Acts chapter 9, we continue at
verse 22, verse 23, down to verse 31 in our study today. I'm taking
the title for the message from the words found in verse 29. Notice carefully, and he spake
boldly, that is, this man who was a Pharisee of Pharisees,
a Hebrew of Hebrews, HE'S NO LONGER THE SAME MAN. HE'S A DIFFERENT
MAN. AND THIS ONE, WHO WAS LATER KNOWN
AS THE APOSTLE PAUL, HE SPAKE OR SPOKE BOLDLY IN THE NAME OF
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND HE DISPUTED WITH ANY WHO DID NOT
AGREE WITH THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHETHER IT
BE A JEWISH man or those Jews that were Grecian, and he preached
the gospel so clearly, so strongly, so boldly, that those who were
not believers, they took up counsel to kill him. Paul the Apostle
was so blessed of God. The title will be Paul BOLDLY
SPOKE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, OR PREACHING THE
GOSPEL, PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST. NOW, I LOVE THAT STATEMENT, THE
NAME OF. GOD HAS GIVEN HIM A NAME WHICH
IS ABOVE EVERY NAME, THAT AT THAT NAME EVERY KNEE IS GOING
TO BOW AND EVERY TONGUE IS GOING TO CONFESS WHAT? HE'S LORD. HE IS LORD TO THE GLORY OF GOD
THE FATHER. GOD HAS GIVEN HIM A NAME. WE
MEET IN HIS NAME. WE WORSHIP IN HIS NAME. WE APPROACH
GOD IN HIS NAME BECAUSE AS PETER SAID IN ACTS CHAPTER FOUR, NEITHER
IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER NAME. GIVEN AMONG MEN, WHEREBY
WE MUST BE SAVED, THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS
LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS, PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN THE NAME
OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE APOSTLE WRITES THIS, FOR
THOUGH I PREACH THE GOSPEL, I HAVE NOTHING TO GLORY OF, FOR NECESSITY
IS LAID UPON ME, YEA, WOE IS UNTO ME, if I do not preach the
gospel of Christ. Now, just in this immediate text
of Acts chapter nine, notice how many times we run into this
preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse
20. And straightway, he preached
Christ in the synagogues. In the synagogues, that's the
assembly of the Jews. who hated the Lord Jesus Christ,
and he preached boldly in the synagogues there in Damascus
that he is the son of God. He preached his deity, his lordship. Down in verse 22 of Acts 9, Saul
increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which
dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the very Christ. Now, how'd he prove that? He
proved that with the word of the Lord. Paul, remember, was
a Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, who was a student of the scripture.
And when God revealed the gospel unto him, everything he read
in the Old Testament that he had studied before, he saw it
all fulfilled in Christ. BEGINNING OF MOSES AND ALL THE
SCRIPTURES HE PREACHED UNTO THEM SALVATION THROUGH THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST. AGAIN DOWN IN VERSE 7, 27 RATHER,
BARNABAS HERE AT JERUSALEM TOOK HIM THAT IS, TOOK HIM AND BROUGHT
HIM INTO THE APOSTLES AND DECLARED UNTO THEM HOW HE HAD SEEN THE
LORD IN THE WAY, THAT IS, SAUL OF TARSUS, AND HOW HE HAD SPOKE
TO HIM, THAT IS, THE LORD DID, AND HOW HE PREACHED BOLDLY AT
DAMASCUS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. NOW, DON'T YOU
THINK THERE'S A SPECIAL EMPHASIS HERE GIVEN TO US ABOUT THE NECESSITY
and the premium God puts upon the preaching of the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was doing exactly what God
told him to do. Look back at Acts chapter 9 verse
15. The Lord said unto him, you go
that way for he is a chosen vessel unto me. This is the words the
Lord spoke to Ananias concerning Saul of Tarsus, to bear my name
before the Gentiles AND KINGS AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. HE'S
DOING EXACTLY WHAT GOD SAID HE MUST DO. GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL
TO EVERY CREATURE. THE APOSTLE LATER WRITES FROM
PRISON IN ROME. HE WRITES TO A YOUNG PREACHER
AND HE WRITES THIS. HE SAYS, I CHARGE YOU BEFORE
GOD. THAT IS, I COMMAND YOU BEFORE
GOD TO PREACH THE WORD. Preach the word, Paul. Preach
the word, Timothy. In season, out of season, reprove,
rebuke with all longsuffering and doctrine, the Lord's great
commission, the risen Lord, his last word as he speaks to his
disciples before he ascended to glory, remember? Go into all
the world and preach the gospel to every creature. I want you
to take that personally. THAT'S THE MINISTRY GOD'S GIVEN
TO US HERE TO TAKE THE GOSPEL EVERYWHERE WE GO. SEND IT OUT
EVERYWHERE INTO ALL THIS WORLD AND INTO YOUR WORLD WHERE YOU
LIVE. THIS IS YOUR WORLD. THIS IS WHERE
YOU LIVE. PEOPLE ASK ME ABOUT ZEBULON AND PIKEVILLE, KENTUCKY,
AND I ALWAYS REPLY TO THEM. WHEN THEY ASK WHERE IS THAT,
I SAY IT'S THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. THAT IS MY WORLD. THIS IS WHERE I LIVE, AND THAT'S
WHERE YOU LIVE. SO WE TAKE THE GOSPEL WHERE GOD
BLESSES US TO LIVE, where we have our being. Now
last time we saw how God made Saul of Tarsus, who was a rebel
against God. He was breathing out, remember,
slaughter and threatening against the disciples, and how God changed
him into a new man, a regenerated man, seeking REPENTANCE TOWARD
GOD, SEEKING FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. ONE DAY HE LEFT
JERUSALEM HATING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND HE COMES BACK NOW
PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THAT'S A TRANSFORMATION,
IS IT NOT? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? WELL, YOU
KNOW, SOMEBODY TALKED HIM INTO MAKING A PROFESSION. NO ONE COULD
TALK THAT MAN INTO PROFESSION. GOD UNHORSTED, GOD INTERVENED,
AND GOD MADE HIM A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST. AND I LOVE WHAT IT
SAYS OVER HERE. In Acts 9, verse 11, where Ananias
is receiving the instruction where to meet Saul of Tarsus,
and he says, you go down to the street called Strait, and you
go into a house that's owned by Judas, and you call for one
Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. Now he pray, he went
through the motions of praying before to be seen of men. Now he's on his face before God
seeking mercy, seeking salvation. He comes before God now as a
mercy beggar, as a mercy beggar. God have mercy upon me, the sinner. Those who seek mercy, listen
to me, those who seek mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ shall find
it. SEEK MERCY WHERE IT'S FOUND. IT'S FOUND IN CHRIST. OUR LORD
SAID ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU. SEEK, AND YOU SHALL FIND. KNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE OPENED
UNTO YOU. KEEP SEEKING, KEEP ASKING, KEEP
KNOCKING. HE THAT ASKS US, RECEIVETH. HE
THAT SEEKETH, FINDETH. and he that knocketh it shall
be opened unto you." What a great promise God given to us. Seek
mercy where it's found. That's what Saul of Tarsus was
doing. When he knew where mercy was found, he sought mercy of
God in Christ. We also saw how he desired to
confess the Lord Jesus Christ in Believer's Baptism, verse
18. When he received his natural
eyesight back, he arose and was BAPTIZED CONFESSING THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST LIKE THAT UNIC IN THE DESERT WHEN PHILIP GOT THROUGH
PREACHING TO HIM THAT SERMON FROM ISAIAH 53 HE SAID I WANT
TO CONFESS CHRIST IN BAPTISM AND WHEN THE LORD SAVED SAUL
OF TARSUS HE IMMEDIATELY WANTED TO CONFESS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
IN BELIEVERS BAPTISM WE ALSO SEE HOW HE IDENTIFIED WITH BELIEVERS
VERSE 19 AND WHEN HE HAD RECEIVED MEAT HE WAS STRENGTHENED THEN
HE WAS STRENGTHENED, THEN WAS SOLVED CERTAIN DAYS WITH THE
DISCIPLES WHICH WERE AT DAMASCUS. NOW BEFORE HE WASN'T WITH THEM
WAS HE? HE WAS AGAINST THEM. HE WAS AGAINST
THEM. LOOK DOWN AT VERSE 28 IN ACTS
CHAPTER 9 AND IT SAYS AGAIN WHEN HE CAME TO JERUSALEM AND JOINED
UP WITH THE APOSTLES HE WAS ONE WITH THEM. NOW THAT'S A BLESSING
TO BE ONE WITH BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. HE WAS ONE WITH THEM, IDENTIFYING
WITH THEM WITH THE GOSPEL. HE WAS ONE WITH THEM IN CHRIST,
MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER. AND THEN HE BOLDLY PREACHED THE
GOSPEL. HE SAID, I BELIEVE, THEREFORE
HAVE I SPOKEN. God taught him the gospel truth,
and he had to declare the gospel. All this is the working of God
in this man, and it is what we call the fruit of salvation. We are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. Good works are not the cause
of salvation, are they? When did the good works come?
Afterward. And it was only because God had
ordained THAT THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM. OUR LORD SAID THIS
IN JOHN 15 YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME BUT I'VE CHOSEN YOU AND ORDAINED
YOU THAT YOU SHOULD GO AND BRING FORTH FRUIT THAT YOUR FRUIT SHOULD
REMAIN. NOW WHAT IS THIS FRUIT? IT'S
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT WHICH IS LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONG-SUFFERING,
GENTLESS, MINGLED TEMPERANCE AND FAITH. NOW DOWN TO VERSE
22 AND VERSE 23 of Acts 9. Saul continued, God
strengthened him, and he preached the gospel, proving by the scriptures
that this is the very Christ, verse 23, and after that many
days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him. Now
there is a three-year gap that's not given to us here in the book
of Acts. And that's why I read over in
Galatians chapter 1, three years, these many days were fulfilled
ARE THE DAYS THAT GOD SINGLED OUT THIS MAN AND PERSONALLY INSTRUCTED
HIM AND MADE HIM AN APOSTLE. THESE THREE YEARS JUST LIKE PETER,
JAMES, AND JOHN WERE WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THREE YEARS.
SAUL OF TARSUS SPENT THESE THREE YEARS WITH THE LORD IN ARABIA. WE DON'T HAVE ANY RECORD OF THAT,
OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT HE SAID, THE LORD SENT ME OUT INTO A DESERT
PLACE. MAYBE MUCH LIKE MOSES SPENT THOSE
40 YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, AND THE LORD INSTRUCTED HIM. AFTER
HIS CONVERSION, THE LORD TOOK HIM ASIDE INTO A DESERT COUNTRY
THREE YEARS WHERE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST INSTRUCTED HIM, TAUGHT
HIM, AND MADE HIM AN APOSTLE. YOU REMEMBER ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS
TO BE AN APOSTLE? YOU HAD TO HAVE BEEN PERSONALLY
TAUGHT AND HAVE SEEN THE LORD JESUS CRY. AFTER THREE YEARS,
PAUL RETURNED TO DEMASCUS AND CONTINUED PREACHING THE GOSPEL,
AND THE JEWS SOUGHT TO DO ONE THING. AFTER HE CAME BACK AFTER
THOSE THREE YEARS, THESE MANY DAYS, THE JEWS TOOK COUNSEL NOT
TO APPLAUD HIM, NOT TO GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR HIM OR FOR HIS MINISTRY,
THEY TOOK UP COUNSEL TO KILL HIM. Now, what did this man do? He continued preaching the gospel,
determined not to know anything among them but Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. Now, we're going to see in our
study through the book of Acts, when the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ came to town, when it came to Damascus, something big
happened. And usually two things happen.
Number one, there was a riot. And number two, there was a revival.
And we see that here. That's what happened. AND THAT'S
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED. THERE IS A RIOT
AND THERE IS REVIVAL. THERE IS A REST AND THERE IS
A REJOICING IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE MARVELOUS PROVIDENCE
OF GOD, VERSE 24 AND 25. NOTICE, JEWS TOOK COUNSEL TO
KILLING. GOD HAS SOMETHING ELSE IN MIND.
BUT THEIR LAYING IN WAIT WAS KNOWN OF SAUL. And they watched
the gates day and night to kill him, make sure that he didn't
get out of that walled city of Damascus. Then the disciples
took him by night, led him down the wall by a basket. Now these walls were big walls.
We're talking probably a 25 or 30 foot stone wall. HE GOT IN THIS BASKET, IT WAS
BIG ENOUGH, THEY PROBABLY PUT HIM IN THAT BASKET AND COVERED
HIM UP WITH SOME STRAW OR SOME KIND OF COVERING, AND THEY LET
HIM DOWN OUTSIDE THE CITY, AND HE SKEDADDLED AWAY. THE LORD'S
PROTECTING HAND, THE MARVELOUS PROVIDENCE OF GOD. LOOK AT VERSE
16, THE LORD TELLS HIM, I'LL SHOW HIM HOW GREAT THINGS HE
MUST SUFFER FOR MY NAME'S SAKE. GOD GAVE HIM MUCH TROUBLE. You
can read of it in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. God gave this man
much trouble, but where God gives great grace, where God gives
great grace, he commonly exercises it with great trials. One old
preacher said that. But when trials come to God's
people, he also gives grace. You remember he said, my grace
is sufficient for thee? Now, he writes about this escape. If you want to turn with me,
you can. If not, I'll just read it to you. 2 Corinthians chapter
11. I think this is interesting.
Verse 32. 2 Corinthians 11, 32. Under Artus, the king kept the
city of Damascus with a garrison and desired to apprehend me.
And through a window in a basket, I was let down by the wall and
escaped out of his hand. Now, isn't it amazing how the
Lord will use what he will to the benefit of his people? Now,
I want you to say right here in 2 Corinthians, look down at
chapter 12. In chapter 12, Paul had this
thorn in the flesh, verse 7, lest I should be exalted above
measure due to the abundance of revelation that was given
to me, a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet
me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing
I besought the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
And he said, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is
made perfect in your weakness. MOST GLADLY, THEREFORE, WILL
I RATHER GLORY IN MY INFIRMITIES, THAT THE POWER OF CHRIST MAY
REST UPON ME. THEREFORE, I TAKE PLEASURE,"
NOW GET A HOLD OF THIS, IN INFIRMITIES, I TAKE PLEASURE IN REPROACHES. I MEAN, THEY HATED THIS MAN.
THEY WANTED TO KILL HIM. AND IN NECESSITIES, AND IN PERSECUTIONS,
PAUL, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THIS? I take pleasure in
persecution. I take pleasure in distresses
for Christ's sake. Boy, he was under a lot of stress. But when I'm weak, that's when
I'm strong. WHEN YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO TURN
BUT TO THE LORD, THAT'S WHERE HE WOULD HAVE US TO BE, ALWAYS
LOOKING, LOOKING, LOOKING TO THE LORD. NOW, PAUL HAD DONE
NOTHING TO AROUSE THEIR MALICE EXCEPT ONE THING. WHAT WAS THE
ONE THING HE DID? HE FULLY TRUSTED CHRIST ALONE
FOR ALL SALVATION. HE FULLY FOLLOWED THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST AS THE GREAT SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP. As the good shepherd
who laid down his life, as the chief shepherd who is coming
again, he faithfully preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ as Christ all and in all, in all salvation. He preached
that salvation is of the Lord. And those self-righteous religious
Jews, they got up in arms. So much so, they wanted to kill
him. THEY WANTED TO KILL HIM. AND THE GRECIAN JEWS WERE NO
MUCH BETTER IN JERUSALEM. THEY WENT ABOUT THE SLAVE. VERSE
29, FOR PREACHING THE GOSPEL. NOW, THERE'S A LESSON FOR US
HERE. THIS WORLD HATES THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. NOW,
I DIDN'T SAY THEY HATED THEIR RELIGION. LOST MEN ARE IN LOVE
WITH THEIR RELIGION. I'M SAYING THE GOSPEL OF THE
GRACE OF GOD THAT SHINES IN THE FACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,
MAN BY NATURE HATES THAT GOD OF THE GOSPEL. YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE THE CARNAL MIND IS ENMITY
AGAINST GOD. THE CARNAL MIND CANNOT RECEIVE
THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. I've experienced this firsthand.
Personally, if you take an open and public stand for the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ, these self-righteous religious Pharisees
will hate you too. Try it out someday. Try it out
someday. And don't be surprised, the Lord
said, if they hated me, they will hate you also. He said, in this world you shall
have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome. Be of good cheer, I've overcome.
The apostle later writes this from a Roman prison cell in a
dungeon. He's on death row, waiting to
be executed for the gospel. And he writes this, those who
will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. He's not talking about being
a moral man. PEOPLE ARE NOT AGAINST MORALITY,
THEY'RE AGAINST THE GOSPEL OF GOD CONCERNING THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST. IN ACTS CHAPTER 14 WE'RE GOING
TO READ THIS, WE THROUGH MUCH TRIBULATION MUST ENTER INTO THE
KINGDOM OF GOD. AND HE WRITES THAT, THE APOSTLE
PAUL WRITES THAT AFTER HE'D BEEN STONED AND THEY THOUGHT THEY
STONED HIM TO DEATH AND DRUGGED HIM OUT OF THE CITY OF LYSTRA
AND HE WENT RIGHT BACK IN AND PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO THEM AGAIN.
WE MUST, THROUGH MUCH TRIBULATION, ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE TRIALS THAT GOD SENDS OUR WAY ARE FOR OUR GOOD. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CALLED PRECIOUS
TRIALS. THEY TRY OUR FAITH, WHETHER IT
BE TRUE OR WHETHER IT BE PHONY. GOD OVERRULES EVEN THE WICKEDNESS
OF MEN FOR OUR OWN ETERNAL GOOD. THEY WERE EVIL MEN WHO WANTED
TO DO EVIL AND WICKED THINGS AGAINST THE APOSTLE PAUL, AND
YET GOD USED THAT FOR HIS ETERNAL GOOD. OH, THAT WE MAY LEARN THAT
LESSON. ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR
GOOD TO THEM WHO LOVE GOD. ALL THINGS TO THEM WHO LOVE GOD,
TO THEM WHO ARE THE CAUSE God's purpose and grace in Christ. Now, let me ask you a question. Why
is the gospel so offensive to the natural man? Why is the gospel
of the grace of God, the sovereign free grace of God, so offensive
to the natural man? The apostle writes this in Galatians
5, if Galatians 5, he said, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision,
that is works for salvation, why do I suffer persecution?
Then is the offense of the cross ceased. He says, if I preach
works, the offense is gone. You take the offense out of the
gospel. You preach the gospel. I don't
think you can. But if you preach the gospel
in such a way that it's not offensive to the natural man, you remove
its power. That's right. You remove its
power. Now, let me give you several reasons why the gospel is offensive
to the lost religious man. It's not offensive to the believer,
but it is to the self-righteous. Our Lord said, you are those,
to the Pharisees, that justify yourselves before men, but God
knows your heart. That which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Now, four things. why the gospel of God's grace
is offensive. First of all, it offends man's
sinful self-pride because the gospel declares the utter and
total depravity of man, the utter and total inability of man to
understand or to believe the gospel concerning and regarding
spiritual things. THE GOSPEL DECLARES THAT WE ARE
TOTALLY DEPRAVED, SINFUL, AND GUILTY BEFORE GOD, WITH NO MEANS
OF RECOVERY IN AND OF OURSELVES, AND THAT OFFENDS MAN'S SELF-WORTH
AND PRIDE. SECONDLY, THE GOSPEL OF GOD'S
GRACE OFFENDS MAN'S SENSE OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND SELF-WILL. they have this saying that the
religious world calls free will. Man's will is not free. Not yours,
not mine, not any man. If your will was absolutely free,
you could walk out that door and flap your arms and will yourself
to fly. If your will was free, I will
to fly. Why can't you? because you're
bound by your nature. Man's will is always self-worth
and downward, never God-worth and upward. You cannot fly because
you're a sinner, and you cannot believe the gospel unless God
Almighty enables you to do so. It's not by our free will, it's
by His free grace. Now, why make this an issue? Because God makes it an issue.
IT'S NOT OF HIM THAT WILL IT, OR OF HIM THAT RUN IT, BUT OF
GOD THAT SHOWETH MERCY." THAT'S OFFENSIVE TO THE NATURAL MAN.
HAVE YOU HEARD THIS STATEMENT? OH, I BELIEVE MAN'S A FREE MORAL
AGENT. REALLY? YOU BELIEVE THAT? YOU BELIEVE A LIE. MAN IS NOT
FREE. HE'S IN BONDAGE OF SIN. MAN IS
CERTAINLY NOT MORAL. HE'S A DEPRAVED SINNER. AND HE'S
CERTAINLY NOT AN AGENT. ONE WHO HAS AUTHORITY TO ACT
ON THE BEHALF OF ANOTHER. YOU DON'T HAVE AN AGENCY THAT
GOD'S GIVEN YOU. WE'RE DEPRAVED SINNERS. OUR LORD
SAID, NO MAN CAN COME TO ME EXCEPT THE FATHER WHICH SENT ME, DRAW
HIM. OF HIS OWN WILL, BECAUSE HE ASKED WITH THE WORD OF TRUTH.
It's not by man's will, it's by God's free grace. Thirdly,
it offends man's wisdom and foolish thoughts about the wisdom of
God in his salvation through a substitute named Jesus Christ.
To those who are perishing, the gospel of substitution and satisfaction
through the blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul calls
it in 1 Corinthians 1, foolishness unto him. Christ wounded? bruised for our iniquity. Well,
that's foolishness to the natural man. Fourthly, the gospel of
Christ offends man's self-righteousness because it declares man's righteousness
before God is nothing but filthy rags in his sight. The gospel
of God's grace declares that Christ alone is our righteousness. Blessed is a man to whom God
would impute righteousness without works. Does it offend you when
I call you a guilty, vile, wretched sinner before God? That's the
truth. That includes me. That includes
every sinner on topside of God's green earth. What sets the sinner
free? Truth. IF GOD DOESN'T EVER TEACH
YOU THAT YOU'RE GUILTY, THAT YOU'RE SINFUL, HE'LL NEVER SHOW
YOU MERCY. THAT'S RIGHT. GOD GOTTA STRIP
US BEFORE HE CLOTHES US. HE'S GOTTA EMPTY US BEFORE HE
FILLS US WITH HIS GRACE. SO THERE IS THE RIOT AND REBELLION,
AND THE SECOND PART OF THAT IS REVIVAL. REVIVAL. LOOK AT VERSE 26, 27, 28. And when Saul was come to Jerusalem,
he assayed to join himself to the disciples, but they were
all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But
Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostle, and declared
unto him how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he
had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus
in the name of LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND HE WAS WITH THEM COMING IN
AND GOING OUT AT JERUSALEM. VERSE 31, THEN HAD THE CHURCHES
RESTED THROUGHOUT ALL JUDEA, GALILEE, AND SAMARIA, WERE EDIFIED,
WALKING IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD, IN THE COMFORT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
AND WERE MULTIPLIED. GOD DELIVERED SAUL in Damascus
and when he preached the gospel in Jerusalem and the Grecians
went about to slay him, God also delivered him then. And there
was revival and rejoicing and rest in the gospel. When Saul
was come back to Jerusalem, He came back a different man than
when he left three years earlier on his road to Damascus. He went
away in a violent rage against the Lord. He returns now with
a broken heart. and a contrite spirit regenerated
and repented. The Lord denied them of a broken
heart. He went away declaring that Jesus
of Nazareth, he left Jerusalem three years earlier, declaring
that Jesus of Nazareth was an imposter and a fraud, a wine-bibber
and a gluttonous man. He comes back now and declared
that he is the Son of God. He is the Lord from heaven. And
Saul seeks to join the local church at Jerusalem because he
was now, and I love this statement, verse 28, he was with them. He was one time vehemently opposed
and against them. Now he is with them. About 40
years ago, when the Lord started teaching me the gospel, I started
to seek a place where the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was
preached. And guess who lived in the town
where I was living? God's prophet, Henry Mahan. And when I found out that he
preached the gospel of God's grace, you know what I did? I
went and joined myself with that church and stayed there until
I came here. Stayed there for 12 years until
I came here in 1994. You see, those who are one with
Christ, they seek out other sheep and fellowship with them. The
same is true today when the Lord saves a sinner. They seek fellowship
with other believers who worship where the gospel is preached,
where Christ is honored. AND WHERE CHRIST IS GLORIFIED.
THEY ENJOY FELLOWSHIP IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AROUND THE
GOSPEL BECAUSE THERE ARE FELLOWS IN THE SAME SHIP. THERE ARE FELLOWS
IN THE SAME SHAPE, SINNERS SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD. THEY ARE
MADE SONS OF GOD. THEY ARE SHIPMATES, ONE WITH
ANOTHER IN CHRIST. Verse 31 in closing, and they
had rest. You see, there was a riot, and
there was a revival, and there was a rejoicing, and then there's
rest. Then had the churches rest throughout
all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and they were edified. They were
built up in the faith. through preaching of the gospel.
Now this word rest, I love that word. Rest, rest. Now this is not talking about
a physical sleep. Now that is needful, right? To get a good night's sleep.
Now, sometimes that's hard to come by, especially when you
get older. But this here is not talking about that natural sleep.
This is talking about a repose, a relaxing, and a rest and peace
with God in the Lord Jesus Christ. What are you talking about here?
This is a rest that God gives us Our Lord said come unto me
all you who are laboring and heavy laden. I will give you
rest for your soul Rest for your soul they were under great Persecution
now the Lord gives them rest No greater blessing the Lord
can give a troubled soul than to find sweet rest and peace
in CHRIST JESUS. HE IS OUR PEACE BEING JUSTIFIED
BY FAITH. WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. HOW IS PEACE MADE? THROUGH HIS
BLOOD. THROUGH HIS BLOOD. THEY WERE
EDIFIED. YOU SEE THAT? THEY WERE BUILT
UP IN THE FAITH. THEY WERE ESTABLISHED UPON THE
ROCK THAT GOD HAD LAID IN ZION. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED. WALKING IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD.
THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM. THEY WERE BLESSED
TO WORSHIP THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD. THE FEAR OF GOD IS TO WORSHIP
HIM. IT'S TO BELIEVE HIM. AND THEY
WERE WALKING BY FAITH IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND THEY WERE
BLESSED TO WORSHIP THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD. THEY WERE LIVING
IN THE COMFORT, YOU SEE THAT, AND IN THE COMFORT OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT. THE COMFORT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS CALLED
What? The comforter. Our Lord said,
when the comforter is come, he'll take the things of mine and show
them unto you. Now, what does the Holy Spirit
comfort us with? The Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel
of God's grace. Our Lord said, when he's come,
he'll take the things of mine and show them unto you. Hope,
make it not a shame because the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And then it says they were multiplied. They were multiplied. NOT ONLY
IN NUMBER THE LORD ADDED DAILY TO THE CHURCH SUCH AS SHOULD
BE SAVED THEY GREW FROM 120 SOULS TO JUST A FEW MONTHS TO OVER
10,000 BELIEVERS THEY WERE MULTIPLIED BECAUSE THE LORD ADDED to the
church daily, such as should be said. But also this, they
were multiplied not only in number, but in their soul and in their
spirit, they were growing in grace and in the knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Last statement, may the Lord
be pleased to do those very things here, to establish us that we
might walk in fear worshiping him, that he might comfort us
with Christ, and that we might grow in grace and in the knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Seek peace, rest, mercy, salvation
where it's found. Where is it found? Found in him. That's why Paul
said, I count everything else lost, dung, that might win Christ
and be found in Him. In Him dwells all the fullness
of a Godhead bodily, and in Him we stand