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Text: Galatians 4:4,5
As we celebrate the birth of our Savior this Advent Season, I am reminded of the HOPE that the Gospel brings us. We live in a fallen world in which we constantly deal with temptation, heartache, grief, sickness, and disappointment. Just to name a few. The Holy Spirit residing within us sanctifies us and teaches us about all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ Jesus: giving us joy in our current trials and hope for eternity.
Acts Series message 11
Text: Acts 5:17-42
As we celebrate the birth of Christ and the wonder of the incarnation, we focus on persecution in this message. Satan opposed Christ with great fury from His very birth, and that opposition continues today. We'll examine how the apostles were imprisoned and beaten, and how they stood up under it. We'll close with an exhortation to stand our own ground while empathetically supporting those who are subject to persecution.
Text: Joel 2:28-29
Just as Christ's birth and ministry were prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures, so the Holy Spirit's ministry is foretold prior to Pentecost. We will examine the ministry of the One who moved the Biblical authors to speak of Jesus. Gaining this helpful information will enrich our understanding of the Book of Acts, as we experience the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our own lives.
Acts Series message 10
Text: Acts 5:1-16
We've seen the church persecuted, the church praying, now the church purified. Two players in the early church wanted to project an image that was deceitful and made them look more "spiritual". First century precursor to a 21st Century problem: wearing masks. Both dropped dead when confronted with their sin. God's holiness in still intact, He is not mocked. We'll examine Ananias and Sapphira on Sunday.
Acts Series message 9
Text: Acts 4:23-37
When the earliest Christians were opposed, their immediate response was to pray! How instructive. HOW and WHAT they prayed, is even more helpful. Their prayer was informed by Scripture and addressed to the One who is sovereign over their situation. People often focus on the miracles in Acts and overlook the place given to prayer; it is often on the heels of concerted prayer that the Word is proclaimed with boldness. Couldn't we use some of that today? We'll also define a key term: Spirit filling. How does this differ from Spirit baptism? How often are we filled with the Spirit versus baptized with the Spirit? Lots of confusion on this today, we'll unpack all of this on Sunday.
Acts Series message 8
Test: Acts 4:1-22
Sometimes we wonder why God is opening certain doors for us. Surely He knows we are not qualified for the work He's put before us! You are not alone if you've ever felt this way. Often He lovingly moves us out of our comfort zone and stretches us in our service to Him. On Sunday we'll take a look at the secret behind the powerful ministry of Peter, a man who would probably have been the last one chosen for such a job. All of this takes place as the church begins to feel the pressure of persecution.
Acts Series message 7
Text: Acts 3:19-26
The people have just witnessed the lame leap like deer leading Peter to direct them to the only one with the authority and power to heal physically and spiritually, Jesus. The one they rejected and killed, God has glorified, raised from the dead, and is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Now the people have to choose - repent and turn again or reject what they have heard. We will look at the promises of God which lie behind both options and how they still matter today.
Acts Series message 6
Text: Acts 3:1-18
The first recorded apostolic miracle is a lame beggar being healed. He was crippled from birth, and this was well known to everyone. The crowd that witnessed this (remember, eyewitness accounts are important for Luke!) is filled with awe and wonder. Peter seizes the opportunity to once again point people to Christ while emphasizing the need for repentance. He makes a profound statement: "you killed the author of life." There are so many majestic truths contained in this one phrase! There is truth about Jesus and truth about our great salvation. We'll focus on this phrase on Sunday.
No sermon this week due to the Salt Sunday church-wide community service event.
Acts Series message 5
Text: Acts 2:42-47
When we become Christians we become part of a new family. Church should feel like a family, not an institution. It should be a source of support and encouragement as we follow the Lord; sometimes in difficult situations. Luke gives us a good glimpse into early Christian life - church life.
Acts Series message 4
Text: Acts 2:22-41
The one we so easily identify with, Peter rises to address a crowd of unbelieving Jews. The result is 3,000 souls added to the Kingdom! He does not soften his message or pander to the people, but rather warns and pleads with them. We will examine his content and approach as a model for witnessing to Christ today.
Acts Series message 3
Text: Acts 2:1-21
From the beginning, Luke wants us to know that his history is detail-oriented and provided by eyewitnesses. He conveys Christ's ascension, at which point He is exalted and pours out His Spirit. What happens in chapter two is riveting and breathtaking: prophecy is fulfilled and the church is annointed and empowered by the Spirit to proclaim Jesus Christ!
Acts Series message 2
Text: Acts 1:6-26
As we travel through Acts, please note the centrality of the resurrection. Luke was certain to establish the historicity of this momentous event beyond any question. On Sunday, we will examine how the resurrection and ascension were the cornerstone of all the activity within the early church. The twelve disciples were now eleven disciples, so they chose Matthias to join their ranks. This Sunday, we'll see how these disciples - including a greater number of believers - were poised to complete their mission, given by our Lord Jesus, being empowered by the Holy Spirit. ALL of this was a part of God's wonderful and detailed plan. Please read chapter one prior to Sunday, it will be helpful as you receive the sermon.
Acts Series message 1
Text: Acts 1:1-5
In this first message of the series, we'll introduce this powerful narrative via the opening five verses. We'll note three concepts that form not only the content of Acts, but also the Christian church and our individual walk with Christ.
1 Peter Series message 32
Text: 1 Peter 5:10-11
At the retreat, we recapped 1 Peter and preached the last two verses of the epistle. We will close out our series on Sunday by proclaiming our living hope in Christ: our wonderful God has called us to His eternal glory and will Himself restore and settle us FOREVER. We must never lose sight of this in life's storms; I am praying we draw much encouragement and perspective from it.
1 Peter Series message 31
Some 'parting shots' as we review and close out this series.
1 Peter Series message 30
Text: I Peter 5:9
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott
The great hymn of the faith, A Mighty Fortress is our God, penned by Martin Luther in 1529, was considered the Battle Hymn of the Reformation, and was also sung at President Eisenhower's funeral. It speaks well to our second message on temptation; namely, resist him. Consider the lyrics of this hymn, which we'll sing this Sunday:
"For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal."
This is the truth! We saw this in Sunday's sermon and experience it every day.
"Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing."
AMEN to that!
But THIS is how we resist, how we thrive as OVERCOMERS:
"And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him."
1 Peter Series message 29
Text: 1 Peter 5:8
As Peter closes out his letter he is giving practical advice on Christian maturity. Because of the hope within us, we should be growing in trust (towards the Lord) and humility (towards others and the Lord). We need to recognize the work of the evil one as he tempts us in various ways, maintaining vigilance and and a sober mindset.
1 Peter Series message 28
Text: 1 Peter 5:7
Anxiety can be crippling; it keeps our focus off the Lord and set on our challenges. Peter addresses this directly. He shows us how to attack anxiety and win over worry. The key is to understand the context of this powerful verse.
1 Peter Series message 27
Text: 1 Peter 5:5-6
Peter tells us to follow Christ's example by embracing suffering for His Name's sake. Likewise, he calls us to follow in His footsteps of humility. The flip side of elders leading well is for the church to have a submissive spirit towards their leadership. But bigger than that is everyone having a spirit of humility towards each other, beginning with humility towards GOD.