July 13, 2014
Morning Service

The Book of Acts is the story of the beginning of the church Jesus said he would build in Matthew 16:18.  This is the same church that we belong to as we assemble together this morning in His name.  We have seen an exciting beginning on the day of Pentecost, the persecution that followed, the first martyr, the chief enemy be called into leadership, and the inclusion of the Gentiles.  Today we will see the first of the twelve to give his life for the faith and what that means for us.

Act 12:1-2 And at that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to oppress some of those of the church.  (2)  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

• This was Herod Agrippa I, who was the grandson to Herod the Great who consulted the magi at Jesus birth.  His uncle was Herod Antipas who beheaded John the Baptist.  Paul will speak with his son later in this book.
• Herod Agrippa was an observer of the Law of Moses and went to great lengths to please the Jewish people.  It was this that motivated him to have James killed by the sword or most likely beheaded.
• This was the apostle James, the son of Zebedee, and the brother of John.  He was a member of the inner circle of three (Peter and John) who were allowed to see the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter and Jesus on the mount of transfiguration.  He and his brother also asked Jesus for positions of authority in His coming kingdom.

Mat 20:20-23 Then the mother of Zebedee's children came to Him with her sons, worshiping and desiring a certain thing from Him.  (21)  And He said to her, “What do you desire?” She said to Him, “Grant that these my two sons may sit in Your kingdom, the one on Your right hand and the other on the left.”  (22)  But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”  (23)  And He said to them, “You shall indeed drink of My cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

·         The two brothers not only desired to follow Jesus, but to become leaders in His kingdom.  Jesus questions their commitment to the reward they desired.  Were they willing to carry their cross to receive this crown?  They were indeed as Jesus knew and history tells us.

·         In our study of Luke, we saw Jesus spell out this cost of discipleship for all of His followers including us.

Luke 9:23-25  And He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  (24)  For whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever will lose his life for My sake, he shall save it.  (25) For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and is destroyed or lost.”

·         James did just this.  He indeed endured his cross in hope of his crown.

·         Do we understand that each of us has been given a cross to bear?  We are asked to follow Jesus regardless to the circumstance we find ourselves in.  We as the church (the Bride of Christ) are married to Him and must be willing to follow the common wedding vows of “For richer or poorer and in sickness and in health.”

·         We have NOT been given an exemption from all of life’s difficulties.  In this life, we are simply promised that He will never leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5) and  He will turn all things that happen to us into good (Rom. 8:28).

·         We will never be alone and the cross we are asked to carry will lead to our eternal reward.  We must believe this and learn to trust Him through everything.  We are able to do this by denying ourselves and giving our lives totally to Him.

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Christian who was martyred in the Holocaust, was quoted in saying, “When Christ calls a man, He bids Him to come and die.”

·         Jesus told the two brothers that they would be baptized with the same baptism as Him.  One died a martyr’s death and the other lived a martyr’s life.

·         We too are called to die.  Paul describes our baptism like this:

 

Rom 6:1-9 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?  (2)  Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  (3)  Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?  (4)  Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life.  (5)  For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection;  (6)  knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin.  (7)  For he who died has been justified from sin.  (8)  But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, (9) knowing that when Christ was raised from the dead, He dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him.

·         Baptism is the spiritual beginning of our walk with God.  It symbolizes our death and burial to our “old man” and our resurrection into the “newness of life.”  We spiritually “lose our lives, so that we may be saved.”

·         Paul wrote to the Colossian church and stated it this way:

Col 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.  (2)  Be mindful of things above, not on things on the earth.  (3)  For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.

·         He goes on through that chapter to explain the things we are to die out to.  He tells us to “put off” a whole list of worldly attributes and asks us to “put on” the attributes of God.  Essentially he says die out to these things and live My way.

 

James was asked to die for his faith.  We, like John, are asked simply to live for ours.  How we handle the trials, troubles, and obligations of our life reflects what we truly believe.  We as His church will continually carry this cross; to live in such a manner that we bring glory to His Name regardless of our circumstances.

 

Lord, may we be found faithful in carrying our cross.