Sermon Tone Analysis

Where does a vision come from?

Vision is born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be.

Anyone who is emotionally involved—frustrated, brokenhearted, maybe even angry—about the way things are in light of the way they believe things could be, is a candidate for a vision.

Visions form in the hearts of those who are dissatisfied with the status quo.

Me: My origin story goes back to my relationship with my step-father.

You see I wanted him to have a relationship with Yeshua but he wanted to be Jewish.

At that time, I could not offer him a place to be Jewish and have a relationship with the Messiah and he could not reconcile how a person could be Jewish - practically speaking, not theoretically - and believe in Jesus/Yeshua without becoming a Christian.

He wanted a place to be Jewish, legitimately Jewish, first before he would consider a relationship with the Messiah.

At a bare minimum that meant it could not feel like the church, nor a messianic cult, nor be at odds with the Jewish community.

At a maximum it meant, it embraced Jewish traditions, religious systems, and culture.

There were two such place I thought “maybe” I could take my step-father to for a Shabbat service.

Lauren and I went and scoped it out one and I scoped out another.

One was a group of people dressed up like Jewish people but really just a baptist group.

The second group was a little larger, had a few more traditions but felt like a charismatic church that focused heavily on experiences.

Neither of those two places would meet the minimum nor maximum of what my step-dad wanted.

This is what broke my heart and formed a deep dissatisfaction in me for the status quo.

Lauren: Share her story about Kerry.

She took him to First Baptist Church.

But, why wouldn’t people go to this one congregation?

The congregational leader had a negative report with the Jewish community.

He would stand out on the side of the road by the JCC with tracks and posters, he wanted conversions, not relationship.

Robin Rose and the Gentile Wife

What is our vision for the future?

- Our Vision for the future of Beth El Shalom comes from the final vision of God’s future eternal city.

Well, in chapter 21 and in chapter 22, we have a great picture of what the world looks like when God gets it exactly the way he wants it.

When Yeshua’s redemptive work is complete, and when God has the world exactly the way he wants it, it’s a city.

Do you see that?

Look at verse 2. There’s a city.

There’s a great street.

Do you know what that is? That’s a boulevard, the main street.

It’s a city.

Well, in chapter 21 and in chapter 22, we have a great picture of what the world looks like when God gets it exactly the way he wants it.

When Yeshua’s redemptive work is complete, and when God has the world exactly the way he wants it, it’s a city.

Do you see that?

Look at verse 2. There’s a city.

There’s a great street.

Do you know what that is? That’s a boulevard, the main street.

It’s a city.

Well, in chapter 21 and in chapter 22, we have a great picture of what the world looks like when God gets it exactly the way he wants it.

When Jesus Christ’s redemptive work is complete, and when God has the world exactly the way he wants it, it’s a city.

Do you see that?

Look at verse 2. There’s a city.

There’s a great street.

Do you know what that is? That’s a boulevard, the main street.

It’s a city.

Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

Stanley, Andy.

Visioneering: Your Guide for Discovering and Maintaining Personal Vision (p.

17).

The Crown Publishing Group.

Kindle Edition.

So if you want to understand the narrative arc of the whole Bible, what you actually have is history begins in a garden, but it ends in a city.

When God has the world the way he wants it, it’s urban.

Now this is interesting.

Notice it’s a garden city.

Here that brings up something.

When I say it’s a garden city, the word city means dense population, lots and lots of people.

But this city is filled with rivers and water and trees.

That’s something important to look at.

Here’s why.

Now this is interesting.

Notice it’s a garden city.

Here that brings up something.

When I say it’s a garden city, the word city means dense population, lots and lots of people.

But this city is filled with rivers and water and trees.

That’s something important to look at.

Here’s why.

When God gets things the way he wants them, he has a human city with all of the advantages of human cities and none of the disadvantages.

Now this is interesting.

Notice it’s a garden city.

Here that brings up something.

When I say it’s a garden city, the word city means dense population, lots and lots of people.

But this city is filled with rivers and water and trees.

That’s something important to look at.

Here’s why.

when God gets things the way he wants them, he has a human city with all of the advantages of human cities and none of the disadvantages.

There is more of the beauty of God per square inch in the city than anywhere else.

The city is where there are more people than plants, and the country is where there are more plants than people.

Since God certainly loves people more than plants, he must love the city more than the country.

We laugh.

Ha ha, it was funny.

That’s why I told you.

Now that we’re done laughing and laughing that we laughed, we’re left with an uncomfortable theological truth.

Years ago, a friend of mine gave me a little way of understanding cities that I have never forgotten and I use all the time.

Therefore, if you’ve been around, you may have heard it before.

He said, “The city is where there are more people than plants, and the country is where there are more plants than people.

Since God certainly loves people more than plants, he must love the city more than the country.”

We laugh.

Ha ha, it was funny.

That’s why I told you.

Now that we’re done laughing and laughing that we laughed, we’re left with an uncomfortable theological truth.

How do you understand beauty?

For I have a tendency to say, we all have a tendency to say, “I have to get out of Houston and go to Austin or the Hill country.

I have to get out of the city.

I want to get out to see some beauty.”

When we think of beauty, we mean trees and grass and water.

Can a tree or a river compete with the image of God? Human beings are made in the image of God.

A human being has a beauty and a depth about him or her that a tree can’t match.

Do you know what Houston is? There’s so much of the image of God per square inch in Houston because there are 3,662 people per square mile who live here according to the last US Census.

Did you know that?

There are only three other cities more densely populated than ours (New York, LA, Chicago).