Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

Hebrews 11:5-6

In the past 2 times I have had the privilege of teaching for Pastor Bryan on Sunday, I have taught on pleasing God, Pt1 & 2.  Today I would like to continue the study of Pleasing God with Part 3.  What we have seen so far in our studies on Pleasing God the following points:

*/ /*

*/In our first study we looked at:/*

!! A.            Those Who Have Faith In God (Hebrews 10:38).

!!! /1.             //To please God we must trust God *(*/*/Hebrews 11:5-6/**/)/*/./

!!! /2.             //To please God we must walk in faith (//Hebrews 11:5-6//)./

!! B.            Those Who Desire the Right Heart (1 Kings 3:5-10).

!! C.            Our Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:1-5).

!!! /1.             //“How you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk)…”  (v.1 //NASB//).//

/

!!! /2.             //Keep your life pleasing to God (v.1-2).//

/

!!! /3.             //Keeping your lust under control (//1Thess.4:3-8//).//

/

!! D.            Those Who Walk In the Light (Ephesians 5:8-10).

!!! /1.             //The contrast of the believer before salvation and after salvation.//

/

 

*/In our second study we looked at:/*

!! A.            Those Who Have A Worthy Walk (Col.1:10-11).

!!! /1.             //Having an unceasing or recurring prayer life (v.9a)./

!!! /2.             //Having a knowledge filled with His will, wisdom and understanding (v.9b)./

!!! /3.             //Having a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him (v.10a)./

!! B.            Those Who Are Unashamed About the Gospel of Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

!!! /1.             //Having boldness in God… not as pleasing men, but God…”  (v.2b,

4b)./

!! C.            Those Who Praise God Through Trials (Psalm 69:29-31).

!!! /1.             //Those who have the praise of repentance (2 Samuel 12:20)/

!!! /2.             //Those who have the praise of submission (Job 1:21-22).

/

!!! /3.             //Those who have the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15-16).

/

 

*/Today we will look at the following:/*

!! D.            Those With a Broken Spirit and a Contrite Heart (Psalm 51:16-17, 19).

!!! /1.             //The negative… what God is not pleased with (v.16)./

!!! /2.             //The positive… what God is pleased with (v.17, 19)./

!! E.            Those Who Are Giving (Philippians 4:18-19).

!! F.            Cooperating With God (Philippians 2:12-13).

\\ !! G.

Those With a Broken Spirit and a Contrite Heart (Psalm 51:16-17, 19).

!!! 1.            *The negative…* what God */is not /*pleased with (v.16).

!!!! a)            Forget religion (Isaiah 1:11-17; Amos 5:21-24)!

!!!!! (1)           Why would David say that about sacrifices and offerings, when God was the one who commanded that they be given?

!!!!! (2)           Or maybe more to the point, why would God repeatedly say the same thing Himself?

!!!!!! (a)           Because devoid of the right inward attitude these sacrifices are simply ‘religion’ and God can’t stand it.

!!!!!! (b)           When we have lost the heart attitude towards God and merely carry on performing a religious duty then it becomes exactly that – a performance.

!!!!! (3)           What are some of the sacrifices and offerings that God has commanded for today?

!!!!!! (a)           Can’t say I’ve slaughtered any bulls lately but the New Testament does speak of other offerings such as our time, praise, money, prayer etc.

!!!!!! (b)           All these things he has commanded, yet any, and all, of these things can become a routine in which God takes no pleasure.

!!!!! (4)           */The Pharisees /(John 5:39-40) – *The Pharisees looked good didn’t they? 

!!!!!! (a)           With their grand announcements when they gave to the poor, and their pious prayers on the street corners so everyone could hear them… Or even their gloomy unkempt faces so that everyone would know when they are fasting (a nice touch!).

!!!!!! (b)           Surely they were the definition of ‘godly’ and exactly what God was looking for right?

Don’t just think it happened back then.

!!!!!! (c)           There is a Pharisee in every one of us that desires to be seen by men.

(i)             Get real.

Be normal.

Be honest!

Be real with God! Be real about your condition.

Be real with other Christians.

(ii)            God is pleased with honesty and a heart that is humble and contrite before Him.

(iii)           Through the Lord’s grace we have been given a gift of righteousness so that the theatre masks of religion and performance can come off!

*At the end of his life, David uttered these words, which still ring true today,* 1 Chronicles 29:17 ‘I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.

All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent.’

!!!!! (5)           Let me ask you a couple of questions:

!!!!!! (a)           When was the last time you sat in a home group setting and felt you just had to pray because everyone else was and if you didn’t, people would think you are ‘un-spiritual’?

!!!!!! (b)           Ever worried that if you’re the last to pray, all the best ‘Christian’ lines and phrases would be gone!

!!!!!! (c)           What about worship in Church?

When was the last time you lifted your hands in worship to God while all the time you were just thinking of what’s for lunch, or maybe even, who was looking at you?

!!!!!! (d)           Should we not rather remember the words of David that the Lord ‘tests the heart and is pleased with integrity’?

 

 

 

 

\\ !!! 2.            *The positive…* what God */is /*pleased with (v.17, 19).

!!!! a)            Be real with God.

!!!!! (1)           What do you think God would think if David went in to offer up burnt offerings to the Lord but continued in adultery with Bathsheba or any other woman?

God would not accept it!

*Samuel said to King Saul after Saul had disobeyed the Lord, *"Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams."

(1 Samuel 15:22, NASB95)

!!!!! (2)           David understood this: David confessed his sin, repented of it, was forgiven and moved on.

But in order to have a true confession of his sin required a broken spirit & contrite heart (v.17).

*Then (v.19) of Psalm 51 comes true,* "Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.”

*It is all a matter of the heart *(Psalm 51:19)

 

!!!! b)            Be destitute in your inner being (Matthew 5:3).

!!!!! (1)           */Christians live from the inside out –/*/ /God deals with the inside.

!!!!!! (a)           That doesn’t mean there’s no commitment to the outside.

But when the inside is right, the outside is right.

!!!!!! (b)           Faith without works is dead.

You are created in Christ Jesus for good works.

The real outside can only be produced only by the real inside.

!!!!!! (c)           That’s why poor spirit has to be at the very beginning.

!!!!!! (d)            

!!!!! (2)           */What kind of poverty is this?/*   

!!!!!! (a)           The word /poor/ in the Greek means poor in this world’s goods, you have no resource in yourself even to live.

You’re totally dependent on somebody else.

!!!!!! (b)           This is a person who is begging on the inside, and these are the kind of people that God identifies with.

*God puts it this way:* “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).



*Psalm 34:18** says, *“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

*Psalm 51:17 says,* “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

!!!!! /(3)           /*/The Pharisee who was proud (Luke 18:9-14)/*/./

!!!! c)            How the humble become useful to God.

!!!!! (1)           */Jacob/*/ had to face the poverty of spirit before God could use him/.

He fought God all night, and finally God dislocated Jacob’s hip (Genesis 32).

He put him flat on his back.

Then, the Bible says in Genesis 32:29, /“And he [God] blessed him there.”

/I love that.

God made him happy in his humility.

!!!!! (2)           */Isaiah/* /could not be used before he was poor in spirit/.

The Lord showed him Himself high and lifted up in a vision, and Isaiah said, /“//Woe is me, for I am ruined!