Preaching Christ as Paul Preached Christ

He said we preach Christ Jesus,
the Lord. Christ is our message. We preach
Christ. He said this Jewish nation seeked
after a sign, and he said the Gentiles seek after wisdom, but
we preach Christ. We preach Christ. Christ crucified. And when he went down to the
that awesome city of Carmel, the city of philosophers and
debaters and intellectuals. He said, I am determined to know
nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now I know the heart is deceitful
and desperately wicked. I realize that as much as anyone
here. And I know there's more deception
and hypocrisy and sham in religion than any other area. I know that. But I believe I can truthfully,
honestly, Paul said, God is my witness. I can say that if I
have one goal, one objective, it can be summed up in a two-fold
statement. That one objective and that one
goal is to win Christ and be found in Him. Paul said, O that I may know
Christ and the power of His resurrected life. I don't want to miss Christ. And I'll tell you, it's The easiest
place to miss Christ is in religion. Did you know that? This place
right here is a very easy place to miss Christ. To become so
wrapped up in our form and tradition and our doctrine and so content
with our refuge and that place out there where you're sitting
is an easy place to miss Christ. To become satisfied and content
and wrapped up in religious professions. But I want to know Christ. He
said, I haven't apprehended or laid hold upon that for which
I've been laid hold of yet. I'm not there yet. I'll be satisfied
when I wake with his likeness. I literally tremble when I read
the words of the Master who said many, many, many, many. She'll
say unto me in that day, Lord, we preached. And in your name we preached,
and in your name we did many wonderful works. And I shall
say unto them, depart from me, I never knew you. Now that doesn't
frighten you, but it ought to. It ought to. I want to know Christ. And the
second part of that goal and objective is this. I want to
preach Christ. I'm beginning to understand a
little bit of what my friend Brother Barnard said years and
years and years ago. He was quite a bit older than
I. And I learned a great deal from
him. And I don't suppose I've ever run into anybody that could
preach better than he could preach, I thought. But he was always saying to me,
one of these days I'm going to enter the ministry. One of these
days I'm going to enter the ministry. One of these days I'm going to
preach like I want to preach. One of these days I'm going to
preach the gospel like I want to preach the gospel. Do you
know what he meant? I know what he meant. I want to preach Christ. I don't want to preach about
Christ. I don't want to preach the doctrines
about Christ. I don't want to just preach sermons.
Do you? Anybody can do that. Anybody
can stand up here and say, well, we're going to study Ephesians
chapter 1 and tell how it all fits in so beautifully, logically,
reasonably. Here it is. Here's the doctrine
we Baptists believe and probably go to hell believing. But I want
to preach Christ. I want to preach to the heart.
I want to know Christ, and I want you to know Christ. I want you
to know Christ. Christ, not me, but Christ. I don't know why, you know dreams
are funny things, and I'm not, I don't put any stock in dreams
whatsoever, but I went to, I always take a Sunday afternoon nap.
I don't know what I'm going to do next Sunday. I'm going to
preach in California next Sunday. You think about this now when
you have your nice, wonderful day next Sunday where I'll be.
You're going to have Sunday morning and Sunday night service. We're
going to have breakfast at 8, preaching at 10, preaching at
11, preaching at dinner at 12, preaching at 3, preaching at
4, preaching at 7, preaching at 8, and I'm the last preacher.
That's a full day, isn't it? That's a full day. But I always
take a nap on Sunday afternoon. I may do it while they're preaching
at four on Sunday afternoon, as some of you do. You think
I don't see that. You say, well, I just rest in
my eye. Yeah, I know. But the mind won't absorb what
the body can't endure. But I always take a Sunday afternoon
nap, and I don't know why, but this afternoon I was thinking
about preaching today and preaching tonight. I lay there for a moment thinking
about who's sufficient for these things, and I had a dream. A lot of times in my dreams I
preach all night. I just preach in my dreams. You
do that, some of you that preach. But I was an 18 year old boy
again. And it was so vivid and so real,
so real. I was standing on the deck of
my ship. I was 18 years old in World War
II. I was standing out on the deck
of the ship. It was just as vivid and real as yesterday, 43 years
ago. And it was a Sunday morning. And we had been to a little island
off of Hawaiian coast called Maui. to pick up the 3rd Marine
Division and their tanks and Amtraks and men. We picked up
350 Marines from the 3rd Division on the little island of Maui.
And we were headed for an island called Iwo Jima. We were to invade
this island. Most of you here had never heard
of Iwo Jima, but there are a lot of dead Americans buried on Iwo
Jima. Lots and thousands of them were
killed there. You've seen a movie. John Wayne
had Sands of Iwo Jima. Well, I was there when old John
filmed that. But anyway, we were headed toward
Iwo Jima. And we had those 350 battle-scarred
Marines. They had come up through New
Guinea and Guam and Saipan. And some of them had been over
there three years. And we were taking them into
another invasion, into another island. I was on an LST. There was a tank deck below and
then on top side there was also all these tanks and equipment
and guns and Amtraks and other things. We rolled in and opened
the bow door and let these Amtraks into the water. There would be
15 or 20 Marines piled into one and 15 or 20 piled into another
and they'd go up on the sands of the island and that's where
they would invade the island there and we would stand off
the shore. But it was Sunday morning and
we would have, I forget the morning, Monday morning I think was the
invasion. We were headed right for the
island. The large ships were already
there shelling the shore and all that went on. A ship pulled
alongside our ship. We were going to have church
services. We didn't have a chaplain on
board our ship. There wasn't a chaplain there.
There was 120 sailors and 350 marines, and the next morning
was the invasion. And this ship pulled alongside,
we were going to have services, they had a little pool pit all
fixed up there, and they brought a preacher. I remember he was
a Presbyterian preacher, but that doesn't make, he might have
been a Baptist or Methodist, they all said the same thing,
but they let him off. He climbed up the ladder up the
side. They brought him in a small boat from another ship. He climbed
up the side. He and some of his followers,
he was an officer. He put on his little, you remember
those little satin things they wore, you know, little lace things
some of you fellas do. He got out his Bible. Now all
this, I relived all this this afternoon. There were 350 Marines
and half of them I suppose were killed in the next two days.
and 120 sailors. And this man has been brought
to preach to them. He's been brought to preach to
them. Eternity bound men. I mean on the verge of eternity.
But who's to say that this congregation is not on the verge of eternity?
I have the same responsibility he has every Sunday. And every
preacher does. I don't know how we can go through
our entertainment. I don't know how we can go through
our farm and ceremonies with a careless, indifferent, callous
attitude. How we can meet a Sunday morning
unprepared. Lord Jones used to say, I'd rather
go in the pulpit undressed than unprepared. And that's right. Because undressed, I'm shamed
before me, and unprepared, I'm shamed before God Almighty. of
the responsibility that's mine. And I stood there and watched
him come ashore and I didn't know anything, I was only 18
years old, but this left an impact on me that I dreamed of again
43 years later. But this man came on board our
ship and walked over there and there were all those guys sitting
on their tanks and battle scarred men who'd been through battles
and invasions and some of them about to die the next morning.
And this, I remember his text. You want to read it? Proverbs
22. Proverbs 22. He opened his Bible. Yes, he
had a Bible just like this one I hold tonight. And he opened
his Bible to Proverbs 22. And he stood before those men
and they were scared. They were scared, no question
about it. See, so you never flew a mission you weren't scared.
Never came back from one you wasn't scared. Never faced a
gun that you weren't scared. And he stood there and he said,
now men, Proverbs 22.1 says, a good name is rather to be chosen
than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and
gold. You say, well then, could you preach the gospel from that?
Oh, I reckon I could. A good name, the name of Christ,
whosoever shall call on his name shall be saved. There's none
other name under heaven, that's better to be chosen than silver
and gold, the name of Christ. All that's contained in his name,
all that characterizes him through his name, sure you can. And loving
favor, the favor of God, maybe you found favor in the sight
of God. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, the favor of
God's better than all the silver and gold of this world. But that's
not what he prays. And I heard it again this afternoon,
after all these years. He said, men, a good name is better rather
to be chosen than great riches. You men are going into battle.
Some of you are named John Smith. Some of you are named Ed Brown.
You're carrying the name your mother and father gave you. Make
them proud of it. I'm telling you the truth. I
was just eight. I didn't know anything, but I knew better than
that. Make them proud of you. And he went on talking about
His father left him a heritage and a name to live up to and
to be proud of and leave that name to his sons and grandsons
and that's just, it's better than all the riches of the world.
And he got through with this little message and he got in
his little boat and he went back to his little ship. I don't know why that I relived
that this afternoon, Perhaps it's God speaking to me, I don't
know. But I desire every opportunity
He gives me to preach, to preach Christ and Him crucified. And
what I want you to do here in Acts 13, I want to see, I want
to see how Paul preached Christ. The Apostle Paul, the master
preacher. I'm convinced, now here in verse
14, Acts 13, let's just look at verse 14, Acts 13. But when
they departed from Perga, They came to Antioch in Pisidia and
they went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.
Now here's Paul and those men who were with him, believers,
children of God, and they came to the synagogue. That's the
house of religion. That's where people who were
religious, and these people back here were no different from,
to some degrees, no different from our day. In that they believed
in one God. We got churches all over this
town, this county, this state, this nation, everywhere you go,
churches, church buildings. And they were all over here in
his, Paul's day, synagogues and temples. And then it says in verse 15, they
read the law and the prophets, they read the scriptures, like
Jim did tonight. I did this morning, they read
the scriptures. And the rulers of the synagogue, those who were
in charge, the elders of the synagogue, sent unto Paul and
those men with him and said, you men and brethren, if you
have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Here
was some visiting preachers, Paul and his brethren. You see,
these people believed in God. These people read the Bible.
They read the Old Testament scriptures. That psalm that you read a moment
ago, 2000 years ago, they were reading that same psalm. They
may have read it this day that Paul was here in this place.
Jim, one of those old elders might have read the same thing
you just read. You see, they are not unlike us. They believe
in God. They read from the same Bible.
They attended the building called the house of God. They paid their
tithes, we just took up the offering, they had a tithe box, they had
a tithe table, they brought their tithes and offerings, just like
we did. And they listened to preachers
just like we do. Isn't that something? That's
what, Paul, when Edwin and I studied this, that's what took me. The
setting is the same, the years roll by, but the setting is still
the same. We got people who believe in
God, we got people who read in the Bible, We got people who
are paying their offerings and their tithes. We got people who
are worshiping on a day they had worshiped on Saturday, we
worship on Sunday. And we got preachers, and here
sat this man Paul, a distant preacher, and one of those old
elders, one of those old Pharisees said, you have something to say
to us? Here's the pulpit. And I'll tell you, Paul didn't
stand up there and say, good names better to be desired than
great riches. Verse 16, here it is. I'm going
to listen to Paul preach. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning
with his hand, and that might be where Ralph got that, when
he used to wiggle his fingers. And he beckoned with his hand,
and he said, men of Israel, And ye that fear the Lord God, you
Gentiles, there were some Gentiles there, you're going to see that
in a minute. Listen to me, give audience. Paul's preaching. He's got something
to say. Now he has four points in this
message that fall out very distinctly. And three of them start with
men and brethren. You may wonder, Us fellows who preach
here, we've got sermon divisions. There's a reason for that. Paul
had sermon divisions. He said his first one starts
here in verse 16. Men of Israel. Men of Israel. The second one starts in verse
26. Men and brethren. The third division starts in
verse 38. Be it known therefore to you,
men and brethren, And then the last point is a warning, but
let's look at his points. The first thing he does, his
first point is the coming Messiah. All right, verse 16. Then Paul stood up and beckoning
with his hand said, men of Israel and you Gentiles, all that fear
God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel
chose our fathers. Paul was not hesitant one bit
in preaching and declaring the sovereignty of God, not only
in creation and in providence, but in salvation. The God of
our fathers chose this people. He passed by the angels and chose
the sons of Abraham. He passed by the Babylonians,
the Egyptians, and all these. This is a fact. There's no question
about it. Written in the word, God chose
this people. of our fathers and exalted the
people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt and with
a high arm brought he them out of Egypt. And about the time
of 40 years suffered he their manners, their rebellion, their
murmuring in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven
nations in the land of Canaan, conquered the land of Canaan,
he divided their land to them by lot. And after that he gave
unto them judges about the space of 450 years until Samuel the
prophet. Now, Paul is a New Testament
preacher. But he's going back here, you
see the Old Testament is Christ in picture. Christ in promise
and Christ in prophecy. And Paul's going back to the
Old Testament and he's talking about the coming Messiah. How
that God is going to send a redeemer. You see that? Alright, read on.
And verse 21, and afterward they desired a king. Israel wanted
a king, and so God gave them a king. He gave them Saul, the
son of Sis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, and Saul ruled 40
years. And when God removed Saul, he
raised up unto them his king, David, to be their king. To whom
also he gave this testimony, I have found David, son of Jesse. a man after my own heart, who
shall fulfill all my will." Now watch this, here he comes. And
of this man's seed, David, the seed of woman, the seed of Abraham,
and the seed, the root of Jesse, and the seed of David. And of
this man's seed hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel
a Savior, Christ. Whom John the Baptist, who's
the last of the Old Testament prophets, God had been silent
for Malachi 400 years to John the Baptist, whom John, when
John had first preached before his coming, the coming of the
Messiah before the revelation of Christ, the baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel, take your place before God as
sinners, the baptism of repentance. come naked, come empty-handed,
come broken, come in the dust, come in repentance, come looking
to Christ by faith. And as John fulfilled his course,
he said, who do you think I am? I am not he. I am not he. But behold, there cometh one
after me whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to lose. There
Paul's first point. He went back in the Old Testament.
And he talked about the seed of David. Same thing, turn to
Romans 1, same thing he writes here in his epistle to the Romans. Romans 1, verse 1, listen. Paul, a bond slave of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle separated unto the gospel of God, which
he promised to for by his prophets in the holy scriptures. concerning
his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of
David, according to the flesh, and not made, but declared to
be the Son of God, this Savior is the God-man. He's a man, he's
an Israelite, he's a Jew, he's a descendant of David, he's from
the seed of David and the seed of Abraham. fulfilling all the
scriptures, but he's God in human flesh. That's his first point.
He has come. This Messiah is coming. Now what's
the next point? Now verse 26. Now you imagine
the shock that Paul is preaching here. He's preaching the Jews.
He goes back all their scripture concerning the coming Messiah.
And he said, this Jesus, God has raised him up, Jesus. Now,
men and brethren, part two. Children of the stock of Abraham,
I'm talking to you. And whosoever among you feareth
God, you Gentiles, to you is this word, or the word of this
salvation sent, right here. Just like old Simeon, as he waited
in the temple. And Mary came in that morning,
with that little infant in her arms. Jesus Christ, Jesus the
Christ, to do for him after the custom of the law, after the
custom of the Old Testament. Simeon took him up in his arms.
Here's the seed of woman, here's the seed of Abraham, here's the
son of David, here's that prophet like Moses, that priest after
the order of Melchizedek in human flesh, that king like David,
and he said, Now let your servant depart in peace. Mine eyes have
seen thy salvation. Here's thy salvation. God in
human flesh. Great is the mystery of godliness.
God was manifest in human flesh. Seen in the angel, justified
in the spirit, preached to the Gentile, believed on in the world,
taken up in the glory, seated at God's right hand. God became
a man. This is what Paul is preaching.
The Messiah he promised. The Messiah he prophesied. He
has come. And this Word, this fulfillment
of this Word is preached to you. To you. And look at verse 27. Now, let's
don't be like these fellows. Listen. And they that dwell at
Jerusalem, and their rulers, this is the religious people,
and their preachers, and their priests. Because they didn't
know Him. They did not know Him. And they
know yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath
day. They came to some of those old fellows and said, where is
the Messiah supposed to be born? They said, in Bethlehem. They
read that over here. In Micah. It used to be the son
of David. Mary and Joseph both, whether
the household of David, house and lineage of David. And what
were they doing in Bethlehem? Well, it was a decision of a
heathen king to tax Israel, and every man and woman had to go
to their own city. That's what Mary, she's nine
months pregnant, and here she is making a journey all the way
to Bethlehem because she had to be there. God said she had
to be there, and that old king brought her there. He fulfilled
what God decreed hundreds and hundreds of years before that. The birth of Jesus Christ, the
only man who chose his mother, chose the place of his birth,
chose the day of his birth, chose the place of his death, and the
day of his death, and the way of his death, and raised himself
from the grave. That's our Lord, and it's ever
been right here in the Old Testament. That's what Paul's saying. And
these fellas didn't know him and didn't recognize him, and
the thing is, They didn't know the voice of their own prophets
which are read every Sabbath day. You say, what a bunch of
dummies. We are. We're reading the same thing
here. Have you listened to it? That's exactly right. They read
over here. Over here and missed it. We're
reading over here and missing it. That's right. Call them dummies
because we sit and listen to these same scriptures. I preach
every Sunday about that Redeemer, about that Messiah, and we hear
the same things. But they didn't. And what's this
now? And they didn't know him, and
they didn't know the voice of the prophets that are read every
Sabbath day, and they fulfilled these prophecies in condemning
Christ. They fulfilled every one of The
Word of God says they'll pierce my hands and feet, that's what
they did. The Word of God says they'll pluck out my beard, that's
what they did. The Word of God said they'd spit on him, that's
what they did. The Word of God said one fellow would sell him
for thirty pieces of silver, and that's exactly what he did.
One, the Word of God said he'd bring that money and throw it
on the temple floor, which he did. The Word of God said they'd
crucify him with the wicked in his death between two thieves,
that's exactly what they did. The Word of God said they'd take
him down and put him in a rich man's barred tomb, which is exactly
what they did. The word of God said they'd cast
lots for my garments, that's exactly what they did. The word
of God said they'd walk around the cross and shoot out their
lips and say he trusted in God, let's see if God will deliver
him, that's exactly what they said. That's all the way through
the word. The word of God said he'd be
born and a king would try to kill him and he'd go down into
Egypt, that's exactly what he did. step of the way, everything
our Lord did, everything that people did to Him is prophesied,
foretold in the Old Testament. And that's what they did. And
they fulfilled it. And verse 28, and though they
found no cause of death in Him, yet they desired Pilate that
he should be slain. Verse 29, and you see Paul kind
of helps me a little bit because this is what I preach. This is
what you preached the other night, Charlie, I listened to you. And
when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, of Jesus
Christ, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. They fulfilled everything that
was written. Hold that right there just a minute and turn
back to Acts 4. Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter
4. This is what Paul is saying to
that bunch of fellows there in the temple. Acts 4.27, For of
a truth against your holy child Jesus, whom you have anointed,
both Herod, Pontius Pilate, even the Gentiles and the people of
Israel were gathered together on that awesome day to do whatsoever
God's hand and God's counsel determined before us to be done. And when they fulfilled all of
it, they took him down from the tree. Verse 30, But God raised
him from the dead. God raised him from the dead
and gave proof of his resurrection in that he was seen many days
of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem who
are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you glad
tidings how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
all these promises, there when Adam and Eve sinned and God said
the seed of woman will bruise the serpent's That promise God
gave through Moses, he said, God will raise up from among
the brethren a prophet like unto me, and he will speak God's word,
and him you shall hear. And God has fulfilled these promises
unto us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus again, as
it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my son, this
day have I begotten thee. That's Christ. Verse 34, and as concerning that
he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption,
he said on this wise, and I'll give you to Christ, the sure
mercies of David. Everything's vested in Christ.
In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead body, the fullness
of God's grace, the fullness of God's mercy, the fullness
of God's love. There's nothing for a son of
Adam outside of Christ. He gave it to him. He bought
it. He purchased the crown rites, and God gave everything, He puts
everything in the hands of Christ. Christ is the heir. It belongs
to Him. Now verse 35, Wherefore he saith
also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thy holy one to seek
corruption. Now then, he's not talking about
David. Because David, after he had served his own generation
by the will of God, fell on sleep, and he was laid with his fathers,
It's just bones and dust now. He saw corruption. Well, who
was God talking about? But he whom God raised again
saw no corruption. Alright, that's the end of the
second part. You see how he's preaching Christ? Goes back to
the Old Testament. Shows them how God promised a
Savior and Redeemer. Now this is a critical time.
Paul is addressing the synagogue in Antioch. He called on by some
of the chief elders to speak. It's a critical time. It's a
special time. Paul is speaking to a congregation
of Israelites and some Gentiles that fear God. There must have
been a great host of people there. We're going to hear what you've
got to say. And he got up there and told
them about the promises of God to send a Redeemer. And then
he told them about the Lord Jesus Christ in his birth, in his life,
in his death, in his resurrection, and how that all that was done
and all that took place in his death was decreed
and ordained of God and fulfilled the scriptures. And laid the
responsibility at the feet of those who were responsible. Now
watch his third poem. Verse 38. Be it known unto you
therefore, men and brethren..." You have to see every point.
Men and brethren, listen to me. He goes back and talks about
the Christ of promise. Men and brethren, he said, He's
come. He's come. He's the redeemed.
Christ, Jesus Christ, is the fulfillment of every promise.
Now, men and brethren, be it known unto you that through this
man, not through your church membership, Not through your
morality, not through the law, not through your ordinances,
not through your holy days and your tithes and your morality,
not through these things, but through this man. This Godman. This God in human flesh. This
Son of God, Son of David. This federal head, this representative. In Adam I died, in Christ I'm
made alive. The first man is of the earth,
earth is the second man, the Lord. Now this man, God's in
my mind. through this man, Jesus Christ.
He has preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. That's where
it is. That's where justification is.
You know, I think sometimes, let me say this to the young
men who preach. I don't preach a sermon on justification. You can do that and not preach
Christ. You can preach, you can give the definition of justification,
you can tell what the old confessions of faith say about justification,
you can logically, argumentatively set forth justification, but
why don't you just preach Christ the Justifier? See what I'm saying? Christ the Justifier. I'm justified
in Him. I'm justified through Him. I
can know the doctrine of justification and not know the Justifier. But
I can't know the Justifier and not experience justification.
I hear people preach on sanctification. One preacher in Liverpool, England,
preached 56 sermons, 56 Sundays on sanctification. I bet that's
a clean bunch. Or they're trying awful hard.
Now that tears me apart. But I'll tell you, one sermon
on Christ the Sanctifier would be worth more. I'm serious. And that's what he's saying,
brethren, let me tell you something. Forgiveness of sin is not a position,
it's a person. Justification is not a doctrine,
it's a person. Redemption is not a profession
of faith, it's a relationship with a person. I'm redeemed in
whom I have redemption. In whom I have forgiveness of
sin. You don't have redemption or
forgiveness of sin unless you're in Christ. Through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sin, and by him, by him, through him,
in him, because of him, by him are all that believe justified
from all things past, present, and future. Oh, I know there are a lot of
people who get uneasy when you talk about in Christ we have
the forgiveness of future sins, but let them get uneasy, they
just don't know Christ. nor the power of Christ, nor
themselves. So how do you give a man a license to sin? Are you
looking for one? I know you go down and buy a
hunting license so you can go hunting. Do you want to look
for a license to sin? Then join the Catholic Church. They'll
sell it to you. They sell indulgences. Go down and buy yourself. But
the believer is not looking for a way to sin. He's looking for
a way to avoid it. He's preached unto you the forgiveness
of sin and by him all that believe are justified from all things
from which you could not now and never could be justified
by the law. The law doesn't justify. All the sure mercies of David
are in Christ. In Christ. In Christ. That's
where they are. Alright, here's his warning.
He's closing now. He's giving a warning. Beware
now. Beware. Therefore, lest that
come upon you which was spoken, which is spoken of in the prophets. Old Habakkuk chapter 1 verse
5 said this. This is long before Christ came. Long before Paul preached this
sermon. Charlie Habakkuk said, Behold now, ye despisers. They
weren't infidels. They were religious people. But
they despised grace. They were going about to establish
their own righteousness. They despised substitution. They
were going about to find their acceptance with God in the law.
They despised representation. Now he said, you despisers, wander
and perish. For I work a work in your days.
A work which you shall in no wise believe. You won't believe
it. The good news, I'm telling you, is Christ. The Old Testament
says He's coming. The Gospel says He's come. And the Epistle says He's coming
back. That's the work of God. And in
Him we have redemption. In Him we have forgiveness. In
Him we have justification. It's by faith in Him. But men
don't believe it. They're still trying to work
their way to God. That's exactly right. Your kinfolks
are too. My kinfolks are. If you ask them how sinners say,
they say, well, by joining the church, or believing on Jesus,
or being baptized, or doing the best you can, or meeting your
obligations, and all this sort of thing, you know. I believe
I've got a hope. I've always tried to do right. That's their
conversation. They don't believe this word. And you won't believe
it, though a man declare it to you. And that was the end of the sermon.
Now let's see the results. That was the warning. Now when
the Jews were left, they left the synagogue. These religious
folks, all these religious folks, they were all fixed up. They
had their... Paul said, I'm a Jew of Hebrews, and I have been taught
by Gamaliel, and I've raised in the tradition of my fathers,
and that's what these fellas were, and they all left. But
some Gentiles, some poor ignorant Gentiles, They came to Paul and
besought that these words might be preached to them again next
week. I'd love to hear some more about
that. Oh, what a thrill that is when somebody says, I'd like
to hear that again. The Jews now, they were going
on down to the next synagogue. They went on down to the next
holy day. So verse 43, and I've got to
read this. When the congregation was broken
up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul Barnabas,
who was speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace
of God. And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city
together to hear the word of God. The whole city was coming
to hear this man. But when these Jews saw the multitude, they
were filled with envy. And they spake against those
things which Paul preached. What things? I just read them,
you just read them. They spake against grace, against
God's redemption in Christ, contradicting and blaspheming. So Paul and
Barnabas waxed bold, and they said, all right. All right. And wouldn't this be terrible
if, in your case, God would have his preacher say it was necessary
that the word of God should first have been spoken to you, but
seeing that you put it from you. What's this word of God? It's
Christ. You put it from you and you judge yourself unworthy of
everlasting life. That's where it is in Christ.
Lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I've set thee alight, thee to be alight of the Gentiles,
that thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends of the earth. Boy,
and when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad. Watch this now.
And they glorified the Word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained
to eternal life, they believed. And they will. They will. We're going to preach Christ.
I hope like Paul preached Christ. From the Word. See how he preached
Christ? Bobby, that's the way he preached
Christ. And I'll tell you, he always preached Christ. He didn't
make a difference where he was, he preached Christ. Or to whom? Or whether it generated wrath,
or what? He preached Christ. And the religious
are going to argue, and they're going to foul out, and they're
going to leave. But I tell you, as many as are ordained to life,
they're going to believe. And rejoice in what they've heard.

Preaching Christ as Paul Preached Christ

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Preaching Christ as Paul Preached Christ

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