Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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I have been thinking a lot this week about where I am, where we are and where we are going.
Since the start of this series on Hall of Faith I keep asking myself could I be included in this list?
Could my life be reflective of this legacy?
Last week there were many in our area who ran the Tely 10.
This is such an amazing accomplishment, something that I would one day love to accomplish.
However, to get there I have to overcome many obstacles to make it.
We as a church, have been running a race and there have been many obstacles, especially in these last few years hey?
Some of us think we are going to go on a run and it is as easy as it looks.
That we just need a little tune up on our waist to get back in shape after we have let ourselves go.
Not long after you get in the race you realize its not a quick run it is an obstacle course.
We begin to run then stop and start for a bit.
When you actually get started you realize that you need to put all of yourself in this to make it to the finish line.
You are exhausted, humbled and feel spent/drained.
Sometimes the obstacles may take us down for a while.
Run with Perseverence
Run with Perseverence the race marked out for us.
That’s easier said than done.
The word race in the Greek is “agon”.
This is where we get the word agony.
That word indicates that the race marked out for us is not a fun run.
It is:
difficult
demanding
challenging
It is not a run on the beach it is a run where your sides hurt, legs cramp and muscles that you did not even know you had hurt.
But you don’t stop you KEEP RUNNING!
Sometimes we think that life should be a fun run simply because you’ve signed up with Jesus.
For some you may think the whole reason for signing up with Jesus was to avoid obstacles because regular life has too many of them.
As you look through the Bible you see that those who ran the race God marked out for them they had to deal with one obstacle after another.
I know, I know you are saying aren’t you a ray of sunshine and roses this morning.
But heros of faith faced significant and surprising obstacles.
This is the theme of the chapter after Heb.
12: 1.
Nehemiah ran that kind of race.
His story is one of troubling and humbling time for the people of Israel.
They were:
exiled in a foreign land
humiliated
dragged off
slaves
The book of Nehemiah can been seen as a 2500 year old prayer journal.
587 BC the Babylonians conquered Israel and took them away to serve them
Then the Persian empire rose up and conquered the Babylonians
So you can say they were twice captured into slavery.
This is a little background and now we find Nehemiah, an Israelite who has probably never seen his homeland, never ever visited Jerusalem.
Israel was miles away from him and most of the people had never been back in 40 years.
That’s a long way to be away from home.
Nehemiah lives in the capital city of Persia and he works in a prominent position as cupbearer to the King.
His job is to taste the wine to make sure it has not been poisioned.
Nehemiah heard that his home city of Jerusalem was in ruins, walls destroyed and gates burned down.
He was devestated emotionally.
Jerusalem had been bright and beautiful in his mind and now that picture had been destroyed.
After days of prayer & fasting Nehemiah knew what he should do, he had firm assurance.
God had laid it on his heart to do something about his ruined homeland.
He now needed to get to work at it.
Nehemiah had a comfortable life.
He lived in a palace with all the luxury and comforts of that day.
Why would he want to give that up?
He realized that it was time to enter the race, time to discover that many basic obstacles we all face.
This morning we are going to look at some of these obstacles:
Indifference
This is the mother of all obstacles, why?
It can keep us from even running.
Nehemiah could have said:
Jerusalem is too far away
I’ve never been there
I will help someone else go
I can’t leave my job
What does that city really have to do with my life now?
No one else is doing anything
The bystander effect - when people are more concernced with filming the event than intervening.
illustration:
Popeye Brutus and Olive Oyl
Brutus was the villian
Olive Oyl was Popeye’s girlfriend
Brutus often gives Popeye and his lady love a hard time.
He tries to put up with it.
He endures a lot of stuff before he takes action.
Finally he says the famous words: “That’s all I can stand, and I can’t stand no more!”
Then he pops open a can of spinach which gives him a boost and he becomes a fighting machine.
I say that to ask this how long do you stand on the sidelines enduring before you can’t stand it no more?
I am not saying fight this cause or that cause.
I am saying run with endurance in the race that is before us.
Have we lost sight of what we are supposed to be doing?
Has our focus of the great commission shifted?
Do we still strive to do for God all we can?
Do we still try to reach out?
Or have we stalled out? due to the obstacles, pandemic, age??
We have to overcome apathy - our lack of interest, enthusiasm and concern.
You may say of course we are on board pastor.
I ask these questions for these reasons:
our attendance is lower than normal
there was a time when nothing would ever stop us from worshipping together now it seems that has changed.
Even before covid.
our willingness to serve as leaders, board members, ushers/greeters, children’s workers
often we say yes then quit before really giving it a good go.
We give up before we have even done anything.
Nehemiah reached the point where he knew it was time to get on track and start running.
Then the question gets asked:
What can I do?
Which is another bystander effect - the belief that nothing can be done.
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