Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – October 17, 2021

Series Title: “The Gospel for Everyone”

Today’s Title: “…my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles”

Today’s Text: Acts 9:1-19

WHO did God call to keep the church moving?

HOW did God intervene to keep the church moving?

Saul Before the Light

                Approved of a violent murder (Acts 7:58 & 8:1)

Began to destroy the church (Acts 8:3)

Murderous threats w/the high priest’s authority (Acts 9:1-2)

In his own words (Philippians 3:4-7)

Saul: The Light & The Voice

                “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 8:4 & 1 Cor. 12:27)

                “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5)

                “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:5)

“…you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6)

Saul: Darkness & Waiting

                “three days” – Acts 9:9

Saul & Ananias – Acts 9:10-19

• Ananias needed to TRUST
  • In God’s vision
  • That Saul won’t turn on him
• SAUL needs to TRUST
  • A stranger
  • A follower of Jesus
  • That this was all real
• MISSION– Acts 9:15

• SIGHT – Acts 9:17

God intervened by calling Saul to take the Gospel to the Gentile world because he was the right man for the job, and because Peter and the other Apostles were reluctant to accept that their Jesus belonged to everyone.

Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – October 10, 2021

Series Title: Acts Part 3: The Church is Persecuted & Scattered

Today’s Title: “…all except the apostles scattered throughout Judea and Samaria”

Today’s Text: Acts 8:1-40 (reading v1-8)

Acts 1:8 - “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 Acts 8:1 - “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.”

PHILIP GOES TO SAMARIA – Acts 8:1-25

• SAMARIA: Great animosity toward Jews, especially those in Jerusalem
• Philip proclaims the message, performs miracles, joy in the city (v4-8)
• Simon the “sorcerer” is intrigued by the power of the Holy Spirit (v9-13)
• The apostles (still in Jerusalem) hear what’s going on in Samaria (v14)
• Peter & John go there, and the Spirit comes on the Samaritans who believe (v15-17)
• Simon wants the power to bestow the Spirit on others for selfish motives (v18-25)
  • NOTE: Peter & John “returned to Jerusalem” (v25)

PHILIP & THE ETHIOPIAN – Acts 8:26-40

• God works through an angel (first time in Acts an angel intervenes to a non-apostle) (v26)
• Ethiopian “eunich” (not uncommon for someone who works for a queen) (v27)
• Traveled to Jerusalem to worship, had a copy of Isaiah – this man has “means” (v28)
• Philip obeys the prompting of the Spirit (v29-30)
• Philip is able to help the man understand Isaiah’s prophecy (v31-34)
• All scripture can lead someone to Jesus (v35)
• Philip baptizes the man (v36-39)
• A man with influence to the queen of a nation takes the gospel to Africa (v39)
• Having obeyed God, the Spirit whisks Philip away to take the gospel to other places (v40)

HOW DID THE STONING OF STEPHEN CHANGE THE CHURCH?

BEFORE                                                                                   AFTER

THE CHURCH GREW RAPIDLY (2:41 & 47, 4:6, 5:14, 6:1 & 7)           THE CHURCH IS SCATTERED (8:1)

“ALL THE PEOPLE” WERE ON THEIR SIDE (2:47, 3:9-10, 5:26)          THE PEOPLE WERE STIRRED UP AGAINST THE CHURCH (6:11-12)

THE APOSTLES WERE PERSECUTED (4:3, 5:18, 5:40)                           THE WHOLE CHURCH IS PERSECUTED (8:1-3)

THE CHURCH WAS PRIMARILY IN JERUSALEM (6:7)                            THE CHURCH SPREADS OUT (8:4)

DID GOD WANT THE APOSTLES REMAIN IN JERUSALEM? (8:1)

THE PLAN JESUS GAVE THEM

“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

DO THESE WORDS REFLECT JESUS?

“It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”          - Acts 6:2       

• Matthew 20:28 – “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Look at the context (20:20-28)

GOD USES STEPHEN’S DEATH AS A CATALYST (HAD THE PLAN STALLED?)

 “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” – Acts 8:1

WHO DID GOD USE TO KEEP THE CHURCH MOVING?

• Stephen - Acts 6:5 – His martyr was the catalyst for the church to get moving (8:1 & 4)
• Philip – Acts 6:5 – took the gospel the Samaria & Ethiopia (8:5)
• Barnabas – Acts 4:36 – He convinced the apostles to trust Saul
• Saul – Acts 7:58 – took the gospel Gentiles (18:6)

Rev. Paul J. Miller - Sermon Outline - October 3, 2021

"Where do we find God?" - Acts 7

STEPHEN'S SPEECH

Abraham to Jacob – Acts 7:2-8

  - Go to a new land

  - Establish a Covenant

Joseph to Moses – Acts 7:9-19

  - Rebellious brothers

  - Go to Egypt (earth’s greatest empire)

  - Rule Egypt

Moses to Joshua – Acts 7:20-44

  - Follow Moses out of Egypt (v35)

  - FOLLOW THE ONE GOD WILL SEND (v37)

 -  Follow the Law (“living words” v38)

  - At Mt. Sinai?

 -  Rebellion leads to exile

Joshua to David – Acts 7:45-46

  - In the Tabernacle?

David to Solomon – Acts 7:46-47

  - In the Temple?

Solomon to Isaiah – Acts 7:48-50

  - “However”, you won’t find God in tabernacles or temples (or church buildings)

  - Isaiah 66:1-2 (the closing statement to all of Isaiah’s prophecies)

Jesus to Eternity – Acts 7:54-60

  - The Sanhedrin was “furious” to once again   being accused of killing Jesus

  - WHAT DROVE THEM TO KILL STEPHEN WAS THE SAME WORDS THAT DROVE THEM TO KILL JESUS

  - Jesus, “son of Man” at the right hand of God   (Luke 22:66-71)

You cannot find God in land, in nations, in empires, in obeying rules, in a tabernacle, in a temple, in a sacrificial system, in a theological system, or in a church building.

You can only find God in the new and eternal temple, Jesus the Christ.

He is One God sent to us.

Only when you seek Him in faith will you find Him in your heart.

That’s where God lives.

Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – September 26, 2021

Series Title: “The Church is Persecuted & Scattered”

Today’s Title: “The face of an angel”

Today’s Text: Acts 6:1-15

The Choosing of the Seven - Acts 6:1-6

• “Hellenistic Jews” (v1) – Jews who spoke Greek
• “complained” (v1) - First sign of possible division in the church
• “wait on tables” (v2) – Feeding people is important, it’s just not what the Twelve were called to do. (See Romans 12:3-8)
• “choose seven men” (v3) – Note that this was a group decision (v5)
• Of the seven men listed, (v5) only Stephen and Philip are mentioned again in Acts
• “a large number of priests” (v6) – The gospel is being accepted even among some Jewish leaders

Stephen – Acts 6:7-15

• “great wonders and signs” (v8) – although important, what gets him killed is not the works but his words
• “opposition arose” (v9) – various groups, some who were likely part of the Sanhedrin
• “they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him” (v10) – The greatest power of the Spirit is the Word, not signs and wonders
• “secretly persuaded some men” (v11) – Where truth is rejected, lies will emerge
• “they stirred up the people” (v12) – Up until now, the crowd was mostly with the church. The lies worked
• “brought him before the Sanhedrin” (v12) – third time in Acts this happened (Acts 4 & 5)
• “they produced false witnesses” (v13) – truth was not on the side of the Sanhedrin, so they accused Stephen of something that would raise up anger among the people
• The lie: Jesus will destroy the Temple and change our customs (v14)
• “the face of an angel” (v15) – In a room filled will lies, deception, and anger,

TRUTH STILL SHINES

10 Ways that Stephen Reflects Jesus

• Trial before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:53, Acts 6:12)
• False witnesses (Mark 14:56-57, Acts 6:14)
• Distorted meaning about destruction of the Temple (Mark 14:58, Acts 6:14)
• Temple “made with hands” (Mark 14:58, Acts 7:48)
• “Son of Man” saying (Mark 14:62, Acts 7:56)
• Charged with blasphemy (Mark 14:64, Acts 6:11)
• The High Priest’s question (Mark 14:61, Acts 7:1)
• Committal of spirit, just before death (Luke 23:46, Acts 7:59)
• Cry out with a loud voice (Mark 15:34, Acts 7:60)
• Forgiveness of the persecutors (Luke 23:34, Acts 7:60)

Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – September 19, 2021

Series Title: “The Church is Persecuted”

Today’s Title: “If it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men”

Today’s Text: Acts 5:17-42

Acts 5:17-42

Factors and aspects about this story:

LAW IMPRISONS US AND LEADS TO DEATH

Peter lays responsibility for Jesus’ death on the people of Jerusalem

• Acts 2:23 and you, … put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”
• Acts 2:36 …this Jesus, whom you crucified,
• Acts 3:13-15 …You handed him over to be killed,… ¹⁵ You killed the author of life,
• Acts 4:10 …whom you crucified
• Acts 5:30 …whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.

THE GRACE OF CHRIST SETS US FREE AND LEADS TO LIFE!

¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ²⁰ “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” – Acts 5:19

Angelic appearances and messages are rare. Just 6x in Acts

What the angel didn’t say…

• Attack the Sanhedrin, they are the problem
• Outwit them, outsmart them, say clever things to discredit them
• Get the people on your side thru political means, show them your wounds to raise anger & fear

The angel DID say to TELL THEM ALL ABOUT THIS NEW LIFE!

• John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

No full outline today. Just open up a Bible to Acts 4:1-22 and 1 Peter 3:13-17 to follow along. It's amazing how these two scriptures align with each other!

Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – July 25, 2021

Series Title: The Apostles Take Action

Today’s Title: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you”

Today’s Text: Acts 3:1-26

BEGINNING YOUR JOURNEY WITH CHRIST AND LEADING OTHERS TO THEIR JOURNEY INCLUDES……

RELIGIOUS ROUTINE

– No matter where you begin, Christ will meet you there. (v1)

REFLECTION

–Share with others what God has given to you, so they see Jesus in you.(v2-8)

REACTION

– The Way of Christ is the Way of Wonder (v9-11)

RESPONSIBILITY

– In our hearts, we have all disowned Christ by choosing death over life. (v11b-15a)

RESURRECTION

– The source of our power is the Resurrection of Christ (v15b-16)

REPENTANCE & REFRESHMENT

– To be Refreshed you have to walk toward the Living Water (v17-20)

RESTORATION

– God’s plan to restore humanity went first to the Jews and then to all peoples (v18-26)

Colossians 3:21-23

Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – July 18, 2021

Series Title: The Church Begins

Today’s Title: All the Believers Were Together

Today’s Text: Acts 2:37-47

THEY DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO…

THE APOSTLES TEACHING

TEACH WHAT JESUS COMMANDED - Matthew 28:19-20

WHAT JESUS COMMANDED - John 15:9-17

WHAT JESUS TAUGHT

- The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)

- The Parables (30+)

- The Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven) 85x

FELLOWSHIP - “Koinonia”

Communion - 1 Corinthians 10:16

Common need - 2 Corinthians 9:13

Fellowship of the Holy Spirit - 2 Corinthians 13:14

Fellowship of believers - 1 John 1:1-7

THE BREAKING OF BREAD

Fellowship (Koinonia) doesn’t happen just because we eat together. Only as the body and blood of Christ is remembered (both ritually and foundationally) will we be living in true fellowship with God and with one another.  (see 1 Corinthians 11:20-22)

PRAYER

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” - Ephesians 6:18

LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CHURCH LEARNS, COMMUNES, AND PRAYS TOGETHER… (v43-47)

AWESOME STUFF!                           EVERYTHING IN COMMON

READINESS TO MEET NEEDS        MEETING TOGETHER DAILY

EATING TOGETHER GLADLY         PRASING GOD TOGETHER

ENJOYING FAVOR                            GROWTH

Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – July 11, 2021

Series Title: The Church Begins

Today’s Title: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses if it”

Today’s Text: Acts 2:22-36

“Son of David” in Matthew

• “Son of David” (17x in Gospels, 10 in Matthew)
• 2 blind man in Nazareth - (Matthew 9:27)
• 2 blind men in Jericho – (Matthew 20:30)
• “Palm Sunday” (Matthew 21:9)
• Jesus goes on the offensive (Matthew 22:41-45)

“THIS” JESUS

From Nazareth (v22)

The Miracle Worker (v22)

Given to you by God (v22-23)

Nailed to a Cross by both Jews & Gentiles (v23)

Was resurrected (v24)

The Son of David (Messiah) (v25-31)

God Raised Him to Life & We Saw it! (v32)

Exalted to the Right Hand of God (v33)

Whom YOU Crucified is Lord and Messiah (v36)

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart” (v37)

As a people, the Israelites waited 1000 years for God to take on flesh and become one of them, and when He came they killed Him.

What have YOU done (in your heart) to THIS JESUS?

Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – July 4, 2021

Series Title: The Church Begins

Today’s Title: “Let me explain this to you; listen carefully”

Today’s Text: Acts 2:1-21

WHAT ACTS 2 DOESN’T SAY ABOUT THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

• THERE WAS VIOLENT WIND – It was only a SOUND LIKE a violent wind (v2)

• ACTUAL TONGUES OF FIRE – It only SEEMED like tongues of fire (v3)

• ONLY THE 12 APOSTLES RECEIVED THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – It just says ALL OF THEM (v4)

• THIS EVENT WAS A REVERSAL OF THE TOWER OF BABEL (Genesis 11:1-9) – Peter didn’t say that

• THE SPEAKING IN TONGUES (IN ACTS 2) WAS A SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE
  1. OTHER (known) languages (v4)
  2. The crowd that gathered heard THEIR OWN language (v6)
  3. OUR NATIVE language (v7)
  4. This is NOT the same as what Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 12-14

• A PERSON CAN BE “DRUNK WITH THE SPIRIT” – there is no so such thing in the Bible
  1. Some in the crowd were making fun of them (v13)
  2. Peter made light of that accusation (v15)
  3. Ephesians 5:18 does NOT say “drunk in/with the Spirit”

• EVERYONE WHO RECEIVES THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL SPEAK IN TONGUES – 3000 people were saved that day, no mention of them “speaking in tongues” either when they believed (v38-39)

WHAT ACTS 2 DOES SAY ABOUT THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

• THE SUDDEN ABILITY TO SPEAK IN OTHER (KNOWN) LANGUAGES WAS A MIRACULOUS WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (v4) – “as the Spirit enabled them”

• PETER CAREFULLY DESCRIBES WHAT IS GOING ON
  1. The crowd asks; “What does this mean?” (v12)
  2. Peter replies; (let me explain this to you, listen carefully”

• PETER USES THE SCRIPTURES TO EXPLAIN THIS EVENT - Joel 2:28-32
  1. The “last days” began on that day (v17)
  2. The Spirit of God is available to all people (v17)
  3. Dreams, visions, and prophesying are some of the ways the Spirit works (v17-18)
     1. Dreams and visions – be open, but be careful
     2. “prophesy” brings strength, courage, and comfort to others. (1 Corinthians 14:3)
  4. Wonders in heaven and earth (v19) how literal?
  5. AN OPEN INVITATION FOR SALVATION TO “EVERYONE”

THIS IS THE GREATEST MEANING OF PENTECOST!