Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Opening Story/Illustration: Tonight we want to start a series we’re calling, “Adulting.”

Urban Dictionary defines adulting as: (v): to carry out one or more of the duties and responsibilities expected of fully developed individuals (paying off that credit card debt, settling beef without blasting social media, etc).

Exclusively used by those who adult less than 50% of the time.

Over the next few weeks I want to talk about two ideas: balance and tension.

This guitar works because of tension.

You stretch these strings and put the right amount of tension on them and they make beautiful music.

Too much tension and they break, too little tension and they flop.

Too much or too little tension and it gets out of tune.

In fact, you have to tune this thing on a regular basis.

Left to itself, it tends towards getting out of tune.

You have to constantly evaluate the tension and make sure that it’s right.

You have to tune this thing on a regular basis because the tension changes not just because of your adjustments but because of your environment.

Put this thing in a cold room and it shrinks causing the tension on the strings to loosen and making it start to go flat.

Put it in a hot room and the wood begins to expand and the strings start to stretch.

You have to adjust the tension based on it’s environment.

You have to balance the tension.

Do this well and you end up with beautiful music.

Do it wrong and you end up out of tune or with busted strings.

Most of us in this room are at some sort of transition in our lives.

In the last 25-30yrs our culture has shifted and people are getting married at older and there’s this thing called prolong adolescence.

Over the next few weeks I want to talk about balancing the tension in our lives.

Because this is what it means to adult: To balance the tension well so that our lives play beautiful music.

Balance it wrong and you either break or flop.

Balance it well and you end up with something wonderful.

Balancing these tensions look different for each of us because of the environment and season of our lives.

Life very rarely gives you a perfect environment or moment.

You have to adjust yourself to what you’ve been given.

There will be moments you need to tighten the strings of your life and moments to loosen them.

Setup: Over the next few weeks we’re going to talk about some areas of our lives where we need balance tension.

Tonight we’re going to talk about the the balance of Work and Rest.

Text:

Main idea:

Transition to the points: Let’s dive into this

Points

Work gives us a sense of meaning and purpose

Work is good

You were designed for work.

In and God creates human beings and he creates them with a job, a responsibility, a purpose.

The idea of “reigning over” actually is this idea that God had made this good creation, but it was still undeveloped.

God left creation with untapped potential and people were to unlock it through their work and labor.

Work wasn’t part of the curse in - Work being unfruitful and difficult was part of the curse.

Notice that the man is doing the same thing he was doing before - It’s just become more difficult.

“Work is as much a basic human need as food, beauty, rest, friendship, prayer, and sexuality; it is not simply medicine but food for our soul.

Without meaningful work we sense significant inner los and emptiness.

People who are cut off from work because of physical or other reasons quickly discover how much they need work to thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually.”

- Tim Keller (Every Good Endeavor)

Work is something we do because it’s something God does

“In the beginning, then, God worked.

Work was not a necessary evil that came into the picture later, or something human beings were created to do but that was beneath God himself.

No, God worked for the sheer joy of it.

Work could not have had a more exalted inauguration.”

- Tim Keller (Every Good Endeavor)

God Created the world and is still at work sustaining it

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The Dark side of Work: Your work can become your idol

When you start to look to your work and responsibilities for ultimate fulfillment, it has become your idol.

Your kids

“Work is not all there is to life.

You will not have a meaningful life without work, but you cannot say work is the meaning of your life.”

Your relationship with God is the purpose of your life.

When you make anything else your ultimate purpose, you have created an idol.

Your Job

Work is a good thing, but it must be kept in it’s proper place.

You’ve seen people: They work, work, work, work, work, and they neglect their families, their health, their relationships with God.

It’s so easy as a young professional to find your sole identity in your work

When you’re in college often the first question people ask of you - What’s your major?

When you get out of college, often the first question that’s asked of you - What do you do?

We live in a world that values you based on what you do, but the truth is, while you were made for work, You are more than your work!

Sometimes, we think we have to work to prove ourselves.

But Jesus shows us that in him we are already proven and secure!

He loves us right where we are, not matter what we accomplish or don’t accomplish.

Rest gives us a new energy and perspective on life

You were designed for Rest

Rest is a time to remember and reflect

It’s a time to remember what’s important in life

Remember what God has done for you.

Remember what God has done for you.

(1)Illustration - Ask “What has God done for you?” (2)This is why we come together on Sundays as well - We focus on worshiping God and remembering what he has done for us as a body.

(3)Sabbath is also about remembering what God has done for us as individuals.

(4)If you never take time to reflect on what God has done for you, why would you expect your worship to be alive and vibrant?

Illustration - Ask “What has God done for you?”

This is why we come together on Sundays as well - We focus on worshiping God and remembering what he has done for us as a body.

Sabbath is also about remembering what God has done for us as individuals.

If you never take time to reflect on what God has done for you, why would you expect your worship to be alive and vibrant?

It’s a time to remember that you’re valuable, not just because of what you do, but because of who you are.

Notice that in this passage, everyone is to get rest.

God was saying, everyone needs a moment to rest and breathe and remember it’s not about what you do, but about who you are.

Rest is a time to reset

It’s so easy for us to get bogged down in our day-to-day grind.

Notice what God does here - he has the people interrupt their normal grind.

You need time throughout your week to interrupt the grind.

Illustration: The internet system here at the church sometimes, after being on for weeks at a time, gets bogged down and starts to have issues.

When this starts, the first thing you try is a reset.

This fixes 99% of the problems.

What about your life?

You’ve been going and going and going - What if you could take some time to rest and reset?

MAKE THE TIME!

Rest is a time to enjoy

Rest isn’t about simply getting back to work

Rest is good because it’s good!