Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction and Scripture

Pray.

From 2007 to 2020, Jerry Falwell Jr. served as the President of Liberty University, a position previously held by his father, Reverend Jerry Falwell Sr.

During his presidency, Falwell Jr’s savvy leadership, financial management, and consistent messaging grew Liberty to one of the largest evangelical universities in the world.

His success, however, was overshadowed by unsavory details of family affairs, abusive rhetoric, polarizing politicization, and a social media scandal.

His tenure came to an undignified end in August of 2020.

In January of this year, Vanity Fair released a lengthy article chronicling Falwell’s story (Inside Jerry Falwell Jr’s Unlikely Rise and Precipitous Fall).

One of the most cited quotes from the piece came from Falwell himself:

“Because of my last name, people think I’m a religious person.

But I’m not.

My goal was to make them realize I was not my dad.”

This rightly brought controversy.... How could the president of one of the largest Christian universities in the world claim he is not a religious person?

Amidst the article’s backlash, Falwell went to Instagram to qualify his comments:

“While I didn’t wear my religion on my sleeve to be seen by others, I have nonetheless had a strong faith in Christ and his teachings since college….While

I am far from perfect, let me be clear: I believe Jesus was born of a virgin.

I believe in the Deity of Christ as the only Son of God.”

Although the response may have provided some context for his “I’m not religious” concession in the Vanity Fair article, it raised other questions–important questions.

Specifically, what does it mean to be a Christian?

To what extent should our beliefs have a bearing on our behavior and lifestyle?

Falwell Jr’s carefully-worded post separates orthodox beliefs (Jesus born of a virgin; Deity of Christ; etc.) from moral conduct (didn’t wear religion on sleeve; far from perfect)—which seems to suggest that the Christian life is primarily qualified by the faculties above one’s neck: what is believed with the mind and uttered with the mouth.

Catch up:

High Christology.

Jesus was before all, is through all, supreme to all.

Mystery of God is that Christ is in you

Christ in the church

And today, with that reality…our life should resemble and be shaped by this truth.

We should live this very life....

As NT Wright points out: The Colossian Christians have entered the new age, and, belonging there by right, do not have to struggle to attain the status of membership in God’s people: they already have it.

They simply allow its life to be worked out in them.

So a lot of times we see a list of sinful behavior like what follows in Colossians 3 and think this is the cost of entry.

This is not the case!!!

sexual immorality

impurity

lust

evil desires

greed

idolatry

if that list doesent get you, keep reading from chapter 3:

anger

rage

malice

slander

filthy language

do not lie

This is not the price of admission, to live in this way without these sins so that God loves you.

Brother and sister in Christ you are as loved as you ever will be.

However, these are not life.

Again according to NT Wright: “continue to live your life” is a Jewish literal rendering of “walking in life.”

You have it, walk in it.

What does it mean to walk in this life?

Well this is what Paul says....

Live your Lives in Him

There are three focal points in the verses of chapter three that we just read.

These three points are Paul’s layers of what it looks like to live your life in him, to walk in him.

Live your lives in Him:

Life is already reality

Life involves the mind and the will

Life is focused on the Kingdom

Life is already reality

We have talked about this but I just want to make sure it is clear....for those in Christ life is a reality.

Paul is instructing us to not do those things that lead to death.

Carlos Wittaker is a pastor who wrote a book telling the tough story of healing coming back from an addiction that almost cost him his family.

His book, Kill the Spider, is inspired by a story his dad told him as he went to therapy retreat to trying and start over.

“When I was early in my ministry in Panama, I was preaching a three-day revival in a small church by the ocean.

That first night I preached mi corazon [my heart] out.

I preached hard and loud.

Many were touched by God.

Toward the end of the invitation, Ms. Ramirez stood up.

She made her way to the center aisle and walked very slowly toward the front.

When she finally got to me, I asked why she had come forward.

Her answer was simple.

“‘Pastor, I need you to pray that the Lord cleans the cobwebs out of my life.

I have so many cobwebs.

Could you please pray?’ she asked me.

“And so I obliged.

I prayed that the Lord would clean the cobwebs out of her life.

She thanked me and went on her way.

On night two of the revival I saw her get up again — Ms. Ramirez.

And she came walking down the aisle with a little more certainty.

“‘Pastor, could you pray again?

Could you please pray again that the Lord cleans the cobwebs out of my life?’ she asked.

“I reminded her I had prayed the night before for this very thing, and that the Lord would honor our prayer.

But she insisted I pray again.

And so I did.

“Son, listen to me.

The last night of the revival — I couldn’t believe it — she got up again.

She made her way down the aisle even faster this night.

I wondered if she was going to tell me that her life had begun to take a turn for the better — that the Lord had begun to clean the cobwebs.

“‘Pastor Fermin, please, one last time?

Can you please pray that the Lord cleans the cobwebs —’

“I stopped her mid-sentence.

I stopped her because I realized we were praying the wrong prayer.

“And so I prayed, Father, we do not ask You tonight to clean the cobwebs from Ms. Ramirez’s life.

In fact, Lord, keep them there for now.

But tonight we ask for something much greater.

Tonight we ask that You KILL THE SPIDER in Ms. Ramirez’s life.

In the Name of Jesus I pray.

Amen.

“Carlos, I have watched you your entire life.

You are a professional at cleaning the cobwebs from your life.