Look at the last phrase of verse
43, Paul and Barnabas, they followed Paul and Barnabas who's speaking
to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Now, while I was looking over
this congregation, obviously I can't see in your heart and
you can't see in mine, but I would say that most everybody in here
believes that salvation is by grace. I believe that. I believe if
I would ask each person here, do you really believe that salvation
is by grace? I'd say pretty much everybody
in this room would say, yes, I do. A preacher said to me not that
long ago, he said, I'm not worried about anybody in our congregation
trusting their own righteousness. And I thought, I worry about
trusting my own righteousness. I don't want to be presumptuous
about this. You believe grace. I believe
grace. Here is the question. What do
we do with grace? That may seem a little different or maybe even an odd
title because my first concern is not what will I do with grace,
but what will God's grace do with me? That's my first concern. Now the grace of God is his saving
grace, always. It never does not save. God's grace is saving grace.
I love to think about what all is involved in that. That means
he chose me before time began. That means he actually made payment
for all my sins and made them not to be. That means he actually
justified me and made me stand before him without guilt, having
never sinned. That means he gave me life, life
that came from him, divine life. That's what was given in the
new birth. That means he preserves me. He keeps me. The reason I
continue in the faith is because He causes me to continue in the
faith. One of these days, I'm gonna realize it all. I'm going
to be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. Now, God's
grace must do something for me, in me, with me, and to me before
I am ever enabled to do anything by His grace, with His grace. But you'll notice that Paul and
Barnabas told them to continue, to persevere, to endure in the
grace of God. Now, I love verse 42. I like
to Picture this in my mind, I don't
remember it ever happening to me. I guess I understand why
I'm not Paul, but after Paul was finished preaching, the Gentiles
begged, they besought that these things that they just heard that
hour, however long it had been, might be preached to them the
next Sabbath. They actually begged, we want
to hear these very words again. Now, when the congregation was
broken up, many of the Jews and the religious Protestantites
followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them. And that's what preaching is.
It's persuading. I want to persuade you to believe. I want to persuade myself to
believe. It's not just throwing things
out there. No, I want you to believe. I
want to persuade you to believe. And I want the Lord to persuade
me. You know, every time Paul, like when Paul says, I'm persuaded
that he is able, guess who persuaded him? The Lord did. I want the
Lord to persuade me. And I want to persuade you. I
want you to persuade me to believe the gospel. Now, before we Look
at this thing of what are we to do with grace. I want to remind
you of what grace is. Lynn and I were driving home
today and she said, boy, some very familiar scriptures that
we hear all the time just came with power to me. Don't you love
the Bible? You can hear the same thing over
human writings. It can't be that way. But the
Bible, this is God's Word, and something as simple as by grace
are you saved, that comes with power, it comes as good news.
As old as it is, as many times as you've heard it. I love what
Paul said. He said, to write the same things to you, the same
things, to me, is indeed not grievous. It's not irksome, it's
not vexing, I don't get tired of it. But for you, it is safe. give you some of the same things
that will remind us just what grace is. Here's what grace is,
but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That's what grace
is. Noah was included in that group
that God saw that their wickedness was great and that every imagination
of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually, but
Noah found grace. Same scripture as this morning.
But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ by grace. By grace are you saved. Turn
with me to this scripture, Romans chapter 11. Verse one. I say then, hath God cast away
his people, these Jews who reject the gospel? God forbid, for I
also am an Israelite of the seed of the Abraham of the tribe of
Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people,
which he foreknew. What ye not what the scripture
saith to Elijah, how he make us intercession to God against
Israel? They say, Lord, they've killed
thy prophets. They dig down thine altars and I'm left alone and
they seek my life. But what sayeth the answer of
God unto him? I have reserved. Now there's
the difference. I have reserved to myself 7,000
men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so
then at this present time also there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. I love that way of describing
election. The election of grace. I love
that way of describing grace. The election of grace. And then
he makes this statement in verse six. If by grace it's no more
works, Otherwise, grace is no more grace. You put one work
in salvation, and it's no more grace. It's works. You make the
whole thing of works. But if it be of works, don't
call it grace. If any work is in there, don't
call it grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. Now, I wanna give you A number
of scriptures, and I'm not going to comment on them very much.
I'm just going to give you these scriptures that tell us what
to do with grace. And here's the first found in
Acts chapter 15, verse 11. We believe that by the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved. even as they. Now this is spoken
in the original in such a way as you could fairly translate
this. We believe that by the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ, we've been saved. We believe by the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we're being saved. We believe that by the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will be saved. Here's the point,
believe grace. Believe grace. Rely on His grace. Rest in His
grace. Rejoice in His grace. There's
the first thing to do. Now, I know we can't do anything,
any of these things, unless His grace enables us to. But if we
know anything of His grace, His grace will enable us to do these
things. So the first thing is believe
grace. Now, if I believe grace right
now, you know what? I'm gonna be relaxed. I'm gonna
know that all God requires I have because salvation's by his grace.
I'm not going to be despondent. I'm not going to be fearful.
Believe grace. In Romans chapter one, verse
five, we read, by whom we have received grace. Receive grace. So it says, well, what's that
look like? Well, 1 Timothy 1 15 says, Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners of whom I'm chief. I'm a sinner.
I received that for me. It's that simple. I give you
$10. You receive it. receive the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I think the very powerful
illustration of what it means to receive grace is Paul in 2
Timothy 1, 12, when he says, I know whom I believed and I'm
persuaded he's able to keep that which I have, what? Committed. Deposited is what
the word means. Like you go to the bank and deposit
your money and you leave it with the bank now. It's not up to
you to take care of it. It's up to the bank. Now, when
I commit my salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ, I am committing
everything to his keeping. If he doesn't do it all, I won't
be saved. And I'm committing No plan B,
no contingency plan. If what he, if who he is and
what he did is not enough to save me, I won't be saved because
I have committed to him the entire salvation of my soul. And I receive
his grace. Here's another familiar scripture. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse
10. Paul said, by the grace of God,
I am what I am. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. Be by grace. What's that mean? Well, I'm a
sinner. I don't say that flippantly.
I don't say that, I hope, hardheartedly. I hope
I say it with a broken heart, that I'm a sinner. And it's by
the grace of God that I'm a sinner. I would never know that apart
from His grace. And I know that. Be by grace. I'm saved. I'm a saved sinner. And I know that's by the grace
of God. God chose me. And that's by His
grace. He redeemed me. That's by his
grace. I'm a justified sinner, and that's
by the grace of God. I'm a believing sinner. That's
by the grace of God. You be by grace. I'm a repentant
sinner. That's by the grace of God. I love God exactly as he's revealed
in his word. I love his way of saving. That's
by the grace of God. Be by the grace. Paul said, by the grace of God,
I am what I am. Now listen to this scripture,
2 Corinthians 8, 9. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Now this word know, it means
a whole lot more than correct information. Adam knew his wife, Eve. Joseph knew not Mary. This word knowledge is not just
having correct information. It has something to do with love. You love. Not only do you know
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, you love. the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor that you through his poverty might be
rich. Love the grace of God. I shall see him face to face
and tell the story saved by grace. And then we read in Hebrews 12,
verse 28, the writer to the Hebrews said, let us have grace. And that means literally, let
us hold to grace. Let us hold on to grace by the
grace of God, so we're not gonna let go. We're holding to his
grace. He said, let us have grace that
we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. And that can only be done by
having and holding to grace. Now this is, I hold on for dear
life. I will not hear anything else. I will not receive anything else.
I will not love anything else, but the grace that is in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And here's a similar one in Hebrews
chapter 13, verse nine, you can write these down, I'm not asking
you to turn to them, but the writer to the Hebrews says, be
not carried about with strange doctrines, but let your heart be established
with grace. Now, a strange doctrine is anything
contrary to grace. And oh, we have a tendency to,
be tossed to and fro by anything that's not grace. And he says,
let your heart be established, settled, grounded, founded in
grace. Don't be cared about with strange,
weird doctrines, something that has something to do with some
part of salvation being dependent upon what you do. No, let your
heart be established with grace. Second Timothy chapter two, verse
one, Paul is speaking to Timothy and he says, thou therefore my
son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Now, the only way I can be strong
in grace is if I'm weak in myself. You know what Paul said, when
I'm weak, then am I strong. And you're strong in grace when
you rely only on his grace, when you believe only in his grace. Strong in grace is an all or
nothing proposition. I was talking to somebody It's
been several years ago, and I never will forget what he said to me.
I was trying to talk to him about the grace of God. He said, you
know, I think I'm starting to lean toward grace. Oh, leaning
toward grace? Oh, I'm sure the Lord's thankful
for that affirmation. You don't lean toward the grace
of God. You're strong in grace. Now, if you're a believer, you're
strong in grace. You know the only way you can
be saved is by grace from the beginning all the way to the
end. And it's an all or nothing preposition. You can't mix grace and works. They exclude one another. Be
strong in the grace that's in the Lord Jesus Christ. We've
already read that passage in Romans 11 and six. If it be by grace, it's no more
works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
You put one work that you need to do to make it complete, the
whole thing is by works. The whole thing. But if it be
with works, don't call it grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. I like this, Hebrews chapter
four, verse 16. This is a very familiar scripture. The writer to the Hebrews gives
us two things to do with grace. He says, let us come boldly under the throne of grace. Yeah, but you don't know what
sins I've committed. It doesn't have anything to do
with it. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, but, but
nothing. Let us come boldly to the throne
of grace. Well, I need to, I need to wait
till I feel so guilty. I feel so, you know, I need to
get my, I need to get my, get this fixed. No, right now. Let us come boldly. without reservation to the throne
of grace. Why? Because it's a throne of
grace. That's my right to come with boldness. It's a throne
of grace. If I don't come with boldness,
that means I'm looking to myself in some way. I'm looking to my
works or my evidences or something to do with me. Well, that'll
stop you from coming boldly. I realize that, but remember,
we're coming to a throne of grace. Let us, that's speaking of every
believer, let not conscience make you linger, nor a fitness
fondly dream. The only fitness he requires
is to have a need of him. Let us, every believer, every
blood-bought child of God, come boldly to the throne of grace
that we may obtain mercy. and find grace to help in time
of need. God's favor, God's free unmerited
favor to help in time of need. And I don't know of a time that's
not a time of need. I love that line in that song,
I need thee precious Jesus for I am full of sin. Is there ever a time when you,
Cannot say that? My soul is dark and guilty. My heart is dead within. I need the cleansing fountain
where I can always flee. The blood of Christ, most precious. The sinner's perfect plea. And then we read in 2 Corinthians
12, Paul was giving us his experience. He was brought into the third
heavens. What an experience that must have been. He said, I heard
things that are not lawful for a man to utter. Now, anytime
you hear somebody describe going to heaven and coming back, you
know they're lying, because Paul couldn't even give a description
of it. And these phonies, they tell us what Nah, it's a lie. Try and call attention to yourself.
But Paul did go into the third heaven and heard things that
were unlawful for a man to utter. He said, if such a one will I
glory, I'm so thankful the Lord did this for me. I love the way
he calls himself, I knew a man in Christ. He didn't say I was
there. He says, I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago,
caught up. into the third heavens, and he
heard unspeakable words which are not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one will I glory, but
of myself I'll not glory. Now you remember when he tells
about that thorn that was given to him. Who gave it to him? God did. The messenger of Satan
to buffet me to strike me black and blue. And he said, I asked
the Lord three times that this might be taken away. And he didn't
say, no, I'm gonna leave you with it. He didn't say that.
And I know why he didn't say that, because if he said, no,
I'm not gonna take it away, Paul would have said, well, okay,
I'm not gonna worry. But he did say this, my grace, My grace, oh, the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ. My grace is sufficient for thee. You don't need anything else.
My grace, oh, find his grace to be sufficient grace. Nothing else is needed. In 2 Corinthians 1, verse 12,
Paul made this statement. He said, in simplicity and godly
sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we've
had our conversation in this world. Our conversation is our
lives, our walk through this world. We're doing so in simple
dependence. on the grace of God. Now, I want to say this carefully.
I read this by John Newton, and he made this statement, and I
can see where if somebody had ever lost a child, they might
find it offensive. I can understand that, but here's
what he said. He said, it takes as much grace,
it takes as much grace to deal with breaking a teacup as it
does losing a child. Now, I would not in any way,
I can't imagine losing a child. And he wasn't saying that to
diminish that. But what he was saying by that
statement is we are utterly dependent upon the grace of God for everything.
Everything. Right down to the breaking of
a teacup. We won't handle it right, we'll blow it, we'll mess
it up. We're utterly and completely dependent upon the grace of God
for everything, all the time, for all things, big and small. By the grace of God, we've had
our conversation in this world. Now in Acts chapter 20, Paul
talked about, he said, I know wherever I go, bonds and afflictions
are waiting on me. I'm going to go to this town
to preach the gospel. I know what's going to happen. I'm going
to be tied up to a post and I'm going to get beat with a cat
and nine tails. I'm going to go to the next town and I know
what's going to happen. They're going to stone me. I know what's
going to happen. I'm going to go to the next town,
they're going to throw me into prison. Paul said, I know these
things are WAITING ON ME! EVERYWHERE I GO, THIS IS WHAT
ABIDES ME, BONDS AND AFFLICTIONS! But hear what he said in verse
24 of Acts chapter 20, but none of these things move me. Neither count I my life dear
to myself, that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry
which I've received of the Lord Jesus to testify, to testify
the gospel of the grace of God. Give me your testimony. Salvation
is my grace. That's my testimony. Well, expand
on that a little bit. Salvation is by grace. Can't
you say something more? Okay, I'll give you something.
Salvation is of the Lord. That is my testimony. I know that so. This is the testimony
of every believer. We testify the good news, the
gospel of the grace of God. Now twice in the book of Acts,
Acts 14, 20 and Acts 15, 40, we read of recommending the grace
of God. I like that word, recommending
the grace of God. Or commending is what the word
means. Commending the grace of God.
You know what I want to do for you and what I want you to do
for me? To commend the grace of God. of God. Paul said, and now brethren,
I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. You know, the Bible, everything
in the scripture is the word of his grace, which is able to
build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that
are sanctified. I love this scripture. 2 Peter
chapter 3 verse 18 grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ grow in grace now you can't separate
growth and grace from the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ and once again that doesn't just mean accurate data and proper doctrine that you adhere to.
You know when Paul or when Peter says dwell with your wives according
to knowledge, you know what that means? Dwell with them according
to love. Dwell with them according to
love. Now, the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is the love
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Grow in grace. Now that means
so many things. Grow in your understanding of
grace. Grow in your need of grace. Grow in your love of His grace. Grow in graciousness. That's
what growing grace is, growing graciousness. Be quick to forgive,
quick to show mercy. Quit to accept your brother. Grow in grace. And in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, grow in humility. Grow in meekness. Grow in being merciful and nonjudgmental. Grow in grace. Isn't that something
you want to do? What do I do with grace? Grow
in grace. That's a command. And it's something
every believer can do because it's grace. He doesn't say grow
in something you have the ability to do. It's grow in grace. I
don't want to give everybody in here a very encouraging attitude
toward that. It's a growth in grace, God's
grace. And then we read this scripture in 2 Corinthians 8,
verse 7. Therefore, as you abound in everything,
in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence,
and your love for one another, see that you abound in this grace
also. And he's talking about the grace
of giving. See that you abound in this grace
also. I love that scripture in 2 Corinthians
8, 9. It's in 9, 7. It's in chapter
9. God loveth a cheerful giver. Now that word is where we get
the word hilarious from. It's so enjoyable that you laugh. It's fun. It's enjoyable. It's
a privilege. It's not a burden. It's not a
duty. Remember the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's better. It's better to give than to receive. It's more blessed to give than
to receive. Now in this thing of growing,
I want to grow in this thing of giving. I want to become more
generous. EVERY BELIEVER WANTS TO BECOME MORE GENEROUS. SEE
THAT YOU ABOUND IN THIS GRACE ALSO. AND THEN IN GALATIANS CHAPTER
2, VERSE 21, PAUL SAID, I DO NOT FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF GOD. I DO NOT FRUSTRATE THE GRACE
OF GOD, FOR IF RIGHTEOUSNESS CAME BY THE LAW, If my righteousness
before God has anything to do with any act of personal obedience
on my part, if righteousness came by the law, then Christ
has died in vain. Now, you and I both know that
God's grace can't be frustrated in the sense that it can't be
stopped. God can't intend to have grace
on somebody and then they put a stop to it. They won't let
him do it. That's so silly, blasphemous. God's grace saves. He never tries
to save. God's grace saves. It's not an
offer. It's saving grace. But if I think that my righteousness
before God is because of anything I do, I make the grace of God
meaningless. I nullify the grace of God. I have never really understood
grace in the first place, if I think that righteousness comes
by the law. And then finally, in our text,
verse 43, Acts chapter 13, verse 43. Now, when the congregation
was broken up Many of the Jews and the religious proselytes
followed Paul and Barnabas. Oh, they were so excited about
what they heard. Here's a sample of what they
heard. Look at verse 38 of the same chapter. Be it known unto
you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins and by him All that believe are
justified from all things from which you could not be justified
by the law of Moses. We want to hear that again. Will
you preach that again to us next week? We want to hear that again.
They besought that these words might be preached to them the
next Sabbath. So the congregation was broken
up. And many of these people followed
Paul and Barnabas. And what was the counsel of Paul
and Barnabas to these people? Well, who's speaking to them,
persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Now that means to persevere, to abide. Same word the Lord uses when
he says abide in me. Abide, it means to tarry. You
know, you tarry in a place you enjoy being. You don't wanna
go. You like being right there. You
tarry in the grace of God. You remain in the grace of God. You don't wanna be anywhere else.
The grace of God. The Lord said, if you continue
in my word, that's the word, same word, if you continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. If you continue in the
faith, grounded and settled. Now, here's a commandment that
truly is not grievous. He persuaded them to continue
I want to be one of those people, don't you? Somebody who continues
in the grace of God. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your
grace. The free saving grace. that is in your son, the grace that caused him to
leave his riches and for our sakes to become poor, that we
through his poverty might be rich. Lord, give us this attitude
of these people who hurting the grace of God wanted to hear again
and again and again. And Lord, let us, by your grace,
continue in your grace. In the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, we ask these things. Amen.