Sermon Tone Analysis

Today's message - lots of introduction to set up where we are going with the teaching over the coming weeks and why?

One of the qualities of the Bible that the Bible claims about itself is clarity…the Bible is clear about the things that are of utmost importance…so where there is confusion or division or disagreement about something that seemingly should be clear…we need to take a step back…and ask…what does God’s Word about…

One of those topics is the Church.

What (or more accurately) who is the Church?

What does the church look like?

Believe?

Do?

Not do?

What are the essential doctrines the Church must believe in order to truly be a church?

What is the point of or more accurately…the power of the Church and what is its mission?

And on a local and personal level..are we the Church that God commands His Church be?

According to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there exist roughly 43,000 Christian denominations worldwide in 2012.

That is up from 500 in 1800 and 39,000 in 2008 and this number is expected to grow to 55,000 by 2025.

If you are wondering what I mean when I say there has been a loss of clarity on what the Church is and what the Church believes…let me give you a few details to ponder.

According to a study by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there were roughly 43,000 Christian denominations worldwide in 2012.

In 1800 there were 500.

Currently, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that a new Christian denomination is formed every 10.5 hours, or 2.3 denominations a day.

That is a new Christian denomination is every 10.5 hours, or 2.3 new denominations a day.

There are denominations just in this little town that disagree on major Christian doctrines such as salvation, the cross, the resurrection, the sovereignty of God, the reality of the Holy Spirit, the existence of hell, the meaning of central Christian beliefs such as baptism, communion and marriage, and even whether Jesus is the only way to be saved…that is just in Fall Creek.

On top of that there are non-Christian groups who have “churches”…and call them Chrurches just wthin 2 hours of here…for example:

The Church of Scientology

Christian Science

Johovas Witness

Church of Later Day Saints

Churhc of Later Day Saints

Wiccan Church - witches

And many more...

So there may be no more important of a topic for us to be clear on as a Church as:

What (or Who) is the Church?

The Church that Jesus promises:

NO SLIDE

Why the confusion?

Why?

NO SLIDE

When God really opened my eyes to the truth of His word and the beauty of Christ and salvation and God’s sovereignty over all of creation... something else started happening…I would read His Word and just get the feeling that something was off with what I had experienced and was experiencing…

When God really opened my eyes to the truth of His word and the beauty of Christ and salvation and God’s sovereignty over all of creation... something else started happening…I would read His word and just get the feeling that something was off…there had to be more to this “Church” thing than what I had experienced.

When God really opened my eyes to the truth of His word and the beauty of Christ and salvation and God’s sovereignty over all of creation... something else started happening…I would read His word and just get the feeling that something was off…there had to be more to this “Church” thing than what I had experienced.

There had to be more to this “Church” thing than what I was witnessing.

When God really opened my eyes to the truth of His word and the beauty of Christ and salvation and God’s sovereignty over all of creation... something else started happening…I would read His word and just get the feeling that something was off…there had to be more to this “Church” thing than what I had experienced.

There are three cultural components that I want to first address before we look at our text for this morning.

What causes things to slowly drift away from what they were meant to be.

Definitions change.

We live in an interesting time…dictionaries and textbooks are being rewritten.

The definitions of words change over time…and this is happening rapidly in our day.

Over time the dictionary definition of words actually changes.

This causes issues between generations...older people hear words and think different things than the younger people are hearing .

This can cause misunderstanding and even division or and overtime causes foundational things to change…unless truth and definition is built on a foundational text to go back to.

Something that is unchanging.

Overtime the dictionary definition of words changes.

This causes issues generations older people hear words and think different things than the younger people were hearing them.

Can even cause division or misunderstanding.

and overtime causes change.

Let me give you an example of some words that have changed in their meaning.

Let me give you an example of some words that have changed in there meaning and white it might mean four structures conversations things.

1.

The word awful - original meaning of the word awful meant something filled you with awe...much like the word awesome is now defined to mean.

Originally awful was awesome.

But nowadays awful means extraordinarily bad or terrible...but it previosly meant marvelous, great, stunning, mind-boggling.

The word awful the original meaning of the word awful meant something that you full of all much like the word awesome is now supposed to mean.

Originally awful and awesome to clean the same word.

But nowadays awful means extraordinary bad or terrible but it must marvelous, great, stunning, mind-boggling.

you can see how using the word awful it's now to someone who had the original definition might cause confusion.

Or if someone but the original definition came up to you and said god causes this  awful feeling in my heart.

You might think that was bad when they met something very different.

You can see how using the word awful today the way we use it to someone who had the original definition might cause confusion.

Or if someone with original definition in mind came up to you and said God causes an awful feeling in my heart.

You might think that was bad when they met something very different.

The word naughty.

The word naughty originally meant someone who had nothing.

Been brought to not.

What's commonly used to describe the poor or needy.

It now means mischievous or disobedient even bad or Wicked.

So as you can see if I was talking about helping the homeless you should help the naughty trinity it would give you a very different opinion of who I was saying we should help when I meant we should help the poor you would think we should help

2. The word naughty.

The word naughty originally meant someone who had nothing.

Been brought to naught.

We would now say poor or needy.

The word naughty now means mischievous or disobedient even bad or wicked.

So as you can see if I was talking about helping the homeless and told you that you should help the naughty and give them some money...it would give you a very different idea of who I was saying we should help when I meant we should help the poor you would think we should help the evil or bad people.

The word pretty.

the word pretty originally meant cunning or deceptive.

It now memes feminine or good looking.

So now when I call my wife pretty it is compliment but originally it would have been me calling my wife deceptive

3. The word pretty.

The word pretty originally meant cunning or deceptive.

It now memes feminine or good looking.

So now when I call my wife pretty it is compliment but originally it would have been me calling my wife deceptive.

So the definition of words changes.

So the definition of words changes over time and this happens because there is no foundational text to go back to.

In this Church this has happened most obviously with the Words…Christian…little Christ.

Or the Word Hell…and the Word Church.

Traditions change.

And we tend as people to think do things is the right way to do them.

But these Traditions change over time.

We tend to fall into the ways we have seen things done and then assume that is the way we're meant to be done.

Reason #2 Traditions change.

And we tend as people to think that the way we do things is the right way to do them.

We tend to build on those and tend not to look back.

So we may stick with something or emphasize something that is off or has drifted the way it was meant to be…simply because it is our tradition or a tradition of a group of people....and these traditions change over time.

We tend to fall into the ways we have seen things done and then assume that is the way we're meant to be done.

And rarely ask…or don’t like to ask…what is the foundation of this tradition…and is it right?