Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Culture is from the latin word” cultura, or colere, it literally means to cultivate. Culture is the actions, knowledge and values shared by a social group. It is a seed planted that has it’s expression found in it’s effects on the adherents of that culture. In the area of biology a culture grows. A culture or group can be characterized and or defined by what they are doing, and what they believe. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Culture affects how we think and even how we perceive the world around us. • Our message to you today relates to the fact that Jesus is “ The message of Hope”. • In the media, telecommunications and everyday conversation I am hearing questions that have arisen based on the perception of people in our generation. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Questions like (ie) • Why be good? Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die • Why make plans for the future, we have no natural resources, the global warming issue, atomic threat, changing economics, • Am I going to grow old, have children, raise a family Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Is the American Dream still a reality, that if I work hard and save that I can live better than my parents did? • Am I going to have a job, be able to work and make money to support my family? • Am I going to be able to retire? • There is no use, I can’t make a difference Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • My life stinks, it would have been better if I would have never been born. • I wish I were dead!!!! • I have no friends, no one to talk to, I’m so lonely and nobody cares. • Our culture has impacted the way that we think, that is what we are here for, to give hope to people who have lost hope, thrown in the towel and are ready to jump the ship of life. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • A familiar story • 2 Timothy 1.2-7 “ To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Cont. “ When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Your life “a mission” or an “intermission” • Timothy’s culture (His exhorters dying and now he is at the crux of his calling) • God is looking for people of Hope, to stir up the gift, rekindle the fire, throw wood on the embers of their life to put them in a position to affect others around them. Your not infected or affected by this culture. Jesus said,”Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Heaven subscribes to a different set of values, knowledge and growth than this world. Satan is trying to snatch the life out of this generation by taking all their hope of any future. • This culture has permeated the church, we are the salt and the light, if we have lost our savor and our illumination this generation will be lost. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • There is a cultural war going on right now between Jesus and His words versus Satan and this world. The culture of heaven is revealed in the word of God, the culture of this world is plainly seen in the behavior, attitudes and hopelessness of this world. • This war has been fought in the trenches of our media, telecommunications and classrooms across America. The effect can be seen by the fact that the stage is being set to provide security for your freedom, entitlement for your sense of self worth, and victimization for the ills of your life. Who will you blame? Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • The Bible has been attacked in its authenticity, and inerrancy. • The historical Jesus, abandoned because of the lack of reason in the supernatural Jesus • In the nineteenth century the questioning of the validity of the Bible caused more literate men and women to lose faith in Jesus than any other single cause. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • When the adherents of a culture become disillusioned with the promises of that regime then revolution soon follows. • When this culture comes face to face with no hope of the future, then chaos will ensue and chaos is only conquered by anarchy. • The culture of heaven says, “ In my Father’s house there are many mansions……. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Origin of Man • Attacks on the differentiation of the creation of man • The eradication of gender • The elevation of plant and animal creation to God’s special creation of man • The culture of Heaven says that “We are fearfully and wonderfully made….. This is the Mindset of the a deceived Godless world and culture, if this is our source than what is our resource.
If we really believe this is our origin than we’re in bigger
trouble than we think!!! Jesus declared He was the Original, when you see me you see the Father I’M Alpha & Omega • Understanding our Origin means according to Webster we understand our source. • Understanding our Origin we know our Ancestry. • Origin references the Original. • Derivation > means root, seed, or source. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • The Goodness of Man is not evolutionary, a new study says that man will evolve to goodness in time if they could just eradicate religion. • The culture of this world mocks the culture of heaven.. Nietzsche said this, “ Christianity demanded a useless and debilitating sacrifice of the flesh and spirit rather than full blooded heroic living and daring.. War and courage have accomplished more great things than love thy neighbor:. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • Christianity is a religion of sheep that glorified weakness rather than the strength that life required. • We’re not weak, we understand that when we are weak then we are strong. I would rather come with 3 stones and a slingshot against the giants of my life than all the armies of this world. • We understand that when we humble ourselves God exalts us, I understand that God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to confound the wise of this world. Jesus, The Transcendent One • The Attack on God, many clergy have been infected by this delusional thinking of this world. From the inerrancy of the scripture to the innate goodness of man. The devil wants you to blame God, who is our only hope for all the ills of this world and our personal woes. • The accusation of this culture says, they have to question the morality of a God who would sacrifice for His own satisfaction the only perfect being ever to walk the earth. Jesus, The Transcendent Culture • They just don’t get it do they! The cause of Jesus Christ and the reason that were having service today is John 3.16 “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him…….