The Power of Following God

March 17th 2024

Series: The Book of Acts HIStory

Sermon Title: The Power of Following God

Topic: Journey through the book of Acts.

Key Passages: Acts 28

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will see the power of a life devoted to God’s will and how nothing can stop God from working through someone.

Sermon:

Hello Family Church!

Family Moment –

Start with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know you.

PAUSE

Those of you who are new, or newer, to Family Church we are SUPER happy you are with us today!

Today, we finally reach the LAST chapter in the book of Acts!

Believe it or not, we started preaching through the book of Acts on May 1st, 2022.

This means we have invested almost 2 years into learning about the church that Jesus launched right after his resurrection.

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And I want to invite you back next week….especially if you started attending Family Church in the last two years….

Because next weekend we are going to recap the KEY learnings from the last two years in the Book of Acts….

And we will ALSO correlate what we learned to what God did during that time here at Family Church.

And I think many of you will be blow away as we see what God did in the first church ever and also what God has been doing here at Family Church…

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Also, do NOT forget that Easter is coming!

If you are not aware, Easter is on the 31st.

You need to be thinking about who you could invite to church with you because Easter and Christmas are those two services that, IF you invite people, they are VERY likely to come with you!

So think about your friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers that you could invite to come to church with you!

PAUSE

Let me catch up anyone who is new to Family Church just a little today.

The Book of Acts is all about the early church that launched right after Jesus rose from the dead and returned to heaven.

The end of the book, which we are in now, is about one of the most prolific church planters named Paul.

Paul at one point hated Jesus and the church he started.

Then one day Jesus appeared to him in a vision and his life changed completely and he started planting churches for Jesus.

Paul was recently arrested for planting churches for Jesus.

Last week, we saw Paul on his way to Rome for trial and how his ship got stuck in a BAD storm and ended up shipwrecked on an island.

PAUSE

Grab your Bibles….

I hope you all brought your Bible to church!

Either paper version or electronic!

Open it up to

Acts 28

New Person Bible Connection:

And if you do not have a Bible, that is ok!

After service, we will give you an AMAZING leather-bound study Bible!

Just go to ADD YOUR CAMPUS PLACE and get one for FREE!!!

PAUSE

Grab your Bibles, and let’s start reading….verse 1 of Acts 28….

Acts 28: 1-30 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.

Just a quick note here…

Throw the map up on the screens….

This is a map of Paul's journey from getting arrested in Jerusalem on the far right of the map….

To Rome in this chapter on the top left…

And in Acts 27, Paul got shipwrecked on Malta, which is just south of modern-day Italy, as you can see.

Remember…. the Bible is REAL life REAL stories!

Let’s keep reading….

2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.

3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.

That is what I call bad luck!!!

I HATE SNAKES! All snakes should die…

But you survive death out in the sea during a MASSIVE storm…

You survive a shipwreck…

ONLY to be bitten by a stupid snake!!!

What a bummer for Paul….

To die from a snake bite….

Not how I want to die…

And not how I would think Paul wants to die….

Let’s keep reading…

4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other,

“This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”

Ok so…their common superstition…just like a lot of us have with things…

5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.

OK pause here…keep that verse up there…

So I get throwing the snake into the fire…

They all should be condemned to hell…I agree with that LOL

But do you see what it said after that???

He suffered what church?

Read it for me????

NO ILL EFFECTS!!!!

How is that possible?

If a viper bites you….you die…

I mean I have traveled to remote places and I had to be careful to look for snakes because I knew if I was bitten I would die…

How is this possible?

PAUSE Well…the answer is in our sermon title…

The power of following God.

See church…here is the point…

Write this down…

When I follow God’s plan for my life, NOTHING can stop God’s plan!

Repeat

That is what we see in the life of Paul….

People in the community have tried to do ANYTHING to stop Paul and failed…

People in the religious community have tried to do ANYTHING to stop Paul and failed…

Roman leaders have tried to do ANYTHING to stop Paul and failed…

Satan has tried to do ANYTHING to stop Paul and failed…

Now even mother nature FAILED to stop Paul….

Litteral storms could not stop Paul.

Litteral shipwrecks could not stop Paul.

Litteral poisonous snakes cannot stop Paul!

NOTHING can stop Paul….

NOT BECAUSE OF PAUL….

But because of the mission Paul is on for God….

Because nothing can stop God…

Any of those things could have stopped Paul on his own…

But NONE of those things can stop Paul when he is on God’s mission!!

PAUSE

So here is when here at Family Church….we bring out the poisonous snakes and start passing them around to see who is living on mission for God and who is not….

So ushers if you want to start passing the snakes out that is cool….

LOL

I AM JUST KIDDING!!!!!

We are not a weirdo church like that!!!

Let’s keep reading and see the impact this has on the people who saw Paul bitten and not hurt by it… Verse 6….

6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead;

but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him,

they changed their minds and said he was a god.

Stop there…

They thought he was a God…

They cannot explain what happened outside a miracle…

And just like today…they knew….we know…

Only God can do miracles….

Let’s keep reading and then I want to show you something…

7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island.

He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days.

8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery.

Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.

9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.

10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Stop here for a minute….

The people all have seen Paul do so many miraculous things…

They think Paul is a God…

So, let’s stop here and put yourself in Paul’s shoes…

You are on trial….

You are on your way to Rome where you might end up being imprisoned for life or killed…

You are now on an Island where people think you are a God…

You could ask the people to kill all the Romans who are taking you to Rome.

You could ask the people to set you free.

You could use this as an opportunity to get yourself rich!

You could use this as an opportunity to do a LOT of things…

What would you do?

PAUSE

Paul….just served people…and apparently asked for nothing in return…

Wow…..

How different from how I would most likely act….

Let’s keep reading…

Paul’s Arrival at Rome

11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—

it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.

Pole-Locks….

Shout out to all of the Polish people!

12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days.

13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli.

14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.

15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.

Stop here, and let’s put that map back up….

All these places are marked on there…

They left Malta…

Went north to Syracuse…

Up Italy…

And there by Rome, you see the last 3 towns talked about.

PAUSE

Did you know that if you add up Paul’s journeys, you will find out he traveled OVER 10,000 miles and planned at least 14 churches in multiple countries!!!!

Paul spent somewhere around 30 years sailing around the Mediterranean basin, planting churches, and leading people toward Jesus…

And not to be a spoiler to this chapter, but Paul does not die here…

Paul will not die for some time…..

Paul was later executed in Rome at the order of Emperor Nero sometime between the years 62-64.

Let’s keep reading….

At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged.

16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them:

“My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors,

I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.

18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death.

19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar.

I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people.

20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”

21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.

22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”

23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying.

He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God,

and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.

24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.

Now let’s pause here and I want to point something out…

Leave that verse on the screens as well……

When we started this journey, I asked you all to note EVERY time in the book of Acts, it talks about winning people to Jesus and the church growing…

Right here in Chapter 28….

This marks the 28th time in the book of Acts that God found it important to tell us that they were winning people to Jesus and growing the church…

Almost seems like God really cares about ALL of us doing what we can to reach people for Jesus!

Almost seems like God wants His church to keep growing…

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I also want you all to note what the Bible says….

Look at Verse 24…

Let’s make sure we are clear about this….

Church……

Does that verse say Paul leads 100% of the people he talks to into a relationship with Jesus?

Does it church?

NO!!!!!

It says….

Some people listen….and accepted Jesus….

AND

Some people listened…and did NOT accept Jesus!

Church….

Jesus did not lead 100% of the people He interacted with to believe.

Paul…probably the best church planter in the world… did not lead 100% of the people He interacted with to believe.

So that should tell you and me something…..

Write this down….

My job is NOT to lead people to saving faith in Jesus, my job IS to do what God calls me to do to help people see Jesus.

Repeat

Church….

That is what you see in the life of Paul.

A guy who is simply following God’s call to go places…

To talk to people…

To challenge people….

To be a representation of Jesus to as many people as he can…

And some of those people will see God working through Paul and believe in Jesus…

And some people will CHOOSE NOT to see God working through Paul and believe in Jesus….

This is the same thing that will happen to you and me!

You will have some family members who see your changed life and it will lead them to faith in Jesus….

You will have some family members who see your changed life and do NOT like it….and it will not move them anywhere closer to Jesus….

That is 100% true in my life by the way!

And the same will go with your friends!

You will have some friends members who see your changed life and it will lead them to faith in Jesus….

You will have some friends who see your changed life and do NOT like it….and it will not move them anywhere closer to Jesus….

That is 100% true in my life by the way!

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But our job is NOT to win them to Jesus…

That is God’s job…

Our job is to just look like Jesus.

To act like Jesus.

So they have a chance to see Jesus and accept Jesus…

We plant the seeds….

We water seeds other people planted….

God is the harvester….NOT us….

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Let’s keep reading….verse 25…

25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement:

“The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”

[29] [b]

Now, if you are wondering why the B is in brackets…

That is because some older manuscripts of the Bible found more recently did not have that verse in it…

So it is removed and noted below in your study Bibles…

But it just said, “After this, the Jews left ARGUING vigorously among themselves.

It goes on to say…

30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.

31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

For TWO more years, Paul is under house arrest….

TWO years….he has no control over his life…

TWO MORE years…. He cannot travel and go where he wants…

Paul spent over 5 years in prison for Jesus.

Which means Paul spent almost 25% of his ministry life in jail or house arrest…

How many of you want to sign up to give your life to Jesus and then spend 25% of the rest of your life in prison or under house arrest???

ANYONE????

I didn’t think so….

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But I thought our sermon title was, “The POWER of Following God.”

I see the power in God saving Paul for all these bad things…

But why didn’t God save Paul from all this time in prison and house arrest????

Have you ever asked why church?

Why does God allow bad things to happen to us?

Why doesn’t God just allow the good stuff in our lives?

WHY allow bad things to happen to good people?

PAUSE

Church….

The answer is quite simple for Paul….

Before Paul ever accepted Jesus as his savior…

While Paul was still trying to stop this movement called the church…

God said he created Paul to bring the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles….

God said in Acts 9 God told us Paul was created to preach to Kings.

God said in Acts 9 BEFORE Paul ever gave his life to Jesus he would suffer to do all this...

And 100% of what God said in Acts 9….

That God CREATED Paul to do….

100% of that came true…

Because God’s word NEVER fails!

Write that down in closing church…

God’s word, God’s promises, NEVER fail!

Repeat

And church let me be clear….

Following God does not mean all sunshine and rainbows…

It does not mean your life will be easy…

It does not mean you will be rich…

BUT IT DOES MEAN…….

You will live the BEST version of your life!

It does mean you will be more full-filled than you can imagine!

Which is why you NEVER see Paul asking to get out of his situations!

Because Paul knows he can trust God!

And Paul knows….

That NO matter what this world throws at him it will NOT take him down!!!!

Because Paul knows….

Which I hope we will all learn….

As we said earlier….

When we are following God’s plan for our life…NOTHING can stop us!

Here at Family Church, we want to help you discover God’s plan for your life and then help you lean into that life!!!!

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Let me share your life application with you today….

For those of you who are new, or newer, to Family Church.

We end our messages with a Life Application.

It is simply something to help you go home and process this message with someone else.

Something to help you continue to ponder how you can applies todays message into your life.

So here is what I want you all to spend some time processing and talking with someone about.

Life Application: God has a plan for your life. Spend time this week asking God what he created you to do. Then start walking in that direction.

As a result of today’s message, I will ______________________________.

Prayer:

Make sure to do salvation call!

Offering:

Thank you all for being here today!

If you would like to continue your worship through giving, there are offering boxes by the doors as you exit or behind me on the screens you can see other ways to give here at Family Church.

You can also place any connection cards you filled out in there.

***Each week we want to highlight a different way to give.