Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week I introduced a series titled Reengage.

Now, the overall goal of Reengaging the Spiritual is to evaluate our beliefs about spiritual things, compare those beliefs with what Scripture teaches, and in doing so, to recapture a Biblical perspective of the physical and spiritual realms and how the two intersect.

15 Oct 17

Turn to / Pray

Last week I introduced a series titled Reengage.

Now, the overall goal of Reengaging the Spiritual is to evaluate our beliefs about spiritual things, compare those beliefs with what Scripture teaches, and in doing so, to recapture a Biblical perspective of the physical and spiritual realms and how the two intersect.

What’s my reasoning behind this?

Let me ask some questions:

1.

What are my primary sources for my spiritual beliefs?

Why do I believe what I believe about life and spiritual things?

Is it the Bible, tradition, some preacher on TV, or even self …?

I challenge you to seriously look at your sources.

If you have bad sources, you’re going to have bad theology.

If you have bad theology, guess what - souls are at stake.

So, I encourage you to sit down and think, how much of your theology derives from someone or something else, rather than your own personal convictions based upon personal Bible study?

How much of what you hold to be biblically true was derived from what you discovered in Scripture or confirmed what someone else taught, verses taking someone at their word?

Every Christian, in my opinion, should have a good study Bible or access to one.

If can’t afford one, come talk to me and we’ll see what we can do.

Again, what are my primary sources for my spiritual beliefs?

2. Could I defend my theology using Scripture?

What I mean by that is this- could you open the Bible and show someone what you believe and why.

Or, is your defense just hearsay?

I ask those questions to challenge all of us, for 3 reasons:

1) If you’re not studying Scripture, either in a group or alone, and if you’re not extrapolating your spiritual beliefs from Scripture, then you’re at the whim of someone else and you might even believe stuff that just isn’t true.

And the more unbiblical beliefs we have, the worse off the church will be, and the worse off our world will be.

and you might even believe stuff that just isn’t true.

And the more unbiblical beliefs we have, the worse off the church will be, and the worse off our world will be.

2) Devotional reading is not the same as Bible study.

Devotionals are simply one person’s perspective on personal application.

There are some good devotional readings out there that help us (Oswald Chambers), but they cannot replace personal Bible study.

If you don’t know how to study the Bible, guess what - I’ll teach, just ask.

Rarely, does anyone ask about the Bible ….

3) Lastly, I guarantee that during this series I’m going to say things that will challenge us and challenge our beliefs, even some of our long held traditional beliefs.

I say “us” because as I study, I’m being challenged.

As I study, I’m shifting some of my beliefs and as I do, missing pieces of the spiritual puzzle are falling into place.

And because of all that, you would be wise to not take my word for it.

You should go home each Sunday, open your Bibles and check if what I’m saying is correct.

Have conversations with one another outside of Sunday mornings.

Start a Bible study ….

I don’t say any of that in a demeaning way … just out of care.

That was just a preface, so let’s move on.

If we’re going to Reengage the Spiritual, what better place to start than the beginning.

In the beginning, God (אֱלֹהִים (ʾělō·hîm - going to see a lot of) created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.

And the Spirit (רוּחַ (rûaḥ - wind, breath) of God (ʾělō·hîm) was hovering over the face of the waters.

In the beginning, God (אֱלֹהִים (ʾělō·hîm - going to see a lot of) created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.

And the Spirit (רוּחַ (rûaḥ - wind, breath) of God (ʾělō·hîm) was hovering over the face of the waters.

To reengage the spiritual, we must understand that the Bible is clear - there are at least two realms of reality (of existence) that coexist: one is what we call the spiritual realm.

This is where Yahweh and other ʾělō·hîm or spiritual beings reside.

And the other realm, of course is our physical world and universe.

Now, the spiritual realm precedes the physical realm.

It existed long before our universe.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God (it had a beginning), so that what is seen (the physical) was not made out of things that are visible.

In other words, there is nothing in this universe that caused this universe to exist.

The cause is something or Someone unseen.

In other words, there is nothing in this universe that caused this universe to exist.

The cause is something or Someone unseen.

Jesus acknowledged the two realms when He prayed in,

So, our universe is a created universe and has a beginning.

And even secular scientists agree that our universe at some point did not exist - it has a definite beginning.

Not only does our universe have a beginning, but the Bible is clear that it was created by a Creator outside of the physical realm.

So, our universe is a created universe and has a beginning.

And even secular scientists agree that our universe at some point did not exist - it has a definite beginning.

Not only does our universe have a beginning, but the Bible is clear that it was created by a Creator outside of the physical realm.

Why is this important to know?

Because both are real!

The physical and spiritual realms are reality.

If there is no spiritual realm, we’re wasting our time and might as well go home.

But if it is real, then there are some serious implications that will become clear the further we go.

I suppose my point is this - we cannot live in a vacuum.

Christians, of all people should not live as if this is it.

We, of all people cannot afford to ignore or have a nonchalant attitude toward the spiritual realm.

We must be engaged physically and spiritually.

So, I encourage you to do two things:

1) Ask the Spirit to open your mind to the spiritual in Scripture.

It’s in there - but we often ignore it because we’re either lazy, it’s just weird, or we’ve become convinced that it’s not real.

2) Ask God to open your mind to the spiritual in our world.

In our physical world there are spiritual forces at work - good and evil.

Think about this - in , we are told to engage or fight against the evil forces in spiritual places.

If we don’t fight them, who will?

To disengage from the spiritual is to allow the enemy to win.

- win in our culture, with our children, in our schools, in our homes ….

Again, (ʾělō·hîm), who is spirit and in the spiritual realm, created the physical universe.

Again, (ʾělō·hîm), who is spirit and in the spiritual realm, created the physical universe.

For whatever reason, God focuses on this crazy planet called Earth.

And in the first three chapters of Gen, we discover that the pinnacle of God’s creation (אָדָם (ʾā·ḏām), mankind, or humanity.

Now we also discover that God created this garden called Eden.

We don’t know a lot about Eden, but we what we do know is this:

a) It was separate from the rest of creation

b) God placed Adam in Eden after Adam was formed

(formed in Oregon, placed in paradise, Ohio).

c) It was a special or unique place where the spiritual and physical coexisted.

Now I say that for three reasons:

1) It was a place where Adam and Eve had an unobstructed relationship with Yahweh.

God, I believe in physical form would hang out with Adam and Eve.

In , they heard Yahweh ʾělō·hîm walking.

Throughout Scripture it was not uncommon for God or angels to appear in physical form.

So, I believe this was common for them.

Second, reason why I think the physical and spiritual coexisted …