Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

THERE IS SOME QUESTIONS AS TO THE WRITER OF THE BOOK OF HEBREWS

IT IS CLEAR AND SET APART FROM ANY OTHER BOOK

NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF VOLUME OF ITS INFORMATION, BUT MOST THEOLOGIANS CONSIDER THIS BOOK A SERMON

THERE IS A RHYTHM TO THIS BOOK

IT IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN HEBRAISTIC UNDERSTANDINGS AND FAITH

THE WRITER USES THE OT AS A CANVAS TO PAINT A NT PICTURE

IT IS SO STRONG AND SO POWERFUL, IT HAS BEEN CALLED THE BOOK OF BETTER THINGS

IT BRINGS A WONDERFUL UNDERSTAND OF RELATIONS BETWEEN NT JESUS CHRIST AND OT YAHWEH

THE BOOK MAKES A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO SO POWERFULLY THAT WE CAN NEVER DISCONNECT OURSELVES FROM THE SEED OF ABRAHAM

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

WE LIKE THEM ARE COVENANT KEEPING PEOPLE

CHRISTIANITY IS ROOTED IN JUDAISM

IT DOES NOT STAND ALONE AND APART ONE FROM THE OTHER

IT IS NOT A HOUSE WITHOUT A FOUNDATION

THE INTEGRITY OF ITS FOUNDATION IS BUILT UPON THE POWER OF WHO GOD WAS IN THE OT

IT IS FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE THAT THE WRITER WRITES TODAY DOING A PARALLEL, IF IT WERE, OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL STRUGGLING TO ENTER INTO THE REST AND GOING THROUGH THE WILDERNESS HEARING ABOUT A PROMISED LAND THAT THEY DID NOT RECEIVE

THIS BOOK, THIS CHAPTER, THIS POINT OF REFERENCE THAT WE TALK ABOUT TODAY IS UNIQUELY SET APART FROM ANY OTHER TEXT THAT I MIGHT PREACH OR SHARE WITH YOU

BECAUSE WHILE IT IS POWERFUL, IT IS DISTURBING

BODY

GOD WILL DISTURB YOU

THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR TODAY, BUT GOD WILL DISTURB YOU

HE WILL DISTURB YOU

WITHOUT HIS DISTURBANCE YOU ARE NOT SURE THAT YOU ARE HIS

IF THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR FAITH THAT DISTURBS YOU, IF THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR FAITH THAT INTIMIDATES YOU, IF THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR FAITH THAT HUMBLES YOU, IF THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR FAITH THAT MAKES YOU DROP DOWN ON YOUR KNEES, IF THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR FAITH THAT CHALLENGES YOU, I DOUBT YOU HAVE YOUR FAITH AT ALL

REAL FAITH AND ALL IS A STRUGGLE; IT’S A CONFLICT-BETWEEN WHERE I AM AND WHERE I SHOULD BE

BETWEEN WHAT I FEEL AND WHAT HE HAS CALLED ME TO DO

BETWEEN THE PASSIONS OF MY BODY AND THE CALLING OF MY SPIRIT; IT IS ALWAYS WAR

FAITH BRINGS GUNS AND SHOOTS CANNONS AND BULLETS

FAITH DROPS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

FAITH WILL LEAVE CRATERS IN YOUR SOUL, EARTHQUAKES AS YOU STRUGGLE TO BECOME WHAT YOU HEAR

THERE IS ALWAYS A GULF BETWEEN WHAT YOU HEAR AND WHERE YOU ARE

A STRUGGLE, IF YOU PLEASE, BETWEEN THE HOLY YOU AND THE HUMAN YOU

LIKE TWINS STRUGGLING IN THE WOMB, YOU CANNOT GET RID OF ONE FOR THE OTHER

YOU PRAY, LET THE HOLY ME KILL THE HUMAN ME

NOT GOING TO HAPPEN

AND THE DEVIL PRAYS, LET THE HUMAN ONE KILL THE HOLY ONE

BUT GRACE SAYS, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN

WE LIVE WITH THE TWINS STRUGGLING IN OUR WOMB, NEVER ABLE TO GET RID OOF ONE FOR THE OTHER

MY PRAYER IS, LET THE HOLY MIKE KILL THE THE UNHOLY MIKE

BUT HE HAS NOT DONE IT YET

THEN, I BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT IT IS THE HUMAN MIKE THAT GIVES FLAVOR TO THE HOLY MIKE

LIKE THE MARBLING IN A FINE CUT OF MEAT

ISN’T IT AMAZING THAT IT IS THE FAT THAT GIVES THE MEAT ITS FLAVOR

IT IS THE HUMAN THAT GIVES THE HOLINESS ITS HUMILITY

THIS TEXT WARNS US THAT AS WE STRUGGLE ON THE INSIDE, WE ARE STRUGGLING ON THE OUTSIDE AND THAT WE ARE WRESTLING TO ENTER AND TO ENTER INTO A REST

WE ARE INDEED IN A WILDERNESS

YOU CAN NOT RECOGNIZE IT BY LOOKING

YOU CANNOT RECOGNIZE IT HOW WE ARE DRESSED

THERE IS NOT A PERSON IN THIS ROOM THAT IS NOT IS NOT IN SOME KIND OF WILDERNESS

A WILDERNESS WHERE NOTHING GROWS

A WILDERNESS THAT REMINDS YOU OF HOW THIRSTY YOU ARE

A WILDERNESS THAT TAKES AWAY ALL OF OUR COMFORTS

GET YOURSELF A BIG CHAIR, BUT THE WILDERNESS WILL DISTURB YOUR REST

YOU CAN CUSTOM DESIGN ALL OF YOUR CLOTHES BUT THE WILDERNESS WILL STILL LEAVE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE

THE WRITER WARNS US THAT IF WE LIVE LIKE THEY DID, WE WILL DIE LIKE THEM

THE TEXT SAYS, LET US FEAR

OH, MY LET US FEAR

GOD IS TELLING US TO FEAR

THE SAME GOD THAT SAYS, FEAR NOT FOR I AM THY GOD

THE GOD WHO STEPPED OUT ONTO THE SEAS AND SAID, FEAR NOT

THE BIBLE SAYS, GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR

YET, THIS TEXT SAYS, LET US FEAR

IT IS NOT A CONFLICT IN SCRIPTURE

IT IS AN AGREEMENT OF TRUTH

GOD SAYS, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I TOLD YOU NOT TO BE AFRAID OF

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THEIR FACES

SPARE NOT, SHOW MY PEOPLE THEIR TRANSGRESSIONS

YOU CANNOT BE SUCCESSFUL AND BE AFRAID OF PEOPLE

THEY WILL ALWAYS RUN YOU AWAY FROM WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO

IT IS THE BARKING OF THE DOGS THAT ASSURES ME OF THE PROMISES OF THE HOLY

IF YOU WOULDN’T HAVE BARKED SO LOUD, I WOULDN’T HAVE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THERE

WHEN I HEARD THE DOGS BARKING, I KNEW WHERE THE TREASURE WAS

BUT, THE TEXT SAYS THERE IS SOMETHING IN THE MIDST OF OUR FEARLESSNESS, IN THE MIDST OF OUR FEARLESSNESS

THE TEXT SAYS THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF

LET US THEREFORE FEAR THAT WE WOULD LIVE AND DIE AND NOT REACH WHAT HE HAS PROMISED US

THAT I AM SCARED OF

I HAVE REALLY NEVER BEEN AFRAID OF DEATH AS LONG AS I LIVE FIRST

WHAT I AM AFRAID OF IS THAT I WOULD EXIST WITHOUT LIVING

AND LET MY FEAR CAUSE ME TO DIE IN A WILDERNESS THAT I AM NOT CALLED TO

I AM CONVINCED THAT MOST PEOPLE LIVE AND DIE IN THE WILDERNESS OF UNCERTAINTY

NOT BEING SURE

YOUR FEAR IS THE ENEMY BUT YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE WRONG THING

YOU SHOULD BE MORE AFRAID OF NOT ACCOMPLISHING WHAT YOU WERE CREATED TO DO

IT IS DIFFICULT TO DO WHAT WE DO, THE PRESSURE, STRESS, THE FEAR OF NOT PLEASING GOD

GO AHEAD, RUN UP HERE, BUT YOU WILL LIMP BACK, IF YOU GET BACK AT ALL

THE GREATEST FEAR IS TO LIVE AND DIE AND NEVER FIND OUT WHO YOU WERE

LET US FEAR THAT WE WOULD MISS GOD’S PROMISE AND SETTLE FOR SURVIVAL

OH MY GOD, YOU SHOULD SEE THE SETTLERS IN THE CHURCH

THOSE WHO SETTLE FOR LESS THAN GOD’S BEST FOR THEM

BEING MORE AFRAID OF THE OPPOSITION THAN THE ONE WHO CALLED YOU

TURN DOWN YOUR FEAR OF FILURE AND TURN UP THE FEAR OF WHAT YOU COULD HAVE BEEN

WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE, HAD, REACHED

BECAUSE YOU LET SOME VOICE TALK YOU OUT OF YOUR DESTINY

LET US FEAR THAT WE WOULD FALL SHORT OF A PROMISE BEING FOR US

AND SETTLE FOR SHORTNESS INSTEAD OF GREATNESS

HE BRINGS UP THE OT SAINTS

HE SAYS, THE WORD DID NOT PROFIT

THE WORD DID NOT PROFIT

WHAT IS PROFIT?