Sermon Tone Analysis
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INTRODUCTION
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL JOB IT WOULD BE FOR BELIEVERS IF NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED, WHERE IT HAPPENED OR
HOW IT HAPPENED ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS LOOK TO GOD FOR GOD TO GIVE US THE STRENGTH AND WISDOM TO
SPREAD THE WONDER OF GOD’S ANSWER OF “YES” TO EVERYTHING......
-YES FOR OUR OWN LIVES AND OUR POSSIBILITIES
-YES FOR THE LIVES OF THOSE WE LOVE AND THOSE WHO LOVE US
-YES FOR THE ONES WHO STILL STAND ON THE BRINK OF BELIEVING......FOLKS WHO WANT TO SEE SIGNS AS
DRAMATIC SHOWS OF GOD’S AWESOME POWER
-YES TO THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO BELIEVE AND SEEM ON A PERMANENT PATH OF UNBELIEF
BUT THE PROBLEM OF GOD’S ABILITY AND WILL TO SAY NO IS A PROBLEM AS OLD AS BIBLE TIMES....AND IT’S A
PROBLEM THAT REMAINS ONE THAT WILL NOT BE SOLVED AS LONG AS GOD IS DIVINE AND WE ARE THE CREATURES
MADE BY GOD’S OWN DESIGN…PERHAPS IT WAS THE GREAT PROPHET ISAIAH WHO SAID IT BEST.....
ONE OF THE GREAT, GO-TO RESOURCES FOR INSPIRATION, GUIDEPOSTS MAGAZINE TURNS TO A
PASTOR/WRITER/LITERARY AGENT NAMED BOB HOSTETLER WHO WRITES WIDELY FOR THEM ON THE SUBJECT OF
PRAYER......AND HE BOILED GOD’S “NO” TO PRAYERS DOWN TO THREE THINGS WE MIGHT SEARCH OUT IF OUR
ANSWER FROM GOD FEELS LIKE A “NO”...... “NO” AFTERALL, IS AN ANSWER TO PRAYER TOO.....AMEN?
PERHAPS NOT THE PREFERRED ANSWER, BUT A BONA FIDE ANSWER NONETHELESS......
THE STORY IS TOLD OF A BOY IN A PICKLE OF A SITUATION......A BOY WHO TURNED TO PRAYER
A fifth grade boy who had heard a sermon on persistence in prayer was praying by himself in his room one
night.
As his dad passed his door, he heard the boy praying over and over again, “Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo.”
The
next day, the dad asked his son what he was doing.
The boy replied that he had given the wrong answer on
a test for the capital of Mexico, and he was praying that Tokyo would become the capital of Mexico.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE YOUNG BOY PRAYING....AND FOR THE WORLD....THE ANSWER WAS NO....TOKYO WILL
NEVER BECOME THE CAPITAL OF MEXICO…AMEN?
BOB HOSTETLER’S HELPFUL CONSIDERATIONS AROUND GOD’S NO
THE LEGENDARY FAITHFULNESS OF MOSES WAS MET LATE IN HIS LIFE WITH
ANGUISH.....THERE HE STOOD ON A
BLUFF OVERLOOKING THE PROMISED LAND, THE LAND OF MILK AND
HONEY........THERE ON THAT BLUFF MOSES
PRAYED TO THE LORD OUR GOD.....ACCORDING TO DEUTERONOMY 3:25
AND GOD’S ANSWER WAS NO.....BUT BEFORE WE ASK, ALONG WITH MOSES, WITH ANGUISHED HEARTS OURSELVES,
WHY NOT GOD?
MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE TO DO.....BOB’S PRAYERFUL ADVICE, IS THIS:
#1 - “MAKE SURE YOUR HEART IS RIGHT”........IF GOD’S ANSWER FEELS AS THOUGH IT’S SLOW IN COMING THIS IS
THE STEP THAT IS THE STEP OF REFLECTION AND INTROSPECTION.......THIS IS THE STEP THAT CALLS FOR US TO
SLOW DOWN IN OUR SPIRIT AND JUST MAKE SURE......AND DOUBLY SURE OUR HEARTS ARE READY NO MATTER
WHAT CHALLENGES MAY BE AHEAD IN GOD’S ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS.....
CHAPTER 4 OF THE BOOK OF JAMES IS ALL ABOUT THE MOTIVES OF BELIEVERS, BELOVEDS......IT’S ABOUT OUR
SUBMISSION TO THE WAYS OF GOD…AND WE CAN ONLY GET TO SUBMISSION BY LOOKING INWARD AND
REFLECTING ON WHERE WE ARE.....AND CONSISTENTLY, IF NOT ALSO PERSISTENTLY MAKING SURE OUR HEART IS
RIGHT, THAT OUR HEARTS ARE WIDE OPEN TO GOD’S DESIRES FOR US.......
#2ndly - BOB ENCOURAGES US TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THE PROPHET ELIJAH........AND GOD’S TIMING
Few names in the Bible shine as brightly as the prophet Elijah's.
After he routed
the prophets of the false god Baal on Mt.
Carmel, he took off for the desert and,
after a full day’s journey, came to rest under a tree.
There, Elijah–the great champion of God, the great man of faith and prophet of
Israel–prayed, “Let me die.”
God said "no."
Why? Apparently God still had things for Elijah to do (1 Kings 19:15-17).
And
God did eventually answer Elijah’s prayer, in a manner of speaking, by
suddenly taking him up to heaven in chariots of fire (2 Kings 2:11, NIV).
Sometimes, when GOD’S answer is no, you might consider whether God said no
because the timing wasn’t right...and find hope and encouragement in
knowing that GOD knows best.
TO ASK GOD WHY NOT FOR ELIJAH IS TO QUESTION GOD’S TIMING......SOMETIMES GOD’S NO ISN’T A NO FOREVER,
BELOVEDS....IT’S JUST A NO FOR RIGHT NOW......
#3rdly - BOB ENCOURAGES US TO REMEMBER THE APOSTLE PAUL AND IF OUR PRAYER IS THE RIGHT PRAYER TO
PRAY.........
He asked three times for God to take away a “thorn in the flesh,” something that caused Paul much trouble
and frustration.
But God said "no."
Why? Paul answered the question himself.
Because the prayer was not right.
Paul did not see–until God
pointed it out to him somehow–that his “thorn in the flesh” was being used by God for a purpose.
Sometimes the answer is "no" because the prayer itself is not right.
Such instances call for surrender–and
revision.
There may be a different prayer we need to pray instead.
SO MANY TIMES WHAT WE’RE REALLY PRAYING FOR IS FOR GOD TO SHOW US WHAT TO REALLY PRAY ABOUT, HOW
WE CAN FASHION OR RE-FASHION OUR PRAYERS TO HELP US BECOME FOLKS WHO CAN PRACTICE OUR FAITH
WITHOUT REALLY GIVING UP.....FOLKS WHO CAN SWITCH GEARS AND SEE GOD IS USING EVEN THE HARDEST
THINGS WE HAVE TO BEAR FOR A PURPOSE, JUST LIKE GOD USED PAUL’S THORN IN HIS FLESH.....HERE’S HOW
PAUL SUMMED IT UP:
JESUS OVERCAME GOD’S NO TOO
Jesus Himself prayed and heard God say, “No.”
As you may remember, it was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Faced
with the pain, anguish, and torture of the cross, He cried out, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you.
Take this
cup from me.
Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).
He made this urgent, passionate request not once
but three times.
And yet, God refused to take the cup away.
And Jesus submitted to His will.
IN THIS INTIMATE TRANSACTION BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD WHO WOULD DARE TO SAY, GOD, WHY NOT? JESUS
WAS WORTHY TO RECEIVE THE DIVINE GRACE HE ASKED FOR.......JESUS CRIED OUT TO GOD IN DEEP ANGUISH AND
THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF HIS OWN DISCIPLES CHOOSING SLEEP OVER STAYING UP TO PRAY WITH HIM......
JESUS OVERCAME GOD’S NO WITH OBEDIENCE BECAUSE HE WAS MODELING THE KIND OF RESPONSE WE AS
BELIEVERS MUST RESOLVE TO MAKE WHEN GOD SAYS NO TO US..... “NOT MY WILL, BUT THY WILL BE DONE, O GOD”
THEOLOGIAN THABITI ANYABWILE SAID IT BEST:
Because the Father answered “No,” sinners have a High Priest perfectly intimate with all their weaknesses,
merciful and faithful.
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