Sermon Tone Analysis

Ok… We’re going to start things off this morning with a test.

I know… you didn’t come to church to take a test… but tough cookies… you’re getting one anyway.

For some of you, this will be a very easy test… for others, it may be extremely difficult.

Reality is… It shouldn’t be very difficult… But honestly, for some, it can be very very very… extremely difficult.

It’s only a one question test… but it’s still very hard for some people to honestly give the correct answer.

So, I really need you to focus.

Focus hard.

To help you focus… I’m not even going to ask the question out loud… I’m going to put the question on the screen… Let you read it for yourself so you’re not distracted.

Did I mention that you really have to focus?

Alright… Are you ready?

Are you really, really, REALLY ready for this?

Ok… Here’s the question…

*QUESTION ON SCREEN : Am I Perfect?

Raise Your Hand If The Answer Is Yes*

*WAIT A MOMENT* You guys see the question?

And no one is raising their hand?

That’s awesome!

You all got the correct answer.

But I want you to understand what you’re admitting.

You’re admitting that there is stuff in your life that shouldn’t be.

Right?

In fact… It may be a helpful exercise for all of us to say that out loud.

“There are things in my life that shouldn’t be.”

Again! “There are things in my life that shouldn’t be.”

Here's how the writers of Scripture deal with this.

Would you read this verse out loud with me?

Here, David asks the Lord to test him… to EXAMINE his life.

That word examine… used 34 in the Old Testament… It’s the idea of smelting.

Do you know what smelting is? It’s when a metal, or some type of substance is heated up all the way to its melting point so that any foreign matter can be separated and removed.

David is asking God to bring him to his melting point so that anything that is in his life that shouldn’t be there can be removed.

Do you think that’s a brave prayer?

Yet it is the prayer of the saints.

Would you be so bold as to pray that prayer?

God… Bring me to my melting point so that anything that’s in my life that shouldn’t be there can be removed.

Step 4 of Celebrate Recovery… The step that many will tell you is the most difficult step of all says… We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

And it is based on Lamentations 3:40…

One of the reasons this step is so difficult… because if you truly take that step… If you pray that prayer of David… there are going to be flaws that you have, that will come to the surface, that you didn’t even realize was there.

That’s the smelting process.

I asked Jerry to come and spend a few minutes sharing with you what this looks like.

*JERRY SHARES*

This concept that Jerry talked about… Where these things come to the surface and you didn’t even know it… is a form of spiritual blindness.

Ever heard that old cliché… We become blind to our own sin?

It becomes so much a part of us, we don’t even see.

So what’s the solution?

If you have your Bible, turn with me to Matthew chapter 20.

This story in Matthew chapter 20 is just a few verses long… it’s very simple… yet very profound.

For 20 chapters now, Matthew has been unfolding the life of Jesus… We’ve saw His birth… We’ve saw the Sermon on the Mount… We’ve saw Him perform miracles… We’ve saw Him feed thousands of people with just a tiny bit of food… and all the while, Jesus has been proclaiming His gospel… He’s been proclaiming His Kingdom.

And then, next week… Pastor Matthew is going to kick off the Passion week with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

So, for 20 chapters… Matthew has been showing us Jesus… and right before the passion week begins… we have this story.

This is Matthew’s final appeal before the passion week.

Will you follow Jesus?

Will you give your life to Him? Will you see Jesus clearly?

Let’s read chapter 20… beginning in verse 29…

Ok… I know it doesn’t seem like much… but we cannot just gloss over this simple verse.

Jesus leaves Jericho… and He’s headed towards Jerusalem with a large crowd following Him.

Y’all remember Jericho from Sunday School… right?

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down.

Here’s what you need to know.

This journey from Jericho to Jerusalem was the same journey that the people of Israel took as they were headed to claim the Promised Land in the Old Testament.

So this crowd that’s following Jesus… This route from Jericho to Jerusalem was very symbolic for them.

Just as their ancestors had taken this journey to claim the Promised Land… they are now following their Messiah into Jerusalem… and He is going to conquer Rome.

We’ve talked about this several times already through this series… the Messiah they wanted was a conqueror… and so, they had conquest on their minds as they walk this journey with Jesus.

This was very exciting for them!

Their conqueror was here!

The Messiah had come!

And He’s blazing the trail from Jericho to Jerusalem!

I can hear them singing as they walk… This land is your land… This land is my land… From the Jordan River… To Ole Mount Zion!

They saw Jesus as a conquering King… but they were blind as to who He really was.

Let’s keep reading…

There’s a lot in those words… Lord, Son of David.

These blind men were doing what blind men did in those days.

They had no means of earning income, and so, they begged from the side of the road… looking for money so they could survive.

And they hear this large crowd of people coming… and perhaps they think… whoa… this could be our lucky day… lots of people that could help a brother out!

But then, they find out that it’s Jesus… and so they begin to cry out to Him.

Verse 31 tells us that… (…be quiet)

Stop bothering Jesus.

We’re on our conquest march into Jerusalem!

Jesus is going to overthrow the Romans!

He’s got much bigger fish to fry than to mess with a couple of poor blind men.

But even though the crowd poo poos the blind men… it says that they keep shouting… and they shout louder!

Lord, Son of David… Have mercy on us!

These blind men don’t care what crowd says… They just keep shouting.

Verse 32…

Such a beautiful moment here.

Can I tell you… Jesus loves it… Jesus desires that we cry out to Him.

In this moment… Jesus stops the parade because these men are crying out to Him… and He says… What can I do for you?

Look at what happens… Verse 33…

They say… Lord.

From the Hebrew word Adonai… meaning the one who is sovereign… the one who is in complete control… the one who has complete authority.

These blind men KNEW who Jesus was… and they asked Him for sight.

They could have asked Jesus for a big fat wallet so they’d never have to beg again… They could have asked Jesus to open up a center for the blind when He conquers Jerusalem… but they don’t… they ask Jesus for their eyes to work.

They ask in faith… seeing very clearly who Jesus was.

Listen very carefully.

These blind men SAW who Jesus was… while the crowd was blind to who Jesus was.

Let me say that again… The blind men SAW who Jesus was… while the crowd was blind to who Jesus was.

And so… Here’s the big question of the day… Who do you identify with this morning?

The crowd?

Or the blind men?

And there are two layers to this question.

The first layer is this… The crowd was blind to who Jesus was… while the blind men saw Jesus for who He was.