forth with
him, and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which
were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was
a Greek. Now this might be really quite
surprising to us because only in the previous chapter they'd
had this synod where they had spoken about the need of the
Jews and the Gentiles being circumcised and they'd written a letter,
an epistle and had taken it back to Antioch and there it had been
read to them and how the people of Antioch rejoiced in the truth,
they were no longer having to adhere to the old ceremonial
law. And yet here we see the Apostle
taking Timothy and circumcising him. And we may wonder why that
was. Well, first of all, if his father
had been a Jew, he would have automatically have been circumcised
already. But because his father was a
Greek, and they followed the way of the fathers, of the males,
they had not been carried out, although his mother was a Jew. And so that's perhaps why the
apostle makes this comment, for they knew all that his father
was a Greek, so they were aware of that in actual fact that this
man Timothy had not been baptized. So you may say, well then, why
did Timothy then, why did Paul then baptise Timothy? Well, perhaps
we see the answer really when Paul wrote to the Corinthians
and in the first epistle and the ninth chapter and the perhaps
read 19 and 20. The verse is, For though I be
free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all that
I might gain the more. And 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 those that are under the law." And so he very clearly
desired to preach to the Jews and to be accepted by the Jews,
and he desired that His son in the faith, Timothy, would also
go with him and preach the gospel. And he wanted him to be accepted
as a Jew, therefore, like the apostle Paul was. And so we can
see then the reason, strange as it might seem on the surface,
why then Paul took Timothy and circumcised him. And as they
went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees, for
to keep they were ordained of the apostles and elders which
were at Jerusalem." Well that's of course what we've just referred
to, those decrees that they'd all agreed and they wrote out
and then delivered to those men to take back to Antioch and to
read to them so that they then understood what result the dispute
had and how they were to react. And we see that these things
were not just thought about and just displayed to these people
in Antioch, no, they'd established a principle, they'd established
the truth of God, And therefore they now, as Paul and Silas went
forth, they took with them this letter, this epistle, and obviously
read it to those places that they went to. And so we read,
and as they went through the cities, they delivered them the
decrees for the keep. that were ordained of the apostles
and elders which were at jerusalem so there was a wonderful amount
of teaching and instruction which the apostles were able to give
to these various places as they traveled from place to place
and what was the effect and so were the churches established
in the faith and increased in number daily well it is of course
important that the Church of God are established in the faith. You see, the Apostle not only
had been blessed to preach the Gospel, he'd been blessed to
have many conversions under his preaching, but also he desired
that they might be established in the truth. Now we must remember
that these people were all young in the way, and this was the
Gospel, and most of them had only just heard it. And to those
who it was good news, they needed to be established in the truth
of it. And this epistle that the apostles
were able to give to them was no doubt a help in strengthening
in that fact. And not only were they able to
proclaim that, they were also able to speak to them about the
great doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because here we have
this statement established in the faith, and that of course
would have been the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like
we read further on in this same chapter we read tonight, the
Philippian jailer, and also like Lydia, and their households.
They were blessed with living faith to believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ. What a glorious privilege it
was for the Apostle Paul and Timotheus to preach the unsearchable
riches of Christ, and of course here in this chapter Silas was
with Paul, and what a blessing the Gospel was. and how they
were able to rejoice in it. And so today as we think of these
things, may we all be concerned about being established in the
things of God and concerned that we do understand the truth of
God, not just to read the Word of God and we just pass over
it and we, as our brother said, we forget what we read. but to
be established in the truth and to rejoice in the truth and to
bless God for the truth as it is in Jesus, that our faith might
be enlarged and that we might go on our way rejoicing. And it had a good effect, didn't
it? And increased in number daily. It's hard for us to understand,
isn't it? Every day further Christians born again by the Spirit of God. What a time of blessing it was.
Now we mustn't forget, time of blessing, also much persecution,
also much opposition. And that's often the way our
God works. In times of persecution, times of opposition, much blessing. And so as we come into times
of opposition and persecution, we should not think, well, this
can't be the way, we must be out of the way. It's an indication
that we are in the way, because remember what the Word says,
and the Apostle writes later on to Timothy, if we suffer with
him, we shall also reign with him. And so how good it is to
read an account like this and increased in number daily. Many souls blessed and God's
name honoured and glorified. Amen.