You're there in the book of Acts 4 and the title of the sermon this morning is Barnabas,
the son of consolation. Barnabas, the son of consolation. So as we're going through the book
of Acts on Wednesdays, Barnabas keeps popping up and I've been wanting to bring this sermon
for quite some time and then I forgot on Wednesdays and I was like, you know what,
I'll just bring it on Sunday. It's a good time to...
To bring the sermon, but one of the things is the reason that I'm also one of the main reasons
I'm bringing this is there's a couple of misconceptions. I think in the Christian
Life from the Christian walk is when we're learning these concepts is you know
For example, the Bible tells us that Moses was one of the meekest was the meekest individual, right?
And people confuse sometimes, you know, you've heard that say don't confuse my meekness for weakness or
You know talk softly is a famous saying right but carry a big stick
And so one of the things that really stands out is biblically, we need to have these attributes.
I mean, these are things that God wants us to have.
We need to have consolation.
We need to have comfort, love, joy, peace, lung suffering.
I mean, there's just so many, right?
But that does not negate the fact that we're still...
Following truth and preaching truth, right? And one of and what I want to do today
It's just kind of break down Barnabas and Barnabas doesn't he's not like the kings in the Old Testament
Or some of the people in the Old Testament that start out great and then bad
But Barnabas does start out great and then just kind of fades into the background.
I don't know necessarily that he did anything horrible. He just, he just took on the constellation
role over, you know, he overdid it in other words. And what I mean by that is we all have
a tendency to do that sometimes. We have a tendency to just be, you know, we say this facetiously,
but we love more than Christ or we care more than Christ or we're more sympathetic. Obviously,
but what it is is that we think we know better than God. And I'm not here to pick on Barnabas,
but you know, it is in the Bible, it's stuff that just we need to learn from. And it's something
that we need to take into account as to how we lead our lives, right? I'll give you a good example.
I remember when I first started preaching,
I've always been against like for example the sodomite agenda, right?
And but because of the the society that we've grown up in and just the way that people are so politically correct
I remember the first time I said queer behind the pulpit
I was really nervous like I thought somebody might throw a rock at me and even if they did
You know, I mean, I'm just saying the truth, right?
But that's the kind of attitude we need to get rid of.
We need to get rid of that feeling instinct that feels like we're going against God when
really what it is, we're trying to not go against the world.
forget about what the world thinks and then just preach God's truth and so
there's a proper way to have consolation or comfort and then there's a wrong way
to do that just like in anything right there's a proper way to love and then
there's a improper way to say that you love right when the sodomites or the
the facts say hey love wins they're lying to you that's not a proper way to love
you know when you you know I mean that's not that's not the the sermon
and it's disgusting to think about so let's just let's let's leave that alone but
we're there in in Acts 4 and we're there in verse 31 I just
wanted to focus on this part right here and it says and when they had prayed
The place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness
It's the reason that the people in the book of Acts are
Doing great things is because they're filled with the Holy Ghost and they're speaking the word of God with what with boldness
They're not fear fearful of the repercussions that they're gonna get it
It's evident as we go through the book of Acts that the more they're scattered the more they're just gonna continue preaching the word of God, right?
When we see the reverse 32 says in the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and
of one soul, neither said any of them, uh, that ought of the things which he possessed
was his own, but they all, but they had all things comment.
And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all
Neither was there any among them that lacked for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought
The prices of the things that were sold and laid them down at the Apostles feet and the distribution was made unto every man
According as he had need and
Joseph's so this is Joe. This is Barnabas is his name, right? And what's really cool here is
that the Apostle sees something in him and they basically rename us as who by the Apostles
was surname Barnabas which is being interpreted the son of Constellation.
a Levite and of the country of Cyprus,
heavy land sold it and brought the money
and laid it at the Apostles' feet.
So we see that this great power comes
and they're so zealous and excited for the Lord
that people sell their houses and their lands
and they basically bring it to the church,
bring it to the leaders of the church,
in this case, the apostles.
And they're like, use it for the,
you know, basically the furtherance
of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But one man stands out, which is Barnabas.
So obviously Barnabas has some attributes that really stand out above even the rest
and the apostles notice it and then even he obviously goes above and beyond is basically
the term we would use is he's willing to take the shirt off his back and give it to you, right?
And it says, and he laid it at the apostles feet. So this is our introduction to Barnabas,
someone who's surnamed by the apostles, the son of consolation,
and consolation is just comforting someone, right?
And so obviously he has this gift
to make people feel at ease or just overcome some of the,
the issues, maybe he's like a peacemaker is what,
you know, you would think of.
And he's willing to go above and beyond
just like everybody else, right?
So he, they're filled with the Holy ghost.
They have boldness in the cause of Christ.
And the one thing that stands out is they,
they have one heart and one soul,
but just like anything,
Any good cause that starts out, any great plan for the cause of Christ is that the challenge
that we have is that we're all human, right? We can't get rid of the human nature. And as we see
the life of Barnabas go on, you know, some of this all of a sudden, it's no longer one heart or one
mind or one soul. It's what do I think versus what so and so thinks. And we'll get to that part right
Let's look at a couple of things about Barnabas. You know Barnabas, he was no ordinary believer,
of course. You know, he was full of the Holy Ghost, he's full of grace, and he's bold in the faith.
I mean, even the apostles gave him a new name, right, the Son of Constellation.
He was the kind of man that you want, everybody in the church would want, right?
You want a guy, but even the best of men are still men at best, right?
We're all just men at the end of the day.
And that's the thing that we need to keep conscious in our mind, right?
That as we go through our life, we need to constantly be asking the Lord, what is it
that we need to fix?
Because the challenge with human nature is you have, you have two types of people.
But usually you have like the devil's advocate type and I'm obviously we're not advocating
for the devil.
But what I mean by that is like the guy who's always like questioning every plan and finding
all the holes, right?
He's kind of like the, he's not necessarily the negative guy, but he's, he's always there
to just try to find the negative aspects of it.
Now there's two types of those people, right?
There's the people who are actually sincere.
They're just trying to figure it out to give you the best option.
Usually, I'm looking back there because I have a father-in-law and we have some people here.
They have an engineer mindset, right?
Like, you give them a really positive project and they break it down in 10 seconds and they basically destroy your project.
But they're not doing it to destroy the project. What they're doing is they're finding all the flaws.
And that's not a negative thing.
But you can focus too much on just breaking down the flaws
that you never take action on the positive, right?
And if you're just negative period,
well, you don't want to be around those people, right?
And then you have the other type,
which is usually what I am,
which is like the eternal optimist.
I mean, there's like nothing that I don't think we can do.
Everything's possible.
So much so to the fault
that I'm just willing to take on 20 projects.
Oh, you know, I don't have any time in my life.
But oh, you need me to do this? Of course, let's do it. I'll figure it out. And then what ends up
happening is I let people down or we'll fail somewhere or we'll make a mistake, right? And what
happens though in your Christian walk is if you're like a devil's advocate, you're always self-examining,
but you're also never realizing that you have potential, that you have these positive things
that you can exude in your life. But if you're over positive, then you think that maybe you've
already cleaned up your life enough and there's nothing wrong with you.
And that's also a really bad thing because there's always something wrong with you, right?
And so here, you know, Barnabas is, I think Barnabas over time, just by the way he's reading,
this is my opinion, just by the way we're going to see this, is I think he realizes that people know that he has this gift, right?
And maybe with that gift comes just like, he took it too far, right?
He didn't develop it with a balance.
And that's the danger we all have, right?
We need to develop God's gifts in our life with balance, meaning if we're too negative,
let's learn to bring it back into the positive.
And if we're too positive, let's learn to bring it back into the negative.
We actually need some negative in our life if we're too positive.
And we need some positive in our life if we're too negative.
But it all has to be grounded on what?
God's truth.
If you notice, God is the one who sent his son Jesus.
He's the one who left us the comfort, right? Jesus Christ. But never does God, uh, you know,
what is it? Uh, never does he compromise on the truth. But there's other people in the Bible
who compromise on the truth because of maybe some good quality they have that they overdo, right?
Maybe they're oversympathetic or they're, you know, there's people that aren't, I don't have a
problem with that, but some people do. There's people that are not willing to tell you what something's wrong.
When the most loving thing to do is tell somebody when something's wrong, right?
That's why we go so winning because the most loving thing we could do is tell people,
hey, you're going to hell.
People say oh, I shouldn't tell people they're going to hell well if I don't tell them or you don't tell him
Who's gonna tell him right but people actually get offended by the fact that somebody's willing to go out there and tell people
Don't go to hell or you're headed to hell
Oh, you think you know you oh you think you know who's going to hell and who's not only God can do that
You know how many I've I've had countless conversations where people get mad at me because I tell them that I know I'm going
Heaven and that they're probably going to hell based on what they're telling me
right? And people get angry about that stuff. So we need to just always, anytime we learn
to add a value or an attribute from the Bible, it needs to be from that biblical perspective.
And that's really what the goal or the exhortation of the sermon is today, right? Because Barnabas
really, he started outright. I mean, he's introduced in chapter four, they rename him. I mean, he lays
all his stuff. But at the end, it's just not so great. And what do I mean by that? Well, he kind
He's mentioned in other books of the Bible, but who's mentioned more predominantly?
Obviously, Paul. Paul wrote about 70% of the New Testament.
And they both come on the scene right around the same time, right?
So, but I don't think it's because he turned a wickedness.
I just think, you know, he just used over-consoling, right?
There's a, there's consolation in Christ, and then there's just like, you're overdoing it.
And so these are the things to stand out.
But go over to Acts 9.
You're there in the book of Acts.
And we'll be mainly in the book of Acts,
because that's where we have the most mentions,
but we are going to jump around.
But in Acts 9,
You know, he has some credibility, right?
He has influence.
Obviously, we saw that in chapter 4, and shortly after that, what happens?
We see Saul's conversion to Paul in chapter 8, and when he does this, a lot of people
don't believe that Saul is sincere, that he actually got saved and that he's preaching
the gospel.
And we're there in verse 24 of Acts 9, it says, but they're laying.
A wait was known of Saul and they watched the gate today at night to kill him.
Then the disciples took him by night and led him down by the wall of the basket.
So this is after his, shortly after his conversion, he's preaching the gospel and people want
to kill him.
And so these disciples have witnessed.
his conversion and his zeal forgot and so they're willing to help him escape, right?
But what happens a little bit, just a few verses down, it says that when Saul, in verse 26,
was coming to Jerusalem, the original, basically the center point or the corner piece of the church,
it says he is saved to join himself to the disciples, meaning he just wanted to join the
disciples, but they were all afraid of him and believe not that he was a disciple.
They're they're backing them but those that haven't witnessed it and we have that challenge, right?
God wants us to believe blindly, but sometimes we want to witness it
I want it. I won't believe it till I see it, right? We have a doubting Thomas attitude and this is what they have, right?
But who comes in but Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way and that he had
I spoke it to him and now he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
And so why do they take him in?
Because Barnabas shows up and basically he's like, Hey, I'm vouching for Paul and Barnabas
has so much influence and so much of his, this attribute of consolation, so much comfort
that people are like, okay, well, and if you say it, we'll take it.
And we need people like that in our lives, right?
I mean, I've had people who posture me and who've given me credibility in circles that
uh, you know, known for, or maybe I shouldn't have had a place there and vice versa. You
know, one of the things that I learned from my, uh, mentor in the business was that it's always
good to posture other people, right? And the Bible talks about that in the book of problems. I
could have used that. I'm going to paraphrase it because I'm not going to go there right now, but
you know, the Bible says that it's better for somebody else to speak well of you than for you
to speak well of yourself, right? As a matter of fact, in that annoying when someone's always
telling you how great they are, that's why nobody likes pot. You know, one of the weirdest things
about politicians is that we continue to vote for people that we don't like, right? Nobody likes a
braggadocious guy, and yet somehow the system works, which is so weird, right? Nobody likes
that Trump brags so much, but yet 50% of the country voted for him, right? So apparently,
it's weird. Some people still like, you know, the braggers in life, but that's a whole other thing.
But go over to Axie Levin. Go over to Axie Levin.
But as a Christian nobody likes a bragger, right? Nobody likes to hear the great
Oh, I'm the greatest soul winner of the church or I let look just do the work and and get over it
But in ax 11
Barnabas also knew like his weaknesses. So see when you're in the will of God and you're you're really exuding your your talents that he's giving you
You know, you know how to use them properly, right?
And I want you to pay attention to what Barnabas does here because a little bit further on
This attitude is I think what got him in trouble later, right here in Acts 11 in verse 19. The Bible says
Now when now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen
So, where they're still dealing with the fact that Stephen was stoned and killed and everybody left,
it says,
And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene,
which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians,
preaching the Lord Jesus,
and the hand of the Lord was with them,
and a great number believed and turned
unto the Lord. So here's that consistency about the more persecution, the more people
are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, right? It says, and the hand of the Lord was with
him and a great number believed and turned.
Unto the Lord and verse 22 says then the tidings of these things came unto the years of the church which was which was in
Jerusalem and they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch. So they sent Barnabas on a mission
The you know, we know you're good Barnabas. You've got this credibility. You're doing great work. Go do the work
And in verse 23 says who when he came and had seen the grace of God was glad and exhorted them all and with
Purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. I mean that with purpose of heart
And then verse 24 says for he was a good man and full of the holy ghost and a faith and much people were added unto the Lord
So Barnabas, I mean he's doing a great work for the Lord
He leading a ton of souls to Christ and then we see then departed Barnabas to sources Tarsus. Sorry for to seek soul
So Barnabas realizes that the work is a little bit big for him
And instead of letting his ego get in the way, he goes and he seeks Saul.
He knows that Saul's doing a great thing.
How does Barnabas know this? Because he's the one that vouched for him. He's witnessed
the greatness. Didn't we just read that? He said, hey, I saw him preach boldly the grace of God.
I saw him preach the gospel. And then we see, and when he had found him, he brought him onto Antioch
and he came to pass the whole year. They assembled themselves with the church and taught much people
and the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. And the first time we see this
antagonistic term, right, this derogatory term of Christians, of course, we don't take it that way
They were, you know, that's what they meant, right?
It's when, when Barnabas and Saul team up.
So they're like this great duo, right?
They're going out there two by two,
they're knocking it out of the ballpark.
I mean, they're just making things,
they're just knocking down the enemy basically
in the spiritual warfare.
Now go over to X-13.
Right and in Acts 13 we continue to see this great work that Barnabas is doing it says there in verse
One says now there were in the church that was Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and Simeon
That was called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene and Mania which had been brought up
With Herod the tetrarch and Saul and they ministered to the Lord and fasted the Holy Ghost said
separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work run to I have called them and when
they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they sent them away so
we see that because Barnabas was able to recognize Saul's work even the Holy
Ghost is now saying hey separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work of the
Lord right so I mean they're doing great things I mean God's taking notice and
he's like I want them to do this this work that I have and I'm gonna send them
So
Barma sees potential in others and because of that he's able to now build this great tag team
It reminds me of wrestling. Remember the great tag teams of all if anybody who ever watched wrestling. I loved wrestling growing up
I know some people didn't it's not wrestling. It's wrestling. It's real. I liked it Hulk Hogan, you know the ultimate warrior
You know the road warriors all those guys, you know anyways, that's a whole other thing
but you know one of the things we enjoyed was when they had great tag teams right and
Paul and or Saul and Barnabas. They're doing a great job for the Lord and their tag team in this
this work, and even the Holy Ghost is taking notice.
And so we need more men like that, right?
We need soul winners.
We need people who are zealous for the Lord, who are focused on the work.
But they're not just folks on the work.
They're willing to work with others to do the work, right?
You know, one of the prayers that we've had here at Spring Christ
is that we would have more labors, right?
For a long time, it was Brother Trey and Brother Mike and myself.
We were content in the state we were in, but that didn't mean that we were just not hungry for more people, right?
and so
Saul I mean, I'm sorry Barnabas. He doesn't see obstacles, but what he sees is solutions, right?
He's looking for to get the job done. I think that's why they call him because what's consolation mean?
We're gonna see this here in a little bit, but it's just very basically when you comfort someone in Christ
Not the world
Christ, it's different, right?
Now, go over to Galatians 2, go over to Galatians 2, but keep your finger there in Acts 13.
Go over to Galatians 2.
Even in Galatians 2 still.
It says there in verse 9, it says that when James, Cephas, and John, and Cephas is just
another name for Peter, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me,
they gave to me, speaking of Paul, and Barnabas, the right hand of fellowship, that we should
go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision, only that we should remember the poor.
the same which I also was forward to to do. So even the leadership, the original apostles
that were after Jesus Christ rose, they're like, Hey, we see this work, we're going to
give them the right hand of fellowship. And now we're going to send them to the Gentiles.
We want them to do this great work for the Lord. We want them to continue doing this
thing. Now come back to Acts 13. You, we were in Acts 13, right? Yes. Come back to Acts
What is what is a Barnabas doing there? He says but when the Jews saw the multitudes
They were filled with envy a spake against those things which were spoken by Paul
contradicting and blaspheming
then Paul and Barnabas
Waxed bold
Right and said it it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you
But seeing you put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life low we turn to the Gentiles
For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles,
that thou shalt be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord,
and as many as were ordained.
To eternal life believed and the Lord Word of the Lord was published
Throughout all the region. I mean, this is a great tag team. They're waxing bold
What does wax mean in the in the King James is they're growing. They're getting stronger. They're getting, you know, more prominent
They're doing better job at just tag teaming this thing of preaching the gospel everywhere. They go and everywhere
They go not only they're preaching the gospel. They're stirring up trouble, right? We need to be troublemakers for the Lord
Not against, you know, the government or anything, but just, the more we preach it, the more
people are just going to get mad, right?
Those that are for the devil, those that are antagonistic or anti-Christ, right?
We need to do that.
And so...
Barnabas is just to incur, I mean, I don't know if that's why Paul just got so much more zealous, you know, because Paul obviously he's facing opposition on both ends, right?
Paul gets saved and all of a sudden everybody that was his friend and his influence, I mean, they left him.
And then everybody that he was persecuting, they're not that trustworthy of Paul, right? They're like, we don't know about you.
Even though you're soul winning with us.
We think you're a Judas. I mean, that's some of them might have even thought that, right?
They're like, we're not a hundred percent. And Barnabas seems to just kind of tag along and keep building this credibility for Paul, right?
So he's like, he's really an encourager and what what how is it that he's waxing because they're preaching truth and boldness, right?
They're encouraging people in Christ. They're not just
consoling for the sake of consolation. They're consoling you in what in the truth.
Because there is a difference, right?
I mean, I'm not saying the constellation the way the world does it is wrong.
I'm just saying there's a better way, which is Christ's way, right?
If someone's sick and dying, you know, there's two ways we could go about it.
This is what I think has helped me grow in Christ, right?
If someone says, hey, pray for healing, I'm obviously want to, I want to pray for healing.
But I really think the more consoling thing is to pray for God's will to be done.
Right, and it's not that I know better. It's just that God's will is God's will
I can't control what God does and I'm not gonna you know
Just set someone up with false expectations to set them up for failure
If maybe God already had a redeem for them to just move on
We don't know why things happen, you know what I mean, and we don't know why God does things.
I mean, we think we know, based on the Bible, we know certain events, but overall, we just don't know everything, right?
I don't know what's going on with Brother James and Sister Mary, but I just pray that God's will be done.
Now, if he can heal them and they can do great work for the Lord, I'm all for it, but I just don't know.
And I'm not gonna tell somebody. Oh, yeah, we'll pray for healing the Lord heals
He can do anything and I believe all that but the reality is he also does whatever he pleases
Right and the Lord's will his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts are higher than my thoughts
Go back to your go to acts 14
Let's stay right here along this line real quick. This is by the way, the longest point
I have for you. The rest is go really quick, but I really wanted to just focus on the strength of Barnabas
because his weaknesses aren't that I
Guess they're not that blaring
But they are just big enough for us to learn some lessons from them right go to acts 14 and right there in verse 14
this is
It's interesting because here the Bible says which when the Apostles
Barnabas and Paul heard of
They rent their clothes and ran in among the people crying out loud now
This is where they heal somebody and these people that are worshiping Jupiter and you know the different planets
They all of a sudden they think they're like gods
But the Bible references Barnabas as an apostle.
Obviously we know he wasn't, but here he's referenced as one,
and I don't know if it's because he's with Paul or not,
but Barnabas is doing great work.
He's not just referred to as a disciple at times,
he's actually referred to as an apostle.
So he continues to wax stronger, right?
And we go to Acts 15, just go over one more chapter.
And there in verse 24, it says,
For as much as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words
subverting your soul saying you must be
Circumcised and keep the law to whom we gave no such commandment
It seemed good unto us being assembled with one accord to send chosen men unto you with our beloved
Barnabas and Paul men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
I need you to pay attention here because he says the leadership saying we're going to send you guys who have risked their lives for Christ
Why where are they sending them?
They're sending them to a group of people that says that are subverting your souls saying you must be what?
Circumcised and pay attention because Barnabas then falls prey to this
Literally, they're sending Paul and Barnabas to overcome what?
Work salvation, false gospels, right?
The big thing back then was, hey, you got to be a real good Jew, get circumcised, right?
And that's no longer necessary.
Circumcision is a thing of the past.
It was instituted by God, so it's not a horrible thing, but it's just God did away with it.
And he said, and the church is recognizing that some people are still wanting to add works to your salvation.
And they're like, we're going to send Paul and Barnabas. Why didn't they send anybody else?
Specifically, they sent Paul and Barnabas because they said they hazarded their lives, meaning
this is a contentious point wherever they're sending them.
And we need to send people who are willing to risk their lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I mean, so Barnaviz is just like, he's tag teaming this thing.
He's almost dying for the cause of Christ.
I mean, he's waxing stronger with Paul.
He's doing great work.
Right.
And go to, go over to second Corinthians one, go over to second Corinthians one, and we're
going to just in between the two major points after you, where you're just going to take
In 2 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians 1 verse 4, the Bible says who comforteth us all in
our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them, which are in any trouble, by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
So this is the strength of Barnabas, that he's able to comfort others because he was
comforted of God.
right? For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so are consolation also abounded by Christ.
And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual
in the enduring of the same suffering which we also suffer, or whether we be comforted,
it is for your consolation and salvation, right? It's not just for your consolation,
it's for your consolation and salvation.
And in our hope of you steadfast knowing that as you are partakers of the suffering, social
you also be, uh, social you be also of the consolation.
So we need to suffer in order to be consoled.
We're not just consoling to, you know, today people want to be consoled for everything.
Right.
You know, all my internet doesn't work.
Oh, poor baby.
It's okay.
I mean, am I exaggerating?
I'm not kidding. I saw videos. Who's been why like keeping up? I've been messing with it
But chat GPT came out with this thing where you can upload pictures and it generates like this really cool
pictures and and a like
You know graphic design and all this stuff
And you know it takes like two minutes to get that picture and I literally saw videos of people who are like this is taking too long
I mean
You know I told my kids oh, that's it even my kids did it like we were they were messing with it
I was taking pictures of them and where I was like making them superheroes or my daughter's Disney princesses or whatever and
You know it's rendering and and my daughter's like it's taking too long. I was like honey
You realize that if I wanted to do this 20 years ago,
I would have to have a lot of money
and then I would have to go into the yellow pages,
maybe 30 years ago, right?
And I'd have to find someone who's called a graphic designer
and then I would have to call him
and ask him how much money it would be
for him to try to render something like this, right?
And then what would happen is I would have to send the picture
probably via mail
and then they would have to get the picture
and draw out like a sketch,
send it back to get my approval and my changes
and then I'd be like, you know what?
I don't like this.
Here's all the changes and then I would send it back.
This would take months, maybe weeks, maybe years.
You're getting this thing in two minutes.
I'm not going to console you for something like that right like you can have the wrong attitude of the but for the most part the
World like does this thing right people are like, you know
They show up to work and if the work environment is not great
They complain to the bosses and nobody wants to offend anybody so then they console them over stupid things
Bible says the consolation is for your suffering and for your salvation
It's not just for whatever you decide. It's for these specific things
Go over to John 14. You know, what is that word?
Constellation mean right? We looked at Barnabas the consul the consular the consular, right?
Sorry, it's because now I'm thinking like
Gaming console because that was the other definition. Sorry and then
He's known as the son of Constellation, but what is the doctrine of Constellation?
Well, the act of consoling or to console is to comfort or give someone solace, right?
It's like support or sucker or relief, the state of being consoled, someone or something
that consoles.
That's what it is, right?
You comfort someone in Christ.
I'm talking from a biblical perspective.
I mean, we're all humans, so we end up doing sometimes things that aren't exactly biblical.
And I'm not saying that if you do that there's anything wrong. It's not necessarily it's just remember those tests
We used to take and I hated that that multiple choice. We used to call in multiple confusion
Questions remember the one multiple confusion question said find the most right answer
I hated those because I knew that all the answers were right now
I have to find the most right answer, right?
But isn't that what we need to do in the Bible in our biblical walk and our Christian walk is we actually do need to find
the most biblical right answer to, like, display these attributes.
If I'm going to love someone, I need to love you the most biblical way,
not the way that I think the way God wants to.
If you're going to console someone, you need to console them according to the Bible, not what you think.
Because the problem is everybody has these attributes or has the ability to draw upon these attributes some more some better than others
But that doesn't necessarily mean that you can draw them correctly from God, right?
In John 14 verse 16 the Bible says and I will pray the Father and he shall give you another
Comforter that he may to buy with you forever. Why do you say another comforter? Because when Jesus was on earth
He was the comforter, right?
Even the spirit of truth
Whom the world cannot receive because it see it him not neither knoweth him
But ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless
I will come to you. So look you don't need a Barnabas in your life
But if you can find one, it's great. But all you need is the Holy Spirit
And this is the problem because we're gonna run into the fact that at some point people start to choose sides
It's always going to happen, right? There's a little bit of a split, but consolation needs to be rooted in truth, right?
In Philippians 2 verse, go over to Philippians 2, and I'll read for you really quick, 2 Thessalonians, but go over to Philippians 2.
But in 2 Thessalonians, verse 16, the Bible says,
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation,
good hope through grace comfort your hearts and establish you in every good
word and work notice it's not just like what you need what you think you need to
be comforted in he's comforting you everlastingly for what for every good
word and every good work so not everything in life is for comfort
You're there in Philippians 2 verse 1 the Bible says if there if there be therefore any
Constellation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies
Fulfill you my joy that you be what like-minded having the same love
Being of what and the reason I picked this one is one accord
75% of the the uses of a cord are actually in the book of Acts right of one mind
Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, sorry, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things
of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Now, what's interesting is Barnabas
gets this credit. He's called the Son of Constellation by the apostles.
He fulfills this right? He's taking he's he's uh, he's not fighting. He esteems others
He goes to look for Saul better than himself. He's not minding his own things
But the things of others, but you know who also did that Paul? I
Don't know if he learned it from Barnabas or maybe he took some he already had it in him, but both of them are consoling
That's why I think they're making a great deal. I mean think about it. Remember Paul says, you know
I've suffered stripes and I've suffered stonings and
Imprisonments and shipwrecks for what for the cause of Christ for you to preach the gospel wherever I go
Go over to Acts 15 go over to Acts 15, but the challenge is that
There's other things the Bible also talks about in Proverbs 27 verse 6
In Proverbs 27 verse 6 the Bible says faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful
Right real consolation builds up the believer in
truth not in deception
right it provides a
Form of healing because right as a Christian
We're gonna get persecuted if we preach the word of Christ, right?
And it's not like just because we talk about it doesn't mean that we look forward to it. I'm just being honest with you
I've said this before
For a long time. I just never thought that you know
I think the more I read the Bible the more I'm comfortable with if I get beheaded
Right, but the first time I heard about like the fact that people might get beheaded in the end times and we're closer to the end times
I'm just telling you I'll straight up. That's not something that I necessarily was comfort comfortable in right the Bible
Consoles me in truth saying look if you're beheaded it's for this reason and there's a crown a martyr's crown for that
Right, so I don't know if I'm going for the martyr's crown, but if I'm ever in that situation, that's what I'm going to console myself with
Right, the fact that there's a crown waiting for me if someone beheads me, but I'm gonna be honest with you
I've never been like yeah, that's what my goal is in life is I'm just gonna preach the word of Christ
It's how somebody cuts my head off. No, that's not like that's not my attitude, right?
I mean, I'm died maybe some people are like that. They're glens for punishment. I'm not that guy
I'm just telling you right now. Now if the if the situation presented itself
I think I've rehearsed it enough in my mind that I just be like, hey, if you're gonna kill me
Right, but that's not where we're where we're headed, but that's how I would console myself, right?
but the challenge is that
if you're just
Consoling people just to make them feel better not in truth then you're lying to them, right?
Then you're not doing that. You know what? There's another term. We call that we call that enabling
Right my wife. I told her hey, honey. Don't let me drink coke
You know, I'm gonna tell on on myself, but on her for the month of April, you know how many coax I drank yesterday, too
Son of a motherless goat, right? Like I didn't want to drink any coax
And when you fall you fall hard and my wife was actually being really stringent about she's like no
I'm not gonna go buy any coax and I'm not gonna do this and then somehow I just wore her down
Like a drug addict. I was like honey. I just need a coke. You know, I had good tacos. I good meat
I need a coke and she went in bottom. You know what she did she consoled me
Incorrectly right and I told her I said honey, you know what you failed me because now you enabled me to drink coke
And I shouldn't have drank coke
But we all do that right because we love people in our lives
But we shouldn't just enable people in the wrong thing now. I know it's a silly example
But it's true. Don't we do that like people have family members that are drug addicts or that just never get a proper job
Or they're not willing to step up and do certain things
And, and the family loves him so much they kind of turn a blind eye, right?
Oh, you know, poor little Jimmy, he just had a rough life.
I know this time he's really going to clean up his life.
Just give him money one last time.
And when it's up happening that you just, one day you just don't even want to do any
deal with that person anymore.
So we need to console in the right way.
And this is where I think Barnabas fades, right?
Is that he let his feelings take over his faithfulness.
Go over to backs 15
now all of a sudden
There's a sharp contention
Overmark like he's too consoling
Right Paul sees something in mark. That's just not there
You know the Bible doesn't give us all the specifics, but there's obviously something that Paul sees. That's not right
Now we know that probably Paul's on the right side because Paul's literally considered the greatest
Apostle after the Apostles in the New Testament
We go there and X 15 and says in verse 35 says Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch
Teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also
And I think this is what happened because the read this carefully says in some days after Paul said unto Barnabas
Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do
So let's just stop there for a second. This is why I said everything else up
Barnum is I think now realizes at some point that he's got this gift
We all know I mean, I know that I have like a gift of just if I walk in her room
I'm comfortable just making friends, right? I'm a friendly guy
I mean, I know people either love me or hate me, but I'm not I really don't care what people think
I'm still gonna talk to you
I'm the type of guy that can overstay his welcome because I'll just invite myself to your house
I'm really comfortable. My wife knows that you don't need to invite me. I'll just show up
Stats get any of my friends. I mean literally to a fault when I was a young man
I had a group of friends who like started like not being home because I would just show up to their house so much now
This is back in my younger way younger days, but then you know, we just do that, right?
So I think Barnabas realizes this
And Barnabas likes being the guy who gets the credit for the consolation.
He likes getting the credit for, you know, starting the task or being the tag team partner,
but he wants to be the leader because now, remember before Barnabas, what?
He went out and then he got to Antioch and he saw there was great work and he saw who?
Saw after Tarsus.
I mean, he went to Tarsus to seek after Saul, right?
He's like, Hey, I need Saul to help me do this work.
But now Paul has the idea, because now it's Paul's idea and it's not Barnabas' idea.
What does Barnabas do?
It says, and Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
According to some stuff that I did and I didn't want to go too deep into it, but the way that
Barnabas nephew and you guys can do that study. You can go to Colossus 410
But regardless of whether he's family not he now he wants to bring Mark and Paul but says but Paul thought not good to take him with them
And remember, they're a tag team.
They've been sent out.
They're doing this great work for the Lord.
So he should have listened at least to Paul, right?
He should have at least taken that into consideration,
considering the fact that they're just doing this great work.
They're taking names and they're kicking butt.
Like everywhere they go, they're waxing great.
People are believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like you'd think, maybe I should take this into consideration.
It says who departed from them, he says, but Paul thought not good to take him with him
who departed from them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work.
So a few chapters earlier, John had given up.
And Paul was like, Hey, I don't want to take this guy because he's not committed.
He's noncommittal.
He quit halfway through.
I need people who are not going to quit.
I don't think that's a bad attitude. You know what? I've learned in 45 years. I don't want to work with losers
Because losers will lose and winners will win. That's just the way it is
And people are like, oh, you're just too tough sometimes. No, I just don't have time
Life is short. I don't have time to do this, right?
And it says in verse 39 it says and the contention was so sharp between them
They departed asunder one from the other, so Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus
and Paul chose Silas and departed being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God and
went through Syria and Sicilia confirming the churches.
Interesting, Barnabas takes off with Mark and nothing is said of him anymore.
It says, but Paul chose Silas.
Who was recommended by the great the brethren unto the grace of God and they went through Cecilia and and
Syria confirming the churches. This is where Barnabas starts to fade
Because he was over consoling right we have that tendency to just be over loving
And I've been really facetious obviously God is the most loving, but we as humans think that's where we start thinking
We know better than who God you didn't know better than Paul. He thought he knew better than God
Look, we all have that problem in life. I
Actually think that sometimes I can be too nice
Right. I don't sometimes make especially my business. I don't I give people way too much the benefit of the doubt
And I'm not patting myself on the back. I know this because my wife has mentioned this to me more than once
It's not something that I actually recognize in myself
Somebody outside of me has to say, you know what? I don't know why you gave this person so much grace in this part
They here's all and then I look back and I'm like, oh, yeah, there was all these red flags. Why didn't I make a decision?
And it's not just like one event. It's like several events over my life
And the thing is, do I continue down that path or do I just lean on God for my own understanding?
Not on my own understanding, but lean on God for my understanding, right?
He's the lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, right?
We need to take these attributes and learn how to apply them properly.
I mean, Barnabas was waxing great.
He's doing great work for the Lord.
And then all of a sudden he's like...
We, you know, I don't know how the conversation went, but you know, probably sometimes some, you know
These are conversations that happen regularly. Oh, Paul, you're just too strict. What about second chances?
You know, maybe we should give someone say, I don't know if that's, I'm just, now I'm
just giving you conjecture.
But isn't that how the conversations usually go?
And then you got that one dogmatic staunch guy who's like, no, this is going to ruin
the plan.
This is going to ruin the work.
And then the other guy, and then there's a sharp contention.
I mean, this is not like some Barnabas who's the son of consolation who gets all this credit
for being this really nice guy.
He gets really mad.
Like this is a sharp contention Paul. We know is a is is hard like Paul is known for being a tough cookie
Right. I mean he was willing to get people killed
So the sharp content he pushed Paul to the point where Paul was like, you know what? Let's just get it on
Except Paul's right in this in this is to go over Galatians 2 and then we'll get to our final point go to Galatians 2 verse 13
I mean a Galatians 2 verse 11 says but when Peter
was come on to Antioch
I was stood him face to face because he was to be blamed.
Paul comes and it gets mad at Peter.
Why?
Because of the circumcision.
Remember why we're Barnabas and Paul and Saul sent out because they were
willing to risk their life and they needed people to go out there and preach against what?
the circumcision. Remember that? But now we get to Galatians and Peter is influencing people
to still keep the law of circumcision. And Paul's like, you so soon forgot the gospel,
which was once delivered unto you, Peter. I mean, you were there, right? And he says,
Because he was to be blamed for before that certain came from James,
he did with the Gentiles.
But when they were come, he would drew and separate himself,
fearing them which were of the circumcision.
And the other Jews dissembled likewise in so much that Barnabas
Also was carried away with their dissimulation.
Man, even Barnabas who was waxing great
and was sent to battle against the circumcision
is now caught up in this.
The problem with having like one really good attribute
is that if you overdo it, you end up getting in trouble.
Because now what he's doing is he's like, well, you know,
Peter's leader of the church too.
Paul came after Peter.
Maybe Peter's onto something. I mean, he did walk with Jesus
Maybe this thing of the circumcision might be necessary all of a sudden he just got caught up
Because it says there he was carried away with what their dissimulation what their fakeness
They're faking religion and Barnabas is no longer with Paul. He's no longer fighting the spiritual battles
He's now caring too much for people instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and now he gets caught up
Right before it was all like
Who do we need to go so when who do we need to lead to Christ all of a sudden his focus shifted from the souls to the people
And then all of a sudden a little bit later. He's like ooh, maybe we need to get circumcised
We all have that that ability to go from great to bad or from bad to great
We need to apply the word of God properly in our lives, right?
You know the exhortation or the final thing I just want to leave you with is that we need to give
Biblical
consolation like we need we consolation is real
We do need to console our brothers and sisters in Christ, but it needs to be in the proper context
You know, I always think of Jesus
that exchange with John the Baptist's disciples. He says, hey go tell him that
it is me and I'm doing great work. John's in jail. Jesus doesn't go, oh poor John
you're in jail. What can I do for you? Do you need money? Do you need, you know, he
just goes to do the, he's about his father's business. Now does that mean
that he doesn't love John? No, he loved John. I mean literally Jesus said John the
But the consolation was what an eternal everlasting consolation
Sometimes we take a wrong attitude about the things that you're dealing with, right?
Go over to 1 Thessalonians, and then I'm going to plow through these really quick.
1 Thessalonians 5, the Bible says,
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love,
and for in helmet the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us.
That whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him
Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another even as also ye do
Go over to 2nd Timothy
In Romans 15 verse 4 the Bible says whatsoever things were written a four-time
We're written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope
In 2 Timothy 4-2, we know these verses, but they really stood out as I was preparing this
because it's not just the warm and fuzzy parts that we preached, right?
The Bible says, I charge thee.
and that word I charge thee means, hey, I'm giving you a command, I'm telling you what to do,
these are your marching orders, I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word,
be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
See, Barnabas was loving to exhort, but he didn't want to reprove or rebuke.
Paul's like, Hey, John is going to quit on us like he quit the first time and the contention was so sharp between them
They split says for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine
And then what happened to Barnabas? It says but after their own lust shall they heep to themselves teachers having itching ears
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth. It shall be turned unto fables. We can be turned to fables
We don't lose our salvation, but we can go into false teachings
I mean literally Peter who was with Christ who was the rock, right?
The the first one to lead the church after Christ
He's like I don't want to make these guys of the circumstance. I'm afraid of them
I mean, we can all be caught up in this stuff.
In Jude 3, the Bible says, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of
the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you and exhort you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, and you were
there in 2 Timothy.
Just go back one to chapter 3.
That's where I'm going to close out.
But in 1st Corinthians 16 verse 13 the Bible says watch ye
Stand fast in the faith quit you like men be strong
Let all your things be done with charity
Look the sign of a man is not to have an over abundance of some feeling the sign of a man
It's just to do what God's asked you to do regardless of your feelings
And that's the toughest part not just of a man
But just of any man or woman who wants to serve Christ is that we have to suppress what we think is the right feeling
Because feelings get in the way, I mean, we're emotional creatures.
There's times where I know I have to say something to someone, I just don't want to, because
I know they might not take it the right way, or they're going to get mad.
Right, or you're gonna preach a certain subject or you're gonna say a certain thing and you just don't want to offend people
I'm telling you I don't like offending people, but I just know that if I preach the truth it has to be offensive
It's just period
Even this servant might be offensive for some people because I guarantee you there's people here that are
Over-consoling that are just nice people, right?
You know, it makes me think my my I have a brother and my brother is just the nicest guy to a fault
And my brother was so nice that my parents never gave him nice gifts because you know what he'd do with the gifts
He give him report little, you know, Juanito
He doesn't have this so I had to give it to him and then he'd come back and he never have any money
And he never have any toys. We're like what happened to all that stuff
He's like oh well so and so came and you know told me that they've never seen anything like that
And they really always wanted something like that and I just felt really bad for him and I gave it to him
And I'm thinking to myself, bro, that kid has all these other, like, you know, cause we
knew people we hung around with, but that's just, you know, some people are like that.
Now I'm not picking on my brother cause, you know, obviously I have faults too.
That's the one thing that stood out to him.
But over time, my brother learned, right?
Cause you realize some people are just going to pull out your heartstrings cause they know
that's how you are.
Go over to second, uh, second Timothy three, I'll close out there.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God and his prophet over doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in right righteousness
But what for that the man of God may be perfect?
Thoroughly furnished unto all good works
So what's the application just be a man of it be a man or a woman of encouragement, right?
But make sure that your comfort
Firing people up from the word of God for the word of God right not not from what you're feeling
Right Barnabas. I mean think about it. It's like chapter eight. I mean four eight nine eleven twelve three
I need Paul and Barnabas the Holy Ghost. I've separated him out for work
I need I need Paul and Barnabas Paul and Barnabas Paul and Barnabas and then Barnabas gets this bright idea that he needs to be nicer about John and
Then everything goes south
Now, like I said, it's not like the, like the Old Testament, I think he just fades into
the background.
The Bible obviously doesn't tell us he turned into wickedness.
I mean, it is wicked to give in like one day be against the circumcision and then just
before the circumcision, like, right, you're kind of confusing other people that are following
you.
Maybe your testimony is not great, but.
At the same time it just it closes out there, so it doesn't give us more
So I'm not going to draw more it never says that he was like this bad person or anything like that
But there was sharp contention look as Christians
We will have sharp contention with others, but we need to remember that we need to console ourselves
Each other in the Word of God
All right, so in conclusion just remember Barnabas is the son of consolation
And if you look all the good work outweighs the negative
And in God's eyes, how does God look at things?
If you look at all the Old Testament saints, when they're mentioned in the New Testament,
the good ones, he never brings up like David's sin.
or he never brings up like Moses' fact that he didn't want to preach the Word of God at first,
you know, let my people go. He brings up all the good stuff, all the faith.
So when we look at Barnabas, we want to look at the fact that he was a
consoler in the Word of Christ, right? And that he did these great works for God,
and he led all these, those are the rewards and crowns he's going to get in heaven.
But it's just probably Paul's rewards and crowns are going to outweigh Barnabas.
At least they're both in heaven.
But don't be a Barnabas where you're out doing great things for the Lord and then for some
reason your feelings get in the way and now you're just, you're just kind of serving idly
by, right?
Which is like the state of the modern church in America, right?
They're too nice.
Everybody's welcome.
Don't call anybody out.
No false religions.
No false prophets.
Don't speak against the sodomites.
Don't speak against the, you know, the politics.
What do we talk about then on a Sunday morning, you know, nothing that's exactly what happens, right?
And then they talk about nothing where we need to come to church and learn some hard truths and some good truths
Constellation is a biblical principle. I think you need to apply in your life, but you need to apply it biblically
Let's close in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father Lord
Thank you so much for today. Thank you for your blessings Lord
Thank you for the lessons in the Bible about Barnabas and thank you that we had a Barnabas
Honestly, I don't think without Stephen and without Barnabas, we don't have Paul.
Paul was doing great work and I'm sure that he was encouraged by Barnabas.
And I'm sure that maybe even the contention was so sharp between them that he might have
been hurt, but he didn't let it stop him from serving the Lord, from staying true to the
doctrines that are found in the Bible.
Help us to be like Barnabas in the beginning Lord, to console, to bring people together,
to give credibility, to come up with ideas and solutions, to just be soul winners for
the cause of Christ, and help us to not get just taken by every wind of doctrine and not
just let our feelings overtake us where we're blinded by our feelings and no longer are
focused on the lamp of our feet and the light on our tour path.
Help us to just have a good week. Lord. Thank you for all those in attendance here today. In Jesus name we pray. Amen