Iowa Falls Evangelical Free Church Sermon Podcast

Do debates and the tension that they cause leave you feeling a little unsettled?

The important debate we looked at last week in the first verses of Acts 15 left the church in Antioch feeling unsettled. Their leaders were sent out to engage in this debate and the council came to a

gospel-centered verdict.

In today’s passage, we will see this verdict clearly communicated to the church in Antioch and take note of how it affects them. Along the way, we’ll consider some timely application for our church and end by rejoicing in the sufficiency of Jesus’ work

by taking communion together.

Do you like a good debate? Or are you the type that flees from all potential conflict? While there are many debates we would be wise to avoid, some debates are important and we would be wise to engage. In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas take a break from their missionary journeys to engage with some other church leaders in an important debate. The principles that flow from this passage help us to see who can be saved, and how the saved are called to live differently still today.

Making disciples. That is what Jesus told His disciples to do. In Acts 14, we see Paul and Barnabas doing it through their own missionary work and through the establishment of local churches. Today we will journey with Paul and Barnabas as they finish their first missionary journey. We will see how God does (and continues to do) a work through believers committed to the long, hard work of making disciples in the local church.

Perhaps you've learned to talk about Jesus and delight in the gospel when you're together with other Christians but if you're like most people, you find it much more challenging to proclaim the gospel to people with vastly different worldviews. In today's passage, we continue in Acts where we see Paul and Barnabas begin proclaiming the gospel in a familiar setting but then move to a very different kind of place. Despite various challenges, God provides a way for them to meet people where they are and keep on preaching. We have a lot to learn from them.

What do people need to hear when we're gathered together? That's a question preachers need to answer each week. We believe people need to hear the message of the Bible which points us to Jesus. In today's passage, Paul's first missionary journey continues as Paul preaches the message of the Bible, pointing them to Jesus. The application of the Bible's message for his audience is just as applicable to us today.

In early 2020, we worked our way through the first 7 chapters of Acts and saw Jesus’ work continue as Holy Spirit-empowered believers proclaimed the gospel in Jerusalem. After some time in other books of the Bible, we came back to Acts in early 2021, covering Acts 8-12 where we saw the gospel spread to Judea and Samaria. Having spent our summer being challenged and encouraged through the book of Philippians, today we start the final section of Acts by looking at Acts 13:1-12.

Are you content? How do we learn to be content?

Today we finish our series in the book of Philippians by looking at the final verses of this relevant letter.

We can rejoice in knowing that God provides for our every need and strengthens us to be content for our good and His glory.

"I thought we were done with this." That's a phrase we've heard from many people lately in reference to the pandemic. While increasing numbers of us have been infected, every one of us has been affected. The pandemic has reminded us that our world is broken. It has also caused conflict and anxiety. Today, we near the end of our series in Philippians with 8 verses that seem especially relevant.

Are we there yet? Most kids love family vacations but, for the kids, it’s more about the destination than the journey. They know the destination will be good but the journey can seem long and kids quickly grow weary. Maybe that’s not just a kid thing. Christians long to be with Jesus, to experience the resurrection of the dead and know Him more fully. That is our destination and it will be glorious but we’re not there yet. In today’s passage, Paul encourages the Christians in Philippi to press on.

It is easy to put our confidence and hope in our own strength. Where does our righteousness come from?