The Changing External and the Unchanging Internal
Despite external changes, human nature remains the same, and we should focus on what truly matters.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the contrast between the rapidly changing external world and the unchanging nature of humanity's inner self. He reflects on how Jesus lived in a time devoid of modern conveniences and technology, yet the people of that era were just as real and complex as we are today. Tozer argues that while our surroundings and lifestyles have evolved dramatically, the fundamental aspects of human nature remain constant. This serves as a reminder that despite external changes, our inner struggles, desires, and relationships with God are timeless. Ultimately, Tozer calls for a deeper understanding of our unchanging internal selves amidst a changing world.
Text
While Jesus grew through the various stages of developing childhood, He never saw a mechanical device more complicated than a cart. He never saw paper, or plastic, or a telephone, or a radio, or a camera, or a printed sheet, or a paved highway, or a gun, or a steam engine, or an electric motor. No one in His day ever got vaccinated or took vitamin pills or consulted a psychiatrist or had a song recorded or rode in a balloon or airplane or elevator. The people of His time had to get along without floating soap, chlorophyll toothpaste, rubber gloves, ready-mix flour, canned peas, Alka-seltzer, parking meters, Wheaties, puffed rice, electric razors, in-a-door beds, wristwatches, typewriters and Band-aids. Jesus never nursed from a rubber nipple or ate a scientifically compounded formula or played with an "educational" toy or attended a progressive school or saw a comic book or owned a toy bomb shelter.
Judged against our present highly complicated manner of life, the people of Palestine in the days of Christ's flesh scarcely lived at all. Were we forced suddenly to live as they did, we would feel that the bottom had dropped out of the world. Surely people who lived so close to nature could not be "real people" (to borrow the language of the liberals).
But they were real human beings all right, those simple people of Bethlehem and Capernaum. And the striking thing is that they were exactly the kind of people we are. Not one minor variation distinguishes them from us. Only the externals were different. Those things that have changed belong to the outer man; the inner man has not changed in the slightest.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Changing External
- A. The world has progressed in technology and convenience
- B. We have access to many modern conveniences
- C. These changes have altered our way of life
- II. The Unchanging Internal
- A. Human nature has not changed
- B. People in Jesus' time were just as human as we are today
- C. The inner man remains the same despite external changes
Key Quotes
“Judged against our present highly complicated manner of life, the people of Palestine in the days of Christ's flesh scarcely lived at all.” — A.W. Tozer
“Those things that have changed belong to the outer man; the inner man has not changed in the slightest.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We should focus on what truly matters, rather than getting caught up in external changes.
- Our inner nature is what truly defines us, not our external circumstances.
- We can learn from the people of Jesus' time, who lived simply and authentically despite their limited technology.