Good morning, everyone. If you would open your Bibles with me to Psalm 39. As you're turning Psalm 39, make a couple of announcements. You see in the bulletin that we'll not have a service this Wednesday. A lot of people are traveling, which this year includes me and Janet. We won't be able to be in our house because they're putting polyurethane down the floors and so forth. So we will have a midweek service this Wednesday and hope you all enjoy Thanksgiving with your family. You also note that out in the bulletin, there's a sign-up sheet. We're gonna have a Christmas get-together after the service on December the 7th, so hope you all can attend that.

All right, Psalm 39. I said I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence. I held my peace, even from good, and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me. While I was musing, the fire burned. Then spake I with my tongue, Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth, and mine age as is nothing before thee. Barely every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh in a vain show. Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Make me not the reproach of the foolish. I was dumb. I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke away from me. I am consumed by the blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukest us correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth. Surely every man is vanity. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry. Hold not thy peace at my tears, for I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner. as all my fathers were. Oh, spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more.

All right, let's stand together as Chris leads us in singing our call to worship.

Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed his blood for me.
Thine that I might live on high,
live that I might never die,
as the branches to the vine.
I am his and he is mine.
Oh, the heights of Jesus' love,
higher than the hands above.
Deeper than the deeps of sea.
Lasting an eternity.
Love that found me, wondrous thought.
Found me when I sought Him not.
Jesus only can impart.
Balm the hill, the smitten heart.
Peace that flows from sin forgiven.
Joy that lifts the soul to heaven.
Faith and hope that walks with God
in the way that He not tried.
Chief of sinners, though I be,
Christ is all in all to me.
All my wants to Him are known.
All my sorrows are His own.
Safe with him from earthly strife,
he sustains the hidden life.
Oh, my Savior, help afford,
by thy Spirit,
When my wayward heart would stray.
? Keep me in the narrow way ?
Grace in time to need supply ?
While I live and when I die

All right, you can be seated now. And if you would, take your hymnal and turn it to page 500. when the roll was called up, Your Honor, 500.

? When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound ?
? And time shall ring no more ?
? And the morning breaks eternal bright and fair ?
? When the slaves of earth shall gather over ?
? On the other shore ?
? And the roll is called up yonder I'll be there ?
? When the roll ?
is called up yonder.

When the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

? On that bright and cloudless morning ?
When the dead in Christ shall rise ?
And the glory of his resurrection share ?
When his chosen ones shall gather to their home ?
Beyond the sky ?
And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there When the roll is called up yonder When the roll is called up yonder When the roll is called up yonder When the roll is called up yonder
I'll be there

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun. Let us talk with all His wondrous love and care. Then when all this life is over and our work on earth is done, When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. When the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

Turn, if you will, to Acts chapter 9. Our scripture for this morning, our pastor has asked us to read Acts chapter 9, verses 1 through 18.

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

' And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

And Saul arose from the earth, And when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was there three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight.

Then Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem, and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house. And putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way, as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou might receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

And immediately there fell from his eyes, as there had been scales, and he received his sight forthwith and arose and was baptized. May the Lord bless his word. Our heavenly father, we're so thankful that you've brought us here this morning and given us your word. Lord, we were a needful people and we pray that you would leave us not alone, that you would send your spirit to be among us, that Lord, make it that more than two or three have been gathered in your name this morning and show us our Lord Jesus Christ. Show us our hope, our all.

Father, we're so, so very thankful that you've brought us here this morning and that you've sent your preacher Open your word to us. Lord, we pray that you would give us sight, that you would remove the scales from our eyes, Lord, and show us the Lord Jesus Christ, our only need, our all and in all. Help us, Lord, to put aside our self-righteousness, our religious works, Even, Lord, zeal for man's religion and give us an earnest need for Christ. Have mercy on us, Lord, the sinners.

Pray, Lord, that you would do a great work among us this morning, that you would reveal Christ to us, cause us to rejoice. Pray this for each and every soul here this morning. Show us Christ. We pray especially for those who have not yet seen that you would reveal yourself to them in a saving manner. Have mercy on their souls. And Lord, what we pray for this, our local congregation, Lord, we pray for all those congregations wherever men stand this morning, to proclaim salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Give them liberty of speech, and Lord, feed your sheep. Feed your sheep.

We need thy mercy, Lord. We ask that you would continue to bless here, that you would send your word forth from this place for generations to come, if it be thy will. We ask that you would uphold our pastor and his family. Pray for those that we're going through deep trials, Lord. We know that it's your will. And we pray that you would accomplish your will in that right quick. That you would cause us to see we have one need, and that's for Christ. Comfort your people. Help us to comfort your people. But most of all, give us Christ or else we die.

We ask all these things in the name above every name, the name to which our knees bow, our Lord Jesus Christ, for our good and for his sake. Amen.

I've titled the message this morning, God Saves Rebels. Dan just read to us the story of when Saul of Tarsus, the future apostle Paul, met the Savior. Keep your Bibles open there to Acts 9. Let me read you this from 1 Timothy chapter 1. This is what Paul said about himself. In 1 Timothy 1 verse 15, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtain mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering for a pattern to then, which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Paul says he's a pattern of salvation, of what happens when God saves a rebel. And if the Lord has saved you, you're gonna recognize yourself in this story and how God revealed himself and saved Saul of Tarsus.

Now, first of all, if God's gonna save us, there's got to be a rebel. God only saves sinners. Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, Paul said. So there has to be a rebel. There's got to be an undeserving rebel before God's grace will mean anything to us. If you're innocent, No charge can be brought against you. You have no interest in grace. The only people who have interest in grace are rebels. The prodigal has to go away, waste all of his living, sin against his father before he can ever come back and be welcomed and forgiven by a loving father. There's got to be a rebel.

Now, rebellion does not have to be what we call open sin, some sort of sexual sin or robbing banks or mugging people or something, you know. You know, you can be a rebel. You can be a rebel against God and follow all the rules. You can live a, you know, an outwardly clean life. You always get, you know, good grades on working and playing well with others. You can be very religious, very orthodox, and still be the worst rebel that there is. Because the height of rebellion is found in those who refuse to bow to Jesus Christ. That's the height of rebellion.

Look at Philippians chapter three. The height of rebellion is refusing to give up my own works and my own works of righteousness to insist on trusting in my own works of righteousness and refusing to trust Christ. That was Saul of Tarsus. This is what he says about himself in Philippians three verse four. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Circumcised the eighth day the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Saul of Tarsus was orthodox, wasn't he? Oh, he had all of his religious ducks in a row. And he said, there's no outward sin. Nobody could point to one of these things and say they saw me doing one of them. Outwardly, there was no sin. And to the natural man, now that sounds good, doesn't it? That sounds, oh, this person, he's better than the rest of us. He's worked his way to God. But you know, that kind of person, like Saul of Tarsus, is difficult for the normal people like you and me to be around. I mean, you just always feel inferior around him. He's always making you know how much better he is than you. He's hard to be around. And worse yet, that's the kind of person God will never accept. Not in their own self-righteousness, he'll never accept them.

And that's where we meet Saul of Tarsus. This is his attitude, this is where he was at in Acts chapter nine. Verse one, and Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Now remember, here's what Saul of Tarsus thought and believed, that you have to keep the law yourself in order to be righteous. obey the law, you have to follow all the, you know, observe all the ceremonies and do all these things, you know, just right. That's what you have to do in order to be accepted of God. And if somebody trusts Christ to keep the law for them, if somebody trusts Christ to be their representative and keep the law for them, if they trust Christ to buy his blood, put away their sin and justify them, that they're justified by faith in Christ, not their works. If somebody really believes that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin, that even though no matter how much we've sinned, that the blood of Christ has already paid for it, and if Christ died for us and shed his blood to put away our sin, that the Father forgive us no matter what happens in the future, no matter what sins we happen to commit in the future, what Saul thought, if you believe that, Well, you're gonna sin so much, you'll turn this world into hell. And Paul or Saul was determined, he was gonna stamp that kind of thinking out from the earth. He was gonna stamp out that, somebody that believed that, he was gonna stamp out somebody that preached that. He was just going after them like a mad dog.

If you look over in Acts chapter 26, Paul tells this story again, he gives us a detail here. that is not found in Acts chapter nine. Not only did he want to bring somebody to Jerusalem, but look what he says here in Acts 26 verse nine. I barely thought within myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which thing I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints that I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priest, And when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

Saul didn't want to just throw them in jail. He wanted to see him killed. And I punished them oft in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. He tortured them, trying to get them to blaspheme against Jesus of Nazareth. And I was exceeding mad against them. I was just this mad dog foaming at the mouth. I persecuted them even under strange cities. It wasn't enough I tried to straighten up the people around me, I had to go to strange cities and try to straighten them up there, too.

If I could say, that's the worst. That's the worst kind of rebel. One who seems to be outwardly moral and outwardly straight, and that's what they're trusting in, in their own works and what they've done. instead of trusting in Christ. Instead of seeing that I'm a sinner completely undone by my sin and I need Christ to save me and do all the saving for me, that's the worst kind of rebel. And we've not been saved until the Lord teaches us this.

I'm a rebel. I'm a rebel. It's not just, you know, a rebel is not somebody that's just doing the wrong thing and doesn't know any better. A rebel is someone who is actively rebelling against God. That's a rebel. In this country, Civil War, what do we call the South? They're rebels. And that's what they call themselves, too. Well, I'm a rebel. I'm rebelling against this authority. That's what a rebel is, someone who willingly rebels and fights against God's authority over us. And we've not been saved until we find this out. God's got to teach us this. I'm the opposite of what God requires. I'm a rebel.

Then number two, if there's going to be salvation, if a rebel is going to be saved now, there's got to be light from above. Paul says in verse three, as he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. Now we need to be given light from heaven, light from above, because we don't have any light of our own. We're in darkness. And this light that came on Saul and his men there was not just the light of the sun. It wasn't just some peculiar light from a star or something. This is the glorious light of the Lord Jesus Christ that shined brightly in their presence. I'll show you that in John chapter one.

John chapter 1. Now you and I need light from above, but we don't just need light for our eyes so we see and understand something physically. We need light in our souls. Our souls, fallen in Adam, are in darkness. I mean deep, deep darkness. And we need darkness of ignorance, darkness of unbelief, and we need light in our soul. John 1, verse 4. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. Christ is the light, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. The darkness shine, and with our eyes, we don't see it. We don't believe it. We don't like it. That light's got to shine in our souls in order to give us salvation. And the way that light comes to our souls is when God sends us a man to preach Christ to us.

Verse six, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light. but he was sent to bear witness of the light. This is how much darkness that we're in. God sent light into the world, and then he had a man to tell us, sent a man to tell us, I turn the light on. The light's on, here he is, here's the Lord Jesus Christ, the light of the world, and we can't see him until God sends us a man to tell us the light's on. And the only way that we'll ever know that the light's on, that the light will shine in our hearts, is the Holy Spirit blesses his word that's preached to our hearts and turns the light on.

Look at Acts chapter 22. The Holy Spirit's got to shine that light in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But God, the Holy Spirit, has to do it. Verse nine, Paul says, And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and they were afraid, and they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. These other men saw the light, but they weren't blinded. They didn't hear the voice speaking to them. God only speaks to his people. He sends his spirit to his elect people, and when he speaks to our hearts, the light's on. It's in our souls. It's inside.

Now I know that sounds like religious mumbo-jumbo to a person that doesn't know Christ. If the light's not being turned on in your heart, I know that sounds just crazy. You don't understand what that means. How do I know if the Holy Spirit has shined the light in my heart. So I'm not just repeating what I hear other people say, but that the light has been turned on by the Holy Spirit in my soul.

Well, the Holy Spirit has turned the light on. He put light in me. It's not that I see you all are sinners. It's not just that I see the sin of the world. It's I see myself as I am. Oh, Job said, I've heard of you at the hearing of the ear. But now I see you. Now the light's been turned on and I see Christ. I see Christ, the light of the world. I see Christ in his righteousness. I see Christ in his holiness. When I see myself in comparison to the light, I see the darkness that I am. And I abhor myself, just like our brother Job did.

If God turns the light on for me, this is what I see. I'm the problem. I'm the problem. I'm the sinner. If God's, the Holy Spirit has turned the light on to me, in my soul, I see Christ. I see him in his glory. I see that he is everything that I need. This thing of Christ being the righteousness of his people is no longer a religious exercise. I see Him, He is my righteousness. He's the righteousness that I need. I see Him as my holiness. I see Him as the only Savior. And I don't trust Him because He's the only Savior and if I go any other way, you know, I'll be condemned. I trust Him because I see, I see His beauty. So I do desire him. I used to not see his beauty. I used to think, well, there's no beauty about him that I desire him. Now I see his beauty and I desire him. That's a whole lot more than wanting to be saved and going to hell. I want Christ. I want to be where Christ is. That's what I feel.

If the God, the Holy Spirit has turned the light on in my heart. If God has turned the light on in my heart, I see. I see how it is that God could save a sinner like me. It's not by sweeping my sin under the rug. It's not by pretending I'm a lesser sinner than somebody else. I see how God could save me and still be holy and still be just. It's that he punished Christ in my stead as my substitute and Christ was willing to do it. He was willing to be smitten and stricken for me. And when I see that, Oh, I love him. Oh, I love him. I need him. And I want to come to him.

It's what I said in a Sunday school lesson. Christ, by the Holy Spirit revealing Christ to me, he's made me willing. I'm willing to come to him. I'm willing to have Christ be all of my salvation. I'm willing to have Christ be my only option, and if He can't save me, I'm going to hell. And I'm willing to put all my trust in Him and have no backup plan. It's not just I'm coming to a new doctrine. I'm coming to Christ to have a relationship with Him, to have union with Him, to be in love with Him, because I need him.

If God's turned the light on so that I see Christ, it's not just that I'm going to trust him, I want him to save me from going to hell. I want to be with him. I want to be with him. I want to hear him preached. I want to trust him.

But here's the third thing. If that rebel is going to be saved, if he's ever going to trust Christ, he's got to be broken. He's got to be broken. Verse 4, back in our text in Acts 9, and I fell to the earth. Now these other men that were with Paul, it doesn't sound like they ever fell to the earth, but he fell to the earth and he heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Saul, I mean, can you imagine this fella? I mean, he's on his big old horse. He's got his phylacteries that are so wide, you know, with all these scriptures. He's got some fine, you know, clothes on. I mean, this fella, I mean, he's something else. And now he's in the dust. He's blind. He's in the dust. He can't do anything for himself. If somebody's got to lead him everywhere he's going, now he's broken. And if God's going to save rebels like you and me, he's got to do the same thing. He's got to break us. He's got to break us so that we will submit, that we'll submit to Christ. This is what Paul learned, you know, years later. This was the problem with his countrymen, wasn't it? They refused to submit to the righteousness of Christ. We've got to be broken so that we'll submit to Christ's righteousness.

You know what Job 11, 12 says? Man is born. He didn't say men, he means mankind, all of us. Mankind is born like a wild ass's colt. That's what we are. We're a wild ass. And somebody's gotta break us. Somebody's gotta break us so that we'll submit.

Now what's gonna break a sinner so that we'll submit to God? Well, I can tell you this, it's not the law. We can't be tamed and controlled by the law. There's one thing that'll break a sinner. You know what it is? It's God's grace. Our hearts, by nature, are so hard, cold, and dead, and rotten, you can beat them with the law all you want, and it's just like taking that hammer and beating it on the blacksmith's anvil. It's unchanged. But you know what breaks the heart? God's grace.

God chose me in his grace even though I didn't deserve it. Even though all of my sin is directly against, I'm a rebel sinning against God and doing it on purpose. And God forgives me of my sin because he punished his darling son instead of punishing me. That's grace. I'm dead in trespasses and sins, and God the Holy Spirit comes and gives me life. Gives me life I didn't deserve. Gives it to me by his grace. He makes me accepted in the presence of God by his grace. He adopts me into his family by his grace. I don't deserve any blessing from God, and he's heaped every single blessing that he has for a sinner on me for Christ's sake. That breaks my heart. Oh Lord, I submit. I submit.

Why would someone like you do something so wonderful for somebody as wretched as me? The only explanation is grace. And Lord, I willingly submit. I willingly submit. And we've just got to be humble, don't we? We've got to be humbled. We've got to be stripped of our works so that we quit trusting in them. One of the most humbling things I think a believer ever goes through is finding out all my good works are filthy rags. They're contaminated, polluted with sin, and they're not helping me. They're not helping me earn my way to God. They're hurting me. Those righteousnesses that I think are so good, those are the things that God's the most offended by. Those are the things that I would offer to God in the stead of his son. Oh, he's offended. I've got to be humbled so I submit myself to the righteousness of Christ, that I'm trusting Christ and Christ alone without any help from me.

I've got to find out I can't help myself, that Christ has got to do it all. I've got to be humbled. I've got to be humbled so that I submit myself to you, so that I submit myself to others in the church. Even if I'm right, even if I'm within my rights to do something or to say something, I've got to submit myself and give up my rights because it's better for you. It's better for the good of the church. I give up my rights to promote peace and unity so that we can meet together and worship Christ and not think about me. I've got to do that. I've got to be humble.

Scripture says that we're to think of other better than ourselves. Now that don't come natural, does it? Not to this flesh, it don't. The flesh will never do it. I've got to be humbled so I think of you as better than me. And if the Lord shows me anything at all about myself, I will naturally think you're better than me. I mean, really. And that's something, this is not a one-time exercise. You know, believers aren't humbled once, and then we never have to, you know, be humbled again. I learned that lesson. Believers still struggle with pride, don't we? Because we got this old flesh that we're still carrying around with us, and believers still struggle with pride. And we know that something's wrong. When I catch myself acting in pride, something's wrong. Something's wrong. Nothing can be more contrary to grace than me being proud of something about myself.

So we have to be continually humbled so that we keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Don't just look to him once. Don't just trust him once, but continually trust him. Continually look to him to be everything that I need. Well, how am I going to be continually humbled so that I continually, constantly, I'm looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. It's by the preaching of grace. The preaching of grace humbles us and lifts us up at the same time, doesn't it? It humbles us down on the ground and lifts us up to Christ at the same time. But if we're gonna be saved, God's gonna save us by his grace, we've got to be broken.

Then fourth, and this is the most obvious thing in this world, if God's gonna save a rebel, he's got to reveal Christ to us. Verse five, and Saul said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Now the pricks, what the Lord is talking about there, They're goads. They're goads, like sticks, long sticks, usually, with a very sharp pointed end. And they use it for oxen or whatever, you know, pulling the wagons. And if they start going the wrong way, they poke them with this goad so the oxen would know, oh, don't go that way. If you go that way, it's going to hurt. Don't go that way. Well, these goads are pictures of the law. And what the law does is just completely surround us with these goads so that any movement that we make trying to keep the law and trying to earn our way to God, they poke us, they cause us pain so that we finally surrender.

If you just think about being surrounded by those goads so that you just move your finger, it's gonna hurt, you know, because you're poked by it and you just gotta be still. That's what needs to happen to us. We need to be still. The purpose of the law is to hem us up so that our only hope is Christ. Now quit your struggling and trust Christ. Quit your struggling, be still, and submit and trust Christ.

Because if the Lord's gonna save us, he must reveal the answer to this question to us. It's not, who am I? It's not, what can I do for Jesus? It's not, what can I do to please God? It's who are you, Lord? This question Saul asks is, it's the question. Who are you, Lord? Who are you? And he says, I'm Jesus, whom thou persecutest. Now that's a very specific Jesus. The Jesus that Saul was persecuting. It's not the Jesus that people make up in their minds. If you're going to make up a Jesus to trust, you're going to make up a Jesus that you like. That's not who this Jesus was. Saul didn't like him. Saul was a rebel against him.

The Jesus that we must know is the Jesus of this book. Who are you, Lord? He's the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only Savior that God sent to save sinners. He's Joshua. Joshua. He's the fulfillment of the Old Testament picture of Joshua, who's come to save his people from their sins. And here's how you can tell if you're trusting the right Jesus or not. You know, there are other Jesuses out in the world. There are other Jesuses being preached. How can I tell if I'm trusting the right Jesus? Well, the right Jesus, the Jesus that saves sinners is the Jesus this nature hates. If the nature of our flesh hates him as much as Saul of Tarsus hated him, that's the right Jesus. This is the Jesus we must bow to. This is the Jesus that we must know, that we must believe, or we'll have no salvation.

And I promise you this, if the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus Christ to you, you'll submit. You'll bow. It'll be automatic. Saul said it in verse six And he trembling and astonished said Lord What will you have me do? And Lord said unto him arise and go into the city and it should be told thee what thou must do

Lord What would you have me do? Now I'm a rebel If I'm gonna be saved if I'm gonna be broken if I'm gonna be humbled if you're gonna reveal yourself to me if I'm gonna come to know and trust Christ and Lord, what would you have me do? Questions like that, similar to that, are asked many times in scripture. And do you know the answer is never nothing. Never. The answer is never, oh well, I see this, I've been taught this, I've been taught the five points of Calvinism, God's gonna save his elect and only his elect so, Nothing I can do about it. If I'm one of the elect, I'll be saved. If I'm not, I'll be lost and there's nothing I can do about it. That is never the answer of scripture. Never.

Lord, what would you have me do? If I would know Christ, if I'm gonna come to know Christ, if Christ is gonna reveal himself to me, what would the Lord have me do? Well, there's several things. First of all, you can seek the Lord. You can seek him because you need him. What is his commandment to us? Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he's near. This is not a good idea for us to follow. This is a commandment. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. The Lord may be found right now while his word is being preached. He's found right here. Dan prayed it where two or three are gathered together in his name. He promised he'd be in the midst of us. He's near right now. Call on him. Call on him while he's near. Seek him where he's found. Isn't that what the eunuch did that we looked at last week? That eunuch was seeking something. He didn't know exactly what, but he was seeking something, wasn't he? And where did he find Christ? In his word. He had that scroll, Isaiah 53, and he was reading it. He found Christ in the word. You seek Christ. And you know what God said? In the day you seek me with all your heart, you'll find me. Don't say, well, I sought the Lord and, oh, well, I couldn't find him, so nothing I can do. Then you haven't sought him with all your heart yet. You seek him with all your heart because you need him. And he'll find you. I promise you he will.

Here's something else we can do. We can beg God for mercy. Now we can, we can beg God for mercy. There's not one thing I can do to get God to save me. There's nothing I can do, nothing I can say. I can't say the sinner's prayer and obligate God to save me. But I can beg God for mercy. He don't have to show mercy to me. I'm a rebel. I've rebelled against him. He don't have to show mercy to me, but I can beg him for mercy. What did the publican in the temple cry? He was so guilty, he was so ashamed, he wouldn't even lift up his eyes. And he said, God be merciful to me, the sinner. He begged God for mercy. And you know what the Savior himself said? That man went down to his house justified. I can beg God for mercy. I can ask God to forgive me of my sin. I'm a rebel against God. I don't deserve it. But I can ask God to forgive me. And you know who taught us to pray that way? The Savior himself. Father, forgive us our sins, our trespasses and our sins as we forgive those that trespass against us. I can ask God to forgive me of my sins for Christ's sake because he put my sin under the blood. I can ask him.

Then the next thing I can do is this, I can repent. I can turn away from whatever it was I used to trust in, which was myself. In some form, some fashion, what we've been trusting in before we trust Christ is ourself. Something we've done, something we can do, you know. We've made an eye a lot of ourselves. And I can repent. I can turn from trusting in that and turn to trust Christ. Now I can.

At Pentecost, when Peter preached that great message of the day of Pentecost and those that heard him said, men and brethren, what are we gonna do? Peter didn't say, well, nothing you can do. You boys go home and see if you're one of God's elect. If lightning strikes and God saves you, then you're one of God's elect. He didn't say that. He said, repent. Turn from what you used to trust in and turn to trust Christ.

And if you find that you can't repent, and you can if God leaves you alone, but if you find you can't repent, you know what you can do? Ask God to give you repentance. Paul told Timothy, 2 Timothy 2 verse 25, he said, Timothy, here's why we keep preaching Christ. Perventure, God will grant somebody repentance. God grants repentance. He gives it as a free gift. If you can't repent, if you can't turn to Christ and trust him alone, ask God to grant you repentance. I know you can't repent, but you can ask God to give it to you, can't you?

The next thing we can do, Lord, what would you have me do? The Lord's commandment is for us to come to Christ. You come to Christ because you need him. Your permission to come to Christ is God's commandment to come. You come to Christ, and you come with this full assurance of what our Savior promised. Whoever it is that comes to me, And coming to Christ is believing Him. That's all it is, it's believing Christ. Whoever it is that comes to me will in no wise be cast out. Don't use the excuse, oh, I'm too sinful to come to Christ. I better straighten myself up and start doing better before I come to Christ. Don't use that as an excuse. That's stinking thinking. Our Savior said, you come to me and I'll never cast you out. Now you come.

The last thing you can do, Lord, what would you have me do? This is the Father's will that we believe on Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Believe on Christ, trust him. Isn't that what they told the Philippian jailer? What must I do to be saved? That's just, Lord, what would you have me do? They said, nothing you can do. I mean, you know, you're a rebel, you're this jailer, you're, you know, you're no good. Maybe God will save you, maybe you'll find out you're one of God's elect. Go home and wait and see if you're one of God's elect. Not what they said. They said believe. Nobody yet ever came to Christ because they knew they were one of God's elect. Sinners come to Christ and we believe on Christ because I'm a sinner. Christ said he came to save sinners and I fit that bill. I'm a sinner, then I'm coming. I need Christ to save me. I need him to shed his blood for me. I need him to give me light. I need him to give me light. He said, come, and Charlie, I'm coming. I'm coming.

I heard this illustration. Other people have used it. I heard it first time from my dad. He said, come into Christ. It's like coming through a doorway, like that doorway right there. On the top of the doorway, it says, come unto me. All ye that labor and heavy laden, I'll give you rest. Come unto me, he that cometh to me, I'll have no wise cast out. I'm a sinner, I need him, I'm coming. And I come through the door and I turn around and look on the other side of the door, it says, I've loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, in loving kindness have I drawn you. Oh, I came because the Lord chose me and he was drawing me all along, but I didn't know it. I came to Christ because I'm a sinner that needs a savior. And then I found out, Well, he saved me from everlasting. From everlasting to everlasting, salvation is of the Lord. That's what I find out. Now, you come to Christ and you'll find out the very same thing. You'll find out the same thing that the Philippian jailer found out.

And if you find that you're trying to make yourself believe on Christ and you can't, I can tell you from experience what to do. Ask God to give you faith. Faith is the gift of God. Oh, would you give me that faith? Give me the faith to trust Christ.

Then six, if God's gonna save a sinner, he's gonna save a rebel, we're gonna have to hear a preacher preach Christ. We're gonna have to go down there to Damascus, and we're gonna have to hear a man preach Christ.

Verse eight, and Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was there three days without sight, neither did he eat nor drink.

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, behold, I'm here, Lord. And Lord said unto him, arise and go into the street, which is called straight, and inquire in the house of Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth."

What's he doing? What's Saul doing here? He's praying, Lord, give me faith. Lord, give me light to see. Lord, reveal yourself to me. Lord, for he's praying, he's praying, and God's gonna send him a preacher. And he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight.

Then Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard of this fella. I've heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem, And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all that call upon by name. And Lord said unto him, don't you worry about that. You go thy way. He's a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I'll show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

And Ananias went his way and entered into the house and putting his hands on him said, brother Saul, the Lord. Even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, he sent me to you that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales. And he received sight forthwith and arose and was baptized."

Now look over Acts chapter 22. This is Paul telling the story again. He gives us another detail that is not in Acts 8. Acts 22, verse 12. He gives us a detail here of something else Ananias said unto him.

And one Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and stood and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. In the same hour I looked up upon him, and he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee. that thou shouldest know his will and see the just one, and thou shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

Ananias began his message to Paul with God's electing love. The first thing he said to him is the God of our fathers hath chosen thee. And since he's chosen you, he's gonna show you, he's gonna reveal to you the just one. Paul, your righteousness is not in all these things that you've done, being circumcised the right day and obeying the law and following all the ceremonies, your righteousness is in the just one. The one who kept the law for you. He's the only one who's obeyed God's law perfectly. And in his obedience, all of his people are made righteous. And he's the justifier. He's just and he's the justifier. He's the one that justified you by his sacrifice for you on Calvary's tree.

And when Saul heard that, he immediately arose and was baptized. That's the last thing in a salvation of a rebel. There's gonna be a public confession. There's gonna be a public confession. Baptism and saving body. Baptism is a confession. Christ already saved me. And here's how he did it. He died for me. He was buried for me. He was buried because he died for my sins. And he rose from the grave because his sacrifice put my sin away, and I'm gonna confess him. It's a commandment of God.

Baptism is not an unnecessary thing. It doesn't save you, but it's not unnecessary. Our Lord commanded that everybody believe him and be baptized. Confess him and believe his baptism. And what a joy that commandment is. Isn't that a commandment, a joy? That a sinner like me can, in front of my family and friends, confess Christ saved me. He saved me. He did it on purpose. He suffered and died for me. This is how God saved me.

And you know, just like repentance and faith, this confession of Christ, it's not a one-time thing. This confession of Christ is by continually following Christ. I confess Christ when I continually. I don't care if I've been a believer for 150 years I never graduate past the point I need him just as much today as I did the very first day he ever revealed himself to me. It's not like I grow better and better and better and better. Matter of fact, I think I'm growing worse and worse and worse and worse, and I need Christ. I need him just as much today as I... That's confessing Christ. It's not living like a self-righteous jackass. It's trusting Christ.

Confessing Christ is meeting together His people. Where His people gather together, that's where I want to be. There could be bigger, fancier buildings you can find real close to this place. They got basketball courts. They got big to-dos. I mean, buddy, they'll put you to work doing bazaars and all kinds of things, you know. And be a lot of people, you know, that you can make a lot of social connections and political connections. But here's my question. Where's Christ preached? Where's Christ preached? That's where I'm gonna be. I need to hear from him. I need to worship him. That's confessing Christ. It's a constant thing, isn't it? Till the day the Lord calls us home.

All right. Hope thou be a blessing to all of us rebels. Let's bow together. Our Father, we're so thankful for this pattern of salvation that you've given to us. And by your grace, Father, how we see ourselves in our brother Saul. We're rebels just like him, just as self-righteous, just as harshly judgmental. And Father, how we thank you for your mercy and your grace. How we thank you for sending your son to do for us what we could never do for ourselves, that he obeyed the law for us, that by his sacrifice he justified all of his people by putting their sin away. Father, how we thank you. How we thank you for this gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that declares who he is, that declares him and his glory. And Father, I pray you'd bless it. that you bless it as it's been preached this morning to give faith in Christ to each heart here. Father, bless us, save us, keep us for Christ's sake and for his sake alone. Father, it's for his glory that we pray. Amen.

All right, Chris. All right, in closing, if you would, take your hymnal and turn it to 309, and we'll be standing as we close. 309, beneath the cross of Jesus.

Beneath the cross of Jesus I faint would take my stand.
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land.
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way
from the burning of the new day heat and the burden of the day.

? Upon the cross of Jesus ?
My eyes at times can see ?
The very dying form of one ?
Who suffered there for me ?

And from my smitten Heart with tear to wonders I confess
The wonders of my glorious love
And my own worthlessness

I take across the shadow for my abiding place.
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of his face.
To let the world go by, to know no gain,
no Lord, my sinful self, my only shame,
my glory all the cross.