Sermon Tone Analysis

\\ Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 3:10-19

 

I was praying this week and asking the Lord to give me direction in the scripture relative to this morning’s sermon.

There are times when this is not a laborious part of the “sermonizing” experience and there are other times when it is nerve racking.

The worse thing in the world is to stand in front of people with nothing to say.

It’s a nightmare.

I began to think in the midst of my praying that perhaps it was time for another “how to” message.

That seemed to be safe.

Then I began to realize that there are very few things in the book that tell us clearly and directly, step by step, how to do this or that.

How to be a successful parent.

How to excel in your work.

How to get along with difficult people.

! *How To Give Your Cat A Pill*

 

1.

Grasp cat firmly in your arms.

Cradle its head on your elbow, just as  if you were giving a baby a bottle.

Coo confidently, "That's a nice kitty."

Drop the pill in its mouth.

2.

Retrieve cat from top of lamp & pill from under sofa.

3.

Follow same proceedure as in 1, but hold cat's front paws down with left hand & back paws down with elbow of right arm.

Poke pill into its mouth with right forefinger.

 

 4.

Retrieve cat from under bed.

Get new pill from bottle.

(resist impulse to get new cat.)

 

 5.

Again proceed as in 1, except when you have cat firmly cradled in bottle-feeding position, sit on edge of chair, fold your torso over cat, bring your right hand over your left elbow, open cat's mouth by lifting the upper jaw & pop pill in - quickly!  Since your head is down by your knees, you won't be able to see what you are doing.

That's just as well.

6.

Leave cat hanging on drapes.

Leave pill in your hair.

7 If you are a woman, have a good cry.

If you are a man, have a good cry.

8.

Now pull yourself together.

Who's the boss here anyway?

Retrieve cat & pill.

Assuming position 1, say sternly, "Who's the the boss here anyway?"

Open cat's mouth, take pill & ....Oooops!

 

 9.

This isn't working, is it?

Collapse & think.

Aha!

Those flashing calws are causing the chaos.

10.

Crawl to the linen closet.

Drag back a large beach towl.

Spread towel on floor.

11.

Retrieve cat from kitchen counter & pill from potted plant.

12.

Spread cat on towel near one end with its head over long edge.

13.

Flatten cat's front & back legs over its stomach.

(resist impulse to  flatten cat.)

 

 14.

Roll cat in towel.

Work fast; time & tabbies wait for no man - or  woman!

 

 15.

Resume position 1.  Rotate your left hand to cat's head.

Press its  mouth at the jaw hinges like opening the petals of a snapdragon.

16.

Drop pill into cat's mouth & poke gently.

Voila!

It's done!

 

 17.

Vacuum up loose fur (cat's).

Apply bandages to wounds (yours).

18.

Take two asprins & lie down.

I believe with all my heart that a person who is desiring to please the Lord and to grow in their relationship with Him will be better at whatever it is that he is doing.

Everyone thinks of changing the world but no one thinks of changing himself.

God determines your potential and it is largely based on our ability to surrender ourselves to him.

The more that we resist God the less He is able to bless our work, our parenting, our spousing and the list goes on.

So I would say that pleasing Him should be our number 1 focus and in His Word, learning how to live for Jesus without embarrassing God would be essential.

So this morning, I want to suggest six possible steps to better bricklaying or better whatever.

Let’s read together.

1Corinthians 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.

But each one should be careful how he builds.

[11] For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

[12] If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, [13] his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.

It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.

[14] If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

[15] If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? [17] If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

18 Do not deceive yourselves.

If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.

[19] For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.

*1.

**Identify The Boss?  *

 

/[11] For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ/

 

Who or what calls the shots in your life?

For the Christian of course this question is primary and paramount.

It should be the first decision that we make when we come to Christ.

Who will now be in charge?

The fact that God wants to direct your life for His glory and your good is a “foundational” truth of the Christian life.

You can say it in many different ways but the truth is still the same.

He wants to be Savior and He wants to be Lord.

Lordship is not merely a matter of God’s imposed will on your life.

It’s not coming to Christ for salvation and then throwing up your hands in forced surrender.

It is a matter of embracing His Will because we really believe it to be desirable.

Once we desire God’s will in our daily lives, then we have a task of our own.

That is, under God’s Lordship to take charge of our own lives.

*Titus 2 *You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.

2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.

4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,  5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.

7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good.

In your teaching show integrity, seriousness  8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,  10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  [1]

 

There will be times when you and I will stand as Christians in perilous positions at work at play and otherwise.

Life’s ethical maze will call us to point to the cross through the choices that we make.

Let me ask you a question, “Do you think that God would still expect us in this modern day to stand for what we believe in at times even if it meant that we might lose our jobs?

I’m not talking about dying on every hill, I’m not speaking of listening for every erroneous philosophy that people around you express and trying to preach the Word to them at every turn.

I’m not talking about being obnoxious for God.