Sermon Tone Analysis

Passion~/Vision, The Wind Beneath My Wings

 

/There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures./

/ /

n       /William Shakespeare/

 

/1.

/Pain is probably one of the greatest motivators in the world.

(Neh.

1:4)

/ /

/Allen Redpath wrote that you never lighten the load unless you first have felt the pressure in your own soul.

You are never used of God to bring blessing until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they really are.

\\ \\ /

Dissatisfaction is a one word definition of motivation

 

Often those who are most hurt and scarred by life are the ones who are most likely to make a difference.

AND GOD SAID.....

 

I said, "God, I hurt."

And God said, I know."

I said, "God, I cry a lot."

And God said, "That is why I gave you tears."

I said, "God, I am so depressed."

And God said, "That is why I gave you Sunshine."

I said, "God, life is so hard."

And God said, "That is why I gave you loved ones."

I said, "God, my loved one died."

And God said, "So did mine."

I said, "God, it is such a loss."

And God said, I saw mine nailed to a cross."

I said, "God, but your loved one lives."

And God said, "So does yours."

I said, "God, where are they now?"

And God said, "Mine is on My right and yours is in the Light."

I said, "God, it hurts."

And God said, I know."

Placed on the fence at the Oklahoma City Bombing Site,

which is now becoming the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

In John 15:2, Jesus reveals two actions of the vinedresser; one, He does something with the branch that isn't bearing any fruit at all; two, He does something with the branch that isn't bearing enough fruit.

In the first case, He "takes away"; in the second, He "prunes."

Vines occasionally yield an unproductive, fruitless branch.

When that happens, the gardener immediately goes to work, as Merrill Tenney notes in his commentary.

Viticulture... consists mainly of pruning.

In pruning a vine, two principles are generally observed: first, all dead wood must be ruthlessly removed; and second, the live wood must be cut back drastically.

Dead wood harbors insects and disease and may cause the vine to rot, to say nothing of being unproductive and unsightly.

Live wood must be trimmed back in order to prevent such heavy growth that the life of the vine goes into the wood rather than into fruit.

The vineyards in the early spring look like a collection of barren, bleeding stumps; but in the fall they are filled with luxuriant purple grapes.

As the farmer wields the pruning knife on his vines, so God cuts dead wood out from among His saints, and often cuts back the living wood so far that His method seems cruel.

Nevertheless, from those who have suffered the most there often comes the greatest fruitfulness.

Merrill C. Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1948), pp.227-28

/ /

2.    The willingness to assume personal responsibility is the first step toward making a difference.

(Neh.

1:6)

 

The games people play:  Hide & Seek,  Red Rover Red Rover, I call, May I . .

.

To play the “blame game” is a fruitless exercise and to make excuses is even worse.

Most of our experience in life is as a result of our choices or our response to trials and adversity.

The way that people respond to us tells us much about us for the way of the world is merely to mirror what they see.

We will never make progress with our difficulties until we are willing to accept responsibility totally.

(Pastor B. quote – as a leader, I am…)

 

3.

Position.

Nothing is given you by accident and it has not come without an accompanying responsibility.

People are placed in positions where they can make a difference in order to do so.

(Neh.

1:11)

 

/Often position is one of the most difficult things for people to relinquish.

We hold onto it with all our might and refuse to risk it for any good.

Every once in a while God will call you to put your position on the line and risk whatever you may have to risk.

If he has placed you in a position of influence then it is to influence./

 

4.

Risk is something that awakens life within us.

To back off at that point is to disappoint God and to choose mediocrity forever.

(Neh.

2:2,3)

 

Some Christians are so afraid of failure that they become reserved, overly cautious, and uninvolved in life.

They follow a policy of guarded living, holding back time, talents, and treasure from God's service.

Their motto is:  To keep from failing -- don't try!  On the other hand, those who are willing to make mistakes and risk failure are the ones who ultimately achieve great things.

Instead of being filled with fear, they go forward in faith.

Problems are challenges.

While they may not all be solved, these courageous people would rather live with that reality than have a clean record of no failures and no accomplishments.

Benjamin Franklin said one time, "The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all -- doing nothing."

RISK

 

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental

To reach out for another is to risk involvement

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self

To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk their loss

To love is to risk not being loved in return

To live is to risk dying

To hope is to risk despair

To try is to risk failure

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live

Chained by their certitudes, they are a slave, they have forfeited their freedom

Only a person who risks is free.

5.

A proper pace is crucial if we are to make a difference in the long run.

(Neh.

2:11)

 

There are many times when our passion can have an adverse effect if it is not properly paced.

Tacking

 

WHERE THERE ARE NO RUTS...

 

Ever come to a line in the sand?

You know... where you simply must choose: one way or the other?

Such are the crossroads of life.

The question, of course... which way to go?

After all, the consequences of such decisions unfold major chapters of your existence.

Right choices - everything comes together.

Wrong choices - disastrous results.

But how to know?

Such moments are not what you might call, "fun."

In fact, they can be miserable experiences, involving ripping change.

Yet, a choice must be made, lest you go mad from enduring another instant of things as they are.

As M. Scott Peck put it in The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, "The truth is that our finest moments, more often than not, occur precisely when we are uncomfortable, when we're not feeling happy or fulfilled, when we're struggling and searching."