Sermon Notes
Right before the enraged council pronounced a death sentence to the Apostles, A wise and revered Rabbi known in Jewish writings as one of the greatest teachers of the Law, a Pharisee named Gamaliel stands and speaks. EF Hutton moment… When Gamaliel speaks, people listen.
- “if is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to stop it!”
- Mission: Sent to Speak and Respond to God’s Work of Redemption
Thesis statement
Slide- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
- Mission to the Neighborhood.
If it is of God…
- To be “of God”
- “Ek: proceeding from or out of the source” Lexicon
1. “if it is of God” It grows (vs. 14)
- What is God’s work? Redemption
- Therefore, if the church is doing God’s work then there’s redemptive qualities.
SLIDE- “Redemption is much more than simply saving souls. It will ultimately entail the complete healing of creation, including social justice, the reunification of all humanity, and the end of physical decay and death (Isa. 11:1-10). But even now it means bringing the health and coherence of Christ’s lordship back into every aspect of human life. The Christian church is to be a new society in which the world can see exhibited what family, business practices, race relations, and all of life can be under the kingship of Jesus Christ.” Tim Keller
2. “if it is of God” It heals (vs. 15-16)
- An extension of redemption is healing
- Not just physical, but emotional, spiritual, relational.
- Unified (one heart and soul)
- Generosity and care.
- A new humanity.
- A redeemed people living as “they ought”
Slide- If my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
3. “if it is of God” It’s opposed (17-18)
- Takes us back to the garden. What Satan did, what our choice of sin did, was vandalize Shalom.
- “God hates sin not because it violates his law, but more substantively, because it violates Shalom, because it breaks the peace, because it interferes with the way things are suppose to be.” Cornelius Plantinga, Not the way it’s suppose to be. A breviary of sin
- Whenever a community of believers begins to live as they are called, it brings Shalom.
Slide- Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Timothy 3:12
4. “if it is of God” It speaks the word of life (vs. 20)
- God delivers in unlikely means!
- Divine humor since the Sadducees didn’t believe in angels.
- What we will see is how the disciples acted in jail. Based on future scenes as well as how they acted after they were beat, Praising God!
- Stepped forward instead of back in the face of persecution!
- In one since, persecution and suffering is a divine confirmation of your calling!
- What was their calling? To proclaim “the word of Life”!
Slide- When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. John 16:13-14
- Jesus- The way the truth and the life. He is the source of our new humanity
- What does that mean for us as a church? Are we “of God”?
- A church on mission to the neighborhood
- We grow
- We heal
- We trust
- We tell
- What does that mean for you? (address Non- Christians)
1. Are you growing?
- Remember, it’s not about getting better but making Jesus bigger!
- How are you maturing in your faith-Greater confidence in God
- Who are you investing in?
- Andy Stanley in his book Deep and Wide says he learned early on that you should always be able to point to a group of people and say, “That’s who I am investing my life in”.
2. What and how are you healing?
- Who do you need to talk to? Forgive?
- How are you contributing to the restoration of your city?
3. Are you growing in greater confidence in God? Faith?
- We know all things work together for the good, and sometimes we get delivered by an angel, and sometimes we don’t!
- Every disciple was martyred for his faith except John, who was boiled in oil but somehow lived to then write Revelations
4. Are you speaking the words of life? Pointing to Jesus?
- 2 Cor. 5, we have been entrusted with the solution
If it is of God, if we are of God, if you are of God, we grow, we heal, we trust, and we will proclaim the words of life!
Set up “Cast your burdens” and communion
Repentance / Pardon
Sermon Slides
