Sermon Tone Analysis

So, this is the final night for our study of “The Screwtape Letters”, by C.S. Lewis.

I want you to know that I have thoroughly enjoyed this time in reading and discussing these letters with you guys.

As I have stated to you before, myself and many of you like me, learn so much more effectively and efficiently, when the subject matter is being discussed in a forum such as this one.

I believe that the Body of Christ coming together and having discussion time and reading and sharing the Word of God together, like we have been doing these past weeks, serves as a valuable tool in our life-long journey as we grow and progress in our walk with our Lord and Savior.

This is also why I am so excited about the next phase of our Wednesday evening meetings.

They are going to be geared around our assembling and reading the Word and then praying and seeking the favor and the will of God for our part of the Body of Christ and our individual lives as well!

(I can think of no greater way to assemble together as Christians, than spending the time reading His Word and then going directly before Him and petitioning Him and seeking His divine will for our lives in earnest and sincere prayer!

AMEN?!)

And so tonight, without further ado, the closing of our study on, The Screwtape Letters.

Letter 28: (Summary) - Wormwood’s failures keep mounting.

The demon was unable to entangle the patient with worldly friends.

The patient has fallen in love with a dedicated Christian woman, and none of the attacks on his spiritual life are working at the present.

To top it off, Wormwood is showing too much enthusiasm over the potential for human fatalities due to war.

Since the patient is a Christian, his death is the last thing that Screwtape wants.

In fact, Screwtape says that they must guard the patient’s life in order to let real worldliness take root and grow into his middle-age years.

Highlighted thoughts and statements and questions:

“They of course, do tend to regard death as the prime evil and survival as the greatest good.

But that is because we have taught them to do so.”

- Screwtape

Question: It seems strange that demons would want to keep us safe!

Why does Screwtape want to avoid the patient’s death at this point in his life?

Answer: The death of a Christian is of no benefit to Screwtape.

Once the patient dies, he is instantly with Christ in Heaven and of no use to Screwtape.

As long as he is alive, there is still time to steal his testimony, to cause him to be a bad influence on others, and for him to corrupt himself and others.

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Question: Read and .

What does the Bible say about completing our time here on earth as Jesus’ servants?

Answer: We are to STRIVE, to fight with everything within us, to cross that finish line and attain the prize of Christ Jesus.

To see the final work of salvation completed in us, which is our GLORIFICATION!

Question: Why does Screwtape want us to believe that this world can be turned into Heaven?

Answer: Screwtape is attempting to get us to achieve heaven without God.

If he can accomplish this, we will begin to think of this world more as our home and become increasingly attached to it.

QUOTE: “The long, dull monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather.

You see, it is so hard for these creatures to persevere.

The routine of adversity, the gradual decay of youthful loves and youthful hopes, the quiet despair (hardly felt as pain) of ever overcoming the chronic temptations with which we have again and again defeated them, the drabness which we create in their lives and the inarticulate resentment with which we teach them to respond to it—all this provides admirable opportunities of wearing out a soul by attrition.”

- Screwtape

Letter 29: (Summary) - In this letter, Screwtape revisit an old topic - - -FEAR.

This time the context of the war and recent bombings is in the patient’s hometown.

Screwtape recommends defeating the patient’s courage and making him a coward.

Since human beings normally feel shame and guilt over cowardice, Screwtape believes that his fear will undermine his courage and drive him away from God.

Highlighted thoughts and statements and questions:

Question: Screwtape says, “Hatred is best combined with Fear” and “Hatred has its pleasures.”

How does Screwtape link hatred to fear?

Why is hatred an “anodyne for shame?”

Answer: In cowardly people, hate originates from the fear of whatever it is that they are fearing.

They will often try to justify their hatred by convincing themselves that the object of their fear deserves to be hated.

An anodyne is something that comforts or relieves pain.

A coward, who is shameful about his fears, needs something to relieve that guilt, and hate can provide temporary relief.

Question: Read , , .

What do these scripture passages say about fear?

Answer:

Answer: Fear is the opposite of power, love, and a sound mind.

It renders us powerless.

Fear can cause us to do things that we would not normally do, to operate off of our emotions, and to think illogically.

There is no love in fear and no fear in love.

Question: Read .

What does Jesus say to us about the courage necessary to follow Him?

Answer: Following Jesus can be costly and require daily acts of courage.

In addition we are called to confront sin and error.

There is a cross of death to bear.

We might not lose our lives following Him, but courage is required to face whatever trials are appointed for us.

Letter 30: (Summary) - Wormwood has been an utter failure.

Screwtape not only scolds Wormwood for his incompetence, but threatens his very existence as well.

The patient is frightened and thinks himself a coward, but he has behaved well during an air raid on his town.

He did everything demanded of him and more.

However, war can wear you down and Screwtape instructs Wormwood to capitalize on the man’s fatigue in hopes of weakening his resolve.

In addition, he tells him to manipulate the man’s emotions with the word “real”.

Question: What does Screwtape say that fatigue and unexpected demands can produce?

Fatigue and unexpected demands can produce unrighteous anger.

Exhaustion is good fodder for temptation to a variety of vices.

When we are worn out, we soon begin to think we have a right to certain things like peace and quiet, a good night’s sleep, or a good meal.

When we do not get those things, we become angry as though we’ve lost out on something, but it was never ours to begin with.

Question: To produce the best results from fatigue, Screwtape says he needs to feed the man false hopes.

What false hopes does Screwtape want Wormwood to feed to the man?

How can false hopes be a danger in our Christian walk?

Answer: The false hopes that Wormwood is to encourage in the man include hoping the air raids will cease, hoping to enjoy a good night’s sleep, and hoping the war will be over soon.

False hopes are generally emotional interpretations that we give to the facts.

They are dangerous because they are exactly that— false.

They are not based on logic or reason but rather on our desires.

When that hope does not deliver, we can become discouraged.

Question: Read .

How does the hope that the author of Hebrews describes in this passage differ from the false hope that the world promises?

Answer: In this passage, the author of Hebrews defines faith as having confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.

This hope is based on the promises and righteousness of Christ, not on our own desires (false hope) or what the world may promise.

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Letter 31: (Summary) - Wormwood has come begging his uncle for compassion after letting his patient escape into Heaven.

In this last letter, Screwtape is unsympathetic and furious with his nephew as he hates to see “human vermin” be cleansed by the blood of Christ.

In no uncertain terms, Screwtape assures Wormwood that he is the stronger of the two demons, and now that the patient has been lost to the Enemy, he promises Wormwood there will hell to pay.

Question: How would you describe the patient’s “sudden clearing of the eyes” as he saw Wormwood for the first time on the other side of death?

Answer: The man’s death is similar to a birth in that there is great pain, but when it is over, there is great rejoicing.

At the very moment he is taken from this world into the next, the man is given spiritual eyesight and can recognize Wormwood’s dealings with him for what they are.

He is also met by good spiritual beings and is allowed to look upon God’s purity, beauty, and light.

He feels completely free of his old dirty self and is now a new, clean creation.

Question: The man died a horrific death, but Screwtape seems to suggest that the man got off relatively easy.

How so?

Answer: The man died young, and he died instantly.

As a result he had “no gradual misgivings, no doctor’s sentence, no nursing home, no operating theater, and no false hopes of life.”

In other words, he died a quick death with limited Christian struggling.

Question: Read and .

What do these verses say about our experience with death?

Answer: The confidence we have in our Redeemer assures us that even after our bodies are destroyed, we will be instantly present with God.

Death is but a moment but life with Christ is eternal.