Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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These days it can sometimes feel like we are bombarded with bad news.
It seems to be having changing how people relate to each other.
And it’s not good.
Human beings have a desire to connect with each other in meaningful ways.
That’s a good impulse.
It can bring us out of our shell and help us to be open to new experiences.
This is how we grow and develop as people.
But we have other impulses—like the one toward self-preservation.
We may think we can stay safe if we avoid all danger.
But the truth is, we find ourselves isolated and at greater risk than we would be if we were out there connecting.
It’s no good to be all alone with trouble comes.
So this is a kind of principle in life.
Sometimes our instincts lead us astray.
If that’s how we have survived to this point, we may need to learn new spiritual principles that can guide us to the next level in life.
So we come to this passage.
In some ways it reminds me of an old testament passage.
It’s about how the choices we make help determine the outcome of our lives.
Sometimes there really is a choice between life and death.
It can be physical life and death.
It can be spiritual life and death.
It can be both.
Sometimes it takes a near death experience to shake us up and bring life into focus.
We realize life is fragile and we need to give attention to eternal things.
Life and Death
Sometimes spiritual death—a sense of emptiness, separation from God and others grabs our attention.
We realize that the spiritual realm isn’t just made up.
There are darker forces that can overtake us.
So maybe there’s something more that can protect and nurture us.
So we begin to look into it.
Whatever the reason we consider this, it’s important that we do because how we handle these issues will in many ways determine the very course of our lives.
Life and Death cannot be ignored.
So Paul has just been writings about how the struggle is so real when we learn the rules and seek to live by them.
We quickly come to the end of our human ability.
Our culture acts like all we need is more information.
But information without the formation is of little value.
This is why grad students are sometimes annoying.
They know a lot of information.
But sometimes their lack of life experience affects how they apply what they have learned.
We need to be formed into a way of life before knowledge becomes wisdom.
Making that kind of change doesn’t happen easily.
The try harder method only gets us so far.
In chapter 7 you can read how successful Paul was at self-help change efforts.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t work!
Real change calls for real power.
Trusting in human ability won’t cut it.
So Paul begins to introduce some terms here.
Once we understand these terms, so much of life comes into clearer focus.
Until we understand them, we may bang our heads against the wall over and over again.
Ready to discover these terms?
OK
Flesh and Spirit.
Let’s say that together.
The two are in conflict with each other.
But this is not saying Body vs Spirit.
Body vs Spirit would be gnosticism- the belief in a rigid dualism that matter is evil and Spirit is good.
That’s not what either the Old Testament or New Testament teach us.
God called creation “good”.
So it’s not matter that is evil.
It’s what you do with matter that matters.
It’s not Body vs Spirit either.
Other philosophies said the body was evil and we could never achieve holiness in this life in the body.
But Paul is saying the opposite here.
So life “According to the Flesh” is something different.
ἵνα τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ νόμου πληρωθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα
Kata Sarx
Let’s say that: Kata Sarx.
Now you know some New Testament Greek!
Kata sarx is not about life in the body.
It’s about living a life that RELIES on the flesh for meaning and motivation.
It’s pleasurable to eat or to exercise or even to just take a nap.
There’s nothing wrong with experiencing that pleasure.
But if you LIVE for it it becomes an unhealthy obsession.
Keeping that obsession as the motivation for life choices is living life KATA SARX.
You don’t just eat to live you live to eat.
Now we tend to think only heavier people do this, but it’s just not true.
Some people just burn a lot more calories but eat in a rather gluttonous manner.
So try not to judge a book by it’s cover in this regard.
A more subtle example would be: in facing big decisions you rely on your knowledge and experience instead of praying or following biblical guidance.
If you’ve never become a full follower of Jesus, you’ve never been saved, then this is the only life you know.
Maybe you don’t live to eat, but generally you rely on human wisdom and experience to guide your life.
But God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is offering you more in life.
If you’re a follower of Jesus, but you haven’t gone on to be filled with the Spirit you can fall back into this type of pattern easily.
Life Kata Sarx, according to the Flesh comes naturally but doesn’t lead to spiritual victory.
Even if you’re a spirit-filled believer but you forget the process God has been teaching you and fall back into old patterns in times of stress or confusion, you won’t experience victory either.
Being filled with the Spirit isn’t magical or robotic.
Maintenance is required.
Kata Sarx is living below what’s possible.
But we believe in the Radical Optimism of Grace.
(slide here)
That means God can help us to live differently.
We believe God can and will transform every fully-surrendered life in community.
We can leave behind Kata Sarx and experience Kata Pnuema.
Kata Pneuma
Let’s say this one together: Kata Pneuma.
Now you know a little more New Testament Greek.
Kata Pneuma is living life according to the Spirit.
This means relying on the Holy Spirit for meaning and motivation in life.
We come to depend on the Holy Spirit.
So our first move is to pray.
We listen.
We obey.
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