Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good Morning we will be in 1 Peter 3:8-9.

So two verses this morning.

I was going to do more, but felt led as I have for much of 1 Peter to slow down, cover less text but be more in depth.

Football fans have do you remember a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts named Andrew Luck?

He was quircky guy.

He did a lot of odd things, the way he retired was odd.

I am a month younger than Andrew Luck, and he retired at the age of 29.

He was one of the better Quarter Backs in the NFL.

He was entering into what would have been his prime years to be a QB.

He would have made million and millions more dollars to remain.

However he simply walked away in a suprising fasion.

And really since retiring has felt the spotlight completely.

But what made me think of Andrew Luck for this sermon was not how he retired, but what he would do during the games he played in.

When Luck would get sacked or tackled, the defender is amped up! It’s a big play, there would be some trash talk!

Luck would get up and complement the defender.

That was a great hit!

Congratualtions for the sack!

Good job!

Defenders unanimously told reports this threw them off their game!

You are smaped up you just sacked a quarter back now they are going to have to punt it or try to gain 5-10 more yards for a first down.

You think think yea I am in the QB’s head now!

He is going to be worried about me.

When you sack a quarter back and they get angry or up set and the blow up yelling throwing their helmet or whatever, the defender has won!

You are absolutly in their head, and now you have changed the game because the QB is having to calm down before he can move to the next play.

So when Luck would get up and shake your hand and say a complement… the one who was now emotionally out of the game was the defender.

One defender said you are not supposed to sack a quaterback and then feel bad and like the guy afterwards.

The irony is that Luck retired because of injuries, concussions, he had a lacertated kidney at one point, he was just physically beaten to the point that he could no longer do it.

Which makes his politness all the more powerful in hindsight.

The guys who sacked him were in fact hurting him, causing him pain and this not to be able to play as well.

But as one reporter writing an article about this phenominon that Luck was doing, called is Supernatural politness.

I do not know if Andrew Luck is a Christian or not, but what I do know if that the wisdom he used in those games, is something that Jesus teaches us to use in what is not a game, but life.

Let’s read

Pray

Give a Blessing

Peter starts by saying finally, this isn’t Peter wrapping up the letter, this is Peter wrapping up the point he has been making since 1 Peter 2:11-12.

Which has been this idea to be living, conducting yourselves in such a way that may see your good works, the way you live your life, repents and beleive in Jeuss.

So use your cisitzenship for the Gospel.

Use your personal freedoms for the Gospel.

Use your most intimate relationship for the Gospel.

This is all rooted in the theological foundation Peter laid in the frist half of the letter.

He is writting to these Elect Exiles dispersed across Asia minor.

Passing this letter from church to church, distributing it.

So it is not one particular church he has in mind, but rather this region that he does.

They are suffering and being persecuted socially, but the political persecution is coming.

So Peter tells the remember your salvation!

Remember the grace and mercy that Jesus lavishes upon you.

Remember that you are exiles.

Remember that Jesus suffered too.

Remember that he is your living hope, He is not dead.

Remember that you need the Word of God proclaimed to you.

Remember that everthing else will fade away but the Word of God will remain forever.

Remember the Gospel.

Be Holy (disitinct) because God is Holy.

Jesus has taken you scattered Christians and made you into a God’s people. 1 Peter 2:9-10

So act like you are God’s people, exiles in Asian Minor.

How?

Do good when they do evil.

Honor, Respect, Use what you have been given by God for the Glory of God.

Trust God with your life.

Submit in such a way to the authorities over you that they might be won over by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That’s the finally Peter is refering to here.

So he says all of you:

Now this is important because we are Americans and we are Texans.

There is a fierce individualism that run in our blood, that if we are not careful can impact how we understand the bible.

One of the most helpful bible reading tips I can give you to help you read the bible is ask the question, who is each books first audience.

Or in this particular instance, is this you or Yall?

Our minds tend to default to you, like a singular you.

So we read this and think is a vague command (really commands as we will see) welling me, as an individual how I am supposed to live as a exile in the World.

But for much of the New Testament the you’s are Yall.

Refering to churches not individuals.

This makes this passage make more sense and it also makes it really easy to apply.

Yall.... Be like Minded.

This means cooperation in the mist of diversity.

Sharing the same thoughts attitudes and actions.

We as Christians in a broad universal church sense, all Christians past, present, and future all over the world, can differ on how things should be done, it’s should be noted that sometime the bible does tell us how to do things, and if the bible clearly tells us how to do things then we do them the way the bible says too.

But there are many times the bible doesn’t give us the how, it just tells us the what and the why.

This is the beauty and one of the things that as a Baptist Church we can be proud of.

Baptist’s have long beleived in autonomy of the local church, which basically means the local church runs the convention, not the other way around.

We all agree to certain theologcial ideas, we all agree to certain ways churches should be run, but the details of how each individual church organized and does ministry is up to each individual church.

This is the way the bible sets things up for us too.

Ministry by a church in Ira, is going to look different than say ministry by a church in New York, or Los Angels, or even Snyder.

How we do church there is some room for each congregation to minister.

There are elements that need to not be changed.

Every gathering of the church should have: a proclaimation of the Word, congregational singing, fellowship, prayer.

We don’t partake in the Lord’s supper everyweek, but some churches do, the rule of thumb is take the Lord’s Supper often.

Baptism my goal is not to baptize someone every week, only God can save someone.

My goal is to be faithful in when we baptize someone they they know what is happening what they are committeing too, that they are alrerady beleivers and are joinging the church.

That the church understand our job is to disicple them!

So unity being likeminded isn’t a vague command for an individual Christian, its for these churches.

So for us, Mr Jones will read our purpose statement after announcements at the end of the service, that is our unified direction, or purposse as a church.

To glorify God, by making disicples who make disicples who make disicples (not convert, not make people have a spiritual experience, but to help people actually tangable grow in Jesus from where ever they are at) by being centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We will not move from the Gospel.

We will only dig deeper and deeper into it!

We all of that through preaching, teaching, worship, community, service and multiplication.

Like Minded.

There is this idea that is helpful called theological triage.

I didn’t come up with it.

When you go to the E.R. you are not neccisarily served in order of who comes in first.

You are taken care of my most pressing needs.