Sermons About Peter
The Foolishness of Fighting God
Acts 12:1-25 The Herods were ruthless rulers who were epitomized by the reign of Herod the Great. Another ruler in the line of Herods was King Agrippa I (AD 41-44), who was the grandson of Herod the Great. It was Agrippa who persecuted Christians during the time that the Gentiles were joining the Jews as new Christians, and was responsible for executing the apostle James. Seeing that this act pleased the Jews, Agrippa then turned his attention to Peter, the spiritual leader of the remaining apostles. Agrippa was not successful in detaining or executing Peter, and indeed, the Lord struck him down for his blasphemy in glorifying himself over almighty God. As we see from Chapter 12 of Acts, the spread of the gospel is unstoppable, and to stand in the way of the gospel is to stand in the way of God Himself. In this morning's passage, we are given three reasons why we must never fight God: 1. God's Power Cannot be Defeated (vv. 1-17) 2. God's Punishment Cannot be Avoided (vv. 18-23) 3. God's Purpose Cannot be Frustrated (vv. 24-25) We should learn from this account that if we do not give God the glory He is due, then we will be punished, just like King Agrippa. So, if you are not a Christian, you remain an enemy of God. It is God's desire that we surrender our will to Him and be counted as one of His children rather than an enemy. Are you fighting God today?
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Paul: The Spiritual Abolitionist, Part II (17)
This is part 17 of a series of expositions from 1:11-2:21 where Paul argues that his gospel is not man's gospel.
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The Mystery Unfolded
Acts 10:1-11:18 As unforgetable as the dismantling of the Berlin Wall was for Germany and the world in the 1980's, there was an even more monumental event over two thousand years ago that involved the tearing down of a different kind of wall. It was during the period of Acts that God tore down the spiritual barrier that had existed between the Jews and Gentiles since the time of Genesis 12. In Acts 9, we saw how God began to open the door of faith to the Gentiles through Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. Then, in Acts 10, we see how He continued to open that door as Peter is summoned to share the gospel with Cornelius and his family in Caesarea. Luke continues in the rest of chapter 10 through Acts 11:18 by giving an account of Peter's explanation of the mystery of the inclusion of the Gentiles in the church. In today's message, Pastor Ramey uses the passages from Acts 10-11 to outline five stages of inclusion that mark God's method for introducing the Gentiles into the body of Christ. The 5 Stages of Inclusion are marked by: 1. Coinciding Revelations (vv. 1-22) 2. Corresponding Explanations (vv. 23-33) 3. A Compelling Proclamation (v. 34) 4. The Confirming Manifestation (vv. 44-48) 5. The Convincing Justification (Ch. 11, v. 1-18) As we study these verses, we (as Gentiles), should be ever greatful to God that we have been included in His glorious plan of salvation. As such, we have been granted the privilege of sharing the hope of salvation with all the gentiles of the world who have yet to be saved. We need to share the gospel freely with all men because God shows no partiality among us. May none of us stand in God's way when it comes to those who the Lord wants to save!
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A Call to Discipleship (Matthew 4:18-22)
In the midst of this present darkness, Jesus Christ came as the “Light of the world” to reveal truth to a sin entranced, sin darkened, sin enslaved humanity. His mission was to reveal God and rescue sinners from His own wrath. He came with a message of hope, a message of judgement, and a message of repentance. And it is a message that He would entrust to His people. A people He would call out for Himself. A people who would follow Him and be His heralds; to be His lights in the world. But it is being light in a dark world, that means it is not an easy call, though it is an extraordinary one. It is a call that comes with a price, but following the example of One who has gone before and paid that price. It is a call count the things eternal more precious the passing treasures of this world. That is to say ... The call to discipleship is a call to forsake all to follow Christ. In our passage this morning, Matthew 4:18-22, I want you to notice: 3 Aspects of the Call to Discipleship. (1) Call to Common People (2) Call to an Extraordinary Task (3) Call that comes with a cost.
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An Encouraging Word
The basic problem is how to maintain the integrity and power of a positive testimony as we live for Jesus Christ in the midst of a society that is ignorant of Biblical Truth and doubtful of the God who gave us the Truth (Jesus Christ).
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Sunday Sermon for Week 22-09
The theme of the message is building community. The illustrations are two stories of community, one of failure and one of success. Peter, writing to the Roman provinces in Asia Minor, points to their being not only a chosen people and a royal priesthood, but also a holy nation. Building community begins with prayer, but it requires more than that, it requires action. In Joshua 6, God give a promise of victory and then a specific set of instructions on how to achieve the victory. God’s people then take action based on those instructions. Colossians 3 lists the traits that we must have to be the community God wants us to become. In Romans 8:37, Paul says that we are more than conquerors, after conquering; we are to go and live there, and make a community of God. We need to fight for the community that we are trying to develop. We need to bring people in from “beyond the pale”.
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