Sermon Tone Analysis

*Having Undignified Praise*

October 29, 2006

New Hope Baptist Church

7:00 a.m.

Text:

2 Sam.

6:16-23

~*~*~*V:22

 

 

Introduction:

 

    Somebody everyday uses the word virus.

Virus can take on many of meanings in today’s vernacular.

Originally, the Latin word virus means a poison; a microscopic particle that can infect the cells of a biological organism.

These particles can infect a wide range of organisms, both animals and plants and bacteria.

Viruses are incapable of reproducing outside of a host cell because they have no cell division, but they use the metabolism of a host cell to produce multiple *copies* of themselves.

The only way to actively deal with a virus is to first detect it.

This is done in a laboratory from a sample.

Then, one must purify it through centrifuging, thus separating the mixtures or cells.

This will lead to a proper diagnosis.

Once a positive diagnosis is reached, the process of prevention and treatment must begin.

The odd thing about viruses is that they are almost impossible to eliminate unless the host cell is killed, so, usually the medical community treats them with vaccinations to provide resistance to infection, and drugs that treat the symptoms of viral infection.

Well, unlike biological viruses, computer viruses are self-replicating.

Their sole purpose is to alter the way a computer operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user.

Both viruses spread themselves by inserting itself into living cells, thus causing an infection.

And like biological viruses, computer viruses are fought through anti-virus software.

I hope I haven’t bored you with this somewhat lengthy discussion on viruses, but I want to be sure that you understand the severity of the message this morning.

You see I just came early this morning to drop off this warning; it’s a virus alert.

There is a virus going around.

I’m not talking or warning you today about a computer virus or a medical virus.

This virus that I’m warning you about is not new.

We will see from our text today that it has been around a long time, and if you’re not careful, if you don’t properly inoculate yourself, if you are not pre-medicated, then you are open game to the *Michal Syndrome*.

The symptom of the Michal Syndrome is anti-praise; it is against Undignified Praise and instead, infects the metabolism of your praise bank to infect it with something else to be offered in the place of praise.

Body and Background:

    As you will recall, Michal was the wife of King David.

She was also the daughter of King Saul.

Saul had promised her to David in marriage if David killed 100 Philistines, so David killed 200.

While David was running from Saul and hiding in the wilderness, King Saul forced his daughter to marry another man.

After King Saul’s death, David returned and requested that Michal be retuned to him as his rightful wife, so she rejoined (against her will) him in Jerusalem.

It should have been a happy ending, but it wasn’t.

David had been on the road for a long time.

God had brought him all the way from the sheep pen to the palace.

Now, David had been declared King and he was bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the tabernacle of his capital city.

What a glorious day of celebration and worship.

At lease that’s what it should have been, but David had to contend with Michal, his wife.

Let’s look at Michal and understand this syndrome and then David will show us how to treat it.

Dim Vision:

    The first symptom of this Michal Syndrome is *Dim Vision*.

The Bible says that Michal looked out through a window and saw David dancing.

With all that she had been through, being used by her father to further his own selfish ends; being forced to marry another man while still married to David; lonely and without real guidance; after all of that, she dared to look out through a window instead of looking up to God; looking around instead of looking up.

Loved ones, I’m telling you this morning that this virus is running rampant in the Christian community today.

Some on you have been hurt by parents, maybe molested or otherwise abused.

I don’t mean you were whipped a little hard or more often than you liked, no, I mean really abused by insensitive parents or guardians.

Some body may have been cheated on by a spouse, *often*, or put down by a close friend.

You may have been the subject of ridicule all through school and not even have a *good* friend now.

Maybe you’ve been misused or manipulated; lied on and deceived.

Whatever malady has come your way in the past, my warning to you today is to stop looking around; stop looking down; stop looking at others and look up to Jesus.

Look up, and God will judge your motives; look around and man will judge your actions.

Let your faith rest in the smile of Jesus, not in the approval of man.

One day, we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ; so, don’t worry about the judgment seat of man.

Michal was bitter, and that bitterness caused her to think that she was *all of that*; that she was superior to others; that she was above the menial things in life.

That bitterness caused her to reject anything and anyone outside of her own developed prevue.

Don’t let bitterness keep you from praising God today.

Whatever you have faced in the past, whatever you may be facing right now, praise Him for bringing you out and for sustaining you right now!

Disparaging Attitude:

    Michal had *Dim Vision*, but she also bore a *Disparaging Attitude*.

The Scripture says that she despised David.

She was prone to scorn; apt to look down on others; to turn her nose up at others; to disregard the intents of others and to hold others in contempt.

In a word, she was a detractor, a critic.

Nobody likes a critic.

I don’t know about you, but I just get tired of and don’t want to be around somebody who can only see the bad side of life.

No matter what it is, they have a negative take on things.

You know, they have a “but” problem.

How was dinner?

It was o.k., *but*.

Did you enjoy the movie, yes, *but*.

Was church good today, yea, *but*.

Or, they come to you with, “girl, I don’t want to talk about the sister, *but*”.

Everything has to have a – *but* and most of us Black women have enough “*but*” as it is.

They are just detractors.

They must criticize every thing around them and detract you from your mission.

Michal was a “but” woman and I’m not talking about her posterior.

“I know you want to celebrate, David, *but*, it don’t take all of that”.

I know you know that the virus is loose in the church today.

Every time people start praising God for His goodness, the “*but*” people start up.

“She ought to sit down; it don’t take all of that”.

Don’t misunderstand me.

No everyone will show an overly exciting, outward expression of praise all the time.

We are not all the same, neither do we all respond to things in the same manner.

How boring would that be?

And I don’t need a preacher telling me every two or three minutes to high-five somebody or to turn to my neighbor and give some expression.

No, that’s not what I’m talking about.

But I am saying that if you really know this god you say you serve; if you really have had a personal experience with Him; if Jesus is real in you life and you have seen His handiwork in your affairs; if the sacrifice of the cross has significance for you; if you really remember what He did when you receive the Lord’s Supper; if you once were young and now you are older, and you have began to understand about grandma’s walking cane and papa’s rock in a weary land; if you can look back, even if it’s is only as far as yesterday and wonder, “How I got over”, then sometimes you ought to show a little sign that He’s real in your soul.

Michal looked down on others as if she were better than they.

She accused David of associating with low lives and of gallivanting with the commoners.

That reminds me of the Pharisees.

Most of them never went to see Jesus.

You know why?

Because they felt they were better than other men were.

They didn’t need Jesus.

The proud and the arrogant need nothing and so God gives them nothing.

One day, they will go into Hell because they did not need anything from God.

    Michal’s disdained attitude was about decorum and culture.