Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

We are looking again at Mark’s gospel

Let me invite you to take your Bible and turn to Mark chapter 1

Last week we looked at verses 2-4 but wasn’t able to finish

So we will look today where we left off at verse 4 but let me read verses 1-4 so that you have them in your hearing

Mark 1:1-4, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’

” John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

Martin Lloyd-Jones said, “The most urgent need in the Christian church is true preaching”

He’s right!

Preaching today is weak

The pulpit is weak

We have weak men in weak pulpits preaching weak messages to weak members

And that is an abomination!

There are many churches that have completely revamped their ministries in an attempt to appeal to unbelievers

These churches are telling us if you want to be successful, you must concentrate your energies in an agreeable, inoffensive environment

You must give unbelievers freedom, tolerance, and anonymity

You must always be positive and benevolent

If you must have a sermon, keep it brief and amusing

Don’t be preachy and authoritative

Above all, keep everyone entertained

Churches following this pattern will see numerical growth, we’re assured; those that ignore it are doomed to decline

So the new norm for a church service is “music, skits, rock ‘n’ roll oldies, disco tunes, heavy metal, rap, dancing, comedy, clowns, mime artists, and stage magic” (MacArthur, Not Ashamed of the Gospel)

What is now missing is preaching

It has now been replaced by men and women preachers preaching cute, amusing, brief talks geared at entertaining the masses

This is the user-friendly church

Listen to some of the things people are saying about the user friendly church:

One said, “There is no fire and brimstone here.

No Bible-thumping.

Just practical, witty messages.”

Another said, “Services at [this church] have an informal feeling.

You won’t hear people threatened with hell or referred to as sinners.

The goal is to make them feel welcome, not drive them away.”

Another one said, “As with all clergymen [this pastor’s] answer is God—but he slips Him in at the end, and even then doesn’t get heavy.

No ranting, no raving.

No fire, no brimstone.

He doesn’t even use the H-word.

Call it Light Gospel.

It has the same salvation as the Old Time Religion, but with a third less guilt.”

Here’s another one: “The sermons are relevant, upbeat, and best of all, short.

You won’t hear a lot of preaching about sin and damnation and hell fire.

Preaching here doesn’t sound like preaching.

It is sophisticated, urbane, and friendly talk.

It breaks all the stereotypes.”

So the new rules are “be clever, informal, positive, brief, and friendly.

Never loosen your necktie.

Never let them see you sweat.

And never, never use the H-word” (MacArthur)

John MacArthur says, “The weakness of the pulpit today does not stem from frantic cranks who harangue about hell; it is the result of men who compromise and who fear to speak God’s Word powerfully, with conviction.

The church is certainly not suffering from an overabundance of forthright preachers; rather, it seems glutted with men-pleasers (cf Gal.

1:10).”

God has called preachers to preach the word (2 Tim.4:2) not entertain the goats

Charles Spurgeon reminds us that “Preaching is not child’s play: it is not a thing to be done without labor and anxiety; it is solemn work”

Paul said it this way to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:17, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

The words “work hard” (kopiao) means to “toil and labor” (Logos) “to work to the point of fatigue or exhaustion” (MacArthur)

And this was done faithfully week after week (pres.act.part.)

It’s obvious that some elders work harder than others

John Piper says, “The hard work begins in preparation, long before the moment of delivery.

Preachers often bear the burden weeks before a particular message, a weight that gets greater the week of, and is especially heavy the night before and morning of”

“A pastor who doesn’t sweat and strain at his study and teaching is not fulfilling his calling.

And diligent word-work is hard work, when done well” (Piper)

Paul told the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, “12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Live in peace with one another.”

Christ calls pastors to labor in their feeding of the flock through sound teaching (Mathis)

David Mathis said, “Part of what makes pastoring hard work is that we teach with a tether.

We don’t just sit down with a blank piece of paper, or show up to address an attentive church, and speak off the top of our heads.

Unashamed workers “rightly handle the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Week after week, day after day, the words we breathe out to feed the church are not our own thoughts on the matter.

Christians have a Book.

And good pastors are happily tethered to this Book — which is the most powerful, proven, life-changing Book in the history of the world.

Good pastors are unavoidably Book-men.

Being men of the Book demands headwork and sustained mental effort.

We study.

Many of us learn and reference the original languages of Hebrew and Greek.

Before making applications, we first wrestle with what the text means and does not mean.

And being men of the Book requires heart-work.

Before turning to tell others what the Book says, we first put ourselves under its teaching, for repentance and faith” (https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-plague-of-lazy-pastors)

That is so true!

Before the message is given it has already been internalized in the heart of the preacher

How true also of John the Baptist

John was a man of conviction

He was not a weak preacher with a weak message

He was “A Voice in the Wilderness”

John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins

He was a prophet and the forerunner of Christ

He was also the fulfillment of...

The Prophecy of Isaiah (vv.2-3)

More than 700 years after Isaiah’s prophecy, the voice of one calling in the wilderness appears

This is John the baptizer

Notice verses 2-3: “2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; 3 THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’””

Mark takes this from two OT passages

The first two lines are from Malachi 3:1.

The last two are from Isaiah 40:3.

He merges both together to say that before the Messiah would come, God would send a herald, and that herald’s responsibility would be to prepare the way for the coming Messiah (Sproul)

And that herald was John the Baptist or literally John the baptizer

Let’s meet...

The Forerunner of Christ (vv.4-8)

Verse 4 begins with...

His Revealing (v.4a)

Mark says, “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness”

According to Luke 1:80 this is where he also grew up