Sermon Tone Analysis

! "GOD'S HOUSE"

(A Series on Hebrews)

 

Westgate Chapel 1~/29~/89a.m. (6~/22~/97)            Hebrews  3:1-6

 

PROPOSITION:  Every born again believer must hold on to his~/her courage and faith because we are being built into the *house* of God, with specific *plans* for construction given by the Spirit, with a master *builder* worthy of all honor and praise, and a *house* whose owner and ruler is Christ.

!

i. introduction

!! -     I READ a story the other day of an accident report, turned in to an insurance office, by an injured, discouraged bricklayer, that would be funny if it was not so close to reality for many of us here this morning.

!! -     THIS is the material discouragement is made of:

!!! ~*     Dear Sirs:

!!!       I am writing this letter in response to your request for additional information on my insurance claim form.

In block #3 of the accident report form, entitled "Cause of the accident", I put, "trying to do the job alone."

You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, and I trust that the following details will be sufficient.

!!!       I am a bricklayer by trade.

On the date of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of the new six story building.

When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of bricks left over.

Rather than carry the bricks by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which fortunately attached to the side of the building, at the sixth floor.

!!!       Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out, and loaded the brick into it.

Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of brick.........You will note in block #11 of the accident report form that I weigh 135 pounds.

!!!       Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope.

Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building.

!!!       In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming down.

This explains the fractured skull and broken collar bone.

!!!       Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley.

!!!       Fortunately I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of the pain.

!!!       At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground.....and the bottom fell out of the barrel.

Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighs approximately fifty pounds.

!!!       I refer you again to my weight in block #11.

I began a rapid descent down the side of the building.

!!!       In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up.

This accounts for the two fractured ankles and the lacerations of my legs and lower body.

!!!       The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of bricks and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked.

!!!       I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks......in pain, unable to stand, and watching the empty barrel six stories above me......I again lost my presence of mind....and...I....let go of the rope.

The empty barrel weighed more than the rope so it came down on me and broke both legs.

!!!       I hope I have furnished the information you require.

!! -     ANYONE here ever known a day in your life that?

!! -     DISCOURAGEMENT comes in many ways and often leaves deep scars on our lives.

!! -     OUR world is full of discouraged people......disillusioned with their careers, disillusioned with their marriages, disillusioned with their private hopes and dreams, disillusioned with life.

!! -     AND the look of discouragement can be seen all over them, in their countenance, in the way they walk, in the way they dress, the way they talk......they have given up hope.

!! -     IF you are looking, you can find them in every neighborhood, every office or factory, every church, and every socio-economic level of life.

!! -     NEXT time you go to the shopping malls, the Kingdome, here at Westgate Chapel or some of the other places that people congregate and look in their faces and you will see many discouraged people.......and many of them with good reason.

!! -     NO one is immune.....not even believers.

!! -     PERHAPS some of you this morning are covering over a deep ache in your heart....and the despair of discouraging events in your life.

!!! ~*     Nothing seems to be going right.

!!! ~*     Crises mount on top of one another.

!!! ~*     There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel......no hope of any change in sight.

!! -     AND discouragement has set in.....and right now you are ready to give up.

!! -     ONE of the biggest deterrents to the Christian life is discouragement.

It immobilizes you.

It robs you of faith.

It steals your joy.

It diverts your focus.

!! -     ONE of satan's #1 weapons used against the believer is discouragement.

!! -     HE is the source of discouragement.

!! -     AND the reason that he delights in our discouragement is because he knows that it will rob us of our confidence in the Father........that it will rob us of faith.......

!!! ~*     .......of faith in God.

!!! ~*     .......of faith in ourselves.

!!! ~*     .......of faith in each other.

!! -     AND the curse of it all is that it is only by faith that God can work in our lives....so he effectively robs us of the intervention of God when we suffer from discouragement.

!! -     HE will isolate you from the only One who can bring you through victoriously.

!! -     SO we need a strategy against discouragement.

!! -     AND I am going to give you one from Hebrews 3:1-6 this morning.

!

ii.

our plans (vs. 1)

!! -     FIRST, there is "The Plan".

!! -     THE book of Hebrews is written to a group of  believers who are discouraged and considering quitting it all.

!!! ~*     They have been driven from their homeland because of their faith.

!!! ~*     Living in a strange and foreign land.

!!! ~*     They have been cut off from their families.

!!! ~*     Lost most of their possessions.

!!! ~*     Deprived of food and shelter.

!!! ~*     Failing in health.

!!! ~*     Hunted by the authorities.

!!! ~*     Rejected by their synagogues and religious leaders.

!!! ~*     Branded as heretic followers of the cult figure, Jesus.

!! -     WOULDN'T you be discouraged?

!! -     THIS word from the Lord to them really needs to be effective.

They are hurting.

!! -     SO the Holy Spirit, writing in 3:1, gives us God's plan for us.

He says:

!!!       "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, *fix your thoughts on Jesus*, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."

!! -     HERE is God's plan for how we live our lives in the nitty gritty of a fallen, sinful, suffering world.

!! -     HERE is the Spirit's antidote for discouragement.

!! -     "*FIX your thoughts on Jesus*"

!! -     VERY simply this means "Apply your minds to Jesus."

!! -     THIS means "Look very closely......think about Jesus."

!! -     THE encouragement of discouraged believers is not accomplished by,

!!! ~*    Changing your circumstances.

!!! ~*    Or thinking positively about your surroundings.

!!! ~*    Or vainly confessing health, wealth or prosperity.

!! -     THE encouragement of discouraged believers, according to Hebrews 3:1, comes ONLY as we "*fix our thoughts on......as we apply our minds to Jesus.*"

!! -     THIS is God's plan for the Christian life.......your determined, personal and up-close encounter with Jesus.

!! -     UNTIL He fills all the horizon of your vision.

!! -     YOU see there is a tension in these verses.

!! -     IT is the tension between who we are in Christ.....and where we live right now.

!! -     AND it is in this tension that most of our discouragement is experienced.

!!! ~*    The writer of Hebrews calls us "brothers" because we share in the heavenly calling.......but we are still in this world that is torn apart by sin and hatred and strife.

!!! ~*    He calls us "holy brothers" because of the righteousness of Christ that is our covering.......but the temptations of sin crash over us every day like the waves of a stormy sea.

!!! ~*    He says that we share in a "heavenly calling", to an inheritance stored up for us in heaven and eternal life in the presence of God.

It is an upward call.

In Philippians 3:14 Paul says, "*I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.*"........but pulling us down every day are the weights and bondages of this world.

!! -     WE need someone sent by God to deliver us from this tension......someone who understands what we are going through, but with the power to do something about it.....to give us victory in the middle of difficult times......to make us like Himself.