Sermon Tone Analysis

Proclamation of the Word

Acts 9:

Introduction

Introduction

A story is told of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s drive for excellence:

[Kissinger] once asked his assistant to prepare a report form The assistant worked on it day and night.

Finally he completed the task and gave it to his boss.

An hour later, Kissinger sent it back with a note attached saying, “Do it again.”

The assistant stayed up all night redoing the report and in the morning turned it in to Kissinger.

One hour later, Kissinger again returned the report, and again his note read, “Do it again.”

After rewriting the report a third time, the assistant delivered it to Kissinger personally and said, “Sir, I’ve done the very best I can do.”

Kissinger replied, “In that case, I’ll read it now.”

APPLICATION :

Most of us, don’t need to look for more things to do for God.

We just need to do our best with what God has already assigned to us.

That is the fashion of Christian living.

In the world a “fashion show” is an event where cloths are modeled for all to see.

The fashion focus is on the clothing.

In the Christian fashion show the focus is on the living or how a person lived.

We see in our scripture that the gospel of Jesus Christ has continued to spread Westward and in Joppa there was

Our focus scripture begins in the city of Joppa.

Joppa is a city about 45 miles northwest of Jerusalem and it is the city the prophet Jonah went when he was trying to escape his God given mission to bring the word of God to the city of Nineveh.

from our focus scripture that Dorcas was a leader in the Christian

In our focus scripture we see the fashion of the life a disciple of Jesus Christ named Dorcas (Greek) or Tabitha (Aramaic).

This is the only place in the New Testament where the feminine form of the Greek word for “disciple” is used.

and I believe it speaks directly to the example that Dorcas set for living a life of faith.

Connection to the Word

There was one clerk in the large candy store who always had people waiting in line, even when the other clerks were standing around with nothing to do.

The manager finally asked her why she was so popular with customers.“It’s

easy,” she responded.

“The other clerks always scoop more than a pound of candy and then start taking away.

I always scoop less than a pound and then add to it.”

Brothers and sisters, so often we get so intimidated with the book of Revelation because of all the controversy, competing views, and imagery, that we can tend to just avoid it altogether.

I have been guilty of it, to intimidated to preach on it that I may not communicate some part of the prophecy or imagery correctly.

Then I read the beginning of the book over and over and listened to some lessons on its beginning and realized that God gave this revelation or unveiling to John through Jesus and his messengers to bless its readers and hearers.

​ ESVBlessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

The people standing in that one clerks line were waiting expectantly for the blessing of receiving more candy.

We should be running to the book of Revelation and expectantly reading line after line because we cannot wait to receive the promised blessing of the revelation or unveiling of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his coming return.

When we read the book of revelation there is an expectancy that one feels and remains throughout the whole reading of the book.

It is this expectancy that I want you and I to grasp because I believe it translates to our daily walking in faith and our expectantly looking to our Lords return.

There are three primary ways that the book of Revelation has been interpreted over the ages; the preterist, the futurist, and historicist views of the end times.

Perhaps we can look at these in more detail in future sermons or on Sunday nights.

For right now I would like us to focus on the blessing of the Book of Revelation and what it means for us walking in Faith.

Connection to the Word

From the emphasis of both her Greek and Aramaic names we can get a real sense that Dorcas was well respected and loved by many near and far, by Christian, Jew, and Gentile.

We are told that she was full of good works and deeds.

and we can really get a sense of the impact her fashionable living had on the entire community by the way they cared for her both in living and in death.

Acts 9:

We know that women were looked down upon in her culture if they were were not married or had no children.

I believe we can conclude that Dorcas because of her relationship with the widows was a widow herself and that she was most likely a mother with children of her own.

We know that women were looked down upon in her culture if they were were not married or had no children.

I believe we can conclude that Dorcas because of her relationship with the widows was a widow herself and that she was most likely a mother and had children of her own.

We really get a sense that Dorcas was not only a disciple of Jesus Christ but a leader in the Church whose ministry was one of good works, deeds, and especially advocacy for the widows in the community.

There is more at stake in Dorcas restoration because she has a great reputation for all her good works and charity.

Dorcas absence would leave a big hole.

The widows of her congregation cry out to Peter when he arrives showing him the clothes she had made for them.

It’s hard for faith communities to lose key leaders, in Dorcas case, one who helped the church fulfill its responsibility to care for its needy widows.

This is the fashion show of Dorcas the disciple.

In the showing of tunics and other garments that Dorcas made the widows were celebrating the life of Dorcas.

A life of self-sacrifice, a life of service, a life of good deeds and acts of mercy.

Can you just see a runway full of the fashions of Dorcas?

How beautiful those fashions are, the colors the beauty, the simplicity and practicality of it all.

Orientation: Living the Word

​ ESVNow Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”

But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Haven’t you felt that way?

There are many that have a craving for the kind of certainty Thomas demanded.

However, when we come to the book of Revelation it seems only to make things worse.

In the first few verses we are introduced to the kind of symbolism that continues throughout the entire book; where the author writes about Christ’s second coming.

Orientation: Living the Word

Orientation: Living the Word

I do not believe it is the miracle of the resurrection of Dorcas that Luke wants emphasized in our focus scripture.

I believe that he wants you and I to see what fashionable living is for the Christian.

How the christian community bands together, sticks together, and responds in faith.

The Christians in Joppa believed in the promises of God especially the promise that the same Spirit that raised Jesus is living inside the Christian.

We see this in the way that Dorcas lived her life, the way she loved, and I am sure it was clearly seen in the way she loved her family.

I believe that Dorcas truly believed that the spirit empowered the Christian to turn the world upside down.

Isn’t that the impact that Dorcas had on her community, the faith that she displayed in the way she cared for those around her, the way she loved those on the fringes of society.

The way she stood up for the widows and orphans.

The faith of the community to call for Peter and to trust that God would do something amazing.

Yes, if we were to compare the fashionable living of Dorcas an her fellow Christians to the world the world would say it was upside down.

But Dorcas trusted in the promises of God and she did the best she could with what God assigned her to do.

Acts 17:6

Brothers and sisters, fashionable living for the Christian is trusting in God, having the faith not to accept death but in faith trust God to defeat death, and isn’t that exactly what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did for all of us.

Think about it, Dorcas stepped out in faith in the way she trusted in God’s promises and lived her life of service to others.

Here we also see Peter stepping out in faith — I believe this was the first time that Peter was asked to pray for someone who has died and to be resuscitated to life.

I am sure we all have many people and situations we are praying for and I think we would all agree that what Peter is asked to do is a tall order with lots of expectations.

How do you pray for something that seems so overwhelming and impossible?

Acts 9:

What is the biggest most daunting problem or situation you are facing right now? Are you like Peter lifting that problem or situation to God in prayer?

Think about it and get it in your mind.