Sermon Tone Analysis

Dearly loved people of God,

A few weeks ago Teen Challenge participated in a worship service in Tillsonburg.

As the men from the London Teen Challenge spoke, they described the 12 mo.

residential program as an intense season of growing in faith.

Yes, they spoke of kicking their addiction to drugs like alcohol, but more importantly, they spoke of faith in God, reliance on the HS, and hope because of Jesus.

Brad’s testimony sticks in my memory.

At 52, Brad is 8 years older than I (Teen Challenge is for anyone 18+).

Brad grew up in a church in the Reformed family.

He also grew up an alcoholic.

It wasn’t until he lost his business and his home and damaged his relationships with his wife and 4 kids that he hit rock bottom.

Brad grew up in a church in the Reformed family.

He also grew up an alcoholic.

It wasn’t until he lost his business and his home and damaged his relationships with his wife and 4 kids that he hit rock bottom.

From rock bottom could clearly hear the gospel of Jesus.

He’s still in the program, but he described how the conversations and exercises enabled him to break away from alcohol in God’s strength.

He understands the gospel better than ever before and he’s growing in faith.

From rock bottom Brad could finally hear the gospel of Jesus clearly.

He described how Teen Challenge enabled him to break away from alcohol in God’s strength.

He understands the gospel better than ever before and he’s growing in faith.

I’m delighted for Brad now, but his story troubles me.

He was raised in the church, but somehow faith in Jesus didn’t transform him.

I’m a pastor and a parent.

Do the kids and teens and adults entrusted to my care hear the gospel?

Maybe this hits home for you.

You’re a Sunday school teacher, GEMS leader, Cadet Counsellor, Catechism teacher, uncle, cousin, friend, grandma: do the kids and teens and adults in your circle of influence hear the gospel?

You and I know that not everybody who grows up going to church has faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

When you look at the CRC by the numbers, the number of people who grow up in the church and keep attending as adults is relatively low.

But this isn’t about statistics; this is about people.

It’s about people that we know and love.

You have family members and friends who could attend weekly worship services, but don’t.

We’re concerned for them.

We’re concerned for the next generation.

Maybe things are radically different here at Redeemer CRC, but all around our denomination, people are saying, “the way we’ve always done things” hasn’t had the results we hoped for.

Our traditional ways of making disciples in the church and in our neighbourhood aren’t bearing 30, 60, 90 times what was sown.

Maybe you’ve heard people say, “Your church is currently set up to get the results you’re currently getting.”

If you’re not satisfied with the results . . .

you ought to change what you’re doing.

We hope to present the gospel in a way that engages kids.

· We hope to present the gospel in a way that engages kids.

We want to train this generation as disciples of Jesus’.

We want every worship service to be an opportunity for regular attendees and guests alike to hear and marvel at Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

We want to find ways to teach and model the gospel of Jesus Christ so that all who attend live in the joy and comfort that they are not their own but belong to their faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

We want to equip believers to be ready and able to present the gospel so that our neighbours and coworkers can hear the gospel and can grow and thrive in their faith.

We don’t want to be the end of the disciple-making chain.

What I mean is this: you heard the gospel from a long chain of disciples stretching all the way back to the women and men who saw the empty tomb and talked to the risen Jesus Christ, do you dare be the last person in the chain of disciples?

Then there are phrases in the passage that linger in my mind:

is a passage we have read several times in our Council devotions.

Context: Paul is defending his ministry.

What is Paul talking about in this point of the letter?

Context: Paul is defending his ministry.

Although Paul was a travelling preacher, he didn’t charge his audience for preaching to them.

That was rare.

It was rare, even in the early church.

Normally, then like now, teachers of religion and philosophy would charge students to attend their seminars, their presentations, their debates.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Paul even defends the right for preachers to charge for preaching the gospel with 2 OT precedents.

Paul makes an unflattering comparison between preachers and oxen treading grain.

God gives instructions in the OT law not to muzzle them; let the oxen grab a mouthful or two of grain as they tread on it to thresh it.

In the same way, those who preach the gospel ought to earn their living by preaching the gospel.

We did read the comparison to OT priests.

Those working at the temple brought home certain cuts of meat from the offerings God’s people brought.

Paul clearly demonstrates that preachers can earn a living by preaching (let me boast about my home church: the financial support I receive from Tillsonburg CRC is generous).

But Paul didn’t charge for preaching in Corinth for a very specific reason:

Paul is willing to do whatever it takes to share the gospel.

He takes it further, later in the passage:

Paul is willing to do whatever it takes to share the gospel.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.

I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

(NIV)

Now the challenge for followers of Jesus’ is to imitate Paul’s attitude of putting other people’s interests ahead of our own.

This becomes all the more imperative as you grow in faith.

Those who are mature in faith must bear with those who are weak.

The challenge is to imitate Paul’s attitude of putting other people’s interests ahead of our own.

This becomes all the more imperative as you grow in faith.

Those who are mature in faith must bear with those who are weak.

​Many people have strong preferences about what they enjoy and like to see in worship services, Bible studies, and church programming.

The question is, Are you willing to put your own preferences aside for the sake of someone else?

Are you willing to imitate Paul – a very effective ambassador of the gospel – and “put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ?”

I guess that begs the question.

What is that gospel?

Sin – Salvation – Service

Long ago, after God rescued the Israelites from Egypt, they were poised to enter the Promised Land.

Through Moses, God reminds them of his instructions to love their neighbour as themselves.

It’s an expectation God has of every person.

It’s challenging though, even in small things.

When there are 5 people and only 4 candies, are you going to be the one to say, “I’ll go without” so that the others can enjoy them?

Yet, isn’t that what it looks like to love your neighbour?

Yet, isn’t that what it looks like to love your neighbour?

I’m preaching to myself as well as any of you.

The day I preached this sermon in Tillsonburg, I was irritated because one of my kids got into the shower just as I was planning to go in.

I caught myself preferring that my child had the cold shower after I had a hot one.

If I practice what I preach, shouldn’t I be willing to have the cold shower if that lets my child have all the hot water they need?

Are you able to be as happy for everyone on the basketball team as if you had not been the last player to be cut.

Isn’t that what it looks like to put other people’s interests ahead of your own?

Being willing to sit in the stands or sit on the bench for the good of the team.

How about in a worship service, there are songs and music styles that don’t appeal to everyone.

Out of love for the person in front of you, are you willing to sing their favorite song as enthusiastically as you’d like them to sing your favorite song?

That kind of generosity, that level of self-sacrifice doesn’t come naturally, not since humankind fell into sin.

Even married people are surprisingly quick to throw their spouse under the bus so that they themselves don’t look bad.

And you don’t get many neighbours closer than a spouse.