WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.919 What makes a good story? And remember, this is 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:11.320 being recorded. Yeah. You don't know for sure 00:00:11.320 --> 00:00:15.259 where it's going. Randy, you would get very frustrated 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:17.719 watching a movie with my wife. Because within 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:21.239 10 minutes, my wife can guess the plot of a story 00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:23.500 or a show to the point where I'm like, why are 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:25.399 we even watching it? Because you're probably 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:28.870 right. So you don't know until the very end. 00:00:28.929 --> 00:00:31.989 Yeah, that makes a good story. Others? Lots of 00:00:31.989 --> 00:00:36.109 characters. Absolutely. Meeting lots of characters. 00:00:36.130 --> 00:00:44.869 Way in the back. Having a twist. Sorry, twist. 00:00:45.170 --> 00:00:47.210 I heard lisp, and that didn't make any sense. 00:00:47.590 --> 00:00:50.189 Having a lisp in the story. Okay, Mike Tyson. 00:00:50.369 --> 00:00:53.049 But no, having a twist in the story. Got it. 00:00:53.070 --> 00:01:00.359 Okay. Others? Yeah. A happy ending. Wow, I got 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:03.539 booed too today, right? I feel it. I see you, 00:01:03.579 --> 00:01:06.480 Linda. I do. Yeah, having a happy ending, right? 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:09.299 How many of you have ever seen the movie Little 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:11.659 Big League about the boy that takes over the 00:01:11.659 --> 00:01:16.140 Minnesota Twins? How many of you now fully hate 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:19.099 Ken Griffey Jr. because he catches what would 00:01:19.099 --> 00:01:22.310 have been the home run that won the game? That 00:01:22.310 --> 00:01:24.810 was probably one of the first stories or movies 00:01:24.810 --> 00:01:28.390 I watched where it didn't end well, right? Like 00:01:28.390 --> 00:01:30.390 Rookie of the Year. There's a baseball theme. 00:01:30.469 --> 00:01:32.170 I get it. But, you know, like Rookie of the Year, 00:01:32.250 --> 00:01:35.090 he floats it, right? And he strikes the guy out. 00:01:35.150 --> 00:01:38.609 All amazing movies. Then you get Little Big League, 00:01:38.670 --> 00:01:42.150 and Kenny Griffey Jr. ruins the entire. I'm not 00:01:42.150 --> 00:01:45.010 angry over it, right? I'm working through it 00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:48.269 clearly in therapy. Anyone else? What makes a 00:01:48.269 --> 00:01:54.120 good story? That's it, huh? All right. That's 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:55.500 the whole congregation saying, move on, Jim. 00:01:55.659 --> 00:02:02.420 Good. Twelve weeks ago, we began a journey with 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:05.120 that opening chapter in the book of Acts. Acts 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:09.080 chapter 1. We watched a risen Christ now ascend 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:14.310 into glory. We heard a no -nonsense call. Jesus 00:02:14.310 --> 00:02:17.050 was not mixing his words. Jesus was not talking 00:02:17.050 --> 00:02:20.810 in parable or hyperbole. He gave a call. You 00:02:20.810 --> 00:02:27.409 will be my witnesses. You will be my witnesses. 00:02:28.210 --> 00:02:31.229 We watch the spirit fall like a rushing wind. 00:02:31.650 --> 00:02:35.530 Tongues of fire in Pentecost. We watch the church 00:02:35.530 --> 00:02:39.449 find its feet. We watch the church find its courage. 00:02:39.669 --> 00:02:44.530 We watch the church find its voice. Over the 00:02:44.530 --> 00:02:46.610 last 12 weeks, we learned about the church's 00:02:46.610 --> 00:02:50.909 generosity, integrity, discipline, persecution, 00:02:51.469 --> 00:02:57.030 its mission, its martyrs, and its miracles. And 00:02:57.030 --> 00:02:59.969 through it all, we saw one repeated truth week 00:02:59.969 --> 00:03:03.530 after week after week. The church is unstoppable 00:03:03.530 --> 00:03:09.430 because the gospel is uncontainable. Think about 00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:13.050 that for just five seconds. The church is unstoppable 00:03:13.050 --> 00:03:16.789 because the gospel is uncontainable. Jesus and 00:03:16.789 --> 00:03:18.909 the gospel is doubled down when he says that 00:03:18.909 --> 00:03:22.710 the gates of hell will not prevail against it, 00:03:22.750 --> 00:03:27.150 though it tries. We sang through this story, 00:03:27.409 --> 00:03:30.090 which to me made it a really good story for us 00:03:30.090 --> 00:03:33.030 the last 12 weeks. We sang, Be Thou My Vision, 00:03:33.210 --> 00:03:37.150 our firm foundation. All hail the power of Jesus' 00:03:37.289 --> 00:03:40.979 name. I love to tell the story. Closer walk with 00:03:40.979 --> 00:03:44.639 thee. Talking about the church's one foundation 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:48.919 is Jesus Christ, her Lord. And I think that's 00:03:48.919 --> 00:03:51.539 a perfect way to end, right? That in Acts chapter 00:03:51.539 --> 00:03:54.800 8 is the moment the church discovers what her 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:57.599 foundation really is. They find out it's strong 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:01.240 enough to stand even when the ground around is 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:03.159 shaky. And this church has gone through shaky 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:06.080 times. 155 years, not everything's always been 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:11.159 great. But the church will go through shaky times. 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:15.800 Stephen has just been killed. Saul is breathing 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:19.920 threats. Persecution breaks out on that day. 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:24.019 And fear scatters the church. Which reminds us 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:26.699 of when else did fear scatter a group of people? 00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:31.579 The disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. But 00:04:31.579 --> 00:04:34.709 the scattering becomes... A mission. It becomes 00:04:34.709 --> 00:04:37.730 the seedbed of the mission. You see, God's not 00:04:37.730 --> 00:04:42.069 done with this story. Not then, not now, not 00:04:42.069 --> 00:04:45.269 in Munster, not in your home, and not in your 00:04:45.269 --> 00:04:48.129 life. So let's break down chapter 8, the first 00:04:48.129 --> 00:04:50.230 25 verses. Okay, we're going to be in chapter 00:04:50.230 --> 00:04:53.649 8 of Acts, the first 25 verses. We're going to 00:04:53.649 --> 00:04:57.470 start with verse 1 and go 1 through 4. I kind 00:04:57.470 --> 00:04:59.529 of entitle this to when the gospel's on the move, 00:04:59.629 --> 00:05:01.949 but this first point we're going to look at. 00:05:02.569 --> 00:05:07.290 is what looked like defeat becomes divine strategy. 00:05:07.790 --> 00:05:11.870 Okay? What looked like defeat becomes divine 00:05:11.870 --> 00:05:19.899 strategy. The first four verses. And Saul approved 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:23.720 of his execution, him being Stephen, right? And 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:26.939 there arose on that day a great persecution against 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:29.939 the church in Jerusalem. And they were all scattered 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:33.120 throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:36.399 the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:39.620 great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging 00:05:39.620 --> 00:05:42.560 the church and entering house after house. He 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:45.339 dragged off men and women and committed them 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:47.980 to prison. Now those who were scattered went 00:05:47.980 --> 00:05:52.959 about preaching the word. The church now scatters. 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:59.240 But everywhere they go, they preach Christ. Persecution 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:04.779 becomes a propelling of the gospel. Think about 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:07.019 that for a minute. Where there was persecution, 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:10.199 great persecution, being dragged out of your 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:12.439 house for what you believe, thrown into prison. 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:14.480 We don't know if any were killed. It doesn't 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:16.899 say that. My guess is they probably were, right? 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:18.740 They killed Stephen. So, I mean, they already 00:06:18.740 --> 00:06:21.720 crossed that line. But where persecution is, 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:25.120 there is a kind of a propelling of the gospel. 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:30.959 The enemies of God become unwitting missionaries 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:34.670 in this sense. They are pushing the gospel forward. 00:06:34.850 --> 00:06:38.230 Why? Because God doesn't waste anything. God's 00:06:38.230 --> 00:06:41.329 not wasting this movement. God's not going, oh, 00:06:41.449 --> 00:06:44.670 shucks, I didn't see that coming. God is using 00:06:44.670 --> 00:06:47.829 this. So let's see where this movement is starting 00:06:47.829 --> 00:06:51.110 to go in verse 5, where Philip brings the gospel 00:06:51.110 --> 00:06:54.550 not to just another church, not to just another 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:56.829 people like him. No, he brings it into enemy 00:06:56.829 --> 00:07:01.870 territory, starting with verse 5. Philip went 00:07:01.870 --> 00:07:03.870 down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to 00:07:03.870 --> 00:07:07.050 them the Christ. And the crowds, with no one 00:07:07.050 --> 00:07:10.250 accord, paid attention to what was being said 00:07:10.250 --> 00:07:13.550 by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs 00:07:13.550 --> 00:07:16.709 that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out 00:07:16.709 --> 00:07:19.990 with a loud voice, came out of many who had them. 00:07:20.149 --> 00:07:23.069 And many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 00:07:23.170 --> 00:07:28.269 So there was much joy in the city. Little rabbit 00:07:28.269 --> 00:07:31.069 trail side note, you can follow where all of 00:07:31.069 --> 00:07:32.769 the disciples and the apostles are scattered 00:07:32.769 --> 00:07:35.910 to. You can find them online as well. And once 00:07:35.910 --> 00:07:37.550 you find one, it'll be in your algorithm and 00:07:37.550 --> 00:07:39.610 you'll probably get all the other ones. It's 00:07:39.610 --> 00:07:41.709 fascinating what happens when they go to those 00:07:41.709 --> 00:07:43.930 cities. Some are still intact and most of them 00:07:43.930 --> 00:07:46.470 still have some kind of monument to that individual 00:07:46.470 --> 00:07:50.129 for the work that was done in those cities. But 00:07:50.129 --> 00:07:53.750 here we have Samaria, a place that Jews avoided. 00:07:55.660 --> 00:07:57.800 If I asked all of you to think of three places 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.279 that you avoid in your life, location -wise, 00:08:00.459 --> 00:08:02.920 my guess is it doesn't take that long to think 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.399 of them. A place of hostility, a place of heresy, 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:10.079 a place of hurt, and yet what happens? A great 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:15.740 joy enters the city because of Christ. Where 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:19.139 the world sees barriers, God sees a harvest. 00:08:20.779 --> 00:08:25.259 So even in enemy territory. So, if I'm going 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:27.740 to look at the, I don't know, 250 people that 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:31.319 are here today, when you are scattered around 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:34.179 for the gospel, when you take the seeds of Jesus 00:08:34.179 --> 00:08:37.080 out, we're not all going to go to the same places. 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:39.840 Right? We're not all going to go to the same 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.320 locations. We're not going to talk to the same 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:45.960 people. The gospel gets spread out. That's how 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:48.399 it should go. You will be my witnesses to the 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:54.460 ends of the earth. Simon. We have a pretty interesting 00:08:54.460 --> 00:08:58.419 one in verses 9 to 13. Simon the magician shows 00:08:58.419 --> 00:09:00.879 the danger of believing for wrong reasons. So 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.279 the gospel isn't always just going to be healing 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:07.279 and teaching. It may be debate. It may be, not 00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:10.399 arguments, but it may be kind of proving or disproving 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:14.950 of things, starting with verse 9. But there was 00:09:14.950 --> 00:09:17.509 a man named Simon who had previously practiced 00:09:17.509 --> 00:09:20.809 magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:23.830 saying that he himself was somebody great. They 00:09:23.830 --> 00:09:27.500 all paid attention to him. the least to the greatest, 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:30.620 saying, this man is the power of God that is 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:32.799 called great. And they paid attention to him 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:35.379 because for a long time he had amazed them with 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:39.500 his magic. But when they believed Philip as he 00:09:39.500 --> 00:09:42.059 preached good news about the kingdom of God and 00:09:42.059 --> 00:09:43.960 the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:47.700 both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:51.059 And after being baptized, he continued with Philip. 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.399 And seeing signs and great miracles performed, 00:09:53.679 --> 00:10:00.620 he was amazed. Simon the magician. Now the word 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:03.000 magician here, right, in the Greek is a little 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:05.860 strange, right? Because when you think of magician, 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:09.120 right, in nowadays, it's probably pretty weird. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.440 It was more demonic and dark back then, right? 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:14.460 It was more magicians and the occult were kind 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:17.360 of a thing, right? The dark arts, if you will. 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:20.679 But at the end, what happens? He loves... He 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:23.580 loved power more than Jesus. He wants the Spirit's 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:26.639 gifts without the Spirit's lordship. He wanted 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:30.379 to show signs and wonders that really meant nothing. 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:35.120 It was all trickery. It was all false. So what 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:38.559 happens? Peter's rebuke reveals the heart of 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:42.159 discipleship. Why? Because you can't buy the 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:44.779 gospel. You can only surrender to it. People 00:10:44.779 --> 00:10:47.879 that did all of these things without falling. 00:10:48.409 --> 00:10:51.809 in submission to Christ, it wasn't the gospel. 00:10:51.929 --> 00:10:54.649 That was all darkness. People that live in darkness 00:10:54.649 --> 00:10:57.289 have seen a great light. Where does that come 00:10:57.289 --> 00:10:58.570 from? We're going to talk about it in the season 00:10:58.570 --> 00:11:01.549 of Advent. That the light is starting to change 00:11:01.549 --> 00:11:04.929 lives. It's starting to drop scales, if you will. 00:11:05.029 --> 00:11:07.450 That's a foreshadow to Saul and Paul, but we 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:10.009 won't get there in this sermon series. It's coming, 00:11:10.090 --> 00:11:12.649 though. Don't worry. You can't buy the gospel. 00:11:12.870 --> 00:11:16.600 You can only surrender to it. So in verse 14, 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:19.399 we see that the Spirit falls through the apostles. 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:24.139 So the Spirit, in verses 14, we're going to see 00:11:24.139 --> 00:11:26.600 that the Spirit is going to continue to work. 00:11:26.620 --> 00:11:28.700 The Spirit falls through the apostles, where 00:11:28.700 --> 00:11:32.559 we see, starting with verse 14. Now when the 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:34.840 apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:37.379 received the word of God, they sent them to Peter 00:11:37.379 --> 00:11:40.360 and John who came down and prayed for them that 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:43.200 they might receive the Holy Spirit. For he had 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:47.759 not yet fallen on them, but they had only been 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:50.120 baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:52.539 they laid their hands on them and they received 00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:55.000 the Holy Spirit. Friends, this is an important 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:58.600 part of mission work for all of those that have 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:02.519 gone on mission trips. Right? You probably have 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:05.240 planted some kind of seed. But guess what? The 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:07.519 mission trip week is over and you go back home. 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:11.899 God doesn't go, well, they had their shot. That 00:12:11.899 --> 00:12:14.000 seed's going to expire. No, God's going to bring 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.200 other people to come and help cultivate that. 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:18.960 We see that in churches all the time. We see 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:21.480 it in ministries all the time. Someone may receive 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:23.980 the gospel here on a Sunday morning, but then 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:25.659 throughout the week someone else may cultivate 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:28.840 it. Because God can do that. We don't always 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:32.679 get to cultivate the seeds that we drop. But 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:35.460 God calls us to drop those seeds. God calls us 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:39.679 to bring the gospel. This is not a second tier 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:42.419 Christianity. This is a God officially welcoming 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:46.519 the Samaritans into the one church. They've been 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:49.399 baptized. Now what? Get into a church. Get into 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:52.940 a fellowship. Start working together. Jerusalem, 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:57.269 Judea, Samaria. God is building a people from 00:12:57.269 --> 00:13:01.669 every place, every background, and every story. 00:13:04.070 --> 00:13:05.850 But then we're also going to see some things 00:13:05.850 --> 00:13:08.730 not go the way they're supposed to go. Right? 00:13:08.830 --> 00:13:12.470 In verse 18, Simon's misguided request. So we're 00:13:12.470 --> 00:13:14.529 going to see this kind of lived out in verse 00:13:14.529 --> 00:13:17.690 18. How does this play out in reality? Now when 00:13:17.690 --> 00:13:20.779 Simon saw that the Spirit was given... Through 00:13:20.779 --> 00:13:23.980 the laying on the apostles' hands, he offered 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:26.480 them money, saying, Give me this power also, 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.460 so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:34.340 the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him, May your 00:13:34.340 --> 00:13:37.139 silver perish with you, because you thought you 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:39.919 could obtain the gift of God with money. You 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:43.779 have neither part nor lot in this matter, for 00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:47.629 your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore 00:13:47.629 --> 00:13:52.190 of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord 00:13:52.190 --> 00:13:54.610 that if possible the intent of your heart may 00:13:54.610 --> 00:13:59.769 be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the 00:13:59.769 --> 00:14:03.149 gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. 00:14:03.330 --> 00:14:07.250 And Simon answered, pray for me to the Lord that 00:14:07.250 --> 00:14:10.629 nothing of what you have said may come upon me. 00:14:11.929 --> 00:14:15.220 So you got things going on. Right? And I hear 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:17.360 this. I've experienced this on mission trips 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:20.460 in my life where people see the work of the Lord 00:14:20.460 --> 00:14:22.840 and they want to manufacture it themselves. That's 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:25.379 not how it works. Right? It's another reason 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:29.259 why we don't see what God's doing in other areas 00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:31.860 of northwest Indiana or southwest suburbs and 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:33.580 go, we've got to create our own version of that. 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:36.980 No. If the kingdom is inbreaking over here or 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:38.700 over there or over there or over there, let's 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:41.399 go get involved in it. It doesn't all have to 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:46.309 happen at 214 Ridge Road. But we see, what does 00:14:46.309 --> 00:14:48.649 Simon want? What is his request? He wants to 00:14:48.649 --> 00:14:53.710 use God rather than be used by God. Think about 00:14:53.710 --> 00:14:58.070 that one. He wants to be used by God, right? 00:14:58.129 --> 00:15:00.529 Or he wants to use God rather than be used by 00:15:00.529 --> 00:15:03.950 God. He wants to take credit for something that 00:15:03.950 --> 00:15:07.889 God is doing. Maybe you know people like that 00:15:07.889 --> 00:15:10.730 in your life. Maybe just, maybe you can get there 00:15:10.730 --> 00:15:14.470 in your life. But friends, let's call a spade 00:15:14.470 --> 00:15:17.889 a spade this morning. We can't handle that. Because 00:15:17.889 --> 00:15:20.190 we're not sovereign. We're not almighty. We are 00:15:20.190 --> 00:15:24.950 not holy. God is. He's the one doing it. Peter's 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:28.470 reply is pastoral and prophetic. Your heart is 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:34.049 not right before God. Okay? Repentance, not power, 00:15:34.129 --> 00:15:38.950 is the gateway to life. You see how quickly people 00:15:38.950 --> 00:15:42.269 want to manufacture the movement? but they don't 00:15:42.269 --> 00:15:47.279 want to surrender their soul. How many of you, 00:15:47.320 --> 00:15:48.440 you don't have to raise your hands, I just want 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.000 you to think about it. How many of you growing 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.820 up ever went to a camp or a mission trip or some 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:54.759 kind of experience and you got that spiritual 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:58.620 high? I know I did it all the time. I didn't 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:01.460 say raise your hand. But it's one of those things 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:04.179 that we do that. In youth ministry, we see it 00:16:04.179 --> 00:16:06.019 all the time. We go on retreats, we go on that, 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:07.919 and those are good things. They're impactful. 00:16:08.139 --> 00:16:11.240 It means that the week made a difference. Maybe 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:14.080 eyes are open. Maybe we give our life to the 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:16.000 Lord. Maybe we rededicate our life. of the Lord. 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:20.960 Whatever vernacular you use, then all of a sudden, 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:22.960 two weeks later, it's like nothing's different. 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:27.720 There is movement going on, but it's the surrendering 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:31.720 to a life forever changed is the mark of the 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:36.720 believer. Now, in Reformed tradition, you know, 00:16:36.740 --> 00:16:39.980 we don't baptize people more than once, okay? 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:42.899 And we're not going to dive too deep into this, 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.019 because some of you may have been baptized more 00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:47.279 than once, right? That doesn't mean you're not 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:49.580 getting into heaven, but in Reformed theology, 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:52.720 we believe that when you are baptized, that the 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:55.480 Holy Spirit is all over, that God is present 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:58.740 in that, and he doesn't make a mistake. We believe 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:01.700 in Romans 10, 9, if you confess Jesus is Lord, 00:17:01.779 --> 00:17:03.620 believe in your heart God raised him from the 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:08.220 dead, you will be saved. But the mark of a saved 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:13.599 person, is a changed life and friends it's not 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:16.599 just for two weeks it's not just for the weekend 00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:19.799 you get back from a trip it's not from maybe 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:21.660 you're feeling the holy spirit on a sunday morning 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:24.940 and that rest of that sunday is great even better 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:28.680 if the bears win but then on monday everything 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:31.180 just seems to fall back You're trying to ride 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:34.039 the high of the Holy Spirit. That's not how it 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.660 works. A life completely surrendered to God is 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:41.140 going to fight against that roller coaster every 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:46.700 day to be that steady, changed believer. Repentance, 00:17:46.700 --> 00:17:51.799 not power, is the gateway to life. Because the 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:55.390 gospel's moving. The gospel keeps moving on and 00:17:55.390 --> 00:17:58.309 on. Notice how it doesn't just stop and go, we've 00:17:58.309 --> 00:18:00.609 done enough. Here it is. No, because the gospel 00:18:00.609 --> 00:18:03.289 is going to go to the end of the earth. We're 00:18:03.289 --> 00:18:09.569 not quite there yet. Verse 25. Now, when they 00:18:09.569 --> 00:18:12.190 had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, 00:18:12.289 --> 00:18:14.890 they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel 00:18:14.890 --> 00:18:19.809 to many villages of the Samaritans. You see, 00:18:19.849 --> 00:18:23.009 the story doesn't stall out. The word spreads. 00:18:23.589 --> 00:18:26.589 The witnesses keep going. The witnesses keep 00:18:26.589 --> 00:18:29.490 witnessing. The power is still working. There's 00:18:29.490 --> 00:18:33.529 more witnesses. Even when this chapter ends, 00:18:33.809 --> 00:18:38.970 God keeps writing. Friends, I so want to continue 00:18:38.970 --> 00:18:40.789 on. I know a lot of you do too in the book of 00:18:40.789 --> 00:18:43.750 Acts. And we'll get there. I'm currently writing 00:18:43.750 --> 00:18:46.269 one that we're going to continue. But we've got 00:18:46.269 --> 00:18:50.170 to get to Advent. Because the reason for the 00:18:50.170 --> 00:18:55.269 witness is coming. He comes as a baby born in 00:18:55.269 --> 00:18:58.390 a manger, but we're going to get there. Why? 00:18:58.490 --> 00:19:01.950 Because God writes the best chapters after the 00:19:01.950 --> 00:19:05.210 worst moments. So going back to the beginning 00:19:05.210 --> 00:19:09.950 of chapter 8, Stephen just died, just murdered, 00:19:10.069 --> 00:19:14.230 just martyred. I'm sure Stephen's death felt 00:19:14.230 --> 00:19:17.890 like the end. But Acts 8 proves to be more of 00:19:17.890 --> 00:19:21.309 a beginning, doesn't it? A rebirth. Persecution 00:19:21.309 --> 00:19:24.329 becomes mission. Brokenness becomes breakthrough. 00:19:25.690 --> 00:19:29.329 It is God's way. And it's the way he's always 00:19:29.329 --> 00:19:34.869 done it. Resurrection always follows death. So 00:19:34.869 --> 00:19:37.390 what does that mean for us today? Maybe there's 00:19:37.390 --> 00:19:40.789 a sin that keeps just active in your life. Maybe 00:19:40.789 --> 00:19:44.509 you've kind of died to it every once in a while. 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:47.720 but you've never resurrected from it. Remember, 00:19:47.819 --> 00:19:49.480 in order to fully resurrect, you have to fully 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:51.980 die. We have to kill those things in our life. 00:19:52.180 --> 00:19:55.039 We have to put to death those things that are 00:19:55.039 --> 00:20:00.079 taking us away from the mission of God. And it's 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:03.539 only through God's help we can do that. Resurrection 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:07.140 will always follow death. Another point that 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:10.200 we can pull from this section of Acts chapter 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:13.240 8 is that there's nowhere the gospel cannot go. 00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:17.920 Hear that for you and for me. You may actually 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:21.380 think about that in life. I can't bring the gospel 00:20:21.380 --> 00:20:24.920 to insert wherever here. Friend, that's wrong. 00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:29.319 There's nowhere the gospel cannot go. Not Samaria, 00:20:29.460 --> 00:20:32.900 not hostile hearts, not wounded places, not broken 00:20:32.900 --> 00:20:36.099 families, not in our schools, not in Northwest 00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:39.519 Indiana. The church's one foundation guarantees 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:44.119 the church's unstoppable mission. So as you are 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:47.640 being called to go, stop throwing up roadblocks 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:49.720 thinking, oh, the gospel's not going to work 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:52.380 over there. Guess what? It's not for you to work 00:20:52.380 --> 00:20:55.960 it out. It's for you to drop the seeds. It's 00:20:55.960 --> 00:21:00.099 for you to bring the message. Why? Because we're 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:03.859 called. Our calling is not to control outcomes, 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:09.119 but to be faithful witnesses. And this is a little 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:15.059 sermon for all of my type A's. We cannot control 00:21:15.059 --> 00:21:19.700 the outcomes. As a fellow type A at times, I 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:22.519 bind when I hear this. I like to think that I 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:24.980 can. I like to think that I have the data. I 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:27.279 have the analysis. I have the skill set. I have 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:29.599 the this. I have the that. Guess what? You don't. 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:31.380 The gospel has you. You don't have the gospel. 00:21:32.579 --> 00:21:35.240 The gospel is controlling your life if you are 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:38.059 a believer. Those scattered believers didn't 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:40.700 have a strategy plan. They didn't have buildings 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:44.200 or budgets. They had Jesus. And I just said that 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:46.420 two weeks before we may be voting on a building 00:21:46.420 --> 00:21:51.250 project. And they had enough to turn their cities 00:21:51.250 --> 00:21:56.730 upside down. They didn't have a strategy plan, 00:21:56.910 --> 00:22:00.970 but they had Jesus, and that was enough. Now, 00:22:00.990 --> 00:22:03.589 there's nothing wrong with strategy. There's 00:22:03.589 --> 00:22:08.029 nothing wrong with having a plan. But for too 00:22:08.029 --> 00:22:11.029 many of us, when God brings us into something, 00:22:11.150 --> 00:22:13.450 God puts something on our heart, on our minds, 00:22:13.529 --> 00:22:17.390 we sit. We sit at our desk, we sit in our car, 00:22:17.529 --> 00:22:20.079 we sit in wherever. Our kids are probably not 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:23.619 because we can't concentrate. And we write that 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:26.119 plan. And really what we're doing is we're just 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:29.200 writing reasons why I can't do it. I'm just writing 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:32.420 reasons why I can't do what you're asking, God, 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:34.500 because of this, that, or the other thing. I 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:40.980 just can't do it. If God is calling you, guess 00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:45.759 what? You can. And we should. Because that is 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:48.759 the church. Because the real power, friend, it's 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:51.500 nothing we can craft with our hands. It's nothing 00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:53.779 we can build. It's nothing that comes out of 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:56.839 us. It's what comes into us first. The real power 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:00.099 of the gospel is not magic. It's not manipulation 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:05.259 or spectacle, but transformation. And we are 00:23:05.259 --> 00:23:08.059 not the ones doing it. God is working through 00:23:08.059 --> 00:23:11.799 us. Philip preaches, the Spirit moves, lives 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:16.039 change. Joy comes. The world cannot explain it. 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:20.039 Friends, this wasn't a show. This was salvation. 00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:24.700 This was salvation at work. So where do we find 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:29.700 ourselves? Where have you found yourself in the 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:33.299 last 12 weeks? I don't know about you, but every 00:23:33.299 --> 00:23:35.539 week there was something like, ooh, that one 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:38.539 was for me. Ooh, that one was for me. Not out 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:42.259 of a selfishness, but... Though I'm pastoring 00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:44.279 this church, I'm called to a mission and a vision 00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:48.059 just like you are. We're called to bring the 00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:50.740 story. Because guess what? The story doesn't 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:54.819 end with us. It just continues through us. It 00:23:54.819 --> 00:23:58.319 doesn't stop with you. I love you enough to say 00:23:58.319 --> 00:24:03.299 we're not that big of deals. Right? If it stopped 00:24:03.299 --> 00:24:06.819 with our story. Right? If you leave the ministry 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:09.400 you're in, I leave this church, and everything 00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:13.240 stops, guess who it wasn't about? It wasn't about 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:18.359 Jesus. It was about me. It was about you. The 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:20.299 story doesn't end with us. It just continues 00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:23.400 through us. The title of this sermon is not the 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:26.240 summary of Acts. It's a declaration for Munster 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:29.930 Church. It's a declaration for me. God's not 00:24:29.930 --> 00:24:32.309 done with this story. He's not done with your 00:24:32.309 --> 00:24:34.869 life. He's not done with this church. He's not 00:24:34.869 --> 00:24:37.250 done with our neighborhood. He's not done with 00:24:37.250 --> 00:24:39.910 this moment in history. He's not done with the 00:24:39.910 --> 00:24:44.849 mission of our world. I don't know about you, 00:24:44.930 --> 00:24:48.130 but there's hope in that, right? That every day, 00:24:48.130 --> 00:24:51.569 if I can find that hope of the gospel, that hope 00:24:51.569 --> 00:24:55.880 of what God is doing. That maybe, just maybe, 00:24:55.960 --> 00:24:57.920 I'm a little more comfortable, I'm a little more 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:00.059 ready, I'm a little more understanding of what 00:25:00.059 --> 00:25:03.140 God is doing and I want to step in. But for those 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:08.319 moments I'm not, where that hope is zero, God's 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:11.380 still going to call you. God doesn't call you 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:14.660 when you're ready or when you think you're ready. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:18.819 God calls you when he knows you're ready. There's 00:25:18.819 --> 00:25:22.299 a difference. You see, Acts ends this series. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:25.880 With the gospel moving outward to unexpected 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:30.559 places. And I know, and this isn't even a statistic 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:33.660 I'm going to make up. I bet 80 % of us hate that. 00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:37.750 We would love to know. Where God's going to call 00:25:37.750 --> 00:25:40.150 us. We'd love to be able to expect this is where 00:25:40.150 --> 00:25:42.029 God's going to go. Because I can put it on my 00:25:42.029 --> 00:25:44.789 calendar. I can plan and prepare for it. I can 00:25:44.789 --> 00:25:46.829 call my elder or my deacon or my friend. They 00:25:46.829 --> 00:25:49.190 can go with me. We can have this all set up in 00:25:49.190 --> 00:25:50.990 a nice box and we're going to go. That's not 00:25:50.990 --> 00:25:53.390 how it happens. Why? Because it didn't in the 00:25:53.390 --> 00:25:55.390 book of Acts. We can't expect it to be for us. 00:25:58.230 --> 00:26:01.329 That gospel is moving outward to unexpected places 00:26:01.329 --> 00:26:07.240 carried by ordinary scattered believers. Well, 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:09.559 I don't know about you, but isn't that the same 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:12.519 as the season of Advent? Advent begins with the 00:26:12.519 --> 00:26:16.180 prophets. The same thing. Voices crying out in 00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:19.039 dark places, bringing hope where hope is thin. 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:21.539 In the Old Testament, where we're going to be 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:23.960 for the next month, it's the people searching 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:27.240 for the Messiah, looking forward to the Messiah. 00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:30.660 Acts is going, this is the Messiah. This is what 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:34.000 he's done. There's a connection here. That Acts 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:37.920 begins waiting for the promise. Advent begins 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:42.299 waiting for the Messiah. Acts shows the gospel 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:46.359 breaking into Samaria. And Advent shows hope 00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:50.539 breaking into Bethlehem. Acts reminds us the 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:54.160 story isn't over. And Advent reminds us the story 00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:58.220 is heading towards fulfillment. The Greek word, 00:26:58.339 --> 00:27:01.519 Elpis, means hope. That rests on a certainty. 00:27:01.660 --> 00:27:04.000 It's not wishful thinking. It's not a genie in 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:08.480 the lamp. It's actual hope. And that's where 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:11.180 we're going to go starting next Sunday. Advent's 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:14.599 not just nostalgia. It's a confident proclamation 00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:18.000 that God is not done with his story. He is still 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:23.700 fulfilling his promises. So friends, we end this 00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:28.000 series with a confidence that the same God who 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:32.930 built his church, He built it with fire and wind 00:27:32.930 --> 00:27:36.109 in the book of Acts. He is the God who sends 00:27:36.109 --> 00:27:41.990 his son as the hope of the nations. And he is 00:27:41.990 --> 00:27:46.009 the God who will lead Munster Church, you and 00:27:46.009 --> 00:27:49.269 me, our businesses, our towns, our families, 00:27:49.390 --> 00:27:53.549 our schools, in mission, in unity, and in joy. 00:27:54.609 --> 00:27:58.250 A declaration we can sing in the season of Advent. 00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:02.000 It's the same that we sung in this series. The 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:05.460 church's one foundation truly is Jesus Christ 00:28:05.460 --> 00:28:10.019 the Lord. They were looking for it. We are standing 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:14.619 on it. And friends, he will finish what he started. 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:20.920 In Acts, in the world, in this church, in us. 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:26.119 God's not done with this story. He's calling 00:28:26.119 --> 00:28:29.619 us to tell it. He's calling us to live it out. 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:33.140 And he's calling us to carry it with a hope, 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:37.920 with an elpis. Into this season of Advent. Through 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:42.799 the taste and see soup supper. Through the candlelight 00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:45.359 service that evening. Through the relationships. 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:48.119 The Christmas parties. The get togethers that 00:28:48.119 --> 00:28:50.339 you're going to have in this upcoming season. 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:53.539 As we look back on a year that was. As we toll 00:28:53.539 --> 00:28:56.460 the bells for those that we have lost. And celebrate 00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:00.420 those that have come. We're not looking towards 00:29:00.420 --> 00:29:03.289 something we don't understand. We're standing 00:29:03.289 --> 00:29:07.349 on someone that gives us life and life to the 00:29:07.349 --> 00:29:11.069 fullest. And we do it with hope. Please stand 00:29:11.069 --> 00:29:15.490 if you are able. Let us pray our final closing 00:29:15.490 --> 00:29:19.190 prayer in unison together. This week it's two 00:29:19.190 --> 00:29:23.529 slides. So we pray together. Lord Jesus Christ, 00:29:23.769 --> 00:29:27.670 our foundation and our hope, you began a good 00:29:27.670 --> 00:29:30.450 work in your church and you will carry it to 00:29:30.450 --> 00:29:33.640 completion. Give us courage like the believers 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:38.140 in Acts, joy like the Samaritans, clarity like 00:29:38.140 --> 00:29:42.039 Philip, and faithfulness like Stephen. As we 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:46.380 enter Advent, fill us with true elipis, hope 00:29:46.380 --> 00:29:49.960 grounded in your promise. Use us as witnesses 00:29:49.960 --> 00:29:53.680 in this community for your glory and your mission.