January 27, 2008

 

 “Change & Newness III: Your Personal Paradigm Shift”

Dr. Will Jones

First Presbyterian Church,   Brownsville, Tennessee

 

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-24; 2 Cor. 5:27

 

Summary: Because you are spiritually united with Christ, you have been remade by God through Christ’s death and resurrection.  Your old ways of self-obsession, sin, & envy have been crucified.  A new way to live, Christ’s way, has been instilled in your soul: the way of sacrifice, obedience, and love.  

 

Outline:

I.       Paradigm Shift

a.      definition (Kuhn)

b.      examples

                                                              i.      technology: internet

                                                           ii.      geocentric to heliocentric view

c.       occurs after a discontinuous change

d.      results in a transformed way of viewing the world

II.    Paradigm Shifts in the Bible

a.      Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones

b.      Paul’s conversion in Acts 9

c.       occur after a discontinuous change

d.      results in a transformed way of knowing God

III. Paradigm Shifts in Christians

a.      recreation inside us: a gift from God through grace

                                                              i.      no “self-made Christians”

b.      old ways give way to new ways

                                                              i.      self-obsession to sacrifice

                                                           ii.      sin to obedience

                                                         iii.      envy to love

 

 

For a copy of this sermon, click here …