Lots of people get stopped by lots of things.
I remember being stopped in my tracks one day at church – Snake.
People are stopped in their tracks by all kinds of things.
Sadly, I have known people who were stopped in their tracks relationally.
Maybe they got burned in a relationship, or even in a marriage.
They thought the relationship was unstoppable, but sadly, it came to an end.
Either consciously or subconsciously, they decided to never to allow anyone to get that close again.
I am aware of situations where people have been stopped in their tracks vocationally.
Like those teachers who want to make a difference in the lives of their students.
They are struggling with whether their efforts are really making a difference, wondering if the students even care, or if their job will be discontinued after the next round of budget cuts.
They are tempted to quit trying or to just get by with minimal effort.
Or think about that person who is unemployed.
They have sent out so many resumes.
Still no job. Very few leads.
If that is you, you may feel like giving up.
You feel like you have been stopped in your tracks.
I have known people who been stopped in their tracks spiritually.
Something happened to cause them to either give up on the church, give up on their faith, or give up on God.
Some of you might have called it quits in some other area of your life,
and no one else knows about the decision you have made.
But you have thrown in the towel.
Maybe you are still going through the motions for the time being at least,
but your heart isn't in it, whatever IT IS.
You have been stopped in your tracks.
If you have ever felt like quitting or are facing obstacles that are insurmountable, I have good news for you, you are in the right place today.
We are digging into what it means to be unstoppable.
There is an unstoppable faith that is available to every single one of us, no matter what obstacles and outward circumstances seem to stand in our way.
God is greater than whatever it is that stands in our way,
and His all-surpassing power is available to us.
God is ready to enable you to stand strong, not lose heart, and not give up.
Unstoppable is the word that comes to mind when we look at the early days of the church.
Conflict and controversy threatened to take the young group down, but instead of killing it, the challenges fueled the fire that spread across the first-century landscape.
The religious leaders tried to put a muzzle on the message that Peter and John proclaimed so boldly.
“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” - Acts 4:18 (NIV)
Peter and John had been told on several occasions not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus at all.
So, when Peter and John wouldn't keep quiet, the leaders locked them up.
But then God sent a messenger to restart what they had stopped.
(I love this scene).
“But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life.’" - Acts 5:19-20 (NIV)
After miraculously freeing them, the angel told the apostles to go back to the temple and pick up where they left off.
What I love about Peter and John is that they…
• Don't give in.
• Don’t give up.
• Wouldn’t allow themselves to get sidetracked or discouraged.
• They just keep on keeping on.
It was time for them to get back to work.
“At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin--the full assembly of the elders of Israel--and sent to the jail for the apostles.” - Acts 5:21 (NIV)
Peter and John went right back to doing what God had called them to do.
The religious leaders tried to silence their message.
They worked to extinguish the passion of the early church.
But Peter, John, and the message they proclaimed were unstoppable.
The New Testament church was unstoppable.
As a result…
“The word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” - Acts 6:7 (NIV)
You know the church is unstoppable when even the priests were becoming obedient to the faith!
• God’s hands cannot be tied.
• His message cannot be silenced.
• His purpose will be fulfilled.
• He is unstoppable.
No matter what kind of opposition came their way,
You just can't stop what God is doing.
When the church of Jesus Christ is all that it is intended to be,
it is an unstoppable force for God, bringing hope to the world.
Last week, we talked about the Apostle Paul.
Paul possessed unstoppable determination.
He had unstoppable integrity.
We see in Paul an unstoppable level of humility, which enabled him to live an unstoppable life, with an unstoppable faith which led to an Unstoppable Future.
Let’s make it personal now.
What about you and me?
How can we be unstoppable?
Here are three characteristics of an Unstoppable Christian.
1. Unstoppable Christians are FILLED WITH GOD’S SPIRIT.
This is the foundational and most primary quality of all.
TITLE SLIDE
Peter and John were preaching.
They were proclaiming that a resurrection had taken place.
They were talking about Jesus.
And they were bold in what they proclaimed.
It is obvious that they had seen something that inspired them on the deepest level.
They couldn’t keep their mouths shut about it.
The chief of the Temple police and some Sadducees arrested them and threw them in jail.
But already, about 5,000 people had bought in and believed in the message they proclaimed.
The next day a meeting was called to discuss what to do with these two.
The rulers, religious leaders, religion scholars, along with the Chief Priest—everybody who was anybody was there.
They stood Peter and John in the middle of the room and grilled them:
They asked, "Who put you in charge here?
What business do you have doing this?"
With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose:
"Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing,
I'll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide.
By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole.
Jesus is 'the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.'
Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one."
The people couldn’t keep their eyes off Peter and John.
They were just standing there so confident, and so sure of themselves!
Their fascination deepened when they realized these Peter and John were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education.
They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man who was healed standing right before them—what could they say against that?
They sent Peter and John out of the room, so they could work out a plan about what to do with them.
By now it's known all over town that a miracle has occurred.
Everyone knew that Peter and John were behind it.
There is no way to refute that.
But so that it doesn't go any further, they decided they would try to silence them with threats so Peter and John won't dare to use Jesus' name ever again with anyone."
They called them back and warned them that they were never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. - Acts 4:1-17 (MSG)
See if this sounds like Peter and John were unstoppable.
“They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John spoke right back, ‘Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question—we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard.’" - Acts 4:18-20 (MSG)
I love it!
Peter and John were unstoppable.
“The religious leaders renewed their threats, but then released them. They couldn't come up with a charge that would stick, that would keep them in jail. The people wouldn't have stood for it—they were all praising God over what had happened.” - Acts 4:21 (MSG)
I don’t want you to miss out on seeing how this all started:
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people!’” - Acts 4:8 (NIV)
The reason Peter could do what he did, and say what he said, is because he was “filled with the Holy Spirit.”
You cannot be unstoppable on your own.
You can’t be an unstoppable Christian in your own strength.
The victorious Christian life isn’t just difficult…it’s IMPOSSIBLE if the Spirit of God is not living in you.
We could debate all day long how you get the Holy Spirit in your life?
I would never put God in a box and say here is how God does anything every single time.
But I can tell you when the very first church was beginning in the book of Acts – Peter, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, tells a crowd of thousands …
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” - Acts 2:38 (NIV)
If you want to be an Unstoppable Christian I would say, before anything else, you to need to repent and be baptized because the Bible says clearly you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There are all kinds of unstoppable attributes the Holy Spirit provides our lives …
• Power
• Protection
• Clarity
• Comfort
• Conviction
• Comprehension
• Understanding & Insight
One of the most powerful purposes of the Holy Spirit is to illuminate our minds and to help us understand the truths of God’s Word.
Without the Holy Spirit in your life, you may grasp the INFORMATION, but you will not experience the TRANSFORMATION that only He can bring.
When it comes to the truths of the Bible, it is not just about hearing it on Sunday morning.
It is about going out there and living it Monday through Saturday…and Sunday too!
24-7-365.
You may be excited and inspired on Sunday,
but unless you are filled with the Spirit of God,
you will not be an unstoppable Christian in the workaday world.
God wants to provide supernatural insight, wisdom, understanding, and power for living. It comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit.
That’s #1.
2. Unstoppable Christians are COURAGEOUS in their claims.
Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, made an incredible and courageous claim.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12 (NIV)
Translation: Jesus is the only way to heaven.
This is not Peter’s theory or notion.
He is simply repeating what Jesus had already said about himself.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” - John 14:6 (NIV)
Unstoppable Christians are continually, courageously, and clearly POINTING PEOPLE TO JESUS.
Preparing to launch a new series two weeks from today that is called - At The Movies. I will be talking more about it more next week.
But I want you to know that this series provides a golden opportunity for you to invite unchurched family members and friends.
There’s so much we can learn about God from the big screen.
Each weekend in July, we’re going to focus our attention on one feature film.
We’ll see some clips from a specific movie for the week, then I’ll make some practical application from God’s Word.
If you like movies, you’ll love this series.
You know someone who will come, but they won’t if you don’t invite them.
There will even be free popcorn!
Due to copyright restrictions, these messages won’t be shared online.
This is such a simple, easy way for you to help point people to Jesus.
As we look at our lives in this world we have two choices …
We can rest easy and thank God for His blessings in our lives.
Just content to live casual, cozy, comfortable Christian lives.
Or…
We can decide that Jesus is worth more than a casual Christian life.
As followers of Jesus, we have been given the power and presence of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives to make a difference.
Is there anybody in your family, your school, your workplaces, your neighborhoods, or your world who need Jesus?
Get their name and their face in your mind.
What are you doing to let them know?
Do you believe Jesus is who He says He is?
Do you believe life on this earth does not last forever?
Do you believe God made a way for us to spend eternity with Him?
Do you believe that Jesus is the hope of the world?
Who have you told?
Who is the person you are thinking of right now?
What are you going to do to let people know this week?
When will you do it?
As an unstoppable follower of Jesus, I want to encourage you to take a courageous stand and unapologetically point people to Jesus.
Unstoppable Christians are filled with God’s Spirit.
They are courageous in their claims…
3. Unstoppable Christians have BEEN WITH JESUS.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” - Acts 4:13 (NIV)
Do you want to lead an unstoppable life of faith?
Take a lesson from Peter and John.
Spend time with Jesus.
How do you do that?
How do you get closer to Jesus?
1) Spend time in His Word. This is one way He communicates with us.
2) Spend time in prayer.
3) Get plugged in (or stay plugged in, or get re-plugged in) to a Bible-teaching church.
4) Get connected to a small group. ROOTED Sign-ups are in August.
The church is referred to as the Bride of Christ.
If you want to connect with Jesus, it just makes sense that you get closer to His Bride.
• Hang around His people.
• Spend time in His Word.
• Make time to talk to Him in prayer.
• Then be willing to listen – Prayer is two-way communication.
How much time do you spend with Jesus each week?
WEEKLY 3 (commit at least an hour a week to 3 specific practices).
• WORSHIP – Public and Private
• CONNECT – Small Group
• SERVE – Church or Community
Let’s get a little more personal…
Do you spend more time with Jesus or Facebook (Social Media) each week?
I’m on social media.
But I’m more convinced than ever that satan loves it more than I do.
And he loves it more than you do.
Do you know why he loves it?
Because social media distracts so many of us from spending time with Jesus.
Social media is just one of the things that can distract us from God’s Word.
If you want to change your day,
just spend 5-10 minutes with God in the morning.
That will change your day.
But what if you want to change more than your day?
What if you want to also change your family, workplace, school, neighborhood, community?
I think it’s about time we admit we need more 5-10 minutes a day with Jesus!
A verse of the day on our phone or your inbox won’t cut it.
If we think we can live a life like those UNSTOPPABLE New Testament Disciples in the book of Acts with a diet of only 5-10 minutes with God a day we are deceiving ourselves.
We are setting ourselves up for a spiritual let down if we think we can spend little to no time with God and experience a big and unstoppable Christian life.
So here is my question …
What’s stopping me from being UNSTOPPABLE?
My Next Step…
Do I need more time with God this week?
Do I need to make a courageous stand?
Do I need to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?
Do I need to connect in a group?
Do I need to find a place to serve?
Other? (Everyone should write INVITE right here)
What’s stopping you from being unstoppable?
Next week we are going to look at the lives of some of the unstoppable heroes of the faith. What made them the people they were?
When the Church operates like God designed it to operate,
the Church is an UNSTOPPABLE force bringing HOPE to the world!
Next week we’ll discover how we can all make a significant difference in the coming weeks.
Closing Prayer
