Acts chapter 16, and as usual,
I try to hunt out a verse to give us a title to the message,
and I'm going to use verse four as a title to the message. As they went through the cities,
they went through the cities preaching the gospel, they delivered
THEM THE DECREES FOR THE KEEP THAT WERE ORDAINED OF THE APOSTLES
AND ELDERS WHICH WERE AT JERUSALEM. THEY DELIVERED THE DECREES THAT
WERE ORDAINED OF THE APOSTLES. NOW, IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT
THAT'S SAYING, THAT'S SAYING THAT THEY PREACHED AND TAUGHT
THE VERY WORD OF GOD. THE VERY WORD OF GOD THAT YOU
HOLD IN YOUR HAND IS THE VERY DECREES OF GOD. WHAT YOU HOLD
IN YOUR HAND, THAT BOOK YOU CALL, WE CALL THE BIBLE, IS THE VERY
WORD OF GOD. NOW, WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT
than for every one of us, but especially to every believer,
to hear the decrees of God. You remember what Cornelius said
to Peter? We're all here today to hear
all things commanded thee of God. What could be more important
to us than to hear what God has to say? His decrees that were
ordained of God. That's a good description of
His Word, is it not? The Bible, the whole Bible, the
Book of God, is the decree of God. It's the Word of God that
is unchanging, that is eternal, that is ordained of God for us,
given to us. THAT WE MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING
OF WHO GOD IS. THE BIBLE IS THE ETERNAL, UNCHANGING
WORD OF GOD, AND WE READ IT AS SUCH, DON'T WE? WE READ THE WORD
OF GOD AS SUCH, WE PREACH IT AS SUCH, AND WE BELIEVE IT AND
RECEIVE IT AS SUCH. YOU REMEMBER THE SCRIPTURE WHEN
PAUL WRITES TO THE THESSALONIANS, HE SAID, FOR THIS CAUSE ALSO
THANK WE GOD, WITHOUT CEASING, Because when you receive the
Word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as
it is the Word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God. You think about that, that book
you hold in your hand. THAT WORD OF GOD THAT YOU HOLD
IN YOUR HAND. IT'S GOD'S WILL AND TESTIMONY
TO YOU, HIS PEOPLE. THE BIBLE IS NOT A BOOK THAT
MERELY CONTAINS THE WORD OF GOD. IT IS THE INSPIRED, INHERENT,
WORD OF GOD. WE READ JUST A MOMENT AGO, ALL
SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD AND IT IS PROFITABLE FOR
DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION. NOW, I DON'T
KNOW ABOUT YOU, But I need correction, I need reproof, and I need instruction
all the time, don't you? That's why Paul writes to young
Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, he said, preach the word, preach the word. in any season, reprove, rebuke,
exhort with long-suffering and doctrine, preach Christ who is
the word. That's why we're commanded to
go into all the world and preach what? The word, the word, the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you remember from our study
last week how that Paul and Barnabas parted company over John Mark
and they parted company from each other and they went their
separate ways. Barnabas chose his nephew John
Mark and they went back to Cyprus preaching the gospel where Paul
and Barnabas had been before. Paul chose Silas NOW, AND THEY
START ANOTHER MISSIONARY JOURNEY GOING BACK WHERE PAUL AND BARNABAS
HAD PREACHED BEFORE IN THOSE CITIES, DERBY, LYSTRA, ICONIUM,
PURGA, AND ANDIOC, AND THEY WENT BACK TO THOSE CITIES, AND IT
SAYS THEY'RE CONFIRMING THE CHURCHES, THAT IS, INSTRUCTING THEM IN
THE WAY of grace in Christ. We're going to see today that
the Lord adds another preacher of the gospel with Paul and Silas,
and his name is Timothy, Timothy, Timotheus. And we're going to
see now that we have a trio, Paul, Silas, and Timothy. AND
WE'RE GONNA SEE AS YOU READ THROUGH THE EPISTLE, TIMOTHY HAS A BIG
PART AND A MAJOR ROLE IN PAUL'S MISSIONARY EFFORT TO PREACH THE
GOSPEL WHEREVER HE WENT. TIMOTHY WAS AN ABLE PREACHER.
TIMOTHY WAS A DISCIPLE, AS IT SAYS IN VERSE 1. NOW, LET'S LOOK
AT VERSE 1 AND VERSE 2. ACTS 16, VERSE 1 AND VERSE 2. and Lystra. Now remember what
happened in these cities before. And behold, a certain disciple,
a disciple is one who is a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
was there in the city, in these cities, Derbe and Lystra was
there and his name was Timotheus, the son of a certain woman. We
know his mother's name and even his grandmother's name, Lois
and Eunice. which was Jewish, his mother,
and believed, what did she believe? Well, she believed the gospel.
She believed the word of God is the word of God. But his father
was a Gentile, a Greek. Timothy was well reported of
the brethren. that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth
with him and took him and had him circumcised. Now we'll get
to that in just a minute. We're introduced to this young
man, Timothy. WHO THE LORD CALLED OUT WITH
THE WORD OF TRUTH, WHO WAS TAUGHT THE GOSPEL BY GOD AND PUT IN
THE GOSPEL MINISTRY. HE LEARNED THE GOSPEL FROM THE
WORD OF GOD. HIS MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER EXPOSED
HIM TO THE TRUTH OF GOD AND GOD USED THAT WORD TO TEACH HIM THE
GOSPEL AND TO SHOW HIM THAT SALVATION IS ALL OF GOD'S GRACE. Paul went back to the cities
where he had been severely persecuted for preaching the gospel. It
mentions there in Lystra and Derbe. Remember in those cities
he did preach the gospel and the Lord called out a multitude
of people but he was also persecuted and even stoned at Lystra, drug
out of the city as a dead man, and God raised him back up, healed
him, and blessed him to continue in the ministry. But forgetting
what had happened in those cities, forgetting that persecution,
forgetting those that hated him and what happened to him in that
time, knowing that it was much more important to go back to
those cities and do what? To do what? To preach the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing more important in this
life for a believer than to hear the word of God and to declare
the word of God and to believe the word of God. Everything else
takes a back seat to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
just so. Paul went back to those cities
preaching, preaching the word. Remember look back at Acts 15
verse 35 Paul also in Barnabas continued in Antioch teaching
and preaching the word of the Lord WITH MANY OTHERS ALSO. VERSE 36, SOME DAYS AFTER PAUL
SAID TO BARNABAS, LET US GO AGAIN AND VISIT OUR BROTHERS IN EVERY
CITY WHERE WE HAVE PREACHED THE WORD OF THE LORD AND SEE HOW
THEY DO. SO IT'S JUST NOT THAT THEY WERE
GOING TO GO THERE AND VISIT, THEY WERE GOING TO GO THERE AND
DECLARE THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WE SEE ALSO IN
VERSE 1, TIMOTHY'S We meet this certain disciple,
young Timothy, a young man who was called with the gospel, and
we see that Timothy's mother was someone who believed the
gospel. Timothy's mother was a Jew, we
know her name was Eunice, who believed the word of God and
taught her son the word of God, the gospel of Christ. They were
both given genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They believed
God concerning the gospel. WHAT WORD OF GOD DID THEY HAVE?
THEY HAD THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS TELL
US THAT JESUS CHRIST IS EVERYTHING IN SALVATION. AND LIKE ABRAHAM
WHO BELIEVED THE WORD OF GOD, THIS WOMAN, EUNICE AND LOIS WERE
BELIEVERS OF THE WORD OF GOD, LIKE ABRAHAM, IT WAS COUNTED
TO THEM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE GOD. THEY HEARD THE WORD OF THE
LORD, AND THEY HEARD THE MESSAGE OF THE WORD. CHRIST IS EVERYTHING
IN SALVATION. NOW, IF YOU WANT TO TURN WITH
ME, YOU CAN, BUT IF NOT, SECOND TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 1, HE SAID,
VERSE 5, WHEN I CALLED REMEMBRANCE, THE UNTHANED FAITH THAT IS IN
THEE, genuine faith which dwelt first in your mother grandmother
lois and in your mother eunice and i'm persuaded also in thee
genuine faith i desire that genuine faith is a gift of god genuine
faith also looks always only to the lord jesus christ timothy
was a disciple, a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only
did he hear the word of the Lord from his mother and grandmother,
but I'm sure that he also heard Paul preach the gospel, and God
called him to the ministry, and Paul called him his son in the
gospel. TIMOTHY'S NAME MEANS AND SIGNIFIES
ONE THAT HONORED GOD OR WAS HONORED BY GOD AND CERTAINLY BOTH OF
THOSE THINGS WERE TRUE. TIMOTHY HONORED GOD AND GOD HONORED
HIM IN CHOOSING HIM AND BLESSING HIM AND GIVING HIM SALVATION
IN CHRIST. THAT'S A BLESSING. WE SEE SOMETHING
ABOUT HIS FATHER. HIS MOTHER WAS A BELIEVER. WE
SEE THAT TIMOTHY HAD A GOOD REPORT AMONG THE BRETHREN AS A DISCIPLE,
A FOLLOWER OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT WERE AT LYSTRA AND
ICONIUM, BUT HIS FATHER, WE SEE HERE, WAS A GREEK OR A GENTILE. NOW WE ARE NOT TOLD HIS FATHER
WAS A BELIEVER, BUT I BELIEVE THAT HE WAS. AND THE REASON I
BELIEVE THAT HE WAS because Eunice, being a believer, married him,
and she wouldn't have done that if he didn't believe the Word
of God like Abraham. Maybe that is the reason that
Timothy, as a young boy, eight days old, was not circumcised.
BECAUSE HIS FATHER BELIEVED THE GOSPEL AND KNEW THAT CIRCUMCISION
WAS NOTHING IN THE MATTER OF SALVATION. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT
THAT IN THAT LIGHT BEFORE. BUT IT COULD BE THAT'S THE REASON
THAT HIS FATHER DID NOT circumcised him when he was eight days old. Timothy, even though he was young
in age, Paul told him, let no man despise thy youth. He had
a good report of the brethren and was a disciple, a follower
of the Lord Jesus Christ, committed to the gospel of God's grace.
NOW NOTICE VERSE 3, HIM, ACTS 16 VERSE 3, HIM WOULD PAUL HAVE
TO GO FOR WITH HIM. NOW TIMOTHY NO DOUBT EXPRESSED
A DESIRE AND COMMITMENT TO THE LORD AND TO THE MINISTRY AND
PAUL BEING LED OF GOD SAID YOU JUST COME AND GO WITH US. Come
and go with us." Evidently, Timothy had some gifts of preaching the
gospel and understanding the word of the Lord. And Paul said,
well, you just come and go with me in Silas. Him would Paul have
to go forth with him and took him and circumcised him because
of the Jews which were in those quarters for they all knew that
his father was not Jewish. His father was a Gentile. The church and the apostle recognized
the gifts that God had given this young man and Paul would
have Timothy travel with him and we know that Timothy plays
a very vital role in the missionary journeys and establishing these
churches In the early days, Paul likened the ministry to a soldier
on a battlefield. Timothy was about to step into
the battlefield and to fight a good warfare. When Paul writes
about his ministry, he says this, in his closing words, I fought
a good fight. I kept the faith. And then he
writes to Timothy and says this, thou therefore endure hardness
as a good soldier. So when you enter into the ministry,
you enter into the battle, a battle of standing for the gospel of
the grace of God, and we do not look back. We do not look. Any man that puts his hand to
the plow and looks back, it's not fit for the kingdom of God. But notice something unusual
here. Notice what the Apostle Paul did. He had Timothy circumcised
and it seems somewhat very strange to me in the light of what happened
in Acts chapter 15. Remember those Jews came from
Jerusalem up to Antioch and told those Gentiles who had believed
the gospel and said, except you be circumcised after the manner
of Moses, you cannot be saved. AND HERE PAUL TAKES TIMOTHY AND
HAS HIM CIRCUMCISED. PETER DECLARED THAT SALVATION
IS ALL BY THE GRACE OF GOD. REMEMBER, IN ACTS 15, VERSE 11,
WE BELIEVE THROUGH THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WE SHALL
BE SAVED. And then James also chimed in
in Acts chapter 15, verse 24, for as much as we've heard that
certain went out from us and troubled you with word, subverting
your soul, saying that you must be circumcised and keep the law
to whom we gave no such commandment. Now, just looking at that and
seeing what happened and what is going on here, you would think,
well, Paul, are you compromising the gospel? to satisfy those
Jews? Well, here's what he's doing.
Here's what he's doing. I'm sure that he didn't compromise
the gospel at all. On another occasion, he refused
to have Titus circumcised, but here, in order to take down any
offense or to open up the door, so the jews would listen to this
young man preach the gospel paul knowing that circumcision is
nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but faith in the lord
jesus christ is the main thing he said okay they take that argument
away i'll have him circumcised That's why when he goes into
the Jewish synagogue, he can say, well, I've been circumcised
and maybe someone would hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It reminds me of what Paul says. Don't turn. Let me just get it
for you. We had this in our Bible study. Remember in first Corinthians
chapter nine, listen to what he says unto the Jews. I became
a Jew. that I might gain the Jew to
them that are under the law as under the law that I might gain
them that are under the law. He was willing to do anything
outside of compromising the truth of God to get a hearing from
the word of the Lord to these people that I might gain them
that are under the law to them that are without law as without
law. being not without law to God,
but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are
without law. To the weak became I as weak,
that I might gain the weak. I made all things to all men,
that I might by all means save some, or be the means of salvation. And this I do for the gospel's
sake, that I might be a partaker thereof with you." So he's doing
what he has to do to give Timothy an audience and an open door
to preach the gospel in those Jewish synagogues. Now, that
gets us down to verse four. And as they went through those
cities, all those different cities, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, they
delivered them the decrees for to keep to receive that were
ordained of the apostles, the apostles of God, and the elders
which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established
in the faith and increased in number daily. Now I've got another
note on verse four. It says to camp here for a while.
So I'm gonna camp here for a minute on verse four. They delivered
to them the decrees to keep which were ordained of God. Now this
refers back to that letter that was written to the church of
Antioch, Acts 15 29, and we've been over that several times,
I won't read it again. But it also applies further to
this. It can be applied to the message
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. For I deliver unto you
this morning the very decrees of God that have been ordained
from everlasting to everlasting. These men steadfastly preach
the gospel, and we preach what they preach. It's called the
Apostle's Doctrine, and that's what we preach, the gospel of
the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. In preaching the
gospel of Christ, we do deliver the decrees of God. THE WILL
AND TESTIMONY OF GOD. SOMEONE RIGHTLY SAID THAT PREACHING,
YOU KNOW WHAT IT REALLY IS? IT'S JUST REPEATING WHAT GOD
HAS ALREADY SAID. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO OVER AND
OVER AND OVER AGAIN. WE TAKE HIS WORD, LINE UPON LINE,
PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT, AND SAY, THUS SAITH THE LORD. THE GOSPEL
OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WAS ORDAINED AND DECREED from everlasting
to everlasting. As old as God is, everlastingly
so, that's how old the gospel is. For we read in the revelation
that the Lord Jesus Christ is a lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. Before Adam ever sinned, Christ
stood as a surety and sacrifice of an everlasting covenant of
grace. Isn't that amazing? The gospel
is the ancient gospel of the grace of God. Remember we read
in Acts 15 verse 18, known unto God are all his works from the
beginning of the ages eternally. What comes to pass in time? In the fullness of time, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem
them that were under the law. What comes to pass in time, God
has ordained and decreed from the beginning of Him through
him, to him, or all things, to whom be the glory, both now and
forever. We had on the radio this morning,
whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven or seas
and all deep places. We can safely say the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is as old as God. How old is God? He has no beginning,
he has no end, from everlasting to everlasting. We're gonna see
that in our study, Lord willing, Wednesday night in Psalm 90,
from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the surety, the sacrifice, the savior of that everlasting
covenant of grace that's ordered in all things and is sure. Sure, the God of peace that brought
again from the dead that Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord Jesus
Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of
the everlasting covenant, the everlasting covenant of God's
grace. So the gospel is as old as God. It's an ancient gospel. It's
an everlasting gospel. The gospel of God, we know, is
concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
when I think of the doctrine of the gospel or the doctrines
of grace, as we often refer to them, I think of those precious
doctrines that the old reformers and the early church, what they
declared and what they stood for, like Martin Luther, the
reformer. who left the Catholic Church
knowing and being taught of God that it was the Scriptures alone
and faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone to the glory of
God alone. That was the theme of the Reformation. That was declaring the decrees
ordained of God. The Scriptures alone, Christ
alone, One old preacher of the past, Roland Hill, said, every
time we preach, we should preach the three R's. Y'all know what
the three R's are, right? Ruined by the fall. redeemed
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and regenerated by the Spirit of
God. Every time we preach the gospel,
we try to ring a note on ruin, ruin by sin, redemption through
the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then regeneration. God must raise us up from the
dead and make us new creatures in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
I want to go back over those five things that I mentioned
about what those old timers, Martin Luther and others, when
they stood for the gospel of the grace of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ. The first thing they said, it
is the scriptures alone. That is not the writings of men.
It's the Word of God alone is our only rule of faith and practice. It's not the books of men that
we base the foundation of our faith upon. It is upon the Word
of God, not the traditions of men. As we studied through the
book of Acts, I thought about this. When they came preaching
the gospel, Peter on Pentecost, what did he do? He went right
to the word of God. When Paul, when he preaches his
first sermon in Antioch of Pisidia, what does he do? He preaches
the word of God. And turn one page, look at Acts
17, verse five. It's the scriptures alone. The
scriptures alone. Acts 17, look at verse two. Paul,
as his manner was, went in unto them, three Sabbath days and
reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging
that Christ must need suffer, risen again from the dead, and
that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is the Christ." So
it's the Scriptures alone, or we could say the Word of God
alone. That's how we preach the gospel.
We preach Christ. We preach the word of the Lord. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of the Lord. Paul commanded Timothy to do
what? Preach the word. We take the
written word that tells us of the living word, the Lord Jesus
Christ. So the scriptures alone, the
word of God alone. Secondly, THOSE OLD REFORMERS
SAID IT'S FAITH ALONE. THAT'S THE SAME THING WE'VE STUDIED
IN THE BOOK OF ACTS. FAITH ALONE. NOT YOUR WORKS. FAITH ALONE. TURN TO ACTS 13. ACTS 13. REMEMBER THIS SCRIPTURE?
ACTS 13, VERSE 38. SO IT IS THE WORD OF GOD ALONE,
FAITH ALONE, ACTS 13, 38. 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 which you could not be justified by the law of
Moses." So the Word of God alone. Faith alone. Where does saving
faith look? The foundation of faith is the
Word, but where does saving faith look? Saving faith always looks
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith alone. Faith, not works. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy. Looking unto Jesus,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of our
faith. How do I know if I have the faith
of God's elect? How do I know if I have saving
faith? Saving faith always looks to
the Lord Jesus Christ for everything in salvation. It is very mean
that God has ordained to receive Christ. Faith doesn't produce
salvation, does it? Faith receives the Lord Jesus
Christ who did work out salvation for us. So when we preach the
decrees of God, we preach the word of God alone. We preach
that salvation received by faith alone, looking to the Lord Jesus
Christ, not to our work. By him all that believe are justified
from all things, which it could not be justified by the law of
Moses. Faith is a gift of God, not of
works, as any man should go. For by grace are you saved through
faith, faith alone. The third thing is Christ alone.
Christ alone. They preached that in the book
of Acts. They preached, you remember the
eunuch in the desert? When Philip came to him, he took,
he found him reading Isaiah 53. He took that very scripture and
preached unto him, what? the Lord Jesus Christ as our
satisfying substitute for us. And you don't need to turn and
read this, but when Peter and John stood before the council,
because they healed a man in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and they asked Peter and John, how'd you do this? By whose name,
whose authority did you do this? Remember what he said? Christ
alone. This is the stone which was set
at Nod of Ye Builders, which has become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there's no other
name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. So it's the word of God alone.
It's faith alone. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. He
is the Savior and salvation is in him and no other. God giving
him a name which is above every name, that at that name, the
Lord Jesus Christ, every knee should bow and every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. So it's grace, that's my
next point, grace alone. GRACE ALONE, FAITH ALONE, THE
WORD OF GOD ALONE, CHRIST ALONE, HIS SACRIFICE PUT AWAY OUR SIN. HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OUR SANCTIFICATION
BEFORE GOD. HIS BLOOD ATONEMENT IS OUR JUSTIFICATION. AND THEN THEY PREACHED, WHAT
DID THEY PREACH? GRACE, DIDN'T THEY? GRACE. I READ IT TO YOU JUST A MOMENT
AGO IN ACTS 15, VERSE 11. WE BELIEVE THROUGH THE GRACE
OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WE SHALL BE SAVED. WHAT DID WE READ
OVER HERE A MOMENT AGO IN SECOND TIMOTHY 1-9? HE SAID IT'S GOD WHO SAVED US
AND CALLED US WITH A HOLY CALLING, NOT ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, BUT
ACCORDING TO HIS OWN PURPOSE AND GRACE, GIVING US IN CHRIST
BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. THIS IS THE DECREES THAT
THEY DELIVERED IN THAT DAY, IN THE APOSTLES' DAY, IN THE REFORMERS'
DAY, AND IN OUR DAY. WE PREACH THE SAME MESSAGE OF
THE EARLY CHURCH. CHRIST ALONE, GRACE ALONE, BEING
JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION OF OUR
LORD JESUS CHRIST. And then the last thing those
old reformers preached, to the glory of God alone. Who gets
the glory in God saving sinners? God does. ALONE. HE'S WORTHY OF ALL HONOR AND
BLESSING AND POWER, BOTH NOW AND FOREVER. NOW THAT SCRIPTURE
WE QUOTE ALL THE TIME. LINE IF I'D ASK YOU TO QUOTE
IT, YOU COULD DO IT. BUT AT HIM ARE YOU IN CHRIST,
WHO OF GOD IS MADE UNTO US WISDOM, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANCTIFICATION
AND REDEMPTION. THAT, ACCORDING AS IT IS WRITTEN,
He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Now, you know what
he's referring there to? He's referring there to Jeremiah
9. Don't turn, let me just get it
for you. Jeremiah 9, when he says, according as it is written,
here's what it says in Jeremiah 9, 23. Thus saith the Lord. Let
not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty
man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in
his riches, but let him that glory in this, that he understand
and knows me that I am the Lord, which exercised love and kindness,
judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things
I delight." You see, the bottom line in all of this is what? His glory. God forbid that we
should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
if anybody ever asked you what the Reformers preached and what
we preach here, the five things. the word of God alone, faith
alone, the Lord Jesus Christ alone, grace alone, to the glory
of God alone. When my dad passed away back
in 2004, I'm thinking, and when I went to that funeral, they
held that funeral in a Mormon chapel. My dad was a converted
Mormon. I grew up in Mormonism. And they
asked me to say a few words at his funeral, and I did. And you
know what I told him? Those five things that we just
went over. Those five things that we just went over. I got some terrible looks. One
man sitting out there with my aunt, my mom's sister, she kept,
she was sitting next to the bishop, her bishop, and that bishop kept
telling me to sit down. Sit down, we don't want to hear
anymore. And then my aunt, when she met
me out in the foyer after the service, she came up and stuck
her finger right in my face and she said, you're going straight
to hell. I told her, thank you, I appreciate that. And you know
the strange thing about it is Mormons only believe the worst
of the worst of the worst go to hell. I guess that's my lot
according to her, but that's not my lot according to God's
decrees, because He delivered me from that religious bondage
and set me free, as He's done to you. ALL OF US BY NATURE ARE
RELIGIOUS AND LOST. GOD MUST DO SOMETHING FOR US,
JUST LIKE SAUL OF TARSUS. BEFORE HE WAS THE APOSTLE, HE
WAS STEEPED IN RELIGION UNTIL GOD MET HIM, WE READ ABOUT THAT
IN ACTS 9, AND THEN HORSTEIN PUT HIM IN THE DUST AND HE CRIED
OUT, LORD, WHAT WILL YOU HAVE ME TO DO? SALVATION IS ALL OF
GOD'S GRACE ALONE. NOW, HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED IN
THIS. LOOK AT VERSE 5, AND I'LL CLOSE
WITH VERSE 5. ACT 16, VERSE 5. SO, AND SO WERE
THE CHURCHES ESTABLISHED IN THE FAITH. THEY WERE ESTABLISHED
IN THE FAITH THROUGH WHAT? not tradition, not feeling, not
ceremony. They were established in the
faith through the decrees that were ordained of God, the very
Word of God. They were established IN THE
FAITH. ESTABLISHED ON THE DOCTRINE OF
FAITH, BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. THEY WERE ESTABLISHED ON THE
FOUNDATION OF FAITH, AND THEY WERE ESTABLISHED IN THE OBJECT
OF FAITH. THE OBJECT OF FAITH, AS I'VE
SAID ALREADY, IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS THE AUTHOR AND
FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. LOOKING UNTO HIM, Him alone. And it says there, so were the
churches established in the faith, rooted and grounded in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and they increased in number daily. The Lord added It pleased him
to do so we studied that in Acts chapter 2 verse 47 Remember the
Lord added daily to the church such as should be saved We studied
in that in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 where Paul said I planted Apollos
watered But it's God that gives the increase God must add we
don't add and subtract and Do we? God adds to the body. And those whom the Lord saves,
he saves them with an everlasting salvation. Our Lord said to Peter,
I will build my church and the gates of hell will never prevail
against God's purpose. He works all things after the
counsel of his own will. Now, I prayer Our prayer here
for one another and for us is this. May the Lord be pleased
to establish us in the faith and to cause us to grow in grace
and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. How does that growth
come about? Desire the sincere milk of the
word that you might grow thereby. Grow thereby in and through the
Lord and his gospel.