Sermon Tone Analysis
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! The Stolen Tent
Experiencing the felt presence of God
Popular book – hopefully less than 200 pages
Personal book with my own story and questions interwoven through each chapter.
Each part will have about 3 chapters.
– 12 in all, hopefully.
Each chapter and “part” will end with a summary of what has been said in that chapter or part and a lead in to the next chapter or part.
!! Introduction
Personal story, Linda’s impact, etc.
Describe book as a journey and ask reader to join
My own struggle with cerebral Christianity
Explain a central theme and thesis of the book
The joke about the stolen tent
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip.
After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later; Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.
°Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see
"I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes," Watson replies.
"And what do you deduce from that?"
Watson ponders for a minute.
"Well, astronomically; it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically; I observe that Saturn is in Leo.
Horologicaly, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three.
Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
"
Holmes is silent for a moment.
"Watson, you idiot!" he says.
"Someone has stolen our tent!"
The point – Watson could only see the particulars, he was oblivious to the obvious, the universals.
Not only did he not notice that the tent was stolen, but he completely missed the reality behind the reality he was seeing.
The heavens, said David, shout forth the glory of God but Watson, in his myopic view of the universe saw only galaxies, planets, the Zodiac, and the time of day, failing to see the awesome Designer who placed it all there.
Experiencing the Presence of God comes as a result of, by faith, viewing all of life as a conspiracy of accidents, and seeking the Reality behind the reality, seeing everything against an “infinite horizon.”
Explain where the book is going and the relevance of the stolen tent story to the rest of the book.
Summarize briefly the point of each Part of the Book
Explain what the reader can expect to get out of this book- why should he take time to read it.
!! Part 1 - The Presence
!!!
The 10 aspects of presence
Need many stories of people who have experience these 10 aspects.
– they can be drawn from history and from contemporary experience
!!! Satisfied with a Lesser God
May need a better title
Discuss false substitutes, psychological experience, paranormal, demonic counterfeits, recent studies on the brain and religion, meditation the same with Buddhists, etc
!!! Discerning the Presence
In view of the possibility of false substitutes and deception this section will provide some biblical and practical principles of discernment derived from Teresa, Jonathan Edwards, Evan Howard, and the Bible
Wesley vs. Edwards, etc.
!! Part 2 - The Barrier
Why we do not experience the felt presence of God described in Part 1
There are 5 bricks in the barrier between the believer and this experience of Presence.
!!! Self Absorption
This results in two problems:
!!!!
We do not see correctly
We do not see the reality behind the reality - refer back to Watson’s problem
!!!!
We do not love
Jesus said he will disclose himself to those who love – John 14
Refer back to angelic conflict again and the notion of being a servant and what that practically looks like in daily relationships.
!!! Unbelief
Problem of evil destroys our faith - brief response dealing with the emotion more than a philosophical defense.
We do not take God’s Providence seriously and see Him in all events.
!!! Pride and Independence
God knows the proud from afar
Brief discussion of Angelic conflict to set the whole thing in a cosmic context.
God discloses Himself to those who obey him - John 14
Specifically – how are we proud
!!! Pragmatism
I have tried it and it does not work.
Gets to the point of persevering in faith and making some decisions as to what we are going to believe.
Also makes the point that we believe God not because it works, but because He is God - this is the life of faith – it is a struggle, etc.
!!! Doing rather than Being
Mary and Martha the one good thing.
Our restlessness and busyness, etc. keeps us from knowing God.
!! Part 3 -The Stolen Tent
An experience of Presence is God’s choice to give.
We cannot create it.
To do so is simply creating a psychological substitute.
Difference between consolations and delights.
All we can do is predispose ourselves to God’s work and if he chose to grant a feeling that is good but it makes no difference.
We live by faith.
There are seven things we must to if we are to experience the felt presence of God.
!!! Entering the Presence
!!!! Personal Worship
Define Worship – Linda
Clarify that all of life is to be an act of worship.
Possibly go back to the angelic conflict again and explain that Satan wanted worship, etc.
Possibly explain praying the music, the ABCs, praying the Tabernacle, and praying the Scriptures?
!!!! Thanksgiving
Gratefulness - enter his courts with thanksgiving
Practical counsel on how to do this
!!!! Utter Dependence
Viewing everything against an infinite horizon - the Stolen Tent again
Madam Guyon – Strabo p. 113
!!!! Prayer and Contemplation
Discuss contemplative prayer from a biblical perspective
Praying the Psalms, etc
Quieting our spirit – solitude
Possibly two chapters with one focusing on prayer and the other on contemplation
!!!! Loving and Serving others – John 14
!!!! Abandonment John 14:27
Various Psalms
!!!! Living with the End in View
To experience the presence of God daily, we must view our lives from an eternal perspective.
This perspective provides motivation for persevering in faith, and focuses us more attentively on the meaning and significance of every event, interaction, and relationship.
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