Lydia

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

The Bible teaches that salvation belongs to the Lord, who opens hearts to hear the gospel (Acts 16:14). The sovereignty of God in salvation is a central theme in Scripture, emphasizing that it is the Lord who ultimately decides whom to save. Acts 16:14 illustrates this when it recounts how 'the Lord opened Lydia’s heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.' This reflects that, before a person can respond to the gospel positively, God must first work in their heart, making them receptive. This doctrine is further supported by passages such as Romans 9:15-16, which states, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' Thus, salvation is not contingent upon human decision or efforts but is solely orchestrated by God’s sovereign will.

Q: How can someone be sure they are among God's elect?

Assurance of being elect comes from a sincere acceptance of the gospel and the resulting transformative change in one's life. The assurance of being one of God's elect is often linked to our response to the gospel and the evidence of a changed life. In Acts 16, Lydia’s heart was opened by the Lord, leading her to attend to Paul’s message. This transformation is a key indicator of being among the elect: if you resonate with the gospel, feel conviction of sin, and have faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation, you can have assurance of your election. Romans 8:30 states, 'Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.' Thus, a genuine faith and change in heart can provide the believer with comfort and assurance of being part of God's chosen people.

Q: Why is preaching the gospel important for salvation?

Preaching the gospel is vital because it is the means by which God chooses to reveal the truth and save His people (Romans 10:14-15). The importance of preaching in the context of salvation cannot be overstated. Romans 10:14-15 states, 'How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?' This clearly outlines the necessity of the proclamation of the gospel for the process of salvation. God has ordained preaching as the means by which He conveys the good news to those He has chosen. The narrative of Lydia illustrates this principle: she was in a place where the gospel was preached and, through that preaching, God opened her heart to believe. Therefore, the act of preaching the gospel serves as a conduit for God’s grace and mercy, calling His people to Himself.

Q: What role does the Holy Spirit play in salvation?

The Holy Spirit is responsible for applying salvation to the elect and opening their hearts to believe in the gospel. The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the process of salvation. He is the one who convicts individuals of their sin, points them to Christ, and applies the benefits of Christ's work to believers. In Acts 16:14, it is mentioned that 'the Lord opened Lydia’s heart,' which signifies the action of the Holy Spirit in enabling her to understand and accept the gospel. Additionally, Romans 8:11 highlights that the Spirit is involved in bringing life to those who are spiritually dead. The Holy Spirit’s work is essential in regeneration and in facilitating the belief in the truth of the gospel, confirming that it is through His power that the elect come to faith. Without the Holy Spirit's intervention, no one would come to faith in Christ.

Q: Why did Paul and his companions wait before preaching in Philippi?

They waited as they trusted in God's timing and direction, believing that God would guide them to those who were ready to hear the gospel. Paul and his companions' decision to wait before preaching in Philippi demonstrates their reliance on God’s timing and guidance. They spent several days in the city before embarking on their preaching mission, which suggests a period of prayerful waiting for divine direction. This is significant as it reflects a fundamental principle in sovereign grace theology: that God is actively orchestrating the circumstances of life, including the timing of the presentation of the gospel. In Lydia’s case, it was during this waiting period that God prepared her heart to receive the gospel. The Scriptures remind us of the importance of patience and trust in God's providential workings, as seen in Proverbs 16:9, which says, 'A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.' Thus, their waiting was not in vain but part of God's sovereign plan.

Let's go back to Acts 16. Read
verses 13 and 14 with me. We just sang that hymn, Open
My Heart. We sang that from the heart. Verse 13, 14, On the Sabbath
we went out of the city by a riverside where prayer was wont to be made.
We sat down and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
And a certain woman named Lydia, seller of purple, the city of
Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord
opened. that she attended under the things
spoken by Paul. It's an old story. It happened
nearly 2,000 years ago, yet this same experience still takes place
today. The circumstances are a little
different, the surroundings, but the same experience happens
to women and men today. The Lord sends a preacher and
that person, the Lord opens their heart to hear the Word. A familiar story by most in here. I've been preached here several
times by me and by others. But I hope, even as our brother
prayed, that the Lord would open my heart right now to receive
this The Gospel is called good news, isn't it? If when we hear
it and it's not good news, like something you hear, good news,
I've got good news. If we don't hear it like that,
we really didn't hear it, did we? And it's got to touch the
heart to do that. In order for something to be
That's good news. It's got to touch your heart.
Well, that's good information. No, that's good news. The Lord's
got to open our heart. That's my prayer. My heart's
desire for you and for me. Paul and Silas and Timothy, preachers
of the gospel, called, equipped, sent to preach the gospel. That's
what they did. That's how you know them. That's
what they do. The gospel is the power of God
unto salvation. The gospel. That's what the Lord
uses. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching. It's no surprise that religion
has put Him preaching by the wayside, isn't it? But not with His people. Pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching. Weren't we so blessed last weekend,
last weekend week, whenever, Brother Greg? Oh my, how blessed
we are. Scripture says in Romans 10,
Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Well,
how shall they call on him whom they've not believed? How shall
they believe in him or on him whom they've not heard? And how
shall they hear without a preacher? That's the means that God has
used for many reasons. And how shall they preach except
they be sent? A lot of fellows out there call
themselves preachers. God didn't send them. That's
what he said in Jeremiah, didn't he, to the Apostle Paul? I didn't
send you. Oh, he does have some, though. He's not left himself
without a witness in any generation. And Paul and Silas and Timothy
were three such men. And they were traveling together,
verse 6 and 7, they traveled throughout Phrygia and the region
of Galatia. Do you remember the book of Galatia? Wasn't Galatia thankful that
the Lord sent Paul through there? And as I said, this little church
is nothing. little old Central Grace Church
up here on the hill in Franklin County, Virginia. It's in the
Lamb's Book of Life. I know it is. Every name written. That's amazing. Galatia. Where's that? An out-of-the-way
place. The Lord sent Paul through there.
But here's what I want you to see. He wanted to go into Asia,
but the Holy Ghost forbade him, didn't allow him to go there.
In verse 7, The Spirit suffered them not to go to Bithynia. He
wanted to go to these places. The lot is cast into the lap,
but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Paul wanted to
go, but he was providentially hindered. Why is that? Well,
salvation, Scripture says, belongeth to the Lord. He saveth
whom he will. And whom He will, He'll harden
them. What does He do to harden men?
Men are hard-hearted, dead in sin, born that way. All He has
to do is just leave them alone. Like ground that doesn't get
rained. It'll just get harder and harder and harder. Just leave
them alone. Our Lord said that one time, didn't He? About some
Pharisees. Leave them alone. It's an awful
place to be without the gospel, in a place without the gospel.
It hardens people. But it belongeth to the Lord,
and He saveth, He hath mercy on whom He will. And the way
the Lord shows mercy is by the gospel of His mercy. The greatest
grace, the greatest gift, the unspeakable gift is this gospel
of God's Son that he sends to his people, his elect. He has
a people that he has chosen out of every tribe, kindred, nation,
tongue, nation under heaven. Thank God. That's not unfair,
is it? Does that sound unfair? Not at all. Every single tribe,
every single nation, Every single kingdom. That's amazing, isn't
it? He does. They're elect according
to the foreknowledge of God, chosen before the foundation
of the world by God, given to Christ to come and redeem them,
for the Holy Spirit to call them, and they'll all come. He said,
My sheep hear My voice. And that voice is His gospel.
Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians. He said, We are bound to thank
God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto He called you
by our gospel. What mercy and grace that God
Almighty had you hear the gospel, brought you to a place and brought
a man to preach the gospel to you. We don't really appreciate
it now like we will. He said, My sheep hear my voice.
Christ did. They follow me. His voice is
his word, is his gospel, and though it's preached through
men, though you hear it through a man, the Lord does not speak
audibly. But our Lord did say, if they
hear you, they will hear me. If they don't hear you, they
won't hear me. So that's how serious it is. And the Lord in
His sovereign, amazing providence and power brings His people at
the appointed time and the appointed place to hear His gospel through
His appointed preacher. And it's wonderful. Men don't
arrange that. Men don't arrange that. And devils
can't stop it. Lydia brought all that out to
show us that Lydia is from Thyatira, which is in Asia. That's her hometown, Asia. Well,
she's a long ways away from Asia right now. She's all the way
down here in Greece, you know. What's she doing there? On business. She went there on business. She's there on the father's business.
The Lord had her there. Paul wanted to go to Asia to
preach. The Lord wouldn't allow him to do that. Why? He's got
a sheep and she's not home. And they're going to meet. Not
like the eunuch out there in the desert. Well, how's he going
to hear the gospel? Watch. The Lord sent one man
all the way out in the desert to preach to one man. Is he worth
it? Oh, my. Lydia, my, my, she ended up in
Philippi. No one hears the gospel by our
schemes and tricks and gimmicks. We don't do that. Religion does
that, you know, do all these schemes and tricks. Dad will
tell you that. They taught you in religion tactics,
like business tactics to bring people in. Like sales gimmicks
and all, that's what they teach in religion, and that's what
they use. It's corrupt. God doesn't bring people like
that. Where's the Holy Spirit in all that? It's not. God said, I'll say unto the north,
give up. To the south, bring my people.
I'll gather my people from the north, south, east and west,
and they'll come. My sheep will hear my voice.
And it will be so miraculous that you'll know God had... I'll
send a fellow up in the mountains of West Virginia to court a woman,
a little country gal, a little barefoot country gal, and bring
her a long ways away from home just to hear the gospel like
the woman at the well. Aren't you glad? The Lord gets
the glory that way. The lot, as I've quoted, the
lot is cast in the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of
the Lord. You're not here today by accident.
You're here according to the will and the purpose of God,
which was predetermined before the world began. That's a fact. Aren't you glad? Nothing left
to change. Well, Paul saw a vision, verse
9. A vision appeared to Paul the
night it stood. A man in Macedonia prayed him,
saying, Come over and help us. To Macedonia, help us. Be concerned
with the vision. Who was this man? We don't know.
Was it an angel? Perhaps. We don't know. That's
not important. It doesn't tell us. We don't
need to know. God doesn't speak that way anymore. No, no, no,
no. Why did He do it then? The Word
of God was not completed. Right? The Word of God was not
completed. The Lord spoke in vision to the prophets because
they hadn't written the Word yet. We've got the completed
Word now. We don't see. We don't trust
a vision. Don't listen to a man who says
he has one. He's just got heartburn or something. No, but the Lord did speak to
the apostles and the prophets and so forth through these visions.
Okay? Scripture says so. And this man
in Macedonia said, come over and help us. What kind of help
did they need over there? Humanitarian aid? They needed
a habitat for humanity to come down and build buildings for
them, homes for the poor. Did they need the Red Cross to
come in and relief and so forth? Well, those things are okay.
They're okay. They're fine and dandy. Our Lord
said that the poor you have with you always. But here's what the
Lord said. The Spirit of the Lord hath anointed
me to preach the gospel to the poor. That's what they need. You know what help we need? You
know what help people need? They need to hear the gospel.
They need to hear the gospel. In verse 10, Paul said, we assuredly
gathered that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto
them. Come over and help us. Do what? Preach the gospel. Preach the gospel. Well, verse
11 and 12. So they immediately came with
a straight course to Samothracia, the next day to Minneapolis,
and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that
part of Macedonia's colony, a Roman colony. Philippi, the chief city,
the first city there in that part, the biggest, I'm sure,
and a major, perhaps, capital. It's called a colony, a Roman
colony, which was usually a military garrison. So it was a big, powerful,
military-operated city, Philippi. So they were in that city. Here's
what I want you to see here. They were in that city many days.
There's no account of anybody in that big city hearing the
gospel. There's no account. It doesn't
say that they preached the gospel to anybody heard it in that big
city. So what happened? What are they doing? Waiting
on the Lord. I have sheep and they're going
to hear my voice." They weren't out preaching on the street corner and waiting on the Lord to open
the door of utterance. Will He? Yes, He will. You watch. The next verse, on the Sabbath
day, they were looking for a place to worship, as their habit was.
There was no Jewish temple in Philippi at the time. There had
to be so many Jews living there to have one. They didn't have
it. They didn't have one. They didn't have enough youth.
So he says, we went out of the city by a riverside. It would
be a good name for a church, wouldn't it? Riverside and Grace
Chapel. We went out by a riverside. Not
the big city, but out by a riverside. And there was where prayer was
wont to be made. We heard, evidently Paul and
Silas and Timothy asked around and they heard that some folks
were meeting down there by the river. And so they went. They
went down by the river. And it says, we sat down, we
sat down and spoke to the women there. Now these women, it says, they
were praying by the riverside. It wasn't an elaborate building.
It wasn't a Jewish temple. They were there and they were
calling on the Lord, apparently. Whether in sincerity or truth,
I don't know. Some, perhaps. I believe Lydia probably was.
But that's why they were there. And I thought about this. If
you ask ten people why they go to church, You'd mostly get answers like
this, because I love the music, because I have to see my friends,
because of the singles ministry, this and that and the other,
the entertainment, the social contacts. One person, one preacher
said, actually said, I want to make you feel good about yourself.
That's the purpose. Well, at least these women were
calling on the Lord. The Lord said, if you seek me,
you'll find me. And you certainly. Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord. God sent him a preacher. Paul, the apostle. My, my. God sent him a preacher. It says he sat down and spoke
to them. You see religion today. You know,
a pulpit is Ezra was a scribe, and that's
where you'll find a pulpit. They made a pulpit, or a lectern,
or a podium of wood. Why? Because for a lot of people,
a man just literally, physically needs to stand up where they
can see him reading from the Word, and see clearly that it
is the Word he's reading from. Not to be seen, not for you to
see Him, but for the Word to be heard to go out among the
people and all. What are pulpits made of now? Modern religion. Flexiglass. See that? See-through. Why? They
want to be seen. People go for what they see. That's what preachers are all
about, to be seen. Faith doesn't come by seeing. By hearing. Hearing the Word. So that's what
this is all about. Paul, like his Lord, sat down. I remember Dad doing this. I
thought about it, but I'm not confident enough to do it. I
remember him one time pulling a chair up out in front. of the
church and sat down and preached it. Sat down. That's what Paul
did. Sat down and spake with them.
Spake with them. He spake like, you know, Isaiah
40 says, Speak ye comfortably to the heart. That is, comfort
ye, comfort ye. Speak ye comfortably to the heart. Speak. What did he speak? What
did he speak of? I know exactly what he spoke
of, don't you? He said in another place, woe
is me if I preach not the gospel. Woe is I. He said to the Corinthians,
I am determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. So he sat down and these women,
only women, only women, And what a mercy, you know, the Lord,
who hath despised a day of small things? The Lord raised up the
church of Philippi through one woman, Lydia, and she was one
of the founding members there, like some of you ladies. But these women were there, and Paul,
being the wise man that he was, very astute, very observant,
who it was and what they were doing and observing, the Lord
gave him great insight and discernment, and observing these religious,
they were religious, they wouldn't have been there if they weren't
religious, right? Like today, you know, most people
are. It's hard to find somebody that's not religious, especially
a woman. Not religious. And they were trying to worship,
and they were trying to pray and do this, but they didn't
know God. They didn't know God. Lydia didn't
know God. It's obvious. The Lord had to
reveal Himself to them, like everybody. It doesn't matter
how sincere or how religious, how zealous people are. Paul
said that in the Romans, didn't he? He said, I have to bear them
record they're zealous, they have a zeal for God, but they
don't know God. This is life eternal, to know
the living and the true God. People worship God, but it's
not the true God. And people believe in a Jesus
today, but it's another Jesus. Right? You know it's so. You've
talked to it. Well, Paul observed these religious
women trying to worship, and he sat down to talk with them,
and it may have went something... I know it did. It went something
like this. My name is Paul. This is Silas and Timothy. And we're men. I'm of Tarsus. I was born in Tarsus. I'm a Jew. I was born a Jew. I was a Hebrew
of Hebrews and a Pharisee, raised in the Jewish religion. I was
raised up in the school of Gamaliel. You women heard of Gamaliel,
the teacher in Jerusalem. Everybody heard of that school.
This thing wasn't done in a corner, he said. This thing spread out
all over the world. as far as Greece and so forth. And he said, My name is Paul,
and the Lord has sent me to come to preach the gospel to you,
the gospel of God. Like he said in Romans 1, the
gospel of God. The gospel concerning God's Son. Do you know who God's Son is? Do you know who God is? I see
you women are attempting, trying to worship God. But I want to
preach to you and declare unto you the unknown God that most
people, like He did at Mars Hill, the unknown God that most people
don't know about. The God that, not the God who
loves everyone. That's not the God of nothing.
But the God who, Scripture says, is angry with the wicked every
day. The God who destroyed the world years ago by flood because
he was angry. Because God will punish sin.
He will by no means clear the guilty. And all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. You see, ladies, in Adam all
died. We're dead in trespass. That's
where you begin to preach the gospel. You begin with God. Holy,
just, righteous. You begin with man who's dead
in sin, trespassed in sin. His will is dead. That's what
we heard the other weekend. His will is dead. His heart is
hard. Sin is in him. And he can't come
to God unless God has mercy on him. God who destroyed the world. God who no man hath seen nor
can see. God who is of two pure eyes to
behold iniquity. Behold the sun, it shineth not.
It charges his angels with folly. This is the true God. God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Jehovah. Holy, righteous, just. God who wrote the law, not for
us to keep it. Paul said, I know. He said, I
knew the law, I thought I did as a Pharisee. He said, I thought
I kept the law. He said, concerning the righteousness
which is of the law, I thought I was blameless. Now Lydia's
listening to this. And perhaps she's gone to church
all her days. She's a religious woman, right,
Jeanette? She's a religious woman. Probably
a moral woman. a woman of good character and
so forth. She's worshiping God, praying to God. She's down there,
but she doesn't know God. And Paul said, I was like you. I thought I was righteous according
to the law. I thought I was keeping the law.
I didn't know much about God, but I thought if I just keep
the Ten Commandments, I'll be all right. But the law is fear of God. The
law requires perfection in thought. He said, if you think lust, you're
guilty. If you think hatred, you're guilty
of murder. If you just think it. He said, when the law came, when
I found out, I died. It slew me. It killed me. It
convicted me. Ladies, this God, this God, this
holy God, how is this God who is just? How is this holy God
going to have anything to do with us? He destroyed a world
full of people by flood the first time. But one man found grace. You
know the story of Noah, the ark. What's that a picture of? That's
a picture of God's Son. That's a picture of God God who
tabernacled among us. God, that Ark of the Covenant.
That's the Ark of Noah. That's the Son of God. That's
God manifesting the flesh. This holy God, the only way for
this holy God to have anything to do with us sinful people,
except us sinful people, is to come down here, be the maiden
in the likeness of sinful flesh. You know what His name was? Jesus. We've heard that. Nobody hadn't
heard that name before. Jesus of Nazareth. You know that
man named Jesus of Nazareth over there? That's God. That was God. That was Emmanuel. That's what
Isaiah said. A woman shall be with child,
called his name Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father. That Jesus of Nazareth over there,
thought to be nothing but a prophet and a good man and a good preacher
and a healer and so forth, that was God manifesting up there.
You know why he came? To bring us to God. To redeem
His people. To save His people from their
sin. To be a substitute for sinners. He didn't do this for everybody.
But thank God He did it for somebody. He came for His elect. He came
for His people. For the transgression of His
people, He was slain, Scripture said. God made him to be sin
for his people, he who knew no sin, that they might be made
the righteousness of God in him. You see, we don't have a righteousness.
And what we've got, what we think we've produced, our religion,
is filthy rags in the God's sack. Filthy rags. Doing what you're
doing is not going to get you to God. Jesus Christ must get
you to God. Well, He did. If He did it for
you, I hope He did. And God poured out His blood. His soul was made an offering
for sin. The soul that sinneth must surely die. And God made
His Son, Jesus Christ, His soul an offering for sin. The soul
that sinneth must surely die. He poured out His blood. He died. And you know all those Old Testament
sacrifices? Rams and turtledoves and bullocks
and lambs, all those sacrifices, you know? Those are all pictures
of the one great sacrifice that Jesus Christ, God's Son, came
down here to put away all the sins of all of God's people.
Those couldn't put away one sin. But when He came, and by the
sacrifice of Himself, put away all the sins of all of God's
people forever, blotted out the handwriting and ordinances against
them, nailed them to His cross, And God, the Father, put him
in the grave because the soul that sins must surely die. He
buried him. But proof of who he was three
days later. Just like he said. Just like
God said. God raised him for our justifications. Raised him from the dead. And
you know where he is now? This same Jesus whom we crucified? Paul said, I was just like those
Jews. I persecuted this way. I hated
this way. When a man told me my righteousness
wasn't good enough, I hated him for that. A fellow named Peter,
a fisherman of all people, tried to tell me, a Pharisee, a Stephen, they called him a
deacon, stood up And I got so mad at him, I held the coach
until they bashed his brains out. I hated this gospel, Paul
said. Saul did. I hated this gospel. And I persecuted
this way. And I said, you think you're
right and everybody else is wrong? I hated it. And I was on my way
to Damascus one day to kill everybody that believed this way. But God... I was going to put this Jesus
fell-out-of-business-and-everybody-believe-this-way, but Jesus. A light shone down on me and
knocked me off my high horse into the dirt, and I said, Who
are you, Lord? He said, I'm Jesus. Now, what
are you going to do with Jesus? And the question is, and I asked
him, Lord, what are you going to do with me? Now, that's the God of the Bible.
That's the Christ description. And every single person that
God deals with, that's how they're going to be dealt with, somewhat
differently. We're going to come into contact
with the truth of who God is and what we are and who Christ
is and why He came and what He did and why He did it and who
He did it for and where He is now. I spoke to a woman yesterday
about all these things. She didn't like it. She got mad at me. The Lord didn't open her heart.
And I thought after it was all over, I thought, oh, I should
have been begging the Lord to open her heart like Lydia. Maybe He would have. Lydia. She's listening. And it says there in verse, look
at this, in verse 14. A certain woman. Said that about
Timothy, didn't it? A certain man. A certain woman. This is one of God's elect. How
do you know? She heard us. Lo, a certain woman named Lydia,
a cellar of purple, a city of thigh attire, which worshipped
God, heard us." She heard us. Paul never got over how amazing
it was that people heard him. He said, I'm less than the least.
I'm not fit to be called an apostle. Some of them said of him, what's
this vain babbler going to say? People heard Him. They heard
us. See the hearing ear, the seeing
eye and the hearing ear of the Lord, aren't they? Anybody's
going to hear. God has to give them an ear to
hear. She heard us, whose heart the
Lord opened. Before salvation, Before we hear
the truth, our heart is hard. Nobody is going to hear the truth
unless the Lord opens their heart. Nobody. How many people have
you talked to about the gospel? How many? How long have you talked to them? And they just won't hear you
with it. You can't get through to them. No, you can't. Does
that mean you ought to quit? No. No, it doesn't. But just
all that I'm saying is that what Scripture says is that unless
the Lord opens a heart, that's why it says pray always. Unless
the Lord opens a heart, and only He can and must, the heart, the
ear, How do you know her heart is open? She attended unto the
things spoken by Paul. She's listening to the Word. That's how you know. She's listening
to the Word. Scripture says time will come
when they'll turn away their ears from the truth unto fables.
People will listen to anything and everything and believe it.
Believe a lie. But you tell them the Word? No,
I don't want that. I say it just yesterday, I ran
into this, and this person actually said to me, it may say that in
the Bible, but I don't care. That's awful, isn't it? That's awful. That's the shape that this country's
in. This nation, this world, it's turned away their ears from
the truth. Truth's the only thing that sets
us free. Truth. You've got to hear the truth,
don't you? Truth's not everywhere. The Lord must open the heart,
must open the ears. Well, her heart was open. What
does it mean when the heart is opened? Spoken. The heart is broken. That's the
first thing the Lord has to do, this old hard heart. Break it.
Over what? Sin. Blessed are they that mourn. Over what? Sin. Lydia starts hearing this and
says, that's me. You're talking about, that man's
talking about me. I used to think I was a good
person. Now she says, whoa, it's me.
I'm undone. Like Isaiah. She said, like Daniel,
my beauty melted into corruption. Like Job, she said, I heard of
you, now I see you. Woe is me, I hate myself. My loins are filled with a loathsome
disease, broken over sin, guilt, corruption. That's where it starts. Where is that today? Well, right
here. Right here. Some of you right
now are feeling that very thing. Wonderful! It means your heart's
broken. You know, the only good heart's
a broken one. Oh, a heart broken, a heart pierced. A heart pierced. We need the Lord to take this
sword of His Spirit and pierce this old hard heart, doesn't
He? It's a heart that's made to mourn,
a needy heart. A heart that's opened is a needy
heart. Those folks are just alright. People are rich and increased
with good. People have a profession. People
have made a covenant with death and hell, and they're in agreement.
A refuge of lies, they've got relief, I'm saved, I'm fixed
up, I accepted Jesus, I was baptized years ago and I'm living a good
life and I'm sure for heaven as if I was already there. I
don't need to hear that. You time to tell me. A good heart is a needy heart. The poor and the needy have the
gospel preached unto you. David was a king. David wrote
the psalm. David said, I'm poor and needy. And he was amazed when he heard
that the Lord thinketh on thee. That's who this gospel is for.
We say it all the time, don't we? You bless God to high heaven
if you still need this gospel. Got a good heart. You say, she's
got a good heart. Not if it's broken over sin. She doesn't need the gospel.
She doesn't. Oh, my needy heart. Lydia heard
this and said, I wonder. I wonder if this God will have
mercy on me. I wonder if Christ came to me. He has an elect. I see that now. I wonder if I could be one of
them. You reckon? That's what Lydia thought. Oh
yeah, that's what everybody thinks, that God opens their heart. You
reckon that could be for me? And I've never seen anybody whose
heart's been opened, who didn't come to the preacher later and
start asking questions. Like at Pentecost, their hearts
were pricked. And what'd they say? What'd they
do? They just sit there. Peter, what must we do to be
saved? We need this. We need this. And Lydia, I know Lydia came
up to Paul and Timothy in silence and said, I believe what you're
saying. What do I do now? And Paul, I
know what he said. Well, the Lord said, if you believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, you need this Christ is redemption
that's in Christ. Guilty before God. You need Christ
to save you. You need His righteousness. You
need your shed blood. You need Him as your substitute.
Believe. Just trust Him. He said, He that believeth on
me shall have everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation. She said, I believe. I do believe.
I believe with all my heart that I need Christ, and he's my only
hope." Well, then he said, "...me baptize." Listen, the Lord told us to do
that. I was, Silas was, Timothy was. The Lord said, "...whosoever
believeth, go into all the world and preach the gospel. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved." What's baptism, preacher? Well, it's a command. It's a
command. Do it. The Lord said, do it.
That's good enough. It doesn't save you, though,
but it's a command. It's the answer of a good heart.
That's what it is. A heart that's been open. It's a confession of sin is what
it is. Because when you get in this
pool before everybody, what you're saying is, when Christ died,
I died. I should have died. The sin that
was laid on him was my sin, and I should have been crucified.
I should have been hanging there for my sins against God. I am
a guilty sinner, and I deserve to die. It's a confession of
sin, is what it is. It's a profession of faith. I
believe that that one that died, died in my stead. That he was
buried, and I was buried with him, and when he rose, I rose
with Him, He quickened me with Him. And I'm seated with Him
at the right hand of God. Christ is my salvation. It's
a profession of faith in Christ. It's not a public display of
our religion, but it's a profession of faith in Christ. I want everybody
to know, Christ crucified is my salvation. And it is a public testimony.
Not ourselves, but Christ. And it's a humbling thing. It's
a humbling thing. Everybody that goes down under
the pool, especially women, you know, we take such pride in our
beauty and our hair. Not me. I mean, in your hair
and your beauty and your makeup and all that. Well, all that's
going to be washed off. You're getting that good one.
You're going to look like a wet rat. Everybody's going to see
you. You're just a nothing. You're
just flesh, aren't you? Wet flesh. That's right. Let all the world know that I'm
nothing but Christ is all. That's what baptism is about.
So what'd she do? She was baptized. Yes, sir. She was baptized. And look at
this. How good is our God? Her whole
house lost. Her whole house. Boy, what a
happy house of Lydia that day, huh? Her whole house, apparently. Her servants, and if she had
children, I don't know if she was married or divorced or what. Could have been, but it doesn't
say. But it does say that her whole
household. Such is the mercy of our Lord.
And look at this in closing. She besought us. She insisted. She wouldn't take no for an answer.
She said, if you judge me to be faithful to the Lord. This
is after baptism, after Paul and Silas and Timothy. They know
why they're there now. They knew assuredly that the
Lord had called them to preach the gospel, and they sat around
for days, and where are we going to preach? I don't know, let's
just wait and see. Walk down by the river and just
a few women, just two or three, that's all you need. That's all
you need. And so he preached like his 2,000.
Same message. And lo and behold, the Lord opened
one woman's heart. What about the other women? It
doesn't set. It doesn't set. But it's obvious that some of
those women, the Lord didn't open their heart. They didn't
get a thing out of what Paul was preaching. But Lydia did. Oh, my. And her whole household
because of it. And she asked Paul and Silas
and just besought them, if you'd judge me to be among God's people,
come into my house on a Friday. Would you come home? Don't leave
yet. Does that sound familiar? Like the disciples on the road
to Emmaus, they didn't know it was the Lord. It was just a preacher
to them. He was talking to them, preaching
to them. Spake like no man speaks. And they said, don't leave, stay!
They loved what He was saying. And they loved Him. That's who
you have in your home, somebody you love. Those that have been
forgiven much will love much. Yes, sir. And she opened her
house to him. And those that hear the gospel
from a fellow, amazingly, they'll love him from that day on. That's
how you know. That's how you know. By this,
you'll all men know. And Paul was very special to
Lydia and vice versa. Very special. You know, every
time Paul came anywhere near Philippi, she stayed with Lydia.
And whoever was with him, You reckon the Lord blessed Lydia?
Saved her whole house. Saved her whole house. Is that the blessing? That's
the blessing. Where did it all start? The Lord
opened her heart. The salvation of the Lord. He
does it through preaching. He does it through preaching.
He really does. He still does it. I hope, I pray, the Lord,
if not for somebody in here this morning, This thing is going
to go out somewhere, and maybe, ah, ah, there's Olivia out there. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Eternally
wonderful. Alright, Brother John, you come.
Lead us in a hymn.

Lydia

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

How can someone be sure they are among God's elect?

Why is preaching the gospel important for salvation?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in salvation?

Why did Paul and his companions wait before preaching in Philippi?

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Lydia

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

How can someone be sure they are among God's elect?

Why is preaching the gospel important for salvation?

What role does the Holy Spirit play in salvation?

Why did Paul and his companions wait before preaching in Philippi?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

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