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Acts 5:41-42  THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING JESUS CHRIST

 

Introduction: 

 

    This text demonstrates to us in a powerful way that it is a privilege to

serve Christ.  It demonstrates to us that serving Christ brings great joy to

those who do serve Him.  It also demonstrates to us that serving Christ requires

both labor and sacrifice. 

 

I.  An example set by Bro. Don Johnson

 

    Before examining our text I want to tell you about Bro. Don Johnson, a man

from Athens, Texas with whom I became acquainted several years ago.  Bro.

Johnson worked for Congressman John Dowdy, a member of the House of

Representatives in Washington, D. C. who was also from Athens, Texas.  Bro. Don

considered John Dowdy to be an honest and honorable man who worked for the good

of the people of Texas and of our nation.  He considered it a privilege to work

for Mr. Dowdy and he sacrificed a great amount of time and energy serving him. 

    But Don Johnson got saved and God called him to preach.  He gave up his

work for John Dowdy and he worked long and hard to win souls to Jesus Christ. 

He also worked long and hard to establish Missionary Baptist churches in the

Washington, D. C. area.  He worked at great sacrifice to himself and to his

family to serve the Lord.  He, himself, started the first Missionary Baptist

work in that area.  He then enlisted as many Missionary Baptist preachers as he

could to come to the D. C. area and start missions.  He was responsible for

enlisting Bro. Robert Myers to that area and he helped Bro. Myers start the

church in Gambrels, MD, which was sponsored by our church here at Pleasant Hill. 

     

    Bro. Don Johnson counted it a joy and a privilege to sacrifice his time

and his energies to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

II.  The example set by the apostles

 

    Long before Bro. Don Johnson sacrificed to serve Jesus in the Washington

area, the apostles sacrificed to serve Jesus in Jerusalem.  “And they departed

from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to

suffer shame for his name.”  Peter and John had been arrested for healing a lame

man and had been ordered by the Sanhedrin Council not to speak any more in the

name of Jesus.  This order was given only to Peter and John, but it was intended

to apply to all Christians.  But soon, not only Peter and John, but all twelve

of the apostles were arrested because they were teaching in the name of Jesus. 

However, before they could be brought to trial, an angel of the Lord had set

them free. 

    What do you think you would do under the circumstances.  The chances are

that you or I would have fled the country.  But the apostles did not run. 

Instead bright and early the very next morning they were back in  the temple

court yard -- almost right under the noses of the Sanhedrin Council, telling the

people about Jesus Christ.  They were telling the people that the miracles which

they had been doing were done by the power of Jesus, who, Himself, had arisen

from the grave.  They were telling the people that Jesus is the Christ of God

whom the Old Testament prophets had promised.  They were telling the people that

Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of men. 

    They were saying these things openly in the temple where they knew that

they would be reported to the high priest and to the members of the Sanhedrin. 

They were well aware that they would be arrested again, and they counted it a

privilege to suffer for the Lord. 

    And they were arrested again.  As soon as the Council met and it was

discovered that they were not in prison, that, indeed, they were back in the

temple speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus Christ, the Council again had

them arrested.  They were arrested and the Council would have tried to kill them

if Gamaliel had not pleaded their case.  So instead of being killed, they were

beaten.  We can be sure that their beating was severe. 

    But what did the apostles do?  When they came out from that meeting where

they were beaten and further threatened, instead of coming forth weeping and

bemoaning their fate, they came forth rejoicing--- happy!  We could understand

their joy if they had been rejoicing because their lives had been spared.  They

had experienced a close call with death.  But they were not rejoicing because

their lives had been spared.  If they had been moaning and groaning and

complaining because they had been severely beaten, we would understand that. 

They had been beaten within an inch of their lives, but they were not

complaining because they had been beaten.  They were rejoicing. 

    They were rejoicing that they had the privilege of suffering  for Jesus. 

Perhaps they remembered what Jesus had said to them in His Sermon On The Mount,

Mt. 5:10-12.  They surely rejoiced that they were saved and were on their way to

heave.  They knew that if they had been killed they would be in heaven.  They

surely remembered the suffering which they had seen Jesus go through on the

cross.  He had suffered for their sins so that they could be saved.  He had

suffered for them, and now they were willing to suffer for Him.  They came forth

from that Council meeting all aglow with joy because they had the privilege of

suffering for Jesus. 

 

III.  Serving Jesus by witnessing for Him

 

    V. 42, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to

teach and preach Jesus Christ.”  They went right back to the temple and

continued to tell the people about Jesus.  They knew the risk that they were

taking.  They knew that they might be arrested again and beaten again.  They

knew that they might be killed the next time.  The people had listened to

Gamaliel this time, but next time Gamaliel might not speak up for them.  Even,

if he were to speak for them, the other members of the Council might not listen

to him the next time.  Yet then went right back to the temple and witnessed for

Jesus.  They did it again and again.  They did so daily. 

    They also went out into the city, going from house to house telling

everybody they could about Jesus.  We can be sure that not everybody welcomed

them and their gospel message.  But they sought to tell everybody.  To those who

were willing they went into great detail to tell explaining that Jesus is the

Christ, their only hope of heaven.  They ceased not to tell the people about

Jesus Christ. 

 

IV.  What those apostles say to us

 

    The apostles, of course, did not speak directly to us.  They were talking

to the people at Jerusalem, but they were indirectly speaking to us.  They say

to us that Jesus is the Christ, that He arose from the grave, that He is the Son

of God.  They say that He is the Savior of men.  They surely would not have

risked their lives, as they did, if they had not been fully persuaded that He is

the Christ. 

    They were saying to us that it is a privilege to witness for Him.  They

did not consider that serving Christ was a burden, but rather a joy.  They are

saying to us that we can be a witness for Christ by attending His house

regularly.  We might not be able to attend daily as they did at the temple, but

we can attend regularly at the appointed hour.  They are telling us that by

being regular at the house of God that we tell the people around us that we

believe that Jesus is the Christ of God. 

    They are telling us to go from house to house and tell people about Jesus. 

We should know that not everybody will welcome us into their home, but we can

tell them that  the door the purpose of our visit and we can witness to them

there that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior.  Then if we are invited into their

home we can go into greater detail about Jesus being the Savior of men and about

His desire to save them. 

    They are telling us that there might be persecution as a result of our

witness of Him, but it is a privilege to suffer for Jesus. 

 

Conclusion:

 

1.  Let us be faithful to attend God’s house to worship Him. 

2.  Let  us witness for Jesus from house to house, from door to door, from store

to store                       

     to store and everywhere we go. 

3.  Let us be happy to sacrifice our time and our energies for the Lord and even

be

     persecuted.        

4.  Let us count it a privilege to do so.  Jesus died for us.  Surely we can

witness for Him.

5.  Let every unsaved person call upon the Lord and trust Him for salvation. 

6.  Let every Christian who needs a church home come and get in this church. 

Come and

      get to work for the Lord.