Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts Series #44

Back to the Beginning: When Church was Church

*Almost Will Never Be Enough*

*Acts 24:25-27; 26:28,29*

 

If you've seen the Movie Gone with the Wind, you may remember when things got tough, Scarlet was heard to say "fiddle dee dee, I'll think about that Tomorrow"

Did you know that there is a group called "The Procrastinators Club of America."

They were formed in 1957, and is devoted to putting off just about everything until tomorrow - or later.

Their President says "We feel that anything worth doing is worth putting off."

None of their members pay their dues on time.

President Waas says "If they did, we'd throw them out of the club."

"we feel that the ultimate thing to procrastinate against is war.

Just think, if you keep putting off wars, eventually you might forget what you wanted to fight about."

Procrastination

 

"Wait a minute" Some people with more time to waste, figured that if you make $50,000 a year, every minute you wait costs you 50 cents.

That could get expensive.

For every new idea or invention, you can find a dozen people who thought of it first.

The problem is, they only THOUGHT of it.

*Read Acts 26 and Acts 24:25-27*

 

 

 

 

*1, Tomorrow is too Late*

 

/Poem about tomorrow/

/ /

/He was going to be /

/All that a mortal should be,  /

/Tomorrow.

/

/No one would ever be /

/Better than he, /

/Tomorrow.

/

/ /

/Each morning he stacked up /

/The letters he'd write.

/

/Each evening he'd count /

/The battles he'd fight, /

/Tomorrow.

/

/ /

/He was a man who /

/Would work like a fiend.

/

/The world would have known him /

/Had he ever seen, /

/Tomorrow.

/

/ /

/But the fact is he died /

/And faded from view.

/

/And all that was left /

/When living was through, /

/Was a mountain of things /

/He intended to do /

/Tomorrow.

/

 

24:25-27

Festus had the Truth of God proclaimed to him by Paul, and he said

"Later"

"I'll send for year another time"

 

*  A.

Don't show contempt for the gifts of God*

    1.

Revelation is a gift from God.  God reveals himself to a sinner as their hope for Salvation … don't look the other way in contempt.

God reveals himself to a believer in mission and majesty … don't ignore God and show contempt for his revelation.

2.

Revelation is an Invitation.

When God reveals himself to us, that revelation is an invitation from God

Perhaps the first time you saw you majesty of the ocean, or saw the sunrise over the rim of the Grand Canyon, or saw an eagle fly high, you thought, there must be a God. 

 

    3.

That Revelation was an invitation from God.

Rom.

1:19,20 /since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse./

What are you going to do with this invitation?

    4.

As a believer and follower of Jesus, Revelation of what God is doing is an invitation for you to join him and Tomorrow is too late.

God has invited you today

We have been studying the Calling of God on believers and our accountability to that calling.

I gave those in that study a formula that I will give you today

Revelation = Invitation

Invitation = Expectation

Expectation = Provision

Provision = Subtraction of Excuses

 

  *B.

Don't wait* until it is *convenient* because it *never* is

    1.

You must be ready before you need to be ready

    2.

Mt 25:1-14 - Jesus

      a.

10 maidens waiting for the coming of the Bridegroom --- If you read the story you will find that these girls were to carry Torches so that when the Groom came they could light the way for the procession.

The torches would have consisted of the cloth wick at the top and Oil to burn.

b.

5 of the girls were prepared with the oil needed

      c.

5 of the girls looked the same, dressed the same but were missing the critical ingredient … the oil - What is the oil?

Well it has been described as 2 different things, and I think it is easily both.

The Oil is the Word of God and the Spirit of God

      d.

the point is that the girls dressed the part, were in the right place, but they were missing the critical internal ingredient.

Without the Holy Spirit within and the Word of God received in obedience into our lives, we are shut out.

e.

the 5 maidens without the oil left to try and find some oil, and the Groom came, closed the door.

When they knocked he said "I never knew you."

Some would say, but weren't they Christians, they were part of the wedding party.

No, he didn't say "I don't know you anymore" … he said "I never knew you"

      f.

you can't hang around and wait until it's convenient because Tomorrow may be too late

 

The Gospel Family Group, The Winans, hit it big with a song titled "Tomorrow"

 

/Jesus said, here I stand/

/Won't you please let me in/

/And you said, I will /

/Tomorrow/

/Jesus said I am he/

/Who supplies all your needs/

/And you said, I know but/

/Tomorrow/

/ /

/Ooh/

/Tomorrow /

/I'll give my life tomorrow/