The Conquest

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The Conquest

Acts 4:1-20

March 29, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Acts 4:1–20

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Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Acts 4:1-20

Acts 4 tells of the great conquest of Jesus Christ, the one who died and arose from the grave.

He is still alive and well; the Christ that walked the shores of Galilee is alive through His new body, the Church, even today.

Because He lives, His persecution continues.

Adrian Rogers says, “When you persecute the church, you persecute Jesus.”

In the beginning of Acts 4, a miracle was performed by the disciple, Peter. He claimed it was the power of Christ in Him who healed. As a result, the people were beginning to follow Jesus. The religious leaders didn’t like it and began persecuting the Church. But because the apostles were acting as the hands and the feet of the Lord, it was Jesus who was persecuted, too.

Because He lives, His preaching convinces.

How did these uneducated fishermen preach and five thousand come to Christ? They were not dependent upon their power of persuasion or winsomeness to bring these people to Christ. It was the people’s encounter with Christ through the disciples that convinced them to believe.

Because He lives, His power confronts.

There are things happening in this world today that are undeniably done by the hand of Jesus. He is still performing miracles.

Because He lives, His presence compels.

After spending time with the resurrected Christ, Peter was compelled to tell others about Him. If we spend time with Jesus, we will be as bold as His disciples. His presence will compel us with a holy boldness; a knowledge that Jesus is alive and He lives through us.

Finally, because He lives, His people confess.

Acts 4:20 says, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Anybody who has known that Christ is alive cannot keep quiet; we cannot hold it in.

Because He is alive, we can wear persecution like a badge of honor.

We can let Jesus convince, confront and compel others through us.

Let us not be ashamed to confess what He has done in our lives.

Apply it to your life

Do you know that Jesus is alive? Does your life reflect this? Stay in the presence of Jesus.

Like an iron in the fire, let there be a holy boldness about you. Tell someone about Jesus today.

Friendship with Jesus

May 1, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • John 15:12–25

Sermon Overview Scripture Reference: John 15:12-25 It is a privilege to call Jesus our friend—to know Him intimately as a close companion. John 15:12-25 highlights five things about our friendship with Jesus: what it means, and what it makes of us. First, friendship with Jesus elevates us. “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). Simply being His servant would be an honor. But friendship with Jesus lifts us to a level we could not reach without Him. We didn’t choose Him; He chose us (see John 15:16). Adrian Rogers says, “A man is known by his friends; if you’re a friend of Jesus, you’re somebody.” Friendship with Jesus also enlarges the company we keep. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Friends of Jesus become friends with each other; He is our common bond. Because we love Him, we love one another, and the circle grows. But we must also remember the cost of friendship with Jesus. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Real friendships are expensive, but they are worth it. The highest service is when we serve because we want to, not because we have to. Serving and obeying Jesus does not earn us His friendship; it proves our friendship. However, friendship with Jesus still enriches us. Healthy friendships with good people sharpen us and make us better. On the contrary, unhealthy friendships make us dull and drag us down. Friendship with Jesus, who is the Vine, makes us fruitful. Finally, friendship with Jesus means entering inevitable conflict with the world. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Just as His friends become our friends, so do Christ’s enemies become our enemies. But it is an honor to be counted worthy of suffering as Jesus suffered. Our deepest need is to have someone who understands us, and Jesus does; He is all we need. Apply it to your life Are you friends with Jesus? Have you made friends with His friends and seen His enemies rise against you? Consider your relationship with Jesus today.

How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time

April 30, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Psalm 119:97

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Psalm 119:97 Psalm 119:97 says, “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Because it is Jesus Christ Himself who makes us more like Him, it is crucial to spend quality time with Him and in His Word, and there are five factors that go into having a meaningful quiet time. First, it must be early in the day, at our most optimal time, when we are preparing for the day. We must: -Be physically alert, so we can think clearly. -Be morally pure and clean, so we can blamelessly bow before a holy God. -Be mentally aware, so we can be receptive to what He has to say. We should have our quiet time in an isolated place; somewhere we can shut the door on the world, to avoid distractions. Adrian Rogers says, “What you are when you’re alone is what you are. The mark of your prayer life is not how well you pray in public, but in private. Your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly.” We also need the right tools: a Bible we can read and understand, a journal to record your time with God, and a second journal to record prayers. Practically, it’s also good to have a notepad to write down your spiritual instructions for the day. Having prepared for a meaningful quiet time, how should we proceed? 1. Get quiet; take a deep breath and focus your thoughts on the Lord. 2. Get into the Word of God; read the Bible before praying. 3. Meditate on it; reading for quality, not quantity. 4. Record what God has given you through His Word in your journal. 5. Record instructions, goals, and decisions revealed from your time with God. 6. Pray; pour out your soul to God with reverence and honesty. Tell Him everything; He already knows. 7. Share what you’ve learned. We ought to be in the habit of exhorting and encouraging one another. 8. Obey what God tells you. Our spiritual lives run on revelation and obedience. One does not run without the other. Apply it to your life Is your quiet time with God meaningful to you? Have you properly prepared and set yourself up for a fruitful time with the Lord? Consider these steps today, and talk to God.

How to Function with Unction

April 26, 2024 • Adrian Rogers • Genesis 2:7

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Genesis 2:7 If you have “unction,” it means you have the power of God upon your life, energized and directed by the Holy Spirit of God. To understand how to function with unction, we must first understand how God designed us and why. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” When the Bible says “God formed man,” formed is a word used for a potter molding clay. God made the complex, intricately woven man out of dirt. We have a body, made of the dust of the ground. God’s crowning creation. But we are not our bodies… we just live in our bodies. We also have souls, which is what lives inside our bodies. Our souls are our real personality, our sense of humor, intelligence, likes and dislikes, idiosyncrasies —all of those things that make us the uniquely wonderful person that you are. Roughly speaking, our soul is mind, emotion, and will. The human spirit is inextricably united with its soul, completely inseparable, but they are not the same thing. The difference between the soul and the spirit is the spirit’s uniqueness to the human design. The human spirit is the organ of spiritual knowledge. The spirit is evidence that God put Himself into man. Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD…” As a lamp is fed with oil, the Holy Spirit feeds our spirit, which is the innermost part of our nature that enables us to know and worship God. Adrian Rogers says, “With your body, you know the world beneath you; with your soul, you know the world around you; with your spirit, you know the world above you.” When the Holy Spirit speaks to the human spirit, it then speaks to the human soul. The soul speaks to the body through mind, emotion, and will. Then the body goes out and lives in the world, showing the life and love of the Lord Jesus. Apply it to your life How is a man to function with unction? Pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate your spirit. Adrian Rogers says, “When your body is right, you’re healthy. When your soul is right, you’re happy. When your spirit is right, you’re holy.”