Category: 2020 Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:59 — 14.4MB)

Sermon Audio: Gaining Spiritual Authority
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 19:13-20
Duration: 20:59
Size: 14.4 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Gaining Spiritual Authority
Acts 19:13-20

I’m talking about the authority that God has given every true believer over the powers of darkness–the devil and his evil companions.

I. Spiritual Authority Comes through Relationship, not Ritual (Acts 19:13-16)
Some people think that if you just say the right words, then you can tap into powers higher than yourself.

The only way your name gets written in heaven is by putting your trust in Jesus for forgiveness and starting a relationship of love and obedience to Him.

See, Satan does have power, and without the power of God in us through faith in Jesus, we don’t stand a chance against him.

II. Spiritual Authority Is Given to Bring Honor to God (Acts 19:17)
If we begin to think that this spiritual authority is all about us, we will become less effective for the Lord, and will find ourselves drifting away from Him.

III. Spiritual Authority in Action Can Result in Widespread Acts of Repentance (Acts 19:18-20)
Revival is about waking up from our slumber, awakening our conscience, experiencing true sorrow for sin, and doing something about it with God’s help.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:53 — 2.7MB)

Sermon Audio: Living Like a Christ Follower
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 19:8-12
Duration: 19:14
Size: 13.2 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Living Like a Christ Follower
Acts 19:8-12

Due to a recording issue, audio used here was taken from the live stream.

A Christ follower is someone who has asked Jesus to become their forgiver and leader.

I. Christ Followers Learn to Be Boldly Persuasive with the Good News (Acts 19:8)
Stay in the word, and stay filled with the Spirit.

II. Christ Followers May Need to Redirect their Ministry Efforts (Acts 19:9a)
We may face times when we need to reevaluate our direction.

III. Christ Followers Learn to Utilize their Surroundings to Spread God’s Word (Acts 19:9b-10)
We often talk about how important it is to simply live a Christian life and let people see Jesus in us.

What can you do to more effectively spread the good news about Jesus?

IV. Christ Followers Can Be Used to Do Extraordinary Miracles (Acts 19:11-12)
Take the authority God has given you (just as Jesus gave His disciples authority over evil spirits), and be all that He wants you to be as you minister for Him.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:04 — 15.1MB)

Sermon Audio: God’s Great Desires for the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 19:1-7
Duration: 22:03
Size: 15.1 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
God’s Great Desires for the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Acts 19:1-7

“And there is only one way to Heaven. It’s Jesus Christ!”

1. That’s why God wants us to comprehend His gospel.
What we don’t know can hurt us, for all eternity. So, we must have a basic understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. God wants us to communicate His gospel.
No one has ever been saved without the working of the Holy Spirit in their heart.

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead who gives us the new spiritual birth of eternal life.

3. God wants us to put confidence in His gospel.
When those disciples of John the Baptist heard the good news about Jesus, they “believed on Him.”

4. God wants us to have confirmation of His gospel.
Every time we see Christians speak in tongues in the Book of Acts, it is to give confirmation of the good news about Jesus Christ.

Speaking in tongues in Acts 2 gave confirmation that the good news had arrived.

Here God gave confirmation that the good news was for all men, both Jews and Gentiles.

God confirmed the gospel to them, and He confirms His good news to all believers.

They are drawn to a church when they see people within that church genuinely caring for one another.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:41 — 16.3MB)

Sermon Audio: Four Great Goals For Christian Growth
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 18:22-28
Duration: 23:41
Size: 16.2 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Four Great Goals For Christian Growth
Acts 18:22-28

“Even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.”

1. The first goal is be available.
Apollos had a lot going for him. He was a great speaker. He was an expert in the Old Testament. He was very committed and courageous. But apparently, he wasn’t saved.

In spite of all of his gifts and knowledge, Apollos hadn’t heard the Gospel, so he needed the most important help of all.

In fact, that’s one of God’s great goals for our lives, because He wants to do amazing things in us and through us.

2. So be available. — And be teachable.
God wants us to be teachable. We can never get to the point where we know everything. We never know so much that we can’t learn more.

But thankfully, Apollos had an open heart. He was teachable, and we need to be teachable too.

3. Be teachable. — And be dependable.
We expect loyalty and reliability from things and other people. Isn’t it reasonable then that God just might expect the same from us?

4. So be dependable. — And be flammable.
We need to see people the way Jesus sees them, and feel what He feels about them.

Only God knows how many more souls have been saved because that daddy’s heart was on fire. And we need the same kind of burning in our hearts.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:05 — 14.5MB)

Sermon Audio: Promoting The Purposes of God
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 18:12-21
Duration: 21:05
Size: 14.4 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Promoting The Purposes of God
Acts 18:12-21

As individual believers who belong to God’s family, we must make God’s will the most important pursuit of our lives.

I. God’s Purposes Are Sometimes Furthered by Unlikely People (Acts 18:12-17)
Gallio was one of those people–not in the sense of being a follower of Christ, but in the sense of being used by God to protect Paul from harm.

Bottom line: God kept Paul safe for the time and furthered His own purposes through unlikely people like Gallio and a mob of Greek thugs.

II. God’s Purposes Are Advanced through Personal Commitment (Acts 18:18)
If we choose to make a vow to God to express our thankfulness, that is great–as long as we are prepared to fulfill what we promise.

You are the one who will choose what kind of commitment you need to make to get closer to God and allow Him to work through your life.

III. God’s Purposes Give Direction to True Christ-Followers (Acts 18:19-21)
Following God’s will is the one thing that will keep you on the right track.

Are God’s purposes being fulfilled in your life? Evangelism… Discipleship… Fellowship… Worship… Ministry…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:37 — 16.9MB)

Sermon Audio: Together We Win
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 18:1-11
Duration: 24:37
Size: 16.9 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Together We Win
Acts 18:1-11

If we will follow Christ together, we can win in the life struggles we face.

I. Being Together Helps Us Conquer Loneliness (Acts 18:1-2)
We are not alone, so it is imperative that we don’t live like we are! I need you! You need me. We all need each other.

II. Working Together Helps Bring Provision (Acts 18:3)
So, work is a good thing. It allows us to take responsibility for our own provision and can provide us opportunity to get to know others we are working with.

III. Ministering Together Helps Us Exceed Our Limitations (Acts 18:4-8)
We all have some form of ministry that complements the overall effort of God’s kingdom to reach people in need.

We have mental barriers that keep us from accomplishing all we are capable of with God’s help.

IV. Trusting Together Helps Us Overcome Our Fears (Acts 18:9-11)
The greatest weapon we have against fear is the knowledge that God is with us!

So, God is with us, and His people are all around us. We do not have to live in fear, but we can boldly share the good news about Jesus with others!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:45 — 15.6MB)

Sermon Audio: The Up Close God
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 17:16-34
Duration: 22:45
Size: 15.6 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
The Up Close God
Acts 17:16-34

The up-close God wants you to get close to Him if you are willing.

I. Getting Close to God Requires More than Religion (Acts 17:22-23a)
A person might be very religious, but never really come close to God.

II. Getting Close to God Requires Believing the Truth about Him (Acts 17:23b-31)
1. He Created Everything (Acts 17:24a)
2. He is totally Self-Sufficient (Acts 17:24b-25a)
3. He gives life, breath, and everything else to mankind (Acts 17:25b)
4. He is a divine strategist (Acts 17:26-27a)
5. He is not far from any of us (Acts 17:27b-28)
6. He is much more than man’s grandest idea of Him (Acts 17:29)
7. He has overlooked past ignorance, but now requires repentance (Acts 17:30)
8. He will judge the world one day by the Man He raised from the dead (Acts 17:31)

III. Getting Close to God Is What He Wants from Us (Acts 17:26-29)
He has made Himself accessible to us. He does want us to seek Him and search for Him, but He wants us to find Him; He is not far from each of us!

IV. Getting Close to God Begins with Repentance (Acts 17:30-34)
Repentance is absolutely necessary, if you want to get close to God.

What will your story be?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:02 — 15.8MB)

Sermon Audio: The Joy of the Harvest
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 17:1-15
Duration: 23:02
Size: 15.8 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
The Joy of the Harvest
Acts 17:1-15

If we ever want to see the harvest, we must faithfully plant the seeds and tend the garden!

I. If We Keep Sharing Our Faith, We Will See Results (Acts 17:1-4)
As we share our faith with others, and plant good seeds of truth in their lives, we need to hang in there and keep watering and nurturing and investing in them until we see the joy of the harvest!

We show our love for God by doing what He asked His followers to do–that is, tell others about Jesus, and the forgiveness and peace they can find in Him.

II. If We Keep Sharing Our Faith, We Will Face Resistance (Acts 17:5-9)
I’ve known people who did not want anything to do with Jesus or church because they thought it meant giving up some of the things they like.

However, it is also the most inclusive of all religions, because Jesus invites everyone who is willing to come to Him and share in His life.

Opposition will come if we keep sharing our faith, but we must still share it!

III. If We Want to Keep Sharing Our Faith, We Must Remain Flexible (Acts 17:10-15)
If Paul had not been willing to be flexible, he likely would have either been killed prematurely, or would have quit the ministry.

We need to take intentional steps to talk to our neighbors, our friends, and our family about Jesus. They need to see Jesus in our lives and by the way we love people.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:15 — 18.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Sharing Heaven’s Good News
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 16:13-40
Duration: 26:15
Size: 18.0 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Sharing Heaven’s Good News
Acts 16:13-40

All who receive God’s message of forgiveness should help share it with others.

I. Sharing the Good News Results in Changed Lives (Acts 16:13-15)
However, Paul’s message gave her the rest of the story–the promised Messiah had come and provided everything that was needed for people to know God and be in good favor with Him.

I was in Christ, and Christ was in me, changing me on the inside.

II. Sharing the Good News Can Bring Trouble (Acts 16:16-24)
Well, Paul and Silas paid dearly for standing up for the gospel. They were falsely accused, severely beaten/flogged, and thrown into prison, with their feet fastened in stocks.

III. Sharing the Good News Results in Freedom (Acts 16:25-34)
Regardless of the opposition that comes when we share the good news, it is always worth it!

When we share the good news about Jesus with others, they can find the freedom that they need so much; freedom from sin, freedom from hate, freedom from addictions, freedom to be who God created them to be.

IV. Sharing the Good News Requires Personal Sacrifice (Acts 16:35-40)
The good news about Jesus requires our investment, our priority, our energy, resources, and all that we have to offer.

Jesus was willing to sacrifice His life for us so that we could know God. Paul was willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of the good news about Jesus, so that others might know God.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:20 — 16.7MB)

Sermon Audio: Marks of an Effective Christ-Follower
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 16:1-12
Duration: 24:19
Size: 16.7 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Marks of an Effective Christ-Follower
Acts 16:1-12

That is what a Christian is supposed to be, and many are. However, those who say they are but act differently are clearly not following Christ.

I. Effective Christ-Followers Keep Paying it Forward (Acts 16:1-3)
After all, the very letter they were carrying to the various churches from the elders and apostles in Jerusalem essentially said that circumcision was not necessary for Gentiles.

Effective Christ-followers keep paying it forward, investing in others, and training them to share the good news about Jesus.
Secondly…

II. Effective Christ-Followers Work as a Team (Acts 16:4-5)
As we are on this journey together, it takes more than just me to know where God is leading us.

III. Effective Christ-Followers Listen to the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6-8)
The dark night of the soul is one way God brings us into a hush, a stillness so He can do an inner work on our soul, taking us to newer and higher levels of intimacy with Him.

IV. Effective Christ-Followers Act on the Revelation They Receive (Acts 16:9-12)
God reveals His nature, His plan, and many other things to us through the Bible. God may also speak to us through impressions in our hearts or spirits.

We’ve covered a few different areas, but take just a moment of silence and ask God this one question: “Lord, what one thing do You want me to do in obedience to You?”