All Nations Presbyterian Church: Afternoon Sermon Series

Acts 4:1-22 - The Mighty Name of Jesus

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Acts 4:1-22 together. There, we saw Peter and John being questioned by the religious leaders about the healing of the lame man. The leaders’ anger towards Peter and John showed us that not everyone is happy about Jesus and His work. Indeed, we should recognize that even today some people will hear the news of Jesus and reject it in angry unbelief. At the same time, however, some Acts 4 encourages us that people will hear the news of Jesus and believe. Indeed, Jesus’ name is the only name that can save sinners like us. Recognizing the power of Jesus’ name gives us confidence to keep speaking for Jesus even when some people reject the message. This week, ask God for wisdom and love to speak about Jesus to others around you, and pray that God would lead many more not to anger but to repentance.

Acts 3:1-26 - The Person and Work of Jesus

Last Sunday afternoon we resumed our series in Acts by hearing from Acts 3:11-26 together. In this passage, Peter preaches a sermon that is all about Jesus. In particular, we saw that Jesus is the suffering servant prophesied in Isaiah 53. Even though He was completely holy and righteous, Jesus suffered and died so that our sins may be blotted out. Yet, Jesus did not stay dead; as the Author of life, Jesus rose from the grave. Even more, as the Author of life, Jesus is leading all His people to times of refreshing and the fullness of eternal life when He returns. Finally, Jesus is the Final Prophet—the prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18 who is even better than Moses. Because Jesus is the Final Prophet, we should be careful to listen to all that He tells us on the pages of Scripture. This week, take some time to thank God for the many aspects of Jesus’ work for us—as the suffering servant, the Author of life, and the final prophet. Then, ask for God’s help to listen carefully to all that Jesus tells us in God’s Word.

Acts 3:1-16 - Faith in Jesus’ Name

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard about the healing of the lame man from Acts 3:1-10. We saw that this man with broken feet is a picture of the entire world. Because of Adam’s sin, we live in a broken world that is groaning under the curse. The effects of the curse include everything from broken feet to broken minds to broken souls. Yet, we also saw that the risen Lord Jesus completely healed this lame man. Again, this is a small little picture of what Jesus does for every single person who believes in Him. When we put our trust in Jesus, God forgives our sins and brings our spiritually dead hearts to new life. Although God may not heal all our physical diseases right now, God will heal His people completely—body and soul—when Jesus returns. Finally, we saw that the only proper response to this incredible grace is to worship God with overflowing joy. This Easter week, take some time to thank God for all that Jesus has done—not just forgiving our sins but also giving us the hope and promise of resurrection life.

Acts 2:42-47 - A Healthy Church

Last Sunday afternoon, we saw a picture of life in the early church from Acts 2:42-47. In the process, we saw some of the key priorities of church life: God’s Word, fellowship, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. Critically, however, these aren’t things that we do once or twice; they are things that we continually devote ourselves to as a church—over and over again. As we strive to be faithful in these basic areas, we remind ourselves and others of the gospel of Jesus Christ and all that God has done for us by His grace. This week, take some time to thank God for all that He is doing through All Nations. Then, pray and  how you might use your gifts and resources to help the church to grow in deeper fellowship together.

Acts 2:37-41 - The Promise is For You and For Your Children

Last Sunday afternoon, we looked at the conclusion of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost from Acts 2:37-41. In particular, we saw that the proper response to Jesus Christ is to repent. To repent means to turn from sin to trust in Jesus. It means to admit that we are sinful, spiritually lost, and cannot save ourselves, and to trust in Jesus Christ to save us. We also saw that Peter encourages the people to be baptized. Baptism is a sign and seal of God’s covenant, and baptism symbolizes the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Although baptism is a wonderful gift from God that assures us of His promises, it is not automatic; we are called to embrace the gospel by repentance and trust in Jesus. Finally, we saw who these promises are for: believers, their children, and everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ. This week, take some time to thank God for the incredible gift of our salvation, and pray that the children and young people of our church would embrace this salvation for themselves.

Acts 2:14-41 - The Story of Scriptures

Last Sunday afternoon, we thought about how Peter used, read, and understood the Bible from Acts 2:14-41 together. In particular, we saw that Peter kept quoting and alluding to the Old Testament. This reminds us that the story of the Bible does not start in Matthew. In fact, to rightly understand the New Testament, it really helps to understand the Old Testament. We also saw that Peter treated the Bible as God’s authoritative word. Peter recognized God as the ultimate author of Scripture; therefore, Scripture speaks with the full authority of God. Finally, we looked at the way that Peter understood the message of specific Old Testament passages, and we saw that the Old Testament is ultimately pointing forward to Jesus Christ. The Bible really is an incredible gift—it is God’s authoritative word that tells us about Jesus our Savior.  Since all of this is true, what is one specific step you can take to read and know God’s Word even more this week?

Acts 2:14-41 - The Gift of the Spirit

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:13-41. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out abundantly into the hearts of God’s people. Surprisingly, however, Peter actually spends more of his sermon talking about Jesus Christ than he does talking about the Holy Spirit. Peter reminds us of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Critically, Peter ties the pouring out of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ work. It is the risen, ascended Lord Jesus who pours out the Holy Spirit on His church. This reminds us that as Christians, we can only receive the gift of the Holy Spirit because of all that Jesus has done for us. Although not every detail of Pentecost maps directly onto our situation today, we can be confident that, as Christians, we have received the promised Holy Spirit because of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit not only encourages and empowers us to live for God day-by-day; He is also the down payment of our future inheritance, assuring us of the coming resurrection of our bodies. This week, take some time to re-read Acts 2 and thank God for all the spiritual blessings He has given us.

Acts 2:1-13 - The Reverse of the Curse

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard the story of Pentecost from Acts 2:1-13. We especially saw that the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit to miraculously speak in different human languages about God’s mighty works. Although our situation is not identical to Pentecost in every way, there are still great encouragements for us from this passage. We don’t see or experience the same signs that the first disciples did, but as Christians we do have the gift of the same Holy Spirit living within us. Likewise, we shouldn’t expect to miraculously speak in human languages we’ve never learned today. But we should expect that as we do the hard work of learning other languages or teaching migrants English that we will be able to share the good news of Jesus with them in a way that they can understand. This week, take some time to thank God that the gospel is going forth to people from many different languages and consider how you can use whatever languages you speak to share the good news of Jesus with others.

Acts 1:12-26 - The Witness of the Apostles

Last Sunday afternoon, we continued our series in Acts by hearing from Acts 1:12-26 together. We saw that the overarching message of this passage is that Jesus Christ is still building His church. First, Jesus builds His church through our prayers—especially as we plead with God to fulfill His promises. Second, Jesus builds His church despite opposition. Judas Iscariot led the opposition against Jesus, but even Judas’ opposition could not stop God’s plan to save His people. Finally, Jesus builds His church on the foundation of the apostles. The choice of a new apostle to replace Judas was a unique event in the history of the church, and together the 12 apostles formed the foundation of Christ’s church. Although we don’t have new apostles around today, we can still stand on the apostolic testimony recorded for us in Scripture. What should we do with all this? We can pray to God, pleading with Him to continue to build His church as He promised, asking for the strength to stand firm and trust His plan even when we face opposition, and praying that He would keep us and our church faithful to apostolic testimony of Scripture as it points us to Jesus Christ our Savior.

Acts 1:1-11 - God’s Kingdom, Spirit and Witnesses

Last Sunday afternoon, we heard from Acts 1:1-11 together. In this passage, we saw that the risen Lord Jesus is seated in heaven, but He is still working in this world. In particular, Jesus is spreading the good news of God’s kingdom among people from all nations through Spirit-empowered witnesses like us. We saw that God’s saving rule in Jesus is not just for people from one nation or one group; it is good news for all nations, and Jesus is still saving sinners from all around this world. Incredibly, Jesus is using sinners like us as His witnesses to accomplish His mission on earth. Although we are not apostles, we can stand on the foundation of the apostles given to us in the Scriptures to share the good news of Jesus in our city and around the world. This week, take some time to thank God for His grace in saving sinners like us, and pray for God’s help to seize opportunities to witness for Jesus in our city.