Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We will again this week be camping, cultivating and consuming the truth of God’s word this morning in Titus chapter 1.

But before we turn there, I want us to dwell on the spirit of this conversation between Jesus Christ and Pontious Pilate.

Let me set the context of the reality surrounding this conversation.

Jesus, the Son of God, the Bread of Life, the one who according to the gospel of John chapter 1 was in the beginning, before there was creation, He was in the beginning.

He as the Son of God, the second person of the God head, perfectly God Himself in Spirit, was with God also in Spirit.

John 4 tells us God is Spirit.

His role in the beginning was to be the spoken and written word of God.

The voice and persona of His truth.

Hebrews 1 tells us Jesus is the perfect representation of the character of God in all righteousness, holiness, justice, and steadfast lovingkindness.

A careful study of these two chapters proclaims that Jesus as God, was the word of God and holds all things together by His word.

This is how we should think about Jesus.

This is how we should think about His word, the bible, which was spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, Jesus Christ Himself whom is the appointed heir of all things, through whom God also made the world.

According to His word, Jesus became flesh, wrought in birth by the Holy Spirit, preserving all of His being as God, while dwelling with man in the flesh, to fulfill the law, to live a perfect life, to reveal the very character of God to man in man’s rebellious state in sin, to preach the truth of God’s word, that man would repent of his sin rebellion, and turn to Christ as the promised Messiah, the Christ, that all who believe in Him - those who would confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, they would would be saved; they would be saved from the wrath of God, which has been revealed from heaven, which according to Rom 1:18 , God’s wrath was revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

And these beliefs are evidenced in the heart, not in outwardly appearance.

1 Samuel 7 (NASB 2020)

And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated his son Eleazar to watch over the ark of the Lord.

From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel mourned after the Lord.

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will save you from the hand of the Philistines.”

So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the Lord alone.

Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you.”

So they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.”

And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the governors of the Philistines went up against Israel.

And when the sons of Israel heard about it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines!”

Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.

Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines advanced to battle Israel.

But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were struck down before Israel.

And the men of Israel came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and killed them as far as below Beth-car.

Then Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “So far the Lord has helped us.”

So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel.

And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines.

So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

And he used to go annually on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.

Then he would make his return to Ramah, because his house was there, and there he also judged Israel; and there he built an altar to the Lord.

for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be Put to shame.”

Romans 1:18 (NASB 2020)

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

Set things in order

Appoint godly leaders as stewards of sound doctrine (the truth)

Refute and Reprimand those who contradict

Proclaim the truth in sound doctrine

Sound Doctrine is the truth of God’s word

a.

The source Righteousness and Truth is God

b.

The source of unrighteousness and lies is Satan

Truth vs. Lie Continuum

a. Rejection

b.

Reality

In contrast:

c.

Reign

Joel Osteen - Lakewood Church, Houston TX

Largest church in the United States

Author - Your Best Life Now, Steps to Living at Your Full Potential

Surface look at the website seems to be doctrinally in line: “the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible, the triune nature of God, and salvation by faith in Christ are all affirmed”

A deeper look at the teaching and preaching:

physical healing and wellness are provided in Christ’s atonement

Jesus came that we might have a more abundant life

Jesus came to carry our weaknesses, our sickness, our pain, so that we can walk in total freedom, peace, power, and purpose.

These teachings are in accordance with what is referred to as the prosperity gospel.

God’s will is that we be blessed with material things

Success in your walk with God depends on your tithes.

Tithe the first 10% of your income, God will pour out blessings for you that you cannot contain.

Tithing is the first key to financial prosperity.

Taking old covenant promises to Israel out of context and applies them to new believers.

The main themes of his teachings are how people can improve their lives, be financially prosperous, and experience happiness.

He intentionally avoids preaching doctrinal truths of the gospel of the bible, specifically he avoids preaching that faith in Jesus as the Christ is the only way to heaven, he doesn’t preach sin nor repentance required for salvation, and he overlooks several biblically described behaviors as sinful.

He preaches a feel good message materialistically motivated, focused on the prosperity of wordly wealth.

This prosperity gospel is rampant across western churches today and even more than that, and in direct conflict with God’s truth.

His teachings also promote false teaching associated with word of faith theology / word of faith doctrine.

Famous for indoctrinating the phrase, “We have to conceive it on the inside before we are ever going to receive it on the outside.”

“If you don’t think you can have something good, then you never will.

The barrier is in your mind.

Your wrong thinking can keep you from God’s best.”

“To experience God’s immeasurable favor you must rid yourself of that small-minded thinking and start expecting God’s blessings, start anticipating promotion and supernatural increase.

You must make increase in your own thinking, then God will bring those things to pass.”

These teachings are harmful and predicate your level of faith is the only thing holding you back from God’s materialistic blessing or physical healing.

There is no biblical truth in these teachings, in fact these teachings are in direct conflict of verses 7-9 (self-willed, greedy, covetous, overindulging).

They make the ones who follow them rely on their own strength, merit and will power for the receipt of their blessings from God as if He were our servant, waiting for us to come up with the blessing we have in mind, and then He will jump accordingly to provide as we have enough faith.

Word of faith doctrine expands to claim faith healing beyond worldly wealth.

If you have enough faith, you can and will be healed by God.

Again, it starts with tithing enough of an offering to result in material blessing and physical healing.

It’s very much like the followers are taught to view God as a heavenly ATM or genie in a bottle.

All they have to do is swipe God with enough faith and giving, and He spits out materialistic blessing and physical healing.

In addition, word of faith movement encourages positive confession.

Positive confession is the practice of saying what you want to happen with the expectation that God will make it a reality.

If we speak aloud the right words with the right amount of faith, we can gain riches and health, bind Satan, and accomplish anything we want.

This is literally the act of speak things that we want to happen into reality.

This is opposed to negative confession, which is to acknowledge hardships, poverty, and illness and accept them rejected the good things God has planned for us.

This is a form of mysticism in which people believe they can control their outcomes spiritually.

In this practice, often times specific trance like chants are presented over and over, often with music in the guise of praise and worship, to specifically claim that chant as a truth that they are speaking into reality or existence.

It teaches that positive statements will drive a positive reaction or outcome, and that negative statements will result in a negative outcome or reaction.

This belief and teaching are heretical, and can devastate or even decimate the faith of a believer.