Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

“Keep practicing and one day you’ll be famous!”

That’s what someone told me once as I was skateboarding as a teenager.

The problem was, I really wasn’t very good.

And no amount of practice could make up for my lack of talent and fear of injury.

This would be an example of bad encouragement.

It is completely impractical and potentially hazardous.

While the heart may be in the right place, the execution is lacking.

When we give encouragement, it needs to be practical.

That is what we encounter here in the beginning of .

Practical encouragement.

Our passage this morning gives us three snapshots of Paul’s ministry as he makes his way back to Jerusalem.

The key to grasping why the Holy Spirit felt these passages were important lies in Paul’s purpose for this entire journey.

We find that purpose back in 18:23.

The goal is to strengthen the believers in these churches.

As we go through this passage we need to ask how this purpose is accomplished in each situation.

Believers are encouraged to take three specific actions in this passage.

As we examine these actions this morning we will be making application for us here at Grace Church.

Taking these actions enables the church to fulfill its God-given mission.

Tie these to service in the church

The first action we find is believers being…

1. Encouraged to Serve vv.

1-6

Have you ever gone into a “seat yourself” restaurant?

Most of us have.

In these places the idea is that you seat yourself and then your server will come and take your order.

There is an expectation that you will be served because that is the server’s job.

Make sense?

When we trust Jesus Christ as Savior we become part of the body of Christ.

We are given Spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit and we are to use those gifts along with our talents to serve the Lord in a local church.

Service is something that is expected.

Turn to (p. 1320).

(p.

1320)

We have diverse gifts but they are given to profit the entire body of Christ.

Therefore, If you are not using your gifts in a local church context, you are not fulfilling your calling from God.

Our goal this morning is to be encouraged to do what God has called us to do.

I am also setting up the Sunday School class that Sean Greene will be doing.

In these verses we find three directives as we are encouraged to serve.

Directive # 1…

Directive # 1…

List of service opportunities

a. Serve in community v. 1

READ v. 1

The “uproar” speaks of the riot caused by Demetrius and the other craftsmen in ch.

19.

We saw that come to an end as the city clerk dismissed them.

Paul recognizes that it would now be best for him to move on.

Remember, this is a journey undertaken to encourage the churches that have been planted.

What we need to see in this verse is something we have noted before.

Paul rarely serves by himself.

Here he has fellow believers, fellow disciples, working with him.

He gathers them together and embraces them before leaving.

Paul encourages and strengthens these fellow believers who will remain in this hostile city after his departure.

We serve in community.

One of the main reasons for this is spelled out in (p.

1305).

(p.

1305)

We serve in community because we have diverse gifts that are used by God to complement each other.

Failure to serve and use our gifts leaves the body weak and vulnerable.

Today we will be having a lunch, followed by a business meeting.

At that business meeting I will present a list of opportunities for people to minister here at Grace Church.

There is something for all of us to do.

Scripture is clear that for a believer to be healthy they must be serving.

To accomplish our mission, we must work together.

What is our mission?

This is what the Grace Church doctrinal statement says “The object of this church is the salvation of souls, the edification of Christians through the teaching of God's Word, the world-wide proclamation of God's saving grace expressed in the shed blood and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary, the promotion of godly worship, the defense of "the faith once delivered," and cooperation with Christian activity functioning in harmony with God's holy Word, the Bible, until He comes.”

I would summarize this statement by saying we want to see people saved, we want to teach them the Word of God, we want them to share the gospel, and we want them to grow.

If we are going to accomplish our mission, all of us must work and serve.

What we see with Paul is the body of Christ working together.

We serve in community.

That’s our first directive.

Directive # 2…

Directive # 2…

b.

Serve personally vv.

2-3

READ vv.

2-3

Paul personally visits and encourages these saints.

Paul is strengthening and encouraging these churches as in ch.

18 when the third missionary journey began.

Why?

Because of the persecution faced in these cities.

It says in v. 1 that he is visiting the churches in Macedonia (S).

In Philippi they were beaten and imprisoned.

While the jailer did come to Christ, there was a certain level of hostility to the gospel and those who proclaimed it.

In Philippi they were beaten and imprisoned.

While the jailer did come to Christ, there was a certain level of hostility to the gospel and those who proclaimed it.

In Thessalonica the Jews caused an uproar and dragged Jason to the magistrates.

Then these Jewish unbelievers followed Paul, Silas, and Timothy to Berea and persecuted them there as well.

In Athens there were those who mocked.

In Corinth Paul was brought before the judgment seat.

After traveling to these various places and encouraging the saints, Paul stays 3 months in Greece.

There is something interesting just thrown in here.

“the Jews plotted against him.”

This caused a change in Paul’s plans.