Sermon Tone Analysis

“People Who Follow Jesus Influence”

Matthew 5:13-16

April 4, 2004                Pastor Scott Thielen

 

Thesis: God intends to influence this world through beatitude Christians

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Introduction

!!! Hook

/“I am the king of the world” clip from “Titanic” (DVD chapter 7… 0:20 (looking behind ship) to 4:20 (“she’s the largest… ever made by man”)/

What a great feeling!

Riding on the bow of the greatest ship man had ever made.

Probably everyone in this room has experienced that feeling of exhilaration and euphoria at a very special moment.

I certainly have.

At times I feel like I am on top of the world, like everything is going perfectly, like I’m in control of my own destiny.

But those moments don’t last long.

And we all know why… because whenever we take control of our own lives, we eventually discover that we’re steering the Titanic.

When you or I take charge, that’s when life begins to sink.

!!! Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, a special day in history that reminds us of one important fact: none of us is qualified to be king of the world, or king of our own lives for that matter.

Leonard DiCaprio is not the king of his world.

Nor is Donald Trump, or Michael Jackson, or even Martha Stewart.

Jesus Christ is alone the rightful King.

We each secretly want to be king of our own world, but the reality is that none of us is capable.

There can only be one King, and His name is Jesus!

We are here to serve Him, not the other way around.

On what we call “Palm Sunday,” Jesus entered Jerusalem to announce His arrival as King of the world.

He was God’s promised Messiah but, as we know, the Jewish nation rejected Him, He was put to death just as God planned, raised from the dead, and He left to return to heaven where He is right now. 

* He is the real King of the world, but He is waiting to return and take up that reign?

* Why hasn’t He come back to prove His critics wrong?

* Why doesn’t He reveal His true power to a doubting world?

*“Passion” impact—*Perhaps you’ve heard of a little movie called “The Passion of the Christ.”

Is it a perfect movie?

No.

Is it a powerful movie?

Most people would say, ‘Yes.’

Is it a life-changing movie?

Here’s the latest report from /WorldNetDaily/ posted on March 31.

Critics of Mel Gibson's controversial blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ" have expressed fear the film would spark an outbreak of violence, but instead it continues to prompt criminals, from burglars to murderers, to confess to crimes committed as long as a decade ago.

The fourth recent instance of confession to a crime was reported yesterday in Mesa, Ariz., where a man walked up to police Sunday at the scene of a burglary and confessed to the break-in as well as five or six others.

"He had made some mention that after watching the Mel Gibson movie . . .

that was his motive for turning himself in," said Mesa police detective Ruben Quesada, according to the East Valley Tribune in suburban Phoenix.

"It is a first," Quesada told the paper.

Meanwhile, at least three other confessions have been reported in relationship to the film.

In Norway, a neo-Nazi confessed to two decade-old bombings after watching Gibson's depiction of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

Near Houston, a man seeking "redemption" confessed to killing his girlfriend after her death had been ruled a suicide, saying he had been moved by his experience viewing "The Passion."

In Florida, a fugitive from a bank robbery two years ago said he turned himself in to police after watching Gibson's film.

!!!! Transition

No one can argue with the fact that Jesus made His mark on this world.

Human history revolves around Him at the center.

He has had the most profound impact of anyone in the world.

And that impact continues even today.

And what is Jesus’ strategy for carrying out His mission of forgiveness and healing?

The Bible tells us that He turned it all over to eleven men and those who would follow Him in faith.

That’s us.

* Doesn’t that scare you just a little bit?

That Jesus is counting on us to carry on His influence in the world?

!!! Influence

We’re talking about influence.

Influence = that invisible force in one’s personality that causes others to act.

Influence is “the power to move a person to some action.”

Influence is…

* The person who merges into my lane

* Your employer who controls your paycheck

* The teacher who gets kids excited about something

* The parent who prepares his child for the real world

* Lobbyists who get politicians to support their agenda

* My brother “the clown” delivering the punch line after my big gulp of milk

One reason for Jesus’ influence was that He spoke with both conviction and authority.

He was clear about who He was.

The Bible gives Him the name “Emmanuel” which means “God with us.”

God was with us in Christ, but Jesus never tried to become like us.

He simply showed us what we could become.

That is the power of influence.

!!! Review

Turn with me to Matthew 5.  Let’s review.

In the first 12 verses of Matthew 5 we learned that the Beatitude Christian is:

* *“poor in spirit” = *humble and needy before God

* *“one who mourns” = *sorry for sin in the world and self, depending on God for comfort

* *“meek” = *humbly submitted to God for life on earth

* *“hungry & thirsty for righteousness” = *seeking rightness, satisfaction in Christ

* *“merciful” = *forgiving and seeking to relieve the misery of others

* *“pure in heart” = * reflecting the holiness of Jesus Himself

* *“peacemakers” = *committed to the hard work of making true peace

* *“persecuted because of righteousness” = *following Jesus regardless of the cost

!!! Transition

These are the characteristics of a Christ-follower.

These are the values we pursue.

To represent Jesus right here, right now.

But then there is this gap between what we say and what we do.

* *Woman who behaved unlike an believer (negative influence)*

Two cars were waiting at a stoplight.

The light turned green, but the man didn't notice it.

A woman in the car behind him is watching traffic pass around them.

The woman begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move.

The man doesn't move.

The woman is going ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving at the man, pounding on her steering wheel and dash.

The light turns yellow and the woman begins to blow the car horn, and yells at the man.

The man looks up, sees the yellow light and accelerates through the intersection just as the light turns red.

The woman is beside herself, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection.

As she is still in mid-rant she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a very serious looking policeman.

The policeman tells her to shut off her car while keeping both hands in sight.

She complies, speechless at what is happening.