Five Life Changing Resolutions
Part 4
I Will Give My Testimony
Acts 1:8
Scripture Reading
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
BAPTIZING A DRUNK
A man was stumbling through the woods, totally drunk, when he came upon a preacher baptizing people in the river. He proceeded to walk into the water and bumped into the preacher. The preacher turned around and, though almost overcome by the smell of alcohol, asked the drunk,
"Are you ready to find Jesus?" The Drunk answered, "Yes, I am." So the preacher grabbed the drunk and dunked him in the water. Then he pulled him up and asked him, "Brother have you found Jesus?"
The drunk replied, "No, I haven’t found Jesus." The preacher, shocked at the answer, dunked him into the water again, for a little longer. Then again, he pulled him out and asked, "Have you found
Jesus my brother?" The drunk again answered, "No, I haven’t found Jesus." By this time the preacher was at his wits end so he submerged the
drunk once more, and held him down for about 30 seconds until he began kicking his arms and legs, whereupon he pulled him up.
The preacher again asked the drunk, "For the love of God have you found Jesus?"
The drunk wiped his eyes and caught his breath and finally said to the preacher,
"Are you sure this is where he fell in?"
There is a better way to help folks to find Jesus that I want to tell you about today. God has given us a job to do my Christian friend and that job is to tell the whole world that Jesus saves. The hymn writer William James Kirkpatrick said it best;
We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land, climb the mountains, cross the waves
Onward! 'tis our Lord's command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Waft it on the rolling tide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Tell to sinners far and wide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing, you islands of the sea; echo back, you ocean caves
Earth shall keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing above the battle strife: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
By His death and endless life Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout it brightly through the gloom, when the heart for mercy craves
Sing in triumph o'er the tomb: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Give the winds a mighty voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Let the nations now rejoice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout salvation full and free; highest hills and deepest caves
This our song of victory: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
This old gospel song illustrates this truth so well. What does our text say to us regarding this mandate from the Master?
I. The Utility that is Proposed
a. The calling
Jesus Disciples – What is a Disciple?
Jesus’ disciples were an important part of His early ministry. A disciple is someone who follows and learns. Often a disciple is being mentored by another. Thus, a disciple of Jesus is a follower and a learner, someone who both follows Jesus and continues learning about Him and from Him.
When we refer to the twelve disciples, we are referring to those whom Jesus chose at the beginning of His ministry. Jesus had twelve specific disciples when He was on earth as a man. These men were witnesses of His earthly ministry.
Think about the calling of the disciples. There were at least four fishermen, a tax collector, a politician (zealot) and the rest were tradesman of some sort.
In a sense, all who follow Jesus obediently are also His disciples. If you know Jesus as your personal savior you are a disciple and the Lord has called you to make his name known.
“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”
John Wesley
b. The communication
“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can, At all the times you can. To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”
John Wesley
I would say the same thing about being a witness for Jesus. “Witness for Jesus all you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
LAST CHANCE
When Bishop Philip Brooks, author of "O, Little Town of Bethlehem," was seriously ill; he requested no friends come to see him. But when an acquaintance of his named Robert Ingersoll, a famous anti-Christian propagandist, came to see him he allowed him to come in right away. Ingersoll said, "I appreciate this very much. Especially when you aren't letting any of your close friends see you." Bishop Brooks responded, "Oh, I'm confident of seeing them in the next world, but this may be my last chance to see you."
(From a sermon by Nathan Johnson, "A Faith that Gives Hope")
c. The coronation
Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
II. The Unction that is Promised
Jesus met two disciples on the Emmaus road and after revealing himself to them he gives them these parting words;
Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
a. Power for Enlightenment
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
b. Power for Enablement
The Supreme Task of the Church is the evangelization of the World. This is work number one for the local church. How can we do it? It will happen when we realize that the great power on earth is the Church of Jesus Christ. The church is possessed with the Spirit of God!
1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
Luke 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
(Luke 12:12) For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
c. Power for Enduement
The word for “power” here is different from the one Jesus uses in verse 7. Matthew Henry writes, “Christ's witnesses shall receive power for that work to which he calls them; those whom he employs in his service he will qualify for it, and will bear them out in it.”
III. The Undertaking that is Planned
a. It is to be the focus of the church
Trymon Messer has a sermon entitled “Keeping the main thing, the main thing.” In this sermon he says that winning souls is the answer to every need in the church.
EVERYONE CAN WIN SOMEONE
George W. Truett was the beloved pastor of Dallas’ First Baptist Church for more than 60 years. He tells of a woman who came to him after a service. She was a poverty stricken widow with several children. She said, "Pastor, I have never known you to be unfair -- yet you were so in your sermon." He inquired as to why she felt that way. Her reply, "You said during your sermon that everybody can win someone to Jesus. Certainly you can’t mean me. I am a poor widow. I work long, long hours just to squeeze out a living for my children and me every day. I cannot entertain, or spend time winning souls to the Lord. I can barely exist. You are not fair in your speaking when you say everybody can win someone."
Truett replied, "Madam, does anyone come to your house?"
She said, "Yes, a few -- the mailman, the milkman."
Truett ended the conversation, "Then you do have an opportunity. You simply have not tried."
The woman went home troubled and thought about the conversation most of the night. By dawn she heard the milkman at her front step. Convicted, she threw open the door, and greeted the man. As they exchanged small talk, the woman was nervously trying to think of some small word to put in for the Lord -- but the milkman turned to go. She began to close the door, but threw it open again. "Come back," she asked. He did so, and she said, "I wanted to ask you something, but I have been afraid. May I ask you a question?" He agreed. Stumbling, she began, "I just want to know if you know Jesus. Have you been saved?" He looked at her with incredulity, "What in the world made you ask me that? Oh, woman," said the milkman, "I didn’t sleep at all last night worrying about my soul. Do you know how to find God’s light?" In a short moment, she was sharing with her new friend how to come to Christ.
[George W. Truett, A Quest For Souls, (NY, George H. Doran Co, 1917), 58-59. From a sermon by Russell Brownworth "Part One - Tenth Hours" 1/19/2009]
b. It is to be prosecuted fully unto the “uttermost” parts of the earth.
In this case; to the Jews first, then the Samaritans and finally to the Gentiles.
(Requires a can of Coca-cola) Coca-cola is one product that has far outgrown its humble beginnings. In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton first introduced Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia. The pharmacist concocted a caramel-colored syrup in a three-legged brass kettle in his backyard. He first "distributed" Coca-Cola by carrying it in a jug down the street to Jacobs Pharmacy.
After little more than 100 years, surveys show that 97% of the world has heard of coca-cola. 72% of the world has seen a can of coca-cola. 51% of the world has tasted a can of coca-cola. All due to the fact that the company made a commitment years that everyone on the planet would have a taste of Coke. We should stand up and take note here...97% of the world has heard of this sugar and water concoction while 1.7 billion people world-wide have no access to the good news of Jesus Christ! It is estimated that 17 million people die every year without having heard the name of Jesus!
When I hear those facts, I should not hang my head in despair and shame. Instead, I should be challenged, motivated, and inspired to a new level of commitment in sharing the message of forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.
c. It is to be faithfully done until the return of Christ
THE MESSAGE OF THE KING
The year was 1930; and it was the year of the Naval Conference in London. King George was to address the opening session. Radio was in its infancy, but through this media the king’s message was to be carried around the world. However, just before the king was to go on the air, a young engineer working for the Columbia Broadcasting Station--ironically--discovered a broken wire in the transmitter.
There was no time for repairs; the world was waiting to hear the message of the king. The young engineer thought of a quick solution: he took a piece of broken wire in one hand, and a piece of broken wire in the other hand, and for fifteen minutes, he took 250 volts of electricity through his body so that the king’s broadcast could be heard.
Like then, the world is waiting to hear the message of the King, and the one way for that message to go through is if we--who profess to be His disciples--will be a conduit, a radio transmitter that broadcasts the message of the king. My question to you this morning is this: Will you allow the King’s message of faith to be broadcast through you?
(From a sermon by Jason Bonnicksen, Broadcasting Faith, 8/8/2011)
