Sermon Tone Analysis

*Esth 4:14 *...And who knows but that you have come to royal position *for such a time as this*?"

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Ø  *Destiny has come to you today!

Your life could be the most important life for today!*

o   Are we hearing?

Are we closer today than we were last Sunday?

o   Esther spent a year preparing to enter the presence of the King that is what we are doing with you this year!

o   We are washing you with the Word this year.

Preparing to enter his presence.

*/Eph 5:26/*/ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.(NIV)/

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*Judg 6:11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon* was (hiding) threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "*The LORD is with you*, mighty warrior."

13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "*if the LORD is with us*, *why has all this happened to us*? *Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about *when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?'

But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

14 The LORD turned to him and said, "*Go in the strength you have* and save Israel out of Midian's hand.

Am I not sending you?" 15 "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can *I* save Israel (CZ),?

*My clan is the weakest* in Manasseh, and *I am the least in my family*."

16 The LORD answered, "*I will be with you*, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

Ø  *Question*: *Did God already know all about Gideon before he called him?*

o   That he was a doubter i.e. why has all this happened and where are all his miracles, the lord has abandoned us.

o   That his family was the weakest, that he was the least in the family, he had a low self image,

Ø  Gideon looked at himself and determined that God was unable to use him.

Are we doing the same?

·      * (2) **Brake the empty pitchers that were in their hands.

(earthen vessels) *Know you are an earthen vessel and that *you must be broken*.

The sound of the vessel breaking must sound terrible to the enemy.

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*2 Cor 4:6 *For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7 But *we have this treasure in jars of clay* to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 *We are hard pressed on every side*, but not crushed (limited); *perplexed*, but not in despair (without hope); 9 *persecuted*, but not abandoned (left alone); *struck down*, but not destroyed (not stopped).

10 *We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus (The crushing of the earthen vessel)*, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

11 For *we who are alive are always being given over to death* for Jesus' sake, *so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body*.

(NIV) John the Baptist said it this way “I must decrease and he must increase” Jn3:30

 

Ø  *What kind of vessel does God want?

Earthen! *

*Phil 2:5 *Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing (emptied himself), taking the very nature of a servant, being *made in human likeness*.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

(NIV)

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Ø  *The pitchers were empty!* God needs you not your talents, style, personality, strengths, etc.. like in the battle of David against Goliath your best is like those small stones and his sling.

Only when you are totally dependant on the Lord can he transform our small useless things into might weapons.

Ø  Additionally *the pitcher was in their hands*.

This is showing who had the responsibility to break the vessel, Not God, YOU!

Total surrender to what was inside.

o   Every man had an empty vessel!

Not Just Gideon (leader)

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*Heb 5:7 *During the days of *Jesus' life* on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (NIV)

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*Luke 2:42 *When *he was twelve years old*, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.

43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.

44 Thinking he was in their company, they travelled on for a day.

Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.

45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished.

His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this?

Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked.

"Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.

But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

(NIV)

*approx.

18 years later!

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*The vessels were broken!*

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* *David 13 *years in deserts, caves, running from the enemy, wars, hunger and thirst, betrayal,

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* *Abraham, *25 years of waiting, making mistakes in his own strength till he and Sara were too old to have children and trusting God to send away his first son, and trusting God to sacrifice Isaac on the Altar… maybe 10-12 more?

*/Rom 4:/*/18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-- since he was about a hundred years old-- and that Sarah's womb was also dead.

20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.(NIV)/

* *Moses, *40 years in the desert, God was breaking his pride and self assurance,

* *Joseph *20-23 years rejected, hated, in a pit, slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, forgotten, prepared for the palace and tested with the greatest test, riches…

 

* *And YOU? *

* *If you are at the beginning, God will take you as you are*

* *If you are in the process, submit yourself to God and understand what he is doing*

* *Don’t wait till he is finished to begin to obey him.*

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*2 Tim 2:19 *Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "*The Lord knows those who are his*," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 20 In a large house there are vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.

21 *If a man cleanses himself* from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.