Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Anger
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Analytical
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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Introduction
BB Gun
It’s easier to say than it is to act.
Tension
Believe it or not, there’s a point to all this.
It’s easier for all of us to say than it is to act.
It’s easier for us to say something.
To believe something.
Than it is to put that belief into action.
As a result, our behavior and beliefs don’t always line up.
Don’t always match up.
What we say or think, isn’t reflected in our actions.
Or inaction.
Sometimes that’s on accident.
My youngest daughter, Lennux, is like 1.5 days away from taking her first steps.
So she’s crawling everywhere, moving around, and you just can’t keep her still.
And I fully believe that, given the chance, she will climb right up any staircase she finds.
Furthermore, I believe that would be a really bad idea.
It’s dangerous.
But, I sometimes forget to put the baby gate up.
On accident, my actions don’t reflect my beliefs.
But, sometimes that’s on purpose.
I believe that speed limits exist to ensure the safety of motorists, pedestrians, everyone.
But, I also believe that I’m running late.
So everybody just needs to get outta my way.
This time, on purpose, my actions and what I believe are at odds.
Give Examples
This dilemma isn’t anything new, though.
From the very dawn of time, humanity has struggled (deep down) with this disconnect.
Our actions.
Our beliefs.
They don’t always complement each other.
One of the earliest letters we have from a follower of Jesus addresses exactly this issue.
Truth/Application
If you have a Bible with you, go ahead and open up to the book of James.
It’s almost at the end of the Bible.
If you have trouble finding it, don’t be afraid to use the table of contents.
If you’re using one of the brown Bibles underneath the chair in front of you, our passage starts on Page 977.
What we call “the book of James” is a letter, who was written by a guy named James.
Surprise, right?
James was the brother of Jesus.
At first, James didn’t buy into everything Jesus was saying.
Think about it.
Would you?
If my brother came to me and said, “Hey, bro!
Just a quick heads-up, I’m God.” You’d better believe I’m checking him into the psych ward.
I bet you would, too.
James did just that.
But, then, something happened.
James saw his brother.
Who had been dead.
Who had been nailed to a cross, stabbed in the heart, put to death, and buried.
He saw him alive again.
He became a really important leader in the early Jesus movement.
He’s writing this letter to Jewish Christians all over the world.
He was Jewish.
They were Jewish.
Remember that, because it’ll be important as we read what he wrote.
Pray
Are You Really Listening?
It’s really easy to tell when you’re in a conversation with someone who’s not listening
Listening was such an important idea in Judaism.
One of the central points of the entire Hebrew Bible is found in
Every morning, and every evening, for thousands of years, the Jewish people have repeated this prayer.
It’s called the Shema, and it comes from that first word, “Listen.”
One of the fascinating things about “Shema” is that it doesn’t just mean to let sound waves enter your ears.
It means to respond to what you’ve heard, as well.
Listening/obeying were the same concept in Hebrew.
It was an active process that required a response.
Listening/obeying were the same concept in the Hebrew world.
It was an active process.
Shema.
Jesus emphasized the same point through his whole ministry.
On the one hand: Jesus shows us about God’s incredible mercy, and his amazing grace.
That he loves us so far beyond our comprehension that he would do whatever it took to pursue us.
On the other hand: Time and time again, Jesus calls his followers to this radical obedience.
To not just learn the lessons he taught, to not just hang out with the guy, but to actually follow through with action.
On the other hand: Time and time again, Jesus calls his followers to this radical obedience.
To not just learn the lessons he taught, to not just hang out with the guy, but to actually follow through with action.
Some of us might be tempted to focus on one of these over the other.
Some might want to really deeply study the Bible, learn all the factoids and trivia you can, find all the fascinating bits of information.
But, when it comes time to put legs on the message, you just… “Meh.”
Or maybe you’re really excited to act out in service.
Do the things that you think God wants you to do.
But, if you don’t listen to God’s word, how do you know what he wants you to do?
We can miss this reality, though.
For Jesus, for James, it wasn’t one or the other.
It was both listening and doing, working together.
This is what the message of Jesus is.
You can’t separate the two things.
If you are, if I am, then we truly have only half of the Gospel.
Those are the parts of it.
Two sides of the same coin.
And, if we try to do one without the other, James says we’re deceiving ourselves.
We’re delusional.
Listening and obeying go hand in hand.
You can’t have one without the other.
We need to pause here.
Because I don’t want you to misunderstand me.
I did not, I am not, and I will not say that the things we do make us right with God.
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