Book of Acts Blueprint: No One Tried to Stop Him

Vision 2018: Forward Message Title Psalm 127:1 Introduction: I. Life A. Regarding man kind Solomon writes, “Ecclesiastes 2:23 For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest.” The life of Paul & his journeys were certainly not one of luxury & comfort. As a Christ-follower he seemed to be under constant scrutiny, at one point when he couldn’t seem to get an answer he prayed three times & the LORD told him, His grace is sufficient. Many times beaten, stoned, went without food & water, left for dead often threatened by murder. But he decreed, “Rejoice in the LORD always, and again I say rejoice.” The final few years recorded in Acts reveals his imprisonment, mistreatment, false accusations, shipwrecked & snake bit by a deadly viper. Yet Paul lived by the words, “None of these things move me.” Inscribed on his heart was, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Words he may have quoted often, “We wrestle not against flesh & blood.” Recognizing the war is against principalities, powers & spiritual wickedness in high places. He didn’t fear by the fact that “If God be for us who can be against us?” He knew the grace of God was real because he declared himself to be Chief among sinners. He lived by the standard that all have sinned, the wages of sin is death, but God’s gift is eternal life if you confess Jesus risen from the dead, believing in your heart Jesus is LORD. He had the understanding that wisdom comes from God & the LORD will open spiritual eyes to comprehend the deep things of God as the Spirit of God reveals them. Paul saw his life as going from glory to glory. And everything in this life was as dung compared the gift of God. Also lived by the understanding of the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! Romans 11:33 - He operated his life by the gifts of the Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (BIBLE) Romans 8:28 (BIBLE) {Read Below} The verse which may best describe certainly the last few chapters of Acts if not the entire Christian life of Paul; Romans‬ 8:28And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” NLT‬‬ The Book of Acts ends with - - - II. No One Tried to Stop Him: And We Know Though the Word says And no one tried to stop him, the enemy had done everything to block him but couldn’t. May you & I, the Church adopt that resolve not to allow the adversary to hinder or turn us away from Mission, Vison, Purpose. Romans 8:18I don’t think the sufferings we are going through now are even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us in the future. CJB Remember the application: Trusting God’s Wisdom. A. All Things a. Each individual life-event is as one in the big picture. We judge most days as a day separate while God has scheduled each moment of your life. b. I.e. an artist's canvass consists of many colors, brush strokes & even different brushes each individual event comprises the one finished picture. aac B. Work Together a. Work together - events in your life are not isolated, they each work to bring you to maturity & advance the Kingdom of God. b. Paul spoke of going from glory to glory. Romans 8:18So all of us, with faces unveiled, see as in a mirror the glory of the Lord; and we are being changed into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit. 1. This answers why "All things Work Together" because God is making you more like Him, changing you into His very image. 2. Paul understood the "Things" he encountered & endured was to bring him into the likeness of the LORD he served. C. For Good a. Because as James says, "James 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights" Life should be measured on an eternal scale, not like being "good" to win the lottery which is very temporary. b. What is it Jeremiah says? Jeremiah 29:11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. c. All Things Work Together for Good because that is the plan of the One who has seen the end from the beginning. D. Love God a. God is love, so anything that comes from Him is love. So, God loving this world is His Divine will in deliberate choice Romans 5:8. b. A command from Father is to love Him with all your heart, soul & strength. c. God's love is seen in the gift of His Son. 1 John 4:9God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. NLT‬‬ E. Called According to His Purpose a. God should be your business manager as you are "called according to His purpose." He, again because He has seen the end from the beginning has insight to managing the affairs of your life unlike any human knowledge or ability. b. Ephesians 1:11Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 3:8Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. Ephesians 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. 10God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. 12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. c. Do you understand, the purpose, will & plan of The Almighty will be completed with or without you? Wisdom demands it is best to follow that plan. III. It’s not the End, the Church is to Live out this Book of Acts… A. On this final voyage recorded in Acts, Paul says, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.” 11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.” Though his words were not listened to & it did end in shipwreck, God used it to the advantage of His Kingdom. B. The reason we can do this is because of the resurrection of Christ. - He asks us to: * Repent * Live by Faith * Be Baptized * Be Filled with His Spirit Conclusion: PRESENT THE GOSPEL FOR SALVATION – EVERY WEEK – AND THE NEED TO COME FORWARD IN PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF CHRIST