Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Welcome

Good Morning CrossPointe

Heart Talk

Turn with me to

I’ve been praying all week for this time together right here because of the importance of this text in the movement of the church and what it means for us today.

Here’s my concern:

Some of you have heard this before and will hear what I say and respond, saying, “I know this.

I’ve heard this before.”

And you will leave here carrying the same burden and heavy heart with which you entered.

The Burden

We all carry burdens.

Maybe it’s Anger, grudges, pride, jealousy, disappointments, pain, fear, worry, doubt, anxiety, insecurities, financial concerns.

There’s also another burdens that when we become aware it - it breaks our back and we are unable to stand beneath its weight.

Some of you will hear today’s message and think it madness, impossible and leave here carrying the same burden with which you entered.

Others still, will hear today’s passage and find or be remind of the hope and joy we have in Jesus.

You will lay your burdens and heaviness at Jesus’ feet and replace it with the light and easy weight of Jesus’ perfection.

PRAY

PRAY

The outcome I desire from today’s message is not something my words can produce.

We desperately need the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts to receive his word so that it takes root and bears spiritual fruit.

PIVOT POINT

is a critical pivot point in the movement of Acts

BIG IDEA: The gospel will be proclaimed among all peoples through witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit, beginning in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

is the pivot point as the gospel is about to be be launched out into the all the world.

Just before launch - there’s a problem.

The image in my mind is like the countdown for the next SpaceX launch.

There check all the systems before the final command .

In the same way, we are going to see some people who add a component to the question, “what must you do to be saved?”

Think about the importance of this moment as they discuss this issue.

They are asking, “if someone is not a Jew, what do they need to believe and do to be saved?”

READ

Transition Point and Importance of this passage

Today’s Main Points

The Weight of God’s Law (Historical Context)

The Weight of Religion & Good Works (Modern Context)

Freedom in Christ (Application)

THE WEIGHT OF GOD’S LAW | JESUS + CIRCUMCISION

Understanding Circumcision

God gave the jewish people moral and ceremonial rules.

You may be familiar with the 10 commandments but this is just the first 10 of 613 laws found in the first 5 books of the Old testament, called the Torah, or the Law in English, and also the Pentateuch.

The Overarching Story

Creation / Fall / Tower of Babel and peoples

God choses Abraham’s family through whom he would bless all nation

His family line end us in slavery in Egypt before God rescues them

At Mount Sinai makes a covent with the people and a pattern begins to unfold.

God gives commands and the people rebel

God gives more rules and the people rebel

God gives more rules and the people rebel

Over and over again

Moses gives these final words saying the people’s hearts are hard and they will need new hearts if they are every going to obey God.

Despite this: Jews continued to try and perfectly fulfill the Law through obedience but always fell short or became prideful as they saw their efforts of obedience as better than others.

Purpose of the Law

Peter says… “A yoke we ourselves can not bear...”

Purpose of the Law

To instruct and expose our hearts and need for a savior

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

“The law was our guardian, in order that we might be saved by faith.”

We don’t take the Law and try to fix ourselves with it, we take the law and say, “I need help.”

“We believe...”

“We believe that we will will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

The Ph.D and the child, the Jew and the Gentile, Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian - rules don’t save, they only expose our sin.

Only Jesus saves.

Paul & barnabas (12)

The crowd fell silent and Paul and Barnabas described what God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James’ Speech (13-21)

Now James stood, the half-brother of Jesus - He was called James the Just

When he died, his knees were allegedly callused like those of camel because of his many hours of prayer.

He was a pillar of the church and seems to be the moderator of the assembly here in Jerusalem.

James’ decision:

God is taking a people for himself from among the Gentiles - this was prophesied by God ()

Jesus alone saves

Also instruct them

Abstain from things polluted by idols

Abstain from sexual immorality (Antioch had a reputation)

Abstain from food that was strangled and from blood

WHY

Missional Sensitivity: There are Jews in these cities.

The hand of fellowship and hospitality would be broken as Jews would not culturally eat food sacrificed to idols, etc.

WHY IS THIS SUCH A BIG DEAL.... ?

THE WEIGHT OF A NEW LAW | JESUS + ANYTHING

We feel the burden of Sin

The Law of God exposes our sin - when we see the holiness of God we feel the depth of our on sin and short-comings

Recently - i’ve heard from many people who continue to wrestle with this reality

I’m not enough - my faith isn’t enough - my obedience isn’t enough

I feel overwhelmed by sin and by doubt

It is the burden that many of you carried in with you this morning.

Am I saved?

Have I done enough?

Is God pleased with me?

We feel the cost of Sin

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Physically alive but morally unable to respond to God.

Our hearts are hard and we need new hearts…

In a new documentary called, ‘American Gospel,’ Jackie Hill-Perry said this, “I feel like I was walking on egg shells all the time because it felt like at any moment I could go to hell because I’m doing enough.

That’s where you see a lot of people who grew up in churches where the gospel was not really fleshed out, where they become atheists because they think, ‘well I can’t do enough to please him anyway so why trust him or believe in him.”

Illustrated

In 1676 a 47 year man was thrown in prison because he wouldn’t stop preaching.

While in prison for 12 years, John Bunyan began writing, “The Pilgrim’s Progress” - an extraordinary allegory which is the journey of everyman from this world to the next.

He begins...