"Surrounded"
Pastor Albert Almore
Last week we took a look at Acts 20:22-23, where Paul said,
“And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.”
Acts 20:22-23 NKJV
“BUT NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Acts 20:24 NKJV
Right after that, Paul goes on to say in Acts 20:25,
““And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, WILL SEE MY FACE NO MORE.”
Acts 20:25 NKJV
“When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.”
Acts 20:36 NIV
“They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.”
Acts 20:37 NIV
“WHAT GRIEVED THEM MOST was his statement that THEY WOULD NEVER SEE HIS FACE AGAIN. Then they accompanied him to the ship.”
Acts 20:38 NIV
Out of all the POWERFUL, and I mean POWERFUL things that Paul said in those passage of scriptures, WHAT GRIEVED THEM MOST was his statement that THEY WOULD NEVER SEE HIS FACE AGAIN.
DO YOU HAVE AN ACTS 20:38 RELATIONSHIP WITH ANYONE?
Do you have a relationship with anyone so strong that if you were to say to them, you’ll never see my face again, that they’d breakdown grieving?
Paul was no different from us. Paul was just a man, at one point a very hard man, at one point a very mean man, I imagine not a pleasant man to be around. He was full of anger. He was full of zeal to murder, but God got ahold of his heart and everything changed.
“In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.”
Acts 9:10 NIV
“The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.”
Acts 9:11 NIV
““Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man AND ALL THE HARM HE HAS DONE TO YOUR HOLY PEOPLE in Jerusalem.”
Acts 9:13 NIV
“At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21) All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “ISN’T HE THE MAN WHO RAISED HAVOC in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?””
Acts 9:20-21 NIV
“When he came to Jerusalem, HE TRIED TO JOIN THE DISCIPLES, BUT THEY WERE ALL AFRAID OF HIM, not believing that he really was a disciple.”
Acts 9:26 NIV
Paul went from believers FEARING HIM to believers SURROUNDING HIM.
Today’s sermon, “SURROUNDED”
“Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead.”
Acts of the Apostles 14:19 NLT
“BUT AS THE BELIEVERS GATHERED AROUND HIM, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.”
Acts of the Apostles 14:20 NLT
📝 It’s never too late TO LET PEOPLE IN.
📝 It’s never too late TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO SURROUND YOU.
But here lies today’s question…
ARE YOU SURROUNDABLE?
A man who has friends MUST HIMSELF BE FRIENDLY…
Proverbs 18:24 NKJV
ARE YOU SURROUNDABLE OR ARE YOU JERICHO?
Now Jericho was TIGHTLY SHUT UP because of the Israelites. NO ONE WENT OUT and NO ONE CAME IN.
Joshua 6:1 BSB
Have you ever thought to yourself, man….
WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO JERICHO?
What did they hear, what did they see that made them so tightly shut up, to the point that no one came in, and no one went out? What did they hear, or what did they see that made them say NEVER US, or NEVER AGAIN? Or what about you, what happened to you, or what did you hear that someone went through, that caused you to make a vow to yourself that God never asked you to make, saying, NEVER ME! I vow to never allow that to happen me. Or I vow to never get close to anyone again whether it’s a friendship, or a significant relationship, NEVER ME, NEVER ME AGAIN!
And ever since then, you’ve been tightly shut up! You don’t come out with your real self. You don’t come out anywhere with your heart close by. When you’re out, you’re really not out, it’s just a shell of who you really are. And even with that shell, you keep everyone at a distance. Never again will I be hurt. Never again will I be used. Never again will I be disappointed, because the last person….the last relationship….THE LAST CHURCH I WAS AT…..
📝 Satan does his best work in ISOLATION, but God does His best work through SMALL GROUPS.
When Elijah got into a bad head space, he was alone. When David fell to Bathsheba, he was alone. When Peter denied Jesus, he was alone. When Judas betrayed Jesus, he was alone. Maybe this is why Jesus’s first task in the gospels was developing a small group of disciples to surround Himself with.
📝 Here at Motion Church, our small groups are called, D-Groups, short for DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS.
Hear me people of God….
📝 Relationships MATTER.
📝 Relationships are God’s DESIGN.
📝 Relationships are God’s BIG IDEA.
“AND THE LORD GOD said, “IT IS NOT GOOD THAT MAN SHOULD BE ALONE; I will make him a helper comparable to him.””
Genesis 2:18 NKJV
The Father had the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:26. Adam had Eve. Moses had Aaron.
Joshua had Caleb. David had Jonathan. Paul had Silas. Jesus had the 12.
WHO DO YOU HAVE?
WHO HAS YOU?
📝 • Inside of your small group, VULNERABILITY must be present.
Rejoice WITH THOSE who rejoice, and weep WITH THOSE who weep.
Romans 12:15 ESV
📝 • Inside of your small group, THE WORD must be present.
““The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.”
Isaiah 55:10 NLT
“IT IS THE SAME WITH MY WORD. I send it out, and IT ALWAYS PRODUCES FRUIT. IT WILL ACCOMPLISH all I want it to, and IT WILL PROSPER everywhere I send it.”
Isaiah 55:11 NLT
📝 • Inside of your small group, PRAYER needs to be present.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. THE EARNEST PRAYER of a righteous person HAS GREAT POWER AND PRODUCES WONDERFUL RESULTS.”
James 5:16 NLT
📝 When these things come together, JESUS will be present.
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I AM THERE among them.””
Matthew 18:20 NLT
WHEN YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IN ISOLATION, YOU MISS OUT ON SPECIAL MOMENTS WITH JESUS.
📝 Don’t miss WHAT IS, because of WHAT WAS. THIS won’t be THAT.
📝 I was made for more than ISOLATION.
📝 I was made for more than CARRYING BURDENS ALONE.
“While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.””
Exodus 17:8-9 NLT
“So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill.”
Exodus 17:10 NLT
“As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage.”
Exodus 17:11 NLT
“Moses’ arms soon became SO TIRED he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, HOLDING UP HIS HANDS. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.”
Exodus 17:12-13 NLT
WHO DO YOU HAVE WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF SO TIRED?
WHO’S YOUR AARON & HUR?
📝 Who’s SURROUNDING ME?
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