Stubborn Servants . . . Second Chances

Maybe there's been something done to you that you've just sort of tagged in your memory as unforgettable. Maybe there's a sin that haunts you that you have tagged unforgivable.

Take it from another apostle who knew with second chances we're all about and learned something about the Lord.

Learn something about his grace that although the Lord has to deal here and here with stubborn servants, that he is a gracious Lord who is willing to give his children second chances.

Have you ever been wronged and found it difficult to forgive? Situations like that can cause long term resentments and difficult relationships.

The question is not really how can we avoid disagreements because we can't. The question really is how do we deal with disagreements when they occur? Today, we go to our Vintage Wisdom Archives with a lesson from the Book of Acts where a disagreement took place in the early church.

Our Bible teacher, Stephen Davey, is going to examine that account and show you a biblical process for resolution.

I'm glad you joined us today here on Wisdom for the Heart. This lesson is called Stubborn Servants' Second Chances.

He recently completed our study of the great decision by the Jerusalem Council, the next chapter, fifteen. As we continue to make our way through this book of action, that decision of the Jerusalem Council, if you are with us here, remember, defended the true definition of salvation that it is faith in Christ alone. Apart from mosaic, ritual or regulation, however, we also discovered that the issue of circumcision of the Gentile believers was a divisive issue, and it was deeply felt throughout the ranks of the early church. It would continue to plague the church. In fact, this issue of circumcision would become a thorn in the side of Paul and sort of stay with him through his ministry. In fact, by the time you arrive at the epistle to the Galatians, you find Paul referring to this issue and to the people that have now sort of formed another denomination. They are now known as the party of the circumcised. They will continue to try to mix mosaic law with the gospel of grace in Christ alone. Now, when you come to the end of this chapter, which is where we left off last time, we study together around this book, we were rather surprised, at least I was to discover that the controversy is no longer controversy in the church. It is now controversy on the personal realm or level of two very deep friends, dear friends, two men who had served together for two years, risking their lives, entering the mission field, being stoned, being rejected, literally fighting the good fight together are now deeply embroiled in this divisive issue. In fact, I as I started studying the chapter that we've been in now for several weeks, I almost decided to just entitle the entire series locking horns, because as a church, they locked horns over the issue. We spent two times or two discussions and that and now we see two people embroiled in a very personal and emotional disagreement whenever dealing with disagreement in the church.

The issue is not so much the issue, but how you handle the issue. Let me show you where that's right out of the pages of the New Testament. Would you turn to First Corinthians, Chapter 11? You can kind of leave ex for a little bit. We're gonna do a long introduction and a short sermon. So just turn there. First Corinthians, Chapter eleven. Look at her 17. Paul is writing a deeply divided church body. They're divided over petty things and significant things, he writes to them.

But in giving this instruction first Corinthians 11 17, I do not praise you because you come together not for the better, but for the worse. In other words, he says, whenever you guys get together, wow, it's for the worse, not for the better for in the first place. When you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you. The word for divisions is Skidmore, which gives us our transliterated word. What Sikhism. I hear there are schisms among you. And in part I believe it. Now, this is where he kind of turns a corner that we don't expect him to turn. He said, for there must also be factions among you. There must also be factions. Now he changes the word from Sikhism or sickies mom to I racist's, which could be rendered differing opinions, no longer things that might deeply divide significant issues. Now, these are just differing opinions. But he said there must be differing opinions. Why is that, Paul? In order that those who are approved may become evident among you.

Fascinating.

In other words, when there's a church disagreement, all of us need to keep our ears open and our eyes open. Watch and listen, because somebody is going to emerge. Somebody is going to stand and speak. Someone is going to come alongside. Somebody is going to do something that will reveal their maturity.

They're going to reveal their ability to lead by their perspective, see different opinions than are necessary. According to Paul, because they expose leadership. And one of the marks of leadership in this family and in your family is the ability to disagree agreeably, the ability to respect someone else's opinion while dealing with different opinions. So it's not just what you disagree about. It's how you disagree. That's equally important. Third. Let me give you one other thought. Disagreement in the church doesn't automatically nullify opportunity. It may multiply it.

And that's exactly what happens. And actually, after 15. Let's let's actually go to ax chapter 12 and set the stage for what would become a heated argument and emotional issue between two very close friends, Paul and Barnabas.

What is it that brought them to the point where they eventually said, that's it, I'm going this way? And you're going this way.

What brought it to to that point? Well, let's put some clues together. I think we could start with chapter twelve or twenty five because it introduces a third party that becomes the center of this controversy.

And Barnabus and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them. John, who was also called Mark a John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas. His mother was one of the many women named Mary in the New Testament. And it was this particular Mary who opened her home. She was a wealthy woman. She opened her home to the early church in Jerusalem. In fact, it was in her home. And John Mark was there when they had that prayer meeting for Peter, who is in prison here, remember? God led him out of prison miraculously by way of an angel. And he comes in, he knocks on the door. And the servant girl that lived there on the compound when an answered it and remember how she sort of disturbed their prayer meeting by telling them it had been answered. They didn't want to believe it had been answered. So they kept praying. Well, this is the home where John Mark was raised.

He had a wonderful opportunity then to meet the apostles. A wonderful opportunity to to watch the early church as it grew and develop. And he evidently stood out a little bit taller than many of the other younger men, because when it came time for Paul and Barnabas to choose a companion to kind of carry the luggage in and help along the way, they chose this man, John Mark.

Look across the page at Chapter 13 and look at verse 13.

Now, Paul and his companions put out to sea from from pathos and came to Pergo in Pennsylvania and John left them and returned to Jerusalem, was a short lived trip and we just briefly touched on it. But the word returned is a rather kind word. It's so rather polite word written by Luke, who now knows the rest of the story of John Mark, and he seeks to sort of downplay it a little bit. It's the word that's changed by the Apostle Paul in Chapter fifteen to become the word apostasy as far as the apostle Paul is concerned.

John Mark a plasticized that is, he left the faith that he never really had embraced.

It just looks like it. That's how Paul felt about it. So, John, Mark leaves this missionary team. Paul considers it desertion and in fact, apostasy. Now, I want you to go to one other clue. Go to Galatians, chapter two. Is there anything else that could be going on? And Paul and Barnabas, his life friends that could lead to this eruption, this dissolution of friendship, seemingly something that would have to be patched up later?

Well, in Galatians, to you remember, this is the passage where Paul rebukes Peter. Peter has been eating with the Gentiles. He's been enjoying all that good gentile cooking as he realizes nothing is unclean as we study. But then some Jerusalem bigwigs came down and he not wanting to lose faith and reputation with them, backed away from the Gentiles and began to act like a hypocrite. He began to ignore the gentile Christians. And so Paul comes on the scene and he rebukes to the face. Peter. Remember that we study that together. Well, Peter's hypocrisy really had full sway in that body and those believers around Antioch and many people were caught up in this movement of hypocrisy. In fact, if you notice verse 13, it tells us that the rest of the Jews joined Peter in hypocrisy with the result that even Barnabus was carried away by their hypocrisy.

That's enlightening.

Now, we know that Barnabus later regained his balance and ultimately stood with Paul as he defended before the Jerusalem Council the inclusion of the gentiles apart from circumcision with faith alone. So we know that that was short lived. But at this particular moment in history, here's Paul and his teammate confronting hypocrisy. And what happens to his teammates weren't part of this go.

He joined all the others in their hypocrisy.

And for a man like Paul. This was hard to swallow. And I could be wrong. But I happen to believe that there were probably some lingering doubts about Barnabas and certainly some lingering wounds. Okay, with that is introduction. Let's go to Ax. Chapter 15s and pick up where we left off. First 36. And after some days, Paul said to Barnabus, let us return and visit the bretheren and every city in which we proclaim the word of the Lord. Let's see how they are. Barnabus was desirous of taking John called Mark along with him also. And you kind of go, oh, the word desirous, by the way, comes from the root Boulay, which means he had made up his mind. This was his will to take him along.

But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along, who had a plasticized, who had deserted them, and Pam Filia and had not gone with them to the work. I stopped just a moment.

Before you go, the rest of this answer here, you had to climb back into the first century scene and just try to imagine these two men who've made up their minds, Barnabus.

The word is Boulay. He has made up his mind the same word that used of God choosing you as one of his elect. He made up his mind. He then changed his mind. That tells us the Barnabus was not going to change his mind either.

And Paul kept insisting and there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another.

Who isn't doctrine? Paul didn't want to take John. Mark Barnabas did.

The word translated disagreement is another interesting transliterated word. Paroxysm gives us that word.

That word means a burst of emotion, a sharp contention, a strong disagreement. The Bible isn't really hiding anything here. In fact, it's one of the one of the best proofs of divine inspiration that it doesn't sort of cloak the failures of its heroes. These two men are in each other's face.

And I think that with them, there was no compromising, no negotiation.

It was a matter of principle for Barnabus. It was a matter of principle. Principle for Paul.

You know, as you try to evaluate this paragraph. I think that they were both wrong. In some ways, and yet in the providence of God, I'll try to show you, they were both right.

Paul believe that Mark was unreliable. He left us in the battle when we needed him. And isn't there a proverb that says in Chapter 25 of Proverbs, putting confidence in an unreliable man is like chewing with a sword, too, or running on a broken foot?

John Mark is unreliable.

Barnabas long to give this young man another chance. He saw something in him that nobody else could see, and he was determined to give him a chance to prove himself.

So for thirty nine we read Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, being committed by their brother into the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and solicitor, strengthening the churches, seeing the ways of God. Ladies and gentlemen, you have the creation of two teams now instead of one. Oh, it was two very different teams. Different philosophies of ministry. Different methods. Different styles. Different personalities. Barnabus was a world of difference from Paul and John. Mark would be far different than Silus, a Roman citizen who looked for a fight.

In fact, he he loved the struggle. It would be Paul and Silas in that prison in a chapter or so that are doing what?

Singing Bring it on.

How was Silas fit? Well, with Paul. So you have the creation of these two teams. And Barnabus, by the way, with these last few versus sails off the storyline of the New Testament. He sails into obscurity. He's mentioned by Paul in a few verses and it informs you that Paul and Barnabas patch things up. But yet you never read any more of of Barnabas. His work or ministry legend tells us that Barnabas was killed by an angry mob not long after this as he declared the gospel to them. But Barnabas, his refusal to give up on John Mark finally paid off long after, evidently, Barnabas had died.

How do we know?

Well, I want to turn the focus of our spotlight away from the argument of these two men. And let's look at the person who was right in the middle of it for a moment. Can you imagine being that person for just a moment here? A young man that's been tagged by the great apostle as what a failure?

And he he is so impassioned about his feeling that he was willing to split from his close friend rather than take you along.

Did he become angry, resentful? No. He evidently kept the path open toward Paul that would allow Paul to eventually travel back to him. And I'll show you how we don't have time to turn.

I don't believe. But in Colossians, chapter four, it's in verse ten. I think I've given you those versus in your notes in Paul's letter to the Kalash and believers he mentions as he does. You know, when he comes to the end of it, a pistol just starts listing names. Say hello to this person, Voloder, that one. And I need this book and I need that coat. And he does that kind of thing. And right in the middle of it, he says, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings, as does Barnabus, his cousin Mark.

Now, as it relates to the instruction I've given you, Paul goes on to say, when he comes to you, welcome him. Fascinating. This is 18 years after Acts Chapter 15.

Something happened in that 18 year period so that Paul would not tell the believers at Colossians. Hey, by the way, you have somebody coming to you and I want to give you a reference sheet on him and and I've signed off on it. You ever done that for somebody?

He's to be welcomed by you for ministry.

Well, there's more. Second, Timothy, Chapter four. And I'm doing this sort of chronologically as church history develops. You have Paul writing some of his last words.

He told Timothy to come to him. Evidently, he was in Rome. He's about to be executed. And he tells Timothy that when you come to me, I want you to go by and then tell us where. But I want you to swing by and pick up guess who John Mark for?

He is useful to me in service.

Wow. Knackery, we don't know what happened.

We're not told. But something moved Paul to a point at one point.

Say, John, Mark is a failure. He is worthless to ministry. And I'm not going anywhere with him. And even if it means splitting up this team, he's not coming to the point where he is able to see, evidently, the life of John Mark because he had failed. He is now faithful where Paul is able to say, oh, I want you to bring him with me because he's so useful to me.

Did Barnabas risk in this young man payoff? Well, have you ever thought about the fact that every time you open to the second gospel in your Bible, it was authored by the cousin of Barnabas?

John Mark, the gospel of Mark.

There's one more little clue in the first Peter Chapter five, the last mention of John Mark's name in verse 13. He discover in this passage that Peter refers to John Mark as his, you know, as his son.

That's the same idea that Paul uses toward his son in the faith, Timothy. That is, he adopted someone that was not his biological son, but became his spiritual son. And so Paul would mentor Timothy Paul with disciple Timothy. Paul poured his life into Timothy. Now we're now we're given a clue of what's happened in all of these years after Barnabas was killed. Paul looked at this young man and saw in him what Paul Saul and Timothy Barnabas saw. And now John, Mark and Barnabas are. Excuse me. Peter says, look, son, I want you to come under my wing. The apostle that knew what second chances we're all about.

Peter is the one who now mentors this one who was given a second chance. Could there be any better mentor?

And Peter. No.

So Peter evidentally poured his life into John, Mark and John Mark would later become Peter's mouthpiece. And many of the stories that you read and the gospel by Mark were things that the Spirit guided him to write, that he first heard from his mentor, the apostle Peter, in the war years. There was something called triage. I've read three eyes. Was that medical term that literally translated meant sorting out. It was the practice of the medical community there in those makeshift tents and stick built buildings near the front. When all of the wounded soldiers would come in, they would put the soldiers through triage. That is, they would sort the soldiers and they would tag them with three one of three different colored tags. One colored tag meant hopeless. That meant that no matter how much that limited medical staff poured their limited time into that particular soldier, he was going to die. And so they tried to make him as comfortable as they could, and they basically allowed that soldier to die. There was another color tag that meant hopeful, and that was the best case scenario. That was the soldier that would live, whether he received much medical attention or not. And so they didn't give him any attention either. He's made him comfortable. And we'll get you out of here as soon as we can.

Then there was that third category. It would be cool. He would be color tagged. Doubtful, that particular soldier. And that color tag meant that without immediate medical assistance, he would die. But with medical assistance, they felt fairly confident that he would live. And so the medical staff would pour all of their time into this third category of people called Doubtful. I read a story this past week about a soldier named Lou. He was brought into and through triage in the First World War. And he was he was tagged hopeless. He had been looked blown apart. He was bleeding internally and externally. One leg had been shattered and he was a mess. And with a limited staff and supplies, they tagged him hopeless. One of the nurses happened to notice that he was conscious and went over and began talking to him as they sort of put him into an area of the makeshift rooms and basically made him comfortable. Waited for him to die. And she went over to talk to him and discovered that he was from Ohio near where she was from. And they had some other similarities and they knew some of the similar places geographically related to Ohio. And she got to know him as a person. She just couldn't let him die. And so that night slip back into the warden, risked her job and broke all the rules, and she changed his color tag from hopeless to doubtful. The next day, he was placed with those other soldiers that would require and receive immediate medical attention. He was taken by a truck to a better facility, and he eventually survived. And even though he did lose one leg, he was restored to good health, all because of a nurse who was willing to change his tag.

And give him immediate assistance.

And as I read that story, you couldn't help but to think, isn't that what we're supposed to do as a church?

Be involved in changing people's tags.

Maybe you're here this morning and your tag needs to be changed from unbeliever to believer. Someone who is not placed their faith in Christ. To someone who has received Christ as personal savior, maybe you're here.

And there are areas where you have tags on your heart that need to be changed here. You're a believer. But God needs to change some tags from uncommitted believer to committed believer, from prayer analysts Christian to prayer partner, from stingy, self-centered believer to generous giving believer. Maybe you need this morning to ask God to give you the courage and grace to change some tags you've put on others.

Maybe you've tagged a marriage hopeless. Maybe you've tagged a child unredeemable.

Maybe there's been something done to you that you've just sort of tagged in your memory as unforgettable. I'll never forget that. Maybe there's a sin that haunts you that you have tagged unforgivable. I want you to take it from failure that even the great apostle had tagged as hopeless. Take it from another apostle who knew what second chances were all about and learned something about the Lord.

Learn something about His Grace that although the Lord has to deal here and here with stubborn servants, that he is a gracious Lord who is willing to give his children second chances.

And third, for. The question is, will you and I be like John Mark, who in the midst and in spite of all of that contention, was willing to get on another ship and set sail?

Into the street.

It's not easy to follow the example we've seen today.

But with God's grace, we know that it's the right and true way to live. I hope this time, in God's word, has challenged and encouraged you. You're listening to Wisdom for the Heart. This is the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davy. Stephen Pastors Colonial Baptist Church in Carey, North Carolina. Today's lesson comes from our Vintage Wisdom Archives, a series from the Book of Acts. We have a companion study guide that goes along with this series. The study guy contains the transcript of Stephen's lesson, along with questions to help you dove deeper into each lesson. The series is called X Volume two, and you'll find the study guide if you navigate to our online store. That's wisdom online, dawg. When you get to the store, you'll be able to search the study guides section and you'll find X volume two listed there while you're at the Web site. I encourage you to look around because it's been completely redesigned. You can listen to each lesson or download the manuscript. I already mentioned the online store, which contains the complete collection of all of our books, commentaries and study guides. You can also interact with us through that site and you can sign up. If you've not received our monthly magazine.

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