Sermon Tone Analysis

“When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’

And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.’”[1]

Recently, I read a blog posted by Professor Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Doctor Moore had entitled his blog entry, “The Devil Is a Boring Preacher: The High Stakes of Dull Sermons.”[2]

The title of Dr. Moore’s blog post is too good to ignore.

In fact, I found it so compelling that I could not permit it to go unused in my own preaching schedule.

However, more compelling than the title are the issues raised by the good doctor.

The vital point that Dr. Moore emphasised in his blog is that the devil is a preacher.

The devil does not, however, present some strange, occult ritual that blatantly contradicts the Bible.

In fact, throughout Scripture he quotes the Bible, putting his own peculiar spin on the Word that God has given.

He deceives the unwary through saying what they want to hear, giving them a good feeling about their efforts to be religious.

However, when we stop and think about what is actually said, his message is boring.

Hence, there is no lasting impact for good.

Those who feel good about their own efforts soon pass into oblivion, and no one wants to hear “nice” sermons.

In contradistinction to the soothing message that the devil brings, those who preach the Word of God are disturbers—they turn the world upside down.

The message they bring, when it is received, will cause trouble, create division, and compel disruption in staid lives.

However, it is an exciting message if it is received.

Join me in thinking about this vital subject, applying our best thoughts to seek God’s glory through the ministry of the congregation.

THE IMPACT OF BIBLICAL PREACHING — Jesus was a shocking preacher.

Indeed, He is the Prince of Peace.

However, this same Prince of Peace warned those who thought to follow Him, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” [MATTHEW 10:34-39].

Earlier, the Master had spoken pointedly to some who said they wished to follow Him.

He said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake” [MATTHEW 10:16-22a].

These words anticipate a warning given to His disciples immediately before His Passion.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Whoever hates me hates my Father also.

If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause’” [JOHN 15:18-25].

It is an axiom of the Faith that the message of the Living God will always generate opposition from individuals who imagine they can control either God or the message He sends by the hand of His messenger.

The messenger of God who faithfully delivers the Word of the Lord will be met with rejection and hostility by many within the world.

The reason this is true is because the divine message assaults human pride.

The unthinking and ignorant imagine that they are the centre of the universe, and therefore any message that threatens their supposed sovereignty over their own life elicits resentment and antagonism

Perhaps you will recall an incident that is recorded of a time when Jehoshaphat had allied himself with Ahab.

All the prophets were prophesying success in a military venture they were planning.

In fact, one prophet became absolutely theatrical in his prophetic pronouncement.

“Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, ‘Thus says the LORD, “With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.”’

And all the prophets prophesied so and said, ‘Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph.

The LORD will give it into the hand of the king’” [2 CHRONICLES 18:10, 11].

These prophecies had been delivered because Jehoshaphat had insisted that the kings inquire for the word of the LORD [2 CHRONICLES 18:4].

Despite multiple prophecies of success in war against Ramoth-Gilead, Jehoshaphat was uncomfortable and demanded that Ahab find a “prophet of the LORD” [2 CHRONICLES 18:6].

Therefore, Ahab reluctantly agreed to send for Micaiah.

His reluctance in wanting to hear from this Prophet of the LORD lay in the fact that Micaiah “never prophesies good concerning [Ahab], but always evil” [2 CHRONICLES 18:7].

When the messenger who went to summon Micaiah found him, he cautioned him to agree with all the other prophets.

He was warned to speak favourably before the king.

As you know, Micaiah did agree, and the text implies that the tone of his voice betrayed his disgust at the command performance.

Ahab, therefore, put him under oath to speak the truth.

So Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd.

And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’”

As you might expect, Ahab was less than thrilled, and so he complained to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

Now focus on Micaiah’s response to Ahab’s pouting.

“Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’

And one said one thing, and another said another.

Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’

And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’

And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’

And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’

Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets.

The LORD has declared disaster concerning you’” [2 CHRONICLES 18:18-22].

Something similar occurred during the ministry of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was instructed by God to write out a strong message and see that it was read to worshippers in the Temple.

Here is the account of the reading of that message as found in JEREMIAH 36.

“In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin’” [JEREMIAH 36:1-3].

Jeremiah’s message generated a startled response, and some took the message to read to the king.

Jehudi was appointed to read what Jeremiah had written to the King, who was in his winter home, a fire pot blazing before him.

“As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot.

Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.

Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them” [JEREMIAH 36:23-25].

Jeremiah embodied the lonely position of one who is faithful to the Lord who appoints to His service.

Throughout his service before the Lord and to the people of God, Jeremiah faced continued, unrelenting opposition.

Here is one account of the response of the people to his message, because it did not comport with their supposition of God’s blessing on them.

“In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: ‘Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.

It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds.

You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.”’

“The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, ‘You shall die!

Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, “This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant”?’

And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

“When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the LORD and took their seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the LORD.

Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, ‘This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears’” [JEREMIAH 26:1-11].