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If our chapter, it must have been with a heavy heart that Paul/Barnabas
heard their own co-religionists blaspheme God (v45) and with an even
heavier heart (although it was with boldness) that they should have to
say to them, "ye have judged yourselves…Lo, we turn to the
Gentiles"
There is no situation in the word/God where such speech/part of
Christians ought to be delivered either in malice/with any satisfaction
Paul admitted later that his heart was often burdened for the lost (Romans 9:2-3) and must ours
Please remember had not sovereign grace intervened in your life, then you would be contradicting/blaspheming as well
But even though we must feel it when men reject Christ (and we do) the
Bible has not left us in despair: God has given evangelists/SS Teachers
and every active Christian, a great promise: (text)
They believed then…they believe now…they will believe in the future
This truth does not strangle evangelism or suck its life blood out of it
This truth is the life blood of evangelism and indeed is the very basis
of which evangelism goes forth, conquering and to conquering
4 things to notice in our text:
1) GOD HAS ORDAINED PEOPLE TO ETERNAL LIFE:
A/ True: God is not named as the Ordainer/this text, but this truth may be gleaned from other texts/Scripture:
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye
should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it
you. (John 16:15)
Similar word: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
(Ephesians 1:11)
B/ Eternal Life carries several meanings in the Bible
Does carry the thought of unending ages
"When we've been there 10,000 years…than when we've first begun"
Means much more than that:
[i] It means the exact opposite to eternal death and condemnation
Unending ages is extended to the unsaved as well as the saved
But life is put here to denote that we are no longer under the condemnation/death which our sins brought upon us
Have passed from death unto life (John 5:24) and (by way/explanation)
We are no longer under condemnation - We have been justified
We have received eternal life and the second death cannot touch us
[ii] Eternal life is also a reference to the quality of the life which
we have received from Christ. Elsewhere, this is described as abundant
life (John 10:10) We know that is, in nature, a holy life etc.,
separated unto the gospel/God, which he afore promised through
the prophets etc.,
C/ To state the obvious: God has not ordained every last person to E/L
If He did, every last person would be saved…we know that this is not so
Some might ask: Why did God not ordain every last person?
Wrong question! Better to ask: Why did God ordain any?
D/ Man has no part to play in this ordination to Eternal Life
He has every part to play in His condemnation : Wages of his own sin
But ordination to E/L is the sole prerogative/God
2) SUCH AS ARE ORDAINED TO ETERNAL LIFE BELIEVE: text
What did they believe?
A/ Context: They believed the word/Lord, especially that which related to Christ, who is the Light unto the Gentiles (v47)
Here was the answer to their problem of sin
Sin had left them in spiritual darkness and spiritual despair
Christ is the Light/World (John 8:12)
[i] They believed the truth of the word/Lord i.e. that it really was the word/God - the very inspired words of the Almighty
Do you handle your Bible like that? That this Book is not merely a
collection of religious writings- but the very oracle of the Living God?
[ii] They believed the relevancy of the word/Lord
Not a mere history document, but something for the here and the now
[iii] They believed it was their duty to believe what God had said:
Not an optional extra for those interested and no one else:
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ… (1 John 3:23)
[iv] They believed the dire consequences of none belief (v46)
These words, even if to others, could not but have impacted them also
God's spirit does not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3(
Privileges given and not used/abused may be taken back
B/ Belief means to "cast yourself upon" (Acts 27:43-44)
It means to put your full weight upon - just as those folk in danger of
drowning would have put their full weight upon the planks etc.,
trusting them to take to safety…so too, we trust Christ as our
Saviour
We abandon our own good works etc., as these men abandoned ship
We transfer our trust, entirely, 100% to Jesus Christ
C/ They believed to the saving of their souls (Hebrews 10:39)
For faith is the instrument that brings a gracious salvation to us
Therefore: nothing meritorious in believing
Not saved because of faith but through faith
Instrumental, but never the basis or the cause
We are not saved by grace plus faith, but by grace through faith
It is given unto us to believe and we believe through grace and this grace driven faith brings eternal salvation to our souls
E/ All those so ordained will infallibility believe
Not a hoof left behind in Egypt:
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me
Will come from the east/west etc., and sit down in the Kingdom
Nothing hit and miss about this, thus we can happily evangelise:
Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid,
but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall
set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. (Acts
18:9-10)
Which leads us nicely to our third point:
3) SUCH BELIEVE THROUGH EVANGELISTIC MEANS:
When the Gentiles heard this
A/ We are not of those folk who believe God saves His people anyhow
We believe that God has ordained the end and the means thereto
Not just the end…not just the means…but both the means and the end
B/ This must have an immediate impact on the people/God
We are the means which God uses to win the lost to Himself
God doesn't use clever lawyers to argue His case
He goes one better: He uses faithful witnesses (Acts 1:8)
Little use an angel appearing to relate the gospel
Or even the miracle of someone appearing from the dead (Luke 16:31)
Just to have someone stand up who themselves knew the condemnation of
sin and who now know the salvation/God is what God delights to use
The Lord wants you, dear child/God, to be that witness for him
Wherever you are - be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ
You say: "But I can't do it!" God says:
But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me …(Acts1:8)
God is not asking you to be eloquent etc., just faithful
Well done, thou good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21)
C/ This has an immediate impact upon the unsaved
Here, we are presenting the gospel again
Sometimes, this is as good as it gets!
OK…These folk got the mighty Apostle Paul and his trusty pal, Barnabas
But listen to Paul (in a sense) demean himself:
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye
believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? (1 Corinthians 3:5)
Paul saw himself as a mere instrument and pointed men to the real agent of conversion i.e. to the Lord Himself
The messenger is a nobody in this - He will say (like John/Baptist)
Christ must increase while I must decrease (John 3:30)
When the unsaved hear the gospel, they ought to think:
Here is the means which God is using to draw me to Himself
Your responsibility must start to kick in and (in light of v46) as
already discussed - you need to act and act now in order to be
saved
4) SUCH BELIEVING BRINGS GREAT GLORY TO THE SAVIOUR:
A/ Which is the main reason why sinners are saved in the first place
True: We have a vested interest in salvation - it is our soul which
would be lost - but again: The main reason why God saves is for His own
glory
This is why the church evangelises and sends forth missionaries
Not to build an empire and gain itself a name - but to glorify its Lord
B/ This is why there is rejoicing among/angels when sinners are saved
The song of the Redeemed ought ever to be (as in Heaven):
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)
C/ What are we going to do as Christians to further the gospel/Christ?
If we don't become the instruments which God uses, then do not be
surprised if he uses someone else- His purposes must see fulfilment
D/ A word for sinners: If God's mercy is not glorified in your
salvation, then His justice will be glorified in your damnation.
Appeal.
THE END