Adding to the Gospel

[00:00:00] Speaker A: If you can go to acts chapter 15. So we're going to be. Today, we're going to do something a little bit different this morning to get started. We're going to read a portion of acts chapter 15. So if you'd turn there and follow along as we read it. And I'm going to read the first few verses, and then I'm going to ask three different people, three different men in our church, to read different portions as we go through the chapter, because we're going to really need to understand kind of the entire context of this to make some of the points we'll be making today, not only this morning, but also tonight. So we'll start with Brother Ari. Actually, I'll take that back. We will start. Has been back yet. Ben's not back up yet. All right, so, Josh, can you be a fill in? There's no really long names or places in the roman empire that are difficult. So, Josh, if you'll read verses four to eleven, and then, brother Stewart, if you will read verse twelve to 21, and then, Ari, if you'll finish up with 22 through 31. Do you turn them on for them already, brother? All right, make sure you take them off mute. Otherwise nobody'd be able to hear you. Okay. All right. Acts 15 and verse number one. The Bible says this, and certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore, Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phonicae and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. Now, brother Ben, you weren't in here earlier, so you forfeited your points. So. No, I'm just joking. Go ahead, Josh. Starting verse four to verse eleven. [00:02:15] Speaker B: And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and of the apostles and the elders. And they declared all things that God had done with them. And there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees, which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, and the gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God which knoweth the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt you, God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we shall be saved even as they stuart. [00:03:25] Speaker A: Twelve through 21, please. [00:03:27] Speaker C: Then all the multitude kept silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring that miracles and wonders, what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, men and brethren, hearken unto me. Simon hath declared how God at the first did visit the gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets as it is written. After this will I return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord. And all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the gentiles are turned to God, but that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollution of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. [00:04:36] Speaker A: The re verse 22 through 31. [00:04:38] Speaker D: Please then, please at the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas, surname Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren, and they wrote letters by them. After this manner, the apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren, which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. For as much as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your souls, saying, ye must be circumcised and keep the law, to whom we gave no such commandment, it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have sent, therefore, Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same thing by mouth, for it seem good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things, that ye abstain from meats offered to idols and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication, from which, if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. So then, when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle, which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words and comforted them. [00:06:11] Speaker A: All right. Thank you very much. Let's pray together. Father, we ask for your help this morning as we look in your word. We pray, Lord, that you would look upon the hearts of each and every person here. Upon my heart as well, lord. And, Lord, you said that the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal. The Lord knoweth them that are his. And so, Lord, you know the hearts of every person. And you know, Lord, what each person needs. And I pray especially that this morning, that the gospel would be very plainly spoken. Please help me, Lord, to help your people that have assembled here. Lord, please help those that are listening in that can't be here with us this morning. And I pray that the truth would be just made perfectly clear in the hearing of each person. And, Lord, if there be one among us who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ and who does not have eternal life for that person, I pray that you would prick their hearts and consciences and help that person to see that they need you. Lord, I pray that you'd bless our time together in your word. Your spirit would be our teacher. Because, Lord, you know we can't do anything without you. We ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. Now, as we read through acts, chapter 15, I'll admit that some of these things are a little bit confusing, especially as we got there toward the end. And it talks about the letter that the church in Jerusalem has sent to the believers in Antioch, basically saying that they didn't want them to eat meat offered to idols. They didn't want them to eat blood. Things strangled, fornication. And that sounds a little kind of in the weeds a little bit. But we'll study that later on, probably tonight, because it is an important principle that we see in the scripture. But what happens in acts, chapter 15 is a very important point in the book of acts. As we've been studying the book of acts. And we've seen as the gospel. Christ went back to heaven. He left his disciples with the command to go into all the world to preach the gospel. And they started in Jerusalem and in Judea. And as they started to preach only to the Jews. Right, only to the Jews, because they were in Judea. And eventually that gospel started to spill over into the Samaritans. And now it's gone to the Gentiles. And even Paul and Barnabas have now been sent from a gentile church, that is a non jewish church, to take the gospel to the regions beyond and the Lord. We've studied that first missionary journey, but a Question has now arisen, and this is a question that comes right up to our day today. Now, the way it looks, the way it presents itself might be a little bit different in our day than in this day. Now, there was one thing that differentiated a jew from a Gentile. There was one primary thing. And really, it's kind of a group of things. And this is this idea of circumcision. Now, I know we think of that in terms of a religious thing or a medical thing, and that's it. But to the Jews, this was a big deal. To the Jew, the act of circumcision was what differentiated a jew from a non jew. So if you were not a jew, but you had heard of the God of Israel, and you had turned to the God of Israel, and you wanted to be a part of the God of. Remember, now, remember going back to Cornelius. Remember, the Bible says that Cornelius was a man who what? Feared God with all his house. But he was not what I'm describing. He was a man who maybe even as we studied in acts, how the apostles Barnabas and Paul went to the different synagogues, right? And they started preaching in those places, and what did we find in the Synagogues? There weren't just jews there. There were sometimes gentiles in the Synagogues. They were God fearing people, but they had not yet taken the step to become a proselyte. To be a proselyte, there were certain steps involved whereby you became essentially a jew. And one of those steps, the primary step of that was circumcision. You were circumcised, and then you were required from that moment on to keep the law of Moses. And we've studied that on Wednesday nights, we've been talking about the law of Moses. But beyond just the ten Commandments, there were many, many other laws about how you could sow your seed and the garments you could wear and the holy days and the sabbaths and all those things were incumbent upon the Jews. And this is where, this chapter is where all of those truths kind of coalesce into one central doctrine. And this question must be answered, which is, what role does the law play in the Life of a Gentile Christian? Now, to us, this is a non question. But the implications of this question are very important as far as the Gospel is concerned. Look at verse one. And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, now, Judea is where Jerusalem is. And they said, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. So these men came from Jerusalem and they went down to Antioch in Syria, where this church was. This is where Paul and Barnabas were. Now, following our study, I don't want to lose anybody here, but following our study, remember, Paul and Barnabas have gone on their journey. Paul is stoned at Lystra. They go a little bit further to Derby, and then they decide it's time to come back, right? So they retrace their steps and confirm and exhort the disciples. You remember that from last Sunday. And then they get back to Antioch, which was their home church. That's where we were last Sunday. And because they're at Antioch, they are present when these men come from Judea, from Jerusalem, bringing this doctrine. This is not the doctrine that Paul and Barnabas had been teaching when they had gone to the Gentiles. And they had preached the gospel as missionaries, and they had told people about Christ. They didn't say a word about circumcision. They didn't say a word about the law of moses as far as they were required to keep it. And so they come back here, and these people, apparently having been sent from the church in Jerusalem, are now bringing this doctrine that is foreign to Barnabas and Paul. And this doctrine is what you might call a damnable heresy. It is wicked. And you're going to see why in just a minute. These people that apparently had been coming from the church in Jerusalem at the time, they didn't know. But if you look just a little bit ahead at verse number 24, this is what James, who is one of the main leaders of the church in Jerusalem, James says that those who were. Verse 24, forasmuch as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your souls, saying, you must be circumcised and keep the law to whom we gave no such commandment, you know what that tells us? That these men who have arrived in Antioch of Syria to this church are bringing doctrines that were not being taught in Jerusalem. But they're acting like they were being taught in Jerusalem. They brought the doctrine, this heresy, this error. And just let's pause here a second. What a person says that the Bible teaches about this matter of salvation and eternal life is not open to interpretation. There is a right and there is a wrong. There is truth and there is error. And you know what? When someone speaks the gospel of Christ truly and people receive that gospel truly with that truth, as we saw last week, comes a series of evidences that demonstrate the truth of that gospel. If, on the other hand, that gospel is mingled with error, like it is here, there is no power that comes in its wake. It is dead religion. Dead religion. And it can do nothing to save a soul. It can do nothing to make a person right with God. It can do nothing to forgive sin. And here's what they were teaching in the end of verse one. They said, okay, good gentiles, you have believed in Christ, great. You have embraced the scriptures of Israel. Great. But there's one thing that you haven't done, and you're not totally saved until you do this. So listen. Now, they have already put their faith in Christ, right? They have already been baptized. You remember as we saw last week with Brother David, baptizing believers. That's what the Bible teaches, right? So they had already been baptized. They'd already believed in Christ, trusted in him. They had been baptized. And now someone, some Johnny come lately, comes along and says, no, but there's other things you have to do to be saved. They were adding works to the gospel. In this case, they were adding circumcision. Now, that's not all they were adding. The verse says, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses. Ye cannot be saved. Now, if you drop down to verse number, if you look at verse number five to kind of get the full picture. And there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees. Which believed, saying it was needful, that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. So this question is not just about the act of the ritual of circumcision. This goes beyond that. This goes into keeping all of the law of Moses. Because once you took that right, you became a jew. You were obligated then, as a part of that covenant with God, to follow all the laws. Now, here's the problem, is that in our day, there are people, absolutely people, that are adding to the gospel in the same way. As far as I know, there are no groups that are saying, you must do this to be saved. This is kind of a settled question now, but the same things are happening. Remember the history of this church. This church has been through a great deal of persecution. Chapter seven, the stoning of Stephen, which is kind of the beginning, and then following that were persecutions, and then these Jews would follow Paul and Barnabas and persecute them from place to place. This church has had, it was even to such a degree that the non jewish believers were sending money to the jewish believers in Jerusalem and Judea because they were being persecuted and all their wealth was being wasted and seized and all those things. So persecution, though, has not stopped the church. It has not stopped the word of God. It has not stopped the gospel. They're still believing. They're still telling people about Jesus. They're still doing all those things. And so the tactic is changing. Satan could not stop the gospel using direct confrontation. And so now he's changing his tactic, and he's changing it by sending someone, infiltrating someone within with another gospel. Galatians calls this another gospel, which is not another. Now there's only one gospel. So any other gospel is a false gospel. They were adding to the gospel, and in our time, people are still adding to the gospel. But before I get into that, I want to show you kind of how nefarious and subtle this kind of thing is. First of all, these guys, whoever they were, were coming and apparently had come from James, but they failed to reveal that James had not sent them from Jerusalem. So they, of their own accord, as a maverick without actually being sanctioned. Now compare that to what we saw in acts 13, when those missionaries in verse three were sent out. Remember, they laid their hands on them and sent them out. You know what they're doing? They're saying, these men are teaching the truth. These men are representing us. But here, there is no such thing. These men are coming along and they're saying, listen, we're Christians, too. We believe in Jesus. Hear me now. We believe in Jesus, too. Jesus is our messiah, too. We believe. But there's something else you have to do to be saved. The gospel is not enough. What Jesus did was just the beginning. You must add to that by doing these other things. And, you know, in our day, different religion, different religions add to the gospel, various works, but all of them, no matter what they are, all of them sound very religious. You think of this right here. This guy shows up from Jerusalem, and he's talking about circumcision, you associate that with Abraham, right? That was part of God's covenant with Abraham. And then he mentions the law, and you have to do this, right, of circumcision. Then you have to follow the law of Moses. Now, law of Moses is good, right? You guys believe in the law of Moses, don't you? And everybody's like, oh, of mean, we believe in Moses. I mean, Paul and Barnabas and all these other, they've been teaching us from the law of Moses. Remember the law of Moses in the Old Testament? What was their scripture at this time before the New Testament was completed? Yeah, we believe in that. And yeah, the circumstance, Abraham, I mean, that's all. It all sounds right, but it's not. What they did is they took something that is good and right and proper and they misused it and they turned it into something that is actually error. You know what? Here, listen. Satanic doctrine has that ability to take a Bible truth and to twist it into something it never was intended to be, to subvert and destroy the truth of the gospel. And that right there is a good example right there. We're Baptist. All Baptists don't go to heaven, that's for sure. I used to be one that wasn't going to heaven. All Baptists aren't going to heaven. And so being a Baptist doesn't mean you're saved. Doesn't mean you're going to heaven. That's not the ticket. Right. Brother Wallace joined with us last week. Right. And we're glad he's there. Brother Wallace was already a believer. He was already going to heaven whether he joined our church or not. Right. We didn't like, bequeath or bestow in some way upon him eternal life or give him some sort of ticket or anything like that. It's nothing like that at all. But as Baptists, baptism is a big deal to us, and we're very picky about the scriptural teaching of baptism. So we baptize believers only and that kind of thing, and we immerse, that's why we have a baptistry and all those kinds of things. But listen, even though that's a big deal to us, it is not something that is to be added to salvation. But there are people that teach that being baptized is something you must also do in addition to what Christ has done. And that's false. That's false. And then if it's not baptism, it's some other. Last week we talked about confirmation. It's another ritual that must be performed. There are people that hold to this. And if it's not that, it's other things, other sacraments, other rituals, other services that must be performed, works that must be done. And, you know, one of the biggest ones, one of the biggest works is what we've been studying on Wednesday night, which is the ten Commandments. Notice in verse number five, it says that. That it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And there's, listen, if you ask, I don't know, six out of ten people in Greenville, you say, what do you have to do to be saved? Six out of ten of them are going to say, you got to keep the commandments of God. And I want to promise you right now, the scripture says that if we think that we can keep the commandments of God, and by keeping the commandments of God, we will get eternal life. We are yet on the road to hellfire. If the Bible says this in Galatians, if righteousness come by the law, commandments of God, then Christ is dead in vain. He died for nothing. Why did Christ die? If we keep the commandments, we say, well, no, we know Jesus had to die for us also. But he gave us a good start. But we got to kind of finish the job. Jesus finished the job. Jesus alone finished the job. We do not add to it. To add to it means it was insufficient. And that's exactly what these are saying. But they're using the most sweet sounding, the most familiar, the most religious sounding language. They're using things that are right. Remember, now, I don't have time to go into Galatians and all this, but those of you that are familiar with Galatians, Abraham was the first one that received this right of circumcision as a sign of his covenant. Right. But did Abraham, did he get circumcised in order to be right with God? No, he was already a believer. So that's the whole point, is Abraham was already, if you say a Christian, he was already a Christian before any of that happened. That's the whole thing they're missing. They're saying, you have to do this in order to be adding to what Jesus did on the cross. This is not part of the gospel. This is another gospel. This is a false gospel. And this at its root, though, again, the manifestation might be a little bit different. This is the root problem that we see all the way up until today. And I want to give you a little insight. There are religions that add to the gospel, and they say, oh, you want the grace of God. And you'll see this in just a minute. But you want the grace of God. Well, here's what you have to do to get the grace of God that's adding to the gospel. We don't do anything to get the grace of God. The grace of God has already been given. All right? So you don't do anything to get it. Adding any kind of work to the fact that Jesus died for sinners, paid the penalty in full, was buried and rose again is a false gospel. So the question is, are you trusting in something, anything other than Jesus'blood shed for you to take you to heaven? Do you think it has something to do with your good works, your keeping the commandments, your baptism, your church membership, some other religious right or work that you've participated in or been subject to? Do you think that has something to do with it? Because it doesn't. Jesus did it all. Again, any addition to the gospel is heresy. Now drop down to verse number again. There's so much here, but I'm just hitting the high points this morning. So they debate this question because this has not been a question that has been addressed up to this point. The church has been persecuted, but now you have false. Galatians two says they were false brethren. In other words, they had a name, that they were Christians. They said, I believe in Christ. I believe he's my messiah. But they thought they believed that part of their salvation depended on the fact that they were a jew, that they had been circumcised, that they kept the law, and if they didn't do that, they would not go to heaven, and that's false. But they came in and said, hey, I'm a Christian too. I believe in Jesus, but you also have to do these things. And so this question was now discussed. And Peter says this. Listen to the power of these things. Well, first of all, let me show you one more thing before you get there. Verse three. And being brought on their way by the church, they pass through Phonica and Samaria declaring the conversion of the Gentiles, and they cause great joy unto the brethren. So here, if you can imagine the holy land. So they're up, way up in Syria, right north of Israel. They're traveling down through Phonic, which is Phoenicia, which is north of Israel. And they're coming down into Samaria. So they're coming through Galilee, down in Jerusalem, and they're stopping at these churches that are gentile churches. And they're saying, paul and Barnabas are saying, look at what all we were in what is in modern day Turkey. We were in Antioch of Pasidia and Listra and Derby. And look what God did in all these panthilia and these different provinces. And there were churches started, and people turned to God from idols. And look what God has done. And you know what happened? There was joy. People like, wow. All of these people who used to serve idols are now turning to Jesus. And there's churches. They're christians there now, and they're all rejoicing. And then they get to Jerusalem, and it says this, verse four. But when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and to the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with him. So they said the same thing. Verse five says. Then there arose a sect. Rose up. A sect, a certain of the sect of the Pharisees, which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. So all the churches they came through, which are all these true believers in Christ, they're rejoicing to hear all the people that have been saved. They get to the false teachers, and the false teachers have said, yawn. Did you circumcise them? There's no joy. False teachers have no joy. You know why? Because it's dead. Do you know why? People who add to the gospel have no joy in Christ? Is because there's nothing there. It's death. There's no spiritual life. There's a form of religion. And they somehow think they've kept the rules and they've done the rituals, but listen, there's nothing under it. There's no reality to it, and they know it. They know it. It's empty and they know it. Not just that. Verse number six. They came to consider. Verse seven. There was disputing. Peter rose up and said unto them, middle of verse seven, men and brethren, you know how that a good while ago, God made choice among us, that the gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God which knoweth the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost even as he did unto us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Stop now. This is why it's so important that as a church that we go through the Bible kind of methodically. Here's why. What is Peter talking about here? He's talking about Cornelius. Didn't we spend a lot of time studying Cornelius? When Cornelius got saved, what happened? There was a miraculous sign. Cornelius spoke in an unknown language. Right. We saw that as an evidence that even though he was not a jew, had not been circumcised, was not a proselyte, even though he had not been baptized or anything, all of a sudden, the very same thing happened to him as happened on Pentecost. And the Jews were like, what? And their conclusion was then I guess the Gentiles can be saved too, and they just believe. That's it. Here's what I want you to see with this. Peter went to Cornelius and preached the gospel. And what happened? The power of God was there, and Cornelius and his friends were affected by the power of God. You know why? Because it was the truth. See, what happened with Cornelius doesn't prove that the gospel is true, but it does. Since the gospel is true, we expect to find evidence. And there was evidence. And then you drop down to verse twelve. You see the same thing. Then all the multitude kept silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had brought among the gentiles by them. You see this? Paul and Barnabas went out, and all of these gentile believers, non jewish people in what we now call Turkey, have believed and been saved. Even in the midst of persecution, their life was threatened. But they took that spoiling of their goods with joy, and they believed in Christ and turned from idols. There was real power in their life. Something really did happen. There was spiritual life where there wasn't before. It wasn't just a form of religion where everybody just kind of started going to church and they put their name on the roll and they went through the religious practices. No, there was a true spiritual awakening in those people's hearts. Their lives had been changed by the power of God. It was inexplicable. Except the gospel was true. That's what you see. Do you know why that happened? Because Paul and Barnabas were telling them the gospel. It's just that simple. When you heard the gospel and you put your faith in Christ, your life, if you're saved, if you're truly saved, your life has been altered. Not because you started keeping a bunch of rules, not because you came under the authority of some church and they told you what to do. No, I'm talking about your Monday through Saturday life, the way you think, what you love. All of that has been affected by the gospel. God is in you, and that is an evidence of the power of God. That is an evidence of the real thing. What these people, we call them Judaizers, that are saying you have to keep the be circumcised and keep the law. What they brought came with none of that. They were just. Do you circumcise them? Listen, here's what I want you to understand. We're almost finished. Any false gospel that adds to the gospel of Christ like this has no power. And some people listen now, and I'm not just casting stones at people, God knows my heart, but people that are trusting in their good works or their religious experiences or whatever, instead of in Christ and his bloodshed. People that are trusting in that often wonder. They see people whose lives have been truly transformed from the inside out by the power of the gospel, and they're a curiosity to them. Well, I joined a church, I got baptized. It's a little bit different. But I mean, do you know the difference? The difference is one is real and one is false. One is real and is accompanied with the true life of God. And you hath equickened Ephesians two, verse one, who are dead in trespasses and sins that is accompanied with life from God. And when a dead person comes to life after believing the gospel, that is evident in that person's life, so we don't listen. None of us in this church should have experienced the power of the gospel. None of us would dare toot our own horn and say, look at us. Look at what we've done, how our life has changed. No, we're like, if it were up to us, our life would, we would be wallowing in sin just like we ever were. But God is in us, and something is different. Amen. Is it different in your life, or is it the same as Everton? A false gospel does not have that, and the reason why it seems dead is because it is. God's not in it. It's just a formula. You know why? Because the gospel has been added to and thereby destroyed. Verse nine says this, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why tempt ye, God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which Peter says, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? He's talking about the law. He said, why are you going to tell them they have to keep the law? We haven't kept the law. And that's the elephant in the room. For those that think that by keeping the commandments of God, they're going to go to heaven, you haven't kept them. They scream and cry out that you're guilty. Well, I'm trying, but you're guilty. That's why you need Jesus and so in verse eleven, he says this. Peter, one commentator I wrote, said this, this is Peter's shining moment. And he had several. But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they. So Peter says, I've been circumcised. I'm a jew. I've done all of that. You know what? That's not what's getting me to heaven. You know what? I've been baptized. I was baptized in that baptistry sometime in August of 1999. You know what? That has nothing to do with me going to heaven. I try to keep the commandments of God. I do it imperfectly. But that's not what my hope of heaven is built upon. I sure hope yours isn't built on that. The grace of God. The last thing I want to point out is this. I want to read some verses and I'll be done. Get you guys out early. I just looked at the clock sometimes, most of the time, false gospels are never presented in a way that's like, yeah, Jesus wasn't enough, so you got to do this. Nobody's going to say that. They're going to say, yes, we believe in grace. Yes, we believe Jesus died for us. Yes, you have to believe in him. But also these other things. That's how it's presented. It doesn't matter what religion it is or what cult, it doesn't matter. This is how it's going to be presented. And they say if you do these things, sacraments are an example. The seven sacraments are an example of what I'm describing. They're called means of grace. That is, methods whereby you receive the grace of God as if you haven't already received it, but you have in full measure now. So if you do these things, by doing these things, you get the grace of God. Listen, those are all just linguistic gymnastics to get around the plain truth of what these verses saying. Listen to these verses. I'll just read them. And if you want the list of these verses I'm going to read, of course I'll give them to you so that you could study them later. John one, verse 17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. So when Jesus showed up, you know what Jesus brought with him? Grace. There was the grace. The grace is not in the ritual that you think is helping you get eternal life. No. When Jesus came, the grace was there with him. You see Romans, chapter three. Listen to this verse, verse number 24. The Bible says, being justified freely by his grace. Listen now that's not the end. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, a satisfaction through faith in his blood. You see, when we receive Christ, we're receiving the grace that he gave to us in his bloodshed. Chapter five, verse 15 of Roman says this, but not as the offense. Speaking of Adam, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, Adam and his descendants, that's us. Much more. The grace of God and the gift by grace. What is the gift? The gift came by grace, so grace brought the gift. Okay, what is the gift which is by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many. Again, Jesus showed up a package, a gift of grace. He is the grace of God manifested. Two Corinthians, chapter eight, verse nine, says this, for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye, through his poverty might be rich. Now we can think of the Lord. He departed his heavenly home, where he was worshipped and adored as very God. Right. He became poor to come down to be born and laid in a manger. Right. But that wasn't it. Because on that cross he was stripped naked. He was bereft of every material possession, completely taken away, all of them. He didn't even have the clothes on his body that was sold off. Can you be any more poor than that? Yet he was. And the Bible says, why was he on that cross in that way? Grace. Great, that is the grace of God. If that's not enough. Ephesians two, verse one. I said it earlier. And yet he quickened to a dead and trespasses and sins. Notice what it says. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Notice he said in verse eight, for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. What is that gift? Christ dying, bleeding for sinners. For me, for you on the cross. That is the grace of God and nothing else. That Titus, two. And I'm finished. Verse eleven. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Chapter three, verse four. But after that the kindness and love of God, our savior toward man, appeared not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy ghost which he shed abundantly on us. Abundantly through Jesus Christ our savior, that we, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Listen, please. You don't do things to get God's grace. This is what you have to understand. If you do things to get God's grace, it's no longer grace. You've earned it. It's works. That's what these false teachers are teaching. But the Bible says that the grace of God was manifested to us when Christ left his place in heaven. He came down to this earth and he bled and died and took the place of wicked sinners like us. That was the grace of God. And that was before you were ever born. That was before you had ever sinned. Although God knew you would sin, that was before you had done good or evil. The grace of God was shown to you before you ever did anything good to deserve it, because you can't do anything good to deserve it. You see, when we come to understand and know why Jesus died on the cross, that was the grace of God. Then we come to God. Listen, we don't come to God. Say, okay, God, I'll get baptized, I'll join the church. I'll give money, I'll do this, I'll do that, I'll try to keep, no, we come to God and say, God, you've already given me your grace. And we just by faith, which is not anything we do, we just merely receive what God has done. Jesus did it all. Nothing can be added. That's the truth being spoken of in acts 15. Have you received the grace of God? Not just the words, but in truth? Or are you still relying on some other thing, some poor, destitute hope that in the end is going to disappoint you? Have. If you have received the grace of God has. It obviously affected your life in a way that's consistent with the truth of the gospel. Let's pray together.