Latest / Reformed Thinking / Brothers, Pursue the Tone of the Text | John Piper

Transcript

Brothers, Pursue the Tone of the Text | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome, and thank you for joining us on Reform Thinking.
0:02
Today we're starting another deep dive.
0:04
This time we're getting into something that really shapes how
0:06
truth lands, how it's actually conveyed and received.
0:09
We've got a great set of sources you send over, focused on, well,
0:13
what goes into a preacher's tone.
0:15
A lot of it draws from John Piper's thinking, plus various
0:17
biblical points. Our aim today is pretty
0:20
straightforward. Unpack the main ideas, give you
0:22
a clear, engaging handle on this whole subject, help you grasp
0:26
the what and the why behind it all, especially in a spiritual
0:29
setting. Yeah, it's a really interesting
0:30
area to look into. We'll be exploring how a
0:33
speaker's delivery, you know, the actual feel or the mood it
0:36
gives off, isn't just random. It really ought to be a
0:40
carefully considered reflection of the biblical text itself.
0:43
And of course, the overarching good news, These materials lay
0:47
out a pretty thorough picture suggesting that a speaker's tone
0:50
is this dynamic thing. It's got roots in Scripture,
0:53
it's guided by the gospel, it learns from Jesus and the
0:55
apostles, and it needs to respond to the audience too.
0:58
And ultimately, I think what comes through is that getting
1:01
this right, finding that fitting tone, well, it's a work of God,
1:04
which, you know, that idea God working in the speaker and the
1:07
listener fits right in with the kind of theological grounding we
1:09
value here on Reformed thinking. OK, so let's start right there.
1:13
We're talking about a preacher's tone.
1:15
What exactly are we getting at? The sources seem clear.
1:18
It's about the feel a sermon projects, the kind of spirit it
1:22
sends out. Or maybe it's emotional quality
1:24
or affectional tenor. Even just its mood.
1:27
It seems to go beyond just the words chosen.
1:29
It's about how they actually land the the atmosphere they
1:33
create. Yes, the atmosphere is a good
1:34
way to put it. It's what's created around the
1:36
words. Just think about it.
1:38
You can say the exact same words in totally different ways.
1:40
Imagine someone whispering I've got good news versus shouting
1:44
it. The literal information is
1:46
identical, right? But the emotional impact, the
1:49
way you feel those words, changes completely.
1:52
Our sources give good examples of that.
1:54
It shows how the same message can carry such a different
1:56
weight just based on the delivery.
1:58
So it makes it plain that tone is well, it's a distinct thing
2:01
in communication. It's separate from the literal
2:03
dictionary meaning. It's kind of the container the
2:05
truth comes in, and the shape and feel of that container
2:08
really matter. It colors the truth for the
2:10
listener. It's not just window dressing.
2:12
It's part of how the message is actually taken in and felt.
2:15
That difference really shows the subtle, yet, well, significant
2:19
influence Tone has. Yeah, our sources then bring up
2:22
a core idea from Phillips Brooks.
2:24
He famously said preaching is truth through personality,
2:28
meaning the preachers own unique makeup.
2:30
Their their being is tangled up with the message itself.
2:34
How does this personal side, this individuality, link up with
2:38
tone? Oh, it's central.
2:40
Every speaker has what these sources call a characteristic
2:43
tone, or maybe a default tone, and this isn't something they
2:47
just decide to put on for Sunday morning.
2:49
It's like built into their personality, part of their
2:52
God-given wiring. The analogy uses having one face
2:55
that was given to them. Now that face can smile or
2:58
frown, show sadness or joy, but it's still fundamentally their
3:02
face, unique. And this default tone, it has a
3:05
really big effect on preaching. You can't really get away from
3:07
it. It's foundational.
3:08
Someone's personality might naturally lean towards certain
3:11
expressions, maybe a smaller range, maybe wider, but there's
3:14
usually an underlying way they sound that comes through, and it
3:18
always shapes how the message is received.
3:20
This isn't necessarily bad, it's just how human communication
3:22
works. It's part of being creatures,
3:24
conveying divine truth. We aren't just voices from
3:27
nowhere. We're people, and our personhood
3:28
shows up in how we communicate. OK, so if a speaker's
3:31
personality inevitably shapes their tone, that brings us to
3:34
what the materials call an urgent question.
3:37
What tone should a preacher be aiming for them?
3:40
What happens if they don't consciously figure this out for
3:43
themselves? So they just sort of.
3:44
Well, if a speaker doesn't intentionally and, you know,
3:46
prayerfully choose a tone, the listeners will basically define
3:50
it for them, often based on their own leanings because
3:53
listeners also have what the source is called default tonal
3:56
desires preferences. What makes one person feel, say,
4:00
loved or encouraged or hopeful? Well, the very same delivery
4:03
might make someone else feel angered or maybe discouraged.
4:06
The sources mentioned how one sermon could get completely
4:08
opposite, please, from different people afterward.
4:10
That really shows how varied the reception can be.
4:12
You might have one person say, pastor, that was exactly the
4:15
challenge. We needed more of that.
4:17
And someone else might come up and say, oh please, we're so
4:19
much already, we need more comfort.
4:21
It just highlights that dynamic between the speaker's delivery
4:23
and the listener's own inner world.
4:25
It makes the whole question of intentional tone really vital
4:28
for clear facial communication. It even points to the the
4:32
spiritual reality of hearing truth.
4:34
Even the manner of speaking can become a stumbling block if it's
4:37
not prayerfully aligned with God's design.
4:39
That's a really helpful way to think about the listener's role.
4:42
If reception can be so varied, how does a preacher find the
4:45
right path? What's the main guideline our
4:48
sources give for navigating this well, this complex area of
4:51
choosing a tone? The main guidance is actually
4:53
quite direct. Pursue the tone of the text
4:56
that's presented as the bedrock principle for delivery.
5:00
It means recognizing that biblical texts have more than
5:02
just meaning, they also have tone.
5:05
So the speaker's primary goal should be to embody, not mute,
5:09
these tones. This isn't about what the
5:12
speaker personally prefers, or how they feel that morning, or
5:15
even guessing what the audience might like to hear.
5:17
It's really about faithfully representing the Word as it
5:20
presents itself, letting the built in emotional quality of
5:24
that specific Scripture passage guide the sermons feel.
5:27
This helps make sure the message is truly from God's Word, not
5:30
just filtered through human tendencies or the speaker's
5:32
default setting. It's a basic commitment, really,
5:35
to letting Scripture set its own terms for delivery,
5:38
acknowledging it comes from God and speaks in many different
5:41
ways. Just like we wouldn't change the
5:43
meaning of a text to fit what we like, we shouldn't try to smooth
5:45
out its intended emotional shape either.
5:47
So the Bible itself has this whole range of tonal flavors
5:50
that a preacher should try to reflect.
5:52
Our materials give some really good examples of this range in
5:55
Scripture. Could you share a few of those?
5:57
Oh definitely think about the the tender invitation in Matthew
6:01
11.28. Come to me, all who labor and
6:05
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
6:07
You can almost hear the gentleness there, can't you?
6:10
The welcome, the grace in those words.
6:12
Now put that next to the stern rebuke from Jesus Himself in
6:15
Matthew 23.1617. Woe to you blind guides, you
6:18
blind fools. Here.
6:20
The tone is sharp, it's confrontational, there's a clear
6:23
sense of righteous judgment baked in, and both are from
6:26
Jesus. It shows his own ability to
6:28
shift his tone fittingly, not randomly, but based on the truth
6:31
and the state of the people he was talking to.
6:33
And it goes beyond just Jesus's words, right?
6:35
The whole Bible shows this emotional range.
6:37
That's exactly right. Take Isaiah 58.1, described as
6:41
an urgent cry from the prophet. Cry aloud.
6:43
Do not hold back. Lift up your voice like a
6:45
trumpet. That's a tone of real passion,
6:47
unreserved proclamation, a call to wake up from spiritual
6:50
sleepiness. Then there's Jeremiah 23.29.
6:54
It describes God's Word as a powerful, destructive force.
6:57
Is not my Word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a
7:00
hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
7:02
The tone there speaks of God's incredible might, His Holiness,
7:04
and how His word can just shatter things that are false
7:06
and hard. But then on the the sweeter
7:09
side, you have Psalm 119.103 expressing sweet delight.
7:13
How sweet are your words to my taste?
7:14
Sweeter than honey to my mouth? That's pure adoration, A joyful
7:17
satisfaction in God's truth. These examples, and there are so
7:20
many more, just show the sheer width of emotional qualities in
7:23
the Bible. Each one shows that God's word
7:24
reaches us with a full spectrum of affections.
7:26
And the preacher's job really is to reflect that spectrum,
7:28
letting the listener truly feel the text as it was given.
7:32
Trying to embody all those different tones might make
7:34
someone think the speaker has to be some kind of actor constantly
7:37
changing their personality. Our materials address that worry
7:41
using a pretty memorable phrase. Yeah, they do.
7:44
It highlights that embodying such a range, just like Jesus
7:47
himself did perfectly, is not a sign of emotional schizophrenia.
7:51
Now, that phrase might sound a bit jarring, but it gets right
7:53
to the point. It's not about being fragmented
7:55
or fake. Instead, it actually shows inner
7:57
consistency, A genuine alignment with the text.
8:00
And this is key with God's own being.
8:03
The sources go on to argue that failing to convey these varied
8:06
tones will probably be a sign not of consistency, but of
8:09
complicity in sin. That's a strong claim.
8:12
Why? Because it would mean silencing
8:14
some aspect of God's revealed character, an attribute that
8:17
reflects a true aspect of God's being.
8:20
Think about it. If God's Word expresses wrath
8:22
against sin, then wrath in its proper biblical place is part of
8:25
who God is. To ignore it is to taint an
8:27
incomplete, maybe even misleading, picture of God.
8:30
So the aim is to honor the local tone of the text, making sure it
8:33
connects properly with the rest of Scripture.
8:35
It's not about acting, but about yielding your actual personality
8:38
to the truth and character of God found in that passage,
8:41
letting his truth shape your expression in a well, in a
8:45
sanctified way. It's about being truly yourself,
8:48
but that self being steadily shaped more like Christ through
8:51
the Word. OK, so the main task is pursuing
8:54
the tone of the specific text. But our materials also say this
8:58
pursuit needs to be informed. What's the first big truth that
9:03
informs or helps shape the tone? That would be the gospel of
9:07
grace. This is the grand narrative, the
9:09
theological backdrop that colors everything.
9:12
You know how the meanings of specific Bible texts get
9:15
enlarged and completed and given a new twist by larger biblical
9:19
themes, like how an Old Testament promise finds its
9:21
fulfillment in Christ. Well, it's similar with their
9:23
tones. The Gospel provides this huge
9:26
setting, this amazing story of God's saving work through Jesus.
9:30
It gives the ultimate context to every single part of Scripture.
9:32
Every passage, every word ultimately fits into the story
9:36
of grace, this divine plan. And that has a huge bearing on
9:39
how its tone should come across. It's like hearing one note in a
9:42
Symphony. The note has its own sound,
9:44
sure, but it's full meaning comes from where it sits in the
9:47
whole piece. And how does the gospel, this
9:48
message of grace, actually shape the tone of a sermon?
9:52
Well, for those who trust in Jesus, for those who are Christ,
9:55
the grace of God in the gospel turns everything into hope.
9:59
Now, this doesn't mean every single sermon has to sound
10:01
cheerful from beginning to end, no matter what the text says,
10:04
like we're just putting a happy face on everything.
10:06
Instead, it means that while all the different tones of the text
10:09
lament, warning, sorrow, judgement, while they need to
10:13
resound in their proper places, for believers, these tones
10:16
ultimately resolve into the infinitely varied tones of hope.
10:20
This idea comes right out of Scripture.
10:22
Remember Romans 15.4 that whatever was written before was
10:25
for our instruction, that we might have hope.
10:28
And think about Romans 8.32. If God didn't spare His own Son,
10:32
but gave him for us, He'll also graciously give us all things.
10:36
This is so key for Reformed thinking, isn't it?
10:38
God's sovereignty, His careful Providence, the complete work of
10:40
Christ. It means that even in passages
10:42
about deep sadness or tough warnings or judgement, there's
10:45
an underlying solid hope for the believer.
10:47
Because God is for us in Christ, Everything, even the hard stuff,
10:50
serves His good purposes for His people.
10:52
That sounds like a really delicate balance for a speaker.
10:55
How do you hold on to that big picture gospel hope, but still
10:58
let the specific, sometimes difficult tones of the text come
11:02
through authentically? Is there a danger of just
11:04
smoothing everything over? It is a subtle thing, and the
11:07
sources give a definite caution about it.
11:09
They warn us not to be so fixed on what we think, hope sounds
11:12
like that we end up accidentally muting the Emotional Symphony of
11:16
1000 texts. In other words, we shouldn't
11:18
have such a narrow idea of hopeful that we filter out all
11:22
the other legitimate feelings and tones in God's Word.
11:25
The speaker has to let the specific tone of the passage
11:27
really grip them, really carry them.
11:29
They need to embody both that immediate textual tone and what
11:33
the sources call the Gospel Danny Maul.
11:36
That phrase, Gospel Danny Maul, just means the final outcome,
11:39
the resolution of God's redemptive story in Christ.
11:42
So even if a text is talking about judgment or human failure
11:44
or suffering, the Gospel Danny Maul reminds us that for those
11:47
in Christ, even those dark parts find their ultimate resolution
11:51
in his grace, His victory, his promised future.
11:54
It's the grand finale, you could say, that gives meaning to all
11:56
the movements leading up to it, without erasing the specific
11:59
notes along the way. The sources use a great image,
12:02
even a totally dark jigsaw puzzle piece of text.
12:06
Maybe a lament or a severe warning can, in the big picture
12:10
of God's saving plan, be part of something bright and wonderful,
12:13
like the people of a bright and shining eye.
12:16
So the preacher isn't just tacking a happy ending onto
12:19
every sermon. No, they're showing how even the
12:20
hardest truths in Scripture find their ultimate place and meaning
12:23
within the glorious, hope filled context of God's grace and plan
12:27
in Christ. The hope isn't just painted on
12:29
top, it's the underlying reality that completes the picture,
12:32
shining light even into the darkest parts.
12:35
OK, so beyond the Gospel itself, what's the second key element
12:38
that helps inform and guide a speaker's tone based on our
12:41
sources? That would be the tonal balance
12:44
of Jesus and the apostles. This one's really helpful
12:47
because, like we said earlier, speakers naturally tend to
12:50
insert our own personalities. It's easy to assume that our
12:54
natural way of sounding, maybe we're generally hopeful or
12:57
naturally tender or come across as warm, is the right or only
13:01
way to communicate God's truth. This element, looking at Jesus
13:05
and the apostles, works like a check against that natural bias.
13:09
It gives us an objective standard, you could say a divine
13:12
example of how God's truth should be communicated in all
13:14
its different facets, without our own limits or preferences
13:17
getting in the way too much. It reminds us that our personal
13:20
style needs to bend to the pattern we see in the perfect
13:22
communicator. Jesus and his chosen messenger
13:25
is led by the Spirit. So how does the speaker actually
13:29
learn from Jesus and the apostles here?
13:31
Is it trying to imitate them or is this something deeper than
13:35
that? It's definitely not just surface
13:37
level imitation. The advice given is to marinate
13:40
our tone producing hearts in the overall tonal balance of Jesus
13:43
and the apostles. Think about marinating food.
13:46
It gets thoroughly soaked in the flavor, right?
13:48
It's about letting their example soak deep into our hearts and
13:51
affect how we express things. This helps speakers learn to
13:54
vary their tone appropriately. It allows their hearts and their
13:57
voices to be shaped by those biblical models.
13:59
So, for example, someone who's naturally soft spoken and tender
14:03
might learn through this marinating to sound more
14:06
appropriately tough when the text demands a strong warning or
14:10
a clear rebuke. And the other way around,
14:12
someone who's naturally loud and tough might learn to sound more
14:15
appropriately tender when the passage offers comfort or gentle
14:18
imitation. And this kind of change, the
14:20
shaping, doesn't happen just by trying harder.
14:22
It comes from really soaking your mind in all of Scripture,
14:25
letting the full range of God's revelations sink deep.
14:28
And crucially, it happens through constant, dependent
14:31
prayer. It's about asking God to shape
14:33
those natural tendencies, to Mull the speaker's affections
14:36
and expressions to match the ones we see in Christ and his
14:39
apostles. This is really part of our
14:41
ongoing sanctification as believers, isn't it?
14:44
And it extends to how we speak God's truth.
14:46
It's the Spirit producing His freedom us, which includes
14:48
speaking the truth with the right heartfelt affections.
14:51
All right. We've talked about the text
14:52
being central, and then the Gospel and the Apostolic example
14:56
and forming that. But there also seems to be a
14:58
very practical side to choosing a tone, thinking about who's
15:02
actually listening. How does that fit in?
15:03
Yes, absolutely. Tonal variation is determined in
15:06
part by the nature and needs of the audience.
15:09
This is where practical wisdom and discernment really come into
15:12
play for the preacher. The materials give some very
15:14
vivid illustrations for this. Think about these two scenarios.
15:18
You definitely shout at the drowning man that there is a
15:20
life preserver behind him. Why?
15:22
To convey urgency, immediate life or death help.
15:25
The situation demands A forceful, direct tone.
15:29
But you would not shout at a man on the edge of a precipice, lest
15:32
we startle him into losing his balance, right?
15:35
In that situation, you need a quieter, more careful, maybe
15:38
calming tone. A loud noise could be
15:40
disastrous. And Jesus himself did this
15:42
masterfully. He spoke differently toward the
15:45
proud Pharisee and the broken Sinner.
15:47
He understood their hearts, their spiritual condition, and
15:49
his tone was perfectly suited to that reality.
15:51
It showed incredible pastoral wisdom and divine empathy.
15:54
This isn't about manipulating people.
15:56
It's about effective, discerning communication that serves the
15:59
truth. OK.
16:00
But in a typical church service, the audience is usually pretty
16:03
diverse, isn't it? You've got people in all
16:06
different places in life carrying different things with
16:08
different levels of understanding.
16:10
How does a speaker apply this audience awareness wisely in
16:13
that kind of mixed setting? That is a key challenge, and the
16:16
sources speak to it. Because congregations are
16:18
usually mixed. A single sermon might need to,
16:21
as they put it, play more than one emotional instrument.
16:24
The goal is to touch the native tonal tongue of many different
16:27
listeners within that diverse group.
16:30
Now, trying to please everyone every single week.
16:32
That's just not realistic. And frankly, you shouldn't be
16:34
the preacher's goal anyway. But the aim is to reach a wide
16:37
variety of people in the congregation and the genuineness
16:41
of any particular tone, Say a sharp rebuke one week or a very
16:45
tender invitation another week. That genuineness actually gets
16:48
stronger when people see it's not the only tone the speaker
16:51
uses. They start to see a broader
16:53
faithfulness to God's whole Word, not just a one note
16:56
approach. The materials also make an
16:58
interesting point. Being in the pulpit week in and
17:00
week out for many years is a good thing.
17:02
Why? Because it gives the preacher
17:04
the chance to play the full biblical Symphony of tones more
17:07
completely overtime. A specific tone that may hurt
17:10
someone one week. Maybe it was a necessary
17:13
challenge for someone feeling sensitive.
17:15
Well, it may help them the very next week when maybe they need
17:18
that same directness to spur them into action.
17:21
This long term consistency showing the full range of
17:23
biblical tones builds trust and lets the whole Council of God
17:26
minister to a dynamic congregation over the long haul.
17:29
That makes a lot of sense. Ministry isn't just one talk,
17:33
it's an ongoing relationship. Thinking even broader now, what
17:36
about the culture we live in? How does the wider cultural
17:38
setting play into this whole discussion about tone?
17:41
That's a really big consideration.
17:43
Speakers are urged to think about cultural impact.
17:46
Our material suggests that our contemporary culture may be
17:49
losing the ability to feel some biblical tones that are crucial
17:52
in feeling the greatness of God and the glory of the gospel.
17:55
What kinds of tones? Well, words describing realities
17:58
that are transcendent, terrible, horrific, ghastly, but also
18:02
those that are tender, sweet, quiet, intimate, personal.
18:07
A lot of these deep emotional qualities, especially ones
18:10
related to God's absolute holiness or the seriousness of
18:13
human sin, might seem strange or even offensive to modern ears.
18:17
For example, the idea of God's wrath.
18:19
That might clash with the popular idea of a God who is
18:22
only ever loving in a sort of soft, permissive way.
18:25
That can lead to preachers downplaying or softening that
18:27
necessary biblical tone. So the challenge for the speaker
18:30
is to figure out ways to express and embody these sometimes
18:33
clashing tones, like God's fierce holiness and his tender
18:36
mercy existing together. How do you make them sound like
18:38
compelling music to a modern listener instead of sounding
18:41
like something bizarre, off putting, or just completely
18:43
misunderstood? It's not about changing the
18:45
tones truth, obviously, but it's about finding ways to present it
18:48
that cut through cultural noise and actually grab people's
18:51
attention. This takes real spiritual
18:54
discernment, knowing how to present timeless truth with
18:56
timeless affections in a way that connects with people shaped
19:00
by this particular time and culture.
19:02
This has been incredibly helpful, covering faithfulness
19:04
to the text, the hope of the Gospel, the Apostolic pattern,
19:07
and knowing your audience. But when it comes down to it,
19:10
when a preacher really does express a fitting tone, where
19:14
does that ability ultimately come from?
19:16
Our sources are very clear on this.
19:18
They state quite directly that when a preacher expresses a
19:21
fitting tone, it is the work of God.
19:23
And just as much, when a listener receives his tone as
19:26
proper and compelling, it is another work of God.
19:30
This points to a really central theological truth.
19:32
Getting the tone right isn't just about mastering a human
19:35
skill like public speaking techniques or understanding
19:38
psychology. It is fundamentally a gift from
19:40
God, a grace He besos. The sources even note something
19:43
fascinating. The speaker might actually find
19:46
God creating a certain tone during the sermon itself, a tone
19:49
they hadn't planned or even felt while preparing.
19:51
That just underscores God's active presence and sovereignty
19:54
over the whole preaching moment. He's working in the speaker and
19:57
the hearer, making sure his truth gets across and connects
19:59
as He intends, not just based on human skill or planning.
20:02
It's God who brings the growth, isn't it?
20:04
That's a really grounding reminder of God's work in this.
20:08
So what if speaker tries to fake it?
20:11
If they try to just sort of put on a tone project, an emotion
20:15
they aren't genuinely feeling? Is there a danger in that?
20:18
Oh yes, there's a very sharp warning given.
20:21
Woe to us if we try to manufacture tones for emotions
20:24
we do not feel. Why?
20:26
Because, as the materials say, the Saints will see through that
20:28
very quickly. Authenticity is just critical
20:31
when communicating God's truth, a manufactured tone.
20:35
It lacks that genuine spirit, that real emotional quality that
20:38
should flow from a heart that's been shaped by the Holy Spirit
20:41
and the text itself. It just becomes a performance,
20:43
doesn't it? A shallow act instead of a real
20:45
sharing of God's Word with genuine affection.
20:48
Listeners who are discerning, especially those walking closely
20:51
with God, they'll sense the lack of authenticity, and that will
20:53
definitely get in the way of the message having its true effect.
20:56
God's work in the preacher produces real feeling that
20:58
matches the text and the Spirit's purpose, not some kind
21:01
of act. Were meant to do channels of
21:03
truth and genuine feeling, not actors on the stage.
21:06
OK, so if getting the tone right is ultimately God's work, what's
21:11
the speaker's part? What's their active response?
21:14
What should this lead them to do?
21:15
It leads straight to prayer. It has to Speakers need to pray
21:18
for God to shape our hearts and minds with the truth and the
21:21
tone of every text. This isn't just sitting back and
21:23
waiting. It's actively, dependently
21:25
asking God to work. The prayer is for every text to
21:29
have its true tone in preaching, for that tone to be genuinely
21:33
shaped by the gospel climax, that ultimate hope we talked
21:35
about, and for it to be shaped by the tonal balance of Jesus
21:38
and the apostles and so vital. The prayer is for the tone not
21:42
to be muted, not flattened out. The deepest desire expressed in
21:45
prayer should be something like this.
21:47
Let the Symphony of your fullness be not only seen in our
21:49
truthfulness, but felt in our tone.
21:51
That kind of prayer acknowledges total dependence on God to do
21:54
what human effort can't achieve on its own.
21:56
Which fits perfectly with a Reformed view of ministry,
21:59
right? It's God's work through his
22:00
means, empowered by his Spirit. It's admitting that for the Word
22:04
to land with its full impact, God himself has to put the
22:06
feeling in the speaker's heart. Hashtag hack out drop.
22:09
Wow, what a detailed look at the, well, the art, but also the
22:13
deep spiritual grounding of a preacher's tone.
22:17
It really takes it way beyond just tips for public speaking,
22:20
doesn't it? It frames delivering truth as a
22:22
genuinely spiritual thing, where even the speaker's feelings are
22:25
being shaped and aligned by God. It certainly does.
22:28
It shows us that the speaker is called to be, you know, a
22:31
faithful instrument, letting the whole range of God's written
22:33
words sound out in all its different feelings and moves,
22:36
while always directing people toward the hope we have in the
22:39
gospel. It really is about letting God's
22:41
message be felt just as much as it's hurt, for His glory and for
22:43
the good of His people. So as you think about this deep
22:45
dive, maybe consider this. How might understanding the
22:49
Symphony of tones in Scripture change the way you listen to
22:52
sermons? Maybe you'll hear more than just
22:55
the points being made. And maybe even think about how
22:58
it could shape the way you communicate things that matter
23:00
in your own life, your own conversations.
23:02
What unexpected tone, maybe invitation, maybe lament, maybe
23:06
even a warning might be needed in your daily interactions.
23:08
All for the glory of God. Thank you for joining us for
23:12
this deep dive on Reformed thinking.
23:14
We look forward to our next exploration together.