Sermon Tone Analysis

*Mark 8:13-18*

*Mk 8: 13 *And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.

*14 *Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.

*15 *Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

*16 *And they reasoned among themselves, saying, /“It is/ because we have no bread.”

*17 *But Jesus, being aware of /it,/ said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread?

Do you not yet perceive nor understand?

Is your heart still hardened?

*18 *Having eyes, do you not see?

And having ears, do you not hear?

And do you not remember?

*(NKJV)*

 

*INTRO:*

 

      Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse code operator.

Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed.

When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background.

A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area.

After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on.

They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet.

They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, /"Wait a minute, I don't understand.

He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed.

Yet he got the job.

That's not fair!"/

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but all the time you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse code: /'If you understand this message, then come right in.

The job is yours.' /

 None of you heard it or understood it.

This young man did.

The job is his."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, there are some things that interest me about this story!

1.)

This young man was not the FIRST one there!

2.)   There were probably men with higher qualifications!

3.)   There may have been men who were better dressed.

4.)   Maybe they were comparing themselves among themselves, and touting their own qualifications!

5.)   Maybe each one was telling the other why he deserved the job!

6.)   Maybe they were arguing about who was right and who was wrong for the position!

But, while they sat there this young man waltzed right in and got the job!

But, the reason this young man got the job was *because he was listening for the right voice!

He was FOCUSED and lacked DISTRACTIONS.*

*Somehow he had eliminated all distractions, all outside influences!*

While others were *pre-occupied* with other conversations, although worthwhile they may have been, *they missed the main message*!

While others were talking among themselves, the small, unobtrusive voice of the telegraph machine went unnoticed!

Even though the quietest sound, it was the *most important sound* in the room, and the one who heard it was the one who eliminated all outside influences and distractions!

*I.)

**THE ONES WHO WILL HEAR THE STILL, SMALL VOICE OF JESUS IN THIS GENERATION ARE THE ONES WHO ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS!*

The ones who *block out* all outside influences and concentrate on what God is saying amid the clutter, and hubbub of every day life!

WE HAVE ALL HAD PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING TO US AND WE WERE *DAYDREAMING*, OR OTHERWISE *PRE-OCCUPIED*.

And, so when we finally come back to ourselves, we say/.

“What did you say?

I didn’t HEAR you!” /

 

When, what we really mean is, I heard, but didn’t understand you!

I heard you speaking, but what you said didn’t register with me.

I knew you were talking to me, but my mind was preoccupied with other things, and I didn’t understand what it was that you wanted me to hear.

Those that are *deaf or almost deaf* (so my kids and wife tell me!) in order for them to hear and understand must be *totally focused on the lips of the speaker* to understand the words spoken.

*II.)

**IN ORDER TO HEAR WHAT GOD IS SAYING, WE MUST REMOVE ALL DISTRACTIONS AND KEEP OUR EYES ON HIM!*

 

Isaiah 6:1-10

In the year that king Uzziah died I *SAW* also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.  2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, /is/ the LORD of hosts: the whole earth /is/ full of his glory.

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 

5 Then said I, Woe /is/ me! for I am undone; because I /am/ a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, /which/ he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  7 And he laid /it/ upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

Then said I, Here /am/ I; send me.

* *

*King Uzziah had become a distraction to Isaiah, and it was only when he died that Isaiah saw the Lord!*

* *

*Uzziah — * a contracted form of Azari’ah the Lord is my strength.

(1.)

One of Amaziah’s sons, whom the people made king of Judah in his father’s stead (2 Kings 14:21; 2 Chr.

26:1).

His long reign of about fifty-two years was “the most prosperous except that of Jehosaphat since the time of Solomon.”

He was a vigorous and able ruler, and “his name spread abroad, even to the entering in of Egypt” (2 Chr.

26:8, 14).

In the earlier part of his reign, under the influence of Zechariah, he was faithful to Jehovah, and “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 15:3; 2 Chr.

26:4, 5); but toward the close of his long life “his heart was lifted up to his destruction,” and he wantonly invaded the priest’s office (2 Chr.

26:16), and entering the sanctuary proceeded to offer incense on the golden altar.

Azariah the high priest saw the tendency of such a daring act on the part of the king, and with a band of eighty priests he withstood him (2 Chr.

26:17), saying, “It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense.”

Uzziah was suddenly struck with leprosy while in the act of offering incense (26:19–21), and he was driven from the temple and compelled to reside in “a several house” to the day of his death (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chr.

26:3).

He was buried in a separate grave “in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings” (2 Kings 15:7; 2 Chr.

26:23).

[i]

 

Isaiah had been so focused on the accomplishments and downfall of King Uzziah that he had got his eyes off Jehovah!

He had become distracted.

I want you to notice Isaiah's 3-fold vision:

 

*1.)

**When the distraction was eliminated, Isaiah turned again to the Lord, and it was then that he received his vision!*

* *

In the year that king Uzziah died I *SAW* also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isaiah said, *when my distractions were eliminated, then I saw the Lord!*

When I stopped looking to the arm of the flesh, I saw the Lord!

When I got my focus off of the things that man could do for me and to me, I saw the Lord!

 

*2.)

**After Isaiah saw the Lord, he saw his own True condition!*

*5 Then said I, Woe /is/ me!

For I am undone; because I /am/ a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.*

Isaiah realized how far he had drifted away from God when he finally saw God again!

He realized how unclean he was after he got a vision of God! And, immediately he began to repent!

 

*3.)

**And, finally, after he saw God and himself, he got a vision of the world that he was sent to witness to.*

 

*Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

Then said I, Here /am/ I; send me.

*

* *

*I am saying to this church tonight, “God has a job for someone to do!”*

* *

*There is a work to be done, and the **position is open**, who will fill it?*

* *

*Who will go and do the work of God in this generation?*

*III.)