Sermon Tone Analysis

High Noon

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Introduction: “High Noon” a 1952 movie stars Gary Cooper won the Oscar for the Best Actor in the classic tale of a lawman who stands alone to defend the small town of Hadleyville, New Mexico of cowardly citizens against a gang of revenge-seeking outlaws.

Frank Miller who was sent to jail by Will Cane has been released and is coming to town for revenge.

Marshall Cane tries to get help to face Miller but finds no one.

He goes to the local tavern but is rejected.

He goes to the church where the town’s citizens are gathered in fear but none are willing to help.

In this clip from the movie “High Noon” see if you can get the feel of Marshall Will Cane’s struggle with having to do a tough job for others...with no help...see if you can pick up on his struggle with rejection and loneliness.

(Taking on the foe singlehandedly).

Introduction: “High Noon” Gary Cooper won the Oscar for the Best Actor in the classic tale of a lawman who stands alone to defend a town of cowardly citizens against a gang of revenge-seeking outlaws.

In this clip from the movie “High Noon” see if you can get the feel of Marshall Will Cane’s struggle with having to do a tough job for others...with no help...see if you can pick up on his struggle with rejection and loneliness.

(Taking on the foe singlehandedly).

(“High Noon” clip: scene 12 “Church Meeting”)

“High Noon” clip: scene 12 “Church Meeting”

Great movie!

This morning I want us to consider not a movie but a situation of rejection and loneliness even greater than that depicted in High Noon.

Jesus of Nazareth stands alone against the forces of evil to defeat our adversary, the Devil.

He came here to planet earth to do for us what we could never do for ourselves...but the doing of it...the providing for our salvation...the defeating of death and the devil was not easy...he faced insurmountable obstacles...he struggled with rejection of not only his people but even his closest friends...he walked a lonely valley but in doing what he did he achieved victory by...

Great movie!

This morning I want us to consider not a movie but a situation of rejection and loneliness even greater than that depicted in High Noon.

Jesus of Nazareth stands alone against the forces of evil to defeat our adversary, the Devil.

He came here to planet earth to do for us what we could never do for ourselves...but the doing of it...the providing for our salvation...the defeating of death and the devil was not easy...he faced insurmountable obstacles...he struggled with rejection of not only his people but even his closest friends...he walked a lonely valley but in doing what he did he achieved victory by...

I. Singlehandedly disarming His Enemies

I. Singlehandedly disarming His Enemies

1. Sure there was that valiant effort at the time of His arrest when Peter drew his sword and cut of the ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest.

But after that...where were His friends?

They were cowering in the shadows...denying Him by the firelight...looking on at the proceedings from a distance...later to be hiding behind closed doors.

1. Sure there was that valiant effort at the time of His arrest when Peter drew his sword and cut of the ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest.

But after that...where were His friends?

They were cowering in the shadows...denying Him by the firelight...looking on at the proceedings from a distance...later to be hiding behind closed doors.

2. Jesus had faced and handled every criticism by the religious leaders of the day.

Pharisees...Sadducees...Scribes...Priests...they all threw at Him every weapon in their arsenal and He never backed down...He never winced at their attacks...He defeated them all...hands down!

Line ‘em up…hear them all reject Him and deny His claims to be the Son of God and the Promised Messiah.

Accept Him as Messiah or Reject Him as a Blasphemer…there was no other option for Jesus claims.

So their answer was Death.

Crucify Him!

2. Jesus had faced and handled every criticism by the religious leaders of the day.

Pharisees...Sadducees...Scribes...Priests...they all threw at them every weapon in their arsenal and He never backed down...He never winced at their attacks...He defeated them all...hands down!

3.

If this had been a round of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

you would have heard Regis ask each of the players: “Is that your final answer?”:

3.

If this had been a round of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

you would have heard Regis ask each of the players: “Is that your final answer?”:

Pilate who had washed his hands of it all might have asked: “What is final?”

And then said, “Yes, that’s my final answer, though I wash my hands of the consequences of the answer.”

Pilate who had washed his hands of it all might have asked: “What is final?”

And then said, “Yes, that’s my final answer, though I wash my hands of the consequences of the answer.”

Herod, angry because Jesus wouldn’t perform any miracles for him might have said, “Yes, and good riddance, He wasn’t much of an entertainer.”

Herod, angry because Jesus wouldn’t perform any miracles for him might have said, “Yes, and good riddance, he wasn’t much of an entertainer.”

Caiaphas and Annas would have looked at each other with self-satisfied smirks on their faces and said, “Messiah, my foot.

Yes, there’s no room for blasphemy in our faith.

Yes, that’s our final answer.”

Caiaphas and Annas would have looked at each other with self-satisfied smirks on their faces and said, “Messiah, my foot.

Yes, there’s no room for blasphemy in our faith.

Yes, that’s our final answer.”

The scribes, Pharisees, the Sadducees would have broken their uneasy alliance formed to get rid of Jesus and looking at each other with distrusting eyes would have simply said, “Yes, that’s our final answer.”

Except for a few like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who at the time, refused to answer.

The scribes, Pharisees, the Sadducees would have broken their uneasy alliance formed to get rid of Jesus and looking at each other with untrusting eyes would have simply said, “Yes, that’s our final answer.”

Except for a few like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who refused to answer.

The Roman soldiers and guards would have said, “Absolutely, we saw him die.

That’s our final answer.”

The Roman soldiers and guards would have said, “Absolutely, we saw him die.

That’s our final answer.”

If you had polled the worldwide studio audience that weekend, ninety-nine percent probably would have answered, “Yes, that’s our final answer.”

If you had polled the worldwide studio audience that weekend, ninety-nine percent probably would have answered, “Yes, that’s our final answer.”

Even the disciples and followers of Jesus would have answered that way.

Their hearts were broken and their spirits shattered.

They would have had to answer, “Yes, That’s our final answer.”

They saw Him brutally beaten and ridiculed.

They saw the cruel crown of thorns jammed onto His head.

They saw Him nailed to the cross.

They saw Him die.

They not only saw Him laid in the tomb but they watched as the guards sealed the tomb.

It was over.

The idea of a Dead Messiah was a contradiction of terms.

It just could not be!

Even the disciples and followers of Jesus would have answered that way.

Their hearts were broken and their spirits shattered.

They would have had to answer, “Yes, That’s our final answer.”

They saw him brutally beaten and ridiculed.

They saw the cruel crown of thorns jammed onto his head.

They saw him nailed to the cross.

They saw him die.

They not only saw him laid in the tomb but they watched as the guards sealed the tomb.

It was over.

If Regis were running this show, he would have noted that all the life-lines were gone.

The fifty-fifty had been used up by Peter, when he denied knowing Jesus.

Peter had a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right, but just like Jesus predicted, Peter got it wrong.

If Regis were running this show, he would have noted that all the life-lines were gone.

The fifty-fifty had been used up by Peter, when he denied knowing Jesus.

Peter had a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right, but just like Jesus predicted, Peter got it wrong.

The phone-a-friend didn’t pan out at all, either.

Judas was absolutely no help.

As a matter of fact, he was one of the reasons the contestant was in this predicament.

Instead of helping out, he’d sold out.

Judas had sold out to one of the other game shows...Greed.