Sermon Tone Analysis

It’s the last day of the Old Year.

Tomorrow begins a new one.

It will never be 2017 again.

How many of us have made New Year’s resolutions?

I’m gonna bet that nearly every pastor talks about this today.

But bear with me for a moment....

What is it you consider when you look back on your year and decide on a new year resolution?

We look back on things that we didn’t do so well, that we would like to do better.

Usually, we are being our own judge on this - stuff like: be on time more, work out every day or week, eat healthy....

It’s mostly good stuff… though it can get narcissistic - the world will say take more “you” time, splurge and treat yourself occasionally.

Anyhow, we look back and we see things we could do differently.

But we don’t really set up accountability for it, we don’t rally push ourselves hard beyond a week or two because we don’t fear doing about the same as last year.

We just want to improve a little maybe, for whatever reason.

But thinking about this New Year resolution idea got me wondering.

What is our motivation behind evaluating our performance in life and pushing to do better?

We do it in everything in life.

We do it in our jobs with yearly performance reviews, or monthly sales reports.

We do it at school with report cards and attendance records.

We do it as a community with laws and courts and enforcement.

We do it socially with reviews on products and likes on social media....

What is our motivation?

Kids in school fear low grades and the parent’s disapproval or the coach’s sanction from playing.

At work, when we don’t perform at peak, we dread our boss’s evaluation of us.

As a small business owner, you dread bad reviews.

It’s tempting to block out social media from commenting on your product or service for the fear of disappointing whoever it is we are serving.

At home, we might fear disappointing our spouse or letting down our kids - or it might just be more self-centered than even that somehow.

And this fear is on our minds day in and out.

Sometimes it is pretty subtle.

But it’s there, and it rears up and asks to be addressed at the close of one year and the opening of the new.

Back a couple weeks ago we looked at Zachariah’s prophecy about Jesus found at the very end of .

And there we saw that God’s purpose in Christ was to bring us into a new life of service to him - a new life serving him without fear.

There Luke records that God’s provision of salvation for us in Christ was:

Serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness.

He wants us to be able to serve him without fear.

That implies that without Christ, there is some rightful fear.

Back when I was in school, kids would get a bit more tense when report card time rolled around.

They were afraid of grades slipping, of being under expected performance.

They would be afraid of letting down whoever they were responsible to.

But then the report card would come out, the time would pass and they would get over it till it rolled around again.

And again.

And again.

Same deal with a yearly review at a job.

So why is it that we fear those things yet so easily slip into our same habits and patterns of sin when it comes to what God expects of us?

Is it that we don’t fear God?

See those report cards - the time interval is short, and you meet the person face to face.

At the job, the yearly review - that’s yearly.

It’s more important, but also less frequent.

But God… We only get out grade once when we finally meet him face to face.

And that’s the final grade, not a you’re doing okay, but need to pull it up a bit.

It’s a pass or fail.

And by the time you see him, it’s decided already.

That can bring some fear when we think about it, can’t it?

But before Christ, people manage that fear handily by simply not thinking about it.

After all, they’ve never met God.

Maybe he doesn’t even exist....

Then the last day of life comes.

People who understand what Zachariah was prophesying and have peace with God - they don’t fear death.

Maybe a little pain, but not meeting their Father on the other side.

They’ve learned to love God and discovered that he is truly good.

And they don’t fear God because they have come to understand the greatest expression of his love, Christ.

When Peter caused a scene in the temple by acting in faith and in the power of Jesus to heal the lame beggar who sat at the Temple gate day in and day out, he proclaimed the power of Jesus and the identity of Jesus to the gathering crowd.

But he also very clearly points out their sin, a thing which, without Jesus, would indeed be cause for fearing God’s wrath.

Listen in:

Acts 3:

Betrayed.

Disowned the one they had been long expecting, even when the Gentile governor recognized Jesus’ innocence.

Preferred a wicked man, a murder as opposed to the “Holy and Righteous One” - they preferred a wicked man to the holy.

They murdered the Prince of life.

They acted in ignorance despite having the scriptures.

And they caused they’re anointed savior to suffer.

This is a scathing condemnation of their sin.

He doesn’t tread lightly!

He treats it truthfully, not gently, but not self-righteously or pompously.

He calls sin, sin.

And it is critical that, as you and I read this passage today, we acknowledge sin for what it is.

We must treat our sin with honesty - call it what it is.

Don’t sugar coat it.

Don’t hide the report card, don’t add plus or minus to the B or C to make it sound fancy and nicer than what it is.

Acknowledge sin for what it is.

Recognize that you and I each truly deserve to fear the day we meet the Lord if we go to do so while yet trusting to our own merit.

In fact, as Peter continues, he brings up exactly that point.

If you take a moment to look up the passage he is quoting in , notice verse 19:

If you

That last bit, “I Myself will require of him,” that means what Peter says it means in

Everyone soul who does not heed the words of Jesus and entrust themselves to the savior as he calls them to do - every one of those souls God will call to account for their sin and they will be utterly destroyed.

But Peter doesn’t stop there, thank the Lord!

From this foundation of truth comes the beauty of blessing.

Peter reminds the Jews of their precious place in the Lord’s process of salvation!

He begs them to repent and return to the Lord.

Listen to Peter’s plea:

He reminds them of God’s precious purpose for them and points out that Jesus has gone back to heaven for now, awaiting the time when the Jews return to him before he comes back to earth bringing times of refreshing.

Peter goes on to say the warning we have already looked at then points out again the great original promise to the fathers of Israel that was a blessing upon them.

Acts 3:19-26

Peter is reiterating that God has always preferred to bless Israel!

Even in their heinous wickedness in crucifying his own son, God wants them back, wants to bless them.

Look at verse 26 again!

God sent Jesus to bless them!

See, over and above the truth about their wickedness flows a beautiful theme of grace.

God is not about beating Israel over the head with fear.

The reality is there - that sin brings cause for fear of God.