Sermon Tone Analysis

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs. .

We are living in a very interesting time and I would even call it a perilous time.

Paul when he wrote to his favorite son in the ministry and that was Timothy he said something to him, and this is the last letter Paul ever wrote.

In chapter 3

2 Timothy 3

Now what kind of perilous times are you talking about, what kind of troubled times are you talking about Paul?

How many of you believe

Is this not our nation?

Sure it is...

We are divided in our nation, people in this country have chosen their side they do not wanna come together they have dug in, alot like back in world war 1 down in the trenches, the allies and the Americans were on one side, and the germans were on the other side.

Were also divided racially, I think it’s the worst racial division in my lifetime.

Divided spiritually...

So what do we do?

How do you live a spiritual life for Christ in days like these?

Well when I was reading I just saw this as a roadmap four things that any Christian filled with the Holy Spirit can do to live a purposeful life in perilous times.

I wanna say this to you you need to be very purposeful with your life...

You need to be very intentional with your life, because you only get one.

Don’t let life just happen to you, but instead attack life head on.

wake up with a purpose, wake up knowing that your going to meet the Lord, in prayer and Bible reading and in worship.

your going to live your day ready to minister for His glory and share His gospel and encourage people and help people, your not going to be thinking of yourself, your going to get your mind off of yourself and your going to think about other folks and your going to see yourself as a vessel of honor for the glory of God.

Thinking about other people and the Lord and praying for the nation.

Thats the way you live purposfully in perilous times.

Let me give ya 4 things to help ya live in perilous times.

Consume God’s Word

I just wanna tell you, you can’t overload on scripture.

You’ll never have a bible overdose.

The man who wrote this we know is Solomon, he is the son of David other than the Son of God he is the wisest man to ever live.

He is talking about his son probably Rehoboam.

He is saying I want you to listen to my words, but we know he wasn’t just talking about his words he was talking about the Word of God...

He was talking about the scriptures, every Jewish father knew that it was his job to teach his sons the word of God.

You go back to what Moses said in

Deuteronomy

They are coming out of Egyptian bondage their coming into to promise land, but as he speaks these words they are in the wilderness.

Always they speak of reaching 3 generations, YOU, YOUR SON, YOUR GRANDSON MIGHT FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD....

If you keep the word of God your going to live longer.

I wanna say this every Sunday morning, that the church here at UHBC can help you teach your children but you are the primary teacher of your children not the church.

If your kids hear us teaching the word of God but they dont see you living the word of God they may not get it.

Th

Deuteronomy

Now hear the words of Proverbs

He is referring to the age old discipline of not only hearing the word of God but memorizing the word of God and meditating upon the word of God.

Literally the word means to mutter the scriptures always under your breath all the time.

To be thinking about the word of God all the time, and why is that so important?

You will be healthier if you will live according to the Word of God.

Solomon is telling his son Rehoboam this word of GOd will enrich every aspect of your life.

O Son consume the word of God!

Now sometimes we believe that we live in the darkest days ever.

But I wanna say this if I had lived in the 1940’s I would have thought Jesus was about to come back.

I’m not saying we dont live in some of the darkest days our country has ever known, we are but you know the 40’s they were still reeling from the great depression in 1929, when many people lost it all.

Lost their farms lost their houses, didn’t have jobs and all of a sudden there is this crazy man, this demonized man named hitler and he is dividing the whole country of Europe and the world is about to be ablaze in WW2 400,000 US soldiers were killed and 78 million people soldiers and civilians were killed in WW2.

Theres a little pastors wife up north and she has 5 little children, and she is burdened in 1944 will this war ever come to an end?

Her name was Ruth Jones and she read the text we started with

2 Timothy 3:1

She pulls out a little paper she pulls out a little pad, and she writes this song that would be sung at almost every Billy Graham rallly for the next 40 years.

In times like these you need a Savior,

In times like these you need an anchor,

(how many of you feel like you need an anchor right now)

Be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the solid rock.

In times like these YOU NEED THE BIBLE

In times like these Oh be not IDLE

BE SURE BE VERY SURE, YOUR ANCHOR HOLDS AND GRIPS THE SOLID ROCK

This Rock is Jesus, yes He is the One

She knew that the Savior is Jesus the only one who can help us.She knew that the word of God was the Bible, and that is how she made it through the perils of WW2.

You will not be strong if you dont stand on the word of God.

Some of you are going through problems with you family, STAND ON THE WORD OF GOD.

SOME OF YOU ARE GOING THROUGH FINANCIAL PROBLEMS STAND ON THE WORD OF GOD.

SOME OF YOU ARE LIVING WITH FEAR AND DOUBT AND DISCOURAGEMENT STAND ON THE WORD OF GOD

SOME OF YOU HAVE FINANCIAL ISSUES AND EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

YOUR AFRAID OF THE FUTURE, YOUVE DONE SOMETHING IN YOUR PAST AND YOU CANT LET IT GO, STAND ON THE WORD OF GOD

When Joshua was about to enter the promised land and all the fighting Moses had died how would you like to follow Moses and Joshua was going to lead the people in and God said I tell you what you need son YOU NEED THE WORD OF GOD!

When he says it shall not depart out of your mouth it sounds like he saying dont speak it, but thats not what he is saying at all.

What he is saying is, dont let it everleave your mouth its a negative way of saying let it always be on your lips!

King David said the same thing

THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY FEET AND LIGHT UNTO MY PATH

I am going to walk in Your word I am going to read your word and I believe you will speak to me through your word.

Jeremiah one of the greatest prophets in the OT Jesus quoted Jeremiah more than anyone else and he said this about the word of God when he really embraced it as a young boy.

Jesus Himself when He was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness

Jesus said one time “I have food to eat that you dont know anything about my food is to do the will of God and to please the One who sent me.

Deuteronomy

Jesus Christ lived on the word of God

you have got to consume the Word of God as WA Criwell said

Everyday you’ve got to take a Bible Bath.

you’ve got to live in the Word of God READ IT STUDY IT MEMORIZE IT LIVE IT, MEDITATE ON IT, SING IT, PRAY IT,Readin Christian books is good but its not good enough, there is no substitute for THE WORD OF GOD!

Christian music is great but thats not enough youve got to listen to the Word of God.

Attending church is great but look at me youve got to have more thn that,all during the week youve got to be feeding on the word of God.

If your going to live or have a chance of living a purposeful life in todays climate in this messed up world.

You have got to consume the Word of God.

Control Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23

That word Keep literally means to arrest it and throw it in jail.

Now you say well that dont make any sense well then you dont know what the Bible says about the heart.

The human heart is..

I hear all these people say LET YOUR HEART BE YOUR GUIDE...

you better not!

Oh he’s got a good heart NO HE DOESNT

and you dont either and niether do your kids and neither do I.

The word means arrest that thing, watch over it, give it to JEsus and let Him confine it, and let Him refine it, and redesign it but give your heart to Jesus, he is talking about the essence of who you are your soul is what He is talking about!

You very soul is rotten because of sin, and were selfish and we want to do what we want to do, and we dont want anyone else telling us what to do, and little children are that way.

Older people are that way and everybody in between.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, set boundaries for your heart.