Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 8:5-24

Satan is not against religion; in fact, it is one of his chief tools and most deceptive tricks.

Adrian Rogers says, “When God opens the windows of Heaven to bless us, the devil opens the doors of Hell to blast us. Whenever there is revival, you can expect satanic opposition.”

In Acts 8, on the heels of a great revival, a sorcerer named Simon exhibited a counterfeit Christianity that posed a threat to the Early Church. There are three warnings in this passage to help us spot Satan’s counterfeit religion.

First, don’t be dazzled by the Satanic force of false religion.

“But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great…” (Acts 8:9). Witchcraft is not mere superstition; it is superficial power from the devil, and it is alive and well today. Don’t be dazzled by the power of false religion; there is something to it, and it is very real and very dangerous.

Second, don’t be deceived by the superficial faith of false religion.

Not all false religion is in the occult; sometimes it moves right into the church.

“Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done” (Acts 8:13).

Adrian Rogers says, “Simon believed not in the Master; He believed in the miracles.” Simon followed Philip for the miracles’ sake. His shallow faith reminds us that not all belief is saving belief. We can believe the facts of the Gospel without ever truly knowing and believing in Jesus Christ.

Finally, do not be destroyed by the selfish focus of false religion.

Selfishness is what drives false religion; Simon himself claimed he was “the great one” (see Acts 8:9). He wanted the power of the Holy Spirit for his own glory.

Adrian Rogers says, “There are people who are bitter and in bondage. They have met religion, but they’ve never met Jesus.”

If we want a faith that is real, we must go to the Word of God, lay down our intellectual pride, and call out to Jesus for mercy.

Apply it to your life

In this day and age of spirituality without true faith in Jesus, we need to get a strong grip on God’s Word and truth, so we are not deceived by counterfeit Christianity.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 5:1-11

In Acts 5, the Early Church was in the blaze of revival. However, the devil crafted a new attack from within the church, through Ananias and Sapphira.

After seeing another church member receive praise for selling his property and giving everything to the church, Ananias, and his wife Sapphira, lied about their own offering to receive the same praise. Right on the spot, God struck them both dead. Considering this grave warning, each of us must ask ourselves if we are living supernaturally or superficially.

Filled with pride, Ananias and Sapphira pretended to have a devotion to Jesus they did not have; they became hypocrites. The Holy Spirit gave Peter the gift of discernment and exposed the lie through him. Peter then revealed that this couple didn’t just lie to men, they lied to the Spirit of God. It is unspeakably serious to lie to the Holy Spirit; we could never fool Him.

As Christians, we will be judged as sinners, servants, and sons.

Our judgment as sinners was settled at the cross of Jesus Christ. The judgment for our service will be dealt with at the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment of sons is the way God the Father disciplines us and grows us day by day.

What happened to Ananias and Sapphira was their judgment as children of God. This punishment can sometimes be very severe.

But the judgment of God can save us, too. God doesn’t take vengeance on his own children. God, in mercy, took Ananias and Sapphira to keep them from further sin. It was a saving judgment for the church, as well. Through this example, the church saw how God felt about sin.

Adrian Rogers says, “God will do certain things as an example in the physical world to show how He feels in the spiritual world.”

Their hypocrisy did not stop the Early Church; hypocrisy shouldn’t stop us today. Hypocrites come and go, but the church of the Lord Jesus marches on.

Apply it to your life

We are saved by grace, but one of these days we will face the judgment seat of Christ and give an account for how we stewarded our lives. If you’re a child of God, sin in your life is more serious than sin in the life of an unsaved person. Be careful that you do not lie to the Holy Spirit.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 8:26-39

Every believer is called, ordained, equipped, and given opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every Christian is called to be an evangelist. If you are not witnessing, you are disobeying God.

In Acts 8, God used the Apostle Philip to share the Gospel with an Ethiopian man. There are three things in this chapter that help clarify our specific call to evangelism.

First, we must be sensitive to the direction of the Spirit.

“Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, ‘Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is desert. So he arose and went…” (Acts 8:26-27). As we see in this passage, God’s Spirit finds sinners whose hearts are open to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He also works on soul-winners as well, prompting their hearts with the conviction to share. When the Holy Spirit leads, we must be prepared to listen and obey. God will lead us to someone who needs Jesus.

Secondly, we must be swift for the demands of the Spirit.

“Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him...’” (Acts 8:29-30). Philip had to run to catch this Ethiopian man. Many of us can recount times when God has prompted our hearts with an opportunity to witness and we waited until it passed. May we be more like Philip, running to witness to others, not letting a single opportunity pass by.

Finally, we must be steadfast in the desire of the Spirit, which is to share Jesus.

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35). We are all sinners and need to be saved; if the Holy Spirit resides in us, we will have a desire for others to understand this and receive salvation.

Adrian Rogers says, “What a privilege God has given to us—one that angels don’t have, one that we will not have in the world to come—to bring souls to Jesus Christ.”

Apply it to your life

Are you sensitive to the spirit, swift to obey, and desire to bring others to Jesus?

Adrian Rogers says, “God did not save you to be a member of Christians Anonymous; you are to endeavor to bring others to Jesus Christ.”

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 5:27-32

Being a Christian is a joyous thing; the reason we are not filled with joy in this Christian life could be a matter of disobedience.

Adrian Rogers says, “Obedience is the missing ingredient in so many Christians’ lives.”

What does it mean to truly obey Christ? What is the expedience of obedience?

In Acts 5, Peter and the other apostles have caused quite a stir by preaching about Jesus Christ. The religious authorities are trying to stop a revival the apostles began.

They command the apostles to stop preaching.

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him’” (Acts 5:29-32).

In this text, we are first given the reason for obedience.

When God tells us to do something, our obedience is our duty and delight. We are indebted to God, our Lord and Savior, so we must decide to obey Him over men. Just as God cannot fail, act unjustly or deny Himself, He cannot force our loving obedience. It is not because His power is limited—it’s because of His very nature; He gives us a choice.

We can’t obey God unless we first know what it is that He wants us to do.

Once we know God’s will, we must be intentional about obeying it, and do so immediately. We will be held accountable for what we know, no matter what the cost. When He speaks, we must answer Him, regardless of circumstances. Only then can we see the supernatural rewards of our obedience:

-We receive the Holy Spirit.

-There is joy in our hearts.

-The Gospel is shared and believed.

When we obey God rather than men, we will see great multitudes of people come to Jesus Christ.

Apply it to your life

Would you like to have victory in your life? Know the will of God for your life and do it immediately, inflexible, and passionately.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Proverbs 23:23

In this day, it is not values that we desperately need, but virtue. We must be able to differentiate truth and fact: we acquire facts, but learn truth. Facts deal with knowledge, and knowledge can double, but truth never changes and is settled for eternity. We must make a habit of treasuring truth.

Proverbs 23:23 says, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”

We must prize the truth, for it is indispensable, absolute, and attainable through the Word of God. It is not enough just to know it; knowledge without transformation avails nothing. We must see the transforming power behind it, through the Holy Spirit.

We must also purchase the truth. Adrian Rogers says, “Salvation is free, but truth is costly; you pay a price to have truth.”

John 8:31-32 says, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Believing in Jesus is the first step in attaining truth; we must also abide in His Word through discipleship. Discipleship is costly—it costs time, discipline, and obedience; but ignorance is far more costly. We must study the Bible for enlightenment. If we know in knowledge but not in grace, we will be dangerous to ourselves and to others.

Adrian Rogers says, “Truth is to your spirit what good is to your body, what light is to your eyes, what melody is to your ears.”

We also study Scripture for our enjoyment; reading the Bible should not be perceived as a punishment but as a privilege. We read for our personal enrichment, to sharpen our minds and strengthen our wills. We read Scripture for our enablement, to grow in our faith and fellowship with others.

Finally, we must preserve the truth; guarding it against those who will deny, distort, dilute and defile the Bible.

We do this by proclaiming the Gospel truth: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Apply it to your life

Do you treasure truth—prize, purchase, preserve, and proclaim it? Do you read Scripture for your enlightenment, enjoyment, enrichment, and enablement?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Ephesians 5:20

Perhaps the most difficult thing we’ll ever do is give thanks in tough times. It requires true maturity in the faith to see that God is good, even when things are not good.

Ephesians 5:20 instructs us, “...giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Our ability to choose thankfulness in times of trouble will reap maturity like never before. There are seven ways that trouble may minister to us.

First, trouble may bring correction.

Hebrews 12:6 says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens…” God cares for us, so if our trouble is caused by our sin, He will lovingly correct us as a parent corrects their child.

Second, trouble may deepen our dependency on Christ.

Heartaches crowd us toward Jesus and cause us to depend on Him, who is our greatest strength.

Third, trouble may confirm our testimony to others.

It may be through deep sorrow and pain that, knowing and praising God, we become great witnesses. The God of all comfort promises to comfort us in tribulation; once we’ve experienced it, we can show that comfort to others.

Trouble can also increase our maturity.

God’s plan for His children is to mature in their faith and become more like Jesus Christ.

Adrian Rogers says, “God had only one son without sin, but He’s never had a son without suffering.”

When we endure trials fashioned by the devil and engineered by wicked people, we can thank God that He is using them to make us more like Jesus.

Trouble can bring excelling glory.

Faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. We can be thankful that the fiery trials bring the Spirit of glory upon us.

Trouble can also bring baffling mystery.

As exemplified in Scripture, sometimes troubles don’t make sense. We don’t live by explanations, but by God’s promises. We must obey Him.

Finally, trouble will bring eternal victory.

Romans 8 reminds us that current suffering doesn’t compare to future glory. There is victory in Jesus Christ; if we hold onto this promise in our troubles, we can be thankful for those troubles.

Apply it to your life

Are you facing tough times today? Give thanks to God, who is good even when things are not good.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Isaiah 64

No military power, economic upturn, or presidential election can bring the revival we so desperately need. Transformation happens when, by holy boldness, one person seeks the face of God; revival can happen in one person, in a family, in a church, in a country.

Isaiah 64 shows us what happens when God shows up and revival breaks out.

First, this passage tells us about the presence that produces revival.

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence—as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1-2). When God comes down, mountains melt and sinners shake. His presence cannot be explained away or mocked. His presence makes the righteous rejoice (see Isaiah 64:4-5), because we know that God wants to meet with us.

To experience His presence in this way, we must recognize the problems that prevent revival.

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

We are corrupted by our sins; our self-righteousness is like filthy rags. We try to cover ourselves with the thing that defiles and condemns us.

We can also be complacent in our sins (see Isaiah 64:7). We need to stir up our hearts—shake up and shake off the comfort of habitual sin.

We cannot let sin consume us; it cannot eat us alive. If we are serious about revival, we must get right with God and put ourselves at His disposal.

Lastly, prayer precedes revival; seeking His face means fervent prayer.

This type of prayer recognizes God’s sovereignty, remembers God’s mercy, and respects God’s glory (see Isaiah 64:8-9).

Adrian Rogers says, “The problem with so many of our prayers is we’re not willing to repent. We want God’s mercy, but seek no repentance; and prayer without repentance is a religious farce—a smokescreen

Apply it to your life

Do you want God’s presence to come down and begin a revival in you? Do you want His presence to bring unspeakable joy?

Pray with sincere repentance. It is not your tears or emotions that save you—it is God who saves you. He saves us instantly, stays with us continually, and keeps us eternally.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 3:1-6

In Acts 3, Peter and John came across a beggar lying outside the temple gates. He had been lame from his youth, and begged the apostles for money. Through them, God performed a special miracle to authenticate their authority, given by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:6-7 says, “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”

This was a miracle that could not be reasonably denied, humanly explained or lightly dismissed.

There are four things about the name of Jesus, which caused this man to rise and walk.

First, He is the risen Lord.

Because the disciples knew that Jesus was alive, there was no way they could be daunted or intimidated by the world. They were absolutely certain that He had been raised from the dead. If we have a living Savior, then what have we to fear?

Second, Jesus is the residing Lord.

“And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16).

Peter confessed that they did not perform the miracle themselves; instead, it came from Christ in them. He is alive and well in us.

Third, He is the redeeming Lord.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” (Acts 3:19).

Through the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, God has overruled our wickedness with His righteousness, if we will repent and convert.

Finally, He is the returning Lord; He is coming again.

Adrian Rogers says, “What’s the world coming to? It’s coming to Jesus, because Jesus is coming to the world. Heaven has received Him until the time of restitution. He is coming to restore all things.”

Apply it to your life

If you are down, there is a miracle waiting for you in the name of Jesus. He is the risen, residing, redeeming, and returning Lord. Adrian Rogers says, “If the devil has you down, in the name of the Risen Savior, rise and walk.”

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 4:36-37

The Book of Acts tells the story of a man called Barnabas, which translates to, “son of consolation.” Barnabas’ gift for encouragement shows us five ways we can encourage others.

First, Barnabas encouraged others by practicing stewardship.

In Acts 4:36, Barnabas sold his property and gave the profits to the Church. He decided to meet the needs of others with the resources God had given him, no matter what it cost him. Encouragers understand that we all have something to give. Encouragers find needy people and enrich them, whether it’s by their money, time, or service.

Second, Barnabas encouraged others by extending friendship.

After the Apostle Paul’s conversion, he was despised by his old colleagues, but feared by his new brothers and sisters in Christ. He was a man who needed a friend; Barnabas found him and became a friend to this very lonely new disciple. A lot of new Christians need somebody to find and friend them. We must find the lonely and neglected, put an arm around them, and bring them into the fold.

Barnabas encouraged others by building partnerships.

In Acts 11, the Gospel was spreading quickly, and new believers were sprouting up everywhere. There were some concerns that some of them were not sincere. But Barnabas’s encouragement validated and affirmed those who were misunderstood.

Barnabas encouraged others by developing leaders in the church.

He found buried gifts in new disciples and helped them develop their talents. Our churches are full of talented people with abilities waiting to be discovered and developed. But it takes a “Barnabas” to find them.

Finally, Barnabas encouraged others by rebuilding relationships.

After the disciple Mark ran away from his calling, Barnabas sought him out and gave him another chance. This young disciple went on to write the Gospel of Mark. Thank God for the encouragers in our churches, who see second chances in us when no one else does.

Apply it to your life

Adrian Rogers says, “Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost; it was God in Him. God has cornered the market on encouragement.”

We can all be encouragers like Barnabas. Ask God to fan the Holy Spirit in you to meet needs, befriend lonely people, affirm the misunderstood, develop disciples, and offer second chances.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 4:9-33

If there was ever a time for courage, it is now. In a world of cowardly Christians who are afraid of being criticized or disliked, we are called to be bold in our faith.

Adrian Rogers says, “Boldness is having the courage to stand for the Lord Jesus Christ in the face of opposition.”

We need the same holy boldness Peter and John had in Acts 4. Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

There are three principles that are the basis of our courage.

The first principle is to keep company with God the Son.

Boldness comes from knowing that Jesus Christ is with us and in us. We must make certain that Jesus is real to us and that we are walking with Him daily.

Second, we must have confidence in God the Father.

“So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them…’” (Acts 4:24).

We need to see God for who He really is. God the Father is the Creator of all things, Controller of all things, and Conqueror of all things.

Adrian Rogers says, “The man who can kneel before God can stand before anyone else.”

Finally, we must receive courage from God the Spirit.

“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

If only we ask, the Holy Spirit of God will give us courage. The apostles did not ask for safety; they asked for courage, for the ability to do more of what got them in trouble in the first place. As a result of the disciples’ boldness, multitudes of new believers were swept into the kingdom of Heaven.

Likewise, we are made bold by the Holy Spirit to express God’s Word, extend God’s Hand, and exalt God’s Son.

Apply it to your life

Are you a bold believer or a cowardly Christian? Take your eyes off your problems and focus your eyes upon Almighty God, the Creator, Controller, and Conqueror of all things.