Sermon Tone Analysis

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last week:

leper = new life (through him! the healer, the reconciler, the peacemaker)

centurion = access to Jesus is by faith in him…

peter’s mother was healed and rose to service.

[2]

Following Jesus.

“they” followed him… literally walked with him; dropped their lives and went where he went.

“we once regarded him in the flesh” But, “we regard him thus no longer”

changed their life’s focus… if they could.

“we once regarded him in the flesh” But, “we regard him thus no longer”

Focus: Call to follow him.

(again: narrow gate/ good tree / wise builder)

From that day on he preached: Repent!

kingdom of Heaven at hand.

immediacy [immediate.]

Repent!

kingdom of Heaven at hand.

Matthew 4

Matthew 4:22

He wants us to begin our lives “again at the beginning.”

But this time it is a spiritual life that is our concern; a renewed life in the kingdom.

And nothing is more important than that.

Paul, in:

This after he’s identified himself as an ambassador for Christ and implores us, “be reconciled to God!”

Luke 5

immediacy, and also the comment, “leaving everything.”

difficulty [difficult] that implies reluctance to give up wholly, desires rooted in the world (pleasure and fame and success, maybe best related to as we think about relationship to the like button on facebook or youtube or instagram.)

Endorphines are powerful.

Sri Ramakrishna asked,

“How does a man come to have dispassion?

A wife once said to her husband, ‘Dear, I am very anxious about my brother.

For the past one week he has been thinking of becoming an ascetic, and is making preparations for it.

He is trying to reduce gradually all his desires and needs.’

The husband replied, ‘Dear, be not at all anxious about your brother.

He will never become a sannyasin [renunciate].

No one can become a sannyasinin that way.’ ‘How does one become a sannyasin, then?’ asked the wife.

‘It is done in this way!’ the husband exclaimed.

So saying, he tore into pieces his flowing garment, took a piece out of it, tied it round his loins, and told his wife that she and all others of her sex were thenceforth mothers to him.

He left the house and never more returned.”

Most vividly recounted by Luke:

Luke

“hate” is a Hebrew idiom that describe the strength of Love for God in comparison to all else.

should be interpreted here as subordination to the greatest commandment… Love God first in your life.

Others come second to that.

So, if anyone comes to me, not ready to give me everything, it won’t work.

Strong imagery: the crowds had seen criminals forced by Roman soldiers to carry the cross on which they would die.

Walking after Jesus, living by Faith.

Dying to our selves.

Walking after Jesus, living by Faith.

Consider it joy when we face trials of many kind.

It produces in us steadfastness to Christ, and through him we show ourselves full of the abundant Love of God.

True citizens of the Kingdom.

Sons and daughters, reflecting the image of God.

conclusion:

confusing middle part: about the difficult

Luke 28

Luke

this passage poses an honest question.

We read in the Bible that God gave His Son to be crucified and whoever believes in Him has eternal life.

And we’ve just now read Jesus saying that we cannot be His disciples, we cannot follow Him, unless we lose everything, including our own life.

How can it be?

Paul says plainly in that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Salvation (as Grace) is a free gift from God.

So, How can salvation be free and still cost you everything?

That is the question.

What adds to the confusion is that salvation is sometimes preached as though it is like receiving goodies.

And faith is just a matter of stretching out your hand to get those goodies, the free gift.

It is that simple.

I would call that ‘salvation by fancy.’

To fancy something means to have a desire for something.

You use it for a desire that does not last long.

For example, you can say that you fancy BBQ chicken today.

You suddenly have the feeling that you want to eat that kind of food.

So you go and get it.

In the spiritual context, you hear this preacher speaking about the beauty of salvation and the benefits you can get from it.

It is so wonderful!

And you are told that it is being offered to you as a free gift.

So you fancy it at that moment.

You want it.

Then you make a decision to trust Christ for salvation without thinking too much about the repercussions of such a decision.

Too many people have come to Christianity in that way, with little idea of the sacrifice their commitment will involve.

And very often, it is because they were not told.

We can reconcile the teaching of free salvation with salvation that costs you everything if we have a right understanding of faith.

The definition of faith as stretching out your hand to get a free gift is not found in the Scriptures.

In the Bible, faith is always in somebody.

I stress the word ‘in’, in somebody.

The emphasis is on the relationship that faith implies.

Faith in Christ means that you have a special relationship to Him, to the gift.

And it is not just any kind of relationship.

The relationship that is defined is that of a disciple to a master.

Look at Jesus’ opening words in this passage.

‘If anyone comes to Me…’ That’s another idiom.

‘come to Me’ refers to the entering into a relationship of trust.

This is what faith is about, trust in another and entry into relationship with that person.

And here, we are talking about a relational discipleship, a relationship that involves a disciple and his master.

Jesus is the free gift.

The renewal of your mind to relate to him as Lord and Master of your life will cost you everything.

not of this world… where is his rest?

[paradox: engaged in the world, but withdrawn also to God for rest.]

difficulty shown in scribe and disciple’s relationship to the world’s way of thinking: