Sermon Tone Analysis

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Luke 14:1-

Pray

Introduction

Presuppositions

A future banquet in God's Kingdom

A resurrection of the righteous

Eating together in a meaningful way... the meal represents a value.

Outline

1-14 Dinner with a Pharisee

Re-framing Sabbath

Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and the reverse

Do good to those who cannot repay you because you have a future reward

15-24 The Parable of the Great Banquet

The surprising guest at God's banquet

25-35 The Cost of Being a Disciple

Understanding the cost of discipleship

Summary of Verse 1-14

Jesus has been invited over for dinner on the Sabbath to the house of a prominent Pharisee

There is a man who has an ailment and Jesus heals him.

Jesus challenges the Pharisees concept of Sabbath and what is permissible

Jesus addresses the seating arrangements which reflects a heart condition: pride or humility.

Jesus addresses party invitations and the social construct of repayment.

The use of influence for kindness vs the use of influence for the sake of future repayment.

There were three upper-class groups in Jesus day: the religious leadership, the wealthy business people, and Roman leadership (political).

There were three upper-class groups in Jesus day: the religious leadership, the wealthy business people, and Roman leadership (political).

Essentially, this was a dinner party of the elite.

They had their protocol, values, and pecking order.

Earthly Meal —> Heavenly Banquet

Summary of vs 15-24

A parable

A banquet

Many invited guests

Invited guests have excuses of why they cannot attend

The owner invites the poor and disabled to attend

The Surprise Element: The invited guests decline to attend and the societal outcast are welcomed in.

This parable is told in the context of a banquet of social elites.

Jesus' audience is religious but misguided.

Jesus is teaching people who have religious priorities.

They care about spiritual things.

We can relate to these lessons whether we are religious or not because we all participate in subcultures.

And we derive our identity from that subculture.

It could be an ethnic identity.

It could be a political identity.

It could be hobby of fitness or crafting or food.

It could be an identity of rebellion against another subculture.

How do you know what subculture you are a part of?

Your Instagram feed...

Your discretionary spending...

How do you know what subculture you are a part of?

Your Instagram feed...

Your discretionary spending...

The Cost of Discipleship

:25-35

Application

We can relate to these lessons whether we are religious or not because we all participate in subcultures.

And we derive our identity from that subculture.

It could be an ethnic identity.

It could be a political identity.

It could be hobby of fitness or crafting or food.

It could be an identity of rebellion against another subculture.

How do you know what subculture you are a part of?

Your Instagram feed...

Your discretionary spending...

Recognize that our culture communicates power dynamics, code of conduct, values and many of these things are different from God Kingdom.

(Wealth, beauty, influence, purpose, reward)

What does this look like in our ministry box?

Who are our elites?

(self, home owners, politicians, developers)

There is a lot of individualism in our neighborhood.

Many (millennials) don't derive their identity based on what is local.

We have local residents who are somewhat excarnate.

They are detached from what is around them.

They themselves are elite unto themselves.

They have gone outside of their local community to find identity.

Their relationship with their neighborhood is to demand usefulness.

There is very little civic spirit.

Obviously, the internet has made this possible.

No longer does it matter if my neighbors are not interested in the things I'm interested in.

I can just look down at my phone and find camaraderie in my subculture.

Less and less meaning or identity is derived from the neighborhood.

Less and less meaning is attached to our bodies.

Michael Frost calls it excarnation.

Whereas Jesus Christ was God incarnate and his church was called to an incarnational lifestyle, today we find ourselves drifting toward excarnation—the defleshing of our faith.

We have been moving through a disembodying process that has left us feeling rootless and disengaged, connected to our world more and more through screens rather then face to face.

This is an important observation because we are still prone to make the errors that Jesus is trying to correct but concept of a cultural elite has changed, the pecking orders have changed, the code of conduct has changed.

Are we a party of one?

Are we elite unto ourselves?

Have we become so individualistic that our subculture is just us?

I think that is what our culture celebrates when it talks about self-expression.

I can jump out of my world to momentarily appreciate your self-expression and then jump back into my world.

Social media is a huge contributor to this way of thinking.

We look at how many friends we have or we look at how many likes we get.

Notice, we aren't collectively earning likes or friends.

Are you proud of your group size?

No.

You are proud of you.

In traditional cultures the heroic narrative is self-sacrifice.

You are your duties, and your self-worth depends on the honor that is bestowed upon you by your community for discharging them.

In Western cultures the new heroic narrative is self-assertion.

You are your individual dreams and desires, and your self-worth depends on the dignity you bestow on yourself, because you have asserted your dreams and desires regardless of the opposition you may have had from the community.