Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Need to Live in the Light*

TIM HAD BEEN THE YOUTH PASTOR of a thriving Baptist church for six years when allegations surfaced that he had been sexually involved with one of the high school girls in his youth group.

When Pastor Thomas confronted him about such accusations, Tim admitted that they were true, and tearfully asked the church leadership for forgiveness.

The pastor went on to question him further about other possible incidents with girls in the church.

Tim sincerely denied that there were any other relationships.

The church board accepted his apology at face value and decided that exposing Tim’s sin to the congregation was unnecessary.

It was dismissed as temporary weakness in the face of temptation, and Tim was allowed to remain as the youth pastor.

Close to three years later more incidents began to come to light.

Once again, the pastor confronted Tim with the information he had received.

And again Tim (just as before) admitted only to that on which he was questioned.

This time, Pastor Thomas asked him to resign his position.

Upon his request, he was allowed to make a statement to the congregation at a church business meeting.

Because the charming young minister painted such a wrenching, yet believable, picture of contrition, the church immediately voted to continue his salary as he went through a process of restoration and counseling.

However, it was discovered later that even during this period of rehabilitation Tim continued having sexual encounters with other teen-age girls.

Henry ran one of the most successful drug rehabilitation ministries in the country.

He was very articulate and had a natural ability to conduct himself in a professional manner.

Charismatic and brimming with confidence, he was a picture of the new leadership rising up in the Church of the nineties.

Unbeknownst to those around him, he was regularly visiting prostitutes and having sexual relationships with women in his community.

Keith, a third generation Pentecostal minister, was one of the promising young preachers of his denomination.

He had such an ability to touch people emotionally that he was constantly in demand as a speaker.

Everyone loved Keith.

Even the superintendent of his denominational district took him under his wing as his personal protege.

If he had been aware of Keith’s secret life, things would have been quite different.

After most of his speaking engagements, Keith would “reward” himself at the local massage parlor.

He had also began to drink, carrying a flask around with him wherever he went.

His wife knew of his secret life but covered for him in fear of damaging their reputation within the denomination.

These stories represent a massive underworld that is currently thriving within the realm of American Christianity.

A recent survey taken by /Promise Keepers/ revealed that sixty-five percent of the men questioned reported the regular usage of pornography.1

I suspect this large percentage reflects the fact that men struggling with sexual sin tend to be drawn to /Promise Keepers/.

Nevertheless, sexual sin is undoubtedly a problem of enormous proportions in the body of Christ, and is usually unreported.

There are numerous reasons why these men keep their sin hidden.

First, sexual sin is shameful to admit.

In our society, a person can be glorified for being a “Don Juan,” but just about any other sexual behavior that is out of control is looked upon with suspicion and even disdain.

If a man admits his struggles to his pastor, from that day he wonders what his pastor thinks of him.

“Is he thinking I’m weird?

Is he concerned about me being around the teenagers, or worse, the children?

Was that sermon about lust aimed at me? Has he told others in the church about my problem?”

These concerns make it difficult for the struggling believer to confide in his pastor, let alone others in the church.

Secondly, even though our society does not consider fornication or even adultery to be shameful, these sins are considered big “no-nos” in the evangelical movement.

A woman can have a terrible habit of spreading gossip in the church, a man can be obsessed with his work at the expense of his family, or someone can be extremely critical of those around them, but these, as well as many other sins, are overlooked in the Church.

However, if a man admits to committing adultery, he is instantly judged as someone who is far from God.

Although that is probably the truth, there is certainly a double standard within the body of Christ.

Another factor that contributes to a man keeping his sin covered, is that it is fairly easy to live a double life of outward religion and secret sexual sin.

Unlike alcohol or drug abuse, a man can maintain an outwardly normal life without being discovered.

There is a lifestyle that goes with getting high.

Drugs and alcohol affect a person’s ability to function.

Most are unable to keep this kind of a habit secret.

But with sexual addiction, a man can be a president, a celebrity, even a famous evangelist, and still maintain an outward facade of respectability.

*When the Inward and Outward Do Not Line Up *

We all have an inside world that is made up of the different parts of our inner man: the heart, soul, mind, spirit, will, intellect and emotions.

It is the life that goes on inside of us: our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, sentiments and opinions.

This is where dreams are born and failures grieved, the place where intricate processes are put into motion and life’s decisions are contemplated.

Here we also find the conflicting emotions of love and hate, like and dislike, attraction and repulsion.

Our inside world is where we live our daily existence.

Some people are considered “open” because they are not afraid to show their thoughts and feelings with other people.

Others are thought to be “closed,” feeling anxious when people become too intimate.

Regardless of how willing a person is to talk about his feelings, the truth is, he will never completely allow another to intimately know the deepest part of his inner man.

This is an extremely private place, an inner sanctum—a holy of holies, so to speak.

The outward life stands in contrast to the inside world.

This is how we speak and act in front of other people.

We all have an image which we attempt to maintain—a way in which we want other people to view us.

One person might want to be seen as someone who is intellectual and cultured.

Another might want to portray himself as being tough, while yet another will want to be seen as sweet.

The impressions we wish to project are woven into everything we say and do in the presence of other people.

The tendency to project ourselves the way we want others to view us also carries over into the spiritual life where we encounter the overwhelming temptation to make ourselves appear in a favorable light.

If we are Christians surrounded by other Christians, we tend to project ourselves as being “spiritual.”

Why?

In Christian circles, looking “spiritual” is what causes others to admire and respect us.

For someone to admit fault, defeat or (horror of horrors) flagrant sin, would be to admit to being a failure at Christianity.

Because Jesus understood the fears people wrestle with, He took the time to address this issue one day.

Turning to His closest followers, He gave them this sober warning:

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:2–5)

We all have, to some degree, a fear of what other people think of us.

I suppose it begins on the playground where kids can be so cruel to one another.

The fear is deepened during the awkward teenage years and becomes embedded during adulthood.

Jesus says that we must overcome these fears and instead concentrate our fears upon God, “the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” In other words, we should be more concerned about the reality of our inward spiritual condition than how we look outwardly in the eyes of man.

The conflict between the way we present ourselves outwardly and the way we live our lives inwardly is a predominant theme in Scripture.

Paul said, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” (Romans 2:28–29) Peter told the Christian women of his day, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

(I Peter 3:3–4 NIV) God said through the prophet Isaiah, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” (Isaiah 29:13) And to the prophet Samuel He said, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

(I Samuel 16:7)

There are over two thousand direct references to the inner life in the Bible, but it is indirectly referred to on almost every page.

It is clear that Scripture places an enormous emphasis on what goes on inside us.

Many Christians today closely resemble the Pharisees, addressed by Jesus in Luke 11:39, who “...clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of (them, they) are full of robbery and wickedness.”

In essence, they ignore the importance of the inward life and choose to concentrate on presenting the most favorable outward appearance.

The Apostle John also observed this happening around him.

In his first epistle, he said the following in regard to this dichotomy:

If /we say/ that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If /we say/ that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If /we say/ that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

(I John 1:6–10)

|   | *What we say* | *What we do* | *Results or reality of situation* |

| vs. 6 | we have fellowship with Him | walk in darkness | we lie; do not practice truth |