Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Greetings, once again it is an honor to stand before you this afternoon and preach the Word of our most awe inspiring God.

Thank you, to each of you that have come and stayed the course to hear such sound doctrine preached and I pray you bear with me just a little while longer with my topic of “Out Of Service.”

This particular topic and the doctrine that deals with it has become, in most places, lost like the law before the days of Josiah.

Like Manasseh and Amon his son () there has been a couple of generations of leaders that have lead the church away from the doctrine waywardness and church discipline.

This has caused a whole generation or two to know not the law of God in these areas.

If we want the Lord’s church to survive and thrive we cannot run from truth but embrace it and cultivate it in our lives.

What Does “Out Of Service” Mean?

We don’t know what “out of service” means anymore.

It’s unfortunate but not surprising that if you were to ask the church as a whole, here in America, at what point does one fall “out of service” you would get a wide variety answers.

Everything from “they never will fall out of service” to “they never will be in service.”

Once again the reason for this is two fold.

First, elders in the church over the last several generations are so ignorant on the subject themselves that their flocks didn’t stand a chance to be fed properly and are weak and immature spiritually because of it ().

Second, the church has bought into the Satan led liberal lie that loving someone is telling them they are never wrong, that they cannot “be judged.”

Meme of a skeleton on a bed looking out the window and it says, “Me waiting for others to realize that saying ‘do not judge’ is a judgment.”

Out of services means...

There are several terms and phrases used in the Bible to describe one that is “out of service,” which we will recognize as we study what it really means to be “out of service.”

Before we begin looking at that I want us to first understand what “out of service” doesn’t mean.

Someone isn’t out of service just because they sinned.

Someone isn’t out of service just because they

If you noticed, even those walking in the light are in continuous need of the blood of Christ, why, because we all still sin.

Just because someone sins doesn’t mean they are lost, as long as they repent (turn back to God) and confess that sin to the God, He will forgive them and it will be “removed from their record” ().

So what does out of service mean then?

It means someone has “turned away” or “backsliding” from God.

It means some has become wayward from God.

Heb

How does this happen?

It happens when the heart of man drifts away from God and His Word.

Pr

This backsliding isn’t something that happens really quick but overtime as we “drift away” from God.

The word “drift away” here in the Greek means “not aware of moving because there is no anchor.”

What is something the faithful need to look for in those that are beginning to backslide?

The very first sign of someone drifting away is going to be noticed in their attendance.

Let me be very clear here…no one that loves the Lord their God with their all will seek excuses to miss the assembling of the saints.

I’m not talking about reasons, which are things that “cannot” be helped, such as sickness, flat tire on the way to services, etc…I’m talking about excuses such as sports, 4H, tired, family are in, etc...

If you start hearing someone trying to justify their excuses from worshiping their God with the rest of the saints with statements like “well the Bible doesn’t say I have to meet other than once Sunday” they are drifting away from God.

Their love for God and heart is already being corrupted and stained with sin instead of being holy and true to righteousness ().

Love incorruptible () is a heart that cannot imagine missing an opportunity to worship here on earth with their brethren.

A corrupted heart is one that seeks excuses to try and get out of doing the very thing we are seeking to do for eternity in heaven.

Remember, the Hebrew writer made it clear how to “stir up one another to love and good works.”

The building of love for God and our brethren and the encouragement of doing God’s work i.e. divine works is accomplished most profoundly through the fellowship of worship.

If someone is drifting away from God they will stop “loving to worship God with their brethren” and if this happens they are in danger as the next verse tells us.

Heb 6:4-

Summery

Falling “out of service” or becoming “wayward” isn’t something that is instantaneous, typically speaking.

You will see them drift away more and more beginning with their love for worship being exposed by the excuses they make.

However, the problem with all this, is not seeing the signs, it’s not doing anything about it to help save their soul.

How Are The Wayward To Be Handled?

They must be disciplined biblically.

What good is it to try and discipline sin if we do so in a sinful way?

Jesus tells us exactly how we are to proceed when discipline is needed.

Paul would some up what Jesus said here to the Galatian churches.

They must not be coddled.

When people start backsliding far too many members of the Lord’s church will either ignore it or make excuses for it.

I’m not say we need to be harsh or mean but we do need to be direct and as this lectureship is aptly named “call a spade a spade” or “call the sin a sin.”

We cannot make excuses for their sin and we cannot coddle their sin, it needs to be purged or it will infect the entire congregation.

1 Cor 5:

In when Ananias & Sapphira sinned against God their punishment was swift (death) but why did God take such measures there?

They must be recognized as brethren.

Yes, we cannot coddle sin but we must also not forget they are our spiritual family and their soul is the most important thing in all this.

If we enjoy disciplining our brothers and sisters we have missed the whole point of discipline; it’s to correct and help our brother or sister return to righteousness so that “we” may spend eternity with them after this life.

2 Th 3:

Lv

They must be disciplined biblically.

It’s because of this love for our family members soul we will be willing to gently but frankly respond to their sin.

What good is it to try and discipline sin if we do so in a sinful way?

They must receive our help with their sin.

Because we love our brothers and sisters we will gently but frankly respond to their sin and then turn around and bear that sin with them.

This is exactly what Jesus was willing to do for every single one of us.

This concept is expected of the faithful and true to their family that is struggling in sin.

Summery

Those of our beloved brethren that have started backsliding need our mercy, kindness, gentleness, and especially our love.

No child of God can make it through this life on their own, which is why Jesus built the church so that we would have each other to lean upon and keep one another accountable.

Conclusion

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “Nothing can be more cruel than the tenderness that consigns another to his sin.

Nothing can be more compassionate than the sever rebuke that calls a brother back from the path of sin.”

Invitation