"Purple and White" 9-29-19

Overview

Purple and White: Lydia's Story and Ours

When Paul and his companions arrived in Philippi in response to the Macedonian vision Acts 16:9-10, they discovered a city without a synagogue—not enough Jewish residents to support one. So on the Sabbath, Paul went where devout Jews would naturally gather: down by the river, looking for a place of prayer Acts 16:13. There he met Lydia, a "worshiper of God"—a term, used earlier of Cornelius in Acts 10, describing one who believed in the God of Israel without being a full convert to Judaism. Lydia was from Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth, a luxury product made with costly dye. Her trade marked her as a woman of considerable means.

But Lydia's color palette was about to expand. "The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul" Acts 16:14, and she and her household were baptized. Scripture's vision of the redeemed in heaven is consistently a vision of those clothed in white—the few in Sardis who "will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy" Revelation 3:4, and the great multitude from every nation "robed in white" before the throne and the Lamb (Revelation 7:9, Revelation 7:13). Paul tells the Galatians, "as many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" Galatians 3:27. The white garment is the perfect righteousness of Jesus Himself, given to us in the waters of baptism. Costly as Lydia's purple was, it could not compare to the white garment purchased by the red blood of Christ.

The Greek term used for Lydia's "household" includes not only adults but children—even infants—giving us one of the clear scriptural witnesses that infant baptism is a gift of the Lord. The whole household received the same Christ, the same forgiveness, the same righteous robe.

Notice what immediately followed Lydia's baptism: "She urged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.' And she prevailed upon us" Acts 16:15. The joy of her baptism overflowed at once into hospitality and service. So it is for us. At your baptism, God applied every gift to you—forgiveness, the Spirit, eternal life, membership in His family, the gift of faith. It was the Last Judgment in miniature: God declared you His and will not let you go. That kind of grace cannot stay still. The white garment that is yours through Christ is reflected in service offered with joy, because the One who clothed you so beautifully has made you His own.

Transcript

Courtney Bennett's, a delightful lady that was part of the congregation that I served 1s

when I was in Washington. 8s

Courtney had a flare about her, and she also had a very distinctive voice. 11s

It had a strong, warble to it that rooted back to a medical condition she had had several 21s

years before. 27s

So that when she would say one word on the phone, you knew exactly who it was. 30s

She didn't even have to identify herself. 36s

For a few were in the office and your back was turned and she came in and just said one 38s

word, you knew exactly before you even turned around who it was. 43s

It was Courtney. 48s

Courtney drove a yellowish, plymoth reliant, and she loved the color purple. 51s

In fact, you could never see Courtney in any other color than purple. 60s

Oftentimes she would be dressed from head to toe in purple, not just a purple scar for a purple 70s

blouse. 79s

Sometimes she would just be head to toe, hat and all dressed in the purple. 79s

So when she would get into her yellowish, plymoth reliant, adorned in the purple. 87s

You would see her driving along, and the flash of yellow and purple would go by and you 95s

would know that Courtney was out doing whatever Courtney was going to do. 101s

Courtney's love for purple. 111s

As I think of a biblical character associated with the color purple, Lydia, Lydia, immediately 118s

comes to mind. 126s

Take a look with me, please. 128s

At verse 11 of our text, we set sail from Trollas to a straight course to Samathras, 130s

the following day to theapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the 136s

district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. 142s

We remained in this city for some days. 145s

Well, why did they hit the road here? 150s

What was the impetus here for their travels? 151s

If you jump back up into verse 9 of the same chapter, just a little review from last week, 155s

we read, during the night, Paul had a vision. 161s

There's still the man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, come over to Macedonia and 164s

help us. 170s

When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia being convinced 171s

that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 178s

So that's the rationale. 184s

That's why they hit the road. 185s

That's why they wind up in Macedonia specifically in Philippi. 187s

Let's jump down now to verse 13. 193s

On the Sabbath day, we went outside the gate by the river, where we suppose there was 198s

a place of prayer. 206s

Okay, here's a pop quiz for you now. 210s

When Paul would go into a city, where would Paul go first? 213s

Yep, I see him off in here. 220s

You're right. 222s

The synagogue, he'd go to the synagogue. 222s

So why didn't he do that here? 225s

He didn't do that here. 226s

Because there was no synagogue. 228s

There was no synagogue here in Philippi. 229s

There weren't enough Jews to support a synagogue. 231s

So why didn't he go where he went? 236s

In communities where there was no synagogue, the Jews on the Sabbath would go down by 239s

the river and they would have a place of prayer. 245s

So Paul comes into town. 250s

There's no synagogue here. 251s

So where does he head? 253s

I bet I'm going to find some. 255s

Right down by the river. 257s

That's why the text says, verse 13, on the Sabbath day, we went outside the gate by the river. 259s

Where we supposed there was a place of prayer. 267s

There's no synagogue. 272s

So where would the Jews be on the Sabbath? 273s

Let's head down to the river. 276s

We'll witness there. 278s

We pick up halfway through verse 13. 282s

And we set down and spoke to the woman, women who had gathered there. 286s

A certain woman named Lydia, 292s

a worshiper of God was listening to us. 295s

We've heard that phrase before haven't we? 301s

Remember back when we met Cornelius in the 10th chapter, 303s

Cornelius was described as a worshiper of God, same thing here with Lydia. 307s

Okay, what was a worshiper of God? 313s

A worshiper of God was one who believed in the God of Israel. 315s

But they yet weren't a full-prosal a type to Judaism. 321s

So they fully hadn't converted yet. 326s

They believed in the God of Israel, 328s

but not quite fully converted here to Judaism. 330s

Same thing as Cornelius, that's who Lydia is. 336s

Okay, we go on. 340s

Verse 14 again, a certain woman named Lydia worshiper of God was listening to us. 344s

She was from the city of Thayatira and a here comes. 349s

Dealer in purple cloth. 356s

The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 362s

Courtney would have loved Lydia. 376s

Can't you see them? 382s

Somehow you could reverse the centuries, the two of them in the same frame. 384s

Just dressed head to toe in purple. 388s

Courtney would have loved Lydia. 396s

And Lydia would have loved Courtney. 398s

But the thing about Lydia, her purple, her purple would have been very expensive. 404s

Because it came from a very costly die. 413s

So if someone was wearing purple and walking down the road, 418s

people must have thought to themselves, 423s

that cost a pretty penny. 425s

That was a lot of money to wear purple. 429s

Courtney and Lydia, their love for purple, 437s

but Lydia's color palette is about to get expanded. 445s

Keep your finger here, please. 455s

But turn to the very last book, please, of scripture. 457s

Revelation the third chapter. 461s

It's page two nineteen. 462s

Revelation chapter three, page two nineteen, 465s

we're going to pick up in verse four. 469s

Revelation chapter three. 472s

Revelation chapter three, beginning with verse four, we read this. 477s

Yet you have still a few persons in sardis who have not soiled their clothes. 484s

They will walk with me. 491s

Catch this now. 494s

Dressed in white for they are worthy. 496s

What's the picture here? 501s

The picture is description of those who are redeemed 503s

through the blood of Christ. 508s

And their garment is the garment of white. 510s

Notice how this continues. 515s

Turned pleased to Revelation chapter seven. 517s

We'll pick up in verse nine. 520s

Revelation chapter seven, verse nine. 523s

After this, I looked and there was a great multitude 527s

that no one could count from every nation, 532s

from all tribes and peoples and languages, 535s

standing before the throne and before the lamb, 538s

who is the lamb, that's Jesus. 542s

Remember what we say? 544s

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 545s

So standing before the throne and before the lamb, 549s

here comes again, robed in white with palm branches in their hands. 552s

They cried out in a loud voice saying, 558s

salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne 561s

and to the lamb. 565s

Now down to 13, please. 568s

Then one of the elders addressed me saying, 572s

who are these robed in white and where have they come from? 575s

So there's this see then of people. 582s

They are robed in white. 585s

They come from every nation. 586s

You can count them. 589s

They are so numerous. 590s

That is a picture of the redeemed in heaven itself 592s

and the garment in which they wear is the garment of white. 596s

Pulse is in Galatians three. 606s

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself 610s

with Christ. 621s

You see that is the righteous garment that is ours 623s

through the waters of baptism. 627s

That's the victory of the cross and the empty tomb. 630s

Put with the water and we are washed in it 636s

so we are given the righteous perfect garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. 639s

The image of those in heaven dressed in white, 647s

they are wearing the righteous perfect life of Christ. 651s

When Christ looks at us on judgment day, 656s

what he will see is the perfect righteous garment that he. 660s

One. Go back now to the text verse 14. 670s

Acts 16 verse 14. 678s

A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, 683s

was listening to us. She was from the city of Thietira and a dealer in purple cloth. 687s

The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 694s

When she and her household were baptized, 703s

got opened up her heart, she became a believer, she went immediately to the baptismal, 709s

whatever she was baptized in, whether it was a father by the river, 718s

indeed she was baptized there and the scripture says she was baptized her and her whole household. 722s

That is a word there in Greek meaning. 729s

Not just adults but also children down to even a baby. 732s

Here's one of the texts by the way to prove that infant baptism is of the Lord. 739s

Lydia and her whole household were baptized and she received the perfect righteous 745s

garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. She was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit 750s

and the victory of the cross through Jesus Christ. The victory was one for her, 756s

was applied to her through the waters of baptism. 764s

The price of Lydia's purple clothing, 771s

pales in comparison to the price of the white garment that she received, her and her household 778s

through the waters of baptism. For that garment, paid with the red blood of Jesus, 791s

winning the white garment of forgiveness and life eternal. For her, her household, 804s

for us all. 816s

Courtney loved her purple, but she loved her white garment in Jesus Christ so much more. 825s

One day she invited my wife Denise and I over for lunch. 839s

And a typical Courtney flair. She had dressed the table so beautifully. She told us to 844s

park on her long driveway and then come in the back. So we pulled in the driveway and there was her 852s

yellowish plimmeth reliant underneath the cardboard and in we went into her kitchen and the 859s

table was just beautiful. Everything placed on the table was underneath a lid. 865s

And so she would with Courtney flair totally adorned in her purple aura, by the way. She would totally 874s

lift open the lid of what the next course would be. When we got to the main course, it was a 881s

large plate and she lifted up the lid and there was a huge, huge salmon. 888s

Jonah would have been impressed at the size of the salmon. It was just a three of us here 897s

and this huge piece of fish as we got closer to dessert. She lifted the lid and there was her yellow. 903s

Now remember the phase that the church went through? It was a phase. It was about 10, 15 years. 915s

When people would put things in yellow, remember that? People would put things like celery and 925s

bananas and carrots and pretzels. I mean all kinds of things. You know, and suspended animation 933s

there, right? In case for our enjoyment, right? Remember those days? When Courtney lifted off the lid 943s

there and exposed the lime jello. It was chocked full of stuff. I mean it was almost a 951s

wears a wall dough of where are things in there. I mean it was just loaded with stuff and one of the 962s

things she put in there were red hots. Red hots. Let me put it this way. Courtney had a 967s

greater appreciation for red hots than I did. But she was so happy and so proud of that meal 978s

and it was such a joyous time because Courtney just loved to open up her home and serve. 990s

Serve. It was her joy reflected in service. 1005s

Look with me please. Halfway through verse 15. Right after Lydia's baptism, her inner household, 1018s

it says she urged us saying, if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at 1030s

my home and then it says, and she prevailed upon us. In other words, she kept asking until they 1039s

said, yes, she prevailed and there in her home was the joy of her baptism expressed in 1050s

service. Beloved, you have been wrapped in the righteous garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1069s

At your baptism, God applied all of the gifts to you. Forgiveness and life eternal, the spirit, 1083s

you were made a member of the family, you were given the gift of faith. You have been wrapped in 1091s

as righteous garment. There's no if ands or butts about it. It's the last judgment in miniature 1097s

at your baptism and God said, I've decided about you and you are mine and I am not letting you go. 1104s

And that joy, that is ours from the gift of what God has given in baptism, is reflected. 1116s

The white garment is reflected in service. We just can't help it. Can't help it. 1130s

The white garment reflected. Purple's a nice color, but the white garment that is ours through Christ. 1143s

It looks so good on you indeed. 1167s