You and I have perhaps read many times that fifth book of the New Testament, called the Acts of the Apostles. As we read through this unique book, we certainly see the apostles - namely, Peter and Paul - diligently at work in the ministry of the early church, first to Jews and then additionally to Gentiles. No doubt, the apostles were busy about the work of the kingdom.
But what made their works fruitful, or even possible in the first place? Perhaps we would know how to better answer this question if we slightly renamed the book in question to the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Beloved, in the pages of this book, many events take place. Sermons are preached, miracles are performed, lives are changed.
But we must never forget what made these works possible. It wasn’t because these apostles were such super, larger-than-life heroes. No, here’s the better answer, it’s because they had a God who sought to work through them, and beloved, if you call Christ your Savior and Lord, that same God seeks to work through you! So may the acts of the Holy Spirit continue to flow through your life as well as you follow your God.
Acts - The Work of The Holy Spirit:
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It seems like in no matter what context we are talking, the word sacrifice is never popular. The whole concept of laying down our life for someone else goes against who we are as fallen human beings. But I came across a story that really brings home the whole idea of what sacrifice means:
Two brothers were playing on some huge sandbanks near a river in their hometown. These huge, wet mountains of sand were dredged from the water to keep it clear for passing ships. It was great fun for both of them until one of these mountains started collapsing underneath them. By the time the rescue party arrived, they spotted the younger brother buried to his shoulders near the top of the pile, unconscious from the weight of the sand. When they had cleared the sand and he came to, they asked him, “Where is your brother?”
“I’m standing on his shoulders.”
No doubt, this is quite a poignant picture of sacrifice. Beloved, may we be willing, not simply to die for one another, but to day by day lay down our lives in living for one another!
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Oftentimes, we can recognize certain individuals for things they might have said or done. When we hear the quote, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” we recognize (hopefully) that it was F.D.R. who said it. Or if you caught the SU basketball game the other day, you probably recognize seniors Andy Rautins or Arinze Onuaku for certain well-known plays that they make, the outside shot and the slam-dunk, respectively.
In terms of recognizing individuals for what they do and how they live, John presents two different groups of people, the children of God and the children of the devil, and shows us their respective actions. One group loves its brothers, while the other group seeks to murder each other. As John shows us what we should look for in our lives to know if we are God’s children, let’s ask ourselves that simple but challenging question, “Am I living like that? Do I act as though I’m one of His?”
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Friendship is a powerful thing. When a friend stands with you, you can do almost anything, face any foe. I came across an interesting story of Jackie Robinson, the first black player in major league baseball. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he committed an error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans jeered. Then, shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet.
Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career. Whose career could you save by standing with them? Whose faith could you strengthen by simply putting your arm around them when they feel all alone? “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17).
1 Thessalonians 3:6-10:
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If you’re at all familiar with World War II history, you’ve probably heard about the situation in 1940 at Dunkirk, where thousands of soldiers were evacuated out of a situation that might have otherwise led the Nazi army further down the road to victory in Europe. This well-documented escape from Dunkirk was hailed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill as “a miracle of deliverance.”
Are you in need of a miracle of deliverance in your own life? As we’ll see in our text, our God is in the search and rescue business. He seeks to restore and protect what would otherwise be lost. God will either evacuate you from the storm or He will walk with you through it. Your “miracle of deliverance” - in whatever way it comes - might be right before your eyes!
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Sometimes, things don’t go the way we think. Disappointment can overwhelm us from time to time. In 1858 the Illinois legislature - using an obscure statute - sent Stephen A. Douglas to the U.S. Senate instead of Abraham Lincoln, although Lincoln had won the popular vote. When a sympathetic friend asked Lincoln how he felt, he said, “Like the boy who stubbed his toe: I am too big to cry and too badly hurt to laugh.”
Even though things didn’t work out for Mr. Lincoln in this situation, it did for our nation. God had an alternate plan for him and our nation. Let’s embrace disappointment as a potential course correction for God’s plan.
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5:
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I must make a confession - I’ve never really been a huge fan of Shakespeare. There, I’ve said it. However, some time ago, I was introduced to one of his sonnets in particular, #116, that I find compelling. Perhaps you had to memorize this work in school. I want to mention part of this sonnet:
“Let me not to the marriage of true minds, admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds…”
Maybe you’re saying, “Huh?” But here’s the point - love that is truly love cannot help but love at all times. Love that is the real thing must do what it does - it must freely and unchangeably love! It can do no less. Our text today leaves us with a simple yet deeply challenging question - do we love our brothers and sisters in Christ like that? Beloved, the answer can be yes, and in that answer we can say for certain, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14a).
1 Thessalonians 2:13-16:
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Maybe you’re recently had the privilege of sharing the gospel with someone, and perhaps they came to faith right there before your eyes. Or maybe the results were somewhat different, like that time when you stood tall at that business dinner when someone at your table asked, “So tell me, what makes you so different?” The window of opportunity doesn’t get any clearer than that, you think. So, you proceeded to share with this person the glorious gospel message, convinced that he would drop down on his knees right between the meal courses and cry out to Jesus to save him.
But, it didn’t quite go that way. In fact, you’d have to say that after you’d finished that you’ve never heard such ridiculing laughter in all your life. And what was worse, it was all directed at you. “What did I do wrong? I thought the gospel was the power of God unto salvation!!” Doubts begin to arise in your heart. “Why is it when I try to do something good like this I get such a bad result?”
Beloved, in our passage, we read of a charge given by the apostle; “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). In that context, he was essentially saying to them, “Know what you believe and why you believe it, even if it comes to the point of death.” Peter wanted them to settle these things in their hearts, having the full assurance that they possessed the truth. If the unbeliever came to faith in that moment, then God be praised. If that person called the authorities on you and had you sent to prison, then God be praised. Either way, right up to our own day, Peter gives us this challenge, “Will you know what you believe, and why you believe it?”
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I came across a story stating that just a few days ago, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza called off her engagement with a childhood friend. Their families have been friends for years. In fact, these two families have had some level of connection for over half a century. It would seem inevitable that the couple would be be married.
What interested me about this was the reason for their breakup. According to the article, nothing really dramatic brought it on. There was no deep, hidden secret that was revealed. It was simply this - they found themselves incompatible as fiances. They realized, fortunately before marriage, that their two lives simply did not fit together.
This morning beloved, I want you to think about that word, “incompatible”, and consider this: when Christ saved you, there was a line drawn in the sand; a door was shut that could never be opened again. Your new life in Christ is absolutely incompatible with your old life. These are two lives that simply do not, and cannot, fit together. You are an entirely new creation, and your relationship to sin can never be the same again. The words of Paul are unmistakably clear, “Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Thanks be to God, we are because of Christ forevermore incompatible with sin!
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