Sermon Tone Analysis

LOVE IN ACTION

POSITIVE.....

LOVE IS...

PATIENT (suffereth long)

-This word is a relational word

-almost all ways used the context of people and not circumstances.

-One church father “It is a word which is used of the man who is wronged and who has it easily in his power to avenge himself, but will never do it.”

-Love does not retaliate.

HOW COUNTER CULTERAL LOVE?

-In the greek world sacrifical love…patienct love…non-avenging love where considered weakness...

-refusal to tolerate insult or injury and to strike back in realiation for and offense was a highly honored vurtue

KIND

Where patience takes....

kindness gives.

-Christians should be marked by kindness.

-but we are stained with nastiness.

-Assocation with being a servant…servince with grace and goodwill as the goal.

-Kindness is a feeling...

-It is a disposition whereby we desire the welfare of others, but he goes beyond that.

-Not only do we desire the welfare of others, but we work for it.

-It is apart of our labor.

NEGATIVE...

DOES NOT...

ENVY (envieth not)

-Evey is usualy thought of when a person wants what someone else has.

-Evnvy can go beyond that...

-It can say that I dont want them to have what they have.

-Envey can pursue the distruction of another person.

-Their possition, wealth, their reputation, their witness...

-Dont fall into the trap of thinking Envey is a victumless crime or a less sin.

BOAST (vaunteth not itself)

Isnt interesting that as much as we hate when others brad and constaintly puff themselves up, we dont seem to mind as much when it is us doing the bragging.

-The Church in Corithin was filled with braggers…exalting theirmselves spiritual.

-seek to be the cente rof attention...

IF THE ATTENTION IS ON US…HOW CAN IT POSSIBLE BE ON CHRIST WHERE IT BELONGS?

It exalts us above everyone else in the body....EVEN ABOVE CHRIST WHO IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

IS NOT...ARROGANT (is not puffed up) - related to boasting...

-ONE PASTOR I READ SAID...

“arrogance is bigheaded…love is be hearted.”

ARROGANT (is not puffed up)

OR RUDE (behave itself unseemly)

-General manners.

-DONT LIE TO YOURSELF AND TELL YOURSELF THAT YOUR ATTITUTDE TOWARD CERTAIN PEOPLE IS BASED ON THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARD YOU.

-Could it be that when I am a smartalec…or jerk…or rude…that that reveals more about my own heart than it does the person I am responding to?

-OH PEOPE SHOULD SEE THE GENTLENES SOF CHRIST

DOES NOT....

insist on its own way (seeketh not her own)

-I have only been in ministry for about 17 years now.

-Some of you have been in church for MANY MANY YEARS.

-Every church conflict, but rare exception comes back to this.

In prep I read about two tombstongs.

The first one said....

Here lies a miser who lived for himself,

and cared for nothing but gathering wealth.

Now where he is or how fares,

nobody knows and nobody cares.

The other one said...

plain tombstone in the courtyard at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London reads, “Sacred to the memory of General Charles George Gordon, who at all times and everywhere gave his strength to the weak, his substance to the poor, his sympathy to the suffering, his heart to God.”

WHO PURSUED THEIR OWN INTERESTS ABOVE OTHERS?

WHO LOVED WELL?

What does this mean for us at Thaxton?

When we make decisions?

If a committee makes a decision that you disagree with

Church votes for somethng you disagree with

The pastor leads the church toward something you disagree with

-But the church was not ready to hire a children’s director and lovingly told her that if the church moved in that direction she would be more than welcome to turn in a resume as they seek the Lord’s well.

-She moved a desk into an empty office space.

-Started show up

Committee would not allow their ministry's SEPARATE bank account statements in the church's name to be sent to the church.

They said they didn't trust the Church Financial Secretary and Stewardship Committee and it was no one's business how much money their department had.

Even after a CPA audit and warning that there were severe liability issues - they were unrelenting.

There was name calling, accusations, shouting in meetings and ultimately several left the church, including (and led by) the Director.

Absolutely craziness - talk about unhealthy possession and ownership of position and funds!

is not...

irritable (easily provoked)

-does not get aroused to anger or have sudden outbursts of emotion or action.

-Love gaurds us from that...

-The slightest ruffle of our feathers causes us to lash out in emotion and response...

-Rant, fuss and maybe even cuss.

resentful… (thinketh no evil)

LITERALLY “To count evil”

-bookeeping term

-Picture someone working on a profit and loss statement for a buisness at the end of a quarter or a year.

-The are tallying every possitive thing that happened…profits…savines…earnings...

-But all the bad stuff…expenses…costs…loss....

-That record is something they look back at and check on a regular basis...

-They keep the record for this purpose...

Some of us are keep far too many records of what people have done to us…and we review the records way too often.

-The pain is real and right to feel hurt…but we relive it…rehearse…and store up resentment in our heart.

DOES NOT

REJOICE AT WRONGDOING (rejoiceth not in iniquity)

POSSITIVE

Rejoices with the truth.

BEARS ALL THINGS.

BELIEVES ALL THINGS..

HOPES ALL THINGS...

ENDURES ALL THINGS.