Sermon Tone Analysis

When I was about age six, a tall, pale white man stumbled into my home village of Dibagat in the northern jungles of the Philippine island of Luzon.

The man didn’t speak our language, so our elders asked him the best they knew how, “Why are you here?”

“I’ve come to learn your language,” he said.

“I’d like to write it down and then give you God’s Word in your language.”

We started teaching this man, Dick Roe, our language.

Maybe his God could free us from the spirits.

When I was about thirteen, Dick had to return to the United States to raise support for his ministry.

Before he left, he translated the gospel of Mark and gave me a copy.

Sitting on top of a rock, I read the gospel of Mark in my heart language.

It felt like I was actually there, seeing the characters.

The further I read, the more distressed I felt.

A mob of people came to get Jesus out of the garden of Gethsemane.

What did he do wrong?

They accused him of all kinds of false things.

They mocked him, spat on him, beat him, and took him before Pilate.

Then came the scourge and the crown of thorns.

It was excruciating to read that they forced him to carry a wooden cross and then nailed him to it.

Deep in my heart, a hatred of God swelled.

I shook my fist and shouted, “I hate you, God, for being so powerless!

Why should I believe in a powerless God like you?”

I threw the gospel of Mark down to the rocks and started walking home.

I couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t protect his own Son.

Our headhunters defended us to the death.

Because of them, no one could touch us.

I wanted a god like that, someone who would protect me from the spirits that demanded we sacrifice our cows, chickens, pigs, and dogs.

This God didn’t even save his own Son.

Suddenly God reached down into my heart.

“Nard, don’t you understand?”

I heard him say.

“That’s how much I love you.

I gave my Son on your behalf.”

For the first time, I understood grace.

I understood how much God loved me.

“God, if you love me that much,” I prayed, “I want to give you my life, my heart.

It’s all yours.”

I went back and began to read further in Mark.

I read that Jesus rose from the grave on the third day.

Nobody in all of Dibagat, nobody from among the Isnag people, had ever risen from the grave.

The resurrection story changed my life.

—Nard Pugyao, “Penetrating Power,” Decision (July–August 2006)

When I was about age six, a tall, pale white man stumbled into my home village of Dibagat in the northern jungles of the Philippine island of Luzon.

The man didn’t speak our language, so our elders asked him the best they knew how, “Why are you here?”

“I’ve come to learn your language,” he said.

“I’d like to write it down and then give you God’s Word in your language.”

We started teaching this man, Dick Roe, our language.

Maybe his God could free us from the spirits.

When I was about thirteen, Dick had to return home to raise support for his ministry.

Before he left, he had translated the gospel of Mark and he gave me a copy.

Sitting on top of a rock, I read the gospel of Mark in my native language.

It felt like I was actually there, seeing the characters.

The further I read, the more distressed I felt.

A mob of people came to get Jesus out of the garden of Gethsemane.

What did he do wrong?

They accused him of all kinds of false things.

They mocked him, spat on him, beat him, and took him before Pilate.

Then came the scourge and the crown of thorns.

It was excruciating to read that they forced him to carry a wooden cross and then they ...nailed him …onto it.

Deep in my heart, an anger with God welled up inside me.

I shook my fist and shouted, “I hate you, God, for being so powerless!

Why should I believe in a powerless God like you?”

I threw the gospel of Mark down to the rocks and started walking home.

I couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t protect his own Son.

Our headhunters defended us to the death.

Because of them, no one could touch us.

I wanted a god like that, someone who would protect me from the spirits — one who perhaps demanded we sacrifice our cows, chickens, pigs, and dogs.

This God didn’t even save his own Son.

Suddenly God reached down into my heart.

“Nard, don’t you understand?”

I heard him say.

“That’s how much I love you.

I gave my Son on your behalf.”

For the first time, I understood grace.

“God, if you love me that much,” I prayed, “I want to give you my life, my heart.

It’s all yours.”

I went back and began to read further in read that Jesus rose from the grave on the third day.

Nobody in all of Dibagat, nobody from among the Isnag people, had ever risen from the grave.

The resurrection story changed my life.

—Nard Pugyao, “Penetrating Power,” Decision (July–August 2006)

—Nard Pugyao, “Penetrating Power,” Decision (July–August 2006)

Reading a story, like the gospel story, as much as it’s contained in the gospel of Mark, is something to do most carefully.

It’s important to know the pre-story and the post-story.

Otherwise you’ll get the story from the wrong perspective.

You might get things …SO back to front ...like the young man, Nard.

We have come near to the end of our equipping series on the gospel.

My prayer is that you are becoming better equipped to more clearly and more fully share the gospel message of Jesus with others.

Last week we have reminded ourselves from Paul’s summary of the gospel — at the beginning of — that the gospel message is intended to be clear, that it is is intended to savingly communicate life to others, and that it must be seen and heard as the crucial, centre-core of the Bible...

That’s what we learned last week from the first 2 & 1/2 verses of our chapter in Corinthians.

Now we come into the last couple of phrases of Paul’s summary of the gospel at the end of verse 3.

The crucially important gospel message is this, in summary:

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THAT Christ, that the Messiah, died for our sins according to the Scriptures

How should we handle this first part of Paul’s abbreviated gospel message?

Paul’s saying that this message about Jesus and His saving Kingdom is this:

Firstly, that the Saviour, this messiah, Jesus, DIED FOR OUR SINS, and

secondly, that this death for our sins was effected in a way which was, prescribed by, or, done,

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES.

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

Paul doesn’t say what OT texts he has in mind in v.3.

He may have had the kind of thing Jesus himself taught after his resurrection,

when He explained to His disciples “what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” ().