Monday, January 29, 2018

January 27-29, 2018 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Acts 13:1-12 “SET APART FOR THE WORK OF THE LORD!”


EPIPHANY 3

January 27-29, 2018

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Acts 13:1-12



“SET APART FOR THE WORK OF THE LORD!”



Acts 13:1-12 (NIV 1984) “In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the Word of God. 8But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10“You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.”



          “What’s with all the names?” beginning and long time Bible readers say the same thing, feel the same way. In this reading it’s not so bad. Just Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen and Saul. But sometimes in the Old Testament you really hit a buzzsaw. Genesis 10. But the names are important. The Holy Spirit put them there for His reasons. One of them certainly is to teach us that God’s love and care, His plans and purposes, do not stop at the collective level of nations or families but extends to the very individual. Yes, they extend to you. What wonderful news from God we get as His word shows us we are set apart for the work of the Lord!

          Before we get to us, let’s look at others. The Book of Acts is the history of the early Christian church. It teaches us how God chooses to do His work after Jesus completed the work of salvation. God would use people. All kinds of different people.  “In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Saul and Barnabas were set apart for the Lord. Two very different people. Barnabas had a very good reputation and a good past. He was a Levite from the island of Cyprus whose given name was Joseph but was called Barnabas because he was an encourager. He was generous too. And Saul, well, you know Saul, whose other name was Paul. His past was horrible. He had been the church destroyer, heartlessly dragging men and women to prison leaving children parentless. Yet both were set apart for the work of the Lord.

          For them it meant some travel. “So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.” You can see the journey they had to make. Service to the Lord is not always easy. There are sacrifices to be made, work to be done. And the messages you send aren’t always well received either. “They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the Word of God. 8But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10“You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”  More names. Individuals to God. A proconsul, like a governor,  named Sergius Paulus. A false prophet named Bar-Jesus called Elymas after his profession. One needed some bad news.

          Some of you know that our daughter Anna has entered a nursing program. We have discovered that one of the downsides to this pursuit is she knows a little too much. Over Christmas vacation she was warning us of bad habits and alerting us to possible conditions. “Daddy,” she said, “I’ve diagnosed you with halitosis.” “Nonsense!” I said, “My breath doesn’t stink to me at all.” Oh, and for the record I don’t snore either. I have never ever heard myself snore. But I can have bad breath, a sort of holy halitosis and so can you, as did Saul and Barnabas. Words that stink to others when you proclaim the truth. And yet those same words that stunk to Eymas were sweet to Sergius Paulus. “When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.” Did you catch that? He wasn’t amazed at the immediate blindness of Elymas, he was amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

          And that’s why it is so important for every one of us here to understand that we are all set apart for the work of the Lord, each in our own way. Now the Devil will try to distract and make you feel worthless and unimportant and that if you aren’t called pastor or teacher you are not doing the work of the Lord. I’ve heard some sisters say, “Well I’m just a mom.” I know of mom who never got paid for all the work she did once she got married but who brought her children up knowing Jesus and collectively between them they have proclaimed to the teaching of the Lord to tens of thousands and she was just a mom. I know of some dairy farmers who said our cows need us we can’t do church work but you can so we will pay you a lot of money for a little work so you can speak for us and they were just farmers. I know of a brother who has said I’m not good at speaking but I know how to invest what does the church need? And he is just a retiree. I know of a sister who has placed mission work in her will and she is just a widow. And now you see the beauty of how God works in His church. Each one set apart for the work of the Lord. Some have come with good reputations some with bad. Some of you children today might be ones who seem to always find yourself in trouble at home or at school and yet the Lord is going to wash your past away like He did with Saul and he has plans for you because He has set you aside for the work of the Lord. Once you have received the call to faith you never again be just a cop or just a doctor or just a teacher or just a grandma or just a kid or just a retiree. Open your eyes. You have set apart for the work of the Lord. Opportunities will be there, the most obvious and often overlooked are right there in your own home and with your own relatives and your friend group. Sometimes your words spoken in love to correct your children or your student or your parents will be holy halitosis and they will be mad at you and angry with you but to others those words will be sweet as they believe and are amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

          That’s what all the names are about. Individuals. Loved by the Lord. Known by the Lord. Gifted by the Lord the way He wants. Doing different things that are important like tending cows or bandaging knees or making wise and profitable investments or counseling a pregnant woman. Each individual name with another name. Believer in Jesus and with Him you can never be just an anything. You’ve have been set apart for the work of the Lord. Amen.


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