The Plowman

The Graciousness of God's Grace [ 38:31 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (87)

2013 Acts #32: An exposition of Acts 21:1-36. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, February 2, 2014.

Intro:

You’ve no doubt seen the T-shirts – “I’m not perfect just forgiven.”  Or you’ve seen the poster, “Be patient God isn’t finished with me yet.”  Though they may seem trite they are actually celebrating great truths.  We are saved solely by the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  God does not grant me enough grace to push me up over the top – I have no righteousness of my own – I am wholly dependent upon His grace!  There are no bragging rights in heaven.  I have no reason to boast except to boast in the glory of the cross.  It is God’s grace that saved me.  But it is also gloriously true that it is God’s grace that sanctifies me.  It is by His grace that we grow in holiness and righteousness.  When we speak biblically about our salvation we talk of God’s past, present and future work in us.  We have been redeemed.  2000 years ago the Lord Jesus hung on a cross outside the walled city of Jerusalem and paid the price for our rebellion.  By His stripes we are healed.  We have been redeemed by His blood.  When was I saved?  2000 years ago!  But God is also doing a present work in me by conforming me to His likeness.  I was declared righteous in God’s sight at the time of my conversion.  When I came to faith in Christ I was saved then and forever.  But that was not the end of God’s work of salvation.  He then placed His Spirit within and began the life-long process of sanctification.  Not only am I saved but also I am being saved.  Ultimately I will be taken into His glorious presences and be made completely righteous.  In other words I have been saved, I’m being saved and I will be saved.

Now back to the opening statement – often, as believers, we make mistakes.  We rebel.  We do stupid things.  While we are counted righteous because of Christ – we are far from righteous in our character and life.  Martin Luther said the child of God is, “similus ustus et picator” – at the same time righteous and unrighteous.  “Well that’s all real interesting pastor.  Thanks for the theology lesson but what is this all about?”  I wish the Christian life was as easy as we often try to make it.  It would be nice if everything was black and white.  If everything fit into neat packages tied up with pretty bows life would be grand.  Unfortunately life is messy even for the child of God.  It would be nice if once a person commits their life to Christ – they were touched with a magic wand and instantaneously they are forever freed from temptation and sin – but that doesn’t happen.  God has sovereignly chosen that sanctification be a process.  And sincerely, committed, godly people will stumble upwards in their progression.  The promise of the Scripture is that He who began a good work in you will complete it!  But the righteous life is a struggle.  For an example this morning I want you to look at the 21st chapter of Acts.

Text: Acts 21:1-36

Too often we assume when reading the Scriptures that Paul always followed the will of God.  Subconsciously we think he was above the struggle that we mere mortals often face.  But Saul of Tarsus was a “frail child of dust” along with the rest of us.  Those character traits that served him well in establishing the church also proved to be a stumbling block in his spiritual development.  This section of Acts severs to remind us of that.

As we walk through this text we will discover that:

Thesis: Paul’s experience warns of the destructiveness of pride and the goodness of God’s grace.

Three things I want us to note in our journey through this text.

1. Salvation does not automatically override stubborn pride.  (21:1-16)
2. Pride can lead even faithful believers down the primrose path of compromise.  (21:17-26)
3. God graciously intervenes in spite of our rebellious hearts.  (21:31-36)

Conclusion:

Failure is not final within the Kingdom.
Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert – but then led Israel out of bondage.
Samson lost his sight – but brought down the temple of Dagon.
Jonah was thrown overboard – but brought revival to Nineveh.
Peter continued to stumble but became a mighty spokesman for the faith.

There’s hope for you and me!  By grace are we saved through faith.  And that grace continues its work in us and one day – we will be holy even as he is holy.  In the meantime we trust in His grace.

The Church That Honors Christ [ 41:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (78)

2013 Acts #31: an exposition of Acts 20:18-32. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 19, 2014.

Intro:
I was visiting with a friend a few months ago and we were discussing church life.  He is a pastor in a neighboring state and we were comparing the way church starts happen.  How is it that we start new churches?  We agreed that in both states, the primary means of starting new churches is the tried and true Baptist method of “church splits”.  But that there is a renewed interest in starting from scratch with the goal of reaching new people – actually leading people to faith in Christ and then assimilating them into a new church body.  He told me of a new work in their association that had no members but rented a very expensive building – a prime location on the edge of a huge shopping mall.  The building was being remodeled to have a very contemporary, non-church look and feel.  The pastor had spent months working on the church’s logo and slogan.  They had a website which was very impressive – but not a single member and they had never met!  The message was clear – image is everything.

Other churches have turned to Disney designers to develop a kid friendly children’s ministry.  While on the one hand Southern Baptists have decried the immorality of the Disney Company – the same Southern Baptists have asked Disney how they can more effectively minister to children!  I am in favor of reaching as many people as possible.  I am in favor of having facilities that are first rate.  I believe our buildings should be as nice as we can afford – my concern is that priorities seem to be out of line.  When we are more concerned about the style of our logo than the content of our preaching – something is wrong.  When we are more concerned about our image than the glory of Christ we are in trouble.  What characteristics should mark the church?  What should be the church’s primary concern?  What is to motivate and drive the church and its ministry?  For some answers we turn again to the book of Acts.

Text: Acts 20:18-32
Dr. Luke is finishing up his account of Paul’s missionary journeys.
He has shown that Paul was “set apart” by the Spirit for this work.
God had called him to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
We’ve seen the Gospel move toward the west – as a result of the “Macedonian Call.”
We’ve witnessed great revival and great persecution.
Paul was warmly received and violently pursued.
Chapter 20 is something of a “catch all.”
Verses 1-6 deal with subsequent work following his 2-year ministry in Ephesus.
We learn that he wintered in Greece (probably at Corinth) before starting toward Jerusalem for the Passover Season.

Verses 7-12 – tells of an event at Traos where Paul preached someone to death.
20:9 – I’ve skipped over this for obvious reasons!

I want us to focus on Paul’s parting with the Ephesian elders – 17-38.

As we explore Paul’s parting words we learn something of his heart, something about ministry in general and I’m convinced we learn an abiding principle for church life –

Thesis: The glory and honor of Christ is to be the passion of the Church.

From our text we will note three principle characteristics of the church that honors Christ.

1. The church that honors Christ sees ministry as a way of life and not as an activity.  (20:18-21)
2. The church that honors Christ cares more for the glory of Christ and his church than personal comfort and ease.  (20:22-24; 33-35)
3. The church that honors Christ exercises vigilant watch-care over the flock of God.  (20:25-32)

The Power of Gospel Ministry [ 43:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (70)

2013 Acts #30: an exposition of Acts 19:1-41. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 12, 2014.

Intro:

The pressure is intense.  The competition is fierce.  The goal is noble.  So how do we avoid compromise?  We live in a fast-paced, crowded, complex, self-centered culture.  A world in which most folks are in a mad pursuit of comfort and relative ease asking in every circumstance, “What’s in it for me?”  Within this cultural mix we find a myriad of voices promising the path to self-fulfillment and self-actualization.  It seems the road to utopia has many alternate routes!  Yet the Scriptures tell us there is one path to life and that is the through the person of Jesus Christ.  We are told that the path to ultimate fulfillment is to die daily to our wants and desires.  We are told that life comes through death.  But that just doesn’t “sell” anymore.  In a culture that feeds on self – how do you draw a crowd to a message of self-denial and sacrifice?  That is the dilemma.  Why not “package” the message in such a way that they will not know where this is leading until they are hooked?  Why not scratch them where they itch?  Why not entertain them, soften them up and then hit them with the truth?  It all sounds very reasonable – but then the path to compromise is always reasonable.

We are all agreed on the goal – we want to see people come to Christ.  We want our friends, relatives, neighbors and coworkers to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus.  The question is how do we get there?  What shape is our ministry to take?  How do we reach them?  For some answers we turn again to the first century model of the apostle Paul.  Our text this morning is found in the 19th chapter of Acts.

Text: Acts 19:1-41

Dr. Luke, missionary and traveling companion of the apostle Paul is writing his friend, Theophilus and informing him of the continuing work of the Lord Jesus through his church.  Luke has been describing Paul’s missionary journeys.  Chapter 19 begins the account of Paul’s third journey and records his extended stay in Ephesus.

Paul had stopped off in Ephesus on his way back to Antioch following his 2nd journey.
He was asked to stay longer – but declined at that time (18:18-21).
He did leave Priscilla and Aquilla to minister in Ephesus and promised he would return.
Chapter 19 records his return and the extend ministry he enjoyed.

Ephesus was an impressive city boasting a population in excess of 300,000 – huge by ancient standards.  The main attraction of Ephesus was the temple of Artemis goddess of the moon, the hunt and virginity.  The temple of Artemis was one of the wonders of the ancient world.  Ephesus was at its height during the days of the apostle Paul.  A major port city, Ephesus was world-renowned.  A rich, powerful and influential city filled with superstition and pagan deities.  Yet Paul had a long and fruitful ministry there.  As we explore Acts 19 we will encounter some confused disciples; a confident witness; some compelling evidence of God’s power and approval and a thwarted conspiracy.

Along the way we discover that God blesses the work of the Gospel.  Reminding us that the method for reaching the lost is through the faithful preaching and application of the Gospel.  Because…

Thesis: God graciously enlightens, inspires, affirms and protects the ministry of the Gospel.

There are four things to note from our text.

The Gospel brings light to those who are groping in darkness.  (19:1-7)

The Gospel inspires confidence in spite of less than favorable odds!  (19:8-10)

God graciously affirms the authority of the Gospel.  (19:11-20)

God providentially protects the ministry of the Gospel.  (19:21-41)

Remaining Faithful in Difficult Times [ 36:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (68)

2013 Acts #29: an exposition of Acts 18:1-17. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 5, 2014.

Intro:

Do you ever get tired of doing the “right” thing?  Do you ever find yourself wondering if it is worth it?  During a time of reflection, have you ever tried to assess the value of your service to see if it is worth the time, the energy and the effort you give to it?  It seems we are pulled in so many different directions anymore.  There is always a “good cause” to give to.  There is always a group needing a little volunteer support.  The little league has to have volunteers to provide opportunities to your children.  Schools need parental support for outings and school activities.  There is always a neighbor or coworker who could use some help.  Many have families that are in constant need.  Then of course there is the church.  Sunday School workers, nursery, Vacation Bible School, youth, senior adults who need help getting to the doctor or who need some help around the house.  Then there is your responsibility to share the Gospel, live a consistent Christian witness, give yourself to prayer and Bible study so that you grow in your knowledge of the God.  My question is – “Do you ever get discourage in all of that?”  No?  Do you lie about other things too?

I’m sure there are those “super saints” who never grow weary but for us mere mortals the task is often overwhelming.  At other times we look at what we’ve done and we can see no visible sign that our labors have accomplished anything and we become disheartened.  The natural tendency of our fallen nature is to look inward and to become self-absorbed and self-obsessed.  And yet we are called to faithfulness.  How do we do it?  How do we remain faithful and consistent in the midst of disappointment?  For some answers we turn to the 18th chapter of the book of Acts.

Text: Acts 18:1-17

In our text Dr. Luke tells us about Paul’s ministry in the city of Corinth.  This is the first extended period of ministry on Paul’s journeys.  Up to this point he is something of a “gadfly” moving here and there lighting for brief periods.  But here he settles into a ministry of some 18 months.  And I might add, this is a very unusual place for such an extended period!

Corinth is located on a narrow strip of land that served as a bridge from east to west.
Corinth was a major port city.
Goods would be unloaded on one side taken across Corinth and loaded on ships on the other side enabling merchandise to be shipped from the Orient to Europe without traveling around the southern edge of Greece.

Corinth’s population during NT times is estimated at 200,000 (20 times that of Athens!).
The population was made up of Greeks, freedmen from Italy, Roman army veterans, businessmen and government officials and people from the Orient.  There was also a large Jewish population.

James Boice suggests there are three words to describe ancient Corinth:

• Cosmopolitan – Corinth boasted a mixed and diverse group of people.  Due to its importance as a port city, people from all over the world lived in Corinth.  Sailors from all over the world often spent extensive periods in the city.  Corinth was known for its architectural beauty – we still talk about the Corinthian column.
• Commercial – being the main trade route east and west, as well as, north and south Corinth became the center of trade for that region of the world.
• Corrupt – Corinth was a vile place.  In fact Corinth was legendary for its corruption.  In the ancient world if you wanted to speak of someone’s sexual immorality, you would speak of their “corinthianizing”.  Corinth boasted the temple of Aphrodite, goddess of love.  The temple employed over 10,000 temple prostitutes.

And yet it is to this crowded, immoral, pagan city Paul came preaching the Gospel.  It is amazing to consider Paul’s coming given the reputation of the city – or maybe that is the reason for his coming!  Last time we said, corruption and perversion burdens and emboldens Gospel ministry – here is a prime example.

As we walk through this passage there are three facts about ministry that I want to call to your attention.  Three things we must keep in mind if we are to remain faithful to the task.

1. Ministry if often discouraging.
2. In the midst of our frustration God graciously provides encouragement.
3. Ultimately, the believer’s faithfulness is tied to confidence in God’s abiding presence and activity.  (18:9-10)