SOMEONE TURNED THE LIGHTS ON
Acts 26:1-18
S: Celebrate Jesus
Th: Evangelism: JESUS BROKE THE POWER OF
DARKNESS SO ALL CAN LIVE IN THE LIGHT.
Pr: JESUS HAS GIVEN US PURPOSE.
?: What? What is our purpose?
KW: Objectives
TS: We will find in our study of Acts 26:16-18, three objectives we are to meet to accomplish the purpose Jesus has given us.
The ____ objective we are to meet to accomplish the purpose Jesus has given us is…
I. GO AND TELL (17)
II. OPEN EYES (18)
III. TURN THEM (18)
RMBC 3/12/00 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Seek (yellow pages)
Every Spring the graduating class of Washington State University’s College of Pharmacy visits several major drug man-ufacturers. On one visit the tour guide led the group to a glass-enclosed room. There, the group could see several people in white lab coats. With her back to the glass, the guide announced: "In this room researchers are actively search-ing for a cure for cancer."” She stopped short, however, as the group broke out laughing. Puzzled, the guide turned to look. There, through the glass she saw three scientists in ani-mated debate, flipping through the Yel-low Pages.
Well, perhaps that does make us ask this question…
Where are people supposed to go find answers?
Where are people supposed to go to find understanding and enlightenment to the large questions about the meaning of life?
TRANSITION:
Scripture provides us an answer if we are willing to hear it…
1. Jesus claimed to be the light of the world (John 8:12).
It is Jesus who said…
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
For those that followed Jesus, they believe that He had brought them light.
They followed Him with great enthusiasm.
His teachings, His way of dealing with people, were so engaging and attractive, that He was frequently inundated with requests to help.
He brought light and hope into a country that was burdened by oppression and darkness.
He brought good news to a people that thought that God was far off.
He entered into a depraved world deprived of light.
But just as things were going well, the disciples’ plan for a new, physical kingdom seemed to dissipate.
At one moment, Jesus rides into Jerusalem hailed as the King and Savior of Israel.
Days later, He is betrayed by one of His disciples, unjustly put on trial by the religious judicial system and sentenced to die by a compromising Roman governor who finds Him innocent of the charges.
Jesus’ testimony had been that He was the light of the world.
2. For the disciples, though, the light went out at Golgotha.
All of sudden, God seemed distant.
All their hopes and dreams, and even their plans were set aside.
The light was gone.
The case was closed.
The coroner’s report written.
The movement was over.
Jesus was dead.
ILL 50 Day (Faust)
A visitor at Louvre Museum in Paris was studying the famous painting of the devil and Faust engaged in a chess match. For years tourists have looked and sadly nodded as they understood the artist’s message. By looking at the chessboard they could see Faust’s helpless situation. He’d been checkmated, and the devil’s sneering smile only underscored the artist’s perspective of life. Evil always triumphs. But this day, this tourist stood in front of the painting an inordi-nately long time studying the facial details and the location of the chessmen on the board. And all at once the visitor shouted, "It’s a lie! It’s a lie! Faust still has a move!"
To the disciples, there were no more moves.
In their understanding, there was a finality that could not be overcome.
But what they failed to see was that Jesus had one more move!
3. Fortunately, what appeared to be final was just the beginning.
The day that we call Good Friday is only good because of what happened on the following Sunday.
It was on that day, Jesus “uncheckmated” the board.
His death was not the end.
It was not over.
Hope was not gone.
The symbol of death and hopelessness, the cross, now becomes a sign of life, light and hope.
For the cross is empty.
And as a result, we do not have to live unenlightened lives.
ILL Drama: “In the Box”
4. JESUS BROKE THE POWER OF DARKNESS SO ALL CAN LIVE IN THE LIGHT.
That which seemed impossible became possible, so that, that which seems impossible to us will be possible.
For that which binds us and keeps us without hope, the power of darkness, has been broken.
And though we are still a sinful people living in a broken world where sinful people willfully make sinful choices, we do not have to live that way anymore.
Jesus broke the power of darkness so that you and I could live in the light.
And…
5. As a result, JESUS HAS GIVEN US PURPOSE.
So…
6. We will find in our study of Acts 26:17-18, three objectives we are to meet to accomplish the purpose Jesus has given us.
When we come to…
7. In Acts 26, Paul comes before King Agrippa to give testimony regarding his arrest in Jerusalem two years earlier.
Two years earlier, Paul had been arrested on false charges in Jerusalem.
At that time, he had given his testimony to the whole Jewish Sanhedrin.
As a result, there was a plot against his life.
So, he was moved to Caesarea on the coast.
This time, he gave his testimony to Felix, the governor.
But Felix did nothing and left Paul in prison.
After two years in prison, the new Roman governor, Festus, puts Paul before King Agrippa so they can hear what he has to say.
So the whole Jewish legal council, and three of the highest political officials in Palestine, (Felix, Festus, Agrippa) all hear the gospel because Paul was arrested and imprisoned on false charges.
It is Paul’s testimony that he was blinded by an arrogant sense of his own importance.
He thought he was on a mission for God.
He thought that he was defending God.
He had gone on the offensive to wipe out as many Christians as possible.
He was chasing then down everywhere, arresting them, sentencing them to prison, and even scourging and torturing them if need be.
If they refused to renounce their faith, like Stephen, he saw to it that they died as a heretic.
Paul quickly became infamous among Christians.
But someone saw Paul’s potential!
Jesus.
And it was Paul’s testimony that Jesus turned on the lights for him by blinding him on the way to Damascus.
Now his eyesight was “20/20” when it came to spiritual matters.
What is interesting here is that during this hearing, Paul’s interest is not so much for himself.
8. Paul makes an appeal to Agrippa, not for his own sake, but for Agrippa’s.
Paul’s makes the appeal with tact, adroitness, and, statesmanship.
He demonstrates a knowledge of the king’s culture, worldview and concerns.
It is a testimony full of powerful and persuasive speech.
It is a testimony that though they were powerful and influential, the real truth was that they were lost.
And as he speaks, he explains that…
9. The appeal was centered around the resurrection.
The resurrection is the main event.
He confesses that he is on trial on account of his Jewish hope.
He is not on trial for opposing Judaism, but rather for believing in it.
But there was a watershed issue.
It was the resurrection, especially the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Now, as a result of encountering the resurrected Jesus, he had undergone a radical transformation.
He had been changed from death to life.
He had gone from persecuting Christianity to practicing and promoting it.
And now, he was fulfilling, at that very moment, his divine commission.
And it is a commission that each one of us also has…
OUR STUDY:
I. The first objective we are to meet to accomplish the purpose Jesus has given us is GO AND TELL (17).
“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them…”
1. God has placed us to penetrate our community with the good news.
We are a sent people.
In fact, we are a church of over 500 people of various ages given the responsibility to penetrate our world and community with the gospel of Christ.
None of us live here at the church, though you may complain that you feel like it at times.
Most of us do not work here.
We live and work among the people outside these walls.
And that is just where God wants us to be.
He wants us living out there, moving about, meeting people and being involved in their lives.
ILL Notebook: Move (buzzards)
As an emergency medical technician, Bill Stelianessis was called to a nursing home for a routine transport. There he encountered four of the residents enjoying the warm day relaxing in lounge chairs, all star-ing up at the sky. When he looked up to see what they were looking at, he saw a flock of large birds flying by. Then one resident spoke up. "Margaret," she teased, "for goodness’ sake, wiggle or something. Those buzzards are get-ting closer!"
I cannot help but think that there is a truth here for the church.
If we do not move, if we do not penetrate our community, what is left for us is the buzzards.
You see…
2. We are not to wait for others to come and see.
But please understand, this is often the mistake of the church.
We picture that somehow this building is a lighthouse.
But the building is not a lighthouse.
In this case, we are speaking of moving lighthouses, which are guiding, directing and warning.
We do not ask people to come here, for most won’t come.
We are to go where they are, and show them the light.
II. The second objective we are to meet to accomplish the purpose Jesus has given us is OPEN EYES (18).
“…to open their eyes…”
1. God wants spiritually blinded eyes to be opened (II Corinthians 4:4-6).
Paul also wrote these words to the Corinthian church:
(4) The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (5) For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (6) For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
It is God who created light in the beginning with an omnipotent, “Let there be light!”
He spoke.
It happened.
And it is this same God who can now open the eyes of the spiritually blind.
And He has a method in mind.
In fact, He has only one method in mind.
It is you and me.
2. We are partners with the Holy Spirit in communicating the truth.
We Christians are partners with the Holy Spirit in the opening the eyes of the blind.
We have the responsibility to live and speak words of truth about Christ so that when the people’s eyes are opened there is something to believe.
The Holy Spirit never opens the eyes of the heart until there is gospel truth in the mind to believe.
We do not save people.
We realize that.
But on the other hand, Scripture indicates that His only plan includes our communication.
He doesn’t do it without us.
III. The third objective we are to meet to accomplish the purpose Jesus has given us is TURN THEM (18).
“…and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God…”
We need to remember that…
1. Darkness is the native land of the unbeliever.
People are at home in the darkness of sin.
This is where we were.
We need to remember.
We used to think it couldn’t be any better.
And those that did…we thought they were more than a bit “nutty.”
Am I right?
We thought that darkness was light and light was darkness.
ILL Notebook: Deceit (tofu)
Two classmates were discussing some of their frustrations of dorm life at Washington State University. High on their list was the difficulty of keeping others from eating ice cream they had stored in the dorm’s refrigerator. "I’ve solved that one," one of them said. "I just wrap my ice cream in a brown paper bag and label it ’Tofu.’”
Well, I think that in a similar way, the devil has done the same thing.
He has wrapped up the light in a brown paper bag and called it “tofu.”
As a result, no one is going near it.
2. Satan’s power over people is based on deception.
He is working hard to keep people from the truth.
And so he bends and twists the truth to keep people at bay.
He did that with us, unsuccessfully.
Do you remember why and how he failed.
It was because someone lived the truth in front of us.
It was because someone shared the truth with us.
You see…
3. We can be effective and break his power (Ephesians 6:14, 17).
Paul tells us in Ephesians:
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
We have the tools to accomplish His will for our lives.
APPLICATION:
Paul is a tremendous example to us.
For, Paul was not concerned about his own condition as much as he was about the condition of those who stood before him.
While he was standing in chains, he was more concerned about the spiritual chains that were around the necks of Festus and Agrippa.
With that in mind, I want to encourage you…
1. Do not let this adventure end: BE A LIGHTHOUSE!
Those of us called out of darkness into his marvelous light are entrusted with a sacred mission to remove whatever obstacles prevent others from basking in the brilliance of God’s unconditional acceptance.
We are to guide.
We are to direct.
We are to warn.
We are to show the light.
Again, here is how to do it…
2. Penetrate your community with prayer.
Pray for the individuals in community God has placed you.
Pray for God’s blessing on their lives.
Pray that they may see and understand God’s light.
Pray that Satan’s deception will no longer work.
Second…
3. Open their eyes with your demonstration of care.
Be involved in their lives.
Note what is going on with them.
Offer help.
Tell them that you are praying for them.
They may be surprised at that, but I have found that hardly anybody says, “Don’t pray for me.”
They recognize that it is a demonstration of concern.
Finally…
4. Break Satan’s power by sharing the truth.
ILL Notebook: Evangelism (prostitute)
Tony Campolo, professor of sociology at Eastern College, tells the story of his visit to Honolulu for a Christian Conference. On his first night there, he awoke sometime after three (a six hour time difference had confused his sleep pattern) and left the hotel in search of a place to get something to eat. Eventually he found a tiny coffee shop. He walked in and sat down. Here is his description of the events:
The fat guy behind the counter came over and asked me, "What do you want?" I told him I wanted a cup of coffee and a donut. As I sat there munching on my donut and sipping my coffee at 3:30 in the morning, the door suddenly opened, swung wide and to my discomfort in marched 8 or 9 provocative and rather boisterous prostitutes. It was a small place and they sat on either side of me. Their talk was garrulous, loud and crude. I felt completely out of place. I was just about to make my getaway when I heard the woman sitting next to me say, "You know, tomorrow is my birthday. I’m going to be 39." Her friend responded in a rather nasty tone, "So what do you want from me? A birthday party? What do you want? Do you want me to get a cake, and sing happy birthday to you?" "Come on," the women sitting next to me said, "why do you have to be so mean? I’m just telling you, that’s all. Why do you have to put me down? I was just telling you that it is my birthday. I don’t want anything from you. I mean, why should I have a birthday party? I’ve never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?"
Tony Campolo goes on; "when I heard that," he said, "I made a decision. I sat and waited until the woman left and then I called over to the counter to the fat guy and asked him, "Do they come in here every night?" "Yeah," he answered. "The one right next to me,” I asked, "does she come in here every night?" "Yeah," he said, "that’s Agnes. Yeah, she comes in here every night. Why do you want to know?" "Because," I replied, "I heard her say that tomorrow is her birthday. What do you say we do something special for her? What do you think about throwing a birthday party for her, right here in the diner?" A cute kind of smile crept over that fat man’s chubby cheeks. He answered with measured delight, "That’s a great idea. I like it. That’s great. Agnes is one of those people who is really nice and kind. I don’t think anybody has ever done anything nice and kind for her." "Well, look" I told him "if it is OK with you, I’ll be back here tomorrow morning at 2:30. I’ll decorate the place. I’ll even get a birthday cake for her." "No way," he retorted, "the birthday cake, that’s my thing. I’ll bake the birthday cake."
Two-thirty the next morning, Tony Campolo reports, I was back at that diner. I picked up some crepe paper and other decorations at the store, and made a sign of big pieces of cardboard that read, "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" I decorated that diner from one end to the other. I had that diner really looking great. The word must have gotten out on the street because by 3:15 that next morning every prostitute in Honolulu was in that place. There was wall-to-wall prostitutes - and me. At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I had everybody ready; after all, I was sort of the informal master of ceremonies of this whole affair. It was my idea, so when they came in we all jumped up and screamed and we sang, "Happy birthday, Agnes!" And you know, I’ve never seen a person so flabbergasted, so stunned, so shaken. Her mouth fell open, her knees started to buckle, her friend had to offer her arm to steady her, and I noticed she had started to cry.
When the birthday cake with all the candles was carried out, that’s when she just lost it. She started sobbing. Harry, the fat guy, behind the counter he gruffly mumbled, "Blow out the candles, Agnes, blow out the candles." Then he handed her a knife, and he ordered, "Cut the cake, Agnes, cut the cake." Agnes looked down at that cake, and then without taking her eyes off it, she slowly and softly said, "Look, Harry, is it all right with you if I, I mean, if I don’t, what I want to ask, is it OK if I keep the cake a little while? Is it all right if we don’t eat it right away?"
Harry shrugged and answered, "Sure, Agnes, that’s fine, you want to keep the cake, keep the cake, take it home if you want." "Oh, could I?" she asked. Looking at me she said, "I live just down the street a couple doors; I want to take the cake home, is that OK? I’ll be right back, honest." She got off her stool, she picked up that cake, and she carried it out of that diner like it was the Holy Grail. She walked slowly toward the door, and we all stood there just speechless. When the door closed behind her, there was stunned silence in the place.
Not knowing what else to do, I broke the silence by saying, "what do you say we pray together?" Looking back on it now, it seems more than a little strange that a sociologist from eastern PA would be leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of prostitutes in a diner in Honolulu at 3:30 in the morning. But I prayed. I prayed for Agnes. I prayed for her salvation. I prayed that her life would be changed, and that God would be good to her. And when I finished, Harry leaned over, and with a trace of hostility in his voice he said, "Hey, you never told me you were a preacher. What kind of preacher are you anyway? What church do you belong to?" In one of those moments when just the right words came, I answered him quietly, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning." Harry thought a moment, and then almost sneered as he answered, "No you don’t; there is no church like that. In fact," he concluded, "if there was, I’d join it."
PRAYER – CARE – SHARE
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Are people living in darkness simply because you are not sharing your light?
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
