Sermons

The idea of rejoicing in suffering is a common Biblical idea, one that I’m sure isn’t entirely new to many of you. But how do you rejoice when following Jesus costs you a friendship? How can anyone rejoice while in the midst of depression or facing a serious diagnosis? How can you possibly celebrate feeling consistently disrespected because of your faith in Christ? 

Because that’s precisely what we see in Acts 5:33-42. The apostles, after being arrested and threatened were then beaten for proclaiming the gospel. And we learn in verse 41 that after being beaten they rejoice. How is that possible?

What happens when the desire to fit in comes into conflict with our responsibility to obey God?

Because the pressure to conform doesn't disappear when we become Christians. In fact, there will be times when following Jesus puts us at odds with the very people whose approval we desire. We may have to choose between being accepted by the crowd and being faithful to Christ.

That's precisely the situation the apostles face in Acts 5. The authorities have commanded them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. They have a choice to make: conform to the expectations of the people around them, or remain faithful to the One who called them to proclaim the gospel.

And Peter's answer is unmistakable: “We must obey God rather than men.”

As men and women hear the gospel and put their faith in Christ, God is confirming the truth of the gospel message through miraculous signs and wonders. First, Christ displays His power through His church (v. 12). Second, Christ grows His church (vv. 13-14). And third, Christ demonstrates His mercy through His church (vv. 15-16).

Jesus is building his church.

When it is discovered that someone is not who they have appeared to be, it disrupts relationships, unsettles a community, and causes division and strife.

As the church has seen growth, Satan has been on the prowl like a lion seeking to cause chaos and destruction. He has shifted his attack to come from within the church. And the main way he has sought to do this is through the sin of Hypocrisy.

The early church described here in Acts 4 would certainly challenge Ebenezer Scrooge, wouldn’t it? Because the early Christians never asked, “What do you want?” Instead they asked, “How can I help?” 

Their possessions weren’t merely things to accumulate. They saw them as gifts from God that could be used for the good of their brothers and sisters.

There’s a fair degree of resistance to Christian boldness, isn’t there? Not because we disagree with it, but because it’s risky! What if we come across poorly? What if I say something wrong and now this other person thinks I’m rude, arrogant, or overly aggressive? That’s the risk that comes with Christian boldness and most of us don’t want to be accused of any of those things so we let things go. We retreat into passivity. 

This passage challenges that, doesn’t it? Because the apostles and the early church prayed for boldness.  

They weren’t worried about who they might offend. They were more concerned with getting the gospel out! 

The world will oppose the church, but we have no reason to fear because Christ has overcome the world. Gospel proclamation will invite hostility from the world.

The miracle gets our attention. Peter’s sermon exposes our problem. And the gospel gives us the remedy. But the remedy isn't simply that Jesus will make your circumstances better.

The remedy is Jesus Himself. He forgives your sins. He turns you from your wickedness. He reconciles you to God. And He promises that one day He will return and restore all things.

What if the thing we thought we needed healing for didn’t really cure the disease? What if the thing we thought we needed that would solve all of our problems didn’t actually solve anything?

That's what makes this story so remarkable. This man comes to the temple looking for one thing. Peter and John look at him, and he expects them to give him some money. That's what he thinks will help him. That's what he thinks he needs.

But God had something far greater in store for him.

God has appointed means or ways through which He ordinarily saves, sanctifies, nourishes, and strengthens His people. God certainly can work in extraordinary ways, and He sometimes does. But He has not left us wondering how He intends to build His church. He has given us His Word, His sacraments, and prayer, and He has promised to work through them.

The gospel is not merely information about Jesus Christ that we are meant to understand and store away. It is a message that confronts us with who Christ is, what He has done, and who we are as sinners before a holy God. And because the gospel confronts us in this way, it demands a response.

We see that response unfold very clearly in Acts 2. Peter has preached Christ crucified, risen, and exalted as Lord. And when the crowd hears his message, they don't simply walk away with a few new theological facts. They are "cut to the heart," and they ask, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

In Acts 2:14-36, Peter reminds us that the wind, the fire, and the tongues all served a specific purpose and that purpose was to point everyone to Jesus Christ. Everything that happened, the wind, the tongues of fire, the speaking of tongues, all of those things were miraculous tools used by the Holy Spirit to proclaim Jesus Christ.

Luke isn't simply recording one event; he's drawing together themes that stretch across the entire storyline of Scripture. Every detail—the timing of Pentecost, the wind, the fire, the languages—is loaded with theological significance. And if you don’t take a moment to draw them out, you miss something significant. Which is why I want to make six observations that help us understand what Pentecost means and why it matters for the church today.

Before Luke tells us about the extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit, he spends nearly an entire chapter describing the ordinary rhythms of the life of the church. They spend time in corporate prayer, seek direction from the Scriptures, and have a congregational meeting. Before Jesus sends His Spirit to empower the church, he first lays the foundation he’ll build his church upon.

The ascension is significant because it is Christ's royal coronation. Having accomplished the work the Father gave Him to do, the risen Christ ascends into heaven and is enthroned at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

Acts reminds us that the church is not ultimately built or sustained by human effort. It is built and sustained by Jesus Christ. The mission of the church is entirely dependent upon Christ's authority, His abiding presence, and the power of His Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is not to manufacture success, but to faithfully rely on Christ’s promised means of ministering in and through His Church.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’ve probably heard this passage at some point or another. We just read “judge not, that you be not judged.” But the more common way we refer to it is “judge not lest you be judged.” 

Our culture generally hates the Bible, but for whatever reason, it seems to love this passage. And much of the reason our culture loves this passage is because it’s become something of a shield. It’s been reinterpreted to mean, “Christians are not allowed to condemn the actions or behaviors of anyone.”

And so, “Judge not lest you be judged,” has become a slogan for immunity. “You can’t criticize or condemn anything that I’ve done because, well, judge not…”

How many times has someone criticized or questioned you and then you threw out, “judge not lest you be judged!”

But things get somewhat complicated if you know your Bible, you probably know that Jesus also commanded in John 7 to “judge with right judgment.”

The Bible makes it crystal clear that the world is not caught in some sort of endless cycle. All of human history is moving towards a final day. God has appointed a day when He will judge evil, vindicate His people, and establish His kingdom forever. 

Here Malachi points us to the final Day of the Lord—the day of God's ultimate judgment and salvation, what Christians often refer to as Judgment Day.

If we're honest, there are moments when we look around and wonder whether the sacrifices are worth it. We may never say it out loud, but the thought can creep into our hearts: "What profit is there in serving God?"

As it turns out, that is not a uniquely modern struggle. It was the very struggle facing the people in Malachi's day. They looked at the prosperity of the wicked and the difficulties of the righteous and concluded that serving God was a waste of time! Their hearts had grown cynical, and their cynicism was beginning to shape the way they viewed God, worship, and obedience.

And it is to those cynical and discouraged people that the Lord speaks in Malachi 3:13–18.

This past Sunday, Providence Presbyterian Church was blessed to have Rev. Richard Brueck fill the pulpit. Rev. Brueck is leading the church planting effort in Bedford, VA. You can learn more about it here.

Malachi reminds us that anything other than the Lord makes terrible saviors. Money can disappear. Careers can end. Health can fail. Beauty fades. Relationships change. 

Which is why the Lord's invitation is so astonishing. He does not merely expose their sin. He does not simply condemn their worshiplessness. He graciously calls them back to Himself: "Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts."

It’s easy for us to forget an incredibly important point: God’s justice is impartial. When the Lord comes, He’s going to judge His enemies, but He’s also going to purify His own people. The church is going to be purified. 

What a society worships trickles down into their moral and cultural values. What is celebrated, tolerated, or excused today often shapes the broader culture tomorrow. And here’s where things get intimidating–a moral drift at the top almost always leads to a moral drift among the people.

That is precisely the issue in Malachi 2. The priests had been corrupted which led to weak, apathetic worship, but of course it didn’t stop there. Their corruption and indifference towards God trickled down into the entire covenant community.

This past Sunday, Providence Presbyterian Church was blessed to have Rev. Andrew Newman from Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Greer, SC fill the pulpit.

As the church officers go, often, so goes the church. There are always consequences for poor church leadership. The attitudes and convictions among those entrusted with spiritual oversight inevitably shape the tone and direction of the entire congregation.

That’s why James says that those who teach will be judged with a greater strictness. There’s a weightiness, a seriousness, a heaviness to come with being in a position of spiritual authority. In the Old Testament, the priests were not anonymous religious robots; they were supposed to protect public worship—they were entrusted with maintaining the holiness of God’s name among His people. When they were faithful, they led Israel into the presence of the living God. But when they became careless, indifferent, or self-serving, they led Israel away from the Lord. 

The One who is infinitely greater than any earthly king—the One who rules over all things—invites us into His presence. This is not a casual gathering. This is not just another event on your calendar. This is where you show your honor and reverence to the King of kings. And yet, far too often our worship is like walking into the White House or the Buckingham Palace in your pajamas, carelessly unprepared, distracted, and indifferent.

God deserves to be praised, honored, and glorified, but more often than not you and I give Him less than our best. 

Which was happening in Malachi’s day. The people were active in worship, but they were merely going through the motions because their hearts were far from the Lord. 

And that’s exactly what the Lord is chastising Israel for—they’re going to the Temple, they’re participating in Old Testament worship, but they weren’t giving the Lord their best because their hearts were far from Him.

God’s love is not a fragile or conditional love, but a committed, covenant-keeping love rooted in God’s own character. Even when Israel struggled to see it, even when their situation made it feel distant, God’s love had not diminished. He had bound Himself to them in love. And that means His love was not temporary or uncertain, but enduring, faithful, and secure in every season.

“Remember how he told you…”

You see, the Lord Jesus has already told us—and accomplished—everything we need. He lived the perfect life, bore our sins on the cross, and rose three days later just as He said. And so the question before us isn’t really whether or not you know this. Most of you likely do. The question is whether you remember it—whether it’s something you regularly reflect on, hold dear, and truly trust in.

Because it’s possible to know these truths in your mind and yet live as though they don’t matter.

According to God’s Word that’s forgetfulness. That’s the warning of Psalm 78. That’s also what we see here in Luke 24. 

Careers will come and go. Possessions will fade. Achievements will eventually be forgotten. But a life that points your family to the Lord has eternal significance. When you tell your children and grandchildren about who God is and what He has done, you are investing in something that will outlast you. You are shaping not just their present lives, but their eternal future—and there is no greater legacy than that.