Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Lord willing, I hope to continue on today in our study on the Gospel According to Matthew.

We are moving forward this week to Matthew chapter 4, verses 23-25.

Turn there if you would please.

In some of the past sermons we had been studying the Galilean ministry of Jesus.

In Galilee is where his official public ministry began and where he first preached the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is where he called his first disciples and those who would become the Apostles.

We know from the Scriptures that most of the activity of Jesus was centered around Capernaum, in Galilee, but now his ministry is beginning to spread through all the region of Galilee.

Let’s read from Matthew, ​

4:23

As we look at verse 23, we see our Lord is now taking the message of God’s grace to more people.

And there are three means by which he does this, 1) teaching, 2) preaching, and 3) miracles.

If the Lord grants it, I hope to cover these three things.

Teaching

Matthew lists teaching and preaching separate, and there is good reason— there is a difference between the two.

There is also a distinction of teacher and preacher made by Paul in 2 Timothy 1:11 “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”

In the Greek the word for teaching is didasko (διδάσκω), which means to instruct and to impart knowledge— it is to bring out more detailed information.

Jesus went into the synagogue, where the people of God went for worship and for instruction.

He went to where the people would go to hear the Word of God expounded upon and taught.

Jesus would take the Scriptures which the Jews had and he would expound upon it, telling them of the Gospel promises contained therein and how the Kingdom of Heaven— and those glorious promises of Grace— have now come to be fulfilled in him.

There was a knowledge and an authority in his teaching that no one else has ever had.

This teaching of our Lord is part of his fulfilment of his office of Prophet— where he teaches us all things according to the will of the Father.

The teaching aspect of Jesus’ ministry shows his heart towards his people, he wants his people to know truth, he wants them to grow in knowledge of his grace, and he wants his people to know the Holy and Triune God more intimately.

Preaching

Preaching is different than teaching— their emphasis is not the same.

The word preaching from the Greek is, kērússō (kay-russo)(κηρύσσω), it is to proclaim, to make known important information publicly.

The same Greek word is used in Revelation 5:2 and is translated as proclaiming, “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” Preaching and proclaiming are both often associated with a loud voice, as it is often done in a more open setting.

If you would, open up to

Titus 1:3 (KJV)

But hath in due times manifested his word (this is the Gospel) through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

The Gospel is made known, it is made clear, by preaching.

Preaching is a proclamation, a heralding in of the Good News.

John Gill said of this verse and the preaching,

through preaching; through the ministry of the word by the apostles; in which Christ is revealed in the glory of his person, and the fulness of his grace, and in the efficacy of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; and in which the Gospel, that was ordained before the world was, and is the fellowship of the mystery which was hid in God, is published; and in which the promise of eternal life, which lay in God’s heart, in the covenant of grace, and in the hands of Christ, and which with Christ, and his Gospel, were hid under the dark types, shadows, and sacrifices of the law, is clearly made known:

There also is something other than the essential Gospel itself that can be preached, or proclaimed.

For an example, turn to 2 Timothy 4:2.

Paul writes,

The word “word” there is not capitalized as it is not specifically referring to the Word as Jesus, or specifically his Gospel— however the Gospel can be part of it.

But, the sense of the word referred to by Paul here is truth— proclaim and make known truth.

This is in contrast to those who preach errors as Paul warned against in the previous chapter.

To be “instant” there, is to be always persisting in, or always with urgency— there should be a persistent proclaiming of truth with an urgent plea to follow it.

This is something that should never cease.

“In season” is a favorable or good time— as in being freely able to address masses of people who are ready and accepting to hear.

The situation welcomes the proclamation of truth.

“Out of season” is an unfavorable or a bad time— as in during persecution, sickness, trials or tribulations.

Out of season is also not a situation where the Gospel preacher of truth is welcomed.

Paul warned of this in the following verses.

Essentially, this verse is saying— Always be persistent in proclaiming truth with urgency, no matter what the situation.

We see this from our Lord in the Gospels— he is always preaching truth, he is persistent, he does it with urgency, and according to the Spirit does it no matter the situation.

Paul goes on with Reproving there in that verse.

That is to prove truth, or prove with truth the error of those who are wrong— it should bring guilt to those in the wrong.

Rebuking comes when reproving fails.

Rebuking is to denounce with strong and forceful disapproval of errors or false teachings.

Exhorting here is to earnestly support or encourage a person to accept truth.

It is a call and urging to believe in and live in truth.

This is all to be done with longsuffering, which is patience, with teaching sound truth and pure doctrine.

We see Jesus often use this form of preaching truth in contrast to the teachings of the Pharisees.

There is often an urgent plea to flee from the sins of the Pharisees, and their teachings reproved or rebuked.

In the pastoral epistles there is more of an emphasis on teaching than preaching for elders, who must be able to teach.

I believe the reason for that is the example of Jesus in our passage from Matthew 4, the gathering of God’s people requires a more in-depth teaching of the Scriptures.

If you recall from our study on disciples we looked at believers moving from spiritual milk to the meatier things, which comes through in-depth teaching of the Word of God.

As our Lord met in the synagogues, which were a foreshadow of the gathering of local churches, he would teach and expound upon the Word of God.

He was imparting a heavenly knowledge of the Scriptures.

This goes back to Nehemiah 8:6 which reads,

Teaching moves believers beyond the first principles of the oracles of God, as the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 5, verses 12-14.

This is why it is critical for elders to,

Whether one is teaching the deeper things of God’s Word, or preaching the Gospel and pure doctrinal truth— studying the Word of God, being saturated in it is critical, along with being fervent in prayer.

I think back to Acts chapter 6 with this.

Turn there if you would please.

I’m actually going to start in Acts 5:41-42 , the last 2 verse of chapter 5.

Acts 6:1–4 (KJV)

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God (it is not pleasing to God, to the Elders, nor to the church— to leave studying, meditating, teaching and preaching), and serve tables.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

I think this shows the weight of the importance of teaching and preaching the Word of God.

In following the ministry of our Lord, by the will of God and the leading of his Holy Spirit, the Apostles knew that they needed, which all Gospel ministers need, to have their lives saturated in the Word of God and always be in communion with God through prayer— so that they could be properly teaching and preaching daily.

This decision in Acts 6 to begin the office of deacon and allow the elders to attend to the ministry of the Word had a big impact.

Look down to verse 7,

The Word of God increased— the Gospel was being preaching and pure doctrine was being taught.

As a result of this “the number of the disciples multiplied”.

Remember that a disciple is someone who is learning and obedient follower of Jesus Christ— they are being taught and instructed, then doing the same with others.

Christ led this example of teaching and preaching, which we are first brought attention to in Matthew 4, and it is seen all throughout the Gospels.

It is a pattern that the under-shepherds are to follow, and the churches are to be protective in the exercise of— ensuring it is maintained— both to the Glory of God and to the benefit of his people.

4:23b-24

Miracles

Back to Matthew 4:23.

The next means of our Lord getting his message of the Kingdom spread was miracles.

Verse 23, “And Jesus... (was) …healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

To the incarnate Son of God, healing of any sickness, disease, or infirmity is not hard.

As we see in verse 24, Matthew 4:24, in “Syria… they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.”

This was a big thing here, there were many sick.

For this time, Providence had permitted a great many people to receive these afflictions.

Some of these things were very severe, as some people where possessed of devils.

Medical issues such as insanity and palsy were virtually incurable in those days.

But all of these things had been ordered so that Jesus Christ would be proven to be more than a mere man— for these things were to prove he was God and the promised Messiah, with a demonstration of his power.

The Jews anticipated miraculous signs to accompany the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus confirms all of this in Matthew 11:2-6.

Turn there please.

Matthew 11:2–6 (KJV)

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come (that is the Messiah), or do we look for another?