Rev. David Holwick J
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 16, 2003
Acts 16:6-10
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I. The gift of the emerald isles.
A. How many here are Irish? How many are English?
Which is better?
B. St. Patrick's day honors both - an Englishman who became the
most famous Irishman.
C. He was a remarkable Christian who can teach us how to have an
impact on our world.
II. He overcame his circumstances.
A. Patrick lived in the fifth century, which was a turbulent time.
1) In A.D. 410 Rome was sacked by invaders.
2) The Roman army abandoned Britain so it could defend Rome.
3) Dark Ages rapidly descended on the islands. (King Arthur)
B. He was enslaved.
1) Patrick was born Patricius somewhere in Roman Britain.
a) His family was relatively wealthy and Christian.
b) He was not religious as a youth and, in fact, claims to
have practically renounced the faith of his family.
2) While in his teens, Patrick was kidnapped in an Irish raid.
a) He was taken to Ireland and enslaved to a warlord as a
shepherd for 6 years, an experience that seared him.
1> (enemy heads stuck on poles)
b) The work of such slave-shepherds was bitterly isolated,
months at a time spent alone in the hills.
III. He discovered a genuine faith.
A. The lonely slave-shepherd sought God.
1) Hungry, lonely, frightened, and bitterly cold, Patrick
began to pray.
He later recalled: "I would pray constantly during the
daylight hours.
The love of God and the fear of him surrounded me
more and more. And faith grew.
And the Spirit moved me so much that in one day I would
say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night only
slightly less."
[Christian History magazine, Fall 1998]
2) His life was Christ-centered, as shown in his poems.
The most famous is called his Breastplate:
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me;
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. #18586
B. Deliverance and return.
1) Six years after his capture, God spoke to him in a dream.
"Your hungers are rewarded.
You are going home.
Look -- your ship is ready."
a) Running away carried high risk, but God protected him.
1> The young slave walked nearly 200 miles to the
Irish coast.
2> He boarded a waiting ship and traveled back to
Britain and his family.
b) Back in England, he entered a monastery, became a
priest, and then a bishop.
2) Thirty years later, another vision came to him.
a) He dreamed of an Irishman pleading with him to return
home.
b) The Irish of the fifth century were a pagan, violent,
and barbaric people.
1> Human sacrifice was commonplace.
2> Patrick understood the danger and wrote:
"I am ready to be murdered, betrayed, enslaved
-- whatever may come my way."
IV. Patrick changed Ireland forever.
A. He showed respect to the pagan leaders.
1) Once he was preaching to a group in the mountains.
Afterwards, they noticed that their chieftain was
limping.
During the sermon, Patrick had leaned on his staff,
which was resting on the chief's foot.
When Patrick was told this, he went to the chief and
asked, "Why didn't you cry out when I stabbed you in
the foot?"
Surprised, the chief answered, "I remembered you
telling us about the nails in the cross, and I
thought my pain was part of my faith."
#22468
2) Druid priests opposed him but he never gave up.
B. He founded churches and monasteries.
1) They were the only oases of civilization in later times.
C. He challenged their sins.
1) He condemned slavery 1,400 years before the Pope did.
a) He excommunicated a British king who had slaves.
2) He was always concerned for the dispossessed.
a) He was appreciative of women.
D. He converted thousands.
1) Because of Patrick,
a warrior people "lay down the swords of battle,
flung away the knives of sacrifice,
and cast away the chains of slavery."
#6032
2) Few individuals have had as much impact on a country.
V. Learning from Patrick.
A. Do you accept the faith you were brought up in?
1) He had a heritage but not a genuine experience.
2) Don't wait till a crisis before turning to God.
B. Reaching your neighborhood for Christ.
1) Patrick evangelized systematically.
a) People respected him because he lived it consistently.
2) Structures are important.
a) We should support Christian institutions.
1> Our monasteries are Christian colleges.
b) Use V.B.S. and Sunday School as an outreach.
C. Confronting paganism.
1) Our pagans are more sophisticated, but still pagans.
a) Learn why they are not Christian.
b) Challenge their rejection of faith.
2) Share a social witness.
a) Slavery still exists in our world.
b) Stand up for the outcasts among us.
D. Leave a spiritual legacy.
1) Patrick almost delighted in taking risks for the gospel.
He wrote:
"I must take this decision disregarding risks involved and
make known the gifts of God and his everlasting
consolation.
Neither must we fear any such risk in faithfully preaching
God's name boldly in every place, so that even after my
death, a spiritual legacy may be left for my
brethren and my children."
#18584
2) What legacy do you leaven YOUR friends and family?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 6032 "Apostle To The Irish: The Real Saint Patrick," by Charles Colson
in his BreakPoint Commentary, March 15, 2002.
#18584 "Patrick's Risks For The Gospel," in SermonCentral's weekly
email, March 10, 2003.
#18586 "Saint Patrick's Breastplate," in SermonCentral's weekly
email, March 10, 2003.
#22468 "Pain Is Part of Baptism," by Rev. Brett Blair, Blair's Illustra-
tions by Email, www.sermonillustrations.com, Jan. 12, 2003.
(Example in this sermon reflects other versions.)
Sermon also draws upon the following:
#18588 "The St. Patrick You Never Knew," by Anita McSorley,
www.americancatholic.org/messenger/mar1997/feature1.asp#f1;
March 1997.
Sermon #16285 "Lessons From St. Patrick," by Rev. Michael McCartney,
www.sermoncentral.com, March 13, 2003.
These and 23,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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