Okay, back to Acts chapter 13.
Acts chapter 13. I'm taking the title for the
message today from what is said in verse 32. Acts 13, verse 32. And we declare unto you glad
tidings. That's the same as saying good
news. We declare unto you glad tidings
or good news, how that the promise which was made to the fathers,
God hath fulfilled everything he has promised. I like what
Joshua said just before he passed away. He said, of all that God
had promised, not one word has failed, and that's so. That's
still so today. We declare unto you glad tidings,
for we proclaim unto you Good news, good news. Now, for the
last two months or so, we've heard a lot of bad news, haven't
we? Turn on the TV, and if you're
like me, I guess the older folks watch the news. The younger folks
watch something else, but sometimes we get too much of an overload
on the news, and there's a lot of bad news. It's time for some
good news. The wage of sin is death. Bad
news, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord. That is good news. The gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed good news. But you know, it's
not good news to everyone. But it is good news to sinners
in need of mercy and sinners, sinners in need of salvation. It is indeed Good news, glad
tidings. Let me give you three scriptures.
The Lord Jesus Christ, this is the faithful saying, this is
1 Timothy 1.15, this is the faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners, just like you,
just like me, sinners. And Paul said, I'm the chief
offender, I'm the chiefest of sinners. Second scripture is
Matthew 9, verse 13, where the Lord said, I didn't come to call
the righteous, I came to call sinners to repentance. If I can find this sinner, I
can tell him some good news. And then the third scripture
is Luke 9, 19, rather, verse 10, where it said the Lord Jesus
Christ came to seek and to save the lost, the lost. He is the
Lord Jesus Christ, is just the Savior that we need. one sent
of God to accomplish all salvation for us. He sent of God who accomplished
all salvation for us. And he did this by covenant promise,
by the decree of God. Notice verse 23, Acts 13 verse
23 talks about David being their king. God said, I found David. The son of Jesse, a man after
mine own heart, who shall fulfill all my will, verse 23, of this
man's seed hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel
a Savior. God raised up the Savior out
of the house of David, just like he said that he would, according
to the promise of God, and his word He said, heaven and earth
will pass away. My word will never pass away. Now that's a quote from Psalm
132. that's given there in Acts 13. The Lord has sworn in truth
unto David he will not turn from it of the fruit of thy body I
will set upon thy throne the King the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ indeed
is Messiah who was sent of God, and certainly he was a man after
God's own heart, the greater David, who indeed fulfilled all
the will of God, accomplishing our salvation. Remember, our
Lord said to those disciples, my meat is to do the will of
God that sent me and to finish his work. And then he prayed
in John 17, Father, I've glorified thee on the earth. I finished
the work you gave me to do. And then we know his last words
on Calvary's tree. He said, it's finished. It's
done. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that is good news, the center, is Christ who finished
the work for us. Now we're not trusting, now this
is not a play on word, but we're not trusting the finished work
of Christ. We're trusting the Lord Jesus
Christ who finished the work for us. We're trusting him who
accomplished all salvation for us. The Lord Jesus Christ is
just the Savior that we need. He's just the one that we need.
He is the just one Son of God. In the fullness of the time,
God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem those that were under the law. He redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. That's Galatians
3, 13, Galatians 4, verse 4. He is the just God and Savior. There's none else. He's the only
just God and Savior. Therefore, our Lord says, you
look to me, and be ye saved. I'm the just God. I'm the just
one. I'm the only Savior. And he is indeed. He is a Savior
who is God our Savior, who has all power to save you. Now, how much power does it take
to raise a dead sinner? It takes all the power of God. And we only believe the gospel.
according to the working of his mighty power. You see, the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is the power of God into salvation.
He's able to save to the uttermost because God given him power over
all flesh to give eternal life to as many as those that were
given to him in that covenant of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the Savior that we need. He's got our Savior. He has all
power to save you. according to his will, his purpose,
who has all wisdom to direct you and lead you and teach you. Now, I don't know about you,
but I need to be taught of God, because the scriptures teach
all those who have heard and learned of the Father, those
who were taught of God, they come to the Lord Jesus Christ
and rest. You see, He is the Good Shepherd
who leads us in the way of truth. This is the very Savior we need
who has all mercy to pardon you. Wouldn't you like a complete
pardon for all your sin? Where is that found? It's found
in Him. And it's according to His mercy,
not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according
to His mercy. He has all power to save you,
all wisdom to direct you and teach you and lead you. He has
all mercy to pardon you. He has all grace to justify you. How are sinners justified? They're
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has all righteousness to close
you. Now, how good do you need to
be to stand before God accepted as good as God? Well, preacher,
how can that be? Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputes righteousness without works. God gives his people that
blessed, perfect righteousness who is the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. He is the Lord our righteousness.
He has all power, grace, mercy, wisdom, all righteousness to
clothe us. God made him to be sin for us. who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. And he has all goodness
to supply your need. I had on the radio program this
morning, our God shall meet, supply all your need according
to his riches in glory through the Lord Jesus Christ. There's
not a need you have. THERE'S NOT A... I'M POOR AND
NEEDY, BUT THERE'S NOT A NEED YOU HAVE THAT THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST DOESN'T FULLY MEET TO THE STANDARD OF GOD'S ABSOLUTE
PERFECTION. HE'S MADE UNTO US WISDOM, RIGHTEOUSNESS,
SANCTIFICATION AND REDEMPTION. EVERYTHING THIS SINNER NEEDS
TO STAND COMPLETE AND ACCEPTED BEFORE GOD IS IN THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST. THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, EPHESIANS
1, WE'RE ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED. All goodness to supply your need. The Lord is good. Who has won
the victory for us, thanks being to God. People say all the time,
religious people say, are you getting a victory? I'm not trying
to get to victory. I've already won. Thanks being
to God who has given us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you living a victorious life? No, he did. He's my substitute. I'm resting in Him. He is the
Lord, our righteousness. We count everything else lost
that we might win Christ and be found in Him. He's won the
victory for us over sin. He put it away. He's won the
victory for us over death. He said, I'm He that liveth and
was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. And He's the one who cannot fail.
HE'S THE SAVIOR, THE REDEEMER, WHO CANNOT FAIL. HOW DO I KNOW
HE CANNOT FAIL? BECAUSE THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ISAIAH
42, 4, THAT HE CANNOT FAIL TO ACCOMPLISH ALL GOD'S PURPOSE. SALVATION IS OF THE LORD COMPLETELY,
TOTALLY FROM ELECTION AND ETERNALLY ELECTING GRACE ALL THE WAY THROUGH
TIME TO ETERNAL GLORIFICATION. SALVATION IS ALL OF GRACE. Grace
alone. What's the message of this ministry?
Salvation is of the Lord. He has accomplished salvation
for us, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according
to his mercy. God who saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace. given us in the Lord Jesus Christ
before the foundation of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ
is God, our Savior. Remember the messenger from heaven
said, give him a special name, call his name Jesus. What does
that mean? Savior, he shall save his people
from their sin. He is a Savior who saves, he
is a Redeemer who actually really redeems. HE DOESN'T TRY TO REDEEM. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DIDN'T
DIE TO MAKE SALVATION A POSSIBILITY. PEOPLE SAY, WELL, HE DIED TO
MAKE SALVATION A POSSIBILITY, AND YOU ACTUALLY MAKE IT EFFECTUAL
TO YOURSELF. THAT'S NOT SO. HE ACCOMPLISHED
SALVATION FOR HIS COVENANT PEOPLE. IT'S ALL FINISHED. HE'S A GOD
WHO CONTROLS ALL THINGS. ALL THINGS IN CREATION. HE'S
SOVEREIGN IN CREATION. HE'S SOVEREIGN IN PROVIDENCE.
and he's sovereign in salvation, he will have mercy upon whom
he will have mercy. He's working all things after
the counsel of his own will, after the counsel and the purpose
of him who worketh all things after his own sovereign will
and purpose. Even in this pandemic, I've never
been through a pandemic, I don't think any of us here have been
through a pandemic unless you were born back in 1918. So we've never been through a
pandemic, but even in this pandemic, God rules all things. He supremely rules and reigns
absolutely over all things. The first cause and the last
end of all things is of God. God is working His will, His
way, His purpose in this world, always will, always has. according
to his own right. Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? Yeah, and all that God does is
right. There's an interesting article
I ran into that's in your bulletin today. It was written in 1930
by an old writer, A.W. Pink, and you can read it later,
but it was written in 1930 during or after or through when that
Depression time was going on and he said, even though the
world is panic stricken, God still reigns, God still controls,
he's not upset, things are not out of control, God's in control
of absolutely everything that goes on in this world, everything. He's either the absolute sovereign
God or he's not. HE EITHER GOVERNS ALL THINGS
OR HE'S GOVERNED BY SOMEONE. GOD IS GOD. I LOVE THAT STATEMENT. GOD IS GOD IN ALL THE EARTH. PERIOD. OF HIM AND THROUGH HIM
OR TO HIM, ROMANS 11, 36, OF HIM AND THROUGH HIM AND TO HIM
ARE ALL THINGS TO WHOM BE GLORY BOTH NOW AND FOREVER And then
the Holy Spirit says, Amen. And God's people say, Amen. It's so. Now, that's my introduction. Beginning at verse 24. down to
verse 27, we have the gospel, the good news, the message that
Paul declares unto those Jews that day in the synagogue and
its relative, and he's preaching that same message to us this
very morning. When John, he said in verse 23,
of this man's seed, hath God according to his promise, Raised
unto Israel, God's elect, a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, John was
sent of God to declare the Lamb of God. John said, Behold, the
Lamb of God. When John had first preached
before his coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people
of Israel, and as John fulfilled his course, John fulfilled his
ministry. You remember how he died? It
wasn't an accident he was put in prison and his head was taken
off because God said that's how it would happen and it came to
pass. The Lamb of God, John's message, his mission and his
message was behold the Lamb of God. And when his ministry was
over, God took him home. God took him home. The Lord Jesus
Christ, John declared, the Lamb of God is the only atonement
that sinners have before God. He earned His love, not that
we loved God, but that He loved us, and that He sent His Son
to be the sacrifice for our sin. John's message was not salvation. by repentance or salvation by
baptism. John's message, his message was
salvation accomplished by the coming, the doing, the dying
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the surety, the everlasting covenant,
the sacrifice for our sin. True repentance does not put
away sin. True repentance that's given
of God does acknowledge its salvation IS OF THE LORD. THAT'S TRUE REPENTANCE.
TRUE REPENTANCE AGREES WITH GOD. IT GETS MYSELF GUILTY. SALVATION IS ALL OF GOD. BELIEVERS,
BAPTISM DOES NOT PUT AWAY SIN. Believers baptism is confessing
the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished salvation and put away sin by
his death his burial and his resurrection and in believers
baptism We confess Christ as all our hope in salvation by
the grace of God look verse 27 28 and 29 and To you, verse 26, men and brethren,
the children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among
you that feareth God, to you is this word of salvation sent. It's sent of God. The word of
salvation is sent of God. What is that word? The word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. You who fear God, beginning of
wisdom, What is the beginning of wisdom? The fear of the Lord.
Man by nature doesn't fear God. If you have a reverence in your
heart to fear God, it's because the word of salvation has been
sent to your heart. GOD HAS SENT THE WORD OF GOOD
NEWS TO YOUR HEART. VERSE 27, THEY THAT DWELL AT
JERUSALEM, AND THEY'RE RULERS BECAUSE THEY KNEW HIM NOT. SPEAKING
OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOU REMEMBER THEY SAID, HE'S A WINE
BIBBER, HE'S A DEVIL, HE'S A GLUTTONOUS MAN, AWAY WITH HIM, WE HAVE NO
KING BUT CAESAR. AND PILATE SAID, WHAT AM I GOING
TO DO WITH THIS MAN? AND THEY, REMEMBER WHAT THEY
SAID, CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM. THEY KNEW HIM NOT. NOR YET THE
VOICES OF THE PROPHETS. WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE OF ALL THOSE
PROPHETS? DO YOU REMEMBER ACTS CHAPTER
10 VERSE 43? TO HIM GIVE ALL THE PROPHETS
WITNESS. THEY KNEW HIM NOT. THEY READ
THE PROPHETS. THEY READ MOSES, EXODUS, GENESIS,
EXODUS, LEBIDICUS, NUMBER, DEUTERONOMY, ALL THESE BOOKS. THE LAW AND
THE PROPHETS. THEY READ THEM EVERY SABBATH
DAY IN THE SYNAGOGUE. THEY READ THEM EVERY DAY. BUT
THEY MISSED THE MESSAGE. and they fulfilled them in condemning
him. You remember the Lord Jesus Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures. These most religious
Jews had the Old Testament scriptures, which they read and studied every
Sabbath day, and the Pharisees and Sadducees, they studied the
scriptures every day, but they missed the message. What is the
message of the Law and the Prophets? Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ,
in him crucified. Christ is the message, Christ
his person, who he is, and Christ his work. He is salvation. Salvation is in a person. You
remember Acts chapter 4? Verse 12, what Peter confessed
to those Pharisees that day, he said, neither is there salvation
in any other, for there's no other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved. Our Lord said to those
Jews in his day, in John 5, 39 and 40, you search the scriptures
for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they
which testify of me, but you won't come to me that you might
have life. Life and salvation was standing
right in front of them, and they did not see Him, blinded by sin. Verse 28, And though they found
no cause of death in Him, Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, Peter said on Pentecost,
You have taken Him by wicked hands, have crucified and slain
the Lord of glory. Though they found no cause of
death in Him, Remember, even Pilate said three times, I find
no cause of death, I find no fault in him. Yet they desired
Pilate that he should be slain. Now, why did they do that? They
did what their wicked heart wanted to do, right? They did what their
evil, wicked, sinful heart determined to do. But you know what it says,
remember we studied in Acts chapter four, verse 26, 27, 28, where
it says, the Jews and the Gentiles were gathered together against
the Lord and against his Christ to do whatsoever God determined
for to be done. Him being delivered by the determined
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken him by wicked
hands, have crucified and slain the Lord of glory. You desired
him to die and to be slain. And when they fulfilled, verse
29, all that was written of him, they took him down from a tree,
took him down from the cross, and laid him in the grave. The Lord Jesus Christ died as
the sinner's substitute. for his elect, his church. He
loved the church and gave himself for it. The just one dying for
the unjust. What it says in Peter, 1 Peter
3, 18, Christ suffered once for our sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us unto God. Now listen to these. Listen to
these two things. The cause of his death With our
sin being laid upon him, the guilty must die. Christ suffered
because he took our sin willingly to himself. He said, no man takes
my life from me. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
in my father. The good shepherd laid down his
life for the sheep. The cause of his death was our
sin. He had no sin of his own. He
personally committed no sin, but the scripture said God laid
on him our iniquity, our sin, our transgression. Secondly,
the cause of our justification before God is his blood atonement. Now, how are sinners justified?
We're justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I mentioned this earlier,
but I want you to listen to this carefully. The Lord did not die,
the Lord Jesus Christ did not die to make salvation a possibility. He did not die to make an effort
to put away sin, nor did he die to make salvation a possibility
for all men if they would only meet certain conditions. Now,
that's not the gospel message. That's not good news. That's
another gospel. That's another message. The good
news of the gospel is when we were yet without strength, the
Lord Jesus Christ died for the ungodly. God committed His love
toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ made
full atonement for our sin. Therefore, we can conclude The
Lord of glory did not die in vain. There's no one in hell
for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died. That's exactly right. He said, all that the Father
giveth to me, they'll come to me, and those that come to me,
I'll never cast them out. I came down from heaven, not
to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which sees
a son and believes on him may have everlasting life, and I'll
raise him up at the last day. Not one sheep of Christ can perish
for whom Christ died. He died to make the absolute
certainty of their salvation. He is called the surety of the
covenant. He's a guarantee of our salvation
because he honored the law of God and he satisfied the law
of God in his death. Christ crucified is all our salvation
delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. We stand complete Him in him
goes all the fullness of a God's head bodily and in Christ we
stand complete now He dies for our sins You remember
our lesson from 1st Corinthians 15 how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scripture How he was buried how he was
raised again the third day according to the scriptures now acts 13
They took him down from a tree, they laid him in the grave, but,
I love these two words, verse 30. Underscore these two words,
but God. But God. But God, who was rich
in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when
we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ, for
by grace are you saved. But God raised him from the dead. Now, you look through the scriptures
when you see that word, but God, but God, he paints such a dark,
gloomy picture of what we are by sin, by nature, by our sin,
dead in sin, and then it says, but God. Who made you to differ
from another? But God. How come you believe
the gospel and others don't? But God. How come you love him
and others hate the Lord Jesus Christ? But God. I am what I
am by the grace of God. But God raised him from the dead. Now how important is his resurrection? The Apostle Paul writes about
it in 1 Corinthians 15. If he be not raised from the
dead, we have no salvation. If he be not raised from the
dead, we're yet in our sin and we've lied on God. Because we've
said God raised him from the dead. You see, his resurrection
declares everything that he said is true. HIS RESURRECTION DECLARES
THAT HE IS THE ONE SON OF GOD, MADE OF THE SEED OF DAVID ACCORDING
TO THE FLESH, BUT RAISED AGAIN THE THIRD DAY TO DECLARE THAT
HE IS THE SON OF GOD. A DECLARATION THAT HE IS THE
SON OF GOD. HIS RESURRECTION DECLARES THAT
IN ROMAN CHAPTER 1. HIS RESURRECTION IS A COMPLETE,
CLEAR DECLARATION THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD. Yeah,
and his humanity through the lineage of David, but declared
to be the son of God by the resurrection from the dead. Secondly, his
resurrection is a full declaration of his complete and successful
atonement for our sin. When he by himself purged our
sin, he sat down on the right hand of God. What does that mean
to us? Success. It's finished, it's
done. His resurrection is a full declaration
of complete, successful atonement that he made for our sins. I
often say this, his death was not an attemptment. He didn't
make an attempt to put away sin. We don't have an attemptment,
we have an atonement. full covering. He appeared once
in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. When he by himself purged our
sin, he sat down on the right hand of God. Done. When the work is completed, you
sit down. It's finished. And he sat down
and we sat down in him. His resurrection is a guarantee
of covenant mercies guaranteed in the Lord Jesus Christ certain
and sure God raised him from the dead seen of many witnesses
therefore we declare to you glad tidings good news verse 32 now
go all the way down to verse 34, and it's concerning that
he raised him up from the dead no more to return to corruption.
He said, because of this, I will give you the sure mercies of
the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I like things that
are sure, don't you? all the word of god is certain
and sure all the promises of god are certain and sure in the
lord jesus christ we have sure mercies david said this on his
deathbed king david god had made with me an everlasting covenant
ordered in all things and it's sure this is all my hope and
this is all my salvation that comes from THE ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY
OF SALVATION, FORGIVENESS, REDEMPTION, THE PARDON OF ALL SINS, OUR JUSTIFICATION
IS ABSOLUTE AND CERTAIN AND SURE. HE SAID SO. wherefore he saith also in another
another psalm thou shalt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption
david king david died after he served his generation they put
him in a grave and his body corrupted back to the dust verse 37 but
he whom god raised up now think about this he saw no corruption
HIS RESURRECTION IS A DECLARATION OF THE COVENANT MERCIES CERTAIN
AND SURE. HIS RESURRECTION IS A DECLARATION
OF HIS ABSOLUTE LORDSHIP IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. DAVID, THEY LAID
HIM IN THE GRAVE. TURN BACK HERE. LET'S READ THAT.
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN FIND THAT. TURN TO ACTS, CHAPTER 2. YOU
REMEMBER FROM PETER'S SERMON ON PENTECOST? THIS JESUS, ACTS
2, VERSE 32, Verse 31, He, seeing this before, spake of His resurrection
of crime, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh
did see corruption. For this Jesus God raised up,
whereof were all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right
hand of God exalted, having received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost, which He shed forth, which you now see and
hear. For David is not ascended into
the heavens, But he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit
thou on my right hand, till I make thy enemies thy footstool. Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made
that same Jesus whom you crucified, God hath made him both Lord and
Christ. The resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ is a declaration of his absolute Lordship. You
see that? Verse 36, Acts 2. God hath made
that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Romans
14, 9 declares to this end, to this purpose, Christ both died,
rose, and revived, that he might be Lord. The dead and the living. He's every man's Lord. Now, I'm gonna quit with this.
WE'LL PICK UP HERE NEXT WEEK, LORD WILLING, VERSE 38 AND 39,
BE IT KNOWN UNTO YOU, THEREFORE, MEN AND BRETHREN, THAT THROUGH
THIS MAN IS PREACHED UNTO YOU THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN, NOT THROUGH
THE LAW, NOT THROUGH YOUR MORALITY, NOT THROUGH YOUR REPENTANCE,
NOT THROUGH YOUR BAPTISM, So what does it say there? Through
this man, the God-man mediator, the one who died for our sins
according to the scripture, the one who was buried, the one who
was raised again the third day, the one who ever lived to intercede
for us, seated on the throne of God, through this man is preached
to you the forgiveness of most of your sins. all our sin, the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son. I need full atonement. I don't
need a partial atonement. I need a full atonement, and
that's what we have in Christ. By him, verse 39, all that believe
are justified from all things which you could not be justified
by the law of Moses. I LOVE THAT SCRIPTURE IN GALATIANS
2, VERSE 21, IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COME BY THE LAW. PAUL SAID, I
DON'T FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF GOD. IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COME BY
THE LAW, THEN CHRIST IS DEAD IN VAIN. BY THE DEEDS OF THE
LAW, NO FLESH SHALL BE JUSTIFIED. IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, ALL
THE ELECTS OF GOD ARE JUSTIFIED FOREVER FREELY BY HIS GRACE.