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We hope these readings, prayers, songs, sermon notes + quotes are beneficial to you this week. See you next Sunday at 9 or 11 am, 10 am on TVC Online or anytime!
Sermon Notes for November 15, 2026
Acts 21:17-40
Trespassers Welcome
Pastor Jim Thomas
Summary of Paul’s missionary journeys thus far:
- About a decade on the road, preaching the Gospel, doing missions work
- Traversing an estimated 7,000–8,000 miles, much of that on foot
- Rejected, beaten, jailed, run out of town after town, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked multiple times, and more.
Here in Acts 21 Paul continues to be misunderstood:
- The Jewish believers claimed he preached against Moses (vv. 20-21)
- The Jews from Asia Minor claimed he defiled the temple (vv. 28-29)
- The Chiliarch thought he was a terrorist (v. 38)
1. The lines religious legalists draw
Temple Warning Stone Inscription
“No foreigner is to enter within the balustrade and forecourt around the sacred precinct. Whoever is caught will himself be responsible for (his) consequent death.”
2. The barriers Jesus breaks down
The religious leaders were allowed to execute outsiders who crossed the line in from the Court of the Gentiles. Jesus allowed Himself to be executed so outsiders could cross all the way into the Holy of Holies.
“And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
Mark 15:38
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:19-22
3. The freedom the Gospel offers
“Our greatest freedom is to become slaves to Christ.”
D.A. Carson, Christ and Culture Revisited
“To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the Law, I became as one under the Law, though not being under the Law myself, so that I might gain those who are under the Law; to those who are without the Law, I became as one without the Law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might gain those who are without the Law. To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
1 Corinthians 9:20-23
Paul’s Impact on the Watching World
There were 18 different occasions when the apostle Paul’s ministry had a significant impact on Roman military and civic officials.
The sovereign God of the Bible is never concerned about the “odds.” He controls all final outcomes. God’s plans and purposes will always be accomplished.
“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
“The center of God’s will may be for us the very eye of the storm.”
Alistair Begg
Songs, Readings & Prayer for November 15, 2026
Songs
“Holy Holy Holy“ by John Bacchus Dykes and Reginald Heber
“It Was Finished Upon That Cross“ by Jonny Robinson, Nigel Hendroff, and Rich Thompson
“He Is” by David Crowder, Hank Bentley, and Jeff Pardo
“Hallelujah What A Savior“ by Philip Paul Bliss, alt. verse: Tommy Bailey
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690
Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led on our YouTube Channel!
Call To Worship
How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place
Leader: How lovely is your dwelling place, o Lord of hosts!
People: Our souls long, yes faint for the courts of the Lord;
Our hearts and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Leader: Who is like you, O Lord, Majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
People: It is good to be near God; make the Lord God our refuge and tell of all His works.
Leader: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things.
All: Blessed be His glorious name forever; May the whole earth be filled with His Glory! Amen and Amen!
Confession of Faith
New City Catechism
Part 3, Spirit, Restoration, Growing in Grace
Q 38, 39, 40
Leader: What is prayer?
People: Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition, confession of sin, and thanksgiving.
Leader: With what attitude should we pray?
People: With love, perseverance, and gratefulness; in humble submission to God’s will, knowing that, for the sake of Christ, He always hears our prayers.
Leader: What should we pray?
People: The whole Word of God directs and inspires us in what we should pray, including the prayer that Jesus Himself taught us.
Classic Prayer
Book of Common Prayer from 1549
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that You have done for us.
We thank You for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.
We thank You for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank You for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
We thank You also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on You alone.
Above all, we thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of His Word and the example of His life;
for His steadfast obedience, by which He overcame temptation;
for His dying, through which He overcame death;
and for His rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of Your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of Your Spirit, that we may know Him and make Him known;
and through Him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to You in all things. Amen.
TVC Prayer Ministry
TVC Ministry: TVC Missions Board
Vocation: Music
Missions Partner: Inglewood Elementary School
Local Church: Covenant Presbyterian Church
Praying for the Persecuted Church: Bangladesh
Join Our Prayer Team
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Discussion Questions for November 15, 2026
- Read the passage together: Before today’s sermon, what did you already know or believe about this passage? Did anything in your understanding shift after hearing the message?
- Challenge and Reflection: Was there a part of today’s message that was particularly challenging or surprising for you? Why?
- Unpacking the Message: Pick a quote from today’s sermon notes. Discuss what it means to you.
- Personal Impact: What’s one specific way you feel called to change or grow after hearing this message?
- Practical Application: What’s one step you can take this week to put today’s message into practice?
- Connecting Scripture: Are there other Bible passages or stories this message reminds you of? How do they expand or confirm this teaching?
- Gratitude: What aspect of God’s character stood out to you in today’s message? How does it inspire praise or gratitude?
- Pray the Scripture: After hearing the message, is there a specific area where you feel led to pray? How can we pray for one another in light of today’s teaching?
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