Okay. Today we're going to continue
our study in Acts chapter 9. Last time we ended up with verse
31, where the churches of the Lord had rest from persecution,
resting in the Lord Jesus Christ, having peace with God through
the Lord Jesus Christ. They were edified. walking in
the fear of the Lord, and in comfort, verse 31, comfort of
the Spirit of God, who comforts us with Christ, and the Lord
added to the church. What a blessing. Now, as I usually
do, I try to find a title for the message, and this is kind
of an unusual title, because I'm using two different verses,
and this is what caught my attention when I started reading these
verses over. Look at verse 35, Acts 9, 35. And all that dwelt at Lydda and
Sharon saw him, that is this man who had been paralyzed eight
years, now he's whole. And I know what he's doing. He's given God all the honor
and glory. And it says here, they saw him,
these people, they saw the miracle and they turned to the Lord. You see that? THEY TURNED TO
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. HOW DID THEY TURN? THEY TURNED
BY A WAY OF GOD TURNING THEM. SO THAT'S ONE VERSE, AND THEN
VERSE 42, SAME CHAPTER, IT WAS KNOWN THROUGHOUT ALL JOPPA AND
MANY BELIEVED IN THE LORD, IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. SO THOSE
TWO WORDS, Those two words, they turn to the Lord and many believed
in the Lord. Now, what do you see in those
two words? What do you see in those two phrases? Turning. THAT IS WHAT REPENTANCE
IS AND WHAT REPENTANCE DOES. REPENTANCE, A TRUE REPENTANT
HEART, TURNS TO THE LORD AND TURNS AWAY FROM SELF. THAT'S WHAT REPENTANCE IS. THAT'S
WHAT HAPPENS HERE. THESE FOLKS TURN TO THE LORD. WE READ IN FIRST THESSALONIANS
9, how God had delivered those people and how they turned to
God from their idols to serve the living and true God. Turning, that's repenting, that
is looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's not a, this
thing of repentance, that's the gift of God, is not some isolated
one-time act. REPENTANT HEART CONTINUALLY IS
REPENTING, TURNING, AND COMING TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. NOW,
THE SECOND THING THAT'S MENTIONED THERE, MANY BELIEVED IN THE LORD. NOW, WE SEE TWO THINGS HERE.
WE SEE REPENTANCE, TURNING, AND FAITH. THEY BELIEVED IN THE LORD. NOW, BELIEVING IS WHAT SAVING
FAITH IS AND WHAT IT DOES. And again, like repentance, faith
is not an isolated act. We continually looking, coming,
believing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that faith
and repentance are both sovereign gifts of God. Faith and repentance
are like a piece of paper. WHERE YOU FIND ONE, YOU FIND
THE OTHER. A PIECE OF PAPER HAS TWO SIDES. FAITH AND REPENTANCE
BOTH COME TOGETHER SIMULTANEOUSLY AT THE SAME TIME. WHICH COMES
FIRST? THEY COME AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN
GOD GRANTS REPENTANCE, THE FRUIT OF THAT IS YOU BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.
YOU'LL QUIT LOOKING YOURSELF. ALL THOSE ORDAINED TO ETERNAL
LIFE WILL BELIEVE THE GOSPEL. THEY WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST IN SAVING FAITH. PAUL, WHEN HE PREACHED THE GOSPEL,
PREACHED REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD AND FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. HE WAS EXALTED TO GIVE REPENTANCE
UNTO ISRAEL. IT'S THE GOODNESS OF GOD. It's
the goodness of God that leads you to repentance. Preaching
fire and wrath and hell brimstone, that does not. bring us to repentance. You read the revelation, those
who were tormented in their smoke, they repented not to give him
the glory. It's the goodness of God, the
mercy of God, the love of God that gives us repentance. Where God grants repentance,
he also gives faith. Both are sovereign gifts of God
BOTH OF HIS SOVEREIGN LOVE, AND BOTH FAITH AND REPENTANCE." YOU
KNOW WHAT THEY DO? THEY ACKNOWLEDGE FULLY, COMPLETELY
THAT SALVATION IS OF THE LORD. NOW, LET ME SHOW YOU THAT IN
SCRIPTURE. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT. YOU HOLD YOUR PLACE THERE
IN ACTS 9, AND I WANT YOU TO TURN TO THE BOOK OF TITUS. The book of Titus, can we find
that? Hebrews, going back, back, back, back. Philemon, Titus,
right after 2 Timothy. You got it? The book of Titus.
Titus 1, 1, Paul, a servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
according to the faith of God's elect, and acknowledging of the
truth which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. So what does truth say
being faith? WHAT DOES IT DO? IT ACKNOWLEDGES
THAT GOD IS GOD. NOW BACK, TURN ONE PAGE BACK,
2ND TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 25. REPENTANCE IS THE SAME THING.
BOTH ARE GIFTS OF GOD. VERSE 25, 2ND TIMOTHY 2, 25,
IN MEEKNESS TO INSTRUCTING THOSE THAT OPPOSE THEMSELVES IF PER
ADVENTURE, GOD PER ADVENTURE WILL GIVE THEM REPENTANCE TO
THE ACKNOWLEDGING OF THE TRUTH. Now, few know if God's given
you true repentance and true faith when you bow to God's truth
revealed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let me
give you this. Salvation does not depend upon
our repenting and our believing. Did you get that? REPENTING AND
BELIEVING DEPEND UPON THE SALVATIONS OF THE LORD. YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE? ONE IS A LIE AND ONE IS TRUTH.
OUR SALVATION IS NOT CONDITIONED UPON ANYTHING WE DO. SALVATION
IS OF THE LORD. WE ONLY REPENT AND BELIEVE BECAUSE
SALVATION IS OF THE LORD. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? Now,
Peter was about the Lord's business preaching the gospel to the recently
established churches there in Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. And Peter came down to the city
of Lydda, which is about 30 miles west of Jerusalem, to preach
the gospel to the saints that lived there, verse 32, Acts 9.
And it came to pass, as Peter passed through all the quarters,
preaching the gospel, he came down to the saints, you see that? Now who are these people? The
saints, which dwelt at Lydda, well it's the same group of people
that is mentioned over here in verse 41, and he gave her his
hand, lifted her up, that is talking about Tabitha, and when
he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
Now who are these saints? Are these some kind of super
people, super believers? No. Every believer of the gospel,
every believer resting in the Lord Jesus Christ is a saint. I'm looking at some saints out
here. Now, I don't ever call myself Saint Thomas. I call myself
a sinner saved by God's grace. But you know, God calls us a
saint? God calls us saints. I can show
you that. God calls us saints in the word
of the Lord. All those who believe the gospel
and every believer is a saint. I looked this up 61 times in
the New Testament, believers are called saints. Let me give
you an example. Roman chapter one. TO ALL THAT
ARE IN ROME, BELOVED OF GOD, CALLED SAINTS. GOD CALLS US SAINTS. I'M A SINNER. DON'T EVER CALL
ME SAINT THOMAS. ALTHOUGH I AM IN CHRIST, YOU
JUST CALL ME TOM OR TOM TOM OR BROTHER. THE SAINTS OF GOD our
believers. Grace to you and peace from God
the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, a warning
here. There's a warning here. A lot
of people in religious circles PREACH WHAT THEY CALL PROGRESSIVE
SANCTIFICATION. YOU EVER HEARD THAT TERM? PROGRESSIVE
SANCTIFICATION. THAT IS, THEY START OUT WITH
A LITTLE BIT OF HOLINESS, AND THEN IN THE FLESH THEY GROW AND
GROW AND GROW AND GROW, AND EVENTUALLY THEY BECOME PROGRESSIVELY RIPE
FOR HEAVEN. NOW, THERE IS NO SUCH ANIMAL
AS PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION. WE'RE EITHER SANCTIFIED OR WE'RE
NOT. OUR SANCTIFICATION IS IN CHRIST. HE IS OUR SANCTIFICATION. THAT'S WHAT THE WORD SANCTIFICATION
MEANS. SET APART UNTO GOD AND HE DECLARES
US TO BE HOLY BECAUSE WE'RE IN CHRIST. DO YOU SEE THAT? HE IS
OUR SANCTIFICATION. PREACHERS, DO YOU BELIEVE IN
SANCTIFICATION? ABSOLUTELY. THE BIBLICAL TRUTH OF IT CHRIST
IS OUR SANCTIFICATION. EVERY BELIEVER IS A SAINT IN
CHRIST. NOW, WE'RE SANCTIFIED BY GOD
THE FATHER IN ELECTION. IN JUDE CHAPTER 1, THOSE THAT
ARE SANCTIFIED BY GOD THE FATHER, PRESERVED IN CHRIST JESUS AND
CALLED, WERE SANCTIFIED OR SET APART BECAUSE GOD HAD CHOSE US
IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. THAT'S JUST SO.
That's what we call the Bible doctrine of election. It's just
so, it's true. Secondly, we're sanctified by
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. We're sanctified
by God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in his redeeming blood. He put away our sin. He's the
one that makes us holy before God. We're accepted in the beloved.
He is the Lord, our righteousness. He is the Lord, our redeemer. WE READ THIS, UNTO THE CHURCH
FIRST CORINTHIANS 1-2 UNTO THE CHURCH AT CORINTH TO THEM THAT
ARE SANCTIFIED IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. SO WE'RE SANCTIFIED BY
THE ONE OFFERING HE HATH PERFECTED FOREVER BY THAT ONE OFFERING
HE HATH PERFECTED FOREVER THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFIED And then
thirdly, we're sanctified by God the Father in election, by
God the Son in redemption, and sanctified by God the Holy Spirit
in regeneration. That's all so. We are bound to
give thanks to God for you, brethren. Second, Thessalonians 2.13, if
I can quote it. We are bound to give thanks to
God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has
chosen you unto salvation through sanctification of the spirit
unto the belief of the truth were unto he called you by the
gospel now what is this sanctifying of the spirit it's regeneration
and god giving us a new divine nature that we did not have before
and that's what he gives in the new birth now you hold your place
there i think this will be a help to us if we turn to john 17 the
lord says to those people, John 17,
17, in the Lord's priestly prayer for his people, he said, I pray
not for the world, I pray for them, but look at verse 17. Sanctify
them through thy truth, thy word is true, as thou hast sent me
into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world,
and for their sake I sanctify myself, That is set apart in
that covenant of grace as surety, sacrifice, that they also might
be sanctified through the truth. It's the truth of the gospel.
Neither I pray, neither pray I for these alone, but for them
also which have believed on me through their word, that they
all may be one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us. that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou gavest me I've given
them, that they may be one. I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one. Sanctified in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, how good does this sinner
need to be to stand before God accepted? Perfect. A preacher, I'm not
perfect. You're right. You're a sinner. You're guilty. You're vile, wretched.
I am too. We're only accepted in the beloved. That's how we stand before God.
When God said, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased,
he's speaking of those also in him, in Christ. He is our sanctification. Now, Let's get to these two miracles
here in verse 32, down through verse 43. The two miracles of
God that are recorded here for us, both are given to show us
the power of God, the power of God to save sinners who are sick,
who are dead in sin. Enos was sick and paralyzed,
eight years in his bed. He couldn't walk, he couldn't
take a step. I don't know how old this man
was. but God healed him. Tabitha was
sick and she died, and God raised her from the dead. Now, all those
physical miracles and physical healings we read of in the Word
of God is exactly what God does for us when he saves us by his
grace. He finds us sick, totally depraved
in sin, and he heals us by his blood atonement. He finds us
dead in trespasses, spiritually dead in sin, AND HE GIVES US
LIFE IN CHRIST. THAT'S THE PICTURE HERE. NOW,
THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. THANK GOD THAT'S NOT THE END
OF THAT VERSE. THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. NOW, IN VERSE 33, WHEN PETER
CAME TO LIDDA, HE FOUND A CERTAIN MAN, AND IT CAME TO PASS BY GOD'S
PURPOSE, HE FOUND THIS CERTAIN MAN named Enos, kept his bed
eight years, and Peter said to him, Enos, Jesus Christ maketh
thee whole. Boy, that's a powerful statement,
isn't it? Who made you whole? Jesus Christ made you whole. Arise, make your bed, And he
rose up immediately. And like the man that we studied
before in Acts chapter 3, you remember the lame man that laid
at the gate there at the temple? And Peter said to him, silver
and gold have I none, but what I have I give you thee in the
name of Jesus Christ. Stand up and walk. And he went
leaping and praising God, and all the people saw and gave God
the honor and the glory. Now, some things we know about
Enos. As all the elect of God, it says there are certain men,
a certain man. Now, he was a chosen vessel of
mercy. I'm sure that there were other
sinners in that same condition sitting, usually beggars sit
in the same area to receive alms or to get help from somebody.
There were probably many others in this city who were paralyzed,
who were sick, but God CHOSE THAT MAN TO SHOW MERCY TO HIM. A CERTAIN MAN. HE WAS A CHOSEN
VESSEL OF MERCY. GOD SINGLED HIM OUT TO SHOW MERCY
UNTO HIM. MERCY IS SOVEREIGN. GOD SAID
I WILL HAVE MERCY UPON WHOM I WILL HAVE MERCY. I WILL HAVE COMPASSION
UPON WHOM I WILL HAVE COMPASSION. THIS IS TRUE OF EVERYONE WHOM
THE LORD SAVED. IT'S ALWAYS ACCORDING TO HIS
ETERNAL PURPOSE AND GRACE GIVEN US IN CHRIST JESUS before the
world began. God never saves a sinner by accident. You didn't accidentally bump
into the gospel. It came to pass because God decreed
it from all eternity. God ordained you to believe the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Something else about this man,
Enos, he was sick. He was unable to help himself. No doubt he tried. No doubt he
sought out many physicians to help him, but his condition only
grew worse. He was in a desperate condition,
beyond the help of any mere man to heal him. Now don't you imagine,
he was laying there for eight years, and over and over in his
mind he was thinking, man, what would it be like to get up and
walk? My legs are useless, I cannot walk. He couldn't do anything to help
himself. He could massage his legs, have
somebody else rub cream on his legs, do everything he knew to
do to help his legs, but they were still useless. Salvations
of the Lord. With God, all things are possible. Anything too hard for the Lord?
The disciples asked that question to the Lord, who then can be
saved? Our Lord said, with men it's
impossible, but not with God. With God, all things are possible. Remember from reading the scripture
that we read earlier in Matthew chapter nine, that the Lord Jesus
Christ came to save sick folks. He came to save sinners. Well,
preacher, you don't know how sinful I am. Yes, I do, because
you're just like me. If God can save a sinner like
me, you're no problem. Remember, the Lord didn't come
to call the righteous. He came to call sinners to repentance. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. Now, if you can fit in there,
you can have hope. We know who the Lord Jesus Christ
died for. Listen to this scripture. Well,
when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for
the ungodly. The Lord Jesus Christ said to
Zacchaeus, this day is salvation come to your house for as much
as he's a son of Abraham, for the son of man has come to seek
and to save that which is lost. If you've ever been lost, God will save you by his grace.
If you know you're lost without hope, without God, and without
Christ, you can have hope. God's gonna save every lost man.
He came to seek and to save the lost. And I love this statement,
Enos, Jesus Christ makes thee whole. Who made you whole? Not the law, not ceremony, not
tradition. Jesus Christ made you whole. Now, I love this scripture. When
I read that, I thought of this verse, Colossians 2, 10. In Him
dwells all the fullness of a Godhead bodily, and in Him we are complete. Colossians 2, 9, and 10. We are complete. We're whole
in Him. By His power, by His atonement
for our sin, remember Isaiah 53. Wounded for our transgression,
bruised for our iniquity, the chastisement of our peace was
upon Him, and with His stripes we are, what's that word? Healed! He healed us from all our sin,
having put them away. This is exactly what the Lord
Jesus Christ does for his people. He makes us complete, whole,
completely forgiven, completely redeemed. Our sin completely
pardoned, so much so that God said, I don't remember it anymore. His blood cleanses us from all
our sin. I want you to see this. Turn
back to our study that we had in Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. Remember that
man that was paralyzed All of his life and laid there in the
temple begging for alms and Peter by the power of God Was used
to raise this man up and when they were questioned about it
in Acts chapter 4 verse 8 Peter filled with the Holy Ghost said
to them that Rulers and elders of the people if we this day
be examined a good deed done to this infinite man By what
means he's made whole Be it known unto you and all the people that
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth Whom you crucified whom
God raised from the dead even by this man Even by him doth
this man stand here before you whole and What means is he made
whole? By Christ and him crucified.
This is the stone which is set at nought of you 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. We're made whole. Who made us
whole? He did. Now, when the people at Lydda,
back to the text, Acts 9, the people of Lydda and
Sharon saw this man who was paralyzed healed, they turned or were turned
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those saved by His grace always
give Him all the honor and glory for the salvation of the Lord.
And the Lord used this miracle to turn many unto believing and
repenting and looking to the Lord. Thy people shall be willing
in the day of God's power. God said, Turn us, O God. David
prayed, Turn us, O God, and cause thy face to So that's story number
one. Story number two, there was at
Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is also called
Dorcas. This woman was full of good works,
alms, deeds that came to pass in those days that she was sick
and she died. They prepared her body for burial,
washed it, laid it in the upper chamber for viewing, Peter was near to a near city
of Joppa. He was in Lydda, and they sent
two disciples to fetch Peter. Peter rose, verse 39, and went
with them. And when he was come, they brought
him to the upper chamber, and all the widows stood by, weeping,
showing the coats and the garments that Dorcas had made. She was
a seamstress, made beautiful garments, while she was with
them. Peter put them all forth, put
them out of the room, kneeled down, prayed. And turning him
to the body, said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes. And
when she saw Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand, lifted
her up. And when he called the saints
and widows, presented her, made whole. It was known throughout
all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord, and it came to pass
that he charried Peter many days in Joppa with one Simon, a tanner. Now, let me give you just a few
things here, and I'll let you go. Being a believer does not
exempt us from sickness and death, does not exempt us from trial
and heartache. You remember the story of Mary
and Martha, whose brother Lazarus was sick? And they sent to the
Lord Jesus Christ, and they said, Behold, he whom thou lovest is
sick. And when the Lord heard that,
he said, This sickness is not unto death, but unto the glory
of God, that the Son of God might be glorified. And you know the
rest of the story of Lazarus, even though he'd been dead four
days, when the Lord stood in front of his body, said, Lazarus,
come forth. He that was dead came forth. That was to the glory of God,
and this too, the raising up of this little girl, or this
woman rather, Lydda, this woman, Tabitha at Lydda, excuse me, I've lost my place, at Joppa, was raised by the power of God. The Lord raised her from the
dead. Peter prayed, seeking the will
of the Lord, in verse 40. And the Lord raised her from
the dead. The Lord demonstrated through Peter the great power
of God to raise sinners from the dead, you hath he quickened
who were dead. All those physical healings we
read of in the Word of God are pictures and types of what God
does for us in reality through the gospel concerning the Lord
Jesus Christ. We were sick and we were dead.
God gave us health in Christ, sanctified us, redeemed us, and
raised us from the dead. This thing was known, verse 42,
throughout all Joppa, THAT THE POWER OF GOD HAD RAISED HER UP,
AND MANY BELIEVED IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THIS SET TO TABLE,
VERSE 43, IT CAME TO PASS THAT PETER TARRIED MANY DAYS IN JOPPA
WITH ONE SIMON A TANNER. NOW, WHAT WAS PETER DOING IN
JOPPA THOSE MANY DAYS? HOW MANY DAYS? I DON'T KNOW.
HE WAS PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. May the Lord be pleased to do
that for us this morning. To heal us by his power, to raise
us from the dead, and to quicken us, and to give us life in Christ. Cause us to give him all the
honor and glory for the salvation that is of the Lord. To cause
us to repent and believe the gospel by the mighty working
of his power. You'll never believe the gospel
unless God, by his power, gives you faith in Christ. May God
cause us to repent always and to believe him, to believe the
gospel according to the working of his mighty power. And again, cause us to repent
and to believe. Salvation does not depend on
our repenting and believing. Repenting and believing depends
upon the salvation of the Lord. I hope you see the difference.
I got this little saying in a bulletin this morning. I read it and I
thought I'd close the message with this. This is by Thomas
Brooks, born 1608, died 1680. God hath in himself all power
to defend you God hath in himself all wisdom
to direct you. God in himself has all mercy
to pardon you. God in himself has all grace
to enrich you. God in himself has all righteousness
to close you. God in himself hath all goodness
to supply you according to his riches In Christ Jesus and all
happiness to crown you now and forever. All grace now and glory
forever. Christ is all and in all.