“The Pardon of Prayer” – 05/08/2015

Dr. Tony Evans is a master at taking the ordinary events, objects, and experiences of life — and “choosing and using” them in a message.”

Picture if you will . . . . . a bell in a bell tower . . . . the bell is up high. . . .  and it has a rope attached to it . . . . you’ve all seen it on T.V.

And you pull the rope . . . . up and down  / up and down / up and down 

bong , bong, bong, bong, bong  

this constant pulling and there is constant ringing of the bell.

Then let’s say after you’ve done that for a while you let the rope go

when you let the rope go . . . . the bell keeps swinging.

The bell does not stop swinging just because you let it go.

It will swing for a while.

bong , bong, bong, (softer) bong, (softer) bong

It will slow down

Forgiveness is when you let the bell rope go . . . . that’s forgiveness

You no longer hold the rope.

A lack of forgiveness is when you constantly pulling the rope . . . .

Bong —  you did this to me

Bong — you did that to me

Bong —  you did this to me

Bong — you did that to me

You are constantly pulling the rope.

You make yourself think about it when you not thinking about it. 

Because you insist on pulling the rope.

When you let the rope go —  that is by a decision of the will  —

“I will no longer hold this crime against you.”

For a while, your emotions will hear the bell.

But if you let the rope go and leave it alone . . .    the bell will Bong . . . . . . . . . . . . Bong . 

It’ll slow down until it stops.

Don’t let the fact that your feelings of the pain get in the way of your forgiveness . . .  because you can have the pain and still have provided the forgiveness

The issue you’re responsible for is . . . . . not constantly ringing the bell.

If you don’t pick up the rope . . . . the sound will die out.

 

• throughout the message —
• in your application, and/or
• in your conclusion.

“Some of you here today know that you have been repeatedly picking up the rope and ringing the bell.

Some of you have come to enjoy ringing the bell.

Still, others may have let that bell quiet down, but been playing around with the rope, though not decided to ring it . . . yet”

• energy applied and motion initiated, and then
• the dissipation of that motion over time when no energy is applied, and then
• the final stopping of any motion.

• fellowship
• Christian growth
• prayer
• conviction
• confession
• sinful habits
• godly habits — Let’s give it a twist! —- “You need to keep grabbing that rope and ringing it again and again . . . . if you are going to be a sound heard for Christ.”
• Bible reading
• Giving

. . . . are “multipliable.”

Once we see the rhetorical technique and analyze it, we can understand the pattern and run with it in similar or completely different ways!