Sermon for the Tenth Sunday After Pentecost Nonconformity
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. In today's Epistle, God's apostle Paul wants us to know that none of us is the free thinker or independent person we would like to think we are. Forces outside of us are constantly pressing our minds and our thoughts. Paul warns you about these forces, and he also declares how God continually will save you from these forces, when he says to you in today's Epistle, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Dear Christian friends, In February 2010, Time ran an interview with the world-famous rock musician Ozzy Osbourne. In that interview, Ozzy made a suggestion that might be the most beneficial thing ever to proceed from his mouth: “[Today] kids have tattoos everywhere. … If you want to be somebody special now, don't have a tattoo, because everyone's getting them, you know” (Time, February 8, 2010). (No, this is not a sermon about tattoos. I do not care whether you have one or not.) On a related note, Good Morning America recently reported that, in order to fight the rising costs of manufacturing, clothing retailers are now using less material in their products. In order to keep you buying their lower quality clothing, retailers are advertising that this move toward less material is all part of a new fashion trend. (No, this is not a sermon about clothing. As long as you have all the necessary parts well covered, with no slogan or picture that causes people to wonder whether you are a Christian, I do not care what you wear.) Deep Inside We’re All the Same Both of these examples—Ozzy Osbourne and cheaply made clothing—both of these examples illustrate how your brain operates. Simply stated, we each do certain things because someone else is doing them. Like everyone else on the planet, you and I both possess an inner desire to be the same as, or at least similar to, other people around us. Conformity is the name for it. We all want to be accepted by others, especially our peers. Few of us want to stick out like a sore thumb. The fashion industry knows that, if it can get a handful of people to buy into the idea that cheaply made clothes are the new trend, many more people will soon follow. After all, Ozzy was right: “Everyone's getting [tattoos], you know.” All the individuals eventually look the same. · At first glance, children and teenagers seem particularly susceptible to this inborn desire to conform, but as we all know, they rarely wish to conform to their parents' or grandparents' desires. Children want to conform to the way other children look and act. Mind-boggling, I know, but we all have been there—or will be soon. · Don't feel too embarrassed, teenagers. For all our supposed wisdom, your parents and grandparents still feel the same pressure and desire to conform, in order to be accepted by their peers. That is partly why they find this sermon so agreeable so far. It is also why they feel the need to “Keep up with the Joneses,” as the saying goes. We all share the same disease. Conformity is just as dangerous for us as it is for you. · Many of us want to think that we are each a free thinker. Part of the American ideal is that we each be independent and freethinking. We all think alike that way. Speaking about things that only God Himself could have revealed, Paul in today's Epistle opens up our brains and lays bare what is really happening when we each feel the desire to conform. Far from being free-thinking, far from being the decision-makers we want to think we are, Paul warns us that our brains are continually being pressed like cookie dough into a mold. Paul does not say, “Do not conform yourself to this world,” as though you or I play a completely independent role in our desires to conform. Paul says “Do not be conformed to this world.” The verb “be conformed” is passive, which means someone or something else is doing it to you. “Do not be conformed to this world.” Paul is saying, “Do not allow yourself to be pushed around or herded into a group by the unbelieving world. Do not let yourself be pressed into the mold or form that the world is always attempting to press you into. Do not submit to the pressure that the unbelieving world continually exerts upon you.” If someone in the Walmart parking lot were to grab you and attempt to push you into his car, what would you do? In order to protect your body from harm, you would probably kick and scream, scratch and claw for all you are worth. Why wouldn't you want to put up the same fight when the world attempts to press you into conformity with its own ideals, thoughts, priorities, and desires? If we would resist with all our strength the bodily injury that could come to us in the Walmart parking lot, how much more should we resist the injury that comes to our minds when the world presses itself upon us, shaping and conforming us into its own image? More than a Matter of Tattoos or Clothes Paul is not really speaking about tattoos and fashion trends toward cheap clothing, either. He is speaking about the way we think, and examples of how the unbelieving world continually presses us into conformity are as numerous as the stars in the sky. I have two examples for you here, but these are very general. You can examine your own life and probably come up with you own examples, as befits your situation and your sin. Conformity example #1 has to do with paying people back for the wrongs they have done to you. Not many verses after today's Epistle, God clearly says to you, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves [when wrong has been done to you], but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19). Nevertheless, how often have you given in to the feeling of satisfaction that comes from getting even with those who wrong you? This is why older brothers pay younger brothers double for what they receive and it is why their parents file lawsuits. Yet when you give into your temptations for revenge, you are not operating independently. You are being conformed, pressed into a mold, forced into a car in the Walmart parking lot, so to speak. In order to guard and protect your brain from being hijacked in this way, God is saying to you today, “Do not be conformed to this world.” Conformity example #2: Much of our educational system—and most of our political system—is built upon the world's assumption that each person is intrinsically good, and that all you need for a good life are the right opportunities, the right information, and the right decision-making abilities. Stated another way, the world refuses to believe that, apart from Christ, every person inwardly and naturally corrupt (Genesis 6:11-12, dead (Ephesians 2:1), hostile (Romans 8:7), and self-centered (James 3:14-16). It is very easy for us Christians to become pressed into the mold and conformed to the way the world thinks. Part of each Christian even desires to believe the world's lie, that we are all intrinsically good. This lie allows us to think of ourselves more highly than we ought, as Paul also warns us in today’s Epistle. This lie, that we are all intrinsically good, also destroys the faith. Jesus did not come for the good. He came and died for the evil, the ungodly, the sinners. Jesus died for you and for me. In order to guard and protect your brain from being pressed and conformed back into the world's mold, God is saying to you today, “Do not be conformed to this world.” But these are just my two general examples. You can probably think of better ones for yourselves. Think about your sexuality. Think about the way you speak to one another. Think about the things you post on the Internet. “Do not be conformed to this world.” “Be Transformed” = Caterpillars to Butterflies God has something much better for you than mere conformity and mold-fitting. God has a gift for you that will make you truly independent and the freest of all thinkers. Ozzy Osbourne’s solution to the problem of conformity was, “If you want to be somebody special now, don't have a tattoo.” God your heavenly Father’s solution will actually help you, save you, preserve and protect you. Not merely does God say to you today, “Do not be conformed to this world,” but He goes on to say, “be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” The verb “be transformed” speaks about the great power that God’s Word continually exerts in your life. The verb “be transformed” does not speak about a simple change of mind, as in choosing not to get a tattoo or not buying the cheap new clothes they now sell. The verb “be transformed” speaks about how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. The verb “be transformed” speaks about a total re-structure of your brain, which God’s powerful Word does for you on a daily basis. The many personal benefits you receive from God’s Word continually doing its good work of transforming your brain. These benefits will help you every day: · First, God’s Word gives you, as Paul says here, “a renewal of your mind.” That is to say, God’s Word—first applied to you in Baptism (Titus 3:5) but continually effective every day—God’s Word continually renews, washes, cleanses and forgives the sins of your mind in the same way that the sins of your body are likewise forgiven. · God’s Word not only cleanses your mind, but it also daily gives you a fresh start, making you increasingly able to recognize the ways that the world continually tries to press you into its deadly conformity. No matter how old or young you are, the more you allow God’s Word into your brain, the more strength you will have against being conformed to the world. By the power of His Word, God gives you the ability and strength to be truly free in your thoughts and your decision-making. · Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the renewing power of God’s Word will enable you to function in this world without fear. If you were afraid of getting hijacked in the Walmart parking lot, you would probably never go to Walmart. But what is life without Walmart? In a similar way, if you should become fearful that the world continually attempts press you into conformity with itself, you might become increasingly afraid to go out and function in the world. Do not do that. God’s Word transforms your mind. God’s Word renews your mind. God’s Word also protects your mind from harm. You’ve gotta go to Walmart, so to speak. That is to say, you must be able to function in this world without fear. Go without fear. God’s Word is protecting you. God’s Word has freed you and God’s Word will keep you free. ___________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author (as long as no charge is made for the work and it is not made part of a compilation), as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: sermons...@cat41.org Unsubscribe? 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