Sermon Tone Analysis

Psalm 47:5–7 (ESV)

5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!

2 Peter 1:3–11 (ESV)

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Slide

Introduction

We have seen something of the glory of heaven much of which is being experienced by those in heaven now.

Have also seen that a great change is to take when the Lord returns and we shall then worship God unceasingly in our resurrected bodies.

Our text speaks to what we are to do in the here and now until the Lord calls us to be with him.

Stand

Work

Motivation

Slide

1. Stand

Slide

1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,

a. Therefore

The exhortation has little to do with the immediately preceding verses on the victory the believers share with Jesus Christ.

It is an entreaty that arises from the entire chapter if not the whole epistle.

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001).

Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol.

18, p. 587).

Baker Book House.

It is unsafe to do anything against one’s conscience.

Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise.

So help me God.

Martin Luther

b.

Steadfast

The adjective ἑδραῖοι means “sitting,” established in a seat, and thus fixed, settled, firm, solid.

It thus refers to our own inner faith and conviction.

Having a victory so great and vital, our first obligation is to be firmly and fully settled in it and thus to realise for ourselves its greatness and its glory, its preciousness and its power, and to abide in it with happy and thankful souls.

So many are inwardly unstable, are like water or sand, never settle down solidly in the gospel and its glorious faith.

They allow their hearts to be fixed elsewhere; and as empty as these other ideas are, so empty is their attachment to them.

Lenski, R. C. H. (1963).

The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (p.

753).

Augsburg Publishing House.

Paul commends the believers for their steadfastness and exhorts them to continue their dedication to the Lord (compare Col. 1:23).

Amid the onslaught of diverse teaching in a pagan culture, he urges them to remain firm in the Lord and not to waver.

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001).

Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol.

18, p. 587).

Baker Book House.

c. Immovable

Paul tells the Corinthians to be immovable.

This last word is a compound that signifies an inability to move from their spiritual moorings.

Paul is not talking about retaining the status quo in the church.

He wants the people to grow in their love for the Lord and to communicate this in their deeds.

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001).

Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol.

18, p. 587).

Baker Book House.

Be not shifted from your position!” is Paul’s admonition.

This refers to outward solicitation and attack.

Foes are always ready to assail our faith.

Some strike at it with open denial, some with subtle error that leads us to compromise our faith and our confession, and some come with immoral temptation.

They seek to turn us, who are victors in Christ, into slaves of men.

Paul bids us to stand “unmovable against all of them.

Lenski, R. C. H. (1963).

The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (p.

753).

Augsburg Publishing House.

Hebrews 10:23–25 (ESV)

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Slide

2. Work

Slide

1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)

58 always abounding in the work of the Lord,

a. Always Abounding

Because of our wealth of heavenly spoils and our eternal victory in Christ we can afford to “abound.”

We are not called to idleness and mere enjoyment but to diligent effort “in the work of the Lord.”

Lenski, R. C. H. (1963).

The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (p.

754).

Augsburg Publishing House.

If Christ is not risen, and if no transformation awaits us, then we should have no real work in life.

Creature enjoyments would be our all, v. 32b.

But now a thousand voices call upon us to be busy and tireless.

Paul is an excellent example in following his own admonition.

Lenski, R. C. H. (1963).

The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (p.

754).

Augsburg Publishing House.

1 Corinthians 15:32 (ESV)

32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus?

If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Isaiah 22:13 (ESV)

13 and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine.

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

b.

The Work of the Lord

Paul significantly calls this the work “of the Lord.”