Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Well it is thanksgiving and like most pastors around the world, we struggle with the concept of diverting from your sermon plan to deliver a sermon that is date specific or seasonal.

I hope this weekend you have or will be taking time to celebrate the many things you are thankful for.

For me, one of the many things I am thankful for is that we can come together today to celebrate the blessings God pours out in our lives as we walk as disciples learning more about God.

But this week’s sermon is not about thanksgiving.

It’s about a calling.

In fact I have labeled the sermon, The Calling Part II

How many of you have recieved a second chance.

A do over,

A mulligan

I remember the time I had to create a second chance with an individual.

We were moving to Calgary and on the search for a new home.

We had signed up with a good friend who is a realtor to help us find our next lodging.

Things seemed to be going along smoothly until, she needed to held of for a break to attend to a personal matter.

So in her place to walk us through homes, was her second in command, her associate in the office.

It was his job that Saturday morning to take us around the the various homes had been chosen to view.

Now if you haven’t moved in a while, these are stressful times especially when you are searching for a home in a small price range and it’s a seller’s market.

Needless to say, that morning was not successful and very discouraging.

The next day, Sunday after church, we sent a text asking if we could connect again to go over a few other homes.

On Saturday, he had said, just text me your list and I will set them up.

But, the response from the text was silent.

The longer I waited, the more stressful the situation unfolded.

I finally reached out by email, and recieved an immediate response.

He hadn’t recieved the text, but would be happy on Monday to go over the homes.

Folks, I checked the text and found out I had switched two numbers around and it was my fault.

Monday was a do over, a second chance, a Mulligan.

We meet and I said,

“Hi, I’m sorry for the tension I have created, it’s been stressful, can we start over, My name is Paris, nice to meet you!”

Have you had your own do over in your life?

Have you wished you could have a do over in your life.

I mean something you said or did, something someone did to you.

Would you like to have a do over?

Today’s text is a story of a do over in the life of Jonah.

Open your Bible, follow along as we read today’s text

The Do Over

In my research for this sermon, I read this description

A Second Chance

Jonah is alive!

Who would have thought that a man could find his purpose and calling at the bottom of the sea?

God met Jonah when he was as far from God as he could possibly be: although the physical distance in the depths of the sea is nothing to God, it is a good picture of the spiritual distance that Jonah tried to put between himself and God.

At death's door, Jonah recognized his own idolatry that had led him astray, and he experienced God's grace, emerging as a new man.

-Youversion Devotional

I guess this really is a thanksgiving sermon.

God is a God of grace.

This is a great picture of God’s grace in action.

A defiant prophet who was running from God has now made a turn around to follow God and to

go Boldly where no man has gone before.

Where?

To the land of the Bullies.

To the city that was so large, that it took three days to traverse across its place.

Armed with a new passion, and a message directly from God, Jonah travels a day before setting up his corner spot on the street to proclaim the message of God.

So here is a question for you

Has God given you a message for you to speak to others?

As a follower of Christ, charged to go into the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ, what message do you have.

Peter Reminds us to

Do you wake up each morning with this verse on your mind.

Do you have a message ready,

Do you have a defense?

Maybe the journey of faith that the Lord has lead you through is your message.

To tell your story to others of God’s Faithfulness in your life no matter what has happened.

Can you truly say to others, the hope I have in me is because of the God that both lives in me and is written in this Word

That’s the reason for my hope.

May I challenge you to have a message ready to give.

Sometime this next week, ask yourself, what would I say if someone asks me for the hope that is within me.

For some of us this might be scary, so write it out, practice in front of the mirror.

Do whatever it takes to be ready to give that message.

What Message did Jonah give to the people?

Jonah was to give to the people of Niniveh.

40 Days

Now the text doesn’t go into all the details, I could imagine the sermon to be longer, but Here is the tagline of the sermon.

The main point of the sermon.

God will destroy the sin in this city.

Not today, but in 40 days.

There is a deadline.

It’s coming.

Thinking of second chances and do overs,

how much time elapses from the moment you hear your error or the message from someone and the time it takes to respond?

In my story, it was short, others it can take some time, but there is always time involved.

40 days.

Folks, the time is drawing when Christ will return to this world to usher in His bride,

Those who have chosen to follow Him

There is coming a day when wrongs will be made right.

Judgement will come,

in this world we live in today, a world of tolerance,

we don’t like to share this message, a time is coming.

It’s a reality when you read through the Bible.

In the Old Testament it pointed to a time Christ will come.

Christ Came and died on a cross and rose again for us.

Scripture also gives us a picture of Christ will once again come.

A time is coming

If you are sitting here this morning and you had heard the Gospel for salvation.

The Good News that Christ came to this world, died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again,

He conquered death and provided a way for us for life everlasting.

This gift of Grace, the Gospel is free for all who receive it.

It requires us to act, to accept this truth, Believe it, and confess it.

A time is coming where those who accept this will be granted eternal life.

It may not be 40 Days, but a time is coming.

And for some of us, it looks like it is sooner than later, but it will come.

If you haven’t accepted God’s plan of salvation for your life, the time is now.

Don’t delay.