Sermon Tone Analysis

Why is it that so few people have any desire to seek the Lord?

The answer must surely be that they have no idea what God is really like.

When we begin to understand who the Lord is, our hearts will begin to long for him.

He is the most beautiful, the most holy, the most amazing being in the whole universe.

We must begin to understand who the Lord is.

The truth about God must break through to our minds and influence our hearts.

The world could not contain the books that could be written in an attempt to describe him, nor can the human mind comprehend his fullness.

*Psalm 113:4-9*

The Lord /is/ high above all nations,

     His glory above the heavens.

5     Who /is/ like the Lord our God,

     Who dwells on high,

6     Who humbles Himself to behold

     /The things that are/ in the heavens and in the earth?

7     He raises the poor out of the dust,

     /And/ lifts the needy out of the ash heap,

8     That He may seat /him/ with princes—

     With the princes of His people.

9     He grants the barren woman a home,

     Like a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

*Isaiah 40:9-18*

O Zion,

     You who bring good tidings,

     Get up into the high mountain;

     O Jerusalem,

     You who bring good tidings,

     Lift up your voice with strength,

     Lift /it/ up, be not afraid;

     Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

10     Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong /hand,/

     And His arm shall rule for Him;

     Behold, His reward /is/ with Him,

     And His work before Him.

11     He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

     He will gather the lambs with His arm,

     And carry /them/ in His bosom,

     /And/ gently lead those who are with young.

12     Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,

     Measured heaven with a span

     And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?

Weighed the mountains in scales

     And the hills in a balance?

13     Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,

     Or /as/ His counselor has taught Him?

14     With whom did He take counsel, and /who/ instructed Him,

     And taught Him in the path of justice?

Who taught Him knowledge,

     And showed Him the way of understanding?

15     Behold, the nations /are/ as a drop in a bucket,

     And are counted as the small dust on the scales;

     Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

16     And Lebanon /is/ not sufficient to burn,

     Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.

17     All nations before Him /are/ as nothing,

     And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

18     To whom then will you liken God?

     Or what likeness will you compare to Him?

    

* Remember that Jesus is the revelation of God to us.

*John 1:14*

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

*Hebrews 1:1-4*

    God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by /His/ Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of /His/ glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

* *

*Colossians 1:15*

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Here are some truths about God:

Let’s briefly note some things about our great and awesome God that ought to evoke worship and desire to know him:

 

 

Meditate on the revelation of God that is recorded through the Scriptures.

This revelation, this truth will grip our heart and draw us after him.

!!!! 1.     Love

*God is love.

There is something ultimate about this.

This is the basic nature of God.

*

* *

*1 John 4:16*

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.

God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

To love is to always act in such a way that it brings the highest good to another person.

It is a choice to live so that others are blessed.

* *

*1 John 3:16*

16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.

And we also ought to lay down /our/ lives for the brethren.

In the nature of God there is a fundamental selflessness; a desire to bless, a compassion and tenderness, a willingness to take suffering on himself so that we are freed from suffering.

!!!! 2. Grace:

Acts of kindness based on the inner beauty of God.

The concept of grace is a unique feature of Christianity.

We normally think of grace as God’s favour extended to those who don’t deserve it.

The Greek word, /charis /is rich in meaning.

The basic idea is of ‘beauty’.

/Charis, /the Greek word for ‘grace’, is derived from a root /char/ that indicates things which produce well-being.

/Charis /means grace, favour, beauty, thankfulness, gratitude, delight, kindness, good turn, benefit.

Grace’ denotes inner beauty of character that expresses itself in appropriate actions.

Thus God is the source of the river of grace.

It originates in his inner being and is natural to him.

He is utterly beautiful and harmonious, and out of his heart flows love, goodwill and generosity.

Grace is his /being, /and grace is his /attitude.

/Of course, attitudes are expressed in actions, so God /does/ gracious things.

His /gifts /(charismata) are expressions of grace.

The flow of grace goes even further.

The outflow from the source influences the recipient.

Grace changes the one who receives it and produces its beauty in him.