Sermon Tone Analysis

/Scripture: John 1:1-18/

 

*Explaining God*

 

"One of God's main jobs is making people.

He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things here on earth.

He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies.

I think because they are smaller and easier to make.

That way, He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching to talk and walk, He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God's second most important job is listening to prayers.

An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime.

God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV on account of this.

Since He hears everything, not only prayers, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere, which keeps Him pretty busy.

So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your parent's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.

Atheists are people who don't believe in God.

I don't think there are any in Chula Vista.

At least there aren't any who come to our church.

Jesus is God's Son.

He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God.

They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him.

But He was good and kind like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK.  His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His

hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore.

He could stay in heaven.

So He did.

And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God.

Like a secretary, only more important, of course.

You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.

You should always go to Church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God.

Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach.

This is wrong!

And, besides, the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.

If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can.

It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim very good and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.

But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you.

I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.

And that's why I believe in God."

By Danny Dutton, age 8

 

If I was going to pick the first book of the Bible that people should read when they come to Christ, I would pick the book of John.

Probably for the second I would pick 1 John.

Let me challenge you over the next few months to become familiar with the writings of the beloved disciple.

He knew Jesus like none of the others did.

He grasped the heart of Christ and with it His passion and the scope of his ministry on earth, present and to come as we see also in the book of revelation.

I believe that in these books there is great likelihood that a person wanting to discover the same heart could do so as well.

With all my heart, I’m convinced that a person lives as close to God as he~/she wishes.

Often in times of trouble or despair we wonder where He is or we struggle to stay afloat spiritually.

You see the storms only tell us how close we have been living to Him.

In fair seas we don’t check so often to see where He is or what his pleasure is for our lives.

When things are going fine we sail our own course without close consultation.

Why would we be overly concerned with our proximity to Christ when we need him for nothing in particular.

And then the storm.

We are tossed emotionally.

We are devastated by bad news.

We are faced with the loss of a loved one.

And in the storm we pray like we never pray otherwise.

We don’t stop to ask ourselves whether or not we feel like it or not.

*Cyrus Brown’s Prayer*

 

“The proper way for man to pray,”

Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes

“And the only proper attitude

Is down upon his knees.”

“No, I should say the way to pray,”

Said rev.

Dr. Wise

“Is standing straight with outstretched arms,

And rapt and upturned eyes.”

“Oh, no, no, no!” said Elder Slow,

“Such posture is too proud;

A man should pray with eyes fast closed

And head contritely bowed.”

“It seems to me his hands should be

Austerely clasped in front

With both thumbs pointing toward

the ground,”

Said Rev. Dr. Blunt

 

“Las’ year I fell in Hodgkins well

Head first,” said Cyrus Brown

“With both my heels a-stickin’ up,

My head a-pintin’ down;

 

“An I made a prayer right then an’ there

Best prayer I ever said,

The prayin-est prayer I ever prayed,

A-standin’ on my head.”

The situation makes us intense and desperate and so many times God comes through, - no *always* God comes through.

If we were more consistent and serious, if we lived out daily the importance that we profess to assign to the practice of prayer, there would be fewer storms that would cause us to panic and we would discover that God is not farther away than we have been content to have him stay.

Well the “beloved” disciple was the one who was always closest.

He needed no storms to drive him to Christ.

He loved him deeply and in his writings he paints his favorite pictures and passes them to us.

If anyone could teach us to love Christ, John could do that.

\\ Tell me the story of Jesus

Write on my heart every word

Tell me the story most precious

Sweetest that ever was heard

Tell how the angels in chorus

Sang as they welcomed his birth

Glory to God in the highest

Peace and good tidings to earth

 

Tell of the Cross where they nailed him

Writhing in anguish and pain

Tell of the grave where they laid him

Tell how he liveth again

Love in that story so tender