Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

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Tone of specific sentences

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Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
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Analytical
Confident
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Social Tendencies
Openness
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Anger
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INTRODUCTION
;
Everyone likes to get new clothes!
Often we get new clothes for special reason or occasion, which means they must be appropriate or suitable!
You don't buy khaki shorts for a black tie dinner, and you don't rent a tux to go swimming at the beach!
We instinctively know what we need to wear for each occasion or event... with the possible exception of some people who shop at Wal-Mart!
Even children have a sense of it!
Paul makes a statement in , that we should put on the armor of light.
But what does that actually mean?
Paul makes a statement in , that we should put on the armor of light.
But what does that actually mean?
Paul has been giving some last minute exhortations, along the lines of the principles he has been writing about in his letter.
In chapters 13 and 14 he addresses something that has been underlying the letter, the relationship between the Jewish believers in Christ, and the Gentiles believers in Christ.
The two have come from different backgrounds into the church, and their respective background cultures and world views had potential to cause problems, and create tension.
The strict Jewish food scruples might prove challenging to Gentiles, and the sorts of foods Gentiles ate might create an ethical dilemma to Jews whenever they ate together.
As believers in Christ they needed to learn how to get along, how to love one another enough to not cause offense or undermine the faith and discipleship of the other.
It was hard for the one group to appreciate the sensitivities of the other.
There might be a tendency for the Gentiles to feel like their Jewish brethren were making to big a deal of some things, and for the Jewish believers to feel like their Gentile brethren were far too ethically lax about important matters of righteousness (cf.
).
So Paul told them that they were to love one another, and seek not to cause offense to the other, either by being too strict or too lax about issues like clean and unclean food, which is a personal matter of conviction.
The important thing is, Paul says, that we are fully awake, understanding the times we live in, and the importance of laying aside the old life, while fully embracing the new life we have in Christ.
The ethical squabbles are unimportant, what is important is living as a true and sanctified disciple of Christ.
This means that whether you are a Jewish believer in Christ or a Gentile one, the whole world will notice how different you are, see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (cf.
).
Paul has been giving some last minute exhortations, along the lines of the principles he has been writing about in his letter.
In chapters 13 and 14 he addresses something that has been underlying the letter, the relationship between the Jewish believers in Christ, and the Gentiles believers in Christ.
The two have come from different backgrounds into the church, and their respective background cultures and world views had potential to cause problems, and create tension.
The strict Jewish food scruples might prove challenging to Gentiles, and the sorts of foods Gentiles ate might create an ethical dilemma to Jews whenever they ate together.
As believers in Christ they needed to learn how to get along, how to love one another enough to not cause offense or undermine the faith and discipleship of the other.
It was hard for the one group to appreciate the sensitivities of the other.
There might be a tendency for the Gentiles to feel like their Jewish brethren were making to big a deal of some things, and for the Jewish believers to feel like their Gentile brethren were far too ethically lax about important matters of righteousness (cf.
).
So Paul told them that they were to love one another, and seek not to cause offense to the other, either by being too strict or too lax about issues like clean and unclean food, which is a personal matter of conviction.
The important thing is, Paul says, that we are fully awake, understanding the times we live in, and the importance of laying aside the old life, while fully embracing the new life we have in Christ.
The ethical squabbles are unimportant, what is important is living as a true and sanctified disciple of Christ.
This means that whether you are a Jewish believer in Christ or a Gentile one, the whole world will notice how different you are, see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (cf.
).
He warns his readers not to squabble over non essentials, and to love one another… The really important thing is how we live and reflect the holiness of God!
Paul's first instruction is for his readers to understand the present time () (NIV).
We might say more smoothly, they are to understand that it is already time for them to arise out of sleep, and realize that the hour of their final redemption is closer than when they originally believed and were saved ()!
The point Paul makes is that water has gone under the bridge since they first trusted in Christ, meaning that with the passage of time, they are closer to the return of Christ.
At his return, as he argued in chapter 8, their will be a redeeming of all creation, and a redemption of their physical bodies, when the saints are finally revealed, for what they are, the true sons of God!
They are covert in the world right now, but they will be brought out into the full light of day, at which time all of creation will rejoice at the redemptive plan of God ()!
They were created to reflect the glory of the creator into his creation, and to represent him as kings and priests… and now all of creation is waiting for the revelation of the sons of God in their glory, conformed to the image of Christ (, ).
The time for dullness and inactivity is past.
That was characteristic of their previous life before they came to know Christ, when they had no sense of the purposes of God and no knowledge of his plans to bring everything under his control in Christ ().
Mankind has always ben part of something big, but since the advent of sin, largely unaware of the significance of his existence.
This state of 'sleep' or slumber, being unaware and unconcerned about the big picture or the big questions concerning our existence and if there is meaning for us in this world is common among those who do not know Christ.
But there is no excuse for the Christian to be in a stupor, not living the fully transformed life ()!
And this is the point Paul seeks to make in , and now here in chapter 13.
DEVELOPMENT
1. Don’t Be Caught Napping!
The time for dullness and inactivity is past.
That was characteristic of their previous life before they came to know Christ, when they had no sense of the purposes of God and no knowledge of his plans to bring everything under his control in Christ ().
Mankind has always ben part of something big, but since the advent of sin, largely unaware of the significance of his existence.
This state of 'sleep' or slumber, being unaware and unconcerned about the big picture or the big questions concerning our existence and if there is meaning for us in this world is common among those who do not know Christ.
But there is no excuse for the Christian to be in a stupor, not living the fully transformed life ()!
And this is the point Paul seeks to make in , and now here in chapter 13.
They must lay aside the old life, with all of its fleshly and selfish desires ().
The point is that the old life has been forsaken, and to allow elements of the old life to dominate them without confronting them and having them crucified through the transforming power of God in Christ is to be sleeping, is to be half awake and not realizing that the day of redemption may come and surprise us all with its swift and unannounced arrival.
They do not want to be caught living under the power of the flesh, habitually gratifying its desires, when Christ arrives to bring adoption to the bodies of those who are the sons of God, led by the Spirit, in true holiness and righteousness ().
The point is to be lazy about their lives and obligations to the transformed life is to be asleep at a critical time, and liable to a big surprise, a terrible upset!
A. They must lay aside the old life, with all of its fleshly and selfish desires ().
The point is that the old life has been forsaken...
and to allow elements of the old life to dominate them without confronting them and having them crucified through the transforming power of God in Christ is to be sleeping, is to be half awake and not realizing that the day of redemption may come and surprise us all with its swift and unannounced arrival.
They do not want to be caught living under the power of the flesh, habitually gratifying its desires, when Christ arrives to bring adoption to the bodies of those who are the sons of God, led by the Spirit, in true holiness and righteousness ().
The point is to be lazy about their lives and obligations to the transformed life is to be asleep at a critical time, and liable to a big surprise, a terrible upset!
b.
They do not want to find themselves surprised at Jesus coming, still living in the grip of the old life!
In verses 12-13 Paul lists a few of the characteristics of the old life, that if still operative in the life of believer, are evidences of dullness toward God, toward holiness and toward the imminent danger of being caught out should Christ suddenly return for the 'sons of God' who are being led by the Spirit.
After all it is those who are led by the Spirit are the true sons of God, others live in slavery to the flesh (; ).
Make no mistake, Paul argues in , habitual sin, even for the believer, will only lead to death (, ).
It is wilful, wistful ignorance to ignore such a warning; it is slumber!
2. Don’t Be Caught Badly Dressed!
A. Paul warns them to put on the armor of light, which he then goes on to explains means to be clothed with Christ (, ).
The same word root is used for putting on the armor of light and being clothed with Christ.
They are the same thing.
B. Armor is the word for weapons (plural), and we can paraphrase...take up the weapons of light.
The same word root is used for putting on the armor of light and being clothed with Christ.
They are the same thing.
The term translated armor is the word for weapons (plural), and we can paraphrase Paul's remark hear by say, that he encourages his readers to take up the weapons of light.
In , the armor of God is the panoply, the full armor, of which the weapons are representative.
Paul appears to use metonymy in Romans, whereby the weapons stand for the soldier's armor.
The emphasis may well be on the idea that since there are works of darkness to be laid aside, and of light to be embraced, at times it could involve a battle.
These are specifically weapons for warfare or battle, as opposed to tools in general (Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer.
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000, 716).
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