Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nyberg. I've entitled this morning's
message, What Gospel Preaching Does. What Gospel Preaching Does. I'd like you to keep that in
mind as I read this passage of scripture from Acts chapter 14.
Now, the book of Acts could well be called the Acts of the Holy
Spirit, how he works in the church and what he does. It's called
the Acts of the Apostles, but it's really the acts that God
the Holy Spirit caused to take place. And we can understand
something about preaching or the preaching of the gospel through
this passage of scripture. Now, the setting was Paul had
just been stoned for preaching the gospel. They drug him out
of the city. He appeared to be dead. He rose
up in front of all the disciples. And then we read in verse 21,
and when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught
many, made many disciples, many people were saved, they returned
again to Lystra and to Iconium and Antioch, places where they'd
already been run out of town, they returned. And here's what
they were doing, confirming or strengthening the souls of the
disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and
that we must through much tribulation, trial, stress, pressure, enter
into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them
elders in every church and had prayed with fasting, they commended
them to the Lord on whom they believed. And after they had
passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they
had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attali and
then sailed to Antioch from whence they had been recommended to
the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when
they were come and gathered the church together, they rehearsed
all that God had done with them and how he had opened the door
of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time
with the disciples. What gospel preaching does? Now, notice I didn't say what
preaching does, but what gospel preaching does. Most of what
goes on under the name of gospel preaching is not gospel preaching. It's actually satanically inspired. Now, somebody says, why would
you say something like that? Well, it's the teaching of scripture.
You see, Satan's main sphere of operation is the pulpit. This is where he speaks. Now, let me show you this from
the scriptures. We read in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul says in verse 13, for
such are false apostles, deceitful workers. transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it's no
great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of righteousness. Not sin, but righteousness, right
living. whose end shall be according
to their works. Now, understand this. Somebody
says, you're taking this too far. No, I'm not. Most preach
it. Then the Lord say, broad is the
way and wide is the gate that leads to destruction, many go
in there at, straight is the gate and narrow is the way that
leads to life and few there be. Then finally we read the many
and the few. Now I repeat, most of what goes
on under the name of preaching is satanically inspired. chew on that. It's the truth. Most of what goes on under the
name of Christianity is not the truth at all. Now, for preaching
to be gospel preaching, First of all, it must be the preaching
of the word. We read in verse 25 of that passage
when they had preached the word at Pergam. Now that does not
mean simply that they open up the Bible and speak from a passage
in scripture and say, I'm preaching the word. About any false church
does that, any false preacher, he doesn't use anything but the
scriptures to promote his own doctrine. The preaching of the
Word is the preaching of the Word, the Gospel message, from
the Word, the written Word, that reveals the living Word. You remember what Paul said to
Timothy? Timothy, preach the Word. Does
the Word declare that God elected a people before time began? Then
preach it. Does the Word declare that Christ is an effectual Savior?
Then preach it. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. Them also of the sheep I have
which are not of this fold, them also I must bring in. Their will
shall be one fold, one shepherd. Does the Word declare that salvation
is by grace? Preach it. Now, for preaching
to be gospel preaching, it must be the declaration of the word
of God. Secondly, gospel preaching is
what God does through a man. It's not what men do, influenced
by God or with God's help, it is what God does. through a man. It's the action of God. Now, men are the instruments,
but they're nothing more than that. They're instruments. It's God
at work. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 21 says,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. How shall they hear without a
preacher? How shall they preach except
they be sent? Preaching is God's activity where
he is speaking to people through his word. Yes, human instrumentality
is used, but it's God's work. Notice what it says in verse
27. And when they come and gather the church together, they rehearsed
all that God had done with them. Thirdly, For preaching to be
gospel preaching, first, it has to be the preaching of the word.
Secondly, it must be what God has done. And thirdly, it must
be caused by His grace. Verse 26, and they sailed to
Antioch from whence they had been recommended or delivered
is the word, delivered to the grace of God. The grace of God
caused this to take place. And the grace of God was their
subject. Anytime I preach, anytime true
gospel preaching is preached, the grace of God, the grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ is the subject. And fourthly, for preaching
to be gospel preaching, it is a work that God always completes
and fulfills. He said, my word shall not return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish the thing wherein to I sent it,
Isaiah chapter 55. It says in verse 26, and thence
they sailed to Antioch from whence they had been recommended to
the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. It was
completed. God's preaching, the gospel never
goes out in vain. It always accomplishes the purpose
that God had for it. Now, in verse 21, where we began,
and when they had preached the gospel, to that city, the gospel
of God. And had taught many. Now my marginal reading says
they made many disciples. Now this is what gospel preaching
does. It makes many disciples. It saves
people. They went from being followers
of the devil to followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel,
gospel preaching saves people. I've already quoted this. Let
me quote it again. Verse Corinthians 121. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Now, somebody may say,
preacher, what do you mean by the term save? That's a good
question. I'll tell you exactly what I mean. If I'm saved, first
of all, I'm saved from God. My sin is against Him. He is
the one who has the power to cast me into hell, and He's all-powerful. I'm saved from God. I'm saved
from myself. I am my own worst enemy. I'm
my biggest problem. For me to be saved, not only
do I need to be saved from God, I need to be saved from myself.
If God leaves me to myself, I'll perish. I love that scripture
in Matthew chapter 121. Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save. His people from their sins. I need to be saved from my sins.
I need to be saved from God. I need to be saved from myself.
I need to be saved from my sins. Now, what does that mean to be
saved from your sins? First of all, it means to be
saved from the penalty of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. Nothing to condemn me for. You
see, if I've saved from the penalty of my sin, that means God's justified
me. That means I stand before God having never sinned. That's
what justification is. It's not just as if you've never
sinned. You've never sinned if you're justified. You stand before
God's holy law without guilt. I need to be saved from the power
of sin. You know, there was a time before
God gave me a new nature when I couldn't anymore believe that
I could create a universe. I didn't know what repentance
was. I had no love for God. I was under the complete dominion,
control, and power of sin. Didn't know it. I thought if
everything worked out, I could probably get out of the mess
I was in. But when God revealed the gospel to me, I was then
enabled to do things I could never do before he gave me this
new birth. I can believe. I couldn't before,
I do now. I'm in a continual state of repentance.
I love God. I didn't before. I've been saved
from the power of sin and salvation is one day being saved from the
very presence of sin, being perfectly conformed to the image of his
son. Now here's what gospel preaching
does. It saves many. God, the number of God's elect
is a large number. It saves many. When they had made many disciples,
they returned again to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. Now, these were places where
they'd been kicked out, had been beaten, stoned, and kicked out. Now, why are they going back
to a place like that? Because there were believers
there. And believers need to hear the gospel preached over
and over and over again. You see, it's mealtime for the
believers. It's called feeding the flock. When the Lord said
to Peter, do you love me? Peter said, yes, three times.
And all three times he said, then feed my sheep, feed my lambs,
feed the flock. He said to the elders, feed the
flock of God, which is among you, which he has purchased with
his own blood. The preaching of the gospel is
the feeding of the flock. So they go back to these places
where they had been beaten up to preach again, and it says
in verse 22, confirming the souls of the disciples, strengthening
the souls of the disciples. Now, there isn't anything more
strengthening than hearing the gospel as gospel. Now, gospel preaching is when
God speaks. If my voice is the only voice
you hear, it won't do you any good. But if you hear God speaking
from his word, how you're strengthened to look to Christ, to rest in
him, to believe on him. You're made to not look to yourself,
but to look to him. You know something of the joy
and peace of believing. It strengthens the souls of the
disciples. And it says, exhorting them,
verse 22, preaching is exhortation. Exhorting them to continue in
the faith and that we must, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom
of God. Now, exhortation. It's not like
a lecture. A college professor gives a lecture.
He gives proper data and information on a particular subject. You
hear it, you know more about that subject. That's a good thing. I'm not criticizing that, but
that's not preaching. Preaching is exhorting people
to do something. It's encouraging. And what are
we exhorting people to do? Well, first of all, we're exhorting
them to do nothing. The hardest thing you're ever
called upon to do is to do nothing for your salvation and look to
Christ only. But we're calling upon men to
come to Christ, to call on his name, to ask for mercy. to walk with Christ. It's an
exhortation. It's not just presenting data. It's an exhortation. I love what
Paul said to that Philippian jailer. He said, sirs, what must
I do to be saved? Paul in silence didn't say, well,
You shouldn't be asking that. You can't be saved by what you
do. They said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved. Exhorting them to continue in
the faith, looking to Christ only and that we must through
much tribulation enter the kingdom of God. Now in true preaching,
there's no candy coating of things. You must, through much tribulation,
much pressure, much stress, the stress of men not loving what
you preach and persecuting you for it, and the stress of your
own personal sinfulness. It's a pressing, a stressing.
I'm always with me. That's my problem. Paul said,
O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body
of this death? There's always a tribulation
in this thing of entering the kingdom of God and a preacher
tells it like that. He doesn't try to candy coat
things or promote some kind of health wealth gospel, how everything
will be fine. If you believe that your finances
will be better, you'll be healthy and you'll be wealthy and you'll
be wise. That's foolishness. Whenever you hear a preacher
preach like that, turn him off. He doesn't know the Lord and
he's not preaching the gospel. Now let's go on reading verse
23. And when they had ordained them elders in every church,
and they had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord
on whom they believed." Now, true preaching produces other
preachers. It always does. Somebody hears
the message and they say, I want to declare that message. Paul
said to Timothy, the word that you've heard me among many witnesses,
and this is very important. He didn't just say the word you've
heard from me, but the word you've heard of me among many witnesses,
that which I preach publicly. That's what a man believes is
what he preaches publicly, not what he talks about privately,
but what he preaches publicly. He said, the same commit thou
to faithful men who may be able to teach others also. And notice how he says this.
He says, and when they had ordained them elders in every church and
had prayed with fasting, Now, in this thing of preaching, prayer
is so important. You see, we know
that Our preaching is ineffectual, that it will do nothing unless
God blesses it. And so we pray for God's blessing,
showing complete dependence upon Him. And fasting represents self-denial. I mean, you could talk about
the literal food fast, and no doubt that is included, but the
main thing in preaching is self-denial. To preach the gospel, you gotta
deny yourself. You've got to deny self-promotion
and self-glory and self-anything else, self-gain, and preach the
gospel. There's always fasting. There's
always self-denial in the preaching of the gospel. And then it says,
they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed. Now, gospel preaching is always
entrusting the ones we're preaching to, to the Lord. Now, I preach
the gospel to you, but I can't make you believe. I can't make
myself believe. I entrust you. I commend you
to the Lord. Lord, do something for them.
Now, in true gospel preaching, this is what happens. You tell
the truth and you leave people alone with the Lord. You don't
try to manipulate them. You tell the truth. and you leave
people alone with the Lord and entrust them to him. Paul said
in Acts 20, 32, now I commend you to God and the word of his
grace. Now let's go on reading verse
24. And when they had passed through Pisidia, they came to
Pamphylia. And when they had preached the
word in Perga, they went down into Atalia and then sailed to
Antioch. When there's preaching, there's
a spreading of the word. That's what was taking place.
They were going everywhere preaching the gospel. Now you can't believe
the gospel and not want others to hear the gospel. I want you
to believe. I want you to believe the gospel.
I want you to rejoice in the gospel. They went everywhere
preaching the word. There was a spreading of the
word. And then we read in verse 26,
and then sailed to Antioch from whence they had been recommended
to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. They completed
it, and when they were come and gathered the church together.
Now, in preaching, there is a gathering of the church together. There's
something very special about the preaching of the word and
God's people meeting together. This is where he promises his
presence. He said, were two or three are
gathered together in my name. There am I in the midst of them.
Now I'm preaching to you right now and you're in your home,
but I hope through hearing the gospel, you'll see the importance
of gathering yourself together to hear the gospel. There's no
subject for this. TV preaching is no substitute
for gathering together to hear the gospel. They gathered the
church together to hear the gospel. The Lord said where two or three
are gathered together. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves
together as the manner of some is. No, they gathered together,
and here's what they were doing. They rehearsed, they declared,
and this is the subject matter of all true preaching. They rehearsed
all that God had done with them. I love what the Lord said to
the Gadarene demonic. And the Lord was leaving and
the man that he'd healed and cast all those demons out of
wanted to go with him. He didn't want to be left behind.
He wanted to be with the Lord. And the Lord said, no, you go
home and tell your friends the great things God hath done for
thee. And I want, by the grace of God,
to do just that right now. This is what true gospel preaching
is, telling the great things God has done. Not the great things
I've done, or not the great things I've done with God's help. Not
look at me now, I used to be so bad, now I'm so good, and
all that kind of foolishness that you'll hear from preaching.
Not gospel preaching, but just preaching. No, preaching is a
declaration of the great things God hath done. Now before time
began, God the Son stood as my surety, and God the Father gave
Him to me, and He took full responsibility for my salvation, and God the
Holy Spirit agreed that in time He would give me life because
God the Son would pay for my sins and work out a perfect righteousness
for me and present me before His Father, God the Father. This
is the great things God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit
have done. And they did all this before
time began. Hebrews 4.3 says the works were
finished from the foundation of the world. 2 Timothy 1.9 says
He saved us. He called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. All every believer has was given
them in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now in time, God
the Son assumed flesh. He hadn't been a man before,
but somewhere around 2,000 years ago, the Word was made flesh. God the Son, this is the great
things He did. How great is this? He became
flesh. And He did so for His people. The great things God has done
for us. In the flesh, He kept the law for me. Everything He
did, He did as in us. He did this for every one of
His people. He worked out a perfect righteousness
for me. And in the flesh, He died for
me. This is a great thing to think
of God dying in the first place. How could that happen? I don't
know, but He did. The God-man died. Why did He die? Because
of sin. My sin became His sin. He became
guilty of the commission of that sin. And God's wrath came down
upon him because God's a holy God, not just God. And you know
what he did? He did what no one else could
do. When he died, my sin was put away. Now the reason hell
is eternal is because a sinner can never satisfy God. Their
death can never satisfy Him. The death of Jesus Christ satisfied
His Father. God said, because of what He
did, I can ask no more. I'm completely satisfied with
that sinner for whom He died. I'm not looking for anything
else. And when He was raised from the dead, He was raised
from our justification. Now here's what the great thing
God did for me. Here I am in and of myself, nothing
but sin. He made it to where I'm just
before Him, to where I have never sinned, to where I have no guilt,
that I stand before God's law without fault. You want to talk
about a great thing? Taking somebody like me, as sinful
as I am, and making me to be without sin just before Him? Oh, the great things God did.
He gave me a new heart. He gave me a new nature. I was
born again by the Spirit of God. I was given a nature that was
not there before, a new heart that was not there before. This
is the great things He has done. You know, my experience, I live,
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who
loved me and gave himself for me. I believe. That's the great thing God has
done. He's given me faith. I'm in a continual state of repentance,
a change of mind. That's the great thing God has
done. I love God. We love Him because He first
loved us. That's the great thing God has done. I persevere in
the faith. That's because He keeps me and
He preserves me and causes me to continue in the faith. This
is the great thing God has done. And oh, when I stand in glory,
and in perfectly conformed to the image of His Son, made in the likeness of Jesus
Christ, oh, then it will be seen the great things God has done. Now let me tell you this about
myself, and every believer will chime in with me. I'm a trophy
of grace. My salvation will be a testimony
that salvation really is all of grace. And look what God's
grace can do. I'm not talking about looking
at me now. I'm talking about when I stand before His throne,
justified, glorified, perfectly conformed to the image of Christ.
I'm gonna be a testimony, look what God has done. Now that's
what the preaching of the gospel does. We have this message on
DVD and CD. If you call the church right
or email, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying that
God will be pleased to make himself known to you. That's our prayer,
amen. To receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send
a request to todd.nyberg at gmail.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.