Sermon Tone Analysis

We are ending the book of Acts today, we are nearing the end of Paul’s ministry and he is headed to Jerusalem knowing that he will die very similar to the way that Jesus had determined to head to Jerusalem knowing that He would die.

After he had traveled through several towns we pick up in Caesarea Ac 21:10:

--------------------

Paul had an attitude of total commitment to Jesus Christ and to the Kingdom of God.

He was willing not only to suffer for Christ, but also to die for Him.

But we will see that even though he is completely committed he still experiences fear and needs encouraging.

After he arrived in Jerusalem he took four Jewish men with him to the temple and paid for them to have their heads shaved to complete a vow they had made to God, hoping to show the Jews in Jerusalem that he was not trying to abolish God’s law and hopefully ease some of the tensions that had been growing.

But instead a riot formed and they nearly killed him so the Roman army had to come in and take him into custody so that he wouldn’t be killed.

So we pick up with the Roman commander.

--------------------

Did you notice how Paul was very careful to change how he talked to and about the High Priest after he found out who he was, even though he completely disagreed with him, was angry with him, and was being abused by him?

The scripture tells us that no matter how we feel about our leaders, we must not speak evil of them.

We can disagree with them, we can explain why we believe they are wrong, but we are not given permission to dishonor them, we are not given permission to insult them, we are not given permission to call them names are say that we wish something evil would happen to them.

Why?

Because they are made in the image of God just like we are.

They have inherent dignity and value and worth just like we do.

And this is something that this country has no concept of, or just completely refuses to adhere to because they are so full of hate.

What causes a person to talk ugly about another person?

Hate.

You don’t verbally abuse someone because you love them.

You do it because you have hatred for them.

Just a few years ago when during President Obama’s term, a man in Roberta who was completely against the president’s policies, was having a conversation with some other folks and one of them said something bad about the president and he rebuked him and said, “He was the president that I wanted, but he’s my president!

So you better watch what you say about him.”

That’s a world’s difference than the way many who won’t even call our current president, “Mr.

President.”

But instead just refer to him as the occupant of the White House.

And I don’t expect things to get any better if the next election goes the other way.

All I see online is hate and ugliness.

Now Paul knew that he was wrong in the way that he talked to the High Priest and he apologized.

But if we’re honest, he shouldn’t have said it to begin with and he wouldn’t have had to apologize.

Many of us have said a lot of things about leaders we should never have said and so I believe we have a lot of apologizing to do.

And we must be careful how we speak of our leaders going forward.

But even though Paul was committed to not only suffering for Christ but also dying for Christ, we see that he was still afraid and needed encouragement, and how much more encouragement could a person get than what we see in verse 11.

Jesus came and appeared with him and stood beside him and told him to have courage, and then he told him why, because he would need him to go to Rome to speak about Christ.

More than 40 men decided to kill Paul so the commander had to sneak him out of the city by night and sent him from Jerusalem to Caesarea to the governor Felix to be tried.

--------------------

Felix wanted Paul to bribe him with money to release him, but Paul did not take the easy and wrong way out.

We must not take the easy road if it is the wrong road.

We must be willing to suffer for our Lord.

We need God to give us the strength to do what’s right no matter how difficult our circumstances or the consequences.

Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come.

That one day God is going to judge both the living and the dead, the righteous and the unrighteous.

And we must get ourselves ready for that day.

We must repent of sin and place all of our faith in Jesus alone to save us.

Felix left Paul in prison for the next guy, Festus, to take care of.

The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem asked Festus to do them a favor and summon Paul to Jerusalem so that they could ambush him and kill him on the way, but Festus told them no, they would have to come to Caesarea and present their case against him there.

So about a week later they did.

After they presented their case against him Paul got to speak.

--------------------

In verse 3 Paul begged King Agrippa to listen to his defense patiently.

--------------------

This, of course, implies that Paul was very diligent in explaining and teaching the Way to those who have not accepted it with patience himself.

Timothy was a pastor that Paul wrote letters to and gave him instructions and advice on how to lead the church he was pastoring and this is one of the things Paul said to Timothy.

--------------------

Paul understood that we as Christians, and especially in the context of pastors, must not be quarrelsome with those who disagree with us.

We must be gentle to everyone, and we must be able to teach, not just able to argue, but able to explain.

And through that whole process, we must be patient, instructing those who oppose us with gentleness.

Now I don’t know how many conversations you’ve had with people who completely disagree with you, or even slightly disagree with you, but how well were you able to teach and explain your position with gentleness and patience?

Typically it’s one or the other, either I’m explaining my position very well but not gently or patiently, or I’m being very gentle and patient, but I’m not explaining my side very well at all.

It’s hard to do both, because the more you know the more you become impatient.

Trust me.

I’ve gotten into some heated conversations with some Jehovah’s Witnesses, on more than one occasion, and every time, I, like Paul, knew I was wrong, and had wished I could have went back and had a do-over.

That maybe why Paul gave Timothy that advice.

Through the years I’m sure Paul had some very heated debates not giving much patience and not being very gentle.

But if we actually want to reach the lost for Christ, then we must do it the way He has commanded us to.

To explain and teach why it is true, and to do it gently and patiently.

We must not argue and get upset, but instead we must be gentle and patient and clear with our message.

Since Paul had appealed to Rome, they couldn’t release him so they put him on a ship and headed that way, but they got shipwrecked on the island of Malta and had to stay there for the winter before heading on.

When they finally arrived in Rome Paul was treated well and placed under house arrest instead of being thrown into a prison.

And even though he was not allowed to go out and evangelize like he always had, he still did not stop ministering.

--------------------

Did you hear that.

He can’t leave his house and do the one thing we have always read that he did.

He would go into the synagogues, into the town halls, and from house to house and preach to everyone about Christ and the kingdom of God.

He finally made it to Rome, where he had been wanting to go for a long time and he’s not allowed to do that, but the book ends by saying that Paul proclaimed those things to anyone who visited him with all boldness and without hindrance.

Without hinderance.

You see no matter what situation you find yourself in life, you can still minister and make a difference for the kingdom while you are here.

And it has become easier than ever with the internet now.

Maybe you will find yourself one day not able to get out of the house anymore.

You won’t be able to go to the world, but the world can come to you, just like people came to Paul, through the internet.

Social media, as many problems as it presents, it has provided a platform for you to reach far more people and far quicker than ever in history.

We must be like Paul, completely committed all the way to our death, who does not speak evil of others, who does what’s right even when it’s the difficult path, and rejects what’s wrong no matter how easy it would be and no matter how rewarding we think it would be, who teaches and explains the Way patiently, gently, and clearly to those who oppose us, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, knowing that God will not allow anything to hinder His ministry through us.

What do you need to work on to be more like Paul who told us to imitate him as he imitates Christ.

--------------------