The Power that rose Christ from the dead

Introduction

Where do you get most of your information in life?

How do you know that what you believe is correct?

What happens when someone starts to question what you believe, or believes something contrary to what you believe?

Acts 17:22–25 ESV

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

The Unknown God

This word in Greek is where we get the word “agnostic”

These people want to have all their bases covered

Are you living like that?

Do you pray to God and worship him on Sunday to have that basis covered and do whatever you want the rest of the week?

Aseity

The Doctrine of Aseity is of God’s self-existence and complete independence from creation.

We need things, but God does not.

God is a being, we are becoming. Our being is not in ourselves.

Transion: What else did He do?

Acts 17:26–28 ESV

26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Unity/Diversity

We all came from 1 man, Adam. We are 1 race, the human race, with different levels of melanin in our skin

While we were divided through the fall and the tower of Babel, we are united in Christ.

Providence

We see God’s sustaining and active work: Determining the allotted periods of man and that in Him we live and breathe and have our being. We are made in His image.

Acts 17:29–31 (ESV)

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Universal Call

He commands every person to repent of their sins and believe in Him.

Why?

He has fixed a day when Jesus will righteously judge the world

Assuring this salvation by raising Him from the dead

Christ rose from the dead/importance of doctrine

Some of the primary issues of the Christian faith are Jesus’ virgin birth, sinless death, victorious resurrection, assuring ascension, and his return to judge.

It is of the utmost importance these are defended at all costs

However, some issues other than this are also primary:

The authority and sufficiency of Scripture

Salvation by grace alone

Through Faith alone

In Christ alone

For the Glory of God alone

There are aspects of the faith that you will need to defend because we are commanded to.

How do we do that? Knowing the Word and Trusting in the power of the Word.

Know and Trust the Word

How do we know the Word? Reading it, memorizing it, meditating on it, praying over it.

How do we trust the Word? Believe that it is True.

You don’t have to be an expert. You don't need to have perfect confidence, you just need to be able to give the reason why you believe and see the blatant contradiction of the opposition.

Change my mind series