Sermon Tone Analysis

I’m not much for classical music.

My preference is for 70’s classic rock.

But I am familiar with quite a bit of classical music because of family influence.

My parents and sister listen to a lot of classical music, and they often go to the local symphony performances over in the midwest cities where they live.

So I grew up with that.

And even though it is not my usual go-to playlist, I do recognize most of the major works that have stood the test of time for many years.

Here’s the impressive thing about symphony orchestras.

The live show is always better than the recordings.

I cant say the same for rock and roll.

So often it still takes lots of technology to amplify and add effects to make a great rock concert.

Sure, there are a handful of rock bands that can sit down with all acoustic instruments, no microphones, and put on an impressive show that is every bit or better than a recording—but those are few-and-far-between.

Symphonies, though, are always an impressive live show.

I think what makes a symphony orchestra great to see live and in person is the contributing effort of all the individual instrumentalists.

There is no need for lights shows, fog machines, video screens, or loudspeakers.

The spectacle of the orchestra itself creates the show.

I walk away from a symphony concert amazed that this vast and eclectic collection of different instruments and sounds can all be arranged and come together to work in unison on a single piece of music.

It is just as impressive to see it as it is to hear it.

Every person in that orchestra has their part.

And when each one does their part together, it makes music.

It seems to me that quite often, if you had the chance to listen to any individual member of an orchestra practice their part by themselves, it wouldn’t sound anything like the full piece of music when it is all played together.

And also, there is that moment before the concert begins when all the instruments are on stage and warming up when everybody is running through and playing different little sections of the music on top of each other, all at the same time.

And that doesn’t sound anything like music either—it just sounds like noise.

The only thing that makes it work is the moment when the conductor leads all of the orchestra together to play in perfect harmony.

And every instrumentalist in the group has their part.

There weren’t symphony orchestras back in Bible times.

But the apostle Paul uses a different image to describe how this same concept works.

Over the past few weeks we have been considering all the ways in which we make following Jesus more complicated and more overwhelming than it should be.

We’ve been considering all the ways in which God has actually called us to a rather simple task of discipleship—but somehow we make it into something much more burdensome than intended.

So, we’ve already looked at a simple blueprint plan.

Last week we considered the idea of a simple direction.

Today, let’s consider alignment.

Sometimes we make discipleship so hard because somehow we all think that its our job to be soloists.

And we’re all trying to play solos at the same time on top of each other.

And the resulting spiritual mess just comes off as chaotic noise.

Discipleship becomes so much simpler when we recognize that we are not all soloists.

Our spiritual lives of following Jesus, in fact, work in harmony together as a symphony.

And so, the way to achieve some level of simplicity in my life of discipleship is to gain some healthy alignment.

I need to align my life of faith together with what God is doing through his church.

There are a number of way that we can think about this and do this as followers of Jesus.

Today we’re going to consider three things.

This is not a comprehensive list.

I am sure there is much more we could say.

But let’s keep it simple, because simple is what we’re talking about.

Alignment with God’s Spirit

It is pretty essential to recognize that the first thing we need to do is align with God’s Spirit.

Maybe that sounds obvious enough.

But, let’s admit that so often we fail to actually do this.

And I think it’s important for us to spend a moment here and seriously consider for each one of us what it is that leaves us in a place where we are failing to align with God’s Spirit.

Because if we breeze over this one too quickly, if we assume that this is not an issue for me—of course I’m aligned with God’s Spirit—when, in fact, there is work to do here, then the rest of this wont matter and make one bit of difference.

Maybe some of us are not in alignment with God’s Spirit because we just plain have not made any time or effort to do so.

Maybe we just have not even given it a single thought.

There are two very important steps for this to happen.

First, I cannot see or discern God’s Spirit in my life if I do not take time to read the Bible and know how he has revealed himself.

You cannot be aligned with God’s Spirit apart from the Bible.

Period.

If the only Bible you get during the week is the one hour we are here in Church on Sunday, then your life is not in alignment with the Spirit of God.

It takes some time and effort in the Word to be filling your own mind and your own heart with the mind and heart of God.

And that comes from scripture.

So, that’s the first thing.

Second.

We live in a world of idols.

Ever since the fall into sin in Genesis 3, the world has been full of idols.

Idols mean that we live in a world that sets up other things as our gods.

When it comes to aligning myself with God’s Spirit, I need to also consider what else is pulling at my soul.

Am I trying to balance aligning my soul with God’s Spirit, and also aligning my soul with something else? Let’s admit it.

We all know how this works.

When life hits that moment of crisis and we find ourselves at rock bottom, that’s when—all of a sudden—we turn on and become people of fervent prayer.

In our moment of greatest need is the moment when—all of a sudden—we look to align ourselves with God’s Spirit.

But when the urgency of the moment is past, when crisis no longer dominates, then the other gods take over again, then the idols come back.

Third.

And this one might hit home for most of us.

It seems that so often we get the order mixed up.

We might think to ourselves that w’ve got this box checked off.

We might think that certainly I am aligned with God’s Spirit.

We might pray every single day to be aligned with God’s Spirit.

But here’s the thing.

Sometimes I have to catch myself.

I don’t actually desire for our soul to be aligned with the Spirit of God.

What I actually desire is for the Spirit of God to be aligned with me.

Maybe you think, so what?

What’s the difference?

But it makes all the difference in the world.

When I desire for my soul to be aligned with the Spirit of God, I am professing that God’s Spirit is in the right place, and I am confessing that my soul must move.

I am the one who needs to change in order to align with God.

But sadly, I often flip that around.

Many times my desire is not that God will change me to come in line with his Spirit.

Many times my desire is that I can cram God into the little box of my world so that the Holy Spirit will align with me.

Many times I convince myself that I am not the one who needs to change.

God is the one who needs to change.

I want to be the conductor of the orchestra.

I want to pick the music.

I want to play my own tune.

And I expect God to go right along with me.

I want him to align with me.

And this is where we all go wrong.

This is where discipleship becomes so complicated.

This is where we lose simplicity.

Today is starts with a surrender to God’s Spirit.

I must begin by aligning myself with him.

Alignment with God’s people