Sermon Tone Analysis

Last time we left off with the verse 2 Timothy 4:3.

We find ourselves living in an age where the “Forsaking of Sound Doctrine” is rampid.

The push for Churches to get bigger and bigger, more business like is happening all over the nation.

So in order for their church members to feel close to one another they encourage the forming of what the call “Small Groups” Which are just many Church sanctioned “Bible Study Groups.”

I have never been a fan of “Contemporary Bible Study” Remember what we went over last time.

Liberal Christianity, broadly speaking, is a method of biblical interpretation,, an undogmatic (non authoritative) method of understanding God through the use of scripture by applying the same modern interpretation used to understand any ancient writings.

Liberal Christianity does not claim to be a belief structure, and as such is not dependent upon any Church doctrine or creedal statements.

Unlike conservative varieties of Christianity, it has no unified set of propositional beliefs.

The word liberal in liberal Christianity denotes a characteristic willingness to interpret scripture without any preconceived notion of inerrancy (infallibility, no Errors) of scripture or the correctness of Church docrtrine.[2]

A conservative Christian and a liberal Christian, however, may hold certain beliefs in common .

What usually happens is you have a group together.

That meets every week.

And the Group leader usually picks out a video, or Book series.

They listen to the video, or take turns reading the book.

Then the leader opens up the forum for group discussion.

There is no Authoritative teaching that happens in this setting.

Remember because the Theological Liberal is not joined together by a “Set of Doctrines (Beliefs)” There is not someone with the Spiritual Gift teaching.

It is more of a time for a Bible Book Review.”

And as a “Small group leader” shared with me.

These settings are where our Church (mega church) goes over more in depth subjects of the Bible.”

Rick Warren comments on small groups in page 138 of “The Purpose Driven Life.”

He says: “When it comes to fellowship size matters: Smaller is better.

You can Worship with a crowd, but you can't fellowship with one.”

Remember his definition of Worship:

On page 64 he States:

“ Depending on your religious background you may need to expand your understanding of “Worship” .

You may thing that Worship is Singing, praying, and listening to sermons as worship.

Or you may think of ceremonies, candles, and communion.

Or you may think of healing, miracles, and ecstatic experiences .

WORSHIP CAN INCLUDE ALL OF THESE.

Page 65 of the purpose Driven life.

We mentioned last time about his “Big Tent” philosophy.

So Fellowship to Rick Warren is when we get together in Bible Book, or Movie Review groups and discuss subjects of the Bible.

He says on page 138.

that fellowship isn't “Waiting for Refreshments but Experiencing life together.

Fellowship is defined as people gathered together sharing a similar interest.

Which in the church setting is the Word of God.

On page 139 he states that “If your Church is the Boat, then “Small groups” are the lifeboats attached to it.”

Fellowship Biblicaly speaking can be “Waiting for Refreshments, and it could even be two buddies smoking cigars together.

The idea is Believer's in Jesus Christ, while filled with the Spirit, spending time together.

Obviously the point is “Filled with the Holy Spirit.”

If Believer's are engaging in activity that would get them out of fellowship, then it would no longer be Biblical Fellowship.

So what a ridiculous statement.

I want to go back to his statement on “Small Groups”

“If your Church is the Boat, then “Small groups” are the lifeboats attached to it.”

Let me correct this statement.

If your Church from the pulpit; is teaching Sound doctrine then that is the Boat.

And the application of the word of God by its church members is the lifeboats.

“The application of the word of God by its members” involves the exercising of ones Spiritual gifts.

The only way you can discover your Spiritual Gift is through the intake, Belief, and application of the Word of God.

So, many Christians are concerned by the State of our Nation.

Commentators and Political Conservatives are calling for America to get back to her founding principles outlined by the Constitution.

God is calling for Believer's in Jesus Christ to get back to the founding principles that he laid out in the scriptures.

We need to be less concerned about the music we play and more concerned about the message we hear from the pulpit.

We need to have a self-examination.

Are we more concerned with being entertained, or about growing in the word?

Do we find ourselves hungry for the word?

Or hungry for hanging out at the “Country Club” called the local Mega Church.”

Maybe your hangup isn't the Mega church.

Maybe it is some other form of the details of life.

It could be Money, Success, Pleasure, Social life, Loved ones, Friends, Health, Sex, Materialistic things, or Status Symbol.

Remember Jesus said.

Matt 6:24.

God has a definite Consequence for Nations who abandon God, and for Churches that abandon God.

The five cycles of Discipline.

For a nation Lev 26:

 

The first cycle Terror, fear, loss of personal freedom due to negative volition to Bible doctrine.

Second cycle Economic Recession, and depression

 

Third cycle Violence and Breakdown of Law and Order.

Fourth cycle Military conquest, and foreign occupation of a nation

 

Fifth Destruction of a nation due to Maximum negative volition to bible doctrine

 

Rev 2: 1-5.

Jesus says

(Remember here the Pastor of the Church is addressed as “The Angel” or Messenger.

The Seven Stars are the Messengers of the Churches.”

And the lampstands are the seven Churches.

And what does he say?

He says that

So Jesus states that if the Church leaves its first Love Jesus Christ.

Then he will remove the Church.

How? Through the Fifth Cycle of discipline, possibly, or He will not be in their midst.

Anymore.

If that happens whether they know it or not they are being used for the benefit of Satan.

Lets go into what we didn't have time to go into last time.

“God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was truly in his heart.”

Selective (though not necessarily permanent) indwelling.

The Bible declares that the Spirit was in certain Old Testament people, so there can be no question but that He did indwell in those days (Gen 41:38; Num 27:18; Dan 4:8; 1 Pe 1:11).

But sometimes the Spirit is said to have come upon Old Testament people (Judg 3:10; 1 Sa 10:9–10).

Is there any difference between being in and coming upon?

Probably only that “coming upon” may indicate the possibility of going away as well (cf.

Judg 15:14 with Judg 16:20).

When the Lord contrasted the relationship of the Spirit to Old Testament men and those living after the day of Pentecost, He said that the Spirit had been abiding with them and that He would be in them (Jn 14:17).

This seems definitely to indicate a difference in the pre- and post-Pentecost relationships, though the word abides shows that His ministry was not an erratic one in Old Testament times.

Today all believers are permanently indwelt.

This universality and permanency were apparently not guaranteed in Old Testament days.

Enablement for special service.

The Spirit’s special empowerment was for particular tasks like the construction of the tabernacle (Ex 31:3) as well as for other mighty works (Judg 14:6; 1 Sa 16:13).

Ryrie, C. C. (1995, c1972).

A survey of Bible doctrine.

Chicago: Moody Press.