Sermon Tone Analysis

John 5:

Jack Phillips

Jack Phillips

Introduction:

Jack Phillips is the Colorado baker Colorado couple who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same sex couple because of his Christian faith.

This man was publicly maligned and suffered financial losses because of a lawsuit filed against him and his bakeshop, Masterpiece Cakeshop.

He eventually won the fight in the Supreme Court but this Tuesday he filed a lawsuit against the governor of Colorado because of persecution against him.

The state of Colorado allegedly informed Jack Phillips that he had violated state laws by “refusing to bake a cake” with a pink and white design requested by an attorney to celebrate what he calls “a gender transition”.

According to the new lawsuit, "Phillips declined to create the cake ... because it would have celebrated messages contrary to his religious belief that sex -- the status of being male or female -- is given by God, is biologically determined, is not determined by perceptions or feelings, and cannot be chosen or changed."

It goes on to say, "It is now clear that Colorado will not rest until Phillips either closes Masterpiece Cakeshop or agrees to violate his religious beliefs."

Sad as it sounds, and it is in the home front here in Colorado, the reality is that this case is just the beginning of many similar cases to come.

This is because...

We live in a postmodern world.

What do I mean when I say “postmodern world”?

Postmodernism actually is hard to define because according to its definition, there are no absolute definitions.

To define it I have to talk about the...

Stages of Modernism:

Pre-Modernism - includes ancient belief systems, monarchies, unquestioning acceptance of religion or authority from the king.

Modernism- enlightenment of the 18th century, characterized by advancement in scientific knowledge, led to the industrial revolution

Postmodernism

To define Postmodernism -

It is a philosophy or worldview that believe that knowledge is subjective, biased, and socially constructed.

Truth depends on what one’s culture regards as truth.

Therefore truth as we know it is may not be true in another cultural context.

They believe that all truth, even to some extent scientific knowledge, is subjective, biased, and socially constructed.

Truth depends on what one’s culture regards as truth.

Therefore truth as we know it is not really true.

Postmodernism is an uprising against the standard norms of pre-modernism or modernism.

They believe that both religion and science had failed society.

Postmodernism rejects the idea that there is absolute truth.

Everything is relative.

This is why postmodernism is also called relativism.

We seem to not see the progress of postmodernism here in the church.

But the breeding ground of this philosophy are college campuses and universities.

Young people of today are subjected to this philosophy and their beliefs are fomented by a raging anger against what they define as the status quo:

We seem to not see the progress of postmodernism here in the church.

But the breeding ground of this philosophy are college campuses and universities.

Young people of today are subjected to this philosophy and their beliefs are fomented by a raging anger against what they define as the status quo:

- Traditional Religion

- White privilege

- traditional or scientific views on gender and sexual orientation

capitalism

male-dominated corporate world

Seems to be harmless, the problem however is that those who hold postmodern worldviews have bumped up their belief system against against facts which seem to oppose their views and this can even lead to violence.

Opposition to traditional marriage like in the story I mentioned..

Because of the rise of postmodern worldview, the next generation is being groomed to stay away, reject and even oppose Christianity.

So if you are a parent with kids in their teen years and in college, watch out they are part of this new generation.

My big idea this morning is thisL

Big Idea: Jesus Christ and His Teachings Can Appeal to Postmodern People

Notice that the title of my message is not “Christianity in a Postmodern World” or “The Church in a Postmodern Society” but rather “Jesus and the Postmodern heart”.

Notice that the title of my message is not “Christianity in a Postmodern World” or “The Church in a Postmodern Society” but rather “Jesus and the Postmodern heart”.

As Christians, we have to face the kind of world we lived in with the Person of Jesus.

In , Jesus stood against the religious leaders and spoke against them according to the prevailing thought of that time which was a distorted form of the Jewish Religion.

When He confronted them, He used a very wise and effective approach.

He spoke like He was standing before a court of law.

At that time, a matter or truth can only be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses in .

So Jesus’ approach to the religious leaders was, “hey, if I only bear witness of myself, then in your religious legalistic minds, my witness is not true.

But I have three witnesses that testify about me.

In verse 33 He said John the baptist, you were only willing to believe him “for a time”

In verse 36 He said there is another greater witness, the works that the Father has given Me to finish-

In verse 39 He said the scriptures, which these religious leaders actually read also testify of Him!

And yet they do not believe.

Like He did with the religious leaders of that time, Jesus appeals to the present postmodern world with the same truth but the approach can be different.

We now face a different worldview.

Remember these When Sharing Jesus to Postmodern people:

Don’t Antagonize.

Don’t Offer Organized Religion.

Meet The Need.

Because I believe that Jesus is the answer:

Don’t antagonize postmodern people.

We oppose the worldview, not the people who embrace the worldview.

Notice that in talking to the religious leaders He was not really antagonizing them as people, but rather their actions of rejecting Him.

In verse 34,

In verse 34,

He said that in presenting this argument of the three witnesses, He does not really need to do so, His witness should be enough!

But He chose to condescend and engage them at their level of thinking, why?

He said, “so that you may be saved”.

Wow.

At that point, Jesus still wanted to save them… His enemies!

He said that in presenting this argument of the three witnesses, He does not really need to do so.

In the same manner, Don’t treat postmodern people as enemies, let us not antagonize but rather engage them with the truth.

2. Don’t offer Organized Religion

You can intellectually level with these people.

Talk to them about what they believe.

Ask them: “What do you think about Christianity?”

You will hear a lot of falsehoods.

Common falsehood:

Christians are hypocrites

Talk to them why that is not true.

Christians hate gay people

Christianity is anti-science and progress (evolution, Big bang, gender views)

Confront them with the truth.

Don’t compromise (tendencies) but here is the important thing.

Love on them.

They need to be saved, have that awareness that Jesus had even toward His enemies!

2. Don’t offer Organized Religion

If you approach a person with a postmodern mindset and offer religion, you have already set yourself up for failure.

It is because remember these people, these kids have already rejected traditional religion.

If we come to them with an offer of traditional religion you have already ended the conversation right there.

Because in the postmodern mind, they have already progressed above the rules and rituals of traditional religion.