Expounds on the Apostle Paul's final charge to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, emphasizing the importance of repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ as the foundation of Christian life and ministry. It highlights Paul's dedication to declaring the whole counsel of God, his clear conscience regarding his ministry, and his steadfast commitment to finishing his course despite impending suffering. The message contrasts Paul's faithful pursuit of a heavenly reward with the foolishness of Saul's disobedience and self-deception, urging listeners to live for Christ and avoid becoming a fool for the world.
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of the announcement about Eliot Van Ryn being here October the first. It doesn't mean that I won't be back till after that. We'll be back, Lord willing, three weeks prior to that, the second Sunday of September, when I'll return from Canada. Lord, I make that announcement because the phrase said that I'll be away, and here are some special speakers. In the meantime, he mentioned Eliot Van Ryn along with the other two. what you think I would be back the latter and it would be true because that'd be the middle of October. Shall we turn in our Bibles to Acts chapter twenty?
I've had people ask me this the last week or two about when we're going to speak on the book of Revelation again. We spoke on it the first time when we came seventeen years ago and then five years after that we spoke on it. And then the last time was seven years ago. It would be eight coming January. So we'll finish up, Lord willing, on the Book of Acts when we return from the north. And I don't think we'll get through Acts to have time before Christmas to get in the Book of Revelation because of Thanksgiving coming up and then the rush of Christmas time. So if the Lord be willing, we'll start on the Book of Revelation in January.
A lot are asking about that, and certainly things have developed rapidly in the last seven years since we spoke on the last time, and that one thing about the Book of Revelation, as events happen, they are throwing further light on that book and opening up the Book of Revelation in a way that it wasn't even known, even ten years ago. So there are these remarkable events that are only... telling us in plain emphatic, undeniable language that are coming of our Lord God very, very nice. Shall we turn to Acts chapter twenty, Acts chapter twenty.
And verse one of Acts chapter twenty. And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. When he had gone over those parts, and had given them much, Edpyrch, exhortation, he came into Greece, and there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. There accompanied him into Asia, Cepater, of Berea, and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus, and Secundus, and Gaius of Derby, and Demotheus of Asia, Titicus, and Trofimus, these, going before, tarry for us.
You know that little word, us includes virality, And Silas and the physician Luke were with Paul. And so if you take the seven men that were in chapter four, with three in chapter five that are implied, Paul, Silas, and Luke, you have a group of ten able men. And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread and came unto them to Troas in five days, where we abode seven days. and upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread, all preached unto them ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight.
There were many lights in the upper room, or upper chamber, where they were gathered together, and there sat in the window a certain young man named Eudicus. being fallen into a deep sleep, and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread and eaten, and thought the long vine, even till break of day, so he departed, and they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
And we went before to ship and sailed unto Asos, there intending to take in Paul, for so had he appointed, minding himself to go on foot. I guess he wanted a little fiscal exercise. And when he met with us at Asos, we took him in and came to Matillion. Mittalini is the right expression. I'll see it.Mittalini. And we sailed tents and came the next day over against Caius. And the next day we arrived at Samus and carried at Togilium. And the next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus because he would not spend the time in Asia.
for he hasted if it were possible for him to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. And from Meletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. When they were come to him, he said unto them, He know from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations, which repel me by the lying in wait of the Jews, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks' repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing of things that shall befall me there. Say that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me. Neither count I my light here unto myself, that I might finish my pure course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus. testified by the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men, that I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take ye therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseer, to be the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. In this passage we have the Lord's Day in verse seven, the Lord's Supper, who will be speaking on that in baptism tonight, so we trust you'll be out. You'll notice the lighted room and the long sermon.
got four L's there, the Lord's Day, the Lord's Supper, the lighted room, and the long sermon. The upper room. And we notice down further that it was at the third loft, which means the third story. That was a little unusual in those days to have a building with three stories. So you have the upper or heavenly character of the church. Here is the church meeting in the upper room and it suggests symbolically the heavenly character of the church. The three stories, death, prayer, and resurrection suggestive of the resurrected life and peasant ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and he is the head of the church.
The nation of Israel was God's earthly people, but the church is God's heavenly people. Thus you see our heavenly character here meeting in the upper room. There were many lights in the upper room, and the Bible tells us as Christians that we are light. We shine as light in the upper room, or the church should be a witness for Christ. And you find that also in Revelation chapter two, where he likened the church unto Daniel six, shine as light. But in the upper room there were many men, capable men, we mentioned ten of them, very gifted men.
And it indicates this, that in that day there were many outstanding gifts, apostolic gifts, men with real ability and capability. You don't find that much today. These mighty giants in the Word of God, these men who power and high above many others, like these rocky mountain peaks, so solid, capped with snow, speaking of gray-headed men, men who know the Word of God, men who have penetrating powers of perception as they get into the Word of God, these stalwart pillars in the church in those days.
You don't have to. Today the most gifted men we have among us are more or less kidneys by comparison to the gifts in those days. And so there were many such light in the upper room. There are some lessons here relative to this man Utica. The young man who was in a very precarious position, he was sitting in the window, not very comfortable, I assure you, sitting in the window, half in, half out. In other words, he was one of those characters who seemed walking on the fence. We have a lot of them today. Fence-walkers, irregular to meeting, half-hot.
They're not in and they're not out. They're just sitting in the window. Well, I don't know what caused this young man to get sleepy. Would it be that he was a tired slave and working hard all day, and here he was at the meeting, and Paul was doing the preaching? I don't feel so bad if anyone falls. If you don't mind me, the ignorance is so the impossible falls. I see one nodding now and again, but sometimes you don't know the background. You don't know the background of this slave. Or this young man that fell asleep here, I think, sometimes of the man, creature who had warmed up to his subject, and he looked down and saw a man sleeping on the front row, and he said to the man beside him, he said, Hey, take that fellow beside you.
He's fastly. He said, Rick, wake him up yourself. You put him to sleep. So we don't like to see people nodding in the meeting. But here was a fellow, and he was fast asleep sitting in the upper room. Now, it could be because of the crowd that was in there, and it was crowded. Heavenly, that's why he sat in the window. But there were many lights, and these old kind of lights they used to have. They had to trim them now and again because they lit off a certain smoke and odor. Maybe the room was heavy with that kind of smoke on the lamps, and that made them drowsy. I think it would. They didn't have air conditioning in those days.
The air must have been heavy and kind of drowsy, making one drowsy. There he was in the hot upper room, and that could be another point, because being in the top story, the hot eastern sun buried down on that room could have caused it to be quite hot. Well, you think of other things. Maybe it was Paul's sermon. Because Paul had been preaching up to midnight. It could be that Paul's sermon was too deep. He couldn't grasp it.
It could be that Paul's sermon was too involved. All these things can cause people to go to sleep. Go to sleep. But anyway, he fell out. and he fell down the sea shore. This half-hearted character and this bench walker fell out under the rule they eventually did. Paul said they went out from us because they were not of us. Those who are regular, full-hearted for the things of God, standing firm and fast for the principles of God. They are involved in the work of God.
They are involved in all the activities of the assembly. they won't fall out of it but these half-hawked characters do they're neither in nor are they out they lose their heavenly character when they fall out of the upper room now you'll notice it said that he was taken up dead he was a dead weight some people are in the church a dead weight in other words like this timber on the side of the sea of the beach. They're hardly useful in it. I don't want to be like that. I can't wait to do any uncertainty or any trick.
I want to be alive and of some help to that testimony. That's a good thing. He got restored. You know, Paul didn't stick his head out the window and see the poor fellow down there on the pavement and all around him and bless him out. falling as Satan. Oh, he didn't. He didn't jump on him either. He went down to him and he embraced. Is that a nice thing? I wonder if that is out at a deep war, some of the half-hearted. Some of those that are not quite in and they're not out. A backslider truly drove them in the warm way.
like the Apostle Keith's invasion. And the result was, the young fellow would restore his life, but I believe many Christians, backsliding Christians, could be restored back to the Lord of these, kind of more affectionate parts of the Christ, not yet in fact in his fellowship with the Lord. I'll tell you one thing, it's not in the Bible, but I'm sure it's true. When he got back in that upper room, he didn't sit in the window after that. I'm guarantee although Paul preached the morning, the break of day, he got every word. Don't think he missed one. One experience I found so not. And if you ever get away from the Lord as far as some people do, and you get restored and get back, you're going to appreciate and come to you for the Lord more than ever, and you're saved once and for you.
The prodigal when he came back from the far country... He appreciated and enjoyed the Father's house all the more after he had hidden the bargain. Sometimes, Christians do, like I said, but I'm telling you the Lord, being restored once in one another experience like that. And so Paul picked something, break of day, not any less. Nice thought, isn't it, for the break of day. that's when the Lord's coming for his church. He's coming as the bright and morning star, coming to claim his kingdom, to be with him forever.
What a break of day is ensured for those of us who will save by the grace of God. I want to notice some things about it, the apostle, his attitude, and his estimation of life, and his determination. Notice his attitudes in verse twenty-one. The Apostle Paul treats repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He himself knew something of that on the Damascus River. He knew that this was essential for a man to be saved or a woman to be saved.
These are the two points where we must begin. And Paul always had these things in his mind. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Now the one subjected, the other's object. Repentance toward God. What does that imply? It means I accept God's estimate of my sin. People today look upon sin very lightly. God has a holy abhorrence of sin. There are no white sins in the Bible or in the mindless law.
There are no gray sins. All sin is left. Do we realize before God what sin is? God's testament of sin. That's the first thing we've got to realize. Another thing we've got to subject. submitted of the subject under, that is God's devil's sins. Death, physical death, spiritual death, eventually the second death, the lake of God. You know that many women really believe that. Panic and the private.
You have to fly in the face of God to deny it. God's testament of sin and God's penalty for sin, which evolved eternal punishment for the mercy of God. Am I subject to these things and fall before me? Repentance toward God as to his testament of sin and his penalty for sin but then be subject to God's method and plan of redemption and salvation. In other words, God makes a slave, no matter how you repent. If you think I'm going to turn over a new leaf, I'm going to live a different way.
I'm going to try and do better. You're still in the subjective mood. But God says, now I'm going to tell you not only what I think of sin, but what my judgment against sin is going to be, but I'll tell you the only way of escape from this. and that's through the Lord Jesus Christ, my son, who went with the cross and laid down his life a penalty for sin. He shed his blood to put away sin, and he was raised again because he completed the work I gave him to do, and he's now at my right hand as a faithful Lord Jesus.
That's the object. The objective side of the message that Paul gave. Here is the negative side. Repentance toward God. That takes the side of faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ. And these two cannot be separated. They cannot be devoured. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what the Apostle preached. And that's what every reason There's no getting saved of it. Then you have Paul's estimation of his life.
And I'll tell you it's not a pastime. It's not a holiday. Paul's estimation of life. We read that in verse twenty-four, and you can read it in verse twenty-three. And I'll tell you his estimation of life simply meant this. It's a race, and it's going to require what? effort. It's going to require determination. It's going to require concentration, self-denial, and suffering. You notice that verse? In verse twenty-three, say that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city saying that wrongs and afflicts and defile me, but none of these things will be Neither count thy my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course of joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, tested by the gospel of the grace of God.
That's the plan. That's all estimate of man. My life will amount to any one, unless I live in Jesus. I count all things of law, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And if you don't agree with that, you will, as a Christian, will come to know. You'll see then how empty your life really wants, and how little you live for true life. When I say to the age of nineteen, For a while, now and again, that old suggestion of the devil, did he by himself?
Did he by? Did he by? Did he by? You're young. Why don't you have a good time? Being saved, listen to the Lord, that's all right for old folks. But now, why don't you enter the things of this world and have a good time and enjoy yourself? Yes, those thought pieces are coming to my mind. Then I'll take them. the Lord saved me from the earth. And the happiest moments I had had, the most joyful moments I had, have been those moments when I was living in Christ. And I was occupied with Christ. I was studying my life.
I was thinking of souls going to hell needing to be saved. When they got saved, they were the happiest moments of my life. That's when you get the real estimate of life if you don't get it soon. I said to many a person who's been dying on the deathbed, this is the real chaos for knowing Jesus Christ. When you're going to die, soon you'll be there last. Soon you'll slip from time and be permanently. That's the real chaos. Thank God. I'm ready for the last breath.
I'm ready to step from time to eternity, I know Jesus. Paul thus sums up his life. He gives his extra. He knows the sufferings of how involved. But he's ready to make the decision. He knew the rules of the race. He said that I might finish my thoughts. He knew the rules of the race, and it was a rough course. He was going to run on. Some of these races, if you see going on throughout the world, some of them, of course, is very rough.
Sometimes there are green pastures. Sometimes there are marshes, rocky roads, vessels, or... every day. The sun's not shining, the clouds hang low, they're dark, the valleys, yet the roads of horse is not always easy. I not know not where my pathway may lead, through the desert, or over the hill, or into the marsh, or into the meadow, but I know where it's going to end.
Not for me to be occupied where my life is going to wind. I am happy to know where it's going to be. It's going to end with the present law and that. Paul knew that he was living in the light of what a happy choice was he. Paul lived with a clear conscience. That's a wonderful thing. He says, but I take you to the verse twenty-six, but I take you to the record this day that I'm near from the blood of all men. That's an amazing sin.
Many a time I've had a holy conscience, and I've allowed a person to come into my presence and go out without having a word of testimony or piety in the Bible. Paul says, I'm free in the blood of all men. I've witnessed the record. I've held back up. I've declared unto you a whole council of God. I may not have spoken to everyone that I've met in life. I may not have witnessed or given a fact to everyone I've met in life, but I think I can say one thing.
I have never withheld anything in this room. I declared unto my audience, and the day I got saved, the whole council of God. And if the shoe fits where, I am making your apology, Paul had a clear conscience about that. He said, I have declared unto you the whole council of God. of when the Lord Jesus set people out in that great commission and told them to go out and preach the gospel. And he also told them that, there unto them all things whatsoever I have commanded.
And it's not enough. Just declare one thing in the Bible, and ignore or sidestep or push it over all. He had a clear conscience as to witnessing the men of the Lord. He had a clear conscience about how he had handled the word of God. I declared unto you the whole council of God. He witnessed. He walked from house to house. Notice that one. Just think of it. He was faithful in his witness. He walked from house to house in verse twenty. He worked night and day in verse thirty-one. night and day. And he says, I cease not to warn everyone, night and day with fear.
Twice in this chapter you find the Apostle referring to the Spirit. By the way, there, I thought of them as I was jotting down reading yesterday, he says, I will I walked from house to house. I worked night and day. I warned every man. I wept. I wept with the souls of men and also the Lord. What five wonderful fellows. I wondered if we know something or he would sleep. Then Paul comes to his happy end in verse twenty-four.
He speaks. He thinks of the end. And he tells us more about this over in Second Timothy, four, seven. He says, I fought the good fight. I finished my course. I kept the faith. And it is made up for me, henceforth it is made up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord shall give me in that day. And not to me only, but unto all them who love his appearance. Paul is seeing the end of the race. He dressed in himself to hit the page.
His final lunch. I finished my work. I kept the faith. I kept the news. I didn't step out either right or left. I stayed within my bound. On the word of God gives us the bound of his grace. So he said, I fought with this battle. Although bloody and scarred and wounded, I fought with this battle. I finished my work. I kept my mind at it. Henceforth it has made up for me a crown of righteousness. If the Lord shall give me in that day a not to the old man, but unto all them who love his.
We put in the paper the four things we were going to speak on this morning, and I'll just summarize. Looking back, Paul on this occasion, verses eighteen to twenty-one, he's looking back. What a happy reflection. I've redeemed the time. Have I? That's a happy reflection. I've redeemed. Then, looking forward, he knew what was before. He says, I know that the witness of the Spirit in every city has witness to me how, through Christians, through other fellow neighbors, who went to the Apostle and warned them against going to Jerusalem.
He says, I know what's before me. I know the Spirit of God is witnessing in every city. bonds and affliction in the lake. Like the Lord Jesus Christ, who was adjoined and were set before him, he endured the cross in the sky the same. The apostle Paul said, I know there are not in the darkness as to what is ahead of you. I know there are bonds I know there are, I know there are sorrows, I know there are I'm going to let you endure for the joy that's set before you, are winning the race and receiving the reward in the coming days.
Salvation is not the reward. Salvation is a free gift. You can't get into this race. You can't qualify for this race until you know Christ. When you accept Jesus Christ, you're qualified now for running this race. Sinners don't run in this race. Christians do. Then after that, they see their limitations laid out in the word of God. And the Spirit of God gives them the energy to run this race and anticipate the end of the race. But the giving of the race is not so important as the end.
Many a man may burst from the starting line, and lead the path, but be in the rear, at the end of the line. Then someone breaks the tape. Oh, yes, some young Christians have started out all on fire, full of zeal, love and compassion. They've made a break. The moment they got saved, he started out fictitious, joyful of thought, They began to lag. Their energy began to give up. Their spiritual energy began to wane because they were not studying the Bible. They were not praying as they did to the beginning.
They were not getting out to all the meetings. So they began to lag behind someone coming last. God wants us to keep the end in mind and to think for the crime. reward that awaits us. As Christians, you know we have a wonderful God. He saves us for nothing and then pays us for everything we do afterwards. My salvation is free. But then after that, it's up to me to run this race where God will give me a reward for that coming day. So here's the Apostle Paul, and he's looking forward.
steadfast in his purpose, then he's looking inward. Verses twenty-five to thirty-one, he's looking inward. What do you say? Verse thirty-one is very touchy. In other words, his conscience is very clear. He says, I haven't willed a tell the truth for many of you. And my hands are clear from the blood of all men. My conscience is clear before God. That's one of the most wonderful things our Christian can win for. Our clear conscience. And he says in verse thirty-one, Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years, I cease not to warn everyone, night and day with him.
He had a clear gospel, a conscience as to what he preached, and he had a clear conscience as to how he lived. And I don't know any happier frame of mind, a state of soul, than that for a Christian to say, I will have peace in my heart, rest in my heart, joy in my heart, but I haven't compromised with the truth of God. I've preached what I've supposed to preach. of what God gave me to preach, and I lived the way God intended I should. Where is the man? Where is the woman who can step into the company of the Apostle Paul and say, that's true of her?
But that's the room that's at the water. That's the time. Oh, to go to bed at night with a clear cup. Sometimes I wonder, when I could have spent that hour reading the Bible or visiting a Christian or speaking to some unsaved one or going through a meeting, how did I spend looking at something questionable on the TV? A wasted evening. You'll get no reward for that. And do you have a good conscience? If you do, there's something wrong.
I don't see how a Christian can have a good conscience and waste an evil plan when he could have been doing something for the Lord. Reading the word of God and feeding his soul for speaking to others and helping others and giving up things is wrong. Paul looked in him. After he first looked back for it, then he looked on. Then he looked in. and he had a clear heart. Then he looks humble. Verse thirty-two, he says, I commend you to God and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among them that are sent.
Five things is about the level. And he says, you'll see my face no more. And I commend you to God. That's the Word. And the Word of His strength. That's the Word. Which is able to build you up. That's the Word. And give you an inheritance. That's the Word. Among them that are sanctified. Set apart the Lord. That's the Word. And he looked back. He looked back. Satisfied. a clear purpose.
He looked ahead, suffering and good. He looked within, by consciousness as to the past, as to the new. And he looked up to the one who was the source of that strength, who gave him the determination to live the life that he did. But in conclusion, First of all, I was sitting in the restaurant the other day, wondering about this morning's message, and the title one, and came to mind in this way, the fence walker.
There are three FWs. The fence walker. Then the faithful witness, the apostle Paul, and then the who, the whale. Ready to thank. you know there's a Saul in the Old Testament and there's a Saul in the New Testament the one in the New Testament became Paul but one in the Old Testament didn't get his name James he was still Saul because Saul in the Old Testament died I believe it is sin Paul in the New Testament said he died in the sin And what was the lament of Saul in the Old Testament?
The wail of the fool. He says, I have paid the fool. I've heard exceedingly what did he do. He neglected his true friend like old Sabbath. Yes, he said, I made a mistake. Oh, how I should have perished it with God's people. I don't think I should. I've played the fool. I've heard this year. He played the fool when he disobeyed God, when God told him to go and kill Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and Saul spared.
And Agag speaks of the flesh, and Saul spared them. Paul Saul said, I played the fool. He was saying more about that tonight. He played the fool when he tried to cover up his disobedience by religious excuses and action. Some people, you know, they do wrong during the week and they sin. They think, well, I'll go to church on Sunday morning and try to balance that thing out. Yes, Saul tried that. He tried to cover up his disobedience. by religious excuse. Then again, he played the fool when he tried to persuade himself he was doing God's will, but he knew in his heart he wasn't.
He played the fool when he allowed jealousy, hatred, the master, and enslave, and he prayed him. So much so he was jealous of David. He heard that Javelin would have pinned David to the wall had David not slipped out of his head. played the fool when he was fighting against God to save his own face. God had rejected Saul from being king and replaced him with David, a man after his own heart. Saul in the Old Testament was head and shoulders physically above every other man in Israel.
But the Saul in the Old Testament was head and shoulders above every other man. spiritually. But he was only little, is he? Here is Saul in the Old Testament, the king. Head and shoulders a handsome man. Head and shoulders above everyone else. But here is Saul in the New Testament, the little man. He was head and shoulders spiritually above everyone else. But it was not a Yes, and Saul in the Old Testament, his motto, Enlightenment is, shall I go to live for sin?
Salmon in the Old Testament, his motto was, for me to live. Christ. Not sin. Christ. Saul in the Old Testament, died in shame and in gloom. slain on Mount Bilbo. Yes, he died in shame and in all of the New Testament. He died. And he said, it's game. My death's going to be game. For me to live as Christ would die as game.
But so saw in the Old Testament his death was shame and good. credit on that. Saul in the Old Testament, his final lament was, I played the fool. I heard exceedingly. Paul in the New Testament says, I bought a good bank. I finished my course. I kept it to him. Saul in the Old Testament, he lost the crown of Israel. saw it in the New Testament, said, I want it not.
Now crown the Lord the righteous judge of you in that day. Listen, are you looking for your crown down here? The crown of men is of law. The crown of appreciation. The crown of being a man. crown of the world. The crown of the death. Yes, you put a crown on your head that will enter him. Or you're looking forward to a crown of the hands of the Lord.
No withering crown down here, but a glittering crown up there. It slowly will not diminish, beloved. Paul says, this is what I am in the Lord. This is what I'm working for. This is what I'm waiting for. God saved me under the master's road, and ever since then, I've had one model, and it's for Christ. And only one life will soon be passed, and only what's done for Christ is back. What will your life and your death be like Saul of the Old Testament? wave of a fruit.
Oh yes, I've made the fruit, I've heard the fruit. In one of the big demonstrations in New York, a child of God had a sign, one of those signs, they have one on the front and one on the back, and the rule, the one on the back, is the same as the one on the front. And this was on TV. I tell you, that was something. And this fellow, one will take demonstrations, a Christian. He had a platter on the front of him. I am a fool for Christ. I turned to the crowd of the Lord. He could hardly walk or keep on pushing each other. He had plenty of room. They gave him a wide berth and saw this fellow come.
A fool for Christ. But as they passed and they turned around to take a look at what was on the back. A fool's fool on you. That's it. Who's fool of you? Are you the devil's fool? I want to be fool for Christ, not the devil's fool. And you can make your choice. Will you accept Christ as your Savior this morning? Or will you reject? Will you live for Christ henceforth? Or will you live for yourself, which in time up to you, shall we pray?
Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come into thy presence and ask thy blessing. Upon thy word, O Father, may it be that thy spirit has worked with some heart in meeting us one. May they look back over the past, this will come. May they look into the future of rage. May they look up and see thee a loving God. May they look in and make of the sea in their hearts. We ask this.