Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Opening
2 weeks ago began this series we’re calling “God’s Heart” - a search into what brings us into the center of God’s heart.
What is it that makes him look on us with favor?
What is it that truly pleases him?
What is it that moves him to smile on us?
There are many great heroes in the bible, but only one that God called a “man after his own heart”,
“Everything I want him to do”
God’s Heart #3
The key to God’s heart is doing what he wants you to do - the operative word there being DOING.
So much of the church today presents God’s word as what NOT to do.
In other words, can I be good enough?
Have I stayed away from enough stuff?
And to tell the truth, I have to be careful as your pastor not to fall into that trap myself.
Sometimes its far easier to condemn than to lift up.
Its our fallen nature.
The “Negative” Trap
I’ve always had trouble – especially when raising my children – with making them feel inadequate.
I know that Brad felt that nothing he did was ever good enough.
It was always because I felt that he could do better – and I thought that I was encouraging him to do that.
Instead, I was crushing him.
I know I’ve done that with some church people as well.
The title of my message today started out to be “God’s Heart #3 - When Good Enough Isn’t Enough”.
How life-giving is that?
NOT!
What a dreadful thought: my “good enough” might not be good enough for God.
Its pretty scary!
But you know what the truth is?
My “good enough” just might not be enough!
What I decide is “good enough” might fall short of God’s “everything I want him to do”.
So how do I take this “negative” and bring it to you in a positive light?
By starting with this premise:
With God, its never about quantity, its always about quality.
God doesn’t evaluate us by HOW MUCH we do - he evaluates us by whether we’ve done our best.
And when we do our best, we find our way into his heart.
The problem arises when offer him our “good enough” instead of our best.
Look at this text:
Outline the sacrificial system
In other words, bring me your best.
It doesn’t matter whether its a dove, a sheep, a goat or a bull - quantity doesn’t matter.
Whether its your best does.
You see:
God doesn’t compare what I do to what others do.
He compares what I do to what I could.
God looks at each one of us INDIVIDUALLY – in other words, he doesn’t compare us to others.
He doesn’t compare our best to other’s best.
Remember the woman who could only give 2 mites?
It wasn’t HOW MUCH they gave.
It was what they gave relative to what they COULD.
Did they do their best?
The rich people gave far, far more than the widow, yet its obvious that the Lord thought more of her offering than theirs.
Why? BECAUSE SHE GAVE HER BEST!
No Hype
I know this is a very touchy subject.
People get defensive when they are questioned about whether they’ve done their best.
And I know everyone is different - some never think they’ve done their best (I’m one of those), others always do.
Others feel like their best isn’t good enough.
And I’ve had a very difficult time coming to grips with how to present this to you.
I don’t want to discourage you.
What I want to do is encourage you.
I don’t want you to feel like you can never do enough for God.
At the same time, I don’t want you to let him down either.
If your best is ALWAYS good enough for God, just how to you make sure its your best?
Ground Rules
Look at yourself as God sees you
Don’t sell yourself short.
Don’t consider your past failures.
Don’t think you can’t.
Story of Gideon.
Here’s the next one:
Do what you say you will do
Your best is never incomplete.
If you tell him that you are going to do something: DO IT!
I’m speaking to myself now.
One year bible.
Don’t say no because you think you can’t
It all comes down to this, folks:
When I give my best to God, he does his best for me.
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