Sermon Tone Analysis
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The Slow Fade
Read 11 and 12 about the Town
Why do you think there was a difference in the perspective of the acquaintance who had never left town and the one who returned?
You get immune as changes happen slowly
Frog in boiling water
Throw him in and he jumps out
Put him in room temperature water and slowly increase the heat and he will never notice!
Read Pg 13, the Decline
Bro.
Tom next focuses our attention on the story of Haggai
In the post exile, Judah was able to come back to Jerusalem and began rebuilding the temple and town.
In fact, notice the decree to go home:
What was one of the main reasons they were sent back to Jerusalem?
In spite of that, they began to focus on their own homes and interests and God’s temple remained unfinished.
What was one of the main reasons they were sent back to Jerusalem?
Read top paragraph pg 14
Then God points out the issue:
Hag
They didn’t realize the decline and decay which was occuring.
How is the neglect of building the temple describe din Haggai like gradual erosion today?
What do you think God meant in by the phrase “while each of you is busy with his own house”?
Do we get busy in our lives and allow the church to fade?
Jesus spoke of this misperception
They thought they were alive
They thought they were alive
Their focus wasn’t on the condition of the church as it was currently, but as it used to be.
They thought they were still alive
They thought they had it going on!
In reality they were dead.
In spite of their reputation, Sardis was a dead church.
Oh, they still met
They still went through the motions, but there was no power of God because they were dead!
How does that relate to a slowly fading church?
ANS: It is easy to misread present realitites.
HONEST: I found last week in a bulletin where I joined Craft on Sept 14, 1986 as a Freshman at JBC.
The bulletins in September of that year showed around 100 in attendance.
In 32 years were are we now?
Our average attendance is around 50.
Questions from pg 15
What was Craft like 20 years ago verses today?
Be honest as we assess this.
Do you see signs of gradual erosion?
The fix:
Wake Up
Jesus wanted them awake and in touch with the true condition of their church.
Not their reputation
Not their hopes
Not their fond memories
He wanted them to see things as grim as they were
Strengthen was remains
Jesus wanted to see what life they had fanned back into life.
IL: Fire.
We sing “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going.”
NOT so yesterday.
We fought hard to get any of the burn pile to burn.
It was too green and too wet.
It took constant attention and work
Church is the same way!
We cannot take it for-granted and expect to be healthy and thriving.
Intentionally strengthen what remains.
Remember
Remember what they had Received and heard
The gospel
The teachings
Keep it and Repent
as God’s word speaks, we submit and obey
Prayerful Commitment 2:
God, please let me be part of the solution and not the problem.
Show me what I need to see.
Open my eyes to Your reality.
And give me the courage to move forward in the directions You desire.
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