Sermon Tone Analysis

L*ong** *B*ranch** *B*aptist** *C*hurch*

Halfway, Virginia; est.

1786

!!!  

!!! Sunday, May 22nd, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

Enter to Worship

 

 

 

 

| !

Prelude                                                       

| !

…………………………………………………………..………

| !

David Witt

|

| !

Invocation

| !

…………………………………………………………..………

| !

Michael Hollinger

|

| !

Opening Hymn*

| !

…………………………………………………………..………

| !

#383

|

| !

/“How Firm a Foundation”/

|

| !

Welcome and Announcements

|

| !

Morning Prayer

| !

………………..………

| !

Mr. Hollinger

|

| !

Responsive Reading

| !

[See Right]

|

| !

Offertory Hymn*                                                                    

| !

…………………………………………………………..………

| !

[See Right]

|

| !

/“Give Thanks”/

|

| !

Offertory

| !

…………………………………………………………..………

| !

Mr. Witt

|

| !

Doxology

|

| !

Scripture

| !

Revelation 2:8-11

| !  

|

| !

Sermon

| !  

| !

Mr. Hollinger

|

| !

“Three Strikes, but not out.”

|

| !

Concluding Hymn

| !

#32

|

| !

“Immortal, Invisible”

|

| !

Benediction*

|

| !

Congregational Response

| !  

| !  

|

| !

Postlude*                                                       

| !

…………………………………………………………..………

| !

Mr. Witt

|

 

* Congregation, please stand.

Depart To Serve

 

 

 

 

 

 

\\  

 

 

 

Responsive Reading

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,

*but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

*

Where is the one who is wise?

Where is the debater of this age?

*Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?*

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.

*For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

*

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

*But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; *

God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

*God chose what is low and despised in the world, *

Things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.

*He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”*

(1 Corinthians 1:18-31, NRSV)

 

 

Give Thanks, with a grateful heart.

Give Thanks, to the Holy One,

Give Thanks, because he’s given, Jesus Christ, his Son.

And now, let the weak say I am strong.

Let the poor say I am rich,

Because of what the Lord has done, for us.

Give Thanks.

* *

* *

* *

* *

\\ Title:     Three Strikes, But Not Out.

Text:     Rev 2:8-11

FCF:     Things are not what they appear – But do not fear because God is in charge.

SO:      

 

Intro:

Last week, we began a series of sermons in the book of Revelation.

We talked about a letter that had been written Ephesus, and he reminded us that we need to remember Jesus Christ, our first love.

Like the Tree of Life he promised, we are only alive when we abide in Christ.

John, the author of Revelation, was in exile on an island in the middle of the Aegean sea, when Jesus came to him in a vision.

Normally, when we think of people having visions, we imagine them to be seeing things that aren’t really there, but I want to suggest to you this morning, that in this book, John’s vision was different.

For once in his life, he was actually seeing past the things we normally see – looking beyond and being one of the few who actually saw the way things really were.

When John sent this letter to the little church of Smyrna, he realized that our limited perception often confuses reality, and he wanted to send them a message: “Don’t worry.

Things aren’t actually what they seem.”

Before we read, a little background on Smyrna.

Of the seven churches that John wrote to in Revelation, Smyrna was by the smallest.

Economically, Socially, Politically, the Christians who comprised the church of Smyrna were a backwater – but they produced tough, committed Christians.

And, interestingly enough, of the seven churches, Smryna is the only one that has a church still in it today.

Not too ling ago, I read the letter of Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna – possibly even the very bishop that John had in mind when this letter would be delivered.

When persecution came, he was ordered to Rome for execution.

He willingly went, and even wrote a letter to the Christians in Phillipi along the way begging them not stop what he knew was own death.

He did this because he knew the Christ, and was not afraid.

He was burned at the stake in 116 AD, probably less than 20 years after John wrote warning of the suffering to come.

It is said of Polycarp, the first Christian martyr of whom we have record, that just as he was to be burned, the proconsul pleaded with him simply to renounce Christ and be set free.

But he answered:

 “Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never did me any injury.

How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”

The proconsul said: “I have respect for your age.

Simply say, “Away with the Atheists[1]” and be set free.” Polycarp solemnly said, “Away with the Atheists”—pointing to the pagan crowd.

He joyfully went to the stake, thanking God for counting him worthy to be numbered among the martyrs.[2]

So then, this was a church acquainted with suffering, And while we can thank God that we don’t live in a country where we face such a choice, we still have a lot to learn from Smyrna about courage, and seeing things correctly.

Let’s read:

 

—Read Rev 2:8-11—

 

Remember – this was a church with strikes against it.

It was poor, lies were being told about it, and it was as pressed under the emperor’s thumb as you could get.

Can you imagine writing the welcome brochure for that church?

Come, join us.

We have nothing to offer you but death!

But, as we read earlier, God uses the foolishness of this world to confound the wise.

Unlike the other churches we’re going to read about, there isn’t even the slightest hint of condemnation in this letter.

God literally has nothing against them!

So, this morning, I suggest to you that we can learn something from Smyrna.

It’s a very simple message: “Fear Not!”  From a church that understood fear from experience, I can exhort you “Fear Not!”  I’d like to suggest this morning that our text specifically mentions three things:

 

#.

In the face of poverty – “fear not!” because He had made you rich!

#.

In the face of slander – “fear not!” because He is truth!