My text today is going to be
Acts chapter 2 if you want to turn there, I think they'll be
on the screen but And the title is the third command of the gospel,
you know those of you been following along with my series here, you
know, I've been preaching a series here from Acts chapter 2 and
I It stemmed from a question found
in Acts 2.37, and this question came from those hearing Peter,
the apostle, preach the gospel at Pentecost. Look at Acts 2.37
with me, if you will. Now when they heard this, those
that were hearing Peter preach, when they heard this, they were
pricked in their heart, pierced through their heart, and said
unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren,
what shall we do? Sinners who ask such a question
in response to the gospel are those hearing something radically
different than they've heard before. They're seeing a dramatic
contrast between what they previously believed about Christ, about
God, about His way of salvation, than what they knew before, than
what they understood before. They're obviously agreeing with
the gospel they're hearing and they're obviously understanding
that they cannot go on as they were before, before they heard
the gospel. Thus the question, what shall
we do? Now the gospel doesn't leave
sinners who come to this question hanging. It gives clear and precise
instructions and clear demands. We see two of these commands
in Acts chapter two in verse 38. It says, And then Peter said
unto them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. The first command of the gospel
to every sinner who hears it and believes it is repent. Change your God. Change your
Christ. Be delivered from the Christ
of your imagination to the Christ of the gospel. Repent. This is
a must. This is a beginning place. Without
a sinner's obedience to this command to repent, these other
two commands just fall on deaf ears. They cannot be obeyed.
So, the first command to those who hear the gospel and believe
it is repent. The second is to those who hear
and believe it and repent, and that command is to be baptized.
Be identified with those of your generation who have believed
the gospel and repented. But there's one more thing the
gospel commands, and that's what I want to deal with here today.
Look at Acts chapter 2 and verse 40. It says, and with many other
words did Peter testify and exhort saying, save yourselves from
this untoward generation. Now literally that last phrase
is be saved from the wicked and perverse of this generation.
I'll explain that a little more when we get on down here a little
bit. This is the third command of the gospel. to those who claim
to believe it. It's to those who have believed
and repented, those who've turned from the Christ of their imaginations
to the Christ of the gospel. It's to those who've been baptized,
openly and publicly identifying with the Christ of the gospel
and those others who have preceded them in baptism. The first thing
we want to consider today is what exactly is being commanded
in this third command. What is Peter commanding these
Jews of his generation and also believers of every generation?
The command we see here is about deliverance. It's about being
rescued. It's about being separated. The
verb translated save yourselves is in the passive, just like
be baptized back in that previous verse. It should read, be saved. is not something we do, it's
something God does in us as we hear the gospel, the declaration
of Christ preached again. The sense is to be delivered
or rescued. Those of you who have been delivered
from the Christ of your imaginations and turned to the Christ of the
gospel, you continue to be rescued from those of your generation
who preach another Jesus, who promote another gospel. This
is a continuing thing. And it says in this verse, from
this untoward generation. Be saved, delivered from the
untoward of this generation. Thus, the command is to believers
in each successive generation. He's not just preaching to the
believers in that one generation. There are those who are untoward,
wicked, and perverse in every generation. He's commanding all
believers in each generation be delivered from those who preach
and promote another gospel. The word untoward is not a word
that we, you and I, probably use in our conversation. I don't
use it and I'm pretty sure you don't. But it means wicked. It means perverse. And Peter's
not speaking of moral wickedness or moral perverseness here. Believers,
we ought to be moral. We ought to be upright in every
area of life. We ought to be the most law-abiding
people on the face of the earth, because obeying the law honors
God. when you obey the law, not seeking
to find your acceptance in that obedience. But that's not what
Peter's talking about here, not moral uprightness, but he's commanding
sinners here to a spiritual battle. Peter's commanding those, as
Paul commanded the believers at Corinth, not to be unequally
yoked together, that is, not to be united in fellowship and
worship with unbelievers. Look at 2 Corinthians 6 and verse
14. Paul writes to the Corinthians, Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers? For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For you are the temple of the
living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk
in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you
and will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord. The unclean thing is the same
thing Peter's writing about. He's writing about the wicked
and perverse of his generation. Come out from among them and
be separate. Don't be in fellowship and in
worship with unbelievers in this generation. Those who believe
the gospel are commanded to repent. And those who have repented are
to be baptized. And those who've been baptized
are to be saved. That is, they are to be delivered. They are to be rescued from those
of their generation who preach any other Jesus than the one
declared, distinguished, and identified by the gospel. Now,
I've spoken at length in other messages about initial repentance
and believers' baptism. These are one-time acts. They're
not to be repeated. But being delivered, the command
we're looking at today, being saved from the wicked and perverse
of this generation is not a one-time thing. It's an ongoing thing.
This is that repentance that continues throughout the life
of a believer. We continually need to be delivered
from those who err in doctrine in our generation. We continually
need to be rescued from those who preach another gospel. Look
at what Paul wrote to the Galatians. in Galatians 1 and verse 6. He said, I marvel that you are
so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel, which is not another. But there be
some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed. As we said before, so say I now
again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you then that
you have received, let him be accursed." There is but one gospel. It's the gospel that declares
the Christ's sin of the Father. The Christ whose death put away
the sin of every sinner he died for, and whose obedience unto
death established the one righteousness by which God is just to justify
ungodly sinners. So, if anybody comes along preaching
unto you any other message, you look upon that man as those cursed
of God. So we're to be delivered from
those who come preaching another gospel. Also, we're continually
in need of being delivered from those who preach another Jesus. Look at 2 John verses 9-11. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth
in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. If there come any unto you, and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him Godspeed. For he that biddeth him Godspeed
is partaker of his evil deeds. They might come preaching Christ,
most that you and I know name Christ, but are they talking
about the Christ, sin of God, the one that's identified and
distinguished by the gospel? If not, you can't bid him Godspeed. You can't say, go in peace, my
brother. You can't fellowship with him
in that message if he's not declaring the gospel of Christ. Because
if you do, you become partaker. Well, you really just reveal
that you are and always have been a partaker of his evil deeds. The gospel is a specific message
which rightly declares the one true Christ. In every generation,
it stands in opposition to those who come promoting their idea
of Christ. Paul and John and Peter are in
agreement in these verses we've looked at here. They are all
commanding believers, those who are arresting their salvation
in Christ, in Christ alone. They're commanding believers
to be delivered, be rescued from those who come preaching and
promoting any other gospel. Any other God, any other Christ. Now this is an ongoing need throughout
the life of every believer. It won't end until our life is
ended or until Christ returns. Now you and I have recently experienced
this need for the separation we're looking at right here today.
We have a living example. We've experienced this in our
own generation just a year or so ago. There are men of our
generation who insist that Christ was made a sinner. that he was
contaminated by sin, that his character and conduct became
flawed, that his person actually became sinful, that he actually
became a God-hater. Now, such doctrine is heresy.
I mean, the Gospel, the Scriptures will not support such doctrine.
The Scriptures declare plainly of Christ that he did no sin. 1 Peter 2.22, that he knew no
sin, 2 Corinthians 5.21, that he offered himself without spot
to God, Hebrews 9.14, that he died the just for the unjust,
1 Peter 3.18. Christ did indeed bear the legal
guilt and the legal defilement of the sins of his sheep. Their
sins were imputed to him. Their sins were charged to the
account of Christ. He was made sin for us, His sheep,
by imputation. But in none of that was Christ's
character contaminated. In none of that was Christ's
nature defiled. In none of that was Christ made
sinful in His person. Christ was not a sinner. He was
not a sinful person. And any who come preaching otherwise
are not declaring the Christ of the Gospel. Such doctrine
cannot and will not be tolerated by those who have been turned
to Christ alone for salvation. We must test and prove all doctrine
by the Word of God. We must be separated by right
doctrine from those who insist on preaching that which is contrary
to the clear teaching of the Scriptures. Now, thank God He
delivered us from these men, and prayerfully He will continue
to deliver us from such who come preaching any other message.
Peter is commanding believers in every generation to be saved,
be delivered, be rescued from the wicked and perverse, though
religious, in your generation that deny Christ and promote
another gospel, who preach another Jesus. So that's what this command
is all about. Be delivered, be rescued, be
separated from those in your generation who come preaching
any other gospel, any other Christ. Next, Who in this world, who
in this generation can rightly expect to experience the salvation,
the deliverance Peter's talking about here? Who will be found
in obedience to this command in this generation? This is a
question to you and me right here in this generation. The
answer is those who've been made to see that the greatest struggle
is not with those out there, not with those without. They
are a struggle. We are to be delivered from them.
But the greatest struggle lies within. The greatest struggle
is in the mind of believers. It's right here. It's this mind
that we still have that is not completely turned 24-7 all the
time to the obedience of Christ alone. Look at Acts chapter 2
and verse 41. It says, Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added
unto them about three thousand souls. They that gladly received
the word, Peter preached to them, the gospel. In other words, they
that gladly believed the gospel that they were hearing, they
that gladly turned to the Christ, that gospel declared, and they
that gladly renounced the former so-called Christ and so-called
God of their imagination. The word here, his word, is the
gospel. to gladly receive His Word speaks
of a radical change of mind. We don't start out believing
the Gospel. We have to be brought to the
Gospel. God has to sit us down under this message and then make
us willing in the day of His power to believe this message.
And as I've already stated, the Gospel is a specific message.
The gospel does not just represent an alternate view of the truth. That's what most would like to
believe, but that's not the truth. It presents the only view that
honors a just God and the Savior. It presents the only message
that declares how God can be merciful and gracious to sinners
while at the same time maintaining his strict, inflexible justice.
A just God must punish sin. He must punish all sin. And the
punishment of sin is eternal death. Also, a just God cannot
pronounce any sinner righteous on the basis of anything proceeding
from that sinner, not his obedience, not his good works, not even
his faith. A just God cannot pronounce a
sinner righteous on the basis of anything proceeding from a
sinner. How then can God punish any sinner
with the punishment that sinner deserves? The punishment God's
justice itself demands and yet at the same time give that sinner
all the benefits and blessings of eternal life, of heaven itself.
In other words, how can God be just and justify the ungodly? The Gospel alone addresses this
question. I didn't even hear this question
until I came to the Gospel, and you didn't either. The Gospel
alone answers this question. The answer is found in the Christ
the Gospel alone declares. The answer is found in the righteousness
revealed only in the Gospel. God chose a people before the
world began, and He conditioned their salvation on Christ. Christ
came and met and satisfied every condition, established the one
righteousness by which God is just, to declare sinners righteous
in His sight. True believers are those who
have been turned by the Spirit of God unto the one true Christ,
the Christ the Gospel alone declares. True believers are those who
have been turned away from the imaginary Christ we once looked
to. We're not in unbelief. We've
been turned from that unbelief to the true Christ. The Spirit
of God has reproved every believer of not believing in the Christ
God sent, and has turned those believers unto the Christ He
did send. And where the Spirit of God has
turned a sinner to the true Christ, the true God, the true Gospel,
that sinner can never be turned away to any other God, any other
Christ, any other Gospel. The Spirit of God makes a sinner
willing in the day of His power, and where He's worked, where
He's made a sinner willing, that sinner can't be turned away.
Look at 1 John chapter 3 and verse 9. It says, Whosoever is
born of God doth not commit sin. For his seed remaineth in him,
and he cannot sin because he is born of God. Now, I'm going
to give you the context of 1 John chapter 3. If he was talking
here about, when he says, doth not commit sin, if he's talking
about just immorality and lying and the things we do without
even thinking about, This would be an impossibility. So the context
of 1 John chapter 3 is talking about those who are abiding in
Christ and those who are not abiding in Christ. It says those
who are born of God doth not commit sin. They cannot fail
to abide in Christ. for his seed remains in him."
The seed he's talking about here are those who are born of God.
Those who are descendants of Christ. And that seed remains
in Christ. They abide in Christ. And they
can't do otherwise. The Spirit of God has brought
them. And they cannot fail to abide in Christ. They cannot
sin because they've been born of God. Who will be saved? Who will be delivered from the
wicked and perverse of this generation they live in? Those who by the
Spirit of God are abiding in Christ. Those who cannot find
any hope or confidence anywhere else. True believers are not
in unbelief, but here's our problem. Unbelief is still in us. Unbelief still makes up a large
part of our thinking. Unbelief is still the sin that
easily besets true believers. We continually wonder Now, I
wrote this thinking of my own self, but I know I'm not any
different than any of you. We continually wonder if we've
done enough, which causes us to continually seek some degree
or amount of confidence within, within our doing. Our self-righteous
imaginations have not been eradicated. We still have them. In fact,
they haven't been lessened at all. Thus, the Christ of our
imagination has not been done away with. He's still there in
many forms and in many notions. We've been delivered to the Christ
of the Gospel. We know who the Savior is. We know that we have
no hope but to be found in Christ and His imputed righteousness
alone. That's our only hope. But we still need to be delivered
from that Christ that still resides in our imagination. This is a
need believers will have and a struggle we'll face as long
as we're in this flesh. It's the warfare the scriptures
speak of between the flesh and the spirit. And it's a warfare
that only takes place in a regenerated center. Why is that? Because
only those who've been given life and faith and repentance,
only those who've been delivered unto the Christ of the gospel,
they're the only ones that have any conflict with the Christ
preached out around this world, outside the gospel. One of the
main problems we faced in seeking to be delivered from the wicked
and perverse of our generation, as Peter is commanding here,
is we still have within us an ally with this religious world
we live in. We still have an ally in us with
that world which we're being commanded to be delivered from.
Paul wrote of this in Romans 7, verses 18 through 21. And let me tell you about Paul
right here. Some would say, well, this is before he was converted.
No, Paul is writing here as a regenerated, born of God believer, one who
has been turned to the Christ of the gospel. Look what he says
in verse 18 here. Paul says, For I know that in
me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, for to will is
present with me. But how to perform that which
is good I find not. For the good that I would I do
not, but the evil which I would not that I do. Now, if I do that
I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. I find then a law that when I
would do good, evil is present with me." Now, in thinking about
this, when I would do good, when would a believer do good? What
is doing good? Well, I'll tell you what a believer
does when he's doing good. He's finding his hope. His rest
entirely and totally in the doing and dying of Christ alone. That's
when He's doing good. That's the only time I'm ever
doing good is when I'm looking to Christ and resting in His
righteousness alone. But when I would do that, when
I want to do that, evil is present with me. It's always there. in
doubt, in uncertainty, in confusion, in circumstances. I'm not always
looking to Christ. I ought to be. Why wouldn't I
be? God makes it clear that those in Christ are certain for final
glory because Christ has done everything, everything necessary
to bring them there. The main enemy we faced in this
battle to be separated is ourselves. The real battle believers face
is to be delivered from our own obedience and to rest dependently
and completely in Christ's obedience. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter
10 verses 3 through 5 here. Paul says, for though we walk
in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. We're still here in
this flesh, but that's not our warfare. For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down
of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Remember
I said a minute ago that only those who've been regenerated
are in this warfare that I'm talking about? Because those
who haven't been regenerated, none of their obedience is to
be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. They're
not seeking that in any way, shape, or form. And we have a
struggle to do that, to bring all of our thoughts, all of our,
every situation, to bring it to know that we have one confidence
before God, and that's in the obedience of Christ and that
alone. The gospel declares the one true
Christ in order that believers be made more and more subject
to his obedience, his obedience alone for all of salvation. Those
enabled to see this are those who will be delivered from the
perverse of this generation. Who will obey the gospel command
to be saved from this untoward generation? Those in whom the
Spirit of God will continue to perform the good work that He
started. Look at Philippians chapter 1 and verse 3. Paul said,
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer
of mine for you, all making requests with joy for your fellowship
in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident
of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it unto the day of Christ Jesus. He's talking
about the work of the Spirit there, bringing a sinner to Christ
and to find his hope nowhere but in Christ's obedience alone.
Who will be delivered? Those enabled to see the preaching
of the cross as the power of God unto salvation. Look at 1
Corinthians 1.18. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but to us which are saved it
is the power of God. These verbs here are in the present
tense. There are always two categories of sinners in the world which
this verse would fit. It's those that are perishing
to which the preaching of the gospel is foolishness. And there
are those who are being saved to which the preaching of the
gospel is the power of God and salvation. We need this gospel. We need to be where it's preached.
We need to study it. We need to learn of Christ. That's
our only hope in this world of being delivered. The Gospel commands
those sinners who claim to believe it to repent. It commands those
who have believed and repented to be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ. And it commands those who have
been baptized to be saved, be delivered from the wicked and
perverse yet religious world around you in your generation.
All right, we looked at what this gospel command is. We looked
at who will be delivered. The last thing we want to look
at is how are believers to be delivered from the religious
world around us in our generation. How are believers to be rescued
from those who come preaching another Jesus, promoting another
gospel? How is that to be done? Look
at Acts 2, 41 and 42. It says, Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added
unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers. They continued steadfastly in
the apostles' doctrine. The only sinners who will do
that are those who have been made to see that the apostles'
doctrine is the gospel, the one gospel in this world. It is the
truth. Everything else is a lie. In
times of crisis, in times of concern, we look to the Word,
the Word of God. How will believers be saved?
How will we be delivered from the wicked, the religious generation
we live in? We'll find our guidance in the
Word of God. We'll find our assurance in the
Word. We'll find our hope in the Word. The Word is how we'll
be delivered. Now I'll just point out two ways
that this is accomplished. in each generation. First, by
not being conformed to this world, but by being transferred by the
renewing of your mind. Look at Romans chapter 12 in
verses 1 and 2. Paul said, I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. As Winston pointed out last week,
he's not telling believers here to try to work out their own
acceptance with God. He's saying, by the mercies of
God, in other words, based on Christ's work alone, you present
your body as one who's already accepted in the Beloved, already
holy before God, based on Christ's imputed righteousness alone.
And in verse 2, it says, on that basis, Be not conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will
of God." If you just had to make a one-line statement about what
the will of God is in this world, I mean, He's working out His
will in every detail, in every moment. But what is the will
of God for believers? Look to Christ. Look to Christ
alone for all of salvation. Rest in Him. That's what the
Spirit's work is in the believer, from day one until the day that
we're taken out of this world. That's the first way as to the
how of where to be delivered. Now, the second way believers
will be delivered from this religious world is by looking to Jesus,
the author and finishers of our faith. Look at Hebrews chapter
12, verses 1 and 2. Winston mentioned this in his
prayer. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses, Now, he's talking about chapter
11 right there. Y'all know that was a whole list
of Old Testament saints there who were looking to Christ for
all of salvation. And because we're compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight
and the sin with just so easily beset us and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us. Laying aside every
weight is anything that would keep us from the gospel, anything
that would keep us from learning of Christ, making use of the
means that God gives us like this one we have right now, like
all the information we have on the internet of messages that
Bill preaches, and the messages that are preached from Ms. Pulpit,
and studying the gospel, the weight is anything that would
hinder us from that. And the sin that so easily besets
us, as I've already mentioned it. It's unbelief, it's doubt
and uncertainty in different situations that we face, that
we're certain for final glory. Not because of what we're facing,
not because of what we've done, but because of what Christ has
done for us. The righteousness He's worked
out, and by which God justifies us in His sight. And that's what
He says in verse 2, looking unto Jesus, the author, the beginner
and finisher, completer of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. When our minds
wander and stray, We're under the gospel. We're to look to
Christ. He's our hope. And we know that
in our mind, but different things cause us to look away to other
things. Those who would be delivered,
separated from this, the wicked and the perverse of their generation
will do so by the word of God. It's the word alone that testifies
of Christ. It's the word alone that testifies
of our oneness with him and our completeness in him. It's the
Word alone that testifies of the certainty of our final glory,
based on and because of Christ's work for us, and that alone.
We look to the Word of God. We find our direction in the
Gospel. We find our hope in the Christ
the Gospel alone declares. How are believers to be separated
from the wicked and perverse yet religious of the generation
in which we live? We're to be separated by the
Word. Those whom the Spirit of God has turned to the Christ
of the gospel will continue to be delivered back to that Christ
under the preaching of the gospel. We find hope in God who forever
declares us righteous based on Christ's imputed righteousness
alone. Be saved from the wicked and perverse of this generation. Continue to be delivered from
those who would preach another gospel, another Jesus. Hear the
gospel. Obey the gospel. Repent. Be baptized. Be saved according to the gospel. This is the command of the gospel
to all who claim to believe it. I hope it's an obedience. I hope that you're in obedience
to this command. And if not, may God make it so
in your life.