greater than the scope of my
transgressions, greater far than all my sin and shame. O, magnify the precious name
of Jesus, praise His name. All right, let's go back to Acts
chapter 9 now, Acts chapter 9. If you were here, I think it
was last Sunday, we looked at the Lord's salvation of this
man named Saul, and now this is what happened to him after
that. Let's read verse 28 again, and
this is the text. And this is the title of this
message, Acts 9, 28. It says, And he, Saul, was with
them, was with the disciples, coming in and going out at Jerusalem. Coming and going with the disciples. You know, as we said last Sunday,
Paul's story is what happened to Saul when the Lord God revealed
himself to him, when the Lord came to him and revealed the
true God and Christ and turned him from his idols to serve the
living and true God. That happened to you, Brother
Henry. Same thing. What happened to Saul happened
to us. And listen to these things. I got this from my pastor and
someone else. When Saul, the day that he was
confronted with this true Lord, that day he was lifted up with
pride. He began that day proud. He ended that day in the dust.
The day he heard the truth. He began that day calling that
way a lie and a heresy. He ended up
the day calling that the only way, his only hope. He began
that day calling Jesus just a man. He ended up that day calling
him the Lord. He began that day thinking he
was somebody. Thinking he knew something. Thinking,
I see clearly. He ended that day a nobody, a
nothing, seeing nothing, blind. He began that day as a man in
charge who knew where he was going. He ended that day needing
someone to lead him by the hand, like a little child. He began
that day breathing out threatenings and slaughter. He ended up crying
for mercy. He began that day saying what
all he was going to do. He ended up that day asking the
Lord what he was going to do with him. He began that day hating
and persecuting true believers. He ended that day. loving them
and himself being first. And this is where I want to pick
up this persecution that he and do it. It says over there in
verse sixteen, I will show him what great things he must suffer
for my name's sake. And later on, Tammy, he didn't
thank you. He thought it was a high honor. All that he lost
for Christ's sake, traded down for purpose. And the Lord is
about all of us. He said, it's not only given
unto you believe you believe because I gave you that, but
also to suffer for my name sake. Oh, what a privilege. What an honor. Well, it says
in verse 18, here's what happened to Saul. It says scale immediately
there fell from his eyes as it had been scales. Isn't that what happened, John?
It's like, oh, now I see. I see. Now I see God really is God,
isn't it? Now I see myself. I really am
nothing, aren't I? I'm not remembering Paul in Romans. He said, I thought I was righteous.
I realize I'm not now. I really do see now that Christ
is all. He really is all in salvation. He's all my hope. Oh, I see,
it dawned on him, the light of the knowledge of all this is
for the glory of God through Jesus Christ. And the same thing
happened to us, doesn't it? Huh? When the light which is
Christ appears to us. In verse 18 it says, he arose
and was baptized. He was baptized. Well, he's a preacher. He's being
baptized. Well, he'd been a preacher for
years. He just got saved. He'd been in church for years.
I thought he was already saved, old Saul. No, Saul will tell
you. No, I wasn't saved at all. I
was lost. Thought I was. Saul would tell
you, no, I preached to God I didn't know. I desired to be a teacher of
the law. I didn't know anything about
the law. No, he said, I didn't know the
true God. I had a God I thought I believed,
but He wasn't God at all. And I didn't know this Lord in
whose hands I am. I didn't know I needed mercy.
But he showed me, showed me great mercy. Now I know the true God
and his true Christ. And I'm being baptized to confess
him, to confess that I didn't know him before, but by his grace,
I know him now. By his grace, he's revealed himself
in me, to me. And I'm being baptized to confess
to the world that an old Reverend Dr. Father Holy Paul is nothing
but a sinner. Saved by the grace, the mercy,
sovereign mercy and grace of God that's in Jesus Christ and
Him alone. And you can just throw all that
stuff away. You say, just wash it on, wash
it on out of here. Wash it on out. I'm dead, crucified
with Christ now. Let Saul die. Let Christ live
forever. Christ is all. That's what it
means to be baptized. You know, down in Mexico, that
is a predominantly Catholic country. If you want to know something,
and I bring up Catholicism a lot. In fact, it's no worse than Southern
Baptist Armenian religion. Honestly. You've got the truth,
you've got the real gospel, and then you've got error. And sometimes
it's real close, but it's still error. Nevertheless, down in
Mexico, those of you who've been to Mexico, you've seen Catholicism
in its true light. The way the whole world sees
it, not the way they mask it here in this country. But down
there, it's the most oppressive religion of all is full of extortion. Remember when the Lord said to
the Pharisees, you're full of extortion and excess. They extort
money out of poor people, holding their relatives' souls ransom
for money. That's called indulgences. That's
what purgatory is, people. They believe in purgatory and
they tell these poor people that if your relatives are in purgatory
trying to get into heaven, the only way they can get out of
there is you pay us money. That's what they do, don't they?
And they extort money out of these poor people who barely
have enough money to buy tortillas and live in grass huts while
these rich priests and the Pope comes down there and blesses
them. And they put all their money
into these elaborate cathedrals in the middle of town, you know,
full of gold and all the trappings and all that. It's, it's, it's, it's oppressive,
it's, it's wicked, it's extortion. And for the person, now when
Brother Walter, now Brother Cody, goes down there and preaches
this gospel, and that country is 98% Catholic. And they go down there where
there's the truth that sets you free. Free from these men, this
oppression, this religion. There is no purgatory. There is no purgatory. If you're
in Christ, you're seated in the heavenlies. Anyway, these men
go down there and preach the gospel and God in mercy reveals
himself to these poor people and they receive the truth and
embrace it gladly receive it and they confess him in baptism. This is what the Lord said to
do. But if you do down there. If you do that. And nearly everybody
there is a part of a large family and they depend on each other
for money and for to help each other out. It's so cool. But
if you do, you are kicked out of your family. I don't mean
in. I mean, actually, they will have
nothing more ever to do with you again, disown you, excommunicate
you, nothing. You're gone. It's like you don't
exist. But they've done it by God's
grace, by the hundreds, even thousands. Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. We must, must confess. Paul said,
Paul couldn't help but speak the things he'd seen and heard,
and he was excommunicated, but he couldn't help it. Couldn't help it. And verse 20
says he preached Christ in the synagogue that he is the son
of God. He preached Christ. Christ was
his message from then on. Not the law. Not the law. Christ, keeper of the law. Not
his religion. Not his works. Oh no. Christ's
work. Christ. All his religion from that day
was Christ. And all he could tell anyone
was Christ is all. You could listen to him preach.
Same message. Like John. Every time. All he
could preach was Christ is all. And when people heard this, his
friends, his family, verse 21, they heard this and they were
amazed and said, is this not he that used to destroy them
that called on this name? Isn't this him that once hated
the mention of that name, hated this way? Isn't this him? You see, he was so radically
different that they couldn't hardly recognize him. Go to John
chapter 9 with me. John chapter 9. Ironically, the
same chapter in the Gospel of John as Acts. John 9. The story of this blind man. Many of you know this story.
Saul was like this blind man. And what happened to him happened
to the other. That this change that the Lord
had brought over this man was so great, so marvelous, wonderful
grace, the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ, greater than all
our sin. How can the tongue describe it?
Where shall our praise begin? But it was so great that he's
almost unrecognizable. Saul and this blind man, they
said in verse six, well, verse six, the Lord spat on the ground,
made clay and anointed the blind man's eyes and go wash. He said
in verse seven, he washed and he came seeing scales fell from
his eyes. Well, the neighbors that saw
him verse eight, they said of him that was blind is not, isn't
this he that sat and begged. Isn't this him? They said, well,
it looks like him. I think it is, but he's different. Yeah, it's him, but there's something
radically changed, different about him. Or if you read between
the lines, isn't this he who believed in a God who was a beggar?
He doesn't believe that now, does he? They asked him who did this,
and he told them who it was. And he told his parents, this
blind man. And they said, ask him. Go back
to Acts 9. So Saul, what happened to him
was so marvelous that this change that was wrought in him that
they couldn't believe this had happened. They couldn't believe
it. Well, after talking with his
friends and former religious people and preaching, verse 23,
after that, many days were fulfilled. Now they wanted to kill him.
And it says they lay, verse 24, in wait for him. Before they
couldn't wait to see him. They loved him, loved their own.
He's not of them. They loved him being religious,
hating that way, but now he loves this way. And renounces his former,
and now they hate him. Now they lay in wait for him. And you tell me, every new believer
in here, you tell me, in all, what was Saul doing? Just tell
him what great things the Lord had done for you. Wasn't it? He was just telling who God really
is, who cried the truth. And they hated him for it, Brother
Henry. And you tell me, you who have
heard the truth You know, every believer at first is so thankful,
so happy, like Saul here, so excited about what the Lord has
done for them, what the Lord has revealed to them, that they
are so enthused about it, and they go tell their friends and
their family, and they think they're going to love this. Don't
they? I can't wait to tell Dad and
Mom what I've heard. Dad? Mom? Brother so-and-so? Sister Sue or whatever? Listen
to this, listen to what I've heard. I've heard the truth. You're going to love this. Here,
take this CD. I'll kind of tell you myself.
And that's not the way. Here, listen to this. You're
going to love this. Or go to a former friend. George, wait
till you hear what the Lord's done for me. Wait till you hear
this. You're going to love this. Wonderful. Take this. Listen
to this. And George comes back. Did you listen? George, what
did you think? George, what's wrong? I don't like that. I don't believe
that. Huh? Dad? Mom? Honey? I don't like that. I don't
believe that. Isn't that the way it is? Much
to our surprise, they hate this way. And they begin to hate you. I love it. And hate your preacher. I sure do hate your preacher
for telling it to you. You don't. Oh, my. They call him a false
prophet, and they call this little place, Saul, you're in a cult
now. I know that's what they said
to him. Don't you, John? That's a cult down there. How
could you fall for that cult? And they lay in wait for you,
don't they? They lay in wait. I remember
my, well, someone, one of my old friends told my wife, said,
he said, we'll wait. He'll change. I've seen him go
through change. There's nothing to this. We'll
wait. Wait and see. They wait for you. Wait for you to slip up. Wait for you to fall. And you
do. Remember they said that to David? Aha, aha, see? Yeah, I had fallen, yes, but my hope's
still the same. So old Saul's friends and family
became his enemies for the truth's sake, for Christ's sake. And the same thing with you.
Our Lord wrote this to the Thessalonians. He said, Brethren, our gospel
came to you, not in word only, but in power. Life-giving power. Truth-revealing power. Bring
the dead to life. darkness to light. Our gospel
came in word only, but not in word only, but in a power and
a holy ghost and much assured. And you became followers of us
and of the Lord. And you received the same word
with much affliction. And over in the second Thessalonians,
he said, we glory in you because your persecutions and tribulations
that you endure. That's a manifest token, he said,
of the righteous judgment of God upon all that are worthy
of the kingdom. He said, you suffer for my name's
sake. They kick you out. If your mother and your father
forsake you, I'll take you in. And no man has left father, mother,
anybody who's been persecuted and lost everything. You lose
everything. I'll give you a hundredfold back. You'll not lose a thing, our
Lord said. You'll lose father and mother,
but you'll have a father that will never forsake you. You lose
a husband and he doesn't love me, your maker then on is your
husband. You lose children, you lose houses
and land, you're going to have a hundred houses. Any city, nearly
any place you go, you'll find a place to stay. The Lord promises,
he can't lie. Real family, real family sticks
closer than a brother. People that love you, not what
they can get out of you, but what they can do for you. That's a friend that I used to
have friends, Katherine's, that were my friends as long as I
had a pocket full of money. But they get out of me. And after
a while, I started telling them the gospel that I that I heard. I didn't want a thing to do with
me. I didn't I didn't get rid of them. They dumped me. Well, you know, there was skepticism
at first of Old Saul, wasn't there? They were skeptical that
disciples, they said in verse 26, they said they were afraid
of him. They didn't believe he was a
disciple. This can't be true. This can't be true. Old Mac can't be that way. He can't be. And, you know, we're told not
to lay hands on anyone suddenly. And just, you know, someone that
believes the doctrines of grace, they say that we should give
them the benefit of the doubt. I hope they do. But and we don't
quickly call someone brother. That's too precious a term. But
look here, Barnabas, verse 27, here's an old faithful believer,
took him and brought him to the apostles and he said, and he
declared unto them, fellas, I believe you see the Lord. I really do. And he spoke and the Lord spoke
to him and how he preached boldly in this name. What Barnabas was
saying, John, was fellas, I really believe something has happened
to Saul. I really do believe he's a new
creature in Christ, because that's all he wants to talk about. That's
all he wants to talk about is Christ. You listen to it. Listen to it. Listen to his testimony,
and Saul will tell you. What do you believe, Saul? Christ. Well, what about your old religion?
There's nothing. It's done. Christ is off. He's everything. How were you saved, Saul? The Lord saved me. The Lord revealed
himself to me, in me. The Lord had mercy on me. But, but, but, but, no, but nothing,
but God. Rich in mercy, great love, wherewith
ye love me, quicken me, my is great. Even when I was dead and
sick, quicken me together with Christ. What's your hope, Paul?
What's your hope, Saul? What's all your hope? Christ! On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
I dare not trust the sweetest praise, but wholly lean on the
Lord Jesus Christ's name. That's all my salvation. He is
all my salvation. Fellas, Barnabas said, I believe
he knows the Lord. I believe he's a brother. Don't you? That's all he wants
to do. And look at it. Verse 28 says
that he was with them coming and going wherever they went.
He said, Can I go? Can I go whenever they were meeting
together, said, Can I come? Well, sure you can. Y'all going
to meet tonight, Wednesday night. I don't deserve to be there,
but can I come? Can you come? Of course you can come. We're going to preach the gospel
in another town. Can I go? Of course you can. I remember young men in the church
there in Ashland were being called to preach, and every one of us
fellows just couldn't wait to go. Where are you going? The
fellow was going down to Paintsville to preach at the jail. Can I go? They fought for a seat
in the car. He was with them, coming and
going, because he's one of them. He's one of them. And it said
there in verse 31, didn't you love that? It says the churches,
now they had rest, they're edified, walking in the fear of the Lord
and comfort of the Holy Ghost, in unity. Oh my, it's a wonderful
thing. When the Lord saves an old rebel
and brings him into the church, it's just new life, isn't it?
New life. Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it
wonderful? Well, would you turn with me
in closing to the book of Ruth, the little book of Ruth? You'll
find it right after Judges, right before 1 Samuel. You'll find
Joshua, Judges, Ruth. First, second, Samuel. The reason
I said that is because I'm trying to find it right now. There it
is, Ruth. The little book of Ruth. And
let me illustrate here, well, let the scriptures illustrate
what it means to be with God's people. Saul was with them coming
and going. How do you know he's one of them?
Because of who he believed, who he loved, who he wanted to be
with. Same with this woman named Ruth. Most have heard it, but Ruth
lost her husband. Naomi lost her husband. Now he's
two widows. And Naomi here represents really
the Lord Jesus Christ and or his people, the church. And Naomi
is going back to Bethlehem, back to her people where the Lord
has bread, bread aplenty. They're dying in this heathen
land. And Naomi said, now she had two daughters-in-law, Ruth
and Orpah. In verse 8, Naomi said unto her
two daughters-in-law, who were heathen, remember, Moabites, they married Naomi's sons, and
both of them died. All right? You know good and
well, Naomi, Told them who she believed in the gospel, didn't
you? But two girls, verse 8, Naomi said to her two of her
daughters-in-law, go return each to her mother's house. The Lord
will deal kindly with you as you've dealt with the dead, with
my husband and my sons and you with me. Lord grant you rest
that you may find another husband. I hope and pray that each one
of you will find a new, another husband. OK, so leave. And she
kissed them, they lifted up their voice and wept. And she said,
Shirley, they said, We will return with thee to your people. Naomi
said, No. Verse 11. I don't have any more
sons. I can't give you a husband. If
you're looking for a husband, I don't have one. And I don't
know of any eligible men there in Bethlehem. I'm going to get
bread. So you stay here. Go your way. Go your way, daughters, I'm too
old to give you a husband." Verse 13, I can't, no matter what. And they, verse 14, verse 14,
they all lifted up their voices and wept. And Orpah, one of these
girls, kissed her mother-in-law and said, OK, I'm leaving. I've
got to have a man. And I'm going back. But Ruth. She's hanging on to her mother-in-law. Like a believer, when he first
hears Christ and sees Him, lays hold on Him, I think, as
not wanting to let go. And Naomi said to her, verse
15, Naomi said to Ruth, Behold, your sister-in-law is gone back
to her people and to her gods. You go back. You go back. to
your people and your gods. And here's what Ruth said. Ruth
said, I entreat thee, entreat me not. Please don't make me
leave you. Please don't leave me and don't
let me leave you. Please, or return from following
after thee. Where you go, I'll go. Where you lodge, where you abide,
that's where I want to live. Thy people will be my people,
and your God is my God. Isn't that what you say to our
Lord Himself? Don't, please, Lord. You don't
have to take me. Please don't leave me. Please
don't let me leave you. Where you go, I want to follow
you. Oh my, where you lodge, I want
to abide in you. Your people, they're my people. Your God, thou art God, and my
God. Please. Where you die, see, I
want to die the death of the righteous. I want to die in faith. I will die. I want to be crucified
with pride, don't you? There I will be buried, I will
be buried with him and risen again. The Lord do so to me and
also more if ought but death part thee and me. I want to be
with you forever. Don't let me, don't, don't let
me, don't make me leave. And it says when Naomi saw that
Ruth was steadfastly mine. She's not going to change her
mind. She can't run her off, Tammy. She can't run her off.
You're not going to go back to your people. You're going to
go with me no matter what. I can't give you a husband. I'm
not after a husband. I can't give you riches and all
of that. I don't want that. I need bread, food, and Rhema,
and to be with you. So it says she quit trying to
dissuade him. OK, you can come with me. What
about you? All of you? Huh? Our Lord said to his disciples
one time, he said most people thought they were hard things
he was saying. Is what the Lord says hard thing? Is his yoke hard? And he said to his disciples,
will you also go away? They said, to whom? To what?
We're not after any of these things. We want you. Thou hast
the words of life. And if you cannot be persuaded to go after anything else. And
maybe this God is your God. If you can't be persuaded. Oh,
Moses, you remember that story of Moses talking to his son,
brother-in-law, Hobab was his name. Moses, he said, now we're
going on a journey. We're just going to dwell in
tents here. He said to Hobab, you come down with us, we'll
do you good. We're going to a place, he said,
God's going to do good by us, he's already promised it. And
he said, we're going to a place where God is, and it's going
to be a sojourn, yeah, but God has promised, God has promised
to do good by us. And he said, what good the Lord
does for us, we'll do to you likewise. Silver and gold, Peter
said to that Have we none, but such as we have, we'll give unto
you. Come thou with us. We tell the world, and come thou
with us, we'll do you good. We don't have programs for your
kids and singles ministry for you to find a husband. But what
we do hope, what we do pray is that the Lord himself, Boaz himself,
did Ruth find a husband? Tell me, did Ruth find a husband? She didn't go to find a husband.
She found life, Nancy. But God, with that, gave her
all things. Gave her a husband that loved
her. Christ-like man. A real man. Isn't the Lord merciful? Don't you know at the end of
her days, she put a baby on her lap? That grandson of David? I mean, David being the grandson. The great-great-grandfather of
David. On her lap. With that wonderful man thinking,
I'm so glad that the Lord didn't leave me to my idols. I'm so
glad the Lord wouldn't let me go back home, like my sister,
to my idols and my people. I'm so glad that he entreated
me not to leave. So glad. And that's the way all
of us someday, sitting in glory, with the Son of God Himself with
all these brethren? Oh, aren't you glad that the
Lord wouldn't take no for an answer? Aren't you glad? Well, you know, Paul, he says he was
with them coming and going. He was with them coming and going. wherever they went, said, Your
people now are my people. Your God, this Lord Jesus, is
my God. Yes, He is. This is the way,
and people hated Him for it, and they suffered because of
it. Oh, but where is He now? Where
is He now? And oh, my God has promised great
things for them that love Him. And those who have lost whatever
and suffered whatever, He My, my, he's not ashamed to call
them brethren. I've prepared for them a city. And those that
declare such things that embrace the truth, that lay hold on Christ
and say they're looking for another city, God's not ashamed to call
them brethren. And he's prepared them a place,
and we'll be with them. My, my. So, a few short years. All right.