Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

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Anger
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Can I get a witness?
Jono preaching last week.
I was glad to hear he told a story about “Eric” and not a story about me.
His stories about me are always questionable.
On one level, this is something I learned from Pastor Rod: I don’t care what really happened, which is going to be funnier?
But on another level… who is right?
For example, a couple weeks ago I was telling a story.
I was playing Louis in the “King and I” and there’s a scene where it’s just me and the king’s son and we sing this duet.
Kind of an angry back and forth.
I am backstage playing cards with friends, and I hear the music for that scene begin.
And then stop.
and then begin again.
And the prince begins riffing on stage “Where is that Louis kid???”
Because I am not there.
I panic, I sprint, I run and make it on stage by the 3rd or 4th time the music starts.
So I tell this story, and Jono has this confused look on his face.
Because he remembers that story… but he remembers the whole thing as happening to him!
He played Louis and he was late on stage for that scene!
Jono story vs. Dusty story.
Jono memory vs. Dusty memory.
What do we do when we can’t quite agree on what happened?
We go in search of witnesses.
Can I get a witness?
And the answer was: yes.
Spoiler: every witness we asked remembers my story and he has no witnesses at all.
Let the record reflect!
In the end we all pretended to believe that “maybe it happened to you, too” (in the most condescending tones we could manage).
Witness
Summary
Jumping into Acts, we get to be witnesses to the establishment and rapid growth of the Kingdom of God.
Jono shared more about the inauguration of the Kingdom of God last week, the establishment of Jesus’ church and the keys to His Kingdom given to us by faith.
We get to see the star player, the Holy Spirit, unleashed within believers in a new way.
We talked a bit about that last week, and Pentecost is coming next week.
and the verse that really launches all of Acts is Acts 1:8, Jesus’ last words to his disciples
“His last command should be our first concern.”
Jesus says this right before he ascends.
A powerful symbol.
Clothed in clouds - an OT symbol of being clothed in God’s presence.
Think “pillar of cloud by day” in Exodus.
His ascenscion a prerequisite for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
As his final words, we are going to pay all kinds of attention to what he said.
First, he foretells a specific coming moment, the receiving of power when the Holy Spirit comes.
He looks forward to Pentecost.
and we will see that happen in the text next week.
He looks forward to this event, and then he casts forward across the disciples entire lives to come… and beyond.
Not even a command (though he gives a parallel command in other places), Jesus speaks here about the sure and certain future.
You will be witnesses.
And where will you be witnesses?
Everywhere.
You will be.
Future tense, prophetic in this context… this is who you are going to be, what you are going to do, where you are going to go.
These are expanding Geographic / Theopolitical circles.
Jerusalem - the city they are in… Thornton
Out to Judea - the immediate province they are in.
Like their County.
Adams County.
To Samaria, the province to the North.
Close, but very different culturally, politically and theologically.
They are going to cross tremendous historical and ethnic boundaries to be witnesses in Samaria.
We might say “Boulder.”
Those guys are… maybe a bit different politically or culturally.
We are going to have to cross boundaries to even go there.
and then (small step) to the VERY ENDS OF THE EARTH.
Well, that escalated quickly.
Jesus is talking directly to his disciples, to his apostles… though we read in a second there was another circle of disciples outside those apostles… but here we get the first hint that he is speaking beyond just that inner circle.
They are literally going to go from Jerusalem to Judea and to Samaria… some will.
Some there will go a distance from there.
Perhaps Peter made it all the way to Rome, to the center of what they called the “known” world.
But none of them made it to the “ends of the earth.”
Jesus casts a future beyond the men and women before him to the men and women that would follow.
He sets the stage for a Mission… a Mission to the ends of the earth, to all the peoples, all the tribes, every tongue.
He gives the disciples a Mission and here is our first hint that… maybe we are on that Same Mission to.
And what are they to be to these people?
What is that mission?
Witness
They are to be “Jesus’ witnesses.
Witnesses.
Literally “testifiers”.
Especially in a legal sense.
In a dispute between Jono and I, who is right?
Call in your witnesses.
When someone is one trial, gather eyewitnesses to confirm what happened.
I love this word because it is so stinkin’ simple.
A witness is someone who a) saw the thing(s) and b) are willing to say what they saw.
Someone saw the thing… someone says the thing.
That’s a witness… and that is really all there is to that.
We can see the disciples take this mantle as witnesses seriously right away in what they do next.
Choosing a Replacement Witness
Back to business - doing what Jesus said
Look at how they receive it: what do they do immediately after hearing Jesus’ command?
A small church, around 120, devoting themselves to prayer.
That is a picture of church… men and women.
Doesn’t that feel familiar?
And what a church!
The apostles over there… Oh, that pew is where Jesus’ brothers sit with Mary! What???
Peter chooses to address the elephant in the room: the betrayal of one of the inner circle, Judas.
In other words, Judas’ betrayal wasn’t a mistake Jesus made in appointing Judas, it was fulfillment of Scripture, of prophecy, part of the plan.
Luke includes a parenthetical description of what happened to Judas for the reader who might not know.
But back to a fulfillment of prophecy:
Was this what God wanted them to do? Jesus said to do nothing and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (did I stutter?)
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