bpchurch Sermons

Acts 4:32-37 is an idyllic little section where everything seems wonderful in the church, except it sounds just a little like socialism. What's really going on? But then, the scene is shaken by a shocking story of pretense and judgement, where we might find ourselves too easily on the side of Ananias and Sapphira rather than God. Once again we wonder, "what is going on here?" Actually the two stories are related and give us a couple of principles that are essential in our walk and worship.

Last week, in the first half of Acts chapter 4, we learned some principles for sharing the good news of Jesus in a hostile environment. But what do we do when crisis comes? How can we be bold when the threats really are serious? We pray and trust God, you say. Well yes, but how should we pray? For what, exactly, should we trust God to do? Whatever threats you face, Acts 4:23-31 gives us some practical reminders for trusting our Lord for "whatever your hand and your plan had predestined."

Many of us are familiar with the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. Because Daniel obeys God rather than men, he ends up in the lion's den. God meets him there, and because Daniel remained faithful to God in the face of opposition, everyone has heard his story. We too have a story to tell; God has made us His witnesses. But at times our testimony might get us in trouble. This Sunday we'll talk about some principles to follow in Acts 4:1-22, when we feel like disciples in the lion's den.

Who would you say the book of Acts is all about? It would be easy to point to Peter for the first several chapters and then Paul for the rest of the book, but others might argue that really the Church, or even the Holy Spirit is the main focus of the book. But what if I told you that Acts is really all about Jesus? It's easy to say that about the Gospels - of course Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are all about Jesus. But even in Acts, when Jesus has ascended bodily into Heaven, He is still the focus of all that is happening in this book. And we see that on clear display in Acts chapter three this week. There is a miraculous healing that leads to a convicting sermon, but in the end as Peter shows, it all points toward Jesus. Is your life all about Jesus? Or does He just play a supporting role in the drama of your existence?

It's fall: there's a crispness in the air and political ads on the airwaves, and in the mail box, and online, and ... it's exhausting. When will it end?! On November 6th? No, that will just be the start of the next round of politicking and power-wrangling. When it will finally end is the point of the second half of Acts chapter 3. We are jumping a little out of order this Sunday, but I wanted us to be reminded, that while we prayerfully vote, seeking the good of the community in which we now live (Jer 29:7), what we really need is a good King, and Peter in Acts 3:17-26 reminds us that the King will come.

It makes sense to focus on what you want to see happen. We are concerned about the lost, we look toward them and how we might reach them. When concerned about our own spiritual growth, we look to ourselves, take inventory and determine what we ought to do. But what if we are missing something. This week Acts 2:42-47 has been speaking to me about both spiritual growth and how we might share our faith in Christ with those around us. To do so, it seems our first priority is to look away from these needs, to the Lord and to His priorities.

It can be hard to identify the church today with the church in the first century we read about in Acts.  The church today seems hesitant and cautious in comparison. In Acts 2, Peter reminds Christians what confidence in God’s future in the midst of contrary present experience looks like. Peter also helps us to be clear about the gospel God has called us to share with others around us.

There are a couple of intimidating paradoxes in Acts 2:22-24. First there is the tension between God sovereignly working His purposes in Jesus's death, while people are held guilty before God for crucifying Jesus. Intermingled with that is the tension between such crushing guilt and such a wonderous promise that God does not abandon us in our condemnation. These are truths worth slowing down and soaking in, but what do they have to do with jumping in a pool?

Acts chapter 2 is a game-changer in the New Testament. This chapter inaugurates what God began with the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Those world-shaking events were for this, and this is for you. Pentecost is not about whether you are charismatic or not; it is the foundation of what God is doing through the Church today.

Have you ever witnessed a major disaster? I'll never forget the moment I watched the space shuttle Challenger, at 73 seconds into its flight going nearly Mach 2, explode into a massive fireball. The world stopped. As we stood in shock, the flight controller uttered the words, "Obviously a major malfunction." It was a great catastrophe. In the following months investigators would figure out what went wrong. But are we shocked in the same way when we see the catastrophe of sin in our lives? When we see the disaster of sin, do we want to understand what went wrong so that we don't repeat the steps that led to the catastrophe? We see a clear example of the catastrophe of sin in the life of King David, what went wrong, and God's plan of redemption. In studying the life of David, we see into ourselves, and how our gracious and merciful God can redeem us from the disaster of sin in our lives. Let's take a look at , the Anatomy of a Catastrophe.