Sermon Tone Analysis
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this morning we will be looking at the responses to Paul’s faithful biblical preaching
as you can see from my sermon title and the text, it ranged from jealousy and outright persecution to rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord to genuine saving faith
I have intentionally used the term “faithful biblical preaching” because our tendency is to think that good preaching will always result in polite listening if not joyful acceptance
Faithful biblical preaching will almost always stir up opposition.
(1Cor 1:23-24)
the Gospel was offensive to the Jews and to non-Jews it was laughable!
The question is not whether faithful biblical preaching will stir up opposition but how potent it will be!
in light of this there may be a strong temptation to remove the offence
the problem with much preaching today
it is either unbiblical
false teaching abounds: HWH, God speaks outside of his Word, contemplative prayer,
or it is unfaithful
it re-interprets the bible using modern day ideas and philosophies
forcing culture’s ideas of right and wrong, good or bad, blessing or cursing on the bible
rounding off the hard edges of the gospel - sinner friendly churches
or it is not preaching
it does not explain or make known what God said at a particular time and place and make the right applications to today
focus on entertainment rather than enlightenment
Christian chats vs. expositional
God blesses unapologetic preaching which is faithful to his word
makes no apologies for God, what he has done or what he will do
reminds us of our need to stay vigilant against our enemies: world, flesh and devil
encourages true believers with promised mercy and grace
we’ve been looking at the Apostle Paul’s sermon preached at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch on his first missionary journey
he’s given them irrefutable proof that Jesus is the One Promised by God who would forgive their sins and free them from everything the Law was powerless to do
how did his hearers respond?
let’s start with Paul’s closing words:
Paul’s Warning
Paul ended his gospel message with a warning
“beware”
watch carefully
don’t treat lightly what I have said
don’t quickly forget
“therefore”
having been given such convincing arguments they would be under greater judgment than if they had never heard!
note the warning of Heb 6:4-8
Bible Truth: God will judge people according to the knowledge they possess.
The more knowledge the greater the judgment.
this is especially true for those who preach the gospel!
(James 3:1)
quote in v.41 from Hab 1:5
Hab lamenting the terrible state into which the Jewish people had fallen: violence, injustice and oppression were rampant and it looked to Hab that God was doing nothing
Hab to God: “don’t you see? why don’t you do something?”
God’s response, “if I told you what I was about to do you wouldn’t believe it”
God was going to bring the Chaldeans against his people
judgment was coming of such a kind that was unthinkable
so it is with all who hear the gospel and refuse to repent
a greater judgment will fall on them than if they had never heard
Paul recognized that to the Jewish mind the thought of Jesus as their Messiah was inconceivable!
how could a man who was convicted as a blasphemer and an enemy of the state and crucified with common criminals be God’s Anointed One?
it was unthinkable, it was abhorrent, it was impossible
thus Paul quoted God’s word to Habakkuk, “I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.”
Fact: The natural response to God’s work is scoffing.
a mocker whose disdain results from a contemptuous view of their object (and their own supposed superiority or worth).
source of unbelief: that Jesus could be God’s Anointed and their own pride
much unbelief boils down to these two factors
Fact: If the Gospel makes sense to an unrepentant sinner it is not the gospel!
every unbeliever naturally rejects the gospel because it is incomprehensible and therefore foolish
scoffers will perish, they will die in their sins
the opposite of a scoffer is a believer
A Hunger For More
rather than turn unbelievers away Paul’s stern warning caused them to hunger and thirst for more!
first, they begged Paul and Barnabas to come back the following Sabbath
begged = ask earnestly
what is your attitude to the preaching of the Word?
many of them followed Paul and Barnabas
their earnest desire for more teaching caused them to pursue Paul and Barnabas
P&B urged them to continue in the grace of God
the grace of God = the message of salvation that Paul had preached to them
continue = to stay with - same root as word abide!
Faithful cleaving to the saving revelation of God is contrasted with the vacillation which for the slightest reason lets go of the salvation found (Ac.
13:43; cf.
Mk. 4:17).
to receive the gospel in vain is to hear it but not have it do nothing more than arouse one’s emotions
They were exhorted to continue because of the natural tendency to fall away.
highlights the problem of an emotional response to the gospel
the mind must be convinced and the heart engaged before there is a change of behaviour
even after genuine faith the Christian’s duty is to keep their renewing their minds (Rom 12:2)
The Bereans of Acts 17 are an example of continuing in the grace of God.
(Acts 17:10-15)
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Jealousy vs. Joy, Part 2
many of you will know what I am referring to when I mention ‘the green eyed monster’
brings me back to my childhood
illustration of desert and chips being given out when I was a child
I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters and we were all eyeing what we each got to see if we got gyped
the green eyed monster was alive and well in our home!
sadly, it is often very alive and well in adults!
instead of chips and pie were eyeing one anothers’ cars, homes, clothes, vacations, careers, reputations, etc.
in our passage today we are confronted with jealousy as a one of 3 responses to Paul’s gospel message
the first response in Acts 13:42-44: a great hunger for more of Paul’s teaching about Jesus
the second response: some of the Jews were jealous
sinful jealousy in the bible:
Saul was so jealous of David he spent most of his life trying to catch and kill him
Joseph’s brothers were so jealous they wanted to kill him - instead the sold him into slavery
Jacob’s 2 wives, Rachel and Leah were constantly at each other because of jealousy
in the Corinthian church there was much strife and quarrelling because of jealousy over who was the best leader
these accounts remind us that sinful jealousy is powerful emotion which can lead to disaster for all who let it fester!
the text before us no different, in fact it presents the possibility that jealousy might lead to an eternity in hell!
[READ ACTS 13:42-52]
They Were Filled With Jealousy
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