Sunday's Are Great At Grace
  • Grace Home
  • Good Words Blog
  • Online Giving
  • Our Beliefs
  • WEDNESDAY NIGHT Prayer & BIBLE STUDY
  • Upcoming Events & Church Calendar
  • Contact/Get Directions
  • FaceBook
  • Live Stream

Conviction

3/26/2017

0 Comments

 
​Good Words from God’s Word
 
I am continuing to preach today from the book of Acts. Today’s message is about Stephen, one of the first deacon-ministers selected by the early church. He was also the first martyr of the church, a distinction not shared by the other six leaders selected to serve alongside him. Stephen was not selected by the church to be a martyr. He was killed by an angry mob that was incited by jealous religious leaders, angry people who didn’t like his preaching, and false witnesses paid to lie about what they heard him say. Stephen was martyred by the Jews because of his CONVICTION about Jesus.
 
Sometimes we think about conviction as that feeling you get when you realize you are wrong, or that you have done something bad. King David knew about this kind of conviction, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3).
 
Usually, we refer to this kind of conviction as being “UNDER CONVICTION”. That means you feel the weight of your wrong doing, or the burden of your sin.
 
The story is told of the great Methodist evangelist, Peter Cartwright who preached once to President Andrew Jackson. The leaders in the church asked Cartwright to be careful so as not to offend the President, whose nickname at that time was “Old Rough and Ready”. With a warning these elders retired to the back of the church having confidence their pastor would not say anything that would discredit them or the congregation.
 
When Cartwright got up to speak, the first words out of his mouth were, “I understand that President Andrew Jackson is here this morning. I have been requested to be very guarded in my remarks. Let me say this: Andrew Jackson will go to hell if he doesn’t repent of his sin.” The whole congregation gasped with shock at Cartwright’s boldness. They wondered how this young preacher would dare offend the tough old general in public.
 
After the service, everyone hung around and wondered what the president would say. At the door, Jackson took the preacher’s hand, looked him in the eye and said, “Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could conquer the world.”
 
Conviction is not just the feelings of guilt and sorrow you carry because of your sins. Conviction is the boldness you need to do something about it. Stephen felt the weight of Israel’s sin burden that put Jesus on the cross. He also stood up in boldness to preach a convicting message that would cause people to repent. Rather than repent, the angry mob stoned him.
 
We need today both kinds of CONVICTION. All of us need to feel the guilt and sorrow that comes because of sin present in our lives and in the world. We also need the boldness and determination to do something about it. In a world that has grown too COMFORTABLE with sin, we need more CONVICTION.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Pastor Mike

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

The Bible is not a book you finish reading.
It is a book that you read so that it may finish you.

(Pastor Mike)