Sermon Tone Analysis

By Pastor Glenn Pease

It is hard to believe, but one man determined how we as Americans pronounce and spell words.

When we began as a new and independent nation, Noah Webster thought is was only right that we stop be a copy of the English, and develop our own original ways of spelling words.

Andrew Jackson said, "It is a mighty poor mind that can't think of more than one way to spell a word."

This was no joke, but was taken seriously by our forefathers, and this nation began with an unbelievable variety of words spellings.

It was a sort of creative phonetics in which each writer sounded out the word, and used the letters that best suited his pronunciation.

One could find general spelled jinerll, and February as febrewarie.

Webster said that we need some rules for unity, and to inspire pride in our own national language.

In 1803 he gave up journalism and teaching, and he shut himself away from the world for 3 years.

He then published a dictionary that had 5 thousand words that had never been in any dictionary.

Then he spent the next 20 years laboring on his larger work An American Dictionary Of The English Language.

He published it in 1828, and it is the grandfather of all American dictionaries.

If you wonder why you write theater rather than theatre, it is because of Webster.

He threw out most of our old endings, and he made words like honor just end in or rather in our.

The point is, one man determined to make the American language unique, and distinct from old English, accomplished that goal, and now for over 150 years millions of people speak and write in conformity to this one man's choice.

Words are now called right or wrong because of this one man's decision as to how they should be spelled.

True stories of one man crusaders to change the lives of millions are a fascinating part of history.

If you read the history of Alaska, you will discover that one Presbyterian missionary by the name of Sheldon Jackson made Alaska what it is.

He built schools and churches all over Alaska.

He single handedly hounded the U. S. Congress until they passed bills to fund education for the natives.

Congress appointed him U. S. Commissioner of Education for Alaska.

He became a one man army to save Alaskans from the suffering due to ignorance.

There were fleets of exploiters who recklessly slaughtered their game, and many Eskimos were dying.

Jackson took it upon himself to raise money from the churches in the United States.

Jackson brought 16 reindeer from Liberia, and by this move he made the Eskimos self-supporting, and sure of food.

It was so successful that congress gave him money to get more, and the whole history of the Eskimos was changed and made secure.

We can't list the many other things this one man did for a people he dearly loved, but he proves again that one man is enough to make a world changing difference.

One woman is also enough, as we see in the case of our text.

It is amazing that in a male dominated world, like the New Testament times, that a woman should be revealed to be the most successful witness Jesus ever had in His lifetime.

We have no record of anyone, not even any of the 12, or even of all of them put together, ever becoming such fruitful witnesses for Christ, as we see in this woman at the well.

Not only is she a woman, which was two strikes against her already, but she was something less than honorable.

She was the kind of woman who would be read about more in a Hollywood gossip column than in the society page of the temple news letter.

She had been with 5 husbands, and was then living with a man she was not married to.

This woman was no quitter, that is for sure, but none the less she was not the kind of woman you would like to be the chairperson of your evangelism committee.

Jesus did not, of course, make her anything.

He just convinced her that He was the Messiah, and she went back to town and became a powerful witness.

So much so that we read in verse 39, "Many Samaritans from that city believed in Him because of the woman's testimony."

We do not know how many this many was, but Jesus in verse 35 said to His disciples, as the crowd came out of the city to see for themselves, "I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest."

You get a picture of a vast crowd of people coming with their white robes flowing like grain in the wind, and Jesus says that they are ripe for harvest.

Verse 41 says that many more believed in Him because of His word.

The woman's testimony got them there, but their personal contact with Jesus convinced them He was the Savior of the world.

Do you know of any other witness for Christ in His earthly ministry that had such an impact on people.

One woman changed the history of her people, and she brought them into the kingdom of God.

They were outcasts in Israel, but in the kingdom of God they were in on the ground floor because of one woman.

It was not because of the 12 who were more concerned about lunch that lost Samaritans, but because of one very lost Samaritan woman who was found by Christ, and who was a motivator of others.

She was only one, but one was enough.

Jesus never left the one for a crowd.

He did not say to Nicodemus, who came alone at night, "Join the crowd in the morning, and I'll answer your questions with the group."

He never said to Zaccheus, "Come down and join the crowd."

Jesus, instead, said, "Come down, for I am going to your house to deal with you one on one."

Jesus left the crowd for the one, but never the one for the crowd.

By His life and teaching Jesus made it clear that one is enough.

He said the good shepherd will leave the 99, and go out after the one.

One is of enough value to take risks for, and to put forth great effort to save.

Sometimes our biggest problem is that we think too big.

We want to save the world, and this is very noble, but it is an ineffective goal.

We need to narrow our scope, and devote our lives and resources to reaching just the one.

If you have two tennis balls coming at you, and you try to get both, you usually miss both.

You need to concentrate on the one.

If several ducks or pheasants fly up in front of you, and you try to shoot them all, you will likely get none of them.

You need to focus on just one.

This is true in the world of evangelism as well.

Mr. Vincent was a wealthy retired planter in Dublin, Ireland.

He went to hear the great D. L. Moody, and he received Jesus Christ as his Savior.

He had a friend by the name of Edward Studd, and he invited him to come to hear Moody.

That is all we know about Mr. Vincent.

He was a new Christian who invited one friend to hear Moody.

That is not much of biography is it?

Wrong!

His concern for this one man changed the history of millions.

Edward Studd came to Christ because of his friends persuasion, and though he only lived 2 years after his conversion he touched the life of his son Charles Studd.

Charles became one of the great cricket players of all time in England.

Charles had all the glory and fame of a celebrity.

He was not an active Christian, but he lived for the pleasures of the world.

But when his brother nearly died he was made to realize the vanity of worldly pleasure.

He was revived in his faith, and in his desire to bring others to Christ.

He had great opportunity, for he was popular with everyone because of his skill in cricket.

His friends were willing to listen to his testimony and respond.

He wrote, "I cannot tell you what joy it gave me to bring the first soul to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have tasted almost all the pleasures that this world can give...but I can tell you that those pleasures were as nothing compared to the joy that the saving of that one soul gave me."

He decided to give up his fame and devote his life to preaching the Gospel.

As the leading cricket player in England, his fame opened up doors, and he got good press.

Thousands of students flocked to hear him.

One of them was F. B. Meyer who was so turned on for Christ that he became one of the great preachers of English history.

I have read many of his books that have touched millions.

He was just one who was touched by C. T. Studd, and we could follow that road to see where his influence went, but we need to press on, for there is no end to the possible detours.

Studd inherited a fortune from his father, but he gave it all away.

He gave the money that enables D. L. Moody to start the Moody Bible Institute.

He gave to help George Muller in his famous orphanage work, and to General Booth to strengthen his Salvation Army.

His gifts alone changed the history of millions.

He went off to China where he again reached thousands, bad health brought him back to England where he was still popular, and revival broke out in the universities where he spoke.

The Student Volunteer Movement was started, which has had world wide impact ever since.

Great movements were everywhere around him, but he still focused on the need for one on one, and the idea of each one reach one.

He said, "I'd sooner save one soul than be Queen Victoria."

Nobody else can be the Queen, but everybody else can be one who reaches one for Christ.

C. T. Studd went on to become one of the most famous and successful missionaries in China, in India, and in Africa.

There will be a multitude out of many nations singing the praise of Christ for all eternity because of this one man.

And remember where it all began.

Mr. Vincent had one friend he wanted to see saved, and by his efforts to touch this one man he changed time and eternity for multiplied millions.

Does it make any difference if we reach only one person?