Sunday Sermon
sunday morning 28th June 2009
Acts 14v1-7 in Iconium
Last week we saw the work of P&B in Pisidian Antioch.
They preached the word of the Kingdom and as usual many people came to believe,
but then there followed persecution so P&B had to leave to go to their next place of mission: Iconium.
1) a time of Salvation:
V1 They went to a place of worship, obviously a ready audience. Many people there.
The preaching was very effective thus many believed – Jew and Gentile.
Paul ministered in a readymade situation! A captive people who already believed in God.
App:
Today things are vastly different – hard to even know what we can learn from such encounters.
What can we learn?
1) importance of Divine Appointments
Need to look for those who are looking.
2) importance of good communication, takes knowledge of the message and ability to tell it.
Gifts are given to serve the world with. Maybe preaching is not your gift but what use whatever you have been given to progress the gospel.
2) a time of Rejection
V2 many also did not believe! That is they refused to believe, they were disobedient!
- unbelief is not an “a-moral” thing.
Unbelief is a sin, it is choosing to not believe what God has said, thus it is calling Him a liar!!
But their unbelief was not the end of their sin!
Then they took their rebellion and abused the Gentiles who perhaps were more open to the message! They were not content to keep their own rebellion to themselves, they chose to poison others with it too.
App:
The human being is wired to respond to words.
Words are powerful. (“sticks and stone” song!! We teach our children because of the very fact that words are so powerful).
The unbelievers used words to “poison” minds!
Our culture is one that has been poisoned in its mind by words. (Or rather by ideas, but these ideas are conveyed by words. Take whole idea of Darwin’s origin of the species, the effect of that idea in many people’s minds is to make them think that there is no God etc)
What is the remedy? True words as we will see.
3) a time of perseverance
V3 how were P&B to respond in such a situation?
Give up in the face of such opposition. Far from it!
Because of the number of believers and the fierce opposition they stayed for a long time!
And their approach was the same, they continued to “speak boldly”!
God blessed their work with signs and miracles!
App:
Called to speak for the Lord regardless of the situation.
The approach did not change because the response changed!
· Our task as a church today is to speak words of truth that bring healing to people’s lives. (manna from heaven is the word of God, that’s what we need to offer)
To live without hope, without God, without purpose, is to live with a poisoned mind!
We often ask how can people live in the world without God, when we have faith.
The answer is they can live because their minds have been polluted and poisoned, so they simply don’t know!
· But how are we to reach such people? Perhaps this is the key question.
We are to do the work “for the Lord / in the Lord”.
That is the key we are to work for Gods glory and then no matter what happens all will be well, even if we die!
4) a time of Division
V4 P&B work caused a major division. There were those who were against and those for!
No mention of a middle ground.
App:
There is no middle ground. But this is not an immediate effect!
This came after a long time.
In other words there is time to consider the message, to make up one’s mind.
But that process must come to an end of either following or rejecting!
5) a time of change:
a) the negative change, for the worse:
V5 those who reject the message move from, trying to stop people believe to simply getting rid of the source!
b) the positive change, advances the gospel:
V6-7 they fled and continued to preach wherever they went.
App:
We have no such persecution today in our culture.
But we do have a time for change: we need to ask what can we do to advance the gospel in this day and in this place?
The first thing we need to do, we must do, is seek God for his direction!
sunday evening 28th June 2009
Col 2v13-15
Last week we saw the reason we had to do all we could to keep close to Christ: because of who he is and what he has done for us.
This week we will see more of that.
· But first I want to remind you of the gospel that Jesus preached.
“repent for the kingdom of heaven near/open” or to put it another way, now is the chance for you to change the way you do your life and enter into life with God.
The Good News is that life with God is now available for all who so desire to live with God.
But to enter into that life our sin had to be dealt with and this is what v13 talks about.
1) from death to life
V13 you were dead, not half living, but dead, in your sins/trespasses.
You had deviated from the path that God intended. Trespassed into the world of sin.
That is what we were before our sins were cut off – circumcised.
Then God made you alive, how? by forgiving us our sins. And raising us to life with Christ.
Life with Christ – life with God.
It is because we have sinned that we are spiritually dead, thus removing “all” sin, takes away the cause of death!
Thus we are back to life, back to relationship with God!
· The consequence of the fall has thus been reversed in Christ.
App
You were dead but now you are alive
That is the good news. Life, alive, in relationship with God.
The gospel is not just about conversion, the gospel is about the point of conversion, which is life with God. Life in the kingdom.
It cannot be stressed enough that a Christian is not just someone who has been forgiven, not even just someone who has been given a fresh start.
A Christian is someone who has a new life altogether – a totally new creation.
From death to life!
2) through forgiveness of sins
V14 what did he do with our sins/trespasses? Wiped them out! (wiping away tears, erase, remove eliminate).
There was a hand written record of sins against our names! But it was wiped out!
How?
He has taken out of our midst, removed it from our presence, then nailed it to the cross!!
There was an account of debt with our name on the top of it, and it was there before our eyes, saying you owe, you are guilty.
But it was simply taken away.
That debt was paid for, by Christ on the cross!!
But note, it had to be paid for! There was a debt, we owed God.
The debt could not simply be ignored. The account could not be put in a toxic bank!
Someone had to pay! That someone was Jesus, on the cross!
App
Have you ever had a debt simply paid for you?
How wonderful to have a debt paid!
How wonderful to have a clean slate with God! We owe Him nothing!
Our sin has been paid for! Rejoice, you are debt free with God.
Picture the list of sin in your life, simply being rubbed out. Wiped away.
3) thus total liberty, forgiveness, freedom.
V15 the effect of taking away our debt is that sin, no longer has any hold over us! Principalities and powers can no longer claim us as their own!
The power of sin to make us feel guilty has gone! The debt is paid!
And that not secretly! Jesus publically paid our debt on the cross.
Sin can come and say you are mine, you’re my slave, you owe me, but we can say, “no look at the cross, there my sin was dealt with, there my responsibility was taken away!”
The world, the flesh and the devil – principalities and powers, have no claim on us.
They have been “disarmed” of their power. (Literally to strip off clothes).
Figuratively to strip off power! Disarmament is taking away guns, bombs etc, the principalities and powers have been disarmed!
They are now impotent / powerless.
Christ has triumphed over them.
Triumph – to lead in a victory procession.
The picture is of the Roman general returning in a victory parade with all the spoils of war following in behind, defeated and made captive.
There is nothing secretive here. An open display of victory, triumph, rejoicing – an enemy is defeated!
App
Don’t let sin have a hold on you. Don’t let feelings of guilt cripple you.
Don’t give into temptation.
Remind yourself sin has been disarmed, publically destroyed and triumphed over!
The whole point of salvation is what? To give you new life.
That life is to be free from the power of sin.
Thus, live in that freedom, the sinful nature has been cut off.
Sin has been disarmed, exposed and triumphed over.
You are alive, sin has been dealt with, thus live for God.
