He needed a job, so he went inside to apply for the job. He asked the owner about the job description, and what it paid.
• The man said, "The job pays $25.00 a week plus all meals."
• The young man said, "Is the food good here?"
• The owner rubbed his big tummy, and said, "I eat here everyday! "
That owner was his own best advertisement that his food was good.
The same should be true for us as Christians. If we show the lost world that what we have is not good, we should not be surprised if others do not want what we have.
Illus: In Columbia, S.C. there are restaurants all over the place. These people love to eat, and their waist lines show it. But in one place where there are two restaurants almost side by side, there is an unusual situation. Both, of course, serve food to the public, but the manager of one, when he gets hungry, eats next door at the other restaurant. He will not eat at his own restaurant, yet he expects others to eat at his establishment.
As Christians, we should make the Christian life so attractive to the world, that they would not want to eat the slop that Satan serves. The world should be able to take one look at our lives, and see a joy, and a satisfaction, that recommends what we have to the whole world.
Today we live in a world where the church is trying to use other things to attract people.
Illus: We Christians today expect too much from ELABORATE BUILDINGS, STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, FANCY ORGANS AND PROGRAMS.
The world has these things, and much more. But there is one thing the lost world does not have. They do not have Christ.
Christ has promised the Church, that where two or three were gathered together in His name, He would be in their midst. Our best form of advertisement of the REALITY OF CHRIST, is not found in OUR BUILDINGS, BUT IN OUR LIVES.
The early church understood that! They gloried in the Lord, and in His promises.
As you read Luke's writings to Theophilus, you read of the marvelous things God did through His church, but you will not find anything about the things today’s churches glory in or about.
The emphasis today is on CHANDELIERS, STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, PADDED PEWS, GYMNASIUMS OR EVEN TENNIS COURTS. Often, churches today miss the mark, because they seek those things instead of seeking the most essential thing!
A church can have all those things, and not have the "Spirit of God" in their midst. When this is true, they ought to have a sign outside that says, "lchabod", because God has long since departed.
Illus: Years ago, the joke used to be told about the black man who lived in the South, and he wanted to join a white church. Well the church kept putting him off, hoping he would give up. He was praying about the situation one day, and he told the Lord, "They won’t let me in the church." As he prayed and was feeling so discouraged, the Lord spoke to him and said, “Deke, don't feel bad, they won't let me in there either!"
That is the way it is today. Many churches want everyone and everything in the church, but they do not want the Lord.
But as Luke writes to Theophilus, it is evident that those who claimed the name of Christ had the Lord among them, and they gloried in the Lord Jesus.
Listen as Luke tells what happened.
Let’s look at the-
I. FAITHFULNESS OF THE APOSTLES
Look at verses 12-14, we read, “Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”
They were back in Jerusalem for a reason, look at two things-
A. THE COMMAND.
Let’s go back to verse 4. We read, “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
The Lord knew that the disciples were not ready for the job that He had for them, until they were EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Before the Lord sent His disciples out to reach a lost and dying world, He first COMMANDED them to tarry at Jerusalem, until they were equipped by the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Illus: Until we spend sufficient time at God's "fuel tank', we are not going to get anywhere in the work of God.
Illus: A car can be moved in two ways:
(1) If we take time to fuel it up, it will run on the power of the fuel in the engine.
(2) We can neglect the fueling, and find ourselves pushing the vehicle with our own strength..
I am afraid, in a spiritual sense, the latter applies to many of the churches today.
Notice, look at verse 4 again, He “…Commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
They were not to depart from Jerusalem, until the promise of the Father was fulfilled in their life.
We looked at THE COMMAND, but also look at-
B. THE COMPLIANCE
Look at verse 13, we read, “And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.”
The Lord COMMANDED them to go, and now they are COMPLYING TO HIS WISHES.
They could have come up with all kinds of excuses to keep from complying with the command of the Lord, but they were not looking for an excuse, they were looking for an OPPORTUNITY to do something for the Lord.
The marvelous things we read about in the book of Acts, would not be there for us to read, had these disciples not COMPLIED with the COMMANDS OF THE LORD.
We looked at THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE APOSTLES, but let us also look at-
II. THE FAILURE OF THE APOSTLE
Look at verses 14-20. We read, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let another take.”
Have you noticed, God’s Word reveals to us the GOOD and the BAD.
We just got through talking about the FAITHFUL APOSTLES, who heard the command of the Lord to go to Jerusalem and tarry there until the promise of the Father was fulfilled. They did exactly as God commanded them.
But among God’s people you can also find some of the most miserable failures that ever walked on two feet.
Judas has to go down in history as the worst failure that ever existed. His opportunities were tremendous, but he blew every one of them.
As bad as things might be for Judas, it is going to get a lot worst. He has yet to stand before the Lord, and give account for what He did.
WHY DID JUDAS DO SUCH THING?
The Bible makes his actions very clear. JUDAS WAS A MEMBER OF THE GROUP, BUT HE WAS NOT A MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.
Look at John 6:70. We read, “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
Judas had everyone fooled but the Lord Jesus. The Lord knew who He was when He chose Him. Judas has got to know he is the biggest FAILURE that ever walked on this earth.
We looked at THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE APOSTLES, and THE FAILURE OF THE APOSTLE. But before we conclude, let’s briefly look at one more thing in this scriptural passage. That is-
III. THE FINDING OF THE APOSTLE
Look at Acts 1:21-26, we read, “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
Did you know, that if we do not do what God has called us to do, God will raise someone else up to take our place? God’s Work is not going to come to a halt because of someone who will not obey.
Illus: Sometimes folks will leave the church, and think that the church will surely have to close the doors because of their leaving. Did you know that most of the time when this occurs, the church does better once they are gone? God is not going to allow His church to be defeated because of the devil and his crowd.
Judas was the treasurer, but did you know he stole from the treasury of God? But once God removed him from the church, we see where the New Testament church began to grow by leaps and bounds. Judas was not right, and what a horrible way for a man to leave this life.
Even worst, what a horrible way for a man to leave this life, and then have to face God. He failed God, and God found another man to take his place.
Conclusion:
Did you know that Judas, the biggest failure that ever lived, would be considered by some, to be a tremendous success if he was living today.
Illus: Eugene Peterson said, “Among the apostles, the one absolutely stunning success was Judas…He was successful both financially and politically. He cleverly arranged to control the money of the apostolic band; he skillfully manipulated the political forces of the day to accomplish his goal.” (Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1.)
We have to be careful how we live our Christian lives before the lost world.
Illus: Richard Baxter, in The Reformed Pastor. Christianity Today, said, “Take heed to yourselves also because there are many eyes upon you. So there will be many who observe your fall. If you miscarry, the world will also echo with it. It is the same as the eclipses of the sun in broad daylight--they are seldom without witnesses.” (Vol. 40)
I. THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE APOSTLES
II. THE FAILURE OF THE APOSTLE
III. THE FINDING OF THE APOSTLE
