Sermon Tone Analysis

Series Review

college students: overwhelmed by choices; choosing a degree isn’t like choosing a flavor of ice cream; imagine getting through 3 years of college and having a change of heart .

Christian book store: woman taking books - God told me that I needed to dig deeper in to the word of God.

To study more.

God told me that I can take some from here.

Employee: He didn’t tell me.

How can I know that I am doing the things that God has told me to do?

How to discover God’s will.

Christian book store: woman taking books - God told me that I needed to dig deeper in to the word of God.

To study more.

God told me that I can take some from here.

Employee: He didn’t tell me.

How can I know that I am doing the things that God has told me to do?

How to discover God’s will.

How to discover God’s will.

Sermon Introduction

Sermon Introduction

sermon is unity - important for us all, unless you have shut yourself off from the rest of the world, you have to put up with someone else;

can’t we just get along; if we can’t have unity, let’s just have quiet

you’ve made things even more difficult for yourself if

sermon is unity -

sermon is unity -

compromise in and of itself is not a good thing;

we talk about compromise is needed in a marriage, but a couple can compromise, find a common ground, and make a bad decision;

we talk about compromise is needed in a marriage, but a couple can compromise, find a common ground, and make a bad decision;

bi partisanship

bi partisanship

two politicians of different parties can come together and write some terrible legislation

unity is not meeting in the middle to find the win win - unity is 2 or more people believing they are doing the right thing because they are doing what God has called them to do

Unity in the church, but also unity in the home: unity on a ministry team; unity in the work place:

compromise, these are not necessarily bad, but in and of themselves they are not inherently good either.

Unity in the church, but also unity in the home: unity on a ministry team; unity in the work place:

Annual Conference - UMC is diverse: conservative, liberal, arguing over political issues: at our Annual Conference we emphasize unity in diversity, we celebrate unity in diversity, still divided - over homosexuality, over how we are to interpret the Bible

how does the Bible see unity;

how does the Bible see unity;

how does the Bible see unity

to have unity - not just getting along - in the church, family, relationships we need to leave 3 things at the door: personal agendas, personal egos, apathy

how does the Bible see unity

Unity is when we follow...

God’s Call, not Human Agendas

live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Eph.

4:1

This Ephesians passage is our starting point: one baptism, one faith, one God and Father

live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Eph.

4:1

God’s call, not our plan.

(e.g.

first meeting on sprc - chairperson and pastor each having their own agenda)

already unity was undermined because multiple agendas were brought into the room; family - parents have different parenting styles or different ideas of how often they should go to church; disagreements can undermine unity in the household;

they key to unity starts with the individual:

they key to unity is to make sure that what you are doing is what God has called you to do;

is to make sure that what you are doing is what God has called you to do; sounds more like a question than an answer; “just do what God tells you to do?” or my personal non-favorite: “follow your heart”

It is well known that Christ consistently used the expression “follower.”

He never asks for admirers, worshippers, or adherents.

No, he calls disciples.

- Soren Kierkegaard

last week: it starts with salvation: have we answered God’s call?

starts with a decision: Jesus demands a decision: follow me, not just believe in me; follow me, not just worship me;

do I trust Christ as savior and do I follow Him as Lord; get a room full of Christ followers in the same family, committee, church doesn’t give you instant unity, but it is a good foundation

Unity is possible among people who are following Christ as Lord, but one essential ingredient is...

It is well known that Christ consistently used the expression “follower.”

He never asks for admirers, worshippers, or adherents.

No, he calls disciples.

- Soren Kierkegaard

Humility -

Humility - v.2

Be completely humble and gentle;

Not just Attitude or the way you act - word refers to people in lowly circumstances - make yourself low income; make yourself the uneducated; make yourself the inexperienced, make yourself the

Relinquishing Status - true equality; job experience, doesn’t matter; college degrees, income, length of service in the church; a level playing field;

Attitude

early church: the wealthy elite ate with the poor at the same table; they served one another; status was left at the door

ceo comes home from work and becomes the servant of the household;

(mcdonald’s owner, church?)

we need to What we need to get rid of : the importance we place on status;

This Ephesians passage is our starting point: one baptism, one faith, one God and Father

Jesus did more than just change his attitude; he lowered his status; want unity?

check our status, low or high, at the door;

Philippians 2:

Constant Work

Constant Work

keep: guard, protect

unity takes constant work, needs to be constantly protected

e.g.

Baptist church business meeting: heated arguing, the lead Deacon stands up quietly, address the congregation; corrects the congregation; quiet, then he prays; in about 15 minutes…we were back to arguing again;

pentecostal church: growing, vibrant; building; what we didn’t see was the infighting; the rivalry; just because things are going well doesn’t mean they are well;

just because I’m not arguing with my spouse doesn’t mean I don’t assess the health of my family;

Nicaragua - one of the encouraging signs from Nicaragua Alemania Federal - school building burned, teachers still teaching; churches divide over arguments

how do they do that?

unity.

just because everyone’s happy in the church doesn’t mean we don’t assess it’s health;

unity will constantly be threatened - it is where we are most vulnerable - united we stand, divided we fall

doesn’t mean we stop working at unity;

Jesus as the Center

Jesus as the Center

Ephesians 4:5

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Nicaragua - one of the encouraging signs from Nicaragua Alemania Federal - school building burned, teachers still teaching; churches divide over arguments

how do they do that?

unity.

Why so many different and contradictory directions if we all worship the same Jesus?