Sermon Tone Analysis

Illustrations

Intro:

What is your reaction to “to-do lists”??

Some of you probably can’t stand them.

What a burden.

Others don’t mind them in moderation.

But if they are too full or chaotic they feel extremely stressful.

There is a certain satisfaction to checking something off the list.

God did make us to be workers and so that is a part of who we are

Others get excited.

Pride

What happens when the checklist demands perfection?

When it covers every aspect of the work you do, the way you treat others, the way that you think, your desires, what you believe?

When there is conflict in our life we always tend to look to blame somebody.

One person is innocent, the victim.

The other person is to blame.

Giving the excuse, “But they started it!”

or “He/she made me do it!”

We justify our sinful actions by blaming them on somebody else.

We have a victim complex.

The truth of the matter is that in conflict between people there is usually guilt on both sides.

Don’t get me wrong!

There are senseless acts of violence where only one side can be blamed.

When we think about the trouble in the world we often ask how God could allow things to be this way.... as if it is His fault that they are this way.

We ask, “How could God allow bad things to happen to good people?”

or

the beauty of God and the eclipse?

(point one I think)

face shine upon

sun brings warmth, causes things to grow

to dead things that have no water it is deadly -burns them up

w/o nourishing rain

Finding old notes I passed in church: Me as a teenager thinking that Dad was too strict and he just wanted to restrict my freedom and that he didn’t understand me.

I thought I knew better and that I could make myself happier if I took things into my own hands/decided who I could hang out with.

I thought he was unreasonable.

Really he wanted to protect me, to teach me to be wise and discerning.

Holiness: Light -Solar eclipse- can’t look directly at the sun. the Holy presence of God is blinding and even deadly.

Seeing the blemishes/filth in the light

stable

protects

doesn’t change or move

Remember

Courtroom Scene: (or treaty scene?)

Calling witnesses

The Offended party

The accused

God fathered us (adoption) made us to be His people.

We are no longer his children because of our blemishes.

We are the ones who walked away, rebelled.

We are the Prodigal Son.

THE CROSS:

Transition: it cost God much to make you His children.

You are ungrateful.

He gave His own Son.

How much He has given to you and how easily do you forget Him and turn to your own ways.

Ungrateful.

God is spotless -the spotless lamb of God

Because all of God’s ways are just, you can trust His Word

He who serves this God is safe; he has a faithful God, with whom he is at peace.

In this worship there is no sin, but there is pure righteousness and uprightness; and all these things are faithful, certain, and solid.

On the other hand, for idol-worshipers nothing is secure, nothing is faithful and certain; but their wandering and uncertain conscience always shifts, and whatever they do in their life is sheer iniquity and evil, however they seem to themselves to be otherwise.

Opening: Moses=the prosecuting attorney - calling the heavens and earth to bear witness.

purpose verses prior to this song :

Moses’ hope that these words would be heeded/believed

falling not upon hard ground, rocks, but upon plants that would receive the nourishing rain and grow

falling not upon hard hearts, but

I.

The Perfect “The Rock”

His ways are sound

Illustration: Rock

stable

protects

doesn’t change or move

He is Faithful

List of ways

He chose them as a people not because they deserved it, but purely out of grace

Father

Created

Made & established

“Gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples…” (so that Israel would receive the inheritance of the Promised land)

His people/Jacob is His portion and allotted heritage

(cf.

Deut.

7:6; 10:15, and Ex.

19:5)

(add from elsewhere?)

v.10

found in howling desert

encircled and cared

kept as apple of his eye

v.11 eagle w/ young

v. 12 guided (the LORD did w/ no foreign god with him)

v.13

made ride the high places

at produce (from unlikely places = miracle)

v.14

food & drink

II.

The Blemished (The claims against them/the accused)

a. Have dealt corruptly with him

b.