Sermon Tone Analysis

*This Time, This Place*

October 2, 2005

 

I.

Thank yous:

A.   The Bennett Bed and Breakfast for free accommodations last Saturday night

B.    The Buckleys for the on-going free accommodations

C.   All who painted and caulked and installed and otherwise prepared the Buckley Bed and Breakfast for me and my family.

D.   All who made sandwiches and unloaded the trucks and carried large items up the very narrow, old staircase.

1.

After we unloaded everything at the farm, a few of us came over here to unload my office boxes and when we lifted the U-haul door, sitting there on one of my boxes of books was a sweet little Buckley cat.

He was a stow-away and I think he was less thrilled with the situation than I was.

But, we spent the rest of the evening together until I returned him back to his home.

We bonded, I think.

2.     That night, I spoke with Beth on the phone and we agreed that it would be best—given the size of the house and number of rooms—for the Master bedroom to be upstairs.

I was very tired, so I decided to get our bed set up so I could crash whenever I needed to.

I took the bedrails up that narrow staircase, then I squeezed the two twin-sized box springs that sit under the mattress up that tiny staircase, then I came downstairs and as though I was looking at it for the first time, stared at our king-size mattress.

It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that it would be a class B miracle to get that king-size mattress up the mouse-size staircase by myself!

But I did it.

I can’t remember exactly how I did it because I immediately passed out on the mattress after I got it upstairs.

I just thought you’d be glad to hear that—when necessary—I’m able to pull off a class B miracle.

E.    So many of you have made us feel so welcome and on behalf of my wife, Beth, and myself and our children—thank you.

It is good to finally be here.

For the past two months we’ve been emotionally leaving Texas and getting to Kansas.

It feels good to finally be here.

II.

Introduction

A.   Many of you know that I arrived here in Lawrence just over 7 days ago—September 25 just after midnight.

My wife and children arrived on Friday.

That’s the “when.”

“When” we came to Community Bible Church.

B.    Many of you know that my family and I—and our Texas family (Coppell Bible)—loaded approximately 200 boxes, furniture and toys, bikes and computers, onto two U-haul trucks last Saturday.

Our friend, Rick Damuth, drove one truck and I drove the other truck.

We came up I-35 out of Coppell, up through Oklahoma City, up through Wichita to Emporia.

Then we took 335 to Topeka.

In Topeka we got on I-70 and arrived in Lawrence about 11 hours later.

That’s the “how.”

“How” we came to Community Bible Church.

C.   Many of you knew the “when” and the “how,” but not all of you know the “why.”

I know what some of you are thinking: “Why is this perfect stranger—or imperfect stranger (I admit it, it’s true) the new pastor of Community Bible Church.

Some of the “whys” are yet to be discovered.

We know God is in complete control and He doesn’t always tell us what He’s up to.

I believe with all my heart that He has led us to this place at this time.

D.   But from a human perspective—from the perspective of your elder board and myself as I prepared my resume and as they pored over a couple thousand resumes J—the answer boils down to this: Shared values.

I’m convinced that I fit here.

I think this church wants to accomplish—for the glory of God—the same things I want to accomplish in my life—for the glory of God.

E.    You don’t know me—yet.

I don’t know you—yet.

But I believe we have shared values.

F.    Over the next several weeks, I want to explore those shared values.

Ninety percent of the time, I will be preaching expositional sermons—book by book, verse by verse.

But there is a time and place for topical sermons.

The topics I will be preaching over the next several weeks will help you to get to know me—how I think, what I’m passionate about, why I’m here.

My hope is that as I preach through these topics—these shared values—God will begin to give us a vision for the future of Community Bible Church of Lawrence, Kansas.

G.   The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:26, “…I run in such a way as not without aim; I box in such a way as not beating the air.”

His ministry was aimed at something.

His work had a clear target.

We need to follow his example and clearly define what we’re aiming at.

What our target is.

By identifying our shared values, we identify our target.

Every program, every activity, every decision can be run through this standard—these values—and help us to evaluate whether we’re running without aim or beating the air or whether we’re running in the right direction and hitting the target.

III.What are these shared values?—you

ask.

Here’s a list—developed by your elder board before we met.

We found that we—and presumably you—share the following values:

A.   We value the Bible.*

*

1.     Second Timothy 3:16 tells us “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable…” How is it profitable?

Read on!

“…For teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

You and I need to know this book.

But even more than that—we need to do it, keep it, live it, obey it—trained for righteous living.

Knowing the Bible is not the end.

It’s the means to an end.

That end is changed lives for the glory of God.

Our aim must be to know this book and encourage one another to be doers of this book.

2.     In fact, all of our values are inseparable from this first one.

Everything a church values should be a biblical value—I believe this list is biblical.

That’s not always the case, though.

Sometimes, churches value buildings too much.

Sometimes they value their reputation too much.

Sometimes they value their denominational affiliation so much that they are willing to sacrifice their doctrine on the altar of unity.

Sometimes churches value certain programs that don’t help accomplish their purpose anymore.

All of our values must be biblical.

3.     Expositional, applicational preaching of the Bible has changed my life—made me a better Christ-follower, a better husband, a better father, a better man.

I want to provide that kind of preaching and teaching to this church.

4.     My promise to you is that I will follow the example of the apostles by devoting myself to prayer and to the Scriptures.

I will work hard at preaching and teaching—and at showing how what is preached and taught should make a difference in our lives.

5.     And, I will be praying that God will continue to use those of you who have had a teaching ministry in this church and raise up new teachers that can refute false teaching and defend Biblical doctrine and show all of us how to be doers of the Word.

B.    We value community.*

*

1.

Over and over and over the Scriptures tell us to love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, serve one another, exhort one another, accept one another, be kind to one another, submit to one another, comfort one another, teach one another.

I made a list of 34 “one-anothers” in my quiet time once.

2.     Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

3.     My promise to you is that I will constantly “consider how to stimulate” this body “to love and good deeds.”

4.     And, I will be praying that you will do the same.

That all of us will commit ourselves to being here every Sunday morning and—just as important as Sunday morning service—plugging into a small group.

A group that you can connect with.

A group that will pray for you by name.

A group that will encourage you in your specific, unique struggles.

C.   We value prayer.

1.     Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving…”

2.     But we struggle with it.

We find ourselves frustrated with our lack of prayer.