Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

Questions.

It seems life is full of questions.

Simple questions.

Such as what time is it?

Or what's the weather going to be like today or even what's for dinner?

And then also questions that are deeper.

More profound.

Questions that get at the heart of what life is all about.

Those questions are harder for us and we often avoid them when we can, but sometimes they press in on us in a way that we can no longer avoid them and we must face them.

We're meeting today worshipping on October 31st, historic, reminder of reformation day, and the Reformation that took place so many years ago, 1517 when it began really, probably began earlier than that, but when Martin Luther nailed 95 thesis to a church door, in essence 95 questions about the church and how the church needed to get back to the basics.

The ornamentation and all that, we as humans, tend to drape on our understanding of God needed to be addressed.

You see how we see God, how we understand God, has a lot to do with how we behave and who we become.

So, Martin Luther was nailing those thesis, those questions in essence to the door to challenge the church.

As Reformation began and reformers and movements began and denominations were formed.

It was time to reshape people's understanding to re-teach people how to understand God, and how did they do that?

They did that with what we call catechisms, which are made up of a series of questions followed by answers.

And then they're Dutch, reformed tradition, many of us know, the Heidelberg Catechism, certainly those of us who are of a certain age can remember that we had to learn or even a memorize, many of those questions and answers.

I see some nods even now and I can go to some of our oldest members, even as much of their memory may be fading, I can still ask them the first question of the Heidelberg, Catechism, I can say what is your only comfort in life and in death and I will hear back.

Yeah, I hear people doing it, what is your only comfort in life and in death that I'm not my own right?

And I belong to my faithful Savior.

Jesus Christ, right?

I didn't get that.

Exactly, right.

I got to go back to my memorization.

But like she does.

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

And I'm not my own by body and soul to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Presbyterians have the Westminster.

Catechism question answer.

Number one is something like this.

What is the chief end of man?

Forgive the sexism of the question?

It was formed in D6. 1560.

What is the chief end of man?

But to know God and to glorify him to enjoy him forever, something of that nature.

Questions, they form what we are after, what we are pursuing, what we want to know.

Last week, we had a question that was delivered to us as we looked in the gospel of Mark and we explored blind, man Bartimaeus, this one who called out to Jesus on the roadside and wanted Jesus to come and free him to lift him from his blindness.

And yet, we discovered that he wasn't as blind as he may have thought.

That he could actually see who Jesus was.

And the question that was put to us when Jesus said to him go your way.

The question was what way did he go?

What way did Bartimaeus?

This blind man who now could see what way did he go?

And also if we can see Jesus, what way will we go?

For Jesus was going to Jerusalem.

He was going to the cross.

And that's the call for us as well.

Can you do one today and the gospel of Mark?

And we come upon Jesus now in Jerusalem?

We know this is not going to be an easy Journey for him and sure enough.

It turns out it's not being easy at all.

He is faced a series of questions from the religious leaders and our passage today is from Mark chapter 12, beginning at the 28th verse and we're going to encounter the last question that he deals with.

So let's pray that God would open his word to us.

Lord, may you guide us through our questions?

More importantly, may you guide us through your words so that we may understand, you rightly?

And in our understanding of you be able to properly reshape And re-orientate ourselves.

So may your word be clear, oh Lord this morning and may your spirit move Among Us.

In Jesus name, amen.

Mark, chapter 12 verses 28 to 34 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another and seeing that, he that is Jesus answered them well, asked him.

"Which commandment is the most important of all?

Jesus answered.

the most important is, Hear o Israel.

The Lord.

Our God, the Lord is one.

And you shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

The second one is this.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There's no other commandment greater than these.

And the Scribe said to him.

You are right teacher.

You have truly said that he is one and there is no other beside him and to love him with all the heart.

And with all the understanding with all the strength than to love one's neighbor as oneself as much more that all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely.

He said to him, you are not far from the kingdom of God.

And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

You see, Jesus triumphantly entered into Jerusalem in upon entering Jerusalem.

One of the things were told is that he goes into the temple and he turns over the tables of the money-changers.

He doesn't exactly make him himself, a welcome guest in the temple.

And he immediately draws all the attention and all the Wrath of the religious leadership in Jerusalem.

The first question he faced is comes from the chief priests the scribes in the elders.

In other words, pivotal people.

And they come to him and they simply asked this question, "By What authority do you do these things?

in other words who gave you, this Authority,

Jesus doesn't answer the question because he asks them a question as well saying.

Hey, John the Baptist.

Yes, I'm still getting over the cold.

Yes them a question about John the Baptist whether or not he was a prophet.

And they realize they're trapped that.

They say he wasn't then, all the people will turn on them.

And if they say he was and he'll ask why they didn't support him.

So the next group of religious leaders come this time, the Pharisees and the herodians.

They try to form of entrapment, try to bring a question to him, that will catch him.

They want to know whether or not they should be giving taxes to the Roman government.

You see all those receipts came through the temple process, and there were a lot of shady realities and all this.

And again, Jesus Dodges that question, and we know that one full well by him asking for them to bring a coin to him.

And I'm asking whose image is on the coin.

They say Caesars and he says we'll give to Caesar.

What is Caesar's and to God? What is God's?