Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction

review of last week

Last week we looked at verses 12-19.

Let’s take a quit review of this.

!!! I.                   The Marks 0f A Mature Witness, 1:12-19

!!! 1.

He Shares The Gospel Regardless of Circumstances, v.12-14

a.       Paul Faced Dark Circumstances: He Was A Prisoner In Rome, v.12

b.      Paul Used His Dark Circumstances To Spread The Gospel, v.13-14

!!!  

!!! II.

He Holds No Personal Jealousy Nor Desire For Credit or Prestige, v.15-18

1.

Some Preachers In Rome Were Jealous Of Paul and Envious . . .

2.

Not All The Preachers Throughout Rome Opposed Paul.

III.

He Possesses The Assurance Of A Happy Ending:

Deliverance, v.19

1.

There was the prayer of those who supported him.

2.      The supply of the Holy Spirit would deliver him.

I.

The Marks Of The Great Christian Believer, 1:20-26

(1:20-26) Introduction: If a man has ever lived a life of commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, it was Paul.

1.

Acts 20:24 cf. 2 Timothy 4:7—this is the kind of commitment we all should have in our lives 1 Tim.

6:12; Jn. 4:34; Acts 13:25;; 1 Cor.

9:24-27; Phil.

3:13-14; Heb.

12:1-2; Lk. 8:15; Rev. 3:8,10  

 

A.

one great expectation & hope: to magnify christ in his body

(1:20) The Believer’s Purpose & Hope: the great Christian believer has only one “great expectation & hope” – To Magnify Christ in his body.

1.

“Earnest Expectation”

a.       It’s to gaze into the distance with the head erect and outstretched just like a watchman.

1) What are you gazing into the distance for?

b.

It’s aiming one’s attention at an object with concentration, eagerness, and intensity.

1)      Who or what has your attention?

2)      Who or what do you concentrate on with eagerness, and intensity?

c.

It’s turning the eyes away from everything else and focusing upon one object and one object alone.

1)      What object has your focus?

a) Hebrews 12:1-2

 

d.

It is total focus on one person’s desire.

1)      Who or what are the desires of your heart?

a) Psalm 37:3-4

 

Note what Paul’s “earnest expectation and hope” was…

 

2.

“To Magnify Christ in His Body”

a.       Paul’s mind was not on his circumstances it was on Christ that is, to “Magnify Christ in his body”

1)      Jesus Christ is no longer on this earth.

a) Acts 1:9; Romans 8:34 Who /is/ he who condemns?

/It is/ Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us

 

2)      Therefore, He can no longer be seen unless Paul and others, including us allow Christ to magnify Himself through their bodies (/the entire personality/)

 

a)   /to the unbeliever, Jesus is not very big.

Other people and other things are far more important/

 

b)      / telescope, the stars are distant but much bigger in a telescope /

(1)   the believer’s body is a “/telescope/” bringing a distant Jesus close to people.

/ /

/c)      // microscope, makes tiny things look big/

(1) the believers body is a “/lens/” making a little Christ look very big.

/ /

3)      Paul knew this; therefore, he gave his body to Jesus Christ

a.       Romans 6:13; Romans 6:19; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

Note the reference was…

 

3.

“by Life or by death”

a.       Paul was facing death and he did not know whether he was going to die or continue living.

b.

If he was to be executed he wanted to magnify Christ in His death

c.

If he was declared innocent and set free he wanted to continue to magnify Christ in his body.

Note why Paul wanted to magnify Christ in his body:

 

4.

“that he might not be ashamed in anything”

a.       Paul knew he was going to face the same thing every believer is going to face:

1)      THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

b.      Paul knew we all had to give an account of our lives on judgement day.

NOTE: only 4 years earlier Paul had written these piercing words

·         For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things /done/ in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

(2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV)

 

NOTE: the horrifying contrast to the unbelievers…

·         Revelation 20:11-15

 

 

 

When believers face Christ in judgment, the experience will not necessarily be peaches and cream.

—       There will be some believer who will be ashamed

·         And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

(1 John 2:28 NKJV)

 

—       There will be some believer’s who will suffer loss and look like a burned out building

·              Each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.

If anyone's work which he has built on /it/ endures, he will receive a reward.

If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

(1 Corinthians 3:13-15 NKJV)

 

So we see that Paul’s “great expectation and hope” was for Christ to be magnified in his body.

Above all, he did not want to be ashamed when he stood before his wonderful Lord.

*       Then He said to /them/ all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.   "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

(Luke 9:23-24 NKJV)

*      And do not present your members /as/ instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members /as/ instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:13; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV).

B.   one great commitment in life and death: christ

(1:21) The Believers Purpose & Hope: the great Christian believer has one great commitment in life and death – Jesus Christ

 

1.

“For to me, to live is Christ”         What did Paul mean by this?

a.

He presented his body as a living sacrifice Romans 12:1-2; getting his strength from Christ Philippians 4:13

b.

Having the mind (humility of Christ) Philippians 2:5-11

c.       Knowing Christ with the Christian experience Philippians 3:8 and covered with Christ’s righteousness Philippians 3:9.

He struggled to yield the parts of his body—we must yield every member—to Christ as a tool for righteousness Romans 6:13 . . . 2 Timothy 2:21 I desire to be a tool in the hand of God ready for use at any moment

d.

He struggled to control his mind—to control every focus and thought upon Jesus Christ.