1.
Please pray with
me. May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our
Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word is taken from
Acts 4:32-37 and is entitled, “Resurrection—A
Name & Life Changer,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
People get nicknames for a variety of reasons.
Some come by a physical trait, like Shorty for height or Red for hair color. A
nickname could be a shortened form of a longer given name, one that’s easier to
say: Bart for Bartholomew; Beth for Elizabeth. Sometimes, you can’t be sure
where a nickname came from. It seems quite a few guys have the nickname “Bud.”
Not sure where that comes from, but it’s fairly common.
3.
The same is true
for people who lived in biblical days. The disciple Simon was given another
name: Peter. It meant “the Rock,” for the solid confession he made. One day
Jesus asked who his disciples believed he was, and Simon said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God” (Mark 16:16). Great answer, solid as a rock. Now he’s known as Peter.
The disciples James and John wanted to call down a storm of destruction on a
town that didn’t treat Jesus with respect. Their nicknames: Sons of Thunder. On
this day, the Second Sunday of Easter, we remember that we’ve given a nickname
to someone who didn’t believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. We now call
him Doubting Thomas.
4.
In the First
Reading from Acts, we come across another nickname: Barnabas. The man’s name is
Joseph, but he’s called Barnabas. Why? Because of what he so often did. He was
an encourager. He built people up. He gave of himself to take care of others.
He supported those who were all alone. He was a “son of encouragement.” That’s what Barnabas means. What
a great nickname! Barnabas, the encourager. Now that’s a nickname all of us
could have. All of us can be encouragers, just like Joseph from Cyprus. Call me
Barnabas. Yes, that’s got a wonderful ring to it.
5.
So how did Joseph
become Barnabas, the encourager? Look at Acts 4:33, and you’ll see the key to
his nickname: “And with great power the
apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and
great grace was upon them all.” The name Barnabas is a resurrection
nickname. He becomes the encourager because of the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
He encourages people because Jesus’ resurrection has brought grace to his life.
But Jesus’ resurrection is not just a name changer; it’s also a life changer.
6.
When Jesus rose
from the dead, people’s lives were changed. Peter denies Jesus when things get
tough. On the night when Jesus is betrayed, our Lord ends up on trial. He’s
headed to the cross. Peter is watching all this play out. Three times people
accuse him of being one of Jesus’ disciples. Three times he says, “I’m not.” No rock-solid confession that
night. He’s disgraced by denial. But later, Jesus, alive, body glorified, meets
Peter on a beach and restores him. Changed by his
meeting with the risen Jesus, Peter rises up to become a great apostle in the
Early Church. Same for Thomas. He doesn’t believe. “Got to show me,” he says. And Jesus does just that. “Here, put your hand into the nail marks,
Thomas.” Everything changes. He believes. He, too, becomes a great apostle in
the Early Church. He, too, is changed by the resurrection.
7.
We don’t know if
Barnabas ever personally saw Jesus risen from the dead. But it doesn’t matter. The
message of Jesus’ resurrection the apostles proclaimed was powerful and life
changing too. It changed Barnabas. Jesus, the risen Lord, came to him in that
message, and Joseph of Cyprus became Barnabas, the encourager.
8.
The same is true
for us. The message of Jesus’ resurrection changes us. Are you struggling with a
sin? Jesus is risen from the dead! Your life is changed because whatever that
sin is, you are forgiven. Are you
doubting God’s love? Jesus is risen from the dead! Doubt becomes faith strong
once again, because his death was because he loves you, and the resurrection proves that was his plan.
Are you too easily angered? Jesus is risen from the dead! Relax and be
calm in his peace, because he lives to take care of whatever upsets you. Are you afraid of getting sick, losing your
job, losing someone you love? Jesus is risen from the dead! He is with you
always, no matter what. Are you weak and
heavy laden? Jesus is risen from the dead! He listens to the prayers you take
to him. Are you complaining and jealous
of what others have and you don’t? Jesus is risen from the dead! Contentment
comes from the Lord, who lives to grant you rich supply. Are you trying not even to think of your death?
Jesus is risen from the dead! You, too, will rise, as will everyone who
confesses him as did Peter, as did Thomas.
Are you crabby and negative? Jesus is risen from the dead! He can change
you to be a Barnabas.
9.
Yes, you can be a
Barnabas too. Just look at what Barnabas did. He had some property, a field. We
don’t know how big it was. We don’t know how much he got for it. We don’t know
if he had other fields. Doesn’t matter. What’s important is that he did not
consider that field as his own. No, he knew it was God’s gift to him to use
wisely. So he sold the field and brought the money to the apostles. What was
the money used for? For those in need in the church. He saw that some people
didn’t have enough. He sold the field. He gave the money.
10.
You can guess
what the result was: the people in need were encouraged. Someone cared for them.
Someone knew what they were going through and wanted to help. Someone was
willing to give away what he had to make sure they had enough. You know who else was encouraged? Those in
the church who watched Barnabas do this. They were encouraged that someone
would be so generous. They saw that what they had wasn’t their own either but
was the Lord’s gift to them. They gave too. In that church, at that time, none
of the members was in need. Barnabas, the encourager, changed by the
resurrected Jesus, helped make that happen.
11.
Do you see what
the resurrection looks like? It’s the grace and power of Jesus working in
Joseph’s life so he’d get a resurrection nickname: the son of encouragement. It’s not the only time Barnabas was an
encourager. The apostle Paul started many of the churches after Jesus rose from
the dead. He wrote many books of the New Testament. But, he was not always such
a passionate proclaimer of Jesus’ resurrection. No, at one time Paul persecuted
the church, and he was good at it. He arrested people who were Christians. He
was happy when some of the early believers were put to death because of their
faith. But then he met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Everything changed. The persecutor became the
proclaimer. He wanted everyone to believe in Jesus. But not everyone believed
he had changed. Many were still afraid of him.
12.
You know who
helped pave the way for Paul to be accepted by the other disciples? Barnabas. He
spoke up for Paul. He vouched for him and traveled with him. He put his life
and reputation on the line for Paul. His words encouraged Paul. That
encouragement could have been one of the reasons Paul became the apostle who
started so many churches, who took the powerful message of Jesus’ resurrection
throughout the ancient world. Barnabas, the encourager.
13.
Here we
are today. We’ve heard the powerful message of God’s grace. Jesus is risen from
the dead. He is at work in our lives. He is changing us. We can each be a
modern-day Barnabas. What does that look like today?
Barnabas spoke up for Paul. The words he used were words of encouragement. I’ve
brought in a gift today. Everyone likes to get a gift. This present is not an
iPad or expensive purse. No, it’s filled with words. Encouraging words. “Your smile at work is so
wonderful to see.” “You did excellent work on that assignment.” “Your care for
your kids makes you so beautiful.” “No, I won’t help you bully her.” “I’m
coming over to keep you company tonight.” “Loser? No way. You’re God’s unique
creation.” “You are loved by Jesus.”
14.
One way to be an
encourager is to use words that are a gift to someone else, to build people up,
to let them know someone cares, that Jesus cares. Barnabas also gave to those in need. It still
happens in the church today. Joseph of
Cyprus is given a resurrection nickname: Barnabas, the “son of encouragement.”
It’s a good nickname for us, too, when we encourage others with words that
build up and by the generosity we show. But we need to remember one more
nickname today—for Jesus. Jesus is given many names: Savior, Good Shepherd,
Redeemer, Reconciler, Lord, Prince of Peace. But today we’ve heard another name
for Jesus: Life Changer. Jesus’
Resurrection Gives Grace and Power to Change Lives into “Barnabases,”
Encouragers with Words and Generosity. Jesus
is risen from the dead. Jesus is
the Life Changer. Amen.
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