Now turn again your Bible to
Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20. And I do pray earnestly that
God will give us all grace to hear this message, God's Word,
God's Truth. As Paul makes his way to Jerusalem,
as it says there in Acts 20, 16, for he hasted, if it were
possible, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. As he makes
his way to Jerusalem, he sails by Ephesus and comes to this
city of Miletus, as it says in verse 17. And from Miletus he
calls to the elders there at Ephesus to come and meet with
him one more time. to hear one more message before
he leaves and departs from them. He does several things here in
this sermon. He reminds them of his ministry. He reminds them. He says, you
remember from the first day I came unto you how I preached the gospel
of Christ unto them. And then secondly, he warns them
of the dangers that lie ahead. Thirdly, he encourages them.
Notice in verse And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the
Word of His grace which is able to build you up and to give you
an inheritance." So he reminds them of his ministry, he warns
them of the dangers that lie ahead, he encourages them in
the grace of God to continue in his Word, and then he sweetly
kneels down with them in verse 36, and prayed with them, and
they hugged one another and weeped together, knowing that they shall
see him no more." Now look at verse 18 in our text, Acts 20,
18. When they were come to him, he
said to them, you know from the first day that I came, into Asia,
after what manner I have been with you at all seasons." He
lived, worked with these people, lived with them, ate with them,
went to their homes, preached the gospel to them, and he did
so for three years. Different seasons, all manner
of seasons. Verse 31, look at this, "...therefore
watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased
not to warn everyone night and day with tears." Paul was serious. and sincere in preaching Christ
to others. Verse 9, he says, serving the
Lord with humility of mind, with many tears, with many trials
which befell me by the religious Jew who hated me and hated my
message, hated Christ and hated the Gospel. He says in verse
19, serving the Lord with humility of mind. Serving the Lord, not
being proud, not being arrogant, but humbled by the Lord's mighty
grace. He said, by the grace of God
I am what I am. Serving the Lord, and we do so
by serving one another. And then he says also in this
verse 19, with many tears, He wept with those who wept. He
rejoiced with those who rejoiced. He cried with them and their
burden became His burden. Many trials and persecutions,
he says also in verse 19, serving the Lord with humility of mind,
with many tears, sorrows, heartache, brokenheartedness, with many
trials which befell me by reason of these who hated the gospel.
What kind of trials did he experience? Let me show you some examples
of that. If you'll find 2 Corinthians
11. 2 Corinthians 11. This man was beaten. Stoned,
whipped, lashed, hated. 2 Corinthians 11. He says in verse 23, in stripes
above measure, in prison, often, in death, often, deaths of the
Jews five times, received I forty stripes, saved one. Three times
I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times
I suffered shipwreck. a night and a day in the deep,
in journeys often, in perils of waters, in trouble of robbers,
in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of heathen, in the
city, in the wilderness, trouble in the sea, among false brethren."
He experienced it all, didn't he? He had many heartaches, many
troubles, and weariness, painfulness. and watchings often, and hunger
and thirst, fasting, often cold, nakedness. He'd been through
a lot for the gospel, but it didn't diminish his zeal for
the cause of God and the ministry that God had sent him. He said,
as I received of the Lord Jesus to testify of the gospel of the
grace of God, I've gone among you preaching the kingdom of
God, he says in verse 24 and verse 25. Now in our text, look
back to verse 20, This is Acts 20, chapter 20, verse 20. He said, I've kept back nothing.
I've kept back nothing. No thing. Nothing that was profitable
unto you. But I've showed you, I've taught
you, showed you, and I've taught you publicly, and from house
to house, testifying both to the Jews, those religious Pharisees,
and also to the heathen pagan Gentiles. Repentance toward God. Repentance. Now, Paul just didn't
preach repentance. Notice how this is said here.
Repentance toward God. The true and living God. And
he just didn't preach faith. It says, and faith toward our
Lord Jesus Christ. Paul plainly, boldly declared
unto them all the counsel of God. He says in verse 27, I am
not shunned to declare unto you God's counsel. He didn't say,
I explained it all. He said, I declared it all. Holding back nothing that might
be beneficial, nothing that might be profitable unto them. I want
you to turn to another scripture that will help us understand
something of His compassion in preaching. 1 Thessalonians. 1
Thessalonians chapter 2. what Paul declared in private,
he boldly declared in public. It is always possible and always
beneficial to declare this message of salvation in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians chapter 2, look at verse 4. But as we were allowed
of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak,
not as pleasing men, but God which tries the heart. For neither
at any time we used we flattering words, as you know, nor a covering
of covetousness, God is witness, nor of man's sotly glory, neither
of you nor yet of others, when we might have been a burden as
the apostles of Christ, but we were gentle among you, even as
a nurse that would cherish her children. So being affectionately
desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not
only the gospel of God, only, not the gospel of God only, but
also our own soul, because you were dear unto us. For you remember,
brethren, our labor and our travail, for laboring night and day, because
we would not be chargeable unto any of you. We preach unto you
the gospel of God." The gospel of God. And he did this publicly. Look back at verse 20. He said,
I've showed you, I've declared unto you and showed unto you,
I've taught you publicly. He was not ashamed to preach
in public what he believed in private. He said, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ. He went everywhere preaching
Christ. Christ and Him crucified. Now,
notice verse 21 of Acts 20, testifying, declaring, both to the religious
Jew, to the self-righteous Pharisee, and also to the pagan, most pagan,
Gentile, repentance toward God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His message never changed, whether
preaching to the religious or the pagan. We have but one message,
one gospel, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Now, I said all
that to get to this. Repentance and faith. Repentance
and faith. Repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Is this important? How important
is this? Well, let me show you what repentance
and faith is. Turn to a couple of scriptures.
First Thessalonians. I can do this, I think, by giving
you an example. Repentance toward God and faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Both are essential. I'll show
you in a moment. But here's an example. 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1, look at verse 4. Knowing, brethren, beloved, your
election of God. For our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance, as you know what manner of men we were among you
for your sake, and you became followers of us and of the Lord.
Having received the word in much affliction, with joy, of the
Holy Spirit, so that you were examples to all that believe
in Macedonia and Achaia. From you sounded out the word
of the Lord, not only in these areas, but also in every place,
your faith to God's word." There is conviction of sin and there
is faith. Your faith to God's word is spread
abroad so that We need not to speak anything, for they themselves
show of us what manner in or in we had unto you, how you turn
to God." Repentance. How you turn to God from idols
to serve the living and true God. There's faith. Repentance
and faith. They go together. I'll give you
another example. Find 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter
1. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Repentance and faith. They come
together, they live together, they grow together. Both are
vital and essential to our salvation. 1 Timothy chapter 1, look at
verse 12. And I thank Christ Jesus our
Lord. who enabled me, for that he counted
me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before
a blasphemer, a persecutor, one who caused injury, but I obtained
mercy, although I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of
our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is
in Christ Jesus." This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom
I am sheep. Now here's repentance. I was
a blasphemer, a persecutor. And here's faith. And the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, exceeding abundant with faith and love
which is in Him. Repentance and faith. Where you
find one, you find the other. They come together. Both are
gifts of God. Now, vital questions. How important
is faith and repentance? Let's see if we can find out.
Turn to Luke chapter 13. Faith and repentance. Luke chapter
13. And look at this. Luke 13 verse 1. There were present
at that season some that told him of the Galileans whose blood
Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Here are some who
were slain. And Jesus answering said unto
them, Supposing ye that these Galileans were sinners above
all Galileans because they suffered such things, He said, Nay, but
I tell you, except you repent, you'll all likewise perish. Verse
4, Of those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and
slew them, thinking that they were sinners above all that dwell
in Jerusalem, I tell you, Nay, but except you repent, you'll
all likewise perish. How important is repentance?
Absolutely important. Absolutely essential. How important
is faith? Turn to Hebrews chapter 11. How
important is faith? Hebrews chapter 11. Look at this
here. Hebrews 11, look at verse 6.
But without faith, you've got it? Hebrews 11, 6. Except you
repent, you perish. So, repentance is vital, isn't
it? How important is faith? Hebrews
11, 6. But without faith, It is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him. How important is faith and repentance? Absolutely vital, vital. Second thing we know about faith
and repentance, faith and repentance are both sovereign gifts of God. Faith and repentance are not
the fruit of the flesh. They're the fruit of the Spirit
of God. Both faith and repentance are sovereign gifts of God. Find
Acts chapter 5. Now these are vital, fundamental,
essential things that we need to know. Acts chapter 5. Acts chapter 5. Both faith and
repentance are sovereign gifts of God. Acts chapter 5 verse
29. I want to be straightforward
and deliberate and plain as I can and show you from the Word of
God Acts 5 29 then Peter and the other apostles answered and
said we ought to obey God Rather than men the God of our fathers
raised up Jesus whom you slew and hang on a tree Him have God
exalted with his right hand to be Prince and Savior for to give
repentance to Israel and a forgiveness of sin and He's exalted to give
repentance. So it's a sovereign gift of God.
Turn to Acts chapter 11 verse 18. Acts chapter 11 verse 18. Gift of God. This is Peter coming
back and declaring unto the brethren in Jerusalem how God granted
repentance unto Cornelius and his house. Notice verse 17, Acts
11, "...for as much then as God gave them the like gift as he
did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus, what was I that
I could withstand God? When they heard these things,
they held their peace and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also
to the Gentiles granted repentance." You see, it's the gift of God,
the sovereign gift of God. What about faith? You all know
this scripture, but let's turn and read it. Ephesians chapter
2. Faith, like repentance, is the sovereign gift of God. Faith
is not something that blooms from our old, wicked, depraved
heart. The only thing that blooms out
of our wicked, depraved heart, which is deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked, is unbelief. Faith is the gift
of God. Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians
chapter 2, look at verse 8, For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourself. It is a gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast. So you see, it is a sovereign,
both faith and repentance are sovereign gifts of God. Thirdly,
both faith and repentance are the sovereign command of God. The command of God. You mean
I'm commanded to repent? Absolutely. You mean I'm commanded
to believe? Absolutely. Now I can make good
on that. Turn to Acts 17. Acts chapter
17. Both faith and repentance are
the command of God. Acts 17. Look at verse 28. Acts 17, 28. For in Him we live
and move and have our being, as certain also of your own poets
have said, For we are also his offspring, created of God. For as much then as we are the
offspring of God, or the creation of God, we ought not think that
the Godhead is like unto gold and silver, or stone, or a graven
art by man's device. And the times of this ignorance
God overlooked. but now commanded all men everywhere
to repent, because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained,
whereof he hath given assurance unto all men that he raised him
from the dead." So it's a repentance toward God is a command of God. Likewise, faith. Now turn to
1 John chapter 3. Repentance and faith. Oh, how
essential. How important. 1 John chapter 3. You're commanded
to believe. The King doesn't invite. The King commands men to repent
and to believe Him. You have no option. You have
no option. 1 John chapter 3. Luke verse 23. This is His commandment. that we should believe on the
name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave
us commandment. Now, here's something else. Fourthly,
both faith and repentance own, bow, believe, and submit to the
true gospel, to the true gospel. Do I have true repentance? Do
I have true faith? True repentance, true faith,
both own, bow, believe, and submit to the gospel of God's grace
in Christ Jesus. Now, how can I make good on that?
Find 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. Repentance toward God, the true
and living God. who is the sovereign of the earth,
who is the creator of all things, the sustainer of all things,
the provider of all things. And here we see 2 Timothy 2,
25. Let's begin reading at verse
23. This is 2 Timothy 2, 23. But foolish and unlearned questions
avoid, knowing that they do gender strife. And to serve them the
Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all, able to teach,
patient in meekness, instructing those that would oppose themselves.
If God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth." True repentance acknowledges God who is God,
absolute sovereign over all things. Likewise does faith. Do I have
true saving faith? Find Titus chapter 1. So true
godly repentance as given to God acknowledges the truth. The truth of sin, the truth of
salvation, the truth of who Christ is and what He has done. So does
faith in Him. Titus chapter 1 verse 1. Paul,
a servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to
the faith of God's elect." Now, do I have the faith of God's
elect? This is faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. "...and the
acknowledging of the truth, which is after God, in hope of eternal
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began." We have an eternal gospel. as old as God himself, the ancient
gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. So how important
is faith and repentance? Without it, you'll perish. He
that believeth on the Son hath life. He that believeth not,
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Both faith and repentance are sovereign gifts of God. Both
faith and repentance are the command of God. Both faith and
repentance own and bow and submit to the true gospel of God. You
got all that? Let's move on then. in Christ
Jesus and repentance toward God are not isolated, single experience
of life, but rather a lifelong state of being that is both powerful,
permanent, and perpetual, and growing always. You see, that
which is living and alive and given of God continues. It grows. We grow in repentance. We grow
in faith. And it's continual. Now let me
show you this. Find 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. You see, I have believed, I am
believing, and by His grace I will. I did look, I am looking, and
by His grace I continue to look. Now look what he says here. 1
Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verse 2, As newborn babe, desire the sincere
milk of the word, that you might grow thereby, if so be ye have
tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom? To whom? Coming. You see, it's present tense.
I'm always, faith is always coming to Christ. Repentance is always
looking to God. Turning to God. As unto a living
stone, disallowed indeed of me, but chosen of God and precious.
Now, find the book of Hebrews chapter 12. He says, to whom
coming? To Him, coming to Him. That's
faith and that's repentance. Always coming, looking to Him.
Hebrews chapter 12, look at verse 2. Hebrews 12, 2. Looking. You see, I did look. But I am looking, looking unto
Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, sat down to right hand of the throne of God. We're
looking unto Him who is victorious, conquering. He's the King who's
coming again. See, we're looking to Him. We're
coming to Him. And we are believing Him. I have
believed. I am believing and I will continue
to believe, kept by the power of God through faith. Find John
chapter 5. John chapter 5. Now this is good
for us. This is good for us to take a
good biblical look at faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance
toward the true God. John chapter 5. Look at verse
24. See, it's to whom coming, it's
to whom looking, and it's believing. John 5, 24, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, He that heareth my word, heareth, and believeth
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation,
but is passed from death unto life. Looking. Both faith and repentance are
fruits of Now listen to me carefully. Both faith and repentance are
fruits of, not the ground of, salvation. Now do you understand
what I'm saying? Faith is not the ground of salvation. What's the ground of salvation?
Christ. Christ crucified. Repentance
is not the cause or ground of my salvation. It's Christ and
Him alone. They are the fruit of salvation. I can make good on that. Find
1 John 5, verse 1. Now, if you don't get all these
references, we're recording this by cassette tape and digital,
so we'll be on CD, and we'll have this also on sermon audio
on the internet in a week or two. 1 John, chapter 5, look
at verse 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born. born of God, He that believeth.
See, we don't believe to be born, we believe because we have been
begotten of life of God by His sovereign will and purpose. Now, sixthly, both faith and
repentance come together. They come together, not apart. Wherever you find one, you find
the other. They go hand in hand. Where you
find one, Faith, you find repentance. In the same heart, at the same
time, they're both given of God at the same time. Some of the
theologians want to debate on which comes first. I say they
come together. They come at the same time, from
the same place. They're given of God. Given of
God. One old writer explained it this
way, faith and repentance is like a piece of paper. A piece
of paper has two sides. Basically, repentance is like
a coin. It has two sides. When you have one coin, you have
two sides. When you have a piece of paper, you have two sides.
They come together at the same time from the hand of the Sovereign
God, the Sovereign King. Furthermore, now listen to this.
This will help us. This helped me. Now listen to
this. As repentance grows and increases,
so does faith. As faith grows, so does repentance. The greater our faith, the deeper
our repentance and conviction of sin. Is that not so? The greater
our faith, the deeper our conviction and repentance of sin. The more
you know of the weight of sin, the conviction of sin, the more
you love and esteem Christ who put away our sin. You see where
I'm getting at? As we grow deeper in conviction
and repentance, our faith grows stronger and we esteem the atonement
of Jesus Christ who cleanses by His blood from all sin. We have a greater esteem and
appreciation of His redeeming blood. We see by faith through His Word,
it's the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin. We
know by reading His Word and the testimony that God bears
in our heart that we are not redeemed with corruptible things,
but with the precious blood of Christ. He by Himself put away
our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The more you know of your own
sinful self, now isn't this your experience? The more you know
of your own sinful self, as Paul cried out in Romans 7, O wretched
man that I am, The more you know how Christ is altogether lovely,
He says in that next verse, I thank God, when He says, O wretched
man that I am. Let's turn and read that, so
you can mark it in your Bible. I could quote it to you, but
let's read it together. O wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from this body of death? He says in verse 24.
That's repentance and conviction. And then, as it deepens, he cries
out in verse 25, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
You see, as it deepens and grows, he has a greater esteem and love
for his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So then, with my mind
I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. I'll
give you another example of that. As you go deeper in conviction
over your sin, you have a greater esteem. Philippians 3, turn there.
You have a greater esteem for the preciousness of the blood
of Christ, the person of Christ, the work of Christ, who is altogether
lovely to you who believe He is precious. Philippians chapter
3. Here's Paul's experience again,
he's writing to us. And he said, those things that
were gained to me, now those I count lost for Christ. Yea,
doubtless I count all things, verse 8, Philippians 3, but lost
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. There's
a deep conviction of sin. I count it all but loss. All things I count them but dumb,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him. That's faith. You
see, as he deepens in conviction of his own sin, he grows in a
greater esteem and appreciation for the Lord Jesus Christ. One
old writer said, self must sink in repentance that Christ may
be raised up in our hearts by faith. That's a good statement. The more we hate sin, the more
we shall love the Lord Jesus Christ. To the believer, Christ
is everything. Since we are guilty, He is our
pardon. He is our justification. Since
we are sinful, He is our righteousness before God. Blessed is the man
whom God would impute righteousness without works. Since we are empty,
He is our portion. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and we are complete in Him. Since we
are nothing, He is our all and in all. Since we are fallen in
Adam, He is our resurrection. and the life of His fullness
have we all received grace for grace." Now I give you this illustration. I'm saying the more we sink in
repentance and conviction over our sin, we sinned against God,
we're guilty before God, the greater we rise in faith and
esteem and love the Lord Jesus. Do you remember those old scales?
the balance of a scale. Do you remember that? Have you
ever been in that old country store and they'd have that? Well,
the more you put the weight of repentance on this side of the
scale, what happens? Faith just grows in a higher
esteem. And this is true too. You come
back to a balance. The more you grow in faith and
love and appreciation of Christ, the greater you see your need
of repentance and conviction of sin. The more you see of your
sinful self as you grow in grace. You see, my friend, the growth
in grace is not upward, it's down. When we have grown too big for
repentance, we've grown too proud for faith. Mark it down. When faith is tempted to climb
to presumption, Repentance brings us back to sit at the feet of
our Master as a little child. He said, blessed are the little
children for they shall enter into the Kingdom of God. When
faith is tempted to decline to presumption, repentance brings
us back to sit at the feet of the Master and to hear Him speak. It humbles us. That conversion
experience that's all joy but lacks deep conviction of sin
is not of God. Mark it down. Did you get that?
That conversion experience that is all joy but lacks deep conviction. My pastor used to say, you miss
Holy Spirit conviction, you miss Christ. And that's true. Those who miss Christ miss everything. That conversion, that's all joy,
but lacks deep conviction of sin is not of God. Now, closing. We're instructed in the Scripture,
2 Corinthians 3, 5, that, Let us examine ourselves whether
I am in the faith. Do I have and am I repenting
toward God? Am I believing the Lord Jesus
Christ? Have I repentance toward God
that leads to faith? Have I faith toward the Lord
Jesus Christ which leads me to cry, O wretched man, I am like
the publican who smote his breath and said, God, be merciful to
me, the sinner. It's me, I'm the guilty one.
These two priceless graces are inseparable. We quoted this verse
yesterday at the wedding service. What God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder. And God hath married these two
graces of the Spirit together, repentance and faith, and you
cannot divide them. That's why he preached. Repentance
toward God and faith in The Lord Jesus Christ.