Gospel—Bill Brockmeier
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Life at best is very brief, like the falling.
You'll soon give the Lord, and you must be online.
Oh my God.
You don't make all you know again and your pride is just to play.
Spray Fern if you would please first to the Book of Job chapter 16.
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Job 16. Just the last verse of the chapter, verse 22.
When a few years are come.
Then I shall go the way, whence I shall not return.
Psalm 39.
Psalm 39.
And verse 5.
Behold, thou hast made my days as in hand, breadth in mine age or my lifetime.
Is as nothing before thee. Verily every man at his best state.
Is altogether vanity. Selah.
Or, as we had this afternoon, pause and consider. Think about it.
Surely every man walketh in a vain show. Surely they are disquieted. In vain he heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them. Drop down to verse 11.
When thou with rebukes does correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth. Surely every man is vanity. Silo one verse more in the 89th Psalm.
Psalm 89 and verse 47.
Remember how short my time is. Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?
Cela.
I have it particularly before me tonight to seek for the Lord's help to impress upon us the vanity and the brevity of life and the certainty and the solemnity and the finality of death. In the words of James, we read What is your Life? And I would pose that as a question to you tonight, What is your life?
Could say for me to live is Christ, that was his life. What is your life? What is your life? James says It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away a little **** of smoke and gone from time into eternity. Here today, gone tomorrow, and gone forever.
We only have a few moments here on Earth and how important it is that it is settled definitively in everyone of our hearts and souls that we know.
Where we are going to spend eternity, it is either with Christ.
Which in the language of the apostle is far better, or it is without him?
It is in that place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Jude would describe it as the blackness of darkness, forever without Christ, forever. Friend, on which course are you headed tonight? To the realms that lead to glory? Or are you on that broad Rd. that leads to everlasting destruction? I'm especially burdened tonight, as I think as we've had before us.
Of those that have been raised under the sound of the truth of God, that you could perhaps give the gospel just as well as I.
But it's never been made real in your own soul, and we're thankful if there's any here. That is the first time for you to hear the blessed story of Jesus and his love. How that Jesus, God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into this world to save sinners. He came to save you and to bless you. And in order to do that, He must go to the cross for his Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I cannot say it any more simply and sweetly than that that God loves you. Christ died for you, He suffered upon the cross, and he shed his blood.
Have you thanked him for the gift he offers? A salvation? The one who suffered the justice for the unjust? He died for you. Will you have him?
Will you have him tonight?
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Well, sometimes our familiarity makes us.
Callous to the gospel, we hear the expression familiarity breeds contempt. Oh, I trust there's no one here that is so familiar with the Word of God it doesn't have the impact and penetration in your soul that it should.
Allow me to share a very solemn instance. When the boys were young would sometimes go out of town on business, and I worked with a man that was nearing retirement age and his wife. We met her one time, a very pleasant woman as he was a very kind man, but she was afflicted with cancer and she was dying. And I knew the last trip that we would go to this area would be the last time I would have an opportunity to see her, and as it was, she was too sick.
But I sat across the lunch table from this man. His name was Bill, and I saw it the best I could to try to bring before him the truth of the gospel.
The time was drawing now for her to leave this world, and there was number assurance that she knew the Savior. And so I.
Gave a few scriptures. I tried to make some progress and there was a point when he looked at me and I knew I could say no more.
I could say no more.
I said, Bill, if you would, here's a little gospel paper I'd like to leave with you. It's called The Two Alexanders, two men by the same name, one that came to know Christ at the end of his life, and one who passed into a crisis eternity. He took it. He wasn't happy with me.
Just a few weeks later, his wife died in her ashes were scattered over the deserts of the desert in Nevada.
Few weeks later he was down, this was in Nevada, he was down in Southern California and for a sales meeting and we were happened to be going up the elevator together and admittedly it was a bit strained and as we went up the elevator together.
He looked at me and said Bill.
Are you Mennonite?
I said no, Bill.
He became very serious and looked me right in the eye and said, Bill, are you brethren?
He said. I know more than you think I know.
How is it with you, friend, tonight? Could you say that to me? I know more than you think I know, but what have you done with it? Here is a man that knew the gospel. Here is a man that was familiar with perhaps how even we assemble, and yet enmity and hostility towards Christ and His Word. Oh, I fear, my friend, that we live in such a day of superficial profession that the Word of God has not penetrated it and buried itself within our souls where it needs to be.
Turn, if you would, to the 4th chapter of Mark.
I just like to note a couple verses here.
In verse three, we know it's a sower. Beholder went on a sower to sow.
Now drop down to verse five. And some fell on Stony ground where it had not much earth.
And immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth, but when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.
Dropped down to verse 16. And these are they likewise, which are sown on Stony ground, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness.
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time.
Afterward, when affliction or persecution arises, for the words sake immediately.
They are offended.
This parable, there was the seed that the sower sowed in four different types of ground. I simply want to notice tonight this seed that was, that fell on the Stony ground, and immediately there was a response that sprang up.
But you know, time is the great tester and time is the great manifester. And so the time came whether there was this immediate response.
As the Lord explains, they receive the Word with gladness, but it didn't endure.
There may be an initial positive surge as the Word of God is preached. Maybe there's something that responds in your heart to it.
But what's the effect here? We find that something comes up and the sea, the plant, Withers away. And why? Why did it do that? It's because there was no depth of Earth. There was no root.
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We live in a day of casual discipleship, of superficial profession.
It doesn't get beneath the service. We speak of lip service, but oh, God would want to reach into your soul tonight, as David could say. They're in that Psalm 51 where he owns his sin and says, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hen part, the hidden part. Thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Well, we find that there's those and they're offended. All you say I've been offended. Yes, and Scripture says in many things we all often offend. That means you and it certainly means me.
We're not who are told not to offend, neither the Jew, the Gentile or the Church of God. And sometimes because of our on Christ like ways, even believers we give offense.
But the Lord Jesus could ask the question to his own Does this? Does this saying offend you?
Was there something wrong in the way the Lord presented something? No, it was the truth of God.
That would rub man crosswise. That would go and cut against the grain.
And now I ask you this, if you have been offended, perhaps you point to some and say they have offended me. I asked you in the context of this chapter, why have you been offended?
What does the scripture say? It says because there was number depth of earth, there was number root.
There was number route and God's going to test everything, even that profession that you make so superficially, Oh, God wants.
There to be the response of your heart that is not simply a drawing nigh to the Lord with our mouth and our heart being far from Him, but there's a response of love to that blessed One who came to die. And could God have given any more than his own Son?
Well, wondrous words the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, as we sometimes sing His Son.
His delight, his loved one, he gave. Oh, that's the heart of God in giving the very best of heaven.
His own son, a man, said to me one time in conversation.
Said, Well, if God is a God of love, why is this world in the condition that it is?
It's very simple, friend. It's because of sin.
Any question the love of God because of the turmoil, the heartache, the tragedy in this world, I said, oh, how can you dare say that when God gave his very Son to die for you? I wouldn't do that, nor would any of us here. But God gave his Son to die and man has the defiance to stand to God in question and challenge his love.
Well, we desire to see something that which is of depth.
But before.
We move on. I'd like to turn back to Leviticus chapter 13 because there is an issue that does need to be addressed.
And just a few weeks ago or less than that, I was reading this chapter. It has to do with what we speak of is the law of the leper when one was determined whether they did or did not have leprosy and what the process for the cleansing of the leper would be.
But I'd like to read just 4 verses here in this chapter. The 1St is in verse 3.
And the priest shall look on the plague and the skin of the flesh, and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague insight be deeper than the skin of his flesh.
It is a plague of leprosy, and the priest shall look on him and pronounce him unclean. Notice that expression. The plague insight be deeper than the skin of his flesh.
Go over now to verse 20.
And if when the priest seeth it, behold it be insight lower than the skin and the hair, there I'll be turned white. The priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.
Drop down to verse 25.
Here we have the hot burning. Then the priest shall look upon it, and behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be insight deeper than the skin, it is a leprosy broken out of the burning, wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. One verse more, verse 30. Then the priest shall see the plague, and behold, if it be insight deeper than the skin, and there be in it a yellow thin hair, than the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a dry skull, even a leprosy.
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Upon the head or the beard, you say, Why do you read those scriptures? I read those scriptures for that expression.
Deeper than the skin.
Because in each of those passages, the one that had a plague that was deeper than the skin, they were pronounced unclean.
They were a leper.
And we do want to.
State what scripture says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is no man that doeth good and sinneth not. It isn't simply friend, that you and I have made a misstep somewhere along the line, but we have sinned before God and we have an issue that is deeper than the skin.
We're fallen creatures, we're lost, and we're on the way to hell.
No man as a substitute in order to patch up that old sinful flesh. And it's called religion. Turn if you went to Matthew 23.
Matthew 23. We find in this chapter the Lord pronouncing woes against the religious leaders of his day because of the hypocrisy.
But in verse 25 he says, Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, for ye may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, for ye are like unto. Why did sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness?
Even so, ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within.
You're full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Yes, there is a problem and it's deeper than the skin.
And even though there might be that outward dressing up as there was with the Pharisees and all the religions and their prayers, their fastings, their giving.
The Lord looks not as man looks, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart, and he sees man's guilty, sinful heart.
Now.
Thank God that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son.
Cleanse of us from all sin. That is the answer. It is not a profession of Christianity.
It's not something we can drum up on our own and say, well this will. God will have to be satisfied with this because after all, it's the best that I can provide. Friend, God is not looking for you to provide anything but to accept the provision of grace that He has made in the gift of His Son the Lord Jesus and the bloody shed to cleanse your us from all sin.
Now how is it in your heart?
Everything hinges on this one question. What think ye of Christ?
You'll love him. If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.
Maranatha, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. The Lord cometh. Do you love him?
All the most serious thing to me is to ask someone, do you love Christ? Do you love the Savior? If there is any hesitancy on that point, friend, you're lost.
The very breathing of divine life as you love the Savior, you love the Son of God, as the apostle Paul could say, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. If you're wrong on everything else, be right on this point that you know Christ, that you love him, and you thank God for sending him to die for you.
Well, in the time that is left to us, I'd like to turn to the book of Acts, and I would like to look at some highly favored men.
That had the privilege of being in the presence of the apostle Paul, the.
Perhaps the greatest evangelist, although he's not spoken of as evangelist in Scripture, he certainly was who suffered much in order to get the gospel out, and each of these men had.
Access and contact with him, but oh how different.
The response to their hearts, to that message that they heard.
Turn to the 13th chapter.
You know we read in the 39th Psalm that.
That every man man at his best state is altogether vanity that might be translated every man, even the high placed.
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Is vanity men of rank, men of position, men of title, greatness in this world? That's those I would like to look at tonight. Scripture says unto the poor of the gospel is preached, and we're so thankful it is.
One of my earliest memories was driving South of the border with my grandpa and grandma and grandpa drive and get these little red cellophane wrappers with.
Men sahez de l'amour de dios anid honk and I fire him out the window, and people would come all down the highway to pick up these little gospel papers.
There was response to the word of God. The poor opened to the gospel one time, filling up one night and gas, and there was the bulletproof glass and I slid my card or money, whatever it was, under the glass. It was a little gospel paper. Young man shoved it back at me. I was young myself at the time, and I said no, why did you do that? He says. I was raised to this stuff and I don't appreciate it being shoved down my throat.
And I said I wasn't shoving it down your throat, I was sliding it under the glass.
But he refused it, and he turned to a false religion, and there was enmity there. Oh, a solemn to turn away from the truth of God and become an enemy of the truth.
Oh, the grace of God that would reach out to the poor, that would receive the gospel. But now we're going to look at some of the responses of those men that are high placed. Acts 13.
And verse 6 and when they that would be Barnabas and Paul.
Had gone through the aisle into pathos. They found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet of Jews, named as Bar Jesus.
Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man, who called for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the word of God.
But elements the sorcerer, for so is his name by interpretation withstood them seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him and said, O full of all subtly and all mischief, thou child of the devil.
Thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.
And immediately there fell on him amidst in the darkness, and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. Sergius Paulus, a man of position, the only man that will read of that it says that he believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. He believed, but there was conflict in order for him to do what we find that there was one.
Slick fellow elements, the sorcerer who perverted the ways of righteousness, who sought to turn him away from hearing the words of truth. That's the great work of the enemy of your soul. And he often works through men in order to turn them away from hearing the word of truth. One time we had some downtime at the office. This goes back a number of years.
And the thing that matters turned over to the things of the Lord. And there was a young woman there that expressed her concern about the way the world was going and.
How is it all going to end up? I said. You know, this world is just dancing on the brink.
Of the Cliff ready for judgment, she says I know that's true. She said no that's true and that's why I'm concerned when my boss came in at the time he says he said he says this world's not getting better and he went rattled off a few things why the why the world and his way of thinking was improving.
And this woman said I like that better.
I like that better.
What would you think of someone that instead of stating?
The truth is to a serious medical condition that you had just told you what you wanted to hear to make you feel good.
You'd say.
The man The man is an evil man.
To not tell somebody the truth, well, God has told us the truth, he said. The soul that sinneth it shall die.
He's told us that God is appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness. And who is He going to judge it by? By that man whom He hath ordained, whereas He hath given assurance unto all men, and that He hath raised him from the dead. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who He raised from the dead is the one that will execute judgment. He is the Son of man, and all judgment has been committed to the Son of man. Well, how sad that was. She heard the truth, she acknowledged this truth, but she heard something better.
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And so we find this elements the sorcerer he put something out he tried in his own way to turn her turn Sergius Paulus away from hearing the word of God. But we find that Saul stands forth in faithfulness and this man goes about groping about finding some that would lead him by the the hand he was in darkness or to reject this book will end you up in darkness. If the light that be in the be darkness. How great is the darkness.
The Word of God is life.
If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
The Word of God, light for our souls.
Will Sergius Paula saw this solemnize that what had occurred before him, and he believed.
Have you believed God tonight?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And thou shalt be saved. To believe on Him is the object of faith. Cast everything upon him.
Turn over now to the 18th chapter. So we find with Sergius Paulus. There was earnestness with him.
And he got the blessing.
Now Acts 18.
Read from verse 11 and he that as Paul continued there.
That is, in Corinth, the year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. And when Galileo is the deputy of Akiah, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. When Paul was now about to open his mouth, Galileo said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or of wicked lewdness, so you Jews, reason, would that I should bear with you, but if it be a question of words and names, and of your law.
Looky to it.
For I will be no judge of such matters. And he drove them from the judgment seat.
Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Galileo cared for none of those things, or Gallio troubled himself about none of those things.
If we have earnestness with Sergius Paulus, we have indifference with this man named Galio.
All this is one of the greatest burdens on our hearts.
Is when we see those, it isn't even necessarily that they're vehemently opposed to the Word of God, but they're just simply indifferent.
There were those in the Lord's Day.
We've mourned on you and you've not wept. We've piped into you and you've not danced. You've heard of the joys of heaven, of the preciousness of the Savior that came to die different.
You've heard of the horrors of hell and of the lost eternity without Christ, forever the blackness of darkness forever whatever indifference to the things of God. Galileo troubled himself about none of these things, he says. This is simply if it's an issue of words and names and if your law take care of it. I'm a political man that's not in my sphere of jurisdiction. I've got no time for such things. I was outside one of the college classroom.
Right next door.
Psychology professor came out to talk to a man I knew as a Christian. He was a bit of a confrontational fellow, but be that as it may, he was explaining to the psychology professor why he was, he had missed class that day and he was going on. I was down having a religious theological discussion down down in the quad area where that, you know, it was a general gathering area.
I still remember the look at the psychology professor's face. There's long, small glasses and beady eyes, he said. You know how important I think those type of discussions are.
What a waste of time. What a waste of time that was with Galileo.
It's words, names, your law. Why are you getting so caught up in this, so tangled up in this thing?
Well, when Sostenes got beaten, so be it. Galileo cared for none of these things. Is that how it is with your heart tonight? Is this is just, this is just a nuisance to you?
The things of God, something to be endured. Well, Galileo didn't get the blessing. Oh, I trust, friend. There's none.
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That are indifferent as this man turn over to the 23rd chapter.
Go back to chapter 22.
There's umm.
The chief captain is letting Paul speak. He's accused of the Jews and he's making his defense and there's quite a quite an upheaval as he brings out the truth and verse 2223. But let's pick up the story from Acts 2224. The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle and bad that he should be examined by scourging.
That he might know wherefore they cried so against him, and they bound him with thongs. Paul said, into the sentry, and they stood by. Is a lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned on the sanctuary? And heard that he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest, for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came and said to him, Tell me, art thou Roman? He said, Yeah. And the chief captain answered with a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was freeborn. Then straightway they examined.
They departed from him that which should have been exempt, which should have examined him. And the chief captain also was afraid after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
On the Morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands in command of the chief priests and all their counsel to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
We'll find that again. Paul's life is spared. There's a conspiracy to slay him. God, in his providential ways, preserves him. This chief captain, by name of Claudius Licious arranges to get him out of town at night, and with him he sends a letter to Felix.
In verse 26, Claudius Lysias under the most excellent governor Felix Sendeth greeting this man was taken to the Jews, and should have been killed of them. Then came I with an army and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman, and when I would have known the cause were for they accused him, I brought him forth into their counsel, whom I perceived to be accused of questions of the law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or bonds. And then one has told me how that the Jews laid wait for this man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee.
What they had against him. Farewell.
Well, the 24th chapter Paul shows up there. Well Claudius Licious, what is my point in referencing him? Perhaps you notice, I don't know if I read enough for you to to capture all the thoughts here, but perhaps in the few verses I read you will find that the way Claudius provides a synopsis of what happened with Paul was not exactly how it happened. We find that he bound Paul when he is ready to scourge him, and it was only by the fact that Paul let it be known that he was a Roman that he was stopped.
But when you read Claudius Lysias portrayal of it doesn't come out that way.
Nothing is said about him binding him. No, that's all glossed over. That's all covered over.
But you know, in the things of God there are things that will not be and cannot be glossed over.
Because all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
And it doesn't say there in that scripture all things are naked and open unto the eyes of God.
That's true enough.
But is positioned there, naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do, because we have to do with God.
And there is a day coming when God will judge the secrets of man by Jesus Christ.
And he has an accurate understanding and record of justice, how things occurred.
And so we see with this man, Claudius Licious, he didn't get in the position that he was in because he was devoid of talent and ability. He no doubt had scrummed himself out of many tight spots before. You know, we live in a day of fast talkers and spin doctors.
And it can influence the Saints of God. My brother here and I were visiting some months ago and he says, what do you think the greatest issue on the young people is today?
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I hadn't given it a great deal of thought, and rightly or wrongly, I said this Truthfulness. Truthfulness.
You don't have the truth if you're not truthful.
All we live in a day of poor character, a lack of integrity and honesty. But God sees all He knows the heart.
Claudius Licious wasn't going to skip out of town. He got himself off the hook. But there's a day coming when the books will be opened, and the one that sits on the throne is the Son of Man. The Lord Jesus and the dead are judged out of those things that are written in the books. There will be no defense attorneys in that day. No, because the Lord himself.
The all knowing, all seeing God has a complete record.
As we read the 139th Psalm, it not only says that he knows your thoughts, but he understands them.
Oh, how good and how thoroughly God knows is sometimes we don't understand why we did what we did, why we thought what we thought, but he does.
But he does, and so all we would warn 1 going on with a false pretense.
Craftiness, schemers, Clever, knowing it. Get yourself out of an awkward position. No, friend, you won't get the blessing that way. There is a day of accounting ahead.
Turn over now to the.
20.
4th chapter Claudius Licia sends.
Paul to Felix.
And we'll read in verse 24.
And after certain days, when the Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
And is the reason of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come? Felix trembled.
And answered, Go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season I will call for thee. He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might lose him. Wherefore he sent for him the offener and communed with him. But after two years Porsche Asbestos came into Felix room in Felix willing to show the Jews a pleasure left Paul bound. Now we come to Felix. So we see a man in Sergius Paulus that was earnest and he believed.
And he got the blessing. We see a man, Galileo, that was indifferent, that couldn't be bothered.
With the things of God we find a man, Claudius Licious, that played fast and loose with truth and truthfulness.
Heating at the blessing and now we find Felix man who said he was born a slave, born in the worst place, had the worst occupation and the worst time in history and.
Who really remarkable scenes of circumstances he found himself as in a place of leadership and that's one reason the Proverbs 30 tells us that one reason why there's full of disquietness in the in the in the world is a servant or a fool when he reigneth. We see this with Felix.
He was a man, an abusive man, a profligate man. He comes with his wife Drusilla, who was renowned for her beauty.
And Paul speaks to him in all sobriety. Notice he reasons of righteousness.
Righteousness. Felix was an unrighteous man.
He reasoned him of temperance. He was an intemperate man. He was given to excess. You know we live in a day of excess.
You know, a living day of extreme sports and extreme flavors. Everything is taken to the extreme.
Excess.
And judgment to come. This is what Paul he boiled down his message to three things to Felix.
Righteousness, temperance, and judgment. And Felix trembles. Oh, there wasn't any attitude with him as there was with.
Galileo cared not for these things. Perhaps there's a little bit more progress with you.
In that the things of God have troubled you and maybe have given you a sleepless night.
Well, they did with Felix, but you know, he held out. He was a procrastinator. A more convenient season. The time isn't right. And maybe that's your position tonight. The time is not right. You intend to come to Christ, but not now. But not now.
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There is a brother of a man.
Brother and Fellowship and Hemet and there was a little get together for he and his wife's 50th anniversary.
And his brother came. His brother was not saved, and he had it on his heart.
His brother wouldn't come to a gospel meeting, he told a brother and him at assembly, he said.
Would you please speak to my brother? Up in years? And he went out of the parking lot and he brought the gospel before him.
And he said you must believe. And he said I can't. I can't. Well, perhaps the correct interpretation would have been I won't. But he said I can't. Do not trifle with the things of God.
If there is a trembling in your soul as to where you're going to spend eternity, do not squelch it, suppress it, put it off and say, we'll deal with that later. As the hymn writer says, tomorrow's son may never rise to rest thy long deluded sight. This is the time. Will then be wise. Thou wouldst be safe. Why not tonight? Scripture says, Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. The rich man in Luke 12 Said, I have much goods laid up for many years.
And I will say to my soul.
But God said fool.
Never mind many years, never mind as Job could see, a few years. This night thy soul shall be required of thee. And if you exit time into eternity, if God calls you tonight, where will you spend eternity? The reason he procrastinated Felix was because he was a covetous man.
The love of money is root of all evil. The love of money damn this man's soul.
What is it that's keeping you from Christ tonight?
Will we find that Festus replaces Felix and.
Again, Paul is desiring deliverance from the situation that he's in.
We don't have time to get into all that detail, but let's.
Drop down to the end of the 25th chapter when.
With Festus, another man comes into the picture.
And on the Morrow, when Agrippa, King Agrippa, he was one of the Herods, was common Bernice with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing with the chief captains and principal men of the city. At Festus Commandment Paul was brought forth.
Now, as we go into chapter 26, Agrippa says to Paul, the art permitted to speak for thyself.
And verse 19 Paul says, Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient under the heavenly vision.
That He was called, and he was to take the blessing, the gospel out to the Gentiles. Verse 23. And what is that gospel? That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, or from among the dead, and should show light under the people and to the Gentiles.
All this is really breaking away. The book of Acts is a breaking away from the Jews out to the Gentiles. And how thankful we are. The blessing of the gospel has reached us for dogs of the Gentiles. The gospel has come out to us that Christ died for our sins. He was buried the third day rose again. Always the work of God to deliver us from the power of darkness and to translate us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love. Oh, you know, there's authority in the Kingdom which we're in, but it's the authority of love.
That's where God and His grace has brought us.
You know, Christianity, Christianity, friend, is not a new law, a new chain to bind you. No, it's the law of love. It's the perfect law of liberty. God would give you a life that loves him, that loves his word, that loves his people.
That's Christianity. Oh, it's a delight to do what this new life has given that he delights us to do. But first, friend, you must come and be saved. Well, as Paul is bringing this out in the Gospel, verse 24, and as he thus spake for himself, best to said to the loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself. Much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad. Most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth.
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For the king north of these things, before whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was not done in a corner. The facts of the gospel are well known and laid out. Agrippa knew them. But what I want to notice before I look at Agrippa is to notice the response of Festus. He said, you're beside yourself, Paul. Much learning does make you mad.
You're a lunatic. You've lost your mind. You can't think clearly.
Sarcasm.
Mockery.
I'd like to tell you about Joe Kennedy and Larry Doyle, not the Joe Kennedy you might be thinking of. When I was probably in junior high, my brother was in high school, and there was a boy that went to school with him. He was, Larry was a Christian my brother had met on campus and he was in the educationally handicapped class, and he had some nervous habits. He'd run his hand and rattle his fingers over the back of couches and lampshades and pianos and all the rest, and it was very irritating.
To me is a 12/13 year old boy, but this man let young man Larry, he loved the Lord and he'd often come to the house for dinner, then go to the reading meeting with us or he'd come up to the house for a reading after the meal.
He really loved the Lord and he had a teacher there at the school, caustic man, sarcastic man, but a kind man towards the students. Well, in the class one day Joe Kennedy made a very derisive comment about the Lord Jesus Christ and Larry, dear Larry, and all of his simplicity, that settled it for him. He refused to speak to his teacher again. He would not acknowledge him. He would speak. He would turn away from him because he'd insulted his Lord.
Don't you value that kind of fidelity to Christ, the simple heart? His Lord had been insulted, and he would have nothing to do with this man. Now the teacher was a bit troubled about it. He'd spoken out of line. He didn't know what to do. How do I get back on Larry's good side? And so he saw Larry in line one time at the snack counter. He stepped up and said, I'd like to buy you a doughnut, Larry. And he gave Larry this doughnut.
Larry accepted it, turned around. He had huge, long legs, big, two big steps, said. Thank you, Mr. Kennedy.
And then he said, I would like to invite you to the gospel meeting next Sunday night.
Well, this is not exactly what Mr. Kennedy had in mind, but he realized that he wanted to seal the deal. If I can put it that way, said I will come.
And that night there was a brother that was visiting in Buena Park, his name was Philip Gladdy.
And brother gliding priests with Joe Kennedy right down there about 3 rows away. And I don't know all that Philip Gladden preached that night, but I know one thing he preached. He preached the judgment of God.
And although I was saved, I trembled. And Joe Kennedy was there to hear it all. And the story of the love of God.
Well, the gospel meeting ended and.
Things went back more or less as normal there was.
Polite but.
No politeness, but no response. Well, my mother worked at the school now and then to help out, and one day she was there and over the lunch hours reading a little something and Joe Kennedy came by and says, what book is that that you're reading?
He was a mocker.
A few months later, he was dead, taken by a sudden heart attack.
What a solemn thing.
To sit under the gospel, meeting the gospel as our brother gliding could preach it, and all faithfulness and solemnity, but he made mockery of it. He's in a lost eternity tonight. Festus could say much learning that make me mad. No, Paul says, I speak the words of truth and soberness will finally agrippa.
These things weren't a mystery to him. He knew the gospel.
He knew the facts then, Agrippa said in Nepal, verse 28 almost.
Thou persuadeth me to be a Christian, and Paul said I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day.
We're both almost an altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
I take it when Agrippa says this almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian.
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It could have been with a smile, if not a smirk on his face. He almost got me there, Paul. I'm right there. Not quite, though. I don't believe this man's conscience was reached.
Making light of the things of God. Have you ever done that? Made light of the things of God? But now I would like to use that expression not only now as a just to sort of take the pressure off for the moment.
But it may be that God is speaking to your soul tonight.
And you're in earnest.
Almost. You're almost there.
You know, Paul says. Not only almost, but all together altogether.
Him, He that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast doubt. The question is, have you come? You say I'm almost there, I'm almost there, but have you come to the Savior?
Let's sing number one in closing.
Almost.