Sermon Tone Analysis

Today, I would like to share with you the life of my friend, Anthony Washington and what he taught me about grace and hope.

He was larger than life !

His stature and presence commanded attention in when he entered a room.

When he led worship, he wanted everyone to be as excited as he was to enter the presence of God.

Even though his family was heavily involved in the volleyball community in Tallahassee, he taught his children to put the Lord first and to do everything, including volleyball, as you were doing it for the Lord.

If you knew Anthony, he would tell you he was not perfect.

What he would say often, even on a bad day is, “brother, I am too blessed to be stressed.”

I will miss my friend and if you will indulge me for a moment, I would like to share with you a few things others poster to Facebook about him.

Thank you Anthony for being you at all times, for being an example, for sharing your family and for showing me how little girls should love their Daddy.

There won't be another one like you.

Eat all the candy you want up there and I'll see you when He calls me home too.

Love you much, brother.

From going house shopping with the family, volleyball and FSU football games, taking me into the Varsity Club and sneaking out hotdogs in our cargo shorts, dropping Daijah off at Gilchrist for me to take her to Deer Lake "one time" and it ended up feeling like I did it for months, dinners that you never made me pay for, dog sitting Chloe, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, Festival of Lights (won't ever forget that Elf costume), stopping by the Power Mill after work just to watch and talk, singing Mrs. Brown's end of the year musical songs together, laughing every time we thought about Alexa getting in BIG TROUBLE in the 3rd grade, every invite, every embarrassing moment, to every burst of laughter, I'll forever be fortunate to have had an exceptional friend like him.

Thank you Anthony for being you at all times, for being an example, for sharing your family and for showing me how little girls should love their Daddy.

There won't be another one like you.

Eat all the candy you want up there and I'll see you when He calls me home too.

Love you much, brother.

Thank you Anthony for being you at all times, for being an example, for sharing your family and for showing me how little girls should love their Daddy.

There won't be another one like you.

Eat all the candy you want up there and I'll see you when He calls me home too.

Love you much, brother.

A limb has fallen from our family tree.

For we will not question God but thank him for the time he allowed us to share with his angel.

The childhood memories I will treasure for rest of my days.

Go Rest High Upon That Mountain Coach Anthony Washington.

As Sam called him Coach Shuck and Jive!.

Because he was so happy and singing and dancing all the time.

We know Heaven is being entertained!!.

My man.

I loved seeing his smiling face and getting a bear hug every Sunday through College.

Anthony and Latoya were wonderful role models to me of how to walk the walk and talk the talk of a faithful life.

What do you say about a guy who could light up a room by walking in, a guy who's joy was contagious, a guy who's love for his family was unrivaled, who lead in his community with integrity and strength, and who could sing the socks off of just about anybody?

Anthony Washington is walking with our savior tonight, but the legacy he left back here on earth will burn brightly in the many lives he touched as a coach, a father, a leader and a friend.

I will truly miss you brother.

My brother Anthony will be missed!

But I know that I will see him again.

As Christians, we know that there is life after this one, but we do not sit around waiting as some do and we do not hope like others hope.

So as we begin, I want to define Hope.

Hope is Confidence in God whose goodness and mercy are to be relied on and whose promises cannot fail.

But Hope is also the gospel.

The story of Jesus and even though there in no noun form of the word hope found in the gospels, in every page of it our hope can be found.

But is our hope only a distant promise or is it something that we can find present in our lives today?

Is it only hope in the life to come or is it hope in the life that we have in the kingdom today?

Before we dig in to our primary scripture for the day, I want to set the table with a few center pieces that I believe will enhance our experience.

1 Peter 1:

Peter calls us here to remind ourselves that we will receive God’s grace at the second coming, but he calls us to live alert, sober and holy lives.

So here, Peter is talking about a future hope, but we see implications for our lives today.

Our hope moves us to live lives that our holy.

Titus 2:11-

“The grace of God” is God’s gracious intention toward mankind whereby, as Paul goes on to say, saves, instructs, and enables people.

Jesus is the grace of God that has appeared and he teaches us to live Godly lives in the here and now while we wait for the blessed hope.

A hope that is in the future, but has relevence in our lives today.

appeared and he teaches us to live Godly lives in the here and now while we wait for the blessed hope.

Titus

Hebrews 10:19-

What is this hope we profess?

That’s the message of the gospel.

That's the story of Christmas.

That’s the hope that exists for humankind.

We aren’t innocent by-standers watching a spiritual war between the forces of good and evil.

It’s the message of the gospel.

The the story of Christmas.

The the hope that exists for humankind.

We aren’t innocent by-standers watching a spiritual war between the forces of good and evil.

We’re participants in the game of good and evil.

We join God in the work of redemption.

through acts of mercy and kindness.

Jesus didn’t come to the world, show us how to live, just so we can wait around for him to show up again.

Jesus comes into our world, our brokenness, our woundedness and shows us hope.

Hope for a better tomorrow.

Hope for a future with God.

And he wants us to join in.

The story of the gospel is that this hope can be found now.

God’s future is arriving now.

The church is called to serve now.

People need redemption now..

So, Paul talking about death says this to those in Thessalonica which gives us some understanding of how hope works in our present day life.

We are not grieving like those who have no hope.

We do not fear like those who have no hope.

See as we walking the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus continually purifies us of our sin.

That is grace!

that God allows me to approach his throne with confidence, because His son made it possible.

HE TOOK ON MY SINS, so I could stand before the Father blameless.