Sermon Tone Analysis

! /Sola Scriptura/

 

 

*/Tradition!

… /*/ \\ I have spoken against the thoughtlessness of doing something out of mere tradition… \\ Allow me to reemphasize, that we should always think and know why we do what we do!

No question there… \\ But I do want to encourage caution will loosely speaking against “tradition”!/

*/Tradition is not—of itself—unprofitable, unbiblical, or otherwise ‘not good’… \\ it is the source of tradition, that is the critical issue… \\ the source of tradition should always be carefully considered in our lives!/*

/Semper Reformanda/… \\ /Are you?/

5 days from today will mark 491 years since the spark of the greatest controversy the modern church has ever experienced was ignited!

The day was October 31, 1517… the place was Wittenberg, Germany… \\ a 34 year old professor of theology at the university of Whitesburg…

This first thing I ask is that people should not make use of my name, and should not call themselves Lutherans but Christians.

What is Luther?

The teaching is not mine.

Nor was I crucified for anyone … How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the children of Christ by my evil name?

--Luther

/ /

/Please accept a disclaimer… \\ … and this is not so much a sermon as it is a study and application of Scripture…/

[Matt 3]

Reformation today?

→ A Reformation can never be born out of apathy…

Then there are some who are fanatical about the Reformation… \\ this too is err…

Let us not get so caught up in God’s use of other people, that we loose sight of God!

Let us not be drawn to the history and power of the Reformation for the sake of Reform… but rather let it be for the sake of Christ!

*/Why do we study the Word of God so extensively?

\\ /*Is it because being right is so important us?

\\ /No, it should be because rightly knowing Christ is so important to us!/

 

SOLA FIDE

NAS *Romans 1:16* For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

17 For in it /the /righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous /man /shall live by faith."

“These words were the very gate to paradise” … “the sweetest of words”

NAS *Romans 5:1* Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

NAS *Ephesians 2:8* For by grace you have been saved *through faith*; and that not of yourselves, /it is /the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

That it is faith alone which on our part is required to interest us in that righteousness, or whereby we comply with God's grant and communication of it, or receive it unto our use and benefit; for although this faith is in itself the radical principle of all obedience,-- and whatever is not so, which cannot, which does not, on all occasions, evidence, prove, show, or manifest itself by works, is not of the same kind with it,--yet, as we are justified by it, its act and duty is such, or of that nature, as that no other grace, duty, or work, can be associated with it, or be of any consideration.

And both these are evidently confirmed in that description which is given us in the Scripture of the nature of faith and believing unto the justification of life.

\\ - John Owen, The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith

 

 

SOLA GRATIA

NAS *Titus 3:4* But when the kindness of God our Savior and /His /love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to /the /hope of eternal life.

NAS *Romans 5:15* But the free gift is not like the transgression.

For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

NAS *Ephesians 2:5* even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (*by grace you have been saved*),

 

I think it well to turn a little to one side that I may ask my reader to observe adoringly the fountain-head of our salvation, which is the grace of God.

"By grace are ye saved."

Because God is gracious, therefore sinful men are forgiven, converted, purified, and saved.

It is not because of anything in them, or that ever can be in them, that they are saved; but because of the boundless love, goodness, pity, compassion, mercy, and grace of God.

Tarry a moment, then, at the well-head.

Behold the pure river of water of life, as it proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb!

What an abyss is the grace of God! Who can measure its breadth?

Who can fathom its depth?

Like all the rest of the divine attributes, it is infinite.

\\ - Charles H. Spurgeon, All Of Grace

 

SOLO CHRISTO

NAS *Ephesians 2:12* /remember /that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

NAS *John 3:36* "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

NAS *Acts 4:12* "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved."

NAS *John 14:6* Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

 

NAS *1 Timothy 2:5* For there is one God, /and /one mediator also between God and men, /the /man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony /borne /at the proper time.

That there is no remedy but in Jesus Christ; there is nothing else will give you true quietness.

If you could fly into heaven, you would not find it there; if you should take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth, in some solitary place in the wilderness, you could not fly from your burden.

So that if you do not come to Christ, you must either continue still weary and burdened, or, which is worse, you must return to your old dead sleep, to a state of stupidity; and not only so, but you must be everlastingly wearied with God's wrath.

*Consider that Christ is a remedy at hand.*

You need not wish for the wings of a dove that you may fly afar off, and be at rest, but Christ is nigh at hand, if you were but sensible of it.

Romans 10:6, 7, 8. "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?

(that is, to bring Christ down from above:) or, Who shall descend into the deep?

(that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

But what saith it?

The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach."

There is no need of doing any great work to come at this rest; the way is plain to it; it is but going to it, it is but sitting down under Christ's shadow.

Christ requires no money to purchase rest of him, he calls to us to come freely, and for nothing.

If we are poor and have no money, we may come.

Christ sent out his servants to invite the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind.

Christ does not want to be hired to accept of you, and to give you rest.

It is his work as Mediator to give rest to the weary, it is the work that he was anointed for, and in which he delights.

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

- Jonathan Edwards, Safety, Fulness and Sweet Refreshment in Christ

 

SOLI DEO GLORIA

NAS *1 Chronicles 16:23* Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

24 Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods.

26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.

27 Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place.

28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array.

30 Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

NAS *Romans 11:33* Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?

35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?

36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

To Him /be /the glory forever.

Amen.

From the purest principles of reason, as well as from the fountain of revealed truth, he demonstrates that the chief and ultimate end of the Supreme Being, in the works of creation and providence, was the manifestation of his own glory in the highest happiness of his creatures.

\\ --Jonathan Edwards

 

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But each of these convictions are borne out of /one/, fundamentally necessary source… GOD!

And the means by which God has chosen to communicate to mankind, to translate His will to us, to reveal Himself and preserve the historical record of His works… is found in /Scripture Alone/!

SOLA SCRIPTURA

Evangelical: “At the Reformation the name ‘evangelical’ was given to the Lutherans who sought to redirect Christianity to the gospel and renew the church on the *basis of God’s authoritative Word*.”

–EDT

I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing… the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it.

I did nothing.

–Luther \\ \\

 “The Scripture Principle, the commitment to sola scriptura, is an essential and defining feature of evangelical theology.”

–Clark

NAS *1 Corinthians 15:1* Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, *in which also you stand*,

 

"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience.