Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Tone of specific sentences
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Text
Introduction
Death is not generally a pleasant thing to think about.
For those who were listening to Jesus’ words as he spoke on this Palm Sunday they were perplexed by them.
Certainly He must be the Messiah, many of them thought.
Here he was, in complete fulfillment of prophecy riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.
Just as the prophet Zechariah had predicted:
How could this fit into the plan to redeem Israel?
They were confused by Jesus’ words
God’s ways do not line up with our ways
As we look back on this text we can clearly understand the Church age was about to begin, but as Jesus was speaking the Jews and many around him that day did not
Declaration:
Fruit in our life can only be produced as a result of death in our life.
Preposition:
Have you considered that God calls us to a fruit bearing life?
Transition
I want us to look at 4 aspects of death and how they relate to bearing fruit in our life.
I.
The Exclusivity of Death
“except a corn of wheat fall”
This means there is no “other way” - there is no shortcut
A. The singular way of Faith
B. The singular way to fruit
As it is with faith - it is the same with fruit!
Illustration: I am always looking for shortcuts!
I dont mean in some sort of criminal way but there are legitimately better ways to do just about everything!
Google maps and live traffic data prove this point.
I hate!
I despise traffic!
If I can find a way to avoid it I will and at almost any cost!
But when it comes to bearing fruit - when it comes to glorifying God - there are no shortcuts!
there is no other way!
The Exclusivity of Death and ....
II.
The Explanation of Death
“fall into the ground and die”
What did Jesus mean?
He was using farming as an illustration wheat was very important - it was the source of bread which sustained them
A. The seed must fall
A seed starts in the hand of a farmer but must fall into the ground - it’s the first step in the process
Application: Before growth can take place in our lives we must be humbled.
B. The seed must be buried
“into the ground”
The seed must be covered -
The ground is dark and damp -
This speaks of Christ’s burial that was soon to come
We find the word darkness over 200 times in the Bible and in the case of the shikinah glory or the cloud that represented God’s presence to the nation of Israel God is said to have dwelled there.
Application: There is a connection between the presence of God and the darkness that we often feel in our lives.
Consider what David said....
C. The seen must die
“…and die”
It is not the whole part of the seed that must die, just the outer shell that must be discarded so the internal part - the germ can shoot forth new life
The outer part of the seed (the kernel) is fibrous and hard
The value of the seed lies within
The Exclusivity of Death....the Explanation of Death and the ....
III.
The Exclusion of Death
“it abideth alone”
What Jesus is referring to here is self-preservation
No one wants to be a fruitless Christian but no one wants to die and you can’t have one without the other
Application: God place people and situation in our life to humble us and to initiate death to the hard exterior layer that surrounds our life.
It is a hard and dense exterior that we can use to protect ourselves but in doing so we will remain fruitless.
The Exclusivity of Death....The Explanation of Death....The Exclusion of Death… and finally
IV.
The End of Death
“it bringeth forth much fruit”
Death has a purpose!
It has a reason for existing!
For Christ it was the glorification of the father through his victory over death!
He defeated death by concurring it!
What about for us?
What does fruit look like in our lives?
Conclusion
The Exclusivity of Death - there is no other way to fruit
The Explanation of Death- the seed must fall, be buried and the outer husk must deteriorate
The Exclusion of Death- if we self preserve - we will be fruitless
The End of Death- if we stay and endure the result is fruit
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