Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduce self...

Pray...

Heavenly father,

I praise you that you are great.

I praise you that you were before all things and that by you all things hold together.

I praise you that you are good.

I praise you that all your ways are righteous and just.

There is no imperfection in you.

Thank you for coming down from heaven in likeness of sinful men, to make a way for rebels like me to return to you.

I confess that I fall short of your righteous standard of thought and life, I trust your steadfast love and mercy.

Grant me words to speak today; my lips belong to you.

I ask that you would glorify yourself and make your own name great in all the earth.

For those listening this morning, I pray that the Holy Spirit would speak.

I pray that each person here would hear and learn from you through my words.

I pray that we would be a congregation that is thoughtful and reflective when you speak, God.

I pray for renewal for myself and for this congregation.

Renewal to remember and embrace the truth about who you are - to be refreshed by the truth of your gospel.

I pray for equipping for myself and for this congregation.

I pray for practical equipping in the fight of faith - for sanctification - that you would continue to close the gap between what we say we believe, (what we know to be true), and how we actually live our lives.

And finally I pray for salvation.

I pray that the hearts of those here this morning that don’t know you would be softened.

I pray that repentance would be granted.

I pray that lost souls would be united to you.

All these things I pray in Jesus name,

Amen

For advent this year, we have been going through the 4 G’s.

These are four simple truths, that if we fight to believe them will transform our behavior and thus our lives.

These four simple truths are:

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God is GREAT - so we don’t have to be in control

God is GOOD - so we don’t have to look elsewhere

God is GLORIOUS - so we don’t have to fear others

God is GRACIOUS - so we don’t have to prove ourselves

Underlying assumptions for this series:

Every sin is a result of believing a lie

When we sin, it is true that we are DOING something bad...

But in every case, the reason we are DOING something bad is because we are BELIEVING something wrong.

That is, we are believing a lie.

Belief is root.

Behavior is fruit.

What you deeply hold to be true will flow out of you as be behaviors and emotions.

Real faith is head, heart, and hands.

Few Christians would read the 4 G’s and have any issue with them intellectually…

But those things which we believe in our head,

Must transfer to our heart,

And must flow out of our hands...

Three weeks ago we talked about:

God is GREAT - so we don’t have to be in control

Two week we talked about:

God is GOOD - so we don’t have to look elsewhere

[[SLIDE]]

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.

We are far too easily pleased.”

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Last week we talked about:

God is GLORIOUS - so we don’t have to fear others

To say that “God is glorious” is simply to say that God’s being and character express worth, value, significance, and power.

(also, so we don’t have to look elsewhere for significance)

Who or what “defines” you?

This is the same as asking who or what do you fear in life the most?

Revere?

Respect?

Who’s “voice” weighs heaviest on your mind and heart?

Today we are going to cover:

God is GRACIOUS - so we don’t have to prove ourselves

A thought experiment:

As God thinks of you right now, what is the look on his face?

Disappointed?

Angry?

Sad?

Pleased?

Impressed?

And as a follow-up, what is the reason you think God sees you that way?

Have to address at least 3 audiences:

I believe I have proven myself, I deserve God’s favor...

I have yet to prove myself, but I will eventually deserve God’s favor...

I haven’t proven myself, and I’m not worthy of God’s favor...

I believe I have proven myself, I deserve God’s favor

This would happen when you have your life together and you take credit for it.

I have yet to prove myself, but I will eventually deserve God’s favor

I will work harder mentality.

I will do better.

If only I stop doing x or start doing y.

I haven’t proven myself, and I’m not worthy of God’s favor

God is GRACIOUS - so we don’t have to prove ourselves

Who do we not have to prove ourselves to?

You don’t have to prove yourself to God

This is at the heart of Christianity...

The Protestant reformation, that is, Martin Luther’s separation from the Catholic church in the 1500s, was primarily over this issue.

But as Christians, we are prone to forget this!

Or we accept our salvation by faith, but then stop trusting in God’s grace to continue for us after we are saved.

We have to preach this to ourselves constantly!

God is gracious, so I don’t have to prove myself.

Have you ever felt like God was distant or angry with you because of how you behave?

Have you ever felt unworthy to come to church or read the bible because of your shortcomings?

Have you ever felt depressed or like a complete looser because of a mess up?

How does God view you?

We have to preach this to other believers constantly!

God is gracious, so you don’t have to prove yourself.