God Breaks Chains and Opens Doors - Pastor Tom Loghry
In Acts 11:19-30, God breaks Peter out of jail as we come to the conclusion of our series The Spirit and the Church.
Unfortunately, we had some technical issues during the sermon and only have the conclusion to post here this week.
Transcript:
It is fitting for us to end our series though, I think, on the note that is sounded by this chapter. We recall now what Christ has done for us through his death and resurrection. He has broken our bondage to sin and the devil and restored those who believe unto God. This new life in Christ comes with a mission that Jesus sets forth before the disciples on the day of his ascension.
That's what we read in Acts one. We are to take this message of liberation and deliverance to all the world so that anyone who would believe can get back their life and know the God for whom they have been created. In Jesus Christ we are redeemed to be the living temple of God, holy and righteous, set apart, shining forth as a light in the darkness of this world.
But we can't do any of this on our own. We need the power of God to be with us. We need God to personally indwell us through the person of the Holy Spirit. We get our marching orders when Christ ascends, but we only begin to really move forward after the day of Pentecost when the Father and the Son send us the promised Holy Spirit.
It is his promised presence and activity that makes all the difference. In the name of Jesus Christ the apostles are empowered to perform signs they could never do on their own. Hearts are awakened and lives are transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit. God's temple, bit by bit, is being constructed.
Deceitfulness, division and persecution threatened at various points to tear apart the church, but God is faithfully present through it all, working together even what the enemy means for evil into good for the church and ultimately the world. Here in Acts, we see that God is not only the God of the Jews, but of all mankind and that he is calling all people to himself. Now, of course, resistance remains. Saul, the great persecutor of the church is converted, a great transformation, but other Jews maintain their persecution of Christians.
Stephen dies, James dies. But again and again, God demonstrates that their deaths and the deaths of others should not lead us to doubt in his power. The dead are raised. Here we see Peter, as good as dead, under lock and key and chains and heavy guard, delivered from prison. God has a plan that no man can destroy.
Herod, try as he might, and moreover, accepting praise as a God, is exposed to be a mere man eaten up by worms. Earthly kings, the powers of the world cannot stop the advance of the Lord Jesus and his kingdom. He begins from Jerusalem, but his kingdom will extend to the ends of the earth. So we the church march on in the power of the spirit, hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.
Perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted but not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed. Always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. Let us pray.
Father,
we thank you for giving us the truth.
We know the truth of our situation in Jesus Christ. We see most clearly in him the disparity between us and him, that we are sinners, lost without hope, and that he is the perfect human being we are all supposed to be. And we see and understand, father, that because of his sacrifice on the cross, 'cause of his death and his resurrection and his ascension, that our relationship with you is restored.
That we have received the promise of resurrection, of eternal life with you. Father, we thank, give you thanks for this great truth and this sure hope that we have. But Father, we also thank you for this, that we know your power today, that the power of the Holy Spirit is present in our midst today. He personally indwells each one of us and inhabits your church collectively, father, and we thank you father for the great privilege which you've given us, which is that we will not be on the sidelines of your plan of redemption, but that you have invited us in on the action, that we should bring this good news to the ends of the world, that we might share in your glory as we point others to Jesus Christ and we can see lives transformed, lives reclaimed from death and brought unto life Father. We thank you Father, that because of Jesus Christ, we know the truth and we also know the power of God, and that we have no reason to fear because you are a God who keeps your promises and will see them through to the end. We give you praise in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Intro/Outro Song
Title: River Meditation
Artist: Jason Shaw
Source:http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/RIVER_MEDITATION___________2-58
License:(CC BY 3.0 US)