Sunday, June 3, 2012

Becoming Vessels of Change


Series: The Radical New life
Sermon: Becoming Vessels of Change
Scripture: Acts 3:1-10
  • Our lives become the new battleground between Heaven and hell. 
  • Nothing we do is benign. Everything has an eternal weightiness.
  • The Spirit that empowered Jesus for his miraculous work is living within us NOW:
      • Generating power (Acts 1)
      • Developing Character (Gal 5) that allows us to love God more than power
      • Lifting us into the presence of God (1 Cor 2 & Eph 2:2) *revelation/dwelling
      • Unifying us across dividing walls (Gal 3 & Colossians 3, Acts 4,)
      • Manifesting the glory of God’s Kingdom (Acts 2, Acts 8, Acts 10)
  • The greatest affront to God is the LIFE OF A BELIEVER that is lived void of the power and grace and character and authority that God offers His children. To do so is equivalent to denying His existence!!
  • When the Disciples asked Jesus about restoring the sovereignty of Israel they were in essence saying “Are you now going to do what you neglected to do pre-mortem?
    • Jesus wasn’t sloughing off. The highest priority for Christ is Kingdom principles...not personal ones, racial ones, financial ones, political ones, national ones, etc. All that we do should enhance the Kingdom.

  • Speaking of the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit “translates” us into the Kingdom for us by:
      • Inaugurating us into it
      • Holding us there as residents
      • Communicating the heart of the Father to us
      • Helping us to communicate to the FAther
      • Changing our hearts and actions via conviction and transformation
  • The HOLY Spirit is constantly at work in us, around us and on our behalf for on purpose: To send us! The Spirit of God brings the missionary nature of God into our lives and betters our world via godly service. (Acts 3*)
Acts 3
  • Peter & John were going to worship
  • (The Holy Spirit had taken up residence within them)
  • They saw this man with new eyes...chances are that they’ve seen him before
      • People placed this man here daily. (Begging is a racquet)
  • They saw themselves with new eyes (there IS something that they can do)
  • “Look at us”...they got the man’s attention and spoke God’s word
  • They helped the man up...they joined with him in his condition
  • God intervened & the man’s ankle’s were healed
  • The man worshiped (v.8)
  • The people saw the change & were filled with wonder (v. 9-10)
  • Peter, filled by the Spirit, knew what the people were thinking and quickly redirected their awe to God.
What did you just see?
Questions:
  • What’s in your wallet?
  • Whose pain have you become oblivious to because of familiarity...or busyness?
  • There were many facets to this miracle...can you see them?
  • Ask God to send and stir His power within you so that lives are changed, systems of injustice are broken and that glory is given to God.
  • Let’s ask God to constant reveal Himself to our church and community in astounding ways
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Tim 3.5