Sermon Notes
Review
- Started in at the end of LUKE
- SLIDE-The word is about the WORD / the Spirit is about the WORD / The Gospel
- -Read the Word / Pray to be filled with the Spirit / be about the WORD
Main Point, Continue Kingdom Change
- There’s another rhythm… a restless beat in our souls. It’s the sound of longing for purpose, for our lives to actually matter.
- Chris Cornell took his own life this week. The lead singer of Soundgarden, Audio Slave and Temple of the Dog.
- He had a supportive wife, 2 kids, and successful music career. Money, fame, family, influence…. and yet you can hear the sound of a searching soul, in his songs & drug use, and his sobriety.
- Chris Cornell took his own life this week. The lead singer of Soundgarden, Audio Slave and Temple of the Dog.
- But does the church have the answer? Is it dynamic enough, powerful enough to speak into the life of a world famous musician like Chris Cornell and say emphatically, “we have what you are looking for… and if we do, why don’t we?
- You can hear it in our Youth, you start to dream, to plan and scheme, “how can I make my life count?”
- Twenty-thirties, you implement that plan. school. carrier. kids. but that’s also where all the distractions come in!
- Does the church have the answer? “Isn’t God up to something more exciting in the world than this?”
- Middle age is no help. If anything gray hair or the loss of brings a quick varnish remover to our facades. We start to get annual reminders on birthday cards that say stuff like
- You know you are getting old when…
- you fall down and wonder what else you can do while you are down there.
- you injure yourself while sleeping
- Happy hour is a nap.
- You get up and your hair stays in bed.
- Dental appointment is sending your teeth in
- A majority of Americans start coming back to church around mid life but does it help? Can this restless rhythm in my soul find a place?
- You know you are getting old when…
- Senior People know there must be something more. Retirement often proves to be an unbearable state of uselessness.
SLIDE- “I’ve been a deacon in my Baptist churchgoer years. Built a church building, raised money, served on communities. But the one thing my church never gave me was a relationship with Christ that would make my life exciting.” Drumbeat of Love Lloyd John Ogilvie
- Meeting with a retired women she asks, “do you think I fulfilled the reason I was born?”
Can this all be changed in one sermon? If the bible is true, it can. We will see that in a few chapters. But here is the challenge before us. Does the church really have the answer to “making life count” and if it does, what are we doing about it? When will our beliefs begin to motivate our actions?
Main Point this morning, Continue Kingdom Change
#1. Continue
Read vs. 1. “I dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach”
- This suggests that the book of Acts is going to be about what Jesus continued “to do and teach” in the world through the church.
- This means that we, as a church, are here to continue what Jesus did and taught.
- The book of Acts is not about the Acts of the Apostles. After chapter one… not much. Peter gets a quick cameo, James, the brother of John, is mentioned but the book is really about Jesus. The transfer from Jesus to the Spirit of not only what we are to do but that we are empowered by the Spirit to do it.
- If we just believed this… even a little.
- And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6
SLIDE- a. What did Jesus do?
- Walked on water. Turned water into wine. Raised the dead. Fed thousands with from one meal. Healed the sick. Had compassion.
- Church Should NEVER be boring.
SLIDE- b. What did Jesus teach?
- He has the words of eternal life.
- He directs us to the heart where real change takes place.
- He taught about God’s love – John 3:16
- Meaning and purpose, Jesus has the answers. He created us, he knows.
- The words of Jesus come up against our beliefs or the lack of belief.
One major thing he taught was…
#2. Continue Kingdom change Read vs. 2 & 3
- Jesus spent this time appearing to them resurrected- but it was intentional. Proving & Teaching about the kingdom.
- This is it. The whole bible, all of human history, pointing to this; A resurrected man who died for our sins. And what does he spend his time teaching? The Kingdom of God: Gods rule and reign over all areas of life.
SLIDE- The “kingdom of God” means not an earthly political or military kingdom but the present spiritually directed reign of God, gradually transforming individual lives and entire cultures through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- The Kingdom of God starts with us… “Wait, you said it was all about Jesus.” True, here’s what I mean.
- God’s life collides with ours. We have no clue what to do, but that’s OK. He gives us his Spirit and like the sun brings light to the earth at dawn, so our lives begin to be immersed in the Kingdom of God.
- What’s even crazier, God invites us to the process.
- Hey, see that darkness in your life? “yeah, what of it!?!”
- It’s not good for you.. or those around you. “So!”
a. What areas in your life need to come under God’s rule & reign?
- As your life begins to be transformed, the lives and world around you starts to be effected as well. YOU BECOME A SMALL LIGHT BRINGING THAT LIGHT WHERE EVER YOU GO
b. What areas in our city need to come under God’s rule & reign?
- Serve, encourage… but be intentional.
#3. Continue Kingdom Change Read vs. 4-7
- Earthly Kingdom but God had a different plan in mind.
- As we continue to be immersed into God’s kingdom, it brings change. It changes everything.
- WHat we see as our purpose. It begins to change how we answer the question “does my life count?”
- -What I want for all of us? “do you think I fulfilled the reason I was born?” That every single one of us can say “Yes!”
- -Epilogue, Husband & Father. He wasn’t perfect, but he fulfilled the reason he was born; He fought the good fight, kept the faith, finished the race, and Jesus has surely welcomed him with he words, “Well done”
SLIDE- He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19
- As he is preparing the disciples, so is he preparing us.
- Might start small but he is working…
a. It starts with faith
- Do you believe that God has you to Continue Kingdom Change?
b. It starts with us
Benediction- May God Continue Kingdom Change in our lives, our church, and our city