Homiletics: Acts 3 - Acts 7 - Lesson 3

John's homiletics this week:

Divisions:

I. The Holy Spirit empowers disciples to Heal and proclaim the Gospel  

Acts 3:1 – Acts 4:33

Application: Are we allowing the HS to work through you (us) today?

Application:  Are you prepared to do the Father’s will in meeting the needs of a fallen world?

II. The Holy Spirit empowers disciples to recognize hypocrisy and live with joy in obedience to God’s commandments.         

Acts 4:34 – Acts 5:42

Application: Is hypocrisy killing your peace, joy and witness?

Application: Do you count yourself worthy of suffering for Christ?

III. The Holy Spirit empowers disciples to recognize and focus His gifts to accomplish His calling within the church.

Acts 6:1 – Acts 7:60

Application: Are you open and listening to the HS’s prompting to use your gifts?

Application: Are you willing to find, focus and use your spiritual gifts?

Subject Sentence:

The Holy Spirit empowers believers to accomplish God’s purpose. (9 words)

Aim:
To cause the audience to see that through obedience God will empower His people to accomplish His purpose.

Content - Summary List of Topics or Events

1. V1 A man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple and called out to Peter & John for cash.
2. Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” And so he did jumping to his feet he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.
3. The people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
4. Peter boldly speaks the Gospel msg. to those in the Temple stating that by faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was healed and made strong including “repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, v23 anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ Thru V26.

Acts 4 Peter and John before the Sanhedrin

5. 1 The priests, the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people as they were greatly by the
6. They seized Peter and John putting them in jail until the next day.
7. v4 many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.
8. v5 The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law including Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family and had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
9. v8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
10.  v11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’ v12 Salvation is found in no one else,
11. v¹³ When they saw the courage of Peter, John and the man who had been there was nothing they could say.
12. v¹⁵ So the Sanhedrin conferred together. saying “Everyone in Jerusalem knows about this miracle and we cannot deny it. We must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
13. v18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
14. v¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
15. v21 After further threats they let them go because all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
16. V23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
17. ²⁴ When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them
18. v³¹ After they prayed, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
19. ³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
20. v³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira

1. v1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property but kept back part of the money for himself, and  brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
2. v³ Then Peter rightly called Ananias and Sapphira for what they did sinning against and lying to the believers and God
3. v5 Ananias and Sapphira were both were found out and accused by Peter and they both fell dead and were carried away and buried together.
4. heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
5. v¹¹ Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
6. v¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
7. v¹⁵ As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. ¹⁶ Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
8. ¹⁷ Then the high priest and all his associates arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
9. v¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out saying “go tell the people all about this new life.”
10. v²¹ At daybreak they obeyed, entered the temple courts, and began to teach the people.
11. 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. ²² But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, ²³ “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” ²⁴ On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
12. v²⁵ Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” ²⁶ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles.
13. v²⁷ The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
14. v²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
15. ³³ When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.
16. v³⁴ But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ³⁵ Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
17. v⁴⁰ His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
18. v⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ⁴² Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

Acts 6 The Choosing of the Seven

19. v1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews^[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
20. v² So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.
21. We will turn this responsibility over to them ⁴ and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
22. v⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. ⁶ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
23. v⁷ So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
24. v⁸ Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power argued with Jews in opposition to God’s Word, yet v¹⁰ they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
25. ¹¹ Then they secretly persuaded some men to falsely accuse Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God, and then seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin where they produced false witnesses, who testified of blasphemy and that Jesus will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down.
26. v¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
27. v1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
28. v2 Stephen declares in his reply “You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
29. v54 The Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
30. v⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
31. v⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.
32. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.