Mercy Hill Church Sermons

At the very core of our identity as the church, as disciples of Jesus, we are to be a community of fellow-learners—people committed to learning from one another about him and helping others learn about him as well.

As Christians, we are not just saved by Jesus, we are also sent by him. In our text today, we discover a number of things we ought not to be if, in fact, we want to be a church on mission like these early Christians.

In some ways, modern day Silicon Valley is like the ancient city of Athens. It’s a cultural center filled with some of the world’s brightest minds doing some of the most significant work. And yet it’s also one of the most unchurched and biblically illiterate places in the country. Therefore, as we watch Paul attempting to reach Athens, we learn what it might look like for us to reach the Bay Area.

The Christian faith doesn’t exclude suffering but includes it. It doesn’t call us to avoid or delight in suffering. Rather the Gospel helps us to see suffering as a (unexpected) blessing of opportunities to honor Christ!

In some ways, modern day Silicon Valley is like the ancient city of Athens. It’s a cultural center filled with some of the world’s brightest minds doing some of the most significant work. And yet it’s also one of the most unchurched and biblically illiterate places in the country. Therefore, as we watch Paul attempting to reach Athens, we learn what it might look like for us to reach the Bay Area.

In a chaotic world, facing suffering and unfaithfulness, we are reminded of Jesus’ exalted, sovereign authority and his immediate pastoral presence among his suffering people. Jesus Christ is the central figure of God's redemptive plan, and this assures us to “Fear not” and enables us to remain faithful because God is sovereign and victorious over all!

Whether we’re dealing with ideas shared in the church or out in the world, we must learn to always examine all things in light of Scripture.  We must, in other words, be like the Bereans!

When we leave Christ to pursue gain in the here and now, we lose in the end.  When we count all as loss for the sake of Christ, we gain more than we could have ever imagined, both now and forever, in him.  Some of this “gain” is outlined in our text.  We gain invincible joy, fruitful labor, spiritual family, and ultimate vindication!

As Christians, we are called to love one another and bless others, even as we are hated by them. We can only do so as we remember our Lord Jesus!

When we leave Christ to pursue gain in the here and now, we lose in the end.  When we count all as loss for the sake of Christ, we gain more than we could have ever imagined, both now and forever, in him.  One of the things we gain is invincible joy.  These missionaries are singing praise to God from a prison cell.  Nothing can touch what they have in Jesus.