By the help of God, dear friends,
I would ask your loving and prayerful attention this night for words
to be found in the following chapter to what we read. chapter 26 and we read verses well I fail
to read the verses in a couplet which you can't really separate
verses 15, 16, 17 and 18. The 26th chapter in the Acts
of the Apostles verse 15 to 18. And I said, Who art thou,
Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom
thou persecutest. But rise and stand upon thy feet,
for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee
a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast
seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto
thee. delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles,
unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn
them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto
God. they may receive forgiveness
of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by
faith that is in me. Really the verse upon my spirit
most especially is the 17th and the 18th verses that really dear friends you
cannot separate these verses because they are spoken by the
Lord Jesus Christ the Lord is speaking to the Apostle Paul
directly to him and dear friends we need the Lord to speak directly
to us and he does through the tenor of his precious holy word
now I read chapter 25 because it just gives a leading up to
the situation before the apostle Paul could speak for himself
before King Agrippa the King of Judea and of course Festus
was the governor of Judea and there had been many painful and
false accusations levelled at the Apostle for his preaching
Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. And the religious senate and
the religious people there, the Jews, they found this ministry
so irksome to their flesh. They gloried in Abraham, in Moses,
in David, They didn't want the Lord Jesus Christ. They didn't believe He was the
Messiah. No, they were waiting for the
Messiah to come and they thought He was going to come in all His
glory in an outward display. And He came in humility in a
manger in Bethlehem. and he was just a man they didn't glory in Christ because
they didn't view him as a Messiah they didn't glory him as God
in Christ and friends I believe this is the same today there
are many religious people they do not glory in God as Christ
he's just a man whom they set at naught I do not want to go
really into that part this evening, concerning the accusations and
all that took place regarding Paul in Jerusalem. Only to say
this, that when he was there, when the blood of Stephen was
shed, he was standing by and consenting unto his death. and
kept the raiment of them that slew him. And you see what was
said unto him, Depart, for I will send thee Tharhens to the Gentiles. And now you see, you can see
the wonder of our text. Delivering thee from the people
in Jerusalem, and from the Gentiles unto whom I will now send thee."
The purposes of God, the will of God, the commands of God,
the decrees of God must always be fulfilled. I love this chapter
as well because Paul, before the King of Gripa, he said, I'm
happy to answer for myself. And what did he speak? He gave
a detailed account of his early life and is called by grace. And the Lord's leading and teaching
in his life. Friends, can you declare what
the Lord has done for you? Have you a testimony of grace
to speak? of what the Lord has done for
you. The Lord's dealings are so particular
and special to all His dear people. He doesn't lead one in exactly
the same way. He leads one in one way and another
in another way. The circumstances vary considerably,
but He brings them all to one place, to a saving knowledge
of Christ. You see, this is what we speak,
what the Lord has done. And friends, He had a good testimony. And you see, when He spoke, Festus
said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself, much
learning doth make thee mad. Festus was the governor of Judea,
but he had no understanding of the deep things of God. Agrippa said, King Agrippa, almost
thou persuadest me to be a Christian. But you see, the Lord would use
Paul and send him where he would. And so justice fell in the street
in Jerusalem as far as Dear Paul was concerned. That's why he
said, I appeal unto Caesar. Where was Caesar? He was in Rome. He was the Emperor
of Rome. I'm going to reserve my hearing
to the highest court in the world justice will be done and friends
you're the same and I'm the same as Paul there's one thing that
human nature in and of itself cannot bear it has no capacity
to bear it and that is injustice Human nature cannot bear it. It's unbearable. Men will go
to the greatest lengths possible for their cause to be vindicated. They will indeed. And so, dear
friends, I appeal to Caesar. But you see, God was in there. And if we are the Lord's people,
we'll feel things keenly. May be something in your life
that's unbearable to flesh and blood. It can only be borne by
the grace of God. And grace must and shall be tried. Grace though the smallest shall
surely be tried. And there'll be some cross in
your life some distress you find so hard to bear, you feel it's
almost unbearable. And yet, by the grace of God,
you bear it. You endure it for the Lord's
sake. And yet, the Lord is in it. The
Lord is in it. The Lord has permitted it. The
Lord permitted all this to happen to Paul in Jerusalem. The Lord permitted it. All those
that live godly will suffer persecution for Christ's sake. But the Lord
had something in mind for Paul. The Lord had a work for him to
do. Where? Unto whom now I send thee. The Lord would send him. Where is the Lord going to send
him? He'll send him to Rome, that's
where he'll send him. The Lord has decreed that's where
he should go. You know sometimes naturally
we may think that we must abide and remain in the same field
as perhaps we were brought up in. I was brought up to think
traditionally that one had to stay in the same church all their
days, notwithstanding what might take place. But friends, that's
not the case. It may be a tradition, but it's
not the Scriptures. The Lord said, when they persecute
you in one city, flee ye to another. The Lord knew exactly what He
said. He knew what He meant. The purposes
of God's grace must be fulfilled. Paul's work must be done among
the Gentiles. He must go to Rome. There they
were yearning for the truth. There they were yearning for
the Gospel. that undoubtedly there were a
fear of the Lord's people there, because on the day of Pentecost
there were souls from Rome at Jerusalem, and they'd return. But generally there was a yearning
for truth. I was only told recently by a
friend, James Gudgeon, who went with his wife and family to Kenya
last year, Oh, the thirst there is for truth in Kenya where he
is. They've been starved of the Gospel. And now it's been brought to
them in all the purity of it, the blessedness of it. And there's
a hunger and a thirst for it. They love it. They want more. Friends, the Lord's people need
the Gospel. So the Lord would send Paul.
And he did. But a mysterious path he had
to walk. He went as a prisoner. But you see, Paul was being taught
of God. You might say he had been taught
of God. Yes, he was. But he needed to
be taught more. If the Lord has ever begun to
teach you, dear friend, he won't stop that teaching it will go
on and on and on for the rest of your days but rise and stand
upon thy feet for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to
make thee a minister and to witness both of these things which thou
hast seen he preached what he had been taught and what he had
seen, what had been revealed He tells us right into the Galatians
that the ministry he received was not of men, but of God, revealed
and made known. But then the Lord said this,
and it applies to all of us, it applies to me, it applies
to every minister on the earth, it applies to every child of
God, and of those things in the I will appear unto thee there's
the further teaching there's the further instruction you preach
what you know what we've been taught how can we continue preaching
only as the Lord of those things in the which the Lord appears
for us and shows to us, and reveals to us, and makes known to us
as we journey on. Now that's the secret of preaching. That's the secret of endurance
in the ministry. My late father said, and he preached
for over 50 years, he said to me one day, he said, you know,
it's one thing to start preaching, but he said it's another thing
to continue. Here's the secret of those things
in which I will appear unto thee. Now the Lord taught Paul. He was well taught. He didn't
receive it of men. He received it of God. But he
needed further teaching. Oh friends, he's a prisoner,
being sent a prisoner. to Rome, to sail from Italy with
prisoners. I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of that vocation
wherewith ye have been called with all lowliness of mind and
heart and spirit. So we've got to go on this voyage
across the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. you would think that
would be a good journey without any problems or difficulties
but friends what a journey it was what a journey it was and
when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared and no small
tempest lay on us all hope that we should be saved was taken
away. Yet the Lord had told me, you've
got to go to Rome. It seemed impossible to get there. Darkness, darkness. Outward darkness, yes, according
to the elements and a tempest. But friends, everything seemed
to frustrate the purpose. everything and yet God had said
he would bear testimony in Rome that's what God said and that's
what happened friends it brings me to this it doesn't matter
what men think or what men say and it doesn't matter what your
doubts and fears and unbeliefs are it doesn't matter What God
has said must be fulfilled. On this firm rock believers stand. Are you standing, friends, on
what God has said? Or are you yielding to unbelief,
doubts and fears? Are you? Oh, friends, bear the
testimony of truth. Plead it before the Lord. And
then, friends, you read of their journey. We have a detailed account
of this journey. Friends, you've got a detailed
account of your journey, haven't you? You know the way the Lord's
leading you. You know the path you're in.
You don't need anyone to tell you, friends. You know the burden
of your heart, the exercise of your soul. The heart knows its
own bitterness. and oh everything seems dark
everything seems impossible Lord can this be the way this is the
way friends this is the way and then that wasn't all sometimes
we come into depths and straights and we feel we can't go any longer
any deeper things can't get any worse and then they get worse
and worse And then there was this mighty
tempest. Two seas met in the Mediterranean. It broke the vessel to pieces. Are we ever going to get to land?
Am I ever going to get to Rome? Yes, France. He'll get there.
He'll get there. And he did. Everything seemed
contrary. These two seas meet. and friends they meet in your
poor heart conflict the sea of the sovereignty of God on the
one hand and oh the tempest of temptation
and trial on the other like two seas meet and they meet in your
poor heart and you feel broken Do you know anything of it, friends?
This is the life of a child of God. Two seas, friends, where did
two seas meet? They met in Christ. That's why
we have a taste of it. They met in Christ. There was
the sea of divine wrath. against sin that broke the hinder
part of the ship. The humanity of Christ was broken as he bore the sea of divine
vengeance due to sin. But the sea of God's eternal
love, the forepart, stuck and remained
unmoved, stuck fast and remained unmovable. There's the sea of
God's eternal love. There's the deity of Christ. That could never be broken. That
was unmoved. Indeed it was. but his holy body
was broken the ordinance of the Lord's hands this is my body
broken for you and the Lord's people know these two seas meet
him in their poor heart and you feel to be broken the Lord will
not fulfill my exercise not bring it to pass I was just saying,
to rise no more. No friends. He got saved to land. He had to minister for three
months in mortar. And then provision was made,
and he gets to row. Oh, the Lord's work there. The
Lord's work there. He dwelt two whole years. in
his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching
the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the
Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Francis
got there, he did the Lord's work, he preached and he taught
those things concerning Jesus Christ. Now he couldn't get to
a place of worship, he was a prisoner. but those that were seeking Jesus
came to Him. A seeking soul will always press
through the crowd and come to where the Lord is. That dear
woman in the Scriptures, with her infirmity, she pressed through
the crowd. If I may but touch Him, I shall
be made to touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole,
and a living soul will always pray to Christ." They couldn't
get to the temple, the synagogue. They got to that house where
Paul taught and prayed. What a ministry, wasn't it? No
man to bat him. A prisoner, but no one would
stop him. You see, there's another point here, no man can stop the
Lord's appointed ways with regard in His servants. They will serve
Him and obey Him in that sphere of usefulness the Lord has decreed. Man won't stop them. Oh, many
attempts, of course, have been made by men to stop certain men
preaching, but it's failed. Their attempts have failed miserably. Because God's decrees will always
stand. God's work will always be fulfilled. God's word will always prosper. God's work will always be done. Because of this reason. to open the eyes and to turn
from darkness to light and from the pair of Satan unto God. This is through the preaching
of the Gospel. The Lord opens the eyes of His
people. Can you remember, friends, a
time with you when the truth of God, the entrance
of truth into your heart, what did it bring? Light. You may have heard the Gospel
preached many times, brought up under the sound of the truth, but it never entered your heart
until the day you came when it did. It was applied by divine
power, your eyes were open you saw wondrous things out of
God's holy law and you were brought from darkness
to light now of course the Gentiles in their natural state, heathen
state oh they lived and served all manner of sin and lust and
they satisfied the lust of their flesh in various ways. They had no thought of God, no
desire for God, they didn't worship God, idolaters. But God who is
rich in mercy, wherewith he loved us, with an everlasting love
hath quickened us. The Apostle said, writing to
the church in Ephesus, and of course they were Gentiles, and
you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins,
walking according to the course of this world by nature, the
children of wrath even as others, but God who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us. Now the Apostle
wrote to the church in Ephesus, and where was he when he wrote
to them? He wasn't there at Ephesus. He was here in Rome. He wrote
that epistle. A prisoner. He was bound with
a child. But his spirit was free. No one
can ever bind the spirit of a man. Because where the spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty. So this was the purpose. God's
work must go on. The Gentile race, or those of
the Lord's people within the Gentile race, must be called
by grace, must have their eyes opened, and be brought from the
darkness of ignorance and sin into the light of the Gospel.
What's the means? The truth of God. The Lord has
always used His Word. He always will use His Word.
This is why it must be preached to the end of time. And the Lord
raises up His servants, one here and another there, to proclaim
the Gospel, the unsearchable riches of Christ, to quicken
them that believe. If you want an account of the
sad condition of the Gentiles in their fallen state and condition,
Paul gives us, he said this, this I say therefore and testify
in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk
in the vanity of their mind having the understanding darkened being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is
in them because of the blindness of their heart, who being past
feeling have given themselves unto lasciviousness to work all
uncleanness with greediness." Now that's the state of the Greek,
the Gentile, this fallen state. And these sins committed is because
of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their
heart, because of the darkness. Now, who gives darkness? Satan,
the God of this world, that blinded the eyes of them that believe
not, lest the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ should
shine unto them. Satan blinds. He holds men in
darkness and in ignorance. And there's only the Gospel that
can set such a person free. And blessed be God, it does. It can. It will. Because it has
power. It's the Word of God that liveth
and abideth forever. And it's applied with power by
God's Holy Spirit. And there's a gracious effect
to open the eyes. Friends, do you remember when
the Lord opened your eyes? you had a little understanding
of the truth as it is in Jesus, oh you say this is just what
I want this is what I want Lord, this is what I'm seeking and
to turn you from darkness to light oh the glory of the light
of the gospel it's a wonderful light it shines in Jesus Christ
who is the light of the world if you want to have a little
understanding of the darkness of man's heart by nature John
in his gospel tells us the light shined that's Jesus Christ but
the darkness comprehends it not the darkness of ignorance and
unregeneracy doesn't comprehend the light of the gospel. No. It's not until the word is brought
with power, then the eyes open, then the light removes the darkness. Now you take the night, literally, You sleep in the night and you
wake in the morning. Light. You think it was all dark. It was all dark nights. No light. Friends, just think about it
for a moment. But every day since you've been on the earth has
been light. It's an ordinance of heaven. No man can ever alter
it. While the earth remaineth, sea
time and harvest, summer and winter, day and night. shall not cease the ordinances
of heaven can never ever be changed by men but friends the light
comes it's day the day star rises in your heart the day star that
day star ah the Lord Jesus Christ the light of the world I am the
light of the world he that walketh and followeth me shall never
be in darkness oh friends what a mercy to be in in the light
and to be walking in the light of the gospel in the light of
truth in the light of his commands and precepts they all give light So did not I, because of the
grace of God. The light of truth shined, and
it saved from sin. But sinners in darkness, they
can sin as with a cart-rope. Why? Because they are in darkness
and know not the truth. Friends, what a mercy it is! Oh, we ought to praise God this
night, that we were brought into the light of the gospel, as the
gospel died. Can you say this is the day the
Lord hath made? We will rejoice and be glad in
it. Oh, friends, a gospel day is
a day to make you glad and rejoice. This is the Lord's doing, marvellous
in our eyes. Oh, friends, bless God for His
goodness. Now, you see, Paul had to go
this while This void, darkness, seemed impossible for ever to
be brought through. Then the shipwreck. Then he got to Morta. Then in Morta something happened
to him there. What happened? A venomous beast
hung on his hand. They said, No doubt this man
is a murderer, whom though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance
suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into
the fire and felt no harm. They thought, someone thought
he should fall down dead. No, friends, no. He's got to
proclaim the gospel. I shall not die but live and
declare the works of the Lord. That's it. Well, we may have
our thoughts as to perhaps what we would like to do and where
we would like to go. There's nothing wrong with that. The Apostle did the same, but the Spirit suffered him not.
Come over into Macedonia. He was going to Bithynia, but
the Spirit suffered him not. and then that vision a man of
Macedonia come over into Macedonia and help us and immediately we
went assuredly gathering the Lord had called us to preach
the gospel there the Philippi and he did when he got there
there was a few godly women meeting for prayer and friends they were yearning
for the truth and he preached And then there was the jailer
and so on. Paul wrote to them when he was
here in Rome. He which hath begun a good work
in you will perform it to the day of Jesus Christ. Although
they were separated in miles, distant, they were one in heart. They were one in the Lord, that's
why. one in Christ, union, oneness in the Lord and so friends the
way we have to walk is a way of divine teaching of those things
in which I will appear unto thee we don't know what means the Lord will use
to appear to us for further teaching and instruction. We don't know. The Lord is Sovereign, but He
is useful ever means He will. And friends, we have to learn
and be taught the deep things of God. Especially if we've got
to minister. But all God's people walk this
way. The Lord knows the way we take.
He knew the way that Job took. The Lord knew all about it. Poor
dear Job was bewildered initially. But the Lord knew the way that
he was taken. And there would be a good issue.
He'd come forth as gold. The Lord knew the way Paul was
going. He knew the way all the apostles
was going. He knew the way that Jacob was
going, although Jacob felt that everything was against him. He
knew the way that Joseph was going, although everything seemed
totally opposite to the promise of God revealed in the dream.
Totally opposite. But the Lord knew, friends. The
Lord knew, because the Lord knows the end to the beginning and
the beginning to the end. Now we don't. We know the beginning
until now, but we don't know the end. We don't know how the
Lord will appear. He'll appear in ways according
to His sovereign will and good pleasure. But you can be assured
of this. It'll be for the good of your
never-dying soul. And it'll be for the furtherance
of the Gospel. And it'll be for the furtherance
of the Kingdom of God's grace. Yes. The deep things of God must be
spiritually discerned. So he was delivered from Jerusalem,
the city of truth. Zion is there. The Lord is there. Yes, but the kingdom of God's
grace must grow. Let us remember the words of
the Lord Jesus, the last words that he uttered before he ascended
to glory for Mount Oliver. Go ye into all the world, beginning
at Jerusalem, Samaria, the utmost bounds of the earth, with the
Gospel. Who's going to stop that? What
man or nation's going to stop that? No one. The Lord decreed it. His word
must and shall be fulfilled. And friends, we're the Lord's
people in every nation. that's for sure because in glory
there will be people from all nations, kindreds, tribes and
tongues for that to be the case there must be people on the earth
in every nation who love and serve the Lord and the Lord teaches
and instructs and his teaching is according to his sovereign
word and will So the means are used in the which I will appear
unto they, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith. That is in me. Well, those in Ephesus, as we
think of Ephesus tonight, they received the pardon and grace
of God. They were forgiven. They walked
in the light of truth. They were divinely taught. They
were indeed. Oh, they knew forgiveness. They
knew pardon. They knew peace. Forgiveness of sin. Friends,
if your sin Have they? Are you still burdened with sin?
Or have they been forgiven? The Apostle Paul, under the influence
of the Spirit, preached forgiveness into the hearts of the hearers.
Yes. Friends, the preaching of the
Gospel can bring forgiveness into your troubled and indeed this is spoken of
in another chapter let me just quote it to you exactly as it
is recorded and it is this be it known unto you therefore men
and brethren this is Paul preaching at Antioch that through this
man that's the man Christ Jesus is preached unto you the forgiveness
of sins. Oh friends, you come to chapel
burdened with sin, you desire the Lord's forgiving love to
be made known and shed abroad in your heart under the gospel
ministry, because be assured of this, it will be a word of
God's grace applied to your heart with power that will bring you
into no forgiveness in the experience of it. and for your sins and
the burden of it to be completely removed, it will be the Word
of God's grace that will cause you to hope. Friends, the Lord has decreed
that His Word should be preached to the end of time. And then
there is this sacred inheritance. Well, we know from the Word of
God And now brethren, the Apostle said, I commend you to God and
to the Word of His Grace, it's His Word again, which is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance among all them
which are sanctified. This is a spiritual inheritance,
bequeathed to you by everlasting love. Friends, do you believe the Lord
has gone to prepare a place for you? a spiritual inheritance it's a wonderful provision to
have a literal inheritance but a spiritual one eternal glory
oh friends this sacred inheritance is given to those who are sanctified
by the truth The Lord said, prayed, sanctify them by thy word. Thy word is truth. There's a
sanctifying effect of the truth in the heart. Then you'll walk
in obedience to the will of God. Do his will, and he'll make a
way. He'll make the way, friends.
However many obstacles there are, He'll make a way. His purposes
will ripen fast. Unfold in every hour. The bar. may have a bitter taste, but
sweet will burn the flower. The time has gone, dear friends,
this evening. My desire is, as always, that
the Lord would bless His own word, and it may be applied with
divine power to our soul. Then it will abide and remain,
and we shall bring forth fruit to His honour and glory. and
we shall be sweetly confirmed and settled in the truth as it
is in Jesus. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen. The final hymn this evening is
Hymn 888. Hymn 888. The tune is St. Anatolius, 555. Hymn 888. No wit or will of man, of learning
he may boast, no power of reason can draw sinners unto Christ,
so fallen is nature. Such have all, none come except
the Father draw. 888. Word is all in a row No sin has come to Christ, so
for it may just such a flaw. This was the day. And with conviction preach the
song that's in our hearts. Let's see the days we cried in
times of fear, Jesus, I do, I wish every foe,
and guard the soul from foe. Christ the Lord, magnificent
Lord, His person and His word, will speak redemption through
His blood, and give O Lord, we would thank Thee for
a day in Thy courts which is better than a thousand. O we
pray, gracious God, that all that has been attended to in
Zion on this Lord's day may accomplish that which is pleasing, Lord,
to Thee. that thou wilt send it forth
in that thing whereto thou wilt send it. Thus do bless the true
Church of God with those spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our
Lord. Dismiss us with thy favour. Grant journey and mercies in
peace and safety. Now may the grace of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ the eternal love of God the Father,
and the sacred communion of Thy Holy Spirit. Rest, remain, and
abide with us each, now and forevermore. Amen and Amen. Okay.