Rivercrest Presbyterian Church - Sermons

Everyone puts their hope in something. Everyone is trusting in something for their life that they are counting on to give them meaning, purpose, security, significance, and even their identity. And what we see in Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14 is that they have set their hope on the Lord such that the rejection of the crowd doesn't destroy and the applause of the crowd doesn't define. 

Saul, also called Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark are called to Cyprus. They go where the Holy Spirit who fills them up has sent them. They go faithfully to proclaim the gospel and by their obedience they witness the Holy Spirit saving others. Let the church today, walk in step with the Spirit of the Living God.

James has been killed, Peter is in prison asleep, and the believers are found unbelieving when an angel sets Peter free and he shows up outside their door. In reading Acts, we can relate to the early saints. They often tried their best, we found failing, or experienced hardship. But the point of Acts, the point of the church, the point of the gospel - is Christ alone. He is the hero, not us. Therefore we pray, we have faith, and we trust in Him to keep advancing His kingdom.

The Lord saves His people, not because we're good, but because He's a Good Savior. Cornelius did everything in life right, but still he needed Jesus. God draws far off people close and makes them by His grace to belong in His family. 

Jesus Christ, through Peter, heals Aeneas and raises Dorcas back to life. The miraculous power of Jesus points us toward His ultimate healing, of saving sinners to everlasting life. Jesus is alive, He is the Head of His Church, no one is too far gone from His healing power, and He is indeed making all things new. Christians are to share what Jesus has done in their life, so that others would turn to Him.

The conversion of Saul is all about Jesus. No one is beyond the Lord's reach of salvation and His grace not only brings life but also trajectory. For all believers, the old is gone and the new has come. Now as disciples, we are called to go and make disciples and share the gospel with everyone - even if uncomfortable and in ways we are afraid to go.

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch provide an active parable for Christians today. The eunuch was a man whose life was full of barriers and exclusion, but now he's been brought into transformed life. And Philip helps the eunuch to understand his position and the text of Isaiah. Today, the marks of the church include pursuing the Lord in His Word, responding obedience, and witnessing our faith in Jesus.

The church faced persecution, the first martyr Stephen is buried, and still the gospel spreads. In going to different regions, the disciples proclaim Christ. Even in the region of Samaria, a place where the apostle John was rebuked by Jesus for wanting to destroy, there are converts and signs being done. Through struggle and trial, the people of God are united. The gospel is available to everyone by faith, it cannot be bought or earned as Simon the magician tries to do, but by grace through faith alone in Christ. The same is true for the church to grow today.

As the church faced a controversy, the apostles sought for unity. They charged the congregation to find men of good repute who were full of wisdom and the Spirit. The seven men chosen were not called based on their skills, talents, or outward appearance, but based on their fruitfulness in the gospel. Christians today are to remember Who calls us to gospel work, and to consider character first, and to look more and more like Christ.

Growth brings change, discomfort, and new needs. In the early church, things were not always simple and easy, rather they were unpolished. They faced challenges as a result of more and more people coming to faith and interacting with the rest of Jerusalem. Each of God's people, as they are filled with the Holy Spirit, are called to care for and strengthen the church in unity, through every trial and opportunity just like Christ.