Sermon Tone Analysis

!! A.   Introduction

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*SLIDE 1  - C.H. Spurgeon  (1 click)*

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!!! ILLUSTRATION:

 

Anyone who has is familiar with church history would know this man, Charles Haden Spurgeon.

Spurgeon was a phenomenon of his day.

Converted at age 16, preached his first message at age 17, and installed as the pastor of a small church in his home town the same year.

At age 19, his ability as a communicator were so unparalleled and his skill as a leader so pronounced, that he was called to the pastorate of London’s famed New Park Street Chapel in Southwark, the largest Baptist congregation in London at the time.

And at age 22, Spurgeon was the most popular preacher of the day, preaching to audiences of more than 10,000 people, who waited in their seats more than 30 minutes before the sermon to make sure they would have a seat.

At age 23 Spurgeon founded a Pastor’s College, and his fame only grew throughout his life.

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!!! *TRANSITION*

!!! 1.

There are men and women of unusual ability scattered throughout the ages.

Those who shine in areas of intellectual prowess, physical might, military geniuses, and men and women of unusual faith.

!!! 2.

Even today, there are those people who seem to do no wrong, who have the Midas touch, everything they do seems to prosper, their life seems to be incredibly blessed of God, lacking no shades of gloom

!!! 3.    Be it relationships, business, athletics, sing, speak, provide wise counsel, have all the friendships.

!!! 4.    And we’re left sitting on the sidelines, warming the bench as it were, second rate participants, contributing little, feeling fortunate to just be on the team.

!!! 5.    We look at these individuals and we wonder, “God, why can’t I be like them?”  “Why can’t I have that kind of success?

Why can’t I be used of you in that way?

!!! 6.

Our passage this morning speaks of such a person.

A man who was used of God in extraordinary ways.

A man who was uniquely blessed of God so that he was able  to accomplish the spectacular.

The kind of man you would look at and say, “He’s got it made . . .

he’s extraordinary . . .

God is working on his behalf.”

*SLIDE 2 - Ezra 7:1-10 (1 click)*

 

*Read Ezra 7:1-10   (5 min) *

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!! B.   Proposition:

!!! 1.

What should stand out from this text is the life of a man who was uniquely gifted, specially enabled for ministry; one who excelled in his field.

!!! 2.    But we’re going to see that it is a life we can all live if we choose it.

!!! 3.    We’re going to see that there is a Life that God Blesses, and it will be manifest in a person who possess 5 characteristics.

*SLIDE 3 - 5 characteristics (1 click) *

!!!! /a)    /Has the right HERITAGE

!!!! /b)   /Demonstrates the right ABILITY

!!!! /c)    /Enabled by the right POWER

!!!! /d)   /Motivated by the right PASSION

!!!! /e)    /Dedicated to the right YOU

!!! 4.    Yes, God is ultimately responsible for every success in life, and YES, it is only by his grace that any of us can accomplish anything for him, BUT, there are those instruments that God can use most effectively for his service, AND it is this kind of life that God blesses abundantly.

!!! *TRANSITION*:  Let’s look first at the characteristic of having the right Heritage   

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*SLIDE 4 - The right Heritage (1 click) *

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II.

You will have the right HERITAGE - #1

!! A.   SETTING:

!!! 1.

During the reign of Artaxerxes (7:1)

!!!! /a)    /Son to Xerxes, known as Ahasuerus in the book of Esther, and so he is step-son to Queen Esther.

!!!! /b)   /Punished with Babylonian captivity because of idolatry

!!!! /c)    /Returned from exile

!!!! /d)   /Build the temple - project that takes about 22 years from start to finish due to opposition from adversaries and disobedience

!!!! /e)    /temple completed in chapter 6 and God gives the people joy

!!!! /f)     /CH 7 picks up after 58 years have passed

!!!! /g)   /Nothing is recorded for us in this book concerning the activities that transpired in Jerusalem during this time.

!!!! /h)   /Rather, we are met with these words “NOW, after this . .

.”

!! B.   From the nation of Israel - SLIDE 4 - (1 click)

!!! 1.

And these simple words, “Now after this . .

,” scream for attention, and draw one’s focus to divine activity.

!!! 2.    The events in this book are like the mountain peaks in a landscape.

They are the events that rise to the top to reinforce the theme of a narrative.

!!! 3.    The THEME of Ezra is restoration, and as one moves through the book we see God’s deliberate activity of restoring his people.

!!! 4.    And this restoration is not for people in general, but for a specific people, the nation of Israel; a nation whom God had given deliberate, unconditional promises.

!!! 5.    We find in this book a God who is interested in resurrecting the dead bones, in breathing life into a desperate people, and in raising up a nation in direct response to his DIVINE PROMISES, made unconditionally to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

!!! 6.

We find in this story a man named Ezra; a man who was part of the nation of Israel, and THUS uniquely positioned to receive God’s blessing.

!! C.   From the line of Aaron - SLIDE 4 - (1 click)

!!! 1.

But he was not only from the nation of Israel, he was from one of the most prominent lineages in Scripture, second only to the line of David.

!!! 2.    He was a descendent of Aaron, the high priest.

!!! 3.    Ezra’s identification with Aaron’s in this chapter elevates him to a prominent position in this book.

!!! 4.    Immediately the readers would sit up in their chairs and read with a little more intention.

Ezra’s identification with Aaron said, “Listen up, pay attention, something spectacular is about to happen.”

!!! 5.    The OT makes a big deal about physical heritage.

!!! 6.    God established real conditions on someone’s right to a certain position, it became one of the qualifying elements of someone’s ability to serve.

No matter how spiritual a person was, they weren’t allowed to perform certain duties unless they could prove their legitimate heritage.

!!! 7.    Ezra 2:62-63 - “and of the sons of the priests . . .

these sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled.”

!!! 8.    It didn’t matter how godly, or how dedicated a person was, they were disqualified from ministry unless they could prove their heritage.

!!! 9.    Ezra was such a man with that heritage.

!! D.  Application:

!!! 1.

You may be asking, how does this apply to me?  I’m not from the nation of Israel, I am not from the line of Aaron.

Am I already disqualified from ministry.

!!! 2.    The apostle Peter, speaking to a group of scattered Gentiles declares, “You are chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”  1 Peter 2:9-10

!!! 3.    Heritage is important, God’s ability to bless you is contingent upon you being a part of his family.

!!! 4.    The entry requirements for “Preferred status” in God’s kingdom first require a relationship with the KING; a relationship that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sin.

!! E.   ILLUSTRATION

!!! 1.

I was reading a news article on the internet at the beginning of this year and Jenna Bush was on a talk show promoting her new book.

!!! 2.    The talk show host asked Jenna about the relationship she had with her parents and asked if she could call her dad anytime of the day.

!!! 3.

She said, “of course” And with that, the talk show handed her a phone to prove it.

!!! 4.    Jenna nervously picked up the phone and called the direct line to her dad’s office.

!!! 5.    Without delay she was on the phone with the President of the United States because he is her dad.

!!! 6.

She has Preferred status with the President, but we have Preferred status with the Lord of the Universe.

*/TRANSITION/*: HERITAGE is important, but it doesn’t stop there.

In order to have a Life that God Blesses you must also demonstrate the right ABILITY

 

*SLIDE 5 - The right Ability (1 click)*

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III.

Demonstrate the right ABILITY - #2

!! A.   Verse 6

!!! 1.     “scribe, skilled in the Law of Moses”

!!! 2.    There are two elements I want to concentrate on here.

SCRIBE and SKILLED

!! B.   SCRIBE (vs 6) - “teacher” SKILLED IN THE LAW - SLIDE 5 - (1 click)

!!! 1.    Easy to pass over this word as just a title of a position and maybe even assign negative connotations to it because of our exposure to the NT.

!!! 2.    BUT, Scribes in the OT do not have the same negative connotation as they do in the NT. 

!!! 3.    A scribe was a man of influence, wisdom and accomplishment.

!!! 4.    It was like referring to someone as a scholar, or an expert in a given field.

!!! 5.    AND the Hebrew word for SCRIBE is synonymous with being a TEACHER.