Fellowship Presbyterian Church

This is the first of a four part sermon series on famous conversions in the book of Acts. The focus of this sermon is how the Holy Spirit worked through Philipp to evangelize the Ethiopian Eunuch through connecting with him, communicating the Gospel, and confirming the message. We must rely on the Spirit to work, as we seek out ways to connect the Gospel to the lives of unbelievers. The Spirit is active and moving, so be ready.

review of Romans Chapter Five and starting Verse 3 of chapter 6

This sermon looks at the final three verses of the book of I Peter. In order to understand them correctly, it is critical to remember the book's introduction and the themes from the whole book. Both the introduction and conclusion offer a blessing of grace and peace from God, to the reader. How does one obtain this blessing-- Read and meditate on the book of I Peter, seeking to know Christ in it. May God bless you through his word.

Having just commanded the church to be humble in 5-5-7, Peter explains another reason we must be humble. We life in a dangerous world with a fierce enemy on the prowl. We are not strong enough to fight and survive alone. But since the Lord is the God of grace, we must endure, by resting in him. We do so by being sober minded, alert, and resisting evil.

In this lesson we will walk through the five membership vows from the PCA Book of Church Order, chapter 57. See the attached pdf handout to see the questions written out.

In part three of this class, we look at some of the doctrinal distinctives of the PCA. The point of this lesson is to look at some of the core beliefs of reformed Presbyterianism. Due to time constraints and the purpose of this new members class, the goal of this lesson is to give a brief overview of each topic, not to give an in depth study. Contact Cooper Starnes with any questions.

Having given directions to the elders in 5-1-4, Peter turns his attention to the rest of the church. He reminds us all the we are to place the Lord at the center of our hearts and minds. The thesis for the sermon is that because God cares for you, you must trust Him. The way in which your trust Him is by showing humility before one another, and before God. You can't do anything on your own, so humble yourself before God and remember that he cares for you.

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd over his flock. As such, we must all follow him. The elders of the church are Jesus' undershepherds. They must shepherd the flock for Christ, together and well. Jesus is the true boss. The elders are called to lead and serve the flock for Jesus. For those who shepherd faithfully, Christ will give the unfading crown of glory.

In the second class we looked into the constitutional standards of the PCA. We talk about the reasons for holding to creeds and confessions as helpful ways to understand the perfect and supreme authority of the Word of God.

Peter again turns to the topic of suffering in this passage, giving us the grand overview of suffering for the name of Christ. The thesis for the sermon is because God is Judge, we must hope in Him. The sermon is broken down into three points- training to rejoice -V.12-13-, a worthy name -V.14-16-, and the grand reversal -17-19-. God calls us to suffering, using it to purify and prepare us for glory. Therefore beloved of God, take hope in suffering. You suffer for the magnificent name of Jesus Christ.

PCA Church Polity and Structure

John hears Jesus on a Sabbath day when he was in the Spirit.-We fight a spiritual unseen war. Jesus tells us that he is alpha and omega- the beginning and the end of all.-Chapter 12 shows the birth Christ and Satan's earthly actions.-there is no spiritual neutrality.-Satan is not a coequal With God, Jesus is Lord.

Christ's suffering led to the salvation of his people. While our suffering cannot atone for sin as Jesus' did, God has a good purpose in all of our suffering. Ultimately, Jesus has united himself to you, so that you might glorify him. Verses 1-6 explain how we glorify God by separating from the sinful world and arming ourselves with biblical thinking. Then, verses 7-11 explain how we must love by serving one another with the gifts God has given us. And while we seek to glorify God with our lives, he is growing and perfecting his church.

I Peter 3-18-22 is one of the most debated passages of the entire Bible. But despite the controversy, the main purpose of the passage and the encouragement it gives are not debated. Though we may suffer for our faith in this world, we can be encouraged because Christ suffered, and yet now reigns. The main idea of this text is that because He reigns, we must seeks shelter in him. We broke that point down into three sections, wherein we must know the purpose in His suffering, obey the Gospel, and plead Christ. Jesus reigns, and so we can say to the world, -bring on all trials.-

The main lesson of this passage is that Christ is Lord, and we must honor him as such. The sermon breaks down that thesis into two points. First, because Christ is Lord, you must not fear. God sits on the throne, and so we cannot fear men. Second, because Christ is Lord, you must be ready. Living for the Lord and not fearing anything on earth leads people to notice that believers are different. Therefore, when people ask us about our hope and joy we must be ready to explain the Gospel clearly. These few verses in I Peter give you all you need in order to give a faithful answer in those moments.

In this passage, Peter directs us to the covenant of marriage. God's design and purpose for marriage is something that the world finds offensive. However, the Lord is the one who designed and created marriage. Because God created marriage, we must submit to his design. Peter tells us the way we must submit to his design is that wives must subject themselves to their husbands, husbands must honor their wives, and the couple must image Christ. The calling is difficult, but the grace of Christ for believers provides us with all the hope we need to have God honoring marriages.

This passage continues the household code instructions of I Peter. Now Peter addresses everyone instead of a smaller sub-group. The passage teaches that you must pursue good because God knows all things. You must pursue good by blessing all people and pursuing peace with others. To trust in Christ is to have the Lord God watching over you for your good. But, walking in unbelief is to have the face of God set against you in wrath. The blood of Jesus is the only thing that can take you from under wrath to grace. If you are in Christ, seek to live a holy life under God's caring watch.

Peter gives commands to servants in this passage. However, the command applies to anyone under authority, especially employees and students. He grounds all of his commands in the humiliation of Christ. The main point of this passage is that because Christ suffered, we are called to suffer. We broke this thesis into two parts. First, we must suffer only for good. Second, we must follow in Christ's footprints. No suffering occurs by accident or outside of God's plan. He always has a purpose in our suffering. As Romans 8-28 reminds us, all things work together for good, for those who love God. When suffering comes, Jesus invites us to follow in his footprints.

This passage marks a transition from being focused on the identity of the church to the duties of the church. Jesus is king. As king, he has tasked us with the duty of evangelism. In 2-11-17, Peter teaches us to evangelize through living honorable lives before unbelievers and submitting to legitimate authority. We must seek to be blameless before the world so that we might share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.