Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

The priority of evangelism makes this particular foundational element critical.

It is significant that it is even mentioned in this upper room discourse.

We need to take some time in order to develop this.

Remember, the Lord is teaching His disciples concerning His ministry, which they were to carry on (Acts 1:1-3).

The foundational element in His work in the world is love.

Love Is The Greatest Commandment.

Love is the Essence of the Nature of God.

Love is the Foundation of the Church.

Love is the Foundation of Evangelism.

Let’s look at this in greater detail.

THE LOVE OF GOD IN THE WORLD:

When God created the world, it is safe to say that He created it in love.

Adam and Eve, since to love God is the greatest commandment, must have been created in love to love God and be loved by God.

When they fell, their love for God was tempted away from God towards themselves.

Remember, love is best defined as commitment or allegiance.

It is the priority of commitment that one has to another.

The tempter, under the form of a serpent, approached Eve.

He denied the threatenings of God, and deceived her as to the real consequences of eating the forbidden fruit.

This, followed by the enticement of her own senses, led Eve first to eat, and then to induce her husband to do likewise.

Their sin had its immediate consequence.

They had aimed to be “as gods,” and, instead of absolutely submitting themselves to the command of the Lord, acted independently of Him.

And now their eyes were indeed opened, as the tempter had promised, “to know good and evil;” but only in their own guilty knowledge of sin, which immediately prompted the wish to hide themselves from the presence of God.

Thus, their alienation and departure from God, the condemning voice of their conscience, and their sorrow and shame gave evidence that the Divine threatening had already been accomplished: “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Therefore, since that time, man has loved himself and has hated God.

However, when God would save some, it can rightly be described as “love,”

God shows love to the transgressor.

The sinner loves God.

Salvation is, then, a restoration of love between God and His people.

Consider this:

Israel was condemned by God for not loving them.

Israel was called to love God.

The language of deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the other gods is “love” and “lovingkindness.”

The commitment that YHWH had towards Israel and her fathers is the essence of love.

YHWH is calling Israel back from her lovers as in the latter prophets.

God called the idols to which Israel turned “lovers.”

The metaphor is that of those things that one has committed himself to.

The nature of the idols is that of sensuality, lust, perversion, and godlessness.

However, when Israel is said to have worshiped idols, they were said to go after those things they loved more than their God, YHWH.

The world is also condemned for its love of itself.

All sins can be summarized into expressions, then, in one perverted form or another, of hatred of God and love for idols which were created in the heart as lovers.

For Israel, it was the other nations.

For the world, it is darkness (or unrighteousness) itself.

Therefore, in order to be reconciled to God, man must love God supremely, even more than themselves.

Thus, we who are believers in God through Christ, who love God in this manner, are clearly those who know Him.

And, as the world looks at us, and they learn of these things, they will see that we know God as well.

This is THE most effective way to “evangelize” since power of the gospel is most evident in people who love unnaturally.

It is critical that those who proclaim Christ are patterns of who Christ is.

Evangelism:

Evangelism, then, must be understood as a call to the world to stop loving idols and return to God and love Him exclusively.

Paul:

Paul’s call to all the regions he visited was that men would repent (“turn from”)idols and “turn” to God, performing deeds worthy of and consistent with repentance.

Jesus commanded His church is to go into the world and make disciples.

This certainly speaks to individual evangelism.

However, there has always been missing a component that I would like to emphasize given the emphasis upon the local assembly that we have made over the last couple weeks.

Remember, Jesus said:

Thus the context of this command is the relationships of disciples.

It is in the relationships of the disciples that demonstrate the love that comes from God alone.

And until the world sees disciples truly committed to one another in the name of Jesus Christ, they cannot conclude that we are His disciples.

“Speaking tongues” = selfish motives

“Prophesying” = selfless motives

v.1 = Pursue love…desire to prophesy (teach).

v.2 = First century languages were known only to the speaker without an interpreter.

v.3 = Teaching is for the edification, exhortation, and consolation of another.

v.4 = Summary:

Tongues = edifies the speaker.

Prophecy/teaching = edifies others.

= Love.

Remember, the ministry is to be done in a context of love

But, love is not emotional, personal, or self-directed.

Love, in the kingdom of God is towards God first and simultaneously toward His children.

Therefore, loving one another can mean a lot of things.

But, for our emphasis today, loving one another is best seen on the Lord’s Day assembly of the church as the location for all of our spiritual gifts to be expressed.

Conclusion