Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

“If Jesus returned today… “ Video ?

I thought we would being with a little light reading this morning…(Read and then Pile up Theology Books)

Tension

What is it about the word “Theology” that makes us want to go and hide.

Even when I say the word “Theology” most of us think about people who actually like reading and studying big books like these.

We typically thing that “Theology” is for the “Theologians”.

It is something for the seminary professors, university professors, the ivory tower academic elite types.

We might expect our Pastor to do some Theology, but it does not typically feel like something that directly relates to us.

The truth is that the idea of reading and studying “Theology” was not what drew me to want to be a Pastor.

I just wanted to love like Jesus did and teach others to do the same.

Sure, I knew that reading my bible was part of that, but that seems a far cry from anything that I would describe as doing “Theology”.

Mostly I just imagined that studying “Theology” meant that you got yourself held up in some stuffy room for hours on end arguing with other Christians about topics that I couldn’t even understand without googling them.

Even then I wasn’t sure that I would care.

Some of us might get excited, as we like doing what we would call “theology” but I would venture to guess that most of us would say that “Theology” is not our thing.

We postulate that “Theology” is for the “Theologians” and since I don’t see myself as one of those I am not too concerned with things labeled “Theology”.

I will leave that kind of thing up to the seminary professors, the academics, maybe my pastor but “theology” is not really for me.

was what I didn’t want to spend a bunch of time getting caught up in arguments where I would have to google every other word just to know what they were talking about.

Even then I am still not sure I would care.

There has been times in my life when I have thought that.

All I need is to just read my Bible, go to church, serve my community and I’ll leave that theology stuff for the egg heads.

I just wanna love on people and not get caught up in arguments where I would have to google every other word just to know what they were talking about and even then I am still not sure I would care.

But what if I was able to give you a new picture of Theology this morning.

A picture that was not so distant, but very relevant.

It probably won’t make you want to borrow any of these books, but it may prove to be something more accessible and more valuable than you ever thought.

First of all, what is Theology?

The word “Theology” come from two Greek Words that you might have actually heard before.

The first one is θεός “Theos” meaning God and the second is λόγος “Logos” most commonly translated as “word”.

So theology is the “word on God”.

In the academic world it would be describe as “The science of God and of the relations between God and the universe.”

Academically it would be listed right along with things like Archaeology, Biology, Zoology, Psychology and many more.

All of these words also come from two Greek Words.

They begin with a different Greek word and then follow with the same “ology” from “logos”.

They are all the “word” on that particular subject.

and the second is λόγος “Logos” most commonly translated as “word”.

So theology is the “word on God”.

In this setting, Theology would be listed right along with things like Archaeology, Biology, Zoology, Psychology and many more.

All of these words also come from two Greek Words.

They begin with a different Greek word and then follow with the same “ology” from “logos”, the “word” on that particular subject.

And just like there are professional Theologians, there are professional Archaeologist, Biologists, Zoologists and Psychologist, but that doesn’t mean we all don’t have a working knowledge in those fields.

I would say that we all have an invested interest in coming to right conclusions when it comes to things like human history, how our bodies work, the behavioral patterns of humans and animals.

We want to be operating with the right information on things like his.

In the academic world it would be describe as “The science of God and of the relations between God and the universe.”

Theology would sit right along sit right along with things like Archaeology, Biology, Anthropology and Psychology.

All of these words also come from a greek suffix with an “ology” or “logos” ending.

And just like there are professional theologians, there are professionals who research, experiement and teach in these areas as professional Archaelogis, Biologists, Anthropologist and Phycologist.

But that doesn’t mean that you and I have never invested any time in learing about the past, or our bodies, or otehr people or how the mind works.

We might not be liscensed professionals in these areas but we have a working knowledge that we depend on when we make decisions in areas like these.

The same is true in the field of Theology.

We might not be professional Theologians, but we have all gained some working knowledge that we depend on when it comes to knowing about “God and his relationship with the universe”.

So we all practice some theology, even if we have never called it that.

Even atheist practice a level of theology.

It is a theological statement to declare that God doesn’t exist and because He doesn’t exist, he can’t relate to me or to my world.

That is their practice of theology, limited as it may be.

The same is true in the field of Theology.

We might not be professional Theologians, but we do have some working knowledge that we depend on when it comes to knowing about “God and his relationship with the universe”.

So we all practice some theology, even if we have never called it that.

Even atheist practice a level of theology.

It is a theological statement to declare that God doesn’t exist and because He doesn’t exist, he can’t relate to me or to my world.

That is their practice of theology, limited as it may be.

but in essence it is just the study of God and how He relates to our world.

None of us may be professional theologians, but every single person is a theologian to a degree.

Every single person holds a perspective on God and how he relates to the world around us.

He or she might be more or less bold in how they share it, but they still hold it.

Two words “Theos” and “Logos”

Even atheist practice a level of theology.

It is a theological statement to declare that God doesn’t exist and because He doesn’t exist, he can’t relate to me or to my world.

That is their practice of theology, limited as it may be.

Each one of us has things that we believe are true about God and His relationship with us and with the world around us.

Whenever we explore or express those ideas, at a basic level, we are practicing Theology.

We are sharing a “Word on God”.

You might think that you couldn’t make a career out of that - but some have.

ironically there are atheistic theologians.

They

Here at Friendship Church our aim is to explore and express a Biblical Theology.

We believe that God has not left us to figure these things out on our own.

Instead He has declared everything that we need to know about Him and how he relates to our universe in His Word.

What that means is that we are constantly searching for the true things about God as He has revealed them in His Word, the Bible.

That is a core tenant of what we believe and teach here.

When God’s word says something about God, then we believe it and teach it.

When God’s Word says something about how God interacts with us, then we believe it and teach it.

When God’s Word says something about how God interacts with the universe, then we believe it and teach it.

That doesn’t mean that we always understand all of it, but in our quest to have a “Biblical Theology” we always look to be guided by what the Bible tells us about who God is and how He operates in this world. .

Even these books of “Theology” are only useful to the degree that they help us to understand what God has declared about Himself and how He Works in this book!

(place Bible on top).

If one of these authors decided to just throw in a view on God that is somehow contrary to anything that God has already given in His Word then we should throw them out.

The book that is, not necessarily the author.

When we find someone who had a different Theology than ours then we Biblically, lovingly and sincerely challenge their view points in hopes that we can lead them back to a right understanding of God as He has revealed Himself in His Word.

A “Biblical Theology” never says anything about God or how He relates to our universe that God hasn’t already told us in His Word.

So why am I taking so much time this morning trying to convince you of the importance of Theology?

I have said this before, but it bears repeating that, “The most important thing about you is what you believe about God.”

It has the furthest reaching impact on your life and the lives of those around you.

And if that is true, as I believe it is, then believing the right things about who God is and how He operates has to be one of the most important things you can do.

is and how he relates to our world is one of the most things that you can do.

But wait a minute…aren’t we still in the Old Testament?

Aren’t we still in the book of Exodus?

And don’t we get most of our doctrine and Theology from the New Testament?

We do.

That is pretty clear when you look at how many of my books are focused on “New Testament Theology”.

The principles of our Theology are laid out most clearly in the New Testament, but God never changes and so we find in the stories of the Old Testament excellent examples of how right or wrong ideas about God can affect His followers.