Sermon Tone Analysis
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ATTENTION
SHOW PIC OF ALDRICH AMES
Anyone know who this is?
Probably not from this picture.
He was born in Wisconsin in 1941.
In 1963 he began working for the CIA as in a lower level job simply to put himself through college.
The agency fascinated him, however, and, when he graduated from college he stayed.
In fact, he remained there for over 30 years.
He rose through the ranks and became a U. S. Operative, gaining many secrets about the old Soviet Union during the Cold War.
But while his career bloomed, his personal life tanked.
Fights with his wife, Nancy, led to binge drinking, an affair, and ultimately to a divorce.
And that divorce was not pretty.
It was messy and expensive and that expense, combined with the avaricious shopping habits of his new live-in girlfriend, ruined him financially.
Yet, even though his finances were in trouble on paper, he began to live a lavish lifestyle.
He bought a new jag; He paid cash for a half-a-million dollar mansion.
Suspicion was aroused and the FBI began investigating.
When they reached the end of his money trail, they found that Aldrich Ames had sold out 100 Soviet operatives at a price of over 4 million dollars.
His treason cost 10 of those spies their lives.
Well, in the mid-90's, Ames gave up his new mansion.
Yep, he soon traded it in for government housing.
He now serves a life sentence at the U.S. Penetentiary in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.
He discovered that treason will cost you.
He discovered that defection is expensive.
NEED
And most of us, think, “Well, duh!
He should have known he’d never get away with any of this.
He should have known better than to betray this country.”
Political defection sickens all patriots, Well, you are right.
If you love your country, you can’t help but feel contempt for the treason of people like Ames.
But before you get too comfortable with your judgment, there may be something you should consider: Defection is subtle.
It doesn’t usually start out as full-blown treason.
It can sneak up on you, especially when you’re in a difficult situation.
We all dislike it when we see it in government spies, yet, in the spiritual realm, the very same kind of treason doesn’t seem to bother many believers.
We run in and out of our commitment to Christ with abandon, never considering what our defection costs us.
It’s so easy to do because it can begin so subtly.
Defection is birthed in the warm comfort of compromise.
Let me show you what I mean.
In this postmodern culture where the only absolute is the fact that there are no absolutes, less than half of those who claim to be born again believe that absolute moral truth exists.
Our compromise is obvious.
Fully half of those who claim to walk with Christ also admit that family and friends, experiences and observations, and emotions and intuition influence them more than Scripture.
Our defection is subtle, yet obvious.
In one recent survey, only 8% of all Christians tithed in a given year while twice as many, 16%, actually gave nothing to their church.
Our compromise is obvious.
After studying 131 different indicators of beliver’s lives, George Barna concluded that it is difficult for non-Christians to understand Christianity since few born-again individuals model a biblical faith.
Our compromise is obvious.
BACKGROUND
IN THIS DESPERATE SITUATION WE NEED TO HEAR THE WORDS OF EZEKIEL.
EZEKIEL WAS THE PROPHETIC EQUIVALENT OF THE “GRIM REAPER”.
IF YOU SAW HIM COMING, YOU KNEW THAT THE NEWS COULDN’T BE GOOD.
HE PROPHESIED AT THE BEGINNING OF ISRAEL’S CAPTIVITY, AND HIS MISSION WAS TO CALL GOD’S PEOPLE TO REPENTANCE.
IN THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF HIS BOOK HE DESCRIBES THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF DEFECTION BY TELLING US OF FOUR VISIONS HE HAD OF IDOLATRY IN THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM.
(READ TEXT HERE)
EZEKIEL WROTE TO TELL THE JEWS THAT GOD WAS JUDGING THEM FOR THEIR IDOLATROUS DEFECTION, AND JUST LIKE THE JEWS, THE CHURCH IS IN THE DRAINAGE DITCH OF DEFECTION AND HEADED FOR JUDGEMENT.
IT HAS BECOME SO PERVASIVE THAT IT IS ALMOST UNIVERSAL.
Now I can hear what you may be saying.
“O no!
Not another negative message!
Come on, Rusty, When are you going to preach something positive for a change?”
Well, I just have to tell you that if you think hearing this is negative, you misunderstand! Listen, Peace Church, the entity which we call the CHURCH may be GOING DOWN, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU and I HAVE TO GO WITH IT.
NO!
We CAN AVOID GOD’S JUDGEMENT BY UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS OF DEFECTION IN YOUR OWN LIFE and we can act to stop it.
In fact, that is what I want us to do this morning.
I want us to understand this process and trust God to stop it in our lives.
So, HOW DOES DEFECTION LEAD TO GOD’S JUDGEMENT IN YOUR LIFE?
THIS PASSAGE REVEALS FOUR STAGES OF DEFECTION THAT LEAD TO THE JUDGEMENT OF GOD.THE FIRST STAGE IS THIS:
DIV 1: DEFECTION BEGINS WITH TRIVIAL COMPROMISE
EXPLANATION
THE FIRST STAGE OF DEFECTION IS DEPICTED IN THE FIRST VISION OF EZEKIEL.
EZEKIEL REFERS HERE TO AN “IMAGE OF JEALOUSY”, AND IT IS THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS THE IMAGE THAT KING AHAZ COPIED FROM THE ASSYRIANS IN AN EFFORT TO APPEASE THEM.
ISRAEL HAD ALREADY BEEN TAKEN CAPTIVE BY BABYLON, AND JUDAH WAS AFRAID THEY WERE NEXT.
IN DESPERATION, KING AHAZ WAS LOOKING FOR HELP ANYWHERE HE COULD FIND IT, AND IF FINDING IT MEANT DABBLING IN A LITTLE IDOLATRY, THEN, SO BE IT.
THERE IS NEVER ANY INDICATION THAT THE KING INTENDED TO REPLACE JEHOVAH WITH THIS GOD, HE WAS JUST COMPROMISING FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE.
AFTER ALL, WHAT HARM WOULD BE DONE BY ALLOWING AN ALTAR TO ANOTHER GOD OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE WALL.
IT WAS JUST A LITTLE COMPROMISE, BUT IT WOULD PROVE TO BE A DEADLY ONE, YOU SEE, BECAUSE THAT’S THE WAY DEFECTION ALWAYS STARTS: WITH A LITTLE COMPROMISE.
ILLUSTRATION - SHOW PICTURE
THEY HAD DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT...WELL ALMOST EVERYTHING, ANYWAY.
THE MECHANICS AT SABRETECH HAD BEEN HIRED BY VALUJET TO REFURBISH SOME USED AIRCRAFT FOR IT’S AIRLINE.
PART OF THAT REFURBISHMENT INVOLVED REPLACING THE USED OXYGEN GENERATORS WITH NEW ONES.
AS THE MECHANICS PULLED OUT THE OLD GENERATORS, INSTEAD OF PLACING THE REQUIRED PLASTIC SAFETY CAPS OVER THE FIRING PENS, THEY SIMPLY TAPED OR CUT OFF THEIR FIRING MECHANISMS THINKING THAT THIS WOULD MAKE THEM SAFE.
THEY WERE PLACED ON BOARD VALUJET FLIGHT 592
JUST SIX MINUTES INTO ITS FLIGHT, CAPTAIN HAZEN RADIOS THAT THERE IS SMOKE IN THE CABIN.
A FEW SECONDS LATER, YOU HEAR CO-CAPTAIN KUBECK ASK “WHAT WAS THAT?” AS A TIRE EXPLODES IN THE CARGO HOLD.
THEN YOU CAN HEAR SHOUTS OF “FIRE!” FROM THE PASSENGER CABIN AS FLAMES BEGIN TO ENGULF THE AIRLINER, AND FIVE MINUTES LATER, FLIGHT 592 BLOWTORCHES INTO THE EVERGLADES.
IT HAD BEEN A SMALL COM PROMISE, JUST A FEW PLASTIC SAFETY CAPS...BUT IT COST 110 PEOPLE THEIR LIVES.
APPLICATION
BUT THAT’S THE WAY COMPROMISE IS: YOU RATIONALIZE YOUR DISOBEDIENCE.
YOU SAY THINGS LIKE: “I’LL JUST DO IT THIS ONE TIME,” OR “EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING SOMETHING A WHOLE LOT WORSE THAN THIS,” OR “IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER.”
BUT GOD’S WORD STILL SAYS THAT WE SHOULD “MAKE NO PROVISION FOR THE FLESH” (ROMANS 13:14) AND THAT WE MUST “COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, BE SEPARATE, AND TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING” (2 CORINTHIANS 6:17).
YOU CAN CUT NO DEALS ON HOLINESS.
THERE IS NO COMPROMISE WITH GOD WHEN IT COMES TO OBEDIENCE; LITTLE THINGS ARE GIGANTIC!
SO MAY I ASK YOU: WHAT ARE THE “LITTLE THINGS” IN YOUR LIFE?
WHAT ARE THOSE AREAS THE HOLY SPIRIT FINGERS EVERY TIME YOU TRY TO PRAY?
YOU CAN AVOID THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF DEFECTION BY REFUSING TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP OF COMPROMISE, BUT IF YOU REFUSE TO DEAL WITH THE “LITTLE THINGS” IN YOUR LIFE, YOU MOVE ON TO THE SECOND STAGE OF DEFECTION:
THE SECOND STAGE OF DEFECTION IS THIS:
DIV 2: TRIVIAL COMPROMISE LEADS TO SECRET IDOLATRY.
EXPLANATION
THE SECOND VISION (VERSES 7-12) OF EZEKIEL IS SHROUDED IN SECRECY.
WE DIG THROUGH THE WALL OF THE OUTER COURT OF THE TEMPLE TO FIND 70 ELDERS OF ISRAEL BURNING INCENSE TO EGYPTIAN IMAGES.
THE SIGHT IS DETESTABLE TO GOD BECAUSE, NOT ONLY WERE THEY IDOLATROUS, THEY ALSO INVOLVED WORSHIPING ANIMALS THAT GOD HAD DECLARED UNCLEAN.
VERSE 12 REVEALS THE MOTIVE FOR THEIR IDOLATRY.
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