Sermon Tone Analysis

Worldbreaker

Underlying Theme:

How you understand the world affects how you live within it.

What is at stake?

Our Worship

Our Witness in the World

The Trajectory of the Gospel of Luke

Emphasis is that what was promised at the beginning of Luke has been fulfilled, yet not as anyone expected.[1]

[1] N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 650–51.

Luke strongly establishes Christ as the Messiah in the opening chapters of Luke.

Luke 2:36-38

From the very beginning of his gospel, Luke is pointing towards the significance of the Cross.

The Emmaus Road

The sense of the Greek word for ‘recognize’ (v.

16) is “to discern something clearly and distinctly, or as true and valid; often with a personal acquaintance that necessitates a reaction.”

Was Jesus really clueless?

Nope, he was setting them up—he wanted them to walk through their understand of Christ and the Messiah.

It is interesting that they were traveling on the 3rd day.

It harkens back to the beginning of the book:

Luke 2:

His parents had discovered him missing and it took them 3 days to find him.

What was his response?

:

A three day gap, an ‘encounter’ with Jesus, the no one understood what Jesus was doing.

It didn’t make sense to them.

Luke 24:22-

These disciples on the Emmaus road had not accepted the testimony of the women or other believers that had been to the tomb.

Luke 24:25-26

He is specifically charging them with not believing the Scriptures, with rejecting what the prophets wrote.

Luke 16:19-22

Luke 16:23-26

Luke 16:27-31

This was Christ helping them to read and interpret the scriptures—the revelation of God—as they should.

“When Luke says that Jesus interpreted to them all the things about himself, throughout the Bible, he doesn’t mean that Jesus collected a few, or even a few dozen, isolated texts, verses chosen at random.

He means that the whole story, from Genesis to Chronicles (the last book of the Hebrew Bible; the prophets came earlier), pointed forwards to a fulfilment which could only be found when God’s anointed took Israel’s suffering, and hence the world’s suffering, on to himself, died under its weight, and rose again as the beginning of God’s new creation, God’s new people.

This is what had to happen; and now it just had.” (N.T. Wright) [2]

[2] N. T. Wright, Luke for Everyone (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 294–95.

Luke 24:

Narrative tension—they still did not recognize Christ.

What would it take for them to recognize Christ?

Luke 24:30-

The Lord’s Supper is Significant!

The participation in the body and the blood, the partaking of the fellowship of the meal draws us back to the cross and helps us to see Christ and the Cross in its purest form.

It reminds us who Christ is and what he accomplished, but it also reminds us who we are in relation to Christ (and God).

The participation in the body and the blood, the partaking of the fellowship of the meal draws us back to the cross and helps us to see Christ and the Cross in its purest form.

It reminds us who Christ is and what he accomplished, but it also reminds us who we are in relation to Christ (and God).

Luke

Luke 24:31

This parallels another passage all the way back at the very beginning of the Bible.

This is a cosmic reversal of the spiritual blindness our sinful world is cursed with.

Luke 24:31

So far, then, as it was necessary to assure them of his resurrection, he made himself visible to them; but by the sudden departure, he taught them that they must seek him elsewhere than in the world, because the completion of the new life was his ascension to heaven.

Christ Risen and Ascended

Luke 24:41-44

Christ is sending someone who will fulfill God’s promise and this fulfillment will empower them.

The book finishes with a kind of “To be continued....” type of feel.

Luke uses the promise of the Holy Spirit to bridge the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts together.

The Ascension

"Jesus, faced with the disciples' question, 'Lord, is it at this time that you will restore the kingdom to Israel?' gives an answer which many have taken as a 'no', but which Luke almost certainly intends as a 'yes'.

They will not know about particular times, but this is how the kingdom will come: by their Spirit-driven witness to him in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth."

The disciples go and wait

Pentecost

The Unthinkable was Happening!

Summarize

The people couldn’t believe what they were hearing, even to the point of thinking the disciples/believers were drunk

o What was happening did not fit into their understanding of the world, of what could or should happen à it was a miracle!

What was happening did not fit into their understanding of the world, of what could or should happen—it was a miracle!

Acts 2:14-16

Acts 2:17-18

Peter is quoting from .

Joel 2:28-

This passage points towards the coming of the Spirit and it is a sign of the coming of the Day of the Lord.

God is moving on the behalf of his people, gathering them to himself, but he is also judging the world.

“Through Joel, God promised to extend the gift of prophecy to all His people, young and old, male and female.

Thus the gift of tongues is understood to be a specific form of prophecy, the speaking of God’s mysteries in special revelation.”

(R. C. Sproul) [3]

“Thus, Peter argues in that the Spirit’s outpouring fulfills the promise pointing to the last days and to the Messiah’s mediation of salvation from God’s side.”

(Darrell Bock) [4]

Peter continues the theme of jdugment (the Spirit has come), but he is calling people to repent

Peter lays out the Gospel

Peter connects Christ with the Promised One.

Acts 2:

David, though a prophet, died; yet he looked forward to Christ.

Acts 2:32-

Specifically note v. 33—The gift of the Holy Spirit is seen as the fulfillment of a promise, both of Christ’s identity as Messiah (the gift was promised and fulfilled), but also of Christ’s presence in Heaven.

The people do not know how to respond

The Spirit had used Peter to confront their world, the way they understood things, their perception of what was most important, and they didn’t know what to do.

o This is where we often find ourselves at the end of a sermon or service: what do we do?

Or, what can we do?

This is where we often find ourselves at the end of a sermon or service: what do we do?

Or, what can we do?

Acts 2:38-40

Ask Jesus into your heart?

No: repent of your sins in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [boldface verse 38]

This is a salvation for everyone, far and near

o This is a salvation for everyone, far and near

And be saved from this corrupt generation – something needed as much today as it was then

o And be saved from this corrupt generation – something needed as much today as it was then

o Today we might say that we are saved from our corrupt culture and society.

Today we might say that we are saved from our corrupt culture and society.

They dedicated themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.