Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Introduction
I’ve been doing a lot of church exploration.
Gone to several churches of all stripes.
Some have amazing praise teams.
Others had classically trained organists leading worship in a choral fashion.
I've heard great sermons.
Some not so great sermons.
I’ve seen a couple AMAZING coffee bars.
Nearly as good as Starbucks.
I’ve also attended churches that could hardly afford to make the building payment.
I’ve met a lot of wonderful people.
Very warm congregations in both large and small settings.
Most have been quite welcoming.
A few have not.
Most have some form of Bible study and children’s ministry.
A few have not.
But these are GOOD PEOPLE!
But I have to be honest, I’ve felt a little empty.
It’s not that these churches don’t do what they do quite well.
It’s that it all feels…well, a bit disconnected, honestly.
Some of the churches, it’s as if the Spirit has left and they are just waiting for the doors to close.
For others, the pastor gave a sermon that had all the production of the best TED Talk you’ve ever seen.
I was listening to one such sermon and, I’m a bit ashamed to say, that all I could think in my mind’s eye was “shiny, empty vessel.”
This is a shiny empty vessel.
Coffee bar in the front!
Herd them in!
Give them a few songs and a message.
Get them out, and bring in the next group, and repeat.
Meanwhile, and I can’t speak specifically to that congregation, but it gave a certain low commitment vibe.
Come, consume, leave.
No change, no transformation, no confronting sin, no being encouraged and challenged toward a life of holiness.
Question…Is that church?
Scripture
Say one thing for Peter in this text…Though his faith is certainly imperfect, he at least stepped out.
Fortunately, he had a perfect mentor.
And, so, I’ve titled this weeks message “Getting out fo the boat” because it sounds a bit more tepid, nervous, and testing than “Get out of the boat.”
I suspect there are lots of us who have this sense that we SHOULD get out of life’s boats when it comes to our faith.
Boats are safe.
They protect us.
They feel quite comfortable!
But boats can also stifle, protect, and keep us from those moments of faith where we have to trust Jesus.
Reasons
The church has forgotten what Christian community is for.
The church has stopped seeing itself as a transformational community.
We’ve tried, often in the form of small groups...
Kevin Watson…Three Types of Groups
Affinity Groups - These groups are organized around common passions, interests, or hobbies.
Examples would be: a cooking club, a bowling league, or a book club.
Informational Groups - These groups are focused on conveying information and are organized by a common curriculum.
Examples would be: Sunday school, a Bible study, or a study of any other book or curriculum.
In these groups, members gather together to learn more about their faith.
An assumption of these groups is that knowledge is essential for maturity of faith, or that right living is dependent on right knowing.
In my experience, this is the kind of group most people have in mind when they think about a small group.
At their best, these groups push participants to apply what they are learning to their lives.
At their worst, they can be poorly conceived and organized and have no impact on the way group members actually live.
Ultimately, I think there is a role for small groups that study curriculum in Christian settings.
Biblical literacy and awareness of basic Christian doctrine are important for faithful Christian living.
However, information-driven small groups are not the most effective way to help people become mature Christians.
I love these groups!
See, it allows me to study the text without it getting to the interior places.
It keeps us just far away from the text that we never necessarily experience change.
Just one problem…I don’t see it in the Bible.
Transformational Groups - The third type of small groups are transformation-driven groups.
These groups focus not on discussion or mastery of content, but on changed lives, on group members’ experience of God.
These small groups are organized around a common desire to support one another in their efforts to become increasingly faithful Christians who are growing in love of God and neighbor.
Examples would be: accountability groups, fellowship groups, cell groups, class meetings, and perhaps even house churches.
These groups are primarily focused on living and not on learning.
They are especially focused on being made new by the grace of God, not only on receiving new ideas about God.
These groups consist of people who want to more effectively practice their faith.
This book argues that it is these types of groups that are the most effective at making disciples of Jesus Christ, and as a result, churches should be the most invested in establishing, promoting, and nurturing them.
Watson, Kevin.
The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience (Kindle Locations 183-189).
Asbury Seedbed Publishing.
Kindle Edition.
Watson, Kevin.
The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience (Kindle Locations 171-172).
Asbury Seedbed Publishing.
Kindle Edition.
Watson, Kevin.
The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience (Kindle Locations 176-183).
Asbury Seedbed Publishing.
Kindle Edition.
Go back to the text for this morning.
Did Peter try to walk on water with Jesus alone, or with a transformational group?
When Jesus was seeking out the apostles in , did he say “we will learn facts so you can fish for people?”
No...”FOLLOW ME…Be transformed into a Jesus person.”
Secret
Did you know, that a person with a doctorate in religion isn’t more holy than a person with an eighth grade education.
Would you be surprised if I told you that I know very educated Christians who struggle with alcoholism, lust, anger, greed, etc...
This is not to say that knowing facts about faith isn’t important.
It is.
It is to say that learning and knowledge isn’t enough.
James put it this way...
Demons KNOW more than the most educated Christian you have ever met.
But it doesn’t make them followers of Jesus.
It just makes them knowledgeable.
Can I share with you a deep fear I have?
I fear, that we have a lot of people in church today who believe lots of correct things ABOUT God, but they have no real, living, faith.
they are empty vessels.
I’ve been there.
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