Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Entice: John's gospel famously, does not have a "birth narrative."
When we look at everything John wrote, however, we find that there is a Christmas story after all.
Let me read it for you.
Not exactly what we expect for a Christmas story.
Most of us like our Christmas's to be quaint and homey.
We like to think of Christmas as something which is celebrated globally, but we, of course, do it best right here locally.
Engage: In the Apocalypse nativity story John reminds us of the cosmic dimensions of the coming of Christ.
It can be difficult during this season which is both holy and lowly to remember the grand dimensions of Incarnation and the continual wrath of the dragon who had plagued humanity since Eden.
In our typical manger scene (creche for the fancy) you have Jesus and "his folks."
You have shepherds, wisemen, and barnyard critters.
All is calm, all is bright on that special, Silent Night.
Revelation 12 reminds us that we should also have a dragon in our manger scenes.
Expand: John saw the incarnation as a part of the larger drama stretching back beyond creation, winding from Eden to Golgotha, the Garden tomb, and ultimately consummation.
We need that larger perspective.
Excite: So, get yourself a dragon to complete your manger scene.
We need a dragon to remind us of where we came from, a serpent to remind us of our fallen state, a snake to remind us why Jesus came to us as God incarnate.
That serpent, that dangerous dragon should remind us of the nature of the conflict.
We may take a holiday break
but Satan is still, 2000 years after his defeat,
furious.
Our own experience reinforces what the Bible Teaches.
Explore: God's best work brings out the Worst in Satan.
Explain: The dragon is defeated the Kingdom is come...Joy to the world because...
Body of Sermon:
The Christ conquers.
Salvation
Power
Kingdom
Authority
The Cross is sufficient.
What does this have to do with His crucifixion and our atonement?
EVERYTHING
The fury of the dragon is the result of the failure of the cross to stop God’s plan.
The “throwing down” of Satan…His crushing defeat, His eternal exile was accomplished on the cross.
The Conflict is over
Though the combat continues.
Revelation 12:13–17 (ESV)
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
And he stood on the sand of the sea.
Satan’s continued combat against the Risen Christ is waged against us, the offspring of the woman.
John uses this language in writing to at least one congregation he supervised.
And the tools of deception, distraction, and destruction are the same whether described symbolically or real.
Shut Down:
For many people Christmas is the ultimate season of pretending.
Some charades cannot be mentioned in public but you all know the large-scale pretend I'm speaking of.
Many people will spend the whole Christmas season pretending that relationships are not as damaged as they appear.
Others will pretend that they are not as depressed as they appear.
Still others will pretend that they can give more because they have more money than they do.
We are used to
pretending during Christmas and
paying the bill for that pretense later.
This is a dragon strategy of denial.
He has fought for 21 centuries to convince as many people as possible that he did not really lose the battle of cross and tomb.
The conflict really is over.
The cross really is enough to save everyone who believes.
Christ really conquered.
It is beyond time for us to give up the serpent strategies of self-deception and to believe in Jesus the victor.
God did His best work in Jesus.
The dragon may breath his fire.
The blood of the Lamb quenches the thirst of the flames of hell.
This is God's Word for us this Christmas Season...
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