Acts chapter 16. Acts chapter
16. We see now the Apostle Paul traveling
with his companions that God had given him, faithful companions.
Paul, Silas, Timothy is added. And then we know that Dr. Luke
is writing here. He's writing this account given
in the book of Acts. Dr. Luke is also Paul's attending
physician. He's also the writer of the Gospel
written according to Luke. And they were this foursome,
foursome of God's servants. They were seeking to do God's
will in preaching God's gospel, seeking to know where to preach
the gospel. And they were going about seeking
God's presence and seeking God's will. Verse six, it says, When
they were gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they
were forbidden of God to preach the word of God in Asia. And
afterward, they came to Mysia. They said again to go into Bithynia. They were seeking direction,
seeking God's will, and he kept directing here and here, but
not there. And the Spirit suffered them
not. And they, passing by Mysia, came
down to Troas. Now, Paul at this time was not
permitted to preach the gospel in Asia, and we're going to see
later on why, although on his next trip His third trip out,
he did preach the gospel to those in Galatia. God raised up a church
in Galatia, raised up pastors in Galatia, and Paul later wrote
a letter to those believers there in Galatia. We know that Peter
addressed his epistle to those who were in Bithynia and Asia,
strangers scattered abroad through Asia and Bithynia. Now look at
verse 9. While Paul was at Troas, on God's
business, seeking God's will, God gave him a special message
from heaven. A vision appeared to Paul on
the night. in way of a dream or some special message was sent
to Paul, and in that vision there was a man that appeared to him,
and he prayed and asked and begged, saying, come over here and preach
the gospel to us. We need help. Come over and help
us. We need help. Now, these people
in Macedonia and Philippi were certainly in need of, what did
they need? They needed to hear the gospel.
They needed salvation. All men are in need of salvation. Now, God had many chosen in that
city, Philippi, and God was determined to call them out with the gospel. Now, I believe the Lord is still
calling out His people with the gospel. I believe there is still
people in certain cities who are calling out to God's servants
saying, come over. Would you come over and help
us? Help us. I can think of some
recent examples that I have experienced in my
life beginning in 1980. There was a group of believers
Excuse me, there was a church, let me put it that way, there
was a church of people gathered together in a little mountain
town of West Virginia, a group of people, the little town's
called Dingus, West Virginia. And along about 1980, their pastor
was in the hospital in Huntington, West Virginia, dying with cancer. And he turned on the TV program.
turned on Pastor Mahan's TV program and began to listen to him preach
the gospel. And as he died, God taught him
the gospel and saved him by God's marvelous grace. And before he
died, he sent word back to those in Dengas saying, you get a hold
of Pastor Mahan and you have that man come over and help you
learn the gospel. And they did. They contacted
Pastor Mahan in 1980 and he went down there. at a free will Baptist
church and preached the gospel of God's grace, and an explosion
happened. And God run off all the goats
and saved the sheep and raised up a pastor, and they're still
together today. You see, God still is calling
out His people with the gospel. I think of another story quite
personal to me. In 1985 in Zebulon, Kentucky,
that's where I'm the pastor at now. In 1985, a man by the name
of Paul Doug Thacker started watching Pastor Mahan on TV,
and he heard the gospel, and God used that message, and God
saved that man by his grace. Well, this man who lived in Pike
County, Kentucky, contacted Pastor Mahan in 1985 and said, if I
build a building, and that's a building that you've all been
in, nice building, He said, if I build a building, now this
is one man. He had no congregation, had no
one in his family as far as I know that believed the gospel, maybe
outside his wife, his daddy. But he said, if I build a building,
would you send somebody here to preach the gospel? You know
what he was saying? Come over and help us. Well, he built the
building. And Pastor Mahan sent preachers
there. We held that first meeting in
April of 1986. drove Pastor Mahan down there,
and God raised up the people there, raised up a pastor there,
and here we, 20 years later, the gospel still being preached
there in Zebulun, Kentucky. So, you see, the Lord still answers
prayers to those who say, come over and help us! I can think of another example
in 1991. There was another group of people
gathered together in Wheelersburg, Ohio. And some of the men of
that group contacted Pastor Mahan through that TV ministry again.
And they said, would you come over and help us? And we did. A bunch of us went down there
each week and preached the gospel. And about a year or so later,
they called Brother Charles Pennington to be their pastor. God raised
up that ministry. Nice place to worship. And the
Lord saved a multitude of people. You see, they said, Would you
come over and help us? God sent the gospel and he helped
and saved a bunch of people. Multitude of people are still
doing that today in that city, Williamsburg, Ohio. Now, let
me get real personal with you, up close and personal. About
a year ago, about a year ago, Well, actually, in the summer
of 2006, Brother Tony contacted me. And we'd been corresponding
back and forth. And he started talking about
having a gospel ministry here. He said there was nobody around
here preaching the gospel of God's grace. And he said, would
you come over and help us? And we'd been meeting here. I
was telling my wife, coming down today, next month, the first
Sunday after Labor Day, Last year is when we first started
meeting here. Goes by quickly, doesn't it? Goes by quickly.
I don't know what the Lord has in store for us or for this ministry
here in Kingsport, but all I know to do is be faithful to it, be
committed unto it, and pray the Lord would be pleased to raise
up and establish a permanent work here until He comes home.
So, but that was your cry, wasn't it? Come over and help us. There's
nobody around here preaching the truth. Come over and help
us and preach the gospel. So, by God's grace, we've been
trying to do so, supply this pulpit here for almost a year.
Now, notice back in our text, Acts 16, verse 10. After Paul had seen the vision,
what's he going to do? Look at that word there, immediately.
Immediately, we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly
gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto
them. As soon as Paul had clear directions,
he immediately proceeded to fill his obligation to preach the
gospel. Now, this is our primary purpose.
This is our primary purpose. The Lord called us to preach
the gospel, not to entertain folks, Not to see that folks
have a good social circumstance, plenty of food and all these
things. We're concerned about those things, but that's not
our primary purpose. Our primary purpose, and God
has called us to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This
is our primary purpose. Notice across the page, Acts
15, verse 35. Paul also, in Barnabas, continued
in Antioch, teaching and preaching the Word of the Lord. That's
what this ministry is all about. Preaching and teaching the Word
of the Lord. Again, in Acts chapter 16, notice
down at verse 32, Paul told the Philippian jailer to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 16.32, and he spake unto him
the Word of the Lord in all his house. And you know what happened?
God saved that jailer. Not only that jailer, but it
says down there that he and all his house, he and all his straight
way were baptized. Now, it's important. It's very
important to preach the gospel of God. The command of God, when
Paul wrote his last letter to Timothy, he said, I charge thee
before God and the Lord Jesus Christ to preach the gospel.
Preach the gospel of Christ. That's what we're to do. Well,
in verse 11 and 12, they sought to do that. They sought passage
to this city called Philippi. Loosing from Troas, they came
to Samothracea, to Annapolis, and then to Philippi, which is
the chief city, part of Macedonia, a Roman colony, and we were in
that city abiding certain days. You know, when Paul got to that
city, You know what was going through his mind? Where are God's
people? Where are those sheep I'm to
preach to? How did he know them? Well, he didn't. But I tell you
how they were identified. He preached the gospel and God
called them out. God called a multitude of sinners. He said, I've got much people
in this city. Paul, you stay there and preach
to them. So we were abiding certain days. Verse 13, and on the Sabbath
day, We went out of the city by Riverside. Now, most of the
commentators think that this city here, Philippi, even though
a large commercial city, had no Jewish synagogue. Paul's manner
as he traveled turned to Acts chapter 17. His manner was, when
he usually went to a new city, a new place, the first thing
he did was he found a synagogue, assembly of Jews. and looking
for opportunity to preach the gospel. And oftentimes, he'd
walk in, sit down, and God would open the door. The man would
say, Paul, do you have anything to say? And he'd stand up and
preach the gospel. Notice, if you will, Acts 17.
And when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they
came to Thessalonica, where was the synagogue of the Jews. And
Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath
days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. He took the Word
of God. They had the Old Testament, and
he preached Christ to them, opening and alleging that Christ must
need to have suffered, risen again from the dead, and that
this Jesus, whom I have preached unto you, He is the Christ. Some
of them believed and joined with Paul. And of the devout Greeks,
a great multitude, and of chief women, not a few. You see, God
blessed the Word, the preaching of the Word. in that day. Now back to Acts 16, verse 13. But on this particular day in
this city, there was no synagogue to attend. So he sought out those
who were seeking God and what like they had. And he found or
he heard about this group of women meeting down on the creek
bank. And he found them and sat down
with them and preached the gospel to them. Now, this is a rather meek gathering. They have no building. They have
no shelter. They're out in the open. But
they had God's gospel. They had God's servants. And
I thought about this. I'd rather meet in a mud hut
with God's people around God's gospel than to meet in great
tabernacles built of men, tabernacles of idolatry where the gospel
is denied. Wouldn't you rather meet in a
brush arbor on the creek bank, sitting on the rock by the riverside
at Riverside Grace Church than to be in the greatest cathedral,
the greatest tabernacle where the gospel is despised and hated?
Well, certainly. That's what Paul was doing here.
Now, notice verse 14. And among this group of women
was this one that God sovereignly singled out. He had His eye on
her. How long did He have His eye on her? A long time. God
had from the beginning chosen her to salvation. A certain woman. A certain woman. Now Paul, the
first time Paul met this woman, God has known her from eternity.
God has known her always. A certain woman named Lydia.
Cellar of purple. City of Thyatira. Worshipped
God. Heard us. The Lord opened her
heart. And she became eager. An eager
attendee to the things which Paul had spoken. Now there was
many women gathered But God had His eye on this woman. On this
woman. Chosen by God in eternity. Ordained to eternal life. Redeemed by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. Our Lord said, I'm the Good Shepherd.
I lay down my life for the sheep. And this woman must hear the
gospel, must be quickened by the Spirit of God, and must be
so with the Word of Truth. Now let me show you scripture
here. Don't ever forget that God has ordained the means to
accomplish His end. I want you to turn to 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2. She must hear the gospel and
she must be quickened with the word of truth. 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 13. I want you to see this. Verse
13. We are bound to give thanks always
to God. This is 2 Thessalonians 2 verse
13. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation." Now,
that was true of Lydia. God hath from the beginning chosen
her unto salvation, to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit. Now, what is that? That's regeneration. That's a quickening call of God
the Holy Spirit with the word of truth. And the fruit of that
is belief of the truth. Saving faith. Real, genuine,
saving faith believes God. The faith of God's elect acknowledges
and loves the truth. Sanctification of the Spirit,
belief of the truth. Now look at verse 14. Whereunto
He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. God calls His people out with
the gospel. Lydia is one of those sheep,
and God crossed her path with a gospel preacher and saved her. By his grace, of his own will,
beget he us with the word of truth. With the word of truth.
Now, listen to me. Several vital lessons we can
learn here. Three or four of them. The first
one is this. In the salvation of sinners,
and we can see this in Lydia's story, in every sinner that's
saved, we see the same thing happening. We see, first of all,
the mighty providence of God. The mighty, sovereign providence
of God. Lydia was from Thyatira. That
was her home city. We see God overruling all things
to bring the preacher of grace to the object of grace to hear
the message of grace. You see, it just didn't happen
by accident. It happened on God's purpose. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. Of Him and through Him and to
Him are all things. If you hear today, hearing God's
gospel, it's not by circumstance, luck, chance, or faith. It's
by God's purpose. God's purpose. So there's the
providence of God involved in the salvation of God's people. God sent the gospel by purpose. through God's servant to the
heart of Lydia. Second thing is this, Lydia says
here in verse 14 that Lydia worshipped God. She worshipped God. Lydia
had a concern for her spiritual welfare. The Lord had created
in her heart, the Lord had created in her an interest. Now she was
walking in what light she had. walking in what light she had,
seeking to know more of the true and the living God. Now, think
about this. Philippi was a Roman city. What
was the religion of the Romans? Pagan. Idolatry. This woman,
no doubt, was raised in idolatry, yet somehow God created an interest
in her to seek the true and the living God. This is what the
old timers called pervenient grace. Grace. before grace is
actually experienced in the heart. Forbearing grace. Like the man
in Ethiopia went to Jerusalem to worship. There's another pagan.
He's walking like God gave him. God put a desire in his heart
to go all the way to Jerusalem to find out about the true and
the living God. My people shall be winning in
the day of God's power. wherever you find a seeking sinner. Now, I know this is so. Wherever
you find a seeking sinner, you find a Savior seeking them. You find a shepherd on the trail
of his sheep, and he crosses their path and saves them by
his grace. Our Lord said, All that the Father
hath given to me, they'll come to me, and those that come to
me I will no wise, no way, cast them out. His people shall be
willing. in the day of His. He has no
unwilling bride. We willingly embrace Him. When God operates on us and shows
us who we are and who He is, and shows us that Christ is altogether
lovely, we embrace Him and love Him willingly. Bow to Him and
love Him. The third lesson is this. Lydia
heard Paul and Silas preach the gospel. It says there that She
heard us. She heard us. I believe she heard. She heard audibly. But you know
what? She heard with more than just
the hearing of the ear. Let me show you how she heard
and in the manner she heard. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 this
time. 1 Thessalonians 1. She really heard us this time.
It wasn't just preaching. She heard God speak through His
Word. Now notice 1 Thessalonians 1. Look at verse 4. Knowing, brethren,
beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not unto
you in word only. Now, they heard the gospel, but
it came in, what does it say there? Power. Power. What kind of power? Power of
God. Sovereign power. Almighty power. Absolute sovereignty. Also in power, in the Word, with
the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know what manner
of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers
of us, willingly, and of the Lord, having received the Word
in much affliction. Now, get a hold of this. Here's
a paradox. Much affliction, but with joy. With joy. And that's true. She heard the gospel. Now, was
it necessary to her conversion to hear the gospel? Absolutely. Absolutely. Now, let me show
you why. God has ordained this. It pleased
God through preaching to save His people. Turn to Romans 10. Those preachers who I know of
that are sovereign grace preachers are not hardshells. And I mean
by that, they believe that God uses means to call out His people. He predestinated the end, right?
But He's also predestinated the means to accomplish that end,
and it pleased God to call out His people through the gospel,
through the preaching of the gospel. For it says here in Romans
10, Verse 13, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. Call on the name of the Lord.
That's to believe Him. How then shall they call on Him
in whom they've not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him in whom they've not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? There's got to be a... You can't believe on a Christ
that you've never heard of. You have to hear the truth. You
can't receive the truth if you've never heard the truth. How shall
they preach except they be sent? She needed to hear the gospel
and we need to hear the gospel over and over and over again.
So Lydia heard the gospel. God has ordained the message,
but it also has ordained the method. to call out His people. That's why we're insistent upon
preaching, preaching, preaching, preaching Christ and Him crucified. Paul said, I'm determined to
know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Well, look what happened. Whose
heart the Lord opened. Now, Paul didn't stand there
and beg Lydia to do something. Paul didn't stand there and beg
Lydia, well, you know, God's knocking on your heart, won't
you let Him in? That's not what Paul... Paul
preached the gospel of God saving sovereign grace in Christ and
left Lydia in the hands of a merciful, holy God. And God operated on
her heart. Here's a heart surgery going
on here. God opened her heart and operated
on her heart. He opened it up. The heart of
the person here involves the whole understanding, the mind,
the will, the affection. Our heart. Let me show you in
Scripture what's being taught here. Find Colossians. The book
of Colossians chapter 2. You see salvation. is a heart
work. Pastor Mahan has said that for
50 years or more. Salvation is just not a work
in the head, understanding doctrine. It's an operation of God upon
the heart, where He opens the understanding, opens the mind,
the will, the blinded eyes, the deaf ears, and gives us life
in Christ. It's an operation of God. Notice
Colossians 2. Verse 9, For in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in
him which is the head of all principality and power, in whom
also ye are circumcised." That's an operation. Circumcision is
an operation, is it not? Circumcised was a circumcision
made without hands. What kind of circumcision is
that? It's that of the heart. Not in putting off, as operation
circumcision without the hands, in putting off the body of the
sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. How are you going
to put off the body of sin? How are you going to put sin
away? By something you do? No, it's an operation of God.
He put our sin away. He appeared once in the end of
the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Look at
verse 12. Colossians 2, buried with Him
in baptism. Wherein also are you risen with
him through the faith of the operation of God." Faith is the
operation of God. It's the gift of God. "...who
raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins,
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, ungodly, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses." This is
what happened to Lydia. God operated on her heart. Opened her heart. We read in
Luke 24, verse 45. Don't turn. Just jot this down.
Luke 24, 45. It says, the Lord opened their
understanding that they might understand the Scripture. In
Ephesians 1, 17 and 19, Paul prayed for the church that the
eyes of your understanding would be enlightened. And then in 2
Corinthians 4, 6, it's God who commands the light to shine out
of darkness. He shined in our hearts. to give
us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, this is what God must
do for us. He must open our heart. And my
friend, He has the key. He comes to us and He has the
key and He puts it in the lock of our heart and He opens it
up and He comes in and abides with us. Takes up residency in
our heart. And we welcome Him. We say, He's
altogether lovely. Before God opens a heart, it's
bolted shut by ignorance, hardness of heart, blindness and unbelief,
empty of grace, void of faith, loving darkness rather than light.
But by God's divine grace, God operates on us, God commands
the light to shine, and He gives us life in Christ Jesus. Grace
is more than a divine attribute. It's a divine determination,
a divine work, a divine sovereign gift of God operating upon the
hearts of His people. God opened her heart. And it says here that she attended. She became an eager student of
God's gospel. She attended unto the things
which were spoken by Paul. Does this describe you? Is this
a description of you? Are you an eager student of God,
willing to hear more of God's gospel concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ? This is what happened to Lydia,
and this is the method which God has chosen to save all of
His elect. Verse 15, we see the result of
salvation, the fruit of salvation. She was baptized. She was baptized. This is how we confess our salvation
in Christ. Lydia's salvation through Christ
was known by these three things. She became an eager student of
the message of Christ and Him crucified. She willingly submitted
to believers' baptism. Why'd she do this? Our Lord said
to His apostles, go and preach the gospel to all nations. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Those who refuse
baptism, who say they're a believer, who refuse to submit to believer
baptism, what are they saying? They're saying they don't really
believe Christ. They've not submitted to the
Lord. Now, baptism is not essential to salvation, but I tell you,
it's essential to obedience. And His people are made willing
to obey Him. in believer's baptism to confess
Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection as our only hope
of salvation. And the third evidence of salvation,
she became an eager student. She willingly submitted to believer's
baptism. And thirdly, she opened her house.
She opened her home to Paul. She said, if you judge me to
be a true believer in the Lord, faithful to the Lord, you come
home with me. Will you come home with me? Come
into my house. See, God opened her heart and
she opened herself up to Paul and to God's people. Come into
my house and abide. Just don't come and see my house
and leave. Abide there. Abide there. And
she constrained us. You know why? She was constrained
of God. Now, I want you to look at something.
The last verse in this 16th chapter. When Paul was beaten and put
in prison, and when he was let out of prison there in Philippi,
he entered in, look what it says there, he entered into the...
Where'd he go? Right back to Lydia. Oh, he knew
he had a welcome there. And when they had seen the brethren,
they comforted them, and then they departed. That's a glorious,
convergent story of Lydia. And how God opened her heart.
And I pray the Lord will do that to us. Open our heart, our mind,
our will, our understanding and give us a love to the Lord Jesus
Christ. And a willingness to bow to Him
and to believe Him and love Him. Love Him.