GOD WILL NOT BE STOPPED

We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion.

Sermon Title: GOD WILL NOT BE STOPPED

Main Scripture: Acts 5:17-42

If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week, consider reading the provided scripture to catch everyone up!

Notes:

After Pentecost, the message of what Jesus did spread rapidly with spirit-empowered witnesses.

It was accompanied by signs and wonders. The same zeal for Christ was in evidence in the early church.

But, once again, opposition came, primarily from the religious sect of the day.

We pick it up with the reaction of the High Priest and the Sadducees when they are filled with jealousy.

Acts 5:17-42

Observations:

• The more the word gets out about Jesus, the more opposition it would have. 

  • Just like when Jesus was here. 

  • And it was primarily from the church.

• Mankind tried to stop the spread of Jesus, but God would have nothing to do with that.

  • No orders or threats from man will stop it.

  • Peter’s response:
    “We must obey God rather than man.”

• The fear of the threats, and what happened to them, did not for one second diminish their passion of what they had seen from Jesus.

• The confusion of the Sanhedrin was overshadowed by the advice of an esteemed Pharisee, a teach of the law: Gamaliel.

  • Anything of human origin will fail.

  • Anything by God will never fail.

Takeaways:

Takeaway #1

God’s Word and Work will never be silenced.

• God‘s purpose is to redeem everyone.

  • He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

  • He will get the word out.

    • Through His Work, His Word, and our testimony

• This is a spiritual battle, and the enemy will always try to stop the spread of God’s love.

  • Those experiencing His Love and Works in their lives will develop a passion for Him.

  • Those not aligned with God will always attempt to stop that message.

Good News:

• God’s word and plan is always going to be stronger and bigger than anyone trying to silence it.

• The world is trying, but it will never be silenced.

Takeaway #2

Experiencing something increases our passion for it.

Verse 32
“We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Acts 4:20
“For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” Peter and John.

Is this true?

• The greater the experience, the greater the passion.

• The greater the passion, the more motivated, we are to share with others.

• To experience something gives more power to our testimony!

Question: How can we be a more passionate church?

Two Essential Qualities to be a Passionate Church:

1. Regular encounters with Christ.

Early church had a direct experience with Christ.
He had walked with them.
Their passion was great!

Observation: Our passion for Christ is directly tied to our experience with him.
You get excited when He does something for you.

Would it be true, then, that if we don’t have regular experiences with him, we can lose an element of excitement or passion?
Our works for him can then be legalistic, detached, without conviction.
Think of a time when you had an experience with Jesus or the Holy Spirit and how exciting it was and you had to tell others. 

That’s why we need to have regular encounters with a loving God and a passionate Christ.

How?

• Study His word

• Worship His name

• Fellowship with God’s people

• Commune with Him in prayer

• Serve others and allow His gifts for you operate

• Conscious awareness of God in you and around you.

2. A healthy fear of God.

Not afraid! Fear.

And awe-inspiring view of God and what he does for us.

• It helps us to have a passion for Him as our creator, and a healthy view of Him helps us to be a witness for him.

• It helps us to live a holy life.
  Keeps us from actively sinning

Imagine being in a violent thunderstorm or natural disaster. How much would you be thinking of sin?

Exodus 20:18-20

When we have a healthy fear of God:

• We respect who God is to us

• We look for the beauty of God that He wants to reveal to us

• We see God, for who He truly is, not who our flesh sees Him to be which creates unhealthy fear

• We become curious to explore who God can be for us and how we can spread His good news to others

• We look for and are amazed at every way God can manifest Himself.
  God speaks our language.

  Look for God’s winks to us.

• We endeavor to please him and to turn from our sinful habits and ways

Takeaway #3

God is always transcending the natural by overcoming the impossible.

Verse 19
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out

Verse 23
“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

A miracle is when God does something for us that breaks through our natural understanding and the natural order of things.

Isn’t God above all?

Then He can do things that are beyond our comprehension or understanding.

It is God being God and loving us!

Think of all He has done in the Bible because he loves us deeply!

From parting the Red Sea to rescue His people and bring them to the land he was giving them…

… to Jesus’ life and miracles in order to give us His eternal life gift…

… to everything, big and small, that He does for us today.

He does the impossible so that a relationship with us and his provision is possible.

Remember, He tore the veil of the temple in two so we could have access to Him!

What veils and barriers do we need to bring down in us so we can approach Him in relationship?

As he let the apostles out of jail to proclaim Jesus, He is letting us out of our prisons to experience His freedom and proclaim God’s goodness to others!

Takeaway #4

Opposition, adversity, and persecution, helps to strengthen our passion

Verse 41-42 
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing, because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 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.

Our passion + persecution and adversity = more strength, increased passion, and more devotion

We need to make sure that our devotion and passion for Christ is rooted in the truth and strengthen by experience. 
If so, persecution and adversity will increase the passion.

Passion grounded in self or in the absence of experience will disappear under adversity and persecution.

Conclusion:

• God’s love for us and others will never be silenced.
  He is passionate about this.

• Our experience of Christ increases our faith for Him and the urgency to tell others about this.

• God is the master of the impossible.
  Don’t focus on the discouragement of the impossible.
  Focus on the God of the possible.

• We will experience persecution for what we believe but know that our passion will increase as we hold onto God.

• Don’t do things on your own strength but gain your strength by an all-powerful God.

Discussion:

• What did God use in this sermon to speak to your heart or situation?

• What part of the scripture stuck out to you and why?

• In what ways does Calvary succeed at being a passionate church?

• In what ways could Calvary improve at being a passionate church?

• Are you having regular encounters with God? Describe what you are doing or what you could be doing to have these encounters.

• What other notes did you highlight or write down that you would like to share?

The most important decision you will ever make!

If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!

We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.

Pray Together

We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!