Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

There are times where the truth can be something that is hard to hear because it convicts us or strikes a nerve within us or perhaps it is simply something that we don’t want to hear in the first place.

As Hebrews 4:12 reminded us a few weeks ago, God’s Word is truth.

God’s Word has the authority to tell us what is right and wrong.

What we should do and what we shouldn’t do.

Because of this, God’s Word has the power and right to change the way we live and the way that we think… Yet, there are many who reject this idea.

Instead of allowing the Word to change them, they desire to change the Word.

What is the result whenever this happens?

In one word, we drift.

We might still do some nice things on the outside.

We might show up to Sunday school or worship service.

We might volunteer or help someone in need.

But the minute we think that we can coast or not care about the Word of God changing us from the inside to the outside, we demonstrate that we don’t really get it in the first place.

See, it can be so easy to wear a mask.

To put on the fake smile.

To act the “church” way but deep down, it’s a show.

It’s an act.

It’s fake.

You’ve seen people “just playing the game” haven’t you?

How can we tell?

It’s one way at church, but whenever service gets out and it’s time to eat out… it’s a different story.

Did you know that historically, Sunday afternoons are whenever restaurant workers report receiving the lowest amount of tips?

This is coming primarily from the “church” crowd!

What an awful reputation of claiming to have received generous grace from Jesus but not sharing generously with others!

We play the game whenever we act one way at church or through text messaging, but we act a totally different way at the basketball game or on Facebook.

We put on a mask and the danger of this is that we can fool ourselves into thinking that we can also deceive God.

In CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, the Last Battle, there is a scene that represents heaven and it’s a great reunion of the beloved characters throughout the series with one exception… Susan, the oldest sister, isn’t there.

There is discussion about why she isn’t there even though she had been a key figure in the beginning of the story.

“ ‘My sister Susan,’ answered Peter shortly and gravely, ‘is no longer a friend of Narnia.’

‘Yes,’ said Eustace, ‘and whenever you try to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says, “What wonderful memories you have!

Fancy you still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.”

’ ”

Susan has moved onto other things.

Friend, Lewis is sharing with us a character that we know all too well.

The person who looks like a believer on the outside but deep down, they are not that person.

A person who came to church and even served in various capacities for a period of time, but who turned away.

Why would this person turn away?

Why do people who come to church reject Jesus?

Over the next 3-4 weeks, we’re going to look at this difficult subject as we unpack the truth from the Word of God in Hebrews 5:11-6:20.

These are going to be hard messages because they’re going to convict and challenge us to not give into the temptation to drift away from Jesus and replace Him with something else.

Today as we begin this, let the Word of God be central in our mind.

Maybe you are the person that the preacher of Hebrews will call out today.

Maybe you know someone who is.

Maybe you are one who has yet to respond to Jesus as Lord.

Whoever you are, let the Word change you today because it is true.

The preacher of Hebrews stops his deep dive into the priesthood of Jesus Christ for a period of time and calls some of this church out for why he has to stop in the first place.

It isn’t because he is a boring preacher.

It isn’t because the congregation isn’t smart.

It isn’t because they don’t have enough time… It is because they are too lazy to understand.

They are not mature enough to handle the depth of Scripture.

They don’t care.

They want their milk.

FBC Salem family, may this never be said of us… may we never get to a point where we crave the milk and reject the meat of God’s Word.

This is in love, but there are some here who are this person.

There are some who have been coming to church for years and it’s long been time for you to grow up and you’re still on milk.

How can that be true?

Because there’s 300 of us here.

Don’t waste another day with your mask on.

Stop playing the game.

Your brothers and sisters need you to grow.

Let’s ask God to guide us as we unpack this text and grow in our spiritual walk today.

Check Your Hearing (11-12)

As we get older, our hearing usually gets progressively worse.

How do we know this to be true?

The older we get, the more we have to have things repeated!

What’s interesting, though, is that if you have children, you know that they don’t always listen either.

You have genuine hearing loss that impacts millions, but there’s something that impacts billions of humans around the world and that is selective hearing.

You’ve never been one of its victims, have you?

You’re having a conversation and you’re disinterested but instead of backing out of the conversation you nod your head but mentally you are disengaged.

You aren’t listening.

Maybe your parents have asked you to do something and you pretend not to hear not because you didn’t hear them but because you didn’t really want to do what they told you to do so you pretend to not hear in the first place.

Because we don’t always hear things, sometimes messages have to get repeated over and over and over.

So far in the book of Hebrews we have seen this type of message be repeated time and time again.

Let’s look at this repeated message

Pay attention, consider Jesus, hold fast our confession, don’t harden your heart.

Why the need to repeat this message over and over?

Because of what we find in Hebrews 5:11

This congregation needs to hear more about the greatness of Jesus’ priesthood and Jesus’ sacrifice in their place and the implications that He has on their present lives… but the problem that they have is that they are too lazy.

The literal Greek word carries with it the idea that they are slow to understand or dull or numb to what is being said.

Hebrews 6 contains one of the strongest warning passages in all of Scripture, but before the warning in Hebrews 6 there is the conviction in Hebrews 5 that leads to the warning.

The reason that some in this congregation aren’t growing.

The reason that some are falling away and no longer attending the gathering of the saints, it’s all because some are too lazy to understand.

They aren’t listening.

They need milk - not solid food.

If we fail to listen to Jesus, we demonstrate our spiritual laziness.

If the diagnosis is that they have a hearing problem and aren’t understanding what is being said, let’s dig a little deeper and see why they have this problem in the first place.

Is the problem due to the pastor?

Not in the text.

Is the problem due to the Sunday school curriculum?

Not in the text.

Is the problem due to the songs that they sing during congregational worship?

Not in the text.

What is in the text?

They should be teaching others but instead they are in need of a teacher because they’re still on a diet of milk.

What is the problem here, church?

Some who attended this church came to church for years… but they never grew up.

They were still toddlers.

We love toddlers, don’t we? Honestly!

Over the last year or so it’s been such a blessing to see the Lord bring life into this congregation and to have a nursery full of little boys and girls and to know that there are more on the way.

Some churches say that they love toddlers until they make a noise - not here.

Toddlers make noises, we all made noises.