Sermon Tone Analysis

Manuscript:

What is the American Dream?

[Response from the crowd?]

If you have a Bible I encourage you to open to , and as you turn there I want to ask.

Can you think of anyone who embodies the American Dream?

What is the American Dream?

[Response from the crowd?]

All of those are great answers and I wouldn’t ever bring anyone down for pursuing good and virtuous things.

But I want to ask that we all take a step back and take a look at what it is that our culture tells us on a daily basis.

Can you think of anyone who embodies the American Dream?

All of those are great answers and I wouldn’t ever bring anyone down for pursuing good and virtuous things.

But I want to ask that we all take a step back and take a look at what it is that our culture tells us on a daily basis.

Based on what you said, the American Dream is a pursuit of freedom, autonomy (meaning I get to decide what’s right for me, that’s what that means), and by and large we live in a culture that tells us you are responsible for yourself so pick yourself up by your bootstraps.

Again, I do not want to speak harshly about something good, like freedom, but many of you have heard me say that sin isn’t just doing or thinking bad things, it can even be making good things, ultimate things.

Based on what you said, the American Dream is a pursuit of freedom, autonomy (meaning I get to decide what’s right for me, that’s what that means), and by and large we live in a culture that tells us you are responsible for yourself so pick yourself up by your bootstraps.

Again, I do not want to speak harshly about something good, like freedom, but many of you have heard me say that sin isn’t just doing or thinking bad things, it can even be making good things, ultimate things.

For example, making good grades is a good thing, right?

We receive praise when we do well in school.

It tends to lead to good things.

But you might know someone who throws themselves into a panicked frenzy come exam time and they become this sleep-deprived, malnourished monster.

Some of you may be that monster, I don’t know.

When we make things like grades far too important in our lives we become slaves to them.

Now you can sub out grades with sports, relationships, or whatever the case may be, but again we live in a culture that tells us, you can do anything that you set your mind to,  so go out there and get it done.

For example, making good grades is a good thing, right?

We receive praise when we do well in school.

It tends to lead to good things.

But you might know someone who throws themselves into a panicked frenzy come exam time and they become this sleep-deprived, malnourished monster.

Some of you may be that monster, I don’t know.

When we make things like grades far too important in our lives we become slaves to them.

Now you can sub out grades with sports, relationships, or whatever the case may be, but again we live in a culture that tells us, you can do anything that you set your mind to,  so go out there and get it done.

So when someone comes along and tells us how we should live, that there is one truth out there, that being that there is life found in Jesus and Jesus alone, (Right?

We read about that a couple of weeks ago out of when Jesus said that, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me) that fundamentally brushes up against our notions of desire, self-promotion, it brushes up against our notion of autonomy and our own personal freedom, that we have to submit to someone else.

But my question is… are restrictions all that bad?

So when someone comes along and tells us how we should live, that there is one truth out there, that being that there is life found in Jesus and Jesus alone, (Right?

We read about that a couple of weeks ago out of when Jesus said that, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me) that fundamentally brushes up against our notions of desire, self-promotion, it brushes up against our notion of autonomy and our own personal freedom, that we have to submit to someone else.

But my question is… are restrictions all that bad?

We continue on in our apologetics study where at our last meeting we asked, why would a good God allow suffering, and we came away knowing that suffering is a reality, yes, but as that says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.”

And this week we ask another question that I am sure that some of you have run across, “Isn’t Christianity just a straitjacket?

Isn’t it just a bunch or rules telling you what you can and cannot do?

It’s too stringent and harsh.

We continue on in our apologetics study where at our last meeting we asked, why would a good God allow suffering, and we came away knowing that suffering is a reality, yes, but as that says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.”

And this week we ask another question that I am sure that some of you have run across, “Isn’t Christianity just a straitjacket?

Isn’t it just a bunch or rules telling you what you can and cannot do?

It’s too stringent and harsh.

But once again I ask, are restrictions, especially those handed down by God, really bad? Let’s open up to the Gospel of John and read of a really incredible exchange between Jesus and this down and out woman.

2 At dawn he went to the temple again, and all the people were coming to him.

He sat downg and began to teach them.

But once again I ask, are restrictions, especially those handed down by God, really bad? Let’s open up to the Gospel of John and read of a really incredible exchange between Jesus and this down and out woman.

3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center.

4 “Teacher,” they said to him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.

5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.

So what do you say?” 6 They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him.

2 At dawn he went to the temple again, and all the people were coming to him.

He sat downg and began to teach them.

3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center.

4 “Teacher,” they said to him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.

5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.

So what do you say?” 6 They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him.

Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger.

7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.

9 When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men.

Only he was left, with the woman in the center.

10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, 

Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger.

7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.

9 When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men.

Only he was left, with the woman in the center.

10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, 

“Woman, where are they?

Has no one condemned you?”

“Woman, where are they?

Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, Lord,” she answered.

11 “No one, Lord,” she answered.

“Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus.

“Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

A lot of people will run to this text and point out the amazing showing of forgiveness and redemption in this passage and that is absolutely right, but tonight I want us to key in on this final command that Jesus gave to the woman.

“Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

This is weighty.

This is hard.

Just the mere thought of hearing those words come from the mouth of Jesus cuts me deep and I hope that it does you as well.

“Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus.

“Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” - Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

A lot of people will run to this text and point out the amazing showing of forgiveness and redemption in this passage and that is absolutely right, but tonight I want us to key in on this final command that Jesus gave to the woman.

“Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

This is weighty.

This is hard.

Just the mere thought of hearing those words come from the mouth of Jesus cuts me deep and I hope that it does you as well.

The reality is that Jesus takes sin seriously.

Such is the case here with this tale of the adulterous woman, 

The reality is that Jesus takes sin seriously.

Such is the case here with this tale of the adulterous woman, 

Just as a side note, notice that the pharisees were in no way concerned with the man and yet the law would have stipulated that both the man and the woman would have received a death sentence.

All the more revealing that the pharisees, those who would have known the most about the law, didn’t really have a concern for justice, righteousness, and definitely not compassion.

Just as a side note, notice that the pharisees were in no way concerned with the man and yet the law would have stipulated that both the man and the woman would have received a death sentence.

All the more revealing that the pharisees, those who would have known the most about the law, didn’t really have a concern for justice, righteousness, and definitely not compassion.

"But go and sin no more,” that was the command for this lady.

Why?