“WHEN THE GRACE OF GOD IS SEEN”                        Acts 11:19-26(NIV)

(A movement emphasizing the visibility of grace in a community)

Grace is the free, sovereign, undeserved favor of God, by which He acts for the good of His people—saving, sustaining, empowering, and transforming them through Jesus Christ.

Grace means God gives us His love and help even when we don’t deserve it. He saves us, takes care of us, gives us strength, and helps us grow to be more like Jesus—because He loves us.

1. Grace Goes Where Pain Scatters Us (v. 19)

19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.

·      What looks like loss becomes the seedbed for kingdom expansion.

·      The gospel spreads through the wounds God redeems.

2. Grace Reaches Further Than Our Comfort Zones (v. 20–21)

20Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

·      The bold witness to Greeks reveals a grace not limited by ethnicity or tradition.

·      When God’s hand is on His people, outsiders become family. 

o   “Strangers” are just friends you haven’t met yet.

3. Grace Is Recognized by Spirit-Filled Encouragers (v. 22–23)

22News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.

·      Barnabas “saw the grace of God”—you can see grace in a church!

·      Our task is to call it out, nurture it, and exhort it toward steadfast devotion.

4. Grace Forms a New Kind of People (v. 24–26)

24He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

·      Discipleship produces Christlikeness.

·      A community so shaped by grace gains a new identity: “Christians.”

·      Grace visible → grace formed → grace named.

ADVENT 2025 – WEEK 1              THE WOOD OF PROMISE            Isaiah 9:1–7

Opening Reading: Genesis 3:14-15        Theme: Hope – The Promise in the Shadows

Supporting Texts:       Genesis 3:15; Micah 5:2; Hebrews 10:5–7

Big Idea:

Long before Christ laid in a manger, the promise of His coming was whispered through Israel’s prophets, sung in their psalms, and carried in their long ache for redemption. Advent opens our eyes to see that hope is not an idea but a Person. One whose throne, built of promise, would one day be built of wood.

The Wood:

The Wood of Promise — The Throne of the Coming Messiah
Not yet the wood of the manger, not yet the wood of the cross; this is the wood of the throne, the ancient promise that a righteous King would arise whose rule would heal the world.

“Here I Am. Send Me.”             Text: Isaiah 6:1–13 (NLT)

Opening Reading: Isaiah 6:5-8 (NLT)                    Theme: The Holiness of God.
Big Idea: A fresh vision of the enthroned Christ dismantles our pride, cleanses our sin, reshapes our calling and sends us into a world that desperately needs the hope only He can bring.

Side Theme: Sent Ones - Christians are fundamentally “Sent Ones” and witnesses of Christ - this is not optional, but an essential part of their identity. This missional purpose reflects God’s heart, with Jesus embodying divine love and God’s longing to gather people to Himself. 

Sent Ones = witnesses of Christ, who reflect God’s heart. (Gatherers of God’s people.)

Isaiah's readiness to be sent foreshadows the ultimate sending of Jesus Christ, who was sent by the Father to fulfill His redemptive mission (John 3:16-17).[1]

Outline:

I. WHEN EARTHLY THRONES SHAKE (v1-4)

II. WHEN HOLINESS BREAKS IN (v5-7)

III. WHEN GRACE TOUCHES YOU (v8)

IV. WHEN YOU OBEY (v9-12)

V. WHEN EVERYTHING IS CUT DOWN (v13)

[1] BSB Study Bible. V8. https://biblehub.com/study/isaiah/6-8.htm

CONCLUSION – STEP INTO THE CALL: “LOOK UP, BREAK OPEN, RISE UP, GO OUT.”

1. Look Up – behold the true King in all His glory. (v3) 

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts”
2. Break Open – confess with honesty and receive cleansing. (v5)

“For I Am Ruined Because I Am A Man of Unclean Lips”
3. Rise Up – let grace rewire your calling. (v7)

“Your Iniquity Is Removed and Your Sin Is Atoned For”
4. Go Out – step into mission as a sent one in the image of Christ. (v8)

“Here I Am. Send Me.”

Final Call to Action

This week:

• Recover awe – refuse a small view of Jesus.
• Practice confession – name what God wants to purify.
• Pray availability – “Here I am.”
• Live sent – bless someone, invite someone, speak hope to someone.

The Miracle of Mercy – “The Merciful”

Text: Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Title: The Miracle of Mercy — “The Merciful”
Big idea: Mercy flows from the heart that’s already received mercy; showing mercy situates us within God’s economy and opens the door to receive mercy in return.

 Summary

Matthew 5:7 teaches that:

·       Mercy flows from hearts shaped by God’s own character.

·       Mercy is a kingdom marker.

·       Mercy radiates Christ’s presence in a harsh world.

·       Mercy reveals that one belongs to the family of God.

·       Those who show mercy live in the continual stream of God’s mercy now and forever

Title: The Wisdom of Obedience
Core Passage: Ecclesiastes 1:1–14; 12:9–14
Supporting Texts: John 1:1–14; Colossians 1:15–20; Luke 24:27

Big Idea: Life “UNDER the SUN” is vanity; life “IN the SON” is victory.

I. Introduction — The Search Beneath the Sun

II. Act One — The Kingdom Without the King (Ch. 1–3)

III. Act Two — The Failure of Substitutes (Ch. 2–8)

IV. Act Three — The Shadow of Death and the Shine of Resurrection (Ch. 9–11)

V. Act Four — The End of the Matter (Ch. 12)

VI. Conclusion — From Vanity to Victory

Why We Pray                                     1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (v16-18)

Pray – to talk with God

PRAY, v. t. To supplicate; to entreat; to urge.[1]

PRA´YER, n. In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness.[2]

6 Reasons Why We Pray:

V12-13                  It Highlights Our Reliance On God

V14-15                  It Builds Up Others

V16-18                  It Sustains The Individual (The One Who Prays)

V 19-20                It Leads Us In What NOT To Do

V21-22                  It Leads Us In What We SHOULD Do

V23-24                  It Grows Us Closer To God

V12-13                  It Highlights Our Reliance On God

Acknowledge (recognize and appreciate)

                  Those who do the work [live out ministry in life] (evangelize, disciple and strengthen)

Live In Peace With One Another

                  We are all God’s creation, deserving of respect and concern

V14-15                  It Builds Up Others

Warn

                  The unbelievers and those who sit by, while the work carries on around them

Encourage

                  Those who have been *human* and encountered failures and falls

Help

                  The marginalized, the oppressed and those who suffer

Be Patient

                  With Everyone. Everyone. Everyone. EVERYONE.

Do What Is Good For Each Other

                  Do not pay back wrong for wrong. Do not live out a tit for tat life. 

V16-18                  It Sustains The Individual

Rejoice Always

                  No matter the circumstances, there is hope to be found! Our hope is in the Lord!

Pray Continually

                  Prayer is an opportunity to invite God in, we let down our guards and let God LEAD!

Give Thanks In All Circumstances

                  If we are alive and breathing, we still have reason to celebrate!

= This is God’s will for you (in Jesus)! 

                  This is how we seek our God’s will for our lives: rejoice, pray and be thankful!

V 19-20                It Leads Us In What NOT To Do

Do Not!

-              Quench the Spirit

-              Oppose Spiritual Gifts (prophecy) instead, trust but verify…

V21-22                  It Leads Us In What We SHOULD Do

DO! 

-              Hold on to what is good

-              Reject every kind of evil

V23-24                  It Grows Us Closer To God

Ask God to:

-              Sanctify you (Grow You)

-              Keep you blameless (Keep You) 

o   You = Spirit, Soul and Body

o   Numbers 6:22-27

§  Lord Bless You and Keep You

§  Lord Shine His Face On You

§  Lord Be Gracious To You

§  Lord Life His Continence (Face) On You

§  Lord Give You Peace

God =

-              Calls Us

-              Provides For Us

-              Is Faithful To Deliver On His Word

[1] Noah Webster, Noah Webster’s First Edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language. (Anaheim, CA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 2006).

[2] ibid

“The Hallelujah Crescendo”                         Text: Psalm 80:14–19
Theme: God restores His people when they return to Him.
Big Idea: When we turn our hearts back to God, He turns His face back toward us; and what was dying begins to live again.

1. RETURN to the Root (v. 14–16)

2. REMEMBER the Son (v. 17)

3. REVIVE the Relationship (v. 18–19)

INTRODUCTION: “A Nation in Trouble”

Before we get to verses 14–19, let’s remember what’s been happening in the first part of the psalm.

Recap of Psalm 80:1–13:

• Israel is crying out to God.
• They remember when God used to shepherd them (v. 1) — guiding and protecting them.
• They remember when God planted them like a vine and blessed them (v. 8–11).
• But now, the walls are broken down (v. 12–13). The blessing is gone. The vine is trampled.

They’re asking, “God, where are You? How did we get here?”

The Psalms are a journey (as is the human experience) of highs and lows.

From: "Blessed is the man" Psalm 1:1

To: "Turn us again to yourself, O God" Psalm 80:7

Arriving At: "Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!" Psalm 150:6

BACKGROUND / TRANSITION: “The Broken Vine”

Historically, Psalm 80 was written after the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria (around 722 B.C.). It took a long journey of exile (~700 mi) to make them realize 18 inches (head to heart) was the gap.It’s a national lament: a cry from a people who had been blessed, then broken because they turned from God.

They had God’s favor, but they forgot God’s ways. They had God’s presence, but they stopped seeking His face.

Now, the Psalmist (Asaph) is praying on behalf of the nation:

“God, we’ve seen what happens when we drift. Please come back to us and help us come back to You.”

That’s where verses 14–19 begin and it’s a powerful prayer for revival.

Series Integration — Practical Roadmap

• Flow: Begin with dependence (v.3) → honest lament (v.4) → character formation (v.5–8) → public witness & endurance (v.9–12).

TEXT: Matthew 5:6 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (LSB)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (BSB)

God doesn’t fill the full; He fills the famished.
The posture that receives the kingdom isn’t pride—it’s hunger.

The Sermon on the Mount isn’t Jesus’ checklist for the “good life”; it’s His portrait of the renewed heart.
By the time you reach verse 6, the crowd’s realizing something—Jesus isn’t after behavior modification; He’s describing spiritual metabolism.

Hunger is the universal language of the human condition. You can’t fake hunger. You can’t intellectualize it. You either feel it or you don’t.

Illustration:
Ever notice how nothing in your pantry looks good when you’ve already been snacking? That’s the modern soul—stuffed with junk and starving for Jesus.

BIG IDEA:INTRODUCTION: THE HOLY APPETITE

TITLE: “The Joy of Coming Clean”              PRIMARY TEXT: Psalm 32:1-11

BIG IDEA:
The deepest freedom is not the absence of sin but the presence of forgiveness. Confession is the doorway into joy.

GOAL:
Move people from hidden sin to healed souls through repentance, forgiveness, and spiritual formation.

Blessing isn’t found in pretending. It’s found in confessing.

INTRODUCTION: THE PRISON OF PRETENSE

David writes not as a king at his strongest, but as a sinner who almost destroyed his own life with secrecy.

Everyone wears masks.
But masks multiply misery.

David discovered: The thing sin promises is never the thing sin delivers. (James 1:14-15)

You can’t outrun your conscience (Proverbs 28:13). But you can run to your Savior (1 John 1:9).

The Background (2 Samuel 11–12) -> (Psalm 51, 32):

• David’s Sin (2 Samuel 11):
• David stays behind during the season when kings go to war. (2 Sam. 11:1)
• He sees Bathsheba bathing, “desires her”, and commits adultery. (2 Sam. 11:2-4)
• When Bathsheba becomes pregnant, David tries to conceal it. (2 Sam. 11:5-13)
• He arranges for Uriah, her husband, to die in battle. (2 Sam. 11:14-17)
• The Confrontation (2 Samuel 12):
• God sends Nathan the prophet, who tells David a parable about a rich man stealing a poor man’s lamb. (2 Sam. 12:1-4)
• When David condemns the rich man, Nathan declares: “You are the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7)
• David immediately confesses, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Sam. 12:13)
• Nathan replies, “The Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. But the child born to you will die.” (2 Sam. 12:13)

The Background (Psalm 51, The Immediate Effects)

Theological Note:
Psalm 51 gives us the anatomy of true repentance:

• Recognition of guilt (Psalm 51:3-4)
• Appeal to mercy (Psalm 51:1)
• Desire for transformation (Psalm 51:10-12)
• Commitment to renewal and worship (Psalm 51:13-15)

It is immediate, raw, and vertical — between David and God.

Theological Note:
Psalm 32 shows the fruit of repentance:
Peace replaces guilt, instruction flows from grace, and joy follows contrition(remorse).

Blessed Are the Meek: Strength Under The Savior
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (BSB)

Series Integration — Practical Roadmap

• Flow: Begin with dependence (v.3) → honest lament (v.4) → character formation (v.5–8) → public witness & endurance (v.9–12).

INTRODUCTION

Jesus does not begin the Kingdom Revolution by crowning the powerful, the platformed, or the popular. He blesses the meek. The world shrugs. Jesus smirks. Heaven applauds.

Meekness is not weakness. It is strength under the sovereignty of God.
It is a lion submitting to the Lamb.

The Beatitudes are not motivational posters. They are the manifesto of King Jesus for His Kingdom people.

BIG IDEA

Meekness is not self-diminishment but Spirit-directed strength that trusts God to bring the victory.