(This outline is provided so that those attending Oasis Church can read ahead, pray, and prepare their hearts for the upcoming sermon.)

Text: Acts 13:13-52

The Jewish people were given God’s covenant, entrusted with God’s law. God gave them prophecies and shadows and symbols of the coming Messiah.

But when Jesus came, they didn’t recognize Him.

In the Apostle Paul’s very first sermon recorded in the Book of Acts, he preaches the gospel to the Jews. His encouragements to them were:

1.  Recognize Jesus as the promised Savior (v. 16-27)

-He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to rescue His people.

-He is the evidence of God’s faithfulness to that promise.

-The Jews knew the Old Testament, but still didn’t recognize Jesus.

-If it were not for God opening our eyes, we would still be blind to the gospel.

2.  Believe on Jesus, the Risen Son of God (v.28-37)

-Paul goes from Israel’s ancient history to their role in the crucifixion of Christ.

-But God raised Him from the dead. (v.30)

-The “Son of David”, the Messiah, is greater than David.

-The proof from Scripture (Psalm 2, Isaiah 55, Psalm 16).

-This proves Jesus is not just the Son of David, but the Son of God.

-To truly see Jesus as Savior is to submit to Him as Lord.

3. Rejoice in Jesus, our Righteousness (v. 38-39)

-Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses.

-Therefore we are freed, justified (made righteous) in Him.

-In Christ, we are fully righteous, fully justified, fully accepted by God.

-“…as many as were appointed” believed the gospel. Not of man’s works, but of God’s grace.

-Rejoice that God is sovereign in salvation, and faithful to sustain us.

(This outline is provided so that those attending Oasis Church can read ahead, pray, and prepare their hearts for the upcoming sermon.)

Text: Acts 11:19-30, Acts 12:1-25

Key verse: [11:21] And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

God hand was evident in the early church. And God is still at work in His Church today, guiding us in this life and empowering us to make disciples.

Because the hand of the Lord is present…

I. We can proclaim God’s Word (11:19-26)

-Peter’s vision is coming to pass with the gospel going to both Jews and Gentiles.

-The city of Antioch is experiencing great revival and the church is growing.

-Barnabas and Paul begin teaching / making disciples.

-When God’s hand moves and the gospel goes forth, a church is birthed.

II.  We can joyfully suffer under trial (12:1-19)

-Herod killed James, imprisoned Peter.

-The church prayed and God miraculously freed Peter from prison.

-Sometimes God’s hand rescues us from suffering. And sometimes God’s hand is with us through the suffering. In either case, we can have joy, knowing that God is in control.

III.  We can rest in God’s perfect justice (12:21-24)

-Herod set himself up to be worshiped as a god.

-But the One True God brought swift justice, and struck Herod down.

-God does the repaying, not us.

-We should be careful in wishing God’s judgment on anyone because we all deserve it.

Herod thought He could stop God’s word. But God stopped Herod. God brought an end to Herod, and God’s word just kept on going. Man’s sin could not stop God’s hand. The church of Jesus just kept growing

Just this morning, I’m struggling in my heart with irritability (read: sin). After my devotions, I read this blog post by Phil Ryken called “Do You Take Your Irritability Seriously?”

Here’s a snippet:

“We should take our irritability much more seriously, because it is the very opposite of love. We know this because 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that love ‘is not irritable.’ Irritability is the antithesis of charity. It is not merely a way of complaining, therefore, but actually a way of hating.”

Convicting words, yet they are the truth I needed to hear today. How about you?

Read the whole post here.

HT: Tim Challies (as usual)

(This outline is provided so that those attending Oasis Church can read ahead, pray, and prepare their hearts for the upcoming sermon.)

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 16-22

The letter of 1 Corinthians is one of the earliest writings of the NT. It was written by the Apostle Paul, because the church at Corinth, to put it mildly, was messed up.

Paul, with the love and patience of a good father, brings some correction by reminding them of something they seemed to have forgotten – the importance of Jesus resurrecting from the dead.

I.  “If Christ has not been raised”  (1 Cor. 15:16-19)

-then we are still in our sins (v.17)

-then those who have died are gone forever (v.18)

-then we are to be pitied (v.19)

II.  “But Christ has been raised”  (I Cor. 15:20-22)

-evidenced by 500 eyewitnesses

-evidenced by the Old Testament (Ps. 22:18, Isa. 53:5, Zech. 12:10)

-evidenced by the empty tomb

Because Jesus has risen, those who trust in Him are forgiven of sin, reconciled with the Father, and promised eternity with Him.

Because Jesus has risen, He is God.

“You must make your choice. Either this man [Jesus] was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.” – C. S. Lewis

(This outline is provided so that those attending Oasis Church can read ahead, pray, and prepare their hearts for the upcoming sermon.)

Text: Acts 9:19-43

Main thought: Different people with different gifts preaching one gospel – that’s how Jesus builds His Church.

Other than our Lord Jesus Christ, there are two men that stand out as the most influential, the most important figures in the New Testament, and in all of Christianity. Two apostles that Jesus used mightily as pillars in His Church – Peter and Paul.

Two very different men. Yet God used them for the spread of the gospel and the building of the church.

This sermon will consider God’s ministry through these two men as Luke records it, how God takes two people as different as Peter and Paul, (one called to the Jews, the other to the Gentiles), yet uses them both for one purpose. That gives us a picture to be able to see how God does that with us, using us for His glory and in spreading His gospel today.

I.  Saul / Paul  (Acts 9:19-31)

-Jesus miraculously saved Saul and transformed him with the gospel.

-Saul began preaching in the Jewish synagogues. He preached Jesus as “the Son of God”.

-Saul had to flee for His life several times. The church experienced a time of peace, but Saul was persecuted.

-God humbled Saul, and God used Saul. God used him to spread the gospel and grow the church.

II.  Peter  (Acts 9:32-43)

-Peter went through the countryside, performing miracles and healings in the name of Jesus.

-Many of these miracles mirrored the miracles of Jesus. They pointed to the validity of the messenger and the message, to cause others to hear the gospel and trust in Christ.

-Peter, like Paul, centered his life and ministry around Jesus as “the Son of God” (Mt. 16:16).

III.  What does this mean for us?

-God used different men for His glory. We are all different, yet God will use us to spread the gospel and see Christ’s church grow.

-Peter and Paul had very different educations and backgrounds. Yet God used them. Our past does not define us. The transforming power of the gospel does.

-Peter and Paul were important, but they were just men – sinners in need of God’s grace – just like us. God humbled them, and then He used them. God wants to do the same with us today.

Recently at our “Man2Man” gathering, Pastor Rick Gamache preached a great message on husbands honoring their wives, based on 1 Peter 3:1-7.

It’s full of biblical truth spoken directly, yet with much grace. Every man should take some time to listen.

Click here to listen online.

Text:  Acts 8:26-40

Remember this: God alone is the one who saves, yet He calls us to join Him in this wonderful work of evangelism. Put another way: God supernaturally brings salvation through the human proclamation of the gospel. It’s God’s gospel at work through God’s people.

God made us in His image, gave us a mouth, gave us the message of the gospel, fills us with His Spirit, and uses us to spread that good news. He doesn’t need us, but He gets joy having us participate.

Question: What is God’s role, and what is our role in seeing people come to saving faith in Christ?

1. GOD SPEAKS and WE OBEY  (8:26-27)

-God gives the direction, provides the opportunity, and we follow.

-God spoke. Philip heard and obeyed.

-God still guides us today through His word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

2. GOD PROVIDES and WE TRUST (8:27-35)

-The work of evangelism causes us to trust in God’s providence.

-His sovereign ability to work all things together for His desired result.

-God sent Philip on this specific road at a specific time because there was a specific person God wanted to reach.

-God’s providence – His divine, sovereign care for us, leads us through this life.

-You are not put on this earth for you. You are here for God and His glory.

3. WE PREACH and GOD SAVES  (8:36-38)

-The Ethiopian immediately responds to what he has read in scripture and what Philip has taught him about Jesus.

-Philip listened and obeyed. But as inspiring as all that is, Philip is not the focus here. God is.

-When it comes to salvation, it is God who does it. He is the one that brings conviction.

-We are instruments in God’s hands.

-By God’s grace, let us be a people that God can use to make the gospel known and to see lives transformed in Jesus.

Dads, our kids are watching us worship. In fact, our families are watching us. If all they know is how we respond to God’s truth being sung, are we leading them with courage and passion for Christ?

This blog post by Stephen Altrogge inspired me to remember that we Dads need to sing it like we mean it.

HT: Tim Challies

Text: Acts 8:1-25

Great movements in history often had their start with a “tipping point” – a moment, one event, or a single person that caused a ripple effect and changed everything.

Last week, we read of one of those moments – the stoning of Stephen. God used this single event of Stephen’s death to cause a massive explosion of the gospel beyond the borders of Palestine and into the Gentile world.

Remember this: Nothing can stop the gospel of Jesus Christ from going forth, and God’s plan of salvation from being completed.

I.  The gospel is not stopped by persecution, but it flourishes in suffering. (Acts 8:1-3)

-Saul led the way in the feeding frenzy of persecution of the church.

-As Christians scattered, the gospel spread.

-The gospel spreads as we count Christ more valuable than our lives.

-When a Christian is no longer threatened by the fear of death, the gospel won’t be silenced.

-You may kill the Christian, but you can never kill the gospel.

- “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust. . . . The more you mow us down, the more we grow; the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (Tertullian)

II.  The gospel is not limited by borders, but it is for all people. (Acts 8:4-13)

-Philip was one of the first evangelists to the Gentiles.

-It was God’s plan from the beginning that the gospel would go to all people.

-Jesus gave the Great Commission to make disciples of ALL nations.

-The Samaritans (the outcasts of the Jewish world) heard the gospel, experienced the acceptance of Christ, and had “much joy”. We, too, were outcasts who were adopted and brought near in Christ.

-God’s gospel has no limits. God’s kingdom has no borders.

-May we never put “borders” on the gospel. Rich or poor, smart or simple, young or old, share with everyone the good news that Jesus saves sinners.

III.   The gospel is not bought or earned, but it is a gift. (Acts 8:14-24)

-Simon the magician was the local witch doctor who heard the gospel and was baptized.

-But Simon tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit by offering the apostles money.

-Peter sternly rebuked Simon, and Simon repented.

-We, too, try to “buy” or earn God’s power, His love, His favor.

-Salvation is a free gift – receive it.

-The power of the Spirit is a free gift – receive it.

-Don’t seek the gift more than the Giver. May we pray for the power of the Spirit in order to point to Jesus and glorify God.

(This is the last of 3 posts that focus on what results when we’re a gospel-centered church.)

Acts 6:7 is one of the first “progress reports” in the Book of Acts. Luke is summing up everything that has happened in the first 5 chapters, and this is what he says.

[7] And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Disciples multiplied because the gospel was central.

It would have been very easy for the apostles to be distracted from the central work of prayer and preaching the gospel, but they acted in wisdom. They were led by the Spirit. No doubt, Peter – the leader of the apostles – had Jesus’ words echoing in his heart – “Peter, feed my sheep. Feed my sheep.” Peter knew that didn’t mean physical food, but Jesus wants His sheep fed with the living word of God.

Because the ministry of the word was protected and the gospel was prioritized, God kept adding to the church. And not just numeric growth, but spiritual growth as well.

Jesus has called us, not just to fill seats in an auditorium, but to make disciples. It’s good to invite people to church. In fact, we should do more of that. But getting people to church is not our ultimate goal. We must be about making disciples – sinners saved by grace who are also growing in grace and, eventually, helping others grow. That’s discipleship, and that’s what we’re called to.

Here’s an important question: Who are you discipling? Who are you taking time to sit down and read scripture with, and pray with and encourage in the gospel?

Jesus calls His church to “go and make disciples of all nations”. That’s not just a command for pastors and missionaries. We are all called to make disciples. Start by sharing the gospel and making disciples right where you are.

You don’t have to wait for a position or title or a different stage of your life when your kids get older and you’ve got more time. Start right where you are – in your neighborhood, in your school, in the places you go everyday, in your extended family.

Just like the church in Acts, as the word of God increases in us, it will increase through us. As the gospel does its good work in you, it will begin to overflow to something God will do through you.

When the gospel is central, we remember how God saved us from our sin. We remember that it was not because of anything we had done, but simply because of God’s extravagant love and mercy that he reached down and made our dead hearts alive.

If you’re saved, it’s because God opened your spiritual ears to hear that wonderful news. Not only did God open your heart, but He also sent someone to you to share the gospel…

…someone who submitted to God.

…someone who resisted their fear.

…someone took time to teach you, to pray for you.

…someone took time to encourage you in the faith.

And now, you are a disciple of Christ.

Take a moment to thank God for His love for you in Christ. Thank God for that someone who first shared the gospel with you. And now, ask God to help you to be that “someone” who can share the gospel with another.