Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
So you get on the airplane and you are seated next to someone.
You don’t know this person.
You don’t know their background, where they are headed, or why.
As you chat with them you find out that their flight was delayed.
As you commiserate over the difficulties and frustration of flying, your conversation turns to the difficulties and frustrations of life.
You share with them that when your life is hard and seemingly hopeless, you turn to Jesus.
You find comfort peace and security in knowing that your Savior is always with you.
As the conversation continues, you are able to share Christ and your flying companion comes to Jesus!
What just happened?
We call that a divine encounter.
Our sovereign God, who doesn’t change and doesn’t make mistakes, orchestrates the affairs of our lives to bring us in contact with those who need Jesus!
He provides gospel opportunities in the most unlikely circumstances.
In the middle of every day life, we are given a divine encounter.
That person waiting next you at the mechanic shop may have had vehicle trouble just so they could talk with you.
Your car may have broken down just to share Christ with the tow truck driver and the mechanic!
That person you are seated next to may have gotten their flight delayed, or cancelled, just so they could be seated next to you.
That person waiting next you at the mechanic shop may have had vehicle trouble just so they could talk with you.
That person in the waiting room with an incurable disease, maybe you are having health issues just so you can speak to them.
That nurse taking your blood pressure.
That parent waiting with you for practice to end.
The student next to you at lunch or on the bus.
That co worker.
These are not chance encounters!
These are not coincidences!
If we believe in an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-encompassing God, we must also believe that He creates divine appointments.
To see these opportunities for the divine appointments they are, we must be led by the Holy Spirit.
Our passage this morning is all about divine appointments.
God has divine appointments in your life.
God has divine appointments in your life.
Today our goal is to recognize them so that we can take full advantage.
To take advantage of the divine appointments in our lives, we must recognize them.
When divine appointments are recognized we are able to share Christ.
To recognize a divine appointment, we must ask two questions.
To recognize a divine appointment, we must ask two questions.
Question #1…
1.
What Does A Divine Appointment Look Like?
We could say this is The Packaging Of A Divine Appointment.
It would be nice if every time a divine appointment happened a voice from heaven would call out to us and a flashing sign would appear over the person’s head.
That’s not how it happens.
The child of God is called to walk in the Spirit.
To live by the Spirit.
And to be led by the Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives, we are ready and able to share the gospel with anyone.
At His prompting, we share Christ at every opportunity.
All that being said, divine appointments are often disguised.
There are two reasons why divine appointments are sometimes hard to notice.
Reason #1.
A divine appointment is often…
a. Hidden in the negative vv. 13-16
In Paul’s experience here we will see two seemingly negative circumstances that often accompany divine appointments.
When something negative happens in our lives we ask… Is it a frustration?
Or a divine appointment?
Is it a frustration?
Or a divine appointment?
The answer depends on our perspective and on our willingness to take advantage of every opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ.
Seemingly negative circumstance #1…
Seemingly negative circumstance #1…
The limitation of freedom vv.
13-14
READ v. 13
The divine appointments start right here.
Agrippa and Bernice come to greet Festus.
At least, that’s why they think they have come.
In reality, God has orchestrated a meeting between them and Paul.
They didn’t know Paul was there.
They had their own purpose, to greet Festus.
God had a greater purpose!
For them to hear the gospel from Paul.
Sometimes God works in more subtle ways than others.
Turn back to , .
,
These are obvious encounters.
Now turn to .
This doesn’t seem like a divine appointment!
It seems like a frustration.
An irritant.
Yet the Lord uses it to bring the Philippian jailer to Christ!
These people coming together here in ; this is a divine appointment.
READ v. 14
Paul has been a prisoner for more than 2 years (24:27).
From a human standpoint and perspective, this is negative.
Two years without freedom!
Two years being held at the whim of a corrupt governor!
Even though 2 years have passed, the Jewish leaders are still intent on Paul’s death.
In v. 3 Luke told us of yet another plot to kill Paul.
This too seems like a negative.
However, we need to be reminded that The opposition of these leaders will take Paul to Rome as God has directed!
Paul is a prisoner.
He has been incarcerated for 2 years.
Prisoner – Incarceration
This seems like a negative, it probably even felt like a negative.
But it is a divine appointment!
Seems like a negative, probably even felt like a negative.
But it is a divine appointment!
God is at work.
God is at work.
He has a plan unfolding right before our eyes!
Seemingly negative circumstance #2…
The presence of hostility vv.
15-16
READ v. 15
Festus is sharing with Agrippa and Bernice all that had transpired between himself, the Jewish leaders, and Paul.
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