The Possibilities Series

“THE POSSIBILITIES” Acts 17:6

FBCF – 3/27/22

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Don’t you love being a part of a winning team? We’ve all had those moments when our team came out victorious – won a game, a tournament, a championship.

Sometimes you can experience a victory even if the score says otherwise.

- HC soccer vs Jxn Prep – Russ’ jr. year – Prep took 57 shots on goal – Score at end of the game – 9-0. We just wanted to keep them out of double-digits. You would’ve thought we had just won the championship!

Listen brothers & sisters in Christ, you & I are on the winning team! We are the ChURch! We are the Body of Christ! We are the FAMILY of God! As Bill Gaither wrote, we are “The Church Triumphant!”

“Let the Church be the Church, Let the people rejoice

For we’ve settled the question, We’ve made our choice

Let the anthems ring out, Songs of victory swell

For the Church triumphant, Is alive & well.”

You know why it’s alive & well? B/c Jesus Himself said in Matthew 16:18, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against [His Church].”

We’re concluding “The ChURch” series today. We’ve talked about the Power of the Church, the Proclamation of the Church, the People & the Places of the Church, the Problems of the Church, & the Prayer of the Church. Today, we conclude w/ the Possibilities of the Church. And our application statement today is a declaration of this that we believe:

APPLICATION – When the ChURch is truly being the ChURch, we are going to make a HUGE impact for the Kingdom of God!

EXPLANATION – Acts 17:1-9

Early on in book of Acts, Peter & John are most prominent. Also see Barnabas mentioned, along w/ Stephen & Philip & a few others.

New guy shows up at beginning of end of chapter 7 & beginning of chapter 8 – Saul. Persecutor of the Church. Gloriously saved in chapter 9. Starts sharing the Gospel – “And immediately, [Saul] proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’” Shows back up in chapter 13 & becomes the major character for the rest of the 16 chapters of the book.

Paul went on 3 missionary journeys. Chapter 17 is in the middle of the 2nd journey. He stopped in Thessalonica for a time of ministry where he went into the synagogue to “reason” with the people on 3 different Sabbaths. He would preach the Gospel, & dialogue w/ the people. He would begin by taking the OT writings – “the scriptures” (v. 2) - & explain how Jesus fulfilled them. He would begin where they were & what they knew & move to what they didn’t know & share the wonder of the Gospel w/ them. Paul did 3 things:

- “explaining” – opening the Scriptures to open their minds & soul to the truth of who Jesus is

- “proving” – presenting & putting forth the truth of why Jesus had to suffer & die & be raised from the dead. He was stating the case that this was the counsel & decree & purpose of God for sending Jesus into the world “to seek & to save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10).

- “proclaiming” – “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” This isn’t just a nonchalant passing statement. This is a declaration w/ conviction that Jesus is the Christ – the chosen One who paid the price for our sins, & the ONLY way to be saved.

- Spurgeon quoting another minister: “I have never yet found a text that had not got a road to Christ in it, and if I ever do find one that has not a road to Christ in it, I will make one; I will go over hedge and ditch but I would get at my Master, for the sermon cannot do any good unless there is a savor of Christ in it.”

What Paul was doing is the exact same thing that the Church is supposed to be doing in our world today. We are to meet people right where they are & proclaim & explain the truth of the Gospel to them. What is that truth? JESUS IS THE TRUTH! – John 14:6

- John 3:16

- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (NIV)

- Acts 4:12 – Peter preaching about Jesus said, “There is no way to be saved from the punishment of sin through anyone else. For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we can be saved.” (NLV)