Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Illustration: Taking someone for granted.

Have you ever taken something for granted?

Or even worse, have you ever taken someONE for granted?

Common in many relationships.

Maybe it’s a boyfriend-girlfriend, husband-wife relationship, maybe it’s a parent-child relationship.

When it’s brand new, it’s exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s wonderful, it’s unbelievable!

But then-honeymoon phase ends.

Maybe the lack of sleep sets in, maybe it’s time to change another diaper, or maybe it’s time to take out the trash.

Before we realize it, what used to be so wonderful and special has now become common, and normal, unexciting, and unappreciated.

New couples are told “you may be in love now, but, just wait....”

Just wait… until your first argument...

Just wait… until the honeymoon phase is over...

Just wait… until you have your first child...

Just wait… until you have more than one child...

Then it will be different, then you won’t be so naive and “in love.”

New Parents are told...

Having a baby is so precious… but just wait...

...Just wait until the sleepless nights

…Just wait until they start crawling and walking and climbing and getting into everything!

…just wait until the terrible twos!

…just wait until the teenage years!!

…just wait until they become a threenager, or even worse, a TEENAGER!

It’s almost as if people in new relationships are told, “enjoy being happy while you can because before you know it you’ll be doomed to the unhappiness that is inevitable in every relationship.”

That’s why I always tell my newlywed friends, “the honeymoon phase can last as long as you make it.”

That’s why I always tell my newlywed friends, “the honeymoon phase can last as long as you make it.”

This last July my wife and I celebrated 5 years of marriage and our love for each other is still as strong as ever.

New Christians

When we first come to know the Lord, we’re on fire!

We’re telling our friends about Jesus!

When we first come to know the Lord, we’re on fire!

We’re telling our friends about Jesus!

We’re volunteering to fill needs in the church, we’re attending every church event faithfully.

But maybe the life-long church members are sitting back and they’re saying, “just wait…”

...wait until the first church conflict.

…wait until they attend their first board meeting!

…wait until the first rumor is spread about them.

…wait until they are judged by someone else for the first time.

…wait until the first untactful comment is said about them to their face.

…wait until they take their eyes off of Jesus and look at someone else.

It’s almost as if people in new relationships are told, “enjoy being happy while you can because before you know it you’ll be doomed to the unhappiness that is inevitable in every relationship.”

Sadly, it can be easy to take someone for granted the longer you know them.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

That’s not God’s ideal.

God’s ideal is for a husband and wife to always love and cherish one another.

We almost act as if becoming numb to the power of the gospel is something that is inevitable to happen to all, it’s just a matter of time.

Just wait, you too can be a lukewarm Christian!

Is that our slogan?

But, Is that God’s desire for us?

Is that what He wants for our covenant relationship with Him?

I believe the answer from God’s word is a resounding “NO!”

Of course God never wants us to take any of our loved ones for granted, but if there’s any relationship He wants to preserve and keep fresh, it’s our relationship with Him!

Transition: That’s what Thanksgiving is all about.

This ought to be a time where we search our hearts and discover what we have taken for granted, discover who we have taken for granted, and allow our hearts to respond to God’s goodness and His blessings with gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving!

- Celebrating Christ’s Covenant

Psalm, Hymnic — (OT) A psalm joyously glorifying God and emphasizing his greatness, power, majesty, kindness, and mercy.

Celebrating Who God is, and What He Has Done

Hebrew word: barak

Hebrew word: barak

What does it mean to bless the Lord?

To bless, to have a response of admiration and thankfulness.

Being grateful, recognizing God as the source of blessing.

Don’t be ashamed to celebrate your covenant commitment with Christ!

This is a call to celebrate complete covenant commitment with Christ!

“All” - Total Consecration to Christ

There is no such thing as a partial Christian.

The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness.

We cannot be half the Lord’s and half the world’s.

We are not God’s children unless we are such entirely.

Repetition - deepens impression.

This is his call.

This is a call to celebrate complete covenant commitment with Christ!

Never Forget

We have a tendency to forget, don’t we?

“remember the sabbath”

We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.

Good things

Author-begins to list these good things.

Psalm 103:3

“He is the one who...”

Celebrating not just what God does for us, but that he is the kind of God who would do those things for us.

We celebrate his actions, yes, but also His character!

“all” - Transformation

Does it say, “He forgives only 50% of my sins, because I hold on to the other 50%”

God wants you to give 100% to Him because he is eager to make a 100% transformation in your life!

The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness.

God desires to heal us, to set us free.

But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him.

There is no sin that is too big for God to handle.

There is no mistake too big for God to forgive.

This is what it means to be in a covenant relationship with Christ.

Redemption

The good news, the divine transaction.

God takes our stony hearts, and gives us heart of flesh.

He takes our penalty of death, and gives us love and tender mercies instead.

He takes our anxiety and gives us peace.

This should awaken a response of thankfulness and celebration!

Many who profess to be Christians become excited over worldly enterprises, and their interest is awakened for new and exciting amusements, while they are coldhearted, and appear as if frozen, in the cause of God.

Here is a theme, poor formalist, which is of sufficient importance to excite you.

Eternal interests are here involved.