God is sovereign in opening the heart of the lost to receive the Gospel

My sermon today will demonstrate how God sovereignly opens the heart of those whom he has chosen for faith in Christ for salvation. And how important it is for believers to be ready to share the Gospel, knowing that God has already worked in the heart of those that He has chosen before they have heard the Gospel of Christ.

God's providence in sending the Gospel to Philippi

Acts 16:11–12 “Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.”

God was providentially at work early on by preventing Paul and his companions from speaking the word in Asia and Bithynia, and while in Troas, God gave Paul a vision of a Macedonian man pleading with him, saying, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us. This was a cry for salvation. And after he had seen the vision and shared it with Silas, Timothy, and Luke, they immediately prepared to leave and go to Macedonia, concluding that God had called them to preach the gospel to them. Now the Gospel is headed to Europe. They sailed from Troas and headed straight for Samothrace. The next day, they reached Neapolis in Europe, and from there, they went to Philippi. The city of Philippi in northeastern Macedonia was named after the father of Alexander the Great, Phillip of Macedon. Philippi was a Roman colony where a large number of war veterans resided, situated on the Egnatian Way, a major thoroughfare across Greece.

The citizens of the Roman colony of Philippi and all of Rome were unaware that God was going to cause the spread of the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire, and many sinners would come to faith in Jesus Christ. Paul would later establish the church at Philippi and would write his letter to the Philippians a decade or so later.

Lastly, we are told in the last clause of v.12, “We stayed in that city for several days.”

I believe that Paul and his companions remained there several days waiting for God’s direction. If that is the case, then we can learn an invaluable lesson on waiting on God’s direction.

The persistence to share the Gospel

Acts 16:13“And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.”

As I have noted before, it was Paul’s practice once he entered a city, he would go to the synagogue on the Sabbath to preach the Gospel to the Jews and proselytes. We are told that “on the Sabbath day, he and Silas, Timothy, and Luke went outside the city gate by the river. This is because there was no synagogue in Philippi. The reason there wasn’t a synagogue there was because Philippi, being a Roman colony they had a small Jewish population. And according to Jewish tradition, there had to be ten Jewish men who were heads of households before a synagogue could be formed. Now, if these conditions could not be met, Jewish worshipers could meet under the open sky near a river or sea. This is why Paul, and his companions went outside the city gate by the river, where they expected to find a place of prayer.

We are told that Paul and his team “sat down and spoke to the women gathered.” Luke doesn’t miss anything in writing this narrative, and you shouldn’t either.

God had truly done a work when He saved Paul. I said this because Paul was once a Pharisee, and Pharisees did not teach women, and often in their prayers, they would thank God that they were not Gentiles, slaves, or women. Yet Paul, who would later write in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” When he and his team saw these women, they didn’t hesitate to speak and share the Gospel with them.

Paul and his team didn’t allow the absence of a synagogue, nor the presence of women stop them from reaching the lost with the Gospel. They knew that God wanted to save those who were sinners. Therefore, they were persistent in wanting to share the Gospel and they went to where the word of God could be shared.

Many believers make all types of excuses not to share the gospel with others. They lack persistency either because they’re intimidated or not interested in sharing the Gospel with sinners. Hear me you need to be persistent in sharing the Gospel do you not realize that God is at work in the hearts of sinners to hear the Gospel? You should realize the urgency to share the Gospel with your love ones, friends, and people you meet because their time on earth can end at any moment and the salvation of their souls hinges on their repentance of their sins and coming to faith in Jesus Christ who will forgive them of their sins and give them eternal life.

The providence of God at work opening the heart of Lydia

Acts 16:14–15“Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira. Lydia was a business woman who sold purple cloths, which was a lucrative business because purple clothing was worn by royalty and other well-to-do people. The purple came from a murex shellfish, and her home was the city of Thyatira, known for wool, dyeing, and it is one of the seven churches named in Rev. 2:18-29.

Lydia worshiped God, just as Cornelius did. She was wealthy, but not saved, and as God would have it, she was there at the riverside at the place of prayer listening to what Paul and his team had to say about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Once Lydia heard the Gospel, listen what happen next.

The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. God uses use to proclaim the Gospel message to those who He has prepared to receive it.

Doesn’t the Scripture say, Romans 10:14–15 “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!””

God was at work in Lydia’s heart to receive the Gospel. He alone was responsible for drawing her to repentance Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things, they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.'”

God alone was responsible in drawing Lydia to Jesus Christ.

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

Now, other women were listening, but only Lydia responded to what she heard. God chooses who He wants to save by working in the heart, through the Holy Spirit, to cause them to respond by faith to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You see, you never know who God has prepared to listen to the Gospel that you have shared.

God not only was at work in Lydia’s heart to receive the Gospel. We read this in v. 15.

And when she and her household were baptized. It is obvious that Lydia had taken her newfound faith in Jesus Christ and had shared the Gospel with her household, and she and her household were baptized.

We need more people in the church to have the eagerness like Lydia and want to share the Gospel with their household and be baptized. The question I pose to you today what’s stopping you?

Lastly, in v.15 we are told, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So, she persuaded us.” 

Lydia, love for Jesus Christ not only spread to her household, it also spread towards Paul and his team, and she begged them to come to her house and stay. She put her faith to work immediately. Understand this that good works cannot save, but saving faith will produce good works.

James 2:18“But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

You should put your faith to work to reach those who are in need, and show them the love of Christ in your life.

Paul and his team knew that God had sent them to Macedonia to be used to seek those who needed salvation. Lydia and her household were the first recorded Gentile converts in Europe. God is sovereign and He opened the heart of Lydia and her household to receive the Gospel.

God is sovereign and in His sovereignty He is still opening the hearts of the lost to receive the Gospel. My question to you today is are you willing to share the Gospel with your household, your friends, and with people God leads you to reach? I want to encourage you to do so, you never know who God has prepared to have their heart open to repent and receive Jesus Christ by faith for salvation.

Let's pray!