Sermon Tone Analysis

*Introduction*

I am excited today as we journey through our 40 day series on the Power of Blessing.

I am excited about what I believe God not only wants to do, but will do in our lives.

I trust you have already registered and picked up your registration package with the copy of the “Power of Blessing” book and our “40 Day Journal.”

Both are indespensable tools to help you get the most out of this series.

I also want to encourage you if you have not done so already to become part of one of the small groups meeting around the city.

You see, the Sunday morning messages introduce the topic each week that we will be covering.

Your daily readings and journaling helps you to personally go deeper in the Word and your understanding on the subject.

In the small group setting you have an opportunity to share, discuss and ask questions.

There you get to go even deeper in your understanding as you glean not only from what you learned but also from what others have learned, 

 

I really cannot encourage you enough.

If you have not already done so, register today before you leave and pick up your copy of the book and journal and the other gifts in the bag and sign up for a small group and let’s grow together during this 40 days of Blessing.

Last week we were honored to have author Terry & Melisa Bone with us to kick off our 40 Day Adventure.

(Thanks)

*/ /*

*/{ And by the way,  inspite of the fact that the weather didn’t cooperate with us, wasn’t that a great time we had last weekend.

Following the service we had fellowship, food, food and more food.

I saw children and adults with cotton candy, and by the way weren’t those hamburgers and sausages something else.   /*

*/I want to say a big thank you to Marilena Madio and everyone who worked so hard with her to make last week such a wonderful event.

Thank you for all your time, hard work and efforts.

You decorated, prepared, served.

You organized, cleaned up.

We were truly blessed by you and we want to thank you for all you have done serving the body of Christ.

God Bless You!}/*

 

As Terry mentioned last week during our 40 Day journey together we will be examining the Blessing God has prepared for us to receive throughout the seven stages of life, each one answering a major life question related to that stage.

This week you will cover in your devotions and small groups the three stages of “Conception, pregnancy, and Birth” or as it says in the book from “Earth Day to Birthday!”

Of course I cannot cover each of these in great detail today, but you will throughout the week through your readings, journaling and small groups cover them all.

Then over the next 4 weeks we will cover the remaining four stages of Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood, and Senior’s one stage per week.

*I.

The Blessing Is Already Yours*

Perhaps as we begin I would like to make something clear.

We are not creating blessings for anyone.

*The Blessing is already yours*.

*Eph 1:3* says */“God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

/*

*/ /*

*/ /*If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then those blessings are already yours.

All we want to do is to help you to receive them into your life and then to equip you so you can assist others.

God has ordained certain blessing to come into your life through Christ Jesus, but he often uses people to be the courier of those blessings.

*II.

**The Power of Words*

* *

In order for us to understand the Power of Blessing we need to remind ourselves of *The Power of Words*.

*/Words have power to create/*

* Everything that exists was created by God as he spoke it into existence

* God’s word gave order to the created world – it was in chaos until he spoke

*/Words have power to impart/*

* Words can change the way we think or feel about ourselves

* Words can cheer us up

* Words can discourage us

God said in Prov.

18:21, */ “Death and Life are in the tongue”/*

 

If words have power to impart in our life then the most powerful words are words of Blessing spoken by a person of influence in our lives.

*/“Words of blessing impart life and hope, and change the way we think about ourselves.”/*(pg

2)

 

/(Illustration #1)/

Perhaps some of you can relate to an experience I had growing up.

I was in the 6th grade at the time and the teacher asked the class a rather simple question.

I was not fully paying attention (/I was day dreaming/) so he called on me to answer the question.

Because I didn’t hear the question I answered that I did not know the answer.

At which point the teacher gave me a severe tongue lashing and used many derogative terms about my intelligence or should I say the lack of it.

He was very strong with his words and I was left feeling very embarrassed in front of all my class.

But another problem that I didn’t realize only until I began this study in preparation for these messages was this; because I had admired this male teacher and had looked up to him, his words had more influence on my life that embarrassing me.

I actually began to believe that what he had said about me to be true.

In fact my grades over the next several years reflected that belief.

#.

*Have any of you ever felt the power of words like that in  your life?  *What untruth has someone spoken to you that you have believed and has scripted your life*?

*

* *

*What you believe about yourself determines your actions*

* *

*/(/*/Illustration #2)/

Fortunately for me that wasn’t my only experience with the power of words.

You see, about 5 years passed by.

During that time period I had come to know the Lord as my Savior.

I was n baptized in water, filled with the Holy Spirit and had become active in my church.

One day while I was fixing something at the church the pastor asked me question.

He said, “/David, have you ever considered going to bible college?/”

To which I replied, “Yes I have, but I don’t believe it is for me.”

After a moment or two the pastor said these few words.

“/Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.

I thought I had seen some things in  you that God wanted use.”/

To say those few words changed my life would be a gross understatement.

God took those few words and ignited them by his Holy Spirit and literally altered the entire course of my life.

I would not be here today if it were not for those few words spoken.

Now, why do you think I answered the pastor “I don’t believe it is for me?”

It was because 5 years earlier a teacher has spoken negative words in to my life.

I believed them and they became a script by which I was living my life.

Allow me to explain.

Just a few months before the pastor had asked me that question I had been musing about going to bible college.

One of my best friends from school who was also from my church had gone to bible college the year before and I began to wonder if God would want me to go to bible school.

However, in the month of September my friend showed up in high school again.

I asked him, “What are you doing here?”

To which he responded, “Oh, David, I went to bible school last year but it was too hard for me.

I needed to come back here for another year.”

I always thought of my friend as being a good student and a bit of a brain.

So when he said those words,  I immediately thought to myself, “/Hmm, if he can’t make it at bible college then a dummy like me certainly won’t make it!.

I guess it isn’t for me/!”

But thank God, he had someone else to speak into my life.

God re-wrote the script of my life.

He replaced those untruths that I had believed and replaced them with His truth and it imparted life, hope, and transformed the way I felt and thought of myself.

*A Biblical Illustration of the importance of Words*

*/(transition)/*/ Now let’s look at an example from the scriptures that reveals just how important God thinks our words are./

/ /

*/Read Luke 1:5-25;  57 – 80/*

*/ /*

As I said earlier, “If words have power to impart in our life then the most powerful words are words of Blessing spoken by a person of influence in our lives.”

John the Baptist was to have the most important ministry in history outside of that of Jesus Christ himself.

Therefore it was essential that his father have a clear understanding of his son’s identity (who he is) and his destiny (what he was to become), in order that he might bless him properly with his words.

It was so important that God sent an Angel to tell Zaccharia, John’s father all about it.

God wanted to make sure that Zaccharia would bless and encourage John in preparation for his life’s work and calling.