Sermon Tone Analysis

*Secular:*

Anticipating great things…

* If your holiday is approaching…  (the things you like)

* If the Christmas Season is your thing… you know that there is only 82 days remaining

* If you are engaged… you know the days left until the special day

*Biblical:*

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…

 

*Personal:*

I realized this year…

That Lisa and I have been together over twenty years

That this coming year will be the 20th anniversary of the class of ‘85

That we have a teenager in highschool…

That we have friends who were born after Star Wars one came out in 1977.

I listened to my Baptism Service… on tape… and out of the four men that spoke only the pastor has not passed on.

It reminds me everyday that things are fleeting…

That life is like a soap bubble… quick to appear… interesting to look at… then gone

Have you noticed that?

 

*Bridge:*

* Do you ever wonder is there more to living… than just hanging about… work… school… housework… car payments… mortgage payments…

* Is there meaning to this life we live…

* Augustine wrote some 1,000 years ago… “O God you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you”

* The Good News of Jesus… the Gospel… is the message of hope… the message that there is more… that we need to develop a relationship with God.

And why not…

* God Created all things

* God let us know He Created them

* God lets us know He wants us

* God lets us know we have something to look forward to…

 

*Body:*

*The Bible says that…/God Created/…*

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God *created* the heavens and the earth.

-          Would it not be wise… in the best interest of human beings to explore the God of creation

-          Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You *created* all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were *created*."

-          We are not a chance happening…

-          A random appearance from a blob of an uncreated gathering of dust… or energy… or light…

-          Just like every great work of Art…

-          Or masterful play or book…

-          We want know the artist, the author, the playwright

-          This sense is driven by the fact that we know…

*We know He created… */and we want a relationship/

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.God the

- Not only does Scripture tell us…

- But all of creation points to God…

-          His Power, divinity…

-          All of creation… its beauty, imagination, its order… its power… all testify to God

-          In other words, every refreshing rainfall, every crop and garden, every tremor, every snowfall, every sunrise, every soaring mountain… every crashing waterfall… all these things are actually signals from God himself – his magnificence… creative genius…

-          That is one of the reasons many groups supporting Intelligent Design have sprung up…

-          They have seen intelligent pattern in creation…

-          Scripture has said….

That creation will testify to God… God discloses himself because He wants us… in relationship with Him

 

*This God wants us…*

1 John 4:9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has *sent* *His* only begotten *Son* into the world so that we might live through Him.

-          Why develop a relationship… because He wants to have a relationship with us…

-          God put in the effort…

-          Ever put on the effort and not be rewarded…

o       Inlaws

o       A guy or girl in tour circle of friends

o       Someone interesting at work

o       Someone in your field of interest

-          Ever had someone you respect or are interested in start a relationship with you…

-          Like the Queen… Hockey Star… Author…

-          We have asked the questions in our life…

o       What am I here for… (the meaning of life)

o       What next…

o       Why me…

-          The one who can give meaning… knows the answers… wants us to be in relationship

-          God of Creation

-          Who has revealed that to us…

-          Wants to be in relationship with us… Wow!

We have something to look forward to…

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the (Good News) gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…

* This God of Creation

* Who has revealed himself to us through creation

* And wants to be in relationship with us…

* Says in Mark 1:1 that  he is presenting The beginning of the (Good News) gospel of Jesus…

* There seems to be ample reason to investigate this relationship…

* Meet God… find out about Him… and understand the Good News…

* This is the first week in a series of studies of that relationship… it is Christianity explored….

* For those who don’t know God… we hope the weeks ahead give you that chance…

* And for those who do… this is a chance to renew and refresh your relationship.

*Summary*

* The Good News of Jesus… the Gospel… is the message of hope… the message that there is more… that we need to develop a relationship with God.

And why not…

* God Created all things

* God let us know He Created them

* God lets us know He wants us

* God lets us know we have something to look forward to… Let’s explore together!

*READ MARK 1:1 – 3:16*