Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Paul in this text tells the Corinthian believers to “Come out from their midst and be separate” this is a quote from an OT passage in Isaiah.

-Isaiah is saying this in response to the babylonian conquest of Judah.

So of the Israelites also went into captivity in Eypgt.

Jeremiah the prophet was one of them in captivity.

Isaiah is calling the Israelites to come from Eygpt Physically and Spiritually.

Look at what he says:

a. Depart, Depart, go out from there(physical departure from Egypt)

b.

Touch nothing unclean; God out of the midst of her, purify yourselves(Spiritual departure from Egypt)

-When Paul quotes this text to the Corinthian Believers he is not calling for a Physical Departure from Corinth.

You remember the pentecost was reversal of the OT principle of remaining in the city of Jerusalem.

At Pentecost he says you will be my witnesses to the uttermost parts of the world.

The call in the OT is “come back home” The physical call in the NT is Go.

But the one thing that hasn’t changed is the spiritual call to “Come out from among the and be clean” this is Spiritual seperation from the world.

-In the NT there seems to be a running theme and that is “Be you Holy and Separate”

-Review:

We are to grow up!! no longer toss to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

We are to speak the truth to people in love.

We should not create and environment at the church where folks cannot hear the truth about themselves in a loving manner.

3. Truth and Maturity lead to a growing and flourishing body of Christ.

Always—A mature Christian will live a life that is physically present in the world but spiritually distinct

I.

You know better than that

(v.17) “So this I say” NASB “Now this I say and testify in the Lord” ESV The ESV has the best rendering of this phrase.

This conjunction and subsequent phrase is a public declaration of vast importance.

In our current vernacular we would say “Put this on record please” Paul is so confident in this next statement that he included “and affirm together with the Lord” This was Paul way of saying with emphasis that me & the Lord are on one accord and equally passionate about this issue.

(v.17) “that you walk”

Peripateo- Walk; Live; This word could be used to describe actually walking.

Or it could be used metaphorically to describe daily living.

The context determines that right definition.

Example John 12:35

(v.35)

You will notice in this text that Jesus is clearly not talking about actually walking around in physical darkness.

He is using the light and dark metaphor to describe spiritual darkness and spiritual light.

He is describing who live in a perpetual state of darkness don’t know where they are going.

(v.17) “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk” This sounds like a rebuke.

Clearly Paul was has had an update from the churches in Ephesus; maybe Timothy gave Paul a status report and Paul heard that the individuals in the church are in some ways behaving just like the world.

So Paul gives a stern rebuke “no longer” The Ole saints might say it this way “you better than that” This is a command for us to not conduct business like the world.

Paul is calling for Spiritual seperation from the world, not physical seperation.

John the disciple picked up on this same principle:

(HELP)

-all of these rich scripture call us too walk in the world, but not allow the world system to conform us to itself.

We are to swim against the current of the world system.

Back in Eph 4:17

Paul then goes on to describe the thinking of Gentiles:

(v.17) “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind”

What does Paul mean in the futility of their mind?

a. Futility-Emptiness; nonsense; worthlessness

(v.17) Paul says that the Gentiles(Nations) chase after or pursue worthless & empty things.

They are so blind that they cannot tell that what they chase has not eternal value.

The look good to the world.

In America our idols are: Safety, Security, and Success.

We spend our lives chasing things that if we where too give our life to Jesus he would give us anyway.

Have you meet the young person that had life all figured out, but you tried to warn them of some decision that they are about to make, but they look at you and say “I know it was like that in your day, but now it is different”

-We often leave these conversation exhausted and say “A hard head makes us soft behind” Sometime folks have to learn on their own.

-But who often have we had conversation with unbelievers and they just will not accept your message unable to see the darkness that they are walking in.

The leave that conversation confident that they know more about their life than their creator.

Look at how God deals with the Spiritually Rebellious.

Psalm 2:1-4

HELP

(v.1)

The Psalmist starts this Psalm by asking a question; Why are the nations troubled, which has caused them to start to devise a worthless plan?

(v.2) All of the world leaders get together and formulate a plan to come against the rule of “The Lord and against his Anointed” that is against God and his Son Jesus!

(v.3) Look what they say “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us” Fetters are handcuffs.

The Kings and Leaders of the world get together to say we know longer need God for his protection, guidance, or love.

We are gods, we are the master of our own fate.

Then look what God does in (v.4)

-This is one of three times; Psalm 59:8, Psalm 37:13, Psalm 2:4 that the scripture says God laughs.

In Each case he is laughing at those who try and defy him by making decision devoid of him.

Have you ever just imagine what it must be like to hear God bust out laughing?

-Not only does God laugh he also “scoffs” this word means: jeer or talks about.

-Most of us never think of God laughing at people and talking about them.

I am thinking that his audience is the Angels as he watches people make plans without acknowledging him.

Not only do Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind, it leads too:

(v.18) “being darkened” this is present passive participle.

That tells us that this darkening is a continual event, that is the natural result of intentionally walking away from God.

Let me summarize; “the further people walk away from God, the stupider they become!”

This is process that you cannot resist now matter how much you fight it.

You may grow intellectually, you may grow relationally, you may grow socially, but you are still growing stupider everyday you turn your back on God, and do things your way.

(v.18) “being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;”

-Paul tells us what part of the psyche is darkened.

The Gentile being darkened in their understanding.

Understanding “the mind as the faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring.”

Wuest, Kenneth S. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader.

Vol. 4. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.

Print.

-The mind is where a person is able to make wise, measured, and logical decision.

Paul says that those who reject God’s counsel will begin to lack the ability, to make wise, measured, and logical decisions.

-This “darkening process” is something that you cannot resist no matter how much you fight it.

You may grow intellectually, you may grow relationally, you may grow socially, but you are still growing stupider everyday in your understanding.

Do you realize that Satan can know that you are growing Stupider everyday while at the same time reward you with worldly success.

(v.18) “ being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;”

-Paul says the Gentile is totally void of the life of God outside of the grace of God, only a recipient of God’s common grace.

(v.18) 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

(v.18) that word ignorance means:lack of knowledge.

Let’s listen to Hosea on this one.

HELP

(v.6)

This lack of knowledge is an intentional rejection of sound advice.