Sermon Tone Analysis
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Mt 17:14-
The disciples in this moment were being faced with a task that they just couldn’t seem to accomplish.
This inadequacy was looming in front of them like Mount Arbel on the sea of Galilee.
I want to start this morning by asking you...
What are the mountains in your life?
Trials, Hardships, Pains, Temptations, Struggles,
We all have some type of mountains in our lives.
Even Jesus had these moments in his life.
The reasons I call these mountains is because when we are looking at them, they often feel extremely big and we feel extremely small.
These things could crush us, but for some reason, we are all called to face them in our lives.
Ask yourself; what are the things in my life that seem impossible for me to conquer?
We all have a plan for how we will conquer these mountains.
I believe that there are three typical responses for facing a mountain in our life.
Two of these postures are sinful; one of them is the very posture of Jesus.
What is my plan for facing this mountain?
Posture One: Fear
One instance that I always remember from the Bible is the exchange in which Moses is called to face potentially the biggest mountain of his life; leading the nation of Israel out of Egypt.
Moses responds to God’s calling with fear of inadequacy.
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
God informs Moses that he will represent Israel’s cause before Pharaoh.
Moses’ objections are twofold (v.
11): Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?
Who am I that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?
Knowing that the previous king had sought his life makes Moses fearful about returning to the Egyptian court.
But his upbringing and court training make him the ideal candidate for this assignment.
God informs Moses that he will represent Israel’s cause before Pharaoh.
Moses’ objections are twofold (v.
11): Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?
Who am I that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?
Knowing that the previous king had sought his life makes Moses fearful about returning to the Egyptian court.
But his upbringing and court training make him the ideal candidate for this assignment.
12 He said, “But I will be with you
Hoffmeier, J. K. (1995).
Exodus.
In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol.
3, p. 43).
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
There was a reason that God had chosen this mountain for Moses, but Moses was still extremely scared of his inadequacy.
God gives Moses a reason to not worry.
He establishes that when He has placed a mountain in your life, there is no reason to fear.
The hebrew is
“hyh im atta”
Can you imagine the comfort in knowing that no matter what you are facing God is with you?
This reassurance is not only found in the Old Testament though.
We see this same type of comment from the New Testament.
Jesus even told the disciples that he would always be with them.
Because of the things that God has told us in the past, we can be confident that He will be with us in our present and future.
Posture Two: Pride
As I was studying for this second posture that I have perceived I came across something very interesting.
Typically in the Gospels we will see some of the same accounts, but often with a little variation.
But in one case, there are two accounts that are recorded almost exactly the same.
and Luke 20
It is very clear that because the accounts line up so well, this was a big moment in Jesus’ ministry.
It is very clear that because the accounts line up so well, this was a big moment in Jesus’ ministry.
So, what is happening here?
Jesus had just finished answering a question asked by the scribes.
What is the greatest commandment?
Jesus answers “love God and love others.”
Then Jesus goes on the offensive.
Was Jesus condemning the devotion to God that the scribes had?
What was he condemning?
He was condemning their pride.
While they had a devotion to God, they also had a devotion to their own reputation.
WE HAVE THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEMS SOME TIMES.
Often when facing a mountain we will rely on ourselves to move it.
We must realize that no matter how strong both mentally and physically we are, sometimes we cannot deal with the mountains we face.
Our pride inevitably leads us into what the book of Proverbs describes as the fall.
Proverbs 1
“Shouting at the mountains”
Eventually you’ll run out breathe
“Gossiping about the mountains”
Eventually, you’ll run out of people to tell
“Digging away at the mountains”
Eventually you’ll start to get tired
“Hiking up the mountain”
Good luck climbing Everest all by yourself.
Why are we so quick to fight our battles on our own?
Begin with silence and prayer (5 minutes)
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting (around a table, on the couch, the floor of a living room, etc.).
Say a quick prayer to invite the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.
Then spend a few minutes in silence.
Why silence?
Because we live in a busy, noisy world, under a non-stop assault of distraction.
In the midst of all the chaos, it’s hard at times to hear the voice of God, and that of our brothers and sisters.
As we gather together as a family, we want to hear what the Father is saying to and through each of us, and respond in turn.
A great way to do that is to begin each time with silence and prayer.
Debrief last week’s practice in small groups (10–15 minutes)
If you are in a community of seven or more, divide into small groups of 3–4 people each (ideally same gender).
Spend a few minutes catching up on life...
Then talk about the following debrief questions from last week’s practice:
Did you listen to the podcast?
What did you think?Is sabbath already a part of your life, or no?Does the idea of practicing sabbath sound good, bad, “legalistic,” freeing?
Open to the Bible together (10 minutes)
Have somebody read Genesis 2v1–3
Talk about the following questions:
Is the idea of a sabbath new to you?
Part of your upbringing?
Background?
Practice?Did you grow up with any kind of a bias against the sabbath?Notice that the sabbath takes place in Genesis, long before the “Law.”
What does that say about God’s original intention for a day of rest and worship?God works and rests.
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