Video Clip of Anne of Green Gables "Will you promise to be my secret bosom friend?"
I think all of us have a desire to have a bosom friend, one who sticks with you through thick and thin. But my dad always told me that if you want friends you’ve got to be friendly, that’s what I’d like to talk about today, and I’d like to use an example from the Bible--the guy we just read about--a guy who was so friendly he earned the nickname encourager
Proposition: I think that the life of Barnabas is a great example of what it truly means to be a friend to others.
Interrogative: So we need to ask ourselves, "What was it about his life that earned him that friendly nickname?"
Transition: As we look at the snapshots of His life presented throughout the book of acts we’ll discover a number of things that Barnabas did that truly demonstrate what friendship is all about. The first thing is found in the passage we just read, in which Barnabas shows us that a friend is one who...
I. Sacrifices for Others
Acts 4:36-37 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
This was at least one of the acts that earned Barnabas his name, He sold a property that belonged to him and gave the money to the church to care for its poorer members. That’s putting teeth into your encouragement. And this is the foundation of what it means to be a real friend, it’s the divider between fair weather friends and true friends. A genuine friend helps out even when it comes at great personal cost.
ILLUSTRATION On the 19th of November 1967, in the vicinity of Dak To, Viet Nam Chaplain Charlie Waters was moving with one of the companies of his Battalion when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged and the casualties mounted, Chaplain Waters, with complete disregard for his safety, rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, giving words of encouragement, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Waters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety. At least 6 more times Chaplain Waters went outside the perimeter to rescue wounded soldiers, exposing himself to both friendly and enemy fire. Chaplain Waters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded. [from CH Waters’ Medal of Honor Citation]
On that day chaplain Waters was a true model of friendship, he made the ultimate sacrifice for the men he cared about.
The next mark of friendship we see in the life of Barnabas is that he...
II. Seeks the Best in Others
In Acts Chapter 9 we meet up with Barnabas again. A man named Saul had experienced a radical conversion, this man who once had persecuted and executed Christians had now become a Christian himself, but he was having a little trouble gaining acceptance among his former enemies.
Acts 9:26-27 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Saul the former Christian Killer was being shunned by the church, but Barnabas, the encourager, takes him by the hand and brings him to the leaders and says let me tell you about the change in my brother Saul.
A true friend sees good in us that others can’t. They encourage others by saying, "I believe in you"
ILLUSTRATION JACKIE ROBINSON was the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced hostile crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, he committed an error. The fans began to jeer him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the crowd booed. Then, without saying a word, shortstop Pee Wee Reese went over and stood next to Jackie. He put his arm around him and faced the crowd. Suddenly the fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that that arm around his shoulder saved his career.
Pee Wee Reese was a true friend that day--the one who stood up and said "I believe in this man"
If we are going to be true friends we need to look for the best in others and stand with them when the rest of the world is jeering.
In the next episode of Barnabas’ life we see that a true friend...
III. Is a Spiritual Influence on Others
In Acts chapter 11 News has come to the Church leaders that revival has broken out in Antioch--people are becoming Christians. The Apostles know just the guy to send down there to encourage the new believers...
Acts 11:22-24 News of this [revival] reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Barnabas encourages the new believers in their faith, he was a strong spiritual example. This is an important aspect of friendship that’s often overlooked. The most important part of us as human beings is not our bodies, but our spirits. A friend who helps physically but doesn’t offer spiritual help--sharing the good news about Jesus, encouraging others to follow the Lord--that friend isn’t really all that great of a friend.
ILLUSTRATION In his book "Another Chance," Dean Merrill, tells the story of a professional man who lost his job and was forced to take a menial construction job. Day after day, he was subjected to the crude language and humor of his boss and coworkers. One day he made a rookies mistake which made him the butt of jokes for days. Finally he decided that he would work one more day and quit. That day happened to be payday. As the offensive foreman brought him his check, he made his first civil comment to him in three weeks. "Hey, there’s a woman working in the front office who knows you. Says she takes care of your kids sometimes." "Who?" He named the woman, who sometimes helped in the nursery of the church where the man and his family worshiped. The foreman then went on with his rounds. When the man opened his envelope, he found, along with his check, a handwritten note from the payroll clerk: "When one part of the body of Christ suffers, we all suffer with it. Just wanted you to know that I’m praying for you these days." He stared at the note, astonished at God’s timing. He hadn’t even known the woman worked for this company. Here at his lowest hour, she had given him the courage to go on, to push another wheelbarrow of mortar up that ramp. [Dean Merrill, Another Chance, Zondervan, 1981, p. 138]
A good friend brings the spiritual aspect into daily life. When a friend shares about a struggle they’re facing what stops us from offering a prayer right then and there? When a friend is obviously failing to meet the Lord’s expectations, a true friend doesn’t just let it go. Because a true friend is a spiritual influence on others.
In the very next verse we find something else out about Barnabas. We see that he...
IV. Works for the Success of Others
Acts 11:25-26 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Saul had been out of the picture for about 9 years but Barnabas needed help in leading the new church at Antioch and he goes looking for Saul and he trains him to be a church leader. At the end of the year at Antioch the pair head out on a missionary journey and the Scripture refers to them as Barnabas & Saul, but at some point along the way Saul gets a name change and from then on it’s Paul & Barnabas. Barnabas has trained Saul so well that he surpasses him in leadership, and Barnabas cheers him on.
ILLUSTRATION: Forty thousand fans were on hand in the Oakland stadium when Rickey Henderson tied Lou Brock’s career stolen base record. According to USA Today Lou, who had left baseball in 1979, had followed Henderson’s career and was excited about his success. Realizing that Rickey would set a new record, Brock said, "I’ll be there. Do you think I’m going to miss it now? Rickey did in 12 years what took me 19. He’s amazing."
What Lou Brock did in cheering on Rickey Henderson should be a way of life in the family of God. Few circumstances give us a better opportunity to exhibit God’s grace than when someone succeeds and surpasses us in an area of our own strength and reputation. [Our Daily Bread, June 19, 1994.]
As good friends we need to be overjoyed when our help and support plays a part in the success of another. Ronald Reagan once said there’s no limit to what we can accomplish if we don’t care who gets the credit. We need to be friends who work for the success of others.
The final chapter that the Scripture records about Barnabas life shows that a friend is...
V. Is Slow to Judge Others
Acts 15:36-39 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.
Barnabas again sees potential in someone despite a past failure. Rather than labeling him as a quitter, Barnabas gives him another chance and anyone who has read the Gospel of Mark in the Bible is glad that Barnabas was that kind of friend. In fact even Paul himself later decides that Barnabas was right about Mark. In his second letter to Timothy Paul wrote, "Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry." 2 Tim 2:11
CONCLUSION
So that’s the story of Barnabas--he really was a great friend and a great example to us of what a friend should be. But there’s one friend in the Bible who demonstrates friendship in a way that makes Barnabas pale in comparison, That friend is Jesus Christ and he wants to be your friend today
Jesus demonstrated His love for us by Sacrificing Himself for Us
Romans 5:6-8 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Gospel Presentation and Invitation)
