Sermon Tone Analysis

This past summer, on one particular day, I sinned rather badly.

Not in the sense of some type of gross immorality.

It was about what I failed to do.

It was a painful day; I cried about it.

To this day, it still bothers me.

The only good thing that came out of it was that, through it, the Holy Spirit revealed to me a new truth about a story you probably "know."

I've been sitting on this for months, and apparently it's time to go to work on it.

This is a story that may change your life forever.

It brings clarity to what God wants from you, on a practical, daily basis.

It's incredibly liberating.

So let's turn to Luke 10:25:

(25) and LOOK!

A certain legal expert stood up,

testing Jesus, saying,

Let's pause here.

And I guess I'm going to teach you something nerd cool as well today.

The first word in verse 25 is "and."

Now, this maybe doesn't do much for you, but what "and" does (its discourse function) is connect two things together.

So if the first word you read in the NT is "and," you know you're about to make a mistake.

You're grabbing maybe half of a thought [And if you're using an NRSV or NIV, should write "and" into your Bibles here].

In this particular case, I'm really pleased about this.

So let's turn back all the way to Luke 10:1.

Here, Luke signals to us that he's starting a new section.

"After this."

That's your chance, as a reader, to catch your breath before starting something new.

When chapter 10 starts, Jesus has already sent out the 12 to do power evangelism.

That's Luke 9.

The disciples are healing people, and casting out demons in Jesus' name.

But there were so many sick and captive people, that 12 people just can't begin to meet the need.

So what Jesus does, in chapter 10, is get more workers.

Healings, and casting out demons, was never something that was only for the 12 disciples.

And my guess (cheating ahead, but hiding how), is that these 70 are the first fruits from the 12's ministry.

These are brand new disciples.

So let's read from Luke 10:1-16 (NRSV):

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy[a] others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

3 Go on your way.

See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.

4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.

5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’

6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.

7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid.

Do not move about from house to house.

8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’[b] 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you.

Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’[c] 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

Woes to Unrepentant Cities

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin!

Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

14 But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

15 And you, Capernaum,

will you be exalted to heaven?

No, you will be brought down to Hades.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

So Jesus sends out the 70, and he tells them, "pray for more workers."

Even 83 people doing power evangelism, isn't nearly enough.

Everywhere you go, you see people who are held captive to sin, and sickness, and Satan.

They need help to be freed.

They need God's kingdom.

They need someone to free them, in Jesus' name.

They need "deeds of power."

Now let's read from verses 17-24:

17 The seventy[d] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your nameeven the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.

19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.

20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names "have been" written in heaven.”

Let me just pause here, and say a single thing.

English Bibles all translate verse 20, "but rejoice that your names "are" written" in heaven (with the exception of Young's Literal, which says, "were written.").

It's a passive perfect verb (ἐγγέγραπται ).

[verb, perfect, passive, indicative, third person, singular]

Normally, we'd translate that, "have been written."

And technically, it's not the normal word for "to write" in the NT.

This is a more formal word.

It means something more like "to engrave."

it's the word you'd use to describe inscribing something on stone.

ἐγγρᾰ́φω

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[1] Having come to this river and camped there, then, Darius was pleased with the sight of it, and set up yet another pillar there, cutwith this inscription: [1]

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Or, it can mean to "inscribe" or "to register."

Like, your name has been added to some list.

[230] One of them, named Phryno, a bold, bad man, sent his son to Philip before he had put him on the list of citizens; but another did not do anything that was unworthy of his country or himself.[2]

[261] After getting yourself enrolled on the register of your parish—no one knows how you managed it; but let that pass—anyhow, when you were enrolled, you promptly chose a most gentlemanly occupation, that of clerk and errand-boy to minor officials.

After committing all the offences with which you now reproach other people, you were relieved of that employment; and I must say that your subsequent conduct did no discredit to your earlier career.

[3]

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So the disciples go out, casting out demons, healing the sick, and Jesus says, "Rejoice that your names have been written, or "inscribed," or "engraved," in the heavens."

Everyone reading this, as far as I know, thinks Jesus is talking about eternal life here.

Jesus encourages his disciples to not lose sight, that their names "have been written" in the heavens.

Now, whendid their names get written in heaven?

And on what basis?

Picking back up again, verse 21ff:

21 At that same hour Jesus[e] rejoiced in the Holy Spirit[f] and said, “I thank[g] you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.[h]

22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23 Then turning to the disciples, Jesus[i] said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

What makes Jesus rejoice in the Spirit (some manuscripts apparently say "in his spirit"-- not checking this).

What makes him praise his Father?

God has shown an incredible kindness to Jesus' disciples here.

He has revealed to them, the authority that they have in Jesus, through Jesus' name.

When Jesus' disciples understand this authority, it changes everything in life.

Jesus gives you permission to use his name.

And his name, straight-up overpowers demons.

Unclean spirits can't resist it.

They have to run.

And the terrible things they bring with them, the weapons that they use-- sickness, oppression, spiritual blindness-- have to run with them.

Now, the other part of Jesus' thankfulness here, has to do with what it reveals about God's remarkable character.

Who does God reveal this to?