Sermon Tone Analysis

The Modern Day Church is in trouble.

I’m not a fan of Christian movies, or anything that advertises itself as Christian.

Because really, Christians are an audience that is to be marketed too.

We are a source of revenue to them, not something that is really cared about.

It seems like this attack has always been there.

Charles Spurgeon was facing what is now known as the Downgrade Controversy in his day.

He was watching the church compromise in key areas, and welcome in a soft and squishy Gospel.

A squishy Gospel is a watered down Gospel, a compromised Gospel.

He went to war, faithfully preaching God’s Word.

One of my favorite authors is AW Pink.

He died in 1952.

Like Spurgeon, he was alive during a downgrade of the Gospel among the church.

His writings are interesting, because his opponents and what he was writing against, seem to describe the modern church of today.

Not much has changed today.

We continue to see an attack upon true Christianity, upon the Gospel itself.

There truly is a downgrade facing the church.

What is happening is in an attempt to get along with the world around us, the church is compromises on truth.

She is caving when it it comes to specific truths of the Gospel and in the process she gives up not just on small points, but the very Gospel itself.

What is the Gospel?

It is good news of the work of Jesus Christ.

It is the actions of Jesus Christ.

It is salvation in Him alone.

It is Him claiming ownership over us, poor wretches, deserving of Hell.

Cleaning us up.

Restoring us.

And in His great love giving us an inheritance.

That is good news.

And any kind of downgrade makes what He has said and done a lie.

Because it says that what Jesus has made crystal clear, and what His Word clearly states is not entirely accurate.

To say that Jesus’ words are not accurate is to say that He lied.

That is blasphemy.

There is an attack upon the church.

There is a downgrade.

Let me give you an example.

This is something that I don’t want to say.

I’ve known about it for a couple months.

I didn’t want to say something, but now, and in today’s text I think it’s a good example of the downgrade facing the church.

It’s an example of a person compromising when it comes to the Gospel, the Lordship of Jesus and the exclusivity of Jesus Christ.

I didn’t want to tell you this one, because the person involved is so beloved by Christians.

In fact, just saying his name, he is the stereotype of the Christian we desire to be.

This person had no scandal, no controversy, no open and condemning sin.

It’s Billy Graham.

And he is an example of the downgrade facing the church.

He’s an example of how people compromise when it comes to truth.

In 1997, Billy Graham was interviewed by Robert Schuller, during the Hour of Power TV show.

He was lucid.

He was aware.

He was not the shell of a man or a senile old man.

Listen to the words from this interview between Robert Schuller and Billy Gram.

Graham says, “I think everybody that loves Christ or knows Christ (whether they are conscious of it or not), they’re members of the body of Christ.

.... God’s purpose for this age is to call out a people for His name.

And that’s what God is doing today.

He’s calling people out of the world for His name.

Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the nonbelieving world.

They are members of the body of Christ because they’ve been called by God.

They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their heart that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they’re saved and they’re going to be with us in heaven.”

Let me interrupt right there and say that’s not true.

I don’t know how you can love Christ or know Christ and not be conscious of it.

Knowing Christ is a conscious thing.

Specifically it’s Christ that we know.

Peter and John were questioned in .

Let me interrupt right there and say that’s not true.

He is saying that there are people in heaven who don’t know Christ.

They were told you can keep doing what your doing, just don’t mention Jesus.

They have never repented.

Knowing Christ is a conscious thing.

He is not their Lord.

Specifically it’s Christ that we know.

They are not following Him, but they are in heaven.

Remember what they said?

And why are they in heaven?

Because they believe in a god.

Scripture is clear, being a nice person, even believing in God is not the Gospel, nor is it what gets you to heaven.

It’s only Jesus, the 2nd member of the Trinity.

Peter and John were questioned in .

Peter and John were questioned in .

They were told you can keep doing what your doing, just don’t mention Jesus.

, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Remember what they said?

Our confession is in Christ specifically.

, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Graham continues, “And I don’t think we’re going to see a great, sweeping revival that will turn the whole world to Christ at any time. . . .

God’s purpose for this age is to call out a people for His name.

And that’s what God is doing today.

He’s calling people out of the world for His name.

Whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the nonbelieving world.

They are members of the body of Christ because they’ve been called by God.

They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their heart that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they’re saved and they’re going to be with us in heaven.”

Our confession is in Christ specifically.

, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Maybe you think I’m looking too deeply into Graham’s words, thankfully, Schuller was there to clear things up (something he normally doesn’t do.

Schuller says, “What I hear you saying is that it’s possible for Jesus Christ to come into human hearts and soul and life, even if they’ve been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the Bible.

Is that a correct interpretation of what you’re saying?”

And Graham says, “Yes it is, because I believe that.

I’ve met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations, that they have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, and never heard of Jesus, but they’ve believed in their hearts that there was a god, and they’ve tried to live a life that was apart from the surrounding community in which they lived.”

Let me summarize that.

He says that if you believe in a god and are moral this is good enough.

If that is true, then why did Jesus need to die if you don’t need Jesus?

If that is true why did the martyrs spill their blood for the name of Jesus?