Sermon Tone Analysis

LUKE

1:1-38 - God was about to do ‘a new thing’ (Isaiah 43:19).

It was centred on Christ, though John also played his part (31-33,16-17).

There were obstacles - Zechariah and Elizabeth were ‘old’ (18), and Mary had ‘no man’ (34).

What were these obstacles to God? - Nothing: ‘with God nothing will be impossible’ (37).

How are we to respond to God’s ‘new thing’?

- ‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (38).

How will God’s ‘new thing’ make progress among us? - Through the power of the Holy Spirit: ‘he will be filled with the Holy Spirit’ (15), ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you...’ (34).

‘Holy Spirit, we welcome you... Move among us with holy fire... Let the breeze of your presence flow... Please accomplish in me today, some new work of loving grace, I pray; Unreservedly have Your way...’ (Mission Praise, 241).

1:39-80 - There are two great ‘songs of praise’ here (46-55,67-79).

God was doing ‘a new thing’.

His people were rejoicing in Him.

Great things were happening.

Greater things were going to happen.

Soon, the Saviour would be born.

The birth of John the Baptist (57-66) - This was great.

The birth of our Saviour - This would be even greater.

Mary and Zechariah felt the touch of God upon their lives, and their hearts were filled with praise to God: ‘When I feel the touch of Your hand upon my life, it causes me to sing a song that I love You, Lord.

So from deep within my spirit singeth unto Thee, You are my King, You are my God, and I love You Lord’ (Mission Praise, 753).

John was ‘in the wilderness’.

He ‘became strong in spirit’ (80).

May God help us to grow spiritually, even when life is not very easy!

2:1-20 - God is in control!

Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Long before it happened, God had it planned (1-7; Micah 5:2-3).

As we approach Christ's Return, God still has His plan.

He is still in control.

The birth of Christ is not merely an event from the past.

It is also a message for the future.

We look back so that we can move forward.

We are fearful about many things.

‘What's the world coming to?’, we ask.

God turns our question on its head: ‘Christ is coming to the world’.

From His first coming, we look on to His Second Coming - He ‘will come to all the people’ (10): ‘every eye will see Him’ (Revelation 1:7).

His Return invites us to ask another question: ‘when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?’ (18:8).

For you, is it still ‘before Christ’?

Let the ‘new age’ begin: Let Christ be ‘born this day’ (11) - in your heart!

2:21-52 - Jesus ‘fulfilled all righteousness’ (Matthew 3:15).

His circumcision and presentation to the Lord was ‘according to the law of Moses’ (21-24; Leviticus 12:1-8).

Jesus’ obedience was always more than mere conformity to ‘the written code’.

He was walking ‘in the Spirit’.

He was filled with ‘the Spirit of the living God’ (2 Corinthians 3:3,6).

His obedience came ‘from the heart’ and His ‘praise’ came ‘not from men but from God’ (Romans 6:17; 2:29).

What joy there was for Simeon and Anna!

This was ‘salvation’, ‘redemption’ (30,38).

As you journey through life, don’t ‘lose Jesus’ (43-45).

Keep close to Him!

If you do ‘lose Him’, where will you find Him again?

- ‘In the temple’ (46).

Have you lost your way?

Find your way back to ‘the sanctuary of God’ - and things will start to fall into place again (Psalm 73:16-17)!

3:1-38 - John's message came from ‘God’ (2).

He did not begin with love.

He preached about sin and divine judgment, warning his hearers to ‘flee from the wrath to come’ (7).

He called for ‘repentance’ (3,8).

This was not what people wanted to hear.

Before we can rejoice in the Good News concerning salvation, we must recognize our sin and our need of salvation.

John prepared the way for Jesus.

‘All have sinned’, ‘The wages of sin is death’ - This is the ‘bad news; which prepares us to receive, with joyful thanksgiving, ‘the Good News’: ‘the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

Like John, we are to point to Jesus, God’s ‘beloved Son’ : Before ‘Adam’ was, He is.

Pray that the ‘Holy Spirit’ will bring people to Christ (22,38; 8:58).

4:1-30 - Jesus was ‘tempted by the devil’ (2).

He was rejected by His enemies (28-29).

When we look around us, we see nothing but temptations and rejection - What a negative way of looking at things!

There is something more positive here - the presence of the Holy Spirit (1,14,18).

Do not be afraid.

There is no need to be discouraged.

We need not be defeated.

The temptations may be many.

The opposition may be fierce.

We can ‘pass through the midst of them’ (30): ‘God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control’ (2 Timothy 1:7).

Satan is persistent - They did not rest until they had crucified Him.

Faced with such opposition, we - like Jesus - must walk in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:12,17-18).

4:31-5:11 - ‘His Word was with power’ (32).

Where there are hindrances, obstructing the flow of God’s Word, we must pray that God’s Word will be heard for ‘what it really is’ - ‘not the word of men but the Word of God’ (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Our hearing of God’s Word is not to be a superficial thing - Here, the people of Capernaum ‘tried to keep Him from leaving them’ (42).

Later, Jesus said, ‘You, Capernaum... shall be thrust down to hell’ (10:15).

We must hear the Word of God and act on it (1,3).

We may feel, ‘it’s a waste of time’.

We must be obedient to God: ‘at Your Word I will let down the nets’ (5).

We are to be ‘partners’ in the Lord’s work (7): ‘workers together with God’ (2 Corinthians 6:1).

All the glory belongs to the Lord: We are ‘sinful’ - Through His grace, we can win others for Him (8,10).

5:12-32 - ‘You can make me clean...

I will; be clean’ (12-13).

Look at Christ’s death for you - Can you doubt His desire to save you?

Look at His resurrection - Can you doubt His power to save you?

The Lord ‘desires all people to be saved’ (1 Timothy 2:4).

We are saved through ‘the Gospel’ which ‘is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith’ (Romans 1:16).

Jesus can save.

Jesus will save.

‘The power of the Lord’ (17) is available to all: ‘Whoever wishes’ may ‘come’ and receive ‘the free gift’ of salvation (Revelation 22:17).

To each one, Jesus says, ‘Follow Me’ (27).

We must not think of ourselves as ‘righteous’.

Each one must come as a ‘sinner’ to Jesus, the Saviour of sinners (32).

Through prayer, the Lord’s saving power can be released among us (16-17; John 14:13-14; 1 John 5:14-15).

5:33-6:16 - There is such a difference between the ‘old’ legalism and the ‘new’ life in the Spirit (36-39; Romans 8:2-4).

The question, asked in verse 2, springs from the dead hardness of strict legalistic religion.

Christ is Lord (5) - not the ‘Pharisees’.

They try to control people's lives.

With their kill-joy attitude, they only succeed in making everybody miserable - like themselves!