Sermon Tone Analysis

!! 2008 Gulf Coast Jubilee Conference -“Wake Up to the New Day”

*“Flowing In the Power of the Spirit” *

*Introduction*

I believe that one of the purposes of this conference is for the Holy Spirit to challenge us, transform us, and stir up our faith.

Waking up to the new day is about us coming into agreement with the King and the principles of His kingdom like never before.

It is about us recognizing that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

It is required that we become fully aware of our current state and condition, we have got to be able to rightfully discern the time and season in which we are living.

These are days to break out of our limitations and to break the limitations that we place on God.

These are days of the expansion of the kingdom of God!

(Make a reference to this passage)

*Exodus 33:12-16*

/12 Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.

You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.

Remember that this nation is your people."

14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."  15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?

What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

NIV/

Moses understood the call and purpose of God, but he also understood that if God was not with them they could not succeed.

In order for them to fulfill their destiny it was going to take God moving and fighting on their behalf because the land that was promised to them was occupied.

He was totally dependent upon the power of God.

I believe that we are in the same situation.

God is calling upon His people to expand His kingdom into occupied territory and unless we are empowered by His Spirit we are destined to fail.

We have got to flow (move) in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Waking up to the new day is realizing that there is a real God who uses real people to bring about real change in the Earth.

*Luke 11:20-23*

/20 But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.

21 For when Satan, who is completely armed, guards his palace, it is safe--  22 until someone who is stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

23 "Anyone who isn't helping me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me.

NLT/

*Col 2:13-15*

/13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away.

Then God made you alive with Christ.

He forgave all our sins.

14 He canceled the record that contained the charges against us.

He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross.

15 In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities.

He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.

NLT/

 

*Body*

I would like to use a story from the life of Jesus to illustrate this point to you.

We stand to learn a great deal from Jesus’ interaction with people.

I know that this story is very familiar and maybe you have both read and heard it preached on more than one occasion.

If you bear with me I am going to show you how this account relates exactly with where we are today.

*Mark 5:21-34*

/21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.

22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there.

Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying.

Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."

24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.

26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."

29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him.

He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"  31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'"   32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.

34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you.

Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

NIV/

I would like to shift the focus to this particular woman and her personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

First of all, let make sure that we understand her condition.

She had a discharge of blood from her body for a period of 12 years and no one could help her.

Also according to Jewish law, because of her condition, she was in a state of perpetual impurity.

*Leviticus 15:25-26*

/25 "'When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period.

26 Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period.

NIV/

This passage of scripture gives us a pretty good idea of the way this woman had to live her life.

What a lonely and sad life she must have lived.

Who wants to associate themselves with someone who has been declared unclean?

As a matter of fact the Bible says that she continued to get worse.

(The same cycle plays out in countless lives today) 

One day everything in her life changed and it all began when she heard about Jesus.

In the midst of her pain and suffering she heard about someone who had the power to change her situation.

She had an issue.

Today we are still surrounded by issues both inside and out.

I have to stop here for a moment and ask a question.

With all of the hurting and suffering people in our communities how many of them actually come into contact with the power that is able to change them forever?

How many of these people come into contact with Christians hoping to find the answer only to leave disappointed or hurt?

How many desperate people walk through the doors of churches all over the world in search of deliverance only to find that there is no power available for them?

I must say that a gospel without power is no gospel at all.

God have mercy on us when people hear that Jesus is in our midst and in desperation they come to us looking for the answer.

But instead of healing they find hate, alienation and not acceptance, that they are loathed and not loved.

This woman, who had a disease which caused her to be labeled as impure, became extremely determined.

That is why we have to be careful with labels.

*/(Use Peter’s example from the book of Acts)/* Out of her desperation faith began to stir in heart and it propelled her to action.

She was in such a state of desperation that she reasoned within herself that touching His clothes would be good enough to heal her body.

She pushes her way through the crowd and makes her way to Jesus.

Faith began to rise more and more the closer she got to Him.

Then it happened.

She touched Him and immediately she was made whole.

The 12 years of pain, suffering, and humiliation had come to an abrupt end.

She had encountered the King and the blessings of His kingdom.

She got a taste of what it’s like to be a daughter of God.

The kingdom was opened to her and she received.

At once Jesus stopped!

Whoa, wait a minute what just happened?

Someone touched me.

His disciples looked confused because they were in the midst of a crowd.