Untitled Sermon (15)

“THE CHURCH HINDERED, BUT NOT SURRENDERD”

If you remember before Jesus left He gave his apostles instructions during those forty days after his crucifixion, as He showed Himself alive to them by many infallible proof that it was he who was talking to them.

The word infallible means:

incapable of making mistakes or being wrong, or Incapable of error;

· The meaning of ADJECTIVE is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun, or modify a noun or pronoun.

“INFALLIBLE” is an adjective.

o The reason an adjective is used in a person writing or speaking is to help us make the word that we are dealing with more specific, and make our word a whole lot more interesting.

In this conversations Jesus spoke to his disciples about things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. And in this conversation the word “INFALLIBLE” is used to drill home to these men things that they have already experience, but might not remember.

Acts 1:1-5 (KJV) 1  The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2  Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Verse 7-11, Jesus answered the question on their mind about when this would happen, it was not for you to know:

Acts 1:7-11 (KJV)

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Things that happened after Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem:

Acts 1:15-26,, the disciples replace the open position which was left by Judas committing suicide., with Matthias.

In Acts 2 chapter the promise of the Holy Ghost fell on the disciples as Jesus had promised.

50 Days after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God gave His Holy Spirit. At that moment the new creations; the sons of God, were born. The commandments of God were now written upon the hearts of the new man, the new creation, and not on tables of stone anymore. The Lord God prophesied about this in the Old Testament:

Did you know that 50 days after Passover, God gave His commandments (Torah) through Moses to His people (The Old Covenant). And did you know that 50 days after the crucifixion of Jesus, God gave His Commandment, by means of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, to the new creation: the new man.

The new man was the fulfillment of:

Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV) 33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We can follow the Holy Ghost at work in the 4-7 chapters of the book of Acts.

A lame man walk.

A lying man & his wife died because they lied in church.

The position of Deacon is birth and began to work in the church attending the tables of the church.

The first time but not the last time a Deacon was stoned by members of the church.

And Saul was the instigator of this incident.

ScriptIure :”The Church Hindered But Not Surrendered"

Scriptures: Acts 8:1-8

8:1a And Saul was consenting unto his death.

Isn’t it amazing that Saul name would be intruduced here in a negative way? If you think about it, Saul from this time in which he is first introduced to us, until he meet the one he think he is persecuting is seen only in a negative light. Why?

Because there are two biblical principles I like to show you that comes into place in Paul’s life founded in the bible:

Principle #1.

Galatians 6:7 (KJV) 7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Saul sowed bad seed against the church.

Principle #2.

Galatians 6:8 (KJV)  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Remember what Saul did against the church according to the bible:

In the 7th chapter of the book of Acts, a young man by the name of Stephen was preaching this great sermon about his people and the wrong things that they have done,,, that sermon so irritated those Jews that they:

stopped up their ears, signifying that they had heard enough.

They grabbed Stephen, carried him outside the city.

Prepared themselves to stone him to death,

They looked around for a truth worthy person, that would watch their cloats that they needed to pull off so as not to get them dirty.

They loosing up their shoulders so that they could really throw their stones at Stephen with all their might.

And the man they could all trust name was a very religious man by the name of “SAUL”

We can pick up the action in:

Acts 7:58-60 (KJV) 58  And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59  And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60  And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

And when Saul saw how much pleasure it brought to the Jews as they “KILLED” Stephen, that spirit rubbed off on Saul,,,, because if you will skip chapter 8 for just a second as I build my case, you will see that this event of the stoning of Stephen affect Saul in a way that caused him to start doing something that was never recorded in the bible that he did before.

Paul became a victim of the scripture:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (KJV) 33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

(Momma & them said, “Be careful who you hang around, because if you are not, you will start acting just like them”.

Don’t this sound like what Saul did? Follow me as I read from “THE LIVING BIBLE”

Acts 9:1-2 (TLB) 1  But Paul, threatening with every breath and eager to destroy every Christian, went to the High Priest in Jerusalem. 2  He requested a letter addressed to synagogues in Damascus, requiring their cooperation in the persecution of any believers he found there, both men and women, so that he could bring them in chains to Jerusalem.

Acts 8:1-8 (KJV) 1  And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

We started out introducing Saul coming on to the scene in a very, very negative.

2  And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3  As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4  Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. 5  Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6  And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7  For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8  And there was great joy in that city.

Acts 9:12-14 (KJV) 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14  And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 1

By occasion of the persecution in Jerusalem, the church being planted in Samaria, by Philip the deacon, who preached, did miracles, and baptized many, 1–8; among the rest Simon the sorcerer, a great seducer of the people, 9–13; Peter and John come to confirm and enlarge the church; where, by prayer and imposition of hands giving the Holy Ghost1