Sermon Tone Analysis

By Rick Burdette

Summary: God's Kingdom, A Spiritual Harvest, Joy

Summer Road trip: generosity

Introduction:

(p.

807) July 9, 2017

Introduction:

Introduction:

Let me show you a picture of the Dead Sea

Let me show you a picture of the Dead Sea

SHOW PIC OF DEAD SEA

SHOW PIC OF DEAD SEA

It’s also called “The Salt Sea” and it’s at the lowest elevation on earth.

It has a salt content of almost 35%…and because of that the human body can easily float on top of it…It’s 9 times saltier than the ocean.

Nothing lives in the Dead Sea!

It’s also called “The Salt Sea” and it’s at the lowest elevation on earth.

It has a salt content of almost 35%…and because of that the human body can easily float on top of it…It’s 9 times saltier than the ocean.

Nothing lives in the Dead Sea!

Anybody know what body of water feeds The Dead Sea?

The answer is the Jordan river…

Show Jordan river video.

one of the most beautiful and abundant rivers on earth…filled with life…fish, trees, plants…it’s an aquatic paradise.

Why is one dead and one filled with life…because the Jordan River is constantly being replenished…fresh water feeds into it and flows out of it…Once water flows into the Dead Sea…it stays…It never escapes and it stagnates and it becomes lifeless.

Healthy water is constantly flowing, giving and receiving.

Water becomes stagnant and unhealthy when it only receives.

The same is true with people…As someone said, “There are givers and takers in this world.

Takers may eat better but givers sleep better.”

The Apostle Paul shares why he works hard and then quotes Jesus at the end of it in

There’s a serious question I have to ask myself and other Christians.

“Why do we work?”

What is the purpose for me to make money…and there are several common sense answers: To pay my mortgage, car payments, food.

I need to work to support my family.

And those are important reasons.

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

There’s a serious question I have to ask myself and other Christians.

“Why do we work?”

What is the purpose for me to make money…and there are several common sense answers: To pay my mortgage, car payments, food.

I need to work to support my family.

And those are important reasons.

But, for the Christian I believe there’s another important reason…To help others…and to show the world that my priorities are not the same as it’s priorities…That God isn’t just God over everything but my paycheck…He’s God over my paycheck as well.

I do this because “every good and perfect gift in my life comes from my Father…and I will not become the Dead Sea where only gifts flow in…I’ll be a river of life like the Jordan where gifts flow out as well.

It’s important we remember:

I. THE LAW OF THE HARVEST

“Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

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Here’s Hans translation: Plant a bunch of seeds…get a bunch of tomatoes…plant just a couple seeds…get very few tomatoes.

This law of the harvest is about generosity.

It’s not just about our money…but it does include our money as well.

It’s not a scripture to be taken out of context like so many health and wealth preachers do.

This scripture is not about a one time gift…like buying a “lottery” ticket…“OK…I gave 100…now God give me back 1000!”

It’s more like this…I choose to live a cheerful life of generosity.

In faith I will tithe to honor the giver of all good things and I will look for opportunities to bless others with my giving…In so doing, in faith I believe…“God will bless me abundantly, so that in every single way I can serve Him.

I’m not God so I cannot tell you how He will bless you abundantly…whether it’s financially or even better…what could be even better…

Leadership Magazine carried a story about 4 young men, Bible College students, who were renting a house together.

One Saturday morning someone knocked on their door.

And when they opened it, there stood this bedraggled-looking old man.

His eyes were kind of marbleized, & he had a silvery stub of whiskers on his face.

His clothes were ragged & torn.

His shoes didn’t match.

In fact, they were both for the same foot.

And he carried a wicker basket full of unappealing vegetables that he was trying to sell.

The boys felt sorry for him & bought some of his vegetables just to help him out.

Then he went on his way.

But from that time on, every Saturday he appeared at their door with his basket of vegetables.

As the boys got to know him a little bit better, they began inviting him in to visit a while before continuing on his rounds.

They soon discovered that his eyes looked marbleized, not because of drugs or alcohol, but because of cataracts.

They learned that he lived just down the street in an old shack.

They also found out that he could play the harmonica, & that he loved to play Christian hymns, & that he really loved God.

So every Saturday they would invite him in, & he would play his harmonica & they would sing Christian hymns together.

They became good friends, & the boys began trying to figure out ways to help him.

One Saturday morning, the story says, right in the middle of all their singing & praising, he suddenly said to them, "God is so good!"

And they all agreed, "Yes, God is so good."

He went on, "You know why he is so good?"

They said, "Why?"

He said, "Because yesterday, when I got up & opened my door, there were boxes full of clothes & shoes & coats & gloves.

Yes, God is so good!"

And the boys smiled at each other & chimed in, "Yes, God is so good."He

went on, "You know why He is so good?"

They answered, "You already told us why.

What more?"

He said, "Because I found a family who could use those things, & I gave them all away."

From a sermon by Michael McCartney, Preach This: The difference between tithes and offering?

11/30/2009

[I was out shopping one day and I found these four cases of golf balls with a picture of the symbol of the Ryder Cup that was supposed to take place at the Belfry Golf Course in England in 2001.

It was postponed a year because of 9/11.

These golf packages were from an event that never took place.

And I bought all four because I thought they were collectible and cool.

I gave 1 to my best friend…one to my brother in law…and one to my father…and I kept one.

Pretty soon after that, I was sitting in my office with one of our leaders names Gen Bratcher…Gene and I loved each other and worked close to each other as we built our new facility in Louisville.

Gene and I had played golf together a bunch and he loved golf.

I looked at my desk and there was that last packet of Ryder Cup golf balls.

And I thought about giving them to Gene…but part of me really wanted to keep them.

I chose generosity and he was thrilled.

Gene was diagnosed with lung cancer that month and was gone in three.

I came into my office after the funeral and on my desk sat this package of Ryder Cup golf balls with this note:

Dear Rick,

It’s important that we remember who gives us those clothes, or that paycheck, or the health to work, or the time we have to live.

All seeds to be used for His glory and for His Kingdom…not ours.

One day Gene asked me to bring to him the dresser drawer that had his personal items in it, so that he could give a few things to Darren & Krista, to each of the grandchildren, and to Domery & Laura.

He had one item left.

He knew you would like the golf balls and asked that I give them to you.

I’m sorry, Rick, that I could not give them to you in person, but I remember too well the day we did this.