Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

As stated last week, we are looking at, “...how the gospel creates the church and the church spreads the gospel, and how the gospel shapes the church, as the church seeks to live a life that is worthy of the gospel” (John Stott).

We began looking at...

I.

The Church of God - (1:1b-4)

There are four lessons for our text:

1.

The Church is a Community which LIVES “...in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” - (1:1b)

The Church—this Church, belongs to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Of all the things we can do, the church should only do what only the church can do!

2. The Church is a Community which is MARKED by “Grace and Peace” - (1:1c)

Within that greeting is an important truth: we are to be marked by grace and peace, because we have all RECEIVED grace and peace!

3. The Church is a Community which is DISTINGUISHED by Faith, Love, and Hope - (1:3)

Last week we looked at two aspects of these Christian qualities:

FIRST, Each is OUTGOING!

Faith is directed towards God, love towards others, and hope towards the future!

J.B. Lightfoot writes, “Faith rests on the past; love works in the present; hope looks to the future.”

SECOND, Each is PRODUCTIVE!

These are not abstract qualities, rather they have concrete, practical results!

Faith WORKS!

Love LABORS (from kopou - ‘intense labor, toil’)!

Hope ENDURES!

We ended with a couple of voices from Church history:

John Calvin (1550) refers to this passage as, “…a brief definition of true Christianity.”

Johann Bengel (1866), “…in these (sc.

faith, hope and love) the whole of Christianity […] consists.”

4. The Church is a Community which is LOVED and CHOSEN by God - (1:4)

Again, from Stott,

To whatever denomination or tradition we may belong, the doctrine of election causes us difficulties and questions.

To be sure, it is a truth which runs through Scripture, beginning with God’s call of Abraham (Gen 12:1) and later his choice of Israel ‘out of all nations’ to be his ‘treasured possession […] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ (Ex 19:5-6).

This vocabulary is deliberately transferred in the New Testament to the Christian community.

Moreover, the topic of election is nearly always introduced for a practical purpose, in order to foster assurance (not presumption), holiness (not moral apathy), humility (not pride) and witness (not lazy selfishness).

But still no explanation of God’s election is given except God’s love.

The LOVE of God!

​Deuteronomy 7:7–8 ESVIt was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

IN the same way, Paul unites the love of God and the election of God - (1:4)!

He chose us because He loves us!

This is a consistent message of the NT:

The CHOICE of God - (v.4b)

Do you know you were chosen by God?

As difficult as this may be to understand, or accept, it is TRUE!

ἐκλογὴν - Noun - “election, selection, choice, chosen” - Used 7 times in the NT.

Whether you understand it, or not, you get to go to heaven because of God’s call and election!

ἐκλεκτός - Adjective - ‘chosen, select, elect’ - Used 23 times in the NT.

ἐκλέγομαι - Verb - “choose, select, elect” - Also used 23 times in NT.

Even though I do not pretend to understand how this all works (my free will and God’s election), I know it’s true.

Though that may sound as a cop-out, I refuse to limit God to my capacity to understand God—especially when God’s Word clearly teaches both—the necessity of FAITH, and the ELECTION or CHOICE of GOD!

Sometimes in the SAME PASSAGE:

That we must BELIEVE in the Gospel is as clear as the teaching of God’s election:

If belief is not necessary, somebody should have told Jesus.

He repeatedly taught the necessity of belief:

John tells us the purpose of his Gospel is that we might believe!

AND THAT’S JUST THE GOSPELS!

I am not exaggerating to say we could stay all afternoon if we were to read every passage that calls for us to believe!

Perhaps a comment from one of Andrew’s professors is appropriate: “The doctrine of election is not for unbelievers, but for believers!”

Election is the ASSURANCE of God’s love!

Which, by the way, is the only MOTIVE and/or EXPLANATION for both belief and election: GOD’S LOVE!

As far as being able to understand this completely, I would direct your thoughts to God’s Word to the prophet Isaiah:

Conclusion to Part Three...

What have we learned?

The Church is a community which lives in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church is a community marked with grace and peace.

The Church is a community distinguished by faith, love, and hope.

The Church is a community which is loved and chosen by God.