English Sermon: Counted Worthy to Suffer

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Counted Worthy to Suffer

Acts 5:40-42 (ESV) 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Matthew 5:11-12 (ESV) 11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Hebrews 11:35-38 (ESV) 35b Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated 38 of whom the world was not worthy wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

  1. We can experience dishonor for being truth-tellers

  2. We can experience dishonor for being humble

  3. We can experience dishonor for living a life of integrity

  4. We can experience dishonor for proclaiming Christ

1 Peter 3:13-17 (ESV) 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

1 Peter 4:12 (ESV) 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

English Sermon: The Beauty of Being In Christ

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The Beauty of Being In Christ

1 Kings 1, 3 & 5

  • The Beauty of Knowing Who You Belong To

    • “But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.” - 1 Kings 1:8

  • The Beauty of Being In Community

    • “Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?” - 1 Kings 1:27

    • “So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.” - 1 Kings 5:6

    • “As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!” - 1 Kings 1:37

  • The Beauty of Knowing Who To Trust

    • The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, - 1 Kings 1;29

    • Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah,the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ - 1 Kings 1:11-13

  • The Beauty of Perspective

    • `The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. - 1 Kings 3:10-12

  • The Beauty of Obedience

    • At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”

      Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” - 1 Kings 1:49-52

English Sermon: Growing Pains

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Growing Pains

“Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
— Acts 5:17-20

English Sermon: Witness of the Holy Spirit

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Witness of the Holy Spirit

Acts 5:28-32 (ESV)
"We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 
God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 
And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
1. Inner Witness of the Holy Spirit

***1.1 Inner witness through prayer

Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

Romans 8:15 (ESV)
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

***1.2 Inner witness through scripture

2 Peter 1:16-21 (ESV)
"For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 
For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 
we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:19 (ESV)
...pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts

*2. Outer witness of the Holy Spirit

**2.1 Outer witness through our words

Romans 10:13-15 (ESV)
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 
And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

John 16:8-11 (ESV)
...when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 
concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

**2.2 Outer witness through our actions

Galatians 5:22 (ESV)
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."