Sermon Tone Analysis

Good Morning, well we have been going through a study on the gospel of Mark, but this morning i have a confession.

I did not feel comfortable teaching this yet and so I began to seek out something that I felt the Lords hand on.

Charles Spurgeon said if a text has not first moved the heart of the preacher it is not needed that he should preach that yet.

So as I study the next section of am going to move this morning to a passage that does move my heart, and it is my prayer that it will move yours as well.

Please turn with me in your Bibles this morning to .

All of us need to understand that there are some mountains and valleys in our lives as Christians.

When God was sending the children of Israel into the promise land He said go forward it is a land flowing with milk and honey, you dont have to buy nothing, I am giving it to you, however it is a long land of hills and valleys.

Such is the life of every Christian so today I want to share with you this morning as passage that I hope will encourage you as you face the hills and the valleys of life.

Psalm 34:

I want to preach this morning on this subject… THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRISTIANITY

One of the greatest feelings in the world is when a person becomes a believer, when a person becomes born again.

I never won a world series, I never won a super bowl, I never won an academy award, I never won a gold medal.

But I can only imagine how those athletes feel, how those actors feel, when their name is called and when they come to the podium and people are calpping for them and applauding them because of their accomplishments, I can only imagine what it may feel like to achieve any of those honors.

However I ASSURE YOU THAT NOTHING CAN GIVE YOU THE FEELING THAT YOU HAVE WHEN YOU SURRENDER YOUR SOUL YOUR HEART AND YOUR MIND TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Theres nothing that you can compare to a life that’s committed to a Savior named Jesus Christ.

Think about it once you have acknowledged Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are adopted into the family of God, god is your father He created you, He loves you Jesus Christ is your Savior He suffered for you He bled for you, He died for you on the cross, the Holy Spirit is now your comforter and your keeper, He gives you the power to walk right, and talk right, and live right.

Your now a part of the family of God, think about it from every continent and every nation from every country from every nationality, from every tribe, you have brothers and sisters all over the world.

then you are part of a local church where you come to worship God, where you come to praise God, where you come to learn of the things of God.

You come into the fellowship of other believers you can go all over these United States and find people with the same convictions and beliefs and love for Jesus that you have you are part of the family of God.

Then on top of that God gives you blessings in your life, your given assurance, your given blessings, your promised contentment, your promised deliverance, what a feeling it is to be saved by Jesus Christ.

your promised eternal life, your promised fullness, and grace, and holiness, and justification and the kingdom of God.

WHAT A FEELING IT IS TO BE A PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD!

YOU HAVE MERCY AND GOODNESS AND NEWNESS AND GOD GIVES YOU AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD OF GOD WHAT A BLESSING IT IS TO BE PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD!

YOU HAVE VICTORY, YOU HAVE JOY, EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL THE BLESSINGS OF GOD ARE FLOWING IN YOUR LIFE LIKE NIAGRA FALLS!

But then one day when you least expect, you have never anticipated and never expected it, but one day you experience the other side of Christianity.

That day when the blessings for whatever reason stops flowing, as a matter of fact the blessings have turned into bitterness, the happiness has turned into hopelessness, the fullness has turned into frustration, the friends have turned into foes, holiness has turned into hypocrisy, and your testimony has turned into trials.

Maybe theres too much stress in your life maybe your trying to do it all by yourself, maybe your tired of church mess, and church clicks and devlish deeds, and you fid yourself not enjoying your Christianity as much as you did when you first got saved, FRIENDS DONT LOOK NOW BUT WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING NOW IS THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRISTIANITY.

That’s what’s happening in our text this morning, in .

David is experiencing the other side of Christianity.

He is experiencing that time that every believer goes throughat one time or another in their lives.

That time in your life that we never want to go through, that side that we never look forward to, that side that we don’t wanna talk about, we don’t wanna deal with.

However it is a time that EVERY believer go through at one time or another.

Troubles trials and tribulations are part of the Christian life.

It’s all part of the deal, frustration, fear, and foes will happen to every child of God somewhere along your journey with Christ, and no one is exempt.

Think about it, David was a man after God’s own heart yet He experienced the other side of Christianity, David was the appel of Gods eye, yet he experienced the other side of Christianity, David was chosen by God yet he experienced the other side of Christianity.

David was anointed and appointed by God Himself, but he experienced the other side of CHritianity.

Listen to David in verses 1-3 of when things were going so well.

Look at the joy that David had, listen to the excitment that david has, listen to the anticipation that David had, He is encrouaging people rejoice with me, exalt the Lord with me.

But just a few verses later...

David is singing a different tune.

Just a few verses later Dave, David is singing a different tune, Just a few verses after these beautiful praises come from his lips he is singing a different song Dale.

He is excited HE is pumped but now listen to verse 19 listen to his cry.

Psalm 34:

IN just a few short verses, in just a matter of minutes David has gone from divine exaltation, to divine persecution.

He has gone from praise to pitty.

MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS

This is the case for many of us today, whether we want to admit it or not, whether we wanna accept it or not, EVERY BELIEVER WILL FACE THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRISTIANITY.

HOW DO WE HANDLE IT, HOW DO WE COPE WITH IT, HOW DO WE DEAL WITH IT ?

When those tough times come, when the joy is not there, when the pain is overwhelming, when the smile is not there, how do you deal with the other side of Christianity.

Well David gives us 3 things that we need to see today:

The Plight of the Afflicted

MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS

David says, my struggle, my difficulty, my plight is not that I am afflicted....

I realize that as a child of God Ive got to go through that.

David says I dont have a problem with that, its not that I am afflicted that is the problem.

He says being afflicted is not the problem its HOW OFTEN I’M AFFLICTED.

The Bible didn’t say every now and then, the Bible didn’t say every other year, MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

David says god I can handle this every once and awhile, I can deal with it every now and then but WHY MANY?

I can see evry now and then, I can see every year, BUT WHY SO OFTEN?

Can anyone besides me relate to this?

Why when we are serving the Lord and seeking His face, and walking in obedience does there seem to be so many trials?

I know Job can understand it, in one day Job lost his health, his wealth, and his family.

the fact is ALL OF US WILL FACE THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRISTIANITY.

JUST BECAUSE YOUR BORN AGAIN YOUR NOT EXEMPT FROM AFFLICTION.

YOUR NOT AFFLICTED BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE ENOUGH FAITH, YOU ARE AFFLICTED BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE FAITH.

Just because your saved your not exempt from the troubles in life.

The Bible says MANY, NUMEROUS, COUNTLESS ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS!

In other words if it aint one thing… its another.

If its not problems with you and the spouse, its problems with you and the kids, if it not problems with you and the spouse and the kids, its problems with you parents, or coworkers, classmate, problems on the job, problems with church members, problems with you finances.

As soon as you get things right with you and the wife the dog starts barking, the cat starts meowing EVERYTHING SEEMS TO GO WRONG!!!!

DAVID SAYS MANY......

Does anybody understand what Davids talking bout?

Every believer will face numerous afflictions in life.

Think about it, were afflicted by temptations, were afflicted by bitterness, were afflicted by struggles with our flesh, were afflicted by doubt.

Lord I dont know if we can do this, I dont know if were ready for this…

Were afflicted by the death of someone we love, were afflicted with illness and age.

MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS!

WERE AFFLICTED WITH DISCOURAGMENT, LONLINESS, MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS

WERE AFFLICTED WITH WORRY, WERE AFFLICTED WITH ANGER MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS

WERE AFFLICTED WITH JEALOUSY, WERE AFFLICTED WITH PRIDE MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS

WERE AFFLICTED WITH FINANCIAL TROUBLE, WERE AFFLICTED WITH LIFESTYKE CHOICES MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS!

WERE AFFLICTED WITH LYING, WERE AFFLICTED WITH BACKBITING, WERE AFFLICTED WITH DISEASE

DONT LOOK NOW BUT MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS, AND BECAUSE MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS IT FORCES US TO FACE THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRISTIANITY.

But there is another thing I want you to see in the text.

Not only the plight of the Afflicted.

The Problems For the Afflicted

of the Righteous

The issue I have with this text, the struggle I have with this text is that the words afflictions and righteous are in the same verse.

Theres no comma, theres no period theres no pause.

Afflictions and righteous are in the same verse.

Many are the Afflictions of the righteous.

Now I could have handled it better if the word of God would have said.... Afflictions and adulters’ I could have dealt with it better if it said afflictions and whoremongers.

Afflictions and rapist, I could have handled it better if it said afflictions and child abusers.

Afflictions and murderers

afflictions and a lost sinner because to me it would mean they are just reaping what they have sown.

What goes around comes around, if you do it to someone it is going to come around and happen to you.

However the BIBLE DOESN’T SAY THAT! THE BIBLE SAYS MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS!

To be honest with you that bothered me.

God i didn’t understand that.

This tells me that afflictions come our way not because of who you are but because of WHOSE you are.