Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Story - Chapter 4 - Deliverance*

*Offering Prayer – Instructions then Video – Giving Communicates!

*Giving communicates to God that you want His blessing in your life!

Giving means you are willfully walking through the door of blessing.

*Meet two people who could not be more opposite.*

One woman gave and another woman took.

One left a legacy of love, the other left a legacy of hate.

*First, let’s meet **Mary A. "Pink" Mullaney*.

Mrs.

Mullaney died recently and her obituary was hailed as "the best thing you'll read today."

*Here are a few quotes about a woman nicknamed “PINK” from her 6 children and 17 grandchildren:* /"We were blessed to learn many valuable lessons from Pink during her 85 years, among them ….

Go to church with a chicken sandwich in your purse ….

Give the chicken sandwich to your homeless friend after [the service] ….

Go to a nursing home and kiss everyone ….

Invite new friends to Thanksgiving dinner.

If they are from another country and you have trouble understanding them, learn to "listen with an accent."

Never say mean things about anybody./

/Those who've taken her lessons to heart will continue to ensure that a cold drink will be left for the overheated garbage collector and mail carrier, every baby will be kissed, every nursing home resident will be visited, the hungry will have a sandwich, [and] every guest will have a warm bed and soft nightlight …."/ Mary Pink Mullaney just loved people and according to her family she will be greatly missed.

*Meet a second woman - **Marianne Theresa Johnson-Reddick*[i]*** who died on August 30 at a Reno, Nevada Nursing Home.** * Her eight children have been estranged from her for more than 30 years.

Six of Johnson-Reddick’s eight kids were admitted to the Nevada Children’s Home from 1963 to 1964 after they endured continual beatings.

Katherine Reddick, Marianne’s daughter, placed these scathing remarks in her Mom’s obituary, /On behalf of her children who she abrasively exposed to her evil and violent life, we celebrate her passing from this earth and hope she lives in the after-life reliving each gesture of violence, cruelty and shame that she delivered on her children.

//Everyone she met, adult or child was tortured by her cruelty and exposure to violence, criminal activity, vulgarity, and hatred of the gentle or kind human spirit.”

/*Marianne Reddick* was described as a /“wicked, wicked witch”/ and according to her family they are grateful she’s gone.

Two completely different people.

One loved; one hated!

*Isn’t it amazing how good life can be when someone’s in your court or on your side?

But the opposite is also true.

Just ask the people of God!*  I pray you read chapter 4 of The Story this past week.

The first three chapters took us through the 50 chapters of Genesis.

*We saw God moving through the lives of people.

These people -* /Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel.

The original couple sinned.

Cain murdered Abel and the wickedness of the earth only grew stronger.

Finally God calls Noah to build him an ark.

Noah and his wife have three sons.

Shem, Ham & Japheth.

From Shem comes Abraham.

Abraham has a wife named Sarah but she cannot conceive so she gives her husband her slave named Hagar and Hagar gives birth to Ishmael.

But eventually Sarah gives birth to Isaac.

Isaac married Rebekah and they have twin sons Esau & Jacob.

Jacob will end up with four wives but his favorite is Rachel and Rachel will give birth to Joseph and die giving birth to Benjamin!/

Last week Joseph was on top of the world – second in command to Pharaoh himself.

Joseph was large and in charge.

Pharaoh loved him and Joseph loved Pharaoh.

But everything is about to change!  *Turn in your Bible to Exodus 1:6.*

DO YOU NEED A BIBLE?

This week is our last week to be WARM for WARM.

Please bring decaffeinated coffee, tea bags and hot chocolate to help fill community Thanksgiving baskets!

When you see the word Exodus think exit!  It’s time for the children of God to exit Egypt and here’s why!   

            *Read 1:6-11*.

*Have you seem this Rice Krispies commercial?**  **If you think that’s tough to digest look at verse 22.**  *Giving birth is supposed to be an exciting time.

But not if you have a baby boy!

This is exactly what happens to both Amram and Jochebed![ii]

/But instead of throwing him in, Jochebed floats him down./

The one who will rescue God’s people must first be rescued himself.

*Find Exodus 2:5.

(Read 5-9)*  Jochebed had to make a brutal decision.

Let Moses live with someone else or let him die!

She chose life!

So Moses is Hebrew by birth, but raised to walk and talk and think like an Egyptian.

*Look at this picture of my daughter Jeanna.*

She’s growing up.

Moses did too.

Moses is now an adult.

*Turn to Exodus 2:23.

(23-25)*

            God is concerned about His people.

If he’s concerned about his people He should help them.

*If I were God here’s what I would do.*

I would send Superman or better yet I would send someone who’s considered super!

He would have impeccable leadership skills.

He would be a dynamic communicator.

His self-esteem would be solid and his rap sheet would be clean!

But that’s not what God does.

God sends Moses.

The most unlikely hero, deliverer, rescuer on the planet!

*Find Exodus 4:10.

(Read 10-13)* 

            Yes, God, by all means get someone else!

Because Moses isn’t qualified to deliver your people.

His self-esteem is poor.

He gets rattled when speaking in front of groups.

Plus, there’s a wanted poster - his mug shot hangs on the walls of Egypt because he murdered a man!  Moses isn’t qualified!

*            Where is God trying to use you right now but you find yourself reluctant?*

I can’t lead that group.

*We make excuses*.

I don’t have the time to go.

I don’t have the money to go.

There is a bookmark on every chair.

*Team Haiti leaves for Grand Goave on October 12*.

Duane Gray leads a team of nine.

Would you pray for them?

Do you know what a short term mission trip will do for you?

Your weakness will become God’s strength – just like Moses.

The clash of Gods is about to begin!  Reluctant Moses finds himself in Egypt with his brother Aaron at his side and a staff in his hand.

That staff is God’s reminder to Moses – I AM WHO I AM – I AM SENT YOU – I AM WITH YOU!

            Don’t be afraid of these Egyptian gods.

*Exodus is the real home of the Big Ten!*

The ten plagues and the ten commandments.

*Look at this chart.*

Don’t think that God went all “willy-nilly” with the plagues.