Sermon Tone Analysis

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Anger
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Around 240 years ago a mounted traveler came across a group of soldiers who were struggling to move a large log that was blocking the path.
The rider approached the officer who was overseeing these men, and, noticing the officer remained on his horse, the rider asked why he wasn’t helping his men.
“I am the corporal,” the officer responded.
“I give the orders.
My men carry them out.”
Without a reply, the rider dismounted and walked over to the soldiers.
He bent low and lent his own strength to the log-moving task.
With his help, the task was made easier, and within a couple moments the log was clear of the path.
Then the rider re-mounted his horse and spoke to the officer.
“Next time your men need help, send for the Commander in Chief.”
The rider was George Washington, and his humility had just humbled one of his subordinate officers.
(Source: https://baybusinesshelp.com/2013/02/15/2-stories-of-george-washington-and-the-power-of-humility/)
Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Mount Vernon with Trinity’s 8th grade class.
We toured the property of our nation’s first president and looked out on the beautiful Potomac just as he did in his time.
I learned more about Washington’s humility while there and also afterward, as my curiosity was piqued.
For example, the Battle of Yorktown ended on October 19, 1781.
This battle effectively ended the war for our nation’s independence, but it was almost two years later that the Treaty of Paris was signed.
This meant the Continental Army was still “on duty” but with a lot less to do.
It allowed these soldiers to focus on other issues, like getting paid.
Because of the structure of our nation’s first constitution, The Articles of Confederation, the national government had no power to tax the people.
Around mid-April, I’m sure some of you will wish this were still true.
It also meant Congress could not come up with the money to pay the army unless states sent in the cash.
This situation frustrated Colonel Lewis Nicola, who had been an instrumental help during the war.
Nicola wrote Washington in a letter dated May 22, 1782, expressing frustration and suggesting the nation would be better off if the army simply helped Washington become king.
Washington rejected the idea outright with a response dated the same day.
In the letter he wrote, “I am much at a loss to conceive what part of my conduct could have given encouragement to an address which to me seems big with the greatest mischiefs that can befall my Country.
If I am not deceived in the knowledge of myself, you could not have found a person to whom your schemes are more disagreeable.”
Before the Treaty of Paris was even ratified, Washington addressed congress and resigned his office as commander in chief over the army.
Amid the height of his popularity, he withdrew in order to not hold too much power.
Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of Action—and bidding an Affectionate farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my Commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life.”
“I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my Official life, by commanding the Interests of our dearest Country to the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the superintendence of them, to his holy keeping.
Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of Action—and bidding an Affectionate farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my Commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life.”
In your Bibles, navigate to .
George Washington, great man that he was, was a portrait of humility.
Humility leaves a deep impression on those around us.
For this reason, we’re covering humility as one of our “final lessons on neighboring.”
Humble Redlanders will leave a deep impact on their neighbors.
So how do we inject humility into our neighboring?
gives practical understanding.
We’ll see what humility involves and how a humble person can neighbor well.
Please stand out of respect for God’s Word and follow along as I read.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
What does humility involve?
We don’t always pick up in the middle of the verse, so I want to give you just a little context.
In chapter 5 of this letter, Peter spends 4 verses explaining what the elders should do.
At Redland, you could think of this as the pastoral staff.
Then verse 5 gives a quick command that the younger should be subject to the elders.
There are different theories about who those younger ones are.
Are they young people or new believers?
That’s not for us to flesh out here.
What I want to emphasize is that in the middle of verse 5, Paul switches to a command for “all of you.”
Elders, younger ones, and everyone in between.
After all, the greatest expression of humility is found in our Savior, and all of us are called to walk in his footsteps.
So what does humility involve?
Our passage suggests three things.
The first is an others-focused posture.
An others-focused posture
Peter literally says we are to “clothe ourselves” with humility.
This is about clothing.
You are getting fashion advice from a 2,000 year old fisherman!
The best part is this look never goes out of style.
If I have to clothe myself with humility - if I have to put it on - this tells me two things.
First, humility is not a natural part of you.
Most of you already knew that.
Turn to your neighbor and say, “You are not naturally humble.”
This is universally true.
My wife through her medical schooling has studied a lot of human anatomy over the past year, and I have helped her study with some flash cards.
I can tell you there is no humility gland.
The pores in your skin do not produce humility.
Whether you have a high metabolism or low, your body does not convert food into humility.
If you want to produce humility, you’ll need to take supplements.
Peter says to apply topically.
More to the point, clothing covers us up.
It is what people see.
When you come to church and people see you, they don’t want to see all of you.
They want a good bit of you to be clothed.
When people see you, is your humility noticeable?
Do people come away with a positive impression of your spiritual fashion sense, or do they think you seek to be prominent, to be more noticed?
The second thing this comparison to clothing tells me is that humility can be taken off.
We have to clothe ourselves in humility daily.
Our 4-year-old is finally picking out his own clothes and putting them on every morning.
He goes into the bathroom, and he’s super slow.
I don’t know what takes him so long, but he’s occupied for a bit, which is nice.
But every day he does this.
We have to clothe ourselves with humility daily.
Some of us guys were joking the other week that we don’t really know if we wear the same thing to church one week from the next.
We pick something out and wear it with the vague sense that it probably isn’t too fashionable to wear the same shirt and slacks every Sunday.
The problem is we’d never know whether we’re guilty of this fashion faux pas.
We just don’t pay attention to what we wear.
Humility doesn’t work like that.
It should be the same thing you wear day after day.
No one sees you clothed in humility again and says, “Hey, you wore that yesterday!”
Humility is always refreshing.
While we’re on the topic, you might be wondering about other virtues God tells Christians to “clothe themselves” in.
When we look at terms in the New Testament that either say, “clothe” or “put on,” we find in that believers should also wear compassionate hearts, kindness, meekness, and patience.
So, yes, your seaside Galilean fashion designer would agree with his cosmopolitan counterpart - that’d be Paul - that you should accessorize.
Above all, we’re told in various passages, to put on love, or Christ, or the new self.
So humility is one virtue among many that we should wear as new creations who embody the love of Christ.
Let’s pause, then, and make sure we understand what humility is.
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