Sermons from Sweet Home

Acts 2:1-13 No Spirit, No Plan

Before Jesus left in return to His Father, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem. At various times Jesus had indicated to them that He must leave, but they will stay behind and do great things and participate in the building of the Kingdom of God. They did not fully understand how this would happen, or by what means the kingdom would spread.
In the text under discussion in this talk, we see how God reaches down to these disciples who have been waiting in accordance with the will of Christ. The Holy Spirit, the power of God, falls upon them and they start proclaiming the message of the cross in different languages. 
This event catches the attention of the people on the streets of Jerusalem. Luke tells us that those who gathered closer were from places all over the world. As in Babel God separated humankind through language, now God unites humankind through language. There are loads of lessons to learn, but perhaps one stands out: Sometimes we need to just wait and let God instead of making plans of our own.

The Devil made me do it?

Believe it or not, many convicted criminals have used "demons" or "Satan" as a defense in their court cases. Sometimes we do it too. Eve blamed the snake, and Adam blamed Eve. If Satan is around, and he is a master at deceiving and tempting us, who gets the blame for our sin? Is it Satan's fault, or mine?
This talk is an explanation of Satan's manipulation and temptation tactics. He is a mastermind. He is a powerful being. He seduces, blinds minds, puts content in our hearts, enters people, works in people, fills people's hearts, takes them captive and binds people. 
But He can do none of this without God's permission and our individual decisions. Despite his power, we have free will and God reigns supreme. So there is always hope for us as we battle with sin. In conclusion, the devil doesn't make us do things, but he certainly helps us along. 

Acts 1:15-26, The Number is 12

The text in question during this talk deals with the work, consequences and death of Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus. The Apostle Peter reveals to the other disciples that the Psalmist had prophesied that a man would betray the Messiah. The Psalmist was correct, but he also prophesied that another man needs to take the betrayer's place.
And that is what the disciples do in this section of text. They are preparing for the mission that is about to befall them, but they need to find another apostle because they were only 11 men. Their number was incomplete. How they go about the "choosing and appointing" is interesting. But it also raises the question of how we should go about in determining how to make decisions in life.
Two things stand out particularly in this story. (1) God is the "knower of hearts". Nobody else. He knows our hearts and the hearts of others, and we have no business in determining the content of other people's hearts. (2) Scripture is totally trustworthy. We can doubt many things, we can question many things. But Scripture is a sold rock of truth we can rely on. 

Seeing the Unseen III - Angel Satan

Although it is our primary ambition to know God, it is true that God has revealed some things about Satan in His Word. What does the Word say about Satan? Who is he? Why does he exist? What does he do, and what did he do? Where is he now? The hardest question of all is this: If Satan causes pain and suffering, why did God create him?
In this talk these questions and more are tackled. It seems like the Bible reveals to us some aspect of Satan's being and existence. And these things are interesting, but wat is more important? Jesus called Satan "the ruler of this world". And Paul called him the "god of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air".
It seems like Satan is here on our planet. And he rules. This fact is difficult to grasp. Does God not "hold the whole world in His hands"? Why does Satan then rule this world? How does this work and how does this affect us? 

Acts 1:1-14 The Imperial Ambitions of Christ

The Book of Acts tells the story of how the mission of Christ was fulfilled throughout the known world. It speaks of missionaries (Apostles), and preachers, and martyrs, and the establishment of the church. It is a incredible story.
In these first 14 verses of the first chapter we see Jesus reveal to His disciples what they need to do in order to participate in the establishment and movement of the Kingdom of God. They thought He was going to restore Israel, redeem them from the hard hand of the Romans. But no, Jesus had bigger ambitions than that. 
Jesus wanted to take over the whole world. And in order to get that done, he only needed 12 men and some "dynamite" (dunamis - power of the Holy Spirit). Join us in this talk as we look at the birth of a Kingdom that penetrated the world and of which we have become a part of.

Seeing the Unseen II - Angelic Entertainment

The Bible is clear that angels exist. But what do they do behind the scenes, and how does that affect the life of a Christian? If God chose to reveal to us some aspects of angelic activity and life, there must be some relevant reason.
In this sermon Machiel suggests three areas of our lives that is impacted by the existence and activity of Satan: How we treat strangers, how we pray and how we treat Scripture. Although angels are beings from another realm, they have been created by God to have a profound impact on how we live and serve God.

”Seeing the Unseen” Introduction

The Bible is pretty clear that there is an unseen world made up of angels and demons and spiritual forces. As we discuss this it is easy to fall into one of two traps: (1) Ignore it and think it doesn't exist, (2) or be sensational about it and see demons around every corner. Neither of these are accurate.
The Bible reveals to us some aspects of the spiritual realm for a reason, to learn something. But what are we supposed to learn? Perhaps how the spiritual realm affects us? If demons exist, and they are here with us even though we can't see them, what do they do? And how do we respond and keep safe from them? In the same way we should talk about God's angels, what do they do?
In this introductory lesson to the series "Seeing the Unseen", Machiel briefly introduces what the Scriptures teach about the motives and means of evil spiritual beings in our lives. Might it be possible that demons are more interested in deceiving us than in possessing us? Listen in and find out.