Today’s passage serves as a powerful reminder that (1) although Paul desired to preach the gospel where Christ was not known; he was equally committed to the pastoral care of these young congregations. That (2) discipleship, even by “unschooled,” ordinary men and women, empowered by the Holy Spirit is necessary for believers to grow in their unders…

Acts 18:1–17 recounts the Apostle Paul’s journey to Corinth, a city that proved to be one of his most challenging mission fields. Yet, it was in this very place that Paul experienced God’s unfailing faithfulness to sustain him in the work he was called to do. This passage serves as a powerful reminder that God calls His people to gospel ministry—ev…

In Acts 17:16-34, the Apostle Paul is deeply provoked by the idolatry in Athens and boldly proclaims the truth of the risen Christ to a skeptical audience at Mars Hill. His message declares that the one true God has made Himself known in Jesus, calling all people to repent and believe. I’d like to use our headings this morning as prayers that we wo…

Acts 17:1–15 paints two powerful scenes that beautifully illustrate the centrality of Scripture in the life of every believer. The first shows Paul modeling how to engage others with God’s Word—reasoning, explaining, proving, and persuading. The second shows the response of people examining, receiving, and believing the Word of God. Together, these…

With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we have a New Year and 2025 on the horizon; the disciples were similarly heading into a season of life where they had no clue what was in store for them. All they had were the words and promises of Jesus to cling to, to prepare their hearts for what lies ahead. The same is true for us. But with that in mind I…

John 1:14 summarizes the message of Christmas in one sentence like this: God became flesh and dwelt among us. Here we are met with the truth that invites us to a lifetime of thoughtful meditation and worship. My prayer this morning is that we would take up that invitation—to behold the wonder of Christ’s first coming and to live with a steadfast ho…

John 1:6-8: God Deploys Messengers to Share the Light of the Gospel to Those in Darkness

John 1:1–5 welcomes us to behold the eternal glory of Jesus Christ, the Word who was with God and is God, through whom all things were made. It invites us to look to the Light that shines into the darkness of this broken world, bringing life, hope, and salvation. This morning, I invite you to look with wide-eyed wonder at “The Light of Life” by exp…

Acts 16:16–34 teaches us that “Gospel Thanksgiving” is not dependent on life’s circumstances but arises from the profound truth of Christ’s work in our lives. Whether in freedom or suffering, in worship or witnessing, the gospel empowers us to live with grateful hearts, reflecting the transforming grace of Jesus to the world. This passage highlight…

In Acts 16:6–15, we find the Lord sovereignly directing, working through, and adding to His people. Paul and his missionary team are guided by God to a new mission field, while simultaneously preparing hearts to receive the good news of the gospel. The passage presents “A Call to the Unconverted,” unfolding in two key moments which we will look at …

Acts 15:36–16:5 unfolds in two scenes of parting and meeting, moving and changing, each advancing God’s kingdom. Here, we see God sovereignly guiding His people through disagreements, new partnerships, and the Spirit’s leading—all to accomplish His purposes of spreading the gospel and strengthening His church. We will explore each scene under the h…

What does it take to inherit eternal life? We are going to examine that question this morning as we walk through Acts 15. And we will do so under two headings: The Victory of Grace and the Victory of Love.

(1) Sowing the Seed (2) Strengthening the Saints

Acts 13 records the inaugural sermon preached by the Apostle Paul. Our sermon will focus on Acts 13:13-52, which presents the Apostle Paul's inaugural sermon. This passage provides a word of encouragement as it emphasizes God’s grace throughout the Old Testament, highlights Israel's rejection of the promised Messiah, declares forgiveness of sins, a…

The thimble-sized passage of Acts 13:38–39 holds an ocean of gospel truth. This passage announces what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus have made possible, while also promising salvation to all who believe upon Christ. Our brief sermon will be organized under two main headings, examining each verse individually: 1. A Glorious Proclamation…

Acts 13 marks the beginning of Paul's first missionary journey and details the commissioning service of the first planned missionaries sent out overseas from a local church. The church in Antioch appoints Barnabas and Paul, who are sent to spread the gospel. During their mission, they face opposition but also witness a powerful conversion. Our serm…

The scenes of Acts 12:1–24 depict a roller coaster of critical events in the life of the early church: heartbreaking loss in the death of the Apostle James, wonder at the supernatural deliverance of the Apostle Peter, and the chilling end of King Herod. The chapter opens with the church experiencing subtraction but ends with multiplication; it begi…

Acts 11 contains three different “Reports of Gospel Growth.” Each report presents pictures of the early church as they grew in understanding the mission of God in the world, and their role in it. As the gospel of Jesus Christ reoriented the lives of these early believers, remarkable things took place. We will organize these “Reports of Gospel Growt…

Acts 10 is a pivotal chapter not only in the book of Acts but also in the storyline of Scripture. Here for the first time, we see the gospel spread to the Gentiles. Through a series of events the gospel is proclaimed, and a group of Gentiles gladly receive the good news and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. This chapter truly is, “A Vision from and …

Acts 9:32-43 describes two scenes and details two remarkable miracles performed by Jesus through the Apostle Peter. These miracles serve as powerful testimonies to the presence and power of God leading many to believe in the Lord. This passage teaches us that both in the book of Acts, and even today that Jesus is working through his people to accom…

Acts 9:19–31 continues to tell the story of how the gospel of Jesus Christ transformed every part of Saul’s life. Over the course of one chapter, he goes from being a violent persecutor of Christians to a passionate preacher of Jesus Christ. In the early days of his new life in Christ, we find multiple accounts that help frame the rest of the apost…

Acts 9:1–19 contains one of the most significant moments in the history of the Christian faith: the conversion of the Apostle Paul. Here the man who had been utterly committed to the persecution of Jesus’ disciples becomes a disciple of Jesus himself. This is the story of “A Glorious Conversion” marked by the matchless grace of Jesus from first to …

Through Psalms 58, 59, and 60, we discover a constant pattern that we've come to expect in these Psalms of David: Problems, Prayers, and Promises. Problems never seem to be far out of reach in David's life, leading him to prayerful dependence on God, where he rehearses the promises of God to him while standing in God's faithfulness and on His Word.…

Romans 12:1–2 describes the Christian life as one of living worship. The Apostle Paul pleads with believers to see how the gospel provides everything we need: a secure position before God, the mercy to daily follow Jesus, and the power necessary to grow in Christ. Yet, this call to view all of life as an act of “Living Worship” is only possible as …

Psalm 57 is the song of a heart beating with passion for God’s glory. David packs a list of reasons he must sing to the Lord in his introduction, repeats more reasons in his chorus, and keeps giving reasons for songs to be sung all the way to the crescendo. Because of the countless ways God had shown and proven himself, David had “10,000 Reasons to…

Psalm 56 provides a song to sing when we feel pulled between fear and faith. Though David is surrounded by enemies in hot pursuit of his life, he purposefully puts his trust in God. Here we learn not only how we might trust God in the face of fear but are also given reasons why we should. We will outline our passage with two great comforts drawn fr…

Psalm 55 is a prayer of David as the burdens of life pressed down hard upon him. While he honestly sings of the sting of being betrayed by a close friend, he also sings of the healing balm of his faithful God. As we explore this song where David describes a specific situation in his life, my prayer is that it would both instruct and equip each of u…

1 Peter 2:4-5 contains an inspiring description of the identity and purpose of the church. After anchoring us in the glorious gospel, the apostle builds a framework for the church to understand the role and responsibility we have been given. These verses construct a concise understanding of what it means for us to be God’s “Spiritual House.” We wil…

Here is David, once again, facing adversity not of his own making, and as a gift to us, we have a window into how David dealt with this adversity before God. Tim Keller said in an interview that the psalms can essentially be summed up in “Lord, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done… except the psalms give you 150 ve…

Guilty Hearts on Trial: Psalm 53 (1) An Accusation is Made – 53:1, (2) A Witness is Called – 53:2-3, and (3) A Verdict is Rendered (almost) – 53:4-5

Psalm 127:1-2 teaches us that God is the builder, protector, and sustainer of our lives and our life together as a church. It contrasts two ways of living, one overflowing with God’s grace and another that is plagued with anxious toil. We will shape the sermon by two prayers, benedictions to pray for each of us individually and for our church colle…

Psalm 52 is a song written by King David when all around seemed to be marked by suffering and sorrow. People he loved were killed, people who hated him prospered, and evil appeared to have won the day. In this moment, David reminds himself and us of the steadfast love of God, the perfect justice that one day will come, and confesses his desire to b…

Acts 8:26–40 contains a God-ordained, Christ-exalting, Spirit-led gospel conversation between two people. The path of the Philip the Evangelist is crossed by an Ethiopian eunuch in a search to understand Scripture. The result is nothing less than remarkable as Philip shares “The Good News About Jesus.”…

In Acts 8:4–25 contrasts two kinds of spiritual work: one in which the Spirit of God blesses the effort and the other which the Lord resists. These verses detail the beginning of the Gospel spreading into Samaria and the joy that it brought and reveal that those who desire to minister to others in the power of God must do “The Lord’s Work in the Lo…

In Acts 7:54-8:3, Stephen becomes the first martyr of the Christian church. Enraged by his message, the religious leaders of Israel stone him and widespread persecution sweeps through the infant church. Yet, in the darkness of these moments, light breaks through clouds. This text shines the first light of Scripture on Saul (who later becomes Paul) …

The flow of thought that begins in Acts 6:8 stretches all the way to 8:3. It describes a disciple named Steven, records the sermon he delivered to a hostile Jewish council, chronicles his martyrdom, and concludes with the mention of Saul of Tarsus. This epic contains all the characteristics of one remarkable story. That being the case, we will spen…

In Acts 6:1-7, we encounter a pivotal moment in the life of the church, where dissention and distraction threatened to disrupt its unity and mission. Our passage illustrates what happens when local churches are filled with people who understand the important part each person plays in order for the congregation to experience “Flourishing Gospel Mini…

There are 105 verses in First Peter, and we are going to look together at 3 of them this morning. We won't come close to capturing the breadth of what Peter has to say in this letter, but in this small window that we’re focusing in on, we will see the full picture of the gospel, how we are born again to a living hope.…

The main theme of Ephesians 2:4–7 is bracketed off from the rest of our text drawing our eyes and our attention to one glorious truth: by grace you have been saved. This summary of the gospel message shows us that it is the grace of God, his unmerited favor, that has saved us from first to last. There are three brief truths I would like to call to …

Luke 24:1-12 proclaims the greatest news ever told. These verses bridge the darkest night in history to its brightest morning. On Good Friday, the disciples' hopes were buried in the tomb with the Lord himself, On Easter Sunday their hope sprang eternal with the good news of his resurrection. This Easter morning we will look not only at the reality…

Acts 5:27–42 begins and ends with the apostles proclaiming the name of Jesus, yet the space between details the most severe persecution we have seen so far in our study. Despite their message being rejected, and their bodies beaten, the apostles rejoice in suffering and praise God that they were “Counted Worthy to Suffer.” With our bibles open and …

In Acts 5:12-32 we read a report of how the Lord is at work in a local church planted in a city of vast lostness, and real threats, yet a steadfast commitment to proclaim Christ. Our verses cover a wide range of elements: days of church growth, a night in prison, a mini-sermon, and opposition. Through it all we find a thread of what might be descri…

In Acts 5:1-11, we are met with the first recorded sin in the New Testament church. After witnessing what seemed like ever-increasing unity and joy over the first four chapters of the book, from now on what we'll see is not only external persecution, but internal corruption. At the heart of this story, what we see most clearly is God's passion for,…

The grace-filled description of the Jerusalem Church in Acts 4:32-37 contains a compelling picture of how the gospel recalibrates the very heart and soul of a local church. The picture we witness is one of authentic Christianity that moves us from living with self and our own agenda at the center, to a new way of living with Christ and his kingdom …

In Acts 4:23-31, we have the privilege of walking into a prayer meeting of the early church. As these believers experience their first taste of persecution, their reflex is to fly to God in prayer. In what may have been “Only A Prayer Meeting,” the description of this occasion contains helpful lessons on prayer itself and its role in the life of ea…

In Acts 4:13-22, Peter and John stand before the most powerful people in Israel and boldly proclaim the name of Jesus. The miracles they had seen and the truths they had heard from Jesus turned their entire lives upside down and caused them to be bold gospel witnesses. Here we find a pattern of living not only meant for these apostles, but for each…

In Acts 4:1–12, Peter stands before the most powerful men in Israel and boldly proclaims that “No Other Name” can save except the name of Jesus Christ. There are four marvelous truths we learn about Jesus from this passage: 1. Jesus, the Name that Divides, 2. Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, 3. Jesus, the Cornerstone, 4. Jesus, the Only Name t…