Sermon Tone Analysis

Opening

We are on our fourth of six messages on things I learned when renovating my house back in 2006, and making some parallel applications to our spiritual lives.

Tonight, our title is “Facing the Unexpected.”

How does it feel when something unexpected happens?

How does it feel when something unexpected happens?

· How does it feel when something unexpected happens?

Well, in our renovation project at the house, unexpected things happened.

Tell sewer story

Show pictures

Tell dryer story

It would be great if we knew everything that was going to happen.

Unfortunately, there are all kinds of things that affect us…and many of them aren’t even our fault!

Sometimes it’s what other people have done in the past.

Sometimes it’s the choices that we’ve made in the past.

Sometimes stuff just…happens.

Message

POINT 1: Unexpected things happen.

In this world, do we have the option of deciding whether unexpected things happen or not?

No… that’s why they are called “unexpected.”

· I didn’t know that the sewer was going to back up into the room.

I didn’t know that the sewer was going to back up into the room.

I didn’t know that the sewer was going to be all broken up.

I didn’t know that the main sewer line was broken too.

I didn’t know that the main sewer line was made of the worst kind of “pipe” possible.

I didn’t know that the dryer was going to break.

These things just happened.

In our being renovated by God, unexpected stuff will happen.

Just like with my sewer and dryer.

Sometimes it will be “bad” stuff that God works out for our good (the sewer).

Sometimes it will be “good” stuff that is a tremendous blessing (like Wayne Whitlock helping with the electrical and phone… I hadn’t known him all that well before then).

But we shouldn’t be overwhelmed with surprise when that unexpected stuff happens.

Here are three verses that tell us that we should expect the unexpected:

(Operative word here is WHEN)

(Operative word here is WHENEVER)

(it has been granted…it is actually a blessing that we need, and it’s going to come)

(it has been granted…it is actually a blessing that we need)

(It’s not strange…it’s supposed to happen)

(It’s not strange…it’s supposed to happen)

Even Jesus said that He would return unexpectedly:

·

·

·

Since we don’t actually have a choice as to whether or not unexpected things happen, the only thing that we actually DO have a choice in is how we respond to those things.

Since we don’t actually have a choice as to whether or not unexpected things happen, the only thing that we actually DO have a choice in is how we respond to those things.

POINT 2: We choose how we respond to the unexpected.

We have a choice when unexpected things happen to us.

With the sewer, I had a choice how to respond:

· With the sewer, I had a choice how to respond.

I could freak out, give up, stop the renovation, blame God, and wallow in my self-pity.

I could just ignore the problem, and hope it went away.

· I could just ignore the problem, and hope it went away.

OR I could get a shovel, and start digging.

· OR I could get a shovel, and start digging.

With the dryer, I had a choice how to respond.

I could freak out, give up, blame God, and wallow in my self-pity.

· I could keep putting wet clothes in a broker dryer, hoping that they’d dry.

I could keep putting wet clothes in a broker dryer, hoping that they’d dry.

· OR I could go to Sears, get a new dryer, and keep moving forward.

OR I could go to Sears, get a new dryer, and keep moving forward.

You have a choice when these unexpected things come!

Give up or keep going.

Look at Philippians 4:

(Take it to God, don’t give up.

Don’t dwell on it.)

(Take it to God, don’t give up.

Don’t dwell on it.)

(Give YOURSELF to God, not just your problems)

(Give YOURSELF to God, not just your problems… take your cares as well...)

(Commit yourself to God, continue to do good)

(Entrust yourself to God, continue to do good)

(Jesus understands and is there with you)

(Jesus understands and is there with you)

(God will deal with it eventually.

It’s a promise)

(God will deal with it eventually.

It’s a promise.)

Choose to respond to the things that happen in faith.

Trust that God is still in control, even if it doesn’t FEEL like it.

He may have something great planned as a result of what you’re going through.

POINT 3: These things have a purpose.

Remember that we were renovating the back room so that Linda could move in and live with us for a time.

What would have happened if the sewer problem at my house was not discovered before Linda moved in?

What would have happened?

· What would have happened if the sewer problem at my house was not discovered before Linda moved in?

What would have happened?

What about the dryer?

The Emperor Moth

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home so he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon.

One day a small opening appeared.

The man sat and watched the moth for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress.

To the man it appeared as if the moth had gotten as far as it could in breaking out of the cocoon and was stuck.

Out of kindness the man decided to help the moth.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the moth could get out.

Soon the moth emerged, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the moth, expecting that in time the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would simultaneously contract to its proper size.

Neither happened.

In fact, that little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

It was never able to fly.

The man in his kindness and haste didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body into the wings so that the moth would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

The struggle that the moth had to undertake was ultimately for its good.

With God, sometimes we wish that He’d remove our struggles and unexpected things, but if He did, it would cripple us and keep us from being all we were designed to be.

We’ve got to trust that God knows what He’s doing, and have a right mind-set in allowing Him to do it.