Sermons
Dynamics of Who WE Are
Dynamics of Who WE Are
Introduction:
1. Our personal values define who we are. They give shape to our identity.
2. What are our values? Our values are what is important to us in life and the relative importance we attach to them, our priorities. “My top priority is to be a Christian,” someone says. “I want to be a good spouse.” “I want to be a good parent.” “I want to a good citizen.” “I want to be known as honest, loyal, faithful to my friends.”
3. But values are not just personal and individual. The groups that we associate with have values too. These may include our family, the church, the political group, the religious group, etc. that we are associated with. The Gay Pride Movement does not have the same values as the National Rifle Association. The Right to Life organization does not have the same values as Radical Muslims. The Israelis do not have the same values as Hamas.
4. The groups that we associate with work to persuadeus to accept group values and to create uniformity so that the group’s identity is maintained. The group may use shame to create the pressure to conform. It may dishonor and reject those who refuse to conform. It honors those who support their values.
5. My identity is not just about who I am, but about who WE are.
6. The values associated with the world and its groups are not necessarily the same as the values associated with God and His people.
Discussion:
I. God called Israel out of the world and into His special group.
A. They were called out of Egypt and into relationship with God (Ex. 29:45-46).
1. This involved a new culture and new valuesevident in God’s prohibition of
their imitating the values of the Canaanites (Deut. 18:9-22).
2. The Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are illustrative of the details of the
new culture.
a. Idolatry was forbidden (Lev. 19: “I am the LORD Your God.”).
b. Sexual relationships were governed by God (Lev. 18: “I am the LORD your
God.”).
c. There was a call for holiness (Lev. 20:6-8, 24-26).
d. Anyone failing to accept this covenant relationship was to be “cut off”
from among the people (Lev. 20:6).
e. There were regulations regarding priests, religious festivals, sacrifices,
property ownership, lying, stealing, respecting parents, care for widows
and orphans, etc.
3. Provisions were made for instruction (Deut. 6:4-9).
B. There was a similar call when they came out of Babylonian captivity (Isa.
52:11).
1. Again, there was a call for separation from the values of the world.
2. It was a call to be a special people to the Lord, to abandon the culture of
the world and to accept the culture of the Lord.
C. There was a similar call to the Corinthians in which both passages, Ex. 29:45
and Isa. 52:11, are quoted (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
D. This is the same call we are experiencing.
1. In the world people take pride in values and behaviors inconsistent with the
values and behaviors demanded by God.
2. But we are called to be a different culture.
3. This creates a cultural clash that can result in radical behaviors.
Persecution (Matt. 5:11; 1 Pet. 4:12ff). Seizure of property (Heb. 10:32-34).
Imprisonment (Rev. 2:10). Crucifixion (Heb. 12:2-4).
II. When Israel came into the land of Canaan the cultural clash was radically intense.
A. God demanded complete and utter destruction of the Canaanites (Deut.
20:16-18).
1. Genocide involves eliminating a culture along with its people. Cf.
Holocaust. Somalia. Rowanda.
2. Ethnocide involves destroying a culture but saving its people. Cf.
Babylonian exile. African slave trade. Native American situation in U.S.
3. Israel was supposed to act as the agent of Godexecuting His judgment on
evil (Lev. 18:24-30). Cf. Sodom and Gomorrah. They were under His
discipline, not their own selfish rule and motivation. This was clear from
things being under the ban. See Josh. 6:17-19; 7:1ff.
B. The difference between what is happening in the world today and what Israel
did in the land of Canaan was that Israel was acting as commanded by God,
to not be drawn away from the LORD (Deut. 7:1-6). And, “yes” some people
use God/religion to justify their attempts to erase cultures today, but there is no
evidence that God is calling on people to do this today.
C. Evil people and groups attempt to use force today to advance their culture and
destroy the culture of others.
1. It is the way of the world.
2. Satan draws us into extreme forms of militancy to destroy us. He uses lies
and propaganda to do so. He alienates, creates oppositional groups and
uses His various deceptions to accomplish his will.
3. It is so dangerous because sometimes we don’t know what to believe. We
don’t know who is telling us the truth. And the devil is sly. He mixes truth
in with error and things look good on the surface when underneath they are
opposed to the values of God. You can believe that “black lives matter”
and join a group that supports unscriptural values. (6. Queer Affirming
We reclaim the word queer as an act of defiance and in solidarity with those
who have paved the way for us to live openly. When we gather, we do so
with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of cis-
heteropatriarchal assumptions. We foster a network in which all people can
be genuine and express their authentic, embodied selves.
?
7. Trans Affirming
We are self-reflexive and consistently do the work required to dismantle
cisgender privilege. We hold space for our siblings who are agender,
intersex, transgender, and gender expansive to participate and lead. We
uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be
targeted and subjected to violence. We work outside of the binary to
achieve full liberation. Taken from www.blacklivesmatteratschool.com).
You can tell a person he is going to a workcamp, load him on a train and
send him to his death.
III. Christians are supposed to be a salt and light influence (Matt. 5:13-16).
A. The “live and let live” philosophy is not appropriate.
1. The idea that one value is just as good as another is not true.
2. As Christians we are to engage the world for good.
3. It is not appropriate to stand by as Satan exercises control in the world.
4. Jesus came to engage the world and to save as many as He could.
B. Militant force is not the appropriate means.
1. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world, or My servants would be
fighting” (Jn. 18:36).
2. Jesus had Peter to put away his sword (Jn. 18:11).
3. He taught turning the other cheek (Matt. 5:38-42).
4. We may think that militant force “really gets the job done.” Perhaps this is
what Saul was thinking when he was a persecutor and violent aggressor.
Perhaps this is what Stephen’s murderers were thinking (Acts 7:54ff), or
those who crucified Jesus (Acts 7:51-53).
C. Acculturation is the process of changingsomeone’s culture. This is what led to
Daniel’s three friends being put in the superheated furnace in Babylon (Dan.
3:1ff).
1. There is not necessarily anything wrong with changing culture. It is not
critical whether a person speaks Hebrew or Babylonian. It is appropriate to
change elements of culture that reflect inappropriate values (Rom. 12:2).
2. What is the appropriate means?
a. Jesus taught and persuaded.
b. He sent out apostles to make disciples, teaching and persuading people.
c. He sends us into the world to teach, persuade and invite people into His
kingdom.
d. We have been called out of the world (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 6:14ff; 2 Thess.
2:13-14), rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred to the
kingdom of His Son (Col. 1:13). Our mission is to call others out of the
world’s culture and into the culture of the LORD.
3. The weapons of our warfare are appropriate to the nature of our struggle
(Eph. 6:10ff).
a. A spiritual battle (10-12).
b. Loins girded with truth (14).
c. Breastplate of righteousness (14).
d. Feet shod with gospel of peace (15).
e. Shield of faith (16).
f. Sword of the Spirit—the word of God (17).
g. Prayer to speak with boldness the gospel (19). Cf. Acts 4:29-31.
Conclusion:
1. We Christians are engaged in a spiritual battle.
2. We need to put on the armor of God.
3. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness.
4. They are not defeated by military might. They are not defeated by political affiliations.
5. They are defeated when we engage the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we teach and persuade people to the way of the Lord worldly culture diminishes.
6. Let us pray for open doors of opportunity, for the opening of our mouths that we may speak with boldness the way of the Lord, because this is who We are!!!!
