Chardon church of Christ

Are You Loyal?

Are You Loyal?
Matthew 26:21-35

John Kenneth Galbraith was a noted economist in the early 1900s who was called upon by many dignitaries to help sort the economic markets.
He wrote the following story in his autobiography about his housekeeper:

“It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House.
‘Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.’
‘He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him.’
‘Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.’
‘No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you.’
When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure.
‘Tell that woman I want her here in the White House.’”

Emily the housekeeper understood an important truth—she was a servant to one man and obeyed his wishes explicitly.
Her loyalties were to Mr. Galbraith alone.
What a great example of a true servant.

Much of what we do in life is influenced by our loyalties. Oftentimes our loyalties shape our decisions, guide our activities, & give purpose to our lives.
ILL. Shortly before the collapse of the old Soviet Union, Jerry Whitworth, who had sold secret military codes to the Russians, was convicted of treason.
In sentencing him, the judge stated that in a time of war, his betrayal could have caused the death of thousands of soldiers & sailors, & have made the difference between victory or defeat for our nation.
ILL. It was Sir Walter Scott who wrote,
"Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said, 'This is my own, my native land!'
It's hard for us to understand how anyone could actually betray our country the way Whitworth & some others have done since then.
But there are many ways to betray our country. And one way is simply to forget or ignore the ideals & principles that made it great in the first place. And I’m afraid that is the desire of some in leadership roles throughout our country.
I am sure that we consider ourselves very patriotic, & the idea of loyalty to our nation is important to us.
Most of us have what might be called "family loyalty." Loyalty to our husband or wife, to our children, & to our parents, is vital for a happy home.
And most young people feel a strong school loyalty, too. Win or lose, they cheer their school teams on.
We have all kinds of loyalties. But there is one loyalty that should stand in a class by itself. It is a loyalty that can permeate & add even more meaning to all other loyalties. This is loyalty to Jesus.
This morning we find ourselves with Jesus & his apostles in Jerusalem, in the upper room, celebrating the Passover, & eating the Passover meal together.
Matthew 26:21 tells us, "And while they were eating, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." Well, as you can imagine, this created quite a commotion among the apostles. And in the midst of the commotion, Judas leaves the upper room.
The meal is over - they sing a Passover hymn, & leave for the Mt. of Olives.

I. PETER EXPRESSES HIS LOYALTY
As they are walking along, Peter tells Jesus, 'Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.' Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.'
"But Peter declared in verses 33 – 35, 33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are [a]made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
And all the other disciples said the same."

A. Did you hear the loyalty expressed in the words of Peter? "Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You." Those are thrilling words! And his loyalty was contagious. Did you notice? Matthew says, "All the other disciples said the same."
Now compare that scene to the times when we come together to worship Jesus & to partake of the Lord's Supper. Here, with other Christians we draw close to Jesus, & we, too, feel like saying, "Lord, I'd die before I would deny You."
B. But Peter failed the loyalty test, because just a few hours later he says, "I don't know what you are talking about. I don't know the man."
Twice he says this about Jesus, & the third time he emphasizes it with oaths & curses.
It’s the same Peter, but his words are so different. What happened?
Well, his environment has changed. Peter is now in the midst of the enemies of Jesus.
Here, among people who want to destroy Jesus, Peter denies Him again & again. You see, the environment he was in made all the difference!

II. WHAT ABOUT OUR LOYALTY TO JESUS?
Now, how about us? What effect does environment have upon us? What about our loyalty to Jesus? How would we react if our environment changed?

A. If I were to ask young people, "What causes you to say that you will be loyal to Jesus?" Perhaps some would answer, "My parents expect me to be loyal. If I weren't a Christian it would break their hearts."
But what if your parents didn't care?
What if they didn't care when you came in at night, where you had been, or what you had done? Would you still be loyal to Jesus? What if it didn't matter to them where you spent eternity? Would you still be loyal?
B. If I were to ask parents, "What causes you to say that you will be loyal to Jesus?" Some might answer, "My children need the right example." That is certainly true! It is wonderful that God has blessed you with children before whom you can set the right example. And great is your responsibility!
But what if there were no children in your home to follow your example? Would you still be loyal to Jesus?
C. We ask others, "What causes you to say that you will be loyal?" They answer, "I appreciate the congregation & its members & I don't want them to be disappointed in me."
But what if the congregation isn't really what you would expect it to be? Would you still be loyal to Jesus?
What if some of the members disappoint you? What if you didn't like the preacher? Would you still be loyal to Jesus? Would you still meet around the Lord's table? Would you still be faithful in your tithes & offerings? Would you still be loyal to Him?
SUM. Unfaithfulness to Christ brings heartache & disappointment, but loyalty to Christ brings rejoicing.

III. WHY SHOULD WE BE LOYAL TO JESUS?

A. Why should we be loyal to Jesus? One reason is because He was loyal to us! Jesus bore your sins & mine upon Calvary.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
And He is just as faithful today. Hebrews 7:25 says, 25 Therefore He is also able to save [a]to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
1 John 1:9 tells us, "He is faithful & just, & will forgive us our sins."
And the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 that Christ's loyalty stretches into eternity. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
SUM. You see, Christ's love for us is constant. Everything else may be swept away, but never His love!
B. Now how about our love & our loyalty?
You see, the real test doesn't come during the church services while we're worshiping with others who love the Lord. The real test comes when we find ourselves with those who care nothing about Christ or His church.
ILL. A young man from a good Christian family went off to a large college half way across the country. Four months later, when he came home for Christmas break, among the questions his mother asked him was, "Did anyone make fun of you because you're a Christian?"
The young man hung his head as he answered, "I’m not sure that anyone knows that I'm a Christian." Think about that. Four months with his classmates & no one knows that he is a Christian.
As you know, there is a little lizard that changes color to match its environment. He turns brown on the bark of a tree. In grass he takes on a greenish hue, & at the edge of blue water he blends to that color.
God gives the chameleon the ability to turn the color of his environment. But God never intended for His people to be like the chameleon.
C. Yes, Peter failed the test in the enemies' courtyard, but as you already know, that's not the end of the story. Fifty-three days later in Jerusalem, on Pentecost, PETER is PROCLAIMIMG in Acts 2:36, 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
It is Peter, but the words are so different! Peter is standing fearlessly before those who killed Jesus, & he has no guarantee that they will not kill him, too. But it doesn't matter to him.
Jesus is King of Kings & Lord of Lords, & Peter is determined to be true to Him to the very end. And history tells us that Peter was!
What has happened? After he denied Jesus the Bible tells us that Peter "went out & wept bitterly." He realized his weakness & what he had done, & bitterly repented. Then he saw the risen Lord on the resurrection day & many times more before Jesus ascended into heaven.
He also heard the command to go & preach the gospel to all the world. Knowing now that Jesus is the living Lord, Peter stands courageously on the day of Pentecost & proclaims for the first time God's message of salvation.

WE are asked to believe that Jesus is the son of God
Repent of our sins as Peter did after denying Jesus
Be buried with him through baptism to wash away our sin
and to walk in newness of life…
Being found faithful until death
To also pass the loyalty test to God and Jesus!

Please allow me, in closing, to use an illustration from the battle fields of WW 1. It's an old story, but I think it will get my point across.

Two brothers volunteered & went through training together. They crossed the Atlantic on the same transport ship, & went through several battles together.
One day, after a particularly hard-fought battle in the Argonne Forest…
Jack came back to a hastily set up camp. He looked for Bill, his brother, but Bill was nowhere to be found.
He sought permission from his commanding officer to go back into the forest, but the officer refused to grant that permission. He pointed out that Jack might just be risking his life in vain.
But Jack continued to plead. Finally, the officer gave him permission to go.
Hours later, with the lifeless body of his brother in his arms, he made his way back into camp. Seeing him, the officer said, "Young man, it was just like I said, wasn't it? You risked your life in vain."
With tears streaming down his cheek, Jack replied, "No sir, I didn't risk my life in vain. When I found Bill he was still alive, & when I bent over to pick him up he knew me & said, `Jack, I knew you'd come.'"
Those brothers, loyal to one another, were so close… that only death could separate them.
APPL. But friends, the Bible says in Proverbs 18:24 that we have A man who has friends [a]must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
One from whom even death cannot separate us. And if we are loyal to Him, then some day we shall walk into eternity with Him.
He is coming for us. Whether alive or dead, we shall look up some day, & with the same assurance as the brother on the battlefield, we shall joyously cry out, "Lord, I knew you would come. I knew you would come!"

Christina Rossetti wrote the following poem…
• What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would give Him a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him? I’ll give Him my heart
INVITATION

 

Sermon Contributor: Melvin Newland

Christian Influence

Christian Influence
Matthew 5:1-16

INTRO: Good morning. In Matthew 5 verses 1 through 12 we find the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:1-16 – “1. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
11. "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12. "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Following the beatitudes, Jesus tells His followers that people who receive these blessings matter:

13. "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15. "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

I know this passage is familiar to us, and I’m glad it is. I think repeatedly reading the Bible is probably one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Reading the Bible often, gets us familiar and comfortable with the contents. Then, as we get into deeper study on the text, we will find the studying easier and more productive.

This morning we will be looking at the last few verses of this passage, 13 through 16, about the salt and the light.

I. First of all, salt. Salt is absolutely fascinating. In ancient times, salt was considered very valuable. In our time we don't really have a feel for that. Salt was accepted and collected as taxes by the Romans. One of the main sources of salt for Palestinians of course, was the Dead Sea, or Salt Sea. Salt was also an important article of trade, and was transported by boat across the Mediterranean, along specially built salt roads, and even across the Sahara on camel caravans.

A. In the days before refrigeration, the only way to preserve meat was to salt it. They would rub the salt into the meat or soak it in brine. They either kept it soaked in brine or they just left the salt on and let it harden. Salt is a preservative.

1. The word salary comes from an ancient word meaning “salt-money,” referring to a Roman soldier’s allowance for the purchase of salt. Someone who earns his pay is still said to be “worth his salt.”.
2. Salt was a sign of friendship. Today in some cultures, if two men partake of salt together they are sworn to protect one another—even if they had previously been enemies. People in other cultures throw salt over their shoulders when they make a promise.
3. Aristotle wrote about a Greek proverb; “As the proverb says, men cannot know each other until they have eaten salt together.”

B. There were salt covenants and one is mentioned in II Chronicles 13:5 - “Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?” Here, Abijah refers to the strong, binding promise of God to give Israel to David and his sons forever.
C. Salt was a very important commodity in ancient times. When Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth, and they heard just that phrase… they could have thought about a lot of different things. They could have thought Jesus was saying, for instance, that they were valuable, since salt was valuable.
D. Salt was also used to season food. Food without salt just seems to have something missing. Many people have a difficult time when they are asked to go on a salt free diet.

1. The Bible illustrates that concept. In Job 6:6 “Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?” What a difference there is between an egg with salt and an egg without salt. Those listening may have thought of this seasoning idea.
2. They could have thought of… …Well in Ezekiel, chapter 16, there's an interesting use of salt at the birth of a baby in verse four. “As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor swathed in swaddling cloths”

a. It was a practice in ancient times that when a baby was born it is first washed with water and then salt is rubbed all over the baby's body. The practice is not well understood now. It may have been that in the process of birth, some nicks or scratches may have occurred and the salt would have acted as a healing agent that would be good for the skin.
b. It may have had something to do with the idea that salt would help toughen the newborns skin. However, a baby that was not salted at birth, was considered neglected in very ancient times.

E. Salt, though, could also serve a destructive purpose. In Judges 9:45 – “So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.” Land that has been salted will not grow most plants that are used for food. Asparagus has a higher tolerance for salt in the soil than many weeds do, so an old practice was to pour the salty water from the ice cream maker over the asparagus bed to kill weeds. However, this is no longer done, because too much salt in the soil will eventually kill the asparagus, too!.

1. It was such a horrible thing to do, to salt the fields of an enemy that it was almost unheard of. In fact, Judges 9 is the only time in the Bible that I can think of where it was done.
2. In history the Romans did the same thing to the city of Carthage.

F. We can see how the statement you are the salt of the earth could take people's minds in several directions and that several understandings of it were possible.

II. Commentators. I'll mention to you in passing, a few of the things that commentators on this passage suggest. And I'll tell you the one that I think is best.

A. Some of the commentators think that Jesus had purity in mind here. Salt is white, and white is the symbol of purity.
B. Some state that Jesus was connecting the salt with verse eight—blessed are the pure in heart. Certainly it's true that we are to be examples of purity and hold up God's standard in thought and speech and action.

1. Though… when Jesus talked, for instance, about whited sepulchers, He certainly wasn't talking about purity there! He was speaking of “looking” pure. The whiteness there did not have a good connotation at all.
2. If Jesus is connecting purity with the whiteness of salt here, I don't think that's His main point.

C. Another thought is that He's talking about flavor. You are the flavor. You're the flavor of the world. Without you, the world is just tasteless. Now there is a sense in which we flavor the world.

1. First Corinthians 7:14 says “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”
2. Does the world thinks of us as salt though? … I suspect not. I suspect the world, in general, thinks that we make the world tasteless.

a. They have connected Christianity with that which takes the flavor out of life. Oh, I don't want to be a Christian. You can't do anything.
b. The English poet Swinburne, considered a poet of the decadent school, wrote; “Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean, the world hath grown gray from thy breath.” That's quite a statement, you have lulled the world into gray.

3. Although there is a sense in which we are symbols of purity in the world and we do flavor the world, I don't think that's quite dead center on what was meant when our Lord said, you are the salt of the earth.

D. A third opinion is that salt stings and many commentators point this out. Salt does indeed have medical applications. Today we still use it for easing pain of canker sores, ingrown toenails, bug bites, sore throat, and heat cramps. We also use it in neti pots for sinus problems, as a soak for tired feet and to relieve the scaly patches and inflammation of psoriasis or eczema.

1. Some would say Christians are not to be honey to soothe the sinful world but salt to the world to help to heal it.
2. Second Corinthians 2:15-16 says; “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death to death, and to the other the aroma of life to life…” As McGarvey put it, “To the unbelieving, the news of the gospel is from one who was crucified and is dead; so, for them, it is an odor from death unto death, even eternal death; but to Christians, the news of the gospel is "from life," that is, from One who is alive forever more. Hence, the news of the gospel is "from life unto life" in them that are saved.
3. There are times when we get into the wounds of the world, whether we really intended to or not. And there are times when we have to say things to people in the world that they don't like very well. I suspect though that's not all there is to the salt the Lord is talking about here.

E. Another function of salt is to create thirst. The body does need some salt to maintain a proper balance. The human body regulates how much sodium it contains. If levels are too high, we get thirsty and drink, and the kidneys speed up the process of getting rid of it. We are told too much can lead to kidney stones, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Too little sodium can lead to nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, fatigue, and muscle cramps.

1. Sometimes we have that effect in the world and create a kind of an interest or a thirst. What is it that you've got? How can you be so peaceful in this or that situation? Where does your contentment come from?
2. We are the salt. They may not like our theology. They may not want our Christ, but they do see a lifestyle in us that makes them thirst for what Jesus brings. Is that what Jesus is talking about? He may have meant elements of all of these possibilities.

F. I can see what those commenting on this passage are picturing, because we ought to be pure in the world. We ought to flavor it. We ought to sting it at appropriate times like salt in a wound. We should make the world thirsty for God because our lives are so rich and full.

III. Corruption. There is another key thought that a person hearing this may have had, and that is salt as a preservative. In that age and even today salt is used to preserve food. Salt retards spoilage. It does so by dehydrating the food and being toxic to many microbes. We are in a sense an antiseptic preservative in the world to retard the spread of its corruption. If it weren't for the Christians in the world, the world would be far more corrupt than it is now. We, essentially, preserve it.

A. As we live a holy, Christ-like character in the world, we are adding flavor to the world, a bit of sting where needed, making those in need thirsty for the word, and preserving the world from going completely corrupt. Christians are a check on the rottenness and decay of the world.

1. Jesus also says “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men”.
2. What a truly worthless state is that of the apostate Christian! The Savior says of them, that they are "good for nothing".

B. Our presence in the world should influence, deter evil behavior, change certain kinds of conversations. It ought to affect, barb, or shock. Our presence should condemn apostasy, affect the way people think, even affect the way the people talk around us.

1. It's amazing how many people alter their conversations in the workplace when they know you are a Christian.
2. If we're going to do that, we cannot live the way the world lives. We're in the world, yet different and separate. We are the only restraint in the rotting carcass of humanity. It's absolutely astounding how God uses something as humble and basic as us.

C. God gives a noble purposes to ignoble people. When He made man in the beginning, He didn't use silver or gold, didn't even use iron, He used common dirt.

1. When David was used to deliver the children of Israel from the Philistines, he did not use Saul's Kingly armor. He used a slingshot and a little rock.
2. When Jesus came, He didn't enter a family of wealth and nobility. He came to a peasant girl and was born in a stable.
3. When He chose the Twelve, He didn't choose elite, affluent, educated men. He picked unlearned Galileans.
4. 1 Corinthians 1:26 – “26. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28. and the base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,” It's always been that way.

D. God declares that we, meager as we are, are the salt of the earth. He wants to use us to retard the corruption. God gets the greater glory, listen to me now, God then gets the greater glory because of the humbleness of the ones that He uses. Notice Jesus says, “You are…”. Whether we act like it or not does not change the fact that as Christians, we are.

IV. The light. In a way salt and light balance each other. You might say that salt is more hidden. It just melts away into whatever it flavors or preserves, but light shines on the outside. Light is open and light is working visibly.

A. We affect society's thinking and living by the power of our lives. We turn on the light so that everybody can see the message that we want to give. It isn't just in our words, but in our overt, open, Godly conduct. We are both a subtle influence like salt and a blatant influence like light. Salt cannot change corruption into incorruption. Salt only retards the corruption. We have to shine the light of the Gospel to transform corruption into incorruption.
B. Verse 16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” It implies that they have heard something about the Father which is in heaven. If they're going to glorify Him by seeing us, they have heard something about Him somewhere along the line.

1. This implies both a life and a message, lived and spoken. Often people ask which is more important, the Christian walk or the Christian talk? To me, they're just like the two wings on an airplane. You're not going to get off the ground without both of them. They're both important.
2. Here's an interesting thing. In the first chapter of the Book of Acts, very first verse Acts 1:1, Luke writes “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” There's both of them right there—to both do and teach. Those two things go together—the living and the speaking, living the righteous life and speaking the truth in love.

a. 1 John 1:5 – “… God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
b. Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” God is light. The Word is light.
c. John 8:12 – “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.''” Christ is the light that lights every man.
d. Second Corinthians 4:6 – “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We can enlighten people only because God has enlightened us. God passes that light down through us.
e. Philippians 2:14-15 – “Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” If they're going to criticize us, let them have to make something up, because there's nothing true they can use.

3. If we have to be hated, let's be hated like Christ was—hated without a cause, blameless, harmless, children of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom we shine as lights in the world holding forth the word of light. That should always be our motto - holding forth the Word of light.

C. The light has to shine openly. A city that is set up on a hill cannot be hid. Often villages in Jesus day were built on the tops of the hills. That way they could be more easily cooled by the breezes, and they could also be more easily defended. When night came and everybody lit a lamp in their house, it just made the village sparkle.

1. A city could not be hidden. Light was for the purpose of shining forth openly.
2. In World War II during the time of the Blitz, they tried to get everybody to keep their lights off and it was almost impossible. A city is a very, very hard thing to hide.

D. We are not just subtle salt. We are very conspicuous light. We're not a secret society. We're not pagans with mysteries only for the initiated. We don't have a cult that is known only to a few. We're a city, set on a hill, and the whole world ought to see us. There's nothing hidden here.

V. What's the problem with all of this? The problem is that, if sin enters our lives and we no longer walk in the spirit, then we stop being effective as salt and we will become useless as a light.

A. In verse 13, He says, if the salt has lost its saltiness, what good is it? Non salty salt has no use. It's good for nothing but to be cast out and trod under the foot of men. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all that are in the house. There's no place for a secret Christian.
B. Can salt lose its saltiness? Indeed it can, and I’ll mention one way it did in Biblical times. The harvested salt from the Dead Sea contained both the desired salt, sodium chloride, as well as other salts and impurities. It was the custom to store vast amounts of this salt in buildings that had earthen floors. In time, the salt next to the ground spoiled, became bitter, because of the dampness. Since it would be harmful to land because of its salt content, no man would allow it to be thrown on his field. The only place left was the street, where it was trodden under foot. The Greek word here means flat and tasteless.

1. That's what the Lord is talking about in Luke 14:34 – “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
2. Yes, salt can lose it’s usefulness to flavor or preserve and we can lose ours too. If sin begins to dominate our lives, then we lose our saltiness, and with it, we lose our influence for good. We can't retard the corruption of the world any longer, because we are of the world and there's nothing to distinguish us from the world anymore. We forfeit our influence, we lose our impact, and we can become a castaway.

C. It is true that perfectly pure salt does not lose its flavor. Trouble is, none of us are perfectly pure salt. Just like the sea salt has impurities, while we're in the world, we're going to have some impurities. The potential for losing our saltiness is always going to be there.

1. What about the light? What they used most commonly in that time were little terracotta lamps with a spout on one end and a handle on the other, and a wick in the oil. If the lamp was left lit at night to provide light to the house, they would have to keep enough oil on hand and be conscientious enough to keep the wick trimmed so it would burn brightest and not smoke.
2. You and I have this treasure in our earthen vessels. Unfortunately some Christians are not willing to shine that light because of what they perceive it will attract. It may mean they will need to “give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you” (First Peter 3:15).
3. The fear of persecution, whether it's subtle or overt, makes us hesitant at times.
4. In verse 16 He personalizes this. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

D. There is a beauty, an attractiveness, in those good works. When you do something good for somebody that affects their attitude towards you. He says, let the world see My beauty in you. This light is in you. You don't have to crank up the light or worry about getting the light started. All you have to do is let it go and let it be seen. Christ lives in you already and He is the light just let that light shine. Don't let Satan blow it out. Like the song says, “This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine”.

1. If you've got a basket of fear over it, all you got to do is take that basket off.
2. If you've got a basket of wanting to be acceptable over the light, all you got to do is take that basket off.
3. Perhaps a basket of not wanting to offend somebody or a basket of not wanting to make waves, just take that basket off.
4. Just simply let it shine by the things you do and say.

CONCLUSION: The purpose of all of this is the glorification of God, that they may glorify your Father, which is in heaven—the last phrase of verse 16.

If that is not your priority, then you're more concerned with yourself than you are with God's glory. If your top priority is the glory of God, then you will be salty. Salt and your light will be made manifest.

Those people 2000 years ago needed to hear the basics and we who know the Bible still need to hear and remind ourselves. What is this about then? It is about your personal influence. As Christians we have been given the greatest gift of all, freely, simply for accepting it, eternal life with our Creator. We are also given the ability to share that gift with the world and honor the Giver. How? Through our life, our personal influence.

What about your personal influence? What's it like? What happens when you walk by?
We need to live and talk so that the world can see who God is, and that we belong to Him. This very day some have passed into the next world. Tomorrow more will pass into the next world. We never know who it's going to be. Often it's surprising.

If you were to die tomorrow, would it be said, could it be said, that you made a difference in the world? Sweep through this life as salt and light and make a difference.

We know it is not always going to be easy. It seems that it is probably going to get harder in this world where we live today, not easier. But just because the world makes it hard on us, we shouldn't hide or keep our mouths shut.

We work God's plan that is for us. The way we change the world is not to go out and try to change the world politically. It isn't to rewrite the laws or to march in a protest. It isn't to use technology for altering society. The way we change the world is to infiltrate it with Godliness and righteousness and holiness and affect it from the inside out.

Those other things I mentioned aren't wrong. It's just that they are powerless to change the world. The way to do it is through the influence of Godly people.

In Matthew 23 Christ told His disciples that the scribes and Pharisees were successors to some of the dignity and authority of Moses, not in the sense of really possessing such authority, but in the sense of being responsible for teaching Moses' Law and faithfully interpreting it to the people. Yet, they did not practice what they taught and their lives were amiss. In verse 37 Christ says, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

God is willing ,yet we may cause Him tears because we too have been unfaithful. May we live to fill this marvelous commandment. May God make us different, that the world may be different because we are.

God may call on us in the days ahead to stand up and be counted for His cause. We don't know what the future holds. Hebrews 12:4 says, “You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.” In this country we haven't been murdered yet, but that time could easily come.

Things have accelerated recently to where we can see possibilities that could really occur even during the lifetime of those who don't have much earth-life left. We don't know what the future holds, but we need, each of us, to come to grips with our intentions.

Right now you've just got one life, just one shot at life, while you're here. You've chosen Christ. You love Christ. His word has penetrated your heart. We have been redeemed at a price and He paid that supreme price for us. He bore the blows that should have been borne by us.

We're the only salt and light. Let's be different and let's make a difference.
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from a sermon by Rick Sparks

What Do We Trust In?

1 Kings 16 & 17

OPEN: Years ago I read the story of a man by the name of Wally who owned a farm in Connecticut. He had a remarkable talent he had with birds. Chickadees specifically.
It seems that every morning these little birds would flutter down and land on his hands. And it wasn’t just for food; He’d talk to them and they seemed to enjoy his companionship.

One woman who visited was so enthralled by what she asked for permission to try and get the birds to do that for her. She practiced for weeks, but never got one bird to land on her hand.
Then one day, she tried something different. She put Wally’s cap on her head and wrapped herself in his mackinaw coat.
Seconds later, she was covered with birds.
They came to her, because they trusted Wally so much that they even trusted his scent on his clothes.

Trust.
It’s a valuable commodity.
Independence Day, also called Fourth of July , in the United States, commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.The belief at that time by these individuals was to establish a nation who TRUSTED GOD!
Printed on coins, etc. …. IN GOD WE TRUST!

People rarely GIVE trust... usually it’s something that’s earned.
But without having trust in someone - or something – it’s hard to do anything in this life
• We trust that our cars will start. Have you ever gotten in your car, put the key in the ignition... and then have it NOT start?
How did it make you feel? It should have started!
It had started hundreds of times before... but now it didn’t.
You TRUSTED it to be able to start when you needed it.

• We trust that our grocery stores will have food.
Most of us would have never have thought that there would be times that we couldn’t find Toilet Paper, or Baby Formula, or PEANUT BUTTER!

• When we have trouble around the house, we trust that the police and firemen will be available to protect us.

• And we trust that our friends will BE THERE for us. That our church family will lift us up in prayer and be there in our moments of joy and sadness.

Trust is woven into the very fabric of our lives.
Without trust, we can hardly function.
So, the question is: what do you trust... and why?

The story we’re looking at today is a story about trust... and the lack of it.

1 Kings 16:29-33 tells us:
“In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.
Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.
He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.
Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.”
Ahab was a wicked king.
But he NOT JUST a wicked king... he was a wicked man
1Kings 21:25 tells us
“There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.”
So Ahab was a wicked King and a wicked man.
But what made him so wicked?

Well, he TRUSTED in the wrong things.
We’re told that he built a temple to the pagan god Baal in Samaria. And that he erected Asherah poles for the worship of that goddess.
God repeatedly stressed how foolish the worship of these (and other gods) was.
In Isaiah 46: 5 - 7 God declared:
"To whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.”

But these were not just false gods... they were evil gods in whom Ahab put his trust.
Part of the worship of Baal was the sacrifice of your children to please him. And the religious activity of male and female prostitution were part of both their worships.

So Ahab trusted these false and evil gods.
But the reason he trusted these gods was because he trusted the wrong person
He married Jezebel
Have you ever heard the name of Jezebel?

How many of you would name your daughter “Jezebel?”
This woman was so despised in Scripture that to this day her name is still a symbol of treachery and wickedness.
Ahab trusted the wrong things... and he trusted the wrong people
And most tragically of all - he didn’t trust God.

So God decided it was time to teach Ahab a lesson in trust.
ILLUS: Trust is based upon a track record.
If I tell you I’m going to something and then I don’t do it - and I do that again and again and again – are you going to trust me? Of course not.

But if I tell you that I’m going to do something and then that’s exactly what you do - and I do that often enough – you’ll be likely to trust that I’ll do what I say... even if you don’t like what I tell you I’m going to do.
God wants Ahab to trust him.
So He sends Elijah with this basic message:
“Trust me on this I’m going to make life VERY uncomfortable for you.
Until Elijah comes to you again, there will be no rain nor dew on the land.”

ILLUS: Every year, our farmers watch anxiously to see how much rain will fall on crops.
If there’s too much, the crops drown.
If there’s too little, some of those crops dry up and die.
BUT if there’s no rain at all... ALL the crops will die.
Some of us may currently have some brown grass due to the lack of rain we currently experienced.

The book of James in chapter 5 verse 17 tells us that “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.”

Three and a half years without rain is a long time.
Three ½ years of drought is enough to turn a paradise into a wasteland.
And three ½ years of dryness can make men and kings desperate enough to do anything to change the weather... even kill a prophet.
So, God sent Elijah on an extended vacation.
And that (of course) is where we meet the ravens of this story.
God has Elijah hide near the brook Kerith down by the Jordan River and that’s where he lives for the next couple of years.

And while he was hiding there: 1Kings 17:6 tells us
“The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.”

Now this is odd for several reasons:
1st Ravens don’t generally like being around humans... they avoid us if at all possible.

2ndly Ravens were unclean birds. God’s people were not allowed to eat them, nor offer them in sacrifice.

3rd The food of ravens has usually been dead for a while. They eat road kill. They were scavengers. They’re kind of like vultures. Who would want to share with them the food they are eating?

4th Even if we wanted to share their food, Ravens would never share. They don’t even share their food with their babies.

ILLUS: Once a young raven is able to fly – it’s kicked out of the nest and left to fend for itself. No matter how much the young raven cries its parents will not bring it food, it is on its own. Apparently that’s an uncommonly cruel trait not shared by many other birds.

So here God has Elijah being fed by unclean, disgusting,
anti-social, and notoriously cruel birds.
WHY?
Why would God use Ravens to supply Elijah with food when there are so many other simple and satisfying ways of getting the job done?

There are several reasons why people end up not trusting God or His word.
1. Sometimes, people refuse to trust God’s Word, because they want a God they can understand. If they can’t understand something about Him it can’t be true. They want their God to be able to fit into their small box. They put walls around Him and tell Him – you can’t exist outside of this.

ILLUS: A minister was once confronted by an atheist who was one of his students.
The young man told the minister: “For me to believe in God, I have to have a God that I can understand."
And the minister replied "God refuses to be that small!"
So, sometimes people refuse to trust God (and His Word) because doesn’t fit inside their small box.

2. Other times people refuse to trust God and His Word because (like King Ahab) they’ve listened to the wrong people. They’ve spent time with skeptics and scoffers who have made them ashamed of their faith and doubt their God.

3. Other times people refuse to trust God’s Word because they’ve been hurt. God didn’t help them like they wanted Him to when they needed it, and because of that incident(s) they turn their back on God.

4. Still other people refuse to trust God’s Word because they’re into sin. They’ve done things they shouldn’t do and because God’s Word condemns their particular behavior or lifestyle they try to disarm God. They try to dull his right to judge them, because IF God’s Word is wrong on something they can ignore it as being unreliable in all things.

The problem with these approaches to God’s Word is that it puts us in danger.
If you can’t trust God... you gotta trust something.
SOMETHING has to step in where God has been thrown out.

That’s what happened to King Ahab.
He didn’t trust the God of Israel.
So he turned in trust to other gods... and suffered for it.

ILLUS: It has been said that:
“It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing.
Alas, it is worse than that.
When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything.”

Without God… the only standard of TRUST - of right and wrong - is what appeals to you. And that’s a shifting standard. It all depends on what I want, what I like, what I accept, what pleases me.

But scripture says: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

My standards are all warped.
My morality is riddled with impurity.
And if I base what I TRUST on that warpedness/ that impurity, then I’m going to embrace whatever allows me to do what I want to do.

It’s insanity
When I stop trusting in the God of Scripture... I’ll believe in anything
And eventually that will lead me to destruction.

But now, by contrast, if I trust in the God of Scripture I’m no longer led by MY righteousness and holiness.
Instead I’m trusting a God who is so holy and so righteous that my tendency will be to build my life around Him
(rather than Him around me).

I’ll use His standards of right and wrong – not mine.
I’ll build on His morality in my life – not mine.
I’ll build on His expectations for me... not mine.
AND I know if I trust in Him in these matters... I will be blest.
But first I have to decide whether I trust Him or not.
And that leads me to my final point
That point has to do with a question that plagued me most of the week.
Why would God use ravens to minister to Elijah?
He could have done it more pleasantly and much easier some other way.
Why use the ravens?

Well, when the brook dried up – God had Elijah move on.
God asked him to go approach a poor widow in Zarephath to house and feed him. But the widow had no food to share. What little food she had – she was preparing for a final meal for her son and herself... and then they were going to die.
And Elijah had to ask her to share the final meal with him.
Why didn’t God send Elijah to somebody who at least had some food???

Why?
For the same reason God sent the ravens to feed him in the desert: To show Elijah His power.
1Kings 17: 13-15
Elijah said to her, "Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.’"
She went away and did as Elijah had told her.
So, there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.” Now, you can’t convince me that God’s sole purpose in having the widow feed Elijah was simply so that he could have something to eat!

So, what other reason could God have?
TRUST
God wanted to strengthen Elijah’s trust in Him.
2Chronicles 16:9 says “... the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him..."
God got Elijah into situations where he had no choice but to trust Him.
Because when this drought was over, God was sending Elijah back to confront Ahab.
And when Elijah went back, he had to be able to know that he could trust God.
This whole time in exile was designed by God so He could train Elijah in trust.

He showed Elijah that He could order the very ravens to feed him
He showed Elijah that He was able to enable a destitute widow to meet his needs.
Over and over again, God trained Elijah in trust.
God knows that trust is something that’s earned.

And He knows the power of trust in our lives.
That’s why He lays such an emphasis on our counting our blessings. Repeatedly throughout Scripture God tells us be thankful, to rejoice to focus on what He has done in our lives. This is more than just a “religious activity” – it’s a training ground in trust.

If Elijah had not been trained in trust, he probably wouldn’t have been ready when the time of testing came. In the same way – if we don’t train ourselves in trusting God, we will not have the strength to stand in the time of testing.

CLOSE: The question for you this morning is this:
Who do you trust?

One man made this observation:
“Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment
Trust in money and you may have it taken from you;
But trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.”

Hebrews tells us
“Without faith it is impossible to please God...”
That kind of faith is more than just “believing God exists?”
It’s a faith that has learned to trust God because of what He’s done for us.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists AND that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

INVITATION

 

Contibuting Sermon
Given by Jeff Strite

Fools

Fools
Luke 11:37-54

INTRO: Good morning. Our text for this morning is Luke 11:37-54 – “37. And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39. But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40. "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41. "But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. 42. "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43. "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.'' 45. Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.'' 46. And He said, "Woe to you also, you lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47. "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48. "In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49. "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, `I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' 50. "that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51. "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. 52. "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.'' 53. And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54. lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.” [NKJV]

In verse 40 Jesus calls them Foolish ones! What do you think about when you hear the term “fool”? Probably about someone doing something that gets them in trouble when they should have easily seen the negative result coming. We see this all the time. It has been a popular topic in stories, books, films, TV, and the internet. We see all sorts of dumb things being done. People complain that governments are being run by fools, but that's a different problem. At the same time, none of us want to be thought of as a fool. Yet, most of us have played the fool at times, doing or saying something foolish in the heat of the moment, perhaps pressed for time, not having a full understanding of the situation, or even due to social involvement.

A couple of examples from the news. Back in 1995 in West Chapel, Florida, Joseph Aaron, who was aged 20 at the time, while repairing a car, found that he needed to put a hole in a pipe. He couldn't find his drill, so he tried to shoot a hole in it… and hit his leg with the fragments from the bullet that ricocheted.

Canada - A man was cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium apartment in a Toronto suburb when he slipped and fell 23 stories to his death. The police report read; Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheeled chair Sunday when the accident occurred, said Inspector Arcy Honer of the Peel regional police. It appears the chair moved and he went over the balcony. One of those freak accidents reported Inspector Honer. No foul play is suspected.

Mark showed me a quip last week that went like this; The pessimist sees a dark tunnel. The optimist sees a light at the end of the tunnel. The realist sees a train entering the tunnel. The train engineer sees… 3 fools standing on the track.

If we only thought about it more, if we only knew a little bit more about the situation, perhaps we would have done something different and not been foolish. When I hear the word “fool” I instantly think of what Jesus says in Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, `Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, `You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.” Jesus in this context shows that ALL insults are sinful and that all our derogatory and deprecatory expressions against our fellow human beings find their origin in a heart full of anger and hatred.

What else does the Bible say about this word though? We find that the Bible speaks of the problem at great length. The word “fool” occurs in 62 verses in the King James version, in the books of Samuel, in the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah, Luke, and the Corinthians.

The book of Proverbs especially has a lot to say about foolishness. This morning we will focus a little bit on learning how to not be fools. One of the problems with fools, and this is mentioned in the definition of the word, is that a fool is a person who refuses to learn.

I. The fool does not want to learn - In Proverbs 1:22 Wisdom is discussing the fact that she has tried to get people's attention to teach them how to live better. She says in verse 22, “"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge.”

A. It isn't that the fool is incapable of learning, they just do not see the need. Often we find that they despise good advice and they will reject correction because they don’t see any need for change.
B. In Proverbs 15:5 – “A fool despises his father's instruction, but he who receives reproof is prudent.”. A father's instruction proceeds from love, and it is folly and ingratitude to despise it. But some children are such enemies of themselves that they break the spirits of their affectionate parents by spurning the admonitions needed for their own welfare.
C. Often we will find that the foolish person acts like they’re listening, but we know, because nothing changes, that they were not hearing what was being said. This can be a very serious problem. Take a look at Matthew 7:26-27 - “Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

1. The person was foolish because they were not thinking ahead. It's foolish that when we hear God's words, when Jesus tells us what we need to do, and we don't do those things, we're not thinking ahead.
2. The fool ends up walking in darkness. He doesn't see the problems around him because he refuses to learn. He doesn't want to see them.
3. Ecclesiastes 2:14 says this; “The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived that the same event happens to them all.” Jesus said this too in Matthew 7. “The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house”. But the house of the wise man stood and the house of the foolish man fell.

D. Inevitably of course the fool reveals that he's a fool. Take a look at Proverbs 13:16 – “Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly.” A person who doesn't want to learn, eventually exposes that there's not much going on in their head but their selfish thoughts.

II. A fool is more interested in being heard – The fool thinks they have something interesting to say, and they think what they have to say is important because it's their thoughts.

A. They are not interested in understanding anybody else's thoughts. They want to spout their own ideas. In Proverbs 18:2 – “A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.”
B. Easy enough to recognize this because once their jaw starts flapping, we realize there's nothing of substance that is present. Take a look at Proverbs 12:23 – “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.”
C. In a real sense, a fool's native language is folly. Proverbs 15:2 – “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”
D. The problem is, he doesn't have anything worth saying. He's never learned. He never grew. He's never done much of anything other than lived his own life. The fool typically makes up for the lack of content with the quantity of words. In Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 – “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by his many words.”

III. A fool lacks reason - Because a fool doesn't use their reasoning, they do not think about matters, nor look into them in any depth. The result is, a fool tends to be led by their emotions.

A. They trust that what they feel must be right. In Proverbs 28:26 – “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”
B. It follows that because fools are focused on their emotions, they tend to focus on pleasures. Ecclesiastes 7:4 says “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

IV. The fool acts confident - They are indeed self-confident, but at the same time, because they are emotionally led, they tend to get angry very easily. In Proverbs 14:16 – “A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.”

A. Fools oftentime are overcome with the emotion of anger. In Ecclesiastes 7:9 – “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”
B. I suspect the reason for that is it's easier to get angry at somebody than to try to reason with them. Reasoning takes work, and it takes thought. It takes trying to understand the other person's position. A foolish person goes beyond wanting to reason with someone. They want it their way so they respond in anger. Proverbs 20:3 – “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel.”
C. Since the foolish person gives in to anger they will often pick fights with the object of their anger. Proverbs 18:6-7 – “A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows. A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.”
D. Then there is the foolish person who instead of trying to solve their problems, stew in their anger, hide their feelings, and then spend their time plotting out how to backstab their perceived opponent. Take a look at Proverbs 10:18 – “Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.” This is not talking about being restrained in your speaking when you are angry. In fact, the next verse says, “… he who restrains his lips is wise.” What this is talking about is the person who holds in their anger, maintains a grudge against someone, and plots to “get even”.

V. A fool is arrogant - If you haven't got the idea yet, a person with a foolish nature is arrogant. They think that they are superior to those around them.

A. Another foolish position some people take is to make fun of sin because they don't believe they're guilty of it. Proverbs 14:9 tells us; “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.” In reading that Proverb you probably immediately think of Luke 18:11-13 – “"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank You that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. `I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God be merciful to me a sinner!'”

1. The foolish person doesn't believe that something is sinful or that they are guilty of sin.
2. Instead, they make a mockery of the seriousness of sin.

B. In fact, sin to a fool is almost like a sport. It's a game. How close can they get without going over the line that they imagine is there? Take a look at Proverbs 10:23 – “To do evil is like sport to a fool, but a man of understanding has wisdom.” They get a kick out of it—to see how much they can get away with.
C. Like we mentioned about hiding their anger, sometimes the fool will hide what they believe. They might act religious, but when you look at their life, they do not walk the walk. In our text this morning, Luke chapter 11, look at verse 39 again. “But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”

1. Some people look on the outside like they're religious. They're all whitewashed. They look good, but are corrupt inside.
2. God knows both the inside and the outside, and you can't get away with that.

D. Gary Coles wrote an illustration about this and I’ll just read a part of it here. Sam was what you might call a middle-of-the-road Christian. He saw himself as a faithful member of the local church of Christ. However, his heart had not truly been into serving God for about the past 15 years. He was the kind of Christian who shows up for Sunday morning worship, and maybe one bible study a month. He didn't believe it was necessary to attend every time the church assembled to worship. After all, He was a busy man who often worked 50-60 hours a week. He needed weekend time to rest and unwind, and he was usually too tired to attend every service. Besides, there was usually a good ball game on TV. God understood. If the people at the local church didn't, well, that was just tough. Besides, it boiled down to their opinions, versus his. That argument had served him well through the years.

VI. The fool disbelieves – Then there is the fool that is convinced there isn't a God. In Psalms 53:1 – “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God.'' They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.”

A. Why? It's because they don't think they are responsible to anyone else but themselves. They don't act as if there's a God. They don't believe they're going to be called into judgment.
B. Fools don't want to retain any knowledge of God. I believe that is why our society has reached the low point we see now. In the past, people have chosen to forget about God and the Old Testament gives examples.
C. In the New Testament also, as we see in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Take a look at what happened to the Gentile society in Romans 1:20-22 – “20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21. because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22. Professing to be wise, they became fools,”

CONCLUSION:
It's not that the evidence isn't there. Those Gentiles were not ignorant of God, nor was their information limited to the knowledge that came from the observance of natural phenomena and the existence of conscience within man. God had manifested himself to the Gentiles repeatedly through many centuries, and their knowledge was more than sufficient to make their conduct inexcusable.

Heathenism is not the primeval religion, from which man might gradually have risen to the knowledge of the true God, but is, on the contrary, the result of a falling away from the known original revelation of the true God in His works.

The fool would rather believe the world exists without God. R.C. Bell wrote, “Who close their two eyes (worship and praise) for seeing and knowing God, and turn their backs on the light to walk in their own shadow.”

That's what fools are. Having closed the eyes of their minds with which they might have seen the invisible things of God, they fall into a state of total disability in the perception of spiritual realities. How profoundly sad is the state of persons like that, they might have the highest academic degrees, perhaps occupying positions of trust and honor, possibly considered by their contemporaries as the wisest and ablest of people, but from whose minds the light has gone out, and the knowledge of God has faded. Those, despite their worldly excellence, are the living dead!

Verse 27 says, Professing to be wise, they became fools The persons addressed by Jesus as "fools" in our text today, include an impressive list of the "respectable." This Pharisee was doubtless hailed by his peers as wise; the man who built on the sand (Matthew 7:26) may very well have been a respected builder; the rich farmer who mistook his body for his soul (Luke 12:20) probably had a high social status; and the foolish virgins of the parable (Matthew 25:1ff) were without doubt the cream of their society. This gives a glimpse of what Jesus meant by the terms "fools" or "foolish"; any person who does not respect his soul's deep need of salvation is foolish.

Ah, yes, how wise man fancies himself; and, if we hesitate to believe that, look in the dictionary and see that man is listed as "Homo sapiens," which is Latin for "the wise one;". Perhaps instead we should be called "Homo ignoramus"! Because, apart from what God has revealed to us, we have no certain knowledge of who we are, from where we come, or to where we go. Why be a fool? We are free to choose our master. When a soul turns away from God, there remains no meaningful initiative left. The soul’s great option has already been exercised, the unbeliever is left free to choose only among secondaries, all of which are evil. Demonstrations of this truth are continually visible in Christians who turn away from the gospel. Why be a fool?
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from a sermon by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Father’s Day

Father’s Day – Joseph As An Example
Matthew 1:18-25

Someone noticed that the word "father" appears in the dictionary ... just before the word ... "fatigued" ...and just after the word ... "fathead."
So, ... to all us fatigued, ... fathead fathers, ......Happy Father's Day!
One night a wife found her husband standing over their newborn baby’s crib. Silently she watched him. As he stood looking down at the sleeping infant, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism. He would stand back, shake his head and say, "Amazing," while smiling from ear to ear.
Touched by his unusual display and the deep emotions it aroused, her eyes glistened as she slipped her arms around him. "A penny for your thoughts," she whispered in his ear.
"Isn’t it amazing!" he replied. "When you take the time and really look close, how can anyone make a crib like that for only $95.99!"

ILL.- Someone wrote a list of words that most dads have said at some time or another to their children.
- This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.
- Quiet. I’m watching the ball game.
- Bring back all the change.
- How should I know? Ask your mother.
- I’m not made out of money!
- When I was your age I walked 5 miles to and from school each day and it was uphill both ways.
- You are going and you will have fun!
- If you break your leg don’t come running to me.
- Get down before you hurt yourself. On second thought, go ahead.
- Be quiet! Can’t you see I’m trying to think!
- Why? Because I said so!
- You better get that junk picked up before your mother comes in here.
- Just wait till you have kids of your own.
- I was not asleep. I was just resting my eyes.
Brethren, I suppose we who are fathers could probably add a couple of quotes to this list.
Being a parent and a father can be an interesting and trying experience.

Today is known as Father's Day, & the honor of this special day began back in 1910 in Spokane, WA. Necktie & shirt manufacturers have rejoiced ever since.
ILL. Then a few years later, a group in Wilkinsburg, PA, declared the dandelion the official Father's Day flower because, they said, "The more it is trampled on, the better it grows."
ILL. Something that Erma Bombeck wrote seems to express the sentiments of Father's Day better than most. Here is an excerpt:
"When I was a little girl, a father was like the light in the refrigerator every house had one, but no one really knew what either one of them did once the door was shut.
"My dad left the house every morning & always seemed glad to see everyone again at night. He opened the jar of pickles when no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn't afraid to go into the basement alone.
"He kept busy enough. He set mousetraps. He oiled my roller skates & they went faster. When I got my bike he ran along side me for at least a thousand miles until I got the hang of it. He signed all my report cards. He took a lot of pictures, but was never in them.
"I was afraid of everyone else's father, but not my own. Once I made him some tea. It was only sugar water, but he sat in a small chair & said that it was delicious. He looked very uncomfortable.
"Whenever I played house the mother doll had a lot to do. But I never knew what to do with the father doll, so I had him say, 'I'm going off to work now,' & threw him under the bed.
Today we are taking the father doll out from under the bed, & honoring the dandelions & refrigerator lights of society.
PROP. And in doing that, we want to talk about a step-dad who was given the tremendous responsibility of raising God's Son. His name was Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
So go with me back in time as we consider his commitment, his concern, & his faithfulness.
Text  Matthew 1: 18 – 25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

I. JOSEPH WAS COMMITTED
The first part of Joseph's story is one of commitment & happy expectations. Matthew 1:18 begins with these words, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. . . ."

A. Now we need to understand that a Jewish marriage consisted of 3 stages. The first stage is the engagement. Usually that was arranged by their parents. Parents would arrange the engagement without the young people even being involved.
ILL. One example of that in the O.T. was when Abraham sent his servant back to his home country to find a wife for his son, Isaac. The servant found Rebekah & brought her back. Isaac had never seen her before. Then she became his wife.

B. The second stage of a Jewish marriage was the betrothal. During this time the young couple agreed to the marriage, the groom signed a document declaring his responsibilities to her, & they were considered "husband & wife." But they didn't live together yet.
Betrothal usually lasted about one year. It was a time for the groom to prepare the place where they would live. It was a time of building a relationship, of coming to know one another, of planning & dreaming & happy expectations.
However, all of this suddenly ended in shock & disappointment for Joseph for vs. 18 goes on to say, "But before they came together, she was found to be with child..."
The Bible doesn't tell us when Joseph was told, or who told him. Maybe Mary told him. Maybe she said something like, "Joseph, I have the most wonderful news. I'm going to have a baby, & not just any baby. This is the Messiah, the one our people have been waiting for & praying about for so many years. An angel told me."
"I asked the angel, ‘How can this possibly be because I have never slept with a man?’ The angel told me, ‘That which is conceived in you is of the Holy Spirit.’ "It's a miracle, Joseph. Isn't it wonderful? Aren't you happy?"
But Joseph wasn't happy. How could he believe such a story? And Joseph must have felt that Mary had betrayed him. But notice, even in this stage of his disappointment, Joseph still loved Mary.
Matthew 1:19 says, "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly."
The law said that Joseph could have taken her to the city gate & the people there would have taken rocks & stoned her to death. Then Joseph's name would have been cleansed & his reputation restored.
But Joseph decided not to do that. He decided not to disgrace her, but rather to divorce her quietly so that she could start her life over again. And he could start his life over again as well.
That is when the angel appeared to him in a dream, telling Joseph what had happened that the Holy Spirit had caused Mary to conceive a child that would be God's only Son. And God had a request of Joseph. Would Joseph be a father a step-dad? Would Joseph raise God's Son?
Joseph had to decide. He had to make a commitment about a child who didn't belong to him. He had to make a commitment to a marriage that would be held up to scorn & gossip. But Joseph said that he would. So Joseph took Mary to be his wife.
ILL. Barbara Herrenrich wrote a book in which she said, "Yesterday's man was a husband & a father & the family breadwinner. Today's man is a conspicuous consumer & is proficient at dodging commitment."

C. But Joseph didn't dodge his commitment. He accepted the responsibility that God asked him to take. It was Joseph who put his wife on the donkey & began the long trip to Bethlehem. It was Joseph who found a place in which Mary could give birth.
It was Joseph who helped her through birth. It was Joseph who first saw the Son of God, & then held in his hands God's only Son.
Joseph had made a commitment. But he didn't realize what all that commitment entailed. He didn't realize that he would have to serve as a midwife, to help deliver God's only Son.
But he had promised. He didn't dodge his commitment. He kept his word.
APPL. Every so often we have the privilege of seeing parents and their family attend services at our congregation. We challenge them to be faithful Christian parents & examples to their family.
We pray for them, asking God to help them raise their children in the love & nurture of the Lord. We do this because we are concerned about them & their family.

II. JOSEPH WAS CONCERNED

A. Joseph was also concerned. He was used to living in Nazareth, but now he was in Bethlehem. Somehow he had to support his wife & child.
So here was Joseph in Bethlehem trying to get carpentry work, concerned about being able to provide for God's Son & to take care of Him.
Jesus was less than two years old when wise men from the east came & brought exotic gifts. Then Joseph is warned to flee from Herod's murderous intent to kill Jesus. So Joseph uproots his family & flees to Egypt. Later, he uproots them again & takes them to Nazareth.

B. As you know, Mary & Joseph had several children after that. And every year, along with many others from Nazareth, they would take their family to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
So we can understand what happened when Jesus was twelve. They worshiped in Jerusalem as they always did, & then began their journey home once again. That evening, as all of those who were traveling together stopped to rest for the night, Joseph may have asked Mary, "Where is Jesus?"
Mary answers, "I thought He was with you." "No," Joseph says, "He isn't with me. Where is He?" They frantically searched through the whole company, but Jesus was nowhere to be found.

C. They rushed back to Jerusalem & began looking up & down the streets. But they can't find him anywhere. Finally, they go to the temple & they notice a meeting taking place. Sadducees & Pharisees are sitting around nodding their bearded heads & looking intently at the speaker.
And who is the speaker? Jesus, a 12 year old boy. "And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. (Luke 2:48)
And Jesus says something that Joseph would never forget, How is it that ye sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49)
SUM. Joseph realized that Jesus had just one mother, but two fathers. And it was Joseph's responsibility to turn loose of Him & let Jesus be about what God had sent Him to do. God had given him Jesus on loan. He was a steward, a manager, to help Jesus develop & grow.

III. JOSEPH WAS FAITHFUL

A. So Joseph probably made some decisions on that long road back to Nazareth. He would do the very best he could to help Jesus be about His Father's business to help Jesus be the person God wanted Him to be.
But Joseph's problem was that he was just a carpenter. "Tekton" is the Greek word that is used, a "carpenter."
ILL. It is said that in ancient days a "tekton" was a man who probably had just two chisels, a hammer, a saw, & a square. But with just those few tools he could make a chair or a table, a bridge or a house.
He wasn't just a workman, he was a craftsman, a carpenter.
It is obvious that Joseph had an impact on Jesus. In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He talked about a fellow who had some sawdust in his eye. He talked about two men, two carpenters, who built houses. One was wise & one foolish.
Toward the end of Jesus' ministry, when He was trying to communicate to the disciples the importance of finishing what you start, He told of a man who wanted to build a tower, but who first went out & got all of the materials to make sure he could finish what he started.

B. Joseph didn't teach Jesus about nobility. He didn't teach Him about speech making. But by his example he taught Him to "finish what you start," & how to handle disgruntled customers.
He taught Him to pay His bills. He taught Him to treat His mother with respect. He taught Him to take care of His younger brothers & sisters.
Joseph didn't know that sometime before the beginning of Jesus' ministry that God would call him home & leave his family fatherless. And that the boy he trained, the boy he worked with, sawed lumber with, chiseled wood with, would take his place & become a leader to His younger brothers & sisters.
Joseph had no idea that the work that God had called His Son to do was the work of a carpenter & that when Jesus was 33 years old He would construct a bridge that would span eternity.
Joseph had no idea that one day a carpenter's product, a wooden cross, would be the greatest monument that this world has ever known.
All Joseph did was to be a step-dad to Jesus. All Joseph did was to keep the commitment he'd made to God. All Joseph did was to take a few tools & help mold Jesus, the Son of God.
ILL. I came across an interesting poem this last week. It is titled: "A Father’s Love" Please listen as I read it to you.
We hear about a mother’s love
In story & in song,
How staunch it is through trial & storm,
How tender & strong,
How sweet and pure & beautiful;
And every word is true.
But what about a father’s love?
That claims some notice, too.
A father delves the deepest mine
And climbs the girders high
He swings upon the scaffolding
Between the earth & sky.
It’s father who bends his aching back
And bows his graying head
To bear the burdens of the day
And earn the children’s bread.
For both must work & both must plant
And do an equal share
To rear the little ones the Lord
Has entrusted to their care.
All honor to the mother’s love;
The universe it fills.
But when you praise it, don’t forget
That father pays the bills.

CONCLUSION: So to all of you dandelions, to all of you refrigerator lights, to all of you father dolls that have been thrown under the bed, this is your day.
You might feel inadequate for the task that God has called you to do. But just like Joseph you must make a commitment. Like Joseph you must be concerned, not just for the physical well-being of your family, but for their spiritual well-being too.
And you must understand that you are a steward, a manager, & God has given you just a little while with your children. You must devote yourself to do your best in the job that God has called you to do.

This morning there may be some of you who have never known God as your Father, & have never known that God has the same commitment & concern for you that Joseph had for Jesus.
Regardless of whether you are a father or a mother, or whoever you are, we ask you to make a decision this morning, to make a commitment, to give your heart & life & soul to the King of Kings & the Lord of Lords. We invite you to make your life count for Him. You have the opportunity to do that as we stand & sing?
INVITATION

What Will You Do With Jesus?

What Will You Do With Jesus?
Acts 28:17-20

INTRO: Good morning. We are reaching the end of our Study of the Books of Acts. There is so much in this book to strengthen and encourage us in our faith. As we have studied this book we have been challenged to live better lives for Christ and have been inspired to keep on—keeping on. It’s been a long journey but one which I hope and pray has been worth it.

Our lives are also a journey, some long and some short. I’m reminded of an old story told by an English preacher;

A young man was walking along a country road. Along came a farmer driving a wagon.
Without asking permission, the young man jumped up on the wagon and said, "I'm going to ride along with you to London."

The farmer just looked at him and said nothing. They rode on for perhaps ten miles. The young man began to feel uneasy. He turned to the farmer and said, "I say, how much farther is it to London?"

The farmer replied, "If you keep on the way we are going, it is about 520 miles, but if you want to get off and walk back the other way, it is about sixteen miles—six miles from where you jumped on."

Sometimes in life we just jump on for a ride without really finding out where the ride is going to take us. God has a ride mapped out for us already as long as we follow His divine will. Like the apostle Paul we need to always make sure we’re heading in the right direction. Check the map, and see if we are on course.

I. Now let us conclude our look at Acts. Remember that we left Paul at the port of Puteoli where he found some brethren and stayed with them for seven days. He journeyed on and he finally reached Rome. He was overwhelmed with thankfulness and encouraged to keep going when some brethren traveled many miles to greet him.

A. This was a great moment for Paul and for the saints in Rome and so we continue with Luke’s account to Theophilus in Acts 28:17-20 – “17. And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: "Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, 18. "who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death. 19. "But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. 20. "For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.''”
B. After three days in Rome, Paul called for the leaders of the Jews. As Paul always did, he addressed himself "to the Jew first" (Romans 1:16).

1. He explained to them that he was in Rome because of charges brought against him by their brethren in Jerusalem. He told them that the authorities had wanted to release him, but he had to appeal to Caesar because the Jews were opposed to Paul being at liberty. Paul's forbearance here is notable, in that he made no mention of the repeated attempts against his life, aided and abetted by the high priest himself.
2. This passage sheds additional light on what happened under Festus. It was the protest of the Jews that led Festus to withhold from Paul the liberty which he could have had.

C. Paul says the reason I’m in chains today is because I’m a Christian. He is someone who whole heartedly follows Christ because he knows and fully understands that Jesus Christ was and is the true fulfillment of Israel's hope. By this, Paul meant that the Christian faith was the true fulfillment of the hope of God's people. Throughout his speeches and epistles, Paul always insisted upon the identity of the New Covenant with all that had been prophesied and typified in the Old.

II. Do we have that kind of conviction? Do we believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah who was the true fulfillment of Israel’s hope? We have read of one woman who truly believed that, and she is found in John 4.

A. In a discussion with Jesus about worship, the Samaritan women says in John 4:25 – “ "I know that Messiah is coming'' (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things.''”

1. What a priceless jewel of faith lay at the bottom of this poor beleaguered woman's heart. All the sins and mistakes of her life had not erased her knowledge of the essential truth that Christ would come into the world and teach men all they need to know to obtain salvation.
2. Look at Jesus’ response to this claim in verse 26 “Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He.''” Scholars say that the Samaritans only accepted the Pentateuch which is Genesis through Deuteronomy as Scripture, yet they anticipated the Messiah confidently.

B. In the Temple court, Peter preached in Acts 3:22-24 “22. "For Moses truly said to the fathers, `The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23. `And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' 24. "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.”

1. Quoting from Deuteronomy 18:15 ff Peter makes his statement clear. Jesus was the promised Messiah.
2. All the way through the Old Testament there are many prophecies concerning this coming Messiah.

C. The Jews and the Samaritans were waiting on the arrival of the Christ.

1. In Luke 2:25 we find that Simeon was “… waiting for the Consolation of Israel,…”.
2. In Luke 2:38 we find that Anna spoke of Him to “… all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem… ”.
3. Andrew announced to Peter, “… We have found the Messiah'' (which is translated, the Christ).” in John 1:41.
4. In John 1:45 we find Philip bringing Nathanael to Jesus, saying, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

D. Even the enemies of Jesus recognized the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.

1. In Matthew 2:4-6 we find Herod calling the Scribes, the copiers of the Old Testament manuscripts, to inquire “… where the Christ was to be born.”
2. When disputing the belief of some in Jesus as the Christ, the Jews affirmed, in John 7:42 “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
3. While being tried, the high priest asked the Lord, in Matthew 26:63 “I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Look at Jesus’ response in verse 64, “It is as you said.”

E. You see, there was a reason that the Samaritan woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming”. The reason is found in the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ. This was well known.

1. No wonder the apostle Paul asked King Agrippa in Acts 26:27 “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
2. The question you really need to answer is; Do you really believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Because the evidence is indisputable.
3. The Old Testament predicted the events. Christ came and fulfilled them.

III. Folks, believing that Jesus is the Christ and yet doing nothing with that belief, are two different things. For those who are not Christians, they need to ask themselves the same question which Pilate asked the mob in Matthew 27:22 “… "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?...”

A. In the Tabernacle Holy of Holies, the light of God's glory was present between the cherubim, telling Israel that God was in her midst. The mercy seat was the place appointed where God met once a year the blood of the sacrifice of atonement.

1. The blood of atonement was sprinkled there. Atonement, it was not an appeasement. God does not have to be appeased.
2. He is merciful, compassionate, and full of loving kindness, but He will not hold man guiltless without an atonement.
3. When the blood was sprinkled, there was satisfaction. Sin was rolled forward. The offering for sin was made.

B. That was the Old Testament, but now the One whose blood was made an offering for sin is Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ.

1. He is the Mercy Seat where the justice of God and the satisfying sacrifice bring peace to all who believe.
2. We don’t want anyone to leave here today making the same mistake that many other people do, and that is to reject Him. We don’t want anyone leaving here today saying that ‘no one ever told me that Jesus was the Messiah’.

C. Have you ever talked to someone about something that has happened, but they didn’t know anything about it? You thought they would have known something about it because it concerned them, but they hadn’t heard anything.

IV. In a way that’s what Luke goes on and shares with us next. Listen to their reaction to Paul’s words. Acts 28:21-22 – “ And they said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you. "But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.''”

A. It seems from our text that the leaders of the Jews in Rome knew nothing of the charges against Paul and reported that no word had come from Jerusalem.

1. Since Paul’s accusers were Jews and the people he is speaking to here are Jews, you would think that such a serious charge against Paul would be known by most Jews.
2. If that happened today, with our modern version of the grapevine, social media, people the world over would be saying. ‘Hey, you know that guy Saul who became a follower of Christ, man he’s such a troublemaker, he stirred up a rebellion amongst the Jews in Jerusalem, he is the main ringleader of the Nazarene party among the Jews, and hey, if you think that was bad, he even defiled the temple by bringing Gentiles in there and spoke against our forefather’s teachings.’

B. They hadn’t heard anything bad about Paul. In fact, they were more interested in hearing more about this Christianity which everyone, everywhere is speaking against.

V. Paul after a while arranges to do just that. Now I say this tongue in cheek, but if someone were to think that listening to a sermon for thirty or forty minutes is long, they really should count their blessings. We are now Acts 28:23-24 – “ So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.”

A. On the appointed day, a large group returned, and Paul preached all day using Moses and the prophets to testify concerning God's kingdom. We see over and over again as we study that we can’t just use the New Testament and leave out the Old Testament.

1. In teaching a person willing to study, the preacher took him straight to the Old Testament and to the Book of Genesis to show him how sin had separated mankind from God. After discussing a few others passages in the Old Testament, he smiled at the preacher at the end of the study and said, ‘someone once told me that the church of Christ doesn’t believe in the Old Testament, I now know that is simply not true.’
2. Romans 15:4 - “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
3. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
4. The apostle Paul used the Old Testament to convince the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus was the Messiah. We should be doing the same thing.
5. By the way notice we read; “he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them” I think it would be a mistake to suppose this took the form of a monologue and I suspect the debate must have been keen and impassioned.

B. As we have seen so often the group was divided as to whether to believe Paul or not. This always occurs when the gospel is preached: people are polarized with reference to it, some believing, some not believing (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).

VI. At this point Paul has one more statement to make, again using the Old Testament as his proof. Now at Acts 28:25-27 – “25. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 26. "saying, `Go to this people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27. For the heart of this people has grown dull. their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them.'' '”

A. Paul quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10 why? To show that their rejection to the gospel had been foretold by the Holy Spirit. This same passage was applied to Israel by Christ, as affirmed in all four gospels (Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; and John 12:37-41). The reason for its being repeated here is because the same blindness that closed the hearts of Israel to the Christ was still operative in closing their hearts against the gospel.
B. This is still a major problem for many people today. They hear of the Bible, they even read and listen to the Bible but they fail to understand it. They see Christians coming together every week and living their lives fully devoted to God but they can not perceive of having that commitment.

1. Why don’t they understand? Why can’t they perceive? Simply because their hearts have become hardened. They have ears but they only hear what they want to hear. They have eyes but they don’t use them to see truth. The cares of this world are too important to them and they take the easy way.
2. Isaiah says, ‘listen, open your hearts, listen to what God is saying to you, open your eyes and see the truth’.
3. In other words, leave your own ideas behind, forget about what the world says and turn to Jesus in repentance, and He will heal you from the disease of sin.

VII. There is good news. Paul says in Acts 28:28 – “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” Paul tells them that salvation would be taken to the Gentiles and they will listen. What about us today, are we listening?

A. A visitor approached a preacher after listening to his sermon on the necessity of receiving Christ as his Savior. The man said he thought that Christianity should limit itself in presenting Christ as our example whom we should follow.

The preacher turned to the visitor and said, "If I were to preach Christ as our example, would you follow His example?" "Why not?" was the flippant answer. The preacher said, "Okay, let us think of some of the things that Jesus did and did not do. One of the things that is said of Him is that He did not sin. Can you take that step and follow His example in doing no sin?" "No, I must be very honest about myself, I do sin said the man."

The preacher then answered: "It is impossible then to follow Jesus unless you first make Him your Savior. It is He who must live in you so that you can say 'For me to live is Christ.'"

1. Jesus Christ came into the world not only to set an example for us, but to become our Savior. It is only when we receive Him as our Savior that we are able to follow Him as our example because He dwells in us.
2. The only reason the offer to have Jesus as your personal Savior is still an offer today is because Jesus hasn’t given up on you. God loves us. 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
3. Do any of us really think that God wants people to perish and spend eternity in hell? God is patient with you. He doesn’t want you or anyone to be condemned to hell. He is waiting patiently for you to turn and be healed spiritually.

B. Please don’t ever think though that Jesus is not going to return for Judgment Day until you repent. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:10 – “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…”

1. It’s not a question of ‘if’ Jesus is coming back, it will happen. Scripture is clear on that. It’s a question of ‘are you ready’ before He comes back.
2. He’s not going to come back and say, ‘hi, I understand you’ve struggled to believe in me ever since the creation of the world. I’m going to give you another few thousands years to believe.’
3. No! When Jesus comes back, that’s it. If you haven’t believed and obeyed His commands before that happens you’re in trouble.

C. Listen to those familiar words Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23 – “21. "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23. "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; Why didn’t Jesus know them? They were prophesying in Jesus Name, they drove out demons in His Name, they performed miracles in His Name. Why then didn’t Jesus know them?

1. Because of what He said in verse 21, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
2. Look at what Jesus said following on in Matthew 7:24-27 – “24. "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25. "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26. "Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27. "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.''”
3. Being a Christian is more than just coming to Jesus, it’s more than just hearing His words. It’s about obeying His words and practicing what Jesus preached.

CONCLUSION:
We are now at the conclusion of acts. Paul is finished speaking with the Jews, but he is far from finished when it comes to preaching the gospel. Acts 28:29-31 – “29. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. 30. Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31. preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

Paul spent two years in his own rented house where he received guests and taught many people concerning the kingdom of God. He spoke boldly and no one forbid him to continue.

He finally made it to Rome and his ambition to preach the gospel in the greatest city then known to mankind was fulfilled, thanks to the grace of God.

This concludes our look at the Book of Acts starting with the first sermon called, ‘It’s all about Jesus’. There is much more of course. The Book of Acts, Luke’s report to Theophilus, begins and ends with Luke writing about Jesus. The question is for each of us; What are you going to do with Jesus, the Messiah?
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from sermon by Mike Glover

Seeing the Handwriting on The Wall

SEEING THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
Daniel 5: 2 – 30

On a balmy Saturday morning in January, an alert warning of nuclear doom was erroneously sent to millions of people across the state of Hawaii.

"BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

Those were the words that flashed on cell phones and televisions screens across the state, the result of a mistake by an employee of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency who selected the wrong option in a text-based dropdown menu.

Though the agency eventually issued a correction,
residents and tourists,
as well as Hawaiian natives tracking the impending disaster on the mainland, in real-time on social media,
criticized the government for taking 38 minutes to issue the retraction.

In 1883, the greatest volcanic explosion in modern history took place. Krakatoa, a volcano in Indonesia, exploded and shot 6 cubic miles of debris 24 miles up into the stratosphere.
Its shock wave traveled around the world 7 times, and its debris fell more than 2000 miles away.

The official death toll – over 90,000 people. The sky was so blackened from the clouds of debris that the sun was blocked from the sky for the next 24 hours …as far away as New England.

At the time of Krakatoa’s explosion, the Captain of a nearby British sailing ship wrote these words in his log:

“I am writing this blind in pitch darkness. We are under continual rain of pumice-stone and dust.
The explosions are so violent that the ear-drums of over half my crew have been shattered.... I am convinced that the Day of Judgment has come.”

How many of you had a chance to see the Solar Eclipse that occurred 5 years ago on August of 2017.

My daughter Megan said that where they were at the solar eclipse made the sky so dark that they could see the stars in the sky and the temperature dropped 25 degrees during the eclipse.

The Eclipse had a lot of people excited and partying...

Someone noted immediately following the events of the solar eclipse that “The festive nature regarding the eclipse brings to my mind the Babylonian King Belshazzar who threw a drunken feast the night the Medes and Persians crept under the city gate.”

It seems that these folks were seeing the eclipse as being “the handwriting on the wall”.

Eclipses are NOT rare...
but hands writing stuff on the wall – that’s pretty rare.

Let’s consider a little background for our text today.
Babylon was a wealthy kingdom and the city was considered insurmountable to attack.

Greek historian “He-row-do-tus” claimed that "Babylon surpassed in wonder any city in the known world" and he specifically praised the walls which he said were 56 miles long,
80 feet thick, and 320 feet high.
There was no way that any foreign power was going to take their city.

But in the days of king Belshazzar.
Babylon was being threatened from the Empire of the Medes and Persians and war was constantly on the borders. And, that enemy was marching toward Babylon itself.

But Belshazzar was convinced that Babylon WOULD NOT fall to these enemies. Belshazzar’s army was too mighty, his walls too imposing, and his nation had dominated this region for nearly 100 years. It was just not going to happen!!!

In fact, Belshazzar was SO convinced that there was no power that could stand against his nation’s might… that he throws a party.
“King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.

In Daniel 5:1-4 we read : “Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”

Notice – the King was holding a feast to honor “the gods of silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone”. But he didn’t take THEIR vessels to party with. Noooo. Instead, he deliberately calls for the vessels of gold and silver that came from the Temple of Jerusalem.

Now, why would he do that???
Well, apparently he did it DELIBERATELY. When Daniel appeared before Belshazzar he tells us what was going on:

Daniel 5:18-22
“O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty.
And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him.

Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled.

But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys.
He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.

And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this.”

What was Daniel saying?

He was saying that Belshazzar had deliberately mocked the God of Israel because he was ashamed of his father.
He knew all the stories - he knew how Nebuchadnezzar had been bought low by Israel’s God... and he was embarrassed by it.

So now – faced with an impending attack by an enemy army - Belshazzar is making an open declaration that he not only rejects any threat by the Medes and the Persians
but he ALSO rejects the supposed power of Daniel’s God.

Belshazzar is going to prove that he’s too powerful to be intimidated by some foreign God.

He doesn’t want to bow down to a God that says he has to change his life –
to a God who says he has to be humble rather than proud.

Because that is the constant message of this God of Israel.
The Bible tells us in James 4:6 "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

You know... that’s why a lot of people reject God. They don’t want God to be in charge of their lives, and they don’t really want to change their lives all that much.

George Orwell once observed: "On the whole… human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time."

And that’s what many in this world want. They don’t want to change. They want God to stay OVER THERE. They don’t want His morality. They don’t want Him to be in control. THEY want to be in control

And after a while God says FINE.
You want me off your back,
you want me out of your life,
you don’t want me controlling your life –
we can do that.

But there’s a price to be paid. And the price is that you will be storing up wrath for the day of the judgment.

Romans 2:5 says “... because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

And that’s pretty much what happened with Belshazzar.

Daniel tells him in verses 24 – 28 “Then from God’s presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed.
And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Now, I’m not going to go into great detail on what those words meant. (One, because I CAN’T). 😊
All we need to know is that Belshazzar rejected God and God was sending a message:

Belshazzar had been weighed in the balances and was found wanting, his kingdom was brought to an end,
and his kingdom was to be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
The wrath of God had descended upon Babylon.

That very night in 539 BC the Medes and Persians conquered the city. They didn’t have to break down the mighty walls of Babylon. Instead they simply diverted the Euphrates river that flowed under the walls and walked into the city on the riverbed.
And verse 30 tells us “That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.”

The point is...
there comes a time when God’s patience runs out.

C.S. Lewis once observed: “There are two kinds of people:
Those who say to God: ‘Thy will be done,’
And those to whom God says: ‘All right, then - have it your way’”
You REALLY don’t want to be part of that 2nd group.

Back in the 1800’s Knowles Shaw wrote a hymn about this story
“See the brave captive Daniel, as he stood before the throng,
And rebuked the haughty monarch for his mighty deeds of wrong;
As he read out the writing, 'twas the doom of one and all,
For the kingdom now was finished - said the hand upon the wall.

So our deeds are recorded, there's a Hand that's writing now;
Sinner, give yourself to Jesus, and before His cross to bow;
For the day is fast approaching, it must come to one and all,
When the sinner's condemnation will be written on the wall.”

But now wait a minute!!!
I thought God was a God of forgiveness and mercy.
Isn’t God a God of forgiveness and mercy?
Of course He is!!!

2 Peter 3:9 tells us “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

But the fact of the matter is... there will come a time when people WILL perish. And they’ll perish because they just gave lip service to God. They saw the handwriting on the wall and they squirmed. They sensed the pain of impending judgment and they were sorrowful. But when it came right down to listening to God and what he expects from us... they didn’t really want to change

2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Belshazzar reflected a “worldly grief”. We’re told that when the hand writes a mysterious message on the wall and he is frightened. Daniel 5:6 says
“Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together”

But then the oddest thing takes place. As soon as Daniel interprets the message it seems that Belshazzar goes back into his “party mode”.

Verse 29 tells us that As soon as Daniel tells the King that his Kingdom is about to be destroyed “Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

What’s going on here? Why this big shift in attitude?
Well the King is trying to buy God off. He’s thinking
“If I reward this servant of God - if I clothe him in purple and give him a fancy gold necklace and say nice things about him –
maybe God will realize I’m not such a bad guy after all.

Essentially Belshazzar was trying to appease God with trinkets. He had no intention of changing his lifestyle or humbling himself to God. He just wanted to pay the bill, leave a tip, and then move on with his life.

It was the same way when Krakatoa ... which we mentioned in the beginning of the sermon ... exploded. The skies were so dark in New England that people believed it was the end of the world. According to one source “At the very start, people began to gather in small groups to question what was happening.

Slowly, people began to make their way to the Churches. They say that by twelve noon every Church in New England was filled to overflowing with people on their knees crying out to God. There were cries for mercy, people begging for forgiveness and others confessing their sins. The Churches were full late into the night”.

But, the next day when the sun rose again in the sky...
the churches weren’t nearly as full. Many people no longer went to their knees in repentance and confession. Things “got back to normal” because now ...without the threat of impending doom... they could go back to the idea that God wasn’t that important anymore. God was “OVER THERE” and they were “OVER HERE”.

But those who did that didn’t seem to realize that they were still under judgment.

I once overheard a sales lady talking on the phone trying to recruit an “in home rep” for her business. And as I was eavesdropping on the conversation something clicked for me.
So I began to write down the questions she asked the prospective rep:
• Are you in this for fun?
• OR are you in this to make some REAL money?
• What would you have to make to be happy?
• (And) How many hours a week would you be committed to the business?

Now we’ve all heard that kind of spiel dozens of times before. Essentially she was asking the recruit –
"How much is this worth to you?
Does it matter to you?"

And that’s EXACTLY what God constantly asks us:
how much is this relationship with me worth to you?
Are you just here to play at Christianity or are you really serious about wanting to spend eternity with Me in heaven?
Now here’s the deal: Many people read this tale of the “handwriting on the wall” and they think it’s a cool story. It’s in a lot of children’s Bibles and folks remember it from Sunday School classes... but this story wasn’t just written down for your entertainment. God placed this story in His Bible because He wanted to remind us that there will come a day of reckoning.
A day when repentance will no longer suffice. A day when the handwriting may be on the wall for you.

 

Based on a Sermon
by Roger Thomas

The Proof is in the Pudding

The Proof is in The Pudding
Acts 27:39-28:16

INTRO: Good morning. Last time in Acts we saw that although life’s outlook doesn’t look good at times we should take courage, because our eternal forecast as Christians is looking great.

We saw that God never intended for humans to be alone. Paul was not alone on that ship. Luke went along on this journey to Italy with him and Aristarchus.

We saw that life will be dangerous at times. When Paul was on that ship the violent wind didn’t let up all night and continued the next day, so the sailors began to throw the cargo overboard. Later when the Euroclydon hit their vessel, they spent many days in danger.

When everyone else around you is giving up hope, you don’t give up hope because your suffering is only for a little while. When you don’t give up hope you can encourage others. Paul told them that not one hair on their heads would be harmed.

I heard this story about two heavily intoxicated New Englanders who, after leaving the tavern one night in the wee hours, went down to their skiff to return to their homes across the bay.
They got in and began to row. They struggled rowing the rest of the night, wondering why it was taking them so long to get to the other side. When the sky became light, and they became more sober, they discovered that their mooring-line had never been loosened, and that their anchor had not been raised. Can you imagine that, rowing all night only to find out that you never lifted the anchor?

That’s exactly what stops some people from becoming Christians. They cannot believe, because they are tied to this world. They need to cut the cord and set themselves free from the clogging weight of earthly things, then they will see the right path and be on their way towards heaven.

I. Luke continues to tell us about Paul’s adventures on this trip and they too, after surviving the night, had some cords to cut. Just like people need to cut the cords with this world to get to heaven, these sailors must loose themselves to get to a safer place. Acts 27:39-41 – “39. Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. 40. And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudders ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. 41. But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.”

A. As day broke, it became clear why Paul had said the sailors needed to stay on board. Although they did not recognize the land which was nearby, they did know how to guide the ship toward a bay with a beach which they could see. Without their skilled hands, all could have been lost.

1. It’s then that they had to let go of the anchors, loose the rudders' ropes and hoist the mainsail. These ancient vessels had dual steering oars to keep the ship on course. Though more efficient than a single rudder, the exposed oars were more vulnerable to damage.
2. Just before the ship reached shore, it stuck fast in a sandbar formed by the swirling waters caused by the merging of two seas. These submerged shoals, are sometimes formed by the sands which had been piled together by water action on both sides. It was invisible; therefore they plowed the ship into it, with the result given in this verse.
3. The bow stuck firm but the stern began to break apart in the rough seas.

B. I’d like us to recall that in those days if someone oversaw a prisoner, they were in charge of their lives. Back in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi, at verse 26 we read – “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened; and everyone's bands were loosed.” God freed them and the jailor was about to kill himself. Why was he going to do that? Because Roman law says that if a prisoner escapes your custody, you have to pay the penalty that your prisoner was due.
C. The reason I shared that with you is because of what Luke tells us next. Acts 27:42-44 – “42. Now the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. 43. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44. and the rest, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.”

1. The present situation led the soldiers to think that it would be better to kill the prisoners than to risk any of them getting away. Their heartless plan shows how little regard they had for the providential escape from death which they had just experienced. The soldiers didn’t want to be held accountable, so they planned to kill the prisoners. But God was working through the centurion Julius, and Julius wanted to save Paul so he forbid this course of action.
2. Instead, anyone who could swim was told to make their way to shore while the others who couldn’t swim used boards and broken pieces of ship to help them float ashore.

D. It’s all about trust. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 56:3 – “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

1. Folks, that is one of our reasons for Bible study. Yes, we study in depth and often go over familiar ground. In doing so we meditate on God’s word and the quicker we get His word into our hearts, the quicker we will develop our trust in God and His promises.
2. They had forgotten what Paul had told them earlier. They had forgotten God’s promise because they didn’t trust God like Paul did.

E. Back just a few verses in Acts 27:23-26 – “23. "For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24. "saying, `Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25. "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26. "However, we must run aground on a certain island.''”

1. If they had listened and believed they would not have panicked like they did. If they believed, they would have realized that what Paul said to them earlier was true.
2. Paul told them that the ship would have to run aground and he told them just as God's messenger had promised, not a single life would be lost.
3. Put your trust in God and His promises, folks. He has delivered you time and time again from stormy waters and He’s not going to stop now. He wants you to make it to that heavenly shore.
4. As one put it, if at any time you feel you’re stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, then swim Christian swim. Keep swimming Christian, because before too long you will come across an old rugged cross to cling to, which was sent from heaven to take you to heaven.
5. God kept His promise and not a single soul was lost.

F. The journey to Rome had been interrupted by a disastrous shipwreck, Paul's fourth by the way; but Luke would go on in the next chapter to recount the continuation of the trip, first reporting what happened during the delay on the island of Malta. In it all the "finger of God" is clearly visible.

II. Luke continues in Acts 28:1-6 – “1. Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. 2. And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. 3. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.'' 5. But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.”

A. Luke says that they discovered the island's name was Malta. The natives, who were descendants of Phoenicia, did not speak Greek, but they did show considerable kindness to those that were shipwrecked.
B. Luke tells us that the rain was falling and it was cold. Remember this was late in the year and the weather was likely quite chilly. All those from the ship would have been soaked having to swim to shore. To get warm they built a fire, and Luke says that while Paul helped gather sticks for the fire, a viper, made active by the heat, latched onto the apostle's arm. Paul shook it off into the fire.
C. These islanders, who were very superstitious, believed he must truly have been guilty of something since the snake bit him after he had survived the sea. When he didn’t die, they decided he was a god.

1. In reading this, we notice this is a strange reversal of what had happened at Lystra (Acts 14:12ff), where Paul was first hailed as a god, and later stoned. The carnal man loves extremes, either worshiping himself in the person of his heroes, or by killing those who do not conform to his prejudices.
2. God delivered Paul from the prisons. He delivered him from the courtrooms. He delivered him from the shipwreck, and He has delivered him again from snake bite.
3. On the road to Damascus we know that Jesus told Paul he had a purpose. One of those purposes was for Paul to preach in Rome and no-one and nothing, not even a snake was going to prevent that from happening.
4. God has a purpose for you too and if you will trust Him even through times of trials and suffering, He will deliver you time and time again until you have achieved that goal.

III. Luke continues in Acts 28:7-10 – “7. Now in that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. 8. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. 9. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. 10. They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.”

A. Luke tells us that the centurion and ship's officers, along with Paul and his company, were invited to stay at the house of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius.
B. Publius entertained them for three days, during which time Paul healed Publius' father of a fever and dysentery by praying and laying his hands on him. In this way Publius' kindness was repaid. In working such a wonder, Paul verified the truth of Jesus' promise that His apostles should suffer no hurt from deadly serpents, and that they should lay hands on the sick and heal them. Dummelow noted about this scripture, "Here we have first hand evidence of a competent medical witness to the reality of Paul's miraculous cures." The word “dysenteria” which we translate "dysentery" is a medical term used by the physician Luke.
C. People love to contemplate miracles and there are those that come around claiming they can perform them,

1. Many years ago, Oral Roberts went to Nashville, Tennessee with his “miracle working” campaign.

a. The Apologetic Press ran a newspaper advertisement offering a $1,000 reward for medical proof of a single miracle.
b. Roberts never sought to claim the reward.

2. The late Ronald Coyne, a small-time “healer” from Oklahoma, went to Nashville Tennessee, claiming that he could miraculously see through a “plastic eye.”

a. The Apologetic Press offered to pay all expenses if he would submit to testing administered by a qualified physician specializing in the study and treatment of defects and diseases of the eye.
b. He declined the offer and threatened to sue them. The Apologetic Press urged him to do so, for the courtroom is a real arena for the examination of evidence. Coyne took his “magic eye” con game and left town.

3. Here is a this small note written to the Apologetic Press.

a. “The miracle power of Christ was at work when my friend was healed instantly of terminal cancer, including the scar tissue from the radiation.” He went on to say that “The proof is in the pudding.”
b. Listen to the reply they gave this man. All we ask is: “Let us see the evidence that there was any pudding!” Does the gentleman actually expect anyone to believe that story in the absence of any objective evidence whatever? Were there before-and-after x-rays that document the “miracle”? Is there written testimony from competent physicians regarding the instantaneous disappearance of the “terminal cancer”, scar tissue and all? If so, where is it?

4. Making claims and proving them are two different things. 'The proof is in the pudding' is just shorthand for 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'. That longer version makes sense at least, whereas the shortened version really doesn't mean anything. The meaning becomes clear when you know that 'proof' here is a verb meaning 'test'. You can claim anything but until it is tested it is not proved. The more common meaning of 'proof' in our day is the noun meaning 'the evidence that demonstrates a truth'.

D. Luke tells us that after seeing Paul’s healing of Publius' father, others who were sick were also brought to the apostle and he healed them. No wonder they bestowed honor on Paul while he was with them and sent the whole company on their way with adequate provisions.

IV. Just before we finish Luke goes on and tells us in Acts 28:11-16 – “11. After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. 12. And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days. 13. From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, 14. where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. 15. And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. 16. Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.”

A. Luke informs Theophilus that they set sail aboard another ship after three months, likely after the worst of the winter storms were over.

1. Their first stop was at Syracuse, then Rhegium and, finally, Puteoli. Puteoli was the main port of call for ships carrying wheat from Egypt to Rome.
2. It’s there they found brethren and stayed with them for seven days then they went on to Rome.

B. Paul has finally reached his destination. While he was in Rome, he was permitted to live with a guard by himself.

CONCLUSION:

When Paul headed to Rome, the word apparently got around. Brethren came to greet him as far as the Appii Forum and the Three Inns. The Appii Forum, also known as The Market of Appius, was "forty-three miles from Rome”, and Three Inns was ten miles closer to Rome. The travel of some of the saints such a distance to welcome the beloved apostle was a source of great joy.

Look at Paul’s reaction to this meeting of the saints. When he saw them all, he thanked God and they gave him the courage to go on.

Do we do that? Do we thank God for our brothers and sisters in Christ and give them the courage to go on? When Christians meet it should be a time of thanking God because we are glad to see each other. It should be a time of encouraging each other.

Did you know that encouraging is a gift from God? Paul tells us that in Romans 12:6-8 and I’ll paraphrase – “6. We have gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if it is prophesying, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; if you are a teacher, in teaching; 8. if it is to encourage then give encouragement; he who gives, give generously; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, do so with cheerfulness.” [para]

Folks, let us be encouraged this morning to be like Barnabas, to be a son of encouragement. Take a moment and look at the people around you as you go through the day and ask yourself, who can I encourage this week? After you have identified them, do something about it.

Remember you don’t need a miracle to visit them, give them a call, send a text message, send e-mail, or write a small note or card with words of encouragement within. Whatever it is you decide to do, do it knowing that you have practiced the use of the gifts you have.

Let’s put the proof back into the pudding that we really do practice what we preach.

____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

If anybody needs to respond, either to dedicate themselves to Christ, be buried with Him in baptism, and become a part of the work He has for us; or if you need to ask for prayers on your behalf, won’t you come forward as we stand and sing our Invitational song.

 

# ???

Reference Sermon: Mike Glover

Life’s Forecast

Acts 27:1-38

INTRO: Good morning. Today we are back in the book of Acts. Last time we read of Paul’s defense that he used to try to persuade King Agrippa, Bernice and Festus about Jesus. We have read about Paul’s journeys in the past few years and today we will be reading of another one. I want to look at what is described in Acts 27:1-38.

As we have seen over the past lessons God has been protecting Paul for going to Rome. Festus, along with Agrippa and Bernice, delivered the apostle and some other prisoners into the hands of a centurion named Julius. God wanted Paul in Rome. Paul wanted to be in Rome. Agrippa sent him on his way to Rome.

If you will, turn to Acts 27 and read with me, Acts 27:1-2 – “1. And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. 2. So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.” Luke noted that Julius was of the Imperial Regiment, part of the Roman army that belonged to the emperor.

The ship they boarded had sailed from Adramyttium, which is located in northwest Turkey.

It was never a part of God’s plan for mankind to be alone. Paul was not alone, Luke went along on this journey to Italy with him and Aristarchus. Folks, as Christians we need to remember that it’s absolutely impossible to be alone. Jesus said in Matthew 28:20 – “… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”" In other words you may feel lonely at times but you are never alone, Jesus is there with you, just like He was with Paul. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are on this life’s journey with us. We need to remember that.

I. They are off on that long journey to Rome and Luke continues in Acts 27:3-5 – “3. And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care. 4. When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5. And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.” The ship’s first stop was in Sidon. Because of the wind, they changed direction and stopped again at Myra. None of us were born Christians, in the outlook of life we also see that there will be stops before we get where we need to go. Notice I said, ‘where we need to go’ not ‘where we want to go’.

A. God wants us to find truth, but many people settle for a truth which suits their own needs. Many people believe in God but don’t believe what the Bible teaches.
B. Many people believe that one church is as good as the next and one person’s faith is as good as the next. However Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:4-6 – “4. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6. one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

1. Paul says there are not many churches. There are not many hopes. There are not many lords or faiths. There are not many baptisms.
2. He says there is one church, one hope, one Lord, one faith and one baptism.
3. Some of us, perhaps many, were not brought up in the Lord’s church. In my life I tried out various religious groups, but I always found there was something out of sync with the Bible.
4. Jesus’ promise is as true now as when He first said it in John 8:31-32 – “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.''” Sometimes we need to stop and think about where we need to go and not where we want to go.

II. Luke carries on with his report to Theophilus and says starting in verse 6, Acts 27:6-9 – “6. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board. 7. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone . 8. Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. 9. Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,” Let’s pause there a minute.

A. The ship Julius found was out of Alexandria and bound for Italy. Julius, Paul and the rest of their company boarded that ship and it set sail against a late summer, north-westerly wind, for the port of Cnidus.
B. Because the wind was so unfavorable the captain sailed along the southern shore of Crete. When they finally reached the port of Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea, a decision had to be made as to the course to be pursued. All in all, things are going well and according to plan even though the wind is not in their favor.

III. As we’re about to read, the apostle Paul could see something different on the horizon, and the forecast was not good. We continue with Paul Acts 27:10-12 – “10. saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.'' 11. Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. 12. And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there.”

A. The centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, they decided to sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.”
B. Paul advised them not to attempt to go any further at such a dangerous time of year. Christians should also be aware that the forecast for life will be dangerous at times. Anyone who says become a Christian and life will be great has told you a lie.
C. Jesus reminds us in John 16:33 that “… In the world you will have tribulation …” Troubles… and I believe most of us know by now we can count on that. Sometimes the storms of life are so powerful we’re left wondering; why is this happening? I’ll tell you one example.

1. Dr. Thomas Goodwin, chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, and President of Magdalen College, lost half of his library, some five hundred pounds worth of his best books, in the terrible fire of London in 1666. That’s about $114K in today’s money.
2. His son remembers how his father lamented this, and said of it, that in taking away these precious possessions, God had struck him in a very tender place. Later he said, "I loved my books too well, and God corrected this by affliction."
3. Sometimes pain, suffering and troubled waters come into our lives because we love the world more than we love God. We may end up bringing trouble upon ourselves when we spend too much time in the world and not enough time in Christ Jesus.
4. At times in life, just when you get through one storm we find that it isn’t very long before the next one comes. Luke told us that the wind didn’t let up all night, in fact the violent seas continued the next day, so the sailors began to throw the cargo overboard.

D. Why was this a bad time of year to make this journey? Because Luke told us in verse 9 that ‘the Fast’, or ‘Day of Atonement’, was now over and from that we can conclude it was around the beginning of October.

1. If you were the captain of a ship you should know that the Mediterranean Sea was not a safe place to be especially for ancient vessels between September 15th until about March 15th.
2. Paul knew what time of the year it was and notice also that Paul’s concern was not just for the cargo but also for the lives of those people on board the ship. Even with this insight from Paul, Julius was inclined to listen more closely to the words of the ship's pilot and the owner rather than to Paul.
3. Most of those on board the ship were hoping to reach Phoenix because its harbor was easier to access.

E. I am sure most of you remember Hurricane Katrina which formed on August 23 during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and caused devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast. It was the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States.

1. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest hurricane on record that made landfall in the US. I remember the pictures of the devastation it caused in the city of New Orleans.
2. Naming strong winds is not new. In fact, as we’re about to read there’s one well known at that time, one called the ‘Northeaster’ on its way towards the ship which Paul is aboard.

IV. Acts 27:13-18 – “13. When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. 14. But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon . 15. So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 16. And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17. When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. 18. And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.”

A. I suppose that most people have heard the phrase, ‘plain sailing’ which means an easy, uncomplicated course. It refers to an easy-to-navigate sea, in the 'level, flat' sense.

1. Luke has just told us that this ship’s travels were far from ‘plain sailing’. When a soft, south wind began to blow they assumed they could easily reach Phoenix within a day. I’m not a sailor but I know people who are and they tell me that when you’re out at sea the weather conditions can literally change in minutes. That’s what happened here.
2. Suddenly a very strong wind which they called the ‘northeaster’ blew stronger and stronger. This wind ended all hope of reaching a safe harbor as they had to let the ship be driven by the will of the wind.

B. When the ship reached the shelter of an island called Clauda, the sailors, with the help of Luke and some other passengers, secured the lifeboat which would have been allowed to trail the ship because they planned to use it to go ashore at Phoenix.

1. As panic sets in, the sailors passed cables under the ship to strengthen it against the stormy sea and let the ship drift without the aid of sails for fear of being shipwrecked on the west of Cyrene, which was called Syrtis.
2. The wind didn’t let up all night, and the violent seas continued the next day so the sailors began to throw the cargo overboard.

V. Acts 27:19-21 – “19. On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands. 20. Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. 21. But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.

A. Luke tells us on the third day they threw the tackle overboard as well. Since they could not see the sun or stars, navigation was difficult or impossible.
B. Folks, when the forecast for life is not looking good and you feel like you’ve lost your way because of the dangers which lie ahead, don’t give up hope. We understand times can get so tough you may want to isolate yourself and give up on God and His people, but please don’t do that.
C. In 1 Peter, when he writes about our living hope and our future inheritance, he says in 1 Peter 1:6-8 – “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,” [ESV] Don’t give up and cut yourself off from God and His people because in the eternal outlook of life, your suffering is only for a little while. That hope of eternity with God is not a fairy tale, it’s real and alive, that’s why it’s called a living hope.
D. Sometimes the outlook, the forecast if you will, turns out to be different then we think. Have you ever heard of the “Michael Fish” effect? You may not have heard the term but I’m certain you are all familiar with the doom and gloom weather forecasts we get and then things don’t turn out that bad. That is due to the “Michael Fish effect”.

1. Let me explain. Michael Fish was a very well known broadcast meteorologist on British TV. A few hours before the Great Storm of 1987 broke, on October 15th, he said during a forecast: "Earlier today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!"… The storm was the worst to hit South East England for three centuries, causing record damage and killing 19 people. Since then weathermen are now inclined to predict "a worst-case scenario in order to avoid being caught out".
2. The point is, those in this world that bring forecasts to our attention may shape it for their own benefit.

E. Paul had God to base his information on. Luke tells Theophilus that Paul told them what was coming, but they didn’t listen, so Paul reminds them of his earlier warning. The reason he reminds them is not to say, ‘I told you so’, but to give more credibility to what he was going to say next.

VI. Acts 27:22-26 – “22. "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23. "For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24. "saying, `Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25. "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26. "However, we must run aground on a certain island.''”[NKJV]

A. Paul is saying, listen, I know the outlook is tough right now and the ship is going to run aground on an island and be lost, but God, through an angel, has promised to answer my prayers by saving every single life on board this ship.

1. When life’s forecast is for rough waters ahead we also need to remember that God will answer our prayers. If God rescued us before why do we think He won’t rescue us again?
2. Psalm 61:1-3 – “1. Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.”
3. The forecast we see for life may get tough, but this is where the mature Christians set themselves apart from the immature.

B. In the Book of James when he’s talking about asking God for wisdom, he writes in James 1:6-8 – “6. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do..”[para]

1. Immature Christians think that when the waves get high that God has left them, and they stop praying because they want the suffering to be over on their terms.
2. The mature Christians continue to pray, not only because they understand that the waves will settle again but because they have absolute faith in God to hear their prayer and answer their prayer according to His will.

C. Yes, life is tough, but don’t stop praying because there is always hope. The Philippian jailor in Acts 16 saw no hope when Paul and Silas were freed from prison, and he was about to kill himself, but Paul gave him hope. Most people on board this ship saw no hope, but Paul gave them hope.

VII. Luke continues now and tells us in Acts 27:27-32 – “27. But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. 28. And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29. Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come. 30. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, 31. Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.'' 32. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.”

A. On the fourteenth night, as they were tossed about in the Adriatic Sea, the sailors sensed they were coming close to land. As all old ships did to find out how close to land they were, they took soundings. When they realized they might hit some rocks, they cast four anchors off the stern and prayed for daylight.

1. The sailors, to save themselves, let down the lifeboat and pretended to put out more anchors. This didn’t go un-noticed. Paul saw what they were doing and warned Julius that they could not be saved without the sailors on board.
2. Finally, they begin to believe Paul’s words and the centurion commands his soldiers to cut away the ropes to the lifeboat and let it fall away.

B. Do you know what one of the saddest parts of life’s forecast can be? It’s knowing that some will give up and fall away. Paul knew, even though the sailors didn’t, that they had to cut away the ropes to the lifeboat and let it fall away so save their own lives.

1. We have witnessed people falling away from the Lord over the years and it’s heartbreaking. We need to ask ourselves, have we done everything humanly and divinely possibly to prevent that from happening?
2. Have we encouraged, talked, sent cards, have we prayed about them to God? If the answers to those questions are yes, then we can’t say that we haven’t tried. While we are doing all those things we need to be careful that we don’t go with them.
3. Galatians 6:1 – “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Folks, some people will fall. Jesus taught that in ‘the parable of the sower’.
4. The Bible is full of examples of people who fall. The sad news is, sometimes to keep ourselves from falling, we need to let them fall away and that can hurt a lot.

VIII. After meeting their spiritual needs by giving them hope, Paul turns his attention to their physical needs. Acts 27:33-38 – “33. And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. 34. "Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.'' 35. And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. 36. Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. 37. And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. 38. So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.”

A. Paul urged everyone on board the ship to eat since they hadn’t eaten for a while, and then reassures them again by telling them that not one hair on their heads would be harmed.
B. While they all watched, Paul took some bread, prayed and began to eat. When all 276 on board ate, they were encouraged and cast the grain overboard.

CONCLUSION:
When life’s outlook is not looking good, not only should we remember we’re not alone on our journey, not only should we remember we will have many stops in life, not only should we be aware that life can be dangerous at times, not only do we need to remember that God will answer our prayers… but we also need to remember that God will look after our needs.

If you ever wanted to know someone who is more aware of your needs than anyone else, God is that person. Paul tells them that not one hair on their heads would be harmed.

Jesus says in Luke 12:6-7 – “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

God is so aware of you, never mind your needs, that He knows exactly how many hairs you have of your head.

No wonder Paul could write in Philippians 4:19 – “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Yes folks, life as they say is a journey, and sometimes the forecast is not good, but it doesn’t have to be that way forever.

For the unbeliever life can be a raw deal sometimes with no hope of a better tomorrow because they don’t see the eternal forecast.

For the Christian, we know that life is difficult sometimes but because we have the living hope of eternal life, the forecast is looking good indeed.
____________________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Taken from sermon by Mike Glover

Making Wise Decisions

MATTHEW 7:13-27

INTRODUCTION: Several years ago, there was a news story about a man named Don Wyman. He was muscular and worked for a mining company.
One day about 4:00 p.m. he was alone in a forest cutting down a tree when the tree snapped back in his direction and knocked him to the ground.
The massive oak landed on his left shin – shattering his bone and ripping his flesh.
He tried to free himself, using his chainsaw to no avail.

He did everything he could think of, but still he couldn’t get free.
He realized that unless he got help soon he was going to bleed to death. He knew it would be hours before someone might figure something had gone wrong and come looking for him.

So, he made a courageous decision.
Pulling the starter cord from his chain saw he tied a tourniquet to his leg, shutting off the blood flow to his shin. Then somehow, with his pocket-knife, he proceeded to amputate his lower leg, just below the knee.
Now, on one leg, he had to find help.

He crawled 135 feet uphill to his bulldozer, climbed in, started it up and drove that extremely slow machine 1/4 mile to his pickup truck.
The truck was a stick shift and he had to use a metal rod to depress the clutch when he shifted.

He drove a mile and a half and came upon a dairy farm where someone called an ambulance.
1. Don Wyman survived the ordeal.
--But only because he realized that being pinned like that under that oak tree, to keep his leg would probably cost him his life.
2. So he had a MAJOR DECISION TO MAKE.
--And he chose to live.

This morning, our sermon comes from the latter part of the Sermon on the Mount

with a message entitled “Make Wise Decisions”
1. Jesus concludes His best-known teaching by encouraging people to make wise decisions

2. He does so with a well-used method that reverberates through the whole Bible --the invitation to choose to be wise or to choose to be foolish

a. The book of Proverbs is almost entirely devoted to the comparison between the wise person and the foolish person

b. Moses – Duet. 30:19-20a – “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.”

c. Joshua – Josh. 24:14-15 – “’Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’”

d. Jeremiah- Jeremiah 21:8 – “"Furthermore, tell the people, ’This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.”
--God was saying, “You get to choose which way you will go.”

3. Everyday we’re faced with decisions --Will we be wise or will we be foolish?

4. Jesus gives us three important questions to ask ourselves to ensure that we are following the way of the wise and not the way of the fool

I. WHICH PATH ARE YOU TRAVELING ON?
--Matt. 7:13-14 – “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

A. The foolish person says, “There are no boundaries.”

1. The world thinks total freedom with no restrictions is the goal.
2. Prov. 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to man but in the end it leads to death .”

B. The wise person says, “The Road is narrow.”

1. Prov. 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
2. There’s a reason Jesus says, “Narrow is the path.” --He knows this route provides the most fulfillment.

C. Comparing the two ways:

1. The broad way

a. The broad way is kind of like an Interstate highway

1). It’s easy to get on
2). You can travel very fast
3). You can be enticed by the many billboards along the way
4). You can quickly exit the highway, partake in whatever pleasure without accountability, and get right back on again.

b. IN CONTRAST, The narrow road is more like a winding rural road

1). It’s not easy to find and therefore not easy to get on
2). You have to be careful how you travel
3). It is very restrictive
4). The word translated “narrow” is from the Greek word for “tribulation” which usually means persecution
5). You have to leave your baggage behind

D. The wise person realizes that the way to life is very narrow as taught in the Bible:

1. John 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
2. 1 Tim. 2:5 – “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..”

E. Pursuing the narrow path is an ongoing decision.

1. There is the one time we decide to follow Christ, but we must continue daily to make wise decisions in order to stay on that road.
2. To head on the pathway to hell requires that you do absolutely nothing: simply follow the crowd.

II. WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
--Matt. 7:15-22 – “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.

Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

1 Thess. 5:21-22 – “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”
A. The wise person says, “There’s a difference between truth and falsehood.”
Jesus is condemning more than just false teaching; He is discouraging false behavior, impure motives, and inconsistent actions.

B. Jesus points to “fruit” as the essential method for discerning what is false and what is true.

1. In Israel the buckthorn plant produced little, black berries that could, initially be mistaken for grapes. There was also a thistle that produced a flower similar to the fig. --So the idea of carefully examining the fruit of a plant was a familiar one to Jesus’ listeners.

2. So, how do we tell between a false teacher and a true one?

a. We should pay attention to the manner of living a teacher shows.
--Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?
b. We should pay attention to the content of their teaching.
--Is it true fruit from God’s Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?
c. We should pay attention to the effect of their teaching.
--Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?

D. Along with false teachers, there are false disciples
“Counterfeit Christians, like counterfeit twenty-dollar bills, are not easily detected. It takes a trained, discerning eye.”
--Sadly, the difference between genuine and counterfeit is always subtle, never obvious.

1. Let’s say I went to a local store with a twenty-dollar bill that was printed on yellow paper, had my wife’s picture on it, and was shaped in a funny way. Would they take it?
However, if a gave them a crisp, perfectly shaped, green piece of paper with what looked like the right ink and right background, and had a very distinguished picture of Andrew Jackson on it, I would have a much better chance at deceiving the clerk.

2. In comparison to money, counterfeit believers are a lot harder to spot.

a. They can mouth the right words or even do the right things but that’s religion
b. Jesus calls us to a consistent path, walked daily and regularly, marked by a sincere relationship to God’s word … one that follows Jesus’s example

John 14:15 à “If you love me … then keep my commandments

III. WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING ON?
--Matt. 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

A. The foolish person says, “I plan for the temporary.”

1. Christ continues throughout the Sermon on the Mount to get people to think long term.
2. As Paul put it, Gal. 6:7-8 – “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

B. The wise person says, “I plan for eternity.”

1. Who is the individual who plans for eternity?
-- There is a qualifier, Jesus says: “The one who puts these words of mine into practice.”
2. James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

C. Notice the similarities between the builders:

1. Both are builders
2. Both are building houses
3. Both have similar life situations – they both go through storms
--It’s THE STORM that proves the difference

a. We have to understand that we’re all building something.
b. And what we build will be tested.  --1 Cor. 3:11-14 – “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.
c. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”

D. The important thing is the differences between the two builders

1. Two different kinds of people --they build on two different kinds of foundations

a. The first hears the Word and then builds upon it
b. The second hears the Word but chooses to ignore it

2. Two different outcomes

a. One house stands firm
b. The other is completely destroyed.

3. This parable is the inspiration for that great old gospel song:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

E. Two different underlying principles

1. If you’re only hearing and reading the truth, you’re not prepared for life’s storms

2. If your foundation is sure, no storm will cause your life to collapse.

3. Jesus didn’t preach this message so it would sound nice or so that we could sit around and discuss it.

He preached it so that we could act on it.
--He emphasized obedience

CONCLUSION: A. Many years ago a man conned his way into the orchestra of the emperor of China although he could not play a note. Whenever the orchestra practiced or performed, he would hold his flute against his lips, pretending to play but not making a sound.
He received a modest salary and enjoyed a comfortable living. Then one day the emperor requested a solo from each musician. The flautist got nervous. There wasn’t enough time to learn the instrument.
He pretended to be sick, but the royal physician wasn’t fooled. On the day of his solo performance, the impostor took poison and killed himself. The explanation of his suicide led to a phrase that found its way into the English language: “He refused to face the music.”

1. Today you can pretend to be a part of God’s orchestra by just blending in with the crowd and going through the motions. No one notices because you say the right things, go to the right places, and hang out with the right people. And you can enjoy the comfort of being accepted by the crowd of your choice.

2. But there will come a day when you must face the music, one day you will be separated from everything.

--On that day you will stand alone before God

B. Every day you are building a foundation, based on which path you travel and to whom you listen.
2. The question is: Will you do it?
C. It’s time for you to make your choice:
1. Have I chosen the right gate?

2. Am I traveling the right road?

3. Does my tree bear the right fruit?

4. Am I following those who teach the truth?

5. Is my faith being demonstrated in what I do?

6. Do I truly know God through Jesus Christ?

Bas