Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

Well, tonight is one of my favorite subjects to discuss and that is on the Power of the Word of God.

And what I want to focus in on is that our ministry, that is where our trust needs to be is in giving out the scriptures because that’s the power of God that is going to touch people’s lives, and from time to time, there will be the temptation to say well maybe I need to try something different, this doesn’t seem to be bringing about the effect that I want, and so people turn to maybe some means that will work, on the surface and appear to be brining growth or increase but really in the long run are not bringing the type of growth that the Lord is desiring.

And I’m convinced that as I study the Bible that the Lord would have us to focus on the scripture giving out the Word of God to people and that would be the very basis of our ministry and I want to look at that tonight and give you some foundational truths on that point.

And we are going to start in 1 Thessalonians, and I think this aspect needs to begin in your heart.

Your heart has to be convinced that the Word of God is sufficient and powerful enough to bring about the change and bring about Salvation and equipping of the saints as well as for the sanctifying work that God wants to do.

And in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 1 Paul is bringing this church back to his first time that he was with them and then in vs. 2 he says we give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father so, good things are happening in this young church.

Speaks about Faith, Love and Hope, the primary aspects were there, knowing beloved brethren your election by God and in here Paul refers back to when he was among them.

He says for our gospel did not come to you in word only.

So, it wasn’t just a message but also in power and in the Holy Spirit.

And I don’t think he’s talking about demonstration of miracles but he’s talking about he Word of God when out in power and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

And so it wasn’t just a memorized sermon or speech or a philosophy but it was the Word of God that the Holy Spirit had anointed, and that’s really the, I don’t’ like to call it a secret but just the basic bottom line philosophy of Calvary Chapel.

We believe that the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and affects the people of God with it, and that’s it, that’s the bottom line, that’s where our confidence is and we don’t want to veer from that.

And so we believe as the Word of God is taught, it goes out, in power and the Holy Spirit, the Power of God is working through the Word of God.

And Paul, here is the part I want to focus on, and he says in much assurance, and in much assurance, now Paul’s not saying how they received the Word of God, he’s going to get to that in Chapter 2, but he’s talking about how it came through his life.

He sensed the power of God at work, you know it wasn’t a memorized word or philosophy but it was the scriptures and it came out in power but it also came out or through his life through much assurance and what he’s talking about is not the impact that the word had on the believers that they were much assured that it was true but, the heart attitude that Paul the apostle had.

And that’s where our heart needs to be, that’s the bottom line.

Otherwise we will look to other means to bring in growth, to motivate the people, to get people to do things rather than just having a confidence that if you teach the Word of God let that work in the hearts and minds of individuals and that will touch people.

That will bring this Faith, Love and Hope rather than through manipulation or through gimmicks or through programs, it’s God’s power, it’s through the Word, and so as a teacher, as a leader of a ministry, that’s where you’re focus needs to be and if you are a leader than you need to be discipling people in the Word of God.

It was interesting over the summer I just began to pray, I said, Lord what is it that you would want me to do with the men that I am meeting with that are in a place of leadership.

And I didn’t really have any real strong direction through the summer and I just kept waiting on the Lord and I didn’t want to just do anything, and then it dawned on me that what I do, is I go out and listen to a study that Jeff Johnson does every Thursday morning for pastors in the area and I was sensing just a radical impact that those studies were having upon my own life, so it’s like DUH what I need to do is get into the Word of God with these men.

And so we’re going to do that, is get back into the scripture and go through the Book of Nehemiah and look at the opposition and the rebuilding and just let the Holy Spirit take the Word of God and build these men’s lives up.

Simple and it’s not that I have any great things to say out of Nehemiah but it’s the Word of God that is going to be powerful, speaking to us, equipping us, preparing our hearts for what the Lord is desiring to do and so my confidence just in the Word to pass on the Word of God as I do, as I receive from Pastor Jeff as he has been ministering to us over the last year in the Book of Nehemiah, I’ve gleaned a lot of insight and things for my own character, for my own life and then just passing that on with the word and that’s where my confidence is, it’s the scripture, I don’t have any or know if I ever had any necessary “discipleship” program, I believe you just focus on the scriptures and I have confidence in that, that that is what is going to build people up.

And that’s where the heart of the teacher needs to be.

That it’s the Word and not my clever speech and my insight into the scripture but just passing on the truth of God’s Word.

We have much assurance in that, and that’s going to help people, it’s going to build people up.

Now look at, this is where it is helpful when people have a ready heart to receive it, then when the teacher has ultimate confidence in the Word and then you have open hearts, I think that’s the match you’re looking for.

So look at 1 Thessalonians Chapter 2 vs. 13, it says for this reason, we also thank God without ceasing because when you receive the Word of God which you heard from us you welcomed it.

And so, notice that he mentions the word receiving but he also says he welcomes the word, yes you received it but you went even further than that, it’s like the simple little stretch of a welcome mat at the door, it’s like come on into my heart, come on into my life.

It was a readiness to receive the Word of God.

And I believe that this church was a strong growing healthy church even though it was a young church in the Lord, and he speaks of their faith being heard throughout the area and that’s because they had welcomed the Word of God, and so the best mix is when the individual that’s teaching has confidence in the Word, not in his own insight and the way he puts the sermon together, like that’s all the important aspect, there is a degree of importance to that, but his confidence is in the Word just to explain the scriptures and then people’s hearts are ready to receive it, they come with the willingness to receive.

And he says what happens is the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed, not as the Word of Men but as it is in truth, the Word of God which also effectively works in you who believe.

And so, as we give out the scriptures, it’s going to work in the heart of individuals and that’s what is going to bring about the transformation and the change.

And that’s where the power of God is going to work when hearts are receptive to it.

Now, I believe that is where people are going to grow, those that come with a ready heart to receive and to be built up and those who have their mind on other things, well part of it will get through and part of it won’t.

But as far as your roll as a teacher, you need to say, this is what I need to give out to people.

And that will force you in the way that you study to make sure that you’re presenting the Word of God accurately, you want to handle it and rightly divide it so that the Word of God goes out in power, it’s not your words, it’s God’s Word going out and then your prayer goes out, Lord prepare the hearts of the individuals that they would be attentive physically, emotionally, spiritually to receive the Word of God.

And then it just comes as a great match and it’s like the sewer the seed goes out and there is that hundred fold fruit.

And it effectively works.

There is power, it’s that work of power, it works in the life of the individual.

And to me, that is so simple and it’s so freeing that I don’t have to borrow anyone else’s style in the way that they teach, oh, he did this over here and that worked and that’s what a lot of individuals are doing and a lot of people are looking at well that works over here and it works over here and so I’ll try it, no.

You just need to be plugging away in the scriptures.

Jr.

High, High School, Children’s Ministry, you need to give them the Word of God.

And obviously it is given out a little bit different in those age brackets but that’s where are focus needs to be, it’s getting kids as well as adults into the scriptures.

Because it’s going to effectively work.

Now, let’s take a little bit of a detour here because I want to also relate to what the counterfeit is of the power of God and these words that are described here this effectively working speak to God’s power.

Turn over to 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, vs 9, Paul is going to talk about obviously in the future about the Anti-Christ here and he’s going to speak about something that also works through his life.

Verse 1, says the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan.

So Satan also has a working or a power that is going to be demonstrated in people’s lives.

And it says with power which is miracles, signs and lying wonders.

And these three terms, power signs and wonders are the same terms that are used to describe the ministry of Jesus Christ in Acts 2 vs. 22.

As well as the ministry of the apostles that they went about doing, power, signs and wonders in Hebrews Chapter 2 vs. 4.  Now it says a man is going to come and do those same things.

That’s what Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24 saying that there are going to be false Christ and they are going to work miracles and bring about deception even from among the elect if that was possible.

So, it’s not as if there is trickery going on, there is a power that goes out but it’s a false power.

And I think that is what we need to be careful of.

Our confidence needs to be in the scriptures and there is something happening in the church and I am by no means any expert on all the phenomena that is happening and taking place within every church but I believe there is some power that is going out but if it’s not lined up with the scriptures you are in dangerous, dangerous, dangerous grounds.

Again, that’s where my confidence comes in, in 1 Thessalonians that I teach the Word of God if there is some sort of manifestation that is not found in the scriptures, I don’t claim to be wise enough to be able to determine every manifestation is it from God or not?

So, I go back to the scripture, where there is a solid foundation, and if it’s not in the Word, then I do not need it.

I believe that is what 2 Timothy says, that I am complete in every good work.

And you know I’ll deal with even some of the controversial ones that some people say, well maybe it’s acceptable.

I don’t find anywhere in the Bible slaying in the spirit.

It’s not in the scriptures so I believe that I do not need that.

I don’t need to be knocked over on my back and experience the Power of God that way because I do not find it happening in the life of Jesus, in the life of the apostles or in the life of anyone within the Word of God.

Now, can God take me and knock me down to the ground, absolutely, he can knock me from here out to the universe if He wanted to.

But if it’s not in the Word, it’s not an experience that we should seek.

And if it happens, I don’t know how to describe it.

I think that a lot of this stuff is the power of suggestion while they saw this person do this and so you line up and there are people that have admitted to that, while you know you’re kind of under pressure so you do what everyone else does.

Either that or there is a power that is at work, but it’s not the Power of God.

And where is your confidence?

My confidence is that if it’s not in the scriptures, I don’t need it.

I don’t need to follow after it, I don’t need to seek it.

I mean, not only do I not find slain in the spirit I surely don’t find people making animal noises, dog and pig noises in the church.

See but that’s the issue.

If you don’t go simply by the Word of God, where do you stop?

Where are the parameters?

The parameters are once again thrown back on you, Oh, I sense this is the spirit, oh, I sense this is God.

Hey, there are going to be lying signs and wonders that are so good that even if it was possible even the elect would be deceived, fall away into perdition that means.

And so there is something happening, I did read some accounts, Roger Oakland, someone sent me a book in the mail about these revival things that are going on, that one in Florida.

And it spoke about a Christian lady, I believe there is no reason to doubt that, spoke of her going to that meeting and she said the Power of God slammed her up against the wall and she fell and she was going through convulsions and even on the way home she was going through convulsions and even after, months after, she would still have these convulsions.

Now she associates it with the Power of God.

Now why is that?

Well because something touched her.

She experienced something.

I don’t believe all these people are lying that they felt something but how do we determine the truth?

You determine truth by “it is written” not by I experienced this by senses and you are on dangerous ground if you do not have that mentality that your confidence is only in the Bible not in yourself.

Because again, I could sit in a meeting, you could sit in a meeting and we could see something and I could say, well I sense that’s God, the next person is just as much as Christian, says I don’t sense It’s God.

Where do we find a point to discuss, where is the point of authority?

My insight or my spirituality maybe on the same level, no, we have to go back to the scriptures.

And so, the bottom line is we need to make sure that everything that happens in our ministry we could look to the scripture and that’s where our confidence needs to be.

And in that, and in that alone.

And if it’s not there, then we don’t’ need it.

It’s not going to be necessary for your spiritual growth.

Look over at 2 Timothy Chapter 3 and we’ve looked at this passage vs 16-17, and I do point out in the notes that this word for working is the same one that Paul uses in the first three chapters of Ephesians which speaks about the Power of God working in us.

You know, I surely don’t want individuals that would go through this school, be involved in ministry and unusual things are taking place in their ministry that are found outside the scripture and then you claim, well, I went to Calvary Chapel Bible Ministry School.

That will not bless my heart.

If you operate to the Word of God, then that’s where you’re confidence is, that’s what we want to see take place here.

And, I’ll kind of go out in a limb here a little bit more, If you’re in a ministry and that’s not the philosophy of your ministry, you may want to seek changes in that ministry or if you’re in a place where you want to be involved in God’s work, you need to be able to support what’s happening in the church 100%.

Especially if you want to grow in place of leadership.

Because it’s going to come to a point, it’s going to come to a head and you don’t’ want to be a source of division.