Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Is my belief reckless or real?

Text:

Series: Let's Be a Christ-centered Church

Introductory Thoughts:

Charles Spurgeon is quoted as saying, “...Truth alone must determine our alignments.

Truth comes before unity.

Unity without truth is hazardous.

Our Lord’s prayer in must be read in its full context.

Look at verse 17: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.”

Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ.

To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.

[The Essence of Separation, quoted in The Berean Call, July, 1992, p. 4]

Eccumenicalism

The question this morning is then not whether we should unify around the truth of the gospel but whether we deeply understand and believe the truth around which we should be unified.

“To remain divided is sinful!

Did not our Lord pray, that they may be one, even as we are one”?

().

A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune.

What they are saying is, “Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless... Unite, unite!”

Illustration:

Recently, I was looking at a vehicle.

In my estimation, it was in good shape.

I was going to make a decision about purchasing the vehicle, but before I did, I wanted a mechanic to look at the vehicle.

He pointed out things that needed to be addressed....Though we were talking about the same vehicle, we did not know or understand the vehicle in the same way…to make a purchase without really knowing what we are getting is at best foolish and at worst reckless.

The term the gospel (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον), as Dunn argues in a recent extended consideration of the word, is predominantly Pauline (60 out of 76 occurrences in the New Testament)

Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous.

Truth alone must determine our alignments.

Truth comes before unity.

Unity without truth is hazardous.

Our Lord’s prayer in must be read in its full context.

Look at verse 17: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.”

Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ.

To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.

Thiselton, A. C. (2000).

The First Epistle to the Corinthians: a commentary on the Greek text (p.

1184).

Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

Many Christians became believers because it was the common sense decision to make; but their understanding and application of the same saving gospel has been stunted since birth.

You hear their lack of compassion on social media

You see their lack of commitment in the assembly

You see them quitting what they’ve done for years

You see their lack of commitment to evangelism

You see them chasing their children to the soccer fields and even to college

What are we to make of all of this?

We must conclude that either the gospel does NOT radically change lives or that they have a childish, incomplete understanding of the gospel.

Charles H. Spurgeon, The Essence of Separation, quoted in The Berean Call, July, 1992, p. 4

Proposition:

It is imperative that we not only sincerely believe the gospel but that we continue to grow to understand the same gospel!

1. Paul offers characteristics of the gospel (v. 1 - 2)

The term the gospel (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον), as Dunn argues in a recent extended consideration of the word, is predominantly Pauline (60 out of 76 occurrences in the New Testament)

Thiselton, A. C. (2000).

The First Epistle to the Corinthians: a commentary on the Greek text (p.

1184).

Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

which I preached unto you

“declare” - i make known to you, I reveal to you.

It is often understood as the word “remind”

“preached” - proclaimed, same root at “gospel” - gospel-ized to you…why because it is “good news” and good news is to be proclaimed -

See Also,

which also ye have received

Not only a gospel to be transmitted but it is to be received.

the language of “receiving” was used for the transmission of traditional material.

Just as the Corinthians had received the tradition of the Lord’s Supper from him, they had also received the gospel message and entered into their Christian identity through Paul’s ministry

Paul had received from Christ -

wherein ye stand

This means wherein they are established.

Their standing before God is in the gospel.

-

Their standing before men must be clearly in the gospel.

By which also ye are saved

By which you are “being saved”

Past, Present, and Ongoing Future

Principle:

The gospel is the same message, though their understanding of the gospel needs to be matured.

Application:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT just a destination fix!

The gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT just some formula!

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that was initially received and continues to nourish our growth to become more like Jesus.

Illustration: Our daughter has been using these small gelatin-like balls.

You place them in water and they expand...

Once you’ve been placed in the gospel, it is the same substance that causes you to continue to grow.

2. Paul offers a conclusion with a qualification (v. 2)

if ye keep in memory what I preached

unless ye have believed in vain

Here Paul envisages the possibility of such a superficial or confused appropriation of the gospel in which no coherent grasp of its logical or practical entailments for eschatology or for practical discipleship had been reached.

Incoherent belief is different from believing in vain.

Thiselton, A. C. (2000).

The First Epistle to the Corinthians: a commentary on the Greek text (p.

1186).

Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

Thiselton, A. C. (2000).

The First Epistle to the Corinthians: a commentary on the Greek text (p.

1186).

Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

Principle:

If you have really understood the good news, then there will be a practical continuation in your life.

Application:

3. Paul is confronting confusion with the Corinthian Christians (v. 12, 35)

how say some

how are the dead raised up?

The Corinthians are not in open rebellion against the teaching of the Resurrection.

They are confused because of some apparent Hellenistic beliefs.

(, ).

But how did believers in Christ come by such a denial?

Although several answers have been given to this question, the most likely is related to what has been argued right along, that it reflects the conflict between them and Paul over what it means to be pneumatikos (“a Spirit person”).

In their view, by the reception of the Spirit, and especially the gift of tongues, they had already entered the true “spirituality” that is to be (4:8); already they had begun a form of angelic existence (13:1; cf.

4:9; 7:1–7) in which the body was unnecessary and unwanted, and would finally be discarded altogether.