Sermon Tone Analysis

Why does everyone have a “Bucket List”?

I have a bucket list.

a list of things that I want to accomplish or experience before I die.

This list includs such things as:

visit every continent

Go sky diving

Get my pilots licence

Learn at least 5 languages

To be honest I haven't gotten to far on that list as yet, but I am working on it.

But why do we all seem to have these lists?

why do we all have to feel like we’ve accomplished certain things before we die?

perhaps it’s because it’s an indication of a life well lived?

We all want to live life to the fullest and fulfilling out bucket lists show us and shows others that we are living our lives out and achieving the things we want!

after all, no one wants to go to the grave with regrets of things undone.

No one wants to think that they may die not having done the things that they really wanted to.

Inaction - A different kind of monster

Today we’re going to talk about the monster of inaction - that being the monstor of the things that we didn’t do.

This monster is different that the other monsters we have studied so far and it’s why we’ve left it for last.

The other monsters are monsters that urge us to act in ungodly ways.

the monster Pride causes us to DO certain things.

the monster of fear causes us to Do certain things.

and the Monster of Lust certainly makes us Do certain things

But the Monster of Inactions is a different kinds of monster.

and causes us to commit and entirely different kind of sin.

That being sins of omission.

As most of you know there are 2 different classes of sins.

Sins of commission… that is Sins that you Commit or do on purpose.

This is what you do when you specifically break a law like thou shalt not lie.

Sins of omission are those sins that you do by NOT doing something.

This is when you sin by NOT doing something that you SHOULD have done.

Let me illustrate this with a simple story.

The Pizza Boy

One day, a pizza delivery driver got fired, but couldn’t for the life of him understand why.

“I didn’t speed.

I never got a ticket.

What did I do wrong?” he asked.

The manager replied: “You never delivered any of the pizzas!”

See the point of the story is.

yes, the pizza boy followed all of the rules.. but it is the one things that he DIDN’T do that got him into trouble.

in the same way following God’s “rules” doesn’t replace our responsibility to DO the things He commands us to do, like love others.

Inaction is an easy trap

The monster of Inaction has a simple and effective trap laid for us, and it is so easy to get trapped by it, because is doesn’t require us to do anything at all. and that probably why it is so successful at catching especially Christians.

and don’t be fooled the monster of inaction has been catching Christians and followers of God for ages and ages past.

Let’s see what the Bible has to say about inaction… and for this we will look at the words of Jesus in Matt 25:31-46

You cannot get it half right and get into heaven

So you’ll notice first that both groups of people were believers.

the sheep who eventually went on into heaven and the “Righteous” (and you just know Jesus was referring to the religious sects.

pharisees, Sadducees, etc)

But the thing with the righteous wasn’t that the didn’t follow the “rules” in fact they followed the “rules” well.... religiously...

But Jesus is telling us here that Getting it half right… doesn’t get you partially into heaven.

Jesus is telling us that those of us who are righteous will not get into heave, bot because we don’t follow the rules, but because we failed to DO the most important thing.

Remember the 2 most important laws.

Law #1

You shall love the Lord with All your Heart , mind, and soul.

This law deals with the internal.

the following of the rules.

The “living a godly life”

This is the part that the pharisees were actualy good at… they knew the Law.. the Loved the Law and they fallowed the Law.

such was their devotion to God.

But you notice that Jesus did not fault them on weather they followed the law or not.

He faulted them on their following of the second Law

Law #2

You Shall Love your Neighbor as yourself

Luke 10:27

If you look at all the instances of this command you will see that it is not an either or thing.

it is not.

a take one or the other.

If you are excellent at one and fail at the other.

you have failed the test.

There are churches out there right now that are LAw abiding, religiousl institutions.

the follow the Las that god sent out with ferver and zeal.

but you’lll never find them at a soupline.

or sorting clothing at the mustard see.

The are an equal number of churches out that that are exceptionally socailly concience.

they are out of soupline and, they are to the Mustard Seed, or the dropp-in center.

they have large funds to help those in need… but if you ask them about how closely they follow the precepts and laws of God.. you’ll find that they two fall short.

See Jesus is not trying to tell us that one is important and the other isn’t… but that they are both important.

the second part puts ACTION to the first part.

but the monster of inaction aims to keep the christian from just this very action.

The “righteous”

in Matthew 25. had been caught by the monster of inaction!

and the passage in Matthew serves as a dire warning that half way isn’t far enough.

So the Question is:

Do you want to be a “sheep” or a “goat”

Do you want to be a sheep or a goat?

now.

I am going to have to assume that you all want to be sheep so If we all want to be sheep.

than we are going to have to learn how to fight the monster of inaction.

and its rather simple to do.

Just Do It!

The Just Do it sloagan was probably one of the most successfull sloagans and ad campaigns ever… even long after the commercials of stopped airing.

most people still know it and know that it is associated with Nike.

The campaign was simple.

do you want to get healhtier?

Just do it!

do you want to run a marithon?

Just do it!…

do you want a super expensive pair of shoes??? Just do it!…

and people did… and do in droves!

but this simply nugat of truth applies to fighting the monster of inaction as it does, bying pair of shoes.