THIS ISN'T PERMENANT
The Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsThe Beginning of the Church and how the Holy Spirit empowers us to fulfill the mission by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Notes
Transcript
"IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS”
Acts 9:17–19 (NIV)
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
SOME OF YOU ARE ABOUT TO HAVE A TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE
GOD WANTS TO REMOVE THE SCALES FROM YOUR EYES SO YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY AGAIN....
“I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW THE RAIN IS GONE” “ I CAN SEE ALL OBSTACLES IN MY WAY”
IT’S GONNA BE A BRIGHT,
BRIGHT SON SHINE DAY…HAHA
COME ON SOMEBODY
WHEN THE SON BEGINS TO SHINE IN YOUR LIFE
THE SCALES OF DECEPTION
THE SCALES OF SHAME
THE SCALES OF DEFEAT
BEGIN TO FALL OFF....
THE SCALES FELL OFF OF THE PRODIGAL SON AND WHAT HAPPENED?
- HE CAME TO HIS SENSES AND WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN HIS FATHERS HOUSE.
GOD IS GETTING READY TO BRING SOME PRODIGAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS BACK TO THE FATHERS HOUSE.
Acts 9:19–20
Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, 20 but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God.
AWKWARD RIGHT?
IMAGINE SAUL SITTING DOWN AT THE TABLE WITH THESE DISCIPLES AND TRYING TO TALK TO THEM.
IT SAYS THAT SAUL WENT RIGHT TO WORK. IMMEDIATELY HE STARTED PREACHING THE GOSPEL.
KEEP IN MIND THAT HE’S STILL SAUL AT THIS POINT
HE HASN’T GOT A NAME CHANGE JUST YET
WAIT WHAT……
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT ON A NAME CHANGE TO START A LIFE CHANGE.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT ON A JOB CHANGE TO START A NEW WAY OF DOING YOUR JOB.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT ON A TITLE TO START WALKING IN THE LEADERSHIP ROLE GOD HAS CALLED YOU IN TO.
IF GOD HAS SAVED YOU, START WALKING OUT THAT SALVATION
CHURCH
WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS AND THERE IS NO TIME TO WASTE.
THERE IS A WORK TO BE DONE AND GOD HAS CALLED YOU AND ME TO DO IT.
YEAH BUT, PASTOR CHRIS.
I GOTTA GET SOME THING IN ORDER BEFORE I DO THAT.
WAIT WHAT????
THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS AS A CHRISTIAN IS THE WORK OF HIS KINGDOM
IF YOU ARE GIVING GOD ANYTHING LESS THAN YOU ABSOLUTE BEST THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
THERE IS NO TIME TO GET THINGS IN ORDER
HE SAID COME AS YOU ARE CHURCH
WHEN WE SURRENDER TO GOD HE BRINGS THE CHANGE THATS NEEDED
DON’T WAIT,
DON’T PROCRASTINATE ANY LONGER
THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE
WE ARE CALLED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL
TO BE THE LIGHT TO A DARK WORLD
YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
AND IF SALT LOSES IT’S SALTINESS THEN WHAT GOOD IS IT OTHER THAN TO BE THROWN OUT
21 They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn’t he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?”
THE MOMENT YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND LIVE FOR GOD
THE ENEMY BEGIN PLOTTING AGAINST YOU
HE USES PEOPLE TO SPEAK NEGATIVE THINGS TO YOU
HE BEGINS TO BRING UP YOU PAST
AND HOW YOU FAILED SO BADLY BEFORE
AND HOW THERE IS NO WAY THAT ANYBODY IS GOING TO TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY
AND HOW YOU’LL ALWAYS BE ….
WHO YOU WERE.
OH COME ON....SOME OF YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT.
IN FACT, YOU’VE GIVEN IN AND EVEN TAKEN SOME STEPS BACK INTO YOUR OLD LIFE....WHY?
BECAUSE THE VOICES OF DEFEAT AND DESTRUCTION AND NEGATIVE TALK ARE LOUDER THAN GOD’S VOICE IN YOUR LIFE
YOU HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND TO LISTEN TO GOD’S VOICE
TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO ENCOURAGE YOU
YOU HAVE TO BEGIN SPEAKING POSITIVE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE
DON’T TALK NEGATIVE
LISTEN CHURCH…
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE A POSITIVE LIFE WHILE SPEAKING NEGATIVE WORDS
JAMES SAYS THIS....
10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
SO SPEAK LIFE, SPEAK POSITIVE THINGS OVER YOUR LIFE
PAUL UNDERSTOOD THIS NECESSITY IN HIS LIFE. HE UNDERSTOOD THAT IF HE LISTENED TO WHAT OTHERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT HIM AND HIS DECISION
HE WOULD FAIL
BUT HE DECIDED THAT HE WAS GOING TO LISTEN TO GOD’S VOICE IN HIS LIFE
HE KNEW WHO’S HE WAS
AND HE FOUND HIS IDENTITY IN THAT.
LISTEN TO THIS...
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
YOU KNOW WHO WROTE THIS???
PAUL WHO USE TO BE SAUL
THE DANGEROUS MAN WHO KILLED CHRISTIANS AND HATED THE CHURCH
THE ONE WHO WOULD SEEK OUT HOW TO DESTROY IT HOWEVER POSSIBLE
GOD CHANGED HIM....GOD CAN CHANGE YOU THIS MORNING.
GOD CAN TRANSFORM YOU INTO AN INSTRUMENT FOR HIS GLORY
PAUL UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT MEANT TO GO THROUGH TRIAL AND SEASON OF HURT AND DEFEAT
BUT HE DIDN’T ALLOW IT TO STOP HIM FROM HIS CALLING.
HE WAS DETERMINED...
LETS LOOK AT THIS REAL QUICK
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ASV)
16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
THERE ARE 3 THINGS THAT PAUL LEAVES US WITH THAT WILL HELP US OVERCOME
REJOICE ALWAYS (amplified says…be happy and rejoice and be glad hearted continually)
HOW CAN I BE GLAD HEARTED WHEN IM SO DEPRESSED ALL THE TIME
What Does the Bible Say About Depression?
What Does the Bible Say About Depression?
Proverbs 12:25 mentions depression directly, "Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad" (NKJV).
- That's a good place to begin.
IN THIS PASSAGE, GOD ALONG WITH THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON, PROVIDES BOTH A DIAGNOSIS AND A PRESCRIPTION THAT CAN HELP PEOPLE GROW BEYOND DEPRESSION.
A HEART FULL OF ANXIETY IS THE CULPRIT.
BUT....
JESUS SAID:
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
HOPELESSNESS IS ONE OF THE HALLMARK SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION.
WATCH THIS....
In Isaiah 61:3
we read that Christ will come to give us a
- “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
- A spirit of heaviness is an evil spirit that seeks to oppress us with depression, hopelessness, and despair.
HOW DO YOU OVERCOME A SPIRIT OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, DESPAIR, HOPELESSNESS?
YOU OVERCOME IT BY PUTTING ON A GARMENT OF PRAISE
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PRAISE???
WELL....
PSALMS 22:3
TELLS US THAT...
HE INHABITS THE PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE
WHICH MEANS HE
DWELLS IN
HE MAKES A HOME IN .....YOUR PRAISE
COME ON SOMEBODY
AS YOU BEGIN TO PRAISE GOD, HIS SPIRIT IS ACTIVATED WHEREVER YOU ARE.
OH COME ON...
PRAYER IS IMPORTANT
BUT GOD LIVES IN OUR PRAISE
HE ANSWERS PRAYERS
BUT GOD LIVES IN OUR PRAISE
UNDERSTAND THIS...
THE POWER OF YOUR PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING BRINGS YOU IMMEDIATELY INTO HIS PRESENCE
WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT AND POWERFUL?????
BECAUSE....PSALMS 16:11
Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION......CAN YOU BE IN FULLNESS OF DEPRESSION AND ALSO IN THE FULLNESS OF JOY????
NO!
IT’S EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER
PAUL UNDERSTOOD THIS WHICH IS WHY HE SAID.....
- REJOICE ALWAYS AND IM EVEN GONNA TELL YOU AGAIN I SAY REJOICE
BE GLAD
EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT REJOICE
2. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
CHURCH YOU SHOULD BE PRAYING ALL DAY LONG
WHEN YOUR IN THE CAR…TALK TO HIM
WHEN YOUR AT LUNCH TALK TO HIM
WHEN YOUR JUST AT YOUR DESK, STOP AND TALK TO HIM
PRAY AND THEN ALSO TAKE TIME TO LISTEN AND MEDITATE ON HIS WORD
FIND SCRIPTURE THAT ENCOURAGES YOU IN WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH
THEN MEMORIZE IT AND MEDITATE ON IT
3. IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS
..............WORSHIP TEAM COME............
THIS IS HARD...
IT DOESN’T SAY GIVE THANKS FOR EVERYTHING
BUT GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING
WE LEARNED A COUPLE WEEKS FROM BART HEIGHT’S SERMON THAT
THERE IS A “PROCESS TO THE PROMISE”
SAUL UNDERSTOOD THIS
HE MAY NOT HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE PROCESS BECAUSE AS HUMANS WE CAN’T UNDERSTAND IT
BUT SAUL TRUSTED THE LORD IN THE PROCESS
HE LEARNED THROUGH HIS DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION
THAT GIVING THANKS AND PRAISING GOD THROUGH THE PROCESS WAS THE ONLY WAY HE WAS GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH.
GOD IS ALWAYS REFINING US
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,
The story is told of a group of women that met for Bible study. While studying in the book of Malachi, chapter three, they came across verse three which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled the women and they wondered how this statement applied to the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out more about the process of refining silver, and to get back to the group at their next Bible study. The following week, the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him while at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith work, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The man said that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy–when I see my image in it.”
GOD IS SITTING WITH US AND HOLDING US IN THE PROCESS OF REFINING US
HE’S NOT GONNA LEAVE YOU
HE WILL NEVER PUT MORE ON US THAN WE CAN BARE
WE HAVE TO TRUST THAT HE ALONE KNOWS WHAT WE CAN REALLY BARE
TRUST HIM IN THE PROCESS THAT HE HAS YOU IN
GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING BECAUSE HE’S MOLDING YOU AND HE PURIFYING YOU AND PREPARING YOU FOR SOMETHING GREATER
HE HAS A PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR YOU
TRUST HIM.....TRUST HIM
THEY WANTED SAUL DEAD SO THEY PLOTTED TO KILL HIM AND STOP HIM.
NO ONE TRUSTED HIM
NO ONE BELIEVED HE WAS CHANGED
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
AREN’T YOU THANKFUL FOR THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WHO WILL STAND BESIDE YOU AND WALK WITH YOU WHEN NO ONE ELSE WILL?
BARNABAS HAD HIS BACK AND IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIS ENCOURAGEMENT THAT SAUL WAS ABLE TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
BE AN ENCOURAGER TO SOMEONE
BE THAT PERSON WHO WILL SPEAK LIFE INTO OTHER PEOPLE
WHO WILL STAND BESIDE THEM EVEN WHEN THEY START TO FALL…AMEN
........STAND TO YOUR FEET...........
EVERY HEAD BOWED AND EVERY EYE CLOSED
IF YOUR HERE AND YOU WOULD SAY
YOU KNOW WHAT PASTOR IM STRUGGLING
IM STRUGGLING WITH MY JOY
I FEEL OVERWHELMED WITH ANXIETY
I FEEL DEFEATED ALL THE TIME
AND I WANT MY JOY RESTORED
IF THATS YOU WOULD YOU JUST RAISE YOUR HAND?
WERE GONNA PRAISE THIS MORNING
CAN WE DO THAT?
I JUST WANT TO LIFT UP HIS NAME AND GIVE HIM PRAISE HE DESERVES
I ENCOURAGE YOU THIS MORNING
PRAISE HIM
THANK HIM
WITH EVERYTHING THATS IN YOU
WORSHIP HIM THIS MORNING.
ARE YOU READY????
....…WORSHIP TEAM PLAY.......