Sermon Tone Analysis

Greeting / Open the message in prayer

Continuing our series called Foundations for Evangelism.

Today we are going to talk about what does “biblical” really mean.

Much like Tad’s sermon on the cannon a few weeks ago, this sermon is going to be more teaching focused that is usual for us.

It seems to go without saying “biblical” and evangelism go hand-in-hand.

So, why am I preaching about it?

If we are going to tell people about the God of the Bible, we should probably make sure what we are saying is correct to the best of our ability.

[Example] Me going through OT scripture when I was a young Christian - find things that sounded good and then holding on to them because they were “biblical.”

How I explained the Bible to people 20 years ago would definitely be different than how I explain things today.

I didn’t have anyone to give me the tools, or the guidance necessary to help me think through some of the stuff that was presented to me as being “biblical” and that I parroted to others as being “biblical.”

I lacked discernment, and, I bought into some common understandings of certain scriptures that were not correct.

We, as disciples of Christ, must do better.

Picking up from Don’s sermon a couple of weeks ago, 2 Tim 3:16

There is no question about the importance of Scripture, but we must always remember that Scripture was written for us, but not to us.

It was written to a particular people, in a particular culture, at a particular time in history.

This requires that we spend a little time understanding what it was saying to them, so we can understand what it is saying to us.

So, is something “biblical” just because it is in the Bible?

Discuss our culture - “biblical” is everywhere..

Biblical Leadership

Biblical investing

Biblical justice

Biblical foods

“And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them.

(Eze 4:9 ESV) (bread of witness against Israel)

And, how about

Biblical voting?

Confused yet?

If you are, that makes two of us - it can be a bit overwhelming when you think about it.

What does the word “biblical” really mean?

A standard dictionary definition is:

Biblical: Of, relating to, or contained in the Bible.

I think most of us hearing that definition would probably say, “Yup - I think that is a pretty descent definition.”

For now, lets roll with that definition - just keep it in mind as we explore this issue.

Tonight, I’m just going to take two pieces of Scripture for this message - one OT and one NT.

What we’re going to do is take a look at these examples and how they are generally understood, then we are going to look at a tool to help us better interpret scripture, and then take another look at those examples and see if the common understanding holds up on review.

Make sense?

This verse is plastered all over Facebook, Pinterest and living room walls.

In general, this verse is often presented as a comfort verse that “good things are on the way for you” or “God has plans to prosper you.”

Implying that if you believe in “God,” all things are going to go good for you because God has a plan for your life - and it is for you to prosper!

But, how else are we supposed to read this?

The Bible says it, it’s there in black-and-white - “plans to prosper me.”

I can stand on the promise that God has a plan to prosper me - its biblical, right?

Can you see some ways this understanding might cause harm?

Might be abused?

Now, let’s look at what is probably the most quoted NT verse after Jn 3:16:

The understanding here is that, with God on your side, you can accomplish anything - It is a rallying cry for human ambition - I can climb any mountain, press harder and faster, cross any sea, because Christ strengthens me.

Again, how else are we to read this - it is in black-and-white - I (me) can do all things; not some things, not a few things, but all things.

Its biblical, right?

Can you see ways this understanding might cause harm?

Might be abused?

OK, lets set those two verses aside for a few minutes and talk about this idea that the Bible was written for us, but not to us.

Today, I’m going to introduce you to a tool from some training called Bible Pathways.

It is program designed to help pastors in remote areas, but it is useful for our topic today - so I’m just going to introduce the very basics.

This process is not new - in fact it is quite old - but this is just a simple way to remember some of these foundational things for studying Scripture.

At the top of this triangle you see “God’s message” i.e.

Scripture.

In the lower right you see “Original readers” and in the lower left you see “Us.”

Remember me saying Scripture was not written to us?

Does that bother you?

It shouldn’t, and I’m going to explain why.

Scripture was written to a people, in a place, in a time, in a particular culture.

It was written for the “Original readers.”

Yet, our tendency is to want to go straight from “God’s message” to “Us” and cut out the middleman - the “Original reader.”

That is easy to do...

When we take that shortcut, we almost always end up taking text out of context and violate the #1 cardinal rule for understanding the Bible - CONTEXT.

When we, in our time and culture, reach into the Bible and “cherry pick” verses - we inevitably use them improperly and try to make them mean or say things never intended.

So, our first goal is to keep Scripture in context.

Understand what kind of writing it is - history? prophecy?

wisdom?

poetry?

song, epistle, gospel?

What do the verses or chapters before and after the text say?

And, most importantly, what does the text actually say?

Are certain words or concepts repeated?

The second goes hand in hand with the first, and that is to try to understand what the text was saying to the “Original reader.”

As best as you can, try to understand what the text meant to the original reader in their own context.

Was it written to the Jews in exile or was it written to early Christians suffering under persecution?

Was it written to convey a history of origins or was it written as song or poetry.

How do we do this?

We start by observing - what does the text actually say?

And we ask good good questions about the text - What is the passage talking about - what is the subject?

What is the passage saying about the subject?

Once we have looked and determined what the passage is talking about, and what it is saying, then we need to look at the context - what comes before for the passage, and what comes after.

What bigger picture do we see when looking around the verse.

(remember - not originally written with chapters and verse)

Once we have done this, then we ask “How would the Original Reader have understood this section of scripture?”

What was the writer communicating to them?

Whatever was being communicated, whatever is the main idea, the main principle - THAT is what you take and apply to us, what you apply to our context, that is what transcends time and cultures - and it helps prevent misreading of the text.

Remember, Scripture was written for us, but not to us.

We need to look for the idea or principle that was being communicated in their culture, so we can understand it and then apply that idea to our culture.

Make sense?

Now lets go back to our verses.

For the sake of time I cannot fully go step by step through this process (good exegesis takes time - good bible study takes time), but lets go back and take a look at these verses - starting with Jeremiah 29:11.

I will simply, and briefly, walk through the outline in your bulletin.

Open your Bibles to Jeremiah 29.

welfare ESV / peace KJV

What does the text actually say?

“the plans I have for you”

Ask good questions.

· What is the passage talking about?