Sermon Tone Analysis

The last few weeks have been very heavy sermons.

This morning I want to build off of the last two weeks with a message the Lord has been building in my heart for quite some time.

If you have not been here the last two weeks then let me encourage you to go listen to the last two weeks on Hope for Deep Wounds.

We looked at what are the deep wounds in our lives and spent some time revealing that many have deep wounds that exist in our lives.

We then looked at the steps of repentance and focused on step 5.

In order for us to show mercy in deep wounds, we must have the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.

I then built a Biblical case that I don’t believe it is possible to receive ultimate healing without the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.

We saw that through the empowering work of the Holy Spirit healing from deep wounds is absolutely possible.

This healing from the Holy Spirit is true healing.

It is not counterfeit healing but it is real healing.

This healing from the Holy Spirit causes us to extend Mercy to those who have caused us deep wounds.

This morning I want to build on this.

I want to get straight to it this morning and that is the Bible does not encourage a victim mentality.

Victim Mentality:

If you have a victim mentality, you will see your entire life through a perspective that things constantly happen ‘to’ you.

Victimisation is thus a combination of seeing most things in life as negative, beyond your control, and as something you should be given sympathy for experiencing as you ‘deserve’ better.

At its heart, a victim mentality is actually a way to avoid taking any responsibility for yourself or your life.

By believing you have no power then you don’t have to take action.

(thegospelcoalition.org)

In other words, any bad thing in your life is the fault of other people.

They’re the ones that are bad, wrong or dumb, and you are good, right and brilliant.

Other people do bad or stupid things, and you suffer as a result.

Let me be clear

This is not saying that there are not victims.

Scripture has so much to say about justice for those who are innocent victims.

I know that some of you are innocent victims in the deep wounds that you have faced.

People are often innocent victims that have suffered unjust evil at the hands of others.

We must be on guard that being a victim does not mean we move to or adopt a victim mentality.

It is our responsibility as Christ followers to to fight against injustices and to affirm those who suffer because of it.

But we do not help those who suffer when we promote them into a victim mentality.

The victim mentality is an ideology that divides society into victims and oppressors.

It’s a way of thinking that tells victims that they are part of an oppressive system and they will not overcome it.

Victim Mentality not only shows its self in deep wounds but it has a tendency to come out when Christian’s begin to talk about end times as well.

“The Bible says it is going to get bad and so here it is getting bad and I am stuck in the middle of it.

I just can’t wait to get out of here because of the oppression that I am under down here on this earth”

Biblical Example of a Victim Mentality

Pharoah says what have we done releasing this labor force and assembles 600 chariots and his troops with him and begins to pursue the Israelites.

The Lord delivers them.

He parts the waters of the Red Sea, they cross on dry ground, through the Egyptians into confusion, caused the chariots wheels to swerve and made them drive with difficulty, and the Lord caused the sea to come back on them that pursued them into the sea.

The Victim Mentality sucks the joy out of life

A victim mentality not only magnifies our difficulties but it also minimizes our blessings.

It makes our problems big and our blessings small

Moses sings a song of praise and then this happens

The Israelites had so many amazing things happen to them.

God had given them a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead them.

He had delivered them and done soo much for them and yet all they could focus on was the problems.

God has blessed us

Victim Mentality Disempowers us

One of the most harmful impacts of a victim mentality is what it does to people who hold it: it removes nearly all their initiative to improve their situation.

They lose the ability to positively influence their circumstances, and better their lives.

In other words, they’re held hostage to their circumstances.

Secular thinker Stephen Covey points out

Reactive people [i.e.

people with a victim mentality] are affected by their…environment…When people treat them well, they feel well; when people don’t, they become defensive or protective.

Reactive people build their emotional lives around the behaviour of others, empowering the weaknesses of other people to control them.’

Victim Mentality blinds us to our own sin and our need for a Savior

When it is always someone else’s fault, then I don’t need a Savior because I am never wrong.

The victim mentality explains our wounds as solely someone else’s fault (again to be clear there are times when it was solely the fault of another).

Even our response to it being solely the fault of the other person can be sin.

It is good for us to see our sin and see that the only solution to sin is Jesus.

The Bible doesn’t encourage a victim mentality

The greatest injustice in the History of the universe.

The one without sin died for those who have sinned.

Left you an example that you might follow in His steps

when he was suffering he did not threaten but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.

He surrendered Himself the the one who judges justly

In suffering, it is complete surrender to the one who judges justly.

Keep our eyes on Jesus

This term implies a definite looking away from others and directing one’s gaze toward Jesus.

It suggest the impossibility of looking in two directions at once.

Jesus is

the source, leader, author, originator or pioneer

Perfecter or finisher of our faith

who for the joy that lay before Him

Jesus knew that He would come out of that tomb alive!

If the cross is the end of the story, then a victim mentality is right an proper, but the cross is not the end of the story and Jesus overcame sin and death.

Jesus knew he would overcome

So “the joy that was set before Him” would include Jesus’ completing the Father’s will, His resurrection and exaltation, and His joy in presenting believers to the Father in glory

Despised the shame

This is an attitude that does not ignore the shame but holds it to be of no consequence in view of the joy.