Living Hope Family Church Marana Sermons
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Jesus' death was necessary for our salvation. Through it, we have our sins forgiven. But it was His resurrection that provided the solution to mankind's problems. We aren't just forgiven but still broken people. We have been made new in Him!
While Saul had a plan in mind, there was a divine plan that changed the course of his life. Thinking that he was doing the work of God, his life was redirected by an encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus. He immediately joins "the Way" which he had been violently opposed to. What an amazing example of how radically life changing Jesus is. This conversion proved to be one of the most significant events in history next to Jesus's appearance.
We continue to follow Philip as he is commanded by God to head towards Gaza to continue preaching the gospel, where we see the well-known story of him and the Ethiopian eunuch and leads him to the Lord! I hope this story encourages all of us to share the Gospel with others.
Today we briefly follow Phillip, one of the men was helping to serve the Hellenist widows and then went to Samaria preaching the gospel. While there, he was performing signs and wonders amongst them. And after Samaria receives the word of God, the apostles hear and sent Peter and John to minister to them and pray that they might receive the Holy Spirit. While there, they encounter Simon the Magician, who hears and believes the gospel, but is still a little off base when it comes to the gospel and the power of God. His story serves as a warning to all who would covet the power of God for personal gain.
Stephen's speech infuriates the stubborn Sanhedrin, which results in the first Christian martyr. The persecution which then erupts causes the Church to begin fulfilling the Great Commission. Philip, one of the seven chosen "servers" goes to a city in Samaria and sees great success evidenced by miracles. There is much joy as a result, and the adventure advances! Instead of stamping out the Gospel, it spread further!
Stephen is accused of speaking against "this holy place and the law" as well as saying that Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses gave to the Israelites. Today we look at how Stephen finishes his response when asked if these things were so.
Stephen is accused of speaking against "this holy place and the law" as well as saying that Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses gave to the Israelites. Stephen begins his response when asked if these things were so.
Since the failed attempt to discredit the Church through Ananias and his wife didn't work, now a legitimate complaint arises over neglect of the Hellenistic widows. The Apostles understand their role is to pray and minister the Word of God, so they ask the congregation to choose reputable men from among themselves to oversee the daily distributions. As a result, that solution causes the Church to continue to expand. So, another attempt is made by accusing Stephen of "blasphemy" against Moses and the Temple. The ruthlessness of this is evidenced by the fact that the accusers were bribed! When Stephen is arrested, they all see his face like an angel's. That should have stopped them in their tracks! But we'll see what happens next week!
The early church is off to an amazing start. Multitudes of people getting saved every day, and God was moving powerfully with signs and wonders. And this was even with all the opposition that Peter and John were facing. However, in spite of this opposition, they continued preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus, inciting the religious leaders to jealousy and anger. But even in the midst of being imprisoned and beaten, they rejoiced for the privilege to suffer for His name's sake.
Amazing signs and wonders are being performed through the Apostle's hands and the church is growing. But today, we deal with one of the more difficult stories in the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira.
After being threatened by the authorities not to mention Jesus Peter and John return to their friends and give a report. This prompts a prayer meeting with the result that they all receive another infilling of the Holy Spirit. This not only gave them a renewed boldness but melted down selfishness and united them in a genuine Christian community. The end result is the continued building of the kingdom right up to this day.
An amazing miracle has just taken place as the man who had been lame since birth for 40 years has now been healed. The crowds gathered around wanting to know what has happened, and you’ll remember from last week, Peter begins to preach. But wherever the gospel is preached, the church is growing, and Jesus’ name is lifted up and He is making an impact, the enemy sends opposition.
The New Testament Church is established through the power of the Holy Spirit moving among the believers. They spent time with one another, caring and sharing with gladness and generosity. They continued with instruction from the apostles, fellowship and prayer and worship. Signs and wonders displayed God's stamp of approval. Chapter 3 highlights one of the miracles. As a result, the number of believers grew. This is the model of what we are privileged to be a part of until Jesus returns.
The New Testament Church is established through the power of the Holy Spirit moving among the believers. They spent time with one another, caring and sharing with gladness and generosity. They continued with instruction from the apostles, fellowship and prayer and worship. Signs and wonders displayed God's stamp of approval. Chapter 3 highlights one of the miracles. As a result, the number of believers grew. This is the model of what we are privileged to be a part of until Jesus returns.
Some say we only celebrate Christmas because Christians of old tried to appropriate pagan holidays. But do we find evidence of celebrating Jesus' birth in the bible?
The Holy Spirit had just come upon the house where the disciples were as a mighty, rushing wind. A crowd showed up to see what was going on and began to hear the disciples speaking in their own languages. Peter stands to tell them what was going on.
The fulfillment of Jesus's promised "enduement with power" began on the Jewish Festival of Weeks, known as "Pentecost", which is simply the Greek for fiftieth. This eyewitness account makes special note that there were devout men from all over the known world who were astonished at the event. They heard what was spoken in their own languages. What makes this supernatural event special is that it doesn't say the disciples were speaking those languages, but the hearers understood. This Feast not only marked the beginning of the wheat harvest but also the end time harvest. "Pray that the Lord of the harvest sends out laborers".
Today, we get into some fresh story. The end of Christ’s ministry on earth is the beginning of the disciple's ministry in His behalf. They were just instructed to wait for the arrival of the Holy Spirit, so they head up to an upper room and spend time in Prayer. This is where Peter leads them in filling the vacancy in the 12 apostles ranks after Judas’ betrayal. The 12 apostles were symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel, and it is hard to be representative when there is only 11 of you.
The Book of Acts is unique among those of the Testament. It helps bridge the gap between the gospels and the rest of the books. We start today with our verse-by-verse study of it. I am excited because we can learn so much from the early church!
Last week we looked at compassion and this week we will explore a little of mercy. Both attributes of God are expressed in action. Based on His extending it to us, we are to, "Go and do likewise". Thank God that we have received a new nature which enables us to extend mercy properly!
Jesus touched many people's lives but still noticed that they were "harassed" and scattered like sheep without a shepherd, just like today where we are bombarded by turmoil. His solution is wrapped up in compassion. The harvest needs laborers who will express that care everywhere we can.
We live in a world where so many seem so unsatisfied with what they have. So many claim they are mistreated, mishandled, and are victims of every sort of terrible atrocity. But as Christians we should recognize the gifts and blessings of God all around us and be thankful!
God says one thing, but the world says another. The question for us as Christians is who are we going to believe?
For those who don't know, God's grace is inexhaustible. Because of His nature, as a concerned Father our need for reconciliation is met by God's amazing grace. It's available as a gift but isn't automatically bestowed. It must be received.
The most common and effective attack of the enemy will be to question who you are. When he asks, "Who are you," what will you say?
We are very blessed to welcome our guest speaker, Pastor Ron Simpkins, who has a wonderful, encouraging message about running the race and fighting the good fight of faith.
In studying several Biblical instances where the word "but" is found we see tremendous evidence of God's hand in people's lives. We serve a good God should be encouraged by the promise of His faithfulness.
What is hope? The dictionary says it is the "feeling" that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. However, biblical hope is different. Instead of a feeling, it is a knowing. And it is because of Christ!
All too often, we limit who God is by our experiences. We think that God will be like our natural father, or we think God behave like what we see on TV or in the movies. We limit what we think God can do by what “we” think is possible. But His ways are not our ways. He may well, and often does, do things in ways that are totally different to how we would have or would like them done.
As amazing as it sounds when we gave our lives to Jesus, we were given a new nature. That's a genuine divine nature, but we need to remain humble so that "in all things He may have the preeminence." We would be wise to stay away from philosophical questions and simply focus on God's amazing grace whereby He has "qualified us." All we need to do is believe His word.
