Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduce the saying, “they fell for that one, hook, line, and sinker.”

This is fishing terminology hijacked by practical jokesters.

Introduce Life in Ozark and “That ain’t Us”

What is it — specifically — that we definitively say “that ain’t us”?

The Ozark locals are not the most educated group Hollywood has ever produced.

We care about education.

2. The Ozark community produces, distributes, and uses “questionable substances” as a matter of due course.

Most of us in the room — perhaps very few of us — have never produced such substances.

Most of us in the room — not as few, but still few — have never, or at least are not now, distributing such substances.

Many of us in the room — and I don’t know how many many includes — have used such substances even though we would all agree that was not a good idea for us and certainly would never be a good idea for our children.

3. The Ozark community has an unseemly club — suited for gentlemen — as an acceptable form of business within its conservative, midwestern sensibilities.

Some of us have never been to the two such establishments within view of two of our elementary schools.

4. The Ozark church on the water unwittingly distributed “questionable substances” inside their Bibles.

“Crazy things happen at church, but I would never hallow out Bibles, fill them with drugs, and distribute them to those in attendance.”

“That.

Ain’t.

Us.”

We are for education.

We send our kids to school.

We have GREAT schools.

We are against “questionable substances.”

We don’t usually frequent clubs for… ummm… “gentlemen.”

And, we don’t distribute “questionable substances” inside the Bible at church.

When we say, “that ain’t us”related to the show Ozark, that may not be all we mean, but I think it includes a large portion of what we mean.

And I want it to NOT be us!

I want it to NOT be me!

While you all are navigating the list above, as I watch the show there is Preacher Mason and his lovely, pregnant wife Grace.

There isn’t a bigger dope in the show than Pastor Mason.

I get not wanting it to be… me.

We live in a weird corner of the world.

Shoreline development — only 1 other lake in the USA

4-6 million visitors a year.

Resort town — Branson is family.

The Lake is… Vegas.

Enormous Hospital

Beautiful schools with outstanding faculties

Million dollar homes by single wide trailers

Why do those 5 million people come here every year?

It isn’t to shop — have you been to the outlet mall?

It isn’t for our outstanding, cutting edge biking trails.

It isn’t for Silver Dollar City.

It isn’t to take our kids out to eat at restaurants on the water with names we can say to our kids without blushing.

People come to look at the water, sit by the water, fish in the water, boat on the water, and listen to cover bands at restaurants by the water.

And when those people are looking, sitting, fishing, boating, and banding on and by the water — what else are they doing?

Many — not all — but many will be hooking, lining, and sinking their lives when they have set their most educated thoughts about what to consume (and how much to consume), how to dress, and who to be with at the door.

I asked a friend if I should go and see what it is all about?

And who is providing goods and services to the Ozarks 5 millions guests, visitors, and second home owners?

We are.

And I want to suggest to you, that the hooks, lines, and sinkers in our community are not reserved only for the bass, catfish, and crappie!

Our community has hooks, lines, and sinkers within it brought and sought by the 5 million people who visit the lake annually.

And the hooks, lines, and sinkers that ensnare the lives of our 5 millions guest are hooks, lines and sinkers that we are not immune to.

They go home… but the hooks, lines, and sinkers remain.

And they ensnare us as well.

There’s just no getting around it.

LeanOne — vanilla and chocolate

Story of Achan —

Tell story as they move out on the seventh day...

Joshua speaking says this to the Israelites:

Joshua 6:16-

They shouted… Jericho’s walls fell...

Joshua 6:

Enter Achan...

First battle vs Ai.

3,000 Hebrew soldiers… 36 died… army got routed.

How can this be?

Achan brought before Joshua…

Joshua 7:

Achan got hook, lined, and sunk.

“I didn’t think I’d get any of Jericho on me, but I did.

I got hooked, lined, and sunk!”

This is where Joshua is supposed to say: “no big deal.

thanks for your honesty.

I hope you have learned your lesson.”

They went back into Ai… and no one messed with the things devoted to destruction.

I wish the choices I make would not carry any created realities for anyone except me.

But that isn’t how anything works.

Just because you don’t know what I have done or am doing doesn’t mean what what I have done or am doing isn’t touching, shaping, and effecting your life.

American’s live our lives with the commerce of compartments… like we can manage our lives in such a comprehensive and competent way so that what happens in one place doesn’t touch another.

We can say “that aint us,” but when 5 million people land into a community of 20,000 folks and turn our Life in Ozark into the Vegas of the midwest — and we think the only thing we are picking up from them is the money they give us in a drunken state — we are NOT thinking about that clearly.

Of all the people who life Life in Ozark, we should be open to these realities more than any others.

The Christian gospel is not a message that must linger too long on the point that because one has been hooked, lined, and sunk that all have been hooked, lined, and sunk.

We see it, face it, own it, confess it… repent of it… and God then makes way for good news of great joy!

The good news is that through the one man, Jesus Christ, the trespasses of the countless “one’s” have been taking care of by the death and resurrection of the one man, Jesus.

Romans 5;