Sermon Tone Analysis

When you think about the soundtracks in your mind and what you tell yourself, what do you generally say?

Are they positive and encouraging?

Or, are they negative and defeating?

What do you think about when you think about yourself, your friends, family, or even complete strangers?

Our thoughts have great power over our lives.

In fact, our lives tend to move toward our strongest thoughts.

So, if you think one way about yourself or someone else, then your life tends to drift that way.

If you think positive, true, and faithful thoughts about yourself and others, then your life tends to move in that direction.

Likewise, if you think negative, untrue, and unfaithful thoughts about yourself and others, then your life will move in that direction.

Several reasons account for this, such as our environment (meaning, where live, play, and study), who we allow to influence our lives.

My grandfather once said to me that you become the company you keep.

***But another way that our lives move toward our strongest thoughts is by what we choose to remember.

During my teenage years, one of the memories that often appeared in my mind was the day that dad my left.

As a result of what he did, a soundtrack started to play on repeat that said: ‘you’re not worth it’

Over time, this soundtrack started to play so loud that it drowned out many of the good memories of when others in my life showed me acceptance and love.

In high school, my class always elected me for student council, homecoming, and prom courts.

Yet, I couldn’t mute the soundtrack in my mind that continued to say: ‘you’re not worth it.’

Almost as soon as I would receive my award or attention from others, I would FORGET how others thought and felt about me and, instead, return to my soundtrack.

And I don’t think I am alone.

I think all of us do this, especially in matters of faith.

We so often forget the goodness and faithfulness of God in our lives.

As I have grown older and experienced healing from the soundtrack of my youth, I have realized that I often forget what God has done for me, how he has provided for me, and the continual love and grace that he daily shows me.

I so easily FORGET, and I think many of you do, too.

There’s an old song lyric that says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.”

I believe these lyric speaks to the experience of every Jesus follower.

Our hearts are prone to wander, and our minds are prone to forget.

Our soundtracks dominate our thinking, and we’re left with the war that wages in our mind, forgetting the goodness, faithfulness, and presence of God, along with those who desire to truly love and know us.

This has been the way of life and sin from the very beginning.

We’re prone to wander, and we’re prone to forget.

One of the ways that we can directly combat this, however, is by creating rhythms of spiritual engagement with God called ‘spiritual disciplines.’

***I know, the word discipline makes me cringe, too.

But discipline is a good thing.

Who likes earning A’s?

That takes discipline.

Who likes excelling in their sport or music?

That takes discipline.

Who enjoys making great friends?

Believe it or not, that takes discipline, too!

Discipline simply means self-control to do what is right.

Like all things, time with God takes discipline.

A spiritual discipline is essentially anything that leads yourself into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

That simple.

Let me say it again: A spiritual discipline is essentially anything leads yourself into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Examples of spiritual discipline are: prayer, bible reading, worship, making church and CJ students are a regular part of your life, and having good conversations with others about God.

There are many other kinds of spiritual disciplines, but if you begin with these, then you would be well on your way to a growing a real and deep relationship with Jesus.

As you seek to cultivate these disciplines into your life, I want to invite you to consider another kind of spiritual discipline.

I want to introduce to you the spiritual discipline of “remembrance.”

The act of remembrance as a spiritual discipline means giving your mind’s attention to God’s presence in your life.

We don’t often talk about the act of remembrance as a spiritual discipline.

In fact, we often don’t talk about remembering anything at all, but it is all over God’s Word.

Why?

Because we’re so prone to wander and so prone to forget!

So for the next few moments, I want to explore this idea with you by examining a few moments throughout the Bible when God called his people to practice the spiritual discipline of remembrance.

So, let’s begin in the beginning… in the book of Genesis chapter 12, the very first book in the Bible, when God did something extraordinary.

In chapter 12 verse 2, God speaks to a man named Abram, saying: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you.

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse; and all of the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:2-3

This is the first moment in human history since Adam and Eve’s sin that God speaks to a human being, and God announces that he is going to bless the world through the family of this one man, Abram, because he loves his good creation and his people and refuses to let it drift into destruction because of sin.

This moment changed everything in human history.

The relationship that God begins with Abram, whose name later changes to Abraham because of his faithfulness to God, eventually culminates in God entering into our world through the person of Jesus Christ and later giving the gift of his Spirit alive in every person who believes in him.

This is the first step in God’s redemptive plan to save the world from sin, and how did Abram respond?

He builds an altar.

Genesis 12:7 states, “Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”

Genesis 12:7

Why did Abram build an alter?

Quite simply to remember!

He marked the moment and place when God appeared to him with an altar so that all who follow after him may remember when God’s presence first appeared to announce blessing for the world.

Abram constructed a moment of remembrance as an act of spiritual discipline.

Think about your life for a moment.

When was a moment when you experienced God’s presence?

When was the last time that you thought about that moment?

In a tik tok world, it’s so easy to move on from a moment every 15 seconds and forget the meaning of that moment or, worse, forget the moment altogether.

The act of remembrance solidifies a moment in our memory, including all the feels and emotions of that moment.

Science shows that when you access a memory in your mind, your physiological response replays that memory JUST AS IF it was happening right now in real life.

One of the ways that we sustain our faith is by remembering when God intervened… or responded to our prayer… or surprised us with his grace… and feeling those feels all over again.

It’s like a fresh shower that cleanses us from our doubts, fears, and worries.

King David, who wrote the majority of the Psalms in the Bible, wrote about the act of remembrance in exactly this way in Psalm 77.

I’m going to read it, and I want you to listen for two main ideas from the Psalm: first, listen to the questions that David posed to God.

Have you ever asked God these same questions?

And then second, listen for when David transitions from questioning to remembering.

Psalm 77 is timeless.

Questions like: “Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again?

We all have doubted and asked , “God, why have you left me.”

“Where are you?”

Hardships escape no one.

They’re real and present.

No one is immune from David’s questions.

We all feel them and ask them.

There is no age limit.

These questions don’t skip over races or ethnicities or socioeconomic statuses.

It doesn’t skip over those with good behavior or bad behavior.

Yet, at the same time, Psalm 77 doesn’t end with those questions, does it?! No!

David closes the Psalm by remembering God’s faithfulness.

He appeals to God’s track record and puts his faith in God’s revealed character over time.

He also remembered when God showed up for others.

In verse 15 David wrote, “With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.”

This verse is so significant because David recognized that his faith exists in himself within the fellowship of other believers.