Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

-Discuss Cultural Christianity and it’s ramification in the society.

-They came up with a term to describe folks who like parts of Christianity but deny the substance.

-Cultural Christians are deists, pantheists, agnostics, atheists, and antitheists who adhere to Christian values and appreciate Christian culture.

This kind of identification may be due to various factors, such as family background, personal experiences, and the social and cultural environment in which they grew up.

These are people who see the value of some Christian principles and even church itself.

They agree wholeheartedly with the Golden Rule “Do unto others how you have them do unto you” But as soon as the Christianity begins to make demands on their personal life that is when they abandon it.

This T-Shirt is an example of Cultural Christianity.

It says “I can love Jesus while engaging in behavior I know is sinful” The Bible says “You can’t love two masters” this T-Shirt says “You can”

-Pastor Hood said something very Powerful in his last sermon “He said when you read the Bible your flesh is also exegeting the text as well”(Exegete;Disect-Expound or interpret) Let me interpret what I think he means while you read the bible you are making decision on the fly whether you will obey what you have read.

If your flesh instead of your Spirit is the final arbiter on what you will obey and what you will not obey then you are what the world calls “Cultural Christianity” which is a Christian in name alone.

Review:

Review:

Eph 4:

-Go over the Imperative verbs of (v.30-32) Paul is applying the teaching that he has laid down in previous chapters.

These are the bullet points and conclusion.

-In Chapter 5 he is not done with his imperative verb usage.

He comes right out in (v.1) using them again.

Always: To imitate Christ is to walk in the same love that he displayed when he sacrificially died on the cross for our sins.

I.

There is only one Simon

(v.1) “Therefore” in our NT there is a Chapter break but in the greek NT there is no break.

Therefore tell us that the next several verses are built on top of the truths that where found in Chapter 4.

-Let is reach back into the previous chapter and focus on the central idea of Chapter 4 and that is found in :

(v.30)

The main ideas from Chapter can be summed up in this Command/Warning “Do not grieve the HS of God” Do not cause grief by your disobedience to come to the HS of God.

This scripture tells us that our lives should be characterize by a passion to please/not grieve the HS of God sent to indwell us and makes us Holy.

Transistion: Then Paul introduces a very practical way of keeping ourselves from deceiving God in Chapter 5:

(v.1) “Therefore be imitators of God” we need to look at the phrase at the syntactical level

a. “Be”ginomai- present(tense), passive(voice), imperative(mood), second person, plural.....you continually/daily “be”

analogy-Clean your room-One-time finished act----Clean your room, and keep it clean(daily)…This language had a way of communicating this second idea with less words than we use.

-Define imitators---mimetai----mimic---a follower or joint follower of another.

What or who is the object of our Imitations?

(v.1) “Therefore be imitators of God” This is a critical statement it implies at least one absolute fact.

We are all imitating something there are no originals in this room:

a. Imitating the Flesh: This are folks that are lead by there own flesh.

Self Idolatry

b.

Imitating the World: These are folks found in

c.

Imitating Satan: These are the folks that are direct agents of Satan.

They get their marching orders from him :

(Help)

(v.44) Jesus remarks when he speaks of the False Teacher that they are mouthpieces for “Their Father” the Devil.

-You need to realize that imitating any one of these will all lead the same place and to the same result.

Meaning you are either Following Satan directly or indirectly

(v.1) Paul is saying rather than imitate the fake, false, and deceptive follow the one who is real, true, and honest.

(v.1) “as beloved children” Now this statement could be read “as his children” but Paul made sure to use the adjective “beloved” remember adjective describe nouns.

In this case “beloved” describes God position or opinion of us.

He calls us “beloved” that word is: Agapatos.

Children loved unconditionally.

Children loved like the Only Son, like the Son of promise.

This text also sets up an incredible picture of fatherly leadership.

Children by nature follow the father, even if he is a jerk children will normally follow the lead of the father.

In the case of God he is a good Father.

“As beloved children” it is God way of telling us that I have set a great example for you to follow.

Like Ducks who

Now that we have established there is only one Simon let’s play

II.

Simon says “Walk in Love”

(v.2) “And” we use “and” to connect to like clauses: We are making chicken, macaroni, and greens.

(Ladies) Honey I am going to an event I need a new dress, and some shoes to go along with it.

The And is a listing conjunction.

Now let me translate the previous verse in Western vernacular:

Therefore since God has been so good to you and has told you not to Grieve his Spirit.

Daily follow him don’t look to the left or the right.

You are his beloved Baby he has left you a set of footprints.

Keep your eyes fix on him.

Then Paul gives us some principles of what it means to “Mimic Christ”

(v.2) “and walk in love”

a. Walk- peripateo- metaphorically for daily living

-Uses of the word “Walk” in the book of Ephesians: , , , , , , in these scriptures “Walk” is used 7X Interpretively and Hermeneutically when we see a term use this extensively in one book what does that tells us??

It is said that Bill Belicheck the coach of the Patriots who have won 6 super bowls always says “One game at a time” this quote is embedded into the minds of his players.

Well Paul is doing the same thing with this word.

It tells us that Paul is concern both about Theology and about how our Theology bears out in our lifestyle.

For Paul knowledge of the God is essential but it is not enough.

Paul is concern about the “Daily” My Dad used to call it the “Daily Grind” he used to talked about being a Father.

Ask my wife I always talk about the “Daily Grind” Explain the Daily Grind.

(v.2) “and walk in love” Used the Soup analogy to help folks understand this conjunction.

We should be doing two things:

a. Lovingly giving grace to the humble and broken

b.

Lovingly giving rebuke and correction to the proud and arrogant.

-In either case love is the underlying motivator.

(v.2) “just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us”

a. “Just as”-Kathos-This is a contrast or comparison conjunction.

Ex: You need to dress up for work just as your father did when he went to work.

Ex.

The older you get your mannerism are just as/like your mother’s.

(Sister Stephens)

-Paul uses this extensively in this book: , , , , , , , Paul has use this conjunction “Just as” to compare our former life to our present or he has used it to set Our Lord as an example for us to follow.

In the case of he has set up the conjunction as an example to follow.

-In Paul says we are to forgive like the God, and then in he tells us that we need to “Walk in love” like Christ.

Sandwich in between these two “Just as” uses is the imperative(command) to Be an imitator of Christ.

Paul is saying before “Forgive like him” then he says imitate him and then he says “Walk like him”

Application: If you are going to imitate someone you have got to keep your eyes on them and study them.

-(v.2) “Just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us” The Greeks had at least four ways to describe love.

A. Phileo-Friend love-

B. Storge-Family Love

C. Eros-Husband and Wife love