Okay, well, turn with me then
to Acts chapter 14. Acts chapter 14. And I want to
continue looking at Paul's first missionary journey. So Acts chapter
14. Reactions to the gospel. They're
preaching the gospel as we've been looking at in recent weeks. Preaching the gospel to all sorts
of people, wherever they got the opportunity. Without judging
whether this one was fit to hear it or that one was unfit to hear
it, they just preached the gospel. This was the commission. Go and
preach in all the world to people without distinction. It's maybe
not possible to do it without exception. There's just too many
and you can only be in one place at one go. But without distinction,
they preach this gospel. They didn't say, oh, he looks
like a fit person to receive the gospel. or, oh, I'm not preaching
it to her, she's clearly unfit to become a believer. No, not
at all. They preached the gospel without distinction to people
of all sorts. And the response they got was
totally polarized. Do you know what polarized means?
It means as far one way as it is from the other way. You know
the North Pole is as far north as you can get as far as the
South Pole is. It's at the other end. And it was polarized. It
was a completely separate response. Look at verse 4. The multitude
of the city was divided was polarized and part held with the Jews who
opposed the gospel because to the Jew it says the gospel is
a stumbling block part held with the Jews and part with the apostles
part believed what they said and many rejected it and when
there was an assault made both of the Gentiles and also the
Jews with their rulers to use them despitefully and to stone
them Paul and Barnabas were made aware of it and fled from that
place. The opposition was such that
they were going to stone them to death because it caused such
division among them. Extreme reactions. This is what
the gospel does. Don't be surprised as we take
the gospel to this place if we find polarized reactions. This
is the way it is. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians
chapter 2 and verse 16, to the one we were a saver of death
unto death. This word of the gospel is that
hateful horrible thing a savor of death unto death and to the
other a savor of life unto life the savor of eternal life in
the Lord Jesus Christ a completely polarized response to the preaching
of the gospel and so in verse 6 they fled to Lystra and Derby
cities of Lyconia and into the region that lieth round about
in the middle of Turkey and there as everywhere they preached the
gospel They didn't go, I suspect we might go like this. If we
deliver leaflets down a particular street in Nebworth and they set
dogs on us and they come out and start throwing stones at
us and there's all sorts of violence, you'd start to think, oh dear,
gosh, I don't fancy delivering leaflets down another street
in Nebworth. You'd be very wary of it. But they went to these
other cities. They fled from the immediate
danger. But as soon as they got where they were going, they preached
the gospel there. and I want you to see this morning
in the time that we have together a certain man an erratic people
a mad crazy people and a call to turn to that people a certain
man then and we see him in verse eight look at verse eight there
sat a certain man scripture often uses that term of individuals
that God has purpose to bless a certain man a certain woman
And there was a certain man at Lystra, impotent, powerless in
his feet. He had no power in his feet.
Being a cripple from his mother's womb. He was born a cripple.
He never walked. He never had that opportunity
to walk. He never walked. And the same
heard Paul speak. This man was a cripple from birth. Do you know that's such a picture
of us in our natural spiritual state. We're spiritually crippled
from birth. We're spiritually impotent in
that we do not know the living God and true God. We cannot know. You know we haven't the power
to know him by nature because we're sinners by nature. We're
crippled spiritually from birth. As David the Psalmist said in
Psalm 51, in sin did my mother conceive me. Meaning I've been
a sinner ever since the moment I was conceived. From that very
moment I was a sinner which by nature we all are. He's just
like the man that Peter and John met at the temple in terms of
picturing this state of spiritual disablement, spiritual impotence,
spiritual lack of any knowledge whatsoever of the truth of the
living God. And there he is, and there we
all are, and there the society around us sits, crippled spiritually
from birth. Sinners by nature, dead in trespasses
and sins. You know the message, the false
message, that some preachers bring God loves you and has a
wonderful plan for your life is not true it isn't what the
scriptures say the scripture says this to men and women everywhere
it says that God is angry with the wicked every day that it
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God the
scripture says repent and turn to the living God while there
is hope while there is an opportunity turn to him because it is a fearful
thing to fall into his hands. And so Paul comes there and speaks
and preaches the gospel. And the man hears him speak in
verse 9, The same heard Paul speak, who steadfastly beholding
him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with
a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leapt and walked. Paul preached. Paul preached
the Word of God. Paul preached the Scriptures.
Why did he preach the Scriptures? He only had the Old Testament
Scriptures. The New Testament wasn't written at this time.
Why did he preach those Scriptures? Because those Scriptures are
the Word of God. And being the Word of God, they're
the Word of Christ. They're the Word about Christ.
These are they, said Jesus, which speak of Me. In all the Scriptures,
as Jesus did with the disciples at the end of Luke, beginning
at Moses and the prophets, He expounded to them, in all the
Scriptures, the things concerning Himself. And Paul the Apostle,
his testimony was this, that when it was recorded of him later
in Acts, that when he said goodbye to the elders at Ephesus, he
had not shunned to preach the whole counsel of God, all the
word of God. And what did he say that was
elsewhere? In 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 2 he said this, in
preaching the whole counsel of God he determined to know nothing
among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it.
That's the true preacher's message. And this is what Paul preached.
He preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified from the Word of
God. And as Romans 10, 17 says, faith
comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. How shall
they hear unless a preacher comes and preaches that gospel to them?
And Paul preached that gospel and this man heard and believed. Now why did he? Well, like Lydia,
who we'll see in a couple of chapters, this man's heart was
opened. Lydia was sat by the riverbank,
a devout woman seeking God, and Paul preached the gospel, and
we read, and the Lord opened her heart. He opened her heart
like you would open a door. You open a door and you can't
stop things going in and out. God says in Revelation, He has
opened a door for the church, and if He opens a door, no man
can shut it. And if he closes a door, no man
can open it. God opened the door into this
man's heart. His heart was prepared. It was
prepared by God. We read in Psalm 59 and verse
10 these words, the God of my mercy prevent me. Now, what does
that mean? Just turn over to it, just for
a moment, if you've got it there. Psalm 59 and verse 10. Now, it probably says something
different in the New King James Version. and I haven't looked
up what it says. The God of my mercy shall prevent
me. God shall let me see my desire
upon my enemies. Now, in our modern usage, the
word prevent means stop, doesn't it? To every one of us, the word
prevent means stop. But you go back to its original
derivation and you've got in there venir, French, to come,
pre, before. He comes before. The God of my
mercy shall come before me, is what that's saying. The God of
my mercy shall go before me in His grace. The God of my mercy
shall prepare the way for me. All of His people, for all whom
the Father gave to the Son before the beginning of time, God comes
in prevenient mercy. He comes before to prepare, to
make the way open, to prepare the hearts of these people to
hear that gospel and to believe it. He says, God says through
Paul in Romans 8, 28, He causes all things to work together for
good to those that love God, who are the called according
to His purpose. There's a hymn that we sometimes
sing that talks about, I sought the Lord, but afterward I knew
it was Him that was seeking me. And there's a line or two in
it that says this, thou wert long beforehand with my soul,
always thou lovedst me. even when we were enemies even
when we were dead in trespasses and sins even when we were sinners
Christ died for his people long beforehand with my soul always
thou lovedst me and so God can say via Isaiah the prophet in
Isaiah 65 verse 1 I am sought of them that ask not for me I
am found of them that sought me not I said behold me behold
me unto a nation that was not called by my name." Oh, what
joyous news that is! For those who by natural descent
are not the people of God, but who by spiritual design, by the
sovereign electing grace of God, He says, I am sort of them that
ask not for me. This man wasn't asking for God. This man was sat there in his
physical impotence, his physical lack of power, and in his spiritual
lack of power. He was sat there in that condition.
He hadn't decided to follow Jesus. He hadn't made a decision. But
by faith, that faith that God shined into his heart, he knew
that his sins were forgiven. He knew in that moment when he
heard that Gospel, that Word of God preached, he knew that
his sins were forgiven. And Paul perceived his faith.
How did he perceive it? Well, in the early church there
were those gifts that you read about in 1 Corinthians 12. One
of them is the gift of discernment, of spiritual knowledge, of knowing
these things. And he discerned that this man
had that true faith, which is the gift of God. And then Paul
performed that miracle, that miracle of authentication on
the body of this man that was impotent from birth. And he commanded
him to do that which he couldn't do by nature. He commanded him
to stand. And in that moment he made that
man willing He made that man willing in that moment. He gave
him the ability in that moment. And then with the command came
the power to obey, and the man heard and obeyed. And he stood
on his feet, and he leapt, and he walked. That man was healed. Now, why was he healed? Now,
you'll see in the little piece in the bulletin. Jesus said,
when he'd healed a man with the palsy, in Luke chapter 5 and
verse 23, Weather is easier. What's easier? Because they'd
said, why are you healing this man on the Sabbath day or something
like that. What is easier? To say, thy sins
be forgiven thee or to say, rise up and walk. What's easier? Now
we would glibly say, of course, I mean, you know, somebody bumps
into my car and makes a dent in it and they say, oh, I'm sorry
about that. And we say, don't worry about
it. It's all right. I forgive you. I forgive you. Oh, it's easy,
isn't it? It's easy just to say, I forgive you. Not in the reckoning
of God. Forgiveness is not easy. Forgiveness comes at tremendous
price. Forgiveness is not glib and simple
and easy. Sins can only be forgiven at
great cost, at a tremendous price. Psalm 49 verse 8 says this, None,
no man, none of us by any means can redeem his brother. None
of us by any means can pay the price to save our brother. nor
give a ransom for him. We can't do it. Why? For the
redemption of their soul is precious and it ceases forever. It's a
precious, it's a costly thing. There's only one price. There's
only one price that can pay for the redemption of the soul of
a man and that's the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For you're not redeemed with silver and gold and corruptible
things but with the precious blood of Christ says Peter. Sins
can only be forgiven at great cost. And so Paul shows that
the power of the gospel to save from sin, to forgive sin, to
count somebody as just in the justice and reckoning of God,
he demonstrates it by healing the man, which is an easy thing.
Rise up and walk in the power of God, the one who upholds all
things by the word of his power, the one who is sovereign over
all of the natural laws of the universe, the one who who says he keeps things the
way that they are but miraculously for a moment to demonstrate his
power changes them for his own purpose. What is it to him to
say to this man crippled from birth? Stand, rise, walk. And he stands on his feet and
he fulfills the prophecy that Isaiah gave in Isaiah 35 and
verse 6. Then shall the lame man leap
as an heart like a deer. Have you seen those pictures
of the gazelles in the plains of Africa? You know, they're
fascinating. I suppose we're all used to it now, but I remember
first seeing those pictures of those gazelles leaping, leaping. That's the prophecy. Then shall
the lame man leap as an heart, and so it is spiritually. Those
who are dead in trespasses and sins shall leap as an heart.
Then shall the tongue of the dumb sing and rejoice. His bodily restoration pictured
his soul restoration. We're going to be looking later
today at Psalm 23. And verse 3 says this, Thou restoreth
my soul. God restores the soul. He makes
well. He makes whole. He makes perfect. He restores the soul of His people. And so this certain man, crippled
from birth, was overpowered by the gospel. The graciousness,
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ came and overpowered him. And
it was demonstrated. he's being physically healed
so that the crowd all around saw it powerful things so a certain
man now I want you to turn with me and look at an erratic people
in verse 11 an erratic people because Paul and Barnabas were
not alone with this man when this miracle occurred there was
the crowd watching them and We'd seen the different ways in which
the crowd reacted in other places, dragging them out of the city,
stoning them, leaving them for dead. All of those things happened
to them. But when this people saw what
Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech
of Lyconia, the gods are come down to us in the likeness of
men, and they called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurius, because
he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which
was before their city brought oxen and garlands into the gates
and would have done sacrifice with the people what a reaction
the crowd rather than wanting to stone them rather than wanting
to believe the gospel that was preached went off on one and
completely displayed their idolatrous thinking
and their idolatrous nature and they said the gods have come
down among us And they started calling Baal and Barnabas the
names of their gods and saying, who else could do this? Clearly,
this was a pretty impressive miracle to see. You know, I mean,
people claim to do miracles in these days. In the charismatic
movement, they claim to do these things. And it's very, very easy
to doubt them. To show that they're sham, to
show that they're hollow, to show that they're not real. I
remember years ago going to a charismatic meeting because somebody had
told me that she wouldn't believe a word I said until I went with
her to watch this going on. And there were all sorts of so-called
healings and there was a woman who was in a wheelchair and barely
able to walk and after the miracle which apparently had healed her
I saw her outside of the building after the meeting nearly falling
on the floor and crying because she couldn't stand up. This man
leapt and walked. This was an impressive miracle.
This was overpoweringly impressive. But do you know what Paul called
such things? He used In the purposes of God,
he used these things. He used the miracles and the
signs of authentication. But do you know what he called
them? Because it's so easy for them to get out of hand. In 1
Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 2, this is what he calls these
kind of things. He says, you know that you were
Gentiles. He says, concerning spiritual
gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. You know that
you were Gentiles, like this crowd, carried away unto these
wonderful, marvellous signs that we all must seek. No, he doesn't
say that, does he? Look what he does say. You were
carried away unto these dumb idols. You see, these external
things, these external signs can so easily become objects
of idolatry in themselves. They can become objects of worship
in themselves. They can distract from the truth
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's like we've heard preachers
say, you know, if they found a piece of wood that they said,
without doubt, this is a relic from the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. This piece of wood is a piece
of the wood that Christ died on. Oh, how we ought to put it
in a shrine and worship it and bow down before it. And you know
what? The mind of faith and the heart enlightened by the truth
of the word says, I'll tell you what to do with that little piece
of wood. even if it is genuinely indisputably the cross of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Use it to light a fire. It's
a piece of wood. It's like that brass serpent
that that king, I can't remember his name off the top of my head,
but he ground to powder. He ground to powder because he
said it's just a dumb idol. It's just a worthless idol. It
had been used so mightily in the purposes of God, but now
it had become an object of idolatry and it was just a dumb idol.
And these gifts, these miracles can so easily become dumb idols
and so they have in our day and down the ages. They'd seen this
and they treated it as a dumb idol and worshipped the fact
that they'd seen something miraculous be done. And so they set about
to sacrifice to them in verse 13. They would have done sacrifice. They would have sacrificed the
oxen before Paul and Barnabas and treated them as gods. How
different to the opposition and the stoning that there was in
other places. This was clearly a religious people. This erratic
crowd was a religious people. And it's like so much that we
see in our day and that there's been all down the ages. You know,
we think that we live in such an enlightened time where science
has answered all of our questions and we're not superstitious like
that. No, man is still very religious. Man still thinks that there is
virtue in faith, in inverted commas, of any kind. You know,
our own heir to the throne, and as much as I respect the man
for what he seeks to do, Prince Charles, I have a lot of respect
for him. I think he's a very, very well-intentioned
man. But nevertheless, when it comes
to his title, or the title of the monarch in this country,
is Defender of the Faith. Actually, we don't need the monarch
to be the Defender of the Faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ will defend
his own faith. But never mind. Historically,
the monarch of this country has always been called the Defender
of the Faith. And Charles says he doesn't want
to be called that. He wants to be inclusive and
so he'll be defender of faith of all kinds. So your faith's
a good one and your faith's a good one and so on and so forth. And
here was this religious people with their faith. They believed
in something. Oh, isn't it a good thing to
believe in something? At least they go somewhere. I've
heard people say that in the past. Well, we don't know whether
they're Christians, but at least they go somewhere. How good for
them? No, I don't think so. Absolutely not. If they don't
believe the gospel of God's grace in Christ, they do not have eternal
life. because that's in him and in him alone Isaiah 29 verses
13 and 14 look these up with me Isaiah 29 we read them earlier
verses 13 and 14 wherefore the Lord said for as
much as this people draw near me with their mouth and with
their lips to honor me but have removed their heart far from
me and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men."
The implication being, and not by the truth of God. Therefore
behold, in the face of that, God proceeds to do his marvelous
work, and his marvelous work is the work of salvation in the
gospel of his grace. Did you know when we read verses
9 to 12, before that, right at the start of our reading this
morning, how he says that they'll be like a people who are drunk,
not with wine, but they'll have a spirit of deep sleep on them.
and although they read the book and all the visions of the book
it will be sealed to them and they won't understand it however
learned and however wise they are and oh how we see that people
up and down this country in churches using this book which are the
words of eternal life and yet it's a sealed book to them it's
without the light of God's grace without the enlightenment of
God's Spirit it's a closed book they don't understand it however
Intelligent they are as professors of this, that and the other.
They do not understand these words. They cannot see the truth
of them. This people draw near me with
their mouth, but their heart is far from me. They have a form
of belief in something spiritual, something supernatural. But a
form of belief only doesn't save. James says this in chapter 2
and verse 19 of his epistle. He says, you say you believe,
you do well, but bear in mind the devils also believe and they
tremble. Devils, it's not just a thing
to believe in God. The devils believe and they tremble.
Religion and the belief in God's existence saves no one from their
sins. It doesn't. It doesn't satisfy
justice. For we must stand before the
judgment seat of Christ and justice must be satisfied. But pure belief
in God, simple belief, doesn't save. It doesn't do anything.
It's obvious to believe in God. It's only those who blind their
minds and make an idol out of the created thing who don't believe
these things. Look around you today. Look around.
If you have the eye of faith, look at that beautiful blue sky
out there this morning, and the sun that's shining, and everything
that God does as the buds begin to burst. Look at all of those
things. You can see that there is a God, but that knowledge
doesn't save you. It's the knowledge of Christ that saves. The thing
that saves is heart belief. Heart belief is saving faith.
Romans 10 verse 10 says this, For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness. It's a heart belief that saves.
Not the belief of this erratic crowd. And with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. Saving faith is knowing God. There was a book written years
ago that was very well received. It's still a good book today.
Jim Packer, Knowing God. It's knowing God. It's not knowing
about God. It's knowing God. And all God's
people know the Lord. All of them do. From the least
to the greatest. They don't say, you, you need
to know the Lord. They'll all know Me. From the
least to the greatest. John 17, verses 2 and 3, which
I quote often, says this. This is the prayer of the man
Jesus to His Father before He goes to the cross. As Thou, His
Father, hast given Him the Son, power over all flesh that He
should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.
The people that the Father gave to the Son, it is in the power
of the Son to give eternal life to those people. And what is
this eternal life? What is this saving faith? What
is this being right with God, being just with God? This is
life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. Saving faith is in knowing
Jesus Christ. For there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. We
read right at the start of our service, Psalm 9 and verse 10. They that know thy name will
put their trust in thee. He brings a knowledge of salvation. He brings a knowledge of himself
and of the truth. And those who know the name of
God and call upon that name put their trust in him. What do they
know? What is it that they know? you
can see it in that well-known benediction at the end of 2nd
Corinthians chapter 13 2nd Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 14 the most
commonly pronounced benediction the last verse of 2nd Corinthians
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the communion
of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen this is what the people
of God know they know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. They
know the great riches at Christ's expense, the riches, the price
that was paid, that costly price of redemption because he bore
the sins of his people. He paid the price of justice
that his people's sins might be forgiven. He established righteousness
that it might be credited to the account of his people. And
why did he do it? It was all for grace. And the
love of God, the love of God the Father, the love of God who
commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. God the Father commends His love
to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We know that love of God. How could He love one such as
me? But yet He does, and I know it.
And how do I know it? Because He sends the Comforter,
the Holy Spirit, that communion of the Holy Spirit, that fellowship
of the Holy Spirit. He walks with me and He talks
with me along life's narrow way. and knowing those things his
people are able to give a reason for the hope that is in them
because they have an eternal hope if you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit you have an eternal hope which
the natural man does not have we see death all around us but
that the grave instead of being an object of terror and unknown
to the believer to the child of God is like just falling into
the open arms of a loving Heavenly Father and being led by an elder
brother into eternal bliss with Him. And we have that eternal
hope. And when people ask, as Peter
says, we're ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh
for a reason of the hope that is in you. This is what you know
when you know the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what this crowd
in their mere religion, their mere Christianity, didn't know
this is what the lame man came to know when he was converted
and your whole outlook is changed just look at verse 17 of Acts
14 he's speaking Paul is desperately saying please we're just men
like you are we don't do these things we're men of like passions
with you we preach to you that you should turn from these vanities
to the living God which made heaven and earth and the sea
and all things that are in and in times past suffered all nations
to walk in their own ways nevertheless he left not himself without witness
in that he did good and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful
seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness everything
your outlook on everything is changed so you look out of the
window on a beautiful morning like this morning between two
winter storms and there's a beautiful blue sky and the first little
signs of the bulbs poking through the grass and all of those good
things And you don't just see it as a mechanical thing. We're
going to sing a hymn at the end. Love with everlasting love, led
by grace, that love to know. Spirit, I can't remember the
rest of the words, but the second verse. Sky above is softer blue,
earth beneath is sweeter green. Something shines in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen. In Christ you see all these things
and this is what Paul is saying to them. Look all around. This
is what the lame man experienced. This is what all who have faith
in Christ come to see. And so he issues, and this is
the final point, he issues a call to turn in verse 15. Will men
of like passions with you don't worship us? Don't bow down before
us? This is always the reaction of
those who are truly Christ's and know that they are definitely
not God. But when men bow down to worship
Christ, we don't hear a solitary word of rebuke to any of them.
either on earth or in heaven in the book of Revelation on
earth when men bowed down to worship Christ he accepted that
worship as rightfully his because he was the Son of God he's God
in human flesh but Paul is saying we're men just like you turn
from these vanities we preach unto you they preach the gospel
and he's preaching we preach to you that you should turn from
these vanities turn from this empty idolatrous religion that's
all around us to the living God to the true God to the God of
truth why does he say that to these people? because he doesn't
judge them as unfit for salvation he doesn't judge them as so idolatrous
and ignorant that they could never be saved he judges this
that the God of the universe has those people for whom Christ
died and redeemed everywhere throughout the world in all places
because he knows that the final number will be a number that
no man can number no man can count but from every tribe and
kindred and tongue on the planet of this earth he knows that and
he knows that it's likely that in this crowd God has some whose
hearts he is preparing for salvation just as he was assured we'll
see it in a couple of chapters time in Acts 18 and verse 10
at Corinth where he was afraid, he was on his own, he was frightened,
he was nervous, he sensed much opposition, he'd experienced
it. But God said to him, don't be afraid, for I have much people
in this city. And this is what we must say,
out there God has his people, however blind and however dark.
It's not down to us to shine light into men and women's hearts,
the Holy Spirit comes. Where to sow the seed, where
to preach the gospel, and God will give light and increase.
we're to call on men and women to turn from idolatry as Paul
said and testified of the Thessalonians how you turned to God from idols
what manner of entry our words had to you entry that Paul by
persuasion could never have done but the Holy Spirit opened their
hearts opened the doors of their hearts and what manner of entry
our gospel had to you how that you showed it because you turned
to God from idols to worship the living and true God as that
lame man had to exercise his newly given will his newly given
enablement to get up he was given the command he wasn't pulled
up Paul didn't pull him up from the ground Paul gave him a command
stand on your feet and like that man with the withered hand whom
Jesus said stretch forth your hand and he who had no power
in his hand was given the power He was given the enablement,
He was given the will to obey the command and He stretched
it out. And so this man got up, though the power was from God
alone. So Paul calls on these, dead in trespasses and sins,
blind and dark in their superstitious idolatry, he calls on them to
turn to the truth, to seek God while He may be found. This is
what Isaiah says in chapter 55, O everyone that thirsts, and
in verses 6 and 7, seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon
Him while He is near. And so we say to everybody that
will hear us, we say, turn to God in Christ. Seek Him in Christ. Because only in Christ is there
salvation. For He is able to save to the
uttermost those who come to God by Him, by Him alone. For if
we don't, Hebrews also tells us, chapter 2 and verse 3, how
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? There is
nothing other than a fearful dread of judgment, but O in the
Lord Jesus Christ there is such life and fullness and bliss eternal. Amen.