Sermon Tone Analysis

/14 Oct 07/

It’s a beautiful morning for a church service, isn’t it?

I look around here and see all of the happy, smiling faces.

It feels good to come together again.

That song the choir just sang talks about that old country church and the wonderful memories people have as they think back to years gone by in the church.

Well, we’re not out in the country, but Roanoke Rapids isn’t exactly NY City either.

And I’m glad it’s not.

And this isn’t really an old congregation.

Coming up on 30 years, that’s not old at all.

But that’s long enough to create a lot of good memories.

And even right now, those little ones who were up here a bit a go, are making memories here that they’ll carry for the rest of their lives.

And I can’t help but wonder if, years from now when they grow up and move away, they’ll think back to “that old country church” in RR, and miss it.

If they’ll look back with fondness on the time spent here, and the people known.

I hope they will.

But even more, I hope that they will remember the lessons taught, and the things they’ve seen here, and live their lives for the Lord.

Friends, it’s important what the children see here, as they grow up.

It’s important because they are looking to the church to find out about God.

What do they see?

In a recent Barna Poll, George Barna found that only 20% of the people in this country in their 20’s, attend church.

Only 20% spend time in prayer.

Only 20% read the Bible.

Only 20% attend church.

60% of this same age group, in their 20’s, said that they did attend church when they were teenagers.

But not anymore.

When they went off to college, or got out of their parent’s house, they dropped the church.

/Friends, it’s critical what the children growing up in this congregation see here./

/It’s critical what they see in the church./

It’s critical what other adults see here too.

Did you know that nearly one third of the adult population of the U.S. is unchurched.

They don’t attend church even twice a year.

But when they do come, do they see something in the church that makes them want to come back?

Do they see something that points them to Jesus?

 

 

Brothers and sisters, we are the church.

What do people see when they look at the church?

Not just what do they see when they come through those doors.

We’re here together four hours a week.

We’re out there in the community all the rest of that time.

What do people see in you?

For you are a part of the church.

The best thing we can do this morning is to think about what Jesus wants to see in his church.

It’s his church, bought and paid for with his blood.

His bride.

What does Jesus want to see in his church?

If we become what he wants to see, then our children will see him here.

The unchurched will find him here.

*Transition*

And so this morning I want to share with you six characteristics that Jesus wants to see in us, his church.

And if we can grow in these six things, we will be the church he’s called us to be, and those who see his church will be drawn to him.

These six characteristics are going to be very easy to remember because it’s an acrostic using the word “church.”

So if you wanted to take notes, you could start by writing the word “church” vertically down the left hand side of a piece of paper.

! Centered on Christ

The first characteristic that Jesus wants to see in his church is that we are Centered on Christ.

Every day, as you go about your business, you should be centered on Christ.

Dale’s favorite verse.

Colossians 1:18 (NASB95) \\ 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Jesus is to have first place in everything.

You know this.

I just want to remind you this morning that we should be centered on Christ.

When we wake up in the morning, we should commit ourselves to his service.

As we go through the day, we should look for ways to put him first at work, at home, at school, at the store, at the club.

Thinking of being centered on Jesus reminds me of Mrs. Smith who had the kids come up for children’s church.

She was going to do an object lesson using squirrels.

She told the children to raise their hand when they could guess what she was describing to them.

This thing lives in trees,

Eats nuts,

It’s gray,

Has a long bushy tail,

It jumps from branch to branch,

It chatters when it gets excited.

Finally one little boy slowly raised his hand.

“Well, I know the answer must be Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.”

That little boy was centered on Jesus, and we should be too.

In Philippians, chapter 1, Paul is writing to the church in Philippi.

Do you know where he was writing the letter from?

Paul was sitting in prison in Rome.

Philippians 1:12-14 (NASB95) \\ 12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in /the cause of /Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Paul didn’t know what was in store for him.

He was in prison.

But he was centered on Jesus.

Are you centered on Jesus?

Do you ask yourself, WWJD?

When we gather together as the church, it is essential that we center on Jesus.

We all need to be focusing on the same thing.

Christ.

What can we do to serve him?

How can we point others to him?

How can we follow his example?

And living life during the week, we need to be centered on Jesus too.

We in the church need to Center on Christ.

! Humble

We also need to be humble toward one another.

That “H” stands for being humble.

Humility.

Turn with me to the second chapter of Philippians.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB95) \\ 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not /merely /look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Jesus wants to see humility in his church.

It’s not enough that we center on Jesus and put him first.

We’ve got to get ourselves out of the spotlight entirely by putting others ahead of ourselves.

I love the name of one of our adult Sunday School Classes.

The Joy Class.