Sermon Tone Analysis

One of key verses for us a foundational verse is Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

 

I want us to look at 1 Thessalonians 2:13, /“For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”/

From all the things we could talk about here, I want to focus on the words /“you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God.”/

I want to point out three observations about this.

 

1) The apostolic word is the word of God. 2) When it comes to us objectively, we should accept it subjectively in the right way. 3) The way to do that is to embrace it as precious, pleasant, and practical, which means, in practice to memorize it, meditate on it, make music with it, minister with it, and mind it the (five M’s).

*The Apostolic Word Is the Word of God*

Paul says in verse 13, /“When you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God.”/ Paul claims that his apostolic teaching is the word of God.

The definition of the word “apostle” is one who is sent to represent another person with authority.

I would like you to turn to Jn 16, Jesus said to the apostles in John 16:13, /“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

/

“that are to come” future

 

The way this worked itself out in the Apostle Paul’s experience is described in 1 Corinthians 2:13, where Paul says, /“And we impart this [wisdom] in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

/

 

This meant that Paul’s teaching was in fact the word of God.

It had divine truthfulness and divine authority.

Two times in 2 Corinthians Paul refers to this God-given authority that the Lord had given him as an apostle.  

2 Corinthians 10:8, /“For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed”/

And Also in Chapter 13:10 /For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down./

We can see this divine authority in action when Paul writes to the Corinthians about people who were claiming to have revelatory experiences.

He puts his authority over against theirs and says that his teaching as an apostle is the measuring rod in 1 Corinthians 14:37-38 /“If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.

If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized./

In 2 Peter 3:15-16 Peter confirms Paul’s divine authority as an apostle by saying that his writings are in the same category with the inspired scriptures of the Old Testament.

Peter says, /“Our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.

There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”/

“The other Scriptures” shows that Peter put Paul’s letters in the category with God’s inspired and authoritative scriptures.

The point is to simply show that the Bible teaches that the apostolic word is the word of God.

OK let’s go back to 1 Thess 2:13

 

1 Thessalonians 2:13, /“When you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it *really* is, the word of God.”/

I want to first point out, that the words for “received” and “accepted” are not the same.

They “received” the word of God means that it came to them in objective form.

It was handed on to them like a tradition.

Paul preached it objectively.

It would have been the word of God whether they accepted it or not.

There is an objective word of God.

That’s one of the differences between an orthodox view of Scripture and a neo-orthodox view which says that the word of man becomes the word of God if we receive it as such.

But it is not the word of God objectively until we receive it that way.

That’s not what Paul says in verse 13.

Paul says that his preaching was “really” or “truly” the word of God and they “accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God.”

The word of man does not become the word of God because it is accepted as the word of God.

We accept it because it is the word of God.

The apostolic word really is the word of God, objectively, apart from our subjective attitude toward it.

Our accepting it does not make it the word of God, we accept it because it is the word of God.

 

(What would prophecy be, again Jn 16 dreams visions the gifts of the spirit to edify the body would they not be also the word of God Ps 22:22 as it relates to prophetic singing , sing to the Lord a new song).

OK

 

The word “accepted” means more than “receive” as we receive a tradition handed on to us.

It means “welcome.”

It means “embrace” as what it is.

In 1 Corinthians 2:14.

We can see this word “accept” is used in this way

Right after Paul says that he teaches in words taught by the Holy Spirit he adds, /“The natural person does not *accept* [same word] the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”/

So the point of 1 Thessalonians 2:13 is that there is a right way to */accept /*or welcome the teachings of the Bible when we */receive/* it.

And the right way is to accept it for what it really is: the very word of God.

We should embrace it and welcome it as the word of God, because it is the word of God.

It is God’s truth and has God’s authority.

It is the rule for all other claims to truth and the rule over all other authority.

We should embrace it that way.

Now how do we do that?

What does it look like to welcome the Scriptures as the word of God?

I have a three-fold answer from the context of Thessalonians and a five-fold answer by implication based on what the Bible says elsewhere about how to use it.

*The Way to Welcome the Word of God *

Embrace it as 1. precious, 2. pleasant, and 3. practical,

which means, in practice (five-fold answer by implication) :to memorize it, meditate on it, make music~/intercession with it (two side of the same coin), minister with it, and mind it.

(five M’s).

But let’s start with the three fold answer from the context.

I want you to notice the link between the context of 1 Thessalonians 2:14 and the context of 1:6-7.

Verse 14 says that the evidence that the Thessalonians accepted the word of God for what it really is was that they suffered for it.

/“For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen.”

/

Now compare that to 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 it’s the same context: /“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”

(uh-kay-ya)./

Theres three things about how they received the word.

*1.*They received the word even though it meant “much affliction” (1Thess 1:6-7).

From that I infer that they welcomed the word as precious.

To have it and believe it and trust in it was worth more than comfort and safety.

It was if I can say a treasure.

They accepted suffering rather than give it up.

So the right way to accept the word of God is to accept it as precious – more precious than possessions and life.

And we have the word of God Prayed taught and sung at our very disposal.

How are we accepting receiving the word?

*2.*They received the word in this affliction with the “joy of the Holy Spirit.”

From that I infer that they welcomed the word of God as pleasant.

It produces joy.

Precious and pleasant.

Its what Psalm 19:10-11 says about God’s words: /“More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.11more

over your servent is warned by them”/ Gold is precious.

Honey is pleasant.

When we experience the word of God as more precious than gold and more pleasant than honey we will have embraced the word of God the way we should.

*3.*Third, they received the word as practical.

It changed their lives in visible ways.

I infer that from verse 7. “So that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

Uh-kay-ya”.

This is what Paul’s word did when they received it as what it really was, the word of God.

It was practical and life-changing.

/11more over your servent is warned by them”/

So the answer to the question, “How do you accept or welcome and embrace the Bible as the word of God the way you should?” is by accepting it or embraceing it as *precious, pleasant*, and *practical.*

More precious than gold, more pleasant than honey, practical enough to change your life.

To paraphrase Psalm 19:10.

Now let’s get as practical as we can for what we should actually do with the Word of God.

If the aim is to embrace it as precious, pleasant, and practical, what would you do with it?

The way to accept to embrace the word as precious, pleasant, and practical is to memorize it, meditate on it, make music with it, minister with it, and mind it.

1. Memorize It

If the word of God is more precious to you than gold and more pleasant than honey and more practical than all human counsel, then you will want to memorize it.

And the reason is that the preciousness of it is not mainly in having it in a book, but having it in your mind and in your heart – that’s where you experience its preciousness.