Category: 2020 Sermons

Sermon Audio: Promoting The Purposes of God
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 18:12-21
Duration: 21:05
Size: 14.4 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Promoting The Purposes of God
Acts 18:12-21

As individual believers who belong to God’s family, we must make God’s will the most important pursuit of our lives.

I. God’s Purposes Are Sometimes Furthered by Unlikely People (Acts 18:12-17)
Gallio was one of those people–not in the sense of being a follower of Christ, but in the sense of being used by God to protect Paul from harm.

Bottom line: God kept Paul safe for the time and furthered His own purposes through unlikely people like Gallio and a mob of Greek thugs.

II. God’s Purposes Are Advanced through Personal Commitment (Acts 18:18)
If we choose to make a vow to God to express our thankfulness, that is great–as long as we are prepared to fulfill what we promise.

You are the one who will choose what kind of commitment you need to make to get closer to God and allow Him to work through your life.

III. God’s Purposes Give Direction to True Christ-Followers (Acts 18:19-21)
Following God’s will is the one thing that will keep you on the right track.

Are God’s purposes being fulfilled in your life? Evangelism… Discipleship… Fellowship… Worship… Ministry…

Sermon Audio: Together We Win
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 18:1-11
Duration: 24:37
Size: 16.9 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Together We Win
Acts 18:1-11

If we will follow Christ together, we can win in the life struggles we face.

I. Being Together Helps Us Conquer Loneliness (Acts 18:1-2)
We are not alone, so it is imperative that we don’t live like we are! I need you! You need me. We all need each other.

II. Working Together Helps Bring Provision (Acts 18:3)
So, work is a good thing. It allows us to take responsibility for our own provision and can provide us opportunity to get to know others we are working with.

III. Ministering Together Helps Us Exceed Our Limitations (Acts 18:4-8)
We all have some form of ministry that complements the overall effort of God’s kingdom to reach people in need.

We have mental barriers that keep us from accomplishing all we are capable of with God’s help.

IV. Trusting Together Helps Us Overcome Our Fears (Acts 18:9-11)
The greatest weapon we have against fear is the knowledge that God is with us!

So, God is with us, and His people are all around us. We do not have to live in fear, but we can boldly share the good news about Jesus with others!

Sermon Audio: The Up Close God
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 17:16-34
Duration: 22:45
Size: 15.6 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
The Up Close God
Acts 17:16-34

The up-close God wants you to get close to Him if you are willing.

I. Getting Close to God Requires More than Religion (Acts 17:22-23a)
A person might be very religious, but never really come close to God.

II. Getting Close to God Requires Believing the Truth about Him (Acts 17:23b-31)
1. He Created Everything (Acts 17:24a)
2. He is totally Self-Sufficient (Acts 17:24b-25a)
3. He gives life, breath, and everything else to mankind (Acts 17:25b)
4. He is a divine strategist (Acts 17:26-27a)
5. He is not far from any of us (Acts 17:27b-28)
6. He is much more than man’s grandest idea of Him (Acts 17:29)
7. He has overlooked past ignorance, but now requires repentance (Acts 17:30)
8. He will judge the world one day by the Man He raised from the dead (Acts 17:31)

III. Getting Close to God Is What He Wants from Us (Acts 17:26-29)
He has made Himself accessible to us. He does want us to seek Him and search for Him, but He wants us to find Him; He is not far from each of us!

IV. Getting Close to God Begins with Repentance (Acts 17:30-34)
Repentance is absolutely necessary, if you want to get close to God.

What will your story be?

Sermon Audio: The Joy of the Harvest
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 17:1-15
Duration: 23:02
Size: 15.8 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
The Joy of the Harvest
Acts 17:1-15

If we ever want to see the harvest, we must faithfully plant the seeds and tend the garden!

I. If We Keep Sharing Our Faith, We Will See Results (Acts 17:1-4)
As we share our faith with others, and plant good seeds of truth in their lives, we need to hang in there and keep watering and nurturing and investing in them until we see the joy of the harvest!

We show our love for God by doing what He asked His followers to do–that is, tell others about Jesus, and the forgiveness and peace they can find in Him.

II. If We Keep Sharing Our Faith, We Will Face Resistance (Acts 17:5-9)
I’ve known people who did not want anything to do with Jesus or church because they thought it meant giving up some of the things they like.

However, it is also the most inclusive of all religions, because Jesus invites everyone who is willing to come to Him and share in His life.

Opposition will come if we keep sharing our faith, but we must still share it!

III. If We Want to Keep Sharing Our Faith, We Must Remain Flexible (Acts 17:10-15)
If Paul had not been willing to be flexible, he likely would have either been killed prematurely, or would have quit the ministry.

We need to take intentional steps to talk to our neighbors, our friends, and our family about Jesus. They need to see Jesus in our lives and by the way we love people.

Sermon Audio: Sharing Heaven’s Good News
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 16:13-40
Duration: 26:15
Size: 18.0 MB

Acts: Life In The Spirit
Sharing Heaven’s Good News
Acts 16:13-40

All who receive God’s message of forgiveness should help share it with others.

I. Sharing the Good News Results in Changed Lives (Acts 16:13-15)
However, Paul’s message gave her the rest of the story–the promised Messiah had come and provided everything that was needed for people to know God and be in good favor with Him.

I was in Christ, and Christ was in me, changing me on the inside.

II. Sharing the Good News Can Bring Trouble (Acts 16:16-24)
Well, Paul and Silas paid dearly for standing up for the gospel. They were falsely accused, severely beaten/flogged, and thrown into prison, with their feet fastened in stocks.

III. Sharing the Good News Results in Freedom (Acts 16:25-34)
Regardless of the opposition that comes when we share the good news, it is always worth it!

When we share the good news about Jesus with others, they can find the freedom that they need so much; freedom from sin, freedom from hate, freedom from addictions, freedom to be who God created them to be.

IV. Sharing the Good News Requires Personal Sacrifice (Acts 16:35-40)
The good news about Jesus requires our investment, our priority, our energy, resources, and all that we have to offer.

Jesus was willing to sacrifice His life for us so that we could know God. Paul was willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of the good news about Jesus, so that others might know God.