Church in the Square

I Saw To You: From Law to Gospel

I Saw To You: From Law to Gospel

I Saw To You: From Law to Gospel

God show's his supremacy in the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me". God is God alone. God is greater than all powers. God is Creator, everything else is creation. God is before all time. Therefore this commandment is not just a commandment but a statement of an unchanging reality. You can't have a God that exists before the one who has always existed.

The book of Acts begins with the disciples waiting for the Holy Spirit. Acts ends with Paul waiting in a jail cell. What if being the Church is much about waiting? Waiting for Jesus to return. Waiting for the renewal of all things. Waiting in obedience and hope, for King Jesus. That’s where we are led in this last chapter of Acts.

Acts 27 shows us that God is faithful -- that what he says, he'll do. Even more, Jesus is inviting us to ask some hard questions when it comes to trials in our own life. Paul was continuously reminded of the cost of obedience to Jesus and willingly stayed the course. Often, we're like the soldiers and sailors in Acts 27. Even when we hear that God is going to take care of us, we still try to find...

Paul makes his defense before Agrippa and Bernice and in the midst of pleading his innocence is sure to implore those who can hear, to come and believe in the resurrected Jesus. Agrippa doesn't give Festus what he hoped for and sees Paul as an innocent man.

Paul is continually found not guilty of the accusations from the Jews against him. And it seems the resurrection of Jesus is the main point of contention. Hoping to have some charges on Paul written down before sending him to the emperor Caesar, Festus presents Paul's case before king Agrippa and Bernice.

The accusation is made against Paul in Caesarea with much confidence. Paul then responds with his own account of the details. Governor Felix decides to postpone the decision of the case and keep Paul in prison in the meantime. As years pass and Paul is still in prison Felix is succeeded by Porcius Festus.

The Jews scheme an ambush to take the life of Paul but, in God's sovereignty, the nephew of Paul hears of the plans and reports them. When the tribune hears the news he is sure to keep Paul safe as he makes his way to Governor Felix in Rome. Fulfilling the words of Jesus to Paul the night before.

At every turn it seems Paul is confronted with hostility. But in God's providence he is never found to have committed wrongdoing. In the midst of the hostility Jesus encourages Paul by letting him know that because of his obedience he will continue to be used to testify in Rome.

Paul attempts to share his defense to those who had just harmed him. In their native language, he tells them the story of God's work in his life - from persecuting those who follow Jesus, to his encounter with God on his way to Demascus, to his call to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

Paul's friends plead with him multiple times not go to Jerusalem because affliction awaited him. But he was constrained by the Spirit and said he was "ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

In Miletus, Paul gathers the Ephesian Elders to address them before he heads to Jerusalem. He reminds them of how God has worked through him to be faithful to the calling to preach the gospel -- even when this meant being sent into difficulty and hardship. He continues on to encourage the Elders letting them know opposition will present itself even from within their own flock.

We all need encouragement. We all need to be comforted in this life. However, we regularly settle for just being comfortable. In Acts 20:1-16, Paul travels all around to encourage churches. He soon gets to Troas to deliver genuine gospel encouragement ... through resurrection.

God continues to work through Paul to bring the gospel message to the world and in Acts 19:21-41, we read of the effects this has on those in Ephesus who worship Artemis. The truth of the singular, eternal, triune God not only confronts the beliefs of the Ephesians, but inevitably dismantles systems of greed created to profit those who produce man-made gods such as Artemis. We continue today in a...

In Acts 19:1-20 Paul arrives in Ephesus and informs the disciples there of the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of the Spirit. He then reasons in the synagogue, and then Tyrannus until all Asia heard the word of God! God reveals his power in a visceral way in Paul, healing and exorcising and eventually confronting a group of Jewish exorcists attempting to use the name of Jesu...

Apollos, a Jewish Christian, arrives in Ephesus and speaks boldly in the synagogue. Priscilla and Aquila listen to Apollos and realize "he knew only of the baptism of John". And so they bring Apollos aside to critique him and inform him of "the way of God more accurately."

Paul leaves Corinth, with Priscilla and Aquila, to return to the Church of Antioch in Syria. On his way they stop at Ephesus and Paul reasons in the synagogue. When asked to stay longer Paul declines, sharing his hope to return "if God wills." Once arriving in Syria Paul sets out once again to strengthen the disciples.

Paul is in Corinth and continues to reason in the synagogue. When heavy opposition arises, God tells Paul to continue to preach the gospel and reminds him to not fear because He is present with him.

Paul is taken to the Areopagus, the leading governing body in Athens. It's here he confronts the general pantheism of the city by preaching the one God and his gospel.

In Athens, Paul observes many idols and the Spirit provokes him to reason in the synagogue and the marketplace. Confronted with the leading philosophies of the time Paul responds by proclaiming Jesus and his resurrection.

In Acts 17:10-15, Paul, Silas and Timothy make their way to Berea. This time when they preach the gospel, the Jews "received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (v11). Do we believe and trust God's word that we run to it first before exhausting other options?

Paul arrives in Thessalonica and reasons on three Sabbath days about the need for Christ to suffer and rise from the dead. Some believe and some do not. The unbelieving Jews stir up the city and accuse Paul and Silas of acting against Caesar because they proclaim Jesus as Lord and King.

Paul exorcises demons from a young girl which eventually gets him and Silas put in jail. While there, Paul and Silas continue to praise God by praying and singing to him. God miraculously opens up all the jail cells, freeing those inside. The jailor in charge is about to take his own life when Paul shows him they have not run away. The response of the jailor is to ask how he can be saved and after...