Sermon Tone Analysis

Three Great Themes in the Book of Acts

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - May 12, 2013

*Indianapolis pastor Russ Blowers was a member of the Rotary Club.

At the club meeting each week, a different member told a little about his job.

And when it was Russ’ turn, he said this:

-"I'm with a global enterprise.

We have branches in every country in the world.

We have our representatives in nearly every parliament and board room on earth.

We're into motivation and behavior alteration.

*We run hospitals, feeding stations, crisis pregnancy centers, universities, publishing houses, and nursing homes.

We care for our clients from birth to death.

We are into life insurance and fire insurance.

We perform spiritual heart transplants.

*Our original Organizer owns all the real estate on earth plus an assortment of galaxies and constellations.

He knows everything and lives everywhere.

Our product is free for the asking.

(There's not enough money to buy it.)

*Our CEO was born in a hick town, worked as a carpenter, didn't own a home, was misunderstood by his family, hated by enemies, walked on water, was condemned to death without a fair trial, and arose from the dead.

I talk with him every day."

(1)

*Christians: We are part of the most important organization the world will ever see: The church of the living God!

This Book of Acts tells us about the birth of God’s church.

And in these opening verses God shows us the 3 great themes of this book.

1. First: Jesus wants us to see the importance of His work.

*Luke began in vs. 1-3 by stressing the Lord’s work.

There this "beloved physician" and medical missionary began by saying:

1.

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.

2. until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,

3. to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

[1] In these verses, Luke stressed the Lord's work.

And one of the really great things to notice about the Lord’s work in vs. 1 is that His work continues.

*Luke mentioned the things that Jesus BEGAN to do.

And I’ve always loved that phrase, because it reminds us that God’s not finished yet!

Jesus Christ is certainly at work in our world today.

And you can trust that He is at work in your life today, even though it may be hard to see at times.

[2] The work of Jesus Christ continues.

And it is colossal!

*Jesus Christ is not doing a puny, little work in His universe.

He’s doing a God-sized thing!

And Luke reminds us of this truth in vs. 3, where he said that Jesus "presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs."

*The KJV says Jesus "showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs."

The AMP Bible says that Jesus "showed Himself alive after His passion (His suffering in the garden and on the cross) by [a series of] many convincing demonstrations [unquestionable evidences and infallible proofs], appearing to them during forty days and talking [to them] about the things of the kingdom of God."

*John Gill explained that these infallible proofs included the fact that Jesus ate and drank with His disciples.

What a blessing it must have been to eat with the resurrected Savior!

Church: We're going to get to do that some day.

*Jesus also walked and talked with them in a free and familiar manner.

Plus He showed them His hands, feet and side so they might see the scars which the nails and spear had made.

In this way Jesus proved to them that He was not just a ghost or a spirit, but was really alive in the same body that suffered on the cross.

(2)

*Jesus Christ certainly died on the cross.

But He also certainly rose from the dead, and He is alive forevermore!

That’s a God-sized work.

And God is still at work in our world today: healing sick people, helping hurting people, saving souls, transforming lives and meeting all of our needs!

-Jesus wants us to see the importance of His work.

2. And He wants us to see the importance of His words.

*In these opening verses, the focus is not just on Jesus’ works.

It is also on His words.

Jesus Christ had a lot to do.

But He also had a lot to say.

*Please listen again to vs. 1-3, where Luke said:

1.

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and TEACH.

2. until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit HAD GIVEN COMMANDMENTS to the apostles whom He had chosen,

3. to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and SPEAKING of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

*In vs. 1, Jesus began to teach, and He is still the greatest teacher the world has ever seen!

John Phillips said: "It was the beginning of a new kind of teaching."

-In John 7:46, some of the Temple guards who heard Jesus said, "No man ever spoke like this Man"

-And Matthew 7:28&29 wraps up the Lord's Sermon on the Mount by saying:

28.

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,

29. for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

*Jesus "taught them as one having authority."

And John Phillips asked: "Where in the world is to be found anything to compare to the Sermon on the Mount?

Who ever told stories like Jesus: The Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, and much more?

Who ever had such a grasp of the future?

*Jesus' teaching was marvelous, saturated with Scripture, pungent, understandable, practical, loving, true, and convicting.

It was delivered with compassion and courage and with a total grasp of all the factors of space, time and eternity.

And all was given in complete harmony with His Father and the Holy Spirit. .

." (3)

*Jesus began to teach.

And He wants to teach us tonight.

[1] In vs. 4&5, Jesus teaches us about the promises of God:

4. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which,'' He said, "you have heard from Me;

5. for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.''

*That great promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit surely came to pass.

And we can always count on the promises of God!

[2] Jesus teaches us about the promises of God.

Then in vs. 6&7, He teaches us about the priorities of God:

6.

Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?''

7.

And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

*Sometimes we have a tendency to major on the minors, or concentrate on things the Lord wants us to leave alone.

But the Lord has a way of getting right to the heart of the matter.

The Lord has ways to focus our hearts on His priorities.

*In vs. 7, Jesus spoke to focus our priorities.

Then in vs. 9-11, He sent His angels to again focus us on His priorities:

9. Now when He (i.e.

Jesus) had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

10.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,

11. who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?

This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.''

*In other words: "Don't just stand there gazing.

Get busy doing what Jesus has told you to do!"

[3] Jesus teaches us about the priorities of God.