Sermon Tone Analysis

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Anger
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Anger
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This week we turn to chapter 20 of the book of Acts.
At first glance as you read through this chapter it might seem like a collection of various stories and to an extent it is, but it all flows together into a single narrative.
The largest part of this chapter is Paul’s emotional message to the leaders of the Ephesian church, but the chapter as a whole also serves as a general farewell to all the mission churches that Paul has helped to establish as he prepares to head back to Jerusalem and then on to Rome.
“We will only be weak and stumbling believers and a crippled church unless and until we truly apply God’s Word—that is, until we truly love Him and act on that love.”
Charles Colson
So let’s pick up reading with verse 1 of chapter 20.
Remember last week we talked about the riot that arose in Ephesus due to the foothold that the gospel had gained and the effects it was having on the worship of Artemis which was centered in that city.
Acts 20:1-
Now I’m not going to go into a whole lot of detail explaining parts of this chapter.
What we have here is simply Paul beginning what would be his “farewell tour.”
We see a lot of the same things that we’ve seen throughout our study of this book.
Paul comes into an area, he starts preaching the gospel, after a time the Jews oppose him and he leaves.
This has been our pattern for a while now.
So let’s continue reading with verse 7 to see something a little different.
I want to pause here for a couple of minutes.
Here we find one of many references in the New Testament to Christian worship being conducted on Sunday instead of Saturday.
Remember the Jews worshipped on the Sabbath which is Saturday but Christians began to gather on Sunday to commemorate the fact that Christ rose from the grave on a Sunday.
And that’s what we see here in .
It says they gathered on the first day of the week (Sunday) to break bread, which is likely a reference to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
They gathered in the evening on that Sunday, since in that culture they would have all been working throughout the day.
So Paul starts talking.
And he just keeps on going, and going, and going, until midnight.
Now don’t worry, I’m not about to start following Paul’s example here.
We’re still going to be out in time to get to lunch.
But Paul is talking late into the night, and these men have been working all day long, so they’re understandably tired.
So it’s really no surprise when Eutychus falls asleep.
Maybe he worked a double shift that day.
Maybe he was a laborer who did lots of physical work.
Whatever the reason, he’s tired and he falls asleep.
Unfortunately, he did it while sitting on a window sill of a third floor window.
And he fell out.
And he died.
But not to worry.
Paul goes downstairs, embraces the young man and says, “Don’t be alarmed, because he’s alive.”
And that’s all great, but you know what amazes me the most in this story?
The next verse.
Verse 11 says, “After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, Paul talked a long time until dawn.
Then he left.”
Seriously?
They’ve probably already been there for five or six hours listening to Paul preach at this point.
It’s midnight.
They’re all exhausted to the point that Eutychus just fell out of a window and died when he hit the ground.
Paul raises him from the dead and what do they do?
They go back inside, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and then listen to Paul preach for probably another four or five hours until dawn.
Wow! How hungry are these people for the Word of God? Would any of us have had the same reaction?
Would any of us have sat and listened to Paul preach for what was likely nine to eleven hours?
I doubt it.
Look, I’m not saying that we need to have 12 hour worship services.
I’m not even saying that we need to make our services longer than they are now.
But do we hunger for the Word of God? Do we desire to know God?
To learn more about Him and become more like Him?
The late Charles Colson once said “We will only be weak and stumbling believers and a crippled church unless and until we truly apply God’s Word—that is, until we truly love Him and act on that love.”
I pray that we would all desire to know Him better.
To learn more and more of His Word and to show more and more of His love to the world around us.
“We will only be weak and stumbling believers and a crippled church unless and until we truly apply God’s Word—that is, until we truly love Him and act on that love.”
Charles Colson
Now let’s continue reading
Acts 20:13-
Again, I’m not going to say much about this passage.
Paul is travelling back to Jerusalem stopping at various cities along the way to encourage the believers at the churches there.
Now let’s pick up with verse 17 and read through the end of this chapter.
Acts 20:17-
Paul knows that this is his last trip.
He knows he’s not going to be coming back through this way again so he calls for the leaders of the church at Ephesus where he has invested so much of his ministry and he tells them what’s going on.
He tells them that the Spirit is warning him that he is about to experience great affliction and spend time in chains.
And he warns them that they will experience hardships also.
But what I really want to focus on in this passage is verses 26 and 27.
It almost seems out of place coming from Paul, especially here where he’s telling them farewell and warning them of trials to come.
In the middle of all that he says
Doesn’t that seem out of character for Paul?
I’m innocent of your blood?
It just doesn’t seem like something that he would say.
We’ve seen Paul, after his conversion on the Damascus road, go through every kind of trial and tribulation in order to bring the gospel to people.
He has suffered, he has been beaten, he has been thrown in prison, all to make sure that the gospel was shared.
It almost seems out of place coming from Paul, especially here where he’s telling them farewell and warning them of trials to come.
In the middle of all that he says
In fact in Paul says:
1 corinthians 9:19-
So why now is Luke telling us that Paul is saying, “I’m innocent of your blood?”
Well the key is in the next verse.
So why now is he saying, “I’m innocent of your blood?”
Well the key is in the next verse.
What does he mean by that?
What is this “whole plan of God” that Paul refers to?
Well for one thing Paul never shied away from talking about sin.
Read through his letter to the Romans.
Romans 5:
- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul’s conscience is clear because of the fact that he has done everything he could do to ensure that people heard the gospel.
But he’s also secure in the knowledge that he didn’t sugar coat it.
He told people the good news about heaven, but he didn’t leave out the bad news about hell.
He told people how they could be saved, but he also told them what they were facing if they didn’t repent of their sins.
That’s why he can say here, “I’m innocent of your blood.”
Paul’s conscience is clear because of the fact that he has done everything he could do to ensure that people heard the gospel.
He is telling the Ephesian leaders here the same thing he would tell Timothy later when he writes to him in .
He is telling the Ephesian leaders here the same thing he would tell Timothy later when he wrote to him in .
Can we say the same?
Part of sharing the whole plan of God is telling people when they are living in sin.
Now we have to be careful about doing this.
Especially in the times in which we live.
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