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The Story Preaching Outlines Sermon 22

The Birth of the King

Introduction: We have all seen Christmas pageants with the little boy who comes in as

Joseph dressed in a bathrobe and sneakers. He anxiously taps on the door to the inn and

the innkeeper, dressed in a toe-sack robe answers, indicating that there is no room in the

crowded inn. The innkeeper looks at Mary, shrugs and Joseph and Mary are turned away.

But what if…what if there is an interruption in the Story? What if a voice calls out to the

innkeeper asking him if he knows who he is turning away? Does the innkeeper really

want to be known through history as the one who turned Jesus away? But we can’t

change the scene can we? If we did, so much else would change, too. No angels singing

in the sky. No announcement to shepherds to look for the Savior in a manger. Would we

still have the deep voice of the deacon reading, “And the Word was made flesh and made

his dwelling among us”?

I. The Word was made flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:14

A. The Word, who was God, was made flesh. John 1:1 and 14.

B. “Word” is from the Greek logos from which we get logic, reason.

C. Heraklitus, a philosopher who lived in Ephesus and who observed that you

never step in the same river twice, said that logos is omnipotent wisdom

that steers everything.

D. Plato offered the possibility that a Word (logos) may one day usher forth

from God.

II. The Word who is God is revealed in Jesus Christ. John 1:1 and 14

A. John 1:1 “In the beginning…” is an echo or return to Genesis 1:1 “In the

beginning God created…”

B. God created by words, by speech, “Let there be…and there was…”

C. The voice is the voice of Jesus who appears in the Old Testament—to

Jacob at the brook Jabbok; to Joseph as the Commander of God’s Armies;

to Abraham as Melchizedek; as the 4th person in the fiery furnace with

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

D. This Jesus is the one who was made flesh, with teeth and toenails and two

kidneys, not part man and part God, but fully human and fully God.

III. Jesus was born as an ordinary person to ordinary people. Luke 1:34-35

A. Jesus was born of a young virgin girl, needing no help from us to be

born.

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Preaching Outlines

the story of jesus


B. His earthly father, Joe, was an ordinary carpenter.

C. Jesus’ birth was truly humble.

Application: Jesus is humble enough to know what you’ve been through

this week; humble enough to know what keeps you awake at night;

humble enough to hear an Ethiopian immigrant or a squatter in

Brazil; humble enough to know a cold night and a hungry belly.

The Word became flesh. He came to us and for us.

IV. The Word, Jesus, was turned away by many. John 1:10-11

A. The innkeeper was not the only one to turn Jesus away. We can only

imagine what went through his head as he rejected Jesus, claiming

it was too crowded to have a pregnant woman give birth in his inn.

B. The world is always “too crowded” to receive Jesus—crowded with

deadlines and headlines, phone lines and long lines, full itineraries, full

schedules, jam-packed lives.

C. Jesus comes not to complicate our already complicated lives, but to

simplify our lives, even to give us life.

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Application: It is never too late to invite Jesus into our lives. We don’t have to clean up our

act first. He comes in even at the 2 minute warning of life. It was not too late for Abraham

at 100 years of age, not too late for Moses after 40 years in the desert, not too late for Jonah

running from God, not too late for Saul of Tarsus who persecuted Christians and who met

Christ on the Damascus road. Not too late for Peter who denied Jesus or for Thomas who

doubted Jesus.

It’s not too crowded and it’s not too late to meet Jesus—the Word, our King and Savior. He

comes to common folk—a common carpenter, a common virgin girl, common shepherds.

When God comes, he comes through common things.

You can pray, “Come in, Jesus. Please come in and make my heart your home.

Preaching Outlines

the story of jesus


Jesus is Scary Good

Introduction: An announcer for a college basketball game was commenting on the skills

of a player. The announcer shouted, “He’s scary good!” Max Lucado commented that

when he played high school basketball he was just scary…scary bad. When we see

professionals who accomplish outstanding athletic plays we often say, “Who is that guy?”

or “How can she do something like that?” When Jesus Christ came into public ministry,

people made these kinds of statements: “Who is this? How can he have such wisdom?

How can he do that?!” Jesus Christ was, indeed, scary good. We will see this in The Story

beginning in Matthew 3.

I. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River; it is good. Matthew 3:16-17

A. At Jesus’ baptism the sky ripped open, a voice declared from heaven,

“This is my Son whom I love.”

B. But baptism is for sinners, yet the Son of God was baptized. Why?

1. God’s people were hungry for spiritual reality.

2. Jesus, by baptism, identified with God’s people, by saying, “It’s

right for us to do this.” Jesus said, “Us.”

[Max Lucado tells about visiting the Jordan River and baptizing himself

in a spot that might have been close to where Jesus was baptized. Even

though Max made confession of faith at age 10, at age 53 he did this

ceremony in the Jordan River. Jesus was God who walked the earth, got

wet in the Jordan. Jesus was one of “us.”]

C. Jesus’ baptism was good.

II. Jesus confronts the devil in the wilderness; it was scary. Matthew 4:1-11

A. Jesus re-enacts the temptation in the Garden of Eden.

B. Jesus, each time he was tempted, referred to God and to the Word of God.

C. As, the “second Adam,” Jesus won the rematch with the devil.

1. The Bible makes it plain that the origin of evil is with the devil.

2. “Devil” is from the word diabolos which comes from a verb which

means “to divide.”

3. The devil, Satan, is not a myth, but a very real being who wants to

divide us from God and from one another.

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D. The devil tried to take Jesus out by giving his best punch, but Jesus didn’t

even blink. Jesus won, and that was scary…scary good.

III. Jesus was confronted by the devil through the religious leaders of the day.

Luke 6:6-11

A. 6000 Pharisees and Sadducees, jealous of Jesus’ impact on people,

conspired to have Jesus killed.

1. Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.

2. The religious leaders objected and Jesus stared them down with

the anger of God because their hearts were hardened.

B. Nicodemas was a notable exception to the hostile religious leaders.

John 3:2-16

1. Nicodemas, a high-ranking leader, came to Jesus at night (Nick at

Nite) and affirmed Jesus as an agent from God.

2. Jesus responded by telling Nicodemas that he needed to be “born

again”—a concept totally foreign to Nicodemas.

3. This rebirth, like our first birth, is something we have no control

over. It is not a mulligan, but miracle of God. It is not a second

chance; it is a new beginning.

[Max tells the story about how he and a friend, Carl Cope, needed to

put a new engine in Carl’s authentic hippie, Volkswagen van. Using a

book like “Volkswagens for Dummies,” his friend Carl, got the job done.

Carl got in the driver’s seat, turned the ignition, and it started up and

sounded strong. “I couldn’t believe it,” Carl wrote in a later e-mail to Max.

Like that, the new birth is something to which we joyously say, “I can’t

believe it!”]

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In C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, the children ask Mr. and Mrs. Beaver if

Aslan the lion is safe. The Beavers reply, “No, Aslan is not safe, but he is good.”

Like Aslan, Jesus Christ is scary good.

Read John 3:16.

If you’re aligned with the devil, Jesus is not safe; he’s scary. If you desire to be born

again, Jesus is very, very good. Will you receive Jesus today?



Jesus and the Kingdom of God

Introduction: Their entire world consisted of just one island. They measured wealth in

seashells. They never heard an engine, struck a match, experienced a cold day, or been

told about gravity. They believed the entire world was only what they saw and

experienced…until 1930 when two white men arrived on the island of New Guinea.

Michael Leahy and Michael Dwyer, two Australians prospecting for gold, began to

explore the island. The natives were not initially hospitable as these two men introduced

them to a world beyond their own little island world. The islanders had never seen skin so

white or bodies so clothed. Seeing soap bubbles for the first time as the prospectors

bathed in the river, the natives thought the bubbles were a skin disease. The natives

thought the lanterns the men had were containers with pieces of the moon in them. When

Michael Dwyer took out his dentures, the natives ran screaming into the jungle. Could we

also be accused of a similar response? Do we also suffer from “tiny islanditis”? Do we

think the whole of reality is what we see and experience? How do we respond when a

foreigner visits and points out that we live in just a tiny dot of reality? That’s what Jesus

did. Jesus is an invader, a foreigner, an alien, an outsider. He spoke in language we are

not used to and lived by principles never known to us and which we find difficult to

embrace. Jesus spoke of a “kingdom.” In The Story we discover Jesus declaring, “The

time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”

I. The “kingdom of God” was the theme of Jesus’ teaching and ministry.

A. In three of the Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke—the kingdom takes

center stage, being mentioned over 60 times.

B. Monarchy (or kingdom) is hard for us who live in a democracy to

appreciate or align with.

1. Monarchy is not medieval; it is biblical.

2. A king created the universe, commanded a flood, led

the Israelites to freedom, awed foreign kings like

Nebuchadnezzar.

3. The Old Testament prophets predicted a coming kingdom led

by a new kind of king—the Messiah. Zechariah 9:9

4. Jesus Christ is that new, lowly king, a Nazarene carpenter.

II. What on earth is God up to? God is up to a kingdom.

A. Jesus taught about the kingdom. Mark 4:3-9

1. Jesus’ kingdom weapons are not armies with swords, but

farmers with seeds.

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2. Three out of four people will not receive the kingdom.

B. The kingdom means God the king is here within our reach.

An eight year old boy and his ten year old brother misbehaved and their

mother took them to the preacher. The preacher told the mother that he

would talk the boys about God being everywhere, so they need to behave

always in God’s presence. He called in the 10 year old and asked him,

“Son, do you know where God is?” The boy sat still and silent. The

preacher asked the question again, “Son, do you know where God is?” The

boy was silent. The preacher asked a third time. The boy jumped up,

ran out of the office, grabbed his 8 year old brother, saying, “Wow! Are

we in trouble! Let’s get out of here. God is missing and they think we

did it!” God is not missing; he is within our reach.

C. Three principles of the kingdom of God are:

1. The kingdom of God is a great treasure—like a huge, expensive

pearl. Matthew 13:44-46

2. The kingdom of God operates with energies we do not understand

or control. Mark 4:26-29

3. The kingdom of God is a worry-free, anxiety-free realm.

Matthew 6:25-27; Matthew 6:33.

III. Jesus’ miracles demonstrate his royal authority and power. Mark 4:35 – 5:11

A. Jesus speaks to the winds and waves and they obey. Mark 4: 35-41

B. Jesus speaks to demons and they fear him and obey. Mark 5:1-11

C. Jesus introduces us to God who is King and who is “our Father” (Abba).

Matthew 6: 9-10

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Application: Do you have a king? We all do, in some form or another. Some people read

People magazine to keep up with their king or queen. We all need a king who is our

Father. We all want a king. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). In

God’s kingdom there is room for only one king—we can’t be our own king or queen. God

is creating a kingdom and you’re invited in. Soon, our king will return. Now we’re in

training to live the kingdom life. We live in kingdom tension. We know reality is much

bigger than people know. We must express the bigger, saving, loving world of the

kingdom of God. Three out of four may not believe us, but that other one may. We’re in

the minority. People will try to get us to forsake our king (see John 6:56, 66-69). To whom

will we go? Jesus in the only king to turn to and to stay with.



Who is Jesus?

Introduction: In Mark 8:29 we read that Jesus gathered his disciples together and asked

them “Who do the people say that I am?” Jesus is in the area called Ponnino, the home of

the Greek god Pan. Ponnino is near Caesarea Philippi. The city was once an area of Ba’al

worship, and recently as a Roman city, it was a place where Caesar was worship as a god.

Syrian gods were also worshiped in the surrounding villages. It is in this cross-section of

ancient religions that Jesus asked his followers, “Who do the people say that I am?” A

flurry of answers was given to Jesus by the disciples. Some people thought Jesus was

John the Baptist alive from the dead. Others thought Jesus was Elijah. Still others said

Jesus was one of the great Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah, for example. Jesus,

then, asked the disciples directly, “Now, who do you say that I am?” Peter answered first,

saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” The question reverberates through history

about Jesus: “Who is this guy?” Peter, at Jesus’ bidding, walked on water. Peter helped

feed over 5000 people. He saw Jesus whip the animals out of the Temple and chase out

the money-changers. “Who is this guy?” Every thoughtful person has to raise and answer

this question. Just as in Jesus’ day, there were various popular answers, so there are many

answers in our own time. In The Story, let’s consider some of the answers to the question

about Jesus, “Who is this guy?”

I. Jesus is a decent fellow.

A. Jesus was a good person who created “the golden rule,” showing he was a

friend of the poor, dependable advocate for the down-trodden, and

everybody’s best friend.

B. Yet, Jesus kept asserting that he was God as he kept referring to himself as

“the Son of Man.” Daniel 7:13-14

1. In the Gospels, there are 80 references to “the Son of Man,” a

favorite name Jesus used for himself.

2. In Daniel 7:13, “the Son of Man” is a reference for a divine being.

C. The ‘decent fellow,’ Jesus kept using “I AM” statements about himself, a

title for God in the Old Testament. John 6:35; 8:12; and 9:58

D. Jesus claimed to forgive sins, to be greater than Jonah, than Abraham,

than Solomon and even greater than John the Baptist, greater than the

Temple and the Sabbath.

II. Jesus is a demented fool.

A. Jesus was a megalomaniac of the likes of Adolf Hitler or Alexander the

Great, speaking and acting crazy or mentally disturbed.

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B. Yet, people were deeply devoted to Jesus, not becoming murderers like

Hitler or power-hungry like followers of Stalin.

C. Jesus won the admiration of men and women and people from all levels of

the social structures. No one led and taught people like Jesus.

D. Jesus did not make people into lunatics; he made them better, with

common fisherman writing some of the most revered books in human

history.

III. Jesus is a deceiving fraud.

A. Jesus was a trickster and a huckster, a pied-piper who led blind followers

over the cliff to their destruction.

B. Yet, the miracles that Jesus performed (over 36 different ones recorded in

the Gospels) demonstrate Jesus show Jesus was not a huckster.

1. He never performed miracles to merely draw a crowd and make a

name for himself.

2. He never made a profit or took a penny for his miraculous works.

3. Around 120 A.D., a historian named Quadratus wrote to Emperor

Hadrian, “The works of our savior were lasting for they were

genuine. Those who were healed and those who were raised from

the dead were seen not merely while our savior was on earth, but

also after his death they were alive quite awhile so that some of

them lived even to our day.”

D. One of the greatest testimonies to the veracity of the truth of Jesus Christ

is the historically documented explosion of the New Testament church.

IV. Jesus is a divine friend.

A. Jesus did miraculous things with a wonderful heart, showing that he was a

tender, compassionate person who befriended and truly helped people.

B. Peter said it correctly for all of us, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

C. Jesus went to the cross on a hill named after a human skull, showing

what he thought of us: he loved us deeply and gave his life for us.

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Application: Go to your own Caesarea Philippi—a place of many gods:

materialism, atheism, secularism, Mormonism, Buddhism, etc. and answer Jesus’

question for yourself, “Who do you say that I am?” He showed you what he thinks

of you by dying on the cross for you and rising from the dead.



The Cross: The Hour of Darkness

Introduction: An elder in Oak Hills Church, Jim Barker, tells a story about his friend,

Claude Harmon. Claude, like Jim, was a great golf instructor. Claude would often give

advice to his four sons who also became golf instructors. “Boys, whenever someone

comes to you to learn to play golf, you will see in their swing ten different problems.

Your job as their teacher is to find the one that causes the other nine.” When we look at

the world we can easily see ten problems, but what is the one that causes the other nine?

With all the problems in the world, is there one that causes the others? The Bible gives a

resounding, “Yes!” Jesus dealt with the particular problem, the fountainhead of all others,

on the cross. When the problem was addressed, Jesus declared, “It is finished.” The

question comes to us, “What was finished?” What happened on the cross that makes the

cross such a big deal? In The Story we find an answer to this question—Matthew 27:41-

42.

I. The assessment of Jesus’ death on the cross by the religious leaders was correct.

A. Jesus could not both save himself and save us also.

1. He could save himself and leave us in eternal jeopardy.

2. He could save us and lose his own life on the cross.

B. The algorithm of God is that God restores life to the world by the death of

his Son.

II. The cross reveals both the holiness of God and the severity of sin.

A. That God is holy is a foundational truth of the Bible, presented from the

Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation.

1. Holy means to be set apart, to be unique; God is totally and utterly

different.

2. Our holy God cannot look on evil because our sin absolutely

disgusts the holiness of God. Habakkuk 1:13; Revelation 3:16.

(“spit out” means “vomit”)

Application: We never hear on 20/20 or Dateline, “Well, the world’s

problem is sin.” We hear about government, business, education,

psychology and sociology. Not a word about sin.

B. The holy God does not pretend our sin is a mental lapse or condone our

sin as simple stubbornness.

1. God hates sin and cannot turn a blind eye to it.

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2. God will not compromise his holiness by indulging our sinful

behavior.

III. God’s stern holiness operates from God’s infinite love.

A. God will both honor these two strong stallion emotions—his fiery holiness

and his tender love; God’s holiness and love function together.

B. If God were only holy, we would be destroyed; if God were only love, a

lack of discipline and correction would destroy us.

C. God’s holiness and love combine to do something unimaginable: God

becomes a human being!

1. God as human leads a sinless life.

2. God as human dies on the sinners’ place.

3. This is the great drama of the cross.

[read Matthew 27:45-54; John 19:28-30]

D. Jesus was forsaken so that we might be forgiven and received by a holy

God—this is the beauty of the cross.

1. Jesus became sin as all the sins of the world were placed by God

on Jesus.

2. The sinless righteousness of Jesus Christ can now be ours.

2 Corinthians 5:21

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Application: On October 16, 1987 Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed on take-off

in Detroit, Michigan, killing 155 passengers. Only four year old Cecilia survived,

found walking among the wreckage totally unhurt. Just prior to the crash, Cecilia’s

mother, Paula, unbuckled her seat belt and knelt in front of Cecilia with her arms

wrapped around her daughter. Paula took the devastation of the crash and Cecilia

lived. Paula took the fall for her daughter that she loved.

God sent his Son, Jesus, who wrapped his arms around you and me, took the horrible

fall with all its sin so that in the midst of the wreckage of this world, we might live.

God is holy and God is love. Our merits do not enhance God’s love and our mistakes

do not diminish it.

Will you receive God’s love in Christ for you?



The Resurrection

Introduction: The first Easter Sunday was so good because the day before had been so

bad. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and Easter Sunday the resurrection. The

Saturday in between commemorates desperation. On that Saturday it seems that Christ

was totally defeated as his body lay utterly dead in a rock tomb. The spear had sliced his

heart and his tongue had gone silent. Death was absolute. No one was betting on

resurrection. In The Story we will see how we can get unstuck from Saturday and move

into Sunday. Turn in The Story to Matthew 27:62-64.

I. Saturday was a no hope, no courage day.

A. While Jesus’ opponents celebrated his death, his disciples were hiding in

fear that they, too, would receive a cross.

1. The disciples hid behind closed doors in fear.

2. The disciples did not trust Jesus’ promises of a resurrection.

Mark 8:21; 9:31; 10:24

B. The women disciples did not intend to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection

body, but to embalm his dead body. Mark 16:2-3

Application: We, too, can easily get stuck in Saturday, living with a Saturday

state of mind—no hope, no courage, no plans, believing that death is the final end.

Everyone dies, but we try to avoid that reality. We brush our teeth, eat good

foods, pay our bills, raise our kids. Romeo and Juliet died, JFK died, Princess

Diana died. Love gets buried in a tomb, poetry gets buried in a tomb. Is this all

there is? Max Lucado tells the story of his brother, D. D was an outgoing, friend-

making, joy-bringing kind of guy. D was a personal ambassador for his shy,

younger brother, Max. In his teen years D met a bootlegger and alcohol trapped

D. For four decades D drank away his health, his friends, his jobs and his money.

At age 54 D made a serious decision to join AA. His life and marriage stabilized,

but the years of alcohol and smoking 3 packs a day left D in very fragile health.

He began to have chest pains. He was rushed to the emergency room by

ambulance. By the time his wife, Donna, arrived with one of their sons, D was

gone. They went in to see his now dead body. One of his hands was resting on his

thigh with his fingers curled in the international sign language form of “I love

you.” Max knows why D did that. He had moved out of Saturday into Sunday; out

of desperation into hope; out of fear into courage. By God’s grace D moved from

Saturday to Sunday.

II. Sunday—resurrection day—is a day of eternal love, life and hope.

A. Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb stuck in a Saturday state of mind.

John 20:10-18

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1. The empty tomb did not take away her despair and grief.

2. The angels did not take away her despair and grief.

3. Mary Magdalene, the one Jesus befriended and delivered from

demonic oppression, had the sadness of Saturday covering her

heart.

B. Jesus, alive from the dead, meets with Mary Magdalene, calling her by

name.

1. Mary thought wrongly that Jesus was the gardener.

2. When everyone thought Jesus was dead, no one called him “Lord”

except one—Mary Magdalene.

3. Jesus speaks Mary’s name and she realizes that Jesus, her Lord,

is alive from the dead.

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Application: Why did Jesus personally appear to Mary Magdalene? Because that is

just the kind of person Jesus is. He is full of mercy and full of compassion. Are you in

a season of darkness? This could be a good season for you. During the times we are

stuck in Saturday God does not get ticked off with us. God is patient with us. Sh, be

quiet and listen, Jesus is also calling you by name. The calendar in the coffee-break

room of heaven is stuck on Sunday.

It’s Sunday. It’s Sunday. God is inviting you to move from a Saturday state of mind

into Sunday. The choice is yours.



New Beginnings

Introduction: One book only 100 pages long published by the Department of Justice and

that can be downloaded is a book that no parent wants to read. The title is When Your

Child is Missing. Key bullet points and action steps are on the cover of the book, like,

“You’re not alone,” “Hope is essential,” “Trust your feelings and share them with law

enforcement officials,” “Distribute pictures,” “Keep your focus,” “Exercise caution,” and

the final exhortation is “Never stop looking.” The book tells the stories of four year old

Shelby Marie Cox and six year old Colleen Nick. The parents of Jacob Wetterling have

been searching for him since 1989. They post messages saying, “We’re still searching for

you and we will never quit.” Parents will spare no expense as with resolute passion they

search for their missing children. So does God. God has lost children, who have gone the

wrong direction, lost their bearings, lost their place in this life and lost their vision of the

next life. God initiated a massive, three-phase search and rescue strategy to find his lost

children. The first phase was Israel. God wanted a nation through whom to show his

character and to call people back to himself. The second phase was Jesus Christ. Jesus

declared, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except

through me.” We are lost and Jesus is the way back home. By his death on the cross and

his resurrection, we can be reunited to our heavenly Father. The third phase is in The

Story today—the church. We will be looking at the Book of Acts, beginning with Acts

1:8.

I. The Book of Acts is the second of a two-book set written by Luke.

A. The Gospel of Luke describes the second phase: God finding his lost

children through Jesus Christ.

B. The Book of Acts, written by Luke and addressed to the same person,

Theophilus, as his Gospel, describes the third phase: God finding his lost

children through the church. Acts 1:8 is the theme verse of Acts.

II. The disciples, 120 of them, wait in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded.

A. Why Jerusalem? Because the Day of Pentecost is approaching and about a

million people will be in Jerusalem.

B. On the Day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples hear a mighty wind and are

anointed with tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them.

Acts 2:1-4

C. The 120 disciples become cross-cultural missionaries, speaking the

wonderful works of God in the languages of the world. Acts 2:5-12

1. The people are amazed at the miracle of the languages.

2. The burning question is: “What does this mean?” Acts 2:12

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3. The Lord-denying disciple, Peter, now filled with the Spirit, boldly

declares the meaning of the events of Pentecost: Jesus is alive and

he is Lord. Read Acts 2:14-36

D. Three thousand respond to Peter’s explanation by repenting, being

baptized, and becoming the first people in the birth of the church. Acts

2:37-41

III. The massive, diverse, multi-cultural crowd of 3000 believers becomes the unified

community—the church. Acts 2:42-47

A. God is finding his lost children and creating a thriving family.

B. The diversity becomes astounding unity by the presence of the Spirit.

1. There are no singular pronouns in Acts 2:42-27.

2. The church is not a collection of saved individuals; it is a

community living in the Spirit of God.

Illustration/Application: Max Lucado tells about an Episcopal priest friend

of his, Jim Foltz, who is bishop of his diocese. Jim came to a Good Friday service

wearing a huge golden cross. Max was inwardly judgmental about Jim wearing

the cross until Max heard the story behind it. Jim served many years in his

congregation and when he became bishop, he had to leave the congregation

he loved. The congregation loved Jim and donated gold items that could be

melted down and molded into a cross. In Jim’s cross were melted wedding bands,

a friend’s ring meant for his bride, rings from widows and widowers, golden add-

on beads, even some crowns from teeth. Over 242 different contributions made

up Jim’s huge, golden cross. Stories of peace and pain were forged into a cross

binding them altogether. The bishop’s cross is a picture of the church. When we

hold a hand in the hospital, when a conservative loves a liberal, when a Hispanic

loves an Anglo and an Anglo loves an African-American, when the young respect

the elderly and elderly love the young, a cross is forged and visible for the world

to see.

C. The new church met from house-to-house, eating meals together and using

their homes as places of God’s love. Acts 2:46-47

1. The church spread into Judea and Samaria as Jesus commanded.

2. Saul of Tarsus was converted and became a missionary to the

nations in the far reaches of the world. Acts 9

Application: Did you know that a military general’s command remains in effect

until he issues a new command? Jesus’ last command is Acts 1:8. We have a task.

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