Good evening. Let's all turn
in the Scriptures, if you would, to the book of Isaiah chapter
26. In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong city. Salvation
will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that
the righteous nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in. Thou
will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee,
because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever,
for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Let's pray. Oh, our gracious God and Father,
we bow before you, giving you thanks for your blessed
word. Thank you for the peace and the
comfort that it speaks to our hearts. Thank you for the faith you've
given us to trust you. And Lord, by your grace, we will
follow the admonition that we just read, trust in the Lord
forever. Help us to continue trusting. to continue looking to our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. For in Him alone can we find
peace and comfort and assurance and rest and hope. There's no hope or peace in this
life, in this world, in our flesh. It's only when we look to You
that were helped and were encouraged and given strength. Help us to honor our dear Savior
in this worship service. We bow before you and we look
to you to speak to our hearts. We live in a world that's dying
and decaying. Everywhere we look, It's disappointment
and pain and grief and sin. And all is fading away. There's no sure foundation. But
in Christ, our sure foundation, we stand and have confidence
and we face the future, knowing that you hold the future and
you've ordained all things. As those we love and the things
that we hold to in this life are taken from us, we know it's
ordained of you and we bow and kiss your blessed hand of providence.
Help us to do so gracefully and willfully and cheerfully. This
flesh would rebel. We pray, Lord, that you give
us grace. Oh, we need your grace. We see our need of it more and
more as we grow older. We need more grace. How we need
your grace. Your grace is great and our need
is great. We remember our brother Jim and
Debbie and what they're going through. We pray that you'd bring
to mind your word to their hearts and their minds. and to bow before you and submit
to your will, speak peace to their hearts. And we ask, Lord,
that you'd raise Jim, if it be your will, and bring him back
to be with us. Pray for our pastor as he leads
the service and preaches to us. Continue to bless us through
him and tell us the story of Jesus. We want no other, we look for
no other. We're satisfied with him and
long to learn more of him. Bless us together, help us to
love one another, help us to bring honor to your blessed name,
for you alone are worthy. It's in Christ's name we ask,
amen. Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter
13. And down in verse 26 is where
I'm going to get my subject and the title of my message. Verse
26. Men and brethren, children of
the stock of Israel, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you
is the word of this salvation sent. Word of salvation. You notice it's sent. Nobody
sent after it. Nobody asked for it. Nobody's
looking for it. It says God sent it. God sent
his son in the fullness of time, made of a woman, made under the
law. And everything God does, he does on time. He does the
sending. If you heard the gospel, God
sent the gospel to you and then gave you the ears to hear it.
But I'm going to go through these verses here, and I'm going to
start in verse 13 and go down through verse 43. And I won't
read them all. Maybe you'll get them as I go
along. But the Holy Ghost had called Barnabas and Saul, well,
who was the Apostle Paul, to a work, to traveling priests
of the Gospels. And look what it says. Now there was in the church that
was Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas, Simeon,
that was called Niger, and Lucius, Cyrene, and Manasseh, which had
been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch. And they ministered
to the Lord and fasted. The Holy Ghost said, Separate
me Barnabas and Saul for the work where I am called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them
and sent them. So they being sent forth of the
Holy Ghost departed thence and sailed to Cyprus. So they were
separated by the Lord, separated by the Holy Ghost. And that's
where missionaries started. That's where the first place
you find people sent out as separated for this work of the gospel.
And John Mark joined with them. Now look down verse 13. Now when
Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga and
Pamphylia, and John returned from them to Jerusalem. Now John
Mark has Simon Peter's sister's son. It's his cousin,
wasn't it? Nephew, nephew, that's right,
nephew. And anyway, Paul didn't like this. Paul didn't like this.
Now turn with me over here. Acts chapter 15 and look what
happens after this Acts chapter 15 36 Well, he departed when I started
on the work with him and then he departed and then returned
to Jerusalem and it was evidently too hard on John Mark or something
and so John Mark after he had left and It upset Paul, and so
down here in verse 36, And some days after, Paul said unto Barnabas,
Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city, who have
preached the word of the Lord. Let's see how they're doing.
And Barnabas determined to take with him John, whose surname
was Mark. But Paul thought it not good
to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and
went not with him to the work. And the contention was so sharp,
between them that they departed asunder, one from the other.
So Barnabas took Mark and sailed on to Cyprus. Saul went on his
way. Paul did. So I tell you, Paul
didn't believe. If you started out with him,
unless you got sick, unless something really desperate happened, if
you just decided, I don't want to go on anymore, as far as Paul
was concerned, you was finished with him. That's what he said,
Demuth has forsaken us, having loved this present evil world.
Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. Somebody done something,
Paul had no qualms about exposing them and not, you can't, if you
can't trust them. And so they started traveling
into Galatia and down in verse 14, they went traveling into
Galatia and they went in a synagogue and sat down as worshipers. And
look what it says now. They departed from Perga, they
came to Antioch the city and went into the synagogue on the
Sabbath day, and that's Saturday for them, that's Saturday for
the Jews, and sat down. They went in there to worship
just like us coming in here and setting down. And after the reading
of the law, we had the scriptures read tonight. And that's what
we do, that's what they did in the Bible, they read the scriptures.
They read them every Sabbath day. And then when they came,
and they, after the reading of the law, they read the law, and
then they read some prophets. And then the rulers of the synagogue
sent unto them saying, you men and brethren, somebody stood
up and said, you men and brethren, if any of you have any word of
exhortation for the people, get up and give it. Well, they didn't
know who was sitting in that congregation. And you know, that was what happened
to our Lord Jesus Christ after they read the law and the prophets
in Luke 14, you know, and that's when our Lord Jesus started his
ministry. They said, if any have anything
to say, and he stood up. And after they read the prophet
Isaiah, he said, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your
ear. For the spirit of the Lord hath anointed me to preach the
gospel. And then he, they closed the
book, he set out. And that started his earthly
and public ministry. So Paul here, he stood up and
said in verse 16, he stood up and then he beckoned with his
hand and said, men of Israel, he addressed two classes of people,
you men of Israel, he addressed the Jews. And then he says, And
ye that fear God give audience. And Gentiles were what they called
those that worshipped in the synagogues, they called them
people who feared God. And so he starts telling them
how God saved Israel and how God saves his people. And he
says, And the first thing he does, and this is where the gospel
always starts, don't ever forget this. Oh, Martin Lloyd-Jones
says, I tell you what, if you know where the gospel starts,
it's with God. He said, we thank God for you, brethren. Thanks
be unto God for your election. The gospel starts with God. It
don't start with man. That's why they got it upside
down in this world. Everybody starts with man and
tries to get him up to God by telling him what he needs to
do. We start with God and tell man that he's high and he's holy
and he's lifted up and you need to stay here and he's there and
you got to get from here to there in your heart and only God can
do that for you. And he says, God, he starts to
God, the God of this people. God's got a people, a people
that look what he says, who chose a God of election, a God of sovereign
mercy, the God who chose our fathers. God did it. God's the one who acted. God
chose them and God chose them through grace. Now let me show
you something. You keep back and go over here to Deuteronomy
chapter seven. Deuteronomy 7. And look what
he says over here about the Lord choosing these people. Deuteronomy
7. Oh, listen, they were chosen
through grace. God had chosen them. God had
said, you're mine. Out of all the nations of the
earth, he said, I made you mine. Look what he said here in Deuteronomy
7 and verse 7. The Lord did not set his love
upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than
any other people. For you were the fewest of all
people, but because the Lord loved you, And because he would
keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord
brought you out. The Lord done it. Brought you
out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage,
out of the house of Pharaoh. So you see, God chose him. God
acted. God's the one that brought him
out. God's the one who redeemed him. God's the one that brought
him through the Red Sea. God's the one who brought him
into Canaan. And oh, listen, I tell you, salvation's of the
Lord from start to finish. From start to finish. And oh,
and look what else, not only did He do that, but look what
it says. And then He preserved them. Look how He preserved them
in verse 18. And oh, listen, He brought them
out. Thank God He brings men out. He brings, oh, He hath picked
me up, lifted me up out of the miry clay. set my feet on a rock,
and established my goings, and put a new song in my mouth, even
praise unto our God. And oh, there's another verse
of scripture over in 1 Samuel 12. He says, the Lord hath chosen
you. You're no different than anybody
else. The only difference it makes between you and anybody
else is what I made in you. And look what he says here now.
He says, in God about the time of 40 years, He suffered their
manners in the wilderness. I mean, they were preserved for
40 years. God was patient with them, long-suffering
with their murmur, long-suffering with their complaining, long-suffering
with their unbelief. And, oh, they murmured, they
complained, they just fought Moses, fought all the way. And
yet God kept them and God preserved them. And, oh, listen what He
done, how He provided for them. You think God won't provide for
His people? In verse 19, when He destroyed seven nations, seven
nations, people say, well, you know, God wouldn't do things
like that. Listen, it's amazing what He'll do for His elect. He said, there's seven nations. And here's what God did. Here's
what the Lord did. Seven nations out here. And He
went and destroyed seven nations. They already had houses built.
They had vineyards, they had olive yards, they had everything
they needed, and He took a bunch of people, high-minded, murmuring,
complaining people, and He put them in their houses after He
ran them all out of them. Now, ain't that the way the Lord
does us? I mean, you know, murmuring, complaining, He provides for
us and gave us a dwelling place, gave us a hiding place, gave
us a refuge in the Lord Jesus Himself. hit us in Christ. And beloved, as anything that's
against us, He took it out of the way, and He nailed it to
His cross. And there's nothing against us
now. And oh, beloved, and they all, listen, God is, God is not
gonna let His people, any enemy ever get them, ever destroy them.
And I tell you what, in His, Tim James is here preaching one
time, and he preached on that. He said, you know, God said,
look, you're no different than these people that dwell in these
houses. He said, in all these seven nations,
you're no different. You know, the only reason it
makes you different is because of what I did for you. I was
the one that had the Passover lamb. I was the one that had
the bloodshed. I was the one who said, I'll
pass over you. I was the one who parted the Red Sea. I was
the one who put Pharaoh down in the dust. I was the one who
brought you out there. I was the one who destroyed seven
nations. And I tell you what, the only
reason why you're going to live in them houses is because I did
it. And I set my affection on you.
And I meant to do this for you. And those folks, I tell you what,
that's the way. And only us as believers understand what it
is for God to have all the power and all the right. If He wants
to destroy seven nations, that's His business. The nations belong
to Him, don't they? Huh? Look in Isaiah 46 with me
just a minute. Let me show you something about
what the Lord said. Isaiah 46. Where's that verse of Scripture,
Gary? Maybe you remember where it's at. It said, Dust of the
balance I believe this might be I don't know and look what
he says. He said all remember in verse
9 Remember the former things of old for I'm God and there
is none else. I'm God and there's none like me declaring the end
from the beginning and From ancient times of things that are not
yet done saying my counsel should stand and I'll do all my good
pleasure And all he said he counts the nations as a drop in the
bucket and as the small dust of the balance. And I tell you,
beloved, as much as it grieves us, as much as it hurts us, now
when the Lord passed judgment upon Israel, 4017, is that where
it's at? You look at that when you get
home. But I know this, I know this, that just like here in
America, we're grieved, we're grieved, but there ain't a thing
in the world we can do about it but pray, and trust the Lord,
and I do know this, that America and every other nation, this
is not the first nation that God ever brought down. It won't
be the last nation He brings down. Babylon was one of the
greatest nations that the world ever seen. Rome, Rome ruled the
world at one time, ruled the whole world. You can go to England
and back in 300 A.D. they got Roman Baths over there
where they came and conquered Europe and came and conquered
Britain and built Roman Baths over there and got the aqueducts
and everything from the 300 A.D. And they still work. And what are they now? What are they now? The only thing
Rome's got going for it as far as the Catholic goes is the Pope.
And I don't care anything about him. But that's what I'm telling
you. God, he's the one that runs this
world. If he wants to raise up a nation,
he can. If he wants to set one down, he can. If he wants to
save a man, he can. If he wants to leave a man alone,
he can. There were kings that he saved.
And there were people like Pharaoh who said, I just raised you up
for only one reason. I raised you up, Pharaoh, to
show you that I'm running this world, not you. Running this
world, not you. And then look what he says in
verse 20. And after that, he gave unto
them judgment. He supplied their need, prepared for them. And after that, he gave unto
them judges about the space of 450 years until Samuel the prophet
He supplied their needs. He gave them judges, people to
preserve them, people to teach them, people to instruct them,
people to keep them, and be their deliverer. Then he gave them
a prophet. He gave them Samuel and all the prophets that God
gave them. And then he gave them a king,
said, we want us a king. Well, he gave them the king,
Saul. And that king, he gave him by 40 years. And then look
what happens now. And they said, here's another
thing. When he had removed him, When God removed him, God removed him. It didn't say
you know that he died. It didn't say he relinquished
his throne. It didn't say he decided he won't
step down unless somebody else be king. It says, and God removed
him. God removed him. And look what
he said, oh my. He said, and he raised up unto
them David to be their king. And listen to what God said about
David now. Oh, David, to whom he also gave
testimony. This is God speaking about David
now. It's what the Lord says about David. And he gave testimony
and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse. And you know
what I found about him? I found a man after my own heart.
And this is what else he said about him. He shall fulfill all
my will. He's going to do my will. Now
he's not talking about David the king because he goes on to
say, have this man seed hath God according to his promise
raised unto Israel a Savior Jesus Christ. That's where I wanted
to get to this that word of salvation. And oh, this man's seed. Look
in Romans chapter 1. You know, God, our Lord Jesus
Christ, was the Son of David. He was of the seed of David according
to the flesh. You know, the only reason, and
I believe I've told you all this before, the only reason there's
genealogy in the Scriptures, the only reason they kept a record
of everybody in the Scriptures, was so that they could keep track
of the seed of Jesus Christ, his lineage, who he came from,
where he came from. David was of the tribe of Judah. No priest ever came out of the
tribe of Judah, but our great high priest came out of the tribe
of Judah. That was the kingly tribe, and our king of kings
came out of the tribe of Judah. And David, God told David, He
said, I'm going to raise up unto you a man that will sit on your
throne. And you know how long he's going
to sit on your throne? He's going to sit on your throne forever
and ever and ever and ever. And I got excluded from a church
one time because they preached that Jesus is a coming king.
that he's a coming king. He hasn't reigned king yet. He's
not king yet. He's not going to reign king
until he comes back to this earth and goes to Jerusalem and establishes
the throne in Jerusalem again for a thousand years. He was
on the throne when he left there and came to here and he went
right back to where he come from. He's King. He's of the tribe
of Judah. He's made according to the flesh
the seed of David. How many times do we say, Oh
Jesus thou Son of David! And look what it said here in
verse 1 of Romans chapter 1. a servant of Jesus Christ called
to be an apostle, separated unto God, which he had promised, afforded
by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. And what was this gospel that
God had promised concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, listen
to it, which was made of the seed of David, according to the
flesh? You know how the king of kings
came into Jerusalem? You know what the prophet said
how he'd come into Jerusalem? Most kings, when they come in,
they come in with a bunch of heralds going in front of them.
Here comes the king. Everybody bows down and all that. Our Lord
Jesus Christ came into Jerusalem on a colt, the foal of an ass. You know why he did that? Because
that's what the scripture said he would do. And also he was
the son of David. David was the type of our Lord
Jesus Christ. And then look what it says in
verse 23 back over here in Acts. Back over in Acts 13. Look what
it says here in verse 23. And of this man's seed, God's
goodness revealed in his son. Look what it says, God raised
according to His promise. God, according to His promise,
raised up a Savior. Raised up a Savior. A Savior. Men need a Savior. We got to
have a Savior. And a Savior that doesn't save
is not a Savior. Is that not right, Gary? If a
man, if it says, thou shall call his name Jesus and he shall save
his people from their sin. A Savior that does not save could
not possibly be called a Savior. To get up and say, will you let
Jesus save you? Then that, then he's not the
Savior. You're the Savior because you're
letting him save you. So if you have to let him save
you, then he's not much of a Savior. Saviors come and they save people
out of trouble. You know, the only reason you
need saving, cause we're in trouble. What are we in trouble with?
We're in trouble with God. In trouble with the law of God.
Trouble with the justice of God. We're sinners by nature, sinners
by birth, sinners by practice. And that God raised up a savior. And oh, and he was given according
to promise. And he was purposed from all
eternity and given in time. I want you to look, Acts 13,
look in Isaiah 11, just a moment. Just a moment, just a minute.
Isaiah 11. Look what it says over here.
In Isaiah 11, in verse one and two. It's talking about our Lord
Jesus Christ. Raised up a Savior. Raised up
to be a Savior. Oh, I need saving. I want to
be saved. I don't want to be lost. I don't
want to be deceived. And there shall come forth a
rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of
his roots. Jesse, he's David's father. And oh, listen, and a
branch shall grow out of his roots. And listen to who he's
talking about, a person. And the spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and fear
of the Lord. And oh my, that's the Lord Jesus
Christ. He promised him to come. And
oh, back over here in Acts 13. Oh, God's goodness revealed in
his son. God's goodness according to this man's seed. God according
to his promise. He promised our Savior. He promised
him in Genesis 3.15. I'll put him between the woman's
seed and my seed, he told the serpent. And all are given according to
promise. And he came in the fullness of time. And then look what happens.
And John the Baptist came before him. And John the Baptist come
preaching. preparing the way of the Lord. When John had first
preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to Israel,
and as John fulfilled his course, they asked him, who do you think
I am? They said, oh, who are you? He said, I know one thing,
I'm not the Christ. I'm just the one sent before
him. I'm not worthy to unlatch his shoes. I'm not worthy to
bow down before him and tie his shoes or take his shoes off.
And there comes one after me. He's before me. He's preferred
before me. He's got the power. And when
you see him, he said, when you see him and John saw him, he
said, behold, the Lamb of God. And from the time John pointed
him out, they quit following John and went start following
the Lord Jesus Christ. And oh, John preached before
and John fulfilled his course. He fulfilled his ministry. And
then he said, O men of Abraham and children of Stochavish, when
you that fear God, is this word of salvation said? The word of
what salvation? Oh, listen now. This is what
we're talking about. For they that dwell at Jerusalem
and their rulers, listen to this now. He is condemned by them. For they that dwell at Jerusalem
and their rulers because they knew him not. Didn't know who
they were, didn't know who he was. Didn't have a clue who he
was. They said, oh, listen, how many
times, twice they pick up stones to stone our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why? Because one, he made himself
to be equal with God, and he said before Abraham was, I am.
And they understood that when he said I am, he was talking
about the one that was in that burning bush that spoke to Moses
on the mountain. He understood that very, very
clearly. And it says, and they knew Him
not. They did not know the Lord of glory. They did not know Jesus
Christ when He was among them. They didn't know His power. They
didn't know His glory. They didn't know from His eternity.
They didn't see, they saw His miracles. They saw His power.
They saw His work. And that's all, that's all. They
saw a miracle worker, but they knew Him not. Knew Him not. And why didn't they know him?
Because they didn't know his word. And look what else it says
there. And they knew him not, nor yet
the voices of the prophets. They read the prophets. They
read Isaiah. They read Moses. They read Isaiah. They read Ezekiel. They read
Jeremiah. They read Daniel. They read Malachi. They read
Zechariah. They read all the prophets. And
after they read the prophets and they saw all the things concerning
Christ were obvious to them and before them, and yet they did
not know the voices of the prophets. They didn't know Isaiah when
he says that he would come up before him as a root out of a
dry ground, that there'd be no beauty about him that we should
desire him. But he was strict and smitten of God and afflicted.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. Everyone forsook him
and fled. But it said he was wounded for
our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, chastisement
of our peace was upon him. And they read those things. They
read Isaiah 7, and that the virgin shall conceive and bear a son. And they didn't see, they didn't
hear the voices of the prophets. They didn't hear what the Scriptures
said. You know, and a perfect illustration of that is Paul,
Saul of Tarsus. Here was a man well, well versed
in the Scriptures. I mean, he studied the Bible.
He knew the Old Testament Scriptures forwards and backwards. And you
know what he did? He despised our Lord Jesus so
much that he went out and got him some warrants and went out
and started arresting people. And hailing men and women and
putting them in jail. Until one day, the Lord smote
him down. So the Lord sent a light and
put him in the dust on the Damascus road. He's blind for three days
and three nights. And when Ananias went to him
and says, the God of our fathers hath chosen thee, to see that
just one and to hear his voice and to do his will. His eyes was opened, you know
what he did? He straightway preached Jesus was the Christ. How could
he do that? He heard the voice of the prophets.
He already knew what they said, but he didn't know they was talking
about the Lord Jesus, didn't know they was talking about Christ.
And oh, listen, and then look what it says. And they read them
every Sabbath day and they fulfilled the scriptures themselves in
condemning him. They hated me without a cause. And listen to this, and they
found no cause of death in him. There was no reason for Christ
to die as far as man was concerned. There was no reason for him to
die. Why would he have to die? If a man has no sin, he doesn't
have to die. Yet they found no cause of death
in him. How horrible, how horrible is the human heart that they
would take an innocent man and put him to death. But look what
it says, yet they desired Pilate that he should be slain. Pilate,
willing to content the people, gave over to him, gave over to
him, said, you take him, go ahead. I'll wash my hands of it. And
it says this in verse 29, And when they had fulfilled all that
was written of him, everything that was written about our Lord
Jesus Christ was fulfilled. When our Lord said, All things
as written concern him that was accomplished, he cried, It is
finished. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him,
they took him down, got him down, his body was dead, it was cold,
it was lifeless, And they took him down off that tree, and they
prepared his body for burying, and went and put him in a tomb. Went and put him in a tomb. Dead. Dead. But look what the next verse
says. But God raised him. Oh, listen, that's why death
has absolutely... Gary, you was talking about you
being low. Listen, we get so low sometimes
and when we read that he was dead and then God raised him
from the dead. I was, me and Shirley was talking about scriptures
the other day, and I said, here's the Lord. They went down to the
tomb. Mary went down to the tomb, and the Lord Jesus wasn't there.
She run, told Simon, Peter, and Simon, Peter, and John, they
run, and they stood down like this here. They had to get down,
because you know, it was in the rock. And they got down and looked
in there, and Christ wasn't there. But I'll tell you what was there.
His clothes, His, Garments that he was buried in that linen cloth
was lying there Not unwrapped or nothing Lying there just like
me and you slipping out of our clothes and our clothes being
laid right where they was He's come out of those and he's and
they was laying there like he'd been in them, but he wasn't in
them no more And then the napkin that they covered his eyes up
with That was just that was laying right beside him so our Lord
Jesus Christ Anybody can walk on water. Anybody can uphold
the world by the word of his power. Anybody that can create
by the word of his power. Anybody that can save a sinner
like you and me, that can break our hard hearts and come into
our dark minds and give us understanding, quicken us from the death of
our sins. And I tell you what, he reached up and never moved
the clothes he was in. The rest of them got that napkin
and laid it right there and walked down that tomb. Oh, God raised him from the dead. Oh, listen, that's why we're
not afraid to go into that place, because Christ walked out of
it. Oh, death, where is thy victory?
Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be unto God, which always
gives us a victory in Christ Jesus. Oh, listen, then, oh, God raised
him from the dead. And look what happens, and he
was seen many days of them which came up with him from Beatalesia,
Jerusalem, who are his witnesses under the people. Oh, listen,
you know how many times he appeared to his people? The first three
times. First person he met was Mary. Mary was walking around
there just weeping and crying. And there's a man standing there,
and she says, oh, if you be the gardener, she supposed him to
be the gardener. And she said, sir, if you've
took his body, well, tell me where you've laid him. Oh, listen,
I'll go and get him. About that time, the Lord Jesus
Christ said to her, Mary. And she said, oh, Lord, oh, Lord,
oh, Lord. Oh, she knew it was the Lord.
She knew it was the master. And you know what he told her?
He said, you go tell Simon Peter and my brethren that I'll see
him over in Galilee just where I told him I would. Oh, bless his holy name. He is
raised from the dead. Lots and lots of witnesses. And
oh, listen. And Isaiah says there, and Paul
told them this in verse 32, and we declare unto you glad tidings. These are glad tidings, good
tidings, now that the promise which was made unto the father,
God has fulfilled the same and that he raised up our Lord Jesus
again. As it's written in the second
Psalm, thou art my son, today have I begotten thee. And he
says concerning raising from the dead, he's not more gonna
go back to the grave, no corruption. The minute you and I die, corruption
sets in. That's why we die, because of
corruption. The minute we die, that's why, you know, in places
where they don't embalm people, they put them in the ground within
24 hours. Mexico, Israel, places in hot
countries and stuff, they want them in the ground within 24
hours, because they corrupt. But our Lord Jesus Christ stayed
three days and three nights on earth with no corruption in him. He was as alive when he come
out of that tomb as he was before he crucified him. Huh? And guess what? The scripture
says that we, when he appears, we're going to see him just like
he is, and we'll be just like him, be just like him. And oh,
why didn't he see corruption? Because he had no sin of his
own. We see corruption because we have sin of our own. And that's
why our bodies, if they're not embalmed, they'll rot, they'll
go to dust, and they'll corrupt, and the worms will eat it. You
say, that's gross. That's reality. That's what the
Bible says is going to happen to us. From the dust you come
to the dust you're going to return. Job said, after the skin worms
desire this body, I shall see the Lord for myself and not another. Go ahead and take this body.
I'm not going to worship God in this body anyway. He's going
to give me a new one. That's why I'm going to tell
you something. Listen to me. I know decoration, everybody goes out
and that, but I'll tell you what. You know, to go to the grave
and sit down and talk to somebody and just spend a lot of time
at somebody's grave, if they're a believer, then there's something
wrong with you, and I'll tell you why. Because they're not
there. That's a body there. If they are a believer in Christ,
they're in glory. And if you're going to talk to
them, you've got to talk to them in your heart. I'm not going
to go sit down at a grave in front of a tombstone with somebody's
name on it and go talking to them, because they're not there.
They was the moment the life left, leave somebody's body.
If they're Christ, they're there with him that quick. And that's why I said this corruptible
shall put on interruption. This mortal shall be swallowed
in immortality. And what a wonderful thing to
think. Oh, listen. And oh, many witnesses. And he says, oh, we declare unto
you, and he's dogmatic about this, how that God made the promise,
raised Christ from the dead. And look what it says there in
the last part of verse 34. I'll give you the sure mercies
of David. You know what the sure mercies
of David is? The Lord hath made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. This
is all my salvation. This is all my desire. That's
what the sure mercy is of David. Oh, listen. And then let me give
you this and then I'll be done. And be it known unto you, therefore
in verse 38, be it known unto you, men and brethren, that through
this man that God raised from the dead, this seed of David,
David's still in the grave, David's still in the tomb, but he's gone
with glory. David was buried and was never
raised from the dead. Christ was raised from the dead.
Be it known there unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through
this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness of sins. All
your sins are gone, gone, gone, gone. And listen to this, and
by Him, by Him, through Him, because of Him, all that believe
are justified from all things from which you could not be justified
by the law of Moses. The law could never justify,
could not put away sin, but our Lord Jesus Christ did. Oh, this
man, This man, look what he says, he gives a solemn warning. Beware
therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the
prophets. You see that gospel's a saver of life or a saver of
death. Behold you that despise and stand in wonder and perish. For I'm gonna work a work in
your days, a work you'll in no way believe, though a man declare
it unto you. You ain't going to believe it.
The man's going to tell you about it, going to declare it unto
you. Oh, solemn morning, beware lest this come upon you. And
then look what happened, and this is what else happened. Look
at the great effects the gospel has. And when the Jews were going
out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might
be preached to them next Sabbath. Would you come back and preach
that to us again? Come back and tell us that all over again.
Oh, that glad tidings you told us about, tell me about that
tomorrow, would you? And then look what, in verse
33, look what happened right then. And now when the congregation
was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed
Paul and Barnabas, speaking to them. I followed them wherever
they went, said, oh man, just keep on preaching, just keep
on preaching. And look what, you know what Paul told them
to do? He persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Don't go
to work, don't go to Moses, don't go to the law. This Savior that
God raised up, go to Him. This one that God raised from
the dead, go to Him. You continue in grace, the message
of grace, believe in grace. For by grace are you saved. That's the word of salvation.
Starts out with God and ends, be it known therefore unto you
men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins. And by him, you're justified
from everything there is. Amen. Oh, Lord Jesus, our blessed,
blessed Savior, Lord, we seek to honor you and
glorify you. Seek to magnify your glorious
name and your blessed work and your glorious person. And Lord,
we fail. Oh, how we fail. But oh, Lord,
Jesus is so wonderful and so blessed to speak of you anyway. One of these days, we'll worship
you like you're worthy. We'll speak of you like you're
worthy of it. We'll worship you like you're
worthy of it. But Lord, just because we can't
do it here the way we want, we're not going to stop. We're going
to continue to speak of you, think of you, call on you, look
to you, believe you, embrace you, bow before you, obey you. And we're going to love you with
the love that you put in our hearts for you. Lord, blessed
be your holy name. Lord, bless and strengthen and
encourage these dear saints. May your sheep hear your voice
in this place. God help Debbie and Jim and give
them thy grace and abundance of grace and be their strength,
be their stay in this tough, tough situation that you've put
them in. We ask you to be their strength.
We ask you in Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Turn your eyes upon
Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth
will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. I'll see you Wednesday night,
God willing.