Okay, now back to our study here
in Acts chapter 18. I'm taking the title for the
message from what is said down here in verse 10. The Lord's
promise to the Apostle in this vision that he receives, he said,
I am with you. No man will set on thee to hurt
you, for I have much people. You see that? I have much people
in the city now. Paul was a stranger when he went
there. He didn't know anybody in that
city. He didn't know a person and no one in that city knew
him. But the Lord had a people that he knew. You remember that
scripture, the foundation of God stand is sure, the Lord knoweth
them that are his. I have much people in this city. Now that must have encouraged
the Apostle Paul. Therefore he said, don't leave,
don't leave. And he continued there for a
year and a half. The Lord Jesus Christ has an
elect chosen people. GIVEN TO HIM IN THAT BLESSED,
ETERNAL COVENANT OF GRACE. THE LORD OFTEN REFERRED TO THAT
IN HIS MINISTRY UPON THE EARTH AMONG MAN. HE SAID, ALL THAT
THE FATHER GIVETH TO ME, THEY'LL COME TO ME, AND THOSE THAT COME
TO ME, I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT. THE LORD HAS A PEOPLE. THE
LORD HAS A CHOSEN PEOPLE GIVEN TO HIM IN THAT BLESSED, ETERNAL
COVENANT OF GRACE, AND THIS COVENANT OF GRACE IS ORDERED IN ALL THINGS
It's sure, it's certain, and absolute. I like what David said
about that covenant. He said, although it be not so
with my house, God hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things, and is sure, this is all my hope, and
all my salvation. And then the apostle Paul, when
he says this, the God of peace, THAT BROUGHT AGAIN FROM THE DEAD
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT GREAT SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP THROUGH
THE BLOOD OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT. THIS BLESSED COVENANT
OF GRACE IS ORDERED, IT'S CERTAIN, IT'S SURE. THESE COVENANT PEOPLE,
JUST AS THOSE COVENANT PEOPLE HERE IN CORINTH, ALTHOUGH PAUL
DIDN'T KNOW THEM, GOD DID, AND GOD CALLED THEM OUT WITH THE
PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL. THOSE COVENANT PEOPLE WILL HEAR
THE GOSPEL BLESSED WITH GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THEY WILL FALL
IN LOVE WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TRUST HIM FOR ALL THY SALVATION
ALL THEIR SALVATION BECAUSE THE LORD MAKES THEM WILLING IN THE
DAY OF HIS POWER Paul writes this to those there in Thessalonica. He said, we know you're the elect
of God. We know you're the people of
God, because our gospel came not to you in word only, but
in power, the power of the Holy Spirit. And you were blessed
to believe the gospel. Now, Acts 18, verse one, after
these things, after all that took place in Athens, Paul preaching
the gospel there on Mars Hill, Paul departed from Athens, and
he came to this city known as Corinth. Paul boldly preached
the gospel in Athens, and some people believed the gospel there. The Lord had a people there as
well, but as far as we know, there was no gospel church established
in Athens, but in Corinth. Then the Lord brought him to
this city. We see the Lord established a gospel ministry there because
he had much people. We've been looking at first and
second Corinthians for the last couple of years in our Bible
study, and we see how the Lord instruct them and bless them
in a way of salvation. You think about this, Paul writes
these inspired letters given to these people, but he's also
writing right down to us. It applies to us today. It's
God's Word to us. Athens was known as the intellectual
city of much learning and philosophy. We looked at that last week.
Corinth, this city, was known as a city of commerce and business.
It was kind of like the New York City of that area. You can look at your maps today,
that city is still there, the city of Corinth. And I go to
Google Map and look at those things, and it's still there,
that city's still there. I wonder if the gospel's still
there. I doubt it very much. But this time, at this time,
the Lord had a people there, and a people that needed to be
called with the gospel, so what did God do? He sent a gospel
preacher. Now, look at verse two and three.
And he found a certain Jew, named Aquila, born in Pothos, lately
come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla. Now we run into them
in Scripture a lot, Aquila and Priscilla. They were Jewish,
they were living in Rome, Italy, But they had to flee because
that the emperor Claudius commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome
and they came and came unto them. And because he was of the same
craft, he abode with them, that is Paul, and he worked with them
or by their occupation. They were tent makers. Now we
see something of the providence of God. At the time that Aquila
and Priscilla lived in Rome, although they were Jewish, they
didn't believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They had
not heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see how the
good and sovereign providence of God works to bring his sheep
to hear the gospel. Now Aquila and Priscilla were
persecuted, and they were forced to leave Rome because of the
persecution against the Jews, and they traveled many miles
from Rome, Italy, all the way down south to Corinth. And they
had to do so by ship. They had to take a ship. It's
well over 500 miles. They came all the way to this
city of Corinth. probably to restart their business
and to establish a business there making tents. Well, guess who
they ran into? They ran into God's servant,
the Apostle Paul. Now, this was no accident, was
it? Probably at the time when Aquila and Priscilla were being
persecuted for being Jewish, and they had to leave their business,
probably forsake their house, and they thought, man, this is
hardship. But they ran right into the gospel of God. Do you
see how the providence of God works together for good to them
who love God, who are called according to God's purpose? This
couple was forced out of Rome, and they came to the city of
Corinth, they met God's servant. But more than that, better than
that, they met the Lord Jesus Christ. They met the Lord Jesus
Christ. Both were brought to Christ in
faith and they're mentioned in the book of God. Paul in Romans
16 called Aquila and Priscilla my helpers in the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And then as we studied from 1
Corinthians chapter 16, Paul said, greet them, Aquila and
Priscilla, and greet the church that meets in their house. So
they became faithful, faithful believers. We're gonna see more
of that in the end of this chapter when they, Aquila and Priscilla,
are used of God to help Apollos understand more of the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse three, we learn that
Paul was hired by this couple to help make tents. Now, Paul's
a total stranger to them. But because he was looking for
some way to get some food, and he didn't want to go out on the
street as a beggar, so he said, I'm a tent maker. I'm going to
find somebody in that city making tents. And he went to work as
a tent maker. He learned this craft sometime
in his early life. I don't know when. We don't have
a record of it. But somehow he learned this trade, much like
the Lord Jesus Christ learned a trade. Remember, he was a carpenter. They called him the carpenter's
son. One old writer said this, and I thought it good, an honest
trade by which you support your family is commendable. We have
here mechanics, we have here construction people, carpenters,
we have here welders, and miners, and electricians, and all these
different trades. An honest trade by which you
support your family is commendable. Commendable, commendable in the
God. Aquila and Priscilla also provided for Paul room and board,
room and board, and a job. I remember when I was just a
young teenager boy and looked for a summer job during school.
I went from where I lived to a neighboring state, Wyoming,
and found a rancher up there who needed some help. and I got
a job working for that rancher, and he paid me $8 a day, $8 a
day, but he gave me room and board, and they fed me very well,
room and board. I met with him some years ago,
went back to find him, and I was telling him and reminding him
he paid me eight bucks a day. He said, yeah, but now they're
paying 50 bucks a day. I said, well, that's an improvement
after 50 years. That's an improvement. But here's
the point. We see again how the Lord takes
care of his people. The Lord, he said, I am the Lord
Jehovah-Jireh. I will provide. We see how the
Lord takes care of his people, providing for them as he did. for Aquila and Priscilla as he
did for the Apostle Paul. Haven't you who are older seen
this through your life, how the Lord provides for you? My God
shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we know from reading the
record in Acts chapter 20 that Paul was not in the ministry
for fame or fortune, but rather to the furtherance of the gospel
and to the glory of God. If you find over here in Acts
chapter 20, He says in verse 32 of Acts 20,
And now, brethren, when I commend you to God in the word of His
grace, which is able to build you up and to give you inheritance,
among all them are sanctified. He said, I've coveted no man's
silver or gold or apparel. Yea, he said, you know yourselves
that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them
that were with me. I've showed you all things how
so laboring you ought to support the weak and to remember the
words of the Lord Jesus how he said it's more blessed to give
than to receive. So working and providing for
your family is commendable and the Lord does provide The Lord
does provide for His people. He's provided a Savior. Certainly,
if He's provided us a Savior, He'll provide, seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then these other things.
They'll take care of themselves by and by. Now look at verse
4. Here's what he did. He reasoned
in the synagogue every Sabbath day. That was the Saturday in
that day. And persuaded in the synagogue
the Jews who assembled there and the Greeks who assembled
there. And he testified to them that Jesus was the Christ. As
it says in the last part, Verse 5, while Paul labored privately
making tents, he publicly and freely preached the gospel in
the synagogue every time they met together. And he reasoned
with them out of the scripture, that means Paul took the Old
Testament scripture and preached to the Lord Jesus Christ the
fulfillment of the scriptures. Now there's an example of that
just across the page in Acts 18 verse 28. This man Apollos,
he mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly, showing by
the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ of God. Now turn back one page, you remember
in Acts 17, In verse 2, Acts 17 verse 2, Paul, as his manner
was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them
out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must
need suffer, and risen again from the dead, and that this
Jesus whom I preached unto you, he is it. He is the Christ. He is the Savior. He's the long-expected
Lord Jesus Christ. We will and we must preach the
gospel concerning the Lord. Remember in his epistle he said,
when I came to you, I came not with the excellency of speech
or fleshly wisdom, but I came declaring unto you the testimony
of God, determined to preach unto you Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. That's the message. And we will
and we must preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
I can reason with you about the things of God and the gospel
of God, but it takes God to reveal God to your heart. Paul preached
to them, he plainly preached to them, but he said, your faith
shouldn't stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. It takes God to reveal God. Now hold your place there and
find Matthew 11, Matthew chapter 11. Our Lord said this, I was thinking
of this scripture early this morning, in Matthew 11, verse
25. At that time, Jesus answered
and said, Matthew 11, 25, you with me? I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because I was hid these things from the
wise and prudent and has revealed them on debate
even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight all things
are delivered unto me my father and no man knoweth the son but
the father neither knoweth any man the father save the son and
he to whomsoever the son will reveal You see, it takes God
the Holy Spirit to reveal the gospel unto us. Again, in the book of Matthew,
if you want to turn over a couple pages, you remember in Matthew
chapter 16, when the Lord asked Peter, whom do you say that I
am? Matthew 16, 16, and Simon Peter
answered and said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living
God. And the Lord said to him, blessed art thou, Simon Barjona,
son of a sinner, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this
unto thee but my Father, which is in heaven. Salvation comes
by revelation. God, the Holy Spirit, takes the
things of Christ and shows them unto you, unto us. Now, I tell
you why the Lord has fixed those things the way he has, and it
gets down to the bottom line, his glory. His glory. You weren't so smart, you figured
this out. The world by wisdom doesn't know
God. Christ has made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. You see, he's
the one who commands the light to shine. He's the one that grants
faith. He's the one that gives us life
in the Lord Jesus Christ. The preaching of the gospel to
those who were perishing, what did we read a moment ago in 1
Corinthians 1.18? For the preaching of the gospel
to them who are perishing, Foolishness, but to those who recall Christ
crucified the wisdom of God Christ crucified the power of God the
natural man received with not that the things of the Spirit
of God He cannot know them Cannot discern them God has revealed
himself unto us now back at Acts 18 look at verse 5 Silas and
Timothy will come Silas and Timothy will come from Macedonia. You
remember Paul left them in Berea When he was forced out of Berea
and he went on to Athens, but he left Silas and Timothy there
and when they were come to Paul here at Corinth, he was pressed
in the spirit and Testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ
Now a couple of comments here on verse five. Saul and Timothy,
excuse me, Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea while Paul went
to Athens. Now they rejoined back with Paul
and they were much encouragement to help. They were much encouragement
to him and with their presence they were a help unto him. Now
it made me think about this. how good and how pleasant for
the brethren to work and dwell together, to worship together,
to live together with the same goal, the same ambition, the
same love, the same interest for the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's why we're encouraged and
instructed in scripture to encourage one another. Silas and Timothy
came to Paul and he was encouraged. He was encouraged and he was
pressed or encouraged, motivated to further preach the gospel
Christ and him crucified. I thought of this scripture on
this point in the book of Amos that says two cannot walk together
except they be agreed. And that's true. That's true.
This gave Paul added boost in his heart and encouragement he
needed in his soul to testify again and constantly preach Jesus
Christ and him crucified. I'm sure they encouraged him
and he encouraged them. THE POINT I'M MAKING IS THIS,
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER. WE PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER, WE ENCOURAGE
ONE ANOTHER, WE HELP ONE ANOTHER. NOW, VERSE 6 IS A SAD NOTE. WHILE PAUL PREACHED THE GOSPEL,
HE WAS PRESSED IN HIS HEART, IN HIS SPIRIT, TO TESTIFY, TO
DECLARE THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, HIS PERSON, HIS WORK. NOW LOOK
AT VERSE 6. And these Jews, they opposed
the gospel. And when they opposed themselves
and blasphemed, that word means they spoke evil of Paul. They
discredited him, his ministry. He shook his raiment off before
them and said to them, your blood, your guilt, your sins on your
own head. I'm free from you. I'm clean
from you from henceforth. I'll go into the Gentile Paul
was commanded to preach the gospel to the Jew first and also to
the Gentile we have a similar story there turn back to Acts
chapter 13 when Paul came to Antioch here in Acts chapter
13 remember turn back there verse 44 Acts 13 44 The next Sabbath day came almost
the whole city to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw
the multitudes, they were filled with envy and spake against those
things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold and said it was necessary that the Word of God should first
have been spoken unto you. But seeing you put it from you,
seeing that you put it from yourselves, you judge yourselves unworthy
of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath
the Lord commanded us, saying, I've set thee to be a light of
the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends
of the earth, And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and
glorified the word of the Lord. As many as were ordained to eternal
life, they believed the gospel of God. They willfully rejected
and refused to hear and receive and believe the gospel. They
were heaping condemnation to their own soul. Those who refused and opposed
the gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ REFUSE AND OPPOSE
THE GOD OF THE GOSPEL. IT'S A FEARFUL THING TO FALL
INTO THE HAND OF THE LIVING GOD. DON'T TRIFLE WITH GOD. HEAR THE
MESSAGE AND BELIEVE IT. IT IS GOD'S WORD, GOD'S TRUTH. I WANT YOU TO FIND THE BOOK OF
HEBREWS AND LOOK AT THIS SCRIPTURE HERE. HEBREWS CHAPTER 10, VERSE
28. HEBREWS 10, VERSE 28. Look what it says here about
those who despised the law of Moses. What happened? Died without
mercy under two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10 verse 29. How much
sore punishment suppose you shall he be thought worthy who hath
trodden underfoot the Son of God, and counted the blood of
the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and
done despite of the Spirit of grace. For we know him that hath
said, Vengeance belongs to me. I will recompense, saith the
Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge his people. It's a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of a living God. Paul said, I
preach to you the gospel. And you said, away with it. We
have no king but Caesar. And Paul said, your condemnation
is on your own head. He said, I'm free from you. I
preached the gospel to you. You're on your own. Verse seven,
back to the text. Verse seven, he departed thence.
He departed the synagogue. Verse seven, and he entered into
the house of a man by the name of justice. Justice. He's one that worshiped God.
And I take that to mean he believed the gospel. He lived next door
to the synagogue. No doubt he was brought up in
Judaism, but he was one of those people that the Lord had in that
city in Corinth that must hear the gospel, that must believe
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Justice, look what it
says in verse eight. And Crispus, the chief ruler
of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all of his house,
and many of the Corinthians hearing believed were baptized. Not only would justice HEARD
THE GOSPEL AND BELIEVED, AND CRISPUS HEARD THE GOSPEL AND
BELIEVED, AND THIS MAN OVER IN VERSE 17 OF ACTS 18, THEN ALL
THE GREEKS TOOK SOSTENES, THE CHIEF RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE,
AND BEAT HIM BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT, AND GALILEO CARED FOR NONE
OF THOSE THINGS." NOW HERE WE SEE SOME, THE LORD CALLING OUT
SOME OF THESE MEN HERE, PROMINENT MEN IN THAT JEWISH IN THAT JEWISH
SYNAGOGUMENT. JUSTICE, CHRISTMAS, SOSTANESE,
AND OTHERS WERE BROUGHT TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN SAVING FAITH. NOW YOU THINK ABOUT THIS IN THAT
DAY. FOR A JEW, ESPECIALLY A JEWISH
LEADER, TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND
TURN HIS BACK ON JUDAISM, THAT WAS AT GREAT PERSONAL COST TO
HIM. HIS FAMILY TURNED THEIR BACK
ON HIM. HE LOST HIS JOB, HE LOST HIS
HOUSE. He gained everything in the Lord
Jesus Christ alone. He was blessed with all spiritual
blessings. Our Lord said, you take a public
stand for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it'll cost
you. It'll cost you, but in him we
have all things. In him we have all things, blessed
with all spiritual blessings. In verse 8, again, Crispus was
given faith to believe on the Lord with all of his house. The
Lord blessed him, blessed his family, and many of the Corinthians,
hearing, believed, were baptized. Now we know that Paul spent 18 months there. A revival broke
out among those people, and many of the Corinthians believed.
18 months. I did the math on that. That's
540 days. 540 days, Paul was there preaching,
preaching, preaching, preaching, and the Lord was using that message
and calling and quickening and enlightening and revealing the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I want you to notice something
here in verse eight and nine, how the Lord establishes a pattern
here, a pattern or method of grace, a pattern of salvation. Notice these things here, the
word of truth was preached, many heard and were blessed with faith,
and those who heard and believed, you see the last part of verse
eight, they were baptized. They were baptized. So they believed on the Lord
with all their house, and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed,
AND WERE BAPTIZED. NOW THOSE THREE THINGS, THE WORD
OF GOD WAS PREACHED. YOU CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT YOU HAVE
NOT HEARD. HOW SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A
PREACHER? FAITH COMES BY HEARING AND HEARING
BY THE WORD OF THE LORD. WE READ IN FIRST CORINTHIANS
CHAPTER ONE, REMEMBER VERSE 21, IT PLEASED GOD THROUGH THE FOOLISHNESS
OF PREACHING TO CALL OUT HIS PEOPLE. We preach not ourselves,
but the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord said, go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved. That's the charge God has given
to us to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word
of truth was preached. Secondly, many who heard were
blessed with the sovereign gift of faith. Faith is the sovereign
gift of God. For by grace are ye saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God. So the word
was preached, many who heard were blessed to believe it, and
those who believed the gospel, it says there, they were baptized. were baptized. Now hold your
place there and turn back to Acts chapter 8. Were they baptized to be saved
or were they baptized because God had saved them? Now there's
a difference there. They were baptized, confessing
Christ as all their hope because God, by His grace, had saved
them and revealed the gospel to them. Now remember the story
in Acts chapter 8 of this man from Ethiopia who was a eunuch
who went to Jerusalem, traveling back to his home country. In
verse 32, he was reading the book of Isaiah about the lamb
who was led to the slaughter, And his humiliation and judgment
was taken away. Who shall declare his generation?
For his life is taken from the earth. Verse 34 of Acts chapter
8. And the eunuch answered Philip
and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this, of
himself or some other man? And Philip opened his mouth and
began at the same scripture and preached unto him the Lord Jesus
Christ." Exactly what Paul and Peter did. They took the word
and preached Christ, reasoned and persuaded that Jesus is the
Christ. Read on, Acts 8, 36. And as they
went on their way, they came to a certain water, And Eunuch
said, well, here's water. What does hinder me to be baptized?
And Philip said, if thou believest with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the
chariot to stand still. They went down both into the
water, and Philip and the eunuch, and he was baptized. And when
he was come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught
away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more, but he went
on his way rejoicing. Now, water baptism is not salvation. Water baptism is for believers
because we have been brought to the Lord Jesus Christ in saving
faith. And we're gonna see that all
the way through the book of Acts. Those who heard, believed, were
baptized. The Lord had many and much people
in that city. Those 540 days, Paul was preaching
the gospel, and the Lord was revealing the gospel unto those
people, and they were probably baptizing people constantly.
Constantly. Paul said, I baptize none but
Crispus and Gaius, the house of Stephanus. Well, he didn't
send me just to baptize folks, he sent me to preach the gospel.
Now, read on verse nine. Then spake the Lord to Paul in
the night by a vision and said, don't be afraid, but speak and
don't hold back anything for I'm with thee. No man shall set
on thee to hurt thee for or because I have much people. I have much
people in this city. Now the apostle Paul was given
special vision about preaching at Corinth. As we've seen, remember
back in chapter 16, turn back over there. As far as I can tell
in the book of Acts, Paul had at least four of these special
visions. Here's the first one we read
about, Acts 16, verse 9. And a vision appeared to Paul
in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia,
prayed, him saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. And
after they had seen the vision, immediately he endeavored to
go into Macedonia, assuredly Gathering that the Lord had called
us to preach the gospel unto them so Paul had these special
visions there and here and then again in Jerusalem and then again
on that ship when that ship was wrecked, so Now here's what I
want to say I've never had a special vision from the Lord as the apostles
or the prophets did in the past. Any man who stands in the pulpit
today and said God spoke to him last night in a vision and that
he has a new revelation from God is a liar. plain and simple. God speaks today to his people
through his word, by his servant, through the Holy Spirit, taking
the word of God and revealing that unto us. That's why all
scriptures given to God, inspired of God, to teach us and to instruct
us in the way of grace. Now in verse, the last part of
verse nine, He said, the Lord said to him in this vision, don't
be afraid, but speak, hold not your peace, I'm with thee, no
man shall set on thee to hurt thee, verse 10. For I have much
people in this city, and he continued there a year and six months,
teaching and preaching, exhorting, persuading, reasoning the word
of God among them. Now, The last part of verse nine
and verse 10. Three valid reasons not to fear
what men can do, but rather we're to fear God. We don't preach
to please men. We preach to honor God. And because
we fear him, we do not need to fear men. The Lord says three
things. He says, I have, you have my
presence, you have my protection and you have God's purpose. You
have my presence. He said, I'm with thee. I'm with
thee. The Lord said to his people,
excuse me, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Lo, I'm
with you always. I'm with you always. Isaiah 41 verse 10 is a precious
promise God gives to us. He says this, fear not, I am
with thee. Be not dismayed. I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea,
I will help thee. I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness. Fear not. Fear not, Paul. Don't be afraid. His presence,
I'm with you. Secondly, protection. No man's
gonna hurt you. No man's gonna hurt you. If God
be for us, who can be against us? Our great God rules and controls
all things. Now, prior to this, in many cities,
we've seen this. Paul was hurt, wasn't he? People
did set on him to hurt him, to stone him, to beat him, and all
these things. But God said, in this city, no
one's going to touch you. Could have the Lord prevented
those others' persecutions? Absolutely. But he didn't, for
God's own purpose and reason. You see, even the wrath of men
and the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder of
wrath God will restrain. So he said, Paul, don't be afraid.
I'm with you. I'll never forsake you. I'll
protect you, no man shall hurt thee, and then God's purpose. I have much people, I have much
people in this city. Who are these people? Who are
these people? Well, we are bound to give thanks
to God for you, brethren, because God has, from the beginning,
chosen you unto salvation. There are chosen people. I have
much people in this city, chosen by his grace. Our Lord said,
you didn't choose me, I've chosen you. The Father has given him
power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given to him. Who are these people? Well, they're
chosen by his grace. They're bought with his blood,
aren't they? Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter
20 verse 28 said, feed the church of God, take heed to yourself
and feed the church of God, which he had purchased with his own
blood. So God's people here are covenant
people, sinners saved by the grace of God, chosen in that
covenant of grace, bought with his precious blood. We are redeemed
with the precious blood of Christ and they must be called out with
the gospel. And that's what God does. He
crosses their path in their life and calls them with the gospel
because they are His people. He says, I have much people in
this city. We studied recently from Psalm
95 where he says, He is our God, we are the people
of his pasture. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from their sin. Isaiah 53 H said, for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. The Lord does have a people and
he does call them out with the gospel of his grace. These people
by nature are sinners, By birth, practice, nature, choice, but
by the grace of God, he came to save sinners. He came to save his people. They're
sinners. They're sinners. He didn't come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. When we were yet without strength,
the Lord Jesus Christ died for the ungodly. This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation that the Lord Jesus Christ came
to save sinners, ungodly, wretched, vile sinners. I have much people
in this city chosen, redeemed, and called, made object of his
grace, trophies of his love. He'll never leave them. He'll
never forsake them. He said, I'll lay down my life
for the sheep. And Paul continued in closing
verse 11. Paul continued there 18 months,
540 days. He continued there according
to the will of God, teaching and preaching the word of the
Lord. May the Lord be pleased. May the Lord be pleased to cause
all of us here to continue, to continue, to continue, continue
in preaching and teaching the word of the Lord, continue in
supporting the ministry of the gospel, continue in prayer, May
the Lord be pleased to use this ministry here to call out his
people here. The Lord has much people in this
city. I know he does. You know why
I know that he does? Because he established a gospel
ministry here and he's calling out his people. There's some
people in this city that belong to the Lord that I've not met
yet. I will someday, Lord willing, And he'll use this ministry to
call out his people, to call out his sheep.