Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome! Psalm 23

If you are here seeking counsel, welcome!

You are in the right place!

As we walk along our path of growing in practical areas of need, feel free to join us on that journey.

If you are here to make yourself available to counsel others, then welcome!

Today we will begin the process of growing together as a team and a support structure for both counselor and counseled.

No one here is alone.

Not only is Christ at the center and with you through everything, as Psalm 23 calls out to us “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

But the goal of this program is be here for each other in Christ.

As image bearers of the Father, we will also prepare a table with you amongst your trials and chaos.

As Paul states, we are the house of God.

Where Psalms 123 says, “Unless the LORD build the house, They labor in vain who build it.”

Paul then says we are knitted together “2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God Col 2:2.” and that is the House of God.

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Eph 2:19–22.

Invitation to the Kingdom

Mustard seed

Yeast/leaven

Treasure in a field

What this is not

We are not psychiatrists.

We are not here to observe behavior and then prescribe behavior to counter the previous behavior.

We are not on a sin hunt.

We are not here to expose/shame/condemn. Keep confidence.

We are not here to prove how smart we are.

We are not always right - and we don’t need to be regarded or respected.

We do not command.

We may remind what are Christ’s commands, but that does not come from us.

We are not licensed (unless some of you are)

What this is

Everything and nothing.

Christ is the Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, and Mighty God.

You are not the Counselor.

You are disciple and little ‘c’ counselor.

This is where Road to Emmaus comes from, after all.

Christ is the Wonderful Counselor, we are disciples on the road.

We seek the gift of prophecy.

We build people up, encourage people, and comfort people.

You are submitted to the counseled.

Christ leads.

We serve Christ in the hurting.

Holy Spirit is our guide.

For those who have counseled before, you understand your lack of control.

All of this is to say, come to this humbly.

James 4:11-12 “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.

He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.

But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.

Who are you to judge another?”

You WILL be hurt.

Worse, you WILL hurt someone.

We will be a team that is on our toes ready to repent and forgive.

We also confess to one another so as to be healed.

We are great listeners.

2 Corinthians 6:1–10 (NKJV)

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.

But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

You will be accused.

We will be written off as unskilled, unprepared, untrained, not the right person for the job, all of it.

When Paul is challenged to defend his ministry, this is what he claims.

We are all of this.

Broken, yet whole.

So now that we’ve established a bit of a heartbeat for the ministry’s aspiration, let’s define a high level structure for Biblical counseling.

I’m working to simplify the general flow of counsel in four conceptual phases.

Identity, Death, Life, Loose them and let them go - Walk/Do.

The way I will walk them down this morning is who we are in Christ (which starts with who Christ is), we are baptized into His death, we are raised into newness of life, and we walk in victory and awareness of His presence in all things.

Identity

He formed you, redeemed you, called you by name, and you belong.

Think about counseling someone dealing with gender confusion.

Think about counseling someone who is depressed, feelings of nihilism.

It becomes incredibly important to be grounded in who you are.

But that is just the start of this digging.

The passage starts with the word “but...”

The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;

He will exalt the law and make it honorable.

22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;

All of them are snared in holes,

And they are hidden in prison houses;

They are for prey, and no one delivers;

For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”

23 Who among you will give ear to this?

Who will listen and hear for the time to come?

24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?

Was it not the LORD,

He against whom we have sinned?

For they would not walk in His ways,

Nor were they obedient to His law.

25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger

And the strength of battle;

It has set him on fire all around,