Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning we are picking back up in our study of the book of Acts.

If you’re new to our church, it would be good for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called Expository Preaching.

What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible, and then studying them from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what the Bible means in our lives today.

With that said, we are currently doing that through the book of Acts.

An amazing book in the NT that details the birth of the church and how the first disciples of Jesus began the work of spreading the Gospel.

So, if you are new to our church, I would encourage you to go online where you can listen to all the messages that have led up to today.

Today we are coming back to as we continue with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

As we come back to today, we are coming back to the first Gospel sermon message preached in the NT.

You may recall from last week, that as the Holy Spirit came, and the disciples began to function in the power of the Spirit, it caused quite a stir as it raised questions, caused confusion, and invited criticism.

In verse 2:12 Luke writes:

And as we learned last week, part of the confusion and criticism came as the disciples began to supernaturally speak and minister in languages they’d never learned.

The Bible calls this spiritual phenomena “tongues”.

And as strange as something like that sounds, we learned tongues in this instance wasn’t weird but served a specific spiritual purpose.

First, the tongues symbolized that the good news of Jesus Christ is for all nations and all languages.

In other words, Jesus didn’t just come to save some, but all.

The Apostle Paul puts it like this in 1 Timothy 2:

Paul says God desires all to be saved, and the “tongues” in symbolizes God’s desire to save all people of all nations.

Second, the tongues symbolized the supernatural empowerment God wants to gives his disciples in order to communicate the Gospel.

We know this because on the day the Holy Spirit came, it was the day of Pentecost.

A day when thousands of people from all over the known world had come to make sacrifices at the temple.

And because everybody was from different places, they all spoke different languages.

But that wasn’t going to stop the Holy Spirit.

So as the Holy Spirit came and the church was born, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to share the gospel in languages they’d never learned.

In verse 8 we read:

t.

So in that moment, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to share the gospel in languages they’d never learned.

In verse 8 we read:

Acts 2:8-

Luke says as the disciples supernaturally spoke in languages they’d never learned, the gospel was proclaimed to those present in a language they could understand.

It was an amazing supernatural presentation of the Gospel.

The question then is, “How does all this apply to us?”

And what we’ve learned so far is it applies to us in the same way.

The fact is, God still wants to reach lost people and He still wants to empower His disciples to communicate the Gospel in a way people can understand and receive it in their cultural context.

What that means then is, God wants the people of Marysville, Marshall County, and this region to hear the gospel in a way that will lead them to put their faith in Jesus.

And to do that, He’s wants to empower us.

And if we don’t believe that, then we might as well take our cross down, remove Marysville Christian Fellowship from the building, and turn our building into a country club.

Because without that belief, we are wasting our time.

The fact of the matter is, God has raised up our church to supernaturally present the Gospel to this community, county, and region.

So, what does that look like for us?

Does it look like it did in ?

Does that mean God is going to use “tongues” like he did with the first disicples?

Well, while tongues is a gift the Apostle Paul says we should seek, I would say probably not.

I’m pretty sure English is the dominate language in this area.

Tongues isn’t going to help us communicate the Gospel.

However, if we seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can be certain God will supernaturally equip us to communicate the Gospel.

How will He do it?

Probably through some of the other spiritual gifts He offers us.

The Apostle Paul highlights some of these gifts in .

He writes:

Paul says through gifts like these God will help us communicate the Gospel in a way that people can understand and receive the Gospel.

So, I’m not exactly sure what it will look like for you.

It may be that:

The Holy Spirit will give you words that aren’t your own.

Or He’ll give you wisdom that you’ve never learned.

He’ll give you wisdom that you’ve never learned.

Or He’ll give you insight that only He can see.

Or He’ll give you a love for people that only He can give.

He’ll give you insight that only He can see.

Or He’ll give you a confidence that you could never muster on your own.

He’ll give you a love for people that only He can give.

He’ll give you a confidence that you could never muster on your own.

Through the empowerment of the Spirit, what you can be sure of is you’ll become a living testimony and mouthpiece for God as you boldly communicate the Gospel in a way people can hear and receive it.

That’s how this applies to us.

That’s what the Holy Spirit is still meant to do for us today.

HOWEVER, you should know, the empowerment of the Spirit in your life will raise some eyebrows.

Because the truth is, it will have a noticeable affect on your life.

We saw that last week as some were going as far to accuse the disciples of being drunk.

Because as the disciples began to speak in these languages, there was such an obvious change and influence on their behavior, that the only way some could explain it was by saying, “It must be the wine.”

And what was true then is true now.

As you begin to function in the power of the Spirit, there will be a noticeable influence on your life that will cause people to stop and scratch their heads.

An influence on your life that it will amaze some, confuse others, and cause others to criticize you.

And as a result, you’ll need to be prepared to share, explain, and in some cases defend your faith.

The Apostle Peter says it like this:

Peter says we should always be ready to make a defense and give reason for the hope we have.

And it shouldn’t surprise us that Peter would say this, because as the disciples begin to share the Gospel in , their words, actions, and behavior are challenged.

And because he’s the appointed leader, Peter is the first to stand and address what is happening.

Luke writes:

Acts 2:14-

As we saw last week, Peter took this opportunity to stand and share the first Gospel sermon.

And like any good preacher, Peter delivered a three point sermon.

Three points that accomplish two goals.

First, his sermon presents a thorough explanation of the Gospel for those present.

Second, his sermon gives us a template for how to lead somebody to faith in Jesus.

And this is important for us for two reasons:

#1, We need to understand how the Holy Spirit works in and through our lives.

Without that understanding it will be difficult if not impossible for you and I to grow in our faith or lead anybody to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is the key component for spiritual growth and evangelistic efforts in our personal lives and through our church.

#2, If we want to lead somebody to faith in Jesus, then we need to have a solid understanding of the gospel and what it means to follow Jesus.

Because if we don’t have that in our own life, how would we ever lead somebody to Jesus.

So, if you missed the message on the Holy Spirit last week, I would encourage you to go back and listen to it on Facebook or on our website.

Because today we are going to look at the final two points of Peter’s sermon as Peter addresses who Jesus is and what it truly means to follow Him.

So, in order to set the stage for what Peter is about to say, I want to prime the pump by asking us all to consider what might be the most important question you will ever be asked.

In fact, I would say it is the most important question you could ever ask yourself or others.

A question that doesn’t just have temporal consequences, but eternal as well.

Now, you might be thinking, “Ok Pastor, you have my attention.

What is the most important question I will ever be asked?”

Well, it depends on who you ask.

For example, if you were to ask the culture we live in what the most important question to ask yourself or other is, I think you’d get a number of responses, but I think all answers would revolve around at least two specific topics.

Two topics that for many people are the most important questions.

And the questions are: “Am I happy?” and “Do I feel fulfilled?”