Sermon Tone Analysis

*Can you hear me now?*

*Luke 9: 14-24, 29*

New Hope Baptist Church

Women’s Day

Women of Worship - Women of Faith

Sunday, July 27, 2003

 

Introduction:

 

     The ear is a precious human commodity.

It is often taken for granted and overlooked.

We teach our young to give attention to the ear when we teach them to bath; to wash behind your ears.

We give attention to the ear when it itches.

Sometimes, the ear calls attention to itself when it aches or has a wax buildup.

We say that someone is talking about us when our ear burns.

Some have big ears and are said to be free-hearted; some have small ears and are called stingy.

There are plain ears, pierced ears, floppy ears and pointed ears.

The ear is the organ that makes it possible for us to hear.

It enables us to communicate intelligently with one another through speech.

Our ears help us to keep our balance.

Human beings have an ear on each side of the head.

The ears extend deep into the skull.

Each ear has three main parts:  (1) the outer ear, (2) the middle ear, and (3) the inner ear.

The *outer ear* has no practical use.

It is made of muscle and fat.

We tend to decorate them with rings and other objects.

The *middle ear* is a small chamber behind the eardrum.

A narrow tube called the Eustachian tube connects the middle ear to the back of the throat.

The tube is collapsed most of the time.

It opens when you open your mouth, yawn, swallow, or blow your nose.

If this tube did not open, the eardrum would rupture when the air pressure changes suddenly.

The *inner ear* has many delicate, complicated structures.

The inner ear has three main parts which are connected by many hair cells which sense projections and nerve fibers.

We never think about any of these parts of the ear on a day to day basis.

And, just so, it is not the organ that we are concerned with today.

We are just concerned and concentrated on what the ear is supposed to do.

Hear.

The Bible says that the ear is quite important.

The ear is the organ that God created on humans to aid in communication.

Since one very important part of communication is to listen, one can do this easily with an ear.

It is very clear from scripture that people have authority over the ear and its operation.

We seemingly go around as if we have no choice about what we hear and receive through our ears, but scripture says:

 

·         That you can incline your ear to hear

·         That the ear of the wise seeks knowledge

·         Jeremiah says - Now hear the word of the Lord, O you women, and let your ear receive the word of His mouth;

·         Matthew says - he who has ears to hear, let him hear

·         And Paul tells us in 2 Timothy - For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

·         And will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

*Three Points of Message*:

    

When you are out of ear shot of God, when you no longer hear His voice, when you lend your hearing to other things and other voices, when you do not heed your past blessings, when you live in fear and forgetfulness, when you are out of favor with God, when you do not obey, when you exhibit selective faithfulness, at least three points are evident in your life as evidenced by our text today:

 

1.

Decreased Discernment ( faith, judgment, taste)

2.      Digressed Direction (prayer, focus, leadership)

3.      Diminished Discipline (devotion, loyalty, commitment, enthusiasm)

 

*The synopsis of the text*:

 

     I know that you are women and men and people of worship and faith, but if you are postulating that your worship and your faith is at the top of the ladder every day, or even every week, I would submit that you have mis-calculated.

So, if you will just pray with me for a little while, I just want to share with you some of the traps and by-products of unfocused faith that can hinder your progress in the work of the Lord.

Unfocused faith can be faith that is sometimes gun shy; Faith that plays hide and seek; Faith that is deficient of proper nutrients; Faith that needs some strength building workouts through focus and discipline.

You must take into account all of chapters 5 - 9 of Mark to fully apprehend out text today.

The Lord does not require us to comprehend His Word, but he does require that we apprehend it, catch it, capture it, pick up on it, take it in for questioning and take it into custody, all of the things that were lacking among the characters in out text today.

Even before the formal calling of the 12, Jesus went around Galilee preaching the Word and showing authority over demons, and diseases of all sorts.

He often taught by the sea to large crowds who gathered wherever he was.

The Bible says that he always spoke to the crowd in parables, but when he was alone with the disciples, he explained his sayings to them.

The Bible goes on to say that he called the 12 for some very specific reasons:  To be with him, to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons.

They knew of his workings, his miracles and they had heard his preaching.

Now, *they* were given the power, the authority, and the commission to do the same things.

They were also positioned in an up close and personal way to witness further workings.

Prerogatives:  Authority, Power were exhibited -

 

* Over the storm in ch. 4 - Do you not care?

-- “Hush, be still.”

* Over demons in ch. 5 - a man in the tombs with unclean spirit - He could not be held by men or chains -- He worshipped Jesus (acknowledged who He was) and asked not to be tormented -- “Come out of the man. . .

“What is your name?” - it was Legion - sent to pigs

 

* Over sickness and death - On His way to Jairus’ home.

Woman bled 12 years.

“Who touched Me?” & Jesus refocused Jairus’ faith and hope for his daughter.

“Don’t be afraid.

Just believe.”

“Talitha kum!

Or little girl, I say to you, get up!”

 

* The disciples go out in ch.

6 and preach and they cast out many demons and anointed many with oil who were sick and healed them.

The clearly had the power!

* Feeding 5 thousand in ch.

6 - The disciples said “this is a deserted place, it’s late.

Send the prople away.”

“How many loaves do you have?” - 5 loaves and 2 fish.

12 baskets left over.

* He walked on water - Sent the disciples on ahead.

He went to mountains to pray.

He took short-cut to disciples by walking on water.

“Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”

Again, the disciples were frightened at seeing him walk on water.

They were afraid because their hearts were hardened.

They had not learned anything from witnessing the feeding of the 5 thousand.

* Over the Syrophoenician (Black) woman in ch.

7 - She acknowledges Jesus as the rightful King by “Son of David.”

* She acknowledges Him as her King and Master by “Lord”

 

* She prayed, “Have mercy on me” and “help me”

 

* I would have guessed her to be black:

 

* “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

“Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”

This was one of only 3 persons whom Jesus declared to have great faith.

“Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”