Sermon Tone Analysis

Start:

Entice: Who do you stand before every morning when you look in the mirror?

Well, sure it's your face.

But imagine everyone who contributed to who you are in that moment, wiping the sleep from your eyes.

Your skin tone, intelligence and body mass come from your parents.

Maybe you like a particular kind of music that you chose because of a friend.

Your expressions (patois) from your peers.

Love of math, or english, or science from a teacher.

And there you are every morning staring at a mirror image that is a reflection of everyone who has contributed to your life.

• Engage: But being human…I take the credit-and you take the credit because I choose for me and you choose for you.

And I like me pretty good…and you like you.

So.

How are you choosing?

Out of all those gifts you were bequeathed.

Of all the accumulated wealth of your genes and your education and all your stuff…what will you be?

Engage: But being human…I take the credit-and you take the credit because I choose for me and you choose for you.

And I like me pretty good…and you like you.

So.

How are you choosing?

Out of all those gifts you were bequeathed.

Of all the accumulated wealth of your genes and your education and all your stuff…what will you be?

• Expand: The smartest men and women make mistakes.

The rich squander their assets and beauty queens get wrinkled.

So Paul recommends that maybe we should choose a different way of looking at the world, choose a different standard of evaluation because if the best and the brightest fail then maybe being the best and the brightest is not all it's cracked up to be.

Maybe everything we take pride in.

Maybe all of those ego-boosting, back-slapping, chill-inducing, self-satisfying moments of pride and self-assurance amount to nothing.

Expand: The smartest men and women make mistakes.

The rich squander their assets and beauty queens get wrinkles.

So Paul recommends that maybe we should choose a different way of looking at the world, choose a different standard of evaluation because if the best and the brightest fail then maybe being the best and the brightest is not all it's cracked up to be.

Maybe everything we take pride in.

Maybe all of those ego-boosting, back-slapping, chill-inducing, self-satisfying moments of pride and self-assurance amount to nothing.

Excite: God loves you.

He loves me.

He's not all that crazy about our process of choosing what our lives should be.

Paul tells us in this text-he shows us the way forward to choosing and becoming what God wants for us to be.

• Excite: God loves you.

He loves me.

He's not all that crazy about our process of choosing what our lives should be.

Paul tells us in this text he shows us the way forward to choosing and becoming what God wants for us to be.

Explore: We have to abandon what the world thinks is best to accept what God thinks is best.

• Explore: We have to abandon what the world thinks is best to accept what God thinks is best.

Explain: Tonight Paul lays before us on behalf of Christ 3 life-altering challenges.

Explain: Tonight Paul lays before us on behalf of Christ 3 life-altering challenges.

▾ Body of Message:

1 Embrace Your Identity.

▾ 1 Embrace Your Identity.

v 3

1.1 Worship & serve by God's Spirit.

• 1.1 Worship & serve by God's Spirit.

1.2 Boast, Glory, Brag in Christ.

• 1.2 Boast, Glory, Brag in Christ.

1.3 Confident beyond our own self.

• 1.3 Abide in a confidence outside of ourselves.

2 Escape Your Impediments.

▾ 2 Escape Your Impediments.

4-6

2.1 Position.

(Race, Education, Social standing)

• 2.1 Position.

(Race, Education, Social standing)

2.2 Personal Capacity.

• 2.2 Personal Capacity.

2.3 Pride.

(I'm da man!)

• 2.3 Pride.

(I'm da man!)

3 Evaluate Your Investment.

▾ 3 Evaluate Your Investment.

7-11

3.1 Self-Investment.

(constantly battling the impediments we must escape)

• 3.1 Self-Investment.

(constantly battling the impediments we must escape)

3.2 Jesus-Investment…He wants 9th graders who will invest in the…

▾ 3.2 Jesus-Investment…He wants 9th graders who will invest in the…

3.2.1 Cause of Christ.

• 3.2.1 Cause of Christ.

3.2.2

Knowledge of Christ.

• 3.2.2

Knowledge of Christ.

3.2.3

Righteousness of Christ.

• 3.2.3

Righteousness of Christ.

3.2.4

Image of Christ.

• 3.2.4

Image of Christ.

3.2.5 Resurrection of Christ.

• 3.2.5 Resurrection of Christ.

This is not a test...

Shut Down:

• Between who we are in Christ and what we may become in Christ is a minefield.

An obstacle course of our own strengths, abilities, and capacities.

When we cling to them.

When we cannot give up what the world calls strengths-all those strengths become weaknesses.

• Between who we are in Christ and what we may become in Christ is a minefield.

An obstacle course of our own strengths, abilities, and capacities.

When we cling to them.

When we cannot give up what the world calls strengths-all those strengths become weaknesses.

• You can be in charge of your life.

Captain of your destiny, your own north star.

Or Jesus can be.

• You can be in charge of your life.

Captain of your destiny, your own north star.

Or Jesus can be.

Not both.