Sermon Tone Analysis

So, What’s it all about?

In the radio series and novel “The Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy”, a group of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings demand to learn the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything from the supercomputer Deep Thought, specially built for this purpose.

It takes Deep Thought 7+1⁄2 million years to compute and check the answer, which turns out to be 42.

A taxi driver once had Atheist British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) in the back of his cab.

Since Russell was the most famous philosopher of his day, the cabbie asked him: "What's it all about?"

Russell, however, could not answer.

Lyrics to 1960’s song Alfie

What's it all about, Alfie?

Is it just for the moment we live?

What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?

Humanity, has struggled to come with an answers, outside of God since time began.

However all of it is futile because ultimate truth, comes only from the Ultimate truth giver - The Lord himself.

You see outside of a saving knowledge and relationship with the Word - The Lord Jesus Christ, humanity is forever doomed to scrabble around in the darkness, never getting to the real truth of what it’s all about.

But that’s okay.

I mean that in the sense, that we ought not to be surprised when we have the latest, hot of the press, pinnacle of human thinking and reasoning for why we are here, what we are here for and where we are going?

We shouldn’t be surprised or angered because the truth is that blind, lost, sin separated, unregenerate humans can never get to the truth of What its really all about!

They literally don’t have it in them..

However, the redeemed of the Lord, the body of Christ, the born again believer, has no such excuse!

We have the Spirit of God and the Word of God, and the Lord has revealed in His word what it really is all about!

Unfortunately, The christian age we live in like never before, is one where there are very few believers that really understand what it’s all about.....

What is it all about?

Well firstly we have to grasp.

It’s not about us!

It’s Not About Us

They say the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist.

I want to counter that and say this:

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing humanity it was all about them!

Here we have it, the fall, where it all went wrong… when our first parents bought the lie that it was all about them..

Gen 3:5 “5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

you shall be as Gods.... God is keeping something from you, you deserve more, you deserve better…look after number 1, think of yourself...... Its all about you..

Now that voice still speaks to our sinful hearts today, it has gone away, and the tactic hasn't changed, because it works so well

The people of God however should, as I said earlier, know better!

We are told what to expect from the world in 1 John 2:15-17

We are warned!

Verse 15 we are warned about the love of the world 1 John 2:15 “

We are to have no love for the world

Verse 16 we are warned about the lure of the world 1 John 2:16

lust of the flesh

lust of the eyes

pride of life

Verse 17 we are warned about the length of the world 1 John 2:17 “

This world will pass away

but there is an eternity ahead

So, we are warned by John, and we can see the effect of not heeding the warning in the example of our first parents, in the garden all those years ago.

Turning back to Genesis 3:6 again, notice

The Lust of the flesh at play

“Good for Food”

The Lust of the Eyes at play

“pleasant to the eyes”

The pride of life at play

“to make one wise”

The result of all this leads to seperation from God

You see when we make it all about us, we push God out, its not God that moves its us...

How do we combat this intrinsic habitual behaviour of the human heart to make things all about us?

We don’t follow the example of our first parents, that is for sure..

We follow our Lord’s example when he walked as one of us

Turn to Matthew Chapter 4, where we have a re-run of the garden

The Lust of the flesh at play

Matt 4:3 “3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”

The pride of life at play

Matt 4:5-6 “5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

The Lust of the Eyes at play

Mat 4:8-9 “8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”

The same three temptations from the Garden wrapped up in a different package, this time the Lord shows the way..

His response

Matt 4:4 “4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Matt 4:7 “7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Matt 4:10 “10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

What is Jesus teaching us… We have to die to self...

In passing this test, Jesus then was able to go on and pass the ultimate test

Jesus, willing to die to self in the wilderness, meant he was willing to die for others in the garden

This is essential truth, taught by the master

It’s not all about us!!

It is however about the Local Church

It's About The Local Church

A seashore is a better place than the street because you need lots of room.

At first it is better to run than to walk.

You may have to try several times.

It takes some skill, but it is easy to learn.

Even young children can enjoy it.

Birds seldom get too close.

If there are no snags it can be very peaceful.

But if it breaks loose, you won't get another chance.

Without any context to frame the sentences, this paragraph doesn't make any sense.

Now let me read it again, but this time let me provide some context—a one-word frame or interpretive key.

The one word is kite.

Now see if it makes sense:

A seashore is a better place than the street because you need lots of room.

At first it is better to run than to walk.

You may have to try several times.

It takes some skill, but it is easy to learn.

Even young children can enjoy it.

Birds seldom get too close.

If there are no snags it can be very peaceful.

But if it breaks loose, you won't get another chance.

The context helps the paragraph make sense.

As believers today our context is the Local Church, its the key to our service as believers, and the need for the understanding of the local Church cannot be downplayed...

Unfortunately, the Local Church has taken a battering from all sides through the ages, and especially so in the post modern world that we live in..

A world where truth is subjective

A world where you tube is where believers take instruction from