Sermon Tone Analysis

*GETTING READY FOR EASTER*

*/#1: Strengthen Your Faith/*

Pastor Greg Henneman

February 25, 2007

 

Text:          John 20:30-31 and overview of John

 

Key Idea:   Faith is something we do.

Goal:          To challenge us to strengthen our faith as we prepare for Easter.

Introduction

 

*VIDEO*: "/Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade/," where Indiana Jones has to walk across a deep chasm and has to take the first step before the bridge appears.

What is faith?

We’re on this journey –this adventure of life – and we come to this chasm, this question.

Is there a God or not?

Is there a God who loves me and cares about me, or not?

Will I leap into his arms or not?

I want to talk to you today about strengthening our faith.

We are five Sundays away from Easter.

In many church traditions they observe what they call the season of Lent.

Lent began last Wednesday with what is called Ash Wednesday.

Catholics and some others to worship and to put ashes on their foreheads.

The season of Lent is supposed to be a time of intense devotion, of spiritual reflection, and getting ready for Easter.

Now honestly, in our church tradition, we have not done a very good job of that.

We tend to motor right along and then celebrate Easter with bang –but we haven’t really got prepared for it.

We haven’t reflected much.

We haven’t strengthened our faith much.

We haven’t thought much about why Jesus had to come and die for our sins and rise again –and what difference that should make in our lives.

So this year, for these next five Sundays, I want us to improve on that.

I want us to intentionally GET READY FOR EASTER.

And that’s kind of what our stage is about this morning.

We’ve stripped away a lot of stuff and we just want to focus on Jesus.

And each week we’ll build until we pull out all the stops on Easter Sunday!

One of the ways we can get ready for Easter is to strengthen our faith.

So let’s talk about how to strengthen our faith.

Turn in your Bibles to John 20:30 and take out your outlines.

Our Scripture focus this month is the Gospel of John.

My messages will all be from the book of John and I hope you’ll do some personal reading in the Gospel of John.

*READ JOHN 20:30.*

This is the theme of John’s Gospel.

He says: Jesus performed all kinds of miraculous signs.

He healed all kinds of people.

He walked on the water.

He multiplied bread to feed thousands.

But I wrote these particular ones down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God –with the result that by believing you may have life in his name!

So John’s goal is to inspire us to faith so that we might life!

Anybody want a better life?

John says: Abundant life, real life, eternal life is found by believing in Jesus.

But what is belief?

What is faith?

Let’s talk about it.

On your outline…

 

*I.

What is faith?*

* *

*          1.

Faith is not just something you say.*

Lots of people SAY that they believe in Jesus.

In fact, most of the polls show that huge majority of Americans SAY they are Christians!

“Do you believe in God and in Jesus?” “Sure I believe in God and in Jesus.”

Lots of people SAY that!

And yet by looking at their lives you’d never know it!

/John 1:12 “//Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”/

 

Listen: Being a Christian is more than just saying that you believe in Jesus.

It also involves receiving him into your life and it also involves you becoming God’s child!

So if you have not received him into your life and if you are not becoming more like Jesus then it’s questionable if you really believe in him!

Faith is more than something you say!

 

*          2.

Faith is not just something you feel.*

This is a huge one.

Lots of people are talking spirituality in our culture today.

I don’t watch Oprah, but have you heard all the buzz about “The Secret?”

All of these religious, spiritual, and even secular “experts” are appearing on Oprah, and they’re talking about how the universe is a pulsating, living thing that we can breathe into our lives and experience joy and peace and oneness!

People line up to share their faith stories of how they have found forgiveness and grace.

I mean, it sounds like a Christian worship service –except without Christ!

Lots of people are into feeling spiritual and full of faith –but it’s not biblically based!

Likewise lots of people run around from church to church trying to “get the feeling!” Oh I like the music over there better!

Oh I feel the vibes over here more!

Listen: Faith is more than a feeling!

In John 1 the Apostle Nathanael gets goose bumps because Jesus knew his name before they ever met.

Nathanael says: Rabbi, I believe that you are the King of Israel!

Jesus says…

 

/John 1:50 “//Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree.

You shall see greater things than that.””/

And he did.

But Jesus made it clear that faith is more than just feeling spiritual or being impressed by some miracles.

So…

 

Faith is not just something you say.

Faith is not just something you feel.

*          3.

Faith is not just something you think.*

/John 10:24 “//The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense?

If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

//Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.””/

It amazes me –and this is one of the themes in the Gospel of John –how some people come to faith and others don’t.

Some of the Jews, especially the religious leaders, saw the miracles and still refused to believe!

They even had proof positive that Lazarus had been dead for four days and Jesus brought him back to life.

And what did some of them do?

They said: Everyone’s starting to believe in this guy!

We’ve got to kill him!

They wanted to argue with Jesus and debate with Jesus, but they didn’t want to believe in Jesus!

Some people are like that today.

The Bible is just a book to be argued about.

Theology is just a bunch of ideas to debate.

I’m right!

You’re wrong!

I’ve got it all figured out!