Sermon Tone Analysis

The setting for .

Introduction

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Introduction

In the Bible God’s law always comes to us after he has demonstrated his love for us.

In 1958 MLK, Jr. made the following statement about the Civil Rights Movement.

Introduction

In 1958 MLK Jr. made the following statement about the Civil Rights Movement.

From the beginning a basic philosophy guided the movement.

This guiding principle has since been referred to variously as nonviolent resistance, non-cooperation, and passive resistance.

But in the first days of the protest none of these expressions was mentioned: the phrase most often heard was ‘Christian love.’

It was the Sermon on the Mount, rather than a doctrine of passive resistance, that initially inspired the Negroes of Montgomery to dignified social action.

It was Jesus of Nazareth that stirred the Negroes to protest with the creative weapon of love.

to variously as nonviolent resistance, noncooperation, and passive resistance.

But in the first days of the

Rev. Dr. Greg Thompson is a friend of mine and the former pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA.

He did his Ph.D. there at UVA.

His doctoral dissertation was titled, “AN EXPERIMENT IN LOVE: Martin Luther King and the Re-imagining of American Democracy.”

In the introduction to his work he says,

AN EXPERIMENT IN LOVE:

My basic question is this: How can people with deep differences live together in peace?

By “peace” I do not mean the mere cessation of war, nor the attainment of uneasy coexistence, but something along the lines of the Hebrew Bible’s concept of shalom, which I take to mean, “justice, wholeness, flourishing, and joy.” …What sort of social imagination and what sort of social ethic will be required of us if we, in the midst of differences of every conceivable kind, are to live together in a way that nurtures the experience of shalom?

protest none of these expressions was mentioned: the phrase most often heard was ‘Christian love.’

It was the

Listen, we do a great job of calling uneasy coexistence “peace.”

And every time the horrors of what we saw in Charlottesville, VA this weekend rise up and confront us, we want to delude ourselves into believing that it’s an aberration—that it’s somehow not reflective of the deep seated corruption that not only resides in the fabric of the nation, but also resides in the fabric of our own hearts.

We want to delude ourselves into believing that the racial caste system deeply embedded in the founding of this country no longer has any impact on ordinary American life, on in American churches.

In a very real sense this morning, I pray that God comforts those of us who are disturbed and disturbs those of us who are comfortable.

Martin Luther King and the Re-imagining of American Democracy

Sermon on the Mount, rather than a doctrine of passive resistance, that initially inspired the Negroes of

You see, one of the things that makes life in this world so messy is the fact that we cannot attain or manufacture a permanent state of shalom.

Over and over and over again, the most permanent reality seems to be the deep differences that engender hatred, violence, and vitriol instead of justice, wholeness, flourishing, and joy.

What are we to do?

How are we to respond?

Part of the answer is found in our passage.

It’s just a few words, but there is an almost immeasurable depth to their implications.

Montgomery to dignified social action.

It was Jesus of Nazareth that stirred the Negroes to protest with the

In this commandment we find God removing an illusion.

He removes the illusion of control.

Particularly the removal of the illusion of control over life and death.

Understand that at the heart of this sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” is the issue of who has control and authority over life and death.

This commandment has an A side and a B side.

It says on the A side that life and death are God’s business.

He is the Author of life.

He is the Lord of life.

We don’t get to take human life without his authorization.

On the flip side, on the B side, it says his people, therefore, are to be about pursuing the things that make for life and the flourishing of people.

The question is how do we live as those who are called to promote life in a world permeated with death?

How do we live and help others live in a world that is permeated by death?

creative weapon of love.

I’m going to use two P’s to drive home two things in this sermon on the sixth commandment—Prevention, and Preservation.

We need to grasp the immense value of human life by understanding how seriously God takes sin that leads to the loss of life.

We need to grasp the immense value of human life by seeing how God calls us to pursue the things that makes life flourish.

Prevention

The newly freed people of Israel encamped here at Mt. Sinai have heard the first four commandments that summarize the law that is to govern their lives as God’s people living in the Promised Land.

When we look at the Ten Commandments, the first four commandments primarily reflect our obligations to God, and commandments 5-10 primarily reflect our obligations to one another because of our obligations to God.

After making clear that they were to honor those in authority in the fifth commandment, the Lord says, “You shall not murder.”

And on one level that’s just as clear as day, and we get it.

You can’t live as my people and go around killing people because you want to.

We don’t have to stretch our imaginations to understand that this commandment involves prevention.

It serves to prevent the unauthorized loss of human life.

Why is this commandment necessary?

Why did they, and why do we need to be given this commandment?

It is because human life has immeasurable value, but when sin, disobeying God, entered the picture, the result was death.

And not simply our growing old and dying, but the killing of one another, death and violence.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

, God gives a commandment to Adam.

Adam and Eve gave in to the devil’s temptation, and they ate from that tree.

Death entered the picture.

They died spiritually in that they were now separated from God.

They died judicially, in that they were now guilty instead of innocent.

They died physically in that their bodies were now going to decay.

After Adam and Eve sin and death enters the picture, what is the very next sin we see humanity committing?

It’s murder.

It’s brother killing brother.

Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve’s sons gave offerings to God.

The Lord had regard for Abel’s offering, but he had no regard for Cain’s offering.

Cain was very angry.

His brother hadn’t done anything to him.