Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro:

AG: Exerpt from Billy Graham 1955 sermon:

The story of “The Chess Master and the Painting” 

“There is a picture of a chess game hanging in Paris.

On one side of the painting is the Devil, and on the other side is a lad about sixteen years of age.

They are playing chess.

The Devil has a leering, triumphant expression on his face.

He has just licked this boy at chess, and the boy is sitting there with his head bowed and big tears trickling down his cheeks.

The Devil has just won in the game of life over this lad.

He has no strength, he has no way out, and he has given up.

The title of the picture is "Check Mate".

He had him.

A famous chess player came through one day.

He looked at the painting.

He felt sorry for the boy and he hated the looks of the Devil.

He began to study the board where the men were placed, and all of a sudden he shouted: "Son, I have found a move, one move . . .

if you will make that move you can lick the Devil."

He forgot himself, he forgot it was a painting-he was so engrossed in it.

We see all the men of chess in the game of life there, and in some of our lives it seems the Devil has almost got us.

We look at the whole world picture ... it seems dark at times with its little bright intervals, but by and large the basic issues have not changed, ... and, as we look into the future of the next two or three generations, it seems that we are almost ready to say "Check Mate."

But I believe there is One looking down from above who looks upon the board and says to you and me: There is a move, there is one move that you can make, and you can win!

That move is toward Jesus Christ.

You can make that move today in your own souls.”

http://www.one-more-move-chess-art.com/Billy-Graham-Edited-Sermon.html

Jesus set an amazing movement into motion during His lifetime.

He envisioned and formed the local church.

That church and the churches birthed from her efforts has been handed down to our own church today.

Through the churches He built, He is still beating the Devil!

TS: Intro Acts

Intro Series- Today, we begin a new series.

We are going to go through the book of Acts and watch as the events unfold as Christ builds His church and they plant new churches around the world.

As Luke makes clear in the prologue to his gospel, he wrote to give Theophilus (and the others who would read his work) a

Luke approached this as a scholar.

Accordingly, Luke’s gospel records those momentous events “in consecutive order” (Lk 1:3).

Acts continues that record, noting what Jesus accomplished through the early church.

Beginning with Jesus’ ascension, through the baptism of the Spirit of the church on the Day of Pentecost, to Paul’s preaching at Rome, Acts chronicles the spread of the gospel and the planting of churches to the ends of the earth.

RS: The is much we can learn through a study of the work of God as the church at Jerusalem grew and planted churches.

As we see how they served and lived, we can find traits we should apply in our lives and church.

1. Jesus' Life

Addressed:

To Theophilus

Former Account

Gospel of Luke

Includes what Jesus

did (His actions)

Miracles, love, compassion

Ultimately He Showed them the Father

Called disciples

Selected 12 men to invest in and disciple

1 turned on Him, but the rest became the nucleus of the 1st church

Began the church

Upon this rock I will build my church

He assembled the 1st church at Jerusalem during His ministry

He put the pieces in place and prepared them.

taught

He gave them instructions

we will examine this in more detail in a moment

specifically: commands to the apostles

Training in what it meant to follow Him and become fishers of men.

He had revealed Himself alive:

after death and burial

over the course of 40 days

2. Jesus' Last Words

Here are Jesus' final instructions:

The church is prepped and ready to go out

Yet Jesus gave them instructions to wait:

Don't depart from Jerusalem

Wait for the promise of the Father

The Holy Spirit

Come to seal, empower, and guide the disciples

Many great things would be done by the Spirit though Jesus' disciples and they are recorded in the book of Acts

He still is at work through us and our church today!

Apostles Question:

Will Kingdom begin now?

restore our physical Kingdom?

They still were looking for the time when Jesus sat on David's throne in Jerusalem and liberated the nation of Israel

Jesus replied- that is in the Father's hands

In other words, we don't have to argue, debate, fight to make the the Kingdom come.

Jesus had already told them this

Last command:

after Receiving Power

Still kept the requirement to wait in Jerusalem

Be witnesses

share the good news of Jesus

That He saves people from their sins.

Jerusalem- home town

Judea & Samaria- nation and nearby region

To the Ends of the Earth- all nations and people

3. Jesus Lifted

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

He left earth for heaven in His glorified body

Although He is gone, He is busy!

Building a place for us (John 14)

Interceding on our behalf to the Father

Disciples Stared after Him

They knew He had promised to return.

Maybe:

They kept looking for 1 last glimpse

They looked for 1st glimpse of Him returning

Their focus was off.