Sermon Tone Analysis
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Who Drives?
We all have control issues.
When you go out, who drives?
We are control freaks anonymous.
My grandparents?
My grandmother did all the driving.
Maybe b/c my g-father had a volatile temper and a hair-trigger.
How much control do we really have?
I can remember him yelling at drivers that did unfortunate things that may or may not have adversely affected him as he drove.
When it’s me and Sara, I drive.
You and your spouse?
You and your friends?
When it’s me and Sara, I drive.
Except when it’s in the RZR.
You realize when you let someone drive you you place your life and well-being in their hands.
Whosever hands are on the wheel are in control of your life.
W/out saying it out loud, who won’t you ride w/ anymore?
You don’t trust them w/ control of your life.
You don’t trust them w/ control of your life.
There’s the C-word.
Who of us in here is willing to admit we have control issues?
Welcome to the weekly meeting of control-freaks anonymous.
This question is bigger than just who drives the car.
The question is, “Who drives your life?”
Who do you let have control of the steering wheel of your life?
Do you keep a grip on your own steering wheel?
Do your really?
All of us have control over who we let control our life.
We are early in the book of Acts.
The first church has been established and God is charting the course of the membership.
This is their course and the course of every single gathering that follows.
This is the Old House that God is still remodeling and adding on to.
Here they are addressing their first internal issue.
Persecution from the outside had already begun.
This is the first time they have to face a serious issue w/ a fellow believer.
Church, ekklesia, as Jesus defines it and has established it , is a unified bunch.
A gathering of ppl who share a common purpose.
Fundamental to this concept is that the gathering remain unified.
Common purpose, goals.
Maintaining unity in a community requires humility and generosity.
A collection of individuals who are arrogant and tight-fisted will remain a collection of individuals.
Individualism is defined w/ self-centered people.
A community is made up of people who represent themselves honestly, they don’t tear others down nor build themselves up, and are generous w/ their time, energy, and money.
Maintaining unity in our community requires humility and generosity.
And, the only way we can meet these requirements is by turning the steering wheel of our lives over to God and giving complete control to the Holy Spirit.
2 weeks ago we ended w/ this verse
Filled = controlled by.
Same Greek word.
Surrendering complete control.
When we do that we realize the amount of grace required by God to save us is much more than we think.
There is a huge gap between how we live our lives and the standard God set to earn being saved by Him.
Impossible.
Then, when we realize the amount of grace that was needed to span the gap between who we are and what God expects, we then are able t/b more gracious w/ the ppl around us who don’t measure up to our expectations.
Humility to realize how gracious God has had to be w/ us.
Generous to be just as gracious w/ everyone around us.
Maintaining unity in our community requires humility and generosity.
And, the only way we can meet these requirements is by turning the steering wheel of our lives over to God and giving complete control to the Holy Spirit.
Generally, this is what’s happening in the first church.
Filled w/, controlled by, the HS.
There were two notable exceptions, however.
This is the story about how God dealt with these exceptions.
Community
A biblical community
An attractive community; it attracts people.
The one, or one of the few organizations where members genuinely care for one another.
So much conflict in our lives is there a place we can go where there is minimal conflict and mutual support?
This should be it.
Shared care
God’s grace was so powerfully at work.
They realized and experienced God’s grace for their own lives and they shared God’s grace.
Tangibly, generously.
They were unified spiritually and materially.
They voluntarily sold their extra stuff and donated it to the church and the leaders distributed it according to need.
Grace, by def.
undeserved favor.
We all struggle w/ this at least a little bit.
Should we help that person.
Why are they in need.
Do they deserve their situation?
Have they earned it?
Then, do they deserve t/b helped out of it?
I have to experience grace t/b able to share it.
Appreciate the amount of grace God has shown me before I can be extremely gracious w/ anybody else.
If I’m not that bad, didn’t require much grace from God, then you can perform better too.
Then, I’ll help you the rest of the way.
I’m holding ppl to inappropriate standards.
God had answered their prayer for boldness.
W/ power they testified about Jesus’ resurrection and the new life they had that God had graciously given them.
It’s not my stuff anyway, It’s God’s.
He graciously shared w/ me so that I can share w/ you.
Community life is not a collection of individuals.
Real friendship.
Family.
There would have to be a significant connection to give such a significant gift.
What makes someone worthy of such a compassionate gift?
If they didn’t earn themselves then it’s b/c of the relationship we all have.
Grace.
c.1, the middle class owned houses and land.
About 10% of the general population.
Upper class was about 5%.
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