Sermon Tone Analysis

Formal Elements / Descriptive Data

Text: a complete thought-unit of Scripture providing the sermon’s basis

Central Idea of the Text (CIT): details of text summarized in a complete, past tense sentence

Luke recounted how Jesus clarified the one who cannot be His disciple:

if he refused to love Him above all others

if he refused to bear the cross

if he refused to renounce everything he possessed

. . .

as illustrated in His parable of the Wise Builder and Wise King

Proposition: major idea of sermon summarized in a complete sentence using present, active, future indicative or imperative mood; in direct relationship to the CIT

You cannot rightly “go after” Jesus until you are fully prepared to “go through” Him alone.

Statement of Purpose:

(1) Major Objective (MO) – only ONE of six possible (doctrinal, devotional ethical, evangelistic, consecrative, or supportive)

MO - Consecrative

(2) Specific Objective (SO) – focuses on only one; calls for specific action (“I want my hearer to . . .

“)

SO - I want my hearer to realize that what he begins in following Christ can only be finished by following Him “All the Way.”

Title (Topic/Name): 2 to 4 words with a key or arrow word usually common to all major ideas; innovative, interesting, contemporary; indicative of general sermon content; not sensational or cute

“He Cannot Be My Disciple”

Informal Elements / Rhetorical Data

Introduction:

Get Attention/Raise Need/Orient Theme/State Purpose

- strong, attractive, and interesting opening sentence

Though some may call it a myth, it serves well to illustrate and guide our thoughts:

[A researcher] was sorting through some old papers and came upon an article that was typed up by a friend of [his].

[He did] not know where [his friend] got it from.

[He included it] because of the author's link to the Shackleton family.

The article said: In late 1913, some years before I was around, a member of my family put an advertisement in the Times which went like this:

"Men wanted for hazardous journey.

Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful.

Honour and recognition in case of success."

The advertiser was my uncle, Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer, seeking to recruit men for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

She goes on to say—surprise, surprise no fewer than 5000 people replied.

She signed the article

Mrs. Patricia Ducé

"Comment"

Channel 4

January 25th 1988

(21 November 2011)

- personal and social material; personal bridge; social bridge

- textual material (CIT); textual bridge

- focus the sermon’s intent (Proposition)

- relational and transitional material; structural bridge

Body – Development – Outline:

I. State major idea drawn directly from the text, in a brief, complete sentence using present active, future indicative or imperative mood, strong verbs (avoid “to be” and its forms); (vs ?)

I. Jesus’ Explanation of the Requirements for Discipleship (Lk.

14:25-27)

Explanation (EXP): from only the selected text; 3rd person pronouns; past tense; express the “then-ness” aspect of the text itself in its historical context

A. The Backdrop (Lk.

14:25)

Now great multitudes followed the Lord Jesus.

Most leaders would be elated by such widespread interest.

But the Lord was not looking for people who would follow Him out of curiosity, with no real heart interest.

He was looking for those who were willing to live devotedly and passionately for Him, and even die for Him if necessary.

And so He now began to sift the crowd by presenting to them the stringent terms of discipleship.

At times the Lord Jesus wooed men to Himself, but after they began to follow Him, He winnowed them.

That is what is taking place here.

[William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed.

Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1426.]

B. First Condition - Family Decisions (Lk.

14:26)

C. Second Condition - Bear the Cross (Lk.

14:27)

Illustration (ILL): fresh, interesting, believable, clearly shed light on this specific portion of the text and on this particular idea being developed; use different sources (use only 1 personal and 1 biblical ill.

per sermon)

1 lest the cross … should be made of none effect. 1 Co 1:17

2 the cross is to them that perish foolishness; 1 Co 1:18

2 then is the offence of the cross ceased.

Gal 5:11

3 should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

Gal 6:12

3 glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, Gal 6:14

2 reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, Eph 2:16

2 obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Phil 2:8

2 that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Phil 3:18

2 having made peace through the blood of his cross, Col 1:20

3 and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; Col 2:14

4 endured the cross, despising the shame, Heb 12:2

Word Studies:

In secular Greek stauros denotes a “pole,” or a “pile,” such as is used in foundations.

The term is also used of a “fence, stake,” or a “tent peg”; however, it also refers to a “cross” upon which criminals were executed (cf.

Liddell-Scott).

This is its use in the New Testament.

The noun does not occur in the Septuagint, although the verb, stauroō (4568), does occur in Esther (7:9) where it means to hang on a pole.

Execution by means of crucifixion was employed in Greece, but the practice did not originate there.

In all likelihood the Persians invented this means of torture and execution.

Later, Alexander the Great, the Phoenicians, and the Carthaginians used this method of punishment.

The Romans adopted it from the Carthaginians; however, except in rare cases they seldom executed Roman citizens by crucifixion.

Usually only slaves and the most serious criminals, e.g., traitors, perjurers, etc. were crucified.

Felix the governor (see Acts 23 and 24) ordered many insurrectionists crucified during his administration.

During the destruction of Jerusalem more than 500 Jews were crucified each day during one particular period.

At one point the Romans lacked the wood necessary to crucify all those they had sentenced to die.

Although Jews did not commonly employ crucifixion, they nonetheless hung up the corpses of those stoned for idolatry or blasphemy.

These were thus branded as cursed by God in accordance with Deuteronomy 21:23: “Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse” (NIV; cf.

Galatians 3:13).

Crucifixion was regarded as the most humiliating and ignominious punishment of all.

Josephus termed it “the most wretched of deaths” (Wars of the Jews 7.6.4);

Tacitus the historian described it as “the most pitiful of all means of death” (cf.

Brandenburger, “Cross,” Colin Brown, 1:392).

The one to be crucified experienced the ridicule and mockery of his executioners; onlookers participated in this too, as did the judges (Matthew 27:27–31, 39–44; Mark 15:16–20, 29–32; Luke 23:35–39).

The site of execution, outside the town gate, was itself a place of disgrace (Hebrews 13:12, 13).

Because of this understanding, a crucified Messiah caused many Jews to disbelieve (1 Corinthians 1:23).

After sentencing, the criminal was scourged, itself a punishment so painful and horribly debilitating that some died from it.

This took place either immediately after the sentence was pronounced or en route to the execution site.

In Jesus’ case the scourging probably took place before He was sentenced, perhaps in the hope that the crowds might have compassion on the exhausted, bleeding Man from Galilee and ask Pilate to release Him (Luke 23:16; John 19:1f.).