Sermon Tone Analysis

Key Passages: , , , , Zac 14:1-9

The BIBLE reveals to us Who God is, his character, his holiness, love and grace through the story of his unfolding plan… It is this greater story-line of God’s plan that we’ve been trying to make sense of over many weeks…

SO we started by learning the OT Story.

The people of Jesus’ day had the Old Testament Story all wrong.

They told the story as if God's promise was exclusively for the Nation of Israel, and that God’s law was the means of salvation.

This combined with their spiritual pride, blinded them to the truth!

Do you ever wonder why the majority of the Jews living in Jesus' day just couldn’t get it that Jesus is the Messiah?

They saw the miracles, they heard his preaching, they could interact with him face to face.

And they knew all the OT promises - they knew the Scripture and they even taught others to obey God’s law but they couldn’t see or accept that it all pointed to Jesus.

One of the things that blinded them is that they had the Old Testament Story all wrong.

They told the story as if God's promise was exclusively for the Nation of Israel, and that the law was the means of salvation.

This combined with their pride, blinded them to the truth.

And they knew all the OT promises - they knew the Scripture and they even taught others to obey God’s law but they couldn’t see or accept that it all pointed to Jesus.

One of the things that blinded them is that they had the Old Testament Story all wrong.

They told the story as if God's promise was exclusively for the Nation of Israel, and that the law was the means of salvation.

This combined with their spiritual pride, blinded them to the truth - that was standing right in front of them!

When Jesus told the OT story to his disciples on the road to Emmaus he corrected the story-line, opening their minds to the truth that God’s promise and plan was and is for all nations, and that obedience to God’s law was never the means of salvation, but always the fruit of true faith in him!

It is important that we get the OT story right!

That we hear it the way Jesus told it and taught it to his disciples!

Especially in our post-Christian culture today where we encounter so many different and strange ideas about Jesus, God, the bible, and what it means to live a Christian life.

SO we began learning to tell the OT story the way Jesus did honing in on a few key passages that the Apostles frequently quote in the NT – we used a few hand actions to help us remember – REVIEW PARTS (4)

Jesus model’s something for his disciples on the road to Emmaus.

He tells the OT story.

And when he does hearts and minds are opened.

After learning the OT story - we then began to follow the same story-line into the New Testament

Do you ever wonder why the majority of the Jews living in Jesus' day just couldn’t get it that Jesus is the Messiah?

They saw the miracles, they heard his preaching, they could interact with him face to face.

And they knew all the OT promises - they knew the Scripture and they even taught others to obey God’s law but they couldn’t see or accept that it all pointed to Jesus.

One of the things that blinded them is that they had the Old Testament Story all wrong.

They told the story as if God's promise was exclusively for the Nation of Israel, and that the law was the means of salvation.

This combined with their pride, blinded them to the truth.

So in an environment where there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about Jesus how can we ourselves have confidence that we are understanding and making proper sense of Jesus and his teachings?

And how can we communicate and engage people with the message of Jesus in a way that really helps them make sense of the faith?

Do you ever wonder why the majority of the Jews living in Jesus' day just couldn’t get it that Jesus is the Messiah?

They saw the miracles, they heard his preaching, they could interact with him face to face.

And they knew all the OT promises - they were all about the Scripture and obedience to God’s law but they couldn’t see or accept that it all pointed to Jesus.

One of the things that blinded them is that they had the Old Testament Story all wrong.

They told the story as if God's promise was exclusively for the Nation of Israel, and that the law was the means of salvation.

This combined with their pride, blinded them to the truth.

Do you ever wonder why the majority of the Jews living in Jesus' day just couldn’t get it that Jesus is the Messiah?

They saw the miracles, they heard his preaching, they could interact with him face to face.

Do you ever wonder why the majority of the Jews living in Jesus' day just couldn’t get it that Jesus is the Messiah?

They saw the miracles, they heard his preaching, they could interact with him face to face.

And they knew all the OT promises - they knew the Scripture and they even taught others to obey God’s law but they couldn’t see or accept that it all pointed to Jesus.

One of the things that blinded them is that they had the Old Testament Story all wrong.

They told the story as if God's promise was exclusively for the Nation of Israel, and that the law was the means of salvation.

This combined with their spiritual pride, blinded them to the truth - that was standing right in front of them!

But when Jesus told the OT story to his disciples on the road to Emmaus he corrected the story-line, opening their minds to the truth that God’s promise and plan was and is for all nations, and that obedience to God’s law was never the means of salvation, but always the fruit of faith in him!

Which is why we need to be able to tell The Story the way Jesus did… and that’s what we spent several weeks doing as a church family...

After learning the OT story as Jesus told it we then began following the same story-line into the New Testament, to make sense of all that Jesus accomplished…

Because The good news about Jesus is not a new story, it is the climax and part of the same story that began with God’s promise to Abraham to bless all the families of the earth.

(5) The good news about Jesus is not a new story, it is the climax and part of the same story that began with God’s promise to Abraham to bless all the families of the earth.

So we are now following the same story-line into the New Testament, to understand better all that Jesus accomplished…

Jesus is identified as - the Christ - the Messiah, the promised king from David’s line the one and only son of God, who proclaimed the good news that the kingdom of God is near, and suffered, died, and rose again – so that all who believe in him are forgiven of their sin and welcomed into God’s kingdom, receiving all the blessings and responsibilities that go with it.

After his death and resurrection - Christ ascends into heaven and launched his kingdom by his Spirit - laying out his basic strategy for bringing this blessing to all the nations of the world.

AT THE CENTER OF HIS STRATEGY IS NOT ISRAEL, BUT A GROWING NETWORK OF CHURCHES!

What was once a mystery has been revealed by God’s Spirit through his Apostles in the New Testament!

Christ is building his Church, simple families of families, centered on Christ and his teaching, networked together through the work of key leaders, all working together with the Spirit as a true family, bearing witness to Jesus and multiplying to the ends of the earth.

- this is what we are a part of right now!

But it’s not the end of the story....

What was once a mystery has been revealed by God’s Spirit in the New Testament!

Jesus has launched his kingdom and his strategy to bring blessing to the whole earth is - the Church.

He is building his Church, simple families of families, centered on Christ and his teaching, networked together through the work of key leaders.

Together they are all working with the Spirit as a true family of families bearing witness to Jesus and multiplying to the ends of the earth.

Jesus is the promised king, he has launched his kingdom, his church is at the heart of the kingdom, but the full realization of that kingdom is yet to come.

When will Jesus fulfill all the Old Testament promises about restoring Israel and bringing peace to the earth?

This is exactly what the disciples ask Jesus, on the side of the Mt of Olives in .

Is it happening now JESUS?

Jesus’ answer is basically ‘not yet’.

The end of the story is yet to come!

Look at what he says…

“Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

What were they expecting?

“Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

What were they expecting?

Here Zecharaiah describes a future battle between all the nations and Israel and then he says this…

The Lord, standing on the Mount of Olives, defeats the nations and fully establishes his kingdom.

The Lord stands on the Mount of Olives, defeats the nations and fully establishes his kingdom.

Jerusalem becomes the capital where the promised king will reign over all the earth.

Everyone will know him.

His kingdom will bring life to the nations – living water.

Jerusalem becomes the capital where the promised king will reign over all the earth.

Everyone will know him and His kingdom will bring life to the nations – living water.

This is what the disciples are asking him about!

The OT promises that God made to restore Israel and establish his kingdom rule over all of heaven and earth.

Is this happening now JESUS?

Jesus’ answer is basically ‘not yet’.

The end of the story is yet to come!

Look at what he says…

...the promise is that he will return just like he left () to complete the story!

He tells his disciples that they should not focus on figuring out when things will happen.

Instead they are to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit and then focus on being his witness to the nations.

Jesus then ascends into heaven, with the promise that he will return just like he left () to complete the story!

He specifically tells his disciples that they should not focus on figuring out when things will happen.

Instead they are to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit and they should focus on being his witness to the nations.

Not yet - you focus on being my witness to the nations - I’ll be back!

He specifically tells his disciples that they should not focus on figuring out when things will happen.

Instead they are to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit and then focus on being his witness to the nations.

This isn’t the first time The disciples had asked Jesus about the coming kingdom - they ask him on a previous occasion in .

again Jesus basically tells them ‘not yet’ but in this case he describes some of the things that will happen leading up to his return.