Sermon Tone Analysis

This is the next to last meeting for the Screwtape Letters study and I would like to say how much I enjoy this type of meeting!

I thoroughly love engaging other Christians and listening to their thoughts about different topics that pertain to our walk in God’s Kingdom.

I really love hearing the revelations from the Word of God that many of you have received over the years, as these are nuggets of wisdom that can affect others of us in the Body!

Quick reminder, so that we are all on the same page here.

The week after next, what is going to be happening with our Wednesday evening meetings?----------------------------Right,

our prayer meetings start!

We will handing out the little 3 ring binders, with some tabs in them and then beginning our weekly prayer time and journal entries.

I may include an extra sheets within each tabbed section, so that as we are discussing and praying over these sections and using the specific verses for that night, if you, individually receive something from Holy Spirit about that particular topic or verse, then you will have a dedicated place to write it down.

Then over the next year, or years, when you go back and look at what you were praying about, whether in here, corporately, or at home and on your own, you will see the revelation that the Lord showed you!

In light of this, everyone bring with them, next week, a few topics that you would like to gain some scripture passages about for your prayer journals and over time, we will begin to add these in, as Holy Spirit leads.

Letter 25: (Summary) - Because humans exist within time, we naturally desire change.

In this letter, Screwtape wants Wormwood to capitalize on the patient’s natural desire for change.

By increasing his fear of the “Same Old Thing”, he can become restless in his never-ending search for something new and exciting.

Highlighted thoughts and statements and questions:

Question: Screwtape is uneasy with the patient’s new friends and describes them as being “merely Christian”.

What does he mean by “merely Christian”?

Why would he be concerned?

Answer: In Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity, being “merely Christian” is characterized as Christianity that is not attached to anything but its own unchanging precepts.

If you are “merely Christian”, you are nothing else but Christian.

Screwtape would naturally be concerned because Christians of this sort are bound by the fundamentals of their faith and are not swayed by trends, fads, or culture.

Their continued association with the patient will most likely have an influence over him.

Question: Why would Screwtape want to keep the patient in a state he calls, “Christianity and”?

What are some examples of fashionable trends being added to Christianity today to keep it fresh?

Answer: Utilizing the state he calls “Christianity And”, Screwtape wants the patient to associate Christianity with new thoughts and ideas.

He wants to convince the patient that Christianity is dull and must be kept fresh by combining it with some new cause or pursuit.

Examples of trying to keep Christianity fresh would be the prosperity gospel concept, certain healing ministries, or altering Biblical truth in favor of a Christianity that is more palatable to our taste.

says,

Thus, it is by the GRACE of God that we have our salvation and that we are found in right standing with the Lord God Almighty!

Nothing that we do, or add to the mix, can give us this relationship with the Lord; it is in place by His GRACE alone.

If anything else that we bring into the gospel message and the Christian walk, can bring about salvation and holiness, then it is no longer God’s GRACE, but our works!

Again, in says,

Jesus and the Gospel Message plus anything else, equals NOTHING!

Question: How can the restlessness associated with the “Same Old Thing” impact and influence our lives?

Change may bring temporary satisfaction, but what do we do when the novelty wears off?

Answer: This search for endless change disrupts our ability to make intelligent decisions, and instead of being an influence, we become influenced by the latest fashions and trends.

As a result, we end up not liking the “Same Old Thing”, even in our religion.

This demand for novelty is not only expensive and disruptive, but it influences the media we consume as well as where we live, the things we buy, and the clothes we wear.

The problem with novelty is that everything eventually becomes “not new”.

When the new wears off, we are left looking for that next new high.

Question: Why do we have such a desire for change?

How does the creation story in introduce change?

How did God balance out our desire for change?

Answer: Since we live within time, we experience and desire change.

In fact, God gave us that desire and placed us in bodies and in environments that experience change.

In the story of creation, God initiates change by creating morning and evening.

He then provides different topography by creating lands and water.

Next, He provides a variety of different vegetation and animals as well as the seasons by causing the sun, moon, and stars to mark time.

Finally, He creates man with the innate sense that he needs something other than himself (a change), so He creates woman.

God designed us for change, but He also balanced out our desire for change with a desire for stability or permanence in life.

This perfect union of both change and stability creates a natural rhythm in our lives.

Question: The law of “diminishing returns” states that there is a point in production where with every additional unit of input added, there will be smaller increases in the amount of output - will all other variables remaining the same.

How does this law apply to increasing desires and diminishing pleasures?

Answer: As our thirst to satisfy our desires continues to increase, we tend to invest our resources (our time, talents, and money) on frivolous items of little meaning that rapidly depreciate.

In addition, the more greedy the desire for change, the more likely we are to be drawn into sin and corrupt other innocent pleasures.

Only a desire for spiritual matters will suppress and diminish our desire for worldly pleasures over time.

Question: Read and .

What does Paul tell us about living with contentment in these two passages?

How is contentment ultimately a heart change?

Answer: Paul was not against wealth or even change.

He just realized how dangerously seductive they are.

The word contentment here refers to general self-sufficiency or the state of being content in one’s circumstances.

As Christians, we should focus our efforts on pursuing holiness in our conduct, attitude, and thought.

Paul exemplifies this for us while he writes to us from a jail cell.

Letter 26: (Summary) - In this letter, Screwtape talks about the difference between unselfishness and charity.

He suggests Wormwood sow seeds of unselfishness during the patient’s courtship in hopes of causing marital discord later in life.

Since the two are enchanted in the early days of natural attraction, they are putting their best foot forward in order to hide any weakness.

However, after the honeymoon phase ends and the real marriage begins, each will start expecting the other to maintain their unselfishness which neither of them will be able to do.

Highlighted thoughts and statements and questions:

“teach a man to surrender benefits not that others may be happy in having them, but that he may be unselfish in forgoing them.”

- Screwtape

Question: Screwtape says, “courtship is the time for sowing those seeds which will grow up ten years later into domestic hatred.”

What are some things that couples might do for each other during the courtship that they fail to do in marriage?

Answer: (Answers will vary).

Going on regular dates, simple niceties and manners, opening the door and other common courtesies, gifts and tokens of affection, etc.

Question: God created us to experience and enjoy both eros and agape love.

(Read , where eros is used for love and , where agape is used for love.

What is the difference between the two forms of love?

Why are each important to the marriage relationship?

Answer: Eros is the erotic or physical form of love shared between a husband and a wife.

It is what generally attracts us to our spouse.

Agape is divine love or unconditional love.

It is deliberate, consistent, and transparent.

It does not change based on the way we feel on any given day.

It seeks the good of those we are called to love and compels us toward action.

They are both important to the marriage relationship because agape love is the commitment to your spouse that remains constant even after eros fades.

Eros is needed, because it brings the pleasure on intimacy, which God created, into the marital relationship and in doing so, the very chemicals and hormones that God put into our bodies, are released, which produce bonding between the husband and the wife!

Question: What is the difference between “unselfishness” and “charity”?

Why would Screwtape want to substitute one for the other?

Answer:

Unselfishness – Unselfishness is having or showing more concern for other people than yourself.

Charity – Charity is benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity.

Unselfishness sounds good and could be.

It all depends on our motives.

If we are primarily concerned with the well-being of others then it is good.

However, if we are being unselfish because it nets us something in return then it becomes a vice that Satan can use.

Question: Screwtape says that we often compete with others to see who can be the most “unselfish”.

Why would we do this?

Answer: We do this to make ourselves feel more righteous and often to make the others feel guilty or bad.

Question: Describe the game that Screwtape likes to play called the “Generous Conflict Illusion”.

Answer: The Generous Conflict Illusion is when we make it clear that we are being unselfish not so that others will be happy but so that we can be the unselfish party giving in to their request.