Mercy Hill Church Sermons

Our lives play out in the shadow of death. It's ironic. And tragic. We all want to be free from its sway. We all want to come out from under its dark cloud. Light is breaking in Jesus at the cross. There is life to be had. There is joy unshakeable. But if we are to truly lay hold of it, we must first be willing to accept (and admit!) some harder things about ourselves. God help us!

We are called to praise the Lord at all times, in all places. But do we know why? What is it that makes such praise not only possible, but reasonable, even natural?

We likely know the promise of the virgin birth, but do we know the context in which this promise was made?

When Isaiah 7:14 is seen in its broader biblical context, we realize at once that it's more than just a fantastic miracle. It is, above all else, a remarkable sign of God's sovereign and, even, stubborn grace!

How do we get right with a holy God when we know that we've deeply wronged him? We must get honest with him about our worst sins, knowing that when we repent, Jesus is ready and eager to wash us clean and restore us back to him again. It's not too late to lay our shame at Christ's feet because even our most scandalous sins are not too big for the grace of God!

God intends for this incident with Ananias and Sapphira to awaken us to the reality of his holiness, the wretchedness of our sin, and the beauty of the cross. He brings us back to sanity in the fear of the Lord as we remember again that he is God and we are not. He protects the purity of the church and therein sets her up for exponential growth!

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a bit frightening. There's no getting around that. But when we really settle in with the text, we find it has much to teach us. For one thing, we learn that the church, even at the beginning, was not perfect. They were always dealing with temptation and sin. For another thing, we learn that God sees through our religious games. He doesn't want our external conformity. He wants our hearts.

One of the marks of a healthy Christian is our joy in Christ and our thanksgiving to the Lord. This (internal) joy is reflected (externally) in our generosity as God's people and our witness to the world!

Money. It often gets ahold of us. Or, perhaps, better put: we often get ahold of it... and then refuse to let it go. But these early Christians, to our surprise, they are wildly generous. They have no problem releasing their wealth for the blessing of others. But how? Where does such a thing come from? In a word: grace.

Prayer can often be confusing. We don't know how to do it or even where to start. This is especially the case when we've run on hard times. But these early Christians can show us the way! We can summarize their prayer here with the acronym A-S-K. They begin by Adoring God for who he is and what he has said and done, especially through Christ. Then they Surrender themselves to him. And finally they Knock with their requests.

Peter and John don't buckle under opposition and adversity. They would rather please God than men. But how is such a Christian made? Where does this kind of "boldness" come from? And how can we grow in the same?