Sermon Tone Analysis

Don’t Give Up \\ Genesis 21:14-21 Matthew 26:69-75 \\ \\ Have you ever been in a situation in which things were going pretty good, and then you did something to screw things up.

You find yourself in a jam and don’t know exactly what to do? Has there ever been a time in your life, in which you were sure that you could do something, intended to do it, started doing it, and then found it, it was more difficult than you thought it was going to be?

One thing we all have in common is the ability to mess up a good situation, and the ability to think we’re stronger than we really are.

\\ \\ When we look at the word of God, we find that God is real in talking with us about real life situations and how we can screw up the good plans God has for our lives.

When we do, we find ourselves wanting to just give up.

But the good news of the gospel, is that even when we blow it, God has a plan for our lives.

I’m amazed at how God wants to use people who recognize they do not deserve to be used.

God just does not seem to give up on us, even though God knows the real deal about us.

\\ \\ When we hear of Abraham and Sarah, we think of these people who walked so close to God that they never made any mistakes.

When Abraham was a young man in his seventies or early eighties, God had told him he was going to have a son.

After about 10 or 15 years of trying to get pregnant when Abraham was in his eighties, and Sarah in her seventies, they thought they needed to try a new method.

Sarah came up with the idea, that she must be at fault, so she told Abraham, I’m going to give you my servant Hagar so that you can have sex with her, she will get pregnant, and then we’ll raise the child as our own.

This must be what God intended.

\\ \\ Now Hagar, was about to become the most important of all the women in this clan of people.

She is about to be get special top notch treatment with everything going for her.

Nothing is going to be spared on her.

But the moment she finds out that she is pregnant, she starts hating on Sarah and putting her down.

Not only this, when her son grows up, she passes this attitude on down to him.

When Sarah does get pregnant at age 90 in the way God intended and her son is born, Hagar’s boy makes fun of his brother.

He jokes in a very negative way about this old woman having a son.

For Sarah, this is the last straw, and she demands that Abraham send them both away.

\\ \\ Hagar and her son Ishmael had it all, but because of their attitudes they lose it and find themselves in the desert.

Their supplies have run out, and they are looking at death.

Hagar could run through the scenes of her mind of how her actions had led her to this place.

She knew they were going to die, and she was ready to give up.

Even though they had blown it, God did not give up on them.

When God looked down, he did not see two dying individuals.

He saw two people who were going to become a great nation.

God opened Hagar’s eyes to see a well of water right there in the middle of the desert.

\\ \\ There is someone here whose actions have led them to a very low point in their lives, and you are just about ready to give up.

You would love to undo the past, but you know you can’t go back and change what happened.

You could be having a hard time with someone close to you.

It might even be your fault that you find yourself where you are.

\\ \\ But recognize that your past behavior has not cancelled God’s call on your life, if you would just get up and follow the word of the Lord.

There is a well of water there in your desert.

Just keep praying for the Lord to show you the well, and know that God has not forgotten you.

I don’t know how long Hagar and Ishmael wandered in that desert before their supplies ran out, but their wanderings led them to the place where God could open her eyes to see the well.

God knows how long your little supplies are going to last.

\\ \\ There are going to be times also in our lives, where our failure is not going to be intentional.

We are going to really mean what we say.

Our commitment is going to be genuine when we make it.

One night, Jesus was in a somewhat somber and down cast mood.

As a matter of fact, it was his last night of freedom on the earth before being arrested and voluntarily giving up his life on the cross.

Jesus and the disciples had eaten the last supper together, and Jesus had told them that one of them would betray him.

They all wanted to know who it was.

Jesus would not tell them that it was Judas.

\\ \\ Later that night, after they had sung a hymn, they went outside.

Judas was no longer with them, because he had left to betray Jesus.

Now it’s Jesus and the faithful eleven.

Perhaps the disciples recognized that Judas was no longer with them and that maybe, he was the one who would betray Jesus.

While this thought may have been circulating through their heads, Jesus makes another pronouncement.

He says, “tonight, everyone one of you will fall away because of me.”

In other words, “all of you are going to betray me, yes each and everyone of you.” \\ \\ If Jesus came walking up into this pulpit, and said to us all, “one of you is going to betray me this week.”

Most of us would start thinking about who is going to do this and what awful thing is he or she going to do.”

But what happens if Jesus says, “all of you are going to betray me this week.”

What images swirl around in your head.

Or do you think immediately, “they might, but not me Lord?” \\ \\ Peter was one of the top three of the 12 disciples.

Jesus had pointed out that not only was Peter in the top three, he would become the number one disciple at one point.

Peter tried to encourage Jesus, by saying, “lord you can count on me no matter what.

Even if all these other guys turn their backs on you, I never will.”

Jesus then tells Peter, “I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

\\ \\ You would think that would have ended the matter and the discussion, but it did not.

Peter responded one more time—“Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”

His words inspired the other disciples to all say the same thing.

\\ They are all making a commitment, but they do not understand all the cost that is going to be involved.

\\ \\ When God tells us, that we are going to betray him, God not only knows the future, God knows what is in the human heart.

When things do not go our way or in the way we expect them to go, it is far to easy to betray our Lord and Savior.

We can take sides or positions, or say things that show we are not on the Lord’s side.

We have to choose to not betray Christ in those situations.

\\ \\ When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, all of the disciples were ready to fight to the death.

Peter pulled out a sword and cut off one the attacker’s ear.

Jesus told them, “put away your swords and stop fighting.

Don’t you know I could have 72,000 angels at my side right now.”

When he said that, the disciples probably expected the angels to show up.

But they did not.

\\ \\ Instead Jesus, reaches out his hand for theme to arrest him and carry him away.

The disciples did not mind going out with a fight, but they were not about to voluntarily just give up their lives.

They said, “hey.

We are out of here.”

They all deserted him and fled.

\\ \\ Peter was one of the disciples that tried to mingle in with the crowd to see what was going to happen to Jesus.

But having been one of the top three disciples when Jesus was popular, others began to recognize him.

He was standing their trying to keep warm by the fire.

A servant girl came, and said, “I recognize you, you were also with Jesus of Galilee.”

Peter tried to play it off by laughing and saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Have you ever tried to play off your faith to be a part of the crowd.

He then got up, and went to the gateway.

Another girl saw him, and she to said to a group, “This fellows was with Jesus of Nazareth.

This time Peter tried to be a little more forceful with his argument.

He said, “I swear under oath, I don’t know the man.”

\\ \\ Peter did not know how to keep his mouth shut, because people listened closely to him as he was talking.

This time a group of guys walk over to him, and say, “look man, we can hear your accent from being up north.

How are you going to say, you do not know the man, when you’re from the same place?

What’s the real deal here.”

Peter is getting scared now that he’s got a group coming after him.

This time, he goes all out, “If I’m lying, let there be a curse on me, my momma, and anything else I hold dear, I swear to you “I don’t know the man.”

As the words rolled off his tongue, he heard the rooster crowing, just like Jesus had said would happen.

\\ \\ Would it be helpful if we heard the rooster crow each time we betrayed Christ.

I want you to know there is a rooster that crows, that’s call the Holy Spirit.

If you are walking with the Lord, when you sin it’s going to bother you spiritually.