INTRO.- When we come together, we do all kinds of things, do we not? (sports, music, movies, etc.) That is, we may go to ball games, music concerts, movies, shopping at malls, and a host of other things. (I think I’ve been to one music concert in my life. I saw Barry Manilow about 25 years ago.)
ILL.- My friend, Truman Brady, told me that recently he and Griff and their boys went to Kansas City, MO, for a Kansas City Royals ball game. SOUND OK? Sounds great to many people. Truman told me that they were leaving around 3 p.m., Friday, and would get back home somewhere around 1 to 2 a.m. Saturday. He said it was supposed to somewhat cold but he also said that they were going to be selling hot dogs, peanuts and soda for only $1 each. HOT DOG! Sounds really good.
I finally called Truman and asked him how the ball game and trip went. He said they nearly froze to death and their team lost 5 to nothing! He said the wind was blowing 40 mph and the temp was 39 degrees but what would that be with 40 mph wind? What kind of windchill factor? That would make it WOW or WHOOSH! I checked: about 10 degrees!
Truman said he pulled his coat up over his head where he could just peek out. Now get this: he wore long underwear, pj’s, blue jeans, two pairs of socks, t-shirt, sweatshirt, a golf pullover shirt, and then his coat. He was so cold that he even went to the Budweiser stand and asked for coffee! He said when they left the stadium that it was starting to sleet or snow.
Truman said he nearly froze to death and the guy who was driving the car didn’t even turn on the heater on the way home. He said he was still cold after he got home, even after getting in bed. He said he should have taken a hot shower.
Brothers and sisters, THAT IS NOT MY IDEA OF HAVING FUN OR COMING TOGETHER TO HAVE FUN!
But wasn’t last Sunday great? We feasted on worship, we feasted on the Word of God, and we definitely feasted on fried chicken! If you didn’t come away filled in several ways then something was wrong with you!
What’s your favorite ’come together’ time? They probably deal with family get together times such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. AND ANOTHER SHOULD BE THE FAMILY OF GOD GATHERINGS! They can be one of the greatest gatherings of every week, that is, if we help to make them great! Some day we will be together with the Lord continually and the best way to get ready is make church a priority!
PROP.- In our text, we see that the early Christians met together for fellowship. Let’s think about they did and what should do today as Christians.
1- We come together to remember Christ’s death
2- We come together to hear Christ’s word
3- We come together to receive Christ’s comfort
I. WE COME TOGETHER TO REMEMBER CHRIST’S DEATH
7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.
ILL.- Have you ever eaten at Lazzari’s? What is their standard fare besides Pasta dishes? Hot bread! Nothing like good, hot bread served with butter. Pasta and bread.
I don’t know of anyone that doesn’t like good, hot bread, whether it’s cornbread, regular bread, bagels, muffins, etc.
Matt. 6:11 "Give us today our daily bread." In the model prayer Jesus taught to ask God for our bread, which is really just a way of asking for daily food provision. And it never hurts to ask. And when He gives it then we should always thank Him for it.
John 6:31-33 " 31Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ’He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’" 32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
God gives us our daily bread but He also gives us another kind of bread, which is the most important kind because it’s eternal bread. THE BREAD OF GOD IS HE WHO COMES FROM HEAVEN.
John 6:35 "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
The bread of God is Jesus Himself. He is the living bread that gives life. We must eat of Him, partake of Him in order to experience eternal life.
John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
It is through faith in Jesus that we have life, the abundant life and the promise of eternal life.
ILL.- My dad, Leo Shepherd, died on Saturday, December 11, 1982, just two days after my 38th birthday. My mother, Juanita Shepherd, died on Sunday, June 30, 2002, almost 20 years after dad passed away. I think of my mom and dad every day.
And every time I go home to Joplin and Webb City, MO, I go to the Mt. Hope Cemetery where mom and dad’s earthly remains are buried. Their spirits are long gone but in that cemetery is a memorial to them. It’s a grave stone with their birth and death dates and the date of their marriage, Sept. 2, 1938. I stand over their graves and remember them in a special way. I remember days gone by. I remember their love for me. HOW CAN I NOT REMEMBER THEM? They gave me life, provided for me, taught me, directed me, loved me, etc.
Every time I go to their grave it’s a special time of remembrance. And isn’t this what we do every week when we come to the Lord’s Table? It’s a special memorial to the one who gives us life and the promise of eternal life.
When we come to this table, we remember the body and blood of Jesus. We remember that He gave up His home in heaven with His Father to come to earth to save us. Jesus came in the flesh. Jesus is God in the flesh.
We also remember His blood that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. THAT’S GOD’S LAW! He required a blood sacrifice for sin and Jesus was that perfect sacrifice, without blemish, no sin whatsoever.
We remember that Jesus died for us as we partake of these emblems. We remember that He said, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" We remember that Jesus not only suffered physical death but also spiritual death. We remember that He suffered separation from the Father for us! He bore our sins in His body on the tree. He became sin for us!
What a special time of remembrance this is. It’s a time that no Christian should ever miss. And we believe that the early Christians met on the first day of the week to remember Jesus in this special memorial.
And we are blessed in a special way when we humble ourselves and remember what Jesus for us. A special memorial and a special blessing.
James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
Remember Jesus. Remember Him every day of the week and don’t forget Him at the breaking of the bread. PARTAKE. REMEMBER. BE HUMBLED. AND BE BLESSED.
II. WE COME TOGETHER TO HEAR CHRIST’S WORD
7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
ILL.- We heard recently on the news where Bill and Hilary Clinton earned more than $109 million from 2000 to 2007 and paid 31% of it in federal taxes (or $33.8 million). Most of this money was made by Bill Clinton by giving speeches. How much? 51.8 million.
Personally, I never earned that much from speaking or preaching! What a joke! No preacher, not even Billy Graham, made that much money from speaking but I’d take Billy Graham’s speeches or sermons over any political speech by any politician. Why? Because politicians just deal with certain issues of the day whereas the man of God deals with the heart of man, which is the real problem behind all issues of the day.
Politicians often present band-aid cures. If a man of God truly preaches the Word of God then he is dealing with the real thing and dishing out the real cure for man’s problems!
II Tim. 4:1-4 "1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
"Hey you young preacher, Timothy, preach God’s Word. It alone will save people and bless their lives, correct and direct their lives." And we should be glad about hearing the Word of God preached.
ILL.- Elaine and I along with Bill and Dorothy Griffin went to the Arkansas Christian Convention in Russellville, AR. I was looking forward to that gathering to see some Christian friends and also listen to Matt Proctor, the President of OCC, because I knew he was a good preacher. Matt preached about "passing the torch" of faith to our children, to our leaders and to the world. He did an excellent job of making us think and challenging us.
Whatever happened to: "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord?" (Ps. 122:1 KJV)
ILL.- After the church service a little boy told the preacher, "When I grow up, I’m going to give you some money." "Well, thank you," the preacher replied, "but why?" "Because my daddy says you’re one of the poorest preachers we’ve ever had."
I realize that poor preaching doesn’t inspire many people. In fact, in some cases it may keep some people away from the church. But the other side of the coin is this. Someone said, "The church is still a pretty good place for listening to God even if you don’t like the sermon or the preacher."
ILL.- Or it may be like the deaf and dumb man who came to church every Sunday. Someone asked him why he came so faithfully and he wrote, "TO SHOW WHICH SIDE I’M ON."
All Christian people should be in church every Sunday to show the devil and the world which side you’re on! Believe me, your neighbors know whether you go to church regularly or not!
Church is still a pretty good place to go where you can get blessed by God in various ways. And we should come prepared to hear Christ’s word. PLAN AND PREPARE.
III. WE COME TOGETHER TO RECEIVE CHRIST’S COMFORT
8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don’t be alarmed," he said. "He’s alive!" 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
I heard years ago that the preacher’s job was to shake the people in, shake them up, and then shake them out.
ILL. - The minister gave his Sunday morning sermon, as usual, but this particular Sunday, it was considerably longer than normal. Later, at the door, shaking hands with the members as they came out, one man said, "Preacher, your sermon was simply wonderful - so invigorating and inspiring and refreshing."
The minister of course, broke out in a big smile, only to hear the man add, "Why I felt like a new man when I woke up!"
ILL.- It’s been said that your best bet for a nightcap is a glass of milk, according to researchers investigating sleep problems. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, a mild sedative. Yep, milk and cookies will still put a person to sleep.
NO, I’VE GOT SOMETHING BETTER! A sermon. A sermon will put people to sleep almost quicker than anything else.
It did in our text. Paul preached until midnight and poor Eutychus was so tired that he fell asleep and THEN FELL OUT OF WINDOW! The third story window, no less. If you plan on going to sleep make sure you’re not near a window! Some people wouldn’t dare go to sleep during church but they may well be asleep in another way.
Romans 13:11 "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."
How can people who are supposed to know the Lord be asleep? Remember Judas of old? He was one of the 12 and was with Jesus night and day and look at what he did? He betrayed Jesus for money. Talk about someone being spiritually asleep!. Even Peter the rock denied Jesus three times. Wasn’t he being spiritually indifferent or asleep?
What have you done or said that betrayed Jesus or denied Jesus? At times, we’ve all been spiritually asleep, but God help us to wake up!
The scripture says the young man was dead, but once again, we see that God can do anything. Our God is not too small!
He can raise the dead! God to the rescue again! God comforted that young man and HIS family by bringing him back from the dead. Can you imagine the joy that flooded their souls after they have seen their lifeless son lying on the ground?
God is still in the comforting business! And one of the ways He does this is through the preaching of His Word. Not only does God’s Word rebuke and correct, it also comforts and encourages! Scripture encourages!
ILL.- My preacher friend Bob Stacy writes a daily devotion, which he sends to me via email. What a blessing they are and some of them I send on to you! I also send out Max Lucado’s devotions. And what an encouragement they are! SCRIPTURE ENCOURAGES!
CONCLUSION-----------------------------
Church is a good place, far better than most places in this world. Generally, no one gets kidnapped at church. No one gets beat up or killed. There are not rated "R" sermons. There is no violence, no bad language, no blood spilled, no drinking, not much bad of any kind. Generally, there is only good stuff at church: worship, prayer, communion, praise, commendation, greeting, hugging, kind words, etc.
HEY, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE PLACE TO BE, THE PLACE TO GATHER IS AT CHURCH! Thank you, Lord, for your church! Thank you for letting us be a part of your family, the church.
