Sermon Tone Analysis

Slide #1- Purpose: The Purpose of the message is to show you that the God can’t be bought, controlled, or manipulated.

God allows the Holy Spirit to be freely given but not to be freely used for our own purposes and intentions.

Slide #2:

Slide #3:

Step 1 in declining what God has given:

Simon: Simon allowed people to be amazed by his sorcery by his his works and not by who he was as a creation of God

Us: We can confuse our achievements for our identity in Christ

Say this: Okay let me give you example- So it’s like if I were doing a magic performance in front of you and I’m doing the classic rabbit out of a hat trick, I have the hat right here in my hand and I say the magic words abracadabra or if your hispanic you say abra-ca-da-bra (look to the audience as if I’ve just pulled a rabbit out of a hat ) you all start clapping but your clapping out of what I achieved but you know nothing about who I am.

I can achieve something and still be selfish, I can achieve something and still be prideful, I can achieve something and still be lustful.

I can achieve something I define as (finger quotes) good and not be godly.

Simon achieved Sorcery, amazed the people and allowed himself to be associated with God when in reality inside he was doing it for his own intention and purposes, for praise.

Does that familiar to you? Have you ever been caught in this cycle of achievement in exchange for identity, (raise your hand) I know I have but there is a way to change and I’ll go into that later on

Slide #4:

Slide #5:

Step 2 in declining what God has given:

Simon: Simon believed, got baptized, and followed a godly man yet internally his intentions did not change and he did not become a new creation in Jesus

Us: Sometimes we say we believe in Jesus, we get baptized in the name of Jesus in water in front of others, and follow godly people but internally we are the same person as before we met Jesus

Say this: Your probably thinking to yourself sheesh pastor that’s pretty harsh but in reality it’s true we like to claim Jesus as our saviour in our own timing, we like to do this solo bargain where we say okay Jesus I said your my saviour, everyone saw with their own eyes me get baptized in your name in water at Lake Elmo on August the 18th on that nice summer day and have a someone who says there a pastor, not really sure what that means but I got one.

And and I got the gold chain with the cross on it look at it 24 karats Jesus so it’s official your my saviour now Jesus congrats you got me.

Noooooo that’s not what it means to follow Jesus, Jesus can not be obtained through achievements or by your own actions Jesus is given to you by grace, freely given, all Jesus expects is that you would make the effort to be changed from the inside out and reflect him the best you can he knows your imperfect but try truly try

Slide #6:

Slide #7:

Step 3 in declining what God has given:

Simon: Simon tried to exchange money for favor, power, and authority with the Holy Spirit

Us: We do what Simon did for a lot less nowadays we try to exchange a little bit of our money for Jesus, we try to give a little bit of our time for Jesus, and we try to give up some of our unhealthy relationships at best for favor with the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God

Say this: I know all of things I’ve said so far sounds really negative but I promise there’s hope before Simon had done this we are given the right way to receive what God has given to us

Slide #8:

Slide #9:

How to not get declined from what God has given:

Samaritans: They came not to Peter and John to exchange their achievements, intentions, and purposes for the Holy Spirit.

They came with an open heart to receive what was already available and given them with open hands, right intentions, and the right heart posture.

Us: We can receive what God has given not through our own will power but by simply receiving what has already been given by Jesus with open hands, right intentions, and the right heart in affect changing our life from the inside out.

Conclusion:

Let me close with this example, have you ever walked into the store and gotten a whole cart full of stuff and go to the checkout confident you have enough money in your account just to put your card in the reader and get declined.

It sucks, it’s embarrassing, so you pull out your good all shiny credit card but if you didn’t know what credit is it’s never truly your money it’s borrowed money.

I believe that many times we go to the Lord and we try to pay with credit.

So we try to buy grace, declined!

So we try to boy the Lord’s love, declined!

So we try to buy our identity declined!

So we try to buy peace declined!

and Lord’s looking at us like what are you doing son or daughter I already but all this for you through Jesus this is a free store, no charge everything you want or need in life is free just be ready to receive it and believe you can have it, and posture your life after me so you can live it.

Pray