Celebrations and Hardships Merge in the Early Church
Sermon Notes
1. Peter and John celebrate the power of Jesus with the lame man (3.1-10).
2. In his second sermon, Peter continues to celebrate Jesus as Messiah (3.11-26).
• The authority of Scripture
• The centrality of Jesus – His death (and your responsibility in His death), His resurrection by God (authenticated by eye-witnesses), experiencing His power in your life
• Repentance, forgiveness of sin, and blessing
3. Peter and John are threatened, but they respond with confidence and praise (4).
• The apostles are jailed (v.3)
• Filled with the Spirit (v.8)
• Salvation only in Jesus (v.12)
• The importance of being with Jesus (v.13)
• Praise, boldness, and unity (vv. 23-37)
4. Peter presides over the sobering deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (5.1-16).
5. The apostles are imprisoned, then miraculously released, and they continue undeterred in celebrating and preaching Jesus as the Christ (5.17-42).
Thinking about Acts 3-5 and life today:
1. Celebrations and hardships often seem to be intertwined in life – why is that?
2. How did hardships and opposition affect the apostles? Why did it affect them that way?
3. How do hardships and opposition affect us? Why?
4. Peter (and the apostles) seems to keep “ramping up” his (and their) witness for Christ as the days go by. Should this be normal? Is it for you?
5. What would you think if God dealt with spiritual dishonesty today the same way He did with Ananias and Sapphira?
The Young Acts 2 Church is Hungry:
• For God’s Word
• For being with God’s people
• For worship (breaking bread and prayer)
• For to be His witnesses
• To give of their resources to support the vision
