Sermon Tone Analysis

BREATH OF GOD

BREATH ON ME BREATH OF GOD FILL ME WITH LIFE ANEW -

Breathing.

It’s something we’ve been doing since we came into this world; but oh, how we take it for granted.

The average person takes around 20,000 breaths a day.

We sigh.

We hold our breath.

We gasp.

We blow bubbles, We blow up balloons and blow out candles

Breath is mentioned many times in scripture.

We first see ruach—Spirit, wind, breath—in the second verse of Genesis, where we read that God’s Spirit hovered over the waters of the formless earth.

In the second chapter of the book, we find God blowing life into Adam.

The Message translation says that God “blew into his nostrils the breath of life.”

Many refer to this as the “Creator breath.”

We came to life when God breathed into us!

THIS HYMN THAT WAS WRITTEN IN 1878 BY EDWIN HATCH (b.

Derby, England, 1835; d.

Oxford, England, 1889).

WAS INTENDED AS A HYMN FOR ORDINATION.

IT WAS PRIVATELY PRINTED IN 1878 and then published in Henry Allon's The Congregational Psalmist Hymnal in 1886.

Intended as a hymn for ordination.

Hatch grew up in a Non-conformist home, was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, England, and ordained in the Church of England in 1859.

A teacher of classics and church history, he taught at Trinity College, Toronto, Canada (1859-1862), and at a high school in Quebec City (1862-1867).

In 1867 he returned to Oxford, where he served the academic world with great distinction, particularly as a specialist on early Christian history.

His few hymn texts were published posthumously in Towards Fields of Light (1890).

THAT SAID HYMN GOES LIKE THIS:

1 Breathe on me, Breath of God,

fill me with life anew,

that I may love the way you love,

and do what you would do.

2 Breathe on me, Breath of God,

until my heart is pure,

until my will is one with yours,

to do and to endure.

3 Breathe on me, Breath of God,

so shall I never die,

but live with you the perfect life

for all eternity.

In both Hebrew and Greek the Word for "spirit" is the same as "wind/air/breath"; thus in this text the Spirit of God is referred to as "Breath of God."

The text is a prayer for renewal by God's Spirit.

Hatch evidently had a simple and childlike faith; that description fits this text as well.

a renewal that is to be expressed in a:

1. LIFE OF LOVE

JOYCE MEYER - REDUCE ME TO LOVE

IN THIS BOOK SHE CHALLENGES YOU TO REALLY LOOK AT HOW YOU LOVE?

WE THINK LOVE IS ONE DIMENTIONAL BUT IT IS THE VERY ESSENCE OF WHO GOD IS

SCRIPTURE REMINDS US THAT WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.

AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE LOVE CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE

1 COR 13 - THAT MOST PEOPLE HEAR AT WEDDINGS AND POSSIBLY NEAR VALENTINES DAY - BUT WE CHOOSE TO MOST OF THE TIME NOT REALLY GIVE IT OUR FULL ATTENTION.

AS THE HYMNIST SAYS “TO LOVE THE WAY GOD DOES” AND TO “DO WHAT GOD DOES”

I KNOW THAT THIS IS A WHOLE TOPIC ON ITS OWN AND WE CAN TRULY BREAK IT DOWN PIECE BY PIECE.

THATS WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE TITLE OF JOYCES BOOK AND HOW SHE BROKE LOVE DOWN - IT IS ABOUT REDUCING OURSELVES IN ORDER TO ENABLE US TO LOVE THE WAY GOD LOVES.

1 Breathe on me, Breath of God,

fill me with life anew,

that I may love the way you love,

and do what you would do.

2. In purity of heart and will

2 Breathe on me, Breath of God,

until my heart is pure,

until my will is one with yours,

to do and to endure.

THE PROPHET EZEKIEL

HE WAS AMONG THE FIRST EXILES TAKEN FROM JUDAH - AWAY FROM JERUSALEM

HE WAS SITTING BESIDES THE RIVER IN HIS 30TH YEAR - THE YEAR HE WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE A PRIEST ACORDING TO THE LEVITICAL PRACTICES OF THAT DAY.

HE SEES THIS VISION OF THESE FOUR STRANGE WINGED CREATURES WITH FOUR FACES AND THERE ARE WHEELS UNDER THEM AND THERE IS THIS THRONE ON TOP THAT IS DEPICTING A MAN LIKE IMAGE THAT IS GLOWING - THIS IS A VISION OF THE GLORY OF GOD.

EZEKIEL IS THEN CALLED INTO SERVICE FOR GOD TO WARN THE NATION OF ISRAEL OF THEIR DISOBEDIENCE.

EZEKIEL SEES THE PRESENCE OF GOD LEAVING THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM AND GOD USES EZEKIEL TO PERFORM “STREET THEATER” BY GIVING THE PEOPLE A PICTURE OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING WRONG.

DESTROY

CUT HAIR

DEPICT SCAPEGOAT

GOD ALSO TELLS EZEKIEL THAT THE PEOPLES HEARTS ARE HARDENED AND THEY WILL NOT LISTEN.

EZEKIEL SEES THE PRESENCE OF GOD LEAVING JERUSALEM

NOW I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT ALTHOUGH THE PRESENCE OF GOD HAS LEFT THE TEMPLE BECAUSE OF ALL THE IDOL WORSHIP GOING ON THERE, HE DOES NOT ABONDON THEM HE ENTERS INTO BAYBYLON WITH THE ISREALITES.

HE HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO BRING THEM INTO EXILE

THEN WE SEE HOW THIS UNFOLDS

GODS JUDGMENT IS THEN PRONOUNCED ON ISRAEL THEMSELVES AND THEN ON THE NATIONS AROUND THEM.

CHAPTER 36

GOD GIVES ISRAEL THE MESSAGE OF HOPE IN THAT HE PROMISES TO GIVE THEM A NEW KING TO RAISE UP A NEW DAVID, A FUTURE MESSIANIC KING.

THIS KING WILL BE THE KIND OF LEADER THAT ISRAEL NEEDED BUT DID NOT GET

GOD SAYS HE WILL RAISE UP A NEW ISREAL

THEY WILL HAVE HEARTS SOFTENED TOWARDS GOD

HE SAID HE WILL PUT HIS SPIRIT WITHIN THEM.

EZEKIEL GETS ANOTHER VISION - ONE I AM SURE YOU HAVE HEARD OF MANY TIMES

THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES

GOD TELLS EZEKIEL THIS IS A METAPHORIAL VISION OF THE STATE OF ISRAELS SPIRTUAL STATE.

THE VALLEY DEPICTS A LOT OF WHAT HAPPENED MANY PEOPLE DID DIE IN EXILE BUT HE IS SHOWING THEM HOW THEY HAVE BROKEN COVENANT WITH GOD.

GOD TELLS EZEKIEL THAT HIS SPIRIT IS COMING TO BRING THE PEOPLE BACK TO LIFE.

SO THIS WIND COMES - RUAKH AND CAUSES ALL THE BONES TO STAND UP AND BREATHES LIFE INTO THEM AND CAUSES SKIN TO GROW AND EZEKIEL SEES ALL THESE NEW HUMANS IN FRONT OF HIM.

THIS IS A RECOLLECTION OF THE STORY OF THE CREATION OF HUMANS IN CHPTER 2 OF GENESIS WHERE GOD USED DIRT AND DIVINE BREATH TO CREATE HUMANS.

WE SEE HERE THE REBELLION OF ISREAL AND HUMANITY WHICH RESULTS IN DEATH

THE ONLY WAY AROUND THIS IS FOR GOD TO BRING ABOUT A NEW CREATION IN OTHER WORDS TO BRING THEM BACK TO LIFE.

THIS IS WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES AT THIS CHAPTER OF EZEKIEL WHEN GOD IS TELLING HIM THAT HE IS GOING TO TAKE THEIR HEARTS OF STONE AND GIVE THEM HEARTS OF FLESH.

A CLEAN HEART IS POWERLESS IF IT LACKS THE RIGHT SPIRIT

WE HAVE A WRONG SPIRIT TOWARD GOD AND HOW HE PROVIDES

WE ARE ALSO GUILTY OF A JEALOUS, UNFORGIVING, CRITICAL, THOUGHTLESS , HARD SPIRITS TOWARD THOSE AROUND US.

LET ME JUST CLARIFY, THIS WORD RIGHT, IS NOT IN CONTRAST TO THE WORD WRONG IT IMPLIES BEING UPRIGHT, HONEST AND TRANSPARENT IN EVERY DETAIL OF OUR CHRISTIAN LIVES.

DAVID IN COMITTING ADULTERY WITH BATHSHEBA HAD BEEN GUILTY OF DECEPTION

AS SOLDIERS OF CHRIST THERE ARE NO EASY PARADE DAYS FOR US - WE NEED TO BE ON THE READY, FIRM UPRIGHT AND READY, ALERT WAITING FOR THE NEXT COMMAND OF OBEDIENCE.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN US.

THE HUMAN SPIRIT CAN ONLY BE SANCTIFIED, HALLOWED BY THE DIVINE SPIRIT