Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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Text
Proposition Statement
The righteous live in response to the reality of the resurrection
Introduction
back end of Acts
Paul’s visit to Jerusalem
rescued 4 times
God will see us through
“God guarantees the fulfillment of His Word and the success of the mission He has called us to.”
God told Paul that as he testified in Jerusalem, so also he must testify to the Gentile kings
Ch 24 - governor Felix
Ch 25 - governor Festus (succeeded Felix)
Ch 26 - king Agrippa
The last time Paul was rescued in Ch 23, Claudius Lysias had heard of a plot
sent him off to Caesarea to governor Felix with 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, 200 spearmen
That is the threat that faced Paul
But God is sovereign
Sent him with this letter:
-29
And so Paul is sent from leader to leader, from trial to trial
each time being found innocent
But God allows it to continue in order that Paul can do as He said he would do - testify about Jesus to the Gentile kings
The gospel must spread
Paul is enduring for the sake of Christ
Every time he is put on trial, Paul is careful to point out what the issue really is
Its the resurrection
“The righteous live in response to the reality of the resurrection.”
1.
The Self-Righteous Accusers
The High priest Ananias, elders and Tertullus (advocate)
Come to make a case against Paul
Taking it very seriously
Shows how important it was to the Jews to shut Paul up
A) Their Flattery of Felix
Long, drawn out, flattery of Felix
“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude.
But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.”
Sucking up big time to the Gentile powers
to the Gentiles that they hated
but again this shows the extent to which they were prepared to go to silence Paul
“Since under you we enjoy much peace...” … “…by your foresight reforms are being made...”
This was all a lot of rubbish
Felix
a brutal governor
Brought in to bring peace and stability to the region
Instead his reign was marked by violence and toi-toi’s
Historians say he wasn’t able to control the chaos in the province
If anything, he added fuel to the fires
Noted, he inherited problems
He was left a mess to clean up
notorious group of bandits called the Sicarri
but instead of arresting and dealing with them, he hired them to kill the Jewish high priest Jonathan
You would think that the Sanhedrin, and in particular Ananias the high priest, would oppose him
but they hate Paul more
And they are putting all their hopes in convincing Felix to silence Paul
Their trust is in the legal system
Their trust is in the world
They couldn’t trust in God - because they knew they had an unjust case
B) The Case Against Paul
Now that they have praised the tyrant Felix for bringing peace to the region, they charge Paul - accusing him of disturbing the peace
You have brought peace, but this man has been a plague
Under you we had peace, but this man stirs up riots
You have brought reforms, but this man is a ringleader of a sect, and is profaning the temple!
The irony...
the contrast...
He flatters and praises the tyrant for bringing peace, and accuses the one bringing the gospelof peace, with bringing disruption
Did they have a solid case?
No
He had escaped this far and been sent to Felix because the tribune Lysias had found him innocent already
Was he disturbing the peace?
There was always unrest among the jews - not Paul’s fault
When Paul was around there was a disturbance - but it wasn’t of Paul’s making
The Roman governors could see through the political manipulation of the Jews
Was the charge of being a ringleader of a sect a scary one for Felix?
it was intended to make Felix think they were a threat
Felix doesn’t seem to be threatened - actually intrigued
Acts 24:
Did Paul try to profane the temple?
There was no proof of this
They had no eyewitnesses
They could only claim they stopped him before he could
They had no case
They were there to twist the facts, to use any means necessary - go to any length...
to get rid of Paul
C) Religion Without the Resurrection
Why are the Jews so desperate to get rid of Paul?
It really comes down to one main thing - the resurrection of Jesus
This will come out clearly in Paul’s testimony
2. The Believing Defendant
A) His Trust in God
“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.”
Quite a contrast between Tertullus introduction and Paul’s
Paul doesn’t flatter - he’s not there to impress Felix
Acts 24:10-
Neither does Paul believe that his future is in the hands of Felix
Paul knows his future is in the hands of God
So rather than flatter Felix with lies, Paul speaks the truth with confidence and a clear conscience
“I know that for many years you have been a judge over this nation”
Paul is saying I know you have been around for long enough to know the complexities of Jewish politics
You know whats up
You can make a judgment here because you know the back story
So now I cheerfully tell you my side of the story
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