Sermon Tone Analysis

Thinking about the river at the Great Sand Dunes national Park and how it flows and stops.

Today I am going to briefly summarize where we’ve been:

We first looked at the idea of chosen busyness, and how the best choices are going to be the ones that lead us to the feet of Jesus.

We then looked at unchosen busyness and how Jesus meets us in that and bears our burdens with us.

We then began to look at the graces the Lord gives us to live tho lives:

First is rest.

2. Priorities 3. Work (or a proper view of it) 4. Relationships.

Today, we are going to consider that amidst our striving to live the grace paced life, there are going to be different paces that we are to flow at.

When to Slow Down

The first is the idea of maturity.

Have you ever stopped to think about that illustration for a second and considered the timing.

He is like a tree!

How long does that tree take to sprout up and become a tree…a tree whose leaf doesn’t whither that yields fruit?

Apples - 2 to 4. Avocados - 7 to 18 years.

Matt

Illustration: When I was young, I wanted to be 6-6 and thick.

I ate tuna and peanut butter, but I didn’t.

Or at least, I didn’t at the pace that I wanted to!

I go to the arboretum, and you know what I’ve discovered?

“Maturinty cannot be hurried, programmed, or tinkered with.

there are no sterioids available for growing up in Christ more quickly.

Impatient shortcuts land us in the dead ends of immaturity.”

Eugene Peterson Practicing Resurrection.

We must understand that maturity means we must rest in the fact that He is growing us!

Now, we must also not forget to eat and sleep!

Rest in the fact that He will do what He says He will do.

Eat His Word - (eat the scroll…get it?)

This is what I’ve learned to call the long view of ministry.

We need to be patient with each other.

We’re going to mess up.

Parenting - It will take time for your children to produce fruit.

Bear with them!

In your personal life it takes time.

Sin patterns and addictions in my own life that took decades to work out of me.

When to Speed Up

We talked about this verse a couple of weeks ago…and as I thought about this I realized that there is a sense of urgency in the Bible.

Certain things take a renewed sense of vigor…to continue on without haste would be foolish at the least, and detested by God at worst.

Here, it seems to indicate a haste - whatever you do…now!

I don’t believe this is talking about busyness, but a a quickened pace…not slumber.

Eternity is closer than we think.

This is a Kingdom call to battle against sin and darkness and the flesh immediately.

In real time.

Paul here is talking about those who are unmarried…he actually encourages singleness so that people aren’t divided in their faith because the time in this life has grown short and they need to focus on eternal things…and it is easier to do that as a singer person.