Sermon Tone Analysis

Turn to Romans 15

Looking back at the past two months - and trying to build off last week - it was a good time to look at what we’re doing and things that maybe need to shift, or tighten up, or even things that need to be let go.

To be honest, this morning’s message, wrote up last Saturday when I was concerned that Randy might be too sick to speak the next morning, but I found that as I looked through it, it flowed very well with all that he ended up preaching.

Kind of the awesomeness of the Holy Spirit, as he talked about Sunday night, how He flows, when we are saturated in Him, how He operates within the church.

It’s a beautiful thing when the Spirit moves so fluidly in the church, even among two ministers so different - clearly Randy and I do not look or speak like we were made from the same cookie cutter - yet the Spirit used His message to tie a nice bow the previous series.

Speaking about honor, advancing in that, when we look at leadership and servanthood, as we had been - do you think Honor is a key element to the relationship with those in leadership?

And honor to those who follow the leaders?

It all seemed to just fit together like puzzle pieces.

So I looked over the sermon I’d written, and thought, maybe this isn’t just a connection to what we’re coming out of, but a direction in how we go.

This is a message for how we proceed from where we came.

So we look again, this time, squarely at Romans 15, but we’ll begin in verse 4.

Text:

Sermon Title:

The Church That Moves

Thesis:

We are the church that moves instructed by the Word, through prayer, and in the Spirit.

Introduction:

Many churches move today.

Some are motivated by Greed, some are social clubs, political hubs, we can’t say the church in America isn’t moving, but what are many moving for?

The one thing that will destroy the church - if it is ever to be destroyed - is that sin of laziness.

Ceasing to move.

If you think about it, only two things never move - things that have never had life in them, or things that have died.

Even starfish - small creatures with no brains - even they tend to move with the current or the tide at times.

The church is much smarter than the starfish.

This time of year, I often like to look back at church history, close to October 31st, I tend to read and listen to stories of the Reformers.

Those men bold enough to stand against the Catholic Church who, for so long kept the common man in the dark when it came to God’s word.

The Bible, being written in Latin for so long, was translated into German, French, English - Gutenberg’s Printing press made it possible to get more and more copies of readable translations into the common man’s hands.

A couple of English Reformers in 1554 were sentenced to death on commission from the Papal party, men by the name of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley - both men who dared to preach the Bible in a language the common folks could understand it.

Foxe’s book of Martyrs tells us that Hugh Latimer is supposed to have said to Ridley, as they were being burned to death, “Be of good comfort, and play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

Their deaths, of course, sparked - if you’ll pardon the pun - even more revival, and birthed in many more the desire to preach the Gospel.

About 6 years prior to his death, Latimer preached a message about the need for the church that moves.

Encouraging men and women to be active in their faith, in a sermon titled, simply, “The Sermon of the Plough”, he said,

"And now I would ask a strange question: who is the most diligentest bishop and prelate in all England, that passeth all the rest in doing his office?

I can tell, for I know him who it is; I know him well.

But now I think I see you listening and hearkening that I should name him.

There is one that passeth all the other, and is the most diligent prelate and preacher in all England.

And will ye know who it is?

I will tell you: it is the devil.

He is the most diligent preacher of all other; he is never out of his diocess; he is never from his cure; ye shall never find him unoccupied; he is ever in his parish; he keepeth residence at all times; ye shall never find him out of the way, call for him when you will he is ever at home; the diligentest preacher in all the realm; he is ever at his plough: no lording nor loitering can hinder him; he is ever applying his business, ye shall never find him idle, I warrant you.

And his office is to hinder religion, to maintain superstition, to set up idolatry, to teach all kind of popery.

He is ready as he can be wished for to set forth his plough; to devise as many ways as can be to deface and obscure God's glory.”

You see, Paul, in Romans 15 is telling the church how they are to move - because Paul understood the devil does not take a day off.

Paul understood that the church must be chasing after the same goal, with the same passion, the same breathless desire...

Even in Paul’s day, many churches lost their way.

The Galatian church - whom Paul gives no words of encouragement to.

The Corinthian church, plagued by all sorts of sexual sins, so dysfunctional in their operating in the gifts of the Spirit, not even taking the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner.

The church at Ephesus - Paul sends Timothy to clean it up, because “certain men were teaching strange doctrines, paying attention to myths among other things” (1 Timothy 1:3-4).

In our days, the same thing is true.

Fog machines, laser lights, confetti canons, backup dancers to the worship team… are we more about entertaining the world than feeding the sheep anymore?

Not if we’re to be a church that moves.

A church that moves must instructed by the Word, through prayer, and in the Spirit.

Point I: Instructed by the Word

Romans 15:4a “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction,

Romans 15 begins with Paul directing the church to be unified.

Those of us who are strong should bear the weaknesses of those without strength - and not to just please ourselves.

Romans 15:3 “For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.””

The Christian life is a life of self-denial, not of one that takes always from others, but what uses what it has in order to bless others.

Gives to others, loves others, heals others, and so on.

Where do we get that?

From Scripture!

Scripture is there to direct us!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

All the writings of the Prophets, all those Old Testament saints and their giant slaying, their Philistine tower toppling, their dream interpreting, their burning bush bargaining - all of it connects together with the New Testament to direct us.

To instruct us.

To give us - as the Psalmist says, Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

It is a light to us, a light to guide us, rules to live by.

Someone once told me, “Pastor Jeff, I don’t like the Bible.

It’s full of stuff I can’t do, things I’m not supposed to do, but I thought the whole idea is God loved me the way I am!”

I said, “God does love you, but you need to decide something.”

She said, “What’s that?”

I said, “Do you love Him more than you love breaking His heart?”

She said, “Oh I do!”

I said then why do you break His rules?”

Scripture, the “though shalt nots” and all those things are there to protect you, to keep you Holy, because as He is Holy, He can not tolerate sin, therefore Scripture tells us to be holy like Him, but we can’t, there is no possible way.

So what does God do?

He sends His Son as an atonement for our sins, He bleeds, He dies, He’s buried, He rises again, because while God loves you, He does not love your sins, and they needed to be paid for, and because He is God and God is love, He took those sins upon Himself, and was sacrificed in our place.

And because He is God, He is master over life and death, so He rose on the third day!

Is that not worth living for?

The Gospels tell us this is what the disciples saw, Acts tells us this is what they lived for, and the epistles tell us this is what they were martyred for.

Because they understood that Scripture leads us, and it leads us to Jesus.

Jesus - who is our hope.

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;”

1 Peter 1:10-11 “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.”

The Scriptures were written for our instruction - that we might know Christ!

That word instruction is the Greek word “didasklian” and it means it was there for our teaching.

Again, 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

And as it teaches us, as it reproves us, as it corrects us, as it trains us, it is n righteousness - making us more like Christ, growing us closer to Him every day, every time we study it, and we let it penetrate our hearts and change who we are.

Someone might say “But I like who I am.”

Are you like Jesus? “Well, no” then you see that’s the problem.

Neither am I, that’s why I need God’s word to direct and instruct me.

Romans 15:4b so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures

You see the Scriptures are not just there for our teaching, but also to help us persevere, to help us be encouraged.

The word of God is meant to push us, challenge us, grow us… and like I said, change us.

Perseverance comes from a Greek word meaning endurance, and encouragement from a word meaning both comfort and conviction.

Scripture guides us through our perseverance.

James 1:12 “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Scripture shouts to us today: “Persevere, Christian!

Stand strong.

ENDURE.”