Sermons on Acts (Page 4)

Sermons on Acts (Page 4)

But… Why? | Galatians 6:1-2

This summer my son started doing something that’s really cute. We’ll ask him to pick up his toys, or take a few more bites, or get his shoes on, and before he does any of those things he’ll ask us a question. Do you know what it is? “But… why?!” He throws his arms open wide and with the deepest look of sincerity a two-year old can muster he asks, “But… why?!” That’s probably the first question we are asking…

Bridges to Multiethnic Reconciliation | Acts 10:34-11:18

Last week I talked about Barriers to Multiethnic Reconciliation (i.e., personal & systemic racism, group pressure and personal vulnerability). This week I want to talk about how we can overcome those barriers by building bridges, so my sermon title this week is Bridges to Multiethnic Reconciliation. My big idea is this… Be bridge builders in a world of walls. In March 1965 several of Martin Luther King Junior’s associates, one of them Representative John Lewis who died this past summer,…

Barriers to Multiethnic Reconciliation | Acts 10:23b-43

Last week we talked about the Bible’s vision of churches working towards becoming diverse multiethnic congregations that reflects his church family in Revelation 7:9-10. Today I want to talk about the things that hinder us from doing that, barriers to unity in diversity.  When we look at the New Testament, we find one of the most commonly reoccurring themes is racial tensions between Jew and Gentile. The church had to call a council in Acts 15 to deal with the…

Cultural Preferences | Acts 10:1-23 (Peter’s vision)

Today I want to start with a Scripture passage that promises how things are going to be one day. This promise comes from the book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible. It shows us what the final day will look like when Jesus returns. It shows us a great multitude of different kinds of people from all over the earth singing and praising God. Revelation 7:9-10 (ESV) 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no…

Life Disrupted | Acts 9:32-43

Do you all remember January 1st? It had so much promise, didn’t it? A brand new year. A brand new decade! We had New Year’s Resolutions! We had hopes and dreams for our families, our careers, and our church. And then what happened? Covid-19 happened! Covid happened and everything stopped. Life was completely disrupted. Most of the time when we think about disruption, it’s a bad thing, like the DOW dropping a thousand points or wildfires destroying half of Australia.…

Three Life-Lessons For New Believers | Acts 9:19b-31

For me one of the most exciting things in life is to see someone new come to faith in Christ, or someone who has been kind of surface-level about Jesus, really commit and dive deep. I love the passion, the excitement, the willingness to share about Christ. It’s a special time.  If you’re a new Christian, this sermon is for you. How can we keep a good thing going? I want to talk about how we can plug you in…

The Least Likely Disciple | Acts 9:1-19a

Who is the least likely person you know who would ever become a Christian? Take a moment and think of them. Is it a family member, a friend, a coworker? Is it because they’re apathetic to Christianity? Or is it because they’re totally against Christianity? Maybe they identify as an atheist, or Buddhist, Muslim, or even Jewish. All you know, is they’ll never follow Jesus… Nabeel fit the description of someone who would never follow Jesus. His parents were from…

Not For Sale | Acts 8:9-25 (Simon the Sorcerer)

Have you ever tried to buy something that’s not for sale? When I was a teenager, I worked at a tourist shop in the mountains of Colorado called Indian Village. Occasionally tourists would try to buy the big brass pots we had in the back of the store, but they were a decoration. Not for sale. Occasionally tourists would try and buy this big beautiful Navajo rug we had hanging on our wall. But that rug also was not for…

Samaritan Gospel | Acts 8:1-8

Today I want to talk about the power of the gospel—what the gospel is and what the gospel does. I want to talk about the gospel because I think it speaks to the cultural friction and racial brokenness we are experiencing today. The gospel not only identifies the problem, but provides a solution. Here’s my thesis: The gospel actively crosses all racial and ethnic barriers to bring healing in Christ. The gospel actively crosses all racial and ethnic barriers to…

A Posture of Listening | Acts 7:54-60 (Stephen’s Martyrdom)

Today we are finishing the story of Stephen. I had written my sermon for today’s service a couple weeks ago, but when I read it this week, it just didn’t feel right. I sensed the Lord had a different sermon for me. Today, I’m sharing what the Lord is teaching me through the lens of Stephen’s story about the issue of racial justice. I’ve felt really drained this week. I’ve felt anger and grief, sadness, despair, as I know many…

Israel’s Biopic & Ours | Acts 7:1-53 (Stephen’s Speech)

What do you think it would be like to have a biopic made of your life? A biopic is a movie made about someone’s life story. I recently watched Ford v Ferrari, which is a biopic of Carroll Shelby, a car designer, and Ken Miles, a British race car driver, building the Ford GT40 to beat the Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a long and difficult endurance race in France. Shelby is played by Matt…