Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
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Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing
Welcome (Jason Wells)
Scripture Reading (Ephesians 1:3-6)
Prayer of Praise (Christ Our Peace), Linda Johnson
Angels We Have Heard on High
What Child is This?
Prayer of Confession (Doubt), Chris Berlin
All Creatures of Our God and King
PBC Catechism #49
What is our responsibility as servants?
With God’s help we pledge to cheerfully and regularly give of our time, talents, and treasure to support the ministry, the expenses of the Church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel to all nations.
Pastoral Prayer (Mike Klaassen)
SERMON
Last Sunday Sam preached to us about why Jesus was born to die: our sin really is that bad!
He showed us the sinfulness of sin from Ephesians 2, but if you’re interested in a more recent example consider Christmases at the Boutot house growing up.
Remember, I’m one of twelve children.
Before you think, “aw how magical that must have been to have 12 kids around the tree on Christmas morning!” let me remind you of something I say at every wedding I officiate: 1 sinner, plus another sinner doesn’t = less sin!
There were a dozen sinners around the tree!!!
In all seriousness, Christmas was pretty special in my house growing up, which just meant there were more ways to ruin it.
Sin of peeking at your presents before Christmas
Sin of telling someone what you bought them before Christmas
Sin of waking up too early
Sin of sleeping in too late
Sin of not communicating what we bought for mom and everyone getting her a scented candle
Sin of not smiling in the Christmas pictures
Sin of spitting in the party mix
The cardinal sin: not being grateful for your presents!
There could be lots of reasons for this...
Too complicated
Too uncomfortable (like Ralphie’s bunny pajamas)
You just don’t like it!
What if I told you that we too have received a gift from our heavenly Father, that many of us are tempted to disregard...
Too complicated
Too uncomfortable!
We just don’t like it!
Turn to Ephesians 1:3
About 30 years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Paul the Apostle is in jail in Rome.
While in jail, he hears good news about the increasing faith and love of a network of churches in Ephesus.
So he writes them a letter.
Not to correct any apparent problems in the church, but to instruct them in the truth.
If you were introducing a group of churches to your theology, where would you start?
Paul begins with a doctrine crucial to understanding why Jesus was born to die.
Paul begins with the doctrine of election.
We’re not talking about what many Americans do on the first Tuesday in November, but something God did in eternity past.
Simply put, the Christian doctrine of election teaches that God chooses whom He will save.
Last week we considered why Jesus’ death was necessary—we are dead in sin!
This week let’s consider how Jesus’ death was planned.
Ephesians 1:3-6—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
God chooses to save some by His grace, for our good, and for His glory!
God Chooses to Save Some...
Watching movie with parents, my mom clicked her tongue when a young lady proposed to a young man by saying “I choose you!”
The idea of a lady proposing to a man was just a bit too off my mom.
The doctrine of election is all about choosing.
And perhaps you’ve grown up with the idea that we choose God.
And to even think about God choosing anybody feels a bit off.
But what matters is not what we feel, but what the Scriptures say.
Ephesians 1:3-4a—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him...
This section features a litany of blessings we’ve received from God, and Paul begins with the doctrine of election.
But notice who it is who does the choosing.
God is the one who chooses.
This is the consistent teaching of the Bible...
God chooses Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
God chose Israel...
Deuteronomy 7:7—It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples
Jesus chose His disciples...
John 15:16a—“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit...”
God chooses all His people...
1 Corinthians 1:26-29—For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
“But I remember choosing!
I decided to follow Jesus!”
That’s true!
Don’t be so enamored with election that you deny what the Bible also teaches: that every human must choose to repent and believe!
The doctrine of election doesn’t deny your choice, but it does say God’s choice is prior to your choice.
And God’s choice is ultimately decisive in a way that your choice is not.
Imagine Holly and I want to take the kids out to eat and we want burgers.
We’ve decided on Red Robin, but we also want to give the kids some options.
So we tell them we can sit down and eat at Red Robin where they have TVs, and they can get balloons and onion rings, or we can go to dirty old Hardee’s.
Can you guess where our kids would choose?
Now, admittedly, we’ve stacked the deck against our kids so it isn’t a perfect illustration.
But you can get the idea.
Our decision was prior and decisive.
But the kids still really chose.
And so too with God.
You must really choose to repent and believe!
If you didn’t, you must!
If you did, that doesn’t mean that God didn’t choose first!
1:3—. . .
[The Father] has blessed us . . .
with every spiritual blessing . . .
Those spiritual blessings include the ability to repent and believe!
"You take the first step, God will take the second step, and by the time you get to the third step, you will know that it was God who took the first step."
[1]
Take the first step!
God chooses to save some...
…by His GRACE...
Getting chosen for kickball… chose the kids that were tall, strong, fast, athletic.
You chose on the basis of something in them because you needed their help to win!
On what basis does God choose His people?
Ephesians 1:4b—...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world...
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