Sermon Tone Analysis

\\ /““/*/If you love me, you will obey what I command/*/.//

//And I will ask the Father, and he will give you *another Counselor* to be with you forever—// //the *Spirit of truth*.

*The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.*

But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.//

//I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.// //Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.

Because I live, you also will live.//

//On that day you will realize *that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.*//

//Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”//

//Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, *why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?*”// //Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.

My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.//

/*/He who does not love me will not obey my teaching./*/

These *words you hear are not my own*; they belong to the Father who sent me.// //“All this I have spoken while still with you.// //But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, *will teach you all things* and *will remind you of everything I have said to you.*// //Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.//

//“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’

If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.// //I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.//

//I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming.

He has no hold on me,// //but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.//"

(John 14:15-31, NIV) *[1]*/

 

*/1.

/**/People practice the things that they are passionate about.

/*

 

*/“If you love me, you will obey what I command”/*

There is always time, money, whatever resources are necessary for us to do what we are passionate about.

We are tireless in these areas.

These pursuits become personal priorities and we have a fanatical commitment to them.

Often we treat them as though they may hold the potential of world change.

I was in Tim Horton’s of all places one Saturday morning and saw a couple of old guys waddle into the coffee shop.

I suspect they were probably my age or a little more senior.

They were all decked out in softball uniforms stretched tight around the midsection.

I remember a time in my own life when this was a serious thing.

It really mattered who won and who lost.

I suspect that the course of human affairs was unaltered that day by the competition that was held.

I suspect as well that there were some intense arguments and disputes that took place and much talk to take home and reminisce along with tales of countless other insignificant contests.

Many are right there today – plenty of time for things that don’t make a bit of difference and no time for things that can change the world.

Jesus said:

 

/“/*/If you love me, you will obey what I command/*/.”/

In other words if you are passionate about the faith, you will practice it and the proof is in the practice.

If you really love the game you will strive to become better and you’ll take it seriously.

You won’t settle into the rut of living off yesterdays press clippings but you will practice.

*It’s a difficult thing to get people to come to practice*.

All of us think that we’re talented enough to show up at game time and perform.

I guess we either overestimate our talents and abilities or we underestimate the importance of the contest.

Both are dangerous.

The contest that we engage in as Christians is an incredibly serious thing.

The battle is clearly for the souls of men.

The devil is crafty and deceptive and regardless of how effective churches are there will be people who choose to live and die apart from God.  Regardless of how well we may parent our children, there may be a day when we will see our children ignore their faith.

The beautiful little child who is dedicated today and raised in a devout Christian home has the God-given freedom to walk away from it as though it were never there.

It breaks the hearts of the parents and it breaks the heart of God.

They will lose their souls, regardless of the advantage that they have been given.

As much as we would like to eliminate this possibility, we cannot.

But God help us when our traditions prevent us from doing everything that we can do to reach the lost.

God help us when our apathetic hearts sit unmoved as we occupy space in our churches and communities and remain ineffective and uninvolved.

For our casual approach to the Christian life, we will be spewed from the mouth of God.

And God help the parents who demonstrate second rate priorities to their children.

God bless the moms and dads who practice their profession, who plainly tell God that they love Him by obeying His Commands and living by eternal priorities.

Your children will never establish priorities that you do not highlight for them by your own commitment.

*/2.

/**/It is this practice that brings the Counselor to us./*

You might call him the coach.

He brings new insight and he focuses on our spiritual growth and development.

There is a personal spiritual intimacy that comes to a person when the Counselor is doing His work within us.

/“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you *another Counselor* to be with you forever—// //the *Spirit of truth*.”/

*A coach will not devote himself~/herself to an athlete who is marginally committed.*

There are those who try out simply because they want the uniform.

It is about an ego that is bigger than the team.

But a coach will work his~/her heart out for an athlete who is totally given to the sport.

And they will see results.

The more I practice the more proficient I become.

Why do we suppose it should be different in the Christian life?

What about the practice of prayer?

How do we suppose that we should ever discover the heart of God unless we */practice/* prayer?

We give up because we get tired or because it seems like work.

Anytime I ever practiced for any sport or contest it seemed much more like work than pleasure.

What about the practice of evangelism?

How do I suppose that I should become adept at sharing my faith unless I */practice/* sharing my faith?

That means that I am going to make mistakes.

That means that I will have to risk being humiliated by my clumsiness and my awkwardness if I am to develop.

In Taekwondo we talk about the stupid side.

It’s the side that we avoid using simply because we are not naturally as able on that side.

The only way to develop it is to use it.

When we do our drills in practice most of us look pathetic on the underdeveloped side.

Let me ask you about the underdeveloped areas of your faith.

You don’t witness because it’s not naturally you?

You know what I’m getting at don’t you.

/A lady was walking down the street to work and saw a parrot in a pet store.

She stopped to admire the bird.

The parrot said to her, "Hey lady, you are really ugly."

Well, the lady was furious!

She stormed past the store and went to work./

/ /

/On the way home she saw the same parrot in the window and the parrot upon seeing her said, "Hey lady, you are really ugly."

She was incredibly angry now.

The next day on the way to work she saw the same parrot and once again it said, "Hey lady, you are really ugly."

The lady was so furious that she stormed into the store and threatened to sue the store and have the bird killed.

The store manager apologized profusely and promised the bird wouldn't say it again./

/ /

/When the lady walked past the store on the way home from work, the parrot said to her, "Hey, lady!"

She paused and said, "Yes?"

The bird said, "You know."/

Golf is a game that just doesn’t happen without practice.

I am a once a week golfer and that just doesn’t bring me to a place where my game is going to improve.

If I associate myself with church for an hour on Sunday morning, my game is going to need help as well.