TOPIC:"The Man Who Exhibited Goodness"
"Barnabas...was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith..." (Acts 11:22, 24, NIV)
As we read the New Testament we find upon its pages dynamic examples of servants of our Lord who lived the Christlike life. They put into practice what they believed. They are God's picture gallery to inspire us on to greater usefulness in the service of our precious Savior. In studying their lives, we are given insight into how God can take frail and unworthy men and women and transform them into trophies of His grace.
It is at this point that I want to introduce you to this man Barnabas. I want us to study his life. His name means "son of encouragement." He first comes upon the scene in Acts chapter 4 verse 37 where we read that Barnabas: "sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet." What a gesture! Those words tell us much about the commitment and dedication of Barnabas to the Lord's work.
Barnabas is also mentioned in Acts chapter 9 and 11 which we shall look at later in this sermon. But the key word which characterized his life that I want you to consider is found in our text: "He was a good man" (v. 24). Can that be said of us? And what does it mean to be described as "good"? That leads me to my first point.
Consider, first of all, the DESIGNATION of the word "good" as it relates to this man Barnabas. We read: "He was a good man" (v. 24). That adjective "good" as used by St. Luke to characterize Barnabas calls for an explanation. Let me show you what I mean.
In Romans chapter 3 verse 10 St. Paul declared: "There is no one righteous, not even one." Two verses later he writes: "There is no one who does good, not even one" (v. 12). Here we have Paul's indictment against the whole world, Jew and Gentile, outside of Christ. They are not good. Notice must be given to the fact that this is not a description of the character of genuine Christians. It describes . . .