Holy culture sermon

Greetings.

I.                  Intro.

A.     Reading

     1.  Learning the Language of Babylon, by Terry Crist – Pg. 17, 19

B.  This issue / the question “Culture” – Who’s in Charge?

     1.  Culture sets the agenda

     2.  Culture

              a. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.

                  b. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

C.  How does the Church to function knowing this.

D.     Illustration

1.     Suits – Church Cultures

2.     Hip-Hop – attitudes and behavior

3.     Holy Culture

II.               Scripture

A.     John 17:

III.             The Disciple  - The Foundation -  Conversion, Discipleship and

A.     vs. 6

1.     Identity

2.     Chosen by the Father, Given to the Son

3.     Keep God’s Word

B.      vs. 7+8

1.     Continued Receptiveness to the Word

2.      Understand the Gospel

a.      More than Jesus died on the Cross for my sins.  Why did he?

b.     The people of this day understood that Messiah was coming.  (Women at the well).

C.     vs. 9-12

1.     Keep / Kept

a.      The Christian Disciple is characterized by the Keeping.

b.     Kept by the name.  (* Other translations say, “by name you have given me.”  Christ*)

c.     That Christians be one.  Unified in the Faith.

          1.  Unity does not necessarily mean uniformity.  But unity non the less.

          D. vs. 13-14

                   1.  Joy fulfilled. 

                             a. The joy we have is not contingent upon the things around us.

                             b. Trouble should not steal the joy of the disciple.

                             c. It will be a great defense mechanism for the Disciple.  He is going to need it in this life.

                             d. Wolverine example.

                   2.  The disciple, given the word, will be hated

                             a. Hated

                                      1. Woe unto you when all men speak well of you.

                                      2. Christians will suffer

                                      3. There are enemies of the Cross 

                                      4. The Word of God is an offensive

                             b. Because they are not of the world.

Ephesians 5:11
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

                             c. Just as Christ is not.

IV.            Holy Culture.  Now we begin to see what Christ prepares the disciple for.

A.     This brings us to the Crux of the Matter.  How does the disciple function?

B.      How to be “In it, but not of it.”

V.               Not Isolated (vs. 15,16)

A.     Do not take them out of the world

B.      We are to be in the mix

C.     We are to be relevant

D.     Not our own little separate culture far removed from what’s going on

E.      We are to Salt and light.

F.      Protected from the evil one

1.     Satan, the devil

2.     evil influence or corruption

a.      key problem

b.     Satan’s agenda is not always to have you way off.  But just enough.

c.     Sin- an old archery terms that means to miss the mark.

G. Not of the World

VI.            But Insolated.  (vs. 17)

A.     Sanctify

1.     Set apart

a.      distinction

b.     Holiness

2.     Set apart for proper use

B.      By the Truth

C.     The Word is Truth.

D.     You will never be able to get away from bring Jesus into the picture, because the word was made flesh.  And is not just an ideal, it’s a person.

VII.         *(The Reason) Infiltration.  vs. 18 +19

A.     Jesus has sent us into the world.

B.      The Great Commission.

C.     The only reason we are here is to be a witness.

Scripture.

Application.

Prayer.