Sermon Tone Analysis

“The Breath of God; The Breath of Life”

Just like every other human being, pastors have their struggles.

We have ups and downs.

We have times when life looks and smells like roses, and we have times when it…well we will just say there are times when it doesn’t.

So, in the ups and the downs we have to find ways to cope with the less than wonderful times.

I was dealing with some stuff here awhile back and had been praying, but something was still missing.

I knew that I needed to worship my way out of the “mullygrubs,” so I did what any good 40 something year old should do…I reached out to my 20 something year old daughter who helps lead worship at her church and ask her for some good music suggestions.

I think it took her less than a few seconds to start firing off what she has been listening to lately.

After she had sent me full albums, she started to suggest some songs that were her favorites.

Before she could get to that point, I was already immersed in what is currently my favorite song.

It is SO good I want to share it with y’all tonight and then I am going to share some thoughts…

Play Breathe by Maverick City

I read it earlier, but I’ll say it again, “Let everything that has breath, PRAISE THE LORD.”

Tonight, I want to talk about this idea of breath.

The idea that we are given something special from God that we can CHOOSE to use for His glory.

The fact is that every living thing has breath.

The trees breathe and a result of their breath, we have oxygen.

God has facilitated nature to work towards our favor, so that we can accomplish His purposes.

So, while every living thing has Breath, we are unique in that we are first created in His image and after His likeness, but additionally, of all creation, Humans are the only part of creation that Scripture specifically shows God “breathing” life into.

To be clear, everything in creation was given life through the “breath” of God.

HE SPOKE, everything into existence using His Word or breath, but mankind was different.

While in creation He said, “let there be light, firmament, grass, cows, etc.” when He got to mankind, He didn’t say, “Let there be a creature like me.”

Genesis 1:26 “Let us make in OUR image…”

If you skip over to Genesis 2:7 it says He formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

It should go without saying that none of us becomes truly alive until we are Born Again at salvation, but even at birth we are alive even if it is just in form and not function.

I’ll come back to that!!!!

In the physical we measure life most often by the ability to breathe.

Jokes have been made over the years regarding a persons qualifications to do menial jobs.

Someone might ask, what qualifications does a person have to have to say, hold a sign advertising a sale.

The person needing someone to hold the sign might say, “can they fog a mirror.”

So life is marked at the first breath, and ends shortly after they take their last breath.

The heart and the brain cannot function without oxygen and we only get oxygen through breathing.

Here’s an interesting note.

The Hebrew word for “God” is most often referred to as “Yahweh”

In reality the name does not have vowels and is known as the tetragrammaton.

The actual word in the Hebrew is YHWH

4 letters with no vowels, which for us as English speakers is impossible.

HOW CAN YOU HAVE A WORD WITH NO VOWELS…

But look at what many scholars say about the tetragrammaton.

They say that the name is actually sounded out with every breath.

For just a moment sit still and quiet and listen to your breath.

Even exaggerate it a little so you can hear it.

Inhale…YH

Exhale…WH

With that said, from the first breath, a child is saying the Name of God.

In like manner, every persons last breath is saying the Name of God.

I did some math…

Google says the average respiration rate of a resting man is between 12 and 16 breaths per minute

For the sake of simplicity, I used 15 breaths per minute.

900 Breaths per hour

21600 Breaths per day

151,200 Breaths per week

648,000 Breaths per month (30 day month)

7, 884,000 Breaths per year (non-leap year)

591,300,000 Breaths per lifetime (75 year average)

The unfortunate part of that is HOW MANY OF THOSE BREATHS ARE WASTED BY NOT USING THEM FOR HIS GLORY!!!

I said earlier that when we are born, we are born in FORM only.

In John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus, “most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

He didn’t say you cannot ENTER the Kingdom of God….HE SAID YOU CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

EXPAND THAT

Until we get to a place where we don’t just whisper the name of God with every breath, but we CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD, we are wasting our time, treasure, and talent on trivial pursuits!

But the hope and reassurance that we have is that God WILL GIVE US NEW LIFE!!!

He will restore our place where we can live not only in FORM, but in the FUNCTION He has purposed for us for eternity!

It starts when God Breathes Into Us

Ruach and Pneuma are used interchangeably in the OT and NT respectively to mean wind, breath, or Spirit.

Genesis 1:2 The Spirit (ruach wind or breath) was hovering over the deep…

In John 20:21-22 Jesus Breathes on the disciples and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-4 on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came in like a sound of a mighty rushing wind…

GOD WAS BREATHING LIFE INTO THE CHURCH.

He was putting Power into the sails of the earthly agency that would effect change for the rest of the age until Jesus returns to take His Bride home.

When we are changed there are expected changes!!!

As always, I emphasize that this is not a religion of salvation by works.

There is nothing you can do, there are not enough good deeds to be done, to save you from eternal death.

Salvation is through grace by faith ALONE, BUT the following verse to that statement in Ephesians 2:10 says that we are “His workmanship created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them!”

We DO Good Works because we are saved!

We DO Good Works because of what God has done for us

We DO Good Works, because our breath, our hearts, our spirits are different!

What does this look like?

Tonight I just want to talk about how it starts with how we talk!!!

How do we use the “BREATH” God has given us?

CONTROL WHAT WE SAY

James 3:7-12 BUT GOD

James 3:7–12 (ESV)

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?

Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs?

Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

but not human can tame the tongue...BUT GOD CAN

Submission to Him

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

What it looks like when it happens

Proverbs 6:16-19 lists 7 things that are an abomination to God… 3 of those are things that proceed form our mouth…literally using the breath that God has given us to sin against other people, “A lying tongue, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord.

Paul warns against the sins of the tongue as well in

Corrupt communication, evil speaking, angry words, foolish talking, and coarse jesting…

BUT… Paul doesn’t just leave us with what not to do...

Here is where it all turns.