Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week we discussed dreaming.

We talked about this importance of dreams in the Christian life and how our dreams, aspirations, and talents are all linked together to blend into what God wants to do through you.

The Gospels—the 4 books that come before the book of Acts discuss al of what Jesus came to do.

These books are a highlight real of Jesus’ life.

In essence, Showing us how to live and to walk in the power of Christ.

When we were children and in school the math teacher would often explain the equation, the important of the equation, and the they would show us how to do the equation.

Often times we would copy and follow along with the teacher who was explaining the math problem.

When you study the gospels this is how you are to view them.

Jesus explains to us the Christian life, we walks with us through the beginning of the Christian life.

Then Jesus says

This is the point in class right before the bell rings and you go to another class.

The teacher says You must leave me, but before you go here is your homework.

Now it’s time for us to do the work on our own.

This is where the books of Acts come into play.

Jesus showed us the power we can walk in.

He displayed for us what we are to do.

He has given us the blue print of Christian living and in the Gospels he says

Of all the verses in the bible this one often leaves me feeling very overwhelmed.

We will do more in our life time than Jesus did in three years.

This is a verse I find myself making all sorts of excuses about.

Jesus didn’t truly mean this.

He didn’t say this verse specifically about me.

There is no way he expects us to do more than him.

If I am being truly open there are times I feel very short in the shadow of this measuring stick.

Jesus tell us that we will do greater things than he did.

But Pastor this verse was said to the deciples of Jesus not to us—That would be true if Jesus said you guys will do…Or the 12 of you will....But he says

WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME...

The term transcends time itself.

If I put this on the stage and state whoever touch this stand will have magical powers and leave it here my saying remains true until I remove the stand from existence.

We know that what Jesus is saying is still in position because he leaves off with because I am going to the father.

That lead us to believe that this truth is in place until he returns from being with His father.

The mandate still stands.

This should overwhelm you.

It does me every time I read it.

I am 35 years old and I haven’t even begun half of what Jesus has done.

Thankfully I believe that all of us because we make up a part of the body only have to do apart of the greater works.

Jesus was the whole.

We, the entire church are parts of the whole.

Meaning that, as we talked about last week God has given each on of us a specific portion of the greater things that we are to do.

Which leads us to the book of ACTS

If the Gospels were Jesus showing us, the book of ACTS is the homework portion.

It’s what we are to do while Jesus is with His Father.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones called Acts

“that most lyrical of books....Live in that book, I exhort you: It is a tonic, the greatest tonic I know of in the realm of the Spirit.”

(The Christian Warfare)

Tonic back in the 16-1800s was a cure all for deadly diseases like Melaria.

So what LloydJones is stating is that the book of ACTS is the cure all for the deadly diseases coming against the church-God’s people.

All of Paul’s writings aim at how we are supposed to act as Christ followers.

The book of ACTS is written to show us

How the Church is to ACT when filled with the Holy Spirit.

Not only does Js give us homework like my school Math teacher he went a step beyond and tells u he is going to send with us a tutor, that if we should listen to it’s promptings and do as it says we are guaranteed an “A” in his class.

So we come to ACTS chapter 1:1-5

Acts 1-5

I encourage when you go home and look through this verse read it as though it were one long run-on sentence.

Because when it was written in the original greek it was written in one long sentence.

That means this entire chunk of verses are one thought.

There are some who believe that Theophilus is a person Luke is writing too However, there is another school of thought that I tend toward that states that Luke is writing an open book for anyone.

The reason for this debate is because

Theophilus in the greek means Friend of God.

we see Luke use this expression again in

Just like Paul, who wrote to entire church body is thought that Luke wrote this to the entire Christian body.

Anyone who claims to be Friends of God.

If you subscribe to this thought with me then, like me and many others before me, believe that the book of ACTS is still being achieved today.

As I close today I want to make sure you stay with me through this journey.

I am not saying that at this point you have to decide whether or not you believe in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit being evident today.

We will get into that as well, but for right now what we must ask is: Do we believe we are or can be filled with the Holy Spirit today?

Do you have the Holf Spirit alive in you.

Because Luke ends this sentence with an amazing promise.

If you believe in me

YOU WILL BE baptized with the Holy Spirit.

And we will get to what that means later in the weeks to come…for right now lets close in prayer.