Sermon Tone Analysis

I. GREAT PASSION.

Again, listen to the passion and burden Paul has for his fellow countrymen.

Romans 9:1–3 (ESV)  I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Romans 10:1 (ESV) Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

PAUL HAD A PASSION AND BURDEN FOR HIS PEOPLE.

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 (ESV) 19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.

20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.

To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.

21 ...To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.

22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

II.

GREAT PRAYER.

•Winning lost people to Christ is first of all a spiritual battle...

And that is why prayer is such an indispensable part of evangelism.

It is our primary spiritual weapon.

•That is why Paul prayed for the salvation of his relatives and race.

Romans 10:1 (ESV) Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

1. Paul's prayer life included intercession for unbelievers

NOTE: Paul must have had a tremendous prayer life.

He opens almost all of his letters (epistles) with some statement regarding his prayer for the people or churches he is writing... Text: Rom 1:8-10; 1 Cor 1:4; Eph 1:15-16; Phil 1:3-4; Col 1:3; 1 Thes 1:2; 2 Tim 1:3; Phile 1:4

a.But on top of all the churches and fellow believers for whom Paul made strong intercession...

Here in Romans we discover, Paul is also praying for unbelievers (and particularly unbelieving Israel)

b.A part of Paul's prayer life was devoted to praying for the salvation of others

NOTE: I often wonder if a lot of us have our prayer lives "out of balance?"

How much of our prayer energy and attention is devoted to praying for the health and prosperity of fellow believers, rather than praying for the eternal salvation of non-believers?

How much of our praying is concerned with temporal, material issues rather than eternal spiritual issues?

•Thinks about it... What could be of greater importance (in the eternal scheme of things) than the eternal salvation or damnation of an individual?

3.WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO PRAY FOR UNBELIEVERS?

a.Because repentance and salvation is a ferocious spiritual battle in every person's life.

b.Because Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, and only the Spirit of God can "take of the blinders" and help an unbeliever understand the gospel and spiritual truth

Text: 1 Cor 2:14; 2 Cor 4:3-4

c.I'm telling you, it's a real spiritual battle to get someone saved.

(It is not first of all an intellectual battle.

Even the most simple minded person you know can understand the concepts of the gospel intellectually) But this does not mean they will understand it spiritually to the point of embracing Christ through repentance and faith.

d.

And I guarantee you, Satan is doing everything he can to keep the Word from finding root in a lost person's life, and to intensify the confusion of their heart.

Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.

This is what was sown along the path.

•This is why we need to pray for the unbelievers we know.

We need to defuse the arsenal of the enemy and confound his devices and he works incessantly to blind them to the gospel and confuse them with regards to spiritual truth

NOTE: Do you realize that the Devil is working every bit as hard as I am in this room right now.

I'm working as hard as I know how to explain the gospel and to communicate it clearly and understandably.

But the Devil is working frantically to confuse people and blind them to the truth of the gospel.

We should be consistently, fervently praying and fasting that...

•God would open doors for the gospel to be proclaimed,

•For Satan to be confounded in his deliberate efforts to steal the seed of the word, and

•For unbelievers to have their blinded eyes opened and their minds given understanding in the gospel.

•For God to be doing whatever it takes in the lives of unbelievers to break them of their pride and self-sufficiency and bring them to repentance and faith in Christ.

III.

GREAT PERCEPTION.

•Can I tell you that Paul understood the unbelieving Jew and knew both how to pray for them and how to connect with them, when communicating the gospel.

•He knew the Jew because Paul himself was as Jewish as a person could be.

Romans 9:3–5 (ESV)  For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.

5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.

Amen.

1. Paul worked at understanding the people he was trying to reach.

NOTICE:

•Paul understood Jewish culture

•He understood Jewish history

•He understood their hindrances to the gospel

a.Paul was an effective witness because he worked at understanding the people he was trying to reach and finding a connection point with them for presenting the gospel to them.

b.

Paul knew that different people have different worldviews and connecting points for the gospel.

And therefore you have to go where people are and try to understand who they are before you can really know how to most effectively witness to them.

1 Corinthians 9:20–22 (ESV) To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.

To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.

21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.

22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

b.Let me show you an example of how Paul walked into an entirely Greek culture and presented the gospel (He knew he would have to find another connecting point with people in Greek pagan culture as opposed to the Jewish culture.

The Jews already believed in God, the Law, the Old Testament and in a coming Messiah.

But the Greeks were polytheists.

Paul took a different approach when preaching to the Greeks.)

EX.

Paul preaching in Athens on Mars Hill... Text: Acts 17:16–23 (ESV) 16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.

18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him.

And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

20 For you bring some strange things to our ears.

We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”

21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’

What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

NOTICE what Paul said in the first sentence of his witness with the Athenian intellectuals... "I perceive that in all things you are very religious."

(Acts 17:22)

NOTE: The word "Perceive" means "to gaze, contemplate, or to study."

Paul had spent time studying the culture of Athens before he opened his mouth to witness to them.

Then he found a good connecting point... "I even found an altar with this inscription 'To the Unknown God' Therefore the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim."

(Acts 17:23)

a.All to often we lose our platform for witnessing to unbelievers because we run in with our gospel guns-a-blazing, and we haven't taken time to try to know and understand the person with whom we are trying to share a witness.

b.The best witnessing is done within the context of an intimate personal relationship built upon mutual respect, trust and understanding.

NOTE: Strangers can witness to strangers, and sometimes should.

But the best witnessing is done among friends with friends.

NOTE: This is why believers should be intentional about building meaningful relationships with non-believers... To gain a platform of trust from which we can share the gospel with them.