THERE THEY PREACHED #2
Acts 14:5 And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, 6 They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: 7 And there they preached the gospel. 8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: 9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. 11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. 12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. 13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
In our previous lesson on this passage we had noticed that here in this city of Lystra there was no Jewish synagogue, therefore, without the law’s effect, paganism dominated their society. But the gospel needs no previous religious conditioner, nor preparation to accomplish its goal! (See Romans 1:16-17; 2:12-16.) For the first verse in that Romans passage clearly states that the gospel is the very power of God unto salvation to EVERY ONE that believeth! It impregnates the elect soul, quickening spiritual life within the heart, simultaneously imparting faith and repentance within that granted life, that without fail, always comes to Christ! John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Therefore we can clearly see that on this very first encounter with the entire population of this pagan city, obedience was had to the command of the Lord to preach the gospel to every creature! (Mark 16:15). This brought forth the dividing of the sheep from the goats! This set forth the judgment of God, reestablishing God’s order among them. (Some believe that we shall have to stand in long lines at the end of the world in order to be individually judged. But the gospel has already set forth this judgment, so that when the Lord comes in his glory, with all his holy angels, the sheep can be separated to his right hand, and the goats on his left, to receive their assigned, eternal destiny! See Matt. 25:31-46).
The Apostle Paul stirs up the minds of the Galatian believers concerning this matter. Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? With this question he reminds them that their faith did not come by “doing,” but by believing with that God-granted gift of faith! For it is as surely not OF works, as much as it is most surely UNTO good works, which God has ordained! (Ephes. 2:8-10).
It is a wondrous thing that our Lord allows us to see an identical miracle within both the Jewish society, with a history of the law, by Peter, the apostle to the Jews, and within this pagan society, accomplished by the same Holy Spirit, but this time by the Apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles! (Galatians 2:7,8). For Peter confronts an impotent man at the temple of the Jews in Acts chapter three. And here, the Apostle Paul confronts an impotent man at the temple of the pagan gods! Neither have ever walked a step in their lives. And both have God’s servants come to where they were laid.
And there is the same reaction in both miracles. At Jerusalem, concerning the Jewish lame man we read: Acts 3:8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
Then with the Gentile at Lystra here is what we find: Acts 14:10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. 11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
And the reaction of the populous was the same, in that both tried to glorify the human vessels that the Holy Spirit used to bring forth their healing. Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
Acts 14:12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. 13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
And has that not been the same throughout the history of this gospel age? Have we not all been guilty of attempting to exalt flesh, as we inordinately esteem, with fleshly admiration, various preachers, past and present? Must we not all be reminded that to do so reveals carnality, and that the treasure of benefitting grace within us is contained in earthen vessels? 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 1 Corinthians 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Must we not be careful at the wealth of materials that have been preserved for us in this age of the histories of bygone preachers and ministries which the Lord has used, lest we too garnish the tombs of the prophets, not giving ourselves to present day faith? Must we not guard against our seeking to judge ourselves by ourselves, and not coming to Christ by personal active faith? Is it not a danger for us to seek so much to the ministers whom Christ has used in past days that we fail to discern which way the Redeemer is going in our own day? Are we not here to act with presently issued faith in the matters of God in our present situations? We don’t need more of Spurgeon, or Whitefield, or Calvin! We need more of Christ, brought to bear upon our present church by men daring to live by faith today! God doesn’t identify himself as, “I AM WHAT I WAS!!” He plainly tells us that he is, “I AM THAT I AM!!”
This MUST be! For the situation in both these miracles turns out the same way! Peter lands in jail after his lame man’s healing. {It seems that the first journey that impotent man took on his new found leg strength was to follow Peter to jail! Acts 4:14}. And the same crowd that wanted to sacrifice TO Paul, now comes to make Paul the sacrifice! (Acts 14:19). Remember, dear Reader, that those who laid down their garments and palm branches before the Lord Jesus, shouting Hosanna: Blessed is the king of Israel, were the same ones shortly afterward crying, Crucify him! (John 12:12,13; 19:6,15). The arm of flesh will most certainly fail you!
Therefore we must seek to please the Lord, whether men agree with us or not. Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Faith is a personal gift from God given to individual persons. Not one single soul, in the entire history of redemption, was ever saved on the buddy system! Therefore those individuals must personally trust in God alone! Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
We have Paul’s testimony of having to trust exclusively in God. 2 Timothy 4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
Peter found this out when he tried to meddle into God’s will for John’s life. John 21:21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Paul’s Stoning
The unbelieving Jews who wanted to stone the Apostle Paul in Iconium, but couldn’t pull it off (see Acts 14:1,2,5), came to Lystra and influenced the unbelieving pagans there to do their dirty work for them. And after they had stoned him, they drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. But there was one exception! He didn’t stay stoned! They provided him opportunity to go check in with the Lord of glory! For he states in 2 Corinthians 11:25, once I was stoned! And then we read in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 that he was caught up into paradise. But as the Lord was not through with him here, the church, (possibly with Timothy among them) formed a circle around him, and he rose up! (Acts 14:20).
The Lord has said of him at the time of Paul’s calling that God would show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. (Acts 9:16). And one of those things was that he would experience the same kind of death as he had participated in exacting upon the martyr Stephen! (Acts 7:58, 8:1). But there was to be a difference in their resurrection! For God resurrected Paul in order to strongly impress upon him that the resurrection was not an event, but a Person! John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: For if he was to face the sinners condition as being dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1), he must strongly be aware that only God could resurrect a dead soul to spiritual ife!
For regeneration, renders the soul blessed and holy, is called the first resurrection! Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Pastor Gene Breed
March 21, 2013
