Sermon Tone Analysis

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Introduction

Playdough illustration: Layout some playdough and tools on a table and invite three people up to create a masterpiece in 1 minute.

They can choose to use tools or not use tools.

They can choose to use more than one color or just one color (Try not to say too much).

1 Minute on the Clock (Countdown)

Questions:

Why did you choose the color(s) of playdough and the tool(s) you used?

What did you make what you made and do you think you would have created something different if you had more time?

Who & What Is Shaping You?

Whether you want to or not, every day you wake up you are being shaped by something.

And just like the one minute on the clock, we have 1 life in order to become what God has created us to become.

However, in this one life that we have, there are other forces that are at work trying to mold us and shape us into things that are less than what God wants us to be.

The theme of this conference is “Becoming God’s Masterpiece: Find It, Live It, Love It.”

And when we say masterpiece, we are talking about your purpose and the type of person that God has created you to be.

And tonight, I want help you find it, and the reasons why it is so difficult is because there are so many other things trying to shape you.

And just like the one minute on the clock, we have 1 life in order to become what God has created us to become.

However, in this one life that we have, there are other forces that are at work trying to mold us and shape us into things that are less than what God wants us to be.

So tonight as the subject of this message I want to ask you this question: “Who & What is Shaping You?

Verses 1-3

Verses 1-3

Let’s look back at verses 1-3.

Ephesians

The world is trying to shape you.

The devil is trying to shape you.

And you are trying to shape you.

And even though Paul is writing to some Gentile Christians and is using past tense language like “you WERE dead” and “you USED to live in sin,” and “you USED to live that way,” the truth is that even when you become a Christian, Satan and the world doesn’t stop trying to shape you.

Matter of fact, once you become a Christian, Satan begins to work overtime trying prevent you from walking in your purpose and becoming the masterpiece that God has destined for you to be.

And even though Paul is writing to some Gentile Christians and is using past tense language like “you WERE dead” and “you USED to live in sin,” and “you USED to live that way,” the truth is that even when you become a Christian, Satan and the world doesn’t stop trying to shape you.

Matter of fact, once you become a Christian, Satan begins to work overtime trying prevent you from walking in your purpose and becoming what God has destined for you to be.

And here is the kicker.

A lot of people don’t even recognize how they are being shaped on a daily basis.

So the question is Who & What is Shaping You?

Matter of fact, once you become a Christian, Satan begins to work overtime trying prevent you from walking in your purpose and becoming what God wants you to be.

And what I want to do right now is get really practical and share with you some ways in which the world may be trying to shape you that you may not be paying attention to.

Environment

Your environment is trying to shape you.

I grew up in South Central Los Angeles.

Statistically, my environment said I was supposed to had been one thing, but God said I have a different plan for your life.

Many of you in here, may not have grown up in South Central Los Angeles, but everyday you are being shaped by your environments, whether it be for the good or the bad.

We have family environments, we have neighborhood environments, we have school environments, and all of these environments have the potential to shape us.

Secret Impurity

Between

Secret Impurity

The culture of secret impurity is trying to shape us.

How many of you ever seen the show catfish?

It is easy for people to create fake accounts or be somebody else on social media that says whatever they want to say without being held accountable.

You see on my Snapchat account, I feel like I can post whatever I want to post and send whatever I want to send to people because I know its going to be deleted.

And sometimes we carry that secretive mindset into our relationships with God thinking that if we do things in the dark, God won’t see it.

Filters

Fiters can begin to shape you.

When people first start using filters, it starts off innocent.

It’s new and exciting, so you use it.

But then you begin to recognize that the pictures with filters get more likes than the pictures that don’t have filters.

And before you know it, it’s hard to post a selfie of yourself just showing the natural beauty that God gave you.

And for those that do post selfies of their natural beauty it has to be in a certain light, at a certain angle, as if I am only beautiful in this type of light at this angle.

But God said when you were born, you were fearfully and wonderfully made, which means whatever light or angle you are in, you are beautiful to God.

Environment

Relativism

Relativism says that there is no such thing as absolute knowledge, truth or morality.

Which means everybody gets to decide what’s right and what’s wrong.

And at the moment everybody starts trying to decide what’s right and what’s wrong, is the moment everybody starts playing God.

And because we are living in that type of culture, we sometimes bring that into our relationship with God, and so we begin to pick and choose what scriptures we like and what scriptures we don’t…what part of the Bible matches my lifestyle and what part of the Bible doesn’t.

I want to go to Heaven and want Jesus, but on my terms.

I grew up in South Central Los Angeles.

Statistically, my environment said I was supposed to had been one thing, but God said I have a different plan for your life.

Many of you in here, may not have grown up in South Central Los Angeles, but everyday you are being shaped by your environments, whether it be for the good or the bad.

We have family environments, we have neighborhood environments, we have school environments, and all of these environments have the potential to shape us.

Individualism

Information

We live inside of a world where everyone has an opinion, has something to say, and has an agenda.

We are drowning in information, yet everybody is still starving for the truth.

And through TV, video games, and other forms of media, messages are constantly being thrown at you to shape the way you think about truth.

And before you know it, you come to conferences and Bible study and church and you find yourself trying to weigh the truth found in the world with the truth found in the Word.

meanwhile regardless of what the world says, Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to the Father, but by me.

Comparison

Friends

1 Corinthians 15:

The culture of consumerism is trying to shape you because it’s trying to tell you that you will never be satisfied.

The world around us is trying to press us into its consumer mold.

Its advertising seeks to convince us that we cannot be content without whatever it’s selling.

But the Word is transforming us into people who can say, “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Friends

In , Paul said Don’t be deceived, bad company corrupts good character.

It is difficult to become God’s masterpiece when you are surrounded by friends that are try to be something else.

People have always struggled with comparison, but with the rise of social media, it is even more

Music

If Jesus was to walk into this room right now and ask you to see your iTunes or Spotify playlists, would you have delete any songs?

And if so, why haven’t you?

How can you expect to listen to music that’s talking about sex and lust, and not struggle with it in your relationship with God?

Comparison

People have always struggled with comparison, but with the rise of social media, it is even more.

The thing about social media is that everyone is always posting the good stuff and never the bad stuff.

The highlights, but never behind the scenes.

The achievements, but never the failures.

So when you are constantly looking at everyone’s good stuff, you begin to compare your full reality to the image that people have posted.

And before you know it, you begin to wonder:

• Why isn’t my life like that?

• Why am I not as pretty as her?

• Why don’t I get to have the new iphone?