Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Charlotte’s Web.

“With the right words you can change the world.”

Profound words for a spider.

Many of you likely recall the story of Charlotte’s Web.

A runt pig is born and Papa Arable wants to kill it, but eight year old Fern convinces her dad to let her keep it as a pet.

Quickly Wilbur becomes too large to keep as a house pet and the Arable’s sell Wilbur to Uncle Homer.

He soon makes friends with all the barn animals, and it is here that he learns that Uncle Homer intends to kill him and eat him.

[Pretty tragic and a bit gruesome for a kid’s story.]

When Wilbur comes to learn of this horrific plight he cries out, “it isn’t fair.

I want to live.”

Charlotte, a large gray spider that has settled in the corner of the barn promises Wilbur, “I am going to save you.”

Confused, Wilbur wonders, “You’re a spider.

How are you going to stop them?”

Charlotte responds, “With the right words you can change the world.

Templeton, I need words and lots of them.”

Over the course of the next couple of months Charlotte spins in her web five words “Some Pig,” “Terrific,” “Radiant,” and “Humble.”

Just five words change the fate of this special pig . . .

most certainly the right words can change the world.

Words are important aren’t they?

No oinking or neighing or grunting would have effectively communicated to the farmer that Wilbur was special.

That message needed words – and in this case only five words.

Paul writes in , “I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

Words were important to Paul as well, because it was with words that he was able to communicate the special nature of the Gospel, a task the gift of tongues could never accomplish.

As we quickly work through chapter 14 I want you to catch this consistent point.

Purpose Statement.

As a church we want to build one another up, and this edification is completely dependent on clarity in communication.

Let’s briefly acknowledge the many times edification or “building up” is mentioned in this chapter . . .

3 . . . the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

5 . . .

The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. . . .

12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. . . .

[If you pray in a tongue or give thanks with your spirit] 17 you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. . . .

26 What then, brothers?

When you come together . . .

Let all things be done for building up.

( ESV).

It is this same principle that drives Paul’s counsel to these same believers in about how they should think through whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols.

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.”

This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.

( ESV).

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? ( ESV).

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful.

“All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

( ESV).

Fallen Condition Focus.

Instead of viewing our times together in corporate worship as an opportunity to build one another up, we can too often focus on how these moments and these events build ourselves up.

We can tend to place more value on the spiritual experience we walk away with rather than on the opportunities offered to build up someone else.

And with that, let’s jump into our passage.

[Read .]

Defining Love

There are four Greek words that can be translated love: (1) eros, which is erotic love and is not used in the New Testament at all, (2) storge, which refers to familial love and is only used in the negative form twice in the New Testament, (3) phileo, which is friend love and is used often throughout the NT, and finally (4) agape, which sacrificial love and was the focus of our discussion in chapter 13.

It also is found throughout the New Testament.

A study of love in the New Testament is going to primarily focus on phileo and agape.

Friberg defines agape love as “an attitude of appreciation resulting from a conscious evaluation and choice.”[1]

This agape love is slightly distinguished from phileo love which is defined as a “devotion based in the emotions, often distinguished from ἀγαπάω (love), which is devotion based in the will.”[2]

I don’t want to make to stark a distinction between the two words because they do seem to be used interchangeably at times.

Either way, we find in them that one dimension of love is based on emotion whereas the other is based on the will or one’s choice.

One dimension of love appears to be focused on the feelings of love and the other on the decision or actions of love.

Love is sacrificial.

The love that God desires of us and is reflective of His character is sacrificial.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” ( ESV).

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life” ( ESV).

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” ( ESV).

Love places the welfare of others above your own.

Love does not sacrifice for sacrifice alone.

There is always a recipient that benefits from the sacrifice.

God did not sacrifice His Son so that he would be viewed as sacrificial, but because his sacrifice resulted in salvation to the world.

Christ did not lay down his life to simply offer a model of sacrifice.

He laid it down for our benefit and we are to lay down our lives for the benefit of others.

Love is not based on feelings.

It’s not that this type of love doesn’t possess feeling; it’s just not based on or rooted in emotions or feelings.

The love described in is not threatened or shaken when the feeling of love fades because its foundation is not in feelings.

It is a choice.

Therefore, in contrast to love being rooted in one’s feelings, Friberg’s lexicon tells us that this love is “devotion based in the will.”

It must be a choice, for who would ever love their enemy based on their feelings, yet that is what Jesus calls us to.

“I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” ( ESV).

Not based on the treatment of the one being loved.

Jesus displays this as he washes his disciples feet.

He displays love towards them as they argue about who’s going to be the best in the kingdom and Judas sits there thinking about how to betray him.

He sacrificially loves them full well aware of Peter’s impending rejection of him.

As Jesus humbles himself and washes Judas’ feet, he exemplifies what it looks like to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” ().

God’s love towards us was extended to us while we were actively hostile to Him.

His love was not dependent upon the treatment by the one being loved.

Our love as well must be so robust as to be expressed to others, even when they are unlovely, unkind, and even hostile.

Therefore a completed definition for love.

Love is a willful choice to sacrifice one’s self for the betterment of another, not based in one’s emotions, the treatment of the one being loved, or the circumstances in which one finds themselves.

Defining Prophecy

Old Testament Prophecy.

(1) OT prophets were messengers, sent by God, to communicate to people the very words of God.

Primarily, prophets were sent to Israel to call them out of their disobedience and impending judgment and call them to repentance.

(2) Secondly, the words of an Old Testament prophet were the very words of God.

They were not their own.

Let me offer one example.

The prophet Jeremiah tells the story of when the Lord called him into ministry.

He writes, “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth.