Introduction
A. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to listen to Paul preach, Acts 13 is a great source.
B. In this sermon Paul talks about the “Good News,” the Gospel. What does this sermon tell us about the Gospel we preach?
I. The Gospel is positive.
A. These are encouraging words (vss. 15,45,48).
B. The Good News constituted the fulfillment of ancient promises (vss. 32-37).
C. The Good News was...
Stewardship
Introduction
A. A faithful steward can help an employer achieve greater success (Genesis 39:29-30; 39:1-6), but a bad one can lead him to ruin.
B. As Christians, we are stewards of the greatest blessings God has ever entrusted to mortal man, and this comes with great responsibility (Luke 12:42-48).
I. What has God entrusted to us?
A. Everything we have is from God (James 1:17; 1 Chronicles 29:14).
B. He has...
Almost Persuaded
King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:27-28).
While it is impossible to nail down the precise date of Saul’s conversion, it is generally believed—based on a few scarce hints in his epistles—to have taken place only a few years after the establishment of the church in Jerusalem. Following his...
Matthew 2: Wisdom from the East
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” (vs. 1). The Greek term magŏs may refer to a wise man, scholar, scientist, astronomer, interpreter, or seer (cf. Daniel 4:8-9,18). Coffman has pointed out that “[t]he translation ‘wise men’ is a fortunate rendition of the Greek term ‘magi,’ since the truly wise of all ages are indeed those who...
What Loves Does
Introduction
A. Love and faith are much alike: they are both lasting (1 Corinthians 13:13), and yet neither can be perceived by the natural senses.
B. Intangible things like faith and love can only be detected and measured by their effects (James 2:14-26; cf. Hebrews 11).
C. How can you tell if someone loves you? What are love’s effects?
I. Love serves.
A. If we love God, we will serve Him (Matthew 6:24).
B. If we love...
What Is a Christian?
Introduction
A. Most dictionaries define the word “Christian” as “a person who believes in the doctrines of Jesus and acknowledges his divinity.”
B. While man’s definitions of a Christian are diverse and conflicting, the only definition that matters is God’s, for He invented the word.
C. In fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 62:2), God gave His people a new name (Acts 11:26)—“Christian.” What does it mean to be a...
Forgiveness
Introduction
A. Although we know that we must forgive others if we wish to be forgiven by God, the world encourages us to seek vengeance.
B. To help us better understand the proper spirit of forgiveness, we can consider the manner in which God forgives.
I. How does God forgive?
A. He is longsuffering first (Nahum 1:3; Nehemiah 9:17; 2 Peter 3:9).
B. On the other hand, He has promised to “judge the world...
Saul’s Conversion
Introduction
A. Saul set out for Damascus with the intention of arresting all the Christians he could find in the synagogues there, but when he arrived, he preached that Jesus is the Christ.
B. When Saul of Tarsus was converted, he left no room for doubt in anyone’s mind that he was changed forever.
I. In Saul’s conversion, we see a dramatic change in him.
A. There was a change in his perspective (Acts 26:9)...
Discipline: A Test of Love
Introduction
A. Although discipline probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of great demonstrations of love, these two are always bound together.
B. True discipline is the training that corrects the mind and molds one’s moral character.
I. Love requires me to discipline my children.
A. This first involves constant instruction from God’s Word (Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:13-17).
B. It also involves...
Matthew 1: The Women in Jesus’ Family Tree
Matthew wrote his gospel to persuade the Jewish community to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the awaited Messiah. With this aim, he started his writing by recording the genealogy of Jesus that proved that He was a legal heir of David’s throne through His perceived father, Joseph. Although Jewish custom on writing genealogies rarely included female names, Matthew went out of his way to include five women in his...