Sermon Tone Analysis

\\ WESTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH, UNIVERSITY CENTER \\ 2510 ALBION STREET | NASHVILLE, TN | 37208 \\ 88TH CHURCH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION \\ SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2008

 

 

SERMON BY PASTOR ROBERT EARL HOUSTON, SR. \\ ASSISTANT PASTOR \\ \\ “The Lord Has \\ Been Good To Us” \\ Deuteronomy 2:1-8

Just a few weeks ago my son, Robert, turned 25 years old.

He was born on August 20, 1983, went to pre-K, kindergarten, grade school, middle school, high school, and then onto the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

On the day Robert was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his throat, and I named him and prayed for him while the doctor’s resuscitated him.

\\

\\ I remember his first words, “Dada.”

\\ I remember his first steps.

\\ I remember his first school play (he played a preacher).

\\ I remember his first pair of baby shoes.

\\ I remember his first surgical procedure.

\\ I remember his first seizure.

\\ I remember his first girl he had a crush on.

\\ I remember his excitement about playing soccer.

\\ I remember his first goal playing soccer.

\\ I remember his excitement about playing basketball.

\\ I remember his first and only time going to the principal’s office.

\\ I remember his first and last time he cursed at his father.

\\ I remember his high school graduation.

\\ I remember his first phone call asking for money when he went to college.

\\ I remember the second phone call asking for money when he went to college.

\\ I remember the third phone call asking for money when he went to college.

\\ I remember ignoring his fourth phone call, knowing that he would be asking for money when he went to college.

\\ I remember his first college sweetheart.

\\ I remember his excitement about becoming a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.

\\ I remember his name being called when he graduated from college in the School of Business.

\\ I remember the tears streaming down my face when my son graduated.

\\ \\ Although I’m proud of my son, I wish that I could have had children like they do on soap operas – like Young and The Restless.

One season they are two and three years old, and a few months later, they’re graduating from high school.

One month they are sent to their room, and another month, they are moving out their own.

One day they are six years old and the next day they are twenty six.

Soap opera children change age quickly and you never get to see what happened between their childhood and their adulthood.

\\ \\ Our text is “soap opera text.”

Moses, the writer of not just the Book of Deuteronomy, but he is the author of most of the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

In this second chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses shows us a soap opera child – Israel, who has left the bondage of slavery in Egypt, tasted what freedom from slave masters is like, murmured, grumbled and complained after leaving Egypt, suffered an unsuccessful attack upon the Canaanites, when Moses introduces this text, Israel is a young toddler.

Walks out the door moving to Kadesh, and when Israel walks back into the pericape, Israel has been wandering in the wilderness for 38 years.

\\ \\ For 38 years, they’ve been walking but going nowhere.

\\ For 38 years, they’ve collected souvenirs, but no permanent place to display them.

\\ For 38 years, they’ve seen births after births, and yet have buried their share men, women, boys and girls.

\\ For 38 years they followed Moses who led them out of bondage but doesn’t have a GPS system in his pocket.

\\ \\ Israel, Moses’ soap opera child is now 38 years removed from bondage.

At Kadesh, numbering in the millions, Israel has wandered as a result of God’s own decree.

In Numbers 14:33-34, God says that they will wander for forty years, and many of them will die in the wilderness, until all the generation that has done evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed.

\\ \\ They have followed Moses to Kadesh, and as they travel, Moses has heard the voice of the Lord.

Moses does not lead by committee.

Moses does not lead by a majority of the vote.

Moses leads by the voice of the Lord.

Look at what he says, “We turned, as the Lord spoke to ME.”

I know we live in a democracy, (in a few days we will choose between Barack Obama and John McCain for President of the United States) but the church is not a democracy, it is a theocracy!

In other words, we are governed by the Lord and His word and not our own plans, methods, and schemes!

God’s word is able to carry us through!

\\ \\ Moses says we kept on going.

May I suggest that even though they had been in the wilderness for 38 long years, that does not mean that God had left them alone, all by themselves.

Today, we celebrate a Church Anniversary in a paid off sanctuary.

Today, we celebrate a Church Anniversary with a full choir stand.

Today, we celebrate a Church Anniversary with a Senior Pastor, Assistant Pastors, Associate Ministers, Deacons, and Church Leaders.

Before we got to this point in our history, the Lord has been with Westwood for over 88 years.

\\ \\ When James Tunstill pastored in 1920, God was with us! \\ When S.M. Wright pastored in 1922, God was with us! \\ When Levi Butler pastored in 1924, God was with us! \\ When J.H. Lawrence pastored in 1925, God was with us! \\ When Ambrose A. Bennett pastored in 1928, God was with us! \\ When W.O. Wells pastored in 1957, God was with us! \\ When Alphonse Blake pastored in 1959, God was with us! \\ When George W. Brown pastored in 1961, God was with us! \\ When J.W. Watkins pastored in 1965, God was with us! \\ When Amos Jones, Jr. pastored in 1969, God was with us! \\ \\ When Pastor Barton Elliott Harris became our pastor in 1987 – GOD is STILL WITH US!  Some come, some go, we’ve gone from a small sanctuary to a cathedral, we’ve gone from no staff to church staff, we’ve gone from a handful to hundreds!

GOD IS STILL WITH US! \\ \\ Matter of fact, you’ve been through some things, but God is still with you!

You’ve gone through heartaches and pain and disappointments and trouble and job loss and parents and children and siblings and rents and mortgages and promotions and firing, but GOD IS STILL WITH YOU! \\ \\ The Children of Israel didn’t know where they were going, however, God still gave Moses the word to make a turn!

I’m in Bible territory here, even though God may be displeased with us, I still want him to talk to me, when I’ve done wrong, that to leave me and not say a word!

\\ \\ I’m in a storm – God talk to me! \\ I know I’ve done wrong – God talk to me! \\ I’ve said some things I shouldn’t have – God talk to me! \\ I’m about to lose my mind up in here up in here – God talk to me! \\ \\ God spoke to Moses, told him to tell the children to turn, and they turned and started to circle an area called Mount Seir.

Mount Seir was part of the Edomite area.

Mount Seir was part of the area that was settled by the descendents of Esau.

The Horites settled there, just southeast of Canaan.

They marched, circling Mount Seir.

\\ \\ Can’t you see, 1 to 2 million people, marching around this area?

Mount Seir was a woody, rocky, mountainous area that was dotted with springs and fresh water.

They marched around Mount Seir time and time again.

They kept on marching around Mount Seir.

It had to be monotonous – can’t you imagine what they were saying in the camp?

\\ \\ “Haven’t we been this way before?”

\\ “What is Moses doing?” \\ “Where in the world are we going?” \\ “What did y’all do with that map?” \\ “Didn’t we see this road a few days ago?” \\ “Mama, are we there yet?” \\ “Why we got to do this?” \\ “Ain’t there a shortcut?”

\\ \\ Before we jump on the Children of Israel, there are some children of the Church, that refuse to read the word, study the Bible, praise the Lord, give the Tithe, walk the walk, talk the talk, sing the praise, lift the hands, open the mouth, jump for joy – because of some of the sayings in the camp?

\\ \\ “Why do we have to pray?” \\ “Where are we going?” \\ “Didn’t we sing this before?”

\\ “Why do I have to tithe?” \\ “Why do we have to go to Early Morning Prayer?

\\ \\ Israel kept on marching until God said it’s enough.

I don’t know about you but I have decided to keep on serving God until the Lord said, “you’ve done this long enough.”

\\ \\ I’m going to shout until he says “enough.” \\ I’m going to pray until he says “enough.” \\ I’m going to love my enemies until he says “enough.” \\ I’m going to give my tithes until he says “enough.” \\ I’m going to praise His name until he says “enough.” \\ \\ The Children of Israel followed Moses, going north, on their way to the Promised Land.

However, there is an obstacle between Mount Seir and Canaan and that was the land of Seir.

They would have to go through the land of their kinfolk, through the dry, parched land of Seir, where it only rained five inches of rain a year, to get to the land that was flowing with milk and honey.

Sometimes to get to where God wants to take you, you’ve got to go through some things!

\\ \\ They would have to go through that land but listen to what God has told them.

You are to go through them.

They will be afraid of you, however,  don’t pick any fights with them.

Matter of fact, if you need supplies, buy it from them – you are not to be a conqueror here, but a consumer!

Don’t you take it from them, buy it from them.

\\ \\ The situation is that 38 years ago, when they last seen of the Children of Israel, they were a people in bondage, no organization, no abilities, no leadership, making bricks for Egyptians.

But now, the soap opera child, it’s 38 years later.

They will say “I’m scared of you” because of what you have become in the Lord.

\\ \\ Anybody here – have you ever been in this predicament?

People remember what you used to be, how you used to act, what you used to drive, what you used to say, and now that the Lord has come into your life – you’re not the same that you used to be.

God has changed your heart, your mind, your ways, your walk, your talk, and everything about you.

Now, look at they what they say . . .

\\ \\ “I’m scared of you . .

.”  with your smile on your face.

\\ “I’m scared of you . .