Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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From Now On
Intro
john 14:1------
john 14:1------
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Pray
firstslidepic - meno word thingy
Now many of us know this scripture as one of the many scriptures most pastors will use for funerals.
And it has a very good message for those moments.
Those times when we wonder about the future, about those things we can’t see, and will never see on this side of life.
We find comfort in the idea that Jesus has prepared for us a place, a home, some translations even say mansions!
It is always good to hear that there is a place set aside for us when this life has finally past us by.
But is it just the place?
That is the real question.
You see, the word that Jesus uses, and that John relays to us here, is mone (mon-ay), a word that happens only twice in the New Testament, both times from Jesus’ lips.
But that word is a derivative, really.
It is a word that comes from a word with a similar but different meaning just a few moments later.
And while our understanding of the word as mansions, or houses, is technically correct, it doesn’t really hit at the true heart of what the word is hinting at.
You see it comes from the root word meno, a word that appears 102 times in the New Testament.
But church, 54 of those times it is used it is used by John.
Over half of the occurences!
Now that doesn’t mean that everyone else just didn’t get it, but it does call us to pay attention and figure out why.
And to me, this tells us that John, the disciple that Jesus loved, a member of Christ’s most trusted inner circle, felt like he needed to convey to us all some important truth by using that word so much.
And to know the truth, you simply must know the meaning.
And meno means to remain.
To abide.
To continue to stay present.
To endure.
To be kept continually.
Abide in me, Jesus says.
Remain in my presence.
Continue to stay with me.
Endure.
Never leave my side.
This is a relationship, church, that is much like a marriage.
This word calls us to become one with God.
To continue to remain present with Him and endure all that life has for us, keeping Him in view continually.
Abide in me.
[pic of houses]
So what about these houses?
Well translators felt like the word here was referring both to abiding, but also to a place.
So the word is probably best translated as “abiding place.”
In my father’s house there are many abiding places.
There are plenty of places to stay close.
There are lots of places where you can continue to stay in His presence.
That is what John is getting at.
We are all being called by Christ to come stay with Him, as closely as possible.
Tie in the “abide” idea.
Use chapter 15 just before close to bring home with celebration ending keying on “from now on...”
“But we don’t know how,” you might say.
That’s ok.
Thomas has us covered right?
We just don’t know how to stay that close do we?
Lord, how do I get there?
How do I get to where you are going?
And there in that question lies part of the problem.
We think Jesus is only talking about a physical destination - a place to be found.
Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is, in part, talking about a destination - heaven - but He is also talking about the journey!
A life to be lived!
You know how to get where Jesus is going, right church?
I mean, if I knew the way to the greatest milkshake in the world, and you all wanted one, and I said I am going to get one, you know the way, right?
John 14
Just follow me!
That is all you need to do!
So when Thomas, and all of us, say to God “I don’t know what to do, or how to get there,” God says to us, “just follow me!” Abide in me!
I am the way.
I am the truth.
I am the life!
Don’t just follow me to the cross, follow me to the tomb, and to the resurrection, and through every moment of this life, just follow - abide in me - Jesus says!
Spend some time on “meno” in “abiding places.”
This idea that we were made to live with Jesus.
We are to be a part of Him and at home with Him.
Contrast against our desire to live in relationship with this world and others, when in reality we were made to have a relationship with God through Christ that would then bear fruit in our worldly lives.
God first always.
But abiding in Him is pretty hard.
It isn’t hard because we aren’t capable, or because He asks too much either.
No, it’s hard because we forget just how amazing He really is.
We are lured away from Him by greed, or envy, or any other of our more base desires.
So we walk through this journey of life acting as if we only are called to abide with Him, or live with Him, in Heaven.
Like we weren’t called to take up our own cross, and follow Him.
But if we just knew Him.
If only there were some way we could know God.
From Now On...
Of course you see where I am going.
We do know Him.
At the very least, we claim to know Him!
Jesus says as much right there in verse 7! From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.
Such a definitive statement from God.
You DO know Him!
You HAVE seen Him!
I feel like the dad in me is crying out when I read that text.
I am sure anyone who has ever even been around kids can relate to that.
They all do weird stuff, and they process information differently than we do, obviously.
And when they process it differently, and we don’t see that, we have those moments don’t we?
“Now I told you to do your homework, why are you watching TV?”
“I don’t have any homework!”
You DO have homework, I HAVE SEEN IT!
I saw you take that toy.
You do have to brush your teeth.
And then it comes to this eventually, doesn’t it?
Alright - from now on, the first person to cry over a toy gets to lose it!
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