Sermon Tone Analysis

You think you got problems?

Then consider Brian Hise.

The following is accurate—with no elaborations.

Brian’s problems started when his apartment became flooded from a broken pipe in the apartment above his.

Brian headed for his car to go rent a wet-vacuum only to discover that one of the tires was flat on his car.

No problem!

He put on the spare tire and went inside to phone a friend for help, but got an electric shock from the phone which wasn’t properly grounded.

Brian reacted so severely that in pulling free, he also pulled the phone from the wall.

In the meanwhile, the front door had become so swollen from the water that it wouldn’t open.

A well-meaning neighbor fixed it by putting his foot on the door and knocking it from its hinges.

Again, Brian headed for his car, but when he arrived, it was gone—stolen while he was inside.

Brian’s nightmare had a bit of a silver lining because the thief who stole his car ran out of gas only a few blocks away.

Brian recovered his car and pushed it to the station for refueling.

You’d think that what I’ve just recounted would be enough problems for any one day, but Brian’s nightmare didn’t end so simply.

That evening Brian went to a military ceremony at the university he was attending.

After it was over, someone inadvertently put his bayonet in the car seat, and you guessed it—Brian sat on it.

Doctors fixed him up, but they couldn’t fix his canaries that had been killed by plaster which fell from the ceiling caused by the water from that broken pipe in the upstairs apartment.

Summing it up, Brian said, “God wanted me dead, but just kept missing!” Talk about adding insult to injury!

How much can one person take in a single day?

On the serious side of the ledger, there are days when a person would be better off if he or she had stayed in bed.

Undoubtedly, Brian Hise would agree.

Many people believe God gave the law so He would have an excuse to kill us.

It’s exactly the opposite.

He wants us to love Him.

In order to enter a relationship there will always be some do’s and don’ts.

God proves His devotion to the Israelites and now He wants them to reciprocate the love and devotion back to Him.

Why because He will bring about the most important event in history through Jesus.

He wants a people devoted to Him to show a deep love and that carries the message that points to historical touch down again.

The full story— the Bible’s focused account—of the giving of the law begins with the Israelites’ arrival at the foot of Mount Sinai ().

Whereas the preceding 68 chapters, from to , have covered thousands of years, here the pace suddenly slows.

Throughout the next 119 chapters (to ), only 40 years will elapse.

God will build a nation where he will give the a religion, a government and a promised land.

The Lord reveals (contrary to our current media coverage that simply tugs at people’s heart strings without discussing the underlying bigger issues.

People need a country to belong to which means that we must be a nation-that clearly implies delineation of who is a member and who is not, a place, borders and a common culture or language, how do we get along with one another.

Without out those things chaos and polarization occurs.

The answer to our countries stresses right now were dealt with right here in the Bible.

God reveals that EVERY COMMUNITY NEEDS A WAY TO CONNECT TO ONE ANOTHER .

THE COVENANT OFFERED A WAY TO APPROACH GOD.

the law became revealed after people saw the love of God displayed.

THE LAW IS GOD’S REVELATION ON HOW TO DRAW CLOSE.

Remember that the Lord DREW NEAR to them first.

He displayed His love.

He showed them kindness and mercy.

He now offers them grace.

GOD CARRIED THEM THROUGH MIRACULOUS MEANS.

God used supernatural means to give them an opportunity to follow Him.

Also remember, ANYONE could have come with them.

And there may have been others who chose not to take God’s offer.

But now they must further choose to draw near to Him.

I see in the Bible that God reveals Himself through history, miracles, providence, Scripture and lastly through His Son Jesus.

If you remember Christ’s teaching on Lazarus and the rich man.

When the wealthy man pleaded to Abraham to send back Lazarus to his brothers, the answer was they have MOSES and the Prophets, if they won’t believe them, they won’t believe the miracle of a

NOW THEY MUST CHOOSE TO DRAW NEAR TO HIM.

(MOSES GIVING THE OPPORTUNITY.)

THE LAW GIVES US A WAY TO CONNECT WITH GOD.

WITHOUT CORRECT PERSPECTIVE, THE OLD NATURE HATES IT.

REALLY LOVING GOD AND HIS LAW COMES ONLY BY A CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE

In his book, The Vision and The Vow, Pete Greig tells of how a distinguished art critic was studying an exquisite painting by the Italian Renaissance master Filippino Lippi.

He stood in London’s National Gallery gazing at the fifteenth-century depiction of Mary holding the infant Jesus on her lap, with saints Dominic and Jerome kneeling nearby.

But the painting troubled him.

There could be no doubting Lippi’s skill, his use of colour or composition.

But the proportions of the picture seemed slightly wrong.

The hills in the background seemed exaggerated, as if they might topple out of the frame at any minute onto the gallery’s polished floor.

The two kneeling saints looked awkward and uncomfortable.

Art critic Robert Cumming was not the first to criticise Lippi’s work for its poor perspective, but he may well be the last to do so, because at that moment he had a revelation.

It suddenly occurred to him that the problem might be his.

The painting had never been intended to come anywhere near a gallery.

Lippi’s painting had been commissioned to hang in a place of prayer.