Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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*Luke 5:17-26*
Lakehurst, New York, May 6th 1937, 7 pm: The "Hindenburg" has come all the way from Europe - a luxurious flying hotel, faster than any ship of its time.
The pride of the Third Reich prepares to land, and hundreds of onlookers have gathered to watch.
Then, all of a sudden, a burst of flame just forward of the upper fin.
In a matter of 33 seconds, the largest airship ever built goes down in a fiery blaze.
35 people died in the flames - and nobody knew why.
Sabotage?
A bolt of lightning?
Static electricity?
A spark?
v There is one theory that is more intriguing than the rest
Ø St Elmo’s fire
§ St Elmo’s fire is somewhat of a myth, but to the few who have witnessed it…
· It is fact
Ø St Elmo’s fire is a plasma that forms around metal objects when the air is charged with electricity before a strong thunderstorm
§ Those who has seen it describe it as a bluish-white glow that sometimes slightly hisses
· Whatever you believe…
¨ St Elmo’s Fire is a precursor to an explosive event…A thunderstorm
v And that is what we have in our text today
Ø A “St Elmo’s Fire” type of situation
*READ 5:17*
\\ *A Battle Brewing (5:17)*
v Here Jesus is teaching once again with power and authority as he always did
Ø And the very tangible power to heal was present as well
§ The “St Elmo’s Fire” so to speak
· Luke wanted to telegraph the impression that the room was charged with power
¨ Like a thunderstorm approaching
Ø “The power of the Lord was present…”
v And just like a violent thunderstorm is produced when you have two very different air masses colliding together
Ø So you have Jesus and the Pharisees together for the first time in Luke’s Gospel
v Pharisees had come from all around
Ø Luke tells us from Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem
§ And they had come not with an open mind
· Clear from all accounts of Pharisees in the Gospels
¨ The only Pharisee that we know of that sought out Jesus for true teaching was Nicodemus (*John 3:1-21*)
v You see…
Ø The Pharisees were…
§ A hyper-pious group of men whose saw their job as Law enforcers
· They developed about 150 years earlier out of an anti-Greek group called the Hasidim
· Formed for good reason
¨ To keep the Jewish way of life alive in the face of the Greek cultural tidal wave
Ø Post Alexander the Great
Ø But over time the Pharisees became more and more strict, legalistic
§ Going beyond what the Law required
· Developed a system of traditions that went beyond the Mosaic Law
¨ In order to keep from breaking it
Ø Intent was good, but the result was not
§ Led to legalism
Ø E.g.
§ Rest on the Sabbath
· No activity whatsoever
¨ Not even doing good works that glorified God’s
¨ Like healing!
§ Lord’s name in vain
· Could not speak or write it
Ø Just as then, legalism today has a good intent, but bad results
§ No drinking, playing cards, dancing, etc.
v So these legalists and traditionalists were to come in contact with the author and definer of the Law himself
Ø A storm indeed!
v But there was another scene unfolding outside…
*READ 5:18-19*
\\ *A Challenge Presented (5:18-19)*
v Jesus was now a well known figure in and around Israel
Ø The Pharisees had heard and come
§ And so had many other people
· Possibly to hear His authoritative teaching
· And possibly to see a miracle
v So they stuffed themselves into this home like sardines
Ø Overflowing out the door, around the windows
§ There was no room to move
v And up walk four men carrying a paralytic on a mat
Ø They had also heard of Jesus and his miracle working ability
§ Perhaps one of them witnessed the miraculous catch in Lake Galilee
§ Perhaps the exorcism of the demon
§ Perhaps the healing of the leper
§ Perhaps one of Jesus’ many other hrealings
· We don’t know
v What we do know is that they tried to get to Jesus and could not
Ø When I was 5, my mother took me and my sister to Europe for the year
§ I don’t remember much
· Family joke
§ But I do remember going to* L’Abri, Switzerland to hear Francis Schaeffer* teach
· One day I was outside playing on a scooter
¨ Wanted to go to my mother
Ø Had to fight my way through the crowd with the scooter
§ HARD
§ I can’t imagine trying to get through a crowd like that with a man on a mat!
v *RQ: So what did they do?*
Ø They climbed up on the roof and dug a hole and lowered the man down in front of Jesus
v Think about what these men did for a second…
Ø This demonstrates amazing Love
§ They loved their friend so much that they were willing to look like fools
· Lift this man up on the roof
§ And to go to extremes out of love
· Rip the roof apart
§ God did the same toward us
· *Romans 5:8*
¨ /But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us/
· In 6 days we will celebrate God ripping open Heaven and lowering his son
¨ Being born in a manger
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