“A Life Lived on Purpose”
Acts 20:17-38
June 22, 2008

This was a difficult goodbye for Paul. Notice how it came about:

• Prologue: Arranging the Meeting - :17-18a
The apostle Paul was a passenger on a merchant ship making its way slowly down the Aegean Sea toward the Mediterranean, stopping with regularity. At Miletus, the boat docked to load and unload cargo. Paul saw and seized an opportunity here, sending word for the elders from the church at Ephesus to come and meet him. And for us, his words to them illustrate a life lived on purpose.

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“Sleeping in Church”
Acts 20:7-16
June 15, 2008

I. The Church Comes In to Worship & Fellowship - :7a
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread…

Now we might be tempted just to run right on by this, because it doesn’t strike us as unusual, but there are some things to note:
• “First day of the week”
FF Bruce says this is “the earliest unambiguous evidence we have for the Christian practice of gathering together for worship on that day”.

Why Sunday worship?

Why not Sabbath worship?

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“Genuine Peace” – Part II
June 1, 2008

Genuine peace involves:

I. Full Forgiveness
Last week, we looked at this first critical piece in the puzzle of genuine peace: we must forgive as Christ has forgiven us.

II. Seeking the Welfare of the Other Party
Philippians 2:1-4
Paul is addressing people here who are under the potential of attack from a hostile world, as well as being under attack from disunity within. Paul says, at the end of chapter 1, that in light of the likelihood of persecution, they need to
• Be united (reiterated in 2:2)
• Be striving for the same goal, that of the gospel, and
• Be courageous

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“Genuine Peace”
Colossians 3:13
May 25, 2008

Genuine Peace involves
I. Full Forgiveness
Context:
• A New Focus - :1-4
“If” should be understood as “since”, speaking to believers, and Paul says, “since you’ve been raised with Christ from the death that bound you, you need to replace the old focus you had with a new one: set your eyes on Jesus.” There’s nothing that ails us as Christians that can’t be fixed by our doing that one thing: “look at Jesus

• A New Attitude - :5-9
All this stuff that came so naturally to you before? Put it to death! Suffice it to say that the things that we once wanted and walked in, we can no more as believers, as followers of Jesus. Why? Because God has given us

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“Caring Enough to Confront”
Matthew 18
May 18, 2008

Today’s passage answers the question, “what do we do, as members of Christ’s community, when other members of the community sin against us?”

I. The Right Attitude:
The broader context of this passage is that Jesus is giving the norms and rules of His new creation society; He is instructing us in the ethics of His kingdom, how we are to live as subjects under His reign whose allegiance is to Him.

A. Humility – Matthew 18:1-4
Jesus instructs His followers on the need for humility, and on the need for the Biblical fruit of self-discipline.

B. Concern for Others – Matthew 18:10-14
The immediate context of this verse is that God believes in search-and-rescue missions. He speaks of the shepherd who, realizing that one of his sheep is missing, will leave the sheep that are in the fold and go searching for the one who is lost. Then, having found that sheep, he will rejoice more for that one that is found than for the 99 who never strayed away. We, as members of the community of the King, need to reflect that kind of loving concern for others, such that those who stray are sought after and brought back into the fold. So when we come to verse 15, we recognize that the context is restoration.

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