Sermon Tone Analysis

Ficek, Jerome.

“The Christology Of Paul Tillich: The New Being In Jesus As The Christ.”

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 1, no. 2 (1958): 19–20.

rist

In Christ, there is not only a sufficiency but a redundancy,—it overflows the banks.

Christ is never sweet till sin is felt to be bitter; nor is he rest till man feels sin to be a burden.

Temptation to Christ, was like throwing a buron a mirror, which will not stick.

His life was purer than the sunbeams.

If we are in Christ while we live, we shall go to Christ when we die.

Union is the ground of privilege, hence we must be in Christ before we can be with Christ.

The fulness which is in Christ is as light in the sun; it dwells there—it is never-failing.

The riches of Deity are in him, and the communication of this blessed fulness is that which satisfies the soul.

Jesus Christ is an incomprehensible blessing.

Whatever God can require for satisfaction or we can need for salvation, is to be found in Christ.

His name is the sweetest music to a Christian’s ear, and his blood the most precious balm to a Christian’s heart.

Christ died for our preferment; he suffered that we might reign.

He hung on the cross that we might sit on the throne; his crucifixion is our coronation.

At Christ’s death, “the rocks rent.”

Not to be affected with Christ’s dying love, is to have hearts harder than rocks.

When the arrow of a saint’s prayer is put into the bow of Christ’s intercession, it pierceth the very heavens.

It was love in God the Father to send Christ, and love in Christ, that he came to be incarnate.

Christ’s assuming our human nature, as it was a master-piece of wisdom, so it was a monument of free grace.

Christ is such a golden mine of wisdom, grace, and glory, that neither saints nor angels can ever fathom their depth in him; there is both fulness and sweetness.

Nor does a Christian need necessaries—in Christ he has unsearchable riches.

The full Godhead would be terrible to behold—we could not see it and live; but Jesus, clothing himself with humanity, makes the Divine nature beautiful and lovely to behold.

Christ sweetens all our comforts, and sanctifies all our crosses.

A beggar may behold the glory of a king, and not be happy; but Christ’s glory shall be ours,—“We shall be like Him.”

Christ, who was veiled in the types, is clearly revealed in the glass of the Scriptures.

Bread is satisfying; so Jesus Christ, the Bread of life, satisfies the soul: he satisfies the mind with confidence, the heart with affection, the conscience with peace.

Christ’s Godhead did give both majesty and efficacy to his sufferings.

Christ was the sacrifice, the priest, and the altar; he was the sacrifice, as man; he was the priest, being God-man; he was the altar, being God.

We must look on sin with a penitent eye, and on Christ with a believing eye.

We must weep for sin that slew Christ, but hope in the “Lamb slain” which taketh away sin.

Christ mingles his sweet odours with the prayers of the saints; although they ascend from the believer weak and worthless, they proceed from Christ mighty and powerful.

Christians

I have read of a holy man, who being tempted by some former companions to sin, he made this answer: I am so busy in reading a little book, which contains such deep mysteries, that I have resolved to read it all the days of my life.

It has but three leaves.

In the first leaf, which is red, I am taught to meditate on the precious blood of Christ, which was shed for my sins.

In the second leaf, which is white, I meditate on the pure and glorious joys of heaven.

In the third leaf, which is black, I contemplate the hideous and dreadful torments of hell, prepared for the wicked for all eternity.”

The saints are like letters engraven on Christ’s heart, which cannot be erased out.

A child of God fears, because the “gate is strait;” but hopes, because the gate is open.

Christians should be both diamonds and loadstones: diamonds, for the lustre of their graces; loadstones, by attracting others to Christ.

A true Christian is a dwarf in humility, but a giant in strength to fulfil duty, to bear trial, and to endure temptation.

A Christian is as much afraid of a painted holiness as he is of going to a painted heaven.

The song of the Psalmist, when he longed for deliverance from the sorrows of life, was, “Oh that I had wings like a dove!

I would flee away.”

The bird longs to be out of the cage, although it be adorned with pearl and ornamented with gold.

The world, to a man of God, is but a beautiful prison; nor can he love his fetters, which detain him there, although they be made of gold.

He sends his heart to heaven before his body is set free,—“Setting your affections on things above.”

The trees of righteousness, when they grow together, flourish most in godliness; the communion of saints promotes fruitfulness; by association knowledge is increased, faith is strengthened, and evidences are cleared; but when the trees which are planted in the garden of the Lord stand at a distance from each other, there is neither communion nor fruitfulness.

The godly in this life are like scattered pearls; they lie distant from each other, and are dispersed into several regions; but there is a day coming, when God will gather his saints “unto him” as one places his pearls on a string.

“In the day that he makes up his jewels.”

A believer triumphs more in the righteousness of Christ imputed, than if he had Adam’s righteousness in innocency, nay, than if he had the angels’ righteousness, for now he hath the righteousness of God.

“That we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Church

God’s Church is the apple of his eye, and the eyelid of his providence doth daily cover and defend it.

Christ preserves his church as a spark in the ocean, as a flock of sheep among wolves.

If the enemies destroy the church, it must be at a time when there is neither day nor night, for Christ keeps it day and night.

Isa.

37:3.

If Christ be in the ship of his church, although the waves may threaten to overwhelm, there cannot be shipwreck.

“I the Lord do keep it.”

Conscience

Conscience is God’s deputy in the soul, his viceroy; the wicked do all they can to dethrone conscience and put it aside.

Co

To Have Christ Live In as To Be Controlled by Christ — To have Christ “live in” oneself denotes being controlled by Christ.

Source: To Have Christ Live In

Target: To Be Controlled by Christ

Category: Idiom

To

RSE 9

And be found in him.

Some read the words actively, that I may find Christ; but the phrase in the original varying from the former, therefore it is better translated as we have it, passively (p).

But when is it that St Paul desireth to be found in Christ?

Ever, no doubt, but especially at the hour of death and day of judgment.

The phrase implies, first, that there is an estate in Christ; secondly, an abiding in it; and thirdly, to be found abiding in him.

For the handling whereof, we will first explain the phrase; secondly, we will shew what doctrines it doth clear; then we will come to some instructions arising therefrom.

The phrase, ‘to be in Christ,’ is taken from plants which are grafted into stocks, or from the branches, which are said to be in the tree.

Thus are we in the vine.

It is Christ’s own comparison.

And of this union with Christ there are three degrees.

First, We are in Christ and in God, first loving us; and so we were in him before we were.

He chose us from all eternity.

Secondly, When Christ died, then we were in him as a public person.

Thirdly, We are said most properly to be in him now when we believe in him; and thus principally is the sense understood in this place.

And thus we are in Christ, not as the manhood is in Christ, but mystically; not as friends in one another by love, but by faith we are engrafted; as truly as the branches are in the vine, so are we one.

Obj.

But Christ is in heaven, we are on earth; how can we be united to him that is so far distant from us?

Ans.

I answer, If a tree did reach to heaven, and have its root in the earth, doth this hinder that the branches and the root are not united?

In no wise.

So Christ he is in heaven, and we on earth, yet are we united to him by his Spirit, and receiving influence from him of all grace and goodness.

Now let us see what doctrines are cleared hereby: first, it clears the point of justification by Christ.

For if the question be, How we are saved by Christ’s righteousness?

I answer, Christ and we are both one.

Doth not the eye see for the body?

Are not the riches of the husband and wife all one?

Yes.

And even also whatsoever Christ hath is ours; he is our husband; he is our head.

In the second place, it clears the matter of the sacrament.