Sermon Tone Analysis

This weekend over half a million people in the state of Wisconsin are doing something that they look forward to every year and for which they have been planning whether it was the first time they have done it or it is something they have done for many years for these ten days surrounding Thanksgiving.

It is, of course, the annual gun deer season in the state of Wisconsin.

Only a fool would wake up on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and at that time decide to grab his/her gun and some shells, and go out into the woods or marsh and hope to shoot the 40 point buck.

Those who hunt know how careful preparation and planning and doing things ahead of time will enhance the experience and hopefully contribute to having a successful hunt.

What other events do we do well to plan ahead for?

Holiday celebrations.

A career.

Starting a family.

Vacation.

Major purchase.

Retirement.

Final arrangements.

Eternity.

In the Apostles Creed we confess that we believe in the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints.

This is a description of all people everywhere living and dead who believe in Jesus Christ as their savior.

On this Sunday of the church year — designated as Saints Triumphant — we consider those saints who have died and whose souls are in heaven awaiting the Last Day when their bodies will be raised, reunited with their souls, glorified, and spend eternity in the glories of heaven.

We also consider how God commands us to live as his saints while still on earth in response to how he has cleansed us of our sins.

I hope that all of us are confident that this is our future and that we will someday join the saints triumphant.

The question is: What are we Doing now to get Ready for the Future?

Context: This chapter in John is in response to some accusations that were being made against the way Jesus was carrying out his ministry.

One unique thing that Jesus did was to perform miracles.

He tells us why he did them.

John tells us what impact they are to have on us even today.

John tells us what impact they are to have on us even today.

Do you know what miracle Jesus had just done prior to this?

He had healed a crippled man on the Sabbath.

But instead of being received as a sign that he was the Messiah by everyone, there were those who used this as a reason to plot against him.

Do you know what miracle Jesus had just done prior to this?

He had healed a crippled man on the Sabbath.

This happened at the pool of Bethesda.

But instead of being received as a sign that he was the Messiah by everyone, there were those who used this as a reason to plot against him.

Do you know what miracle Jesus had just done prior to this?

He had healed a crippled man on the Sabbath.

But instead of being received as a sign that he was the Messiah by everyone, there were those who used this as a reason to plot against him.

The rest of the chapter (including our text) is Jesus’ defense of himself and his ministry.

In this section he emphasizes his connection with God the Father, the promise of eternal life, and the prediction of the resurrection.

The belief in the resurrection of the dead was not necessarily well defined or accepted by all at the time of Jesus (Sadducees).

We can be thankful that in the New Testament the teaching of the resurrection is often presented for our hope.

Jesus certainly believed in and taught about the resurrection.

Here he predicts what will happen.

In the future (the day and hour we do not know so we must always be ready), Jesus will call everyone from the grave.

(see passages on the trumpet call).

Even though they will be dead, they will be able to hear and respond to his voice.

Here Jesus refers to those who are in their graves.

Earthen burial was the practice of the Jewish people.

That practice has been followed by Christians as well.

Here we must note that how we are buried does not impact whether or not we will rise from the dead.

(Note how so called heretics were cremated and their ashes flung to the winds to prevent them being raised.)

What happens to our bodies after we die does not impact the quality of our resurrection.

But burial practices do at times express the beliefs of those who plan their own burials or those who bury them.

Even though they will be dead, they will be able to hear and respond to his voice.

Here Jesus refers to those who are in their graves.

Earthen burial was the practice of the Jewish people.

That practice has been followed by Christians as well.

Here we must note that how we are buried does not impact whether or not we will rise from the dead.

(Note how so called heretics were cremated and their ashes flung to the winds to prevent them being raised.)

What happens to our bodies after we die does not impact the quality of our resurrection.

But burial practices do at times express the beliefs of those who plan their own burials or those who bury them.

It's not a purely Christian tradition.

Other religions practice this as well.

There's an article here on ehow.com that gives an overview of the origins of the practice.

Some highlights:

According to "Ethnicity and the American Cemetery," the feet of the deceased face east as well.

This tradition is based on the belief that when Jesus returns, the departed will rise from the grave already facing his direction.According to Northumberland County Council, the tradition began when Pagans buried the dead so they would face the rising sun.

Also note that it's not universal.

We have a cemetery tied to a Church a few miles from here where the graves all point to the North, and several others I've visited have some facing one way, and others at right angles - those graves are laid out to maximize use of the land.

Regardless of how we are buried or not, Jesus teaches that those who have died will be raised from the dead.

Elsewhere we learn about how we will be glorified but how we will appear is unknown to us.

(passage).

What we do believe is that we will be judged (last week’s sermon) and that we will either go to heaven (rise to live) or to hell (be condemned).

What we do believe is that we will be judged (last week’s sermon) and that we will either go to heaven (rise to live) or to hell (be condemned).

When we plan for the future, we may decide beforehand how long we are going to be somewhere and plan accordingly.

The hunter who goes out for a few hours will not be as meticulous in planning as the hunter who plans to be hunting the entire ten days.

Those who go on an overnight stay do not need to pack as much as someone who will be gone for two weeks.

How long do you plan to live at the residence you are at right now?

What things might you need to do now to plan for the next place that you will live?

For our family it means down sizing but for others it may mean making plans to get more stuff.

For some it involves preparing for a new career.

For others it means planning for a time with limited income because of retirement.

It always amazes me when an elderly person moves into a care facility and laments, “I never thought I would end up here.”

I think they mean that they had hoped that they never would have been in a situation where they were so dependent on others.

Common sense shows that most people need more help as they age.

But living where we are now, or in our next place, is only temporary.

Since we believe in “the communion of sainst”, we believe that our existence does not end but that we will be raised to spend an ETERNITY at our final destination.

How do we prepare for that?

1.Believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

(Justification)

2.Do what is Good (Sanctification)

Words of Jesus to the man he healed.

When Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, that man believed that he was being punished for his sins and that is why he was lame.

Jesus does not correct him.

He does give him a command after he is healed.

(NIV)

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again.

Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

The Bible reassures us that although God does not punish us for our sins nor are we saved because of our good deeds, our response to salvation and our preparation for eternity must include living what we call a sanctified life.

Conclusion: This weekend many people were rewarded after careful planning for the gun deer season.

More will be rewarded in the next week.

Even if you don’t hunt, you know how good it is to plan ahead and as Hannibal Smith used to say on the TV show, A Team: “I love it when a plan comes together.”

God’s plan of saving us has been accomplished.