Introduction:

The date is now December 7, so I wonder how things are coming along with your Christmas plans. Do you have all your shopping done yet? Do you have your house decorated?

Show of hands: How many of you have your Christmas tree up?

How many have two Christmas trees up?

How many have lights up outside of the house?

Have you gone out looking at Christmas lights whether driving around or a specific display?

On Saturday, November 22, I joined a group from the church to visit a Christmas Tree display at the Akron Convention Center. How beautiful it was to see all those trees decorated and lit up. How neat it was to see all the themed Christmas trees. I love walking into a room all lit up with Christmas lights.

But our lights have an effect. Do you ever look up at the stars at night? Do you notice that you cannot see as many stars in the city as you can in the country? I once saw a program that said we have to go to the middle of the Atlantic in order to truly get away from the light pollution, wow! Yet, electric lighting revolutionized the world. We were already in the industrial revolution, but when electric lighting came, wow! But we know that Thomas Edison did not invent light, just the electric light bulb. Now, we have lights everywhere. Think about night baseball games, night football games, night soccer games, indoor night basketball games at night, we have services here after dark, headlights on our cars, lights outside our houses, parking lot lights and lighthouses. Is that all because of the light bulb? I don’t think so, I think it is all because we need light. Think about it, if we did not need light, the light bulb would have been another unimportant invention. We need light.

We need light and God provided light from the beginning. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was. Later God created the sun, moon and stars. But that is not the only light which we need and needed. We needed salvation. We needed a sacrifice. God sent us the Light of the World. God sent His own sacrifice. He was prophesies about in the Old Testament.

Singer Michael Card wrote a song called The Promise, and he wrote a little Christmas devotional on this theme:
He noted:
Christianity is founded on a promise. Faith involves waiting on a promise. Our hope is based on a promise. 
Promises are made with words. … .that part of myself that goes with every promise is given to you through my words….
Our God is the great maker of promises… His word, our Bible, is a collection of the promises… most of these concern Jesus, who came to be known as “the Promised One”
Through all these promises, God was trying to give something of Himself to Adam, and to Israel, and finally to us. The Bible tells us that when the Promised One came, the Lord poured all of Himself into Him.
What a costly thing it can be to make a promise – it cost Jesus His life.

Today, we continue our Advent series of sermons. Advent means “waiting” The idea is that we are waiting on Jesus to come and make things right. In reality, we all know that He has come and this is why we are here. Today, we look at a very familiar Old Testament story. Yet, as familiar as this is, this is prophetic in looking towards the Christ Child. We see once again that God provides the Light. God provides the sacrifice needed for Abraham and for us.

Read with me Genesis 22:1-14:

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The great idea in this passage is that the Lord provides. So I want to talk about how the Lord provides the sacrifice. The Lord sends the Light. Three times in verses 1-14 we see the idea that the Lord provides.

1. Let’s overview this narrative.
   1. In verse 1 God talks to Abraham and notice that Abraham has no hesitation. Abraham immediately said, “Here I am.”
   2. Verse 2 has God giving Abraham instructions as to what to do. Notice how specific this is:
      1. Take your son…
      2. Your only son…
      3. whom you love…
      4. sacrifice him as a burnt offering.
   3. Realize that Abraham had another son, Ishmael, whom he sent away. He was not the son of the promise. He was not the son by Abraham and Sarah. Isaac was.
   4. This was Abraham’s only son and he loves him.
   5. Yet, God tells him to sacrifice him. What was this like for Abraham? What were his emotions?
   6. Whatever it was like for Abraham, God did this with His Son.
   7. John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.
   8. Notice that Jesus, God’s one and only Son is the Son of promise. Isaac was the son of promise to Abraham. By Isaac all the world will be blessed. The lineage goes on to Jesus and in Him, through His death and resurrection all the world will be blessed.
   9. Verse 3, the next verse says that Abraham got up early in the morning and he began his trip to obey God.
      1. I heard someone say, “I wonder if he told Sarah.” That is a thought. I wonder if he just said they were going out for a bit. Do you think he could have actually told Sarah that he was going to kill her only son? No way!
      2. I bet if he told her that she would have stopped it. That is not saying that she had less faith, but this was her only son.
   10. Verse 5 shows that this is about worship. There were two servants with them. Abraham has the servants wait. Abraham says that they will worship and then they will return.
   11. Isn’t that interesting? Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, yet he tells the servants they will return. Maybe Abraham did not wish for the servants to come with him and try to restrain him from following the Lord’s command? Or, maybe Abraham thought that Isaac was the child of promise and so God would raise him up again. Maybe he thought his son, Isaac, was the Messiah. They were waiting on someone to make things right.
   12. They have the wood, the fire and the knife and they are going up to make the sacrifice. Isaac is carrying the wood for his own sacrifice. Hmm. You know that in John 19:17 it says that Jesus carried His own cross?
   13. By the way, Isaac is not a young child. He is an adult. The Jewish historian Josephus says that he is probably twenty-five years old. We never think of him that young.
   14. In verse 8: Abraham says that God will provide the lamb. Isaac knew what he would need for a sacrifice. But see that. Abraham had strong faith. God will provide.
   15. We look at this today and we are looking back and we see that God provided Jesus, our eternal lamb.
   16. Abraham places his son on the alter and pulls the knife. He is about to kill him when an angel interrupts him. The angel may have been a normal angel or he might have been Jesus in the Old Testament. Sometimes when the Bible says the Angel of the Lord it is referring to Jesus.
   17. Abraham is stopped and then they see a ram caught in the bushes by its horns.
   18. God provided the sacrifice.
   19. God provided a sacrifice for Abraham.
2. God provided a sacrifice for us and the sacrifice was His own Son.
   1. John 1:36 John the baptizer says look at the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 1 John 4:9; John 3:16 both talk about God sending His one and only Son.
   2. Isa 53:7: Jesus is like a lamb to the slaughter.
   3. Verse 14: Abraham calls that place the Lord provides.
   4. Abraham needed a sacrifice. God gave him the sacrifice.
   5. But the sacrifice for Abraham was foreshadowing the sacrifice for the rest of the world. Truly through Abraham all the world would be blessed.
   6. Close to two thousand years later a descendant of Abraham would be born and raised. He would be just over twenty-five years old at the age of thirty-three. He would be God’s Son and He would carry His own cross and this time the angel would not stop the death. This time He would die. He would die as our sacrifice. God provided the Light. But praise God He did not stay in the grave. He became the first fruits of the resurrection. (1 Cor. 15)
   7. Our Lord provides! Amen! Jehovah Jireh is how that name is translated.

Close:

Jesus came:

That through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.(Hebrews 2:14–15)

But not just to die. Jesus was born to be raised from the dead (Revelation 1:18). He is the Resurrection and the Life and whoever believes in him “though he die yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem it was the dawn of death’s destruction. It made possible the fast-approaching time when,

He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8)

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, the season on the Christian calendar that climaxes at Christmas. “Advent” means “something’s coming, something’s about to arrive.”

It is called “Advent season” because the Christian church takes this time of the year to intentionally do what all of creation is doing. Creation is enslaved, held captive. Sin and Death hold the world in their grip, and we all feel it. Life hurts. We get depressed. Our bodies break down, or they just break.  People hurt us, reject us, people hurt themselves. Families fall apart.

In this condition, what is creation doing? It is waiting. It is expecting. A long time ago the people of God were waiting for their redeemer, the one who was promised, who would come and deliver God’s people from oppression and captivity. God sent Jesus into the world to provide salvation, to make God’s initial move to redeem the world. So we celebrate Christmas.

But we celebrate not only the singular day that commemorates the arrival of the Son of God, we participate in the entire Advent season, since we still find ourselves in a posture of waiting. We are waiting for the return of Jesus to come and save, to redeem us from oppression and save us from our brokenness and sin. We are waiting for God to come back and fix the world finally and forever.

This is the prayer from http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Advent/AAdv1_RCL.html

I like jogging around town at night during the Christmas season. It is great seeing the Christmas lights. It makes me think back.

What are your Christmas decorations like? Do you enjoy Christmas decorating?

When I was a child we were not allowed to listen to Christmas music or watch Christmas movies or television shows until after Thanksgiving. I looked forward to Christmas in every way. I looked forward to the lights, snow, days off school, lights, Santa Claus, trains (I’ll explain that), family get togethers, and -did I say- lights and so much more.

When I was a child I remember setting up Christmas lights with my dad. I think it was every year from the time I was in first grade up until I was in sixth or the seventh grade we would set up Christmas lights the weekend after Thanksgiving. It seems that the day after Thanksgiving we would clean up from the family get together and then maybe set up some indoor Christmas decorations. We could not set up the the Christmas tree at that time, we had to wait on that. We would set up the Nativity scene on the mantel and we would string lights along the mantle as well. We would set up various other Christmas decorations around the house. I think I loved the colors of Christmas, but I loved the many colors on the lights. It seems that usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving we would hang Christmas lights all over the exterior of the house. We had a two story and my dad would use the extension ladder as we would hang lights on the top of the house as well. We had a blue spruce tree and we hung lights on there also. It was great getting the lights out of the garage attic plugging them in and watching them light up, or we hoped they would light up. Many times they wouldn’t light up. My dad could fix anything and so many times he would replace the fuses and rewire things and make them work. We stood there in the cold and watched as he did all the work! We did hold the ladder. We used the big lights, not the little lights, but they sure could blow fuses. At night it was so nice to go outside and see the house lit up. In the next few weeks we would set up the Christmas tree. The tree had snowflake lights and these bubble lights that were supposed to resemble candles. We hung so many lights on the tree, I’m sure many of you would have thought it was too cluttered. In the coming weeks we would drive around and look at Christmas lights. Sometimes we were on our way home from cub scouts or some school event and we would just drive around for awhile.

We had an old train that was probably from the 1930’s, it was a Lionel Train and we would set it up under the Christmas Tree and I remember sitting in that room with the lights off except for the tree and letting the train go around the tracks. The Train had a light on the front and the cars lit up inside.

I wonder if you have memories like this?

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpk9Fk6sR3g

Pictures and videos of Christmas lights displays.

Today, we begin our Advent theme which is Jesus is the Light. In this year’s Advent theme I intend to show you how Jesus was prophesied in the old Testament and these prophesies are fulfilled in the New Testament. I intend to show you that Jesus is the Light of the world and as people engaged Him they had enlightening experiences. You know, Jesus calls us the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14) So, let’s open our Bibles and see the very first prophesy about God providing the Light. That is my title today and that is the great idea:

God Provides the Light.

The applications are:

1. Have we trusted in the light of the world?
2. Are we encouraged that the whole Bible talks of God sending the light?
3. Notice God provides the light, salvation is of God.
4. Can we rejoice in our salvation? (Psalm 51:12)

Let’s look at a few passages about how God provides the light. Let’s start with:

1. Let’s turn in the first book of the Bible and look at: Gen. 3:15:

Genesis 3:15:

And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

1. Take note, this passage is written right after the first recorded sin. I don’t know how many years before Christ came to earth this was written, but I would think about 4,000 years and just days, weeks or months into creation. Adam and Eve had the reign of the Garden of Eden and walked with God. Then, the devil came and tempted them. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says that satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Take note that there is spiritual warfare and we see it in this passage. The devil comes all innocent and disguises himself as a snake. Next thing we know they are disobeying God.
2. Now, in verse 15 God is giving the punishment for satan and for Adam and Eve.
3. In the middle of the punishment is this prophesy.
4. Enmity: this means that there will be a barrier between the devil and Eve and her off spring and the devils. It would be easy to think this is simply talking about a fear between man and snake, but historically that is not how it was interpreted.
5. Luther commented on the nature of “the woman’s Seed”: “This means all individuals in general; and yet he is speaking of only one individual, of the seed of Mary, who is a mother without union with a male” (L^W 1.195).¹
6. One writes: The “offspring” of the woman was Cain, then all humanity at large, and then Christ and those collectively in Him. The “offspring” of the serpent includes demons and anyone serving his kingdom of darkness, those whose “father” is the devil (John 8:44). Satan would cripple mankind (you will strike at his heel), but the Seed, Christ, would deliver the fatal blow (He will crush your head).
7. Another writes: The serpent’s poison is lodged in its head; and a bruise on that part is fatal. Thus, fatal shall be the stroke which Satan shall receive from Christ, though it is probable he did not at first understand the nature and extent of his doom.²
8. Here we have the common case where an individual represents many.²⁰⁴ Eve and her adversary are the progenitors of a lifelong struggle that will persist until a climactic moment when the woman’s offspring will achieve the upper hand.³
   1. Now think about this verse and our applications. Notice that salvation comes from the Lord.
   2. Here we are in the beginning of time. Here we are and man and woman have just sinned, they have broken God’s perfect standard. But God is saying, “I am going to bring you back.” God is saying, “There is a punishment, but I will send the light.”
   3. The Bible says that we love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) The Bible says that God wants all to come to salvation. (2 Peter 3:9)
1. All throughout the Old Testament God reminds them of the Light that will come. God reminds them of the Light of the world. God continues to talk about the birth of Jesus.
   1. Isaiah 7:14:
   2. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
   3. Isaiah was written some 700 years prior to Christ and God is reminding the people that He will provide the Light.
   4. Notice that the whole Bible talks of God sending the Light, sending Jesus. Isn’t that encouraging? Do you have the Light? Do you have joy in your salvation, Psalm 51:12?
2. Listen to Isaiah 60:1 and 19-20:
   1. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
   2. Isaiah 60:19-20:
   3. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.
   4. These verses are about a time still to look forward to. But notice, who provides the light? God will provide the light.
   5. Is it possible?
3. On March 9, 1979, nine satellites stationed at various points in the solar system simultaneously recorded a bizarre event deep in space. It was, in fact, the most powerful burst of energy ever recorded. Astronomers who studied the readings were in awe.

The burst of gamma radiation lasted for only one-tenth of a second . . . but in that instant it emitted as much energy as the sun does in 3000 years. If the gamma-ray burst had occurred in the Milky Way Galaxy, said one astrophysicist, it would have set our entire atmosphere aglow. If the sun had suddenly emitted the same amount of energy, our earth would have vaporized. Instantly.

Let’s look at the New Testament:

5. In Matt. 1:23 Joseph is having a dream and this is what the angel says: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). This is the fulfillment of that prophesy way back in Genesis 3:15.
6. In Luke 3:29-32 Jesus as a baby was seen by a man named Simeon and this is what he says:
   1. “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.
7. One more Bible passage which shows a more direct fulfillment of that prophesy is Gal. 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.
   1. Notice how this passage says, “born of a woman” and that is alluding to Genesis 3:15: the seed or “offspring” of a woman…

2 Cor. 4:4, 6 says:

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

As Christ followers, we look forward to a time when God provides all the light we need:

Rev. 22:5:

And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Interesting, I remember buying Meagan an engagement ring and it sparkled and just looked amazing. But that is because of the light reflecting off of the diamond. Light makes things beautiful and amazing.

When we read about the images of Heaven and the New Jerusalem everything appears magnificent, but it would not appear that way in the dark, it does because God will dwell with us and be the Light.

God prophesied in Genesis 3:15 that He will provide the light and that happened through Jesus. That is not all the Light God provides. As Christ followers we have the light of Jesus with us all the time through the Holy Spirit and some day He will dwell with us.

Close:

[The Passion of the Christ with Jesus stepping on the snake, maybe silent only.]

This past year we took Mercedes out to see Christmas lights and she loved them, absolutely loved them! There is a mansion in Salem with lights all over the yard and just more lit up than anyone could imagine. Mercedes would say, “I want to go play in it!” Remember she was two then. When we think about the light, we remember that Jesus is the light from God. God loves us so much that from the very beginning God revealed to us that He would make a way of salvation.

We will continue with this theme of how God provides the Light and Jesus is the Light. We will be talking about this the next few weeks as we consider the prophesies of old fulfilled in Jesus.

Have we trusted in the light of the world?

Are we encouraged that the whole Bible talks of God sending the light?

Notice God provides the light, salvation is of God.

Can we rejoice in our salvation? (Psalm 51:12)

Do you have the Light? Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

Introduction:

Someone gave me the following:

If Jesus showed up for dinner on Thanksgiving:

There wouldn’t be any fighting over the drumsticks,

He’d just multiply them.

He could turn water into cranberry sauce if you ran out.

The last to arrive would be the first to get served.

He’d let the little children come to Him at the big people table.

He’d make sure all the food was ready at the same time and dished up piping hot.

He’d grant everyone wishbone wishes.

There’d be enough leftovers to feed a whole multitude.

May Jesus be with you on Thanksgiving always!

Let me read a part of the list that several housewives compiled. They wrote that they were especially thankful:

“For automatic dishwashers because they make it possible for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back in for their after-dinner snacks.

“For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house because they usually make them big enough to call in the professionals.

“For children who put away their things & clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents

“For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.

“For Smoke alarms because they let you know when the turkey’s done.

APPL. Now our list might not be the same as theirs, but I’m convinced that if we began to make a list, we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.

What are you thankful for?

Maybe you can better determine what you are thankful for by considering what causes you to be anxious.

I remember being in a counseling class and they talked about the rise of anxiety amongst teenagers. But we are a very anxious culture. We can get worried about anything and everything. We can be so very tense and we know we are just about ready to explode. I know of people who have been anxious over a football game. In one of those two years when the Browns went to the AFC championship I know of someone who was so nervous during the game that he went on a walk.

I must admit that I can get very anxious. It has been several years now but I have had anxiety attacks in the past. There can be a sudden fear that is hard to place that just would come over me.

Today, I wish to talk about the cure for anxiety and Jesus’ instructions on anxiety. So, let’s read Matthew 6:25-33. My big idea is to be content, trust God for your needs because He cares for you.

Let’s read Matthew 6:25-33:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you―you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

1. Let’s talk for a moment about Jesus’ instructions in this passage.
   1. In context we must know that at this point in this passage Jesus is giving instructions concerning money. In the previous verse Jesus says “you cannot serve God and wealth.” Or, “money.”
   2. Materialism always gets in the way. I find an unfortunate contradiction in my life. The “thing” that should satisfied me actually causes more anxiety. That is backwards. When I get something new I am stressed about what to do with the old, or I am stressed with learning how to use the new thing or take care of it or store it or put it together. Materialism ruins our life of simplicity. Materials easily become our God. Listen to the commercials about what we “need.” I heard recently of a young adult saying, “I love this.” [talking about an iPhone] We do not own possession, possessions own us. The more we have the more we must keep up. The saying goes the more money we make, the more money we spend. Possession are fleeting satisfactions. They satisfy us one one moment but they will come to ruin. The funny thing is long before they break, wear out, or are out of date the satisfaction the material item gives us is worn off.
   3. Know that I am in the battle to fight against materialism just like you. I am in the battle to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness just like you. I fight temptations just like you.
   4. Last August I called Timewarner Cable in order to cut cable. As is usual they asked why and I said we did not get much for our money. We had a very basic package which they called the “starter package.” It included the locals and three cable stations. But I got off the phone with Timewarner having adding some sixty channels and faster internet for only ten dollars more a month. They got me. But I was excited. I could not wait to have those cable stations. I looked forward to Discovery Channel and Food Network and ESPN and cable news. A few days later Meagan and I were talking and we decided this was not necessary, we could save the ten dollars more a month. So, I took the girls to the park and Meagan stayed back and called Timewarner. I said, “Be careful they will get you.” It was funny. She got off the phone and I said something like, “Do we have home phone and a security system now?” She said something like, “No, but I didn’t cancel it. They gave us ten dollars off for a year.” So, we were now paying the same as we were before I ever called, yet we had 50 or so more channels and faster internet. But you know what? There was no contentment. That night I channel surfed all the channels and found nothing good on. I thought I would rather read, yet I cannot read when I am paying for all these channels. I looked forward to the channels, I wanted satisfaction in a materialism thing. But there was none. The following Monday I called Timewarner again to cancel everything but Internet. This time they did not let me cancel everything, but we did get back to where we started but twenty dollars cheaper a month than we were paying.
   5. So, things will not satisfy.
   6. We cannot serve God and money, things, stuff. Things cause anxiety.
   7. In the next few verses Jesus says that even the things we need will cause anxiety. So, we must not be anxious about even the things we need. Interesting that we are usually anxious about things we do not even need.
   8. So, three times in verses 25-34 Jesus uses the verb “anxious.” It is sometimes translated “worry” but this means “excessive worry.” Verses 25, 31 and 34 say not to be anxious.
   9. Jesus uses a “greater to the lesser” argument or “how much more” argument for why not to worry.
   10. We are not going to walk through it, but He says that
       1. Life is more than food,
       2. We are worth more than the birds,
       3. We are more important than the lilies and the grass.
       4. I want to park here and tell you to be encouraged. Jesus is telling us that God cares for us more than other things of creation. God cares for us more than birds, lilies and grass. I hope that encourages you as it does me.
   11. In verse 32, Jesus says that God knows we need these things. By the way, there is nothing wrong with asking God for things we need and planning. The birds do build nest, etc. but they are not anxious.
   12. What does Jesus tell us to? He tells us to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto us.
       1. What are we seeking after? Remember verse 24 about serving God and money. Am I seeking the monetary things or am I seeking God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness?
       2. Am I satisfied in Christ? I have had to think about that more and more lately. Psalm 42 says, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
       3. I am increasingly convicted that I must pray that I search for God and that I am satisfied in Him and in Him alone.
       4. The missionary William Carey sought God.

I read about William Carey. And William Carey went to India with his wife and his children. And he found himself in a very remote part of India outside of Calcutta with no food, no shelter, no nothing, and really no money to buy anything. And never wavering in his faith, he just watched God supply and supply and supply. And first it was a little lean-to shack to live in. It was very uncomfortable and very difficult for his beloved wife and their children, one a relatively young one just born before they left. And it was about a five-month journey on a ship to get there from England.

And then things began to turn, and they began to cultivate the ground. They found a new place. And they began to grow food, and it flourished. In fact, he was so good, a botanist…he was so good at farming that villages began to arise all around his little farm on both sides of the river where he was. And then, in God’s wonderful mercy, he was offered a position of significance with a salary that was quite large, and he accepted that as the providence of God. He had lived through the testing of the lean times, and now God provided enough for his family, and enough for his ministry, and enough for translating the Word of God, which he eventually did into 11 languages.

5. Seeking God is the cure for materialism and that drastically takes down anxiety.

But let me mentioned a few other thoughts.

2. Let’s talk about a few other cures for anxiety.
   1. Phil. 4:4-9, let’s turn to this passage. Paul writes it in jail.
   2. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable―if anything is excellent or praiseworthy―think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me―put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
   3. From that passage we see the cure for anxiety is to pray and pray with Thanksgiving. We must also rejoice.
   4. 2 Cor. 10:5 says: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
   5. The cure for anxiety is our thought patterns.
   6. Lastly, seek help from prayer, journaling, counseling, friends. Don’t be afraid to seek help.

Fear, by the way, is a liar…fear is a liar. Fear tells you tomorrow is something to be afraid of. Fear tells you you’re not going to have what you need tomorrow. Fear tells you you’re not going to be up to it. Fear tells you if certain things happen, you’re never going to be able to survive it. Fear tells you that there’s terrible pain out there. Fear is a liar for the Christian because there is no thing that you’re ever going to go through, no trial, no temptation, that God will not provide sufficient grace to sustain you in.

So just shoulder the burden of today. Enjoy the grace that God gives you today. And leave the future to God. What happens happens. Don’t cripple the present by worrying about the future. You just destroy your joy, and then you lose the present. God will be there in the future. He’ll be there when it all comes crashing down. And he says, when it does, count it all…what? Joy, because God is doing a perfecting work.¹

Close:

Proverbs 30:8-9:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

What are you thankful for? What do you worry about? What causes anxiety?

We know for a fact that anxiety is on the rise. Remember what I started out with? We are thankful for things, but yet things make us anxious don’t they. Teenagers are on anxiety medicine in record numbers, and if you are on anxiety medicine I am not saying to stop them. I am saying to help them by seeking first God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness and being content “in Christ.”

Below is another thought:

Are you thankful for salvation?

Look at Psalm 51:12:

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Maybe that verse and its application is a first step in getting rid of anxiety. Seek First God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. Allow yourself to be satisfied in Christ.

So, as you go to your Thanksgiving dinner, seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness, be content in His provisions, trust that He will provide, give God the thanks.

On Sept 16, 1620 2 ships set sail from Plymouth Englnad, The Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell encountered much difficulty as they began their journey springing many leaks in the ship. So when the 2 ships went to Port in Plymouth England, the Speedwell decided to go no further and 42 passengers from the Speedwell joined the 60 passengers and 30 crew members aboard the Mayflower..

Of the 102 passengers on board the Mayflower the majority were devout Christians. They were coming to America to shake lose from the bonds of the church of England so they could worship God as they believed scriptures taught.

And with great excitement and expectations that set sail for a new land… It wasn’t long before the trip became difficult for several reasons, as noted by William Bradford an historian on the Mayflower, who would later became Governor of the colony for 33 years.. Many of the passengers became sea sick as huge waves would crash over the deck of the ship… The nights were cold, damp and dark… Remember there was no indoor plumbing or electricity. And to make matters worse one of the crew, a very large man would constantly curse and abuse those who were sick… saying he was going to throw them overboard and steal all of their possessions… Bradford records, “BUT IT PLEASED GOD BEFORE THEY CAME HALF SEAS OVER, TO SMITE THE YOUNG MAN WITH A GRIEVOUS DISEASE OF WHICH HE DIED IN A DESPERATE MANNER.. AND SO HE HIMSELF WAS THE FIRST THROWN OVERBOARD. THUS HIS CURSES LIGHT OWN HIS WON HEAD, AND IT WAS AN ASTONISHMENT TO ALL HIS FELLOWS FOR THEY NOTED IT TO BE THE JUST HAND OF GOD UPON HIM..”

But their problems were far from over yet, they encountered many fierce storms which shook the ship with tremendous force. So fierce that many times they could not even keep the sail out and the force of the wind — eventually cracked and bowed the main beams when they had just went over the half way point across the Atlantic. And although the passengers and crew wanted to turn back, Christopher Jones, the ships Master, assured all the vessel was “strong and firm under water.” He ordered the beam to be secured. It was hoisted into place by a great iron screw that, fortunately, the Pilgrims brought out of Holland. AND Upon raising the beam, they “committed themselves to the will of God and resolved to proceed.” These 100 people; cold, wet — on wooden ship in the middle of the ocean — put their hope, trust and lives into the hands of God. The battered ship finally came within sight of Cape Cod on November 19, 1620. Two had died at sea and two had given birth. The Pilgrims scanned the shoreline just to the west of them and described it as, “a goodly land wooded to the brink of the sea,” William Bradford writes, “AFTER LONG BEATINGS AT SEA THEY FELL WITH THAT LAND WHICH IS CALLED CAPE COD; AND THEY WERE NOT A LITTLE JOYFUL…”

Before going ashore they decided to write a document know as the Mayflower Compact.

At the heart of the compact lay an undisputed conviction that God must be at the center of all law and order and the law without a moral base is really no law at all.

The day the Pilgrims signed the May Flower Compact, according to William Bradford, “they came to anchor in the Bay, which was a good harbor…and they blessed the God of Heaven, who brought them over the fast and furious ocean… and a sea of trouble. And they read the following from the Geneva Bible (the Bible the Pilgrims used) “LET THEM, THEREFORE PRAISE THE LORD, BECAUSE HE IS GOOD AND HIS MERCIES ENDURE FOREVER.”

This coming thursday we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day… Many will be busy cooking turkeys, making stuffing, baking pumpkin pies…. and watching football games. And that is fun stuff — it is important to get together with loved ones… But that is not what thanksgiving is really about — it’s not about food and fun… it is about giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty.

We usually picture the first thanksgiving in America, as the time when the Pilgrims and the Indians got together for a great feast (though I really don’t know how they could of eaten pumpkin pie without cool whip). But I tend to look at that time when on the sea battered Mayflower anchored in the bay at Cape Cod, a group of weary and worn men and women were on their knees praising their God in heaven for bringing them safely through the treacherous sea to this new land, as the real first thanksgiving.

First do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

Introduction:

My first Christian college was Indiana Wesleyan University. One of the classes that I enrolled in at that school was Old Testament Survey. I loved that class. Professor Colter was a great teacher. In one class he shared a story about spiritual warfare. I don’t remember how it came up or how it related to our passage for the day but I do remember the story.

Professor Colter was an Old Testament professor, but he was also a pastor in a local church. One morning he received a call. One of his members said, “Pastor, can you come over something happened with my son last night.” Professor Colter left to her house and he invited a retired pastor to come along with him. The Retired pastor was a member of his church. They got to the house and spoke with a seventeen year old young man. Professor Colter asked the young man to explain what happened. The young man explained that the night before his mother was at work and he and some friends tried to raise a demonic spirit. Professor Colter asked what happened. The young man proceeded to explain that nothing happened at the time, but later on he woke up and there was some type of demonic presence at the end of his bed. The demonic presence told him to rape his girlfriend, kill her and cut her up. Professor Colter then asked the young man, “What did you do?” The young man said at that time he pulled the covers over his head. So, now it is the next day and there they are. Professor Colter and the retired pastor with him talked with the young man longer and then said, “We want to pray over you.” The young man said, “okay.” Then professor Colter said, “You have to get on your knees.” At that, the young man’s voice changed deeper as he said, “Why do I have to get on my knees?” Professor Colter explained that it is submission to Christ, but we’ll pray over you anyways. They started praying and when they mentioned Jesus, the young man fell on his knees. The following Sunday, after worship, the church elders prayed over him and he accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. They then went to his house and they found all kinds of stuff having to do with the occult in his room. They took all that stuff and had a huge bonfire in the young man’s backyard. He had gotten involved in the occult when he was twelve years old.

Today, we continue in the New Testament book of Acts. Paul is in Ephesus and he encounters false religions. Now, let’s look at this passage and see that spiritual warfare was real then and it is now as well. My title is Spiritual Warfare in Ephesus, Spiritual Warfare in America.

Let’s read the passage: Acts 19:11-20:

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

13Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

17When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

1. First, let’s look at what leads up to the spiritual warfare event.
   1. Notice in verse 11 the passage talks about all that has been going on. Many people have been healed and Paul has done miraculous things.
   2. Verse 12 tells us how far things have gotten. Now, they take handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul and if they touch other people they are healed. Also, the evil spirit would leave the person. So, this verse recognizes that this had to do with physical healing as well as demonic possession.
   3. Before we move on, understand that this is not a type of witchcraft. There are two other occasions in the Scriptures where something like this occurred. One is with Peter in Acts 5:15 the people wanted his shadow to pass before them.
   4. Another occurrence of something like this is in Luke 8:44 when a woman with an issue of blood came and touched the edge of Jesus’ cloak to be healed.
   5. In Mark 16:17 Jesus talked about the signs that will accompany them.
   6. All of these incidences bring glory to God and not to man.
   7. We’ll see that as the narrative goes on.
   8. By the way, one thought that Luke must have really enjoyed writing this one. This is filled with humor in every way.
   9. So, that is what is going on to lead up to this.
   10. They are in Ephesus and Ephesus is full of witchcraft.

   11. One writes: Ephesus was reputed as a center for magic. The famous statue of Artemis, the centerpiece of her temple, was noted for the mysterious terms engraved on the crown, girdle, and feet of the image. Referred to as the “Ephesian scripts,” this magical gibberish was considered to have great power. It was not by accident that Paul’s encounter with magic took place in Ephesus, nor is it a surprise that his converts there had been involved in such practices. Magic was part of Ephesian culture. Nor should one question the integrity of these Ephesian Christians who only now openly forsook such ways. Salvation involves a process of growth, of increasing sanctification. And after all, the Ephesian spells were not that remote from the horoscopes and board games that supposedly communicate telepathic messages with which many Christians dabble in our own day.

2. Now, in the next few verses we have imposters.

   1. Jewish people are faking and impersonate Paul.

   2. From readings it was common back then to have exorcists who went around trying to make a name and money for themselves. This case is no different. These people were fakes, they were imposters. They were not real.

   3. It is a big deal to fake who are you, right?

   4. Ny dad was a police officer before I was born. But he got to keep the uniform after quitting. My brother and I used to try to get him to put it on. My dad used to tell us that it was a big deal to impersonate a police officer and you cannot do that.

   5. Now, if it is a big deal to impersonate a police officer, what about impersonating one of Jesus’ handpicked apostles? One would thing that is a big deal.

   6. This honestly is a big deal.

   7. More than one set of men are doing this, but the Bible gives us one example.

3. In verses 14-16 we have the case study.

   1. Seven sons of Sceva. So, Sceva is their dad and he is apparently a Jewish High Priest. There was a Jewish historian named Josephus and he listed all the High priest and this guy is not one of them. But it could be that he is a pagan high priest. It could be that he was an illegitimate high priest, It could also be that he was from the high priest family. So there are different options here.

   2. Think about this though, the High Priest is the only one to enter the holy of holies. Think about that with what happens. But to his credit he may not have known what his children were doing,

   3. With him being a high priest the people might have thought there was a special type of power within him.

   4. So, his sons impersonate Paul and try to cast out demons in his name.

   5. The demons talk through the man they possessed. Then the man becomes supernaturally strong and the demon says, Jesus I know, Paul I am familiar with. You I don’t know. The demon beats them all up and send them on the street naked.

   6. Now, the translation might have missed something. The Bible says that the demon beat them all up which is all seven sons. However, that could also be translated “two” So, there could have been two or seven.

   7. They are then thrown out on the street naked. Which could mean with torn clothes.

      1. I remember being on a mission trip to a Native American Reservation when I heard about young adults who would get beat up because of what they got into. They were not beat up by friends but demons.

      2. So, that is what is happening here.

4. Now, people see this. The word spreads.

   1. First in verse 17, the Bible says that Jews and Greeks see this. Then it says, “The name of the Lord was magnified. That is what we are here for.

   2. So, now many people are saved.

   3. Verse 18 says of those who believed they now came out and confessed.

   4. What this really means is that they got rid of their occult stuff.

   5. See the next verse they take them out on the street and burn them. They have a big bonfire getting rid of stuff.

   6. Verse 20, the Word of God spreads.

      1. What do we do when we are saved or set free?

      2. Do you get rid of stiff? Do you put the past behind you?

5. Notice that spiritual warfare is real.

   1. I shared the story in the beginning of the message. I have not experienced that, but I have been called to pray through houses and talk things through with people.

   2. Ephesians 6:12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

   3. You may ask about exorcism: I have talked with people who have taken part or led exorcisms. I believe they are real and what that means is to pray over someone to remove a demon.

   4. In reality, we don’t want people to get that far do we? No, that young man I shared about, he was in the occult for five years. Don’t mess with this, you are over your head.

   5. There is a book: This Present Darkness that is fiction and about spiritual warfare as well.

   6. Now, who can exorcise a demon: I believe one must be pursuing God and not alone. There is no rite of exorcism. We must pray and seek God and grow spiritually and then you are ready to be used of God. Don’t go in alone.

   7. I read of a few other applications: One writes:Two lessons emerge from the story. For one, Christianity has nothing to do with magic. The name of Jesus is no magical incantation. The power of Jesus drives out the demonic, and his Spirit only works through those who, like Paul, confess him and are committed to him. Second, the demon did confess the power of Jesus over him, “Jesus I know.” Compare Jas 2:19, “Even the demons believe and shudder.” The people of Ephesus recognized this and extolled the powerful name of Jesus as a result (v. 17). What was true for them is still true. In the name of Jesus is all the power needed to drive out the demonic forces in every age.

Close:

I remember talking with a professor in college. He was a missionary to Nepal and I asked him about spiritual warfare. He said in Nepal they have names for the demons.

What you need to know: As a Christ follower you have Jesus within you. You are possessed by God! Also, Jesus said we are not alone. Matthew 28:20. Lastly, put on the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-18:

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

I have been preaching through Acts for a long time. I don’t know what that means to you, I hope you have learned a lot, but if you simply learn that really is not good enough. I really, mostly hope that the Word of God is transforming your life.

Dr. David Palmer shared with a group how he grew up in a non Christian home. At a certain age he was given a Gideon Bible and eventually became a Christian. A few years later he was in college when his room mate staggered into the dorm room. At that time he remembers reading the Bible underneath his covers by flashlight. He thought, “What is it about this book that makes me so eager to read it?” Dr. palmer continued: “Part of the new birth is a spirit born appetite for the Word of God.”

As I was writing that paragraph I started thinking about my own spiritual journey. When I was in high school I started a Discipleship class. In that class I was required to study the Bible for one hour once a week. This was an in depth Bible study. At first I thought, that is going to be too much. I was a high school student involved in extra curriculars with a part time job. But I began studying the Bible. By the end of that class I was studying a chapter a week and could not stop studying. I loved it! I was studying the book of Revelation one chapter at a time. There were times in my studies that I have been practically moved to tears studying the Bible. I love it.

Part of that discipleship class involved learning about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. It is that subject that I wish to talk about today. I once heard a message in which one shared about reading through the Bible when he was a non Christian. At that time the Bible did not make sense to him. Just a few weeks later he gave his life to Christ and started reading the Bible again. Now, as a Christian, the Bible made total sense.

What is the difference? The Holy Spirit is the difference.

Let’s read Acts 19:1-7 and talk about people coming to know Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit.

While Apollos  was at Corinth,  Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.  There he found some disciples  ²  and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit  when  you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³  So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”  ⁵  On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  ⁶  When Paul placed his hands on them,  the Holy Spirit came on them,  and they spoke in tongues  and prophesied.  ⁷  There were about twelve men in all.

1. Context is everything so I would like to talk about the passage itself for a second.
   1. Verse 1 shows us that Apollos is staying in Corinth and during this time Paul travels through the inland route to Ephesus. Ephesus was a very important city. Later Paul would write the letter to the Ephesians. Actually, 1 and 2 Timothy were written to Timothy who was pastoring the church in Ephesus.
   2. Now, Paul meets some of John’s disciples. Paul asked them if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Now, I believe based off of John’s Gospel chapters 14-17 and Acts 2 and many other passages that we do receive the Holy Spirit when we believe in Christ.
      1. We will come back to those passages dealing with the Holy Spirit a little later. For now, let me continue to overview the context.
      2. Now, Paul was struck by something. He knew that these 12 people were not saved. He could tell by something that they were not Christians. One thought is that they did not have the Holy Spirit. Certainly, when he ask them a question their response makes it clear.
      3. The Bible does call them disciples and this is likely the word “disciples” in a broad sense as followers of someone. They were followers of John the Baptizer.
      4. They knew nothing about the Holy Spirit.
      5. How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit?
      6. When you become a Christian you are baptized with the Holy Spirit. If you have really, truly trusted in the blood of Jesus covering your sins and have committed to make Jesus Lord of your life then you are saved and you have the Holy Spirit.
      7. Have your desires changed? The Holy Spirit is God living within you. He changes your desires to match God’s. What is the pattern, do you have convictions concerning sin? There are sins of omission and commission. Sins of commission are things that you do, such as stealing. Sins of omission are things that you are not doing that you should do. Do you have convictions as to doing the right thing?
         1. Do you have convictions to read the Bible?
         2. Do you have convictions to participate in the church community? I am not only talking about Sunday morning worship, but do you have convictions to be involved in corporate, small group Bible study? Do you have convictions to participate in ministry? The Holy Spirit wants you involved in these things. How do we know? The Bible tells us so.
      8. Do you have a hunger for the Bible?
      9. We must be convicted to walk by the Spirit as Galatians 5:16 and the following verses talk about.

Galatians 5:16-22:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

17  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

19  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: ^aimmorality, impurity, sensuality,

20  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, ^dfactions,

21  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.¹

1. In this passage: These disciples tell Paul that they didn’t know that the Holy Spirit had come upon the people. Actually it says they didn’t know about the Holy Spirit. But what is more likely is they didn’t know that the Spirit had come upon the church. They knew about the Holy Spirit.
2. Paul then tells them the Gospel of Jesus and they receive Christ. Paul prays over them and they speak in tongues and prophesy, which in this case is evidence of the Spirit.
3. An application is that the Spiritual gifts are important, but just because you have not spoken in tongues does not mean you are not saved. That is what happened in this instance. But don’t discredit the work of the Holy Spirit.
1. But let’s talk about who the Holy Spirit is:
   1. The third person of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit); One God manifested in 3 persons. The Holy Spirit is a person, not merely a force. He is intelligent (1Cor 12:11), has a will (1 Cor 12:11), teaches (John 14:26), can be grieved (Eph. 4:30), and can be insulted (Hebrews 10:29). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). See also John 14:16-19, 23. Jesus says He is leaving , yet He will come to the Disciples with the Father. The Son and the Father come into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The degree of separateness and unity in the Trinity is a mystery. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit share Divinity (One God), yet are distinct in personality.
   2. One of the Greek words for Holy Spirit is Parakletos. The New International version translates it Counselor. (NASB: Helper, KJV: Comforter. Recommended reading John
   3. Note the reference to the Holy Spirit. It literally means one called alongside to help.
2. As applications: I am just going to mention these and you can think about them. The scriptures are in your bulletin and in your manuscript. Trace these ministries of the Holy Spirit in your life:
   1. Conviction (John 16:8-11) Verse 8 says when the Holy Spirit comes he will convict the world of its sin.
   2. Change (John 3:5-8; 2 Cor 5:17-18)

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…

3. Assurance (Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:23-24; Eph. 4:29)

Romans 8:16:

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God…

4. Indwelling (Romans 8:9)

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

1. How do you know you are a Christian? The Holy Spirit is active in your life causing your desires to change.
2. It is not overnight but the thirst for Scripture should be there. The thirst to see the lost saved should be there. You ought to be convicted of sin. There needs to be spiritual growth.
3. Remember the Apostle Paul could tell these 12 were not Christ followers. This goes back to the Holy Spirit in our life.
4. Think about it: You have God dwelling in you.

4. The Bible teaches that after Conversion, the Holy Spirit is our:
   1. Teacher of spiritual truths. (John 14:26; John 16:13; 1Cor 2:14)

John 16:13:

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

2. Mouthpiece in witnessing to others. (Luke 12:11-12)

When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

3. Helper in prayer. (Romans 8:26-27)

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

4. Power for victorious living. (Acts 1:8; John 1:12)

John 1:12:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

5. Purifier of our hearts. (Acts 15:8-9)

And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

So, we see some information about the Holy Spirit.

Think about this: Is it not amazing that God saves us?

Is it not amazing that God sets us free from our sin? If God is who He is and He has done what He has done, does anything make sense than to live our lives as living sacrifices, that is Romans 12:1. (David Palmer shared this at Fall 2014 annual gathering) God saved us from His wrath by sending His wrath upon His own Son. He slew Him and poured all of my sin upon His own Son. That is amazing.

But what is more amazing is that was not all Jesus did for us. He died in our place, yes, but then He sent us the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-18 is written about Jesus sending us the helper who is the Holy Spirit.

Are you sensitive to His presence? Maybe today is the day to rededicate your life to Him. Maybe you have realized that your passions are not being conformed to Jesus’? Where are you at in your spiritual life?

How do you answer those question about the Holy Spirit’s ministry in your life? Have a conversation with God about this.

Let’s pray

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

Introduction:

I have a family member who thought he was a Christian and now he realizes that he is not a Christian. How does that happen? Are you a Christian? Really, are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Are you persevering in the faith? Are you taking your belief system and your Christian worldview seriously?

My family member lived the Christian life for some fifty or sixty years. He was active in a church, really, really active. He served on a few boards, including the deacon board. He was baptized three times. Then when he was just over seventy years old my brother said that he was not a Christian. I resisted my brother in saying that. My mother resisted my brother in saying such a thing. My brother got on the phone with this family member and eventually, this family member realized, he really is not a Christian. He does not believe in the Trinity, he does not believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He wrestles with much of the core teachings of Christianity. He is not a Christian.

Do you believe the whole Gospel? I am not asking if you understand the whole Gospel, do you believe the whole Gospel. Somethings we step out into faith believing.

I once read an article asking if I am preaching the whole Gospel. What does that mean? Well many times we stop our teaching and preaching at “just believe.” We never tell people they must follow Jesus. Though many people are believing but not trusting or really not even believing in Jesus.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Theologian killed by the Nazi’s in World War II. There is a great biography about him out right now. He was a brilliant man who would not cave to the Nazis. Many other German churches were going along with Hitler’s anti-Semitic comments but he would not. He was trying to organize churches that stayed true to Scripture. There was a time that he came to New York City to study. His impressions of our American church were not good. He wrote:

By this time Bonhoeffer is in his lower twenties and has almost, if not, completed his PhD.

“ [The Union Students] talk a blue streak without the slightest foundation and with no evidence of any criteria… they are unfamiliar with even the most basic questions. They become intoxicated with liberal and humanistic phrases, laugh at the fundamentalists, and yet basically are not even up to their level.”

On another occasion he wrote:

“In New York they preach about virtually everything, only one thing is not addressed, or is addressed so rarely that I have as yet been unable to hear it, namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin and forgiveness, death and life.”¹

You see Bonhoeffer came to the U.S. soon after a pastor in New York City made some waves. His name was Harry Emerson Fosdick. Listen to what Eric Metaxis writes about him:

Fosdick had been the pastor at New York’s First Presbyterian Church when in 1922 he preached an infamous sermon titled, ‘Shall the Fundamentalist Win?’ In it he laid out a kind of Apostles Creed in which he expressed his serious doubts about most of the historic assertions of the Christian faith, including the virgin birth, the resurrection, the divinity of Christ, the atonement, miracles, and the Bible as the Word of God. This sermon was the opening salvo in a battle that would rage particularly hotly through the 1920s and 1930s. The local presbytery immediately conducted an investigation, but as a son of the moneyed East Coast WASP establishment, Fosdick had little to fear. His defense was conducted by another establishment scion, John Foster Dulles , who would serve as Eisenhower’s secretary of state, and whose father was a well known liberal Prebyterian minister. Fosdick resigned before they could censure him, and he was given the pastorate of the fashionably progressive Park Avenue Baptist Church, where John D. Rockefeller was a prominent member and whose foundation’s philanthropic arm was run by Fosdick’s own brother. ²

So, their Gospel was incomplete. Their teaching was incomplete and it was on purpose. They needed corrected.

I want to look at a passage where a brilliant man was teaching and speaking but he was incomplete in his understanding. So, he is corrected. Let’s look at the passage.

Read Acts 18:24-28:

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor[a] and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

27When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

1. First, let’s talk about the passage. Meet Apollos.
   1. Apollos was a Jew and he was by birth an Alexandrian.
   2. We know about Alexandria and we know that Alexandria was an area in Egypt that was heavily sophisticated with a very large library. The library would later have a fire which was unfortunate because we lost a lot of good literature and history. Later many noble theologians and church fathers came from Alexandria.
   3. He was an eloquent or a learned man. Apollos was a Greek Jew. Alexandria would have had the largest population of Jews outside Palestine.
   4. Apollos will be referenced much more:

1 Cor 1:12

Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

1 Cor. 3:5:

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even ^bas the Lord gave opportunity to each one.

1 Cor. 3:6:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

1 Cor. 3:22

whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,

1 Cor. 4:6:

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.

1 Cor. 16:12:

But concerning Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.

Titus 3:13

Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.

1. Apollos is used much more in the New Testament, especially in Corinth.
2. In verse 25 Apollos was instructed in the Lord. He was fervent in Spirit. The Bible even says that he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus. But he was only acquainted with the things concerning John. In Acts 19:3 there is another time people only knew the things concerning John. Or John’s baptism. The Bible says that he was boiling in Spirit and this means that he had fire within him. So, he was very passionate.
3. But his message was incomplete. He only knew the things of John. Apollos only knew John’s baptism. There are different views on this and I am still unsure. Some think that he was already baptized because he is never shown being re baptized. Others think that he was only baptized by John and that he was like and Old Testament prophet believing the Messiah was still to come.
4. I think we may not know why his message was incomplete. We may not know what he needed to know, but we do know that his teaching was incomplete.
5. So, in the next verse Priscilla and Aquila take him aside and explain more fully the Gospel.
6. Notice after this that verses 27 and 28 have Apollos going to Corinth and powerfully refuting the Jews in public demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. In fact, I wonder if that is what was explained to him: that Jesus was the Christ.

2. So, what does this mean to us?
   1. It is vitally important that we understand a complete Gospel. Jesus was crucified, died, buried and rose again. (1 Cor. 15:3)
   2. So think about this, in what way or ways is our Gospel lacking? As we look across the United States what is going on? I believe that we allow to many people just like Harry Emerson Fosdick. He was the pastor whom I told you about in the beginning of the sermon. He denied many of the core truths of historic Christianity. This allows for people just like my family member, thinking they are Christians when they really are not. Their belief is incomplete. This cannot be, we must hold true to the faith.
   3. It is important that we recognize as Jesus said that believing in Him means following Him. Many times we allow or teach people simply to believe and that belief is separate from their life. This cannot be, believing in Jesus means following Jesus. We are not fans of Christ we are followers of Christ.
   4. But what else? We must do our duty just like Priscilla and Aquila did. We must explain the Gospel more fully when people do not understand.
   5. What did Priscilla and Aquila do? They took him aside and explained to him the full Gospel.
   6. Are you willing to do that?
   7. Notice also that they did not correct him in the open, they followed the Jesus model. They took him aside and in private corrected him. That is based off of Matthew 18:15-17.
   8. Everyone here, who is a believer in Christ, must be concerned with incomplete Gospel teaching. That means that you must be prepared that Jesus may use you to correct someone.

I know of a case where God used an atheist to correct someone:

Close:

Do you understand a full Gospel. Some do not: listen to this:

Marilyn Sewell

Unitarian Universalist Minister

and Christopher Hitchens Author, God is NOT Good: How Religion Poisons Everything

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of the atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens:

Only in this respect: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth

was the Christ, in other words, the Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Sewell:

I disagree with that. I consider myself a Christian. I believe in the Jesus story as story, as narrative, and Jesus as a person whose life is exemplary that I want to follow. But I do not believe in all that stuff that I just outlined.

Hitchens:

I simply have to tell you that every major

Christian, including theologians, has said

that without the resurrection and without the forgiveness of sins, what I call the vicarious redemption, it’s meaningless. In fact, without that, it isn’t even a nice story – even if it’s true . . .

Sewell:

It doesn’t really matter to me if it’s true literally. It matters to me whether the story has efficacy for my life.

Hitchens:

Well, that’s what I meant to say. When

C.S. Lewis, for example, says, . . ‘if this

man was not the son of God, then his

teachings were evil’ because if you don’t

believe that the kingdom of heaven is at

hand and you can get to it by the way, the truth, and the life, offered by the gospel, then there’s no excuse for telling people to take no thought for the morrow, for example, as he did. . . It would be an evil nonsense.

So, we see in this passage that Priscilla and Aquila explained the Gospel more fully to Apollos and then God greatly uses Apollos. I ask that you believe in and trust in the complete Gospel and let God use you as He used Priscilla and Aquila in order to correct inappropriate teaching or incomplete teaching.

Do you know Jesus?

First do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

Intro:

I have been encouraged many times and in many different ways, but many times I receive encouragement from a note given to me or something someone says. I know of pastors that have an encouragement file. If they are ever discouraged they go to that file and find encouragement. We need encouragement, I do. Many times my encouragement comes from an email, a text message or a phone call. Sometimes I do not realize how encouraging it is until later on. Sometimes someone will simply text me a Scripture verse. A few times I have been praying and the Holy Spirit reminds me of something.

Today we talk about the Holy Spirit encouraging Paul and the Holy Spirit encouraging us. As we start this subject it should encourage us, but also challenge us. Living by the Holy Spirit is not easy.

Francis Chan writes in Forgotten God:

CHRISTLIKENESS: A PAINFUL PROCESS

The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t fit normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be. The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be. This often incredibly painful process strips you of selfishness, pride, and fear. 

For a powerful example of this, read in C. S. Lewisfs book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader about the boy, Eustace, who becomes a dragon. In order to become a little boy again, he must undergo a tremendous amount of pain as the dragon skin is peeled away and torn from him. Only after he endures this painful process is he truly transformed from a dragon back into a boy. 

Sometimes the sin we take on becomes such a part of us that it requires this same kind of ripping and tearing to free us. The Holy Spirit does not seek to hurt us, but He does seek to make us Christlike, and this can be painful.

(Francis Chan. Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (pp. 50-51). Kindle Edition.)

In today’s passage we see that the Holy Spirit encourages Paul, BUT, notice first that Paul was stepping outside of his comfort zone following the Holy Spirit’s will. He was sharing the Gospel, despite resistance.

The great idea today is that The Holy Spirit encouraged Paul and the application is that the Holy Spirit will encourage you as well. But remember to walk following the Spirit.

Let’s read Acts 18:5-11: (I am referencing the NASB translation today)

5But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, gYour blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.h 7Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. 8Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. 9And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, gDo not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.h 11And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

1. I want to come back to the theme that Jesus encourages us as He encouraged Paul, but let’s look at the context first. Context is always critical:
   1. Remember from last week that the Apostle Paul came to Corinth without Silas and Timothy. He needed encouragement and he soon met Pricilla and Aquila. It seems that he has had a burn out phase.
   2. In verse 5 Silas and Timothy joined Paul, likely with financial support from the Macedonians. In 2 Cor. 11:9 Paul mentioned people coming from Macedonia with his needs.
   3. In verse 5, Paul was thoroughly, completely, preaching Christ. The verb translated as “completely” means “over and over again.” Paul was no longer only preaching on Sabbaths.
   4. In verse 6 people resisted and blasphemed. So the message Paul was preaching faced resistance. We do not know what kind of resistance, but we do know they blasphemed. This usually means blasphemed God, to talk negatively, disrespectfully against God. However, this could mean that they lied about Paul, questioned Paul’s integrity or something like that.
   5. In verse 6, he shook out his garments, this was like shaking the dust off of their feet as was so common. Let me share what the E.S.V. Study Bible says regarding this:

When they opposed and reviled him. Paul will spend much time with audiences where there is interest and response, even if they don’t immediately believe (see v. 4), but he will not spend time where he simply faces hostile opposition. Shaking garments was a gesture of rejection, much like shaking the dust from one’s feet (cf. 13:51). Your blood be on your own heads reflects Ezekiel’s words about God’s prophetic watchman (Ezek. 33:1–7). “Blood” means “the responsibility for your judgment by God.” Paul had faithfully discharged his responsibility, so that at the final judgment no part of these Jews ‘failure to believe could be attributed to his failure to tell them about Christ (but cf. note on Acts 18:7)

Ezekiel 33:6 says: 6‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’

6. In verse 7, Paul leaves but does not leave the city. He goes next door. The Bible says Titius Justus. This man was a worshipper of God. So, this man was not a pagan man like they would have in Corinth. Corinth had a lot of pagans practicing lewd (offensive in a secular way) idolatry.
7. That house was actually attached to the Synagogue. The I.V.P. Bible Backgrounds Commentary gives insight: Patrons’ homes in Corinth normally seated nine in the triclinium (the best room) and as many as forty others in the adjoining atrium (the largest furnished room)
8. Imagine the next part, the Synagogue leader is saved.

The I.V.P. Bible Backgrounds Commentary gives insight: “Crispus” is a typical Roman name. It was not uncommon for Jewish people to have Latin names (“Crispus” and “Crispina” appear several times in Jewish inscriptions), but the proportion of Latin names among Paul’s associates is so much higher than generally in inscriptions (even though inscriptions were normally made by the well-to-do) that it is likely that a number of Paul’s Jewish and Greek associates were also Roman citizens. To be “synagogue ruler” means that Crispus is a person of status and wealth, responsible for the synagogue services.

9. That had to make in impact. Imagine if the head of I.S.I.S. comes to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior? Imagine if the leader of a local part of I.S.I.S. trusts in Christ? Imagine if the local Jehovah’s witness leader accepts Christ? This was a leader accepting Christ, not a common attender. Now certainly, that may be a bigger deal since this was a Jewish leader and the Jewish Scriptures prophesy Christ. So, imagine if a local Jewish synagogue leader accepts Christ as Lord and Savior? Would not that make a difference?
10. Jesus is in charge of the results of evangelism. We are to proclaim the Gospel and Jesus will take care of the results.
11. The whole family and household of this leader is saved.
12. Many Corinthians are saved.
13. They were baptized.
14. Baptism follows salvation. We are baptized in order to follow Jesus’ footsteps. We are baptized to make a public profession of our faith in Christ. We are baptized to be symbolic of dying with Christ and rising again. We are baptized as that is symbolic of washing our sins away.

The Lord speaks to Paul, let’s look at that.

2. In verses 9-10 this is the message.
   1. Paul need not fear. Paul was told not to fear any longer which means that he did have fear. In 1 Cor. 2:3 Paul said that he came in fear and weakness. We know all the persecution he had faced. Paul had faced difficulties. He was used to declaring the Gospel in power and great boldness, but maybe he has faced a time of depression, or burn out.
   2. Paul is to go on speaking and not be silent.
   3. Jesus is with Paul.
   4. No one will attack Paul in order to harm him.
   5. God has many people in the city. This could mean many other followers, but likely means many people in the city who need the Gospel.
3. What about us?
   1. We need encouragement and the Holy Spirit may encourage you through circumstance. You know how encouraging it is for me to be sitting in my office when Mercedes walks by and says, “Hi Daddy, that’s my daddy, that’s my daddy.” That is exactly what she said a few weeks ago. That brightens my day and I hope I never forget it. You know how encouraging it is when I walk in the door only to slammed by Mercedes with a hug. A few weeks ago Mercedes was up in the night coughing so I got her up and gave her a drink and some crackers. She was wide awake. She sits down at the table and says, “Daddy, I’ll sit here and you sit here.” She pointed next to her. I wanted to unload the dishwasher, oh but she wanted me with her. She wanted presence.
   2. It is also encouraging to see childcare and preschool children at the church or at Wal-Mart and hear their exciting greeting. Just after Christmas I was at Wal-Mart and heard a child say, “There is Jesus.” The mom looked around and so did I. We heard him say the same thing again. He pointed directly at me. He associated me with Jesus since I work at the church and read stories about Jesus to him.
   3. Are those encouraging words from God? Not directly, but God can use them. Mercedes encourages me by being my loving daughter and being proud to say, “That’s my daddy!”
   4. Now how will the Holy Spirit encourage you? I do believe Paul was communicated with by the Holy Spirit directly, what about you?
      1. Jesus may encourage through the church. Jesus may encourage you through a kind letter from a friend. Jesus may encourage you through the Scriptures. Have you ever read the right Scripture at just the right time? Jesus may encourage you through circumstance. Jesus may encourage you in prayer. You may be praying and you feel this presence. Jesus may speak to you that way.
   5. You are to not fear WHEN you are following Jesus. Are you seeking and following the Lord’s will? Then do not fear. Consider Matthew 10:19-20: But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
   6. You are to preach Christ and not be silent. The Lord needs your words and your actions.
   7. God is with us. Immanuel. Matthew 1:23 says that Jesus’ name shall be called Immanuel which means “God with us.” Matthew 28:20 says that the Lord is with us in the great commission.
      1. I heard about a child that was eating something and his sister asked for a piece so he gave her a small piece. Then his parents said, that was very nice of you, so he gave her another piece. It is thought that he did not give her more because he wanted to but because he was encouraged by his parents.
      2. The Holy Spirit encourages Paul and that keeps him going.
      3. Let’s apply this a little bit further. The Holy Spirit will encourage us but also challenge us. Remember the beginning of the sermon the Holy Spirit will take us deeper.
      4. The Holy Spirit is with you as a Christian, but are you with Him.
      5. The Bible says “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 24:12-13 

         On the night of March 29, 1848, Niagara Falls completely and mysteriously stopped flowing. The estimated 500,000 gallons of water that customarily rushed over the falls stalled to a trickle. James Francis Macklem, a village justice of the peace in the Niagara area, wrote that he had witnessed the subsidence of the waters and the phenomenon of the Niagara running dry “caused great excitement in the neighborhood at the time.” 
         To some, the mystery of this sudden “turning off” of the river seemed to be an ominous portent, and nightfall found most of the churches packed with people praying or talking in frightened voices about the end of the world. Fear grew into the proportions of panic. 
         The cause of this unusual event began along the shores of Lake Erie near Buffalo. For several days, the wind had been blowing to the east over Lake Erie, driving much of its ice flow down river. Then the winds suddenly shifted to the west, driving the lake water west and causing the lakefs ice to break up and dam the river. The Niagara River ceased to flow for almost 30 hours until the ice shifted and the dam broke up. 

         When we become cold towards Christ and not let the Holy Spirit flow through our lives it can become disastrous. Has your love for Christ grown cold? Today in prayer, confess any sin to Christ and remember the love you had for Him when you first became a Christian. Walk with Him and do not let your love grow cold.

   8. God has others in the city. God has people who need Jesus in this city as well.
   9. Corinth was the first city where Paul had settled for extensive missionary activity. He stay a year and a half. Paul’s “year and six months” stay in Corinth probably dates from the fall of 50 to the spring of A.D. 52. This was evidently the entire time Paul remained in Corinth. The church Paul planted in Corinth consisted of a rich mixture of people, some of whom were greatly gifted, but most of whom came from the lower elements of society (cf. Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:4-8, 26-29; 7:18; 12:13).¹
   10. His stay second only in length to his two to three years in Ephesus (19:10; 20:31).²
   11. This could mean that he stayed a year and a half longer. He had already been there a while. He might have spent two years in Corinth.

Close:

So, Paul steps out in faith, he continues to preach the Gospel and the Holy Spirit encourages him.

I read:

Remember as I began the message: The Holy Spirit will take you out of your comfort zone, but I also believe the Holy Spirit will be with you, encourage you and help you along the way.

The challenge: Follow Jesus and let the Holy Spirit encourage you.

But I believe the Spirit can and wants to use you to encourage someone else. I ask that you will send someone an encouraging note this week. At the beginning of this sermon I mentioned how I know of pastors who have an encouragement file, maybe you would benefit from an encouragement file as well. Maybe your job is real stressful and you receive a lot of discouragement. Consider noting encouraging things and saving them. I ask that you consider sending a note to that person who encourages you on the job, or as a parent or grandparent, but I also want to mention the person who built up your faith. Was there a time when your faith was shaky? Was there a time when you knew that God called you to something and you were struggling with it? Did someone encourage you to keep going? Send them a card or a letter and tell them thank you.

In my Bible I have a letter that I received as I finished my first year at this church. That letter is encouragement which I need.

Maybe within a few weeks many from this church will have encouraging letters from others and many of this church will have encouraged another in the Lord. The church can and must be used by the Holy Spirit in this way.

First do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

Intro:

Does our job counter our Christian faith or go along with our faith? Is our faith part of our job? What do you think? Are you a Christian at work?

Listen to this:

Dr. Paul Brand was an orthopedic surgeon who chose his patients among the untouchable. With his wife, who was also a physician, he spent a lifetime working with the marred and useless limbs of leprosy victims. In fact, he transformed the way in which medicine approached the painful and often exiled world of the leper. Whereas the disfigurements of leprosy were once treated as irreversible consequences of the disease, Dr. Brand brought new hope to sufferers of leprosy by utilizing the body’s capacity to heal. “I have come to realize that every patient of mine, every newborn baby, in every cell of its body, has a basic knowledge of how to survive and how to heal that exceeds anything that I shall ever know,” wrote Brand. “That knowledge is the gift of God, who has made our bodies more perfectly than we could ever have devised.”

Philip Yancey was a young journalist when he first met this dignified British surgeon in an interview. He recalls the teary-eyed Brand speaking of his patients, describing their disease as if first hand—their unremitting suffering, experimental surgeries, and societal rejection. Many memorable conversations later, Yancey would recall the healing presence this physician was to his own crippled and weary belief in God. To Yancey, Brand represented faith and hope in action, in reality, amidst suffering and death; his belief in Christ caused him to live in a very particular way. Thus, Dr. Brand, who worked to restore the image of God in lives marred by disease, helped restore the face of God in the doubt-ridden world of a young author. As Yancey later would write, “You need only meet one saint to believe, to silence the noisy arguments of the world.”(1) Such lives are certain reminders that God is real and worthy to be followed.

Such lives also remind us that one of the key elements in considering the arguments of any truth claim is actually not an argument at all. Rather it is a question of pragmatics. Is this worldview livable? Can this philosophy be carried out? Stories of believers who are broken and persecuted but somehow beautifully alive with the hope of Christ suggest that Christianity is not only a livable worldview, but a worldview that gives meaning to life as it really is and not simply ideal pictures of life. Yet as Ravi Zacharias notes significantly, the Christian hope is not true because it is livable; it is livable because it is true. The message of Christ is a reality that can carry men and women through death and darkness; it is also a truth that compels being carried to the ends of the earth.

Now what do you think? That doctor was able to touch so many lives through his job as a doctor, but also through his faith. What about you?

We are going to look at a passage in which the Apostle Paul works a job. He takes up a job as a tentmaker and in so doing he still communicates the Gospel. I wish to look at Acts 18:1-4 and challenge all of us to be a witness in everything we do.

Read Acts 18:1-4:

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

1. First application: I must considerate of high importance to work and work hard.
   1. As we look at this passage we notice that Paul got a job.
   2. Paul came to the booming city of Corinth and he got a job.
   3. Of course we do not need to look hard to see that Paul was a worker, we know he was.
2. I am going to come back to the great idea that our whole lives are for service to God. Our first priority is to serve God at our job. First let’s look at the context.
   1. Notice that Paul has left Athens. I look at that and just wonder why he has left Athens. He had been in the Thessalonica before and we know he left there because of persecution. The text does not say why he left Athens. It just says that he does.
   2. It has been suggested that Paul left Athens because there was not a lot of ministry there. It seems that there were some conversions but not as many, so he moves on. (John MacArthur)
   3. Then Paul comes to Corinth. Corinth was 46 miles west of Athens and the most influential city in the province of Achaia, politically and economically. So Paul did some more traveling.
   4. Now, coming from Athens to Corinthians was like going to a Las Vegas from Washington D.C. Corinth was a major commerce city, but it had a lot of filth in it. Paul would stay there for a year and a half and there would be a lot of ministry there.
   5. To be called a Corinthian meant to be “immoral.” You did not want to be called a Corinthian women. John MacArthur writes:

In fact, the actual name Corinth became a common term. And “Corinthian” meant immoral.

If you said, “Joe over there is a Corinthian kind of guy, you meant he was immoral.” The name became synonymous with vice. To say that that woman is a Corinthian woman meant she was a prostitute, because that’s what the women did in Corinth. And the verb, to Corinthianize, meant to go a-whoring. That’s exactly what the common use of Corinthianize was.

Now, Corinth was vile to the very core. It wasn’t just the slaves or the middle class; it was the upper crust. The whole city was debased, and there were some reasons for that. It was the center of trade and travel, and sailors were going through it all the time, and caravans. And it was a fitting place for entertainment of lust.

The position of Corinth, which I just want to simply illustrate for you in a very brief way, is very interesting and put it in a position to be involved in many interesting things. This entire area in the gray or black represents the area of Greece. This is the northern part of Greece. This is the southern part of Greece.

Now, you’ll notice that the two parts are connected by a simple little strait there, and that’s only five miles wide, and it was precisely the center of that the city of Corinth existed some 50 miles from Athens. Now, Paul, all alone, finds himself in Corinth Now notice anybody at all from northern Greece to southern Greece, or vice versa, any north-south traffic, had to go through Corinth.

So the trade was constantly trafficking through city of Corinth. Another interesting thing is that it was called The Bridge of Greece, not only because of its north-south traffic, but because of its east-west traffic. Ships wanting to go, say, from the western shore of Greece to the eastern shore would not sail clear around. They would shortcut it through here.

6. So, that is where Paul is at. It seems that Paul was tired and depressed coming to Corinth. In fact, in 1 Cor. 1:2 he writes that he came to them in fear and weakness. So, it seems that he was lonely from traveling, he needed a friend. So, God gives him two good friends. Introduce Aquila and Priscilla.

2. Verse 2 introduces this tentmaking couple and they had been banished from Rome.
   1. It appears that they were Jewish and it is likely believed that they were Christian already. Luke never tells of their conversion. It is also likely that Rome already had a church. By Romans chapter 1 tells of the world famous faith of the Roman church.
   2. By the way, Priscilla and Aquila were referenced in the rest of this chapter and in Romans 16:3; Acts 16:19 and 2 Tim. 4.
   3. So, let’s talk about this banishment from Rome. Why? How? Let me tell you what I found out, John MacArthur writes: Now, when they were in Rome, Aquilla and Pricilla and the other Jews, persecution broke out against the Jews. And Claudius shipped them all out. It’s interesting that before Claudius, Tiberius tried to do it. You know what he did? He took 4,000 Jews and sent them to a country that had the plague, hoping they’d all catch the plague and die. So they were unpopular.
   4. Following Tiberius, Claudius, in 39 A.D., banished all Jews from Rome altogether; every one of them had to go. Now we know a little about Claudius. And the reason we do is that about 70 years after the edict, it was written about 120 A.D., Suetonius wrote about Claudius. Suetonius was a historian, and he got all the information on Claudius, and he wrote about his life. And one of the statements that Suetonius makes in his life of Claudius is this: “As the Jews were indulging in constant riots – listen – at the instigation of Chrestus, Claudius banished them from Rome.”
   5. Now, Claudius unloaded all of the Jews because they were always having riots, and the riots were instigated by a person named Chrestus. Now, you know, you can go back in history until you’re blue in the face and never find anything about anyone in that area who fits the bill named Chrestus. But what is very interesting is that the Greek Chrestus is only one letter different than the Greek Christis, which is Christ. It’s only the difference between an I and an E. And what it seems to be indicating is this: That what caused Claudius to send all the Jews out was they were rioting over the issue of Christ, which indicated probably some missionaries had come there, and had proclaimed Christ again as always was done in the synagogue, and as always happened with Paul, right? A riot ensued, and the element they had accepted Jesus Christ as Messiah was set against the Jews that were unbelieving, and they threw the city into turmoil, and Claudius got uptight and kicked them all out of town. They were indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus. And you see, Suetonius thinks that Chrestus is some guy who lived then in Rome. And remember, he was writing 70 years later, so it’s easy to see how he could’ve made that simple error. They were probably rioting over the issue of Christ. And it seems to me that that kind of issue would preclude the fact there had to be Christ presented there. So therefore, there was the possibility of Aquilla and Pricilla being saved already. You see? And so they arrive over there in Corinth to ply their trade, and they’re already Christians.
   6. So, now Aquila and Priscilla have met Paul and Paul has met them and they are all Christians and they are tent makers and so they take up shop together.
   7. To be a tent maker means to be a leather maker, to work with leather. It is thought that in the Jewish synagogues they would sit near each other based off of occupation. So it appears that Paul is likely sitting near Aquila and Priscilla and they became friends. They were pew mates, as opposed to ship mates.
   8. By the way. Paul as a leather worker means that he was an artisan, he worked with his hands. This would be a job just above lower class, but below the upper class. He would be looked down upon by the upper class.
   9. So, another application: To work with your hands was considered low or base to upper class, yet Paul still did this. I must be humble in my work. I must be willing to do anything.
   10. Another application: Looking at other Scriptures we see that Paul did not wish to be a burden to anyone. I also must not be a burden to those whom I serve.
   11. In Acts 20:34 at Ephesus Paul said that his hands ministered to his own needs.
   12. In 1 Cor. 4:12 Paul references working and in 1 Cor. 9:14 he references working
   13. in 2 Cor. 11:7 Paul references preaching the Gospel without charge.
   14. In 2 Cor. 12:13 he writes about not becoming a burden to them.
   15. In 1 Thess. 2:9 he talks about working night and day.
   16. In 2 Thess. 3:8 Paul references paying for what they eat being a burden.
3. Now, you know that Paul is now working so he cannot communicate the Gospel, right? Wrong.
   1. We see in verse 4 that he continues to reason with in the synagogues every week. That word reason means to have a dialogue.
   2. Then the Bible says that he was trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
   3. Another application for us: Paul communicated the Gospel while working. I will not be too busy to be Gospel Centric and sharing the Message of hope with others.
   4. Final application: Paul witnessed to Jews and Greeks, I will share Jesus with all.

Some applications:

Let’s review and apply:

1. I must considerate of high importance to work and work hard.
2. To work with your hands was considered low or base to upper class, yet Paul still did this. I must be humble in my work. I must be willing to do anything.
3. Looking at other Scriptures we see that Paul did not wish to be a burden to anyone. I also must not be a burden to those whom I serve.
4. Paul communicated the Gospel while working. I will not be too busy to be Gospel Centric and sharing the Message of hope with others.
5. Paul witnessed to Jews and Greeks, I will share Jesus with all.

Close:

I know a soccer coach who is a witness. He is a witness in multiple ways, but one of them as that he is always reading, he is always learning and students come into his office and they see his books and his Bibles and maybe he is even reading his Bible or listening to a podcast. So, students have asked him questions and he has struck up conversations about Christ. That is one way to be a witness at work. I know others who work at doctors offices and they are a witness by telling people they will pray for them. I know of doctors that have prayed with patients. Praise God.

So, the Apostle Paul worked and witnessed and so must we. Our Christian life is not separate from our work. There is no separation from the sacred and the secular.

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2014/10/3-reasons-to-read-your-bible.html#more-14483

Intro:

Last week the sermon was about learning and studying the Scriptures. Last week I focused on the Bereans and how they went back to God’s Word when there was a new idea. They checked the Scriptures in order to see what the Scriptures had to say about this new teaching the Apostle Pau taught. Then they found out that this teaching did not contradict the Scriptures. They discovered that the Scriptures prophesied about Christ and they became Christians.

So, what is your standard? Do you go back to the Bible for Truth? On one end of the spectrum we must be sure that we are not corrupted by culture, this means that we know the faith and we go back to God’s Word. On another end of the spectrum we must be prepared to be a witness. How can you cross cultural barriers in order to be a witness? The Apostle Paul did this. Do you know culture?

1 Chronicles 12:32:

from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command…

Here is a poem about the way people think:

Invictus

BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

Out of the night that covers me,

            Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

            For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

            I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

            My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

            Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

            Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

            How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

            I am the captain of my soul.

Okay, how do we connect with that worldview? Everyone has a worldview, this concerns the way that we view the world. Most of the time these are under the surface, we do not think about it. The Bible gives us a Christian worldview. But we also must know where others are coming from. The Apostle Paul did. Sometimes we are afraid of culture. Sometimes we are offended by culture and we withdraw. Or we are delighted by culture and we assimilate. The Apostle Paul was distressed by culture and so he engaged culture with the Gospel.

I want to look at Acts 17:16-34 and make the case that he knew the culture and he was ready to engage the culture.

Let’s read Acts 17:16-34:

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17  So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18  A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19  Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20  You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21  (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22  Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24  “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26  From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]

29  “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30  In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32  When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33  At that, Paul left the Council. 34  Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others

[I am deeply indebted to Dr. Bill Brown, chancellor of Cedarville University, much of my information, and PowerPoint, comes from his chapel messages, specifically February 11 and 12, 2003]

1. We’ll come back to this passage but my challenge is that we think worldviewishly. Think about where people are coming from, what is their worldview and what is the Christian worldview. Worldview questions are: What is wrong and how can it be fixed; what is real; where is history going; What has value; what can be known and how can it be known; what happens to a person after death. There are different views.
   1. Naturalism: the world as we see it. Nature is everything. There is nothing else. “It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God…I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that…

My guess is that this cosmic authority problem is not rare and that it is responsible for much of the scientism and reductionism of our time .”

Thomas Nagel

Professor of Law and

Philosophy

NYU

“At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.”

(Planned Parenthood V. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 [1992]).

Opinion by O’Connor, Kennedy and Souter

In the beginning

were the particles

and the impersonal laws of physics.

And the particles somehow became complex living stuff; and the stuff imagined God, But then discovered evolution.

2. Existentialism: I must find meaning in my life because there is no meaning to my life. “Marilyn Manson signifies freedom.

He’s showing that it’s OK to be

yourself even if people don’t agree

to it. And that’s what makes us like

him so much – that we can be different.

We can have fangs. We can dye our hair.”

-CNN

3. Nihilism: life is empty, meaningless, I need to do anything I want. Life’s but a walking shadow,

a poor player

That struts and frets his hour

upon the stage,

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

Macbeth act V, scene V

1. Nihilism in rock:

• Alice in Chains
• Acid Drinkers
• Anthrax
• Death Angel
• God Forsaken
• House of Pain
• Hellhammer
• Helloween
• Judas Priest
• Life Sex and Death
• megadeth
• Obituary
• Beck
• Biohazard
• Black Sabbath
• Body Count
• Sodom
• Death of Millions
• Porno for Pyros

• Suicidal Tendencies
• Suicide
• White Zombie
• Angelcorpse
• Autopsy
• Blood
• Christ Agony
• Deicide
• Demonic
• Dissection
• Impaled Nazarene
• Hades
• Luciferon
• Massacre
• Necrophobic
• rotting Christ
• Sadistic Intent
• Slayer
• Torchure

• Mr. Rogers by Korn: One song’s lyrics: You told me everybody was my neighbor.

They took advantage of me.

I wish I hadn’t watched you.

I hate you . . .

• Nihilism in life: Proverbs 8:35-36: “For he who finds me [wisdom] finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord.

“But he who sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death.”

5. Hedonism: life has no purpose, other than pleasure, go for it. Hedonism: eat drink and whatever: “You only live once. Nobody gets out of

this alive. So you might as well drink it

all and snort it all and live as fast as you

can. I don’t won’t to be fifty and look

back and say, “I wish I’d done that.”

And if you get in trouble along the way,

so what? You pay the dues.”

–Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue

6. Humanism: I must make the world a better place for humans.
   1. “I use the word ‘Humanist’ to mean

someone who believes that man is just

as much a natural phenomenon as an

animal or plant; that his body, mind

and soul were not supernaturally created

but are products of evolution, and that he

is not under the control or guidance of

any supernatural being or beings, but

has to rely on himself and his

own powers.”

Julian Huxley

American Humanist Association

7. Transcendentalism: Nature= God: Buddhism:
   1. “I like spirituality, not religion or politics. Religion turns into ‘My god’s bigger than your god; therefore, you’re a heathen, and you should die, and I’ll take your land and build a temple on top of your flattened house.’ Religion is a corrupt business. Spirituality is like water and sun. When it rains, the prostitute and the pope get wet just the same. Spirituality is not memorizing the Koran or the Bible while hurting people in the name of Allah or Jesus or Buddha or oil. We are all chosen. Surely we have the capacity to transmute anger and fear into a masterpiece of joy.”

– Carlos Santana, USA Today, October 16, 2002, 1D

2. “Shamans heal with music and herbs. You have Buddha, Krishna, Allah, Rama, Jehovah … they all want unity and harmony on this planet, all of them. That’s the message: unity and harmony and transform your fear.”

– Carlos Santana speaking about the title of Santana’s latest album titled, Shaman, Associated Press, October 16, 2002.

8. Theism: God created nature:
   1. Judaism
   2. Christianity
   3. Islam
   4. Christianity is Christ. . .

Take Christ from Christianity, and you

disembowel it; there is practically

nothing left.

Christ is the center of Christianity,

all else is circumference.

John Stott

2. Now, let’s get back to the passage. How does Paul engage culture?
   1. There certainly is a lot in this passage. When we understand where the culture is coming from and where there thinking is we are better equipped to engage culture.
   2. “The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot ever fence it out.”

J. R. R. Tolkein

Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod,

Fellowship of the Ring

3. There are 3 approaches to culture and we’ll see Paul’s approach:
   1. We can be offended by culture which leads to withdraw.
   2. We can be delighted by culture and we assimilate.
   3. We can be distressed by culture and so we engage culture.
      1. The latter is what the Bible calls us to do. . . . Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—

2 Peter 2:7-8

James 4:4: You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1. This is what the Apostle Paul did.
1. Verse 16 says that Paul was distressed by what he saw:
2. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,

he was greatly distressed to see that the

city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the

synagogues, . . .as well as in the market-

place day by day. . . . “Men of Athens, I see

that in every way you are very religious.

For as I walked around and looked

carefully at your objects of worship. . .”

Acts 17:16-34

6. Are we distressed by the sinful culture?
7. But Paul did not get distressed so much that he buried his head in the sand. He did not assimilate with culture either. He engaged the culture. Later we see that Paul reasoned in the synagogue. He talked to the people.
8. Could he do that if he did not know culture? No. Could he reason with them if he did not know Christianity and the Scriptures? No. Could he reason with them if he was not seeking the Lord? Not really. If we are not seeking the Lord we can win an argument but lose the person.
9. REMEMBER, WE ARE NOT SEEKING TO WIN ARGUMENTS BUT REACH PEOPLE WITH THE GOSPEL.
10. Paul’s method:
    1. Greatly Distressed by the culture (verse 16)
    2. sought to understand the culture (verse 23)
    3. Started where they were (verses 22-23), he quotes two of their own poets. That is like us quoting a rock band.
    4. Positive about the Truth he found (verse 22)
    5. Knew and quoted sources (verses 22 and 28)
    6. Communicated the Gospel (verses 18 and 30-31)

Close:

We live in a culture that is considered post-Christian or we could call it pre-Christian which means that we are ripe for revival. We are ripe for an evangelical movement. I want to part of that movement. I want to be used of God. We see that Paul engaged the culture. I hope you will as well.

There was a music professor at a European school. He grew old and he could not take care of himself. He did not have anyone, so the school adopted him and he lived in a men’s dorm. Every day one of the men would come and say, “Professor what is the weather like?” The professor would respond, “It is changing, the weather always changes.” He would then strike his tuning fork against his wheel chair and say, “This is middle C, it never changed, it is constant. The weather can change, but middle C does not change.”

What is your middle C? I hope it is the Scriptures as it was for the Bereans. Cling to the Scriptures because culture will change. But don’t runaway from culture. Study culture, be a student of the culture like the men of Issachar of 1 Chronicles 12:32 and then be like Paul and engage the culture with the Heart and the Mind of Christ.

1 Cor. 9:23

I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Remember, you are never alone for the Holy Spirit is with you.

Do you know Jesus? Maybe today you realize that you are assimilated to the culture. It is time to commit to Christ.

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray