Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

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! Close Encounters Of The God Kind
!
Changed Forever
 
 
        On Tuesday of this week (2~/10~/1998), I believe that God used the television to confirm His direction to me in this present series.
Since, I have been incapacitated, I have been watching some more TV, while I work—because I am working longer.
I work from about 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in complete silence.
I work the rest of the day with the TV on.
On Tuesday, the Olympics were on, which interrupted my normal line up of “In The Heat Of The Night,” “Kung Fu The Legend Continues,” “Lois And Clark,” And, “Babylon Five.”
So, I decided to watch the movie, “Contact,” since I am doing this series.
I remember seeing it at the movies, knew that it was a good Sci-Fi thriller with little sex, cussing, or violence, but didn’t remember much more about it.
As I watched it, I remembered why I enjoyed it the first time.
Contact is a brilliant movie directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis, and based on the novel,  /Contact/, by the late Carl Sagan.
*It is one of the most realistic and plausible movies of this genre.*
Dr. Eleanor Arroway (Jodi Foster) is a radio Astronomer listening for extra-terrestrial life in other galaxies.
Her search for extra-terrestrial life is fueled by her search for the meaning of life, i.e. a reason for being.
She meets up with theologian, Palmer Joss (Mathew McConaughey) and after having a one night stand, help each other find their way to what they concede as the truth.
Their relationship becomes the spark to the brilliant effect played throughout the movie, which is the idea that faith versus science reflects human concerns in our time.
*As a matter of fact, the movie really shows how faith in the existence of extra-terrestrial life and faith in God are alike.*
Dr.
Arroway eventually begins to receive signals from the star system, Vega, and embedded in a message sent out 26 years ago are plans to build a machine capable of transporting one person through space.
To make a long story short, the machine is built, Dr. Arroway takes the trip, has a spectacular experience, which includes a voyage to Vega and contact with an alien.
Unfortunately, none of this is recorded, because of jamming by the alien.
Although there is no proof, Dr. Arroway contends that she really did travel to Vega, and although only a couple of seconds passed on earth her journey took eighteen (18) hours.
*Because of her contention, Dr. Arroway faces an investigative inquiry before leaders of the world.*
In this inquiry she is belittled and asked if she wants the world to simply have faith in her word that she took this fantastic journey and had this fantastic experience.
I didn’t remember any of the end of the movie, but her words line up precisely with the thesis of this sermon series.
She said something to the effect of, “I have had a fantastic experience.
I cannot explain it, but I know that I have had it, and it has changed my life forever!
I only wish that I could share it with every person on this planet.”
*Isn’t that the reality and desire of every believer in Jesus Christ?*
We are presently involved in a series of messages entitled:  “Close Encounters Of The God Kind.”
This title is taken from one of the most spectacular UFO science fiction films of all times.
It was entitled:  “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Released in 1977, it was directed by famous film director Stephen Spielberg.
In this series, we are studying close encounters with God, by likening them to close encounters with UFO’s.
When a person has a close encounter with a UFO, it cannot be totally explained.
When a person truly encounters God, something happens that he~/she cannot totally explain or rationalize.
They cannot totally explain it, because it is a spiritual or metaphysical experience.
Therefore, he~/she is required to use his~/her spirit to leap beyond the natural and begin to entertain the supernatural, the miraculous, the ineffable, the transcendent, the eternal.
When a person has a close encounter with a UFO, it is an experience that changes that person’s life forever.
When a person has a close encounter with the Jehovah God, it is an experience that changes that person’s life forever.
In the first sermon in this series, we began to define “A Close Encounter Of The God Kind.”
The definition we used was:
 
“A Close Encounter of the God Kind” is a face-to-face encounter with God that cannot be totally explained, but which—when fully experienced—will bring about a genuine response of worship, which will change people forever!
In the last sermon, we dealt with the phrase “a genuine response of worship.”
We further defined “a genuine response of worship” as “wholehearted worship.”
We concluded that “wholehearted worship” is a way to summon God to an encounter, as well as “a genuine response” to an encounter with God.
We further concluded that “wholehearted worship” is a genuine response of worship that encompasses all of one’s body, soul, and spirit; i.e. all of one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength; i.e. all of ones inner life and all of one’s physical vitality and energy.
Today we want to further delineate “a genuine response of worship” and talk about how people are “changed forever.”
First let’s further delineate “a genuine response of worship.”
I have quoted several times from Frank Thomas’ book, /They Like To Never Quit Praisin’ God/.
This book, written about the role of celebration in African-American preaching, is probably the best book I have ever read on the subject of celebration and preaching.
I would like to quote from it again, as it relates to “a genuine response of worship.”
Keep mind, before we read this quote, that in Thomas’ writings, and in my theology, celebration and worship are roughly equivalent, and Thomas’ is specifically discussing celebration in a sermon.
\\ Thomas says
 
“Celebration is the culmination of the sermonic design where a moment is created in which the remembrance of a redemptive past and~/or the conviction of a liberated future transforms the events immediately experienced.”[1]
*Thomas’ “remembrance of a redemptive past and~/or conviction of a liberated future” correlate to my “genuine response of worship.”
“The remembrance of a redemptive past and~/or the conviction of a liberated future” not only facilitate “a genuine response of worship” or celebration, they are “a genuine response of worship” or celebration.*
Those who have a history of listening to *good* African-American preaching should be able to relate to this immediately.
We know that at some time in almost every sermon, we are going to look back and
 
·        remember where God has brought us from,
·        remember what He delivered us from,
·        remember how He brought us out,
·        remember how He made a way out of no way,
·        remember how He redeemed us from the slave market of sin or some condition of bondage.
This remembrance of a redemptive past is “a genuine response of worship” that transforms the events immediately experienced or changes the person forever.
From this “genuine response of worship,” people receive the courage to do or face what they could not do or face just a few moments before.
When the Children of Israel were standing safely on the other side of the Red Sea and Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea, Miriam took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing, and she began to worship God through remembrance of that redemptive event saying in
 
Exodus 15:21, “And Miriam answered them, ‘Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.’”
 
\\         Likewise, the conviction of a liberated future is also “a genuine response of worship.”
That’s why, every now and then, the African-American preacher is going to take you to
 
·        heaven, where the streets are paved with pure gold like clear glass;
·        heaven, where there is a river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God;
·        heaven, on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations;
·        heaven, which has twelve foundations, each of a precious stone;
·        heaven, where there is a wall of jasper and each gate is a pearl;
·        heaven, where there shall be no night and there shall be no need of the sun, moon, or stars to lighten it, because the glory of God shall lighten it;
·        heaven, where we shall be liberated and set free.
So, let’s add these two phrases to our expanding definition:
 
A “Close Encounter Of The God Kind” is a face-to-face meeting with God that cannot be totally explained, but which—when fully experienced—will bring about a response of genuine worship or celebration, which includes the remembrance of a redemptive past and~/or the conviction of a liberated future that changes people forever.
/(All right, let’s move on and expand the phrase “changes people forever.”)/
*Exactly how does “A Close Encounter Of The God Kind” change people forever?*
Once again let me turn to Thomas.
Before I read this quote let me give you a disclaimer.
Thomas’ thoughts sparked some deep thinking in me, but most of the interpretation and application of his quotes are mine.
All right?
All right!
Thomas talks about the concept of /overwriting the intuitive tapes of one’s core belief/.[2]
*This concept actually describes how people are changed forever!*
This phrase is also related to another very important question, “How can people belong to strong Bible-believing, Bible teaching ministries and sit under powerful teaching, preaching, and worship and see very little movement and growth in their lives?”
*The answer is they are not having close encounters with God.*
If they were having genuine close encounters with God, those encounters would engender genuine experiences with God, which would bring about a genuine response of worship, which would cause real change, movement, or spiritual growth, or the overwriting of the intuitive tapes of their core beliefs.
*Consequently, it is possible to interact with teaching and preaching in such a way that your knowledge increases, but the intuitive tapes of your core beliefs remain the same.*
/(Let me explain.)/
Although I have studied, contemplated, and taught about intuitive tapes and core beliefs from a number of different perspectives, let’s use Thomas’ perspective for our teaching today.
Thomas believes that “human awareness involves three aspects of self:  the cognitive, the emotive, and the intuitive.
·        The cognitive is the faculty for reason and rational thought.”[3]
*This faculty seems to be the most developed and most important faculty to people in the western world, particularly the United States.*
I have stated this and talked about it many times, in many ways.
The second aspect of self, with respect to human awareness, is the emotive.
·        “The emotive is the base for the arousal of feelings and affections.”[4]
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