Sermon Tone Analysis

Alêtheia Christian Fellowship  ~~  Sermon 93  ~~  October 23, 2005

 

Acts 1:1-3 ~~ The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Luke opens by transitioning to the second volume.

Luke 1:1-4 ~~ In as much as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

*Theophilus means* friend or lover of God, Most excellent is a common title for a person of the equestrian class of Roman society.

Essentially landed gentry and the class usually administering government.

It is a person and Luke's name Loukav, is a contracted name of a slave.

It is widely held that he was a slave, but one trained as a physician so obviously the property of a very wealthy person.

As we see Luke portrayed in Acts and also in Paul's letters he moves freely when others including Paul, a Roman citizen, don't.

Is it possible that the *most excellent Theophilus is Luke's Christian owner* and has let him accompany Paul.

Is it possible that Luke avoids trouble because he belongs to a powerful Roman official?

Luke is a *doctor* (Paul calls him a doctor, he uses medical terms and avoids disparaging doctors Mark 5:26 with Luke 8:43), a *brilliant student* (all the details are correct in Jew & Gentile, eastern or western, on land or sea) and an *excellent writer* (The second best Greek in the Bible after Hebrews, which he most likely helped with also.

After Luke-Acts is James; the worst is Revelation).

He is from *Antioch the capitol of Syria* and was likely trained at the famous medical school *Tarsus (capitol of Cilicia),* the rival of Alexandria and Athens, and possibly met St. Paul there.

Antioch is across the *bay of Iskenderun*.

*Acts 16:10* Luke begins using first person plural.

It is worthy of note that, in the three places where he is mentioned in the Epistles he is *named with Mark* the other Evangelist who was not an Apostle, and it is clear from his Gospel that he was well acquainted with the Gospel according to Mark; and in the Acts he knows all the details of Peter's delivery--what happened at the house of Mark's mother, and the name of the girl who ran to the outer door when Peter knocked.

He must have frequently met Peter, and may have assisted him to draw up his First Epistle in Greek, which affords many reminiscences of Luke's style.

"The author of the Third Gospel and of the Acts is the *most versatile of all New Testament writers*.

He can be as Hebraistic as the Septuagint, and as free from Hebraisms as Plutarch.

His great command of Greek is shown by the richness of his vocabulary and the freedom of his constructions.

Thus the external evidence is both unanimous and early.

“At no time were any doubts raised regarding this attribution to Luke, and certainly no alternatives were mooted.

The tradition could hardly be stronger . .

.” this *unanimous tradition is all the more surprising if it were not true since Luke was not an apostle, nor even closely associated with one of the twelve*.

Acts is to be dated c. *62 ad*, principally because of the ending of the book in which Paul’s trial seems to have been still future.

2 Timothy 4:6-11a ~~ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;… \\ \\ Only Luke is with me.

*Principle of Proportion*

 

*Historical account, is this event good or bad?*

 

*Theological teaching for doctrine, even though an historical narrative it is for theological purposes.*

* *

*What is not said?*

Luke 24:45-53 ~~ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

“You are witnesses of these things.

“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.

Acts 1:1-3 ~~ The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Jesus personally chose the original 12.

Many convincing proofs to over 500 people over 40 days.

The Kingdom, signifies kingship or rule rather than realm.

Yashanah.

Acts 1:4-5 ~~ Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” /He said,/ “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

 

Eating in *communion*.

Notice *Jerusalem…* not head for the hills, not build bunkers, not be like the Essenes or like the terrorists always in the hills.

Isaiah 2:3 And many peoples will come and say,

    “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

    To the house of the God of Jacob;

    That He may teach us concerning His ways

    And that we may walk in His paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion

    And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

*Wait?

*What does wait* mean?

*What is the definition of, "Is?"* My kids *have a different way of viewing wait, but that doesn't make them right.

What is the *Baptisim*?

*Who *is it for?

What *sign* will accompany it?

Acts 1:6-8 ~~ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Still didn't get it; *when do we get our thrones*?

*Imperfect tense* shows they had repeatedly asked Him this question.

Draws them from their concern to the *present task at hand*.

 

          1 Timothy 3:14-16

/I write/ so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

16By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations,Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory

 

 

cro>nov kai< kaino>v

 

receive power when the Holy Spirit… *Power for what*?

Luke brings it up *3 times* including the last part of his Gospel.

Witnesses of Jesus' story or Jesus' witnesses They uniquely could witness because they had seen Him, but what is stated is you are my witnesses because you know Me

 

*Cause* (Power of Holy Spirit) *Effect* (Gospel Preached)

 

Acts 1:9-11 ~~ And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.

They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?

This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

*Shekinah Glory*

 

*Men of Galilee*, probably only Judas Iscariot was not from Galilee.

Acts 1:12-14 ~~ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

When they had entered /the city/, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James /the son/ of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas /the/ /son/ of James.

These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with /the/ women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

*James* was a new man, Jacob, Joseph, Simeon, Judas

 

*Women *were an integral part from the very beginning yet men and wmen play different, but complemetary, roles.

This is the last mention of Mary.

Tradition has her travelling with John to Ephesus, but even the early church was not overly interested in her.

*Immaculate conception* established 1854, Pope Pius 9.

 

Acts 1:15-19 ~~ At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

“For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.”

(Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.

And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, [aJJkeldama>] that is, Field of Blood.)

It is men who lead literally in Greek it is a]drev ajdelfoi> men brothers, and *120* is the number to constitute a Jewish Community.

Matthew 27:3-8 ~~ Then when Judas… he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary… and hanged himself.

… with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers.

… the Field of Blood to this day.

Acts 1:20-23 ~~ “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it’; and, ‘Let another man take his office.’

“Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these /must/ become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

Psalms 69:25 ~~ Let their dwelling place be desolate; Let no one live in their tents.