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Welcome to everyone. It's good 
to be back in the house of our God. You can turn with me in 
your Bibles to Psalm 118 for our call to worship. Psalm 118, 
specifically verses 19 to 29. Psalm 118, beginning in verse 
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will go through them, and I 
will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, 
through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise you, for 
you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone 
which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 
This was the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. 
This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be 
glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord. O Lord, 
I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the 
name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the 
house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and he has given 
us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords 
to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise 
you. You are my God, I will exalt 
you. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, 
for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Amen. Well, please turn in your hymn 
books to Psalm 121a. Psalm 121a, as in alpha, we'll 
stand as we sing together. My help comes from the Lord above, 
who heaven and earth has made. He will not let your foot be 
moved, your keeper will not sleep. of Israel keep. Adore my family, O Lord, your 
keeper, is your constant shade. The moon shall strike you not 
by night, nor sun by light of day. Well, let us pray. Our great God and 
Holy Father, we thank you for the privilege to gather again 
in your house on your day with your people. We acknowledge that 
you are, in fact, the Most High God, even Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit. We stand amazed at your wisdom 
and your power and goodness revealed in creation and in providence. 
We stand amazed at that goodness revealed in the gospel of our 
salvation, specifically your loving kindness and your mercy 
and your grace. We praise you for so great a 
salvation and for so great a Savior. And as we gather together tonight 
in a special way to proclaim the Lord's death till he comes, 
may our minds and our hearts be drawn out in love and adoration 
and worship to that one who gave himself for us. We ask that you 
would bless this time of worship that you would fill us with your 
Holy Spirit, that you would promote in us that fear and reverence 
of God Most High, and mingle it with great thanksgiving and 
joy. For God, as we reflect upon what 
we are, what we were prior to our conversion, and what we hope 
to be by God's grace in terms of that eternal state, we stand 
amazed at the doing and the dying and the rising of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. We thank you for that message, 
we thank you for that Redeemer King, and we thank you that that 
gospel is being proclaimed from sea to sea. We pray that it would 
find its mark in the hearts of men and women and boys and girls 
We pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, many would 
come out of darkness into marvelous light, confessing faith in Jesus 
Christ our Lord. We pray that for our gathering 
together tonight, may the saints of Christ be edified and sanctified 
and built up in their most holy faith. And for those dead in 
their trespasses and sins, we pray that today would be the 
day of salvation, to open their hearts and cause them to see 
sin before a holy God. and to see the remedy in Jesus 
Christ the Lord. We ask that you would forgive 
us now for all of our sin and transgression. We ask that you 
would cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lamb. As we saw 
this morning, that foot washing where our Savior stooped to wash 
the feet of his disciples. Yet at the end of that week, 
He ultimately went to the cross in order to wash us from all 
of our sin and unrighteousness. What a gracious and a glorious 
Savior King, and even now we confess that sin and pray for 
forgiveness through His blood, and we ask that You would cause 
us to respond with gratitude, with just a desire to worship 
and to praise and to glorify Your name. Father, we ask that 
you would bless this local church, that you would watch over each 
of the families here, each of the individuals, all of us collectively, 
help us to grow together in the grace and knowledge of our Lord 
and Savior. We pray that you would look with favor upon those 
with physical challenges and trials and hardships. We just 
commend our brothers and our sisters to you and to the word 
of your grace and pray that you would undertake on their behalf 
to encourage and strengthen them each and every day. We pray for 
your blessing upon other churches in our community. We pray for 
the saints in Surrey, and in Armstrong, and in Dryden. We 
thank you, God, that we're not alone in this province, we're 
not alone in this country, or in this world. But Jesus Christ 
has promised and purposed to build his church, promising that 
the gates of Haiti shall not prevail against it. Wherever 
your people are gathered together, may you be there in their midst, 
and may it be the case that they would know the nearness of God 
as their good. Lord, bless the persecuted church. We know there 
is great suffering and great turmoil in many countries of 
the world. Our hearts go out to the situation 
in Myanmar. It's a grief and a great discouragement 
to read of the recent happenings there. God, we pray for the little 
children. We pray that you would surround 
them, that you would continue to watch over them. Bless that 
orange grove. Bless Peter with a great measure of wisdom and 
strength to be able to navigate and to be able to provide counsel 
and assistance to all the refugees and the children. And God, ultimately, 
we pray that there would be a ceasefire in that land. We pray for a ceasefire 
throughout the earth. We know there's many wars. many 
things going on that are an affront to the God of peace and glory. 
We just pray that you would indeed cause there to be more gospel 
preaching, more people saved, more people calling upon the 
name of Jesus Christ our Lord. And God, continue with us now. 
Bless and strengthen us and help us to sing with vigor of heart. 
Help us to engage in the preaching of the word with a desire to 
know Jesus Christ even more. And may you in all things be 
glorified. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. We may turn again in your hymn 
books to number 381. 381. We'll stand as we sing together. Wisdom and riches and strength 
evermore. Give ye to him who our battle 
hath won, whose are the kingdom, the crown, of the heavens with his name. Reign in the earth with his glory 
and fame. ♪ Echo his praises and tell of 
his power ♪ ♪ Ever ascending the song and the joy ♪ ♪ Ever 
descending the love from on high ♪ Glory and praise. This is the King of the Kings 
that we praise. Take me the road, and the heart, 
and the bone. Sing me a song of a man that 
was slain. Dying in weakness, but rising Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 
13. Our meditation for the supper 
will focus on verses 38 to 43, but to set this discourse or 
sermon in its larger context, I'll pick up reading in verse 
13. This is the first missionary 
journey of the Apostle Paul and his colleague Barnabas. It takes 
place in Acts 13.1 and concludes in Acts 14.28. The time frame 
is the years A.D. 47 and 48. They covered about 
1,400 miles. They went to Cyprus and then 
the churches in southern Galatia. And those churches are Pisidia 
Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. And so our focus this 
evening is going to be on Paul's preaching in the synagogue in 
Pisidia Antioch. So beginning in verse 13 of Acts 
13. Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came 
to Perga in Pamphylia, and John, departing from them, returned 
to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, 
they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on 
the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the 
law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, 
saying, Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation 
for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and motioning 
with his hands, said, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, 
listen. The God of this people Israel 
chose our fathers and exalted the people when they dwelt as 
strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted army brought 
them out of it. Now for a time of about 40 years, 
He put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when He had 
destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed 
their land to them by allotment. After that, He gave them judges 
for about 450 years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward, they 
asked for a king. So God gave them Saul, the son 
of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years. And when 
he had removed him, he raised up for them David as king, to 
whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David the 
son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my 
will. From this man's seed, according 
to the promise, God raised up for Israel a savior, Jesus, after 
John had first preached, before his coming, the baptism of repentance 
to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his 
course, he said, who do you think I am? I am not he, but behold, 
there comes one after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not 
worthy to lose. Men and brethren, sons of the 
family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you 
the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell 
in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not know him, 
nor even the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, 
have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no 
cause for death in him, they asked Pilate that he should be 
put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all 
that was written concerning him, they took him down from the tree 
and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead. 
He was seen for many days by those who came up with him from 
Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people. 
And we declare to you glad tidings, that promise which was made to 
the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us, their children, 
in that he has raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the 
second Psalm, you are my son, today I have begotten you. And 
that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, 
he has spoken thus, I will give you the sure mercies of David. 
Therefore, he also says in another psalm, you will not allow your 
Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served 
his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried 
with his fathers, and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up saw 
no corruption. Therefore, let it be known to 
you, brethren, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness 
of sins, and by him everyone who believes is justified from 
all things from which you could not be justified by the law of 
Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what 
has been spoken in the prophets come upon you. Behold, you despisers, 
marvel and perish, for I work a work in your days, a work which 
you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it 
to you. So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles 
begged that these words might be preached to them the next 
Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews 
and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking 
to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next 
Sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear the Word 
of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, 
they were filled with envy and contradicting and blaspheming. 
They opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas 
grew bold and said, it was necessary that the Word of God should be 
spoken to you first. But since you reject it and judge 
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the 
Gentiles, for so the Lord has commanded us. I have set you 
as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to 
the ends of the earth." And when the Gentiles heard this, they 
were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had 
been appointed to eternal life, believed. And the word of the 
Lord was being spread throughout all the region. But the Jews 
stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the 
city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled 
them from their region. But they shook off the dust from 
their feet against them and came to Iconium. And the disciples 
were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Our gracious God, we thank you 
for this wonderful sermon. We thank you for the emphasis 
upon our Lord Jesus. And we see that glorious gospel 
of free and sovereign grace. We see that life, death, resurrection. We see that exhortation. to believe 
on him for forgiveness and for a righteousness that avails with 
God. Thank you for dealing with us in such mercy and with such 
grace. Thank you for the gospel. Thank 
you for so blessed a time now that we can gather together to 
be encouraged at the remembrance of our Lord's death on our behalf. 
We ask now that your spirit would guide us and we pray in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, as I said, the Apostle 
Paul starts off in this missionary journey in the churches in southern 
Galatia. And here he comes to Pisidia 
Antioch. And basically you have the preaching 
of Paul in that synagogue from verses 16 to 41. I'll just give 
you an outline. And as I said, our focus is going 
to be on verses 38 to 43. So first he gives a brief sketch 
of Israel's history. in verses 16 to 22. Peter does 
this as well and as well Stephen does this in Acts chapter 7. 
They basically give a biblical theology of God's dealings with 
the nation of Israel and how it was from that nation that 
the Lord Jesus Christ came. So, sketch of Israel's history, 
verses 16-22, and then the arrival of Israel's Messiah in verses 
23-25. And then Paul goes on to give 
an explanation of Israel's Messiah in verses 26-37. He deals with 
his crucifixion, verses 26-29, and the resurrection in verses 
30-37. And now in this latter part of 
his sermon, he gives an exhortation to believe on Israel's Messiah. And that's what we're going to 
pick up on in verses 38 to 41. So this sketch of Israel's history, 
how it yielded the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who comes 
from the tribe of Judah, who is descended from King David, 
who is that savior for Israel, even our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
Apostle Paul now exhorts the people in Pisidi and Antioch 
to believe on him. And, as Paul's custom was in 
his missionary journeys, he would go to synagogues. He would go 
to synagogues because there would be religiously-minded people. 
There would be the Jews who had the Old Testament. Now, oftentimes 
they rejected that Old Testament because it testified concerning 
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Apostle Paul would 
make that known to them. But also at the time of the synagogue 
gatherings, God-fearing Gentiles would come. That simply meant 
that there were Gentiles that were interested in Israel's God. They were interested in Yahweh. 
So they would come, and so the apostle would preach to them 
as well, and set forth the truth as it is in Jesus. So the latter 
part of this chapter, after we conclude what we see in terms 
of exposition, we'll see the response. I just wanna quickly 
go through that, as we have time this evening. But it is an interesting 
situation, the way that we see the response on the part of the 
Jews and the Gentiles. But look at first the exhortation 
to believe on Israel's Messiah. First, the practical nature of 
Paul's preaching. Look at verse 38a. Therefore, 
let it be known to you, brethren, He doesn't just give this sketch 
of Israel's history and just sort of leave it out there, but 
he brings it to bear upon his hearers. This is true of apostolic 
preaching. Remember in Acts chapter 2, the 
Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost preaches the person and work 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not just a Bible study for you 
to get a bit more information and then go home and do whatever 
it is you were going to do. No, the apostle Peter says, repent 
and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for 
the remission of sins. Well, Paul does the same thing 
here. He's not just trying to show that Jesus does in fact 
fulfill the Old Testament scriptures in terms of Messiah. Jesus does 
dot all the I's and cross all the T's and fulfill all the things 
that were written in Isaiah and in Moses and in Jeremiah and 
in Daniel. He does that to be sure, but 
he does that for a specific purpose. He wants you to believe. He wants 
you to come to Jesus. He wants you to know that forgiveness 
of sins, and he wants you to know that righteousness that 
avails with God. So for the apostles, their preaching 
wasn't first and foremost, or rather only to impart information. It was that, but it was also 
to elicit from them a response, namely, come to Jesus. There 
is hope in Him. There is life eternal to be had 
in Him. There is forgiveness in Him. 
And that's essentially what Paul does here in verse 38. So he 
says, after summarizing Israel's history, how it gave us the Lord 
Jesus, verse 38, Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, 
And then he deals with the redemptive focus of his preaching in two 
heads. First, the blessing of forgiveness 
in verse 38, and then the doctrine of justification by faith alone 
in verse 39. So two things that are of absolute 
importance. Two things that are crucial, 
two things that everybody needs to know. You can get by in this 
world as believer or non-believer without knowing all of the contours 
of what's gonna happen when Jesus comes again in glory. Know that 
Jesus is going to come again in glory, but to know all the 
particulars and the ins and outs, believer or non-believer, you're 
not gonna go to hell for not knowing that. But you will go 
to hell for not understanding that there is forgiveness with 
thee that thou mayest be feared. You are going to go to hell without 
the understanding of Jesus Christ as the righteousness of God. 
Not just the perfection of God personified, but the righteousness 
of God given to sinners and received by faith alone. The prophet Jeremiah 
refers to Jesus as the Lord our righteousness. So when you go 
through the apostolic preaching in the book of Acts, they're 
not there, again, just to impart information. They are there to 
challenge unbelief. They are there to challenge Jews 
that the Lord Jesus Christ does fulfill all the promises of God. 
They are yea and amen in Him. They are there to call God-fearing 
Greeks out of darkness into marvelous light by faith in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. So the apostles have an emphasis, 
or a focus, or a desire, and it's redemption by God's grace 
alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. So notice, 
he highlights the blessing of forgiveness. So verse 38, that 
through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sin. 
The man of whom the law and the prophets were concerned. In his 
sermon, that's verses 16 to 22. The man who was the seed of David 
and the Savior of Israel. In his sermon, that was verse 
23. The man who came down from heaven 
for us men and for our salvation. Verses 24 and 25. the man who 
lived and died and was raised again, verses 26 to 37. In other words, one's eternal 
destiny is completely and totally connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. Forgiveness comes through this 
man. There's not forgiveness in all 
these other religions. There's not forgiveness in every 
approach to God Most High. There is one way. In Acts 4, 
verse 12, Peter says, And it's intriguing because he 
deals with the forgiveness of sins, that chief boon of the 
gospel, that chief boon of redemptive religion, and something that 
you see all throughout the book of Acts. I've already mentioned 
Acts chapter 2, you can turn there. Acts chapter 2, the Sermon 
on the Day of Pentecost, Peter again imparts knowledge, but 
then calls them to repentance. And the specific promise that 
He holds out to them, according to 238, is repent and let every 
one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the 
remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Spirit. Turn over to chapter 3 and verse 
19. Chapter 3, verse 19. Repent, therefore, and be converted, 
that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing 
may come from the presence of the Lord. Look at 531, him God 
has exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give 
repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Look at 1043, the apostle 
Peter preaching to the household of Cornelius. 1043, to him all 
the prophets witnessed that through his name, whoever believes in 
him will receive remission of sins. And then again in chapter 
26, specifically at verse 18. Chapter 26 at verse 18. When Paul before Agrippa, he's 
rehearsing the salvation that was wrought on him by our Lord. And then notice specifically 
in verses 17 and 18, he's rehearsing the Lord's words to him. He says, 
I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles 
to whom I now send you to open their eyes in order to turn them 
from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God that 
they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among 
those who are sanctified by faith in me. Now brethren, as we go 
back to Pisidian Antioch, we see this isn't a one-off in the 
life and ministry of the Apostle Paul. In fact, when we read his 
letters, we see that emphasis over and over again. Man's problem 
isn't simply that he needs a bit more information. Man's problem 
isn't simply that he needs a few more digits in his bank account. 
Man's problem isn't simply his ethnicity or his socioeconomic 
status. Man's problem is his estrangement 
from God Most High. Man's problem is that he shakes 
the fist at the Most High, and that God looks upon him with 
anger each and every day. So what do the apostles do? They 
proclaim the way of salvation. They proclaim the glory of God's 
forgiveness of sins. They find themselves lock stock 
with the Old Testament prophets. The prophet Micah rehearses the 
great mercy of God Most High, taking our sins and casting them 
into the depths of the sea. This is one of those things that 
the church must be about, proclamation of forgiveness. If we want to 
do genuine good to our generation, it's going to be at the level 
of proclaiming Christ in Him crucified. It's going to be at 
the level of telling sinners the way of salvation, the way 
of forgiveness. And when it comes to this forgiveness, 
again, it addresses the ultimate problem of mankind. The problem 
of total depravity, total inability. The fact that we are justly liable 
to God's wrath and curse both in this life and that which is 
to come. Look at Romans chapter 3. Romans 
chapter three, basically summarizing what Paul starts in Romans 1.18. 
He says, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against 
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth 
in unrighteousness. And then he indicts the Gentiles, 
and then he indicts the Jews. And then in chapter three, he 
summarizes and says, all of us, this is a universal problem across 
the board. The scope is absolute. Everybody 
is liable. to God's wrath, to God's curse, 
to God's judgment. Notice in 319, now, we know that 
whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, 
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become 
guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the 
law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight, for by the law 
is the knowledge of sin. It is forgiveness that we need, 
and that's precisely where Paul continues in Romans 3, 21, all 
the way through Romans chapter four, well, into chapter five 
as well. The reality that because of what 
Christ has done in terms of his life of perfect obedience to 
the law, his death as a sacrifice and substitute on the cross, 
and his resurrection again the third day, all those who believe 
on him receive salvation. They receive everlasting life. They receive the forgiveness 
of sins. That which is between us and 
a holy God has been done away with. Not that it's been sent 
to the cornfield, but the wrath of God has been fulfilled in 
our Lord Jesus Christ. That's Paul's point in Romans 
3, 25 and 26. God set forth his son as a propitiation 
by his blood to demonstrate God's righteousness, that he may be 
both the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 
So going back to Pisidian Antioch, no surprise that when the apostle 
sketches Israel's history, reveals Israel's Messiah, and exhorts 
belief on him, he says that there is forgiveness to be had in him. In other words, don't continue 
down this path of rebellion. Don't continue down this path 
of transgression. Don't continue down this path 
of lack of conformity. Rather, come to the Savior, King, 
for the forgiveness of sins. Notice then, secondly, in verse 
39. He goes on to give an explanation of this. We have forgiveness 
when we believe on Him. And then in verse 39, "...and 
by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things 
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." So when 
we look at this forgiveness of sins, and then Paul uses this 
language of justification, and when we step back, as it were, 
from Pisidian Antioch, and we survey the apostles' writings 
elsewhere, we know and we are convinced that there's two things 
with reference to justification. It's the forgiveness of sins, 
but it's also a righteousness that avails with God. God made 
Him, Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might 
become the righteousness of God in Him. So you see, God forgives 
our sin, but there's still a demand for righteousness. 1 Samuel 15, 
behold, to obey is better than to sacrifice. Hebrews chapter 
10, the same principle is invoked and we see it there in the context 
of Christ's active obedience to the law. So in terms of the 
passive obedience, Christ goes to the cross, takes our punishment 
so that we can be forgiven. But that active obedience is 
absolutely crucial as well so that we may gain a righteousness. 
It's imputed to us, it's received by faith alone. So notice what 
the apostle is doing here. The apostle is underscoring the 
demand for perfection. and by him everyone who believes 
is justified from all things from which you could not be justified 
by the law of Moses. Why was the law of Moses given? 
We'll get to that in a bit more detail in a moment, but suffice 
to say it was to promote, well in that context it was to promote 
other things, but law basically is to promote obedience so that 
we can have a righteousness, right? So the demand of God is 
a perfect righteousness. Our confession encapsulates it 
this way. By which God bound him, Adam, 
and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual 
obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling and threatened 
death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and 
ability to keep it. So in other words, justification, 
the act of being justified in God's sight requires not just 
the best attempt that you and I have, It doesn't just require, 
you know, 80%, that's pretty good, you've done well. It's 
perpetual, it's perfect, it's exact, it's entire. This is why 
Christ is so glorious, because it's not just his death on the 
cross, but it's his life of obedience to the Father's law. It's his 
never having a lustful thought. It's his never having a hateful 
thought. It's his never having stolen anything. It's his never 
having engaged in any lawlessness whatsoever. He maintained always 
that holiness and that harmlessness and that undefiledness that the 
apostle celebrates in Hebrews 7.26. So notice what the apostle 
is telling us. God's demand is for perfection. 
But as we know from the rest of scripture, man doesn't have 
the wherewithal to do that. Right? In Adam all die, 1 Corinthians 
15, 22. As a result of that, what are 
we like practically? What are we like ethically? Well, 
we're like a bunch of rebels. We're like a bunch of transgressors. 
We're like a bunch of people who lack conformity under the 
law of God. We are sinners before a holy God. So you see on the 
one hand, he demands perfection. On the other hand, we're completely 
and thoroughly imperfect. But on the other hand, He provides 
this through our Lord Jesus Christ. And by Him, Christ, everyone 
who believes is justified from all things from which you could 
not be justified by the law of Moses. Brethren, if you understand 
what Paul is saying here in verse 39, you understand a bit of the 
tenor of the book of Galatians. Where's Paul, Pisidian Antioch? He's in the churches of southern 
Galatia. Why does he write Galatians? Because he emphasized here in 
their synagogue that it's not through the law, but it's solely 
and alone through Jesus Christ. So then Judaizers come in after 
him, and they say, yeah, good emphasis, believe on Jesus, but 
you need to be circumcised. You need to follow our calendar. 
That's why he writes Galatians 1. I stood in your synagogue, 
and I told you that righteousness and forgiveness were only to 
be had in Jesus. And now you're falling from the 
grace of God as an orientation, as a way of approach to the Most 
High, You're falling because some people have said you've 
got to get circumcised, you've got to keep the calendar. The 
apostle is putting forward the reality that justification is 
by faith alone. God's grace through faith alone. So this provision of righteousness 
comes through Jesus Christ. Consider Romans 1, 16 and 17. 
The apostle says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power 
of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first 
and also to the Greek. And then what does he say? For 
in it, the righteousness of God. That's not the perfection of 
his rightness. That's the righteousness that 
he demands from a sinner and the righteousness that he supplies 
to that sinner who believes the gospel. So he says, for in it 
the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, that as 
it is written, the just shall live by faith. And then Philippians 
chapter 3. You remember that scene? The 
Apostle Paul is condemning again the Judaizers. Those guys that 
have come into the churches of Christ and said, yeah, belief 
in Jesus is good, but you've got to get circumcised, you've 
got to follow the calendar, you've got to be a Jew also in addition 
to a believer in Jesus. So what does Paul say? He says, 
if there was anybody on the face of the earth that could have 
merited God's favor, it was me. Not me, Jim, but Paul. Paul says, 
I was of the tribe of Israel, or the tribe of Benjamin. I was 
circumcised on the eighth day, concerning the laws of Pharisee. 
I had all my ducks in line. I had my religious resume in 
order. You look at him in a job interview for rabbi of a particular 
synagogue, he's a shoe-in. Every jot and tittle was in place. Everything was on board. But 
what does he say? He says, the things that at one 
time I valued, the things that at one time I saw as good, I 
will gladly give all this up for the excellence of the knowledge 
of Christ Jesus my Lord. And then he caps off that brief 
section by underscoring what he underscores in Romans 1, 17. 
For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed. That righteousness 
that God demands and that righteousness that God supplies. Philippians 
3, 9. He says, and be found in him, 
not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that 
which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from 
God by faith. That's what he's doing in Pisidi 
and Antioch in a synagogue peopled by Jews that had the Torah and 
that had this conception that if they were just obedient enough, 
then God would allow them access into His holy presence. Paul 
says no. Notice how he says it. He doesn't 
say, well, you guys got your approach. We Christians, we've 
got our approach. Nope, that's not what he does. 
Notice he highlights the instrumentality of faith once again. So verse 
38, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness 
of sins. And then verse 39, and by him everyone who believes 
is justified from all things. Everyone who believes, not believes 
and does, not believes and works, not believes and fulfills Torah, 
but believes. Justification is by faith alone. This was the battle cry of the 
Protestant Reformation, and for good reason. Romanism was saying, 
oh, it's faith plus faithfulness. It was collapsing the distinction. 
It was folding sanctification into justification so that it's 
good to believe on Jesus, but you must fulfill what Rome says 
in order for your final acceptance. Well, that's Galatianism all 
over again. It's supplementing faith in Jesus 
with circumcision and calendars. And so the Reformers said, no, 
it's sola fide. It's justification by faith alone. It's not faith plus. It's not 
faith mingled. It's not faith and, it is faith 
alone. And they got that from the apostle. 
They got that from God. Genesis 15.6, Abraham what? Believed in God and kept Torah? 
No, he believed in God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Habakkuk 2.4, the just shall 
live by faith. This was always taught in the 
Old Testament. Romans 3.21, being witnessed 
by the law and the prophets. How does David respond to the 
forgiveness that he has gotten in Psalm 32? Well, I've worked 
my fingers to the bone and now God has rewarded me. Know how 
blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. 
David understood Reformed theology prior to it becoming called Reformed 
theology. So Paul says in Romans 3, therefore 
we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works 
of the law. He says that all over the place. 
For the papers to say, well, it doesn't say justification 
by faith alone. Yeah, it does. Absolutely, positively, 100%, 
most assuredly, it does. I don't know how you miss that 
here. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith 
apart from the works of the law. Apart from the works of the law 
means alone. justification by faith alone. This is what our text says, and 
by him everyone who believes is justified from all things 
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. That brings 
us then to the necessity. So we got the explanation, this 
demand for perfection, we can't bring it, Christ brings it, so 
belief in Him gains it by imputation, not gains by effort, but by imputation. We see the instrumentality, it 
is through faith, but then note the necessity, and this kind 
of jives with what we were talking about a bit on Wednesday night. 
There's a larger context for this sermon. We dealt a bit with 
law and Old Covenant and the nature of the covenant made with 
Israel on Wednesday night, dealt with a few things that way. Basically, 
the argument was that the Old Covenant was a covenant of works. 
It wasn't designed to save them. In fact, Owen has that statement. There's nothing inherent in the 
Old Covenant that would convey grace to a believer for their 
salvation. So Paul does that here, notice 
in verse 39, and by him everyone who believes is justified from 
all things. Now notice, which you could not 
be justified by the law of Moses. You can't be justified by Torah 
observance. You can't be justified. Why? Because you're a sinner. You're an atom, and the demand 
of God's law isn't your best shot. He's not just giving out 
participation trophies. Well, yeah, you did your best, 
Johnny. Participation trophies have kind 
of altered the universe in a negative way. You should have to win to 
get a trophy. So when it comes to participation 
trophies, we kind of move that or we map it on to salvation. 
Well, I've done my best. I haven't actually committed 
the act of adultery. I haven't killed anybody. I've 
done my best. God will give me my participation 
trophy, won't he? No. There is no salvation via 
law. Again, not that there's anything 
wrong with the law. In fact, the apostle in Romans 
7 says, it's good. The commandment is holy. It's 
right. The problem isn't the law, brethren. Guess where the 
problem lies? in our hearts. In fact, turn 
to the book of Hebrews, where there's a contrast between Old 
and New Covenant. He's not saying the New Covenant 
is a little bit better. The New Covenant is superior. 
Look at Hebrews chapter 8, very specifically. Well, Hebrews 7, 
we see a covenant, a surety of a better covenant, 722. 8, 6 we see a better covenant founded 
on better promises. And then a specific contrast 
where he invokes the prophet Jeremiah to show something of 
what he wants to set forth. So Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34, it's 
an announcement in the old covenant by an old covenant prophet about 
what the new covenant is going to look like. This is why we 
only baptize believers, because in that covenant they shall all 
know the Lord. They shall have the law written on their hearts. 
They will have the Spirit of God. They will have those blessings 
that are essential features of the New Covenant. But look at 
how he introduces this in verse 7. In other words, if the old covenant 
would have brought redemptive benefit and glory to the old 
covenant people, there'd be no need for the new covenant. Now 
notice what he says in verse eight, because finding fault 
with, look at this, them. It's the them that we have the 
problem with. This is why justification by 
law can never obtain because there's a them problem. Them 
don't keep the law. Them don't internalize the law. 
Them don't do what God says. And as a result of them having 
transgressed, the stage was set for the arrival of the Messiah. 
This is one of the grand purposes of the Old Testament, was to 
function as a tutor, an old covenant, to function as a tutor, to keep 
the people together, to bring them to Messiah, to believe on 
Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins. Turn to the book of 
Galatians. If we're dealing in Pisidian 
Antioch, Galatians is very appropriate to consider. So the inability 
of justification through law keeping. We have Paul making 
that statement in Hebrews 8. We have Paul saying in Romans 
7, the problem isn't the law, it's you. But then notice in 
Galatians 3, 10 to 14. He's showing, again, contrast 
between old and new covenant. And by the way, when Paul contrasts, 
he's not saying old covenant bad. Oh, it's terrible, it's 
horrible. No, the Old Covenant did exactly 
what God had purposed for the Old Covenant to do. It's not 
bad, it's not horrible, it's not deficient, it's not, you 
know, a bad arrangement. It did precisely what God intended 
for it to do. And it produced or provided or 
gave us the Messiah King and His new covenant that is the 
fulfillment of everything prior. So notice in Galatians 3.10, 
for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, 
for it is written, curse it is everyone who does not continue 
in all things. There's that exact and entire 
and perpetual obedience, not grading on the curve, not the 
participation trophy, not eight out of 10 things, but But all 
things. Cursed is everyone who does not 
continue in all things which are written in the book of the 
law to do them. So the declaration of Paul that 
those of the works of the law are under a curse. And he invokes 
Deuteronomy 27, 26. And then notice the declaration 
that the way of acceptance with God is through faith alone. Notice 
in verse 11, but that no one is justified by the law in the 
sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith. 
You know what he's saying? Even in the Old Covenant, it 
wasn't a mingling of faith and works. It wasn't a mingling of 
grace and law. It was always grace alone through 
faith alone in Christ alone. That's why the grand announcement 
in Habakkuk 2, 4, the just shall live by faith. Abraham believed 
God. David praises God for not imputing 
iniquity. It was always that way. It was 
revealed or witnessed rather by the Law and the Prophets, 
Romans 3.21. So Paul's not saying brand new 
thing here. He's saying new covenant where 
these are essential features. They were present based on God's 
promise, even in that Old Covenant situation. But when God announces, 
I'm gonna make a new covenant with the house of Israel and 
Judah, not like the covenant I made with them, which they 
broke. There is a radical contrast and the betterment of the New 
Covenant. Things that were present in the 
Old Covenant, but were not essential features, are essential features 
in the New Covenant. You're forgiven, you know Yahweh, 
the law's written on your heart. And so Paul is rehearsing this 
in the churches of Galatia because they hadn't listened to him, 
because they listen to these Judaizers now. And then notice 
in verse 12, yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does 
them shall live by them. The declaration that the law 
is not of faith. This is Leviticus 18.5. If you 
choose works, You've got to go it alone, and you've got to go 
it perfectly, exactly, and entirely. This is the glory of justification 
by faith. And so then dropping down to 
verses 19 to 25, was the law useless? No. Paul summarizes. What purpose, then, does the 
law serve? Well, quoting, or at least alluding 
to Denalt in his book, the preservation of the Messianic line. I tried 
to explain this a bit on Wednesday night. If you take a bunch of 
sinners and throw them out in the wilderness, what do you think 
they're going to do? Yep, they're gonna sin. And they're gonna 
sin with reckless abandonment. And they're gonna sin at the 
level of the seventh commandment. They're gonna abandon their wives 
and they're gonna go after the pagan wives. In the time of Ezra, 
there was a stark admonition, a very strict admonition from 
Ezra to put away their pagan wives. Again, I think it had 
to do with the jeopardizing of the seed. Remember, the seed 
of the woman is going to crush the serpent. If you jeopardize 
the seed of the woman, you're not going to get the head of 
the serpent crushed. So that's one of the purposes 
for this covenant. It had a civil function. It restrained 
the people. It kept them in tow. Not perfectly, 
not always, but for the most part, it did its job. As well, 
it was typology of the Messiah and His kingdom. You see a blessed 
sort of expression of what God's rule over a people looks like. 
And then the confinement. Notice in verse 22, the scripture 
has confined all under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus 
Christ might be given to those who believe. So the confinement 
of all under sin in order to highlight that justification 
is by faith alone. It's not by a mingling of the 
two. It's not by a mix mash. It's 
not by putting together a little bit of you and a little bit of 
Jesus and hopefully God's going to save us. No. Look unto the 
Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved. You'll be forgiven 
and you'll receive that righteousness that avails with God. Listen 
to Fisher. He says, so that if you desire 
to be justified before God, you must either bring to Him a perfect 
righteousness of your own and wholly renounce Christ, or else 
you must bring the perfect righteousness of Christ and wholly renounce 
your own. What sounds like the better option 
there? I'd say the second, brethren, that's exactly what Paul is saying 
in Acts 13, 39. Or else you must bring the perfect 
righteousness of Christ and wholly renounce your own. He says Christ 
Jesus will either be a whole Savior or no Savior. He will 
either save you alone or not save you at all. That is crucial 
to get. And that is Paul's point in Pisidian 
Antioch And that's Paul's point when he responds to the Galatian 
churches that had succumbed to the Judaizers in the epistle 
to the Galatians. He wants to tell them circumcision 
and calendars does not make you acceptable to God Most High. 
It's Jesus Christ and faith in him alone. It's Jesus Christ 
and not the works of the law. It's Jesus Christ without your 
so-called righteousness where you think you're gonna garner 
approval from God Almighty. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply 
to thy cross I cling. Foul I to the fountain fly, watch 
me, Savior, or I die. That's the heartbeat of the apostle's 
message. And then on the heels of that, 
we see this warning given in the book of Acts. Notice, in 
verse 40, he says, Bach says, this is the only occurrence 
of this term, this despisers, in the New Testament. It refers 
to someone who despises or has contempt for something. Rejecting 
God's work in Christ puts one in this category. To say, well, 
I hear what God says in the Gospel, but You know, I'm pretty good. 
I'm not as bad as my neighbor. I'm not as bad as some of you 
in the church. I'm going to go it alone. That's 
the despiser that needs to take heed to the warning of the prophet 
Habakkuk and flee to the Savior and resist and reject that mindset 
where you would look away from the prophet mercy in Christ alone 
for salvation by grace. Paul, in Pisidian Antioch, calls 
upon sinners to believe and be saved. Real quick, notice what 
happens after this. Verse 42, there's a bit of a 
variant between the New King James and the non-New King James. In the King James tradition, 
there's a variant reading from the modern text. And so there's 
a bit of a difference. If you're using ESV, I apologize 
to you. Notice in verse 42, so when the 
Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles, note the word, 
begged that these words might be preached to them the next 
Sabbath. Maybe people don't care about the word of God in our 
generation because they don't want self-help. They don't want 
do-goodery. They want to hear the truth of 
acceptance with God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
In other words, when we preach the gospel, when we preach acceptance 
through Jesus to the God of absolute glory and majesty, maybe, just 
maybe then, people will actually be interested. You mean they're 
not interested in our self-help? They're not interested in our 
do-goodery? They're not interested in our 
infighting? They're not interested in our squabbles? They're not 
interested in our messaging that isn't about Christ and crucified? 
Do you see that in verse 42? The Gentiles begged the thought 
that there's forgiveness, the thought that there's acceptance 
with God, the thought that I can get there by faith in Jesus. Tell me more about this. Tell me more about the way of 
salvation. Tell me more about this Lord 
Jesus Christ. The Gentiles begged. Have you 
ever seen, have you ever met, have you ever heard of anybody 
who's actually begged to hear the word of God? I haven't, and 
I've been doing this for a few years now. I'm not saying you 
schlubs, you're terrible. I don't mean it that way. But 
to see people begging for the gospel, This is glorious. So when the Jews went out of 
the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached 
to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had 
broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul 
and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue 
in the grace of God. So you've got this mixed match 
now of Jews and Gentiles that had responded favorably to Paul's 
message. But again, verse 42, they begged 
that they could hear the word of God. So does verse 44 surprise 
you? Does verse 44 cause you to go, 
wow, I can't believe it? Notice, on the next Sabbath, 
almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God. Why 
is that? Because you've got to hear this 
fellow. He's telling us about this holy God of Israel and how 
He accepts rebel sinners like us. through his son, the Lord 
Jesus. The son that Paul preached in 
Acts 13 as he's sketching Israel's history, as he deals with the 
monarchy, as he deals with the time of the judges, as he brings 
it to bear on David, as he talks about this savior for Israel, 
the Lord Jesus Christ. You really gotta come and hear 
what he has to say. Do you see what's happening, 
brethren? They're begging, they go home, 
and they're telling people over their lunch tables, yeah, we 
were in this synagogue on the Sabbath day in Pisidia in Antioch, 
and you wouldn't believe it, this fellow preached. And he 
preached acceptance with God through the Son of God, the Lord 
Jesus Christ. It's no surprise that verse 44 
is in the Bible. The whole city gathered together, 
why? Because the apostles had the 
words of eternal life. That's what man needs. That's 
what man wants. That's what the church is supposed 
to give him. That's what the church is supposed 
to proclaim. The church is to preach justification 
by faith alone. And then, of course, on the heels 
of this, you've got the unbelieving Jews who try to stir up animosity 
and enmity against the apostles. such that the Apostle Paul and 
Barnabas say they invoke a promise associated with the Messiah himself 
right out of the prophet Isaiah 42 and 49. Behold, God has given 
us as a light unto the Gentiles. You resist and you reject Israel's 
Messiah, then we're going to go to the Gentiles. How do you 
think those Jews responded then? Oh, they loved it. Oh, thank 
you very much. We love your plural. They despised 
them and rejected them and hated them and held them in contempt. 
That's what you see all throughout the book of Acts. The first enemy 
against the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is unbelieving Israel. It's the leadership in Israel 
that's hunting Paul down. It's the leadership in Israel 
that's giving Paul up to the Roman magistrate. The Roman magistrate 
would turn up the fire against the Christian church, but not 
at this point. They thought that the church 
was simply a subset of Judaism and pretty much was going to 
just leave them alone. It was the unbelieving Jews that kept 
hounding them and kept throwing them into the hands of these 
magistrates. So you see, when the gospel of justification by 
faith alone is preached, if God is there, there's going to be 
great salvation in people begging to hear it and people flocking 
to have more. There'll always be that enmity, 
there'll always be that resistance, there'll always be that aroma 
of death unto death, and in this sense, or in this case, it was 
unbelieving Israel that rejected the Messiah of God sent to save 
His people from their sins. Well, believer, be encouraged. 
We have justification apart from the works of the law. We have 
justification by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ 
alone, something that the law of Moses could never convey upon 
us because we couldn't obey it perfectly. And sinner, come to 
Him, believe on Him, and you'll receive it as well. It's not 
like the handful of believers in here have spent the riches 
of God's grace. No, they're riches of God's grace. There is forgiveness with him 
that he may be feared. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this sermon 
in the book of Acts. And God, we thank you for the 
blessedness of our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that 
we have in him. We pray now that you would encourage 
us, that you would strengthen us, that you would confirm our 
faith and cause us all to grow in the grace and knowledge of 
our beloved Savior. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, you can turn back to Matthew 
chapter 26. As we transition now into the supper, Matthew 
chapter 26, just a few reminders in terms of the supper. Remember 
that the ordinance is for believers only. That's not to be taken 
as an offense or as a dig. It's simply to confine ourselves 
to what scripture teaches. It's for the people of God. It's 
not a converting ordinance. It doesn't have magical power 
in it. The bread remains the bread, the wine remains the wine, 
but they do symbolize and they should serve as emblems of our 
Lord's broken body and shed blood, things that the believer has 
a saving interest in. Unbelievers do not, so we would 
just ask that you refrain from taking. The ordinance or sacrament 
is for believers who are seeking by grace to deal with their sin. 
Remember, the life of sanctification. If we confess our sins, He is 
faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness. Jesus says in John 13, we've 
been washed and we're clean, but our feet need that sort of 
ongoing sanctifying power of the Spirit and that blood of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see it in 1 Corinthians 
11, you see the haves excluding the have-nots, causing problem 
and division at the table, so the apostle rebukes them for 
that. And then as I said, the ordinance 
is in fact a means of grace, but the elements are not changed. 
They don't go from bread to body and wine to blood. Those were 
metaphorical statements. When Jesus says, this is my body, 
this is my blood, Take it the way he says, you know, I am the 
door, or I am the vine. It's metaphor. It's something 
to illustrate. And so while we have a sacred 
use now for the bread and the wine, it's not changed. It's 
not transubstantiation. It's not the Lutheran version 
of consubstantiation. And then ultimately the ordinance 
or sacrament points us to Jesus. We're supposed to think about 
Jesus. We do this in remembrance of him. Certainly a bit of moment 
or a moment of reflection, God forgive me, cleanse me from my 
unrighteousness and my sin, but a time of rejoicing in the fact 
that Jesus Christ is the one in whom we have forgiveness. 
Well, if the brothers will come and pass out the bread, We will 
sing number 349 while they do so. After we get the bread and 
finish the song, I'll read the section in Matthew's gospel. 
We'll pray and then take the bread together. So 349, please 
remain seated as we sing praises to our God. the cross our King. We bow our 
hearts before thee, thy gracious name we sing. And may that cross 
of salvation, that made with thy cross pain, our ♪ Life shall fade away ♪ ♪ Yet 
doth the world disdain thee ♪ ♪ Still passing by the cross ♪ ♪ Lord 
may our hearts retain thee ♪ ♪ All else we now but lost ♪ ♪ The 
glorious hymns are raising thee ♪ ♪ And hail thee to the tree 
♪ ♪ Our God, our Lord is standing ♪ ♪ Yet they are all to thee 
♪ ♪ The glorious hymns are raising thee ♪ ♪ No longer pass me by ♪ ♪ O Jesus 
reconfess me ♪ ♪ Thus I am found on high ♪ ♪ O grant to us remission 
♪ ♪ By through thy death restore us ♪ I'm forever. Matthew 26, at verse 26, we're 
reading, and as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and 
broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, take eat, 
this is my bomb, so let us pray. My gracious God and Father, we 
thank you very much for the provision of the Son of your Lord. We thank 
you that you so loved the world that you gave your only begotten 
Son, that whosoever be with him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life. We rejoice in your lovingkindness, 
in your mercy and in your grace, and pray that many more will 
come to a saving knowledge in our blessed Lord. We ask in his 
glorious name. Amen. Stay together. If you remain seated, we'll sing 
450. 4, 5, 0, just to remind you, the juice 
is in the outer ring. Wine is in the center section, 
but for the juice, it's in the outer ring. So 4, 15, Jesus, 
mother of God. ♪ Let me to thy roots apply ♪ ♪ 
While the nearer waters flow ♪ ♪ While the tempest still is 
high ♪ ♪ I'll be of thy stay or mine ♪ ♪ Till the storm of 
blindness pass ♪ Into thy haven fly, O receive 
my soul at last. On your refuge have I come, raise 
my helpless soul on thee. ♪ Still support and comfort me 
♪ ♪ All my trust on thee is made ♪ ♪ All my help from thee I bring 
♪ ♪ Cover my defenseless head ♪ Raise the golden chair of faith. Till us it can be applied. Just and truly, it's our right. of truth and praise. Your dearest grace with me is 
found, grace to cover all my sin. Let the healing ♪ Make a plea, strangle a whip 
in my heart ♪ ♪ Christ, to all eternity be praised ♪ Verse 27, Then he took the cup 
and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, 
all of you. For this is my blood of the new 
covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But 
I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from 
now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's 
kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the 
Mount of Olives. Well, let us pray. Our gracious 
God, we know that the old covenant was ratified in blood. We know 
that the new covenant is as well. We thank you for the blood of 
Jesus Christ, your son, that does cleanse us from all of our 
sin. And we pray now that you would be glorified as we drink 
this cup together as we, as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
proclaim his death until he comes. And we look forward to his coming 
again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And our hearts 
desire and earnest plea is that all here all our children, all 
our young people would be found in him, not having a righteousness 
of their own, which is from the law, but that which is from you 
and received by faith alone. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. We'll take together. When it says in verse 30, and 
when they had sung a hymn, they likely sang from the Psalter 
from the section called the Hallel Psalms 113 to 118. So we're gonna 
try and continue that. So we'll sing 117C to close our 
worship this evening. 117C, we'll stand and we'll sing together. 
♪ His Word, the law and the truth. ♪ Oh Israel, hope in the Lord, 
for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is abundant redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from 
all his iniquities. Amen. Our blessed God, we thank 
you for this day. We thank you for your presence 
in our midst. We thank you for the saints, 
the fellowship of the saints. balm of Gilead is to our weary 
souls, to come in from out of the world, to fellowship with 
your people, to gather around your table, and to celebrate 
the glory of God most high. We pray that you would go with 
us now, watch over us, and keep us, and cause your face to shine 
upon us, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. We may be seated for a brief 
time of meditation.