Perseverance – 5/16/10

Sermon Series:

Acts – Faith Explosion

Text: Acts 19:8-10
Title:

Perseverance

(5/16/10)
“And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:8-10, ESV)
Theme: This message is about the need to be steadfast in our evangelistic efforts. We have to show up and be there consistently in order to accomplish the kingdom which God has called us to do. Secondarily we need to know when to withdraw from those to whom we are evangelizing. When they damage “the way” we need to walk away.
Introduction: The story is told that Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then the President of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?” “Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat — he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andrew Jackson would throw him and be the winner.” Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed’.” We may face setbacks, but we must take courage and go forward in faith. Then, through the Holy Spirit’s power we can be the eventual victor over sin and the world. The battle is the Lord’s, so there is no excuse for us to stay “throwed”!

Transition: A quick reminder of Paul coming to Ephesus on the third missionary tour and his stay there for a period of over three years.
I. Steadfast
a. He reasoned and persuaded in the synagogue for 3 months
i. This was the longest time that he manages to keep from getting kicked out of the synagogue.
1. Don’t know how long he taught in the Syn. In Corinth but it appears to be a very short time.
2. In Thessalonica it was 3 Sabbaths.
3. In Antioch of Pisidia it was 2 Sabbaths
4. A lot of the time, the narrative does not give us how long they managed to continue speaking in the Synagogue but it usually seems to be about 3-4 Sabbaths before the Jews get upset at their message and ask them to leave.
5. Here in Ephesus the three month span that they get to remain in the Synagogue is quite long.
b. He then rented a lecture hall and continued to reason and persuade for two years.
i. Once the Jews became intractable in their unbelief he continued to evangelize the city of Ephesus by renting a hall and lecturing about Christianity to all that would show up.
1. This was done daily.
ii. I imagine that this was not a completely comfortable time. He was saying some things that all of the people did not agree with.
c. Showing up
i. The owner of what is now the largest employer in the world has said that the number one qualification of a good employee is one that shows up. As Christians we have a job, we are given a service to perform and the first thing that we have to do is to show up.
ii. Show up regardless of whether you want to. Show up regardless of how you feel. – Show up
d. Becoming steadfast –
i. Going through difficult times in our lives produces steadfastness – Romans 5:3
ii. By seeing this characteristic in more mature Christians and patterning our lives after them – 2 Tim. 3:10 “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,” (2 Timothy 3:10, ESV)
iii. By the encouragement of the rest of the body – Hebrews 3:12-14 “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:12-14, ESV)
iv. Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish composer-pianist, was once scheduled to perform at a great American concert hall for a high-society extravaganza. In the audience was a mother with her fidgety nine-year-old son. Weary of waiting, the boy slipped away from her side, strangely drawn to the Steinway on the stage. Without much notice from the audience, he sat down at the stool and began playing “chopsticks.” The roar of the crowd turned to shouts as hundreds yelled, “Get that boy away from there!” When Paderewski heard the uproar backstage, he grabbed his coat and rushed over behind the boy. Reaching around him from behind, the master began to improvise a countermelody to “Chopsticks.” As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear, “Keep going. Don’t quit, son…don’t stop…don’t stop.”
II. Knowing when to Withdrew
a. Eventually Paul’s Jewish audience in the synagogue became “stubborn” and “spoke evil” of the way.
i. The word that describes their heart condition was originally formed as a medical term denoting the hardness of a skeleton or a desiccated body.
1. Sometimes we witness to people well past the due date.
a. We sometimes have more concern for themselves then they do.
b. Someone else’s heart is not ours to change, that is between God and them.
ii. We have one job – tell the truth, trust God.
b. There will be times when no matter how well we have comported ourselves, no matter how well we have testified, people will not come into relationship with the Lord. Our job is not to please the people that are in our sphere of influence but to live our lives for an audience of one.
This year when Duke faced off against Butler in the NCAA tournament, one of the Duke players – Nolan Smith came to the stadium in Indianapolis with an NCAA championship already on his finger. No, he had not played on a team that had won the big show yet, and he was not even born when that ring was forged, but his father, Derek, was on that great Louisville team that defeated the UCLA Bruins in March of 1980.
Unfortunately Derek died unexpectedly when Nolan was only 8 years old, but that doesn’t stop him from honoring his father through his own career. Nolan says that remembering his father adds an intensity to his game and the tattoo that he wears on his shoulder definitely illustrates that. It is a portrait of his father that says Watching over you, underneath it.