Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning!

I am glad to be with you.

It’s been fun coming each and every single month just opening Gods word together and studying it.

As I thought and prayed about what to say this morning I had a lot of different thoughts.

Whether you know it or not it’s a challenge coming in here and sharing.

You guys are easy to love but you are also well versed.

Like you know the Bible.

You have great pastors, student pastors, teachers.....you have to take test on this stuff

Often when I tell people I am coming to speak at WCA I say it with a little fear and trembling.

I question what’s going happening?

Can anything really happening?

Like what could I say that you haven’t heard dozens of times?

So as I prayed and as I pondered what today might look like I decided I’d share my heart a little with you.

I’ve often been fascinated with Time travel.

Like I can watch any time travel show there is.

Show timeless a few years ago awesemoe.

Back to the future favorite movies

And so many different things that involve time travel I love.

There’s a comendian who my friend Justin(youth pastor) told me about recently had really good perspecitve

He said with his knowledge if he traveld back to the 20s he’d probably have no impact.

they asked him who was the next president he said Licoln.

They say that already happen and he would just be stuck working a normal job

but really its’ fascinating right

Like we deal with failure, disappointment, broken dreams all the time.

Pain.

and I wonder how much of our present or our past would we change if we could?

I asked my 10 year old that last night.

She is amazing a true inspiriation to me

had her first track meet yestreday.

I’m like alright we are a track school.

She was sooo nervous.

we were to

ran her first event it went okay

then she ran the 800....that’s a tough event for a 4th grader to run.

after first 200 she’s in the back half of pack

after 400 she’s in last.

and THE GAP grew

man our hearts were breaking.

We thought she was going give up.

We thought she was done.

We were so devestated for her.

ANyone who runs track knows this is kind of a nightmare scenrio.

everyone finishes and she has the last 100 to go.

So the whole crowd is focused on her

She didn’t stop running.

She kept going and finished the race

and I asked her last night if you could travel back in time knowning what you know now would you tell yourself not to run....in fact not to do track at all.

She thought about it......and said no.

I love running and racing and it was worth it.

man I dont’ know.

That’s mature.

Told her I was proud of her.

Shes ready for the next meet

but it’s a great quesiton right?

At SLU 101 they ask a question in the dream session:

If you could do anything in the world and money wasn’t an issue and you knew you wouldn’t fail what would it be?

ANd then you dream right?

Like you think about that with all of the hopes in the world.

You have this moment of inspiration.

And some people leave that room and they do it.

but others they leave the room and they either drop it....maybe discouragement or fear

or maybe you try it and you fail......and you ask the quesion Know what?

It’s a fair question right

Like we all love the Stories in the Bible about the sea parting, or the dead being raised to life, or the storm being calmed

but what happens when the sea doesnt part?

When the storm isn’t calemed, when it feels like things don’t turn out the way we would imagine?

what happens when we are faced with the possiblity of losing everything?

We are told by James that we should in suffering this should be who we consider:

10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take qthe prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.

You have heard of rthe steadfastness of Job, and you have seen sthe purpose of the Lord, how tthe Lord is compassionate and merciful.

man I don’t know someitmes when I read the stories of Job and I don’t really want to have that happen.

Sure he lost sheep.

But he lost his people.

He lost his family.

He LOST EVERYTHING.

and He said the Lord gives and takes away.

Bless his name.

but that’s who james says to look at to see the compassion and mercy of God.

that’s hard at times right?

and as I have had this thought in my mind and heart the Lord just brought me back to stephens story in Acts

You know it

The church is growing

Gods moving

Revial is breaking out and then in we are introudced to Stephen

mTherefore, brothers,2 pick out from among you seven men nof good repute, ofull of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.

4 But pwe will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, qa man full of faith and rof the Holy Spirit

sounds awesome

We are told he is

Full of the Spirit

Full of wisdom

and Full of Faith

sounds like a great guy

and then we know the story right.

8 And Stephen, full of grace and zpower, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But athey could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

11 Then bthey secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they cset up false dwitnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against ethis holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth fwill destroy this place and will gchange hthe customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face iwas like the face of an angel.

Grace and Power

wonders and sings

this is the kind of person I want to be