Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction: Before we move on from I want to make an observation from that has huge significance moving forward in Acts.

When the Holy Spirit came and filled the believers on the day of Pentecost He appeared to them as divided tongues of fire that sat upon each of them.

In the Old Testament, what did fire resting over something often represent to God’s people?

So, here we see this idea again of a failed Jewish religious system.

We saw it when we took a look at the apostles as well.

Jesus selected twelve disciples to be his closest followers in order to prepare them for the future.

The fact that Jesus chose twelve men coupled with the fact that he openly rebuked the religious leaders of Israel would have made the point painfully obvious that Jesus was directly replacing the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel due to their failure to follow God.

Here God’s presence is signified, as it was in the Old Testament, as fire resting over His house (), but this time His house is not a physical synagogue or temple but rather the church which is made up of the followers of Jesus.

The temple is being replaced.

God’s Spirit is no longer with Israel by dwelling in the temple.

Now God is with all those who believe in the message of the gospel of Jesus, and at this point we begin to see the conflict rising between the new temple and the old temple.

The Gathering (2:46-47, 5:42)

They met regularly

At this point, Christians were part of the regular temple worship services in Jerusalem.

They shared the common life

They shared in meals

They shared in worship

The Lord added to their numbers

The work of God in growing their numbers is another stamp of approval on the work of the early church.

Against all odds the church continued to grow.

Healing and Preaching in the Temple (Chps.

3-4)

The Power (3:1-11)

The Purpose (3:12-26)

The Persecution (4:1-4)

The Power (4:5-12)

The Purpose (4:5-12)

Sharing the Common Life (Chps.

4)

This sandwich affect seems random but is vastly important.

The message up to this point in Acts has been the working of the Holy Spirit in power to produce witnesses that Jerusalem would be reached, but it is at this point that Luke repeats himself concerning the care that the early church was having for its members.

It is here that we realize that the church is once again fulfilling the law that the defective Jewish system refused to fulfil ()

The new temple (church) then is the replacement of the old temple which refused God in the Old Testament, refused Jesus in the gospels, and is now replaced by the church.

The Warning (Chp.

5a)

The warning here is against defiling the new temple with lies and hypocrisy just as the old temple had been defiled.

Conclusion: So the working of God through the church in Jerusalem is the establishment of the new temple and it is here that people can encounter the generosity and healing presence of God.