Month: April 2020

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2020-04-26: Acts: Life In The Spirit — God’s Extraordinary Promise

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:28 — 9.8MB)

Sermon Audio: God’s Extraordinary Promise
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 13:13-41
Duration: 21:28
Size: 9.83 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
God’s Extraordinary Promise
Acts 13:13-41

Let’s look at several clues that will deepen our understanding of God’s greatest promise.

I. God’s Promise Is Seen in Israel’s History (Acts 13:17-25)
All of God’s activity as seen here was aimed at bringing the Messiah to Israel and the world, just as He had promised.
Genesis 3:15
Genesis 26:4
Deuteronomy 18:15
Acts 3:24-26

II. God’s Promise Is for All Who Believe (Acts 13:26)
Paul was able to stand up in this Jewish synagogue, surrounded by Jews and devout Gentiles, and say that the message of God’s promise had been sent to them.

III. God’s Promise Is Often Overlooked (Acts 13:27-29)
People often see only what they are looking for. Those in Israel who were looking for the promised Messiah found Him when they found Jesus.

IV. God’s Promise Is Meant to Be Shared (Acts 13:30-32a)
Paul mentions that those who followed Jesus during His earthly ministry saw Him after His resurrection and became His witnesses to the Jewish people.
Acts 1:3:
I Corinthians 15:4-8

V. God’s Promise Is Fulfilled in the Person of Jesus (Acts 13:32b-39)
It’s all about Jesus! Paul shows these Jews and God-fearing Gentiles that Jesus fulfills the criteria for being the Messiah.

VI. God’s Promise Is Unbelievable to Those Who Reject Him (Acts 13:40-41)
God chose to send His Son Jesus to take our place, so we would not have to face eternal separation from Him in everlasting torment.

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2020-04-19: Acts: Life In The Spirit — Power to Work and to Win

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:54 — 10.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Power to Work and to Win
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 13:1-12
Duration: 21:54
Size: 10.0 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Power to Work and to Win
Acts 13:1-12

God wants to fill us with His Spirit so we can reach lost people and win spiritual battles.

I. God Has an Intentional Plan to Reach Unreached People (Acts 13:1-6a)
Part of God’s intentional plan to reach unreached people is to communicate His intentions to us.

God calls each of us to a specific work, and it is good for us to recognize the validity and worth of each one’s calling.

So, whether we are senders or sent ones, or both, God wants us in the game!

II. God Has Enemies Who Will Oppose His People (Acts 13:6b-8)
Make no mistake about it–If you are trying to reach people with the good news about Jesus, you will face opposition!

III. God Gives Us the Power and Boldness We Need to Win (Acts 13:9-12)
It was a Holy Spirit-inspired boldness that would not tolerate the lies and deception of the devil.

God wants you to have the power and boldness you need in order to win spiritual battles.

He also wants to empower you to win people to Him who have not yet been reached with the good news about Jesus.

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2020-04-12: Rediscover Easter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:14 — 10.2MB)

Sermon Audio: Rediscover Easter
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 24:1-9
Duration: 22:13
Size: 10.1 MB

Rediscover Easter
Luke 24:1-9

They had seen him beaten, they seen him crucified, they had seen him killed and they had seen him buried and they knew the dream was as dead as the dreamer.

We believe, as did the early church, that Christ had risen from the dead that there was actually a physical resurrection.

Anyone can claim to be the Son of God. But if someone could substantiate the assertion by returning to life after being certifiably dead and buried–well, that would be a compelling confirmation that he was telling the truth.

And while there are all kinds of people who will lie there are very few who will maintain that lie in the face of torture and death.

In other words, it would take you from breakfast on Monday until Friday at dinner time listening around the clock to hear the testimony of those witnesses.

Because the Tomb Was Empty His Enemies Knew they Were Wrong
But the empty tomb would change the lives of those closest to Jesus and ultimately would change the face of the world.

Because the Tomb Was Empty Peter Knew He Was Forgiven
Come on Peter, what is going on? This is Jesus, the same Jesus that called you from being a fisherman and turned you into a fisher of men.

And when Jesus hung on the cross, with the blood from the crown of thorns dripping into his eyes, and he pulled himself up by the iron nails driven through his wrists and said Father forgive them, he was looking for Peter.

God’s forgiveness is there for each one of us but first we need to acknowledge our wrongs, and be sorry that we did it, not just sorry we got caught doing it, but sorry that we disappointed Jesus.

Because the Tomb Was Empty Thomas Knew He Was Blessed
Doubting Thomas indeed. But he probably verbalized it better, saying I won’t believe unless I can see it myself.

Everything that Jesus Christ said and did could be duplicated or fabricated right up to his resurrection.

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2020-04-05: What Is A Follower

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:42 — 9.0MB)

Sermon Audio: What Is A Follower
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 19:34-40
Duration: 19:42
Size: 9.01 MB

What Is A Follower
Luke 19:34-40

The Pharisees were Jewish religious leaders and they saw Jesus as a threat to their own authority and they identified those who lined the streets that day as Followers of Jesus.

Being A Christ Follower Means You Realize Who Christ Is
There are people out there today who know of Jesus but they don’t necessarily know Jesus.
Matthew 16:13-16
You see what happened, Simon Peter had gone from a head knowledge, this is what people are saying to a heart knowledge, this is who you are to me.

Being A Christ Follower Means You Follow Christ
Time and time again Jesus told people Follow Me. And when he said that he inevitably got one of two responses.
Matthew 4:19-22
Are you walking so close to his teaching that his dust has covered you?
Luke 9:59-60

Being A Christ Follower Means You’re Honest
There were some there that day who in some nebulous way thought they were following Jesus because he was there and they were there.

Being A Christ Follower Will Cost You Something
Luke 14:27-28
Jesus didn’t come to Jerusalem to collect coats. He came to collect people.

There are thousands of men and women around the world that lose their jobs, their families and their lives because they follow Jesus. What would you be willing to pay?

Being A Christ Follower Means You Stick With It To The End
It’s not enough to follow him on Palm Sunday or any other Sunday for that matter, because life is what happens between Sundays.
Galatians 6:9, Revelation 14:12