Sermon Tone Analysis

One day the church treasurer went to the pastor with the bad news that they couldn’t make the mortgage payment or pay the utilities.

So the pastor spoke to his congregation on Sunday morning.

“We need an extra large offering this morning.”

Then he added an incentive, “We will honor the person who gives the largest offering by inviting him or her to pick out three hymns for the service.”

They passed the plate, and the church was very generous.

There was one envelope that was stuffed with $1,000 cash!

The Pastor was excited because the offering was more than enough to pay the bills.

He asked the big giver of $1,000 to identify themselves so they could pick out the three hymns for the service.

A quiet little lady sitting in the back corner shyly stood, and the pastor invited her to the front.

Telling her how generous her gift was, he also invited her to select three hymns.

Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed to the three handsomest men in the sanctuary, and said, “I’ll take him and him and him.”

She didn’t understand the invitation.

Today I want to tell you about a need this church has; it’s not a need to pay the mortgage or electricity.

I’m thankful that our church is faithful to give tithes and offerings.

It’s a different kind of need.

It’s a need to fulfill a vision for this year.

We want to put this church on the map in our town.

We can do that if we let people know that this is a place they can find a Home, Family, and Acceptance.

Our VISION scripture for 2023 is Ephesians 2:19-22

This is the good news of the gospel!

We are no longer strangers, but we are part of a family!

Through Christ, God has brought us in, and it building His church through us.

The church is not so much a building, it’s a family.

The Holy Spirit is dwelling in our hearts, and we are called to bring this good news of acceptance to a world that is lost and hurting.

We’ve talked about how Christ has given us a home - a permanent place in Him.

Our Salvation is secure.

We know that we are part of a family - because of God’s grace and mercy we have been given a new name.

Today we are going to talk about being accepted by God.

Too often we are told we don’t belong.

In the airport they have these special lounges.

Now, if you’ve spent any time in the airport then you know they aren’t places of comfort or luxury.

Most of the time, you have to wipe down the seat before you can even sit down.

They just aren’t great places to hang out.

BUT if you are part of a special club, they you can enter one of they lounges.

Listen to the description of one of these lounges:

“Within our Lounges eligible Members can escape into luxury before flying, enjoy food and drink from award-winning chefs and top mixologists, and get away from it all in thoughtfully curated spaces designed for work or relaxation.”

Let’s go to the airport!

It sounds like a vacation.

But not everyone is invited.

It’s only for ELIGIBLE MEMBERS!

If you’re not a member, then you don’t belong.

But it’s no just airport lounges that tell us we don’t belong to their club.

It’s all kinds of places!

I can’t even partake of the store discounts at Dillions without being a card carrying member.

God isn’t running a club were some people don’t belong.

He has given an open invitation to EVERYONE who would trust in Christ for their Salvation.

I’m telling you today, YOU BELONG HERE.

You’re invited.

You’re accepted by God just as you are RIGHT NOW.

Let’s look at a passage of scripture that gives one of the greatest invitations in the Bible.

The people were in open rebellion against the Lord

They refused to acknowledge God and, spiritually, they were dumber than the farm animals around them.

They had forsaken the Lord and had provoked Him to anger.

They had refused to respond to the Lord’s attempts at correction.

They were sick spiritually and they desperately needed help.

Violence filled the whole land.

In many ways, they had become as vile as ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

Their religious services were an abomination to the Lord because they meant nothing.

They were RELIGIOUS but not RELATIONAL.

The prophet Isaiah ministered during a turbulent time in Israel’s history.

The nation had abandoned the way of the Lord and they were living in open sin and idolatry.

These verses leading up to our main verse of acceptance show that they were living in rebellion and sin.

In this first chapter of Isaiah we see a revelation of the Character of God.

These people had been blessed by the Lord in many ways.

They were living in prosperity but they were not seeking the Lord.

In the good times it seems as though people forget about their need for God.

And that’s exactly what we see in this scene of the scripture.

In spite of giving these people what they deserve, we see God is seeking His people and INVITING them to make things right with Him.

This is such a massive truth we find over and over throughout the pages of the Bible.

PEOPLE, we, do not seek the Lord until we are first sought BY the Lord.

We are loved before we love.

God always makes the first move.

He did for the people in Isaiah’s day and He is still doing it today.

How else would we come to Christ?

Remember before we come to Him we are like dead people!

Isn’t that why Jesus came to us?

We didn’t come to Him, He came seeking us first!

We can find ourselves in the first chapter of Isaiah we can find ourselves.

Far from God. Worshipping Him out of obligation.

No better than the worst sinners.

Were’s our hope?

What’s the good news in this chapter.

Were can we find our acceptance?

Let’s look at this INCREDIBLE verse in chapter one.

Wow, God is, has, and will forever be merciful.

He is worthy of all our praise and worship because we don’t deserve this kind of love.

Look at the second chance, doesn’t it give you hope?

In your mind, you can go to all the places where you’ve failed.

Where’s you’ve sinned and fallen flat on your face.

Depression can set in if you think on your past mistakes.

You might have served God your whole life and then made a massive mistake that you’ve never forgiven yourself for.

You might be thinking of things that you’re doing right NOW that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of in this ver moment.

Here’s the good news.

God is saying, come with me, let’s talk.

Let me take all your sins that make you dirty and allow me to wash you white as snow.

Those things don’t have to hold you anymore.

You are ACCEPTED.

They Lord loves you and desires you.

It’s nothing that we’ve done to deserve this kind of love, it’s only because of His grace and mercy for our fallen condition.

Come to Him today to be accepted.