Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Acts 4:
Acts 4:
Acts 4:34]
The Atmosphere That Prayer Creates
An Atmosphere of Unity
They were of one heart and soul.
An Atmosphere of Community
They shared what they possessed together.
An Atmosphere of working of the Holy Spirit.
An Atmosphere of God’s Grace.
Great #1 - Power
The first “great” we discover in this passage is power.
The first church was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and this power was evident in everything they did.
With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord.
What does this mean?
The Greek word that is translated “great” means, “to a great degree or intense.”
The Greek word that is translated power means, “the potentiality to exert force in performing some function—‘power.’”
“the potentiality to exert force in performing some function—‘power.’”
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 679.
Witness refers to the preaching and teaching of the apostles concerning the resurrection of the Jesus.
This refers to the preaching and teaching of the apostles
When these three words, great, power, and witness are coupled together, we get the picture of the apostle preaching.
It was intense.
It was delivered under the anointing (power) of the Holy Spirit.
It was focused upon the living Savior, Jesus Christ.
Remember the Words of Paul to the church at Philippi.
Great #2 - Grace
The second great we discover in the early church was grace.
So lets discover a few things about the grace they experience.
The Meaning of Grace
a favorable attitude toward someone or something—‘favor, good will.’
Notice that in this context that grace is couple with the same word that power was coupled with.
The grace that the early church experienced was an intense grace.
The favor of God was upon this church and his blessings upon them was intense.
Note that it was stated that no one among them lacked.
Why?
They saw themselves as one.
Those who had shared with those who did not have.
There was no class system in the early church.
It is evident that this sharing was a spontaneous act on the part of the church.
They were not under compulsion to share their resources.
They did it willing.
The early church cared about the needs of others.
They did what they could to help those in need.
Unfortunately, this was not sustainable.
By the time we get to the Corinthian church, we discovered that the attitude had changed.
The Corinthian church made a distinction between wealthier members of the congregation and its poorer members.
1 Cor
It is my conviction that we are to demonstrate in kind the grace that has been demonstrate to us.
It is certain that the grace of God cannot be bought or sold.
However, I do believe that grace can be multiplied.
When grace is applied and subsequently shared, there is more room for more of God’s grace in our lives.
It is like faith.
The more we use faith that has been given to us, the faith we receive.
In other words, our faith grows.
2 Cor
Titus 3:1-8
Barnabus: The Example of God’s Grace
Acts 4:36-37
Notice that Barnabas was a nickname given to him because of his attitude of encouragement.
Notice that Barnabas was a nickname given to him because of his attitude of encouragement.
Great #3 - Fear
Now we move to the last of the three “greats” of the early church, which is great fear.
Now we explore the dark story of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira.
Acts 5:1-11
Seven Lessons Learned From Ananias and Sapphira
Greed and Pride are always destructive attitudes.
Lying to God is never cool!
Be sure your sins will find you out.
God Hates Hypocrisy.
God Hates Lying.
God always give space for repentance.
Disobedience is a sure path to hell.
God’s Judgment Should Produce Fear
The Greek word that is translated fear means, “profound respect and awe for deity—‘reverence, awe.’”
profound respect and awe for deity—‘reverence, awe.’
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 540.
It Produced Fear Within and Without
The fear that is produced is not necessarily a sense of terror and dread, enough though I suspect there was some of that.
This judgment on Ananias and Sapphira resulted in a sense of awe and respect for God.
This is an attitude that has been all but lost in many of our churches.
If we really respected God, we would not say many of things we say, do many of the things we do, and display many of the attitudes we display.
Let us not forget the words of Paul to the church at Galatian.
The Three “Greats” of the Church
Great Power
Great Grace
Great Fear
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