Sermon: Multiple Personality Disorder

Summary: In order to fulfill God's purpose, we need to put away futile, deceitful, worldly
thinking and action, and allow God's true truth to enlighten both our mind and heart in
order to transform our whole selves, not just our "spiritual and religious selves" into
conformity with our creator.

Know: We should not buy into the secular-religious view of truth because all truth is
God's truth and permeates every sphere of life and therefore makes every activity and
every discipline "Christian." A godless discipline, science, math, or otherwise is
deceitfully mission the foundational truth behind it.

Feel: A sense of awe toward the creator who is behind everything and every discipline.

Do: Reflect on the ways Christianity is both a religion of the heart and the mind. Discuss
how Christian belief informs your jobs, activities, academic disciplines, etc. List and
reflect on challenges to a Biblical worldview. Identify ways to both assimilate and
communicate a Biblical world view.

Text: Eph 4:17-24

Scripture Reading: Rom 12:2

Intro:
1. Sermon Title: Multiple Personality Disorder
a. When someone assumes various personalities
b. If it is not a disorder, people call it being two-faced
2. Review:
a. God's cosmic plan and our place in it
b. Part of the body
c. Now talks about conversion
- What is conversion? - Change.
3. (Eph 4:17-24) To talk about change, Paul gives contrasts
a. Old self, and New self
b. What does that mean? Conversion
c. Many do not understand conversion
4. True conversion involves

I. Conversion of mind
A. Paul says to no longer walk as the gentiles walk
1. In modern day terms. Gentiles - non-Christians, unbelievers
2. Not just about morality, but a way of thinking
a. The futility of their mind
b. Darkened in their understanding
c. The ignorance that is in them
3. Ignorant darkness comes from - exclusion/alienation from God
a. May seem surprising
b. Now days, religious people are portrayed as ignorant
c. This is a lie and stereotype
4. But historically, some of the most brilliant minds were believers
a. Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Robert Boyle, Matthew
Maury, The Wright Brothers, etc.
b. Many of the countries Fathers were ministers
c. It wasn't just that they were believers, their faith guided
them in every aspect of their profession and discipline
B. If Paul were here today, would say don't be duped
1. Example: Teacher in a Christian High School Science Class
a. Drew heart on one side of the board, a brain on the other
b. Said - Heart is what we use for religion
c. Then - The brain is what we use for science
d. Is Christianity a religion of the heart??? Sounds good.
2. Francis Schaeffer said our culture has divided truth
a. Scientific Truth and Religious Truth
b. Scientific Truth - universal, public, rational, neutral, facts
c. Religious Truth - personal, private, irrational, values
d. IS THIS TRUE?
- v.21 - "Truth is in Jesus
- It does not say "religious truth is in Jesus"
3. Sad thing is many Christians have bought into this. Examples:
a. Various disciplines
- Science, History, Math, Government
- 2+2=4 Is that Christian or secular? It is God's truth
- Christian mathematicians believed world had "rules"
- Many Christian PhD's have a dual track approach to
their discipline. Neutral science/ Bible nothing to say
b. Christian schools
- What makes a Christian school Christian?
- Some teach same secular subjects, but add
prayer, singing, and such
- Someone defined "Christian teacher" strictly in terms
of behavior, but not in Biblical worldview
c. Attitude toward "real" ministry
- In Christian college, those being trained to work for
God only ministry students.
- Church work is spiritual, secular work is not? Wrong
- We live to serve God, that makes all of life ministry
d. Is it any wonder people say Christianity is irrelevant?
4. Theologian Martin Marty says religion does two things
a. Gives us a message of personal salvation
b. Gives us a lens through which to view our world
c. Conservative Christians good at first, but not the second
- Usually emphasize personal devotion
- Not articulate a Biblical view of everything
- Often leaves believers without tools to cope with
alternative world views
C. ILL: I want to tell you about Sarah
1. Worked at Planned Parenthood
a. Always tried to counsel women, abortion last option
b. Those that insisted, she would refer them
2. Sarah is a Christian
a. Active in church along with others in the office
b. She knew her Bible, Christian doctrine etc.
c. How did she wind up at Planned Parenthood?
3. Went to college, learned secular relativistic view of the world
a. Learned various philosophies
b. She didn't have the tools
c. Her life was divided between sacred and secular
- Religion a matter of "private" faith, values
- Public "real" life secular, naturalistic
d. Her life was secular worldview with veneer of Christianity
4. After a presentation on partial birth abortion, she quit
a. She finally realized she had split personality
b. Through a painful slow process, she had to change her
view of life
D. Need to realize Bible has a perspective on EVERYTHING
1. Bible does not begin with accept Jesus as Lord, and baptized
2. Begins with - In the beginning God created the Heavens and…
a. All truth is God's truth - math, science, history, philosophy
b. All truth begins and ends with God, the creator
3. Prov - Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
a. Not just "religious" wisdom. Inclusive term in Hebrew
b. A scholar or scribe were called "Hakamim"
c. Engineers, builders, craftsmen, etc. also were "Hakamim"
- Ex 35:10 - Tabernacle builders were wise men
d. Began with fact that all truth is God's truth, and they
learned God's truth in their respective calling in life
4. Whatever your calling in life is, God's truth is in it
a. Mechanic, teacher, science, history, accountant
b. This is God's world, he is the creator
c. Change our thinking - No secular Christians
d. Christianity is not just a religion of heart, but of mind

II. Conversion of lifestyle
A. Paul will deal with this more in the next section
B. Look what happens to those outside of God, darkened mind
1. Affects behavior
a. 4:19- Callous, sensuality, impurity, greed
b. Began with an untransformed mind
c. Began with a mind without God
2. Romans 1:18-32 - Gives a detailed description
a. (v.18-19) - God's truth is everywhere
b. (v.20-22) - Similar to Ephesians. Darkened heart
- Rejected God's truth
- They tried to construct their own truth
c. (v.23-28) - Degenerate behavior
- We see signs of this everywhere
- Heart approval to those who practice it
3. This is the Slippery slope of secularism
a. Begins with dualistic secular mindset
b. Lose what grounds you
c. Everyone wants their behavior normalized
4. Result
a. Cursing, swearing, provocative clothing
- Name of shows: Sex in City, Desperate housewives
Will and Grace, Blind Date, Friends, etc…
b. Premarital sex, homosexuality, gay marriage
c. Pedophiles pushing to be accepted now too
- Use same arguments as homosexuals
- Where does it end?
d. Ends in the fall of a nation or - Oppression
- Moral becomes might makes right
- Nazi Germany, North Korea, etc.
C. ILL: Would you drive off a cliff? Niagara Falls? No parachute?
1. Laws of nature - You will fall and die
a. God created this world with order
b. If you go against that order, will get hurt
2. There is also a moral order to God's world
a. God has determined how we are to avoid falling off a cliff
b. God has given us the correct way to view the world
c. The Bible is our lens to view and interpret the world
D. Answer is not just to regulate behavior, but true transformation
1. Involves both the mind and the heart
2. It works from the inside out
3. Rom 12:2 - Don't be conformed, but transformed
a. Begins with transformation of the mind, your thinking
b. Later in the chapter, Paul gets to behaviors

Concl:
1. Unless we understand true conversion, will have multiple personality disorder
(invitation)
2. Jesus calls for inner transformation, put off the old self, put new self on
a. Didn't say to keep the old self around for various occasions
b. You have a new, permanent wardrobe
c. It involves learning to think theologically about everything

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Small Group Questions: Multiple Personality Disorder

Open
- Who is your favorite "actor?"
- What role in life is most natural and/or unnatural to you?

Explore: (Eph 4:17-24)

1. Paul once again talks about the "then and now" contrast. What are the contrasts you find
in this passage? What do these contrasts tell you about the Christian life?

2. Discuss this statement: "For religious belief, we use the heart, and for scientific belief we
use the mind." Explain why this is true or not true and any weaknesses or strengths in this
statement. Does this passage say anything to this statement?

3. Paul begins by emphasizing the mind before getting into specific behaviors. What does
this communicate to you about the nature of faith?

4. Paul does not say, "learn about Christ," but "learn Christ." What does this say about the
nature of Christianity?

5. How does the false division between religious truth and secular truth pose a challenge for
true conversion? What does this passage say about truth? What does Genesis 1:1 have to s
ay about truth?

Apply:

6. Discuss with the group and reflect how Christian belief informs your job, activities,
academic disciplines, etc. (If this is new to you, collaborate with the other members of the
group). How are these activities part of your ministry and service for God?

7. How have you felt challenged by this lesson?

8. Identify ways to both assimilate and communicate a Biblical world view.

Prayer:
Rom 12:2