A. Paul went to where the people were (17:1-2)
B. He patiently spent time with them (17:2)
C. He used the Scriptures to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah, against their preconceived ideas (17:3)
1. The Christ had to suffer (cf. Psalm 22:16-18; Isaiah 53)
2. The Christ had to rise from the dead (cf. Psalm 16:10)
II. The gospel believed (17:4)
A. “Some [Jews] were persuaded” (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:16)
B. “A great multitude of the devout Greeks” (cf. Luke 7:47)
C. “Not a few of the leading women” (cf. Galatians 3:28)
III. The gospel rejected (17:5-10)
A. Envy leads to more evil (17:5; cf. Mark 15:10)
B. Misunderstanding [or misrepresenting] the nature of Christ’s kingdom (17:6-9; cf. John 18:36)
C. Fleeing from danger (17:10; cf. Matthew 10:23)
A. “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near” (Luke 21:20)
B. “The abomination of desolation” (Mt. 24:15) – heathen symbols and Roman standards erected in the temple
II. Based on misunderstandings
A. “Rapture” theories based on misunderstanding of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
B. “Tribulation” theories based on misunderstanding of Mt. 24:21 (but Jesus Himself says it would be fulfilled by that very generation hearing the words; 24:36)
C. The truth: Mt. 24 is about the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred in 70 AD; 1 Thessalonians 4 is about the second (and final) coming of Christ at the end of time
D. The “thousand-year reign” theories based on misunderstanding of Revelation 20:4-6
For thorough study on the errors of premillennialism, I recommend Foy E. Wallace Jr.’s God’s Prophetic Word, which can be accessed for free at restorationlibrary.org.
A. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Acts 2:29-33)
B. To those “given over to idols,” the gospel is “new doctrine” of “strange things” (Acts 17:16-21)
C. To the mind clouded by false denominational doctrines, the simplicity of Christ’s gospel is still new and strange – vastly different than what they have been taught (Galatians 1:6-9)
II. Find common ground
A. Paul noted the desire to worship (Acts 17:22-28)
B. From there, Paul exalted God’s sovereignty (Acts 17:29-31)
III. Focus on the successes
A. Some will reject, mock, or delay (Acts 17:32-33; Matthew 10:14; Acts 13:49-51)
B. Rejoice with the open, honest hearts that believe (Acts 17:34; 2:41-42)
A. Ask – shows dependence upon the Father
B. Seek – involves effort, pursuit
C. Knock – suggests perseverance
II. The efficacy of prayer (Matthew 7:8)
A. Requests made by the righteous must align with God’s will (James 5:16; 1 John 5:14)
B. We can have confidence—boldness—that God hears us and grants mercy and grace to those who ask (Hebrews 4:16)
III. Confidence in prayer based on God’s nature (Matt 7:9-11)
A. God is good (James 1:17)
B. God is wise (Romans 8:28)
C. God is powerful (Ephesians 3:20)
A. To think in one’s heart, with a dash of boasting – but there was no grand spectacle, location, or action
B. This commander of the Syrian army was humbled by the common sense of servants
II. The praying Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14)
A. Guilty of self-reliance and self-righteousness
B. Rattled off his list of accomplishments to prove how great he was
C. Failed to recognize how pitiful he was in relation to God – the Pharisee was a sinner in need of mercy
III. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-2; 26:9-11)
A. Conscience cannot be our sole guide (Acts 23:1)
B. We now identify the actions of Saul of Tarsus as sinful, but he was doing what he thought was right
IV. Today
A. God’s commands must be obeyed (Acts 17:30)
B. Continual self-examination is needed (2 Corinthians 13:5)
C. Our conscience must be trained by the Word, not the world (Proverbs 3:5)
A. Brings salvation (Ephesians 2:8)
B. Has appeared to all men (Ephesians 2:9-10)
C. Is a teacher – what does grace teach us?
II. Grace teaches how we should live
A. Soberly – we must have self-control (1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 2:2, 6)
B. Righteously – we must live right in a world of wrong (Matthew 5:14-16; Ephesians 5:3-7, 11; Galatians 6:10)
C. Godly – we must strive to be more like God (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Timothy 2:2, 10; 3:16; 4:7, 8; 6:3, 5, 6, 11)
III. Grace teaches about Jesus
A. We must look for His appearing – a terrifying thought to those not living according to the teachings of grace (2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:8)
B. He sacrificed Himself for us (Galatians 2:20)
C. He purified us for Him (Ephesians 5:25-27)
D. Because of Him, we must be zealous for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
A. In Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-14)
B. In Judea (Matthew 2:19-23)
C. In Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30)
D. In the hearts of His brothers (John 7:1-5)
E. In the lives of the Jewish people (John 1:11; 8:37)
F. In the whole wide world (John 1:10; cf. Luke 23:12)
II. What about in your heart and life? Is there room for Jesus?
A. Has the devil robbed you of His Word? (Mark 4:3-4, 15)
B. Does peer pressure overwhelm Jesus’ influence? (Mark 4:5-6, 16-17)
C. Is Jesus crowded out by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things? (Mark 4:7, 18-19)
III. Make room for Jesus!
A. Watch God do incredible things through you because of your commitment to Him! (Mark 4:8, 20; Philippians 1:21)
B. Give Him preeminence! (Colossians 1:18; Matthew 6:33)
1. Among family relationships (Matthew 10:37)
2. Social interactions (John 4:29)
3. Even in business dealings (Col. 3:23; Eph. 4:28)
“with” – a preposition denoting accompaniment – found in 1195 verses in the NKJV New Testament
I. God with us
A. Prophecy (Matthew 1:18-23; cf. Isaiah 7:14)
B. Promise (Matthew 28:20)
1. To quell fear (Acts 18:7-11 [in Corinth]; Hebrews 13:5)
2. To encourage peace (Romans 15:33; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:16)
II. Us with God
A. We died with Christ (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 3:1-4)
B. We live with Him! (Ephesians 2:4-10)
III. Us with us
A. Peace (Mark 9:50; Romans 12:18)
B. Love (Ephesians 4:2; John 13:34-35)
C. Forgiveness (Colossians 3:12-13)
D. Fellowship (1 John 1:7; Acts 2:42-45)
E. Work (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
A. “Trespass” (“fault” KJV) – “offenses” (Romans 4:25); “sins” (Eph. 1:7)
B. We were dead in trespass, but now are forgiven of those very same! (Colossians 2:13)
C. The responsibility of the “spiritual” (James 5:19-20)
II. To the faithful (6:2-5)
A. “One another” (Jn. 13:34-35; 15:11-17; Rom. 12:10; 1 Cor. 11:33; Eph. 4:2,32)
B. Don’t think too highly of yourself (Romans 12:10)
C. “Burdens” (6:2) vs. “load” (6:5) – sorrows vs. responsbilities
III. To the preacher (6:6)
A. “A laborer is worthy of his wages” (Luke 10:7; 1 Timothy 5:17-18)
B. Scriptural basis for financially supporting a preacher (1 Corinthians 9:7,14)
IV. To everyone (6:7-10)
A. The sowing & reaping principle (Galatians 5:19-25)
B. Don’t give up (1 Corinthians 15:58)
C. Look for opportunities to serve, and especially for opportunities among the church (Matthew 25:31-46)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
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