Sermon Tone Analysis

Early Christians struggled with thoughts

We struggle with thought life like never before

we are to be transformed; our minds need to be renewed.

We have to set the pace ourselves, and work out what sort of people we should be.

The basis for this is not what the surrounding culture expects of us, but what God in his mercy has done for us.

Christians are therefore in the position, not (to be sure) of a new executive learning the job, but of someone who needs to stop letting the world around dictate its own terms and conditions, and who instead must figure out how to think, speak and act as is appropriate not for the present age but for the new age which is already breaking in

We don’t realize it, but simply by watching other people live, we are learning.

So we have to be careful.

Too many people get caught up in the drama they see on TV and end up emulating it.

If the character on your TV show makes big angry speeches and then stomps out of the room and this is presented as true personal power in action, do you just swallow that situation whole?

Many people do, and so you see it.

Or maybe they trick their rival and then betray them at a crucial moment to get revenge.

It seems so cool on the screen.

What the screen doesn’t show you is how it poisons the soul of the deceiver, damages everyone around them and greatly affects their ability to have any normal trusting relationships.

Are you saying I can’t watch TV? Well I’m not saying one way or the other.

But I am saying when you do watch TV you can’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.

You can’t let your Christian convictions be damaged or lessened.

You can’t let the bonds of love in your own family be eroded by visions of distrust and betrayal constantly laid before you.

The Christian views entertainment with discernment.

My wife and I will sometimes pause a show and discuss the decisions the person is making.

No, don’t believe that lie! No, don’t betray that trust!

One time recently my wife turned to me and said, I’m glad our life hasn’t been like that.

We affirm our commitments and values as we watch.

If we find it continues to present an upside down view of morality and doesn’t display the consequences of that behavior, we stop watching.

Or, if we find our own convictions wavering or feel too disturbed by what we’ve seen, boom.

That show is off the list.

This is one way to keep the world from squeezing you into its mold.

But you have to be aware of your personal fault lines.

What influences you toward faith and away from it; toward God and toward self; toward the love of the church family or away from it.

You may stumble and fall.

But don’t stay down there.

Get up, be renewed.

Get your mind refocused on God’s ways.

It’s a daily battle.

But it’s one we don’t fight alone and shouldn’t try to do in our own strength.

The key to what makes the Christian life different is outside of ourselves.

Sure, as I said last week, people notice our way of life and hope to see Jesus.

But if we just focus on behavior improvement we won’t experience true change.

God is the one who can transform us.

I once heard a nazarene preacher say transformation is natural.

But I’m gonna push back on that and say according to the Bible and my experience transformation is supernatural.

It only happens with God’s help and when we submit to God’s help.

This is the foundation of John Wesley’s teaching on sanctification.

But you don’t have to go outside the Bible to see it.

Here in this very passage, what opens the door is submitting our whole selves to God.

NT Wright says it this way:

Paul for Everyone, Romans Part 2: Chapters 9–16 (The Living Sacrifice (Romans 12:1–5))

Having the mind renewed by the persuasion of the spirit is the vital start of that true human living which is God’s loving will for all his children.

We begin by presenting ourselves completely to God as a living sacrifice.

This is what makes our worship spiritual.

It opens us up to the deeper work God can do.

It’s not some dark ceremony.

Its simple.

You can do it anywhere.

But every Christian needs to go through this step to move on toward maturity in Christ.

Present your body or your whole self to God.

A living sacrifice isn’t a rag or a carcass.

Instead our lives can be filled with the Holy Spirit.

With what Paul would later write:

God does this deeper work in us.

This paves the way for our minds to be renewed.

When our minds are being influenced freely by the Holy Spirit, we can see things more clearly God’s way.

Sometimes we overthink things when God’s ways are simpler: yes or no.

Sometimes we don’t slow down enough to catch the nuance of what we should do.

Such as when we forget more than one issue is in play.

We may be focused on God’s guidelines and have a quick thought to judge someone harshly.

But the law of love would have us slow down and understand the person and why they may have made the choices they did.

That would not mean that we condone bad behavior.

But it also means we aren’t free to act in unloving ways toward the person.

At other times the Spirit may advise us to simply be patient and wait for God to work things out, drawing others into his plan.

If we get impatient, we may get in God’s way and prevent growth in someone else’s life.

These are just a few examples of situations where we are unlikely to see God’s will without submitting ourselves fully to God’s presence and work in our lives.

It begins in the glad self-offering of one’s whole self to the God whose mercy has come all the way to meet us in our rebellion, sin and death.

Within that, it involves the renewal of the mind so that we are enabled both to think straight, instead of the twisted thinking that the world would force upon us, and to act accordingly.

This is a tricky time in our culture and in God’s church.

For too long we haven’t paid enough attention to justice issues and things have festered.

Too many of us have become aligned too heavily with conservative politics, which is different than following Jesus.

The pendulum swung too far.

So now we see too many Christians running full sprint to identify too closely with the Democrat party.

And it’s here we go again.

Divisive politics in the other direction.

That’s letting the world squeeze us into its mold.

God wants to transform us.

Not from one party to another: but from one Kingdom to another.

The Kingdom of Worldly powers to the Kingdom of God.

Personally I haven’t enjoyed the leadership style of either recent resident of the White House.

I think executive orders have been abused by both parties for decades and its eroding something important.

But I’m not gonna pick a donkey or an elephant and go ra ra ra.

I’ve already picked a team and Jesus is Lord of that outfit.

I’m going to look to please him.

Pleasing Him won’t make any political leader happy.

I want to see the church unified again.

Standing for moral righteousness but also standing for love and justice.

Not compromising either for political expediency.

I believe I can see this clearly because the Holy Spirit has made me see it this way.

I used to be quite partisan.

God has shown me a better way.

Did you vote Republican?

I can love you.

Did you vote Democrat?