Sunday, September 9, 2007

"Don't Be Alarmed! He's Alive!"

Acts 20:1~12
Overview of the passage:
Key parts: v 1—encourage them
v 2—words of encouragement to the people
v 7—came together to break bread
v 11—broke bread
v 12—were greatly encouraged

Is there a theme here? Encouragement is so important to the life of anyone. A newborn baby NEEDS touch (encouragement) or the baby will die.

Here we have a man, such as Paul, who was in the Work of encouragement. The man who helped him first was Barnabas who’s name meant “Son of Encouragement.”

Paul was in the work of giving a blessing-of having the people learn of the Gift of Salvation thru mutual encouragement. This is where people like yourselves get such a thing. A great place to sing in front of people. Cook for people. Aid the children. Teach the teens. Care for the aged. Public reading. Acting. Leading. As THIS is a Family who shows care and concern for its members.

Here, in these church meetings, Paul calls to his side the different members of fellowship to appeal to them or exhort them to the Lord or to comfort them with the Word of Lord. This verbal ‘presentation’ of the Word is called a sermon today. This is the demonstration of God’s Holy Spirit to exhort and encourage the follow Believers to continue or persevere with the Faith thru hard times, in faith, when faced with trials and especially persecutions.

使徒言行録 / 11章 23節
Acts 11:23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
バルナバはそこに到着すると、神の恵みが与えられた有様を見て喜び、そして、固い決意をもって主から離れることのないようにと、皆に勧めた。

使徒言行録 / 14章 22節
Acts14:22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God," they said.
弟子たちを力づけ、「わたしたちが神の国に入るには、多くの苦しみを経なくてはならない」と言って、信仰に踏みとどまるように励ました。

ローマの信徒への手紙 / 12章 8節
Rom 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
勧める人は勧めに精を出しなさい。施しをする人は惜しまず施し、指導する人は熱心に指導し、慈善を行う人は快く行いなさい。

His three-month stay was most likely the result of the winter travel warnings. Sea travel was to be avoided—like flying thru Denver, CO in Feb. (Not possible.) He avoids further harm or possible death by NOT taking sail with the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. Why put yourself in a container filled with religious zealots when you can take the same trip on a safer route. In any case, he does get to celebrate the Christian Easter that year in Philippi in A.D. 57 (April 7-14) and took a five day sea journey against contrary winds that would usually take only three or four days. He did this to send a message to those he had ministered to and with. That message was demonstrated in the middle of his sermon/report when a young man fell out of a third story window and died.

When Paul got there, the young man had been pronounced dead. But Paul had another pronouncement to make. Like the Old Testament prophet, Elijah in 1 Kings 17:19-24 19 "Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"

The young man’s life returns. This is pronounced with Paul’s statement: "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"

Where have you heard those words before? It has become THE MAIN catchall phrase of the New Testament and beyond! Jesus is Alive! He is not Dead! He has risen from the dead! He is not in the grave! Death could not hold Him!

And when things fall out of windows in our lives, and they fall to the ground and die, we need that kind of refreshing promise as well. “Don’t be alarmed! He’s alive!”

Turn to Mark 16:1-7
マルコによる福音書 / 16章 1節安息日が終わると、マグダラのマリア、ヤコブの母マリア、サロメは、イエスに油を塗りに行くために香料を買った。2:そして、週の初めの日の朝ごく早く、日が出るとすぐ墓に行った。3:彼女たちは、「だれが墓の入り口からあの石を転がしてくれるでしょうか」と話し合っていた。4:ところが、目を上げて見ると、石は既にわきへ転がしてあった。石は非常に大きかったのである。5:墓の中に入ると、白い長い衣を着た若者が右手に座っているのが見えたので、婦人たちはひどく驚いた。6:若者は言った。「驚くことはない。あなたがたは十字架につけられたナザレのイエスを捜しているが、あの方は復活なさって、ここにはおられない。御覧なさい。お納めした場所である。7:さあ、行って、弟子たちとペトロに告げなさい。『あの方は、あなたがたより先にガリラヤへ行かれる。かねて言われたとおり、そこでお目にかかれる』と。」

Does that do anything for you? Knowing that He lives gives us such a lead on life! A head start! We do not serve or worship a dead Savior. He is alive!

And here after Paul does his ‘thing’ on him, goes upstairs and broke bread with the Family WHILE the young man is sitting there, and they were all to remember the first resurrection. The young man is there in front of them, as a reminder of the FACT that Jesus too, was resurrected. Both are alive! A few years before, One, who’s death and resurrection made this second resurrection even possible! Eutychus was there as a proof that this message was indeed True.

What will it take for some to bring themselves to believe this story of God’s Love? Why is it so hard to believe such a wonderful Truth? Do we want it to be harder? Following the Truth will be harder than believing it, believe me!

Verses in today’s message come from the NIV and 検索対象:新共同訳。
PLEASE NOTE that next week is our Covered Dish Sunday. Come and worship with us and then stay for the meal. You bring some food or drinks to share!

See you next week!

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