Sermon Tone Analysis

Expositional Preaching

Since God’s flows with the story of God, then it is natural for the people of God hear the Bible taught to them in an expositional style of preaching.

This form of preaching acknowledges the importance of the Historical, grammatical and cultural aspects of the Scriptures that lead us to the proper interpretation of its original meaning.

Why Preaching?

“The first mark of a healthy church is expositional preaching.

It is not the only mark; it is far and away the most important of them all, because if you get this one right, all the others should follow” (Dever, 9 Marks, 39).

God’s people God’s instructions for life not the preachers experience and opinions about life.

God has spoken and acts through His word: “The Word of God is the most powerful force in the universe” -Jonathan Leeman.

Creates: Genesis 1:1-3, Psalm 33:6, Hebrews 11:3, Job 26:14, 2 Peter 3:5-6, Psalm 19:1-3

Governs: Psalm 147:15-18, Psalm 29:3-9, Hebrews 1:1-3

Judges: Psalm 46:6, John 12:48, Hebrews 4:12-13

Saves: Genesis 1:26, 12:1-3, Exodus 19:5-6, Ezekiel 37:1-10, John 1:1, Luke 4:18-19, Romans

10:17, 1 Peter 1:23, James 1:18

Sanctifies: Acts 20:32, John 17:17

Disciples: John 8:31-32, 47, 51, 15:4, 7, 10

Presence: Deuteronomy 30:12-14, Romans 10:6-8

Builds: Ephesians 2:20, 4:11-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

God has commanded us:

“Living as we do after the Fall but before the Heavenly City, we are in a time when faith is central, and so the Word must be central—because God’s Holy Spirit creates His people by His Word!

We can create a people by other means, and this is the great temptation of churches” (Dever, 9 Marks, 50).

Danger of our Times: 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 4:3-4

You will always battle with the world’s church, the church down the street or across the city that is booming with physical growth, masses of people attending, but they are all starving people in a food line that only receive dirt in a bowl.

These so called churches are filled with sin, have a disdain for all of God’s word, and are more about entertainment than soul care.

Calling of our Times: 2 Timothy 4:2

Why Expositional Preaching?

If this is true, then whatever form of preaching that most clearly allows the Word of God to be heard deserves our commitment.

“The first mark of a healthy church is expositional preaching.

It is not the only first mark; it is far and away the most important of them all, because if you get this one right, all the others should follow” (Dever, 9 Marks, 42-43).

What is Expositional Preaching

“Discussions about preaching divide it into three types: topical, textual, and expository.

Topical messages usually combine a series of Bible verses that loosely connect with a theme.

Textual preaching uses a short text or passage that generally serves as a gateway into whatever subject the preacher chooses to address.

Neither the topical nor the textual method represents a serious effort to interpret, understand, explain, or apply God’s truth in the context of the Scripture(s) used.

By contrast, expository preaching focuses predominantly on the text(s) under consideration along with its (their) context(s).

Exposition normally concentrates on a single text of Scripture, but it is sometimes possible for a thematic/theological message or a historical/biographical discourse to be expository in nature.

An exposition may treat any length of passage.’

( Macarthur, Rediscovering Expository Preaching)

1. Be prepared before the preparation(prayer, holiness, growth)

2. Be prepared in study hermeneutics, grammar, syntax, structure, etc)

3. Be prepared in delivery (organized and faithful delivery)

4. Be prepared after the sermon (trust in God’s sovereignty, give thanks for opportunity, follow up with God’s movement )

Biblical Theology

We have already studied the doctrine of God, doctrine of the Word, doctrine of Christ, Doctrine of sin and now we want to look at Biblical theology.

In short, Biblical theology is seeing the bible as one whole.

Its a unified story that God has divinely inspired by multiple authors, spanning centuries and cultures, and yet he is telling one unified story of his work of redemption that culminates and glorifies his Son Jesus Christ.

Systematic Theology is arranging the truth of God and his words in a systematic, topical form so that one better understands the whole of the Bible according to different subjects

Biblical Theology is the study of the Bible from a historical perspective, seeing the grand story of God’s redemptive work fro Genesis through Revelation, culminating in the work of and for the glory of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

What we want to walk away from in the study of biblical theology is seeing the grand-narrative of the bible that leads us to ultimately honoring and worshiping Jesus Christ as the central figure of all the bible.

Let’s look at some biblical passages today and see how historically God is carrying out his redemptive themes, leading us to see them fulfilled in Christ.

Look at the OT story of Israel:

See Chart and discuss with people

The Gospel

is the “good news” that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Anointed King, and anyone who worships Jesus as King will enter the Kingdom of God.

How does the Gospel relate to the Kingdom?

Meaning of Gospel: In its broadest usage, “gospel” (εὐαγγέλιον, רה means a “good announcement” or a “good message” The NT writers use εὐαγγέλιον 76 times and its verb form (εὐαγγελίζω) 54 times.

The background of this word is the declaration of good news in battle (cf. 2 Sam 4.10; 18.19-20, 22, 25, 27; 2 Kgs 7.9).

The gospel is the proclamation of God’s victory over sin, Satan and death for the sake of his people.

In its Christian sense, it is the good news or announcement of victory for the kingdom of God (cf.

Mt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14, Mk 1.1, 14; Lk 4.43, 8:1, 16:16, Acts 8:12).

“but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of (of victory for) the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43)

Nature of the Kingdom: In the broad sense, God’s sovereignty is unchanging (cf.

Ps 93.1-2, 1 Tim 6:15).

God has always has and always will have unwavering kingship over his creation.

Whereas other gods competed for sovereignty, Yahweh reigns supreme.

In the narrow sense, God’s kingdom develops or unfolds throughout redemptive history.

The kingdom of God develops, ebbs and flows, and eventually extends over the entire world (cf.

Mt 13.31-32, Dt. 7:7, Is. 53:1-3, 1 Cor.

1:27, Dan.

2:34).

“The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

2Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting” (Psalm 93:1-2)

“He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Mt 13:31-32)

Expectations and Hopes of Israel: By the time we get to the NT, Israel had long awaited the arrival of God’s kingdom (cf.

Mal 3.1-4; 4.1-6).

Although the Kingdom is God’s people in God’s place under God’s reign, God’s people had experienced the exact opposite due to their sin (722, 586).

They eagerly awaited Messiah to liberate them from foreign rule and establish them originally and forever in the promised land.

This produced particular expectations about the Messiah that were mainly wrapped up in earthly categories (land, temple, etc.) and immediate fulfillment.

Israel hoped for the time when God would defeat his enemies through Messiah and deliver his people into the blessings of his kingdom (Is 40.9; 52.7).

Isaiah predicted the two sides of victory that Israel longed to see (Is 52.10).

Defeat of God’s enemies.

Deliverance of God’s people.

The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:10)

Gospel Victory and Kingdom Fulfillment: Jesus reoriented their understanding of defeat of God’s enemies, deliverance of God’s people and the time of the fulfillment of the Kingdom.

A greater enemy than they ever dreamed.

A greater deliverance than they ever imagined.

A timeline they never expected.

Defeat of God’s enemies

Inauguration (Christ’s rst coming).

In his first advent, Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom by God’s judgment on God’s spiritual enemies (cf.

Mt 12.28-29; Mk 1.27, John 12:31) and extend God’s mercy to God’s human enemies (cf.

Luke 23:34).

Continuation (Church age).

The church is not at war with people, but with Satan and other evil spirits (cf.

Eph 6.11-12).

Followers of Christ extend God’s mercy to God’s human enemies as a piece of Christ’s defeat of his spiritual enemies (2 Cor 5.20).

The unity of the church is the exclamation point to the defeat of satan (Eph.

3:9-10)

Consummation (New Heavens/New Earth).

When Christ returns he will defeat God’s spiritual and human enemies (Rev 19.13-15; 20.20).

Deliverance of God’s people