“The Thing”- The Dream of World Evangelism (Speaker’s Notes)
“The Thing”- The Dream of World Evangelism
Sunday Sermon for the Eugene International Church of Christ Jeremy Ciaramella (concepts from Christ Broom of Syracuse New York - thanks Chris Broom!)
Introduction (Acts 3)
They heal this man - why? Give authority to the message that they preach…
13The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
Responsibility for Jesus’ death. Peter is laying it out! Here there is this miracle that they all can see, it is plain as day, and Peter’s response was to challenge them on the fact that they “killed the author of life.” When was the last time you really took to heart that fact? Amidst the miracles in your life, and the power of God, when was the last time you realized your sin killed the author of life?
Something happens to your heart when you realize that your sin put Jesus on the cross… Acts 3:17-21,34-26
17″Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ[a] would suffer. 19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
…(skip to verse 24)
24″Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. 25And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’[c] 26When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Verse 25 - God has always had a heart for all peoples on earth. He loves all peoples. He was planning way back in the beginning, way back in the days of Abraham, to bless all peoples on the earth. NOT JUST the JEWS. Something happens to your heart when you repent and turn to GOD. When your relationship with God is ALL that matters. When your heart is FILLED with GOD, you take on the FATHER’S heart, the SON’S lifestyle, HIS attitudes, HIS Agenda. Acts 4:1-4
1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
They heard this message, and they became disciples. They repented and turned to God, and like the 3,000 that were baptized and Peter’s first Gospel sermon, they were counted among disciples in Jerusalem. That’s another 2,000 baptisms. Wow. This thing is spreading… Point #1 - The LORD of the THING
Acts 4:7-20
7They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is
” ‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.[a]‘[b] 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Do you believe that? Do you have a hard-line conviction that Salvation is found in NO ONE ELSE. There is no other source of salvation. Jesus’ way, or NO WAY. (Every one is NOT OK according to the Holy Spirit, according to God’s word!)
In the LORD of the Rings - the only way to save middle earth from Sauron? Destroy the ring.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
This was the dream, born of the realization of doom for “middle-earth”, they left the Shire, they risked their lives, and they were not much but ordinary, unschooled hobbits.
What is this DREAM, this THING that JESUS CHRIST of NAZARETH is LORD of?
Acts 4:13
13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16″What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Jesus is LORD - of the THING? What is the THING? Did not we just read in Acts 3:25, that “All nations will be bless through Abraham’s offspring?”
Did not Jesus himself have this same heart in Matthew 28:18-20?
Did not Jesus tell them this just before he raised from the dead? Acts 1:8-9
The last thing Jesus left them with was the DREAM OF WORLD EVANGELISM. This is the THING. And Jesus is LORD of it. And if it is your heart, then Jesus is with you always, to the very end of the age. If you have lost this dream, if this dream is not what passionately consumes you, you have become lukewarm. Jesus gave these ordinary, unschooled men such a powerful vision, that you could not BEAT it out of them! This weekend’s workshop, absolutely amazing. There was so much vision instilled. It was powerfully inspiring. The brothers had a great discipleship group on Friday - confessing our sins. And we did the same on Saturday. Brothers opened up about where they had been at for so long, and when we repent and turn to GOD - times of refreshing come. That’s how we want to start 2006, AMEN. Point #2 The Fellowship of The Thing (TLOTR)
Gimly and Legolas. Unlikely friends. Elves and Dwarves. Hobbits hanging out with Humans. Ducks and Beavers. Where there is a REAL dream there is a bond. The bond goes deep.
Reminds me of the scene in the Riddermark - Eomer son of Eomund comes and threatens Gimly…
“He stands not alone,”…”You would die before your stroke fell.” (Out faster than a blink of an eye came the elf’s bow…willing to die for his unlikely friend, the dwarf.)
Is that how loyal you are to your brothers and sisters? They were loyal - they were the fellowship of the ring, for it’s destruction. They knew what was riding on it, the well being of all middle-earth. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
For us the ring is SIN - and in the darkness it BINDS people! 1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Sin enslaves people! Sin devastates families. Sin corrodes and destroys love. It kills the dream.
Slaves to sin. Paralyzes us. On-line pornography robs a person of their heart for God. It is like that wound from the ring-wraith. It’ll kill you if you don’t get it treated.
GET open. GET real revitalizing fellowship. (Rich, drive down, and drive back. Confess sins, talk through our attitudes and make sure we are helping each other stay HOLY). (c.f.. John 8:31-32) Bound by darkness or bound by the THING - the DREAM of WORLD EVANGELISM.
Acts 5:17
17Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
Sadducees - did not believe in ressurection - this is why that is mentioned in (turn to…)
Acts 4:1-2
1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They were preaching resurrection of the dead! What is the significance of resurrection of the dead in New Testament Biblical Christianity? (Turn to Romans 6)
So glad you asked - Romans 6:3-4 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
This is why when Peter preached he preached Acts 2:38 38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [If you heard a gospel message from a gospel preacher, your response to the gospel message was what?]
Acts 2:40-41 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
What is the something that happens when you realize your sins killed the author of life? You get the dream, not just for your own forgiveness and relationship with God - but for ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH! You get that dream, and you want to be baptized. Because it means your eternity and the eternity of everyone you know and everyone you ever will know! Acts 5:29-33
29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.
…They get convinced by Gamaliel that they should not kill them…
40His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
Satan wants to beat the dream out of you. He wants you to forget what it is all about. He wants you to stop dreaming Jesus’ dream. He has a new one! A comfortable Christianity, one that costs as much as you are willing to give, or as much as other’s will hold you accountable for - as opposed to EVERYTHING. (Luke 14:25-33)
Pain - personal pain. Spiritual pain. Kingdom pain. Life pain. The pain we feel can cause us to lose our dreams. When we lose our dreams, when we lose vision, when we lose that revelation of changing the world - the same our Lord Jesus had - we cast off restraint and think of our costs instead of Jesus’ sacrifice!
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2 Timothy 3:1-5
1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Acts 5:41-42
41The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.[b]
You could not beat the dream of world evangelism out of them! They shared it with the LORD of the THING (Jesus’ Dream of World Evangelism) and they shared it with each other and with anyone and everyone who was willing to listen. (We get beaten too easily!)
This is the Fellowship of the Thing - This DREAM of WORLD Evangelism is what bound them together it was always God’s plan to reach all peoples of the earth!
John 15:8-16
8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9″As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
Friends with Jesus - fellowship with Jesus. Want to heal your faith? Hope? LOVE! Point #3 - The Return of The King (of The Thing)
(script exerpt from the Return of the King)
The King of the Dead: Who enters my domain?
[Aragorn turns around and sees the ghost-like King appear in front of the steps, leading to the doors.]
Aragorn: One who will have your allegiance.
The King of the Dead: The dead do not suffer the living to pass.
Aragorn: You will suffer me!
[The King lets a laugh of contempt, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli look around them, to see a dead army float towards them.]
The King of the Dead: The way is shut… it was made by those who are dead…and the dead keep it.
[They look around them and see that they are surrounded by the dead.]
The King of the Dead: The way is shut. Now you must die.
[The King moves towards Aragorn. Legolas immediately fires an arrow, but it flies through the King.]
Aragorn: I summon you to fulfil your oath.
The King of the Dead: None, but the king of Gondor may command me!
[As the King swings his sword, Aragorn blocks its blow with the blade of Andúril, and puts its tip to the King's neck.]
The King of the Dead: That blade was broken!
Aragorn: It has been remade.
[Aragorn pushes the King back and the dead remain silent and watch.]
Aragorn: Fight for us and regain your honour. What say you?
[The dead watch silently, as Aragorn walks around the ring of soldiers enclosing him and his companions, holding out Andúril.]
Aragorn: What say you?!
Gimli: You waste your time, Aragorn! They had no honour in life, they have none now in death.
Aragorn: I am Isildur’s heir. Fight for me! And I will hold your oath fulfilled!
[The King merely smiles, as Aragorn encircles him, his sword outstreched.]
Aragorn: What say you!?
Philippians 2:9-11
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Revelation 21:12-21
12″Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14″Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16″I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. Be prepared for the return of the King. He is coming. Soon. What say you?
