 Pastor Jerry Locke |
General Sermon SERIES LAKE WORTH BAPTIST CHURCH 4445 Hodgkins Rd. Fort Worth, TX 76135 Sermons by one of our outstanding Independent Baptist Preachers, Brother Jerry Locke, of Fort Worth, Texas. Enjoy! |
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Why Christians are So Happy (or at least should be)"
Acts 26:28 is one of only three (3) times the word "Christian" is used in the entire Bible.
Acts 11:26 Luke records,"The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." 1 Peter 4:16 Peter admonishes believers, "If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf." Acts 26:28 "Then Agrigga said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest men to be a Christian." We cannot be sure how King Agrippa meant this. It might have said it in utter contempt, or he might have said it under divine conviction. Do you understand what this means? You can almost be a Christian and then be lost for time and eternity! What a tragic word, "Almost." It must be all or nothing. Either you accept Christ or you don't. Either He is your Savior or He is not. There is no middle ground. And look at how Paul answers the king. "I would to God, that not only thou, but also all the hear me this day, where both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." You see, Paul was "under arrest." The Jewish Sanhedrin of Jerusalem had accused Paul and had him arrested for his religious beliefs. Paul appealed to have his case heard before Caesar. God had told Paul he was going to "bear his name before...kings," Acts 9:15, so Paul thought this was as good a time as any.
While Paul was "under arrest" in Caesarea, he was not "under the circumstances." He could have been singing the blues, but was in it all still praising His Savior. Do you see what Paul says in verse 2 "I think myself happy...". Of all things, a happy Christian! Isn't that a great combination?
Do you know how happy Paul was? Look at verse 24. Festus (not the one on Gunsmoke) thought Paul was crazy he was so happy! The word "mad" there doesn't mean someone who is angry, but someone who was insane-out of touch with reality.
I want to share with you three words that is the testimony of every happy Christian.
Christians are happy (or at least should be) because they have... Many people seem to have no hope. Hope is gone. And in the absence of a living hope is the crushing despair of a dead fatalism. We see it every day.
Assisted suicides...unassisted suicides the 3rd leading cause of death among adolescents.... Drug and alcoholism have become the addictions of the "hopeless."
Christ came to give life to the lifeless and hope to the hopeless. Hope isn't just a fond wish that makes one feel better...a "wishing makes it so" approach to life...not meant to imply doubt or uncertainty (traffic, weather). Christian hope is based on an earnest, eager expectation of something that is sure. We have hope.
Our hope is built on one sure and solid truth: Christ is alive! This presumes that He lived...that He died...and that He was buried. Paul says it should not be incredible that God should raise Jesus from the dead. It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that separated Christianity from mere religions. All other religions follow a dead and buried leader. Christianity declares its founder also died and buried, but is now alive, physically and literally resurrected from the dead.
Bill White reminds us that "the first announcement to the world that Christ was risen took place with a few minutes' walk of the place where He was buried." And the very people who did not want to believe it could have stop its spread had they been able to the grave of Jesus, open it and exhumed His crucified remains.
And think about this-the thousands of original believers in the risen Christ were all Jews, either residents of or visitors to Jerusalem.
The only counter argument made by the Jewish authorities was that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus-an admission that Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
One of the greatest proofs of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ was the conversion of Saul of Tarsus who later became Paul, the Apostle. Listen to his own testimony in Acts 26:9-11. Saul was the most bitter enemy of those who believed in the risen Christ. But he was changed for an antagonist to a protagonist of Jesus; from a murderer to a missionary; from a bitter interrogator of Christians to one of its greatest propagators. This would be the modern equivalent of the Pope becoming a protestant.
Do you know what changed him? He literally met the risen Christ in an encounter
on his way to Damascus, vs. 12-15. Saul had a "Damascus road" moment. You may not have seen a bright light, or heard a voice, or become blind for three days, but every born-again person who has hope can go to the place where it happened!
There is a time and a place where God's hope comes to us and fills our hearts.
Saul not only had a "Damascus road moment" that day, He received a "Damascus road message" that day, vs. 16-19.
"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."
How many know that being a genuine follower of Jesus is not easy?
Look at Acts 26:19-21. All of your friends will not be happy Christ has begun to change your life. So how can you hope to make it after you come to Christ and receive His life and His forgiveness and His hope?
There is a second word. Christians are happy because they have...
Do you see it there in verse 22? "Having therefore obtained help of God..." Life is a big responsibility and everybody needs help. And not just any kind of help, we need the help of God. The longer you live, the bigger life gets. The pressure of family, job, money, and friends seem to grow greater all the time. Life is too big of an assignment to go it alone. And that is another reason we should be happy we are Christians. Christ is here to help me now! You see, when you became a Christian God didn't just clean up your messy past and say, "I'll see you later. Do the best you can." He comes to live inside you through His Spirit and be with you every step on your journey through this life. The real Christian life is not you doing your best-it is God doing His best in us. "Working out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure," Philippians 2:12-13. You will discover that Jesus is not only...
Christ is alive. That's my hope. Christ is available...that's my help.
All along the way, Christ has helped me: Child...Teen...Young adult...Marriage... Family (children)...Now old age "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer." There was a final reason Paul was happy. Actually, the word itself is not in this chapter, but the idea is there. Paul was happy because he was soon to be promoted to heaven. "Preacher, where do you see that?" Paul was on his way to Rome. He had appealed to Caesar. He would be released for a little while, but later arrested, imprisoned, and eventually beheaded when Nero poured out in persecution on Christians in 64-65 A.D.. You see, God was going to use Rome to get Paul to heaven.
Do you know how you get to heaven? You have to die to get to heaven. One of the inevitable experiences of life is death. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment," Hebrews 9:27. The statistics remain the same: one out of every one persons die. Is it not strange that we prepare for everything in life but death. We plan and prepare for schooling, a career, vacations - everything but death. If the Death Angel were to knock at your door today, would you be ready to face eternity? There is life hereafter. A man was looking at headstone inscriptions. One read: I'll tell you where I am going. I am going to heaven! I am 100% sure that I will go to heaven when I die. The Bible calls heaven "paradise," "Beulah land," "the New Jerusalem," "The Holy City." Oh, but think, for those who are blood-bought believer it will be "home." John 14:1-3 "...I will receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." I have my funeral plans in all of the current Bibles I use.
Death is not the Christian's enemy, it is our friend. The Christian has so much in heaven. Heaven's sounding sweeter all the time! (1) Our Savior is in heaven. (2) Our names are written in heaven. (3) Our citizenship is in heaven. (4) Many of our friends and family are in heaven. (5) Our treasures have been laid up in heaven. Past...Hope....We live through Christ....penalty of sin...cleanses me...grace
Present...Help...We live for Christ....power of sin...changes me...growth
Future...Heaven...We will live with Christ....presence of sin...claims me...glory |