Participants: Floyd Bresee
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000371
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00:31 Hi, I'm Pastor Floyd Bresee.
00:36 And I have been thinking, 00:38 it seems to me there will be lot more Christians, 00:42 if Christians were a lot more Christ like. 00:45 Let's pray about it. 00:48 Heavenly Father, please teach us something today 00:54 that will help us become more Christ like Christians, 00:58 we pray in Jesus name, amen. 01:04 Our focus today will be on Barnabas. 01:08 Barnabas, the encourager. 01:11 Please open your Bible 01:13 to the Book of Acts and the 11 Chapter. 01:16 I will be using the New International Version. 01:20 Did you ever wandered through a graveyard 01:23 looking at the epitaphs on the tombstones. 01:28 One tombstone in our Georgia cemetery 01:31 reads 'I told you and I was sick', 01:35 a very unique epitaph is in the Maryland cemetery. 01:39 'Here lies an atheist 01:41 all dressed up and no place to go.' 01:47 I sometimes wonder if I should die tonight, 01:52 what my epitaph would be. 01:55 What would people be able to honestly say about you? 01:59 What would your epitaph be? 02:03 My favorite epitaph is that of Barnabas. 02:06 In Acts, the 11 Chapter and the 24 verse, 02:11 "He was a good man, 02:14 full of the Holy Spirit and faith, 02:17 and a great number of people were brought to the Lord." 02:23 He was a good man. 02:26 How simple, how profound, He was a good man. 02:33 Actually, Barnabas was also a rich man. 02:37 He was a hardworking man. 02:41 But the highest praise that can be bestowed 02:44 upon a Christian was bestowed on Barnabas. 02:47 He was a good man. 02:52 How could the Bible write that epitaph of Barnabas? 02:56 He was a good man. 02:58 What's the Bible definition of a good man, or a good woman? 03:05 Our lesson today is from the life of Barnabas 03:10 and it's just this, the good are those 03:14 who find good in others, this good man. 03:17 As we look at his life, 03:19 we find a Bible definition of what it means to be good. 03:22 The good are those who find good in others. 03:27 For example, the good encourage the discouraged. 03:34 Barnabas' father named him Joseph, 03:37 which means one who gets ahead. 03:41 But his peers nicknamed him Barnabas, 03:45 one who encourages others. 03:49 If your peers nicknamed you, those who live with you, 03:54 those who work with you, those who know you best. 03:57 If they put you into one nickname, 03:59 one word, what would that word be? 04:02 What word would best describe who you are? 04:08 The word that best described Barnabas, 04:10 apparently he was an encourager. 04:15 He encouraged the discouraged. 04:18 Three years after Paul's conversion, 04:21 the Jews tried to kill him in Damascus. 04:24 His friends lowered him over the wall 04:26 and he barely escaped with his life. 04:30 Discouraged Paul hurried for Jerusalem, 04:33 greatly in need of encouragement, 04:35 but the brother and sisters in Jerusalem 04:39 didn't trust their former persecutor. 04:42 Acts, the 9 Chapter and verses 26 and 27, 04:48 "When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, 04:52 but they were all afraid of him, 04:53 not believing that he really was a disciple. 04:56 But Barnabas took him 04:58 and brought him to the apostles. 05:01 He told them how Saul on his journey has seen the Lord 05:05 and that the Lord had spoken to him, 05:07 and how in Damascus he has preached 05:10 fearlessly in the name of Jesus." 05:16 Barnabas, the encourager. 05:21 You ever have your car stalled maybe off miles away 05:26 from nowhere, or maybe you had a dead battery 05:31 and there you sit all hopeless and all discouraged, 05:36 you have appointments to keep, 05:37 but you have no way to get there, discouraged. 05:42 And then someone pulls up alongside you. 05:46 Opens their hood and your hood, 05:48 brings out the jumper cables and in a few moments 05:52 you're up and away and gone. 05:57 This is what the word encourager, 05:59 Barnabas the encourager, 06:00 it means one who comes alongside. 06:04 Barnabas was one who came alongside 06:09 those who were discouraged 06:10 and helped them get going again. 06:15 Out there somewhere, 06:17 there is someone who would be in your church, 06:21 if they were not fearful of rejection. 06:25 Someone out there who needs a Barnabas 06:29 to introduce him to the believers. 06:34 You know, someone who's discouraged, 06:36 maybe sick or grieving or having family problems 06:41 or maybe financial hardships, 06:45 what are you doing to encourage them? 06:48 Are you an encourager of the discouraged? 06:55 Jackie Robinson was the first African-American 06:59 who played in major league baseball in the United States. 07:06 And the people simply were not used to seeing 07:10 a black man playing in major league baseball. 07:15 They booed him every place he went, 07:18 when he went down south, 07:20 they booed him from the stands 07:21 and when he came back to Brooklyn 07:23 and played at Ebbets field, they booed him there too. 07:28 One day in the midst of a game, 07:31 Jackie Robinson committed an error playing second base. 07:37 The stands erupted, they really gave 07:42 the poor second basement the raspberries. 07:48 Pee Wee Reese was Brooklyn's much admired shortstop 07:58 and Pee Wee Reese didn't say a word, 08:01 but he walked over to a second base 08:05 where Jackie was standing with his head down 08:09 and the shortstop reached up 08:12 and he put his hand on the arm of Jackie Robinson 08:22 and as he stood there, 08:24 the stands out of respect for Pee Wee Reese went quiet. 08:31 Jackie Robinson later said, 08:33 it was that hand on his arm that saved his career. 08:40 Have you put your hand on the arm 08:43 of someone who is discouraged? 08:46 The good according to the life of Barnabas are those 08:52 who find good and help the discouraged people. 08:59 The good are those who find good in all kinds of people. 09:04 Christians were persecuted in Jerusalem 09:06 especially after the stoning of Stephen 09:09 and they, they fled, then that's how Christianity 09:12 actually was dispersed. 09:13 Some of them went some 280 miles north 09:16 to a town called Antioch, 09:19 and there these Jewish Christians 09:22 began to actually share their faiths with the Gentiles. 09:26 We get the story in Acts, 09:29 the 11 Chapter and the 22 verse. 09:33 Acts 11 and verse 22, 09:37 "News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem 09:42 and they sent Barnabas to Antioch." 09:47 Barnabas, you see, 09:48 was able to see good in others, 09:51 both the holier than thou Jews and the licentious Gentiles. 09:56 He found the way to bring people together. 10:01 He was a good man, because he knew 10:03 how to bring people together. 10:08 Down in New Orleans, Katrina drowned people 10:13 out of their homes and up in Detroit, 10:19 there was a Victor Martin, 10:21 who owned a best western motel in Detroit 10:27 and he called the Detroit City officials 10:30 and said that if some of the refugees 10:35 were to come here his way, he would give them free rooms. 10:39 And sure enough, it wasn't too long 10:42 before an old Grand Cherokee pulled up in front of his motel 10:48 and out piled 11 people 10:50 and they were able to get 11 people in that old car 10:53 because they didn't have 10:55 a single thing to bring with them. 10:58 So he sent out to word to the community 11:01 and they began bringing close and before long, 11:05 he had two of his ballrooms filled with clothes. 11:10 He put a box out in the, the entrance to his motel 11:15 and people filled that up with cash day by day. 11:19 And he sent word out to the community 11:22 and they had a picnic together 11:24 and this man had the gift 11:27 of bringing very different people, 11:29 usually of different race 11:31 but he brought people together. 11:34 This was the gift of Barnabas, 11:38 one reason he was called a good man, 11:41 because he had the gift of bringing people together. 11:46 Now when Barnabas saw results, he welcomed change. 11:52 Very important, especially 11:54 for conservative Christians to understand. 11:57 Note, if you will now, verse 23, 12:00 "When he arrived and saw 12:02 the evidence of the grace of God, 12:05 he was glad and encouraged them all to remain 12:09 true to the Lord with all their hearts." 12:15 He welcomed change. 12:18 Now, this must not have been easy for Barnabas. 12:22 He was a Levite from the priestly tribe. 12:27 He had been emerged in Jewish law 12:30 and Jewish tradition deeply steeped in Jewish thinking 12:35 but he could change. 12:38 To many Christians find nothing 12:40 so unbearable in all the world as the pain of a new idea. 12:47 A new approach to worship, or new kinds of songs to sing, 12:52 a new kind of evangelistic outreach. 12:57 Now, it's important to know this, 12:59 not every change is good. 13:02 It says that Barnabas first of all checked it out 13:06 and after he had checked it out 13:09 and he had seen the good results 13:11 then he gave his whole-hearted support. 13:16 Now the good find good in problem youth. 13:24 Discouraged by circumstances, 13:27 young Mark had once given up traveling 13:31 with the other evangelists and serving the Lord. 13:35 Now, little later on in Acts 15 13:40 and verses 36 to 38 of Acts 15, 13:45 "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, 13:49 "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns 13:52 where we had preached the word of the Lord 13:54 and see how they are doing. 13:56 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, 13:59 with them, but Paul did not think it was wise to take him, 14:03 because he had deserted them in Pamphylia 14:05 and had not continued with them in the work." 14:10 And so there was a problem 14:12 that developed between Paul and Barnabas. 14:20 This fellow Mark had once worked together with them. 14:27 But when he found that the team was going 14:31 to head into the interior of Asia Minor, 14:34 Mark looked at the mountains 14:36 and the inhospitable country ahead 14:39 and he looked down in the harbor 14:40 where a ship was heading for Jerusalem 14:43 and this mama's boy went out and headed for home. 14:48 How many have started their Christian journey 14:51 and given up when the going gets hard? 14:55 Some Christian has been unkind 14:58 or some prayers seem to have been unanswered. 15:02 But encouraged by Barnabas, 15:04 Mark later got a second chance. 15:08 In verse 39, they had such, that is Paul and Barnabas, 15:13 "They had such a sharp disagreement 15:15 that they parted company. 15:17 Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus," 15:23 Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. 15:27 How I would love to be your Barnabas today. 15:32 If you have failed, if you have turned away 15:35 and you want another chance, 15:37 everybody deserves a second chance and this day, 15:42 God offered you a second chance. 15:46 The Christian army has a dreadful 15:48 history of shooting its wounded. 15:51 It's true, we must stand up for beliefs, 15:55 but we must always love people 15:57 who are hurting and people who are failing. 16:01 Everybody has right to a second chance. 16:04 How many marriages could be saved 16:06 if you were just willing to give a second chance? 16:10 How many youth would be saved 16:12 if we would just be willing to overlook 16:15 some of their mistakes in the past 16:17 and give them a second chance? 16:20 Be a Barnabas, one who encourages the discouraged. 16:25 It's tough time of life when you're young. 16:30 Catch young people doing 16:32 something right and commend them for it. 16:34 We're inclined to catch them 16:35 doing something wrong and condemn them for it. 16:40 Paul judged Mark by his past, 16:43 Barnabas by his potential, not by what he was, 16:48 but by what he might become. 16:52 And by the way, have you thanked 16:54 the Barnabases in your life? 16:57 Those in your past and maybe in your youth 17:00 who believed in you when others wrote you off. 17:05 Pastor William Stager was attending one of these classes 17:08 where he encouraged to write a note of appreciation 17:11 to somebody in your background 17:12 and he wrote to his old literature teacher. 17:16 She was the one who had somehow 17:19 brighten his mind and turned him on to, 17:22 to towards in language and literature 17:24 and he wrote to thank her for it 17:26 and received a reply back. 17:30 She said, 'I'm in my 80s and I'm alone. 17:36 I've spent my lifetime teaching. 17:38 I feel like I'm the last leaf to fall from the tree. 17:43 You're the first one to write and thank me." 17:48 If there is someone who helped you through your ills, 17:51 why not thank your Barnabas? 17:55 Now, how can we call Barnabas a good man? 17:59 Well another description we find, 18:01 the good grow where they're planted. 18:04 Barnabas did a first class job of second place. 18:10 I found 22 times, the names of Paul and Barnabas 18:15 are mentioned together and the first six times, 18:19 it was always Barnabas and Paul, 18:21 Barnabas and Paul, Barnabas and Paul. 18:24 Later on, almost invariably it became Paul and Barnabas, 18:29 Paul and Barnabas, the one who had first been paramount, 18:33 it became secondary. 18:36 When you're behind someone pushing them forward, 18:40 you're not going to be very visible. 18:44 But Barnabas was contained, 18:45 he grew where he was planted. 18:49 You ever hear that silly little ditty, 18:52 'I'm the only little petunia in an onion patch, 18:57 an onion patch, an onion patch. 19:00 I'm the only little petunia in an onion patch 19:03 and all I do is cry all day. 19:07 Boo hoo, boo hoo, all I do is cry all day." 19:14 Some people spend their lifetime crying 19:19 about where they have been planted. 19:24 If I just had different parents, 19:26 if I just had a different job or a different spouse 19:30 or different looks or different gifts 19:31 or different circumstances. 19:37 Now how would you go about seeing good in others? 19:41 We learn this lesson also from Barnabas. 19:45 How do we go about seeing good in others. 19:48 We do it by comparing ourselves only with Christ. 19:52 You see, when we compare ourselves with others, 19:55 we are tempted to look further bad 19:58 in order to make ourselves look good. 20:04 Notice Acts, the 11 Chapter and the 24 verse, 20:10 Acts 11:24, this was our first text 20:14 and notice once more, 20:15 "He, speaking of Barnabas, was a good man, 20:18 full of the Holy Spirit and faith, 20:21 and a great number of people were brought to the Lord." 20:27 A great number of people were brought to the Lord, 20:32 because he had faith. 20:36 What does it mean? 20:37 Christian faith means trusting Christ, faith in Christ. 20:42 He trust in Christ to put him where he needed to be, 20:45 to do what he ought to be doing. 20:47 Barnabas didn't have any need to compare himself with Paul. 20:51 He trusted the one Christ made him. 20:54 He didn't need another great preacher. 20:55 He needed a great encourager. 20:59 Barnabas was continually looking on to Jesus, 21:03 the author and finisher of our faith. 21:09 In my school, when I was a kid, 21:12 we used to have the alphabet on the border, 21:18 just above the blackboard. 21:22 And when I was trying to learn, to write, 21:26 I wasn't very good at it. 21:28 But I didn't have to look at the student next to me 21:31 or even the teacher who wrote, 21:33 I thought so beautifully. 21:35 I could look up there, like the perfect pattern 21:38 and by watching and studying 21:40 and following the perfect pattern, 21:43 eventually even I learned to write. 21:48 You don't have to look at your peers to know what is right. 21:52 You don't have to look at just the leaders 21:54 around you, you look at Christ. 21:56 Look up at the perfect pattern. 22:00 Looking on to Jesus. Looking for Jesus everywhere. 22:06 We're able to find something 22:08 a little bit Christ like in everyone. 22:15 Did you catch that? 22:17 If we look for Jesus everywhere, 22:20 we will find a little bit of Christ in everyone. 22:29 You look at world around you and you see Christ 22:34 because you're wanting to look for Christ everywhere. 22:38 You open the book and you see Christ, 22:41 because you're committed to finding Christ, 22:44 looking for Christ everywhere. 22:46 If you're totally committed 22:48 to looking for Christ everywhere, 22:50 then when you look at other people, 22:52 you're going to look for the Christ in them too, 22:54 because there is a little bit of Christ 22:56 in every man and every woman. 23:00 So it starts with focusing on Jesus 23:04 and I am going to see Jesus everywhere 23:09 in everything and in everyone. 23:13 It changes our whole approach to living 23:15 and it certainly changes our approach 23:18 to relationships with other people. 23:22 Because if I look for Christ everywhere, 23:25 I'm going to look for Christ in every person I meet. 23:30 So what a contribution encouragers make. 23:37 Without the encourager, 23:38 possibly there would have been no Gospel of Mark. 23:44 Perhaps, wouldn't have been no writings of Paul. 23:48 If Barnabas had not taken Mark back, 23:51 he might have just kind of slipped into oblivion. 23:55 If Barnabas had not brought Paul to the brethren 23:59 and encouraged them to pay attention to Paul, 24:02 then writings of Paul 24:03 would probably never have been accepted, 24:07 perhaps the books would never have been written. 24:11 Barnabas never wrote a book of the Bible, 24:15 but Barnabas encouraged two men 24:19 who wrote nearly one-half of the New Testament. 24:27 Be a Barnabas, the good man. 24:30 The good are those who find good in others. 24:36 The good encourage the discouraged. 24:40 The good find good in all kinds of people. 24:45 The good find good in problem, 24:48 the young people and the good grow 24:53 where they're planted. 24:56 How can I be that kind of good person? 25:01 How can I see good in everybody? 25:04 To see good in others, 25:06 we compare ourselves only with Christ. 25:09 Be so focused on Him, 25:12 that you see a little bit of Him in everyone you meet 25:18 and you see a little bit of Him everywhere you go. 25:21 Look for Christ in your fellowmen, 25:24 that's what it means, 25:26 to always be looking on to Jesus. 25:31 The U.S. Marine Corps is always looking for volunteers. 25:36 They're always are in need of more volunteers, 25:40 local recruiter, he's given assignment, 25:42 he's got to attract certain number of volunteers 25:47 and so they advertise perpetually for volunteers. 25:51 And the slogan which I'm sure 25:53 you have seen many times in many places, 25:57 'we're looking for a few good men.' 26:04 Christ is too, you know. 26:06 Christ is in desperate need of volunteers. 26:11 He's always looking for volunteers. 26:15 He's looking for a few good men and women. 26:20 He's looking for more Barnabases in our day. 26:24 He's looking for volunteers 26:26 who will be like Barnabas, encouragers. 26:31 Remember, the good are those who find good in others. 26:38 Let's pray, Father, 26:43 we do want to be Barnabases. 26:47 Please help us focus our lines on You and on our Lord 26:55 so completely that we see 26:58 a little bit of You in everyone we meet. 27:03 Use us I pray, to always be encouragers of others. 27:09 This is our prayer in Jesus name, amen. 27:15 May I challenge you now, go out and be a Barnabas. 27:21 Find somebody that needs encouragement 27:26 and share encouragement with them. 27:30 Thank you so much for tuning 27:34 into 'Faith Chapel' again today. 27:37 I hope I'd a little time together. 27:40 Be of some practical help to you, 27:43 as by looking to Jesus, 27:46 you want to become more and more like Him 27:49 and see Him more and more in other people. 27:52 May God richly bless you and yours. |
Revised 2014-12-17