Title: “Stephen’s Last Sermon: Explanation” Part 2 Text: Acts 7:35-50 FCF: We often struggle having faith in the true God alone. Prop: Because false faith is common among those who believe they are of God, we must respond to the call of the true God alone. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 7. In a moment we will read the entirety of Stephen’s defense before the Sanhedrin starting in verse 1. I’ll be reading from the LSB but you can follow along in the pew bible starting on page 1236 or in whatever version you prefer. Last week Stephen began his prosecution of the Sa ..read more

Title: “Stephen’s Last Sermon: Explanation” Part 1 Text: Acts 7:1-34 FCF: We often struggle admitting the true depth of our need for God to pursue us. Prop: Because man is blind to God, God must call His people, so we must respond when we hear Him call. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 7. In a moment I’ll begin reading a rather large portion of scripture beginning in verse 1 and continuing to verse 53. I’ll be reading from the Legacy Standard Bible, but you can follow along in the pew bible starting on page 1236 or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, we saw ..read more

Title: Our Shepherd Text: Acts 6:8-15 FCF: We often struggle enduring in obedience. Prop: Because God shepherds us through His purposes, we must faithfully obey the Lord. Scripture Intro: LSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 6. In a moment I’ll read from the LSB starting in verse 8. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1236 or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, we saw how the church faced an internal problem that could have shattered it in its infancy. Instead, the Lord called and equipped leaders to wisely delegate responsibility in order to serve the body in mult ..read more

Title: Called and Equipped Text: Acts 6:1-7 FCF: We often struggle submitting to leadership. Prop: Because God has established and equipped leaders to unify His church toward His will, we must submit to godly leadership. Scripture Intro: ESV [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 6. In a moment we will read starting in verse 1 from the English Standard Version. You can follow in the pew bible on page 1236 or in your preferred version. We are right on the cusp of transitioning to the expansion of the church. Very soon we will see the church burst out from the walls of Jerusalem. But befor ..read more

Title: “Faithful, No Matter the Cost” Part 2 Text: Acts 5:33-42 FCF: We struggle remaining faithful when it may cost us much to obey. Prop: Because God sovereignly determines the fate of His church and honors those who suffer for Him, we must remain faithful. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 5. In a moment we will read starting from verse 33. I’ll be reading from the Christian Standard Bible. The text will start on 1235 in the pew bible. Last week we saw God’s sovereign hand proving once again that He is able to deliver His church from any fate and equip them for w ..read more

Title: Faithful, No Matter the Cost Text: Acts 5:17-32 FCF: We often struggle remaining faithful to the Lord amid persecution. Prop: Because God has all control and authority over His church, we must remain faithful. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 5. In a moment I’ll start reading in verse 17 from the NET which you can follow on page 1235 in the pew bible or in your preferred version. Today we will begin a new narrative describing the challenges of the early church. We have seen that they faced challenges from fake Christians. People who said they were believers ..read more

Title: Our Secret to Success Text: Acts 5:12-16 FCF: We often struggle to depend on the Lord to produce success in His church. Prop: Because God alone supports and expands His church, we must continue to depend on the Lord for the success of His church. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 5. Last week we saw how God had empowered and graced His church to be a unique group that cared for one another to the point that the wealthy were crossing social barriers to sell their property to provide the needs of those who were poor. However, we also saw that the church was not ..read more

Title: Gracious and Holy Text: Acts 4:32-5:11 FCF: We often struggle feeling as though God is not with us or does not care about our situation. Prop: Because God both equips and prunes His church to fulfill His commands, we must continue to obey Him. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 4. Today we will begin to transition into another section of narratives in the book of Acts. Up to this point Luke is revealing to Theophilus the Lord’s work to create and grow His church in the city of Jerusalem. Through the end of chapter 5 and into chapter 6, the focus will continue ..read more

Title: Benevolent Despot Text: Acts 4:23-31 FCF: We often struggle depending on God fully. Prop: Because God is absolutely sovereign and our source for all we need to obey Him, we must depend on God. Scripture Intro: NIV [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 4. Today we will officially conclude this lengthy narrative in the book of Acts. It began in chapter 3 with the healing of a crippled man. Peter preached a sermon to those who stood confounded by the miracle. Peter and John were arrested and tried before the Sanhedrin, where Peter, filled with the Spirit, made a stunning defense of ..read more

Title: We Will Not Comply Text: Acts 4:13-22 FCF: We often struggle obeying the commands of God when they conflict with the commands of men. Prop: Because the gospel is our unpopular mission, we must make disciples of all nations. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 4. We began this narrative section back in the beginning of chapter 3. Since then, we’ve seen a lame man healed by the power and authority of Jesus of Nazareth. We’ve heard Peter preach the gospel as receiving Christ alone by faith alone. We’ve seen the Sanhedrin assemble to test the apostles, only to reve ..read more