Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro
Text - Galatians 4.26-27
Title - The Cure for Barrenness
The Problem of Barrenness
What is “barrenness”
barrenness is infertility; the inability to produce;
barrenness was considered a tragedy, a big misfortune, and a curse in Bible days
a barren womb is considered a dead womb.
It cannot produce a child to continue the name/life of a family
ex - Abraham’s body and Sarah’s womb were considered dead at their age
barrenness is worse than being “unfruitful” - it is a condition similar to being dead
unfruitfulness - can be resolved by careful farming
good soil - by cultivation
good seed - by choosing the best seed
good attitude -
barrenness - needs life; needs a miracle;
a barren land cannot be cured by cultivation
Spiritual barrenness is a big tragedy
We should never take it lightly.
Indications of barren Christians
a powerless testimony - when your testimony is despised and spurned
a stagnant knowledge of the truth - when you are not growing in your understanding of Bible truths
a useless/non-functioning life - when your life have no useful function in the body of Christ
a defiled Christian life - when you have been influenced by worldly principles and ideas
The Cure to Barrenness
Ideally, no Christian should be spiritually barren because he/she has the Spirit in him/her.
It is like Canaan, the “Land of Milk and Honey.”
But when it happens, we need to find the root cause in order to find the cure.
The cure to barrenness depends on the type of barrenness that is going on in one’s life
generally, barrenness are of 2 categories
first, those that God uses to serve a purpose in His plans; this is entirely in the hand of God
second, those that cannot be cured without the proper action on our part
Questions
Are concerned when our life becomes unfruitful in spiritual matters?
Do we want to come out of spiritual barrenness?
Types of Barrenness
1./ Sarah type of barrenness
God is waiting for the right time to open the womb and make it fruitful
however, the person involved must be actively living in faith
Examples
Sarah herself - she gave birth to Isaac at exactly God’s time Genesis 18.10
Manoah’s wife - she gave birth to Samson at exactly God’s season
Elizabeth - she gave birth to John (the Baptist) at the right time
The CURE - just wait for God’s time
Do what God tells you to do
be there when God does His work
2./ Rebekah type of barrenness
God is waiting for someone to claim the promise
Example
Isaac - he pleaded with the LORD Genesis 25.21
Isaac’s situation was different from his father’s
he was not an old man
The CURE - plead with God; PRAY
"take God at His Word”
Isaac claimed a promise of God, and God granted his prayer
3./ Hannah type of barrenness
God is waiting for a commitment, a vow
Example
Hannah - she made a vow to God 1 Samuel 1.10-11
unlike Isaac’s prayer, Hannah did not receive answer from God until she was desperate enough to make commitment before God.
The CURE - your commitment; when God answers your prayer, what will you do for God in return?
commit - make a promise to do something
desperate people make promises
Hannah was desperate, but her promise was faithful and true
The Firstfruits of the Barren Womb
What you do with the firstfruit is important to God.
The firstfruits of the barren womb have special roles in the plan of God
Notice - all children born by barren women served God in special ways
Isaac - he became the seed of Abraham in the natural
Jacob - he produced the 12 tribes of Israel
Joseph - he became the savior of their family and the whole region in a time of great famine
Samson - he judged Israel
Samuel - he became a judge, a prophet, a kingmaker
John the baptist - he became the forerunner of Christ
The firstfruits belong to God
The firstfruits must be set apart for God
Isaac was separated from the rest of Abraham’s children
4./ Idleness type of barrenness
God is waiting for your action
Signs of a barren Christian life
a powerless testimony
a stagnant knowledge of the truth
a useless/non-functioning life
a defiled Christian life - influenced by worldly principles and ideas
barren - grk.
ARGOS; useless; having no beneficial use; incapable of functioning usefully
having a form of godliness but without power
ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth
Example - the fig tree parable: it was the only one in the field that would not bear fruit; the problem was not the ground, but the itself.
a Christian SHOULD BE fruitful in his/her understanding
useless/unused in the kingdom
barren - grk.
ARGOS, useless, idle, incapable of functioning usefully
Christians who do not function to become useful in the body of Christ are unfruitful
Idleness is a sickness of spirit; a disease of attitude
Cretans are said to be “lazy gluttons”
its cure lies in the person himself
Idle/barren Cretans are “defiled”
The CURE - time for some action
they have been influenced by non-apostolic ideas, making them useless in the body of Christ
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