Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

NOW

Joel Osteen Video

Joel objective: To bring people hope and to get people interested who don’t normally come to church

We have seen Favor-He attributed his success to God.

Currently they are the largest church in the US.

45,000 weekly attenders

He says Everyone has different gift he is implying that his gift is to be all sugar no spice.

He deflected on Sin.

He said I did it in a different way.

Most people know what they doing is wrong....Not true! the conscience speaks but people suppress their own conscience.

45% of Americans say they have watched a Christian church service online during the COVID-19 pandemic, including some who say they don’t normally physically attend.

Around half (52%) say they have not watched a church service during the pandemic, most of whom say they don’t normally attend church in person either.

In a previous Lifeway Research study of Protestant pastors conducted prior to the spread of COVID-19, 41% said they didn’t regularly livestream any portion of their church service or post the sermon online later.

At the time of the survey, only around 1 in 4 (27%) said they livestreamed either the entire service or just the sermon

As the coronavirus began to spread and social distancing guidelines emerged, the vast majority of churches quickly provided digital options.

By March 2020, Lifeway Research found 92% of Protestant pastors said they provided some type of video sermons or worship services online.

That climbed to 97% in April 2020.

This Data suggest that on Sunday Morning you can enter the congregation of almost any church in the US and be influenced by their service.

The access to information is unprecedented this has it’s positive but it also has it’s negatives.

One of those negatives is that those who are spiritually undiscerned get a full buffet of churches ready to pounce on that ignorance.

Then

-Explain John 9

-in (v.16)

The Pharisees deny that Jesus was a prophet because he healed the blind man on the Sabbath, but not all the Pharisees agreed, even some of their eyes were beginning to open.....To the Pharisees-Tradition superseded Souls(Compassion & Human needs)

-(v.17)

The Blind beggar makes it plain, this man is not a sinner, he is a prophet!!!

-(v.24&25)

The Pharisees questioned the blind man again, and try to get him to call Jesus a sinner, but he will not relent.

In the face of the religious authorities he says in (v.25) “Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see”

-Read (v.26-41) and explain

We are Moses disciples says the Pharisees because we know God has spoken to him.

-(v.39) the blind man knew he was blind and needed Jesus help….The Pharisees sarcastically said are we blind?

In other words “we see clearly, and we don’t need your help” you see the Pharisees were not physically blind, they were spiritually blind and did not know it.

Always

-In a world with many different voice, those whom are the Lord’s will always hear his voice, because the Good Shepherd will make sure of it.

I.

Only the Gatekeeper opens the Gate.

(EXP)(1) Jesus speaks to audience by contrasting himself and all future shepherds against those who seek to influence or lead the sheep.

I believe in this text Jesus is future proofing his messages.

He knows that he will be leaving and under-shepherds will be ministering in his absence.

It is imperative that Jesus give the people tools to recognize true minister of the gospel from frauds.

(EXP)(1) Jesus says Truly, Truly Jesus was saying “I am about to tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

He who does not pick up his children at the front door is suspicious.

He who uses deception, and guile is someone you should keep your eye on.

The Shepherd who you don’t truly know.

They one who is not transparent.

They one who lives above the sheep not with the sheep be skeptical.

(EXP(v1) Jesus identifies individuals that want to get access to the sheep by illegal means.

He calls them “thief & robbers” they have one goal in mind to ravage the sheep.

Teach- on the Shepherd’s Pen and the gate where the gatekeeper laid

-(v.1)

Jesus says these Shepherd try to enter into the fold of the sheep by climbing over the wall to get access to them.

-These Pharisees are characterized as “thief & robbers” these two terms are used to describe the deception that a thief must incorporate to gain access to the Sheep & the term Robbers describes the destructive things that the robbers does to the sheep once he has access.

He has ungodly motives that is why he cannot come through the front door, but he must get access to the sheep through deceptive schemes.

I believe Jesus may have had Ezekiel 34:1-10 on his mind when spoke these words.

-Ezekiel 34:1-10 4 indictments against the Shepherds of Israel:

Failure to feed: (2) “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel.

Prophesy and say to those shepherds, Thus says that Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves!

Should not the shepherds feed the flock?

(3)3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.”

It is the Shepherds Responsibility to teach the sheep correctly, not simple extract resources from the sheep.

Failure to provide Spiritual healing: (4a) “You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured”

It is the Shepherds responsibility to provide ongoing care for the Sheep.

This requires that the sheep know him and they know him.

This includes counseling, hospital care, relational/conflict resolution and informal discipleship.

Failure to chase the wayward and unsaved: (4b) “brought back the strays, or sought the lost

It is the Shepherds responsibility to set the church on course to be a retreiver of the wayward and fisherman of the lost.

When haven’t seen folks for awhile they should be getting calls.

When we meet folks and talk with folks we ought to be concerned about their eternal destiny.

Failure to lead: “(4c) “Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.”

It is the Shepherds responsibility to lead the sheep in a godly and loving way.

This does not mean leadership is all marsh-mellows and balloons.

It simply means the intimidation and control are should not be the means by which you spurn people to greater services.

Ultimately it should come from love, trust and accountability.

Result: The sheep were scattered all over the place, and became food for the beasts(This is metaphor for the Israelites being enslaved in Gentile nation, because of the lack of spiritual leadership from Judah & Israel)

Saints God has just given us through Ezekiel a blueprint for spotting thieves and robbers.

Those that come in to ravage the Sheep.

Let’s continue in the text for even more detail.

john 10:2

(EXP)(v.2) Jesus says true Shepherds comes right to the front door to get their children.

There is only one way to the sheep’s pen, and that is through the Gate where the Gatekeeper is.

-Jesus is saying that the Good Shepherd does not need to use deception in order to get access to the Sheep, but he can come right to the front door, and pick his sheep up.

-There are two types of Shepherd’s that Jesus is talking about in this passage: The True Shepherds and the False Shepherds

Application

1.

There are two messages being taught by two different Shepherd’s:

False Shepherds: One uses deception; They will not allow there message to be scrutinized they won’t allow their teaching to be questioned.

True Shepherds: speak truth.

2. The True Shepherd message will always line up with the Word of God it will not contain deceptive schemes meant to trick, confuse, or deceive the sheep, because he wants what’s best for them not himself.

II.

The Gatekeeper will only allow Parents to pick up their children

(EXP)(v.3)

The doorkeeper only opens the door for the Good Shepherd so that he can get his sheep.

a. Explain the doorkeeper job, and existence of multiple families of sheep with different Shepherd.

(EXP)(v.3)

only the Sheep who had been trained to hear their master voice came out of the pen when his master showed up.

(EXP)(v.3) it says “he call his sheep by name” commonly during this time Shepherd’s would their sheep name, so that eventually the sheep came to respond to the name that the Shepherd had given them.

Nicknames imply closeness and familiarity.

-This text is astounding especially in light of

-Isn’t Amazing that the God of Psalm 148 that created everything, and upholds all things by the power of his word, is the same one in Jeremiah “who knew you and set you apart” and consecrated you for use!