Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Has anyone written their new year's resolution yet?

Ok, and who has ever written or prepared a new year's resolution list?

There is an universal truth.

Everyone hopes the upcoming year will be better than the current year.

Come on, who never said: next year I will lose some weight and become more healthy; next year I'll become fluent in Polish; upcoming year I'll strive for a promotion; upcoming year I will get married.

Who is crazy enough to wish on the contrary?

Next year I'll try the worst scores in the university; next year I'll do my best to fail all job interviews.

No one does such a thing, right?

But why am I saying that?

Because that's been the mentality for most people ever since Adam and Even created some trouble in the Garden of Eden.

There is this mentality that some people will name as legalism.

What does that mean?

It means the we live on the basis of the system I call: linear system.

What is that?

I like to define it as If A then B system.

After sin our mind shifted to this way of thinking.

How does that work?

Well, just replace B with your goal and A with what you need to achieve your goal.

My goal is raise good kids.

If I raise my kids upon biblical principles I'll have good grown kids, right?

Some people will go through the performance review of the year.

What does that mean?

If I solved certain tasks then I will get a promotion.

And right now we are in the season of the year where this kind of thinking becomes even more evident.

The popular Santa.

How most of current cultures say?

Boy and girls, have you behaved well this entire year?

Have you got good grades?

Then here is your presents.

Of course no one believes in Santa, but many times parents do those things to their children.

We've been trained on that.

We are always seeking for a better life.

We are always setting goals to improve.We are always seeking for new ways and methods to be satisfied.

We live in the era of performance.

The more you do the right things the more you succeed.

But the question is: Is world any better because of that?

Are churches more spiritual because of that?

Are people more satisfied and thankful by living by that system?

Today we are going to go through the story of Jesus birth to understand why we should stop trying to make our life better.

Matthew 1:18-25

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,  because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”  (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.

And he gave him the name Jesus.

Guys, probably that is the hundredth sermon you hear on this passage.

It's likely that many of you already know this passage by heart and can spot every single detail.

But I believe that God also shows his mercy by repeating himself several times so we can rejoice in him.

Matthew starts this passage by saying: – This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about.

First thing we learn here is that Mary was pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

At this point Mary had already received the Good News.

But Joseph was ignorant.

The the time comes.

Mary is pregnant.

Then Mathew introduces Joseph.

Through the life of Joseph we understand why we should stop trying to make our lives better.

I.

By Trying to Make Your Life Better You Bring Pressure on Yourself

What is that Renan?

How is that related to that story?

Matthew will introduce Joseph as someone faithful to the law.

What does that mean?

You know the Old Testament?

There are 613 commandments.

It means Joseph was someone who lived according to those laws.

Joseph lived by this thing.

So there is something really remarkable about the law, and when I say law here I mean those 613 commandments.

If we go to Deuteronomy 29:9

Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.

9 “Sigam fielmente os termos desta aliança, para que vocês prosperem em tudo o que fizerem.

9 Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.

Joseph as someone really faithful in the law grew up listening to it.

Remember the system?

If A then B? If I do this I will get that.

Then what happens to him?

He brought a lot of pressure on himself.

Joseph as everyone here tonight wanted to proper.

But in order to prosper he needed to do the right thing.

Then if Joseph lived was here Today he would believe like following:

if you want good children, teach them the bible

If you want a good marriage then follow Biblical principles

If you want God to bless your ministry, live according to Christian leadership principles

If you want close friends, learn to accept your-self, be vulnerable, and forgiving

That was the way Joseph would me it work today.

But the problem is that it bring pressure.

Because we are living by requirements; we are living by a list of to-dos.

That brings pressure; pressure brings slavery, slavery to make your life better somehow.

If someone chooses to live like that they will end up frustrated by one of the two reasons:

It's guaranteed that at any moment we are going to fail that system somehow.

The more we fail the more we convince ourselves that it didn't work.

How many times people tried to quit an addiction.

He tries many ways just to fail in the end.

Maybe you worked hard this year to get a promotion, but in the end it didn't come.

Then you start realising that it does not depend on your efforts only.

But then you say: Renan!