Sermon Tone Analysis

HOUSE OF PRAYER

26 March 2017 –

The Testimony of John the Baptist

Focus Question (What does…?)

What do we really know about John the Baptist?

The FORERUNNER…

Timeless Truth (Truth of God’s Word)

His redemptive power, and His deity - This Gospel has taken the Creation account and connected the re-creation of the believer moving from darkness to light.

Background / Context (Context: Theme, Date/ Time, Speaker, Audience, and Situation)

Written in a time subsequent to 70 A.D. but believed to be between 70-100 AD

I. THEME

o Christ’s Deity (THE LIGHT)

II.

DATE / TIME

o 70 AD was the date of the destruction of the temple, John dies before 100 AD – so we can be sure that it was not any later than 100 AD.

o We can discern this because this was during a time that the Sea of Tiberias was the name typically used for the Sea of Galilee (6:21, 21:1)

III.

SPEAKER: John (The Apostle that Jesus “loved”)

IV.

AUDIENCE: Different from the synoptic gospels as it is written to everyone (Greek and Jew)

V. SITUATION: John focuses on events that are not found in the synoptic gospels to prove one thing to the reader – JESUS IS GOD IN THE FLESH, that the eternal WORD came to earth, had been born of a virgin to die as God’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Not discussing: genealogy, birth, baptism, temptation, casting out of demons, parables, transfiguration, communion, sweating blood in Gethsemane, or His ascension.

The Gospel writer states that John was born in the hill country of Judah (1:39) of priestly descent, being the son of Zechariah, a priest of the order of Abijah (1:5), and Elizabeth, a daughter of Aaron (1:5b).

Both parents were righteous before God, following all the commandments closely (1:6).

Like the birth of Jesus, only to a much lesser degree, the birth of John the Baptist is described in Luke as extraordinary.

The angel Gabriel announced the coming birth to Zechariah in the temple; to the older, barren Elizabeth it came as an answer to prayer (1:8–13).

John’s name is announced to Zechariah by the angel, even as his purpose as forerunner is revealed before birth (1:13–17).

Such a consecration from birth is reminiscent of the call of the OT prophet Jeremiah ().

TWEET by Pastor Keller:

“No one ever learned about his or her sins by being told.

We have too many layers of self-justification to grow without hard knocks…”

I. WARNING

a. Repent and be baptized for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!!

b.

Son of God / Lamb of God

II.

REPENTANCE

a. About-Face, 180 deg

b.

Broken, Tim Keller tweet

III.

EXPRESS THE REPENTANCE

a. Baptism

b.

Turn from the Old

c.

New Creation (2 cor 5:17)

The bitter irony of this should not be lost on the reader.

John emphasized this irony, stating that though He created the world, the world did not recognize Him.

Though He came to His own, His own did not receive Him. God has come to the world for acceptance and relationship.

Those who accept the Light, who believe in the message Christ proclaimed about Himself, are given the “right to become the children of God.”

To be born into the kingdom of God is not something achieved on human energy (see ) but by the grace of the living God through Christ Jesus.

This is to be balanced by the emphasis on the need to “receive” Christ.

Though we bring nothing to God and contribute nothing to our salvation, the gift itself is dependent on our willingness to receive it from the one who offers it.

IV.

Illustration (Optional, note: This is not an embellishment, it must be directly applicable to the theme being communicated by the text.)

AW TOZER – The Plow

Application (Most important part of message.

Within this section, the following questions are answered using the focal text covered: “SO WHAT?”

Why is this important to me…? How do I apply this to my life?)

Current Issues:

· Not Black Issues

· Not Latino Issues

· Not White Issues

· BUT BODY OF CHRIST ISSUES!!!

Everything is a THEOLOGICAL ISSUE

We must be burdened for the Gospel of Christ!!!

SO WHAT? – What is the application of “EXPRESSING “ – how does your life look, out in the street, at your work, with your friends, with your family…with the guy who cut you off on the way home or to wherever?

V. Invitation (Challenge question: So what decision will you make today?)

So, what are you going to do about it?

HE wants you, HE wants you to be HIS…HE is obviously drawing you to Himself…cry out to HIM, beg HIM to be the Lord of your life.

Repent (about face) from whatever sin has a stronghold on you and cry out to HIM.

Scripture

(ESV) pg 517

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

21 And they asked him, “What then?

Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you?

We need to give an answer to those who sent us.

What do you say about yourself?”

23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Cross-Reference

(ESV) pg 347

3A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

(ESV) pg 467

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.

And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

(ESV)

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

"Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness on you" ()

Here are two kinds of ground: fallow (untouched, uncultivated) ground and ground that has been broken up by the plow.

The fallow field is smug, contented, protected from the shock of the plow and the agitation of the harrow.

Such a field, as it lies year after year, becomes a familiar landmark to the crow and the blue jay.

Had it intelligence, it might take a lot of satisfaction in its reputation: it has stability; nature has adopted it; it can be counted upon to remain always the same, while the fields around it change from brown to green and back to brown again.

Safe and undisturbed, it sprawls lazily in the sunshine, the picture of sleepy contentment.

But it is paying a terrible price for its tranquility; never does it feel the motions of mounting life, nor see the wonders of bursting seed, nor the beauty of ripening grain.