Sermon Tone Analysis

The Imperfect Church – 8

The Accountable Church

Introduction

In Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, recorded in , Jesus clearly establishes his authority over what to believe, how to live, and what it means to follow him.

Those hearing him that day picked up on that reality.

– 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.

The next few chapters in Matthew flesh out this idea and show the depth and reach of his authority.

Matthew chronicles several healings (authority over the body), numerous commands, and other miracles like Jesus calming the storm (authority over nature).

One of the accounts in zeroes in on this idea of authority.

, When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”

7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home.

Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.

9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers.

I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come.

And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed.

Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!... 13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home.

Because you believed, it has happened.”

And the young servant was healed that same hour.

TS – there is this reality about Jesus that this Roman officer recognizes from his service in the military.

Authority matters.

Just as he can order soldiers under his leadership to accomplish certain tasks, Jesus can perform miracles because all things are under his leadership.

He has authority.

In , Paul borrows this concept and shows us how it works in the church.

– 14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.

15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father.

For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.

16 So I urge you to imitate me.

17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord.

He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

18 Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again.19

But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power.

20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

21 Which do you choose?

Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

TS – this is a transitional text in 1 Corinthians.

For four chapters now we have followed his arguments about wisdom, the Gospel, their disunity…now these are coming to a formal close.

In fact, he bookends this opening section of the letter.

1:10 – “I appeal to you…” and 4:16 – “So I urge you…” are the same phrases in the original language.

He has come full circle now to complete his introduction.

Fittingly, he transitions here out of his concern over their disunity with an appeal to authority.

It is fitting because from this point on, he will unleash an onslaught of confrontation and condemnation for their rebellious and sinful ways.

If you think 1 Corinthians has been hard-hitting so far, you “ain’t seen nothing yet.”

In preparing them to hear what God has to say to them, Paul highlights three truths we must understand:

1. AUTHORITY TO EMBRACE

When God created the world and set about to fill it and form it, he established a system of authority to govern it.

God obviously sits at the top of that system with ultimate authority.

That is what we mean when we say that God is sovereign…He alone ultimately rules and reigns over his creation.

But God is also generous.

He has handed out measures of authority to different parts of his creation.

tells us that God placed Adam into the Garden of Eden and set him to “tend and watch over it.”

Older translations say God gave Adam “dominion” over it.

Humanity, under God’s authority, has a measure of authority over the Earth.

We cultivate it to grow food, utilize it for housing, and harvest its materials to create culture.

With that authority also comes the responsibility to care for it.

Throughout the Bible we are introduced to different facets of this “handed-down authority” God gives to us.

In we find this same idea also applies to the government.

- Everyone must submit to governing authorities.

For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.

3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong.

Would you like to live without fear of the authorities?

Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good.

But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you.

They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.

5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons.

For government workers need to be paid.

They are serving God in what they do.

7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.

God has set up the system of human government and has granted them authority.

He even says they are “God’s servants,” not in the sense that they all serve God (because some certainly do not) but in the sense that they are placed in power by God and are serving us on his behalf (that’s a really popular message in today’s political climate!).

We see the same truth in as the Bible establishes parents as an authority set up by God.

- Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.”

This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

All of these examples of authority are set up by God, granted a measure of God’s own authority, for the purpose of human flourishing in the world.

And though at times we may internally rebel against such authority (some rebel externally and get in huge trouble), we understand it as necessary.

Kids without parents, citizens without police, nations without government…anarchy would reign.

Yet when it comes to the Church, people seem to want to think that this is an “authority-free” environment.

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that is absolutely not the case.

- 17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say.

Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God.

Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow.

That would certainly not be for your benefit.

From texts like , , , and , we are told that these spiritual leaders we are to obey are the Elders of our local congregation.

God has set up a system of authority even in the church.

Without it, anarchy would reign.

This is what Paul is getting to in 1 Corinthians because anarchy is reigning there, apparently because they are rebelling against God-ordained authority.

Let’s go back to how he began:

- 14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.

15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father.

For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.

There is a dramatic shift in tone as he starts v. 14.

He had been quite harsh with them in the previous section, even utilizing sarcasm to make his point.

But he wants them to know he is not doing that to embarrass or shame them.

His purpose is much higher than that.

From a place of love for them, he is writing all this as a warning.

The word he uses for warning has the sense of “rebuke” to it.

So he isn’t offering suggestions to them or offering them some “safe space” where their feelings will never get hurt.

He is in their face, finger pointing with the truth of the Gospel, confronting them with the sinfulness of their actions.