Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Radically Normal Christian:*

*/Part I: Stoic or Indulgent?/*

*/September 11, 2011/*

 

* *

Prayer

 

*Scripture reading: Leviticus 23:39-43*

 

 

Should we be weird?

Q   Should Christians be *weird* like John the Baptist or Ezekiel?

Q   Should we aspire to *living* *simply*?

Is it *more* *spiritual* to have less?

Q   If we were really spiritual, would we *sell* all of our *possessions* and give them to the poor?

Q   Is it okay for Christians to be *ambitious*, to aggressively pursue being the top of their field and to be proud of that, or would it be better to be a *pastor* or *missionary*?

Q   Can a Christian put a “*Coexist*” bumper sticker on their car?

Does being a Christian mean believing that all other religions are nonsense?

Q   Is it okay to watch *R rated movies* and listen to *Lady* *Gaga*, or is that less than holy than G rated movies and Chris Tomlin?

Q   Would you still be able to *laugh* and *drink* at party if *Jesus* was with you?

These are the sort of *questions* we will be asking (and hopefully answering) in our new series “The Radically Normal Christian” (RNX).

·         This will be a *thinking* *sermon*, very philosophical – to change how we *act* we have to change how we *think*.

I also won’t be quoti*n*g many individual *Scriptures*, because we are getting the *10,000 ft.

view*.

The rest of the sermons will be much more specific.

Stoic vs. Indulgent

 

Speaking very broadly, most Christians can be divided into one of two groups: Indulg*e*nt Christians and *Stoic* Christians.

On one hand, there are the Stoic Christian.

These believe that *devotion* and *maturity* is marked by *ever* *increasing* pursuit of God and ever *decreasing* *interest* in *earthly* *interests.*

·         Stoic Christians would never say that *earthly* *pleasures* are *wrong*, but they are seen as *temporary* and *weak*.

David Platt echoes a Stoic thought:

 

/“You and I have an average of about seventy or eighty years on this earth.

During these years we are bombarded with the temporary.

Make money.

Get stuff.

Be comfortable.

Live well.

Have fun.

In the middle of it all, we get blinded to the eternal.

But it’s there.

/

/ /

/You and I stand on the porch of eternity.

Both of us will soon stand before God to give an account for our stewardship of the time, the resources, the gifts, and ultimately the gospel he has entrusted to us.

/

/ /

/When that day comes, we are convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American Dream.

We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world.

/

/ /

/Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship.”*[1]*/

That sounds really *convincing*, and *depressing*.

I bet he would answer all of those ope*n*ing *questions* with the “*right* but *boring*” answers.

Q   How do you *argue* against that?

You can’t.

Well, actually you can, but it takes a far *broader* *understanding* of Scripture than most of us have.

Rather than arguing, most Christians *just* *ignore* it and live however they want.

These are the *Indulgent* *Christians*.

They *love* God, *obey* him (to an extent), but are not willing to *sacrifice* their earthly joys for a life of *radical* *obedience* to Christ.

There are far *more* *Indulgent* *Christians* than Stoic Christians, but Stoic Christians are *well* *respected* by the Indulgent Christians (though not the other way around).

·         It is as if Indulgent Christians look at the Stoic and say, “That is what I should be like, but *I can’t measure up*.”

The Stoic Christians also *write* many of the popular “Christian Living” *books*; there are loads of books preaching a life of discipline, giving things up for God, and focusing solely on him, such as “*Crazy* *Love*” and most of *John* *Piper’s* stuff.

·         I can’t say that I have ever read a Christian book encouraging us to stop seeking God and enjoy the things of this life.

The thing is, *neither* Stoic nor Indulgent Christianity is *Biblical*.

Sure, you can support either of these (especially the second one) from some Scriptures, but not from the entire Bible.

·         *Hospitality* example

 

 

What makes you happy?

Now let’s bring this back to being “*radically* *normal*.”

Q   Do you see the *connection* between *Stoic*~/*Indulgent* Christians and being Radically Normal?

 

*Indulgent* Christians look very *normal* to the rest of the world, while *Stoic* Christians look very *radical*.

·         Think about *Stoic* *Christians* you know, didn’t they seem *weird*?

·         And the *Indulgent* *Christians*, didn’t they seem *normal*?

As we go through this series, you will see that in almost every case, being radically normal comes down to how you *pursue* *happiness*.

Think about that for a moment:

 

·         *Think* about the *difference* between the Stoic and Indulgent Christians.

I’ve told the story of hanging around a *street* *preacher*, because I thought he was a good Christian.

I was afraid if I was going to be a good Christian, it meant I had to be weird like he was.

And what I remember best was that I felt like I couldn’t *have* any *fun* around him.

·         Think about those *opening* *questions*.

As many of you have heard me say, growing up in the church, many of us had an impression that if we were /really/ spiritual, we’d be happy *celebrating* *Christmas* reading the Nativity story in an undecorated room – no tree, gifts, or special dinner.

·         This is unmitigated nonsense, driven by an *appalling* *ignorance* of the normal, godly life promoted in the *Old* *Testament*.

The way Christians *approach* *happiness* is what can make us the *strangest*.

If you don’t believe me, read through a *Christian* *joke* book.

You would be hard pressed to find a larger collection of unfunny jokes.

I get more laughs from “*Laffy* *Taffies*.”

·         On the other hand, I have been introducing a whole new generation to “*Blazing* *Saddles*” at Starbucks.

Q   But isn’t that movie *inappropriate*?

Wonderfully so.

I will deal with that when we get to *entertainment*.

But the point is that being radically normal is all about what *makes* *you* *happy*.

Aren’t we called to be weird?

A couple of weeks I ago I “*advertized*” this *series* and noted that there were several *weird* *people* in the *Bible*, so shouldn’t we be to?

·         We look at *John* the *Baptist* and others and how strange they were and fear that all Christians are supposed to be that way.

Yes, God *called* *some* to *extraordinarily* *strange* things, and there may be *times* when God calls you to do some *extraordinary* things, but that doesn’t mean that is the *standard*:

 

In the front of your *telephone* *book*, there are suggestions for how to survive in a major *disaster*: Turn your gas off, use your hot water tank for clean water, listen to a battery-run radio.

These are great *suggestions*, in *times* of *emergency*.

But imagine trying to follow these instructions all the time – hunkering down in your house huddled around an AM radio eating cold canned vegetables, while your neighbors are outside enjoying a BBQ.

Likewise, the Bible is filled with passages telling us how to live a *normal*, *productive* *life*:

 

·         The *Torah* explains very normal daily life, from burying your poo to crop rotation.

·         *Proverbs* is nothing but how to live a normal, productive, happy life.

Normal desires

 

But perhaps most telling for me are the “*Household* *Codes*” in the NT, passages that say things like “wives respect your husbands, husbands love your wives.”

These passages *mirror* other ancient, *pagan* *writings*, and meant to tell Christian how not to be weird to their Roman neighbors.

There are going to be *plenty* of *differences*:

 

·         For *them*, it was belief in *one* *God* and in the *afterlife*.

·         For us it is believing Jesus is the *only* way to God.

There are so *many* *things* Christians and non-Christians *agree* on and in these household codes, Paul wants us to *capitalize* on these agreements:

 

·         Christians and non-Christians want to have *healthy* *relationships*.

·         Christians and non-Christians want to *provide* for their *family*.

·         Christians and non-Christians want to have *safe* *communities* and *fair* *governments*.

·         Christians and non-Christians want to have *healthy* *bodies* and live to a ripe old age.