Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Devotional:

Think about starting with “Entering into the life of God” at beginning of Watson’s book.

What does it mean to enter into the life of God?

How do we do this?

Remember:

Weekly schedule:

1. Lecture on topic

2. Teaching on Matthew

3. Q&A - Bring your questions for sure!

Review of last time:

David Watson:

In this book, I want to argue a singular point: the Bible is a form of divine communication meant to lead us more fully into the life of God.

Put in theological terms, we might say that through the Bible we receive divine revelation, the purpose of which is soteriological.

In other words, the purpose of God’s Word is salvation for the world.

John Wesley believed that Scripture shows us “the way to heaven—how to land safe on that happy shore. . . .

Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men.

I sit down alone: only God is here.

In his presence I open, I read his Book; for this end, to find the way to heaven.” 9 Or to put it in yet another way, God speaks to us through the Bible and leads us into salvation.

God loves us and wishes us to return that love.

When we do, we enter more fully into the divine life.

The Bible is a “book of meeting.” 10 It draws us ever more deeply into a relationship with the God who came to us in Jesus Christ.

In light of this, our first posture toward the Bible should be one of gratitude, not criticism.

We will keep this definition going with us for a while....

The Canon: Means, “Rule” or “measuring rod” and determined to be authoritative texts that bring us to this definition of scriptures that speak to the narrative of Jesus in His redemptive history.

The Bible: The Protestant Bible as we have it: 66 books; 39 in the OT, 27 in the NT.

Heresies and councils: that brought leaders together to determine orthodox faith....to determine the rule or the measuring rod.

If you missed last time we were just trying to establish this.

for example, Marcion

Make it official!

in the 4th and into the 5th century this canon begins to become official.

Why is it important to have the whole canon and study the whole text?

The Bible came to us through people, but it came to us from God.

As the theologian Kevin Vanhoozer wrote, to think about the canon of Scripture as a unified work is to suggest a divine intention behind its unity.

We will miss the completeness of the Bible unless we understand that its completeness is the result of the work of God. 5 In other words, the reason we read the different parts of the Bible in light of one another is that God intends for us to do so.

It is not simply the church that has given us the Bible; it is God.

The Bible, then, is not just a collection of works ; it is a work .

6 The writings of the Bible function collectively to teach us about the faith and lead us into the life of God.

David F. Watson.

Scripture and the Life of God (Kindle Locations 1491-1496).

The Bible: Inspired and Authoritative

Inspiration

Can I just claim to have authority in anything?

I might claim to be an authority with the Bible.

What would make that true, hypothetically?

What do you think of when I ask you about inspiration?

What does it mean to say the Bible is inspired?

credibility?

time invested?

knowledge?