Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

Let’s Read Acts 3:1-11 to get the context:*

At this point Peter began to preach his second sermon.

When we compare Peter’s first sermon with this one, we find some differences.

Yet there are similarities too, because regardless of the circumstances, Peter was trying to do the same thing here as on the earlier occasion: He was trying to point his listeners to Jesus as the Savior of the world.

He also confronted them with their sin, appealed for their repentance, and gave reasons to repent and believe.

When you think about Christianity, do you think primarily about Jesus Christ?

And do you understand who Jesus is by the words and doctrines of the Bible?

Without Jesus you do not have Christianity, and the Jesus of Christianity is the Bible’s Jesus.

To be a Christian is to have a personal relationship with him.

Therefore Peter was preaching about him in this sermon.

The points that should be preached and taught throughout the world are clearly seen in this passage.

·         A crowd gathered—Peter grasped the opportunity (v.12).

·         Point 1: the source of power and holiness (v.12-13).

·         Point 2: the death of Jesus (v.13-15).

·         Point 3: the resurrection of Jesus (v.15).

·         Point 4: Jesus’ name made a man perfectly sound (v.16).

·         Point 5: there is no excuse—God foretold the Messiah’s death (v.17-18).

·         Point 6: repentance and conversion (v.19).

·         Point 7: Jesus’ return and the restoration of all things (v.20-21).

·         Point 8: judgment (v.22-24).

·         Point 9: a warning—you are especially privileged and blessed (v.25-26).

!! A.                 A crowd gathered (v.12a).

!!! 1.                  “So when Peter saw it…”  (v.12a).

!!!! a)                  Peter grasped the opportunity – /see also Acts 10:46/.

!!!!! (1)                 Note: lessons about grasping the opportunity.

!!!!!! (a)                 Peter wisely takes advantage of the crowd, but he knew that the phenomenon of the miraculous in itself brought no one to Jesus, it merely aroused interest.

Though they were *greatly amazed*, they weren’t saved yet!                        

*Peter knew that saving faith did not come by seeing or hearing about miracles, rather* /faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God /(Romans 10:17).

!!!!!! (b)                *Opportunities come and go:* This can be summed up in two simple words: missed opportunity.

Opportunities come and go, and once they are gone, they are gone for good!

!!!!!! (c)                 *Caring about what others think:* what other people think about us should never keep us from showing our love and faith in the Lord Jesus.

Our witness should always be strong for Christ.

!!!!! (2)                 Causes for missing an opportunity are caused by:

!!!!!! (a)                 Putting Yourself First *(Luke 9:57-10:1-2)*.

!!!!!! (b)                Making Excuses *(Luke 14:16-24)*.

!!!!!! (c)                 Not Willing (Matt.23:37).

!!!!!! (d)                Being To Busy (Luke 2:1-7)—”there was no room for them in the inn”

!!!!!! (e)                 Being Unprepared (Luke 12:35-40)

!!!!!! (f)                  Luke 10:29-37—“he passed on the other side”

 

 

 

 

!!!! b)                  We must grasp the opportunity *(Ephesians 5:15-16)*:

!!!!! (1)                 The Bible Warns Those Who Think They Will Always Have Time To Do What They Should.

!!!!!! (a)                 When Noah and his family entered the ark and God shut the door, the opportunity for any other person to be saved from the flood was gone.

!!!!!! (b)                The five foolish virgins who let their oil run out before the bridegroom came were shut out from the wedding feast (Matt.25:8–10).

!!!!!! (c)                 To the unbelieving Pharisees He said, /“I go away, and you shall seek Me, and shall die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come”/ (John 8:21).

!!!!!! (d)                After centuries of God’s offering His grace to Israel, Jesus lamented, /“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, *and you were unwilling*”/ (Matt.

23:37).

!!!!!! (e)                 *Judas,* the most tragic example of wasted opportunity, spent three years in the very presence of the Son of God yet he betrayed His Lord and forfeited his soul.

*Peter said,* “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth” (1 Pet.

1:17).

*In his farewell remarks to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul said,* “I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24).

!!!!!! (f)                  Paul’s course was prescribed by God, and within that course he would minister to the utmost until his last breath.

He was determined to run with endurance (Heb.12:1).

*At the end of his life he therefore could say,* “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2Tim.

4:7).

*The Psalmist requests *"Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor."

(Psalm 39:4-5, NKJV)

*He goes on to say in Psalm 90 *"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

(Psalm 90:12, NKJV)

*James warned,* “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.

You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:13–14).

!!!! c)                  There is no Assurance of tomorrow *(Luke 12:16-21)*.

!! B.                Point 1: The source of power and holiness (v.12b-13a).

!!! 1.                  “Why look so intently at us as by our own power or godliness this man walks …” (v.12b).

!!!! a)                  This power is not of man (v.12b).

!!!!! (1)                 Peter made the fact clear.

/Power and holiness/ are not of men.

Peter did say in 2 Peter 1, that God’s /“divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness/”.

God does not work miracles for men to be glorified.

Look at exactly what Peter said:

!!!!!! (a)                 */“Why do you marvel at this”/* – Miracles should not surprise or puzzle men, for God is all powerful, able to work miracles, therefore, miracles should be expected.

(i)                   Peter’s point is simple: Jesus healed all sorts of people when He walked this earth, so why should it seem strange that He continues to heal from heaven?.

!!!!!! (b)                */“Why look so intently at us”/* – Peter is saying that we are not the source of this miracle.

Man has no merit no power to work such a miracle.

God worked the miracle.

!!!!!! (c)                 */“The power and holiness is of God’s Son”/* – In working miracles, God is glorifying His Son, His Servant Jesus.

Declaring this is the power of Jesus Christ.

!!!!!! (d)                Many “healers” today who would never claim to heal in their own power still give the impression that healing happens because they are so spiritual, so close to God, or so godly.

Peter knew that it was all of Jesus and nothing was of him.

*When a paralytic was brought to Jesus, before he healed him, Jesus said *"So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home."

(Matthew 9:6, NASB95)

*Jesus said to His disciples in Matt.28 *"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."

(Matthew 28:18, NASB95)

*When Jesus calmed the sea the disciples *"were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"  (Luke 8:25, NASB95)

*Speaking about Jesus, in chapter 1 of Romans, Paul said Jesus *"Was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord," (Romans 1:4, NASB95)

!!!!! (2)                 *Acts 14:11-18** –* Here we see another example of people wanting to glorify man.

!!! 2.                  “The God of our fathers glorified His Servant Jesus…”  (v.13b).

!!!! a)                  This power is of God’s Son (v.13a).

!!!!! (1)                 Peter was declaring that “the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our Fathers” has done this miracle.

He has glorified His Son, not us.

!!!!! (2)                 God’s Son, His Servant, is Jesus.

God worked the miracle to glorify His Servant; therefore, it is Jesus’ power, holiness, Person that is to be glorified.

*Listen to this powerful verse, Jesus says *"The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”"

(John 3:35-36)

 

!!!! b)                  The power of Christ.

!!!!! (1)                 What I want to do is read you some passages that show the power of Jesus Christ and what His power has done for us in our lives.

!!!!!! (a)                 /Jesus has the power to create:/

*John says in the first chapter of his gospel that *"All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."

(John 1:3, NASB95)

*Paul says in Colossians 1 *"For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him." (Colossians 1:16, NASB95)