Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

(ME)

Hey guys my name is Tj &

I’m from Branson, MO

My beautiful amazing wife and I have been married for 15 years.

Together we have 2 children one that’s went on to be w/ the lord another who’s 13 years old.

We also have another 8 children 1 by marriage the others by adoption Or love.

and we have 2 Grandkids!

Our Grandkids are so amazing!

One was just born 3 weeks ago!

He was born early but I can’t wait to do all the grandpa stuff w/ him while I’m still young!

Miley is our granddaughter and she’s so smart and social, and full of confidence!

I coached all accept my older kids little league teams at one point.

Most of my kids are very athletic and Izzy isn’t any different.

There was a baseball game where we were up by one point 2 on base and the other team hit the ball out to centerfield where izzy was.

It dropped right in front of Izzy he grabbed a hold of the ball and runs it in.

Now in little league at the end of the play we teach them to get the ball to the pitcher if the players are safe and the play is dead.

Well one of the other team players ran through second to third and home right in front of izzy and the second player ran to third right behind izzy as izzy was passing by second base.

He was completely oblivious to the goal of the play at that time.

All he knew is that he was supposed to get the ball to the pitcher no matter what.

By the time he realized what had happened the play was dead and one player had ran home to tie up the game.

One of the reasons he made the error was because he didn’t understand the assignment.

He didn’t realize that in a defensive position the point is to use the tools & tips given to stop the other team from scoring.

He just listened to 1 part of the instructions given.

(We)

We live in a time in history where meme’s can tell you more about a person, than a persons outward expression of relationship w/ Jesus speaks to their purpose.

A few weeks ago I preached a sermon called “Scammers be scamming ” for my youth group.

We were talking about how from the beginning satan has been trying to convince us that we know best on how to navigate in this world that he created.

And for all of of us, at one point, we’ve fallen for the scam, tell the person next to/ behind you “I’ve fallen for the scam!” We’ve read bits and pieces of scripture, heard people talk about God, seen the pastors have a moral failure and allowed that to be something that slows us down or stops us from pursuing who God truely has for us to be.

When we’re truly living for God there’s nothing that will stop us from coming back to him everytime!

Nothing that will stop the race he’s set before us!

(God)

What is the race of a Christian?

Mutiple times in scripture we see were Paul is writing to different churches, helping them to understand, walking in “The way” is better.

He uses the example of one 2 things.

One is a race/ fight.

The reason we see those examples several times in scripture and by many preachers across the world is because of a couple reasons.

The opposition is real!

In a race there is conditioning of the body.

**A race is an extension of a person’s prep work.

No discipline, its only a matter of time before you get smoked by somebody.

Same w/ fighting.

Have you ever heard of a an average person untrained off the street, squaring up w/ Floyd Mayweather and beating the breaks off him?

Absolutely not!

Someone in his weight class would have to train just to keep up.

Otherwise it’ll be a violent beating.

There are certain limitations that you would have.

Certain things that would hold you back from being in a fight.

Running full speed fast enough to beat a fast opponent.

The point of a race isnt just to participate, it’s to do everything in your power and developed skill to win.

Once you become a Christian, you may not have known but you started your own race.

It’s not against Other Christians.

It’s you against your sinful part of you.

That one that wants to do the opposite of almost everything God requires of him/her.

That race is a race to finish this life as much like Christ as possible.

Building your faith stronger by the leading of the Holy spirit.

In

2 Timothy 4:7-8 it says “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

In this verse to the top of 2 Timothy 4 we’re witnessing Paul discipling Timothy through encouragement, telling him do the work God has empowered you to do!

Even when people don’t want to receive it, DO IT ANYWAY!

Be consistent!

Don’t give up.

Walk through life w/ the gift of the truth he’s blessed you w/ NO MATTER WHAT! Fulfill the call!

The Message translates it like this, “, so proclaim the message w/ intensity!

.... Don’t ever quite!

“ Verse 7-8 are saying fight in such a way you can say I fought my sinful desires!

I kept my faith through the end of this life!

The race is your track to holiness & service to God!

What’s the WEIGHT?

That race is challenge!

We know that any competition and fight as we were talking about before, is going to have its challenges.

When I was in High School I was in an advanced weights class.

It was in my Junior year of High School.

They do something called maxing out when you’re lifting during the class to test if your strength has increased during different times of the year.

We were maxing on squat, the last time I had maxed at 475lbs.

This time I bumped it up to 525lbs.

I only had to hit it once.

I get it off the bar and it’s bouncing on my shoulder.

I drop down slowly and began to push up!

As I’m coming up, I was thinking all kinds of words.

The ones I can repeat were, come on TJ!

The homies are going to clown you if you start this and drop the weight!

Come on!

You’ll never be the strongest!

etc.

I almost got it completely up and psyched myself out and drop the weight on the bars..

That failure hit hard!

Next time I went back it at 500lbs.

Then 510lbs then not only did I hit 525lbs.

But my last lifting in school it I hit 535lbs!

The whole time there were some of the guys that had lifted what I was trying to lift and more that were cheering me on!

Go Tj! You’ve got it!

Go GO GO!! DON’T QUIT! YOU GOT IT!

Do you know what a major part of building muscle and strength is? It’s not the weight itself.

It’s the small tears as you lift and the rest while you heal!

How crazy is that?!

Swipe w/ me over to Hebrews 12:1-3 These verses are so important on what to do w/ the weight that would slow us down in the race!

Hebrews 12:1–3 (ESV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.