We can all agree that sin irritates us. What we usually mean by this is that others irritate us with their sinning. Their sins irritate us, thus we are irritated by sin. But Paul in Acts 17 was irritated - he was provoked - by the sin of idolatry. This sin against God provoked Paul in a good way: Paul confronted the sin of idolatry with the truth of an offended God who will one day judge while freely offering forgiveness through a resurrected Jesus Christ. To listen to this sermon, please click the following link: Acts 17:16-34.
Two weeks ago water flooded homes of many residents of Edinburgh, Indiana (and across the midwest section of America). The hardest hit area in Edinburgh was the nearest neighborhood to our church. Many have suffered the loss of home and nearly all possessions. As we seek to help the community rebuild, we must also consider the question about God in relation to this disaster. The book of Job helps us understand God’s role in disaster, as Job suffered the loss of family from natural disaster. In this we see that God was not absent, but clearly present and active. We see that it is God’s mercy to remind us of the consequences of being rebels in a fallen world. Yet, God is quick to save those who seek refuge in Him – those who come to Him through the Reconciler: Jesus Christ. To listen to this sermon, please click the following link: Job 1.
When Paul entered the synagogue in Thessalonica, he evangelized by answering the type of question about which a a Jew would care: a question about the Christ. The Jews were looking for the Christ to come, yet Paul believed they looked for a different Christ than the one spoken of by the prophets. Paul reasoned with the Jews from the Scriptures that the Christ would suffer, die, and rise again. He needed to prove this from the Scriptures because the Jews looked to the Scriptures as authoritative.  At the same time, Paul proclaimed that the Christ had already come: it was Jesus. To listen to this sermon, please click on the following link: Acts 17:1-3.Â