They Lied. They Died. - TOR8

Last night Aaron Wilson preached through the account of Ananias & Sapphira being struck dead by God after lying about an free-will offering.

He mentioned a sermon by C.J. Mahaney that helped him prepare for this message and encouraged everyone to take time to listen. You can find the sermon here.

Also note the iPod image in the sidebar. Click on this image to visit a new mp3 sermon collection by preachers such as Mahaney, MacArthur, Piper, Carson and many more.

Aaron's message - the 8th in our current series "The Original Revolution" - is available below.

They Lied. They Died.

Acts 4:32-5:11 - A Shocking Contrast of 2 Worshipers:

I. The Context – The Unity of Community (4:32-35)
A. Unified living
B. Selfless giving
C. Sacrificial giving
D. Voluntary giving

II. The Positive Example of the Devoted Worshiper (4:36-37)
A. The “son of encouragement”
B. The simple example

III. The Negative Example of the Deceptive Worshiper (5:1-11)
A. The people
B. The problem
C. The result

Take Home Points:

1. Remember, the church is not perfect.
2. God does not want sin in His church.
3. The church is only as effective as her people are pure.
4. If we want power – we must have purity.
5. Are you guilty of lying to God the Holy Spirit?
6. Do you understand the danger of lying?
7. Do material possessions keep you from fully devoted worship?
8. Do you find it difficult to accept such swift & sudden judgment from God?

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Praying "Sovereign Lord" - TOR7

We continued in our study in the book of Acts entitled "The Original Revolution". Last night's message looked at the apostles prayer and God's response as the sovereign Lord.about.

Praying "Sovereign Lord" Acts 4:23-31

The early church climbed 3 steps toward God in prayer:

1. They Extolled God’s Character

• He’s Creator
• He’s Spoken

2. They Affirmed Fulfilled Prophecy of the Cross

• Man’s sin against Christ
• God’s detailed plan

3. They Requested Enablement

• They didn’t ask for persecution to end.
• They asked for enablement to obey

Here are the implications/applications

1. The greatest comfort for the believer is the Sovereignty of God

2. Community strengthens faith

• Praying, singing, hearing the Word corporately is designed to do this
• You shouldn’t feel guilty that your spiritual life is stronger in community

3. Pray Scripture

• The Word makes sense of what’s happening to you
• The Word gives you material to pray

4. Don’t assume it’s supposed to get easier

5. Watch for God’s affirmations

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Books on Sovereignty, Evangelism & Evil in the World

Tuesday night we heard a great message on the Sovereignty of God from our teaching pastor Lance Quinn. You can go here to listen*. It's part 3 of the "Truth for Life - Loved By God" series. After the message, Pastor Lance answered a question dealing with the issues of God's sovereignty, evangelism and the origin of evil in the world. He recommended several resources that address these issues and we've linked them below

• Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer
• The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, D.A. Carson
• How Long, O Lord? , D.A. Carson
• The Grand Demonstration, Jay Adams
• If God Already Knows, Why Pray? Douglas Kelley

*The Sermon audio may not be up until later in the week.

Whom Will You Serve? TOR6

Michael Hamline continued carrying us through our study in the book of Acts entitled "The Original Revolution". His thorough understanding of the text (Acts 4:1-22) and excellent application left us with much to think about.

Whom Will You Serve?

Agents Through Which God is Pleased to Work

I. The Penetrating Word of God (v. 1-4)

A. Opposing the Word of God (v. 1-3)
B. Trusting the Word of God (v.4)

II. The Saving Name of Jesus (v.5-12)

A. An Arrogant Question (v.5-7)

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

B. A Confident Answer (v. 8-12)

Luke 12:11,12; 21:14,15
1. Jesus is the Source (v.9-10)

2. Jesus is the Stone (v. 11)

Ps. 118:22; Mk 12:1-12 (also cf. Mt. 21: 33-46; Luke 20:9-20; Eph. 2:20; I Pe. 2:4-7)
3. Jesus is the Way of Salvation (v. 12)

John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

III. The Persevering Witness of God's Saints (v. 13-22)

A. It is Bold (v.13-14)

John 7:14,15
B. It is Christ-centered (v.15-19)
C. It is Unafraid (v. 20-22)

References as Concerns the Sanhedrin's persecution of the early church:

• Acts 5:25, 33, 40-- arrested the apostles, wanted to kill them, beat them
• Acts 6:12-15; 7:1; 58-60-- dragged Stephen before the Sanhedrin; questioned by the council and then stoned by sanction of the council
• Acts 8:1-3--Saul persecuting the church and dragging believers off to prison
• Acts 9:1-2--Saul going abroad to Damascus to arrest believers and bring them back to Jerusalem.

Here are the implications/applications

1) As Christians, we will face opposition and persecution from unbelievers, those opposed to the truth.

2) It is through God's Word that change is brought about in the human heart (Acts 4:4).

3) God's plan can't be thwarted by men. He will accomplish what he has purposed.

4) We must proclaim salvation in Christ alone. No other name or person can save, but Jesus. This is not popular but it is true and we must be faithful to proclaim it without reservation or shame.

5) We must confront people with their sin and we should realize this is the most loving thing we can do. The results are up to God.

6) Study our Old Testament and see how it points to Jesus.

7) Fear God and not man. Realize we must obey God over human authority if the government is calling on us to disobey God.

8) Praise God for the way He transforms our lives through the work of the Spirit

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Here's Your Sign: Jesus - TOR5

We're continuing in our series in Acts called "The Original Revolution". Below are Pastor Jeff's outline for Acts chapter 3 as well as his "Take Home Points" for your own personal application.

The Original Revolution: Part 5

Here's Your Sign: JESUS

Acts 3:1-26

I. An Unmistakable Sign (vv. 1-10)

1. A routine hour to pray (v. 1)
2. A reasonable request (vv. 2-3)
3. An unexpected reply (vv. 4-6)
4. A comprehensive miracle (vv. 7-8 cf. v. 16)
5. An unmistakable Sign (vv. 9-10)

II. A Guilt Laying – Guilt Lifting Sermon (vv. 11-26)

1. A wow factor (vv. 10b-11)
2. A focus shift (vv. 12-13)
3. A guilt laying word (vv. 14-16)
4. A guilt lifting word (vv. 17-26)

Take-home points:

1. The Holy Spirit primarily works within routine
2. The Gospel is designed to meet both moral and situational evil (categories taken from Power Encounters by David Powlison)
3. Miraculous healing in the Bible is always a sign and always comprehensive
4. It is a fight to value spiritual healing above physical healing
5. Elevating man undoes the glory of God
6. The real Jesus comes from real redemptive history
7. Understanding Jesus was murdered unlocks the guilt of the cross
8. Ignorance of our sin and God’s holiness is grace
9. Genuine repentance will transform your shame to joy

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