Sermon Tone Analysis

*A Vision for Holiness*

*2Corinthians 6:14-7:1            November 23, 2003*

* *

*Scripture Reading:*

 

*Introduction:*

 

This is Stewardship Sunday.

We have it once a year on the Sunday right before Thanksgiving to promote the stewardship theme – to fix it in our minds for another year.

The first question we might ask is, “What does the word ‘stewardship’ mean?”

The duties of a steward are to supervise or administrate what has been entrusted to you by someone else.

In the case of an airline steward or stewardess, he or she takes care of the needs of the passengers that have entrusted their destinations and lives to the airline for the trip.

They are the ones that serve you with safety announcements, comforts like pillows and blankets, and serve you food as well as occasional humor to lighten the stress of your unfamiliar experience.

/Here are some real examples of some airline humor that has been heard or reported: \\ \\ Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it.

After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo.

Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!" \\ \\ Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

\\ \\ "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.

Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants.

Please do not leave children or spouses."/

But seriously, why do we stress the idea of stewardship right before our Thanksgiving celebration?

It is just this.

That in the idea of giving thanks is the realization that we have nothing we have not received.

Even the seemingly bad things.

/During a harvest festival in India, an old widow arrived at her church with an extraordinarily large offering of rice - far more than the poor woman could be expected to afford.

The itinerant pastor of the church did not know the widow well.

But he did know that she was very poor and so he asked her if she were making the offering in gratitude for some unusual blessing.

"Yes," replied the woman.

"My son was sick and I promised a large gift to God if he got well."

"And your son has recovered?"

asked the pastor.

The widow paused.

"No," she said.

"He died last week.

But I know that he is in God's care; for that I am especially thankful."/

All we have is from the hand of Almighty God by his grace and goodness.

For these things we give thanks.

But also in giving thanks we realize we have been given a responsibility along with the gift.

If it is from God, whatever it is, then we must value it and take care of it.

As Christians, what is the most valuable thing we have been given?

OK, you say that your salvation is the most valuable thing.

But now let me ask, “What did your salvation give you as a trust that is more valuable than anything else?”

 

What did your salvation give you as a trust that you must safeguard, watch over, protect and care for?

The answer is in today’s message in 2Corinthians 6:14-7:1 on page 1800 in your pew Bibles if you would please turn there with me.

Let us stand and read this passage together.

Generally, these ‘stewardship’ messages are about giving to the church.

A message prompting and reminding us that the ministry needs our monetary support is appropriate at least once a year if not more often.

This morning’s message is not about that, per se.

But we will get to it.

It is coming in 2Corinthians 8.

But we aren’t there yet in our preaching through 2Corinthians.

But as is most often the case, God has a message in mind for the passage that just happens to come up on a particular Sunday.

But I will say that you have been a marvelous church in the way you have given to missions (we support 8 different mission families or ministries on the field at over 17% of our church budget – or $15,600 out of $89,800), and the way you have given to upgrade and maintain the facility that God has given us with the many projects we have completed over the last several years.

We have more needs awaiting and I encourage you to keep giving.

But as I said, that is not what this message is about.

This message is about something much more important – the reason we give to those other things in the first place.

Let us remind ourselves where we came from in the last message to see where we are going in this one, since all Scripture flows together in a marvelous river of truth.

2Corinthians 6:3-13 ---

/In what ways might we know whether a servant of Christ is serious about serving?/

A serious servant of Christ does not discredit the gospel message by a passionless presentation.

A serious servant of Christ charts a path to God by passionately going the distance - no matter what.

A serious servant of Christ speaks of his passion by his life.

A serious servant of Christ calls for passion in the life of others.

Even though we cut off last week’s message with this last point, there is another point in the same format that today’s passage will address.

What we could say is that, “A serious servant of Christ has a passion for holiness.”

Today’s message will transform that into a ‘vision’ for holiness.

*Big Question:*

 

/In what ways should we carry out our passion for holiness?/

/-Or (in light of today’s theme) -/

/In what ways are we to be stewards of the gift of holiness we have been given?/

We must guard against sinful relationships.

We must guard against satanic entrapments.

We must guard against defaming God.

We must celebrate our difference.

We must celebrate our new family relationships.

We must enable God’s promise of holiness for ourselves by participating in it.

Can you guess what is the greatest gift we have been given that we are to be stewards of?

Yes, it is holiness – the holiness of God that must not be defiled.

As we move from chapter 5 to 6 to 7 and to 8, we see the following progression taking shape.

Motive         Passion          Joy          Generosity

 

Quite frankly, all this is because of the greatest gift we have been given – God’s holiness through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

*I.

Cycle One*

 

*          A.

Narrative* (v.

6:14)

 

*          B.

Implication*

 

We must guard against sinful relationships.

*          C.

Illustration*

 

*          D.

Application*

 

*II.

Cycle Two*

 

*          A.

Narrative *(v.

6:15)

 

*          B.

Implication*

 

We must guard against satanic entrapments.

*          C.

Illustration*

 

*          D.

Application*

 

*III.