As the Paul and Barnabas continued on their first missionary journey through Asia Minor they were met with both acceptance and opposition. What was the essence of their message about Christ Jesus? How were they able to navigate such great rejection and persecution? What do we learn about God as we look that far back into redemption history? Join Pastor Jim as he unpacks answers to these and other questions.
Sermon Notes
1. Proclamation
“Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, and delicately balanced to provide exactly the conditions required to support life. In the absence of an absurdlyimprobable accident, the observations of modern science seem to suggest an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural’) plan.”
Dr. Arno A. Penzias
Nobel prize winner in Physics
“As the director of the Human Genome Project, I have led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of the human genome, our own DNA instruction book. As a believer, I see DNA, the information molecule of all living things, as God’s language, and the elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God’s plan.”
Dr. Francis Collins
Director of NIH
“Often, science is held to deal with facts, while religion is supposed to be based solely on opinion. This is a double mistake…It is entirely possible to take absolutely seriously what physics has to say and still believe in powers of agency, both human and divine.”
Sir John Polkinghorne
2. Perseverance
“Just as a great tree is deep-rooted in the soil and draws its nourishment from it, so the Christian is rooted in Christ, the source of his life and strength. Just as the house stands fast because it is built on strong foundations, so the Christian life is resistant to any storm because it is founded on the strength of Christ. Christ is alike the source of the Christian’s life and the foundation of his stability.”
William Barclay
3. Providential Care
“All the care, all the work, all the alert watchfulness, all the skill, all the concern, all the self-sacrifice are born of His love – the love of One who loves His sheep, loves His work, loves His role as a Shepherd.”
Phillip Keller
A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23
“Our confidence is not in our love for him, which is frail, fickle and faltering, but in his love for us, which is steadfast, faithful and persevering.”
John Stott