INTRO.- ILL.- Jay Leno, popular host of The Tonight Show, may be one of America’s funniest comedians, but he is also a serious car enthusiast. His three garages near Burbank, CA, are packed with sports and special-interest cars, antiques and classics, and old motorcycles, etc. He hasn’t counted everything up recently, but he owns more than 50 cars and about as many vintage and modern bikes. Leno is passionate about his cars!
"Having these cars is great fun," Leno says. "And there’s a sense of history to all this stuff. We don’t really own these cars, we just keep them for the next owners."
Jay Leno has 50 cars and probably more by now. The people of this world are captivated with the thought of more and more. For example, how many pairs of shoes do you have? Have you counted lately? How many suits of clothing? It seems that we never have enough. On one hand we are never satisfied but on the other, we are quite content.
We are often not content when it comes to material things. But it seems like we are fairly content with spiritual things and the church. As long as we’re comfortable, why make waves? Why change things? Why seek to bring in more and more people? Why? Because that’s what the early did and that’s what God commands us to do! God desires for all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
In Acts 2 we see 3,000 baptized. In Acts 4:4 we see the number grew to about 5,000. Acts 5:14 “Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”
Why are we not seeing more and more men and women come to Jesus today? Well, we are. At least, in some places and in some countries.
ILL.- Recently I attended the Southwest Church of Christ VBS. Their speaker for the adult sessions was Randy Harris, professor of Abilene Christian University. I heard Randy at the OCC preaching convention in February. I thought he was excellent so I wrote him an email note, thanking him. He wrote back and said he was going to be in Jonesboro this summer. And this is why I attended that VBS.
Randy Harris said that 45% of people in Africa claim to be Christians! He said that in China in 1900 only one half of one percent claimed to be Christian. He said that today 7 percent of the people of China are Christians. He said, “Do you realize how many people that is?” That’s a bunch!
In some parts of the world, more and more men and women are coming to Christ. In fact, some experts say that because Christianity is growing so rapidly in Africa and China that some day they will be sending missionaries to the United States to convert us to Christ!
What’s wrong with us in America? I’ll tell you what I think is wrong. I think that we in America have so much that we don’t need God! And consequently, America is fast becoming a heathen nation. But people do need God and they can come to Christ and be saved. How? How do we get more and more men and women to believe in the Lord and surrender to Him?
PROP.- What is it that brought these large numbers of people to the Lord? We find some answers in our text.
1- Fear of the Lord
2- Miracles of the Lord
3- Command of the Lord
4- Commitment of the people
I. FEAR OF THE LORD
ILL.- A farmer made six holes in his door as exits for his six cats. A friend asked, “Why do you make six holes in the door? One hole would have been enough.” The farmer replied, “When I say scat I mean scat!” When God says something, He means it. And that should put some fear into some people. However, if people don’t know God’s Word and never hear it, how would they ever know to fear Him?
The problem is that even when people have heard the Word of God they still don’t fear Him.
ILL.- I called a church to check on some CD’s that I had ordered and the secretary said that things had been a mess around their church. Why? Break-ins! Stealing! They have had 3 break-ins in 10 days time. Thousands of dollars worth of computers and other electrical equipment have been stolen. WHY? BECAUSE THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD ANY MORE! At least, with some people.
This is why some people invade our parking lot, burn tire rubber, shoot fireworks and leave their trash behind. No fear of God.
ILL.- And here’s an even stronger example: that family in Connecticut that was brutalized and killed this last week. I am sure you heard about it. Dr William Petit, a diabetes specialist, was severely injured but his wife and two daughters were found dead at their home in Cheshire, Connecticut.
Police say that at least two men got into the house and held the family hostage for hours. They later took a female, believed to Dr Petit’s wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, to withdraw money from a bank. Bank staff became suspicious and called police who arrived to find the Petits’ house in flames and two men trying to escape in a car.
They were captured after hitting several police cars. Mrs. Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley, 18, and Michaela, 11, were found dead inside the house. Dr Petit, 50, was in stable condition in hospital yesterday as police prepared to charge two suspects.
Why did those two fellows brutalize and kill that mother and her daughters and beat the father? Why? Why? Because of Satan. Yes! Because Satan is a murderer and He is behind all murders but it’s also because there is no fear of God in the minds of some people!
Gen. 20:11 “Abraham replied, "I said to myself, ’There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’”
When there is no fear of God people will kill, brutalize, maim, steal and do all kinds of horrible things. So how can we bring back fear for God?
Acts 5:10-11 “At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”
Wow! Everybody was scared after the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. Who wouldn’t be? I would too. Perhaps God needs to strike a few people dead in order to get people’s attention today and cause them to fear Him.
Personally, I would think any sudden death for any reason would cause some people to fear God, thinking, of course, that it could happen to them. The fear of death should prompt the fear of God in some people.
What can we do to restore the fear of God in the minds of people in order to bring them to Christ?
ILL.- Well, it wasn’t John Edwards in 2007 who caused a stir, but rather it was Jonathan Edwards in 1741 who caused a stir. How did he do that? He preached a sermon entitled, “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God.”
Edwards said, “There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men’s hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. -- He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it… There is no fortress that is any defense from the power of God.”
It is said that he had a little manuscript that he held up so close to his face that no one could see his face. He went on and on, but the people in that crowded church were moved greatly. One man sprang to his feet, rushed down the aisle and cried, “Mr. Edwards have mercy!” Others grabbed hold of the backs of the pews lest they should slip into hell.
Perhaps if we restored the preaching of hell it would have an impact on some people. Regardless of how it happens it needs to happen. The fear of God will cause some people to come to Christ. The fear of death and judgment will cause some people to come to Christ.
II. MIRACLES OF THE LORD
Acts 5:12-16 “The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people…. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.”
In our text, we’re not thinking about the kinds of miracles that some TV evangelists/healers claim to make. We’ve all seen these on TV. People are brought onto a large stage and the evangelist/healer lays his hands on him and says some kind of prayer in order for them to be healed. Such as, “Be healed…in the name of Jesus.”
Then people who claimed to be deaf are miraculously healed. The once lame can now walk. Those with malignant tumors are cleansed from their cancer.
The sad thing is this: I wish these miracles were true but most, if not all, cannot be substantiated or proven true. However, if there were true miracles, don’t you think they would influence people to come to Christ? Most certainly.
Hey! Miracles of God are taking place every day and many people are completely blind to them!
ILL.- Have you had a baby lately? Or perhaps someone in your family? Elaine and I have. Baby Hayden, born to my daughter Holly, came into this world on May 2. And she’s been looked at inside and out, examined by a number of doctors and yes, she’s a baby all right and she’s a miracle of God! If you don’t believe me, you should see her.
I recall the cute story about the little boy (the older brother) looking into the baby crib at his baby sister, saying, “Quick! Tell me what God looks like before you forget!” THERE IS SOMETHING TO THAT.
ILL.- Here’s another way to look at it. It’s been said that no two blades of grass are alike. No two grains of sand are alike. The invention of the microscope enabled us to confirm this fact. God never repeated Himself in His work. A photographer, who succeeded in photographing more than ten thousand snowflakes, found each one of different design, and all mathematically perfect.
There ARE miracles all around us and if people would just open their eyes they could see and they just might come to believe in the Lord God!
III. COMMAND OF THE LORD
Acts 5:17-20 “Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.” They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life." GO AND TELL THE MESSAGE.
ILL.- There is a story told in Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography of a preacher who was ordered to read the proclamation issued by Charles I, bidding the people to return to sports on Sundays.
To his congregation’s horror and amazement, he did read the royal edict in church, which many preachers had refused to do. But he followed it with the words, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” and added: “Brethren, I have laid before you the commandment of your king and the Commandment of your God. I leave it to you to judge which of the two ought rather to be observed.”
Hopefully, we know whose command should be obeyed. The world calls to us, “Come and play!” But God commands, “Come and worship!” And “Go and preach.”
ILL. A ship’s captain looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send this message: “Alter your course 10 degrees south.” A prompt message came in return, “Alter your course 10 degrees north.”
Captain angered that his command had been ignored sent a second message, “Alter your course 10 degrees south – I am a captain!” A message came back in return, “Alter your course 10 degrees north – I am seaman 3rd class Jones!”
The captain sent a third message knowing the fear it would evoke, “Alter your course 10 degrees south – I am a battleship!” Then the reply came, “Alter your course 10 degrees north – I am a lighthouse!”
Jesus is our lighthouse who does not bow down to our wishes but we should most certainly bow to Him and obey His commands. We need to go and tell the message.
ILL.- One of England’s greatest preachers, W. E. Sangster, in Let Me Command, said, “The easiest way to embarrass a congregation of twentieth century Christians is to ask them two simple questions. ‘When is the last time you personally led another person to Jesus Christ?’ and ‘When is the last time you tried?’”
If we would obey the command of the Lord to preach, teach, witness and testify then more people would come to Christ.
IV. COMMITMENT OF THE PEOPLE
Acts 5:29 “Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!” That’s commitment.
ILL.- The young man poured out his heart’s devotion on paper as he wrote to the girl of his dreams:
“Darling: I would climb the highest mountain, swim the widest stream, cross the burning desert, and die at the stake for you. P.S. I will see you on Saturday—if it doesn’t rain.” Many people have a commitment problem.
ILL.- The church choir director was frustrated with the sporadic attendance of all the choir members for rehearsals for the Christmas Choral Concert. At the final rehearsal he announced, “I want to personally thank the pianist for being the only person in this entire church choir to attend each and every rehearsal during the past two months.”
At this, the pianist rose, bowed, and said, “It was the least that I could do, considering I won’t be able to be at the Christmas Choral Concert tonight!”
Brothers and sisters, this is a problem that many people have. They are only committed to something as much as they want to be. They lack full or total commitment to cause, a project, a plan, a group, etc. Here, on the other hand, was the commitment of the early church.
Acts 5:41-42 “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” THEY NEVER STOPPED. That’s commitment.
ILL.- Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) sweated out Burma’s (between India and China) heat for 18 years without a furlough and six years without a convert. Enduring torture and imprisonment, he admitted that he never saw a ship sail without wanting to jump on board and go home. When his wife’s health broke and he put her on a homebound vessel with the knowledge he would not see her for two full years, he confided to his diary: "If we could only find some quiet resting place on earth where we could spend the rest of our days in peace. . ."
But he steadied himself with this remarkable postscript: "Life is short. Millions of Burmese are perishing. I am almost the only person on earth who has attained their language to communicate salvation." That’s true commitment to the cause of Christ.
CONCLUSION------------------
Brothers and sisters, we need more people in the church. We need to see more people coming to Christ, surrendering to Him, being baptized into Him, and more volunteering to serve. HOW WILL IT HAPPEN? It will happen when there is more love for Christ.
More love to Thee, O Christ,
More love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make
On bended knee;
This is my earnest plea,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee!
More love to Thee.
