Sermon Tone Analysis

The Substance of Apostolic Preaching/Teaching was the Gospel

When the apostles taught, they focused on the death, burial, & resurrection

There were other things they could have talked about

The Sadduccees lack of belief in the resurrection

The Romans could either be atheists or pagans

It would have seemed very odd if they spent time talking about things other than the gospel

The Substance of Contemporary Teaching/Preaching is Usually not the Gospel

Apologetics

Specific issues of practice like baptism, instruments, etc.

These things really do not focus on the gospel

If a specific conversation is about these issues, that is one thing, but our emphasis and focus must get to the heart of the gospel and not float around all these other things

Deal with things when they come up

We Must Start at the Foundation to Build Something, We Cannot put the isolated point at the Bottom

A faithful person needs to start with the foundational elements of what the gospel intended to do (identity, humility, gratitude, etc.)

What damage might be done by being focused on these secondary and tertiary issues?

Often times what is really the core is supplanted or substituted for other concerns

This is sometimes reflected in people “straining a gnat and swallowing a camel”, looking at the letter of the law rather than the spirit, believing all the right things but not being rooted in Christ and not convicted in the gospel