Sermon Tone Analysis

DECISION TIME

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HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU HAD A KAIROS MOMENT IN A CHRONOS WORLD?

LET US BEGIN BY DEFINING SOME TERMS.

THE GREEK LANGUAGE, THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT USES TWO DIFFERENT WORDS FOR TIME.

CHRONOS AND KAIROS

CHRONOS SLIDE

CHRONOS TIME - THE WORD CHRONOS GIVES US CHRONOLOGY.

CHRONOS TIME IS DRUDGERY.

TIME MEASURED BY THE TICKING OF THE CLOCK.

EACH SECOND EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE THAT WENT BEFORE IT:

EXAMPLES:

A CONVICT IN HIS PRISON CELL CHECKING OFF DATES ON A CALENDAR

A PERSON WITH INSOMNIA THAT ALL THEY CAN HERE IS THE INCESSANT TICKING OF THE CLOCK AS THEY WILL THE SUN TO RISE

A PERSON WHO HATES THEIR JOB AND WAITS FOR 5 O CLOCK SO THEY CAN GET OUT OF THERE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE

OR EVEN A STUDENT WAITING FOR THE BELL TO RING SO CLASS CAN BE OVER

WHAT ABOUT A TRAFFIC JAM - CONTINUALLY LOOKING AT THE CLOCK KNOWING YOU WILL BE LATE

THAT IS CHRONOS TIME

IT IS EMPTY, MEANINGLESS HUMDRUM TIME, A VOID THAT MUST BE FILLED.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT KILLING TIME WE ARE REFERRING TO CHRONOS TIME.

KAIROS SLIDE

KAIROS TIME REPRESENTS THOSE RICH, EXTRA SPECIAL, SIGNIFICANT DRAMATIC MOMENTS THAT ARE PACKED WITH MEANING.

MOMENTS THAT STAND OUT AND STAY WITH YOU FOR A LIFETIME.

KAIROS TIME IS FULL TIME,

VITAL TIME,

CRUCIAL TIME

DECISIVE TIME

GOD’S TIME

THOSE RICH SPECIAL MOMENTS THAT BREAK INTO THE HUMDRUM AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

WHEN THINGS SEEM TO BE FALLING INTO PLACE AND GOD SPEAKS TO YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.

THAT IS KAIROS.

AND IF YOU WANT THE THEOLOGIAN WORD FOR IT, IT WOULD BE A MOMENT OF REVELATION.

KAIROS IS A VERY KEY WORD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

WHEN JESUS CAME PREACHING HE SAID “THE TIME IS FULFILLED” AND THE WORD IS KAIROS NOT CHRONOS

SLIDE

IT WAS A SPECIAL TIME, A DRAMATIC TIME.

JESUS’S LIFE WAS PACKED WITH KARIOS MOMENTS.

WHAT ABOUT YOURS?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU EXPERIENCED A KAIROS MOMENT.

IN THORNTON WILDER’S PLAY “OUR TOWN” A YOUNG WOMAN NAMED EMILY DIED AND IS PERMITTED TO RETURN TO HER HOME TO RELIVE 1 DAY IN HER LIFE,

ANY DAY SHE CHOOSES.

THAT DAY FOR HER WAS HER TWELFTH BIRTHDAY.

SHE COMES BACK AND IS VERY DISAPPOINTED AS SHE REALISED THAT THE FAMILY WERE WAY TO BUSY TO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER, OR EVEN THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM.

SELF FOCUSED AND INSULATED.

THEY WERE LIVING IN A CHRONOS WORLD.

TOO BUSY TO STOP.

EMILY EVENTUALLY ASKS THE QUESTION

EMILY QUESTION SLIDE

“ DO ANY HUMAN BEINGS EVER REALISE LIFE WHILE THEY ARE LIVING IT?”

HOW ABOUT YOU?

DO YOU REALISE LIFE WHILE YOU ARE LIVING IT?

DO YOU HAVE KAIROS MOMENTS OR IS LIFE PASSING YOU BY?

QUESTION MARK SLIDE

IT IS THOSE LIGHT BULB MOMENTS, WHEN THE LIGHTS TURN ON FOR YOU.

WHEN THERE IS MEANING IN WHAT YOU DO AND WHERE GOD SPEAKS TO US LOUD AND CLEAR.

LIGHT BULB SLIGHT

NEW INSIGHT SLIDE

THE KAIROS MOMENT OF NEW INSIGHT:

THE EXCITEMENT OF A NEW UNDERSTANDING, A NEW DISCOVERY OR THE THRILL OF A NEW IDEA.

YET WE SO OFTEN CLOSE OUR MINDS AND GIVE INTO BOREDOM.

ILLUSTRATE: -

LUCY IS CHASING CHARLIE BROWN SHOUTING “I’LL GET YOU CHARLIE BROWN, I’LL CATCH YOU AND WHEN I DO I’LL KNOCK YOUR BLOCK OFF”

SUDDENLY CHARLIE BROWN SCREETCHES TO A HALT AND TURNS AROUND AND SAYS TO LUCY, WAIT A MOMENT LUCY, IF YOU AND I A REALTIVELY SMALL CHILDREN WITH RELATIVELY SMALL PROBLEMS, CAN’T SIT DOWN AND TALK THROUGH OUR PROBLEMS IN A MATURE WAY, HOW CAN WE EXPECT THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD TO...” THEN “POW!!” LUCY SLUGS HIM.

SHE SAYS I HAD TO HIT HIM QUICK, HE WAS BEGINNING TO MAKE SENSE.

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID TO JESUS, THEY HIT HIM WITH THE CROSS.

BECAUSE HE WAS BEGINNING TO MAKE SENSE.

JAMES MOORE IN HIS BOOK SEIZING THE MOMENTS SAYS IN HIS OPINION NOTHING WAS MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR NAILING JESUS TO A CROSS THAN THE SIN OF CLOSED MINDS.

THE PEOPLE WERE AFRAID OF THE KAIROS MOMENTS, TERRIFIED BY JESUS’ NEW IDEAS AND AFRAID OF HIS NEW INSIGHTS.

THEY DID NOT WANT THEIR CHRONOS WORLD DISTURBED, THEY TRIED TO SILENCE HIM.

ISN’T THAT TRAGIC?!!

MOORE RECOUNTS A FASCINATING LEGEND ABOUT SOME TRAVELLERS CROSSING THE DESERT IN A CAMEL CARAVAN.

THEY COME TO AN OASIS THAT HAD A STRANGE SIGN, IT READ “PICK UP SOME PEBBLES AND PUT THEM IN YOUR POCKETS.

TRAVEL A DAYS JOURNEY, AND THEN LOOK AT THE PEBBLES, AND YOU WILL WILL BE BOTH GLAD AND SAD.

THE TRAVELLERS OBEYED AND AT THE END OF THE DAYS JOURNEY THEY REMEMBERED THE SIGN AND TOOK THE STONES OUT OF THIER POCKETS.

THE PEBBLES HAD TURNED INTO GOLD NUGGETS.

THE SIGN WAS RIGHT THEY WERE BOTH HAPPY AND SAD.

HAPPY THAT THEY TURNED INTO GOLD BUT SAD THEY DIDN’T PICK UP MORE.

LEARNING IS LIKE THAT.

WHEN I COME TO THE END OF MY LIFE I THINK I WILL BE BOTH HAPPY AND SAD.

HAPPY THAT I PICKED UP SOME NUGGETS OF WISDOM ALONG THE WAY BUT SAD THAT I DIDN’T MAKE THE SACRIFICE TO PICK UP A WHOLE LOT MORE.

SO WHEN IT COMES TO KAIROS MOMENTS FIRST IS THE MOMENT OF NEW INSIGHT, NEW LEARNING AND EXCITEMENT OF A NEW DISCOVERY, THE THRILL OF A NEW IDEA.

PENITENCE SLIDE

THE KAIROS MOMENT OF PENITENCE

THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT JOLTS OUR CONSCIENCE AND BARES OUR SOUL, THE MOMENT THAT CONVICTS US AND REMINDS US THAT WE NEED A SAVIOUR.

KING DAVID IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

BRIEFLY TELL OF DAVID AND BATHSHEBA-

SLIDE

AFTER DAVID HAD SINNED

NATHAN THE PROPHETS COMES TO HIM AND TELLS HIM A PARABLE OF A RICH YOUNG MAN WHO HAD MANY FLOCKS AND HERDS, BUT SLAUGHTERED A POOR MANS ONLY LAMB.

KING DAVID WAS FURIOUS AND MADE THE STATEMENT THAT THE RICH MAN DESERVES TO DIE!

NATHAN THEN KINDLY REMINDS HIM THAT HE IS THAT RICH MAN AND THAT WAS A KAIROS MOMENT FOR DAVID.

HE REPENTED.

BUT YOU KNOW ITS NOT ONLY THE BIBLE THAT TELLS OF THESE KAIROS MOMENTS:

THEN THERE IS THE STORY OF ALFRED NOBEL

THE NOTED SWEDISH CHEMIST WHO INVENTED DYNAMITE.

A STRANGE THING HAPPENED WHEN HIS BROTHER DIED.

THE NEWSPAPER SOMEHOW GOT CONFUSED AND PUBLISHED THE WRONG OBITUARY, THEY POSTED THE OBITUARY OF ALFRED NOT HIS BROTHER.

THE OBITUARY WENT ON TO DESCRIBE HOW ALFRED CREATED A SUBSTANCE FOR WAR, A SUBSTANCE THAT HAD CAUSED MUCH DEATH AND INJURY AND DEVASTATION.

HE WAS SO CONVICTED AT THAT MOMENT THAT HE SET UP A FOUNDATION FOR AN AWARD THAT TODAY WE KNOW AS THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME:

MY OWN RECENT KAIROS MOMENT ???