Sermon Tone Analysis

Willing To Change

WILLING TO CHANGE

Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall … grow like a vine.

HOSEA 14:7

God moves us from place to place, from situation to situation, from experience to experience, to “grow us up” so He can use us more.

As long as we are willing to yield to His methods and are willing to grow and change, He will find greater and greater ways to use the talents and abilities that He gave us at our birth, as well as the spiritual gifts and potential in Christ that He gave us at our spiritual birth.

God is working and waiting and watching, always in the process of wooing His children to Himself and of preparing us to receive what He has already prepared for us.

Call of Duty

Biblical Text:

Being drafted or joining the Armed Forces, you are assigned a duty.

That duty is yours and yours alone to perform.

I know some of you young people thought this sermon was about a video game that simulates the actions of our World War II infantry.

In some ways, it is.

It IS a call to battle, but against a different foe.

It is a call of duty from your spiritual Commander in Chief to fight against the ravages of sin.

It is your official duty assignment, your orders, your directive, and your full instructions for service.

But your loyalty is not to country; it is to Christ.

And your service is not to your squadron, but to sinners.

The Apostle Paul sends these written orders, by divine inspiration from the Commander Himself, to a young Timothy, who is barely, if at all, out of his teen years.

It has become clear that “necessity” has been laid upon young Timothy to preach the same gospel as his mentor, Paul.

There is no option to refuse the call of duty in this army of the Lord’s, for Timothy has already received his assignment to lead a fledgling church at Ephesus.

The troops have already been assembled, and they require leadership.

So Timothy listens with earnest as Paul throws down the gauntlet to challenge a novice Christian to a life of commitment to Christ.

It is your calling, your occupation, your profession, and your sole responsibility.

You are held accountable for the outcome of that service.

Timothy’s call to duty is no different than yours.

Christian ministry is nothing more than an activity carried out by Christians for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This call to duty is conferred on each of us when we are baptized.

It’s not an option.

It’s a mandate.

It’s not a choice.

It’s an expectation.

Let’s look at God’s expectations of us as followers of Christ.

You rise up early, report for duty, and perform that duty to the best of your ability, because you have heard the call of duty.

First, you’ve got to hear the Word.

The prophets of the Old Testament would begin their preaching with “Hear the Word of the Lord”.

Thirty-eight times those words are used in the Old Testament as a call to duty.

Some of our younger generation might have the idea that I’m talking about a video game, such as Call To Duty Black OPs 4 or The Halo Series.

These games simulate the actions of our military in combat.

In some ways this sermon is.

This sermon IS a call to battle, but against a different foe and an unseen enemy.

· God called the Prophet Amos from his herd and his sycamore fields and told him to tell Amaziah, “Hear the Word of the Lord” ()

It is a call of duty from your spiritual Commander in Chief to fight against the ravages of sin.

· God commanded the Prophet Jeremiah to tell Israel, “Hear the Word of the Lord”.

· God commanded the Prophet Isaiah to tell Israel, “Hear the Word of the Lord” ().

It is your official duty assignment, your orders, your directive, and your full instructions for service.

And it wasn’t just the Old Testament prophets who were saying “Listen up!” Jesus said it over and over again…”He that hath ears, let him hear!”

But your loyalty is not to country; it is to Christ.

And your service is not to your platoon, but to sinners.

We spend a lot of time listening to the world around us.

We listen to music.

We listen to teachers and mentors.

We listen to family.

We listen to friends.

And all of this listening influences us: sometimes for the good, and sometimes…not so good.

And what we choose to feed our mind through these gateways called ‘ears’ is ultimately what shapes who we are.

What we hear can deceive and oppress us, or it can enlighten and deliver us.

What we hear can shackle and stain us, or it can liberate and purify us.

What we hear can weaken and depress us, or it can strengthen and encourage us.

We’ve got to learn how to filter out the junk, and let Jesus in.

The Apostle Paul sends these written orders, by divine inspiration from the Commander Himself, to a young Timothy, who is barely, out of his teen years.

It has become clear that “necessity” has been laid upon young Timothy to preach the same gospel as his mentor, Paul.

God’s Word is unlike anything else you will ever choose to hear.

His Word speaks life and liberty, “…for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” ().

Paul commands Timothy to be strong in Christ’s grace.

Timothy could not be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” unless he had first heard of Christ from his mother and his grandmother ().

It was the ‘hearing the Word of the Lord’ that molded Timothy into a young, strong leader.

There is no option to refuse the call of duty in this army of the Lord’s, for Timothy has already received his assignment to lead a fledgling church at Ephesus.

The troops have already been assembled, and they require leadership.

Once we HEAR the Word, the next thing God expects of us is to…

Believe the Word.

Simply hearing truth, and even memorizing it is not enough.

Even Satan can quote scripture.

We have to believe that what we hear is the truth we should live by.

While knowledge IS power, it can only benefit us when we put it into practice.

So Timothy listens with earnest as Paul throws down the gauntlet to challenge a novice Christian to a life of commitment to Christ.

Job understood what it means to believe in the Word of the Lord.

After much suffering, he finally admitted, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee” ().

Job realized that hearing was not enough.

He had to believe!

He was finally ready to be totally surrendered to God.

His faith went from his head to his heart.

Timothy’s call to duty is no different than yours or mine.

It’s what happens when we surrender our lives to God that matters.

We become living examples of the Christ we serve, when we embrace Christ’s peace, presence, power and promises!

His peace calms us.

His presence comforts us.

His power strengthens us.

His promises encourage us.

His voice assures us.

And His touch sustains us!

Christian ministry is nothing more than an activity carried out by Christians for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This call to duty is conferred on each of us when we are baptized.

It’s not an option.

It’s a mandate.

It’s not a choice.

It’s an expectation.

If you don’t BELIEVE that, you have only HEARD the Word.

You have yet to “see” what Job saw, with your OWN eyes.

God’s expectations of us as followers of Christ are this: