SERMON TITLE: Three Barriers to Our Joy
TEXT: Acts 11:19-30 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 9-5/6-20
You can watch this sermon here.
It’s great to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshipping with us in person at one of our Findlay campuses or are worshipping with us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
Now we’re beginning a new series this weekend as we jump back into the book of Acts. If you’re new to Gateway, most weeks you’ll find us exploring a book of the Bible together. But as you probably know, some of the books in the Bible are pretty long. And if we stayed in one book until we finished it — well — we could be in some of the books for years. So we spend time in a few different books. Over the past few years we’ve been spending the majority of our time in three books — Mark, Romans, and Acts. And we’ve already spent time in Mark and Romans this year — so we’re returning to the book of Acts today.
But before we turn to Acts, I want to tell you about what’s happening next week. Next week we’re having a guest speaker here at Gateway and I’m so excited for who we’re going to hear from. You may remember us praying for one of our denomination’s missionaries who was imprisoned in Turkey for two years. Well that missionary — Andrew Brunson and his wife Norrine — will be with us next weekend. So be sure to join us next week to hear from them.
Now since we’ve been out of the book of Acts for some time, I want to do a quick recap of everything that’s happened in the book thus far. Let this be a reminder of all that’s happened in the book.
The book of Acts begins with an introduction where we learn that Luke — a doctor — has been hired to do an investigation on the life of Jesus and the early church. And Acts is part two of his investigation. So Luke’s been hired to do research, to verify facts, to make sure the stories circulating about Jesus and the church are reliable — and we have his findings in the gospel of Luke — part one of his investigation — and the book of Acts — part two.
And right away Luke records the ascension of Jesus. As I’m sure you’ve heard, Jesus was crucified on a cross, but death could not keep him in the grave. And for forty days he appeared — preparing his disciples for the mission he was about to give them. And on the day of his ascension — the day he went to Heaven — Jesus, “ordered them (his followers) not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4b-5 ESV)
And then he said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:8-9 ESV)
So Jesus promised his disciples that they’d be given the power needed to accomplish their mission of taking the news about him to the whole world — they would be empowered witnesses.
Next comes the story of the disciples finding a replacement for Judas. And — if you were here — you may remember how we learned that Jesus loves to use a nobody for his glory. For the person picked to be one of the twelve apostles is someone who we know virtually nothing about. He’s a nobody — but Jesus loves to use a nobody for his glory.
Next is the fulfillment of Jesus’ earlier promise when — in Acts chapter two — the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples. And as Peter preaches his first sermon — people respond to his message. And a new community is formed — united together by a common faith in Christ.
And we see these ordinary followers take advantage of ordinary opportunities to tell others about Jesus. They help others to see what their greatest need is — that they need a Savior — that they need to be rescued from Satan, sin, death, and Hell — and that Jesus is the only One who saves.
Then we saw how the early Christians pray for boldness in the face of persecution. The religious leaders had arrested some of the Christians for telling others about Jesus and they threatened them — “If you keep it up — you’ll suffer even greater harm.” And in the midst of these threats — all of the Christians — not just the apostles — not just the church leaders — but all of them prayed for boldness and that they would remain faithful to Jesus even if it meant suffering on their part.
Next we saw what faithfulness and unfaithfulness look like through the stories of Barnabas — a faithful servant — and Ananias and Sapphira — their story is one of unfaithfulness. And we learned how to resist unfaithfulness.
Then we saw the apostles — and the early Christians — resist the fear of suffering for the name of Jesus. In fact, we saw that they considered it an honor to suffer for the One who died for them.
Next, we saw how the early church leaders resisted being distracted from fulfilling their unique role. Some widows were not being taken care of — and the apostles did something extraordinary. They resisted being distracted from the role God had called them to and had the congregation appoint others to care for the widows so they could stay focused on prayer and preaching.
Then — through the murder of Stephen — we learned how to resist fullishness. If we want to stand confidently for Jesus — if we don’t want to shrink back when others attack us for our faith — we have to be ready — prepared — full of God’s Word and Spirit — in order to faithfully resist when attacks come our way. For we all fill ourselves with something, but those who resist fullishness fill themselves with God’s Word and Spirit.
Then we saw how the gospel is for everyone. It took the early Christians some time, but they finally started to fulfill the mission that Jesus had given them — they’re beginning to share the gospel with everyone. We saw — through the story of Philip — the gospel being proclaimed to the Samaritans and to a man who was from the ends of the earth. And we’ve seen that — just like the early disciples — we must resist categorizing people as if the gospel isn’t for some — because the gospel is for everyone.
And then we saw just what we mean when we say someone has been saved by the gospel. Through Saul’s conversion, we saw the work of God in our salvation and how God uses other believers to help someone move from their old life — a life of sin and rebellion against God — to a new life of loving and following Jesus.
Which leads us to our text for today. So if you have your Bible please turn with me to Acts chapter 11. We’ll be looking at verses 19-30. We’re in Acts chapter 11. Beginning in verse 19.
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprusand Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:19-30 ESV)
As we jump back into the book of Acts we’re going to find ourselves encountering various kinds of barriers that the early church faced. Barriers that could have prevented the gospel from spreading. Barriers that could have caused division. Yet the early Christians were able to overcome these barriers.
And here’s what we learn from this story in Acts: We learn how to honor and glorify God by rejoicing at what he is doing in and through others. God’s people honor and glorify him when we rejoice at what he is doing in and through others.
Yet we’re going to see three potential barriers for us — things that could easily rob us of our joy and keep us from celebrating what God is doing in and through others. The three potential barriers are…
The early church faced these three barriers and we face them today as well. Potential barriers to our joy. Potential barriers to us honoring and glorifying God. Barriers we must overcome just like the early church did. So let’s look at each of these potential barriers to our joy.
The first barrier is us limiting how we think God works. A potential barrier to our joy is when we limit how we think God works in other people’s lives. Let’s go back to verse 19.
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-24 ESV)
Now you may not be a Christian and — may be thinking, “Well how in the world is this sermon gonna help me?” Though you may not think much about sharing the gospel, you do understand the underlying issue that we all face — Christian or not. And that’s our division as people. We live in an Us vs Them world. It’s the Good Guys vs the Bad Guys — isn’t it interesting how everyone thinks of themselves as the good guys? Life is all about being part of the “Us” or the “Good guys” group. No one wants to be “them”. The “them’s” are those we exclude from “us.”
Think back to high school — or if you’re still in high school — you’re living this. Picture yourself in the lunchroom. And — in your mind — look around at the different tables and the different groups of kids sitting at each of the tables. What do you see?
The football players are at one table, right? The cheerleaders are at a table close to them. The band kids — that was my tribe in high school — are by themselves. You’ve got the non-band kid musicians — usually the Rock n Roll guitarists and drummers — together. There’s a table with the students who take their studying very seriously. You get the idea.
Now this way of viewing others frames people as essentially antagonistic — as the competition or the enemy — as the “them” — which leads to the exclusion and rejection of people who aren’t like “us.” In fact, depending on which table you sat at in high school, most likely — when I said those different groups — you experienced different emotions. One of those groups may have given you a sense of security because they were your people. And we all have a desire and need to be accepted, we want to be wanted — we don’t want to be rejected. And that group accepted you.
But what can become a barrier is us forever seeing those other groups as the “them” — the “bad guys” — even the “enemy.” And unfortunately we don’t grow out of this categorizing of people once we graduate high school. In fact, this way of viewing others has found its way into the church.
Yet the Christian faith is about God welcoming a diverse group of people into his family. Where people from all walks of life — all ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds and education and all of the ways we create “Us’s” and “Them’s” — all of these groups are to come together united by our faith in Christ. Including those groups from high school that weren’t “our” tribe. And as we come together we’re to encourage and be encouraged by each other. We’re to rejoice together as we see what God is doing in and through each other.
Now — if you’re not a Christian — that description of what the Christian faith is all about may be surprising to you because that’s not the picture that you have of Christians. You’ve seen how Christians live with an “Us vs Them” mentality just like everyone else. But here’s what I hope you’ll hear. The Christian faith is supposed to break down the barrier of the Us vs Them thinking and division that we’re so accustomed to. For the gospel — the Good News that God saves sinners through his Son Jesus — is Good News for all people — no matter which table you sit at.
Which is why I love how — here in our story — I love how Barnabas didn’t allow any sort of Us vs Them thinking to spoil his joy in seeing what God was doing in and through these other Christians. It’s so easy — isn’t it — instead of rejoicing because of what God is doing in and through others, to instead become suspicious of, or speak ill about, or separate ourselves completely from those who are doing something different than what we’re doing for the Lord. But not Barnabas.
Now of course there are times— like — heresy for example — when we should not rejoice because of what someone else is doing. But often our lack of joy isn’t because of something big — like heresy — but over minor things that — in fact — should be increasing our joy in the Lord because of what he’s doing in and through someone else.
But it’s so easy — and tempting as Christians — to allow our subjectivity and personal opinion to drive what we think it means to be used by God instead of allowing God’s Word, and Spirit to cause us to rejoice as we see God’s will being done in others in a way that’s different than how God’s will is being done in us.
How might you — this week — take time to rejoice because of how God is using someone else for his glory in a way that’s radically different than how he’s using you? Who’s someone that’s easy to put in a “Them” category that you need to be thankful for because God is using them in ways that are bringing him glory?
The second barrier is us limiting who we think the gospel can change. A potential barrier to our joy is us limiting who we think the gospel can change. Let’s begin in verse 25.
So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:25-26 ESV)
Obviously, this barrier is tied to the first. If we’ve limited how we think God works — well — we’ll probably also limit who we think the gospel can change.
If you remember Saul’s story — from earlier in Acts — well he would’ve been in the “I’m not sure the gospel is gonna change this guy” category. He was on his way to have some Christians arrested and thrown in jail when Jesus unexpectedly showed up in his life. And when God told a man to go to Saul and pray for him to be able to see again — because Saul had been blinded by Jesus — the man wasn’t confused about whether or not he was hearing God’s voice — which might have thrown off you or me. The guy was confused by the instructions. “You want me to go to who? God, you’re aware of what Saul’s been doing, right?” But to the man’s credit, he didn’t let this barrier prevent him from obeying God and he went to Saul — a man who would’ve arrested — or even had him killed days earlier — and prayed for him to be able to see.
Well — after that — folks were still a bit skeptical about Saul’s conversion — go figure! So they sent him away. For years. Around 10 of them. But Barnabas — a man who was given the nickname “son of encouragement” — went and found Saul — who was living about a hundred miles away — and brought him to Antioch. And — together — they met with the church and taught many people.
Now this barrier may be a bit tougher because we all think we’re pretty gracious and generous to others. But who’s someone you know — or a group of someone’s — who you sort of question if the gospel is really changing them? Maybe you know their story. Maybe they’ve still got some significant struggles. Maybe their history is a bit like Saul’s — minus the killing Christians part. And you’re holding on to who they were and not seeing who they are now — or who God is transforming them into.
Now that you’ve got someone in mind — how can you be like Barnabas to them? “Well I don’t know Josh.” Well, here are some things you can try.
First, pray asking God to make you an encourager to them. Ask God to give you a heart that loves others and what he is doing in and through them.
Second, make encouraging others a daily discipline. For some of us, encouragement comes naturally. For others, not so much. Put a reminder on your calendar or phone to send someone an encouraging note, email, or text message. Or — if you’re daring — even give them a call and talk to them.
Third, use Scripture as you encourage others. Nothing encourages God’s people like his promises to us in his Word. Make a list of verses that have encouraged you and use them to encourage others.
Fourth, as you encourage others, be specific. Don’t just say, “I love how God is using you.” Instead say, “God has blessed you with an ability to speak to kids in a way that engages them and points them to Jesus. I’m so thankful for what God is doing in and through you to reach the next generation here at Gateway.”
Fifth, don’t forget to encourage the church staff, elders, and deacons. In my role, I get plenty of encouragement. But often other staff — and especially our elders and deacons who are faithfully serving you in so many ways — often they and the staff are overlooked. I’m thankful for the person who recently wrote this note of encouragement to the elders.
Finally, get started now. Who’s been a blessing to you recently? What’s something specific they’ve done that you’re thankful for? Is there a Bible verse you can share with them? Make a note to yourself — right now — to reach out to them before the day is over.
One of the prayers I pray for myself — every single day — is this: Help me take time to appreciate the beauty of Your creation (in people, in nature, in all things). You see, I want to appreciate the beauty of what God is doing in his creation — including what he’s doing in all of you. And I pray this every day because — as a pastor — but I’m sure pastors aren’t the only ones who struggle with this — but as a pastor — I see so much potential in all of you that I don’t want to get caught up in what we could be some day and — instead — I want to rejoice over who we are — now — by God’s grace.
As Warren Wiersbe said, “The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps constant communion with him will see many reasons for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long.” And I hope that as we look at each other — and see how the gospel is changing us — we would see all the many reasons for us to rejoice.
Our last barrier is us limiting our concerns solely to our church. A potential barrier to our joy is when we limit our concerns solely to our church. Let’s begin in verse 27.
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:27-30 ESV)
Did you catch what's happening here? Jerusalem — the original church — is now getting help from the church in Antioch — which is a relatively young church. The mother church — who sent out missionaries — is now receiving help from her offspring. What a reversal of roles between these churches.
Now we’ve mentioned the city name — Antioch — a few times, but I haven’t told you much about the city. It’s located in modern day Turkey and this Antioch was the largest of 16 cities in the eastern Mediterranean that all had the same name. It’s population was around 300,000 making it the third largest city in the Roman empire — with Rome and Alexandria being the two largest cities. (John R. McRay, “Antioch of the Orontes,” in Dictionary of Paul and his Letters (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 23.) And in Antioch, there was a large Jewish population with estimates of 22,000 to 65,000 Jews living in the city. (Ibid.)
But the city had a pretty disturbing view of morality. There was cult prostitution happening at the shrine of the goddess Daphne a few miles outside of the city. Yet it was a cosmopolitan city. An international commercial center with lots of innovation and people traveling there from all around the world. All of this — in many ways — made Antioch an ideal city to become the “birthplace of Gentile Christianity.” (F.F. Bruce, In the Steps of Our Lord (Candle Books, 2000), 23.) And — as we’ve seen — Antioch is the place where disciples of Jesus are first called Christians.
But notice that the followers of Jesus didn’t call themselves Christians — they’re given the name. In fact, Christians didn’t start calling themselves Christians until the second century — around 150 years later. (I. Howard Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles, TNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 274.) If you read closely, you’ll notice that — in the New Testament — only non-Christians call followers of Jesus Christians. And — as you may be aware — being a Christian became a chargeable offense under Nero’s reign — which took place just a few decades after our story. (Cornelius Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, trans. A.J. Church (Digireads.com), 15.44.)
So why were these followers of Jesus in Antioch given the name Christians? Most likely it’s because the Gentiles living in Antioch heard the Jesus followers speak about Christ so much that they gave them the name Christians which — essentially means — “the Christ people.” I love that. “The Christ people.” I wonder what it would mean — for us Christians today — to be so known for talking to others about Christ — that the word Christian — to them — to unbelievers in our country — the word Christian meant “the Christ people” and not all of the other baggage that comes with the name these days.
For the last few centuries, the church in the US has acted more in a motherly role to churches around the world. Modern day missions is something the US church has led the way in — taking the gospel all around the world. But times are changing. America has become more secularized. The rise of the Nones — not N.U.N.S. but N.O.N.E.S. — people who say they have no religious affiliation — has been documented in various polls and surveys. But just because Christianity may be on the decline — here in the US — doesn’t mean it’s on the decline. In fact, Christianity is growing. But the growing church is now found in places like Africa and South America and in parts of Asia.
And we need to be prepared for this shifting of roles. Where we — the mother church for the past few centuries — may become the church on the receiving end of things. Now we have many advantages even as our country becomes less and less religious. We’ve got an economic advantage. We’ve got an educational advantage. And so on. But I’m excited to see how we — the American church — will humble ourselves and see our relationship with the global church — not just as a mother to child — not just as a teacher to student — but how we will rejoice in the role of learner — as we learn from our brothers and sisters around the world.
But when a nation has taken the turn — like ours has — we have to make sure we don’t limit our attention solely to our church — or our country. For — if we do — we’ll miss countless reasons for us to rejoice and participate in what God is doing in and through his Church throughout the world.
This is why one of our values at Gateway is to Go and why international missions is a big deal. We want you to expand your definition of church to mean more than Gateway. And more than the American Church and the people putting out podcasts and writing books that you read. But to see God’s global picture — what he’s doing among all nations and peoples. To find reason upon reason upon reason to rejoice in this thing that we’re all a part of — something that’s local — yes — but also global — the people of God. The body of Christ. God’s Church.
How might you expand your attention beyond our church — even beyond the American church — and spend time focusing on the needs and successes of God’s church beyond our local context? How might you find reasons to rejoice because of what God is doing in his Church all around the world?
This is why Andrew Brunson and his wife will be with us next week. To help us all expand our attention beyond our church and focus on God’s global Church. So we all have our joy increased as we learn about what God is doing in his Church.
Everyone is searching for something that’ll give them joy. We Christians have the opportunity to experience deep soul satisfying joy every single moment of our lives. But we have to be aware of the barriers we face that want to keep us from our joy. Limiting how we think God works. Limiting who we think the gospel can change. And limiting our attention solely to our church. For all three are potential barriers to our joy.
But if we acknowledge these barriers — and overcome them by the power of the Spirit of God in our lives — we will be joyful and joy-filled people. Who rejoice as we see God working in others in ways that are radically different than how he is working in us. Who rejoice as we see the gospel change people who we thought never could be changed. And we will rejoice as we have a concern for what God is doing — not just through us — but through his Church all around the world. And maybe — just maybe — as we overcome these barriers to our joy — the name Christian — will start meaning — today — what it meant in Antioch. That our friends, and family members, co-workers and neighbors will call us Christians because they see that we are “the Christ people.” Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you are doing in and through your Church. Yes, we thank you for what you are doing in and through Gateway and in our lives and community. But we want to expand our joy and turn our thoughts to what you are doing beyond us. God to see you work in the lives of others — in such unique ways — so different from how you use me — is a reason to rejoice. Seeing how your gospel is changing people today — is a reason for me to rejoice. And thinking about what your global Church is doing to advance your Kingdom — is a reason for me to rejoice. What sweet gifts of joy you bless your people with.
Jesus, it is because of the work you accomplished in your life, death, and resurrection that our work today has any meaning or purpose. Remind us of that as it’s so easy for us to work, work, work and forget that our working — even our working for you — only matters because of the work you first did for us.
And Spirit of God, work in us — your people. Tear down these barriers to our joy. Lift up our eyes and spirits so we rejoice over what you are doing. And lift up the eyes and spirits of those who you are calling to turn to Christ in faith today. May they receive the gift of life as they find their joy in Jesus. And it’s in his name that we pray all of these things. Amen.
May you go with great joy because of all that God is doing through his Church. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
Sermon notes for this sermon can be found here.
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