Sermon Tone Analysis

Scriptural Text: ,

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey tells of a father who came to him saying, “I can’t understand my kid.

He just won’t listen to me.” Covey patiently tried to get the dad to see the inconsistency of his statement.

You don’t understand people by getting them to listen to you.

You understand them when you listen to them.

Covey suggests that there are five levels of listening:

• We may be ignoring another person, not really listening at all.

• We may be pretending to listen.

• We may be practicing selective listening, drifting in and out of the conversation and paying attention to only parts of what the other person is saying.

• We may be listening attentively.

• But very few of us ever practice the fifth level, the highest form of listening—empathic listening, listening with intent to understand, to get inside the other person’s frame of reference, seeking to understand them emotionally as well as intellectually.*

What is God saying to His human creation in our day and time?

In brief, He is saying, “Jesus Christ is My beloved Son.

Hear Him!”

Because God’s message in Jesus is a moral pronouncement.

Men and women do not wish to be under the authority of the moral Word of God!

For centuries, God spoke in many ways.

He inspired holy men to write portions of the message in a book.

People do not like it so they try their best to avoid it because God has made it the final test of all morality, the final test of all Christian ethics.

People are called upon to listen attentively to God’s word, to his Son and also to words of wisdom.

The importance of listening(, , )

(ESV) — 10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel!

Samuel!”

And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

See also ; ; ; ; ; ;

(ESV) — 15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.

(ESV) — 2 Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

(ESV) — 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.

(ESV) — 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.

The Importance of listening to Jesus Christ (; , ; ; ; ; )

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Matthew 17:5 (ESV) — 5 He was still

; :27Matthew 17:5 (ESV) — 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

(ESV) — 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

(NKJV) 5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Hear Him!”

(ESV) — 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Hear Him!”

(ESV) — 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

See also

(ESV) — 10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand:

(ESV) — 16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The importance to listening to words of wisdom (; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

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Proverbs 19:20 (ESV) — 20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

(ESV) — 20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

(ESV) — 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

(ESV) — 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

(ESV) — 7 And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.

(ESV) — 24 And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.

(ESV) — 32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

34 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

(ESV) — 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Christians must not only listen to God’s word but also put it into practice.

Those who refuse to listen to God’s word or to correction are condemned.

Christians must not only listen to God’s word but also put it into practice.

Those who refuse to listen to God’s word or to correction are condemned.

God’s people must not only listen to God’s word but also put it into practiceLk 11:28; , ; ; )

; In Hebrew and Greek the verb “listen” is related by the verb “to obey”.

Note: In Hebrew and Greek the verb “listen” is related by the verb “to obey”.

(ESV) — 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

(ESV) — 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

See also

(ESV) — 32 And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.

(ESV) — 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

(ESV) — 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

The Reason We Can’t Hear: Note the various causes of terrible sin in any person life

The Golden Calf—The Breaking of the Covenant Between God and Man: A Picture of Man's Corrupt Heart and Rebellion Against God, 32:1-35

1. impatience (). 2. pressure from a crowd (). 3. suggesting evil to a weak leader ().

2. pressure from a crowd ().

Aaron had been left in charge of the people while Moses was up on the mountain.

3. suggesting evil to a weak leader ().

Aaron was weak, tragically weak,

Aaron had been left in charge of the people while Moses was up on the mountain.

5. believing deliverance is of man not God ().

Note, the people credited Moses with having delivered and saved them from Egyptian slavery.

Aaron was weak, tragically weak,

4. disobeying God's commandments ().

Believing in false gods and worshipping idols 5. believing deliverance is of man not God ().

Note, the

people credited Moses with having delivered and saved them from Egyptian slavery.

6. believing in false gods ().

Note what the people requested of Aaron: that he make them an image of some god who would guide them to the promised land of Canaan.

6. believing in false gods ().

Note what the people requested of Aaron: that he make them an image of some god who would guide them to the promised land of Canaan.

4. disobeying God's commandments (). 5. believing deliverance is of man not God (). 6. believing in false gods ().

Believing in false gods and worshipping idols

8. false worship ().

When Aaron saw so many people following and turning to the false god as their savior and guide, he apparently knew he was in trouble.

Note, the people credited Moses with having delivered and saved them from Egyptian slavery.

Note what the people requested of Aaron: that he make them an image of some god who would guide them to the promised land of Canaan.

9. indulging in food, drink, partying, and illicit sex ().

The festival got out of hand.

7. giving in to and fearing the crowd (). 8. false worship (). 9. indulging in food, drink, partying, and illicit sex ().

Aaron gave in to the crowd and caused a terrible, terrible sin.