1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:05,960 Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,040 The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,280 or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,760 us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,080 message from God's Word will be a blessing to you. 7 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,640 I mean, remember, I think it was Staples that had that easy 8 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:29,640 button. Do anybody remember that back in 9 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:31,400 the day? You know, and you press the 10 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:33,000 button, is it that was easy, right? 11 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:37,240 You know, we don't have an easy button around here, but pastors 12 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,640 are guilty of maybe having Amen buttons, meaning this. 13 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:42,240 There's certain things that we say that. 14 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,680 Well, we know you're probably going to say Amen if we say it. 15 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:46,800 You know, we say, hey, around here at Liberty Baptist Church, 16 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:48,920 we believe in the word of God. Amen. 17 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:50,840 Yeah. See, that's that was easy. 18 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,800 All right, See, you know, we could say those kind of things 19 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,400 and we know that, you know, we're just going to be able to 20 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,360 get you to say Amen. And you know, what I'm about to 21 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:03,400 say is not an Amen button, but I do believe it's important for it 22 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,920 to be said this morning. We believe that salvation is by 23 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,840 grace and not by works. Amen. 24 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,840 All right, so I'm not saying that to try to get you to say 25 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:14,320 Amen. I'm saying that because, well, 26 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,320 it's the truth from the Word of God, isn't it? 27 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:18,640 And there's probably not a week that goes by that you don't hear 28 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,440 me say something along the lines of the fact that salvation is by 29 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,480 grace through faith. Titus chapter 3, verse 5. 30 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,240 Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but 31 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:33,160 according to His mercy. He saved us by the washing of 32 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,880 regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. 33 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,760 By the way, that washing of regeneration is not the washing 34 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,440 of the baptism font, as we often see in other denominations with 35 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,600 little children and otherwise. No, no, it's the washing by the 36 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,240 precious blood of Jesus Christ upon a soul. 37 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,880 No, no, it's not by works. Isaiah 64, verse 6. 38 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,160 But if we were to have our work save us, here's the problem. 39 00:01:55,320 --> 00:02:00,040 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness 40 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,040 is a filthy rag. That we do fade as a leaf and 41 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,240 our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 42 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:08,919 You know you're. Going to hear a lot if you've 43 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,400 been here for any length of time at Liberty Baptist Church about 44 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,720 the issues of Good works not saving us. 45 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:18,160 Good works didn't save someone in the Old Testament, good works 46 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,000 never saved in one of the New Testament, and good works never 47 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,200 saved anyone today. Nowhere in history are people 48 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:29,080 saved by good works. But here's maybe a little bit of 49 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,400 a point of contention about making such a big deal about 50 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,760 that every week. And again, it's right for us to 51 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,160 say that because it's Bible. But here's something we need to 52 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,800 be careful of. Good works are still good. 53 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,160 Good works are good. Don't get me wrong. 54 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,800 Good works won't save you. But good works are good. 55 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,760 In fact, it's not the existence of the good works, it's a 56 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,200 problem. It's the order in which they're 57 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,480 accomplished. That good works don't save a 58 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:02,520 soul, but a saved soul should be doing good works not to be 59 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,000 saved. But because we know Jesus Christ 60 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,720 as our Savior, this morning we're going to look at this 61 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,080 issue of growing in good works. We've been talking about growing 62 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,040 a lot the last few weeks, haven't we, That we're used to 63 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,000 be growing in our Christian life. 64 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,320 And as you are growing, listen, we should be growing and just 65 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,320 doing good works. And often times it's not 66 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,840 something that we think about as we go from place to place and 67 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,280 day-to-day trying to get all of our stuff done and our things 68 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,560 accomplished, that we should be doing good works towards those 69 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,560 who we interact with on a daily basis. 70 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,200 And today we're going to see Peter, who has been doing some 71 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,040 good works, is going to be called to help and aid someone 72 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,080 who also had done some good works over time. 73 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,920 And we're going to see how all of that makes a difference to 74 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:49,760 us. Here today, would you stand 75 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:50,800 please? For the reading of God's Word, 76 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,040 where in Acts Chapter 9, beginning in verse #32 We'll 77 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,360 begin in verse #32 and the Word of God says this. 78 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,680 And it came to pass as Peter passed throughout all quarters. 79 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,800 He came down also to the Saints which dwelt at Lita. 80 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,920 And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had been, 81 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,960 which had kept his bed rather eight years, and was sick of the 82 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,480 palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, 83 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:22,079 Jesus Christ maketh the whole, Arise and make thy bed. 84 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:26,480 And he arose immediately, and all that dwelt at Lita, and 85 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,160 Sarin saw him, and turned to the Lord. 86 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:33,240 Now there was Joppa, a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by 87 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:36,680 interpretation is called Dorcas. This woman was full of good 88 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,760 works and alms. Deeds which she did came to pass 89 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:45,000 in those days that she was sick and died, whom, When they had 90 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,000 washed, they laid her in an upper chamber, and for as much 91 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,560 as Litta was 9 to Joppa, And the disciples had heard that Peter 92 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,560 was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he 93 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,120 would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with 94 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:01,920 them. When he was come, they brought 95 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,040 him into the upper chamber and all the. 96 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,960 Widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments 97 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:10,200 with Dorcas made while she was with them. 98 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:15,200 But Peter put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed, and 99 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,160 turning him to the body of Tabitha, or to the body, said 100 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,160 Tabitha Arise. And she opened her eyes. 101 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:25,240 And when she saw Peter she sat up, and he gave her his hand, 102 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,280 lifted her up, and when he called, the Saints and widows 103 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:31,360 presented her alive. And it was known throughout all 104 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:33,560 Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 105 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,520 And it came to pass that he tarried many days in Joppa with 106 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,960 one Simon, a Tanner. You may be seated. 107 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:47,000 This morning we're going to see that growing is good and that 108 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,400 growing is for good. That growing is good, but 109 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:52,200 growing is also. For good. 110 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:54,360 You are not saved by your good works. 111 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:56,880 But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't do good works. 112 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,400 In fact, quite the opposite. Our good work should flow from 113 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,240 the fact that we are new creatures in Jesus Christ. 114 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,040 Heavenly Father, be with us this morning as we preach the Word of 115 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:07,520 God. Lord, help me to be able to say 116 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,320 what needs to be said, but I thank you for each person who is 117 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:11,600 here. I thank you for those who are 118 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,720 watching online. I think of some who even this 119 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,200 morning have texted me and contacted me that they're ill, 120 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:18,440 but they're watching. I pray that you would just let 121 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:21,600 them know our love upon them and that our desire to see them 122 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:23,880 again soon. May the gospel be proclaimed. 123 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,800 May I say what needs to be said, rightly dividing the word of 124 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:28,520 truth. And we ask it in Jesus name, 125 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,320 Amen. Well, we see beginning in verse 126 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:35,720 #32 that Peter is continuing to heal and those good works that 127 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,360 he is doing is causing many people to come to Christ. 128 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,040 And I do think it's interesting that Peter, who continues to 129 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,720 just follow what the Lord has called him to do day by day, 130 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,400 week by week, month by month, is now finding more opportunities 131 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,360 to minister and more opportunities to be a minister 132 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:54,760 of the Word of God. Listen, that's what growing and 133 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,680 being faithful is all about. You can't just do it all in one 134 00:06:57,680 --> 00:06:59,600 day. You can't just do it all because 135 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,240 you decide today you want to be faithful and tomorrow you get 136 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,320 everything accomplished that God has for you in your life. 137 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,240 You just a little bit at a time, a little bit here and a little 138 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:09,000 bit there. And before you know it that God 139 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,800 has you where he needs you to be and you're faithful and little, 140 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:12,960 and then you're faithful and much. 141 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:14,680 And that's where Peter is right now. 142 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,040 I mean, could we imagine a few months ago when he had denied 143 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:22,120 Jesus Christ that now people would be healed and that people 144 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,040 would be lining up in the streets hoping there's the 145 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:26,920 shadow of Peter would cross them? 146 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,520 We couldn't even imagine. But by the way, that's what God 147 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:31,920 can do. That would have been a good 148 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:33,080 place to say, man, you know what? 149 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,360 That's what God can do to a life. 150 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,000 He could take someone that's not being faithful and he can take 151 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,720 someone that has had a hard road and he's gonna take someone 152 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,640 that's had some difficulty and maybe is uneducated and all 153 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,400 those things that Peter was. But just when he decided to be 154 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,640 faithful, that the Holy Spirit working within him could do far 155 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,400 more than he ever could have imagined. 156 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,920 And look at Peter now and he sees this man named Aeneas and 157 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,120 he says to him, get up and make your bed. 158 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,280 That seems kind of rude to me. He says, get up, make your bed. 159 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:01,280 You know, it sounds like kind of what my wife tells me, you know, 160 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,600 get up and make your bed, you know, And so here it is. 161 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:06,000 He says get up and make your bed. 162 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,520 And there it is. He gets up and he makes his bed. 163 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:13,680 And it says in verse #35 that all that dwelt and Lita and 164 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:16,280 Saren saw him and turned to the Lord. 165 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,360 And we find that those good works did what? 166 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,520 It just magnified the name of Jesus Christ, and more people 167 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:23,640 came to Jesus. This wasn't about Peter 168 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,200 magnifying himself. This is when Peter doing 169 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,360 something good for someone else because he wanted to be a big 170 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:31,840 shot, or he wanted to have a name, or he wanted to be the 171 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,960 chiefest of the apostles. No, no, he wanted the name of 172 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,440 Jesus Christ to be glorified. And that's what happened. 173 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,720 People got saved right and left because they heard of what had 174 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,159 happened here. But it just so happens that 175 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,280 after this miracle took place that Peter gets word that in a 176 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:53,360 very close proximity to where he is, there in Lita, that there is 177 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:58,080 in Joppa a man, or rather a woman who has passed away. 178 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:01,880 Her name is Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas. 179 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,240 And so I will say this, if your name is Dorcas, you'd probably 180 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:06,920 rather be called Tabitha, all things considered. 181 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:08,560 Amen. And so we're gonna stick with 182 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:11,520 Tabitha here for the rest of the morning because it's just, well, 183 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,320 it's obvious why that is the case. 184 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:17,680 But there in Joppa, very close to where Litta is, it's about a 185 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,920 space of about 14 miles, give or take, in the seaside town. 186 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:23,840 It was a land of the Philistines. 187 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:25,680 In fact, today you can find it on the map. 188 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:27,680 If you've ever heard of Jaffa before. 189 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:30,880 Jaffa, that is the biblical town of Joppa. 190 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,520 It's a seaside town that was part of the land of the 191 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,000 Philistines. But after the dispersion that 192 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,760 later on during the Roman occupation of Israel, that it 193 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,800 became part of the land of Israel and they were Israelites 194 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,560 that live there in this place called Joppa. 195 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,440 And so it says that there was this woman named Tabatha, named 196 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,800 Dorcas, and she was a pillar of the church. 197 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:53,640 And it says two things that she did. 198 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,720 She was full of rather good works and alms deeds, good works 199 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:00,240 in alms. Now, good works is pretty easy 200 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,720 for us to understand, isn't it? Good works is essentially any 201 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:08,040 virtuous action that could benefit others and honor God. 202 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:11,440 It has the connotation of toil, meaning that it was something 203 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:15,680 that cost her personally in finances and physicality. 204 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,200 And we know that's the case because there were some women 205 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:21,560 that said she made us coats. She made us these little coats 206 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:24,440 that we could work wear. And of course, we understand in 207 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,520 our day and time that if you need a coat, you go to 208 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:30,440 Burlington Coat Factory, you go to Savers or you go to Amazon or 209 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,200 wherever it is and you get yourself a coat. 210 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,000 It wasn't that way back then. And of course many didn't have 211 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,760 the finances to be able to have someone make them a coat or to 212 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,760 buy one at market. And so here is a woman that her 213 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:43,920 good work is to be able to help those who are in need. 214 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:45,640 And beyond that it says almsdeeds. 215 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,160 Now, good works and almsdeeds do go hand in hand, but there is a 216 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,880 little bit of a difference. Remember that those women who 217 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,040 received the coats were widows, the Bible says. 218 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,200 And almsdeeds are often works that are done for the poor and 219 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:02,360 the widows and the afflicted. Good works and alms deeds go 220 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:04,560 together. And alms deed is always a good 221 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:06,480 work. But a good work isn't always an 222 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:07,680 alms deed. Does that make sense? 223 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:12,320 These alms deeds are for the poor and for the widowed and for 224 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:16,040 the afflicted or the orphan. The Bible talks much about 225 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,600 taking care of those who are in those situations in the New 226 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,640 Testament as well as in the Old Testament. 227 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,720 So here is a woman who had done many good works. 228 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,760 She had done many alms deeds. But there's a problem. 229 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,800 She's dead. You know, so often times you 230 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:35,120 hear people say, well, why do bad things happen to good 231 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,960 people? And certainly Tabitha would have 232 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:41,560 been one of those good people. You know, we don't always know 233 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:43,920 the answer to why God does what he does. 234 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:45,880 I wish I could tell you today why you? 235 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,120 Go through the difficulty that you go through in your life. 236 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,880 And I wish I could explain to myself in the quietness of my 237 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:54,240 heart why some of the difficulties I've gone through, 238 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,720 our family has gone through, why we go through those. 239 00:11:56,720 --> 00:12:01,080 And I'm not arrogant enough to try to explain away why you go 240 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:02,400 through the difficulties of life. 241 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,840 But I will say that I will say this, that even through the 242 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:08,080 difficulties of life, God is good. 243 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,800 It's easy for us to say that God is good when things are good. 244 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:13,400 In fact, you know, things are going well. 245 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:14,720 You just got a promotion at work. 246 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:15,800 You know, you got plenty of money. 247 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:17,400 Your health is good. You say, hey, how are things 248 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:18,640 going? God's good. 249 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,360 Listen, if you don't get a promotion, maybe you got laid 250 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:23,160 off. If you don't have money in the 251 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:24,600 bank, or maybe your health isn't. 252 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:26,360 Listen, someone asked you how you're doing. 253 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,720 The answer is still, God is good because it's the same God of the 254 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,480 good times, which is the same God of the bad times. 255 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:37,040 And so here's a woman who seemingly didn't deserve to have 256 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:39,080 what happened to her. You say, pastor, that's not 257 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,200 right to say that. No, I know that in God's master 258 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:45,240 plan, what happened should have happened, but seemingly to the 259 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,160 outside, if anyone should have died, it shouldn't have been 260 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,200 Dorcas. It should have been someone else 261 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:56,400 because this is a woman that was full of good works in Olmsted's. 262 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,040 So what do we see through this? Well, there's a few things that 263 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,640 we see here I find interesting. The first is who they requested. 264 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:08,120 Well, they realized when she died, they needed to get Peter. 265 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,080 Peter wasn't that far away. He was in Lita, as I mentioned, 266 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:15,400 about 14 miles away, away from where they were. 267 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,000 And they said, you know what, We know Peter has done good works. 268 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:21,560 We know Peter's. Doing good works. 269 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,920 And so we need to get Peter to help us, to help this woman 270 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,800 who's been doing good works. You know, it's amazing to me 271 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,720 that. People typically know who to 272 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:35,400 call. When they need help. 273 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:40,720 Isn't that true? You know, back in the day before 274 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:42,680 the Internet. And yes, I remember what life 275 00:13:42,680 --> 00:13:46,080 was like before the Internet. Believe it or not, if you needed 276 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:50,200 some guidance about who to call, you would get out the Yellow 277 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,560 Pages. I mean, you remember the Yellow 278 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:53,720 Pages? Wow. 279 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:54,280 All right. Wow. 280 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:55,480 You're all old. OK. 281 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,120 Yeah, I remember the Yellow Pages too, Right? 282 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:01,680 You would look it up to be able to see, oh, we need a plumber. 283 00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:03,560 Well, here it is. We need an electrician. 284 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:04,960 Here it is. We need a moving company. 285 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:06,360 Here it is. We're looking for a church. 286 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:08,520 Here it is. And they would push people to 287 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:11,320 get the large advertisements, the Yellow Pages, because if you 288 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:13,960 had a large advertisement, you'd probably get a lot of business. 289 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,200 If you had one of those little advertisements, nobody's going 290 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:18,840 to call you because that's what the Yellow Pages were for. 291 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,600 And if you couldn't use the Yellow Pages, you could dial 411 292 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,480 and they would say, what do you need? 293 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:26,320 And you'd say a name or you say a number. 294 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:28,400 Listen, I was so lonely when I started Bible. 295 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:30,880 Knowledge sometimes I'd go to the pay phone and just dial 411 296 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:32,280 just to find someone to talk to. All right. 297 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,080 And so I was like, Hey, he's like, what number do you need? 298 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:35,880 He's like, Hey, where do you live? 299 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:41,400 But, and you know, that's anyway, I'll move on from that. 300 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,000 But we know who to get a hold of, don't we? 301 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,120 And it's amazing to me that when there are people that go through 302 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,200 difficulties, they knew who to get a hold of. 303 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:53,760 Listen, when you're going through difficulties, maybe 304 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:55,640 there's someone in the church that, you know, I need to talk 305 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:57,440 to them. I need to see if they can pray 306 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,480 with me. Let me ask you this, have you 307 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:03,440 lived your life in such a way that you're a person that 308 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,560 someone would call? Have you lived your life in such 309 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,000 a way that people know the good deeds you've done? 310 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,200 Who'd say this? Boy, I'm struggling right now. 311 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,280 I think I'm going to call so and so. 312 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:17,040 Well, I don't know which way to turn. 313 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,000 And I know the Lord will give me the answer, but He's also given 314 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,280 us brothers and sisters in Christ to be able to talk to as 315 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:24,760 well. I think I would talk to would 316 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,160 someone call you like they called Peter? 317 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,600 Well, they called Peter because he was a man who had done good 318 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,200 works. Now we'll tell you this, Good 319 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:37,320 works give opportunity for you to do good work for God. 320 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,480 I'll say that again. Good works give you opportunity 321 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:46,240 to do good work for God, just as you are being faithful and you 322 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:49,400 do good for others. God seeing your faithfulness 323 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,320 will give you the opportunity to be a blessing to other people, 324 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:54,880 even in ways you hadn't imagined, even in ways you 325 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,600 hadn't think would be possible, that God will do that. 326 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:01,080 So it's interesting who they requested, but also what they 327 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,720 requested. It wasn't just who they 328 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:06,280 requested, but why they requested or whether what they 329 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,080 requested. Have you thought about this? 330 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:12,040 Why do they want Peter? Why do they call him? 331 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:17,480 She was, well, dead. Look again in. 332 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:20,880 Verse #38 verse #37 Rather start there. 333 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:22,400 It says. It came to pass in those days 334 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,240 that she was sick and died, whom, when they had washed, they 335 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,520 laid her in an upper chamber, and for as much as little was 336 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,960 night of Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter 337 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:32,440 was there. They sent unto him two men, 338 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,440 desiring that he would not delay to come to them. 339 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,440 They said this, We need Peter and we need him right now. 340 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:41,280 Now. Why would they have had such 341 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,040 great urgency to call Peter to the bedside of a woman who is 342 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,080 dead? I think the answer is obvious, 343 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:50,320 and this is this. They believe that Peter could 344 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:53,920 bring her back to life. This is beyond anything Peter 345 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:56,160 has done before. This is beyond anything that 346 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:57,840 Peter has seen accomplished before. 347 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,480 Certainly he's seen Jesus Christ do such a thing. 348 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:02,480 But I want to focus on this in just a moment. 349 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,640 There weren't as many people that were resurrected perhaps 350 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:07,839 maybe as we think in the word of God. 351 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:10,920 There was course was Jesus Christ and we know Jesus Christ 352 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,920 needed no power from anyone else to be resurrected because Jesus 353 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,520 Christ was resurrected by well his own power because he was 354 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:20,640 God. If he needed someone else's help 355 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:22,960 to be resurrected, he wouldn't have been God. 356 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,720 And so we know he resurrected. But if he through the Bible, 357 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:29,240 there was the widow of Zarephath son, there was the Shunamite 358 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,000 son, there was the man who was tossed into a tomb and remember 359 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:36,560 his body hit the the bones of Elijah and then all of a sudden 360 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:38,240 he just woke up like hey, I'm awake. 361 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:43,480 Could you imagine that was Elijah rather the widow of name 362 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,320 son in Luke Chapter 7, Jarius's daughter in Mark 5, Lazarus and 363 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,480 John 11 one of my favorites when Jesus said open the tomb and 364 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:52,200 they said but Lord we can't he stinketh. 365 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:57,520 No we don't love the King James stinketh but of course Lazarus 366 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:59,720 came forth. We know there are those who were 367 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,360 raised after Jesus death in Matthew chapter 27. 368 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:04,880 They said that there were some that that the graves open and 369 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,720 they walk the earth the right after Jesus was. 370 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,760 Jesus died on the cross. Well, I believe Paul 371 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:13,840 resurrected. He was alive again after being 372 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,000 stoned. In Acts chapter 14 you'll find 373 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,600 out that he was left for dead. I believe he was dead but then 374 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:21,760 was alive again. Eunuchus. 375 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:25,360 He fell out of the window because Paul kept preaching. 376 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:26,680 You think I preached a long time? 377 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:29,880 This guy preached so long. Paul did that. 378 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:32,560 A kid fell out of a window, hit the ground and died. 379 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:35,920 You're lucky we're on a first floor building here, all right, 380 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:39,400 And came back to life. But you know what's interesting? 381 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,080 That every single one of those times that I just mentioned, 382 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:47,640 really in none of those did someone request that the person 383 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,640 be resurrected. You could maybe make an argument 384 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:53,000 for the widow of Zarapath son and the Shunamite son. 385 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:57,960 Those women got Elijah and Elijah in separate situations, 386 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,440 but they didn't necessarily ask that what happened would take 387 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,640 place. You could look at a Lazarus, but 388 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:08,320 even then Mary and Martha said, well, we know you could have 389 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,960 made him better if you would come when he was alive, but now 390 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:14,960 that he's dead, it's too late. That's what they said. 391 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,760 It's too late. Now we know we'll see him again 392 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:20,160 in the resurrection. But what's so interesting about 393 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:25,480 this is these folks got Peter and by faith they believe if we 394 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:27,920 get Peter and quickly. Bring him here. 395 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,080 There's a chance Tabitha will be alive again. 396 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,120 We see here that there was a bold request that these 397 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:38,200 believers made to Peter. Why? 398 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:40,760 Because they've seen the works he'd done in the past. 399 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,400 They'd seen the good works he had done, and they were 400 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:47,160 compelled by the good works that she did. 401 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,480 You know, they saw what Peter had done and they knew what 402 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,920 Tabitha had done. And they said, Lord, can you do 403 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:57,120 something even greater that we could possibly imagine? 404 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,200 And so it's interesting who they requested and what they 405 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,000 requested, but. But why did they request it? 406 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,640 Why did they make this request? I don't know that I can tell you 407 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,360 for certain, but we can see what the Bible says here. 408 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:13,960 It says in verse 39 that Peter arose and went with them, and 409 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,760 when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber. 410 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,360 All the widows stood by him, weeping and showing the coats 411 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:24,480 and the garments which Dorcas had made while she was with him. 412 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,960 It's obvious that this woman had had a great impact on the 413 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,040 church, that she wasn't just a Pew sitter, she wasn't just 414 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:32,680 someone who came in and came out. 415 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:35,440 This was a woman, woman who there in her church says I'm 416 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:37,440 going to make an impact the best that I can. 417 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,480 And for her it was something as simple as this. 418 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,800 I'm going to make garments, I'm going to make coats, and I'm 419 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:45,920 going to help some people who have needs. 420 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:49,600 Often times we think that doing good works is getting up in 421 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,080 front of a pulpit and preaching A sermon. 422 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,560 We think a good work is standing up and singing a song or playing 423 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:59,160 an instrument or working in a junior church or, or doing 424 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,440 something that's official or doing something that's big or 425 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,560 doing something that puts you on a list in the glass room. 426 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:07,400 So you can go in the glass room and look where you are in the 427 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:09,240 list and then, you know, forget you were on the list of the 428 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,200 glass room and then, you know, any of those things. 429 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:12,760 You know, that's what happens sometimes, isn't it? 430 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,320 But those are the people who are really doing stuff, right? 431 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,800 I mean, those are the people who are really working those people 432 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:21,640 on the list, those people in the ministries. 433 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,040 I don't know that Tabitha's on a list. 434 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,640 I don't know that she was part of the Ministry of Sewing. 435 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:35,040 For the Ministry of Garment Making, I think she saw some 436 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,000 people had a need and did some good works. 437 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:41,400 We're going to look at this tonight as we go back to Acts 438 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,680 Chapter 6 and we look at some men who were called to be 439 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,000 deacons. They were table servers. 440 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:49,960 Just means this. They're just going to serve and 441 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:51,920 that's what they were going to do. 442 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:55,600 They were going to serve. Does have to be official, does 443 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,640 have to be in a certain capacity, but everyone can do 444 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:02,920 good for someone else. We get so caught up in reminding 445 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:04,640 you that good works can't save you. 446 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:07,480 And we have to remind you that good works can't save you. 447 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:11,360 But we also need to remind you that good works are good once 448 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:13,640 you are saved. In fact, it's part of growing it 449 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,320 that we look around and see who we can be a help to. 450 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:18,560 We look around and see who we can be a blessing to. 451 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,560 We look around and find where the needs are, not just inside 452 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:24,400 the church building, but outside the church building as well. 453 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,920 And here are these people. They say Tabitha was such a 454 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:28,960 blessing to us. The widows are crying. 455 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:30,800 They're saying look. At what she did. 456 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,200 The good works that she exerted herself physically and 457 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,040 financially, the alms deeds that she helped those who had no one 458 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:42,160 else to help them. We want you to bring her back to 459 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:46,160 life. It was a unique request for a 460 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:51,080 unique woman. It was a woman who did much, but 461 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:55,120 yet they believed that God could bring her back to life. 462 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:58,400 You know, as we look at the other folks who were raised from 463 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:00,680 the dead that I mentioned, some of them just a few moments ago, 464 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:03,600 we really don't know a lot of information about them, do we? 465 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,840 But we know a lot about Tabitha. We have this information about 466 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:10,640 her. Now, why is that? 467 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,720 And I think maybe it's the reason why is because the power 468 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:21,320 of good deeds, the power of good works is one of the greatest and 469 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:25,560 sometimes most ignored powers that we have as believers 470 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,840 because we feel like we have to do something official to be 471 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:34,600 really serving God. And part of just being a 472 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,880 Christian is I want to find reasons to do good to everyone 473 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,120 around me. That doesn't mean just handing 474 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:42,400 everybody money everywhere you go. 475 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:46,680 I mean, I could do that wouldn't last very long Hand everybody 476 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,960 money everywhere I go and like, what's 10:00 and I'm out of 477 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:49,800 money. All right, that's a. 478 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:51,440 That's not going to last very long. 479 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,680 I've heard churches before that have have gone to a gas station 480 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,400 and from the times of let's say 7:00 in the morning, 8:00 in the 481 00:23:58,400 --> 00:23:59,840 morning and they do it unannounced, but they say 482 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,120 everybody that comes through the the church is going to pay for 483 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:04,960 your gas and give you a credit or not a credit card. 484 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,080 Yikes. Give you a a a a tract to be 485 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:11,800 able to tell you about the Lord. Listen, if a church can do that, 486 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,120 that's great, but that's not what necessarily needs to 487 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:19,520 happen. Good works aren't measured by 488 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:24,200 the bigness that a word or smallness of them. 489 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:29,080 Good works are measured by whether you're doing good or 490 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,520 not. A lot of times we feel like 491 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:32,800 we're not really doing a whole lot. 492 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:37,280 Unless our good works are big and they're recognized and 493 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,800 people need to know. Well, the Bible says the right 494 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,560 hand ought not to know what the left hand is doing. 495 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,760 That's talking about giving. But I would say it also goes 496 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,240 with this as well. Not just giving of money, but 497 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,360 also giving of ourselves. But maybe it's best the. 498 00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,120 People in the church don't always know everything that we 499 00:24:53,120 --> 00:24:55,360 do, but we do it because it's right. 500 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:58,440 Can I tell you one of the greatest privileges that I have 501 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:01,560 as a pastor is I get to know when someone in the church 502 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,520 blesses someone else. A lot of secrets I've had to 503 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:08,800 keep over the years when someone helps someone else in a way that 504 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,760 is to me extravagant but is a blessing. 505 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:17,240 And it constantly blesses me that there are people who look 506 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,680 out for the needs of others within the church body. 507 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,040 By the way, that's not always money. 508 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,120 That's not always someone handing someone $100 bill and 509 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:26,760 saying this is what you need. But by the way, I mean that that 510 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,200 would probably help a lot of us about saying that's bad. 511 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:32,880 But boy, helps a lot more than that, isn't it? 512 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,040 Good deeds are a lot more than that. 513 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,160 Good deeds is lady sitting down with another lady that's 514 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:44,760 struggling and maybe hugging her and crying with her, praying 515 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,760 with her. Say, when would I do that? 516 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:50,800 You could do that before church, you can do that after church, 517 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:54,880 you can do that at the invitation, You could do that 518 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:56,880 during the sermon, as long as you don't, you know, cry too 519 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:01,240 loud. But that 'd be a blessing. 520 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:05,760 You know, guys, you can help one another by doing good works, by 521 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:08,960 taking a guy off to the side and just tell him, hey, I know 522 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,640 you're new at this. Can I just share some things 523 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:14,240 that God's done in my life over the years? 524 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:15,320 He said, oh, I couldn't do that. Why? 525 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:17,520 I'd sound so arrogant. I'd sound so prideful. 526 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:21,520 Well, not if you say it in an arrogant and prideful way, but 527 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,280 if God commands the elder to teach the younger, then there 528 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:26,440 has to be some of those conversations that take place. 529 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,200 Do you realize some of the greatest teachers of biblical 530 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:34,600 truth are those who are sitting in the pews and not the pastor? 531 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:38,440 I, I, I'm glad to be able to preach biblical truth that 532 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,680 that's the calling that God's placed upon my life. 533 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,040 But I would also say this, that if it's just me giving it, if 534 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:46,640 it's just me preaching it, then it's not enough. 535 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:50,200 It has to be a church who is living out as the hands and feet 536 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,360 of Jesus Christ that each and every one of us for each other 537 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:57,040 and for a lost and dying world. Listen, revival took place in 538 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:00,360 the church when good deeds were done and people got saved 539 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,840 outside of the church when good deeds were done. 540 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,280 Listen tracks are good. They're good. 541 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,920 Sharing the gospel is good. It's good. 542 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:16,800 But listen, you have to show Jesus Christ, not just tell 543 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,440 about Jesus Christ. If you live like the devil and 544 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,720 hand someone a track, listen. You've done more harm than good. 545 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,920 In fact, leave it in your pocket so that someone else later can 546 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:29,760 follow up and truly plant and water. 547 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:31,840 So God give the increase to the pastor. 548 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,480 You you're trying to say we shouldn't give a track. 549 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,680 No, I'm saying this is that good works help us to be able to have 550 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:42,960 someone listen to us who maybe wouldn't listen to us before to 551 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:44,920 be able to be a blessing to someone. 552 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,040 It's this all goes back. I don't have time to turn there. 553 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,960 I wish I had time to turn there. James chapter 2. 554 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:53,160 You know what? We have time to go there. 555 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,600 James chapter 2. Ah, forget it. 556 00:27:55,680 --> 00:28:03,560 All right. James chapter 2 is a 557 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:05,320 foundational text in the word of God. 558 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,280 And if you've read it for the first time, you probably get 559 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:11,040 nervous because it sounds like James is saying you got to work 560 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,240 to be saved. But one of the principles of 561 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:18,680 Bible study is this is that the Bible harmonizes with itself, 562 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:23,360 that the Bible may be 66 individual books, but it's one 563 00:28:23,360 --> 00:28:26,840 book with one message. And so if there's a place that 564 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:31,040 seems a little bit confusing, but it is seemingly in 565 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:34,880 contradiction to all of the other known scriptures in the 566 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,040 Bible, we say this, well, this isn't in contradiction. 567 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:40,320 We just have to see how it harmonizes with the rest of the 568 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:41,680 Bible. What I'm saying is this, if 569 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:45,360 James chapter 2 seems to say we're saved by works, but we 570 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:47,160 know the rest of the Bible teaches that we're not saved by 571 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:51,040 works, then do we need to adjust our theology or do we need to 572 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,520 say this? I just need to understand what 573 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:57,360 this is saying because the. Bible does not contradict 574 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:01,320 itself. So if you would go to verse #14 575 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:03,640 what does it profit, my brethren? 576 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,080 Though a man say he have faith and hath not works, can faith 577 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:09,120 save him? Now you say, Oh no, this isn't 578 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:10,640 good. All right, just just hold on, 579 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,640 OK? Don't get nervous on me. 580 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:17,920 If a brother or sister be naked or destitute of daily food, and 581 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:21,280 one of you say unto them, depart in peace, Be warmed and filled. 582 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:23,880 Notwithstanding you give them not those things which are 583 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,040 needful to the body, what doth it profit? 584 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:29,080 Listen, he gives an example of dead faith. 585 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:33,080 First of all, he says this. If you see someone who is 586 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:37,320 hungry, if you see someone who needs to be warmed, and you say 587 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:41,040 to them, Hey, be warmed and filled, and you walk. 588 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:44,760 Away. You've done Nothing reminds me 589 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,000 the story of the Baptist Church that had missionaries over. 590 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,280 And of course, this is timely with us having missionaries on 591 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,120 Wednesday night. And you were very generous to 592 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:52,720 the missionaries. We had a Wednesday night and I'm 593 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,880 so thankful for that. But the missionaries came by, 594 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:57,920 and of course, missionaries often travel from church to 595 00:29:57,920 --> 00:29:59,720 church and need support and finances. 596 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:01,440 To be able just to get around where they need to go. 597 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,080 And so the missionaries are maybe expecting to have a a 598 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:06,560 little bit of a love offering or something to help them along the 599 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:08,920 way. And the pastor walked them out 600 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,320 to their car. The pastor shook the 601 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:12,960 missionaries hands and said this. 602 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,760 God bless you. And walked away. 603 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,360 And so the missionary started driving down the road and they 604 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:21,920 realized they needed gas. They have a lot of money. 605 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,400 So the husband got out and he opened the gas tank and he 606 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,440 cupped his hands and he put it right up into the mouth of the 607 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:29,240 gas tank. And he said. 608 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:33,080 God bless you. And he told his wife. 609 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:37,880 Nope, that didn't fill the tank. That's what it's saying here, 610 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:41,280 that that your faith ought not to just make you give religious 611 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,920 platitudes about helping. You ought to actually help 612 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:48,120 somebody. Hey, hope that works out for 613 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:50,720 you. Well, can you help it work out 614 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:52,600 for them? Then do what you can. 615 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:55,360 Now, we can't always do that, but if we can, and within your 616 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,400 power, we'll see here, then do it. 617 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,520 Verse 17. For Even so, faith, if it hath 618 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,200 not works, is dead, being alone. Yeah. 619 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:05,480 A man may say, thou hast faith and I have works. 620 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,640 Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my 621 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:11,440 faith by my works. Thou believes there's one God 622 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:13,080 thou doest. Well, the devils also believe, 623 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:15,680 believe in tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, 624 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,760 what that faith without works is dead? 625 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:22,640 Now again you say, pastor, it's saying to have faith you have to 626 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:23,960 have works. No, no, that's not what it's 627 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:25,880 saying. It's saying that living faith 628 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:30,640 produces works just like a living apple tree produces 629 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,080 apples and a living Grapevine produces grapes. 630 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,920 That if you are alive in Christ, if you've been born again, then 631 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:41,560 good works on a spring from within your soul to be able to 632 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:43,880 help other people. No, those good works don't save 633 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:45,640 you. Nowhere in the Bible doesn't say 634 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:47,120 that. But if you're saying there ought 635 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:50,120 to be good works that flow from you, and that's what it says. 636 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:53,560 It mentions Abraham, the example of living faith, a patriarch. 637 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:58,080 He was a man who was willing to sacrifice his son, but no, that 638 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,200 God was just trying to to be able to help him to understand 639 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:04,240 his own faith. And Abraham believed, Lord, if I 640 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,320 slay my son, I believe you'll resurrect him. 641 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:09,680 Hebrews chapter 12 teaches that that he had faith that if he was 642 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:14,040 to slay the child of promise that he would be alive because 643 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:16,280 God made a promise. You know what that's called 644 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:18,640 faith. There's a patriarch. 645 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:22,760 But he also gives the example of a prostitute, Rahab. 646 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:29,840 She hold a She put a cord, a red cord, a scarlet thread, by the 647 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,200 way, a picture of the blood of Jesus Christ to come hung that 648 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:37,320 scarlet thread outside of the wall of Jericho where she lived. 649 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:41,120 And because she did, everyone inside lived, by the way, and 650 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:44,560 this is what it's teaching. Did she live because the thread 651 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:48,120 saved her? No, the thread was a 652 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:51,560 representative of what had happened inside of her life, 653 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:55,840 just as good works is a representative of what happens 654 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,840 inside of you. Yes, good works have a way of 655 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:02,080 making a larger difference than we realize. 656 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:06,480 You can't measure what good works will do. 657 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:08,880 You say, well, it's small, it's not much. 658 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,240 Don't measure the size of it, just measure it by whether it's 659 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,280 good or not and leave it in the master's hands. 660 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:19,880 Some of the strongest memories I have in my life are people that 661 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:24,280 help me in times when I needed it or we as a family needed it 662 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:27,600 the most. When we graduated Bible college, 663 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,280 we decided that we were going to drive straight from Oklahoma 664 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:35,920 City to Tampa, 22 years old. We had Bethany, Diane was 665 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:40,440 pregnant with Kaylee, and we had a cat even back then. 666 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:43,040 And that cat was on a leash. And we would take it. 667 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:44,760 The rest stops, we would take the cat out. 668 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:47,800 And we were a mess even back then, you know, And that's just 669 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:51,480 the way it was. And I remember our boss in the 670 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:55,600 cafeteria, he still works there. He's been Beethova's boss the 671 00:33:55,600 --> 00:34:00,000 last couple years and Terry Miller said don't, don't travel 672 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:01,960 all the way home. It's not safe. 673 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,440 I pressed an envelope in my hands was enough for us to get a 674 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,040 hotel, which was a blessing because I got very, very sick 675 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:10,639 and had to go to the emergency room on the way home. 676 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:12,960 Never would have made it. Never would have made it. 677 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:18,719 I think of back in Florida when we didn't have a reliable car 678 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:23,000 and a family in the church said retired couple said come 679 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:24,199 outside, I want to show you something. 680 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:27,920 And they showed us a Ford Windstar van. 681 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,639 And my love hate relationship with Ford started right then and 682 00:34:31,639 --> 00:34:35,400 there. And yeah, we should have the 683 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:39,159 invitation right now. You know, they said do you like 684 00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:42,480 this fan said, we sure do. We needed a van that what's 685 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:45,600 yours. Sergeant Hitchcock, he worked 686 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:48,639 for the Judge Advocate General when he was in the military. 687 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:52,840 He retired and he had after been out of the Judge Advocate 688 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:55,520 General, a retired, went to private practice and retired 689 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:58,160 from that and he said I don't, I don't need this work van 690 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:00,360 anymore. The most beautiful work van I've 691 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:04,360 ever seen. It was just given to us, signed 692 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,000 it over to us. When my mom was sick with cancer 693 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:09,320 and we knew she was going to pass. 694 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:11,520 We had to go back and forth. The very first year the church 695 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,960 opened, where were we going to get the money for that church 696 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:17,720 was so young for the Jim's here. He remembers all of that. 697 00:35:17,720 --> 00:35:19,960 I remember one time we knew we had to go down. 698 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,560 It was going to be serious. We knew what it was going to be. 699 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:26,240 We didn't have the money. And all of a sudden, the pastor 700 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:29,720 came into town named Aaron Denson, that we've heard him 701 00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:32,440 preach here before. And he decided to go meet us. 702 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:34,360 And we met at a Dunkin' Donuts because, you know, we live in 703 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:35,480 New England. That's what you do, right? 704 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:38,320 And we had a good fellowship with him. 705 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:40,400 He was in town and they were taking a road trip. 706 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:44,800 And on the way out, he handed me an envelope and he said, I don't 707 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,600 know if you need this or not, but just the Lord impressed on 708 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,560 my heart and you need this. It's exactly the gas money that 709 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:52,000 we needed to get to Florida and back. 710 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,360 Now our good works always money. I want to be careful about this. 711 00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:00,040 They're not. I think of my friend Jeff Abels, 712 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:01,320 who's going to be here in a couple weeks. 713 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,240 I don't know that I had a better friend than Jeff Abels when I 714 00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:08,640 had my surgery. They was calling me before and 715 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:12,040 after, just checking on me, making sure I was OK, send a 716 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:13,840 little gifts here and there, Just send a text of 717 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:17,160 encouragement. I needed that because I knew how 718 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:19,760 bad I was going to be. I think of my friend David 719 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:24,160 Corley, my best friend who over and over just finds little ways 720 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:28,280 to be a blessing to me. Now those are not all related to 721 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:34,280 money, just good works. God created you to grow into 722 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:37,800 good works. You know, James, chapter 2 is 723 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:40,320 not about you getting working to get saved. 724 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:44,160 It's about getting saved so you can get to work and doing good. 725 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:47,200 What can you do? Well, it could be mad at random 726 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:50,120 acts of kindness. You might be, have a, you might 727 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:53,960 have a $20 bill in your pocket at all times, just there's 728 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,840 someone at need at church or you're visiting or you see a 729 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:59,080 need that you can help. And, and by the way, I know we 730 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:01,080 had to be careful with panhandling and stuff like that 731 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:03,800 today because oftentimes if you hand someone money, you could be 732 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:05,800 feeding an addiction and you want to be careful about that. 733 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:10,360 But so, so often we get so caught up in that, that we go so 734 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,760 far the other direction that we don't help somebody who the Lord 735 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:16,480 lays on our heart. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit 736 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:19,160 when it comes to those things. It could be writing a note of 737 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:21,680 encouragement, they could be writing. 738 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:25,720 It could be taking the garbage bins back for your neighbor. 739 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:29,800 They could be over tipping. The server at the restaurant had 740 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:32,280 a conversation with them. You found out a little bit about 741 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:36,040 their needs, and you felt that maybe 15 or 20% wasn't enough. 742 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:39,480 And you tipped far beyond that. Could be cooking a meal. 743 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:42,760 It could be mowing an elderly family member's grass or raking 744 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,360 their leaves this time of year. It could be offering to watch a 745 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:48,520 a friend's children for an hour so they can run an errand or 746 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,280 catch a break. What is it? 747 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:51,600 It? It could be anything. 748 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,480 It doesn't have to be money. But I will say this, if you're 749 00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:59,520 Christian, we should be the ones that are doing the good works. 750 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,240 Why? Well, I'll show you why we'll be 751 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:04,640 done. Matthew, chapter 25. 752 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:07,080 Turn there quickly. Matthew, Chapter 25. 753 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:28,320 The verse #35 Matthew 2535, it says this. 754 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:31,880 And if your Bible is like mine, it's got red letters in it. 755 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:33,760 So that means Jesus is speaking right now. 756 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:38,480 For I was hungered, and you gave me meat, I was thirsty, You gave 757 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:40,800 me drink. I was a stranger, and you took 758 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:43,080 me in naked. And he clothed me. 759 00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:46,160 I was sick and he visited me. I was in prison. 760 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:48,680 And he came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer 761 00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:52,760 him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee, and hungered and fed thee, 762 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:56,360 or thirsty, and gave thee drink, When saw we thee a stranger, and 763 00:38:56,360 --> 00:38:58,840 took thee in, or naked and clothed thee? 764 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,880 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 765 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:07,440 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto 766 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:11,160 you, In as much as you've done it unto the one of the least of 767 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:14,760 these, my brethren, you've done it unto me. 768 00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:21,000 When you do good, even to the least, you're not really serving 769 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:27,520 them, you're serving Jesus. You're not serving them, you're 770 00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:30,440 serving Jesus. Why is that so important? 771 00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:36,000 Well, Acts 1038 Paul said this or Peter said this rather how 772 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:39,120 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with 773 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:44,320 power listen it and went about doing good. 774 00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:49,240 Jesus Christ who went about doing good. 775 00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:52,840 Now we also know he went to seeking to save that which was 776 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:55,200 lost, didn't he? But he did good. 777 00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:58,920 He could have saved people without healing him physically, 778 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:04,680 but he did good. He could have saved people or or 779 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:08,040 brought this the life giving message to them without doing 780 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:13,640 any of the number of things that he did like feeding the 5000 but 781 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:14,640 why? Why did he do it? 782 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:19,160 He did good. It's who he was, and by the way, 783 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:23,000 it's who he is. So if he went about to be good, 784 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:27,200 then what do we need to do? Well, we better be busy about 785 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:31,240 our master's business. He did good so you could be 786 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:34,800 saved, and he saved you so you could do good. 787 00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:38,680 He did good so you could be saved. 788 00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:42,840 And he saved. You so you could do good this 789 00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:47,880 week as we continue to grow, find excuses to do good for 790 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:50,520 people around you say, well, I don't like them very much. 791 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:53,720 Well, you're you're you're you're not doing it for them. 792 00:40:53,720 --> 00:40:57,520 I think we just read Matthew 25. You're doing it for Jesus. 793 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,040 So do it unto Him, the author and finisher of our faith. 794 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:04,720 Thank you for listening to the sermon from the pulpit of 795 00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:07,640 Liberty Baptist Church. If this message was a blessing 796 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:11,120 to you, or if there's any way we can serve you, please let us 797 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:15,720 know by contacting us at info@mylibertybaptist.org. 798 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:20,520 Or you can visit us this Sunday at 800 Washington St. in Easton, 799 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:23,360 MA. May the Lord bless you as you 800 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:24,560 grow in His Word.