Address—Robert Boulard
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#22 in the appendix.
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Here's what I don't think about.
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Bless us, the Lord's blessing in our meeting, our loving God and our Father. We thank thee for the Lord Jesus, our Savior, not one of whom we've been singing, who has delighted our hearts in some measure. We think of the how the how it's worked, wrought our God by Thy Spirit to give us joy in the Holy Ghost.
To give us joy that might exceed the joy that this world ever experiences.
They're the pleasure of sin for a season. And so we just pray our God, our Father, that the Lord Jesus this afternoon might be exalted and that, uh, our hearts might be taken up with him. And that, uh, the portions of Scripture that are taken up and enjoyed together, that, uh, thou, let's bring out those, uh, thoughts and, uh, bring up those passages that, uh, might be for benefit for us here this afternoon. So we pray and ask you to bless our, thy precious word and our time together and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
I'd like to look this afternoon in the book of the Acts and follow a few of the incidents in Paul's life.
In his work of service for the Lord and how he began and there were intervals in his period of service.
For the Lord, there were times where he was at home, as it were, for two or three years. And umm, sometimes perhaps you thought the way I did, that when the apostle Paul was, uh, saved, he immediately began to preach. And he immediately began in his work of service for the Lord. And in some measure there is some truth to that. But really he entered the school of God and every time that he had a little interval, why, there were lessons to learn.
And you and I never, never leave the school of God until we get home to the glory.
And so if you turn to Acts Chapter 9, we'll just read a couple of verses there.
In connection with his conversion, Chapter 9 and umm, verse one, it says, Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shrine round about him, a light from heaven, And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said.
Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest, just to hold your place there, and turn to Acts chapter 26.
And, umm.
Just at the end of verse 14.
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It says, there it is hard for thee to kick against the ******. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecute us, but rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose.
To make the administer and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now I send thee to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith. That is in me. Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.
Well, you know, we read about this, uh, little incident. The Lord arrested Paul on the road to Damascus and he has this conversation. We get some detail of the conversation in Acts chapter 26 of what took place between the Lord Jesus, the Son of God who loved Paul, gave himself for him and how he had that conversation. He was going to send them. He was going to be the apostle to the Gentiles. But then you read a little bit further on here in Chapter 9.
And verse 17 perhaps we could read from there, it says, an Ananias went his way and entered into the house, and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales, And he received sight forthwith and arose, and most baptized. And when he had received meat he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus, and straightway he preached Christ in the synagogue, that he was the Son of God.
And then in verse 23 it says after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him.
But their lying in wait was known of Saul, and they watched the gate today and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down by the wall in the basket.
Well, we'll stop right there. You know, the Apostle Paul was there in Umm Damascus for approximately 3 years and this is what it says in verse 23. It says after that many days were fulfilled. So we're going to notice some of those terms that the Spirit of God uses.
And you might say, as I sometimes have thought, you know, in connection with Moses, Moses was, uh, given the Commission of the Lord to lead the children of Israel out of, uh, Egypt. And, uh, it was 40 years that he was in the wilderness, 40 years he was being trained of God. And after those 40 years, he was, umm, introduced to Pharaoh and there was a deliverance for the people of God. But when it comes to the apostle Paul here.
Now called Saul, he was given that earthly name. You know what that name means? It means.
Unrestrained.
Unrestrained. He was a man who was unrestrained, unrestrained by his desires. And it took the work of God himself, Christ, to rest him on the road to Damascus, to be able to save his precious soul and to make him useful and to change his name. A little further on. We find in chapter 13 that God changes one letter to his word, to his name, changes it to Paul. And Paul means restrained. And it's the work of God in your life and mine to restrain us from getting our own way.
To restrain us from walking in the flesh and wasting our lives in this scene, as we've read in uh, Romans chapter 12, how he beseeches us to offer to him our lives, our bodies, a living sacrifice. And so Paul or Saul here was in Damascus and he was there for three years. We find that he did preach in the, in the synagogues in verse 20, but you know, he didn't go immediately out into.
The work of evangelism among the Gentiles. Let's just turn to Philippians Chapter 2.
I want to just suggest that there was a reason why he didn't go out immediately.
Philippians, Chapter 2.
Our chapter 3 I should say.
In verse 4.
Let's just read the last part of verse 3, Philippians 3 and verse three. The last part says have no confidence in the flesh.
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any man otherwise thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more.
Circumcise the 8th day. The stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews, is touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the Church of God, touching righteousness, which is in the law blameless. But what things were gained to me, those I counted lost, Yeah, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ.
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Well, Paul or Saul was in the school of God for those three years in Damascus. You know, the Lord Jesus was crucified in approximately the year AD 29. And, uh, Paul was saved. Perhaps we'll just refer him to, to Paul. We're so used to calling him Paul. He was saved approximately 8036. So that's about seven years after the Lord Jesus was, uh, crucified, rose again and was.
On high in the glory, seven years later, this man is saved and he spends three years in Damascus and then he had to be let down in a basket, let down the wall in a basket. He was a very proud Jew. He was one that was elevated among the Jews. I'm just going to quote several scriptures here, but in Galatians chapter one and verse 14, you don't need to turn to it, but I'll mention it here. It says that he profited in the Jews religion above many mine equals.
In my own nation, being exceeding more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my father's.
So here was a man who was very energetic and umm, above his equals, his counterparts, his contemporaries in the Jewish religion. And now he was going to be in Damascus, in a place apart, and he was going to learn what it was to be alone with God. And he was going to learn that all that he valued in life, the position that he occupied among the Jews, was worthless. It was dung.
And all that he gloried in, in the flesh. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. There was no Gentile blood in him.
He had everything going for him as a Jew, but he had to learn in the presence of God.
That was worthless.
And this is the lesson, the first lesson that God wants to teach you and I after we're saved, is that the flesh profiteth nothing. You know, the Lord Jesus said those words in John's Gospel, chapter six, I think it's verse 63. He says the flesh.
Profiteth nothing.
I'm glad the Lord said that, you know, Paul says in Romans. I think it's Chapter 7.
He says, I know that in me that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.
He had learned some of those lessons and so God desires that, uh, we learn early in life as those that belong to Christ, that the flesh profiteth nothing, that he's not going to use the energy of the flesh to accomplish things in the spiritual realm. Well, then you have another lesson in connection with Paul's life. And just in the latter part of verse Chapter 9 of Acts, it says here.
In verse 26, when Paul was come to Jerusalem, he has saved to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and believed not that he was a disciple.
But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto him unto them, how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus, And when he he was with them, coming in and going out at Jerusalem, Then just hold your place there, and turn gain to Galatians chapter.
One and it says umm in verse 17.
This is perhaps the first time that Paul went to Jerusalem. It says neither went I up to Jerusalem. Galatians chapter one verse 17. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia.
And returned again into Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter.
And abode with him 15 days. And so perhaps he was there for 15 days.
But then he left there and I just want to point out why he left. If you look a little further on in Acts chapter, I think it's umm.
Perhaps chapter 24 knows chapter 22 and verse 17. It came to pass that when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance, and saw him saying unto me, Make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And he I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on Thee. And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
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And he said unto me, Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. While we find that Paul was there in Jerusalem for about two weeks. And the reason perhaps that he left is the Lord told him to leave. It wasn't going to be his work in Jerusalem. And so he came. And they brethren, it says in Chapter 9 of Acts verse 28.
Verse 29 He spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians, but they went about to slay him.
Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.
Then have the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied. Well, we find here in this second period of time that Paul was probably in Tarsus approximately 2 years.
And, umm, we're not told specifically what he was doing, but you know, in chapter 18 of Acts, it says that, uh, he abode with, uh, Aquila, uh, and Priscilla because they were of the same craft. And perhaps he was there and he was, uh, perhaps doing some tent work and uh, he was occupying, but umm, he still wasn't out preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. He was still two years, He was at Tarsus. Why was he there? The Lord had told him that he would be used mightily to go to the Gentiles.
And yet he was there and perhaps may have questioned why.
But you know, I believe he was perhaps studying the word of God. I believe the example here for each one of us is that, umm, we need to be found, uh, studying the word of God, reading the Word of God and, uh, being occupied with the things of God while we wait for the Lord to use us in one way or another. You know, Paul could have got very, very impatient and perhaps some of the impatience came out when he went to Jerusalem, but he wasn't.
Uh, out of that school of God, as it were, perhaps he learned something of what it was of the flesh and that God wasn't going to use the religious flesh to bring blessing to his people. But now he comes to Tarsus, his hometown, and, umm, he's there for a couple of years and he's still in the house in the school of God. And I just bring these couple of portions of scripture out because, you know, beloved brethren and young people particularly, sometimes we find ourselves in a station of life.
Where we're impatient and we want to get going and we feel like there's so much to do and we we're just so impatient. We're sure that we need to be up and about and doing something and in service. But you know, Paul or Saul had learned to be a very good Jew and now he had to unlearn to be a very good Jew. He had to learn what it was to value the person and the work of Christ. He had to sit at the feet of the Lord Jesus and the Lord allows you and your youth particularly.
To sit at the feet of the Lord Jesus and to learn His Word while you're young.
I want to ask you this afternoon, are you sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus? Are you in your home assembly characterized by going to all of the home, the assembly meetings, the reading meeting, the prayer meeting, and uh, going to all of the meetings. And are you spending time alone in the presence of God with the word of God and perhaps some written ministry? Why? We find here that Paul, I believe, was being educated by the Lord while he waited three years.
In Damascus, two years in Tarsus, his hometown, and then when he's in Tarsus, there's a call that comes one day and we'll just turn to that. It acts a little bit further on in Acts.
Chapter 11.
And umm, let's read from verse 19.
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution abroad.
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, travelled as far as Finici and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to none, but unto Jews only, and some of them which were men.
Some were men of Cyprus and Cyreni, which when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecian, preaching the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord.
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Then tidings of these things came under the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch, who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord, for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. And much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul, And when he had found him, he brought him unto unto Antioch.
And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the Church, and taught much people. And the disciples were were called Christians first in Antioch, and in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified the Spirit by the Spirit, that there should be great earth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief under the brethren.
Which dwelt in Judea, which they also, which also they did and sent it by the to the elders, by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. While this is the third interval in Umm Nepal's ministry in Nepal's life. And he had been quietly waiting in Tarsus. He had been occupied, perhaps in a profitable way, but restrained by the Lord. And, uh, when the time came that, uh, there was work for him to do among the Gentiles.
God saw to it.
That he was sent for, not the grace of God, not the kindness of the Lord. You and I can trust the Lord to sit where we are and to wait until he calls us to do a work for himself until he just, uh, perhaps your work is to just bolster the little home assembly where you are, to strengthen it and to maintain that little testimony of those gathered by the precious name to the precious name of the Lord Jesus where you are. And to bolster, to hold it up to, to defend it and to earnestly contend as was read to us.
Earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the Saints. But here there were some results of sitting in the presence of the Lord, of learning what it was to be nothing. And Saul, it says that Barnabas came, and it says that he found him. He brought him to Antioch, and it came to pass. The whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And his disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Well, you know, this term Christians is only used three times, I think in the New Testament, and this is one of them. Another time is in connection with Agrippa, when Paul was preaching to Agrippa and uh, he says almost I'll persuade us, me to be a Christian. But then in first Peter, umm, at the, uh, Lord tells us, or Peter tells us by inspiration that umm, umm, we might suffer as being Christians and that we're not to be ashamed if we're suffering as Christians.
But here, you know, the effect of Paul's ministry among those that were in Antioch was such that they lived like Christ, they lived like heavenly citizens. And all ministry in the Spirit will always present Christ as one who is worthy of being the object for our lives and will present, uh, Christ as that heavenly man and present us as heavenly citizens. And these dear ones heard of Christ.
And they wanted to be just like him. Is that how you want to be? You want to be just like Christ? Are you striving by the grace of God to read the Scriptures and to learn what it is to be just like God's man? God wants heaven to be full of those that are just like his Son and every he's going to have his way. But you and I, as we sit in our seats and as we walk to work and and we do our errands in the neighborhood, all those things.
Before this world and in the assembly to why he desires that we would be found characterized as being heavenly people. And so they were heavenly people. They were characterized by that and Paul here is revealed as being a teacher. You'll have 3 gifts that are mentioned in these this little passage. One is Barnabas in connection with how he exhorted them. Umm, all that with purpose of heart they should cleave under the Lord. He was a shepherd. He was a pastor and, uh, he was perhaps there were evangelists that had come in and, and.
Spoke in the gospel a little earlier here in Antioch.
And umm, they were souls saved. Then the pastor and the shepherd comes in. And then the teacher.
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Comes in, teaches truth. How did Paul know the truth? He'd sat at the feet of the Lord Jesus and umm, he had learned the truth of God in connection with Christianity and he was able to teach these ones. And then it says little further on in verse 29, the disciples, then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which were which dwelt in Judea. So those three things characterized those the result of Paul's work.
One is that they were called Christians first in Antioch. What an effect it had on those dear ones. And then they, umm, uh, Paul was a teacher. He taught those people and then here they sent relief. There was practical Christianity. They had a love for their brethren and they showed it in a practical way. They were unselfish. We read in Romans of how, and it spoke of it a little bit in Hebrews perhaps of.
How I'm not going to be able to quote it, so let's just turn to Hebrews chapter 13 and it says in verse 16, Hebrews 13 and verse 16, to do good and to communicate. Forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. And so to do good and to communicate it means to take of the goods that we have and to give them to someone else.
To take something that's valuable to myself and present it to someone else who might need it more than I need it. And so this is what these dear brethren did.
And so this lesson, perhaps, is that Paul learns in this interval of time.
Is that there's a real blessing to the people of God when we wait for God's time.
And I just want to say again, I want to encourage you, dear young people, God doesn't want a lot of activity. He wants your hearts. My son, give me thine heart. He wants your heart. He wants your heart's affections. And if the heart's infections are right and you're willing to wait in his presence, you're willing to sit in the presence of God with the word of God to learn the truth of God. There'll be a time when you're sitting in the presence of the Lord and doing little, uh, meditating perhaps, and the Lord may present something to you as some work of service.
But let's be careful not to, uh, be, umm, active in a place that we ought not to be active. And so this is, uh, a lesson that Paul needed to learn. Well, let's just turn to chapter 12 here a little bit further on and, uh, read in verse 24.
It says the word of God grew and multiplied, and Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry.
For their service and took with them John, whose surname was Mark. Now there were in the church that was an Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene and Manaean, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch and Saul. And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where until I have called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away, or they let them go, So being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Silusia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. Well, you know, this is an interesting little interval. And Saul's life, he came back from Jerusalem with the after having delivered the offering that the Saints had in Antioch, and he came back to Antioch.
And.
He was there, it says certain days and umm, I thought it was certain days in this passage. Maybe it's not in this particular passage, but he was there for a little while and uh, he was working, uh, doing a little work of service in the local assembly, as it were in verse two. They ministered to the Lord. They serve the Lord. They refreshed the heart of the Lord right where they were and they fasted that is they denied the flesh. They denied the.
Desires of the flesh that you and I have. We always want to gratify the flesh that we're speaking.
Uh, this, after this morning, perhaps that ice cream cone and how we love to have that ice cream cone. Well, you know, those that fast deny themselves that they, those little pleasures, as it were, that they might live for the Lord, for the glory of the Lord. And so Paul was characterized with walking with these different ones of.
Serving the Lord verse 2 fasting and then in verse three prayer means dependence upon the Lord. They were did those three things.
And I would just want to point this out in connection with this little interval of time in Paul's life, is that he had other friends that he was walking with the Lord with.
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Your friends and my friends have a great effect upon us.
And Saul had those that would encourage him in a path of faith.
You know, there was a sister, young sister that was recent, recently visiting at home and she came home from, uh, a trip away from home. She came to see her parents and uh, she still lives at home. She got home, you know, and she said mom and dad.
I've been going to university and I've got friends.
I've been going to the meetings, I've got friends. I've been going to conferences, I've got friends. I'm going to have to make some serious choices. I've got things that I need to sort out. I need to choose who my friends are going to be.
Or her parents rejoice to hear such a exercise of soul. You haven't exercised a soul in that connection. No, these men, these five men were in the presence of God.
In their local assembly, and God was desiring to send the apostle out, Saul and Barnabas, he prepared them in a special way that they might go to the Gentiles. And umm, what a lesson it was that Paul could know that if he was devoted to the Lord, and he was waiting, that the Lord would in his good time order that he would go to the Gentiles.
You and I would get very impatient. He might have said, you know what's been six years now and, uh, I've gone to from, uh, Tarsus to, uh, Antioch and there's been a nice year there. And, and then, umm, he's back in Antioch. And he wondered if, uh, perhaps there was any more work that he would do for the Lord any other place that he could go. But God was working behind the scenes and here Saul was prepared and God was going to send him. And So what a lesson it is for us to to wait, let the Lord have his way and not to be impatient while we wait in our home assembly in our trained by him.
Well, let's just turn chapter 14 and verse 26.
And umm, let's just read from verse 26. Vents sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. And when they were come and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how that he had opened the door of faith under the Gentiles. And there abode they abode long time with the disciples. And a certain man which came down from Judea, certain men which came down from Judea, taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
When, therefore, Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other with them, should go up to Jerusalem under the apostles and elders about this question.
Well, I just want to point this out in connection with Paul's life in his work of service here. It says in the end of verse 28 or in verse 28 they there, they abode long time with the disciples. Not nice. You know, we need to be going in, we need to be going out and Paul here.
Was at home in his home assembly and after a bit of a missionary journey, the first missionary journey, he comes back to umm, Antioch gives him a report of all those things that, uh, had taken place and, umm, here we find that, uh, he's just waiting in the presence of the Lord many days and he was in the right place at the right time because you know, the enemy. This was approximately 10 years after the.
Church was formed and the enemy was seeking to destroy the assembly and the Lord by His grace saw to it that Saul or Paul here would be in his home assembly at the right place at the right time when the there was a test that came. And it says that the brethren, they were taught some that were Jews. It says a little bit further on verse five, chapter 15 and verse five, there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believe saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
Well, we find that they were of the Pharisees, those that had believed. And the enemy wanted to mix something of Judaism and something of Christianity and mix it and corrupt it. And the enemy of our souls is seeking to corrupt the truth of God, seeking to corrupt the gospel, seeking to add something to the truth of God, Christ and something else, not just Christ. It's got to be Christ and something else.
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No, God's man, Christ Jesus, is the one.
Who God desires to exalt and to glorify. And so Paul here was in Antioch and he was used of God as we find to be able to refute the error that was being taught. Now I would just ask you here this afternoon.
You know what Paul's doctrine is. Do you know if, if I was to ask you this afternoon, what is Paul's doctrine, could you give me perhaps the four basic elements of Paul's doctrine? Could you say something about it? You know, in Hammer Bay we have a little meeting room on a busy road and, uh, a couple of, uh, brethren came in to the gospel meeting, umm, about two years ago and, umm, they were perhaps what you might call open brethren.
And they came in and they sat down and brother and his wife and they stayed for the whole gospel meeting. And then at the end of that gospel meeting, the sister came up to my wife and she said, uh, I'd like to ask you a personal question. And she said, what, what do you have on your heart? And she says, why do you sisters wear head covering? Why you sisters wear head covering? And, uh, so she asked, she turned to 1St Corinthians Chapter 11 and read a few verses of Scripture.
And explain to her that you know it was a place of submission that the woman has.
In God's creation and that there is a display of the glory of the natural glory and beauty of the of the natural man when the hair of the woman is displayed and the glory of the first Adam is never to be displayed in the presence of God. And so in divine things, the head of the sister needs to be covered. It's a picture too, you know, of Christ in the church and how the church is in perfect submission to the.
God to to the Lord Jesus the head in glory. Well, she went over those things and and you know, this sister said, I never heard such things. I never heard. You know, brethren, we need to know why we're doing why we're doing what we're doing. We need to know what we're doing, why we're doing what we're doing. And we need to search out the truth for ourselves and enjoy the truth of God. We need to know that Paul's doctrine takes in the fact that the Lord Jesus is coming.
He's coming back again, and God tells us by Paul's ministry how he's going to come again.
I was visiting with some brethren that at a restaurant and they wanted to know what it was to be gathered to the Lord's name. We spoke a little bit with them and just before we got started gave thanks for the coffee and a couple of pieces of pie and that sort of thing. And I think there were half a dozen of us there. And the brother that had contacted us, he said, I want to ask you one question before we get started. He said, when is the Lord coming?
No one in the Christian circles. Everyone has a different opinion as to when the Lord Jesus is coming.
And umm, I said, well, let's turn to 1St Thessalonians Chapter 4. And we read that. We read.
A few other passages of scripture Matthew chapter 25 and Luke chapter 10 in connection with the two days that.
The innkeeper was given 2 Pence provision for two days and I said it's very obvious that the Lord Jesus is coming. The very next event that the church is looking for is the coming of the Lord and he said correct.
There's a lot of confusion in the Christian testimony in professing Christendom. Do you thank God for the truth of God? Do you thank God you have written ministry that you can read, that you can count on, that is solid?
My heart was burdened and wept when I thought of our South Korean brethren who came to Richmond, BC and umm spent 12/14/16 hours a day over the Word of God pouring over the scriptures.
Reading Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3 and going over the picture of the church history.
In that passage of Scripture, reading something of the seven feasts of Jehovah, and having the.
The truth unfolded something of Paul's doctrine, something of what it meant to be gathered to the Lord's name.
On the ground of one body. Not an independency like the open brethren, but on the ground of the one body. Oh, they search the Scriptures diligently. They wanted to know what the truth was. And dear young people, if you don't have that earnestness, that desire right now, ask the Lord for.
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Time is running out. We need to be solid. We need to know what the truth of God is for ourselves. Well, Paul was there, learn that lesson that he needed to be in that place, the right place at the right time. Let's just look a little further on in chapter 15 and it says in verse 30. So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle, which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.
And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
And after that they had carried their space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles, notwithstanding a police silence to abide there still Paul also, and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of Lord.
And many others also. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again, and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take them with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other. And Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus. And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. And he went through Syrian silicia, confirming the churches. Then came he to Derby and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple was there named Demotheus.
The son of a certain woman which was a Jewess and believed, but his father was a Greek.
Well, here we find Paul and Barnabas again at Antioch and umm, there was a little interval of time that they were there.
And there was a little falling out between Barnabas and Paul.
This was AD 51. They began to work in approximately began to work together approximately 8041. So they had been working together, laboring together among the people of God for 10 years. It was a low point in Paul's life. It was perhaps the lowest point in his Christian life when there were those a dear beloved brother who was a comfort to him, comfort to many of his brethren. And there came a point where Paul.
Had to separate from Barnabas.
And his heart was broken, no doubt. But you know, he learned this lesson at this time that there were a couple of things that he learned. One of them was, you know, that family sometimes interferes in the things of God. And each one of us has to live before God as an individual. And we need to, we find ourselves responsible before the Lord as individuals. You know, Barnabas had a he was, I think John Mark was a cousin to Barnabas.
And so there was family relationship there. And oh, how nice, you know, Paul didn't hold it against John Mark, but I believe there was discernment in Paul's life, in Paul's soul, and he knew that John Mark wasn't ready for this trip. And Barnabas wouldn't agree with them. And we find that Barnabas, even though his name is mentioned perhaps something like 24 times in the New Testament after this, mentioned maybe only once or twice in the epistles.
And so Paul learned a lesson in this interval of time as he was at Antioch, and that is that, uh, family interfere. Sometimes we need to walk with God and uh, as individuals try to encourage one another. But isn't it nice that we can be thankful for those in our family, husband and wise brothers and sisters, sons and daughters that walk with God. Oh, thank God for them. But beloved brethren, Paul had to learn that he couldn't choose who he was going to work with.
God was going to choose and here perhaps we say Paul chose Silas. He was there available, and uh, God honored that choice. Silas, an older man, went with Paul, but God raised up a man, Timothy. Why is it that God mentions Timothy in chapter 16 and verse one? I believe I've enjoyed it in my own soul. That was at the lowest point perhaps in Paul's history as one that was working for the Lord.
And that that very lowest point here, the Lord introduces him to Timothy, a young man. And I look into the faces of some of you, dear brethren who are older in the faith, in the path of faith, and you've walked with God. You sought to strengthen the assembly where you are.
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You sought to uphold the truth of God, to minister the truth in the assembly, and you wonder sometimes how the assembly is going to continue on one more generation. You just wonder where the young men are, and you wish they'd sell their boats and their motorcycles and all those things and take up seriously with the things of God. You wonder about the young men. I want to say this, that God is raising up those that are like Timothy in the day that we live in, and we may not see them, but you pray and ask the Lord to raise them up. And you see to it that you read the Scriptures and keep close to Christ yourself and the assembly, Go to the assembly meetings and minister the truth.
Day by day and you'll see that God will raise up those that are Timothy's and God will use them in a coming day.
Well, let's turn over a little bit to chapter 18 and verse seven. Well, let's read from verse five. Chapter 18 of Acts verse five, when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the Spirit and testified unto the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be on your own heads, I am clean. From henceforth I will go on to the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house named Justice, one who worshipped God, and whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house. And many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. 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. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. And when Galileo was deputy of the care, 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.
And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Galileo said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would.
Would that I should hear there with you. But if it be a question of words and names and of your law, looky to it. And I will be no judge of such matters. And he drove them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took sauce, and he's the chief ruler of the synagogue and beat him before this judgment seat. Galileo cared for none of these things. Well, here we find Paul working among the Gentiles in this city of Corinth. He's there for a year and six months, you know.
While he was there, he was staying in the home of Aquila and Priscilla and the beginning of his day.
He wrote the It's believed that he wrote the First Epistle to the Thessalonians and then a year and a half later, perhaps just at the end of this day.
He wrote the 2nd Epistle to the Thessalonians, but here in this place.
Paul was working, laboring for the Lord and umm, he encountered opposition. That was intense opposition.
Any time that Paul preach, oftentimes that Paul preached, there was a riot.
The enemy was seeking to stamp out the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
It was seeking to have men walk in darkness, but God had told Paul that he was going to use him.
That men might be delivered from darkness and from ignorance, and be brought into the light. And here you find that they oppose themselves in verse 6 and blasphemed. There was intense opposition to the truth of the Word of God.
And yet Paul continued to work. The Lord spoke to him. The Lord appeared to him in a vision and encouraged him. Isn't that nice sometimes, you know?
I've heard of those that have had a hobby class and had kids that were difficult to get along with Sunday school work, those kinds of things. And, uh, the enemy seeks to stir up those little ones to, uh, oppose and to, umm, make a ruckus and to just try to destroy the peace of the presentation of the gospel. But isn't it wonderful to have a sense of the presence of the Lord, you and I, as we take up the word of God and present it to.
Lost Souls God was working with Paul.
And umm, it says here that he wrought by him.
You speak.
The Lord speak to Paul in verse nine in the night vision. Be not afraid, but speak, hold not thy peace. Isn't that nice? He was afraid. That kind of opposition brought fear to his heart, but the Lord was encouraging him. And so we need to remember that perhaps this is a lesson that Paul you learned that his times were in the hands of the Lord. You know the umm, the judge here in this case throughout the case.
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And Paul was just about to try to defend himself, and the Lord allowed that the case was thrown out of court. And we need to remember that the Lord is the one who's doing his work, and he's able to, umm, deal with that kind of opposition.
Let's look at uh chapter 19 and uh.
Verse one.
It came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coast.
Came to Ephesus in finding certain disciples. He said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believe? They said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
And he said unto them, What Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, verily, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him what should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about 12. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God.
But when the divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of the way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
And this continued by the space of two years, so that they that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that from his body were brought.
Under the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Well, you know, God hadn't allowed the Apostle Paul to go into, uh, Asia, into Ephesus and some of those, uh, places and, umm, he had gone into Europe instead and, uh, he'd gone to Philippi and, uh, there he'd been beaten with Silas. And, but there was a little assembly formed in, in Philippi and we find there that, uh, uh, God had, uh, prepared the hearts of one Lydia.
A cellar of purple from Thyatira. And there was a work to do among those that were there in that place. But there came a time when Paul did come into Asia and he was patient. And you may have something on your heart to, uh, do perhaps for the Lord, something that you might have, uh, a burden for, but the door isn't open. And, uh, what a wonderful thing it is for the Lord to direct us. And Paul, you know, waited for the direction of the Spirit of God.
And then he went into Asia. He went Asia means the middle. He went into the heart of enemy territory.
And he went into the this place, Ephesus means amiable and uh, there the Lord Jesus was going to call out some of the Gentiles for his bride. Christ also loved the church and gave himself forth. That's what's written in Ephesians chapter 5.
But here he waited and, uh, you know, As for God, his way is perfect. God's way is perfect. He came to Asia. There was power and he was there for two years and three months, and there were special miracles and there was a little assembly formed there and God was blessing. Oh, what a wonderful thing it is for us to recognize that God's way is perfect. You know, we read in the chapter that we're taking up in the reading meeting this morning about the perfect.
Will of God.
And it's easy for us to say.
And the quote the 18th Psalm, verse 30. As for God, his way is perfect.
But then to act in a way that isn't consistent with what we say. And Paul in grace waited and he came at the right time. As for God, his way is perfect. And so this is a lesson that he learned and that we each need to learn as well. Well, I just want to read I'm we're running out of time. So let's just turn to the last chapter of Acts last few verses, verse 29. It says, umm.
Well, let's read verse 28, Acts chapter 28, verse 28. Be it known, therefore unto you that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasonings among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the Kingdom of God, and pre teaching those things concerning the Lord Jesus, and all with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
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Well, we know that Paul had wanted to go to Jerusalem, and he did get to Jerusalem.
But the Lord hadn't sent him to Jerusalem any being taken prisoner and he'd been kept in Caesarea for two years. Perhaps it's four years that he was in Caesarea. But there was a couple of years in Paul's life that were fruitless, years last years. But you know, he was disheartened perhaps. And the Lord appeared to him and said to him, fear not, fear not. Lord encouraged them in the night seasons.
And we find at the end of the book of the Acts here we see Paul imprisoned, as it were, in his own house, his own hired house. And he's in the right place at the right time, as it were. He's in Rome. God wanted him in Rome. Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem. God wanted him in Rome. God, God his way. God saw to it that Paul was in Rome. And when Paul was in Rome, things were right. He was working among the Gentiles.
But he was imprisoned, as it were. He wasn't at liberty to leave. He did receive visitors and so on. And God used this time of imprisonment for blessing. It was there that he wrote to the Epistle to the Colossians to fight the Epistle to Philemon, the the, the letter of the Ephesians and to the Philippians. And he submitted, He submitted. And dear brother and sister in Christ, the Lord may have placed you in a place that's hard to be.
Difficult to be and you wish you weren't there. You wish you were somewhere else. You wish the trial would be over.
You wish that he would just take it away.
But often times he leaves us where we are that there might be fruit for himself. And so here we have this lesson that perhaps Paul learned that, uh, he was going to need to submit at the end of his life and to be where God wanted him to be. Well, we don't have time to review all of those little lessons, but I just want to point out in the first one again, our time is up, but Paul's life was useful to the Lord because he allowed himself to be restrained.
The sister this just before the meeting started. Show me some pictures. Some photographs of the flooding in Nashville, TN.
And a river, a river is very useful. There's a lot of energy in the river and you can use that energy when it there's a dam, when it's restrained and there's a reservoir that formed behind the dam and it can be used for recreation. It's a reservoir for water.
For the city, all those sorts of things, and you can use the dam to generate electricity. There's there's benefit. And dear young people, God has created us that we need restraint in our lives, every one of us.
And if there's no restraint in my life, no restraint that the word of God has no authority, if the word of God doesn't have power with me, then there tends to be wasted years, tends to be wasted weeks, wasted days. We need to be thankful to the Lord for the restraint that he's placed in our lives. Let's just commend ourselves. Our loving God and our Father, we thank thee for the Lord Jesus our Savior, well, we thank thee for.
The lessons that we read from the Apostle Paul's life and how he was in that wilderness place in Damascus and then later on in Tarsus, sitting at the feet of the Lord, as it were, hearing His word and how he was being trained. We thank Thee, our God, for these times, different times without us bring into our lives. Help us to appreciate those experiences, to thank Thee for them and give us grace.
As we go on in these last days to learn these lessons and to be thankful for the truth of God that we have to enjoy and to hold and to defend, and so we ask it, we commend ourselves to Thee now for the remainder of these meetings and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.