Sermons

It is all about Jesus. That is a simple conclusion from the text we will look at today. What if life was that simple? It can be. Sure there will be problems. We see a physical problem in today’s text. But the name of Jesus changes everything. That is what happens when our daily life and Jesus meet.

In the first church, we see some important essentials that they were committed to that must be present or things get off track. When the church practices these essentials the outcome is a church that lives out the ways of the kingdom of God that Jesus taught. This morning let’s catch God’s vision for the church and be about the essentials, so that we can live out the ways of the kingdom.

It has been said, “The kingdom of God is meant to be more like a river: a movement, an untamed surge of energy that can change a landscape and take people for the ride of their lives.” Our Scripture text for today could truly be summed up like that. And this is what happens when Jesus builds His church.

The last days are upon us with the increasing of lawlessness and terrible calamties, but God is working through His Spirit to empower the church to be His Spirit filled witnesses of Jesus. Today we see the beginning work of this in the first centruy and its effect. May we walk by the Spirit and have a powerful witness of Christ.

We are frail, fragile, small and weak people. But could something that seems as impossible be done in and through us? Could we be empowered to help accomplish the supernatural? Today’s scripture text reveals one of the most pivotal events to occur in history. We will see today how the Spirit came in a dramatic fashion to the disciples and empowered them in an unprecedented way to tell the mighty works of God. May we be desperate for the power of the Holy Spirit today.

Christians are people who live on the verge of something. As we gaze into the first century again this morning, in Acts 1, we see eleven men on the verge of something great. They are on the verge of the Christian mission spreading to and throughout the Jewish world and the Gentile world. They are on the verge of the spreading of the gospel throughout Jerusalem and eventually to Rome. So, as believers what does living on the verge look like?

Jesus has done something that puts us on top of the world even though the world may seem to be on top of us. The ascension of Jesus doesn’t get as much air time as His crucifixion and resurrection, but His ascension is big time. Today, we will unpack what the ascension of Jesus means, how it impacts us and issues in our world, including the issue of life on this Sanctity of Life Sunday.

Today, we see, as we began last week, that we have been saved by Christ for a mission. That mission is to be the witnesses of Jesus. What is great news though, is that he hasn’t left us empty handed. He has empowered us and that is where the Holy Spirit comes in, as He will give us the power to be Christ’s witnesses.

God wants to take our great wonder and awe of Him and turn it into witness of Him.

A New Year's prayer - He must increase, I must decrease.