Sermon Tone Analysis

What does the bible teach us about judgment?

Intro

Illus: The world we live in allows everyone to be a self proclaimed Judge.

Dayton and El Paso shootings show us that anyone can claim anything they want about these killers.

They are the subject of gun control, mental illness, manifestos, gang affiliations . . .

but very little discussion on sin and evil.

Anyone with an opinion has linked these shootings to their own causes.

And, the answer to such things is law.

Michael Horton in a paper on law and gospel says:

Paul is contrasting law-logic with promise-logic.

The law is not the problem, but we are, and the law simply points that out.

We know the law by nature; nobody has to teach at least its rudimentary principles to us ( and 2).

When we turn to our common sense, reason, experience, or what we see in order to determine our relationship to God, it is always the law that has the last word.

Law-logic is entirely appropriate for those created in God’s image, designed and equipped to reflect God’s righteousness in every way, but it says nothing about how law-breakers can be saved from its judgment.

The biggest problem with the world having all of these little judges is that it misses the biblical truth that God is the judge.

We should use caution in falling into this worldly trap of law-logic.

We should avoid being like the legalists (Jewish religious Leaders) in this passage.

Paul, an apostle, appointed by Jesus himself was being judged.

This is like arguing with Jesus himself.

The problem is not that there was a law, it was that it was the wrong law.

Who’s law is in sight here?

God’s or man’s?

We are by nature law-logic people.

What does God reveal to us in this passage?

Principles of Faith

Let’s look at God’s law versus our own law.

God reveals to us how he is to be worshipped

God’s law concerning our worship is not conjured up from man, but given by God himself:

What is Worship?

both the appropriate inner dispositions and the proper outer expressions involved in the recognition of and response to the God who reveals Himself, in creation, providence and redemption as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

- Sinclair Ferguson, Worship, RSB.

Worship is regulated by God himself

Worship is regulated by the character of its object, both in the inner and its outward expressions.

- Sinclair Ferguson, Worship, RSB.

Worship Facts for Presbyterian Churches:

1720 - “continuous singing”

1753 - “Hymns”

1787 - Open Communion

1788 - Offerings

1849 - Choirs allowed

1850’s - instruments allowed

ARP - 1946 - Hymns authorized

The elements of Worship are all found in Scripture

Singing

Prayer

1 Tim 2:8

Context of worship

Scripture

1 tim

Preaching

2 tim 3:16-4

Congregational Participation

Evident in:

Sacraments

1 Cor 11

God gives us this because he knows that we will develop and create our own ways to worship him.

This is what the Jewish leaders of the time had done.

They created their own law on how to worship God.

God reveals to us how we are to deal with each other

Official complaint about Paul and His teaching

Direct violation of 9th commandment

Q. 77.

What is required in the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbour’s good name,o especially in witness bearing.

Q. 78.

What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’s good name.

Jesus

As Christians we should be careful in making any false accusations against anyone.

We should make sure our complaining does not turn to false accusations.

We should be a people of integrity -

God reveals how the government should deal with the church

The

It is clear that Gallio knew his place

It was not for the government to decide on the things of the church

There should be a separate understanding of the civil government and the church government

Both are sovereignly controlled by God but both have different purposes

Civil government - sword/protection of religious freedom

Yet civil government has as its appointed end, so long as we live among men, to cherish and protect the outward worship of God, to defend sound doctrine of piety and the position of the church, ato adjust our life to the society of men, to form our social behavior to civil righteousness, to reconcile us with one another, and to promote general peace and tranquillity.

Yet civil government has as its appointed end, so long as we live among men, to cherish and protect the outward worship of God, to defend sound doctrine of piety and the position of the church, to adjust our life to the society of men, to form our social behavior to civil righteousness, to reconcile us with one another, and to promote general peace and tranquillity.

Calvin, J. (2011).

Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2. (J.

T. McNeill, Ed., F. L. Battles, Trans.)

(Vol. 1, p. 1487).

Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

Conclusion

Law -logic vs. promise-logic

If we read in the light of Paul’s argument in , the contrast is even clearer: law-logic ascends to bring Christ down or up from the grave, while gospel-logic receives Christ as he descends to us in the preaching of the gospel.

- Horton

Living in light of the fact that we have been saved by Grace, that Jesus is King and judgment is left to him alone.

The bible teaches us that Jesus is the judge.

Those men that shot and killed were evil and their work was evil.

They will face their judge.

There are issues that we can learn and deal with in retrospect, but very little has to do with law.

Much has to do with sin.

We need to continue to understand and act as Christians in light of the facts that 1) Jesus is King and Judge.

Jesus sets the standards for worship and I do not.

Jesus is judge and I am not.