A sermon on determination
1. This past week I read a sad statement from the pen of a well known preacher.
2. He said there are preachers who eventually deplete their supply of sermons.
3. These men feel they have nothing new to present so they resign.
RIGHT AFTER I STARTED FULLY TIME WORK A BROTHER WHO WAS PROBABLY 70+ SAID TO ME, “A PREACHER SHOULD NEVER RUN OUT OF MATERIAL. INSTEAD OF ASKING, “IS THERE ANYTHING TO PREACH,” IT WILL BE “WHAT WILL YOU PREACH?”
a) For someone reason his words have stayed with me, and he was exactly right.
b) Yesterday I was one of the speakers at Columbia City.
c) My assigned topic was studying the Bible and how to apply the Bible.
2) I tried to share many of the techniques I use, and tonight one of those methods is being used again.
3) We heard the scripture reading: Acts 8:10-13.
4) Most of us have probably read this account dozens of times.
5) Tonight we want to dig a little deeper and study part of verse 13.
a) After Simon became a Christian he “continued” with Philip.
b) We take the word continue to mean lots of things.
c) We may continue to receive e-mail on our computer but not read all the messages.
6) Continue may also be used in the sense of close attention.
7) During a surgery, patients want to be continually monitored.
8) Luke used a word that has a very definite and important meaning.
9) Before we see how this term is used in the Bible, let’s see how it was used by non-Christians.
10) Long before our time people went to court and engaged in law suits.
11) The word continued was used outside the New Testament to describe both parties in a lawsuit.
12) Both the plaintiff and defendant continued until the case was decided.
13) That is, there was a determined persistence, a refusal to let go.
14) One source (Spicq, 3:193) said this word can mean “waiting without lapse.”
15) Furthermore, the term continued has a “nuance of stubbornness” (ibid).
16) Even the military used the word applied to Simon.
17) One ancient writing associates this word with soldiers “holding fast.”
a) One of the movies being shown right now is the Alamo.
b) Not everyone chose to stay and fight at this location, but many did.
c) Those who stayed, fought, and died, “held fast” (continued).
18) In the Acts 8 continued means “faithful attachment” or “tireless devotion.”
19) Simon was so close to Philip it was like he was stuck to him.
20) In addition to using this word Luke also used the present tense.
21) Simon was by the side of Philip day in and day out.
SIMON HAD SOME PROBLEMS. HE HAD SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS THAT NEEDED TO BE FIXED, BUT HE MADE A DECISION TO CONTINUOUSLY PUT HIMSELF IN THE PRESENCE OF A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN WHO WAS TRYING TO DO GOD’S WILL.
a) From what I can tell, God was very pleased by this.
b) Even though Simon was spiritually immature, his dedication was commendable.
2) If you were here last Wednesday night you heard one of our members give an invitation.
3) He told of a place where Christians had gathered for worship.
4) Hooded men came in and brandished machine guns.
5) Threats were made against the worshippers and all but two people fled.
6) The gun men took off their hoods and said, “all the hypocrites are gone; let’s worship.”
7) When I look at Acts 8 I think about sticking (staying) power.
a) Some might wonder if Simon stayed so close to Simon only because of the miracles.
b) Perhaps other Christians did not cling so closely to fellow Christians.
8) Without additional information, we would not be able to accurately discuss these items.
9) We can be grateful to God that we do have additional information.
10) Other places use this same term, and these other verses give us a more complete picture of Christianity.
11) At various times we turn to the second chapter of Acts.
12) About 3,000 people became Christians on this day.
a) After these people became Christians, they did something.
b) One of the things they did is described in Acts 2:42 – READ.
c) New Christians “continued steadfastly” in a wide variety of practices.
13) Continued steadfastly is from the same term used in Acts 8:13.
14) Simon was not the only Christian to be glued to the people of God.
15) By comparing Acts 2 and Acts 8, we learn some things about first century Christianity.
a) First, the people of God were close to each other.
b) Christians essentially saw themselves as attached (glued) to one another.
c) In life there are people we meet who we do not want to be closely attached to.
16) My sister contacted me the other day to tell me about a new neighbor.
17) This fellow keeps some very odd hours.
18) He sits in his car and waits on the street until my sister and her family go into their house.
19) When my sister tried to introduce himself, he was very evasive and started mumbling.
20) His clothing is odd. She wrote the other day and said she and her family are scared.
21) All around us there are people who make us uncomfortable and we do not want to be close to them.
22) A single word in the New Testament says that in the church, things are to be different.
23) Christians are to “continue steadfastly” with the people of God.
a) Some of our nearest and best friends should be Christians.
b) If we plan to spend eternity with God, we had better be familiar with God’s people.
24) Christians clung to each other, but they held on dearly to other items.
25) Acts 2:42 says these same Christians continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine.
a) Today we find numerous Bible believing people who are wishy washy.
b) Almost any doctrine is okay.
c) As long as we believe in Jesus, doctrine doesn’t matter—this is the common cry.
26) God’s people didn’t believe that and the apostles didn’t teach that.
27) There were instructions given by God (“apostle’s doctrine”).
28) God’s people knew this information existed and they were superglued to it.
29) There was strict adherence to the information God had given.
30) Think about some of the definitions given earlier for the word we are studying.
31) Faithful attachment; tireless devotion.
32) On the Day of Judgment which sentence would we like to hear from God:
a) You were tirelessly devoted to the Word of God.
b) You paid attention to part of what I said.
33) Being a Christian means total and whole commitment to the scriptures.
34) A study of Acts 2 shows the first Christians were also unbending in their “fellowship.”
a) If we want to test our faith (something the Bible teaches), here is a test.
b) How fully do we fellowship the people of God?
c) Do we see fellow Christians a few times a year, once a month, or throughout the week?
d) God used a word which means Christians are to be in regular fellowship with one another.
35) Earlier I said our word can be viewed as having a “nuance of stubbornness.”
36) As Christians we should be stubborn when it comes to fellowship (coming together).
a) At sometime in our life each one of us will face obstacles in regard to fellowship.
b) We may not feel well so we must make a decision to come or not come to be with God’s people.
c) Sometimes our state of health is such that we need to stay home.
d) If you have a temporary communicable disease, stay home and recover from it.
e) There are other times when wisdom and good judgment says we should wait for a better time.
f) In other cases, however, our affliction is slight.
g) Take for instance a person who is bound on crutches.
h) He or she can move, but it takes extra time and effort.
i) Will that person be stubborn and continue fellowshipping the saints or stay home?
j) Most of us must eventually make that decision, and Acts 2:42 instructs us on the right choice.
37) They are not here tonight so I will use the Craddocks for an illustration.
38) Because of health problems they leave about five minutes before our a.m. service ends.
39) They need to do this because of their circumstances.
40) They could say, “We can’t stay for everything so we will not come.”
41) They have made a stubborn commitment to fellowship and to work within their limitations.
42) Persistence is the choice that they have made, and this is the right choice.
43) As we look at Acts 2:42 we find another interesting point tied in with our word from Acts 8:13.
a) Christians “broke bread.”
b) In the Greek text two definite articles are used – “the breaking of the bread.”
44) Verse 46 refers to breaking bread, but in that verse no definite articles are used.
45) The definite articles plus the other items listed in verse 42 indicate this was communion.
46) The Lord’s Supper, among first century Christians was “done steadfastly.”
47) That is, there was an unbending, unflinching, and unrelenting commitment to do it.
a) Their attitude towards the Lord's Supper was the same as their attitude towards fellowship.
b) What we have in Acts 2:42 points to a regular commitment to observe the Lord's Supper.
c) This is the kind of commitment we have today in the churches of Christ.
d) We observe the Lord's Supper each week.
48) There is a determined persistence to do this; a refusal to let a week go by without it.
49) Simon would not have been “continued” with Philip if he showed up once or twice a year.
50) He had to be with Philip on a regular and recurring basis.
51) The same is true of the Lord's Supper.
52) One of the most visible qualities in the life of a Christian is unending commitment.
53) Think about the good Samaritan.
54) Was he not a lot like Simon?
55) The good Samaritan cared for that man when he found him.
56) He took the man to an inn and offered further care.
57) He then made arrangements for the man’s continued care and was ready to pay for that care.
58) When we look at the word continued in Acts 8:13, we have a word which describes fierce loyalty.
59) This is the kind of person Jesus desires us to be: people who are intensely loyal to Him & His word.
60) Are we a steadfast Christian?