(To hear a podcast of this sermon, please go to www.pacificviewbaptist.com and click on Sermons from the menu on the left.)

The importance of Paul’s Mission

Acts, Romans and 1 Corinthians.

Intro: A little boy was asked by his Sunday School teacher why is it important for us to be quiet in church. The little guy answered, “Because people are sleeping.”

I hope our study of the Bible is not putting people to sleep.

Review: God used Israel in the Old Testament to win people back to himself, even though Israel failed in many ways.

In the Gospels we read of God sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to win us back by dying on the cross for us, solving the big problem called sin.

In the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles (or letters), we see God using the church—us—to find his lost children and to bring them home.

We are the church—the body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:27.

Text: 1 Cor. 12:12, 26.
Big Pic: Paul’s mission to the Gentiles is important to us today because we were once Gentiles in need of a savior and can only be saved through grace and faith, not by sticking to a set of laws.

The church is the body of Christ in the world. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Assembled together the church is Jesus, and we are to think like Jesus, act like Jesus and love others like Jesus loves them.

WWJD

The church is commissioned to go into all the world as witnesses to Jesus. Acts 1:8

God wants all people in the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:16-17

Tebowmania

God raised up a point leader to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth: Paul.

Saul of Tarsus was an unlikely candidate to become the world’s first and most renown missionary.

Susan Boyle

Acts 9:1-9 The Message

Saul hated Jesus and the church and hunted down and killed Christians.

Even Saul who became Paul was amazed that Jesus chose him as a missionary to the ends of the earth. I Corinthians 15:9

Paul’s three missionary journeys

Paul planted 10 churches and wrote 13 of the 27 New Testament books.

When the NT books were written.

The Book of Galatians was written in correlation with the great Jerusalem Council (Acts 15).

The Jerusalem Council dealt with the question: Do Gentiles have to become Jews (in practice) to be true Christians?

Some Jewish leaders said Gentiles had to do two things to become true Christians: 1) believe in Jesus Christ, and 2) be circumcised (i.e., practice Jewish laws).

The Jerusalem Council reached the conclusion the Gentiles did not to submit to Jewish laws. Acts 15:23-25, 28-34

Paul’s book of Galatians argues for the reasons behind the strategic decision.

Mainly that these Gentiles did not have to become Jews or follow the outward ceremonies of the Mosaic law.

To require these things is to deny the heart of the gospel, which is justification by grace and faith alone, not by obedience to the law.

Oh, I know we’d like to earn it…book pg. 69

Why is Paul’s mission to the ends of the earth important to us?

Because we all start of as Gentiles. It is because of Paul’s mission that we are invited into salvation.

We need to be saved as much as the Gentiles did in the time of Paul.

If you are a follower of Christ, somebody told you about God’s plan, and that took a “missionary.” Think back to the very first missionary who approached you, invited you, and lived out their faith in front of you.

For me it was my Dad and Mom…

The Book of Acts is our story.

The book of Acts is still being written today.

The acts of the apostles are to be the acts of our local church.

The mission of the church is our mission: to be Jesus to our Jerusalem, (Encinitas) to our Judea (San Diego) and Samaria (California) and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

In the power of the Holy Spirit we intend to do that until we breathe our last breath, or until someone chops our head off, which is exactly what happened to Paul.

As we continue to study the Bible, let’s always remember the “upper story” and “lower story” of the Bible.

In the last 29 weeks, instead of diving into the details of the Bible, we have focused on the upper story of God, what God is up to, his story.

Right from the first page you get the idea that God is up to something. We see he has a vision, a passion simply to create us so he can be with us.

Our representatives, Adam and Eve, had a different vision, and their choice injected sin into the human nature and is transmitted to every human being, separating us from God.

That’s just Chapter One. The rest of the Bible tells the story of the extent that God will go to get us back; the relentless pursuit of God.

Now the question is, who is going to take the message of Jesus and what he has done to the world?

Starting in the book of Acts and continuing to the end of the Bible in Revelation, God establishes the church.

God’s primary relationship in the Old Testament is with Israel, but in the New Testament it is with the church.

What is the mission of Pacific View? Love God, Love others and Serve the World.

Barnraising…we all gotta work together to build God’s church.

Paul was God’s original point man.

Tim Tebow’s doing his best…

Now it’s up to us “normal people.”

All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.

He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?"

He said, "Who are you, Master?"

"I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next."

His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.

Just for fun

Some truisms of life:

There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

Was learning cursive in school really necessary?

Map Quest really needs to start directions on #5 since I’m quite sure I already know how to get out of my driveway.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you why the person died.

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks if I want to save the changes to my 10-page technical report that I did not make any changes to.

I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone so I’ll know not to answer if they call.

I think the freezer ought to have a light inside like the refrigerator.

I wish Google maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand what was said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them almost forever.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket or purse, finding their cell phone, and pinning the tail on the donkey. But I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from three feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Always giving thanks

Always giving thanks Psalm 100

Intro…One of the challenges of being a pastor for so many years is coming up with “new” stuff for the major holidays.

I have this fear that people are subconsciously “bored” before they get here…”How will the pastor put a new spin on this holiday?”

I suppose Thanksgiving is not quite as bad as Christmas and Easter, but it’s good we are reminded yearly of what is important.

Today and on Thanksgiving, we take time to be extra thankful. Just like Christmas and Easter we should actually be thinking of these things all throughout the year though.

Text: Psalm 100

Here’s a few nuggets from this passage:

v. 1-2 “ Make a joyful noise” is relative to culture.

This Psalm invites all the earth to join the song of praise.

Let’s focus on the fact that we are told to make a joyful noise to the Lord, serve him with gladness and come into his presence with singing.

If those three things are happening, then we need to let it happen! Even if we don’t like the style, format or method.

We can easily get comfortable with “our style” of music, what we are comfortable with, and there is nothing wrong with that!

I’m as guilty as the next person…I will admit I like a certain style of worship music.

Worship videos…

Sanctuary, Cowboy church, reggae, rap etc.

Even today we experienced 3 different styles of worship. For some of us, that was a stretching experience.

But here is something all Christians should have in common,

“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!”

As Christians, we have so much to be thankful for, in every culture, in every place around the world.

v. 4 Come into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise.

“Gates and courts”

Sometimes we are actually in a church building/sanctuary where there are gates and courts.

Other times we are enjoying his creation outdoors.

In reality, we are always in God’s gates and courts so let’s not save up all the thanksgiving and praise only for Sunday mornings.

Enter each day with thanksgiving and praise.

v. 3 & 5 Know that God is good and he takes care of us.

This is a fact and should eliminate any questions we have about God’s goodness.

“God is good, all the time.” Let’s say it…

What are the qualities of a good shepherd? (Guides, keeps the sheep from getting lost, protects, gently nudges with the crook,

Most of us would like to think we aren’t dumb like sheep…

We are thanking God for the privilege of being the sheep of his pasture.

In fact, God is so good that his love endures forever and he is faithful to all generations.

Conclusion:

Look at the title: “A Psalm for giving thanks.”

We are thankful to God because we need him.

Well, we are about to eat…

(To hear a podcast of this sermon, please go to www.pacificviewbaptist.com and click on Sermons from the menu on the left.)

New Beginnings Acts 2

Intro: A book, 100 pages long published by the Department of Justice, can be downloaded is a book that no parent wants to read.

The title is When Your Child is Missing.

Key bullet points and action steps are on the cover of the book, like, “You’re not alone,” “Hope is essential,” “Trust your feelings and share them with law enforcement officials,” “Distribute pictures,” “Keep your focus,” “Exercise caution,” and the final exhortation is “Never stop looking.”

The parents of Jacob Wetterling have been searching for him since 1989. They post messages saying, “We’re still searching for you and we will never quit.”

Parents will spare no expense as with resolute passion they search for their missing children.

So does God. God has lost children, people who have gone the wrong direction, lost their bearings, lost their place in this life and lost their vision of the next life.

God initiated a massive, three-phase search and rescue strategy to find his lost children.

The first phase was Israel. God wanted a nation through whom to show his character and to call people back to himself.

The second phase was Jesus Christ. Jesus declared, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

We are lost and Jesus is the way back home. By his death on the cross and his resurrection, we can be reunited to our heavenly Father.

The third phase is the church. We will be looking at the Book of Acts, beginning with Acts 1:8.

Text: Acts 2:42-47

Big Pic: The church is not a museum for saints, it’s a hospital for sinners.

Thankfully, we have a God who continues to pursue us, even when we continue to sin.

The Book of Acts is the second of a two-book set written by Luke.

The Gospel of Luke describes the second phase: God finding his lost children through Jesus Christ.

The Book of Acts, written by Luke and addressed to the same person, Theophilus, as his Gospel, describes the third phase: God finding his lost children through the church. Acts 1:8 is the theme verse of Acts.

How many disciples did Jesus have? (more than 12)

The disciples, 120 of them, (v. 15) wait in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded.

Why Jerusalem? Because the Day of Pentecost is approaching and about a million people will be in Jerusalem.

On the Day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples hear a violent wind and are anointed with tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them. Acts 2:1-4

The 120 disciples become cross-cultural missionaries, speaking the wonderful works of God in the languages of the world. Acts 2:5-12

The people are rightly so amazed at the miracle of the languages.

The burning question is: “What does this mean?” Acts 2:12

Peter, who had previously denied the Lord, is now filled with the Spirit. He boldly declares the meaning of the events of Pentecost: Jesus is alive and he is Lord. Read Acts 2:14-36

The response? Three thousand respond to Peter’s explanation by repenting, being baptized, and becoming the first people in the birth of the church. Acts 2:37-41

The massive, diverse, multi-cultural crowd of 3000 believers becomes the unified community—the church. (Acts 2:42-47)

God is still finding his lost children and creating a thriving family.

Think about the church throughout the world, so-o diverse, so great!

Amidst the diversity, what keeps us all united? The presence of the Spirit.

There are no singular pronouns in Acts 2:42-27. (re-read emphasizing “they”)

The church is not a collection of saved individuals; it is a community living in the Spirit of God.

Illustration/Application:

There is an Episcopal priest who wears a huge golden cross. To some other pastors, it seemed a bit showy at first. That is, until you hear the story behind it.

Jim served many years in his congregation and when he became bishop, he had to leave the congregation he loved. The congregation loved Jim and donated gold items that could be melted down and molded into a cross. In Jim’s cross were melted wedding bands, a friend’s ring meant for his bride, rings from widows and widowers, golden add-on beads, even some crowns from teeth. Over 242 different contributions made up Jim’s huge, golden cross. Stories of peace and pain were forged into a cross binding them altogether.

The bishop’s cross is a picture of the church. When we hold a hand in the hospital, when a conservative loves a liberal, when a Hispanic loves an Anglo and an Anglo loves an African-American, when the young respect the elderly and elderly love the young, a cross is forged and visible for the world to see.

The new church met from house-to-house, eating meals together and using their homes as places of God’s love. Acts 2:46-47

The church spread into Judea and Samaria as Jesus commanded.

Saul of Tarsus was converted and became a missionary to the nations in the far reaches of the world. Acts 9

Paul wrote many of the books in the NT.

Application:

Did you know that a military general’s command remains in effect until he issues a new command?

Good soldiers follow commands, they don’t stop to think about it.

Jesus issued a command to us and it hasn’t changed…Acts. 1:18

We have a task/command to carry out and that’s how the church grows.

This isn’t a suggestion…

The Resurrection

(To hear a podcast of this sermon, please go to www.pacificviewbaptist.com and click on Sermons from the menu on the left.)

The Resurrection Matthew 27:62-64

Intro: “Christmas in July”…how about “Easter in November?”

Last Sunday, the importance of the cross, today the importance of the resurrection and “Moving from Friday to Sunday.”

“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming” VIDEO

The first Easter Sunday was so good because the days before had been so bad.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and Easter Sunday the resurrection.

The Saturday in between commemorates desperation. On that Saturday it seems that Christ was totally defeated as his body lay utterly dead in a rock tomb.

The spear had sliced his heart and his tongue had gone silent.

Death was absolute. No one was betting on resurrection.

How could they? No one had ever seen a resurrection before..

Today we’ll see how we can get unstuck from “Saturday mindset” and move into “Sunday mindset.”

Text: Matthew 27:62-64

Big Pic: What a difference a new day can make. In the life of Jesus, Saturday seemed hopeless, but Sunday was glorious. In our lives, any day can seem hopeless. God gives us a new chance everyday to have a glorious life.

Saturday was a no hope, no courage day.

While Jesus’ opponents celebrated his death, his disciples were hiding in fear that they, too, would receive a cross.

The disciples hid behind closed doors in fear.

The disciples did not trust Jesus’ promises of a resurrection.

Mark 9:30-32

The women disciples did not intend to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection body, but to embalm his dead body. Mark 16:1-3

Application: We too can easily get stuck in Saturday, living with a Saturday state of mind—no hope, no courage, no plans, believing that death is the final end.

Not only are we talking about physical death, but the circumstances in your life that seem so hopeless.

Take a minute and think about a situation in your life that is bumming you out…

Everyone dies, but we try to avoid that reality.

We attempt to stay in the land of eternal youth, plastic surgery, botox, exercise, etc. etc.

We brush our teeth, eat good foods, pay our taxes, drive a Chevy….

Famous people who have died?

Love gets buried in a tomb, poetry gets buried in a tomb.

Is this all there is?

If it was, what a gloomy outlook.

Sunday—resurrection day—is a day of eternal love, life and hope.

Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb stuck in a Saturday state of mind. John 20:11-18

The empty tomb did not take away her despair and grief.

The angels did not take away her despair and grief.

Mary Magdalene, the one Jesus befriended and delivered from demonic oppression, had the sadness of Saturday covering her heart.

She was “stuck in Saturday.”

Jesus, alive from the dead, meets with Mary Magdalene, calling her by name.

Mary thought wrongly that Jesus was the gardener.

When everyone thought Jesus was dead, no one called him “Lord” except one—Mary Magdalene.

Jesus speaks Mary’s name and she realizes that Jesus, her Lord, is alive from the dead.

Application:

Why did Jesus personally appear to Mary Magdalene?

Because that is just the kind of person Jesus is. He is full of mercy and full of compassion.

Are you in a season of darkness?

This could be a good season for you.

During the times we are stuck in Saturday God does not get upset with us.

God is patient with us. Shh, be quiet and listen, Jesus is also calling you by name.

God’s desk calendar in heaven is stuck on Sunday.

God is inviting you to move from a Saturday state of mind into Sunday. The choice is yours.