10-10-21 Sermon Notes “My Sweet Lord” Celebration Service

One of the very first things a child learns to say and really understand (besides mama and dada) is, “No!” Haven’t you seen that stubborn look on a toddler’s face? …arms crossed…feet planted… “NO!” Then they grow into the wonderful world of heavy sighs and eye rolls. What are they really saying with all this? “Don’t tell me what to do! You are not the boss of me!”

When do we grow out of that? Never. You know why? Because every single one of us has this little “inner toddler” that wants to do exactly what we want to do when we want to do it. What is going on with this? I read an article from the Cleveland Clinic about this where an expert in behavioral health called this inner need to rebel “psychological reactance.” It is your brain’s reaction to the feeling that your freedom is being taken away or your choices are being limited. That’s the clinical explanation. I’ll give you the theological explanation. It goes back to our very humanness…our fallen nature. Adam and Eve are told that they can eat from any tree in the garden…except THAT one. And what do they do? That rebellious mind is still in us.

But we have a mandate from Scripture to let another mind be in us.
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2: 5-11 NRSV)

Who will be Lord? Of our lives? Of our church? We know the answer! The problem is that it is easier to say, “Jesus is Lord,” than it is to live it.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Sam