Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Letter to Hell
Years ago we took the youth kids to an event called “Dare 2 Share” and they put on this small play called “Letter from Hell.”
The basic idea was a non-Christian in hell communicating to his Christian friend who didn’t witness to them.
It’s all your fault, you didn’t choose to share, you didn’t love me enough you didn’t say the right words in the right way and now I’m in hell because you did it wrong!
The goal, as far as I could tell, was to make the kids so guilty and terrified that they immediately rushed home to tell all their friends… and bear the awful and terrifying burden of all their friends going to hell.
That is a bit much to put on the shoulders of some teenagers.
More than a little manipulative.
And not theologically sound.
Hakuna Matata Evangelism
Here’s another model of evangelism.
Hakuna Matata.
What a wonderful phrase.
Hakuna Matata, ain’t no passing phase.
It means “no worries for the rest of your days.”
If God is Sovereign and people are predestined to salvation by His hand, then it really doesn’t matter what we do or what we say, they are going to be saved or not saved anyways.
Mission trips are foolish, preaching salvation is just annoying and unnecessary.
Just let people believe whatever and God will sort it all out.
Powerless Fatalism vs. Human Determinism
Christians often bounce between these two poles of thought.
“It’s all on my shoulders” a Crushing Responsibility.
Human Determinism.
Or it’s all in God’s hand and my actions don’t matter, a Powerless Fatalism.
Paul’s 1st Missionary Journey
Then what the heck is this Paul guy doing on his epic missionary journey?
He is traveling miles, hundreds of miles, preaching the gospel.
And with that level of effort, he must be tending towards the first model, the “Letter from Hell” model of evangelism.
It is all on his shoulders and his actions.
We left Paul in Acts 13 where he had just made a convert of Sergius Paullus, the Roman proconsul of Pathos.
Paul Paddles From Pathos to Perga in Pamphylia
Perga in Pamphylia
John-Mark turns around and goes home.
Maybe stuff came up, maybe the mission trip was too hard, too long, we don’t know.
But the young new guy turns around and, as Paul would later describe, kind of bails on Paul and Barnabus… but they press on.
Up to Antioch in Pisidia
Where the governor Sergius Paulus was from originally.
Likely directed there by his recent convert.
From there to hit major cities in Asia Minor.
A very Roman city, it had just completed major imperial-style building and would have been like a mini Rome… though not nearly as populous as the Antioch Paul’s home church is in.
and following the pattern of ministering to the Jews first, they find the local gathering, the synagogue and sit down.
Then the leaders, the rulers of the synagogue make a classic mistake: they invite guest speakers to share.
First to the Jews
Paul preaches to the Jews.
He gives a survey of Jewish history, a message that would speak to them.
Sit in the movie:
How did Paul preach to the Jews?
Here we get maybe the best example of his sermon content.
He walks through the history of the Jewish people and shows how it all points forward to the Messiah: to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
So imagine you are in that room, and it really would have looked much like this room.
A man stands up and for the first time, you hear the gospel.
Begging for More
Great start.
Great progress.
Huge amount of traction, word of mouth spreading.
Then to the Gentiles
Shaking the dust off their feet is a sign: we don’t want to be associated with their unbelief and its consequences.
Not even the dust will go with us.
Their mission trip ended with persecution and banishment from the region.
With anger and dismissiveness.
And, in later centuries, there won’t remain a trace of Christianity in Antioch of Pisidia.
Failure?
We have these two things.
Maximum effort.
The persuasive words of Paul.
Trying everything, first to the Jew and then to the Gentile.
Doing everything he can and that bears fruit.
How much fruit?
It uses the word “many” but that isn’t the important word.
Maybe the clearest expression of predestination in the Bible.
“Those who were appointed to eternal life” that’s how many believed.
Those who were “supposed to”.
Those who were appointed “perfect tense - past action with ongoing and continuing results.”
In the past they were appointed, as in the Book of Life, appointed to eternal life, and that appointment continues forward into eternity.
That’s who got saved.
But did Paul show up in town and say, some here will be appointed to be saved, so they are going to get saved auto-magically, let’s phone it in.
He gave everything he had to the Jews.
Then, everything he had to the Gentiles.
Everything he had until they kicked him out of town.
Maximum effort.
Beyond maximum effort.
And what was the result?
Was Paul discouraged at his period of time, at the number of converts, at the state of the church as he left?
Nope.
Those who were appointed to salvation were saved.
Wipe off the feet and move on to the next town.
More than that.
More than an empty powerless fatalism OR the crushing responsibility that it was all on him.
What was he filled with, what was the result for him and the disciples in Antioch and the disciples back at home?
This is the truest result of working with God.
Powerless fatalism, the idea that the machine is just going to grind and the Universe does what it wills without regard for your actions or care… that is awful and terrifying.
So is the idea that it all depends on you and your actions and people live and die eternally based on what you do.
Awful and terrifying.
What is it like to work hand in hand with the Creator of the Universe, doing the part he has created you for and called you to, certain that He is drawing people to Himself through you… and that He literally cannot fail?
With God himself in you and working through you - that’s the Holy Spirit - that is JOYFUL!
Filled with JOY AND with the Holy Spirit.
With the Holy Spirit and with JOY.
Holy Spirit and Joy go together hand in hand.
That feeling in your soul when you see the beauty of Christ in His word and in His work.
When you see rightness, when you know.
Joy and Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit and Joy.
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