Sermon Tone Analysis

Things to be aware of when interpreting the Bible

Eisegesis

Exegesis - is extracting the true meaning from a Text

Eisegesis - is when you impose your own meaning upon a text

This often happens when we say “what does this mean to me instead of asking what does it mean.”

College Football.

Jim Harbaugh speaks of Solomon and the splitting of the babies.

Commentary says that he disagrees with his exegesis.

Consider it again with the following context:

Ralph was in trouble.

His mother was going to come home soon and see the mess he had made of his grades.

He didn’t know what to do, just knew that he had to get out of there before his whole world came crashing down.

Dashing out the door, he began to run.

“Running is good” he thought to himself, “Running is good.”

Not so great after all is it?

With just a limited view of the context surrounding the sentence, we can’t get a full picture of what is really happening.

Phil 4:13 “13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Phil 4:10-14 “10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.”

Spiritualization

Looking for a deeper meaning or different meaning then the one presented.

Example: Youth pastor telling young men to march around the girl he wants to marry 7 times until the walls of her heart come down

Over-Personalization

The proactive of reading your own personal situation into the passage.

Different then application.

This is making us the focus of the passage.

It is important to seek comfort in God’s Word but we should treat Scripture fairly and not read into the text something that was not intended.

Example: Woman praying about a situation and believing the act the word Mark was in this verse was her answer about her son Mark’s innocence.

Psalm 37:37 “37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: For the end of that man is peace.”

Psalm 119:41–48 (KJV 1900)

41 VAU.

Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, Even thy salvation, according to thy word.

42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: For I trust in thy word.

43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; For I have hoped in thy judgments.

44 So shall I keep thy law continually For ever and ever.

45 And I will walk at liberty: For I seek thy precepts.

46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed.

47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, Which I have loved.

48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; And I will meditate in thy statutes.

Introduction

How do you live the Christian life?

You live the Christian life by faith.

You live the Christian life by faith in God, you live the Christian life by faith in His promises, and you live the Christian life by faith in His Word.

Our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to promise.

Psalm 119:41 “41 VAU.

Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, Even thy salvation, according to thy word.”

Two truths here.

Salvation is from the Lord

Salvation is according to a promise.

Two implications of these truths.

Our trust must be focused on the Lord and His Word.

Psalm 119:41 “41 VAU.

Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, Even thy salvation, according to thy word.”

Great emphasis in Psalms on it being God’s Word.

God’s command.

God’s statutes.

The Psalmist focuses himself on the Word as a Word from God

So many conversations.

So little problem solving, so little counseling, centers around the promises of God.

Let that not be true about us as a community.

— Resource

C. H. Spurgeon, The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith: Being Precious Promises Arranged for Daily Use with Brief Comments (New York: American Tract Society, 1893), 260.

Matthew 10:42 “42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

WELL, I can do as much as that.

I can do a kind act towards the Lord’s servant.

The Lord knows I love them all, and would count it an honour to wash their feet.

For the sake of their Master I love the disciples.

How gracious of the Lord to mention so insignificant an action—“to give to drink a cup of cold water only”!

This I can do, however poor: this I may do, however lowly: this I will do right cheerfully.

This, which seems so little, the Lord notices—notices when done to the least of his followers.

Evidently it is not the cost, nor the skill, nor the quantity, that he looks at, but the motive: that which we do to a disciple, because he is a disciple, his Lord observes, and recompenses.

He does not reward us for the merit of what we do, but according to the riches of his grace.

I give a cup of cold water, and he makes me to drink of living water.

I give to one of his little ones, and he treats me as one of them.

Jesus finds an apology for his liberality in that which his grace has led me to do, and he says, “He shall in no wise lose his reward.”

// fitting for our Sunday afternoon event.

We must live by faith.

There are so many things that you cannot make sense of in this life by sight.

Hab 2:4 “4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the just shall live by his faith.”

Paul quotes in Romans 1:17 “17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Continues this thought in Galatians 2:20 “20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Hebrews 11 gives us example of the life of a believer.

It is lived “by faith”

You come to places in the Word of God where God asks you to do hard things.

Walk by faith.

We have become quite good at not needing to walk by faith.

Where the Bible demands something of us and it is tolerable or enjoyable we follow.

When the Bible confronts us and we submit, obey, and walk by faith — we often force the Word of God to conform to our desires.

“It is impossible to do well in the Christian life or to maintain any successful war against sin unless we have faith.

The Word of God is powerless to help us until it is believed.

Its vast treasures are unlocked by the hand of faith only.

Without faith, providence is absolutely crushing in many of its dispensations, but faith makes salvation ours.

He that will not trust shall not conquer.”

- William Plummer

Our salvation is from the Lord and our salvation is according to promises of God.

This teaches us that the Christian life must be lived by trust in Him and in His Word.

We walk by faith even in the face of ridicule.