Sermons from Sweet Home

Acts 11:19-30 The Birth of a Mission Hub

In this text we see the establishment of the church in Antioch. Antioch is the place where Christ-followers were first called Christians. Paul and Barnabas end up here to preach to this city and experience great kingdom success. The church in this city became the mission hub for future mission trips into the Gentile world. It is therefore important to Luke to tell us how it came on the Biblical map. 

Acts 11:1-19 Gentiles Accepted in Jerusalem

Acts 10 records the conversion and inclusion of Gentiles into the Christian faith. Peter plays the central role in the story. After the Gentile conversion he returns to Jerusalem only to be faced with stiff opposition from the Jews. They did not accept pagan Gentiles and could not believe that Peter would even eat with them or enter their houses. The section of text under consideration here is Peter's explanation to them of what happened and why they were wrong!

Acts 10:23-48 Gentiles in the Water

In this text we see Peter preach to Gentile people. The Holy Spirit falls upon them in a powerful way signaling that God accepted them apart from the Law. Immediately they got baptized.

Acts 10:1-23 Two Hungry Prayers

In this text we see how God is starting to infiltrate the greatest kingdom on Earth, the Roman Empire. 

Acts 9:32-43 Peter Brings the Second Wave

In this section of text the Apostle Peter passes through territory where Philip the Evangelist has already preached. But as he passes through these towns he performs extraordinary miracles that strengthen the disciples there, but also opens the eyes of many to the Gospel of Christ. 

We Are The gods: Justice

This new sermon series explores the areas in which the human race is trying to do things that only God can do! In this first lesson the topic is "justice". People have become "sue-happy". And in America it seems to have started with Miss Liebeck who sued McDonalds for selling her coffee that was too hot. And now we live in a world where insurance companies and attorneys run society.
At the heart of this society lies the idea that "if I get hurt someone must pay". The goal is justice. On a larger scale, "colonialists must pay for the poverty amidst indigenous people", "white people must pay for the slavery of black people"...the list can go on. We want justice. But the truth is that we will never get true justice or give true justice in this world. No judge, no lawyer, no person, no department of Justice can do what only God can do: Deliver ultimate objective justice!
There is a day coming where justice will be perfectly served. Those who get away now with injustice will be sorted out. And those who have been harmed, take note, the righteous judge of all the Earth is on His way. Trust Him and wait for Him. He will deliver justice! 

Acts 8:5-25 The Mega Power of God

In this text Luke tells us about one of the evangelistic efforts of Philip. He came across a sorcerer who thought he could buy the ability to perform miracles through the Holy Spirit. Here we see a perfect example of a mindset permeating the world today: People who want what God can give, but who don't really want God, people being more interested in the "miracles" of Jesus than the "man" Jesus! 

Acts 8:1-4 Fuel to the Fire

Satan thought that the death of a disciple of Jesus, a preacher of the Gospel, might cause other disciples to keep quiet. In this text we see the opposite happen. The death of Stephen fueled the disciples to run away, and they did. But everywhere they did they preached the message of the cross. It spread like wildfire.
We find in these four verses something powerful that the modern church needs to think about carefully. Can the average "church member" teach someone the Gospel? In these few verses we see the "preachers" of the church stay behind in Jerusalem and ordinary Christians spread the Gospel as they move outwards from Jerusalem. No wonder the early church grew so well and fast and had such an impact. They were not just Christians, they were disciples of Jesus!

The topics Jesus spoke about the most (Lesson 6: Prayer)

Ofcourse we can expect Jesus to speak often about prayer. He came from heaven, for all eternity has never been separate from His Father, and now He found Himself here on Earth in the realm of sin. But Jesus remained in contact with heaven. And people saw this communication and they also wanted to know how to speak to the God of heaven from this sinful realm we live in.
So what did Jesus do? He taught on prayer, and He demonstrated prayer. In this lesson you can expect a brief and broad look at some prayer principles that Jesus believed in. I don't think there is a better mentor than Jesus to teach us to pray. If you are battling with your prayer life slightly, it might be a good idea to pop an ear into this lesson. 

The topics Jesus spoke about the most (Lesson 5 Jesus’ divine Identity)

Imagine for a moment a pheasant-looking man, dressed in basic clothes, walking around 1st Century Judea and claiming to be the Son of God. Who would believe him? Yet, this is what Jesus did. He continuously spoke about his divine identity. but the cool thing is this: He proved what he said! That is why he did so many miracles, the confirm that he is indeed divine.
Jesus identified himself to the people of his day in numerous ways...Son of man, Son of God, Messiah, Alpha and Omega...etc. What do all these phrases really mean? Why did Jesus call himself these? And what does it all mean to us? Well, in a nutshell, if Jesus really is who he claimed to be, it changes everything...and we get to trust what He says!