Sermon Tone Analysis

PREP:

Communion Cup up front for me.

Have mics in front row for deacons.

Order of service needed for each deacon

prepare my son to dip audio on communion songs that we pray during

INTRO:

Sometimes, in life, we are not adequately prepared for things that we should be ready for.

For example,

How many of us left the house on time this morning?

How often do we fail to follow our planned schedule?

When deadlines approach, how often do we fail to meet deadlines?

Or, if we do meet deadlines, is the quality of work submitted really what it should have been?

When we tough financial times arrive, do we regret that money squandered should have been saved?

When we walk into a meeting or fellowship opportunity, how frequently do we have little or nothing of value to contribute because we were not mentally preparing for those opportunities to lead, persuade, and promote?

Statistics reveal we are not ready!

Two studies agreed that 15-20% of all people are chronically affected by procrastination and at least 25% of adults consider procrastination to be a defining personality trait.

70% of all college student consider themselves procrastinators.

74% of people surveyed went to bed later than planned once a week with no external reason for doing so.

Procrastination can reduce a person’s potential income by as much as $15,000.

Procrastination contributes to 322 days of lost employment and chronic procrastinators comprise as much as 57% of the unemployed population.

Procrastination also impacts our relationships within the church body.

After a conversation, have you ever thought, “I wish I had thought to say this instead.

I missed an opportunity there.”

Sometimes procrastination is the cause of those missed opportunities because we were not ready for more meaningful interactions.

Procrastination at home prevents maintenance of church facilities, it causes time crunches leading to lost conversation opportunities, it puts us in frenzy mode so that we are fighting fires all the time/looking backward all the time, instead of looking forward

(read next lines carefully)

As a nation, we struggle to be ready.

Our state of readiness, or lack thereof, significantly impacts our joy.

In one survey, 94% of people indicated that procrastination has a negative effect on their happiness.

In another survey, over 80% of students reported feeling negative emotions after procrastinating.

God’s will is for us to experience abundant, consuming, overflowing joy! Jesus spoke in Jn 15:11, saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

and, then right before ascending, Jesus told the about 120 disciples to go, wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit.

They waited joyfully and they didn’t waste their time.

They didn’t procrastinate, instead they were “continually in the temple, praising and blessing God” (Lk 24:53).

This morning and also next week, I want to show you that Paul was not a procrastinator.

In Acts 21:13 (ESV), he told the Ephesian pastors and his eight companions, “I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

When Paul said those words, he was not saying, “I am almost ready.”

(pause) He was not saying, “When the time comes I will be ready.”

No, Paul was completely ready months, even years before he spoke those words.

I want to show you from Acts 21:27-36 that Paul was completely ready for whatever suffering awaited him in Jerusalem!

(Ignore) Paul’s Arrest (Acts 21:27-36)

These next verses detail Paul’s arrest, and as you follow along, you might want to highlight or otherwise mark words or phrases which describe how Paul was persecuted.

Beginning in verse 27 we read that...

Asians, possibly from Ephesus, betrayed Paul.

An act of betrayal, and murderous intent are not fruit of the Spirit, so this situation this could not have been instigated by God-loving, Spirit-empowered people!

We find the Asian’s accusations in verses 28-30....

Note the Jews’ accusations.

(vv28-30)

Paul knew that worshipping at the temple exposed him to great risks, and I love this about Paul.

Spirit-empowered people cannot do anything but worship!

Even though danger was close, Paul was compelled to be with other believers.

If the Jerusalem church was going to be healed, Paul needed to follow through with the strategy… seeing those four men’s vows fulfilled.

Then those murderous Jews from Asia, cried out for help… “let’s get together and do something about this! Paul needs to be silenced!”

And they knew just what to say to manipulate the crowd.

Look at their accusations in verses 28-29...

Accusation 1: Paul was anti-Jew.

This was a false accusation.

Scripture has clearly revealed that Paul was a Jew of Jews.

Before his salvation, Paul took great pride in his Jewish heritage and loved being a powerful and prominent Jew.

After his salvation, Paul was so burdened for Jews that he went to them first in every city he was in.

Paul loved his own people so much that he was on the temple mount at his own peril so that some of them might even be saved!

Accusation 2: Paul was anti-law.

This accusation encompassed lots of issues, but Paul was innocent of those charges also.

These accusations were made while Paul was completing Jewish law and was also assisting four men to also keep the law.

Paul upheld the law in other things as well.

In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul recommended women not worship without head coverings.

Paul convinced Timothy to become circumcised in Acts 16:3.

Paul observed the Passover in Acts 20:6 and several other passages and most scholars agree that Paul was in such a hurry to get to Jerusalem so that he could observe the Days of Pentecost and Feast of weeks (kind of like our Thanksgiving celebration).

This in and of itself is really interesting.

Many historic things happened and all converged in all of Israel’s past on the days of Pentecost, If this was indeed the celebration taking place here, God again caused a major Jewish holiday to coincide with a major date in church history.

Accusation 3: Paul was anti-temple.

Interestingly enough, these were the same accusations brought against Jesus 22 years earlier in

Mt 26:59-61… (2 slides)

59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward.

At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’

”

(SLIDE w/ Accusation 3)

Why mess with a working plan?

Lets make false up charges, let’s play on the Jews’ love of the temple, and try to legalize murder that is in our hearts.

Wow, the gossip!

Wow, these people were gullible!

Wow, people were not following the rules of communication! 1. Be honest - we can find no honesty here.

2. Keep current - nope.

Those Asians allowed grudges to fester and boil causing them to become murderous.

3. Attack the problem, not the person - clearly, they preferred attacking the person.

4. Act don’t react.

Emotions ruled that day.

Act on facts?

What fun is that?

I’ll do it my way, thank you very much.

So in Acts 21:28a the crowd was “crying out, “Men of Israel, help!

This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place.”

Gossip, Lies, Chaos, hatred, and chaos were the laws of that moment!

Something significant happened in Acts 21:30...

30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together.

They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

The temple gates were shut to Paul never to be opened to him again.

In fact, the temple is not mentioned again in Acts.

The Jews were making a statement “Christianity is not welcome here, Jesus is not welcome here.”

Didn’t something significant happen at the temple also when Christ was crucified?

The veil was torn when Christ died on the cross!