Saved for the Salvation of Others! (Acts 26:14-18)

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 Outline: Acts 26:14-18

1. Jesus saved Paul (vv.14-15, cf. 26:4-11 & 9:1-22)
2. Jesus sent Paul (vv.16-18)

Summary: Paul is standing before King Agrippa and is expected to give a defense, a defense against the Jews who want to see him put to death.  Paul responds by sharing his testimony, that is, by bearing witness to who he was (26:4-12) and then what Christ did (vv.13-18).  In essence, Paul is saying: “Jesus saved me and Jesus has sent me.”  For Paul, to be saved was to be sent.  To have his eyes opened was to be part of opening the eyes of others.  Paul was on trial because he proclaimed the name of the One who opened his eyes—Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions:

• What was Paul like before he came to know Christ? (26:4-12; cf. 9:1-2)
• For the back-story, READ 9: 1-18 (cf. 26:13-15).  How was Paul converted?
• What role did Ananias play?  Does this teach us anything about how Jesus saves people?
• What did Paul do almost immediately after he was saved?
• Why do you think Paul grew strong in the wake of his conversionActs 9:22?
• What was Paul being sent to do?
• What is the relationship between being saved and being sent?
• How would you respond to someone who says, “Oh, but that is the great and godly apostle Paul…surely this kind of witness is not expected of me”? (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1; Isa. 42:1-7; Matt. 11:4-6)

Application Questions:

• What is your testimony?  Who were you and what did Jesus do to bring you to himself?
• Are you actively sharing your faith with others?  If not, what may be holding you back?
• “To be saved is to be sent.”  Do you believe this?  On a scale of 1-10—1 being barely applied and 10 being greatly applied—at what level do you live like this is true? 
• When we fall short of sharing our faith at the level that we should, how would Jesus have us apply the gospel to our hearts?  

 Prayer Points:

• Confess to God any failures to live like one who has been sent to open they eyes of unbelievers.  Receive forgiveness from Jesus, the only perfect Witness (1 John 1:9).
• Ask God to provide clear opportunities for you to share about Jesus and to give the courage needed to stand strong and bold and loving in those moments.
• Pray that God would fuse the idea of being saved together with the idea of being sent so that witnesses would become a more natural part of your life.
•  Pray that God will help you to teach others that being saved and being sent always belong together, for to be a disciple is to be a disciple maker.
• Thank God for the gospel and how he opened our eyes in salvation, bringing us from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. 

Nearness to God

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Outline: Psalm 34

1.  Praise (Ps. 34:1-3)

2.  Deliverance through Prayer (Ps. 34:4-7)

3.  Fear of the Lord (Ps. 34:8-14)

4.  Nearness to God (Ps. 34:15-18)

5.  Redemption through Christ (Ps. 34:19-22)

Summary:
David, who penned Psalm 34, wrote this Psalm not on the throne as King David,

but as a hunted man, running for his life.  David feigned insanity as a madman, as

he escaped from Abimelech (1 Samuel 21:11-15). Psalm 34 points to Christ, as

verse 22 says, “the Lord redeems the life of His servants, none of those who take

refuge in Him will be condemned,” and displaying God’s redemptive favor to the

righteous.  Verse 22 is the thrust behind why the psalmist is filled with praise.

Deliverance through prayer produces the fruits of fear of the Lord and ultimately

nearness to God.  Psalm 34 is both a song of praise and an exhortation on how

the righteous should live.

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think that David command us to bless the Lord at all times? Why does he command us to do this together?
• What are the 3 sequences of prayer?
• What is fear of the Lord?
• What might a portrait of fear of the Lord look like in your life?
• Why is there a correlation between fear of the Lord and nearness to God? 
• Why is there no condemnation for those take refuge in Him?
• Do you clearly understand the gospel? 

Application Questions:

• Which team are you on? Righteous or unrighteous (enemy of God)? Articulate from the text several ways that God shows His favor on the righteous. 
• Is your heart filled with praise at all times? If not, can you identify what is lacking in your prayer life, fear of the Lord, or nearness to God? How can you strengthen what is lacking in these areas?

Prayer:

• Praise God that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
• Praise God that Jesus is our intercessor that delivers us through prayer, becoming one of us so that we can enjoy nearness to God, modeling for us what fear of the Lord should look like, perfectly obeying the Fathers will.
• Ask God to give us a heart that pursues holiness and hatred toward sin.
• Ask God for courageous, trusting faith and confidence that He will hear and answer us in our time of need.
• Ask God that we would grow in our fear of the Lord and nearness to God.

Written by Galen Janson

Forgiveness: Christian Compassion in the Courtroom of God

                                                                                                                        Visit fbcpierz.org/sermons to listen to this sermon. 

Outline: Zechariah 3

Three Steps to Forgiving Other Believers

1. Live Daily in the Courtroom of God (Zech. 3:1)

2. See the Imputed Righteousness of Christ on Believers (Zech. 3:2-5)

3. Live Gospel Cycles (Zech. 3:6-10)

Summary:

During the return from exile, around 520 BC, a vision of a heavenly courtroom and three prophecies are given to the prophet Zechariah. This vision is of Joshua the high priest standing with filthy garments before the angel of the LORD and with Satan at his right hand accusing him. The LORD disregards Satan's accusations, though they are accusations of true guilt, and instead takes off his filthy clothes, representing his sin, and puts clean garments on him, representing purity, innocence, and righteousness. The LORD then gives three promises connected to the vision of Joshua: 1) that he will send his servant the Branch, who is Jesus, 2) he will remove all iniquity from the land in a single day, which was the day Jesus died, and 3) because the sin is removed, every one of his people will be at peace with one another.

Discussion Questions:

• What is Satan's role in the courtroom? What's his goal in tempting people? 
• Define imputed righteousness (See 2 Cor. 5:21). If I were to look at a brother or sister in Christ as if they were fully righteous before God, what would they look like? WHO would they look like? 
• What ultimate reality are clothes a mere shadow of? How do clothes remind us of God's mercy?
• What is a Gospel Cycle? Why is it called that? What are the five stages in the cycle and how does each stage correspond to the story of the Bible?

Application Questions:

• Am I harboring any bitterness toward a brother or sister in Christ? Am I siding with Satan in the heavenly courtroom in any way when I think about that person or talk to them? 
• Do I avoid conflict or do I often start it/engage it? What do I need to do (or not do) to make sure I do a full gospel cycle with other believers?
• Have I been praying for the other saint when I get in conflict with them? How can I integrate prayer into conflict? How can I grow in confidence that prayer is powerful? 

Prayer Points:

• Praise God that He has freely taken away your sin and given you Christ's glorious righteousness!
• Praise God that God will complete the work he started in the believers around you to perfectly sanctify them (Phil. 1:6)!
• Ask God to prompt you to pray when you get in a conflict or start to think about someone you're in conflict with.
• Ask God to bring the conflict through a whole gospel cycle in order to strengthen the relationship and glorify God.
• Don’t belittle prayer, when conflict strikes, first picture your brother with Christ’s righteousness, shining as bright as the sun, and pray, “Lord, get them there soon! Sanctify them through this, I want to see them glorified! Help me be patient with them, God! I praise you that you began a good work in them and you will surely complete it! Forgive me for being unforgiving.”    

Worship:

"Not What My Hands" by Aaron Keyes: 

"Oh How Good It Is" by Keith and Kristyn Getty:

(Providentially the first song on my Spotify playlist when I went for a jog Sunday morning before preaching! God is so encouraging!)

Discipleship 101: Take the Low Seat! (Luke 14:1-11)

 Outline: Luke 14:1-11

1. Jesus exposes pride (14:1-9)
2. Jesus encourages humility (14:10-11)

Summary: While dining at a house full of Pharisees on the Sabbath day, Jesus was being carefully watched to see if he would heal a man suffering from dropsy.  Knowing what the Pharisees were watching for, Jesus asks, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” Jesus’ question served to expose the hearts of the Pharisees, for under their silence was pride in all of its hypocritical and self-centered ugliness.  Next we learn that Jesus “noticed how the Pharisees chose the places of honor” (v.7).  Seeing this, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wedding Feast in order to further expose pride and encourage humility.  Followers of Jesus Christ must learn to pass up the high seat and make a beeline for the low seat, for humility is the sure route to honor. 

      Discussion Questions:

• Why were the Pharisees watching Jesus so Intensely in v.1? Was Jesus actually breaking God’s law?  How do Jesus’ questions (vv.3, 5) and the Pharisees silence (vv.4, 6) actually expose pride and hypocrisy and self-centeredness of their hearts? What is it that Jesus notices about the Pharisees in v.7 that would prompt him to tell the Parable of the Wedding Feast in vv.8-11?
•  Jesus says, “Do not sit down in a place of honor.”  In other words, don’t take the high seat!  Is Jesus forbidding the pursuit of honor in v.8?  What point is he making?
• Jesus also says, “go and sit in the lowest place (v.10).” In other words, take the low seat!  What is the relationship between the low seat and being honored in v.10?
• Interact with these statements: “Honor is not to be given not taken…It is God’s prerogative to bestow honor.  It is our prerogative to pursue humility…”
• How did Jesus make it possible for us to love the low seat?
• What are other examples of ways God would have us choose the “low seat”?

Application Questions:

• Studying the responses and actions of the Pharisees helps us to see something of the ugliness of pride.  Just as Jesus sought to expose the pride of the Pharisees, he also seeks to expose the pride in his followers.  Is there any area of pride in your life that you sense Jesus exposing?  What is it?  What ways have you tried to cover it in order to appear better than you are?      
• Jesus exposes us in order to clothe us.  How does being clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ motivate and inspire you to pass by the high seat and make a beeline to the low seat? 
• What would it look like practically to take the low seat in your relationships?  With Jesus?  With those at home?  Church?  Work?  Etc?
• How will a focus on humility serve as the key to unlock many areas of spiritual growth in your life?

Prayer Points:

• Ask God to, by His Spirit, expose and convict your heart of any pride in your life.
• Confess to God any pride in your life and any way you’ve sought to cover that pride, that is, any way that you’ve been content with looking righteous instead of being righteous. 
• Thank God for how he mercifully exposes pride for your good.
• Thank God for how he has clothed you with the righteousness of his Son so that you don’t have to try and find significance and security in the rags of your own “righteousness.” 
• Praise God for sending His Son to be born humbly, to live humbly, and to die humbly in order to put the very Spirit of humility within you.  Praise God for giving you a new instinct and desire to make a beeline to the low seat!
• Pray that God would help you to make a conscience effort in your daily life to pass by the high seat and to occupy the low seat.

Discipleship 101: Be Ready for Your Master’s Return! (Matthew 24:36-51)

 Outline: Matthew 24:36-51

1. What we don’t know (vv.36-41)
2. What we should know  (vv.42-51)

Summary: Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 24 are triggered by his disciple’s questions: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of the age” (v.3).  In vv.4-35 Jesus emphasizes what it would be like leading up to the moment of his return.  Then, in our passage, vv.36-51, Jesus emphasizes what his coming will be like and how he expects his followers to live in light of it.  Jesus basically tells his followers two things: what they don’t know and what they should know.  We don’t know the day or the hour and therefore many will be caught off guard.  We should know, however, that our Master is most certainly coming back and that we must be ready for his return. 

Discussion Questions:

• How should we process the phrase “nor the Son” in v.36?  Even with that jarring statement, the main point is clear.  So what is the main point of v.36? In light of the main point, how should we think about the claims to know the day and/or hour made by people and groups in our day?
• Jesus compares his coming to the coming of the flood in Noah’s day.  Read Gen. 6:9-7:24 and imagine what it would have been like when the flood came.  What would it have been like for those inside the ark? What about those caught outside the ark?
• Jesus then gives his disciples a modern-day example of normal, everyday activates that will be carried out when Jesus comes back suddenly (v.40).  What are some common activities that people carry out in our day? Now imagine what it would be like if Jesus were to come in such moments. 
• According to v.44, Jesus clearly says, “the Son of Man is coming.  How then does Jesus expect his followers to live in light of this fact?
• What does it mean to “be ready”?

Application Questions:

• Do you (or perhaps someone you know) tend to focus more on what you can’t know than on what you should know?  If so, what changes should be made in your thinking?
• Honestly, how much does the fact of Jesus return shape the way you live your life?
• Most people are not prepared for Jesus’ return.  How should this fact motivate your desire to tell people about Jesus?

Prayer Points:

• Confess to God areas in your life in which you have failed to live in light of your Master’s coming.  Areas that you are more spiritually “asleep” than “awake.” And receive forgiveness from Jesus, your merciful Master  (1 John 1:9).
• Ask God to show you more of what it means for you to be more faithful and ready for your Master’s return.  Ask him to help you to live out what he shows you. 
• Pray that God would help you to believe, to really believe, with more of an absolute certainly that “the Son of Man is coming.”
• Thank God for the gospel and how we don’t have to dread that day but can actually look forward to it.
• Praise Jesus that his words can be trusted and that he will make all things right when he returns.

New Worship Song - "Soon"

Pastor Brandon is preaching tonight on waiting for Christ's return. Here's a new song we'll be singing about it:

Discipleship 101: Make More Disciples! (Matthew 28:18-20)

                                                                                                                        Visit fbcpierz.org/sermons to listen to this sermon. 

Outline: Doubts begin to dissolve in the light of…

1.     The Power of the Resurrected Christ (v.18)

2.     The Mission of the Resurrected Christ (v.19-20a)

3.     The Presence of the Resurrected Christ (v.20b)

Summary: Jesus rose from the dead and went to Galilee to meet his disciples, just as he said that he would (26:31-32; 28:6,10,16).  When the disciples encountered Jesus in his resurrected state, they rightly worshipped him as the God-Man (28:17; cf. v.9), but still some of them doubted.  This doubt, however, would start do dissolve in the light of the power, mission, and presence of the risen Christ.  Before Jesus gives the Great Commission, he tells his disciples that he has been given absolutely all authority (v.18; cf. Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 2:8-11).  Essentially saying, “don’t be afraid to proclaim the gospel to anyone because everyone will have to answer to me.”  Then he tells his disciples their mission: Make disciples of all nations by going, baptizing, and teaching.  This is a massive mission, one that can only be carried out in the strength of God, which is why Jesus then reassures them with the promise that he would be present with them by his Spirit until the end of the age. 

Discussion Questions:

• When Jesus tells his disciples of his absolute power and authority in v.18, what effect do you think Jesus intended for it to have on them?  What effect should this statement have on you, especially in regards to your calling to tell others about Jesus? 
• The Wheel Illustration was used in order to help clarify the central focus of the Great Commission (Make disciples of all nations!) and the three ways it is to be carried out (by going, baptizing, and teaching).  In your own words, try to explain the mission that Jesus gives to us using the wheel illustration.
• People become disciples by believing the gospel, the good news about Jesus and what he did. This is implied in the mission and is made explicit when we look at parallel passages.  Read these parallel passages and reflect on your call to share the gospel in order to make more disciples: Matt. 24:14; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47.
• What is the meaning of the phrase “all nations”?
• We are to make disciples by going.  What does this entail? (Hint: think “spheres of influence”).
• We are to encourage people who believe the good news about Jesus to be baptized in the singular name of the triune God.  Consider how baptism itself is a dramatization of the good news of the gospel (cf. Rom. 6:4). Have you been baptized as a believer?  If not, Consider being baptized in obedience to this passage.
• How important is it that we not only teach others about Jesus but also teach others to obey Jesus (v.20a)?  What is the difference between the two?  This verse provides a strong biblical basis for accountability.  Are their people in your life who are helping you obey Jesus’ teachings?  If not, respond to this command by making this a more urgent part of your life.  
• In v.20b, Jesus promises his disciples that he would be with them to the end of the age.  How can this be seeing as Jesus is about to ascend to his Father’s right hand and no longer be physically present with his disciples? What effect do you think Jesus intended for it to have on them?  What effect should this statement have on you, especially in regards to the challenges of living on mission? 

Prayer Points:

•  Confess to God any doubt that lingers in your heart and ask him to be at work in you, dissolving any doubts in the light of the power, mission, and presence of the risen Christ.
• Confess any ways that you have failed to live on mission in your various spheres of influence and receive forgiveness and cleansing that flows from Jesus  (1 John 1:9).
• Pray that God would help you to understand the absolute power and authority of Jesus Christ and that it would serve to give you more confidence as you share the good news about Jesus with others.
• Pray that God would brand his mission on your mind and heart and help you to live it out.
• Ask God to help you to be a faithful witness in every sphere of influence that he has placed you in, whether in your home, extended family, church, school, workplace, community, etc.
• Ask God to help you to lovingly, wisely, and diligently pass on the teachings of Jesus by instructing others and helping them to obey the things that they learn.
• Thank God for the privilege it is to be part of the greatest of all causes: following Jesus on his mission to make disciples of all nations.
• Praise Jesus for his absolute power over all things and all people.
• Praise Jesus for the promise of his constant presence in your life as you live on mission.