Gateway Baptist Church
October 26, 2025

      • 2 Chronicles 7:14LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

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      • 2 Chronicles 7:14LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

  • Majesty
  • Set My Soul Afire
  • We'll Work Till Jesus Comes
  • Overcome

  • Acts 2:37-47

    How many of us have seen the underdog overcome adversity and win against a team they should not have won against? We saw Miami lose to Louisville on Friday night. The number two team in the nation is losing to a team that is not as talented. I think about the lives of the disciples and apostles. These people were not the elitist, powerful, or richest (outside of Barnabas), but Jesus chose them. He took the outcast and made them overcomers. Why? Because He does not see as man sees, 1 Samuel 16:7.
    1 Samuel 16:7 LSB
    But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
    Listen to the words Jesus said about Himself, of what others had said, Matthew 11:19. The verse before that, He talked about John the Baptist, Matthew 11:18. Therefore it was no surprise that a fisherman, who had denied Christ, was restored and given the commandment to take care of Christ’s sheep, is the individual to stand and preach the first sermon of the Church. Peter embodied the Power to Overcome because He belonged to the One who Overcame it all for him.
    Matthew 11:19 LSB
    “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
    Matthew 11:18 LSB
    “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
    We see the outcome of the Power of God when His people preach the unadulterated Word of His. First, we know that they were pierced to the heart. Peter, in verse 36, explains that they were the ones who crucified the Messiah. The remembrance brought such agony that their hearts were broken. The Greek word for pierced is ‘katanyssomai’, meaning to be stabbed, greatly troubled, to be sorely pricked. It is only here in the New Testament. Stunned by their inability to evade the indictment that they were guilty of heinous behavior before God, they were overcome by grief and remorse. I urge you to keep this in your thoughts. They were pierced because of the realization that they did it. The third cause for their anguish was fear of the Messiah’s wrath. Peter quoted to them Psalm 110:1. At the end of verse 37, they say, “…what should we do?”
    Psalm 110:1 LSB
    Yahweh says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.”
    This is a stark contrast from their question in verse 12, “What does this mean?” They went from being confused by false teaching to being confident in Christ. That is what happens when someone becomes an overcomer in Christ. It happened to us, went from confused and lost to confident and found. We did not locate Jesus; God relocated us to Him.
    Peter fed them the Gospel and reaped the harvest. Many today would be appalled that Peter made the cost of coming to Christ so high. How could he expect them to turn their backs publicly on their culture? How could he ask them to risk becoming outcasts among their families and society? How could he demand that they accept as Messiah the very One their leaders had rejected and executed? They would no doubt predict that the results of Peter’s sermon would be minimal (John MacArthur).
    This is really a Church, nothing more and nothing less. They were completely defined by the devotion to those spiritual duties that make up the unique identity of the Church. Nothing outside the living Lord, the Spirit, and the Word defines life for the Church. The church is not made up of unsaved individuals; you must be professors of faith to be possessors. Amazingly, some even design a church where non-Christians can feel comfortable. This can’t be the goal in a church that is devoted to holiness and righteousness in all areas of life (John MacArthur).
    The Power to Overcome does not stop with us, but it is given to everyone. It allows them the same opportunity as we had. This leads us to what Luke describes as the duties of the Church. The first duty is continually devoting oneself to the apostle’s teachings. The second duty is fellowship with one another. The third duty is breaking bread. The last duty is to continually pray.

    Apostle Teaching:

    To overcome the trials of this life, one must be devoted to the teachings of the apostles. What are these teachings? The Word of God. Peter never preached a message of self-help for this life. He preached the Gospel for the life to come. They did not live for this life but lived for the life to come. That is what they continuously taught. John 7:16-19, Jesus is clear that the Only Teaching that we are to be devoted to is His. Peter, Paul, John, Stephen, James, Luke, Matthew, and all those who teach the Gospel are not from anything else but His Word.
    John 7:16–19 LSB
    So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but from Him who sent Me. “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God or I speak from Myself. “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. “Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet none of you does the Law. Why do you seek to kill Me?”
    Peter used the Old Testament to help bring attention to Christ as the Messiah. Christ in the desert used Deuteronomy to rebuke Satan. We want to be true overcomers with Power, feed yourself His Word. The second duty of the Church is fellowship.

    Fellowship:

    What is fellowship? It is a spiritual duty of believers to stimulate each other to holiness and faithfulness. The Greek word ‘koinonia’ means partnership, sharing, close association, communion. The root of that word is ‘koine’, which means common. You are studying His Word that was translated from ‘koine Greek.’ It was a common language. We have all things in common with each other in Christ. Outside of Christ, there is no common ground.
    Those who receive Christ become partners with Him and will all other believers, 1 John 1:3. Can sinners have fellowship with us? No. Without Christ, there is no fellowship. We should not fellowship with unbelievers. We should share the Gospel and love them, but our fellowship is very exclusive.
    1 John 1:3 LSB
    what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
    For a Christian to fail to participate in the life of a local church is inexcusable. In fact, those who choose to isolate themselves are disobedient to the direct command of Scripture, Hebrews 10:24-25. This leads us to the next duty to overcome, the breaking of bread.
    Hebrews 10:24–25 LSB
    And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

    Breaking Bread:

    Their fellowship is symbolized by the obedience of breaking bread, referring to the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. This is not optional, 1 Corinthians 10:16. In communion, all believers meet on common grounds at the foot of the Cross, Ephesians 2:16.
    1 Corinthians 10:16 LSB
    Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
    Ephesians 2:16 LSB
    and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity.
    They would eat and afterward break bread with each other. Anytime they were together, they broke bread. Communion acknowledges the wondrous work of the Lord. I believe we should be practicing every Sunday. It calls for self-examination and purging of sin, thus purifying the Church. This brings us to the last duty, to prayer.

    Prayer:

    Prayer is one way we communicate with our Father, Lord, and Helper. When we partake in Communion and it brings forth sin, we go to prayer to ask forgiveness. Prayer is where we hear God speaking to us. Prayer is where we make a petition for sinners that the Holy Spirit has brought on our paths. Prayer is where are daily needs are met, John 14:13-14. The early church to that promise as the source of God’s provision for all their needs, and they relentlessly pursued divine help.
    John 14:13–14 LSB
    “Whatever you ask in My name, this will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
    John MacArthur states one of the issues of the contemporary church:
    “Sadly, prayer is much neglected in the church today. Programs, concerts, entertainment, or the testimonies of the rich and famous draw large crowds. Prayer meetings, on the other hand, attract only the faithful few. That is undoubtedly the reason for much of the weakness in the contemporary church. Unlike the early church, we have forgotten the Bible’s commands to pray at all times (Luke 18:1; Eph. 6:11), and to be devoted to prayer (Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2).[1]”
    Luke 18:1 LSB
    Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,
    Romans 12:12 LSB
    rejoicing in hope, persevering in affliction, being devoted to prayer,
    Colossians 4:2 LSB
    Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;
    These are the duties of the Church. Our ability to keep having the Power to Overcome is in Christ. He helps us through the Church, so we may go out and do what He has commanded us, Matthew 28:19-20.
    Matthew 28:19–20 LSB
    “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
    We can be the Overcomers by His blood and our testimonies, Revelation 12:11.
    Revelation 12:11 LSB
    “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witness, and they did not love their life even to death.
    The biblical passage reveals that overcoming occurs “because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony,” which fundamentally means living from Christ’s victory instead of trying to achieve victory on our own. This victory is particularly powerful against Satan as an accuser, as the blood of Christ silences accusations in both heavenly and personal courts. The blood of the Lamb is a powerful mechanism of overcoming in any situation, representing everything Christ’s sacrifice purchased for believers. Testimonies are crucial because they remind us of God’s repeatable miraculous deeds, laying the foundation for future glorious acts. Critically, this victory is empowered by those who do not fear death, as breaking the fear of death renders the enemy powerless1. To truly conquer, believers must proclaim the atoning blood and its power to remove sin, which can break even the strongest chains of bondage.

      • John 7:16–19LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 1 John 1:3LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Hebrews 10:24–25LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 1 Corinthians 10:16LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Ephesians 2:16LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • John 14:13–14LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Luke 18:1LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Romans 12:12LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Colossians 4:2LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Matthew 28:19–20LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Revelation 12:11LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

  • Just as I Am
  • Gateway Church

      • 2 Chronicles 7:14LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

Gateway Baptist Church
gatewaybaptistchurch@live.com
8128533787
11 members