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Welcome to Blessed Hope Bible Presbyterian Church. Let us prepare our hearts to worship the Lord by singing, The Lord is in His Holy Temple. The Lord is in His Holy Temple. in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence. Let all the earth keep silence. before him. Keep silence, keep silence before Ah. The call to worship is taken from Psalm 135, verses 1 to 4. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord. Praise him, O ye servants of the Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. Sing praises unto his name, for it is pleasant. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. Let us arise for the opening hymn. The hymn is number 205. 205. Thine is the glory. Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son, Endless is the victory Thou o'er death hast won. Angels in bright raiment rolled their stones away. Kept therefore the grave clothes where thy body lay. ♪ Finest of glory, risen conquering Son ♪ ♪ Endless is the victory thou, O death, hast won ♪ ♪ Lo, Jesus meets thee, risen from the tomb ♪ Lovingly he greets thee, Scatters fear and gloom. Let his church with gladness Hymns of triumph sing, For her Lord of deathless losses still Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son Endless is the victory Thou o'er death hast won No more we doubt Thee, Glorious Prince of Life. Life is not without Thee, Aid us in our strife. Make us more than conquerors, true thy deathless love. Bring us safe through Jordan to thy home. Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son, and lastest of victory, Thou, O Death, hast won. Let us look to the Lord in prayer. Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for the victory that we have obtained in Thy Son. We thank Thee that He has imputed to us His righteousness, that we may be clothed with His perfection on that day. We thank Thee that death has lost its sting in all of us, and that it has become a means to usher us into the eternal place of rest in Thy bosom. Therefore, we gather with great thankfulness as Thy people to praise Thee, for we feel how indebted we are unto Thee. Father, would Thou cleanse us this week of all our sins, for we have not walked after our Saviour as we ought, we have not obeyed His commands as we ought, and we feel the corruption within us that causes us to rebel against the authorities that Thou hast set over us. We pray that Thou would work in every one of our hearts, that we may not carry on in our ways, but be purified by Thy power to live in holiness and obedience towards all that Thou hast said. Father, grant unto us a right heart now in Thy house. We feel greatly our inadequacies and the sins that we hold tightly in our bosom. Free us by Thy power, free us in Thy love, that we may live fully for Thee. We thank Thee that Thou would hear us as we pray according to Thy will. Nourish and refresh our souls, O Father, as we bow with contrite hearts before Thy throne. Accept the sacrifice of our lips and help us to truly honour Thee with our whole being for Thy glory. This we ask and pray with thanksgiving, in the name of Jesus Christ, who, while he was on earth, taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son. is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen. Amen. Congregation, please be seated. Our scripture reading for today will be taken from the book of Acts. Let us turn our Bibles first to Acts chapter 13 and we shall read first from verses 1 to 4. I shall begin with the Old Verse. Please respond with the Even. Acts 13, verse 1. Now there were in the church that was in Antioch certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Mannaen, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." Now to chapter 15, verse 40 to 41. Chapter 15, verse 40 and 41. And Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. Then came he to Derbe and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed, but his father was a Greek, which was well reported by the brethren which were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him, and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was a Greek. And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Now, when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia, after they had come to Mycenae, they were assayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not. and they passing by Mysia, came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Chapter 18 and verse 1. Let's read this verse together. Chapter 18 and verse 1, reading. After these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. Verse 8 to 11. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his heart, 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." Now to chapter 22. the last chapter we shall be reading, chapter 22 and verse 3 to 15. Verse 3. I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. and I persecuted this way until the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders, from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished." And it came to pass, that as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saw, saw, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that just one, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. Verse 15 together, For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. Let us read verse 21 of the same chapter together, reading, and he said unto me, depart for I will send thee far hands unto the Gentiles. Thank God for the reading of his most holy word. We shall now sing another hymn, seated. The hymn is number 243. 243, the Comforter has come. O spread the tidings round, wherever man is found, wherever human hearts and human woes abound. Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound, the comforter has come. The Comforter has come. The Comforter has come. The Holy Ghost from heaven. The Father's promised skin. Oh, spread the tidings round. Wherever man has found, the Comforter has come. The long, long night is past The morning breaks at last And hushed a dreadful wail And fury of the blast As o'er the golden hills Doubting advances fast The Comforter has come The Comforter has come The Holy Ghost from heav'n, The Father's promised kin. O spread her tidings round, Wherever man is found, The Comforter has come. Lo, the great King of Kings! With healing in his wings To every captive soul A full deliverance brings And through the vacant cells The song of triumph rings The comforter The Comforter is come, The Comforter is come, The Holy Ghost from heaven, The Father's promised kin, O spread the tidings round, Wherever man is found, the comforter O boundless love divine, How shall this tongue of mine, To one dream waters tell, Damageless grace divine, That I, a child of hell, Should innocence shine The Comforter has come The Comforter has come The Comforter has come The Holy Ghost from heaven, The Father's promised kin, O spread your tidings round, Wherever man is found, The Comforter, Amen. We shall now be having the Lord's Supper and we shall invite the pastor to lead us in it. Let us prepare our hearts for it. Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 23. 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 23. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup. When he had supped, saying, This cup is a new testament in my blood, this do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." The Lord's Supper is open to all born-again, baptised believers in the Church of Jesus Christ. If you are not a Christian and you have not been baptized, please refrain from partaking of the bread and the cup. Let us turn to the hymn 189. 189. I know a fount. We shall sing the first three stanzas. as we asked the stewards to distribute the bread and the cup. where sins are washed away I know a place where night is turned to day burdens are lifted Blind eyes meet to see There's a wonder walking past In the blood of Calvary He's a faithful friend. The one who is with me will be to the end. He now in glory intercedes for me, towards his precious cleansing blood in this float on Calvary. Wonderful peace, for now in Christ I live. And is anyone omitted of the bread and the cup to raise your hand so that we may serve it to you? Anyone else omitted of the bread and the cup? Let us spend a quiet moment in self-examination before we partake of the bread and the cup. Our Lord Jesus says, take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you, this too in remembrance of me. Let us partake of the bread. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had supped, saying, this cup is a new testament in my blood. This do we as often as he drink it in remembrance of me. Let us partake of the cup. Will the congregation please arise as we sing the final stanza of the hymn 189, I have a hope my Lord will surely come. I have a hope my Lord will All his redeemed ones shall be gathered home. evermore to be. Then we'll praise him for the blood that was shed on Calvary. Let us pray. Our most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the bread and the cup, signifying the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood that was shed for the remission of our sins. O Lord, we thank Thee that we can take time to examine our own hearts and confess our sins before Thee. May Thou be gracious to wash us and renew us and strengthen us and send us forth to be Thy ambassadors, the ambassadors of Christ to a dying world. Strengthen Thy people for Thy own namesake. Hear our prayer, this I ask and pray with thanksgiving through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Please be seated. We shall now prepare our tithes and offering. The Officiary Hymn is number 136, 136. Come, ye thankful people. Raise the sack of harvests home All is safely gathered in Let the winter storms begin God, our Maker doth provide For our Come to God's own temple, come, Raise a song of love as home. All the world is God's own field, Fruit unto His praise do you yield. soon, Unto joy or sorrow grown. First the blade and then the ear, Then the foot, of us prostrate we, wholesome, great, and pure may be. For the Lord our God shall come and shall take his harvest home from his future Give us, angels, charge at last, End our father test to cast, What a fruitful years to sow In His garden evermore Even so, Lord, quickly come First home, gather thou thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin. There forever purified, in thy presence Let us arise for the doxology. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him, above the heavenly host. Our Father in Heaven, we long for that great harvest day when Thou wilt free us from sorrow and free us from sin. We long for the time when the wheat and the tares will be separated, and we watch keenly for that day. For we know how great the corruption has spread in Thy visible Church today, and how we are not obedient to Thy Word. Father, we long for Thy judgment, and we leave all judgment also unto Thee. Bless and heal Thy Church, may Thy Kingdom come, and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Father, hallow Thy Name in us, for we long to be holy as Thou art, absolutely holy and pure. cause us to be a people that are full of gratitude, praise and obedience in all our thoughts, words and actions. Father, fill all of us with Thy truth, that this may truly be so. Wash and purify us by Thy Holy Spirit, who is in us, whom we rely upon for our growth. Supply all our need, blessed Father, through the strength of Thy Son, that we may be conformed to Thy image and be free from all idolatry. Father, Thou art the Creator of all things, the Sustainer of all things, the God of Providence, who guideth each step of our way. Heal us and work mightily in us, that we may see more of our weakness and more of Thy greatness. use these tithes and offerings, that Thy glorious Kingdom may be advanced, and the fortress of Thy truth and righteousness may be upheld in all nations. Father, bless now the preaching of Thy Holy Word. Be with Pastor as he preaches to us, that he would be set as a flint to reprove us for sin and correct us to walk in the paths of righteousness. work in us powerfully by Thy Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, and cause all of us to be always thankful unto Thee. This we ask and pray with thanksgiving, in Jesus' name. Amen. Congregation, please be seated. We shall sing one more hymn before the pastoral prayer and the message Opening Acts Part 2. The hymn is number 446, 446. Lord speak to me. Lord, speak to me that I may speak in living echoes of Thy tone. So let me seek thy airing children lost at sea The wandering and the wavering feet. O feed me, Lord, that I may feed The hungering ones with manna sweet. that I may teach the precious things thou dost impart, and wing my words the hidden depths of many a heart. O fill me with the fullness, Lord, until my very heart, O flow, In kindling thoughts and glowing word, Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show, me, just as thou wilt, and when, and where, until thy blessings Face I see Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory shed. Amen. Let us now invite Pastor to lead us in the pastoral prayer and to give to us the message Opening Acts, Part 2. Let us pray. Our most gracious, loving Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for gathering Thy Church on this Lord's Day to worship Thee. We thank Thee for seeing us through safely yet another week. And we can be found in Thy house to worship Thee. to give thanks to Thee for all that Thou has done for us in the past week, and to begin a new week with Thee in Thy house, seeking Thy strengthening, Thy renewing, seeking Thy wisdom to lead and guide us in the way ahead. Father, we ask, thank Thee for the elements, the bread and the cup that signify the blood of Jesus Christ and His body that was broken for the forgiveness of our sins. We thank Thee that in Jesus Christ there is forgiveness of sins and that we may enjoy the peace that Thou givest to us. for sins that are forgiven, that the guilt has been taken away, that we rest fully and wholly in the righteousness of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Father, we thank Thee for the resuming of the 7am service this week on Tuesday and Friday. May Thou be gracious to gather Thy people for this early morning hour Father, we thank Thee also for the healing for Madam Chua, Jennifer's mother, from the head injuries after her fall on the 21st of December. Father, we also know with the sharing of the family that Madam Chua has again fell down yesterday evening and have the injury on the head. We ask for Thy grace to be with the family and with her at this time of need. O Lord, may Thou strengthen her. Most of all, Lord, we pray for her salvation. May Thou be gracious to save her, open her spiritual eyes, enable her to see the need of a Saviour and to break the generational bondage and grant to her the freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ and eternal life. Father, we thank Thee for the journey mercies granted to Lina, Ting-Yang, Natalie, Elizabeth, and baby Evan returning from Disaru. Father, we thank Thee also for the safe return of Zoe from Melbourne, visiting Lamuel and the family. O Lord, we thank Thee for the guidance, Thy leading and Thy preserving of Lemuel, Charmaine and Ila faith in Melbourne. Father, we remember those who are travelling. We remember Joyan and Grace, Anna, Ting Ting in Taiwan, returning on the 11th of February. May Thou grant to them journey mercies, and be with them and grant to them Thy very presence at this time. We also remember Isaac and Wei Ting, who are in Japan for vacation, returning on the 15th of February. May Thou be gracious to grant them journey mercies. Father, we pray and commit to Thee, Nathaniel, the son of Fred and Christina, for Thy guidance and protection upon him, as he continues his studies in the UK. May Thou watch over him, strengthen him. Indeed, Thou hast promised us in Thy Word that he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. So Lord, we commit his care into Thy loving hand. Father, we pray also for Lavinia, Zoe's daughter, Cal and Keith in Los Angeles, for thy protection upon them from the recent fires, O Lord, that thou wouldst preserve and keep them for thy own namesake. Father, we pray for those who are not well in the body, those who are in beds of affliction. May Thou be very close to them at this time of need. We pray for Hong Tu, Jonathan's friend, for Uncle Buck, Auntie Sze Xuan's husband, undergoing chemotherapy for cancer in the rectum. We pray also for Dennis Tan, for the comfort and healing upon him at this time of need. as he goes through a monthly chemotherapy for lung cancer. Father, we pray for Thy healing upon Mr. Lee Kim Song from his heart condition. And we ask that Thou grant remission to Karen Yap from her cancer condition. And we pray also for healthy liver and kidney function for Jennifer. the seeds in the liver that has grown. Lord, may Thou grant her guidance for her treatment. Father in Heaven, we commit to Thee this land of Singapore. We pray that Thou be merciful to set up authorities in Singapore who would love Thee and obey Thy laws. We pray that Thou would protect Singapore from terrorism, from haze, from pestilences. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray for strength and courage for Thy people in Ukraine and Russia as they wait upon Thee for deliverance. Father in Heaven, We pray for Thy Church, that members and friends would love Thee with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to consecrate ourselves to Thy service, to Thy honor, in all our actions and conversations, to be obedient to Thy law. Father, we pray and ask that Thou would be gracious to grant wisdom, discernment, and protection upon Thy flock, that Thy work may not be hindered. and we pray that Thou would help Thy people to read the New Testament Scriptures twice from this month all the way to the end of April and help the families to study the shorter and larger Catechism this year. Lord, guide thy people in our preparation for the Reformation Study Tour from the 12th to the 17th of May. May Thou guide us in all the preparation for Thy own namesake. We pray for Thy keeping and strengthening for Thy people. We remember Mrs. Boone Madam Lim May Chan, Sister Lillian Thiru, Mr Kwek Siew Lee, Mr Lee Kim Song, Mr Pauline Lee, Mrs Lim Siew Yong, Mrs. Angeline Chiang and Mdm. Lek Kichun's mother, may Thou be gracious to strengthen each one of them, comfort and keep them for Thy own name's sake. We pray for Jovan also, for Thy protection upon him in his NS training, and for healthy heart growth for baby Evan, Natalie's son, Lena's grandson. Lord, strengthen Thy people as we wait upon Thee For Thy Word, may Thy Spirit come and illumine us and bless us with understanding. Grant to us Thy Holy Spirit's guidance and leading, that we may know Thy holy will and grant us Thy grace to follow Thee. This I ask and pray with thanksgiving through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Opening the Book of Acts Part 2 is the title of our message. If God the Father chose us and the Holy Spirit sets us apart for His holy service, then what part do we have? There is a divine sovereignty and human responsibility as we consider that we are sanctified unto obedience. Salvation is freely given to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we must obey God's divine sovereignty. in choosing his people does not nullify our response to work with him after he has saved us. We have been saved out of this world and sent back into this world to witness to the world. And that is the only business that Christians have indeed in this world, isn't it? We do not work to be saved. We work because we are saved. And I pray that Thou would the Lord would help thy people as we come to study the book of Acts to understand the calling that God has for us when he saved us to be his people and to be called his witnesses. You recall when we began in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, the memory verse, and a summary of this book of Acts, it says here, when the Lord spoke to the 120 disciples that were gathered for a prayer meeting after Christ would ascend to heaven. but ye shall receive power. After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, that ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. When the Lord gathered his disciples together after His resurrection before His ascension. He told them that soon He would leave them. The work that he came to do, especially in the last three and a half years, in which he began to minister to the people, he began to preach the gospel, he began to save the lost, he began to bring light into a world of utter darkness, dispelling the attacks, the works of the devil, and wrought peace and joy in the hearts of men and women who came into contact with him in bondage to sin. You know, when you look at a person who is unsaved, who doesn't have the Spirit of God in him, does not have eternal life, It is such a sad bondage as you think what will be the life of such a person in the eternity to come. When we understand, God opened our eyes to see the spiritual reality of eternal things, the real things, we begin to understand why God has saved us and why God has placed us on this earth. The 120 disciples who were gathered in the upper room by our Lord Jesus Christ. We are told in verse 14 of Acts chapter 1, this all continued with one accord. in prayer and supplication. They continued in one accord. In other words, they were gathered together. They were together seeking the will of the Lord, seeking for the Lord to guide them what they are to do next. And the Lord has a plan that He will begin as He ushers the beginning of the New Testament Church, a work of salvation that God will wrought through His Church that would accomplish the eternal purpose of the salvation of souls. The Book of Acts can be divided into three parts, three periods. the work that began in Jerusalem, the work that will continue in Judea and Samaria to the Gentiles, and the work transitioning to the Gentiles in the third period from Acts chapter 13 to 28. gives for us a picture of the fulfilment that the Lord Jesus Christ has called to His Church to wait upon Him, that power may come upon them, that they may receive the strength that they need to do the will of God, The period in which the Acts of the Apostles were recorded is from AD approximately 30 to 63, a period of 33 years, in which the Gospel will begin when the Holy Spirit will come mightily upon that frightened group of disciples who has been bereaved of their Master who has been with them all this time. And now the Master will leave them and our Lord Jesus Christ will be ascended to heaven. The work of building the Church would be done by our Lord Jesus Christ directly from heaven. He would be directing it at the right hand of the Father and He would send the Holy Spirit in which to indwell and to guide His people to accomplish that holy work for the salvation of souls. And so we see our Lord said to the disciples in Acts 1.8, and ye shall receive power. And after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ that would come upon us to guide us so that we can be witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the purpose in which God saved His people, isn't it? That we are saved so that we can be having God and the Spirit in us to be an instrument, a vessel for His glory, to bring souls that are in trouble, that are in pain, that it is in misery, and to co-labor with the Spirit of God to deliver them from their bondage. And so we see last week the beginning of the New Testament Church at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2 came mightily upon the disciples that were gathered there. in the upper room. And God caused Peter to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to preach forth the message of salvation, so that souls would be saved. And in the first part that we see in Acts chapter 1 to Acts chapter 8, a period of seven years from AD 30 to 37, we see the Church established. We see there the work of the Holy Spirit in enabling the group of His unlearned disciples to do a work that would startle all that will be in Jerusalem, when the Spirit of God would come and fill them to be witnesses for the Lord. And last Lord's Day we saw that transition in Acts chapter 10, isn't it? When God led Peter to witness to the family of Cornelius. The centurion of the Italian band, God's plan was not just to save the Jews. Just as it is, God's plan was not just to save our immediate family members. those that we are closest with. But God has a plan that we should be witnesses for Him, not only in Jerusalem but in Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. And so in Acts chapter 10, we saw the Lord speaking to Peter and enabling him to see the plan of God was not just to save the Jews, but the wider plan of God that all men who are made in the image of God to be saved by the mercy of God, in the sense that they would be given an opportunity to hear the gospel to be preached to them, so that when they would hear and the Spirit of God would work in their hearts to help them to see the depravity of their own ways and then to help them to come in repentance, to come to the salvation, the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Peter was given a vision in Acts chapter 10 of the animals coming down from heaven. And three times he was asked, Peter rise, kill and eat. And the voice from heaven explained to him what God has cleansed that call not thou common. And so that was what Peter did. He went to the house of Cornelius and there the Lord would work mindfully. And we are told in Acts chapter 10 and verse 44 that when Peter spoke the words of the gospel in witness, the Holy Ghost fell upon the family of Cornelius, all them which heard the word. And there They were baptised for they received the Holy Ghost. Peter witnessed the power of God to save not just the Jews but the Samaritans and now the Gentiles. The Gospel work is proceeding. And there you see the second transition from AD 37 to 47, a 10-year period where the Church that was established in Jerusalem began to expand when God caused His disciples and those who were saved to preach the Gospel. And so for 10 years there was a movement that went on through the group of disciples that were gathered there to cause that the Word of God be spread and men and women who here whom God has chosen to receive His grace were saved. And we now transition to the third period in Acts chapter 13 to Acts chapter 28, where it's described for us the final phase where God would raise the Apostle Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentile world, all the way to the capital of the Roman Empire. There Paul would be sent all the way to Rome. And we trace the work of the Holy Spirit guiding and and enabling His disciples to be witnesses for Him. Acts chapter 13 and verse 1. Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers. We are told Barnabas, Simeon, And we are told also, Lucius and then the men saw, as they ministered to the Lord, we are told, and fasted. The Holy Spirit came upon them, and the Holy Spirit said to them, separate me, Paul and Barnabas, for the work whereunto I have called them. Here we see the work of the Holy Spirit in enabling His people to be witnesses for Him. What were they doing? Well, there they were growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ in the church in Antioch. and they were studying the scriptures, they were praying and they were fasting, waiting upon the Lord until the Lord gave them the marching orders. Separate me, Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And so when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. You see how the Lord worked through the Spirit of God in His Church when the people of God would take time to wait upon Him to study the Scriptures in fasting and prayer. Have you ever wondered why oftentimes we are not useful for the Lord. I say to all of us that we need to take time to know the Lord and to know His will. We need to take time to study His Word. We need to take time to pray and we need to take time to know and wait upon the Lord to instruct and to guide us. So Paul, with many others, they were in the Church, taking time to cultivate, to build their spiritual lives. Dear friends, we need to take time to nourish our own souls. that our hearts may be strengthened and to know the will of God, that we will be so close to God, that the Spirit of God will fill us, that we will be sensitive to the will of God, so that He may be able to use us. And as we take time to study the Word of God, you will see that the Word of God will come to deal with our lives, deal with our hearts, to sanctify us, to teach us, to help us to see what is the way of grace, What is the way by which we ought to live as holy vessels for the Lord? And these men that were named here were men who were consecrated to God. They understood that they have been saved for a purpose, that their lives have been given back to them. We were reading the testimony of the Apostle Paul, isn't it, in Acts chapter 22, when he shared how he was saved. How was he saved? Well, he was on the road to Damascus, persecuting Christians. He was lost, doing his own things. when God suddenly arrested him through a bright light from heaven. And oftentimes it is like this, isn't it? We don't know what we are doing until God one day would confront us to turn us around. And how did God turn Paul around? Well, he struck him blind. Suddenly, by the bright light, he lost his sight. It's a terrible thing, isn't it, to lose your sight? Suddenly you cannot see. The world at that moment seemed to have collapsed all around him. He thought he was doing God a favour, doing what he did, persecuting Christians. until the Lord Jesus Christ confronted him. When the Lord Jesus Christ confronted him, he realized and he was blinded. He realized that what he was doing was wrong. Dear friends, God oftentimes has to deal with each one of us in a way to help us to see the waywardness of our own soul, to bring us back to Him. So for the Apostle Paul, God had to drastically blind him. And for three days he was blinded and he took that time, isn't it? to examine himself until God asks a man called Ananias to meet him and to heal him of his blindness and to say to him that he is a chosen vessel of the Lord. Dear friends, when God saves you, It was a mighty miracle that God had done to transport you from the doldrums of hell all the way to heaven. And when Paul was saved, we were told, isn't it, in his testimony in Acts chapter 22, that he would be a vessel that God has chosen to be an instrument to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Acts 22 verse 21, the last verse that we have read, Dear friends, you realize that We have a mission when God saved us on earth, and that mission is to be a witness for the Lord, to judge men and women, to see the living and true God. That is our mission. That is the purpose by which God saved us. so that we would understand and know that there is a deep purpose, a deep mystery in our coming to know God and the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. So when the Apostle Paul was saved, God would take him to the church in Antioch in which he would be nurtured and then he would be commissioned for a work to establish many churches in the Gentile world. And that's the third phase in which from Acts chapter 13 to 28, we see the extension of the Church with in Paul's three missionary journeys. And so the Lord sent them forth after they had The church had fasted and prayed and laid hands upon them. What is the meaning of laying of hands? Well, as you think about the sacrifice that the priest in the Old Testament does to the animal that is going to be a sacrifice. Well, it is a sacrifice. The person or the animal that was laid hands upon would be the sacrifice. And so when this was done, the laying of hands, it was a consecration that this person, this animal would be sacrificed for the salvation of the soul that would be placed or the blood that would be shed for the remission of the sins that were committed. Well that has that symbolic meaning there in the laying of hands. And the Lord when when he instructed the church to send forth their missionaries to preach the gospel. And there you see the power of God working in these consecrated lives. That when the Lord would fill them, they would be guided and instructed to do the will of God. And so when we come to Acts chapter 16, we saw in the second missionary journey how the Lord led the group to minister where they have ministered in the first missionary journey, verse 6 of Acts chapter 16. Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, Here we are told that they were forbidden to preach the word in Asia after they come to Misha, they assailed to go into Bithynia. But the Spirit suffered them not. The Holy Spirit stopped them. The Holy Spirit told them. You see, it was their will. They thought that they were to be guided to do this, to go into Bithynia. But the Holy Spirit intervened to guide them, to show them the way by which they are to go. And when we would take time to wait upon the Lord, we would be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit of God, He would show us what we ought to do, where we ought to go, how we ought to serve Him. And there they passed through Mysia and came to Throes. And we are told in verse 9, and a vision appeared to Paul in the night. And there stood a man of Macedonia and prayed to him, saying, come over into Macedonia and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord has called us for to preach the Gospel unto them. And so the Lord will lead us in a very clear way to the people whom he has chosen for salvation. And if we will not do our own things and if we are consecrated to Him, He will lead us and show us what we ought to do through His Spirit that indwells us. And that is what we saw here, how the Lord would lead them from Troas to Neapolis and then to Philippi. There would be, by the river on the Sabbath day, a prayer meeting. There were no synagogues there, but a group of people were gathering together and Paul was there after they made their way to Philippi. And there you see how the Lord enabled them to minister to this lady called Lydia in verse 14 of Acts chapter 16. A cellar of purple of the city of Tartira which worshipped God heard us whose heart the Lord opened how the Lord leads us when we are sensitive to the leading of the Spirit of God, to souls that ought to be saved, earmarked for salvation. And when we are sensitive to the leading of the Spirit of God, God will lead us to do His Holy Will. And so when God opened her eyes, she was changed. She experienced a new birth. All things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. She was baptised. How the Lord works so marvellously, isn't it? And not only was Lydia and the family saved, but God caused Paul to confront a damsel that was possessed with a spirit of divination. And there, Paul would be given by the power of God to cast out the devil that was disturbing the peace of that lady. And as we consecrate ourselves to the Lord's guidance, to the Lord's work, you will find that It is not all plain sailing. Of course they were rejoicing when the devil was cast out. But the next thing that they faced was imprisonment. The owner of that lady, who was the medium that was used for profit, began to do something to report them to the authorities. And the next thing they knew, they were bitten with many stripes. Persecution came upon them, and they were cast into prison. And you would see also that while they were in prison, they were praying and they were singing praises to God, and the prisoners heard them. They knew that it was the will of God that they would have to suffer for Christ's sake. And there they had peace in their heart. They knew they were suffering, they were enduring the pain that was inflicted upon them. And there They waited upon God, for God has a plan to save, while they are in prison, the steward of the jail, the keeper of the prison. for him and his family. And so what did God do? God sent an earthquake and caused them all to be freed from their shackles, but they did not run away. And there the prison keeper saw the power of God and came kneeling, trembling before them and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house And so when we are working in tandem with God, the Spirit of God leads us and that's where we begin to be useful for the Lord in doing His bidding. And that was the life of the Apostle Paul in those 16 years that the Lord used him. Acts 13-14, in AD 47-49, describes for us the first missionary journey. And Acts 16-18, from AD 50-53, the second missionary journey. and Acts 18 to 21 from AD 54 to 58, we see the third missionary journey. God would send forth his people to be his witnesses. And so we are not just witnessing to our own family members, those who are still around us, that are still outside the Kingdom of God, yes, we are to witness to them. But God also can use us to witness to a wider field. So you are a witness to your friends and your classmates in school. to your colleagues, your clients, your suppliers, your students, the place in which the Lord would place you. You are a witness for the Lord. And we need to be sensitive, isn't it, to the leading of the Spirit of God, to help us to see and know what are those souls that would need help. And when we are prepared, the Lord will also help us to see the needs of the people around us, the souls that are still unsaved, and how we can minister to them the Lord would give to us a word of wisdom through His Word, so that we would be able to direct, lead them at the critical point in their lives to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. And oftentimes, we would realize that in that process, There would be a great assailing of the enemy, as it were, because we are in the battlefield. We are in a battle, a light against darkness. And you can see throughout the book of Acts, that whilst on the one hand God accomplished something, through his miraculous working power to save a soul, there you would see opposition arising to cause, as it were, the work to be stopped. And you would realize that if the enemy can stop us, he will certainly want to stop us. But if we would know that we are under charge, that we are commissioned of the Lord to be His witnesses, then when we are under pressure, as it were, we would not buckle. we would know that indeed there is work for us to do and that we are willing to wait upon God and we are willing to do His bidding. And that is what the Apostle Paul experienced in his missionary journeys. That the Lord would show him what he ought to do, how long he needs to stay in a particular place, which direction he should go, who he should talk to, what he should do. And our work is to take time to nurture our own souls, to take time to wait on the Lord, and to pray and to let the Holy Spirit fill us to guide us. And you will see that the vessels that are described, the apostles that were described doing the work of God, they were clean vessels. They were men who were consecrated to God and that they understood the divine mission that God has appointed for them. And we all need to go through that process, isn't it? That we would more and more be rid of the influence, the temptations of the world upon us, the cares of this life, And we would learn how they would entangle us, how they would trap us, how they would cause us to be ineffectual, ineffective witnesses for the Lord. And then the Lord would help us to see. And then when we understand And we consecrate ourselves, we separate ourselves from the world, and then we begin to consecrate our lives to Him, our hearts to Him. That's where you would find that the Lord began to show us the souls that needed help. around us. We would be able to see, God would help us to understand the struggles, what are the things that are going through in the lives of the people around us. And then the wisdom of God to minister a word of comfort, a word of encouragement, a word of exhortation, a word of admonition, so that that particular person would be led to God, to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, Jesus Christ. And so throughout the book of Acts, you would see the working of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ upon His servants as they consecrate themselves to His use. The Holy Spirit would direct them. The Holy Spirit would show them. And how can we be directed? Dear friends, the Holy Spirit does not work independently. by itself, but the Holy Spirit works in tandem with the Word of God. And that is why we are embarking in these last two years, in fact, for all this time, to read the Bible, to take time to understand the will of God, to meditate upon the Word of God, and I ask you that you would set aside time to know the will of God by taking time daily to meet with the Lord through the quiet study of His Word. So you have a devotional book and it speaks to you and I pray that you would also take time to read. And now we are doing the shorter and the larger catechism, so that we would understand and know the plan of God, the will of God, the salvation of God, what God is doing in our hearts, in our lives, and to categorically understand the work in which God has called His Church. to do, so that we would all be united, striving in one spirit for the advancement of the Gospel work. This is the commission that God has given to His Church. This is our mission, to save souls and to nurture them so that they would be disciples that would be able to disciple others, would be able to be useful in leading others on that pathway to heaven. And I pray that we are all growing, we are all learning, and under Christ, by the Spirit, through His Word, to be useful instruments more and more, year by year, day by day. for His glory. May the Lord help us. May the Lord strengthen us as we look at this blueprint that God has done for the extension of the Church, the establishment of all the Churches that were described here. And from now on you would as you carry on the reading of the New Testament after the Gospels, the Book of Acts, you will see the epistles. The epistles are the inside story of the Church after the Church has been established. How is the Church to be strengthened so that the Church would be a useful instrument for the Lord in His witness to all the nations of the world. And the epistles would be written by Paul. Paul is the one who has written the most of the epistles, 13 or 14 if you include the book of Hebrews, to strengthen the hands of the church so that the church would be prepared to wage a warfare for the Lord to conquer, to possess for the Lord's sake, for His glory. May the Lord help us. Let us pray. Father, we thank Thee for Thy Word. Strengthen us by Thy Spirit and grant to us Thy grace to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to be useful instruments for Thy kingdom's sake, for Thy own honour and glory, as we see the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ. A time will come when we can work no more. So Lord, strengthen Thy people, use Thy Church for Thy own honour and glory. This I pray with thanksgiving through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The closing hymn is 87. Let us arise. I know whom I have believed. 87. I know not why God's wondrous grace to me hath made known. Now I, unworthy Christ in love, redeem me for His own. But I know, O my happy leader, And am persuaded that he is able To keep that which I've committed Unto him against that day. Stanza three. Know not how the Spirit moves, Convincing man of sin, Revealing Jesus through the Word, Creating faith in Him. I have believer and am persuader that he is able to keep man which I have omitted. I know not what of good For weary ways or golden days, before His face I see. And am persuaded that He is able To keep that which I've committed Unto Him against that day I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair, nor if I walk the vale with Him or me. and I'm persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Please be seated. We have completed in our Adult Sunday School the study of the Book of 1 Corinthians. And I thought it would be useful if we would continue to take time to study the foundation Bible class notes together. So for a season before we would embark on the next book of the Bible, we would take time to study the catechism classes, foundation Bible class lesson one on God today. there would be almost 19 lessons. So I pray that we would be able to take time to study before we go on to study other books. And I would urge families to gather together, to study together, so that we would be able to understand the basic principles of the Christian faith. We are planning for a Reformation study tour from the 12th to the 16th of May with visits to Germany and Switzerland. Please come forward if you are interested. The itinerary is given there in the announcements. Wednesday Bible study at 11am, prayer meeting at 8pm. That's all the announcements that we have. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord lift his countenance upon you. and give you peace, and give you peace. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, be gracious Lord, be gracious, gracious unto you. Amen. The service is now over. The Foundation Bible Class Notes are available at the reception table. Please avail yourselves to them.
Lord's Day - 9 February 2025
Series Opening the New Testament
Sermon ID | 29251133134705 |
Duration | 1:51:46 |
Date | |
Category | Sunday Service |
Bible Text | Acts 13-28 |
Language | English |
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