Sermon Tone Analysis

Luke 17:33 (main Focus)

Happy Sabbath I’m so happy you’re all here today

Prayer

If you know me you know I love movies

And the other day I was watching a movie with my parents called a knight’s tale

In this movie, Heath Ledger plays William, who is a peasant who is pretending to be a knight so he can compete in these jousting tournaments.

(Picture 1)

In doing this he climbs the ranks pretty fast and catches the eye of a princess named Jocelyn.

(Picture 2)

They begin to fancy each other and eventually hit a rough patch.

She doesn’t show up to some of his tournaments and he writes her this beautiful letter filled with poetry and he asks her to come to his next tournament.

A few moments before the tournament he finds her in the church and they talk.

(Picture 3) She isn’t fully convinced that he loves her.

She asks him to speak poetry to her and he stumbles, when she begins to walk away he says to her

“I will win this tournament for you.

Every knight I defeat, I defeat for you.

Th… your beauty will be reflected in the power of my arms, the flanks of my horse.”

“Wow.

Really.

It’s flanks… I wish to hear poetry, William.”

“Uh… I’m not ready.”

“But I am.”

“Jocelyn, how may I prove my love to you?”

“How?

Do you ask in earnest?”

“Yes.”

“If you would prove your love…”

“right…”

“you shall do your worst.”

“My worst… what do you mean?”

“Instead of winning, to honor me with your high reputation… I want you to act against your normal character and do badly.”

“Do badly?”

“Lose!”

“L-losing proves nothing, except that I’m a loser.”

“Wrong!

Losing is a much keener test of your love.

Losing would contradict your self-love.

And losing would show your obedience to your lover and not to yourself!”

“Really?!”

“What is your answer?”

…” I will not lose”

“Then you do not love me.”

Then the tournament starts.

The flag is raised and William’s team is cheering him on.

He puts his helmet down and starts to gallop.

Then he stops.

(Picture 4) He looks at his princess, and the opponent hits him hard.

And it happens again and again.

What does it mean to lose yourself for love?

This idea stuck with me.

Luke 17:33

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

First I think it’s important that we establish a love for Jesus.

Why should we love Jesus?

🎶because He first loved me🎶

This guy right here has shown us time and time again what it means to lose ourselves for love.

If you haven’t heard of this Jesus guy before listen up because He’s about to change your life.

The mind of Jesus is very backward when it comes to worldly thinking.

We are told to love our enemies and turn the other cheek.

If you’re fasting, tithing, or praying do it for God alone, and don’t make a show.

I don’t know about you but I love the spotlight.

I remember a time when I fasted and prayed in High school and the hardest part wasn’t not eating, it was not getting in my own head.

Oh man, I’m so hungry right now! Oh, no thank you I’m actually fasting.

If other people don’t know I’m tithing why am I doing it?

Why would I give $100 to a homeless person if I can’t post it online?

Back in Luke 17:20, we can find the context of this verse.

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

(In verse 21) He’s cryptic with the Pharisees, which I think is kinda funny.

(Repeat dramatically)

“The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Thankfully he opens up more to the disciples, which, side note he always opens up to people who ask Him.

Verse 22-25

And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’

Do not go out or follow them.

For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

(Expand upon) everyone will see the Lord, but He (the Lord) must first suffer

Verse 26-30

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.

They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Just like the days of Noah and Lot, those obsessed with the world around them are lost

Verse 31

On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.

When the day comes, will you be scrounging for stuff or will you meet up with God? Video game thing

Verse 32

Remember Lot's wife.

Genesis 19:26, “But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

She turned to salt because looked back.

The following verse shows me that Jesus wants us to look forward and leave our world behind.

This is shown very prominent in our verse

Verse 33

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Whoever seeks to preserve his worldly life will lose it spiritually, but whoever loses his worldly life will keep it spiritually.

Verse 34-37

I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed.

One will be taken and the other left.

There will be two women grinding together.

One will be taken and the other left.”