Sermon Tone Analysis

Cutting Through the Noise

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The state of mental health in the U.S.

The Teton Dam failure

Satan is an agent of chaos, God is an agent of order

The pathway to peace: starts with prayer!

Today

We’re going to the same text, but we’re going to read on a bit...

Text

Reasons for Lack of Peace

Peace We Don’t Have - Because It’s Out of Our Control

We face circumstances that are out of our control at times.

Sometimes the Lord has placed us there.

Sometimes, it’s simply due to the actions of others.

And there we are.

But… it’s still somewhat in our control.

Somewhat.

Because we can pray.

And so, it is with great insistence, honesty, and care for your soul that I say: Many are disturbed due to prayerlessness.

This sermon series is as much about prayerlessness and the high costs of it as it is about prayerfulness and the peace that comes from it.

So, please recognize this is not a “get-your-hazelnut-cream-laced-cup-of-coffee-and-find-a-cozy-corner-and-enjoy-a-heartwarming-sermon-on-peace” kind of series.

If the Spirit has its way, your heart will not be warmed, but instead SET ON FIRE.

Your cozy corner will be transformed into an altar of prayer; your coffee cup will be filled with tears.

Peace We Don’t Have - Because We Have Allowed It

Sometimes we don’t have peace because of a situation outside our control.

But other times, a lack of peace is due to our own actions.

Remember me talking about being held back by our past?

We put on the wall what God has thrown away!

I want to talk about some things we allow to hold us back.

To rob our peace.

Controlling The Noise

Voices

The Bible speaks of many voices that there are in the world.

In the set of scriptures I’m about to read, Paul is talking about when someone begins speaking forth in tongues in the church.

And in the middle of what he is saying, there is an interesting verse we find:

Now listen!

There is not one single voice or influence out there that does not carry with it some sort of significance.

It’s either “of good report” or it is not!

Remember our text...

So, all other things amount to a great deal of “noise” that will work to weigh us down and rob us of our peace.

Now, let me talk about some of these “voices” or these “noises” today… some things that can speak and destroy your peace.

The Noises

Firstly, let me use some Scripture that is going to speak to each of the areas I am about to address:

If you feed the tomato plant of your life kerosene, what is going to be the state of your plant?

It’s certainly not going to bear fruit… but it’s life in general is going to be rotting.

Our heart is much like a blender.

What we take in affects the state of our entire heart.

Anyone ever take a Home-Ec.

class?

I was in one once where we were using blenders to make smoothies.

Had all of this fruit laid out to choose from.

And the goofy people I hung around thought maybe we ought to “think outside the box”.

You know, sometimes that phrase is good… other times… you got something bad coming your way!

All I know is, someone reached for an egg.

Another reached and got everything bagel seasoning.

And then someone committed the cardinal sin… SARDINES.

Let me assure you… what came from the blender into the glass… was not as bad… as what regurgitated forth...

But we came to a pointed conclusion that day, and it was sort of a joke for the rest of that semester: “SARDINES DON’T BELONG IN SMOOTHIES!”

Somebody’s peace was zapped that day!

And just like sardines don’t belong in smoothies, there are some worldly things that have no place in our heart!

They corrupt the heart!

They zap your peace!

And they cannot end in a good result.

The reason that some people find they cannot pray right or worship right on Sunday or Tuesday or Wednesday is because it’s difficult to find that place of communion with the Lord when throughout the week you’ve taken into your heart a concoction of worldly flavors that God does not approve of!

SARDINES DON’T BELONG IN SMOOTHIES!!!

There are some things that we’ve got to deal with.

Set up some barriers from and replace them with prayer and devotion with God.

Media

Social media is dialed into what you are about.

Therefore, it is dangerous to the heart.

Your interests are tracked.

Your likes and dislikes are noted, and then you are delivered what that social media company thinks will draw you in.

And that last phrase is the real problem here.

“Draw you in.”

Well… see that’s exactly what Jesus would like to do.

Draw us in.

And not only is it a problem of how we spend our time, it’s a problem of what methods they use to draw us in and consume our time.

It is absolutely 100% proven that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feature sexualized images of the opposite sex for the person who is viewing their news feed.

Which is why there are reports from people that it seems like their News Feed is becoming more and more of that all the time.

And if we’re not careful, we become de-sensitized to these things.

I can say much the same of television.

Which, today, is much more than channels on a TV.

It’s Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney+.

Don’t misunderstand me today.

I’m not trying to preach that you shouldn’t own a television.

That’s no different than preaching “No more knives, since people can get cut.”

But you better believe I’m preaching that you shouldn’t watch what you know you shouldn’t watch...

And that goes for music, as well.

Some of the things we allow kids to listen to… it’s simply shocking.

I’ve got Scripture...

There’s A LOT out there that should not be seen.

There’s A LOT out there that should not be heard.

So, it’s pretty simple… don’t keep watching.

Don’t keep hearing.

Sardines don’t belong in smoothies.

Why are you robbing your peace?

Why are you robbing your prayer life???

Let me show you how serious this thing is.

First of all, these people aren’t concerned with your peace, spirituality, or general state of mind.