A Gentle and Quiet Spirit
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 51 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Intro
Intro
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Nan was deeply loved by everyone who met her. When we think of her, we think about her gentle and quiet spirit. We think about her smile that filled the whole room.
The reason we could see that beautiful smile, and the reason for her gentle and quiet spirit, is because deep inside her burned a red hot fire of love for the risen Lord Jesus Christ. From the first minute you met Nan you could just tell there was something different about her. There was no doubt about it, when you look around to the majority of people in the world you don’t see the same thing. But when you looked at Nan you saw that light in her eyes, and you saw that smile, you knew right away that there was something different about this woman.
Nan was always willing to help people, whether it was here at St. Luke’s, or Bethel or with the seniors, Nan just loved to help people.
In the first scripture reading from the Book of Proverbs chapter 31, the writer describes what a woman of noble character is like. When we look at Nan’s life we see that she fits those words .
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
Pr 31.
Everyone who knew her knew that she worked tirelessly to help others. Nan was always involved with the church in whatever way she could. She helped with meals on wheels, and no matter what project she was involved in, she would seem to recruit the necessary volunteers from her pool volunteers, you may know them as her her family.
As I was talking with you I got the feeling that perhaps Nan recruited you a bit against your will. Maybe you always didn’t necessarily want to volunteer all those times. I get it and that’s ok. But you know what? That just shows us how much Nan loved the Lord Jesus. It shows us how she wanted to serve him so much, that she couldn’t even do it all herself. Her love for the Lord Jesus was so great that even when she gave all she had to give, she had to go out and recruit you guys just so she could give more.
Why was that? What makes someone like Nan a proverbs 31 woman? What makes some so filled with joy that you could see it on her face? What makes someone so dedicated to helping others?
Is
Let me explain that to you. As we were making the arrangements for today, Jim called me up, and he told me that he had Nan’s Bible, and she had highlighted a lot of verses.
There was
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
That was the joy that was always on Nancy’s face. And
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
That was what sustained her and kept her going.
ANd Mattehw 4.4
There was the passage about loving your enemies, and the Lord’s prayer, Nan loved that. And Jim also told me that she had highlighted all the salvation verses.
Salvation verses are those passages of scripture that talk about who Jesus is, and how to turn from your sins and follow the Lord Jesus. Passages like those meant the most to Nan because Nan had placed her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of her sins. Nan knew that Jesus died on the cross in her place so that she could not only spend eternity in His presence, but also to live a life wholly and devoted to serving him.
The reason we were able to look and see so much love and joy in Nan was that when were looking at Nan we were seeing what Jesus was doing in Nan.
It was because Nancy Elsbecker knew the risen Lord Jesus Christ. It was because Nancy Elsbecker placed her faith and her trust in death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is because Nancy Elsbecker turned from her sins, and gave her life to following Jesus. What made Nan so special was she knew Jesus.
What made Nan so special was that she knew Jesus. I twas by her knowing
Because of her love for Jesus all of us around her, wanted to know Jesus more.
The second scripture reading we had this morning.
When we sit here this morning, and we look back at her life, we are certainly heartbroken. We have pain and we are going to miss her terribly. And we try to comfort one another by saying things and doing thins to help the pain go away and it is hard, real hard.
But because Nan knew Jesus she also knew this about Jesus, She knew that Jesus cares about each one of you here, and Jesus knows exactly what you are going through, and he does care.
In this second scripture reading from . John writes about a time when Jesus lost one of his dear friends Lazarus. Jesus is told that the one he loves is sick.
We see how Jesus loved and cared so deeply for His friends. Several times in the text John tells us that Jesus loved them
So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
John 11
and in verse 5
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Later on in this chapter, Jesus after seeing the pain in his friends was so deeply moved that he wept.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
When we are in pain, we often wonder where God was when
While pain, and hurt and healing are a part this process, Jesus does not intend for us to stay there. As we remember Nan we remember the smile on her face, the obvious joy that went down deep in her soul. She had joy because she trusted in Jesus, and had the joy of knowing that she would one day be with Jesus.
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,
The passage
John 11
Martha has some faith
This is very strange, Why did Jesus do that? We ask the same question and we wonder? I wonder that myself. I know God hears our prayers. And we were praying for Nancy. We were praying for her here, and I am sure many of you were praying for her as well. But this time Jesus didn’t heal her.
We can’t pretend to know all the reasons, we don’t know all the reasons why things happen the way they do, sometimes Jesus did heal people, some people did not get healed. Even when people did get healed, eventually they still died.
I can’t tell you why God didn’t heal Nancy. We don’t why God chooses when people people will leave us, those reasons belong to Him alone, but we do some things. In the case of Lazarus we know that It was for God’s glory.
Twice in this passage Jesus tells us that the death of Lazarus is for God’s glory. Once in verse 4.
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Sometimes God heals, sometimes God does not, but always God is glorified. And sometimes we jsut can’t see the reasons why.
Jesus knows your pain and your hurt, and Jesus came as a man and as God made flesh. Jesus the came and lived as a man and experienced the same pain and hurt that we all experience.
In fact in a portion of story we didn’t read this moring, showsJesus does love you, and does care about you and your loss, and because Jesus is fully man He even understands the pain you are going through, but Jesus is also fully God which shows us so much more. even more than
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
john 11.233-36
We do have some comfort
We do have some comfort in knowing that when we trust in Jesus, when we turn form our sins, and place our faith in Jesus, we will one day be with him too.
. 33-36
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus does love you, and does care about you and your loss, and because Jesus is fully man He even understands the pain you are going through, but Jesus is also fully God which shows us so much more. even more than
John 11:23-
Let’s pick pick up the story when Jesus arrives at the home.
Jesus says I AM the resurrection and the life. And whoever LIVES by believing in me will never die.
But we can also live now in the joy that is Nan knew about as she lived her life for Jesus.
Nan Lived by believing in Him. She lived her life in touch with Jesus. She lived her whole life for the glory of God. Nan had so much joy in her life, not because she someone had a perfect life, no she knew trouble like the rest but she lived, knowing that Jesus is the resurrection and life, and when she lived her life for him she had joy.
We can also live now in the joy that is Nan knew about as she lived her life for Jesus.
No suddenly God is right there in front of her. Jesus is saying no Martha you don’t get it, I AM the resurrection and the LIFE.
Jesus knows your pain and your hurt, and Jesus came and as God made flesh. Jesus the came and lived as a man and experienced the same pain and hurt that we all experience, yet was also fully God.
We pick up the story when Jesus arrives at the home.
and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
What has happened in this passage and in Nan’s life, Is that God goes from out here, distant and only reachable at death, to a God that is right in front of you and is accessible now.
Jesus tells her that If you believe you will see the glory of God.
John 11
John 11.19-
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
Mary stayed at home the practical one taking care of everything, but Martha has this idea, SHe knows who
Mary stayed at home, she was the practical one taking care of everything, that needed doing, but Martha went out to meet Jesus, and when she meets him, her faith is evident.
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
She does have some faith, she says, yeah I know that God, will give you whatever you ask. She knows God can do what Jesus asks, but what she is missing is who Jesus is. Martha needs to know Christ more Martha needs to know who Jesus is. So Jesus starts to tell her plainly. He moves the God from up here to a God that is right there in fromt of her.
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
She is still not getting it. She is saying yeah I know I’ll see him again someday, and Jesus is telling her that no, Martha you still don’t get it, so het gets real clear.Jesus is now telling Martha that HE IS the resurrection and the life. It isn’t like God is up here, and Jesus is a just a man down here. No suddenly God is right there in front of her. Jesus is saying no Martha you don’t get it, I AM the resurrection and the LIFE.
.23
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
She is still not getting it. She is saying yeah I know I’ll see him again someday, and Jesus is telling her that no, Martha you still don’t get it, so het gets real clear.Jesus is now telling Martha that HE IS the resurrection and the life. It isn’t like God is up here, and Jesus is a just a man down here. No suddenly God is right there in front of her. Jesus is saying no Martha you don’t get it, I AM the resurrection and the LIFE.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus is now telling Martha that HE IS the resurrection and the life. It isn’t like God is up here, and Jesus is a just a man down here. No suddenly God is right there in front of her. Jesus is saying no Martha you don’t get it, I AM the resurrection and the LIFE.
I am the source of it all. I am the source for your joy! I am the source for your whole life! If you believe in Me Martha. Even though you die you WILL live!. And Martha I am right here here, right here standing in front of you and I can have a relationship with you!
See this is amazing! This is transforming. This is freeing.
See the very same God that spoke the universe into existence. The very same righteous and Holy God, became man, lived as one of us, experienced life like we experience it, He loves us, He weeps for us when we lose a loved one. He lives with us, and we experience his joy.
This is the Jesus Nan Elsbecker knew. Nan was a good woman, but she wasn’t a perfect woman. She made mistakes, and she sinned just like the rest of us, But what made Nan so special was that she trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of those sins. Jesus Christ fully God and fully man, led the perfect life that we can’t, yet he suffered and died for the sins that we committed.
See people get confused sometimes, they see a wonderful woman like Nan and all the wonderful good works that she was doing, and they think that she is coming to Jesus by her good works, that her good works are somehow erasing any sin she has in her life. That is not the way it works.
Nan did good works because she knew Jesus. Nan was being transformed from the inside because she knew Jesus.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we might be the rigthousness of God.
God took all the sins that we comitt and he laid them on Jesus on the cross, and Jesus paid the price for those sins. When we believe that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life, when we place our faith in Him alone for the forgiveness of those sins, we are freed from the bondage of that sin.
God took all the sins that we commit and he laid them on Jesus on the cross, and Jesus paid the price for those sins. When we believe that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life, when we place our faith in Him alone for the forgiveness of those sins, we are freed from the bondage of that sin.
See Nan did the good works because she was bought and and paid for by Jesus Christ . It was because Nan had been set free from sin to a new life in Jesus that she poured her heart into other people. It was because she loved Jesus so much that she wanted wanted to see Jesus glorified above all else.
If you are trusting in your good works, or looking elsewhere for the forgiveness of your sins or trusting in some other way to come to God, I know that Nan would want you to know what is says in Acts
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
So today, if you already know have a relationship with Jesus,. lean on him for your healing from your sorrow and your pain, and If you do not know this relationship that I have been talking about turn to the Lord Jesus, turn from your sin, ask Him for forgiveness, and begin a new life living with Him as your lOrd, in Jesus name.