Ready to die for the Name of Jesus Christ 2nd Sept, 2012

Written by Rev Law Hui Seng,

Posted by Teresa Han

AMC


Acts 21:1-16

Main Idea: Be ready to die for Jesus

Objectives: a. To teach church members to be ready to die for Jesus.

b. To teach the congregation to do God’s will like apostle Paul.

A. Introduction

- I have preached about making sacrifice for Jesus here and there. I believe some of us who are ready (especially if you know Jesus and His teachings), you are ready for it. May be some of us who are not so ready you may resent it or be scared about it. All the more, you can be scared by the teaching today!

- Today, I go a step further, I bring you a model of how an apostle, like Paul who was ready to die for the name of Jesus. It is not just making sacrifices for Jesus but be ready to die for Jesus. I pray that at the end of the day, you will not misunderstand the teaching of the word of God today. I pray that you will not leave this church because of this sermon. I pray that as you understand Apostle Paul better through the whole book of Acts, you will understand why he was so ready to die in the name of Jesus.

- You may think that everything is so good, why be ready to die for Jesus? Those of you who are young, you have a bright future to look forward to, i.e., to find a career and to set up a family. Those of you who are established, and life is good. You may ask if we are facing the danger like Paul already, where because of faith, belief in Jesus, and preaching Jesus your life can be at stake.

- I want to preach to you this sermon because I want to prepare you when the situation comes.

- The title of my sermon is taken from Acts 21: 13, “…I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

B. Ready to die for Jesus

- This is part of Apostle Paul’s third missionary journey; it was full of challenges because the Holy Spirit urged him not to go on to Jerusalem. I want you to take note that the writer Luke in the whole of Acts emphasized the work of Holy Spirit in the work of mission by Paul and his fellow apostles and disciples.

- In verse 4, we are told that when their ship landed at Tyre, they found the disciples there who urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem through the Holy Spirit. Before this chapter, in addressing the Ephesian elders, in Acts 20: 22-24, he says, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Paul himself was also warned by the Holy Spirit concerning the dangers like imprisonment and hardships waiting for him at Jerusalem.

- Form Tyre, Apostle Paul and fellow disciples went to Ptolemais, and from there they moved to Caesarea and met up with Philip the evangelist (Acts 8: 26 -40, Philip and the Ethiopean), after more than 20 years (he was chased out of Jerusalem by the persecutor Saul then), they met again. You can imagine how the Holy Spirit used Jesus’ gospel to bring the two of them together. Verse 10 says they stayed together for a number of days.

- Then a prophet by the name of Agabus came down from Judea, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, in verse 11, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

- When the group of disciples heard the prophecy, in verse 12, they pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. This is when Paul differed from them, and he said something we need to learn from him in verse 13, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

- When Paul was not persuaded, in verse 14, Luke said they gave up persuading him, instead, they agreed with Paul that it was God’s will to go to Jerusalem.

- As I studied this passage, I noticed there seemed to be a contradiction between the works of the Holy Spirit. On one hand, the disciples at Tyre upon the prompting the Holy Spirit, they advised Paul not to go to Jerusalem; and prophet Agabus warned him in a symbolic manner how he was going to be chained and given over the Gentiles. On the other hand, Paul, disagreed with the persuasion not to go; and he responded with his readiness to be chained and die for the name of Jesus! Is there a contradiction of the work of the Holy Spirit. One commentator said no as Paul received a higher calling to do God’s will.

- My own reflection is this: It is very normal for the Holy Spirit to protect God’s people from harms and dangers, as we remained close with Him, we will be informed of the forthcoming dangers. For the fellow disciples to persuade him with tears not to go Jerusalem as his life was at stake. May be they did not want him to die earlier; and they did the persuasion out of love for Paul. They really hoped Paul would remain around on earth to accomplish more for Jesus.

- For Paul, his utmost concern was not life or death, his motive was whether his life was in danger or not! His motive was stated in Acts 20:24”…I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

- When confronted with choosing life and testifying to the gospel of God’s grace, Apostle Paul felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to choose the later. He was so focussed on the mission of Jesus!

- Can we pray for this spirit of Paul to prevail in the Methodist circles? That is why I entitled my sermon, “Are you ready to die in the name of Jesus Christ?”

C. Applications

- Now remember Apostle Paul was a tent-maker, he got a job like those of us who are working. What he was different from us may be in terms of the office hours he did not need to follow. He was like some of us, who was converted as an adult to be a Christian.

- He could be so focused in preaching and testifying Christ. What made him so much into doing God’s will? It is very clear that doing God’s will is more important than the security of his life. Why is there such focus and great priority? I strongly believe that there is no other answer than Jesus Christ is the saviour, Messiah, the true God, who is responsible for his eternal life and the rest of the world. If he was not sure of it, why he was so ready to be killed by His opponents? Before this, Jesus was also certain of His own identity as God, and He was prepared to die for this identity.

- Paul had known Jesus and experienced Him so much that He felt the best in life is to do His mission and will on earth. Will you and I do the same?

- After preaching to you all these, I still need to ask you the question: Are you ready to die in the name of Jesus? If your answer is no, I can understand why. My mission here is to help you to upgrade from ‘not ready to die in the name of Jesus’ to ‘ready to die in name of Jesus’. It is not by might and power but in the power of the power of the Holy Spirit.

- I must tell you I myself is ready to die in the name of Jesus anytime. I have come to the point in life after studying the bible as a whole and experiencing Jesus, I find that what counts the most in life is Jesus and His mission. And so I want to preach to you this morning, in order to get ready in the name of Jesus, you need to work at these two things:

- Firstly, know Jesus Christ, your Lord, as far as possible, inside out by studying the whole bible. You have your whole life to do it. You have to be convinced by the person of Jesus, His words and works (mission).

- Secondly, you will expect me to say it: in view of Jesus (especially His words and works), when you compare the values of your life, your soul, your material possession, your family, your status, your money, your time on earth, with all the eternal values that Jesus offers, whatever you have is so insignificant; and so in order to be ready to die in Jesus name, you need let go and let God in the person of Jesus to have the final say about your everything in life. When someone challenges you to give up your faith or stop you from obeying Jesus and threaten to kill you if you do so, ready or not to die in the name of Jesus Christ all depend on whether you have let go of everything, especially your own life. If your bottom line or utmost concern is your parents still need; your wife or husband or children or your company or your money still you to take care, you simply are not ready to die in Jesus’ name. You are still very far from the readiness.

- On the other hand, if you are ready to die for Jesus, in whatever circumstance, then, you are going to be strong and powerful for Jesus. You are strong because you are not afraid to die for the mission of Jesus. You are powerful because your mission on earth for Jesus is going to bring lasting fruits in terms of people of all races becoming disciples of Jesus.

D. Conclusion

- I pray that you venture into the privilege of getting ready to die in the name of Jesus in your life time. This is not talking about not afraid to die; but be ready to die in the name of Jesus, in other words, to die for the cause or mission of Jesus.

E. Discussion Questions

1. How your readiness to die for the name of Jesus affects your ministry?

2. Share a few possibilities in your environment where you have to be ready to die for the name of Jesus.