Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Famous last words.

Sometimes they can be funny, sad, ironic.

Famous last words are the words that people rarely get to pick.

It’s the total randomnness and chance of what people say, especially when they don’t realize that the end is near.

I looked up several quotes of famous last words and here are some of my favorites:

17.

When Harriet Tubman was dying in 1913, she gathered her family around and they sang together.

Her last words were, “Swing low, sweet chariot.”

19.

Leonardo da Vinci was also overly modest, saying, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”

I guess the Mona Lisa isn’t good enough?

21.

Drummer Buddy Rich died after surgery in 1987.

As he was being prepped for surgery, a nurse asked him, “Is there anything you can’t take?”

Rich replied, “Yeah, country music.”

Murderer James W. Rodgers was put in front of a firing squad in Utah and asked if he had a last request.

He replied, “Bring me a bullet-proof vest.”

Football coach Vince Lombardi died of cancer in 1970.

As he died, Lombardi turned to his wife Marie and said, “Happy anniversary.

I love you.”

John Wayne died at age 72 in L.A.

He turned to his wife and said, “Of course I know who you are.

You’re my girl.

I love you."

I really love those last couple of quotes.

As we scan Scripture we discover all kinds of famous last words.

If you read Deuteronomy you’ll see that Moses’ last words made up an entire book!

Collectively all of the “famous last words” of Scripture start to sound a lot like God saying, “Happy, Anniversary.

I love you.”

We can turn to any page in this book and and peer into a love letter that was written just for us.

In fact Scripture itself has it’s own “famous last words” section that I want us to turn to first in .

*read *

Famous Last Words of Scripture

Revelation 7

We’ve just been painted a picture of heaven.

It’s fitting that this is one of the last things God gave us.

As John is painting this picture of the throneroom of heaven, it’s like coming to the end of the love letter and the person writing says, “Okay!

I have to go now, but before I go here’s what you can look forward to when we meet again!”

It’s beautiful.

It’s hope.

Every Christian, from every corner of the world worshipping the King in all of his glory.

If you’ve been paying attention over the last couple of years you’ll know that I reference this passage a ton.

Not just because of how diverse it shows the Kingdom of God as being, but because this is the goal.

This is the hope we have.

My friend Conner and I were talking the other day about what happens when we die.

As I began to explain to him what I think heaven will be like I said, “Most people think heaven will just be singing forever.

And they don’t like that.

They think it’s boring.

But to be honest, if the worst thing I have to do is praise Jesus for an eternity, I’ll be okay with that.”

He laughed!

And I get it.

The kingdom doesn’t seem all that appealing to those who are outside of it.

But when we see this image, and we read the rest of Revelation, how can we not be excited?

Actually, how can we not be relieved?

If this is what it means to enter “God’s rest”, count me in!

But this is the destination.

We are living in the here and now.

Right now we have a mission.

This mission will ultimately lead us to .

Today we’re going to look at the famous last words of Paul and Jesus, and I want you to pay attention to how they relate to the overall mission, and then the commands that they give us, to accomplish that mission.

But before we go any farther we have to understand what exactly the mission is.

The mission is simple: the mission is the Gospel.

And what is the Gospel?

The Gospel, the Good News, is that Jesus has risen from the dead!

Through this, our sins have been forgiven, and we have access to true life!

And now our mission is to live that out.

Remember that!

Now Turn with me to

But this is the goal.

Famous Last Words of Paul

, , 22-26

Here we find the famous last words of Paul.

He’s in Rome, awaiting execution, and he writes this one last letter to his son in the faith - Timothy.

Here’s why I think these words are important: Paul wasn’t only speaking to Timothy, he was speaking to the church.

Pay attention to the mission in Paul’s words here.

The command: You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

Paul is telling them that they need faithful men and women who can teach the gospel to others.

But there’s a cost: they must “share in the suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

He then gives three examples - a soldier who doesn’t get involved in civilian affairs, an athlete who focuses on nothing else but their sport and it’s rules so that they can be crowned, and finally a hard-working farmer who aught to get the first share of crops.

Do you see the thread that connects all three examples?

It’s suffering: the good soldier, she doesn’t get involved in civilian affairs because she is on the front line protecting others, enduring suffering and even death.

The athlete breaks his body to achieve the crown, and the “hard-working” farmer indicates one who strives, struggles, and toils for his crops.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Paul uses himself as an example of what it looks like to live out our mission: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,” Don’t miss it!

That’s the MISSION right there in big flashing lights!! “for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal” and then he gives these words of encouragements: “11 The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

12  if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

13  if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

Paul is telling us that we must live out our Mission no matter what, even if we suffer for it.

Like the soldier who obeys, and the athlete that never gives up, and the farmer who works to get the best crop, we must keep going.

But Paul doesn’t just leave us with the mission, he then gives us commands on how we can live out right here in church.

Here is my first command then from you:

READ 14-16

He then gives examples in Timothy’s church of where this was already happen and warns of it’s dangers, “They are upsetting the faith of some.”

Last month we looked at what faith looks like, remember?

Faith is allegiance.

If what you are saying is disrupting someone’s allegiance to Christ, then you have a very major problem, and you need to stop and you need to repent.