Sermon Tone Analysis

Good Morning Harmony!

So guys, just in case you don’t know it yet, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Kristin and I really don’t do much for Valentine’s Day, because we’re that gross couple type that are kinda just lovey-dovey everyday all day, so for us, like every day is valentine’s day.

I know, some of you are like gag me already, but it’s true - we kinda just are like we’re still dating - we still like to be around each other.

And really the glue that holds us together is both of us keeping Christ first in our relationship.

Now, here’s how we met -

I had a rotten Saturday in band - we went somewhere to do a field show competition, and it was just bad - and I was a real band geek, so I really didn’t want to go anywhere, but my best friend at the time, Jonathan, had invited me to go to his church for a church hayride.

And I was just all I don’t want to go, I’m in a bad mood, and so on - right?

Self started pity party, table for one.

But he keeps on, and so I’m just like fine, I’ll go, but I’m going to have a rotten time about it.

So we pull into the parking lot of the church, and I get out of the car, and there she is - the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

And a lot of people say love at first site isn’t a thing, but I’m gonna tell you, it absolutely is - the moment I laid eyes on her and heard her voice and talked with her - it was like this is the girl.

We were 16 at the time, and we started dating in December 1996, we were engaged in May 1997, and we were married in June 1998 - fresh out of high school.

And here’s the picture of us on our wedding day - they said that smile on my face was plastered on there the entire time.

Through all of this time, we wrote love letters to one another.

And yes, they were the kind of love letters you would expect from teenagers, with pictures and that kind of lovey-dovey mushiness, but we still have quite a few of those letters in a tote with us here, because they are still precious to us to this day.

And what I want us to look at today is the ultimate love letter.

God’s word is the ultimate love letter.

The very first verse that most of us memorize is John 3:16 -

And so the big point that I want us to look at is how

The Word of God is the ultimate love story, directed toward every person that ever has lived, is living, or will live.

Beginning to end, the entire Bible is written for you.

It’s written for you.

We see it

1.

THROUGH CREATION.

When God was creating everything, He created every bit of it to bring glory to Himself through a gift to us.

Look at Genesis 1:27 and 28:

First, He created us in His image - no other creature on earth has that image.

God created us to bear His image, which shows the love He has for you as His creation.

Second He gave us dominion over everything on the earth.

All of God’s beauty and splendor on earth He basically just hands over to us and tells us it’s for you.

God looks on all of creation, and says you know what?

I’m going to make something special.

I’m going to make something that is in my image, that I can love and cherish and that will be able to love me back.

And that’s where we’d still be if the problem of sin had never came up - we wouldn’t have the love letter because we don’t need love letters if that love is mutual and works the way God had designed it.

But He gave us a choice - and unfortunately we chose poorly.

So we need this love letter from God, and He starts off with telling us that He created us in His image with this ability to love and walk with our Creator.

God’s love letter, from the beginning, to you.

He shows us

2. THROUGH ABRAHAM.

God comes to Abraham and many would just blow past this thinking God is god of the Hebrews that are going to come from Abraham, but look at what God says - Genesis 12:1-3 -

By now God is saying I know it’s broken, I know that there’s problems that you have, I didn’t create you to have to go through this, so I’m going to help you, I’m going to provide a way out.

So God says I’m going to make you a great nation Abraham, so that that nation can bless other nations, and ultimately everyone on earth is going to be blessed by you - all peoples from all tribes of all ages, every single person on earth will be blessed by you, because I want to restore what you were truly meant to be.

And there’s two sides to love, right.

God says I love you to Abraham, and gives him Isaac.

And then in chapter 22 God tests Abraham’s love in return -

Now a lot of us may take that as the cruelest thing ever, but I guarantee that almost every one of us has tested the love of someone else.

We may not have said go sacrifice your son - but how often do we hear or say or think if you loved me, do this?

And it’s important to look at Abraham’s response - he just does it, and he even answers his son -

Dad, where’s the sacrifice?

God’s got this.

Abraham trusted that God had a plan, and He knew God loved Him because God already had given him Isaac when there was no possible way that could happen without God’s love.

And it doesn’t say Abraham questioned it - God will provide the lamb.

I know God is going to do something, and Isaac will be safe.

I just know it, because God said so in His love letter to me.

When we test one another’s love, we check to see the limits of that love, right?

And a part of that test is do you trust me?

When I joined the Navy, it was a quick fast thing - a lot quicker than most do nowadays.

I needed a job, and I was calling in response to a firefighter job ad in the newspaper - oldschool, I know.

And I dial the number, and I hear “Navy recruiting, how can I help you sir or ma’am”

I’m sorry, wrong number.

Because I thought I had dialed the wrong number.

So I dial again, this time really slowly, like I’m articulating the numbers in my head as I’m dialing the numbers one at a time, because I didn’t want that again.

And guess who answered the phone?

Same thing, so I say I’m trying to respond to this firefighter ad in the newspaper, and they’re all that’s us - you could hear the change in their voice, it was like everyone else dials and says wrong number and never calls again, this guy was stupid enough to call back and talk to us -

And they ask me if I’d like for a recruiter to call me back - and I respond sure, but it’s not this super excited sure, its more like that I’m not really sure but sure.

Now I’ve been married three years, we’ve got Anna, and I don’t have a job at this moment that was working.

So as I’m getting off the phone and telling Kristin about what’s going on as the phone is already ringing, she’s got to trust me.

As I leave that day for the recruiter office, she’s got to trust me.

As I’m making the trip to Kansas City that same day for processing, she’s got to trust me.

And a couple of weeks later when I ship out to boot camp, I’m asking her with everything that is going on from the moment I went to the recruiting station to the day I left for boot camp and every day since then with every day that passes and every life event in-between, do you love me enough to trust me as we start down this path?

And she’s asking all along the way, do you love and trust me enough to stay with you through all of this, and that is the transaction taking place here with Abraham - do you love me, do you trust me enough with everything that you have?

Abraham says yes Lord, I trust you and I know you are going to provide for all of this.

And God does.

But God doesn’t stop there.

Look at verses 15-18:

God re-states the promise - not only are you going to have a nation produced through your offspring, you will bless the whole earth.

God’s love letter continues

3. THROUGH JOB.

Most of us don’t necessarily think “love” when we look at Job’s life.

I mean, Job 1:8-11:

Take that word fear, which is more like trust or love - Does Job love you for nothing?

You’ve blessed the snot out of this guy, take it all away, and I bet his love for you is gone.

Take all that he has, and then we’ll just see how much he loves you.

It’s similar to the garden back in Genesis, man had a perfect life, where we were blessed by God, and satan is able to convince Adam and Eve to choose contrary to loving God.

So Satan says take away that blessing, test Job’s love when everything is removed.

And God allows Satan to do things.

Remember those wedding vows, in sickness and in health, for better of for worse?

Job was getting the short end of that stick.

Speaking of vows, everyone is telling Job to give up and let the devil win - even his wife:

Curse God and die - And Job calls her a fool basically.

Men, be brave, but if your wife ever tells you to curse God or to turn your back on Him, I hope you’ll remember the promises God has for you and you will have the courage to tell your wife the same thing as Job.

Wives are not always right, and here’s proof.

His friends show up to comfort and sympathize him.

And they do a lousy job of that, but God comes in and there’s a conversation that does comfort Job, and in the end of the book of Job:

Blesses him more than before with stuff and kids and allows Job to live long enough to see four generations.

We see it

4. THROUGH JEREMIAH.

The Israelites are going into captivity, and God conveys His love even through that - Jeremiah 29:10-13 -

I will confirm my promise - that promise I made to Abraham so many years before - I know the plans I have for you, because I love you, and you will learn to love me - not by force, but by choice.