Sermon Tone Analysis

Brag on Mike & the Church for last week.

This is week 6 of our series entitled, “Trusting the Word of God”, where we have & will continue to explore how the Bible came to be and why it’s trustworthy.

Today we dig in deeper as we discover 1 more rule that will help us READ the Scriptures RIGHT.

RULE #1: Never read a Bible verse.

When you only hear a PIECE of the story, you might not get the POINT of the story.

Context is the KEY to understanding what the text means.

So, we should read everything surrounding the verse, not just the verse.

Otherwise, people can manipulate and mangle what the Scriptures mean - bending the Bible to their beliefs rather than bending their beliefs to fit the Bible.

RULE #2: Author & Audience before Application.

We must remember that the Scriptures weren’t written TO US, but the Scriptures were written FOR US.

Cultural Differences: The original author & audience spoke a different language and lived on a different continent over 2000 years ago.

We must place ourselves in THEIR context instead of transporting them to OUR CONTEXT.

Literary Differences: “I read the Bible like we do the sports page - trying to understand the intent of the author.”

Is it POETRY, HISTORY, or METAPHOR?

We read POETRY in a different way then we read HISTORY, and what about METAPHORS?

“It’s raining cats & dogs.”

But what about the Chinese person just learning English?

“I have butterflies in my stomach” It would be silly to ask - how BIG were they?

What COLOR are they?

UNLESS…you are a master of Dad jokes!

RULE #3: View Scripture Through Scripture

The Scriptures give us real life examples.

Matthew 18:15-20 Confront, discipline, & restore the sinful brother/sister.

So what does that look like in real life?

See confront & discipline 1 Cor.

5:1-5 & restoration in 2 Cor.

2:5-11.

The Scriptures give us clarity when it’s confusing.

There are some parts of the Bible that are tough to interpret.

When we come to these areas we should...

Read what is UNCLEAR in light of what IS CLEAR.

Example: Many Christians quote John 14:12 where Jesus says: “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do.

And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”

(CSB)

As we read the Scriptures, outside of the apostles of Jesus - to whom He was talking in John 14, not many Christians were able to perform miracles.

Certainly NO ONE - including the apostles did GREATER MIRACLES than Jesus.

The apostles never walked on water nor raised someone from the dead after 4 days.

We don't see them again feed over 5000 with a boy's lunch.

These greater works cannot refer to greater quality, but greater quantity.

Jesus could only be in one place at one time, but the apostles & their disciples would take the gospel to the planet in the power of the Spirit.

They would certainly do great miracles, as we see in Acts.

On the other hand, while Jesus had many people check Him out, and several hundred follow Him, we see the apostles on Pentecost Sunday, participate in watching over 3000 bow their knees to King Jesus (something that never happened while He walked the earth)!

This is greater in quantity, not quality.

Jesus had taken His message to Israel, but later used His disciples to take His message (and miracles) to the world (Acts 1:8), by the indwelling and empowering of the Spirit (as seen in Acts).

The “greater works”, while at times accompanied by miracles, are now MILLIONS of saved souls!

We also have more clarity when we Recognize what is described vs prescribed.

Many times the Scripture is DESCRIBING what THEY DID DO, without PRESCRIBING what WE SHOULD DO.

Example: David & Solomon had many wives.

Is that what God told them to do? NOPE.

It is NOT PRESCRIBING what we SHOULD DO, but DESCRIBING what they DID DO.

And things didn’t end well.

MEN need to NOTE: Marrying more than 1 woman at the same time WILL NOT end well.

The Scriptures reveal the Character of our CREATOR.

Throughout the Scripture we see God both bringing JUDGEMENT and extending MERCY.

OLD TESTAMENT

God brings JUDGEMENT against the enemies who fought against His people.

But God also extends MERCY by sparing people who deserve judgement.

JONAH

God sends Jonah on a month-long journey to his arch-enemies in Nineveh, the Assyrian empire.

He could have sent Jonah anywhere, but He sends him OVER 600 miles, to the same people who ripped God’s people out of Israel and took them captive.

WHY THEM?

Of course, Jonah has a slight detour in a story that sounds quite fishy to me.

Jonah brings a message of JUDGEMENT, but when people turn from their sin and God spares the whole city (MERCY)!

JERICHO

God destroys Jericho & everyone there (JUDGEMENT),

BUT GOD rescues all of Rahab’s family (Heb 11:30-31) & she is later in the family tree of Jesus as one of his great great great great grandmothers (see Matt. 1:5)! (MERCY).

GOD DESTROYS WORLD WITH FLOOD

When the people of Noah’s day disobey God after years of warnings, God destroys them in the flood (JUDGEMENT),

BUT God shows MERCY to Noah & his family.

NEW TESTAMENT

HUMBLE PROSTITUTES & TAX COLLECTORS VS PRIDEFUL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Jesus forgives prostitutes & tax collectors who ask for MERCY, BUT Jesus brings scathing JUDGEMENT & drops the hammer on religious leaders who reject Him (Matt.

23 & Jn. 8).

PETER DENIES & IS RESTORED

Remember when Simon Peter denies that he knows Jesus…3 times!

Simon Peter immediately leaves and weeps bitterly (Mt 26:75) - a picture of repentance.

Jesus forgives Simon Peter’s denial of Him as he repents (MERCY),

ANANIAS & SAPPHIRA

BUT God drops a married couple dead when they lie to God & His servants (JUDGEMENT - Acts 5:1-11).

JESUS

Jesus, the sinless Son of God, is beaten to a bloody pulp and paraded before Romans and Jews like he was the worst of the worst kind of criminal.

Jesus dies on the cross as God JUDGES SIN, to make full payment for anyone who will turn from their sin and turn to Him for MERCY…but the warning of JUDGEMENT is attached as well.

John 3:16–18 (CSB)

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

BUT...Jesus - the same one who died on the Cross offer MERCY, will ultimately JUDGE those who reject His forgiveness...throwing them into HELL for eternity where they will pay for their sins (JUDGEMENT - Matt.

25:31-34).

Matthew 25:34, 41 (CSB)

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world...“Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!

This is NOT Bible Buffet.

We can’t take the part we like - MERCY - and leave the part we don’t like - JUDGEMENT.

So….How can we make sure we read it RIGHT?

Never Read a Bible Verse

Author & Audience before Application

View Scripture Through Scripture.

Now, let’s put these 3 principles to work in John 10.

The most well known and often quoted verse is John 10:10.

Here it is by itself.

John 10:10 (NET 2nd ed.)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

RULE #1: Never Read a Bible Verse (Context)