Sermon Tone Analysis

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

If you’re new to MCF, it would be helpful 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 breaking them down chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what the Bible means and is saying in our lives today.

Currently, we are doing that through the NT book of Acts, and to date we have covered the first 8 chapters.

And in many respects that’s what chapter 1-8 has been all about.

It started in chapter 1 as Jesus laid out the mission.

Recording Jesus’s words, Luke writes:

It then continued in chapter 2 as the first disciples received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised.

An empowerment that allowed them to speak and share the gospel with a supernatural boldness and ability.

In chapter 4 Luke writes:

From there we watched as the message of the Gospel moved from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and then at the end of chapter 8 was presented to an Ethiopian Eunuch who just happened to be from a region of the world known as “The ends of the earth”.

All that to say, chapters 1-8 have provided us with a Biblical template for gospel expansion.

A template that involves spiritual empowerment along with a willingness to take the gospel from where we live to the ends of the earth.

So, if you are new too MCF, I would encourage you to go online to www.mcf.life

where you can listen to past messages leading up to chapter 8.

Today, however, we are picking back up in chapter 9 as Luke continues to introduce us to and unfold the story of a man named Saul.

But before we get further into the story, let’s take a moment and recap what we’ve learned so far about Saul.

A man who from the beginning days of the church was determined to put an end to it.

#1, we know early on Saul hated the early church and was responsible for the death and murder of the first Christian Martyr, a man named Stephen.

#2 we know following the death of Stephen Saul led a great persecution against the church.

#3, we know along with the persecution, Saul was willing to travel great distances and go to great lengths in order to destroy the early church.

Beginning in chapter 9, Luke writes, “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”

(ESV)

, who surprisingly would become one of the most influential Christians to walk the face of the planet.

Because as we learned last week, later on in his life, Saul would eventually become known as Paul, a man we know today as the Apostle Paul.

The man responsible for writing 13 of the 27 books of the NT.

Finally, and surprisingly, we know eventually Saul will become one of the most influential Christians to walk the face of the planet.

Because as we learned last week, eventually Saul will become known as Paul, a man we know today as the Apostle Paul.

The man responsible for writing 13 of the 27 books of the NT.

So, a good question would be, “What was Saul’s initial problem with the church?

And why was he so determined to take out Christians?”

So, a good question would be, “What’s this guys problem?

Why is this Saul guy so determined to destroy the early church?”

Well, as we learned last week, there were a couple of motivating factors for Saul.

Number 1, As a young man, Saul was a member of a group of religious leaders known as the Pharisees.

A group of religious leaders who had devoted their lives too keeping and enforcing the religious laws and traditions of Judaism.

You may recall, this is the group that gave Jesus the most trouble in the gospels and along with the Sadduccees were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.

And it’s this group, along with another group known as the Sadduccees, who were ultimately responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.

All that to say, Saul’s one of these Pharisees.

But Saul isn’t just a typical Pharisee, he’s what you might call a radical Pharisee.

In fact, years later as he looks back on his life as a Pharisee, he makes this observation about himself:

Saul says, “Yeah, I was out there.

I was the radical nut job in my posse”.

Which supports his radical movement against the early church as he goes to extreme measures to protect his beliefs and take people out who threaten them.

So, why does Saul feel threatened by the early church?

And that’s why Saul is persecuting the church.

He’s so committed to what he believes, he’s willing to go to extreme measures to protect his beliefs and even take people out who would threaten them.

That leads us to second motivating factor for Saul.

Number 2, Saul is threatened by the teachings of the early church, primarily because what the church is teaching goes against everything he has put his hope in.

For example:

The church is teaching that Jesus is the promised Messiah and deliverer of Israel.

And Saul doesn’t believe that for one minute.

The church is teaching that Jesus is the promised Messiah, but Saul doesn’t believe that.

For Saul, Jesus was a problem that needed to be taken care of.

The church is teaching that not only is Jesus the promised Messiah, but that He rose from the dead, is God, and that if a person wants to be right with God, they have to put their faith in Jesus and make Him Lord of their life.

And for Saul, that’s about as blasphemous as it gets.

The church is teaching that in order to be right with God, a person must put their faith in Jesus and make Him Lord of their life.

And for Saul, that’s about as blasphemous as it gets.

You see, the church is striking at the heart of Saul’s belief system and worldview.

Because Saul’s hope isn’t in his need for a savior.

Saul’s hope is in the law.

Saul’s hope is in the traditions.

Saul’s hope is in his religious lifestyle.

But the church is teaching the law won’t save you.

The church is teaching the rituals won’t make you right with God.

The church is teaching everybody is a sinner in need of saving.

And Saul isn’t about to have it.

He’ll put an end to this false teaching if its the last thing he does.

Paul says when he was Saul the Pharisee, his hope and salvation were in keeping the law, observing the rituals, and keeping the traditions.

And he thought it did it perfectly.

But the church is teaching the law won’t save you.

The church is teaching the rituals won’t make you right with God.

The church is teaching everybody is a sinner in need of saving.

And Saul isn’t about to have it.

He’ll put an end to this false teaching if its the last thing he does.

And as we learned last week, it’s really not the church or the Christians Saul has the problem with.

The person he has the problem with is Jesus.

Because it’s Jesus’s claims that ultimately threaten what he believes.

Because it was Jesus Himself that said:

So, that’s why Saul is so adamantly persecuting the church.

And what was true then is still true today.

Because at the end of the day, that’s why Christians are still persecuted for their faith.

We are persecuted and hated because what we proclaim threatens what the world has put its hope in.

It threatens their hope in material possessions.

For example, they are persecuted by the world because the message of the gospel threatens the worlds version of hope, happiness, and salvation.

In addition to that, they are persecuted by religious people, because the message of the gospel threatens the hope many have put in rituals, traditions, and religious living.

Threatened because the gospel makes the audacious claim that the only way a person can truly be right with God is through a faith based relationship with Jesus.

So, as a result, those who stand for the gospel become a threat to those who refuse to believe.

That’s why Jesus said:

It was true then, an it’s true today.

But the good news of the gospel is this.

Despite the world’s hatred for Jesus, that doesn’t stop Jesus from loving those who hate Him.

Because as we learned last week, nobody is beyond Jesus’s ability to save, regardless of their past or what they’ve done, the grace of God is bigger than our sin.

So, while Saul was determined to extinguish the flame of Christianity, Jesus was determined to light the flame of faith in Saul, and as we saw last week, Jesus did it by inviting Saul to a good old fashioned “Come To Jesus Meeting”.

A meeting where Jesus introduced himself to Saul and invited him into a relationship with Him.

We read about it last week.

Listen again to how Luke describes Saul’s come to Jesus meeting:

Acts 9:

Luke says on his way too ipersectue Christians, Saul encounters the glorified Jesus.

An encounter so spectacular that it literally knocks him to the ground and leaves him blinded.