Notes

As we consider the final few chapters in Acts, the BIG idea as it were is simply this:  'God is committed to accomplishing His Will in your life!'  Nothing will be able to hinder God's will from being accomplished in our lives.  What is His will?  Summed up in four words:  I AM A WITNESS!

What can we learn about God through the closing chapters in Acts that will help us live our lives in view of God's will for us?

1. God will use the most complicated complications in your life to get you to where He wants you to be so that you can WITNESS to those He sends you too the simple message about Jesus!
2. God will keep you where He wants you as long as He wants you so that you can be His WITNESS to those He has you with.
3. God will place you where you’d never be able to place yourself so that He can accomplish through you what you’d never be able to accomplish on your own.

Verses

{That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” Acts 23:11 NLT}{But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 NLT}{The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul... But Paul’s nephew—his sister’s son—heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul. Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.” Acts 23:12, 16-17 NLT}{Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops. Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.” Acts 23:23-24 NLT}{The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” Acts 27:20-26 NLT}{After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison. Acts 24:27 NLT}{But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.” Acts 9:15 NLT}{Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me. And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. Acts 26:16-19 NLT}{But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I expected. Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive. Acts 25:18-19 NLT}{So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NLT}

Quotes