Sermon Tone Analysis

ATTENTION

Whether he was just stating the obvious or subverting the faithful, the statement by our president caught believers off guard.

He said, “Whatever we once were, we’re no longer a Christian nation, at least not just . .

.”

Now many would agree.

We have strayed far from where this country began.

A country founded upon the freedom of religion has become a country that seeks freedom from religion and incrementally, at least, believers are being intimidated.

Network coverage of abortion and homosexuality "are never done from the religious viewpoint," said Brent Bozell, of the Media Research Center.

Instead, "religious figures are regularly portrayed as reactionary roadblocks while their positive influences are rarely covered."

Except at Christmastime, when the networks traditionally broadcast "heartwarming" segments in their broadcasts, the news shows usually portray religious groups and their leaders "as cold, intolerant and oppressive," Bozell said

A Christian employee of Hewlet Packard was fired for posting Bible verses condemning homosexual behavior on his desk in response to posters displayed during a company campaign to promote a diverse work force

Tourists visiting Washington D.C. in 1997 were ordered by the police to stop praying in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol

In 1997, a high school student in Florida was suspended for handing out religious literature before and after - but not during - school hours.

A New Jersey public school banned the Charles Dickens play, "A Christmas Carol" because of its spiritual overtones and message of redemption.

And what is happening here pales in comparison to what goes on in the rest of the world.

The militant Islamic Government of Sudan, for example, is waging a self-described religious war against Christian, non-Muslim, and moderate Muslim persons by using torture, starvation, enslavement, and murder.

In Pakistan, the government has declared those that who “insult” Mohammed will be put to death.

In Communist Laos more than 250 pastors and Christian workers have been arrested; more than 60 churches and Christian institutions have been shut down; and the government has forced many thousands of believers to sign documents to "renounce" their faith and belief in Christianity.

I must say that the surprising thing for us today should not be that we are beginning to be squeezed by our culture.

The surprising thing for any believer should not be the presence of persecution, but its absence.

For the last 300 years this country, founded in large measure by the devout has provided for the devout, but that is changing and that change isn’t the exception in our history, but the rule.

It started with Jesus and it has been going ever since.

BACKGROUND

It was certainly true for the recipients of Peter’s first letter.

These folks were “Roman rejects.”

Because they dared to deny the Emperor the worship he thought he deserved and because they refused to stop sharing Jesus with their friends, they lost everything.

When Claudius expelled the believers that meant that all their property, all their inheritance, everything they had was lost.

They may have lived in Rome all their lives but in an instant, all that changed.

Now they were scattered to far-off cities in far-off places.

No wonder Peter begins in v 1, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims.

That’s exactly what they were.

They were pilgrims in a couple of ways.

First they were pilgrims literally.

They were in strange cities where they did not belong and where they held no citizenship.

And then they were pilgrims spiritually.

Peter calls them pilgrims in this world, too.

They didn’t belong.

They didn’t fit.

For that reason, they suffered and, in some cases, were persecuted.

Now imagine how they would have felt.

They’re in a strange land with a strange culture.

It would be very easy to be intimidated.

They were already kicked out of Rome for their evangelistic zeal.

I’m sure it would have been very easy to sideline their witness and seek only to preserve their peace.

Can you relate?

Have you been there spiritually?

Have you been intimidated?

When was the last time you shared your faith?

Before you did it, did you question yourself or feel like you were about to do something that was not going to be appreciated.

I tell you there are a lot of things you can say about the church today, but one of the greatest words I would use to describe God’s people is this one.

Many believers are intimidated.

NEED

Why?

What are they intimidated about?

Well, things have really changed in the last fifty years or so.

For one thing, Christianity has lost its exclusivity.

While we have always been a diverse culture when it comes to religion, for the most part, Christians ruled the roost of public opinion.

Talk about God and the large majority knew you meant Jehovah and would have parroted back to you, whether they believed it or not, the gospel.

And, again, whether they accepted it personally or not, they would have given you the Christian viewpoint on the way to get to heaven.

We had a corner on the truth market.

But we have lost that.

The entrance of more culture groups, the rise of Islam, the interest in the occult and paganism, and the unblushing adherence to abject atheism has cost us our exclusivity and many believers, unable or unwilling to compete in the market place of ideas, escaped to the Christian ghetto.

They are intimidated.

And some are intimidated by the church’s loss of authority.

When it comes to morality, a sea change of ethics question many long-held moral positions: Co-habitation is expected; abortion is demanded; homosexuality is celebrated; pornography is unavoidable; dishonesty is strategic.

The only thing considered evil in our society today, is saying that anything is evil.

The church used to provide the moral foundation for our society, but the society has rejected the church’s authority and many believers are accepting that rejection as normal.

They are intimidated.

And the reason we’ve lost our exclusivity and the reason we’ve lost our authority often traces right back to this last lost we’ve experienced: We have lost our integrity.

Recent scandals in the Catholic Church have led to an apology by even the Pope himself.

Every denomination I am aware of has had to make similar apologies, especially recently.

Back in the ‘90's tearful words from an evangelist named Jimmy Swaggert were followed by further revelations of perversion which led to more cynicism in the culture.

The world once respected us even when they disagreed; now they doubt us even when we’re genuine.

And the result for many is intimidation.

They are intimidated.

Today, I want to draw a line in the sand.

Today I call believers to stop cowering in the corner and stand up for truth.

Wimpy wafflers have ruled the roost for too long!

It’s time to be fearless in the face of threat and unapologetic about the gospel.

You might say, “That’s easy for you to say because you’re a preacher.

You live in your nice little church cocoon all week.

Come to my job with me, or teach my class with me and you’ll wake up.”

Well, I would simply answer, It’s not always easy, even for preachers.

Just like you, Satan tempts me to shut up when I should speak out and sit down when I should stand up.

So what can we learn from this outspoken apostle’s letter which can end our intimidation.

Well if you want to stop cowering this morning, there are some truths you can grasp.

First of all, you must understand the truth about

DIV 1 - YOUR IDENTITY

EXPLANATION

Four things bubble to the surface in this passage that address who we are and what that means.

First you see the contrast of their identity.

I’ve already described how these ragamuffin disciples looked to the world.

They were the “green card” carriers, the migrant workers who came from somewhere else to occupy the lowest rung on the cultural totem pole.

Yet, that moniker didn’t reflect Peter’s divinely inspired opinion of them.

O no!

He uses one word to describe them.

He calls them “elect.”

They were the elect of God.

Do you remember being a kid and playing sandlot football?

Invariably we’d end up choosing sides.

You know how it worked: Two “captains” would line all of us up, and then one would choose first.