Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Text
Proposition Statement
Perseverance & success in ministry through trials is made possible by staying captivated by the gospel.
Introduction
Quick Recap:
Paul’s first mission trip
The church has grown in maturity - recognized their calling () - intentional witnessing
At first God had to nudge them out by persecution
Now they are taking the initiative
The mature church is not a church that has been around for a long time - but one that recognizes they are on mission
(there are few things more awkward than seeing an adult behave like a 3 yr old)
That shift in mindset sees the church in Antioch send Paul and Barnabas on their first trip
Seleuca —> Cyprus —> Perga —> Pisidian Antioch
So far we have seen certain common features that continue into the 2nd half of the trip:
Always preached in the synagogues first, then to Gentiles
Mixed responses
some followed
others persecuted them
Persecution, difficulty and suffering are a common thread throughout the trip
The Jews stirred up the crowds against them in Pisidian Antioch
Wasn’t long before the same thing was happening in Iconium
It led to Paul being stoned
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
.............
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
Luke 9:22-
You can’t have a crown if you are not willing to take up your cross.
No cross, no crown!
This part of Paul’s mission trip is no different from the first - he knows he must face more trials - but he perseveres.
He persists with a dogged determination to see his mission through, come what may
As I think of all the trials and difficulty we are facing as a church, I can’t help but ask how does Paul maintain such a strong determination to persevere when things are so difficult?
We don’t have it as bad as Paul..... but
We are up against it
without a full time pastor
helpers in ministries are few
preachers are few
helpers for ministries are few
Those who are working in ministries are tired and stretched
Because of all this it feels like this church is in real trouble
and whats worse… opportunities for witnessing in our community and for discipleship are going begging
When it feels like our backs are against the wall, how can we find the motivation to keep going....
.... to keep daily taking up our cross and persevering with a dogged determination, against the tide, uphill and into the wind (so to speak)?
Let’s pick up the story with Paul and Barnabas entering Iconium
1. Trouble in Iconium
;
Paul and Barnabas have just entered Iconium after being banished from the region of Pisidian Antioch
Here we see they follow the same strategy as before - the first thing they do is go and speak in the synagogue
And there’s immediate success...
“they spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed
BUT...
the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
You can take it as a guarantee - wherever the mission goes and wherever the fields are white for harvest… Satan will be there at work to oppose all our work
Christ’s mission is to save for himself a people of every tribe, language, people and nation.
That is the whole theme of Acts - it is the continuing Acts of Jesus in this world to fulfill His purposes
And we are privileged to be included and involved by Him in His mission - we get to take part
But Satan has made it his mission to oppose Christ and his church at every opportunity
We have seen it all already in Acts
the martyrdom of Stephen
the subsequent persecution of the Christians in Jerusalem
Persecution of the apostles and opposition to their message by Jews from the synagogues
even false prophets like the magician in Cyprus in
But what else have we seen?
In spite of every attack, every blow, every attempt to stop the mission - the gospel continues to spread… the church continues to grow
Jesus is building His church
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
So what do Paul and Barnabas do when they are faced with this opposition?
Do they run?
Do they fold when the going gets tough?
Now that they’ve once again been pulled out of their comfort zone, and danger is knocking down the door, do they high tail it out of there?
Verse 3 “So they remained for a long time...”
Are Paul and Barnabas just dumb?
Suckers for punishment?
Are they just extraordinarily resilient and thick skinned?
Do they just not have any fear?
Do they have some sort of special courage that we lack?
This is one of the top reasons people give for why they aren’t serving in the mission field or witnessing for Christ...
“I just don’t have the kind of courage that others have”
“I’m not that bold”
“I’m too sensitive and thin skinned to be able to deal with rejection”
Do you not think that Paul and Barnabas had similar emotions?
They had been beaten and persecuted already
Don’t you think they would have felt fear and anxiety when the population started to turn against them?
They weren’t gods - they were human beings
But you see - the Jews weren’t only poisoning everyone’s minds against Paul and Barnabas… but (verse 2) against the brothers.
Against all the Christians -
In the face of fierce opposition and threat, Paul and Barnabas stay for the sake of the Christians - especially those brand new believers Luke mentions in verse 1
The new Christians needed them.
Their church brothers and sisters needed them
So for their sake and for the sake of the Church, Paul and Barnabas pick up their cross, and stay...
… tenacious and persistent, persevering through trial and difficulty....
… speaking boldly for the Lord....
… who… verse 3 says...
“… bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
God granted signs and miracles to be performed in order to confirm that the message that the apostles were teaching was true - and that is the word of His grace
That is what was making the Jews so angry
The Jews maintained a religion that was void of grace
It was all rules and rituals … works and qualifications
You want to go to paradise, you had to earn it!
You had to qualify!
To the self-righteous person who sees himself as already good and qualified… the message of grace to sinners is so scandalous and radical that they hate it
…make the sacrifices...
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